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When we're a baby we can fall down, laugh it off and get back up and back to action. We know as we get older, that's not the case anymore.So the best thing we can do is avoid that fall altogether.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 35 to 40 per cent of older Americans fall at least once. In fact, falling is the leading cause of injury death for people over the age of 65. There are some ways to help avoid falls around the house.
First of all, remember that exercise doesn't just keep you healthy it improves your balance. Social Worker Pamela Sacco says talk with your healthcare provider about what exercise is right for you, and tells us, "Exercise is going to increase your balance, your coordination and your strength which in the end is going to prevent a fall."
It's also important to check out your surroundings by making sure your walkways are clear. Make sure you don't have any cracks in the concrete. You also want to make sure you have railings next to your stairs for balance.
It's smart to check your lighting. Make sure you have overhead lighting, indoor and outdoor lighting and even night lights. Don't forget about the the place where many falls happen - the bathroom.
Ms. Sacco says, "You could put up grab bars in your bathroom next to your sink, in your shower. They have non-skid strips you could put on your shower floor which could help with your balance."
Remove things you may trip over like shopping bags, clothes or shoes from the stairs and places where you walk. Once you've put in the fall-preventive measures, pamela says it's time to take a look what you're wearing. Take a look at your footwear. Make sure you have good footwear with rubber soles. Make sure they fit properly."
Don't forget to get rid of throw rugs that don't have a non-slip grip, or use double-sided tape to secure the rug. And, if you think some of these things are too much of a challenge to tackle on your own, Pamela says there is help: "We do have companion service at Lutheran Care that can assist with these things. And, also just by contacting Lutheran Care we have an OT and PT department that can come in and do a home assessment for you. | <urn:uuid:4b233f55-0231-42bc-b7dc-e90167e880ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cnyhomepage.com/helping-hands-stories?nxd_id=149092 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975951 | 484 | 2.375 | 2 |
Regular Maintenance to Head Saw Keeps Mills Cutting Quality Lumber
Head Saw Maintenance: Proper maintenance of the head saw helps a company cut quality lumber and run efficiently; two hardwood sawmills discuss their routine maintenance.
Date Posted: 3/1/2009
Maintaining a sawmill is important for running efficiently and cutting quality lumber.
In the articles that follow, we talked to two hardwood sawmills running circle saws and asked them a brief series of questions about how they maintain the head saw. They also shared a few other observations and tips about keeping the head saw cutting smoothly.
Each article has the name of the company and a brief description of their head rig, the saw blade, what kind of logs they cut and what lumber products they make. We also asked them what they do to regularly maintain the blade and to describe any other maintenance issues related to the head saw. These two particular companies rely on BH Payne & Company to supply their head saw blades.
Hoffman Bros. Lumber Co.
Gary Graybill, Head Sawyer
Hoffman Bros. Lumber Co. cuts mainly red oak, white oak, maple and hickory. The mill processes logs in 2-foot increments ranging from 8 feet to 16 feet. Most logs are about 15-16 inches in diameter although it can process logs up to 42 inches in diameter.
The sawmill runs a BH Payne & Company blade that is paired with a Cleereman carriage. The head rig is equipped with a scanner and has computerized setworks. The saw runs at 650 rpm; the carriage moves at variable speed, depending on the sawyer.
The blade is 56 inches in diameter. It is an F pattern, inserted tooth blade (52 teeth) with a kerf of 9/32-inch.
Gary sharpens the blade three times a day. “We start at 6:30 in the morning,” he said, so he sharpens the blade at the first work break about 9:30, then at lunch time, and again at 3:15 when they shut down for the day.
At each appointed time, Gary inspects the blade carefully. If necessary, he swages the teeth, using a swedge and hammer to widen the teeth slightly. “Sometimes I don’t swedge them very much,” he said.
For sharpening, he uses a Jockey grinder. “I pull it back into the tooth several times lightly,” said Gary. “I don’t want to burn the tooth.”
He usually uses two sets of teeth per week. Occasionally the guide needs changing.
Gary normally does not replace the shanks when they are worn. “When shanks get really worn, they won’t clean the sawdust out good,” he noted. “We usually feel at that point it pays to put a new saw in.” The company normally uses about two blades per year.
If a blade needs to be hammered or tensioned, he usually sends it to BH Payne & Company. Gary has had the blades hammered and rolled, another method for restoring proper tension. Rolling achieves a better result, he believes.
When asked about routine or common problems, he said, “I feel that’s something, as you get more and more experienced, you learn…When I’m sawing white oak, I file my teeth for less hook in them. That will make the saw not quite as sharp, but it will last longer. Certain kinds of wood, it pays not to feed the saw so fast, like hard maple. I try to watch how I feed it. Poplar can be fed pretty fast.” He tries to feed the log as fast as he can and still cut “good quality lumber.”
“It’s very important to have a saw that’s really right,” added Gary. “To make nice lumber, you have to have top-notch equipment.”
“BH Payne has a super saw,” he said. “They’re the best saw that we’ve ever had.”
RJS Wood Products
Lake Ariel, Penn.
RJS Wood Products cuts Northeastern hardwoods – “a lot of maple and oak,” said Roger. The company produces furniture grade lumber, flooring, pallet material and some railroad ties.
The sawmill runs a BH Payne & Company blade. The head rig includes a Edmiston carriage with shop-built setworks. The blade runs at 575 rpm and the carriage is variable speed.
The saw blade is 54 inches in diameter. It is an F pattern, inserted tooth blade with 17/64-inch kerf. The company uses Simonds teeth inserts.
How frequently the blade is maintained depends on sawing conditions, said Roger. They include how well the logs are debarked, mud and debris on the logs, and other factors. The mill is not equipped with an in-line metal detector, but it has a hand-held metal detector to ascertain if a log contains any metal.
His normal practice is to sharpen the teeth twice per day or swedge them – or both. Roger uses an Andrus hand-held grinder to touch up the teeth.
How frequently he changes the teeth depends on variables, but he normally gets three weeks of cutting before replacing them. He usually changes the shanks every six months, in the fall and spring.
If the blade only needs minor tensioning, Roger will do it himself. Otherwise, he uses BH Payne & Company and Seneca Saw Works for service.
He normally does not encounter any other maintenance issues as long as nothing gets jammed inside the saw, causing it to heat up, said Roger.
“We do the best we can with proper maintenance and sharpening,” he said.
“A lot of mills…have lost the technique of swaging a saw,” added Roger. “That’s why a lot of guys have gone to carbide. They grind them, and when they’re worn out, they replace them” for about $3.25 each. “I’d like to keep the art of swaging a saw alive in the family if possible.”
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Research and connect with suppliers mentioned in this article using our FREE ZIP Online service. | <urn:uuid:8d78d436-3f62-4e8c-bd4e-b8d77d08ce88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.palletenterprise.com/articledatabase/view.asp?articleID=2801 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939332 | 1,360 | 2 | 2 |
Wild violets (genus Viola, many species; probably escaped from cultivation) pop up everywhere and anywhere in my lawn and vegetable gardens.
I encourage them.
In the lawn they stay green when the grass goes dormant in August; in the garden, they add a perky ornamental touch.
Plus, they’re also really good to eat. Good for you, too, both as food and medicine.
In terms of eating, I’m talking primarily about the young, tender, heart-shaped leaves, although the delicate flowers are also edible, scattered across the top of a delicate salad or used for candied violets and decorating cakes.
Raw or cooked, violet greens have a delicate, bland flavor. Add them to mixed-greens salads; toss a handful into a soup, a stir-fry, or a side dish of mixed steamed greens.
The late wild-edibles enthusiast Euell Gibbons called wild violets “nature’s vitamin pill,” noting that a half-cup serving of tender green leaves provides the vitamin C of four oranges and a day’s supply of Vitamin A.
The leaves and roots also contain the host of phytocompounds that herbalists have long used to treat skin and respiratory ailments, wounds, headaches, anxiety, and fibrocystic breasts and other breast swellings.
- Don’t ever eat a wild plant you can’t identify with certainty.
- Eat only the purple-flowered varieties.
- Don’t eat violets (or any flower) that came from a florist or plant nursery, as the plants may contain pesticides and other toxins.
- African violets, Saintpaulia ionantha, aren’t true violets. Don’t eat them or use them in medicinal preparations.
Margaret Boyles lives in a wood-heated house in central New Hampshire. She grows vegetables, eats weeds, keeps chickens, swims in a backyard pond in summer, snowshoes in the surrounding woods in winter, and commutes by bike whenever possible. | <urn:uuid:24a4ec2a-8dbd-46ee-b446-82f98172add5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.almanac.com/blog/natural-health-home-tips/don%e2%80%99t-shrink-violets?quicktabs_2=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914062 | 448 | 2.796875 | 3 |
The Schnapsen Log
Who Laughs Last (solution to first part)
As I mentioned in a previous column (and I will continue to remind you of this tip), when you are following to the last trick before the stock is exhausted, it is much simpler to first consider what happens if you duck the trick. The reason is that, if you duck, you know exactly what card you will draw: the face-up trump. If you think about winning the trick, you probably have to consider all the possible cards you might draw.
In today’s deal it seems attractive to duck anyway, so that you don’t break up that pretty royal marriage. In fact, you will pick up ♥J to give your marriage extra protection. You have a choice of ducking with either ♦Q or ♣A. If you duck with ♦Q, you will be in this position:
Itell: (39 points)
You: (5 points)
Unfortunately, Itell has two quick winners (♥T and ♦A), and will grin at you as he cashes them to win the deal. Add up the trick points to be sure you see why these two tricks are enough. (Your total should be 72.) The big problem is that, by discarding ♦Q the previous trick, you left your valuable ♦T unprotected.
The outcome is similar if you discard ♣A instead of ♦Q on the previous trick. You should go through the exercise of visualizing (or writing down) the position after that trick and counting up how many trick points Itell will accumulate from cashing those same two winners, ♥T and ♦A. (The answer is 73.)
In either case you will lose 2 game points, so ducking is a bad idea. You certainly won’t do any worse by winning the trick. (Notice how we could decide to win the trick without having to consider all the possible cards we could draw from the stock? That’s why you consider ducking first.) Don’t fall in love with your pretty royal marriage: go ahead and break it up to win this trick with ♥K. When you do this, it happens that you draw ♦A from the stock, and you are now in this position:
Itell: (26 points)
You: (19 points)
On lead: You
All right, now go ahead and plan the play for the rest of the deal, starting from this position. When you think you have a good plan, you are welcome to read my analysis.
© 2012 Martin Tompa. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:ba119c2a-7ee1-4d9d-b509-7034412da5ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://psellos.com/schnapsen/blog/2012/03/004-last-decision.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9399 | 551 | 1.679688 | 2 |
2. The Uncrossed Gulf, 1
'Across the gulf that divides our kindreds!' said Andreth. 'Is there no bridge but mere words?' And then she wept again.
'There may be. For some. I do not know,' Finrod said. 'The gulf, maybe, is between our fates rather, for else we are close akin, closer than any other creatures in the world. Yet perilous is it to cross a gulf set by doom; and should any do so, they will not find joy upon the other side, but the griefs of both. So I deem.'
(Athrabeth, p. 323, HoMe, Volume 10, Morgoth's Ring)
Knowledge of the Athrabeth and my fic 'Fell Fire' before reading this story is recommended, though not strictly necessary.
The Black Foe has attacked after years of peace. A great battle rages close to our homes. My nephew Bregolas, lord of the House of Bëor, has taken a great part of his warriors to hasten to the aid of the Dorthonian Elven princes, the sons of Finarfin. His second son, Angrod, and the youngest, Aegnor, the Sharp Flame. My beloved.
He will fall in this battle, fighting in the forefront, heedless of peril, reckless, perhaps seeking danger beyond need. When his flame dies his spirit will flee to the Halls of Mandos, to remain there until the end of Arda. For Aegnor loves me, and will never cease to love me, and therefore he will not leave the Houses of Awaiting to see the bright stars crown the hair of any Elven maid.
Words like these his eldest brother Finrod spoke to me, half a lifetime past, and I knew and know them to be true. He sees Aegnor with the eyes of his brotherly love, and he has the ability of the Eldar to sight ripples of grief beyond where the river of time bends away from mortal view. By speaking thus, he tried to bridge the gulf between Elves and Men to his best ability, building pillars of comfort and friendship, understanding and wisdom, hope, and the pity that is near to love.
Yet there was no crossing of his bridge possibly for me. Too many of his piers were dead wood, brittle, unable to support the weight of my bitter grudge. For I was fourty-eight years of age, and turning into a hag. I still have to do my best not to be wroth at him. 'I fear the truth will not satisfy thee,' he told me, all those years past. 'The Eldar have one kind, and ye another; and each judges the others by themselves - until they learn, as do few.'*
Perhaps he deemed himself to be among the few. Perhaps he had indeed learned a little - which would be more than I did, for I have always remained envious of the Elvish longevity and I still fail to fathom their sadness.
Yet whatever Finrod had learned, he missed one point, and so I misled him. There is a darkness in humans, and he who is said to have seduced our race in days long past was always a master of lies.
A young maid I was when I met Aegnor, brother of Finrod. Fair and tall he was, stiff locks of hair rising from his head like golden flames as he rode along. He seemed hardly older than I was, not yet five-and-twenty, and at first I kept him for a mortal, one of the people of Hador Lorindol of Dor-lómin.
Peace reigned in those days, and women could walk the woods of Dorthonion without dread. I was alone that day, roaming the high hills and singing a song when he chanced upon me. Instead of following the main road he rode down the forest path that would lead him to the silver-blue crystal of lake Aelin and the dwellings of my kin. In a clear voice he greeted me, asking me how far it was to the halls of Boron, whom he wanted to visit.
'Not far,' I told him. 'You will reach them long before mid-day!' I drew near to have a closer look at him, for his voice had stirred something inside me. It was when he gazed down on me from his dappled grey and I met his eyes that I saw he was no mortal man. I had not encountered many Elves in my life, but enough to know at once that the rider before me belonged to that undying people. My heart began to beat faster. The Elves are fair to behold, and he was more fair thay any, I deemed. Moreover, he had to be a Noldo, an exile from the Blessed Realm of Valinor, for it is said that only they who dwelled there have such piercingly bright eyes. I stood there, staring, and smiling like a fool.
He returned the smile. 'Mae govannen, adanwen*. I am heading for Boron's halls. Do I guess rightly that you belong to his people?'
'You do,' I replied, adding 'my lord,' as his looks were lordly indeed. 'Do you wish me to show you the way?'
He shook his head. 'I know the way. I have visited them before - when they were Baran's halls,' he added when he saw my surprised look. 'You were not yet born then, I think.'
'Baran was still among the living when I was born,' I murmured, taken aback. 'But I do not remember him.'
A silence fell, which he broke by saying: 'You are quite far from home here. My mound can carry us both, if you wish to return.'
I did, now. 'If it please you, lord.'
He inclined his head. When I stepped closer he bent forward, took me under my arms and lifted me effortlessly to sit before him on the horse. He rode barebacked, as most of the Eldar do, and it was good to feel the animal's strong body beneath me, almost as good as it was to feel the Elflord's strong arm supporting me.
The horse set into motion without the rider having to urge it on, or so it seemed; such is the way Elves have with their steeds.
'Do you speak to it in your mind?' I inquired.
Not needing to ask what I meant he replied: 'Speaking is not the word. My friend here knows what I want of him. But tell me your name - or no. As I am the guest I ought to name myself first. I am Aegnor, son of Finarfin, brother of Finrod of Nargothrond.'
A lord indeed, and brother to a King - for that, I knew, was what Finrod was. Though being of the line of Bëor used to make me proud, my lineage paled besides his, as I knew my mortal attractiveness must pale beside his elven-fairness. 'My name is Andreth, daughter of Boromir, Boron's eldest son.'
'Then I have found worthy company,' Aegnor commented to my surprise.
'I am but an insignificant young maiden,' I said, though among my own people I was considered thoughtful and well spoken for one of my years.
'I am young, too, according to the measure of my kindred,' he assured me - but he laid no false claim to insignificance. And I did not ask how many years he had seen, for I wished to retain the illusion that he was truly not much older than I was.
We descended the stony slope towards the glittering chill of lake Aeluin in spring. At the lakeshore, where the path turned east, the horse halted. 'Look at those choppy waves; with this wind the lake resembles the sea,' Aegnor said. 'The tang is missing, but if I close my eyes I can persuade myself that I smell it. The sun has not yet reached her highest point; shall we enjoy the beauty of Aeluin for a while?'
'How long does an Elvish while last?' I wanted to know.
His mouth curled. 'It depends. But do you know the tale of my kinsman Elu Thingol and his bride Melian of the Maiar, who are now King and Queen of Doriath?'
I shook my head, for though I knew their names, I had never heard their story.
'Let us dismount and sit down, and I shall tell it to you,' he said.
So we settled on the shore to watch the waters of Aeluin, the hills beyond, and the pale blue sky above, while the breeze ruffled our hair. I closed my eyes, but as I had never seen the sea in my short life, I could not imagine its smell. When I opened my eyes again and looked at Aegnor, he began his tale.
He spoke of Elwë, or Elu, a leader of the Telerin Elves during the great journey to Aman: how he set out one night to find his friend Finwë of the Noldor, and how passing alone through the wood of Nan Elmoth he heard the nightingales sing, and among them the most beautiful of all voices. An enchantment fell on him, and filled with wonder and desire he forgot his people and all else that was on his mind, and he pursued the sound until he was lost in the darkness beneath the trees. 'But he came at last to a glade open to the stars, and there Melian stood. Out of the darkness he looked at her, and the light of Aman was in her face.
She spoke no word; but being filled with love Elwë came to her and took her hand, and straightway a spell was laid on him, so that they stood thus while long years were measured by the wheeling stars above them; and the trees of Nan Elmoth grew tall and dark before they spoke any word.' **
Had a mortal told me such a tale, I would have disbelieved him. But as I listened to the music in the Elflord's voice and was carried along by the cadence of his words it seemed to me that I saw Elwë and Melian before my very eyes in the starlit dusk of ancient days ere Man awoke in the East of the World. I followed in Elu's footsteps while the music pulled him forward; it seemed to me that I felt his awe when he beheld the beauty of Melian in the starlit glade, and sensed her wonder at being captured by a body caught in flesh. And I knew that everything had come to pass as Aegnor told me. I marveled; it touched me deeply that one of the divine race of the Maiar should join with one of the Eruhini to share everything she had with him and bear him a child, like so many of us who are born to be women.
For that was how he concluded his story, and when the enchantment passed and I saw the teller again instead of the tale, I could only sigh wordlessly. He looked at me, seemingly earnest, but with a glint in his eyes. 'That is how long an Elvish while can last.'
That unbound my tongue; casting a glance at the sky I said: 'What spell did you lay on me? For I see that the sun has moved far past the point of mid-day now, so we must have been sitting here longer than the length of the tale seems to warrant.'
'A minor enchantment, nothing to be compared with Queen Melian's.' Aegnor rose and held out his hand to help me up. He laughed aloud now. 'My whiles fall far short of hers.'
It was his laugh that undid me.
* well met, human maid
**cursive texts taken from the Athrabeth & from the Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter 'Of Thingol and Melian'.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author. | <urn:uuid:22c32a35-0d87-4441-bcdc-ac26abddd14b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter_view.cfm?stid=134&spordinal=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983122 | 2,665 | 1.726563 | 2 |
“CAN without AIDS”: reaching youth with HIV prevention messages at the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament
25 January 2012
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé travelled to the West African nation of Gabon on 23 January to lend his support to an innovative campaign launched by the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation—a charitable organization run by Gabon’s First Lady.
The campaign, called “CAN without AIDS,” uses sports as a platform to reach millions of people with messages on HIV prevention across Africa, particularly youth. Timed with the 2012 Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (or “CAN”)—a football championship co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea—the campaign is supported by Cameroonian football star Samuel Eto’o and Didier Ovono, captain of Gabon’s national football team.
In a meeting at the First Lady’s offices in Libreville, the capital city of Gabon, Mr Sidibé thanked Madam Sylvia Bongo Ondimba for integrating the UNAIDS vision of “three zeroes”—Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS-related deaths—in the “CAN without AIDS” campaign. He encouraged the First Lady to continue her efforts to strengthen the HIV response in Gabon and across the continent.
“I am ready to open the debate on AIDS dependency with colleagues to find local solutions.”
Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon
“I am very happy to be associated with the President and the First Lady of Gabon in this important campaign,” said Mr Sidibé. “UNAIDS will continue to work with the First Lady’s Foundation beyond the CAN 2012 tournament, and we want young people to respond to our call for a final score of zero,” he added.
After the football tournament ends in mid-February, “CAN without AIDS” will focus on the national HIV response in Gabon, with each quarter of the year dedicated to one of the “three zeroes.” UNAIDS and the First Lady’s Foundation signed an agreement to work together on this country-focused campaign.
Meeting with Gabon’s Head of State
In a separate meeting with President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon on 23 January, Mr Sidibé congratulated the Head of State for his personal engagement in the HIV response—nationally and globally. The UNAIDS Executive Director thanked the President for his participation in the June 2011 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS, and for his leadership in the adoption of an historic Security Council resolution on AIDS.
During their discussion, Mr Sidibé and President Ali Bongo Ondimba expressed concern over Africa’s dependence on external financing for the HIV response. “The level of development aid is a reflection of our own commitment,” noted President Ondimba. “I am ready to open the debate on AIDS dependency with colleagues to find local solutions,” he added.
An estimated two-thirds of AIDS expenditures in Africa come from external sources. Between 2009 and 2010, international investments for AIDS dropped by 13%.
AIDS advocacy with football star Samuel Eto’o
Later in the day, UNAIDS Executive Director held a joint press conference with Samuel Eto’o at the Agondjé stadium in Libreville. Mr Sidibé emphasized that an international football player like Eto’o can carry a powerful message to young people in Africa and beyond—including Eastern Europe, where the HIV epidemic is growing at a rapid rate.
During the press briefing, Mr Eto’o underscored the need to openly discuss HIV-related issues and to find solutions. “I hope HIV will stop being taboo in our communities,” he said.
The visit to Gabon culminated with a symbolic gesture: the release of 50 000 red and white balloons above the stadium in the presence of the First Lady, Samuel Eto’o, the UNAIDS Executive Director, the Chairperson of the African Football Confederation, Issa Hayatou, and the Director-General of the First Lady’s Foundation, Guillaume Adam. | <urn:uuid:76bab61a-8024-41d3-b6c1-423ba486f6aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2012/january/20120125gabon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927839 | 895 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Academic | Essay Contest
Signet Classics Announces Winners of the 13th Annual Scholarship Essay Contest
New York, NY, June 2009Signet Classics, the imprint of New American Library devoted for more than 40 years to publishing inexpensive paperback editions of more than 300 of the world's greatest literary works, has announced the winners of the thirteenth annual Signet Classics Scholarship Essay Contest. The Grand Prize Winners, listed in alphabetical order, are:
- Andrew Lovdahl
Andrew is in 12th grade at University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL
- Jasmine McGrath
Jasmine is in 12th grade at St. David High School, St. David, AZ
- Marian Ting
Marian is in 12th grade at Woodbridge Ranch Academy, Roseville, CA
- Kylie Witt
Kylie is in 12th grade at Hollis Brookline High School, Hollis, NH
- Neilee Marie Wood
Neilee is in 12th grade at Harding Charter Preparatory High School, Oklahoma City, OK
Essay Subject: Jane Eyre
Topics for the essay contest:
- Erica Jong, in her "Introduction," in the Signet Classic edition, states: "The universe of JANE EYRE operates according to female laws. Jane's success as a heroine depends on her breaking all the rules decreed for nineteenth-century women. (p. viii)." To what extent is Jane Eyre an appropriate heroine for the feminist movement? In what ways, if any, does she fall short? Give examples from the novel to support your conclusions.
- In outline, the novel is a Victorian update of the Cinderella story; a non-descript young woman, poor and abused, catches the eye of a Prince Charming, powerful and wealthy. After a series of obstacles, she marries him, and they live happily ever after. Do you regard the Jane/Rochester story as a fairy tale? If so, discuss the reasons for your opinion. What elements make their love affair seem like a fantasy? Or, do you believe the love between them is realistic? If so, what accounts for their strong attachment to each other despite the differences between them?
- Discuss the elements of "paranormal" or supernatural experiences in the novel. Use specific examples to illustrate the way characters' dreams and visions help advance the narrative, reveal psychological complexity, build suspense and evoke sympathy for the characters? You may also discuss the ways such elements enhance (or detract from) the overall realism in the novel.
- Discuss the issue of social class in the novel. What overt or implied class differences exist between Jane, the governess, and her employers and her young charges? How is Jane's status different from that of other servants in the household? Use specific scenes that illustrate the social system that existed.
The Signet Classics Scholarship Essay Contest was established in 1996 to encourage greater interest in reading among high school students by offering tangible assistance to the winning students and their schools. It is open to qualifying high school juniors and seniors in the United States. "We are proud to be involved in a unique scholarship program that encourages student appreciation for the great classics," notes Craig Burke, Vice President and Executive Director of Publicity for New American Library.
Entrants are required to submit a 2-3 page double-spaced, typewritten essay, answering one of four questions relating to the designated competition book. Essays must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the themes in the book; clear, concise writing; and logical, well-supported arguments. Judges also consider style, content, grammar and originality. Five Grand Prize Winners are each awarded a $1,000 scholarship and a Signet Classics Library for their school (or local public library, in the case of home-schooled students), valued at $1,700.
The designated title for 2008-2009 was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. The book selected for the 2009-2010 Signet Classics Scholarship Essay Contest is The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells.
For more information on the 2009-2010 Signet Classics Essay Contest, click here.
Entry forms and full information about the contest will also be available in high school English departments, or by writing to:
Penguin Group (USA)
Signet Classics Scholarship Essay Contest
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
New American Library is a division of Penguin Group (USA), part of Pearson Plc, the international media group, and includes the imprints Signet, Signet Classics, Onyx, Roc and NAL Trade Paperbacks. | <urn:uuid:0ea703fb-6f46-4381-a43a-f6640ec3b482> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/services-academic/essaywinners-09.html | 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 | 0.930073 | 956 | 1.828125 | 2 |
"Rockwell and the Red Sox" honors Opening Day of the World Champion Boston Red Sox season. The display centers on The Rookie by beloved American artist Norman Rockwell. This famous painting, briefly on loan to the Museum and rarely seen in Boston, depicts the Red Sox locker room in 1957. The image appeared that year on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
To complement The Rookie, a special selection of Red Sox memorabilia has been lent by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, Boston’s Sports Museum of New England, the Boston Public Library, and the Boston Red Sox. From images of the nearby Huntington Avenue Grounds—where Boston played ball a century ago—to Ted Williams’s locker and jerseys worn by Cy Young and Carl Yastrzemski, these celebrated artifacts attest to the rich tradition of Boston’s baseball heroes.
Norman Rockwell Rights of Publicity Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL. | <urn:uuid:ff138887-ee14-4a31-bc09-7c45c01eafe9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/rockwell-and-red-sox | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909851 | 201 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Year Released: 2005
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 76 minutes
Click to Expand Credits:
Aside from knowing that it happened when I was in my teens, I cannot recall the exact details of the first time I saw “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, 1975). I loved its apparent randomness and the concepts of Knights who said Nee, peasants that didn’t know they were ruled by a king, and a prince that didn’t want the land because he wanted to sing. After exposure to more of Monty Python’s works, such as “Life of Brian” (Jones, 1979) and “The Meaning of Life” (Jones, 1983), Graham Chapman had become my favorite among the Flying Circus boys. Unlike a good fan, though, I never read up on his life pre or post the comedy sketch troupe. Until I watched “Monty Python’s Graham Chapman: Looks like a Brown Trouser Job,” I was unaware of his going to Cambridge University or that he died in 1989. Produced by Richard Miller and edited by Hanne Anderson, “Looks like a Brown Trouser Job” is a video of the college tours Chapman went on in 1988.
Before getting to the DVD, I would like to share some things about Chapman that I read while researching his life. He pursued medical studies at Cambridge’s Emmanuel College in 1961, met John Cleese, and they joined the Cambridge Footlights. Chapman was not a closeted homosexual. He died of spinal cancer in October of 1989, one year after he spoke at colleges across the United States. Chapman doesn’t explicitly discuss his childhood, his sexual orientation or that his vices (tobacco and gin) contributed to deteriorating health, but in the seventy-six minutes of “Looks like a Brown Trouser Job” that he spends talking about his life, you learn more than just a series of biographical facts. Seamlessly transitioning from topic to topic, Chapman covers subjects including David Kirk’s Dangerous Sports Club, the adrenaline buzz related to being scared, Keith Moon of The Who, how to play Shitties, censorship, and his writing process. The question-and-answer portion of the lecture hits on his favorite character that he’s played, how he and the Monty Python gang got together, and frontal nudity in “Life of Brian.” With matter-of-factness, Chapman explains that the film was shot in Tunisia and there were 300 extras, half of which were women. In the scene where Brian opens the windows and salutes the world, the women ran away screaming because it’s against Muslim law for them to see a naked man.
The DVD begins with a disclaimer warning the viewer of the less-than-perfect quality of the images. In standard stagnant recital aesthetic, the tours were videotaped with Chapman’s permission and likely not intended for anything but personal use. For those of you who are familiar with 80s to mid 90s home video imagery, it takes but a few minutes to get accustomed to the brightness of faraway shots and darkness of certain close-ups. What’s actually more distracting is that Chapman appears to be wearing the same red and navy outfit in every change of shot distance so you assume that everything was from the same event. On the other hand, the lighting varies significantly enough that they can’t be from one place. Only when the ending credits start rolling do you realize that the footage you just watched was compiled from more than one lecture. The disc’s special features contain bonus Q&A footage, TV spots, and an Iron Maiden music video.
I don’t know why I favor Chapman. He isn’t sillier than Michael Palin, crazier than Eric Idle nor does his subtle humor outperform that of Cleese—who can tell you the most ridiculous things and keep a straight face. As “Looks like a Brown Trouser Job” reveals, however, Graham Chapman exudes a calmness that simultaneously camouflages and emphasizes the comedy in his stories. Categorically speaking, the content of his college tour lectures are no different than comedians whose routines are based on the ____ (fill in blank with any adjective) ___ of their lives. Yet, Chapman’s accent, his word choice, and way of speaking result in an experience that transcends the ordinariness of someone who is telling you what they did last week.
Posted on August 10, 2005 in Reviews by Stina Chyn
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Popular Stories from Around the Web | <urn:uuid:ee7d1df2-70f3-4e57-9dd2-774e7807de01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/7808/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963142 | 1,047 | 1.570313 | 2 |
How is testicular cancer diagnosed?
Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer
In most testicular cancer cases, men have a lump on a testicle or they may notice the testicle is swollen or larger. Sometimes the lump causes pain, but most of the time it is not painful. Men with testicular cancer may mention a feeling of heaviness or aching in the lower abdomen or scrotum.
In rare cases, men with germ cell cancer notice their breasts are sore or have grown. This symptom occurs because certain types of germ cell tumors secrete high levels of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), which stimulates breast development. Blood tests can measure HCG levels. These tests are important in diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of some testicular cancers.
Like germ cell tumors, Leydig cell tumors and Sertoli cell tumors can also cause a lump in the testicle. Leydig cell tumors can produce androgens (male sex hormones) or estrogens (female sex hormones). These hormones may cause symptoms that provide clues to the correct diagnosis. Breast growth or loss of sexual desire is a symptom of estrogen-producing tumors. Androgen-producing tumors may not cause any specific symptoms in men, but in boys they can cause growth of facial and body hair at an abnormally early age.
Even when testicular cancer has spread to other organs, only about 1 man in 4 may have symptoms. Lower back pain can be a sign that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the abdomen. If the cancer has spread to the lungs, the man may notice trouble breathing (shortness of breath), chest pain, or a cough. Sometimes the man may even cough up blood. Occasionally men will have abdominal pain, either from enlarged lymph nodes or metastasis (spread) to the liver. In rare cases, testicular cancer spreads to the brain and can cause headaches.
Some men with testicular cancer have no symptoms at all, and their cancer is found during medical testing for other conditions. Sometimes imaging tests done to find the cause of infertility can uncover a small testicular cancer.
A number of non-cancerous conditions, such as testicle injury or inflammation, can produce symptoms similar to those of testicular cancer. Inflammation of the testicle (known as orchitis) and inflammation of the epididymis (epididymitis) can cause swelling and pain of the testicle. Both of these can be caused by viral or bacterial infections. The mumps virus causes orchitis in about 1 man in 5 who contracts mumps as an adult.
If you have any of the signs or symptoms described above, see your doctor without delay. Many of these symptoms are more likely to be caused by something other than testicular cancer. But if a tumor is the cause, the sooner you get an accurate diagnosis, the sooner you can start treatment and the more effective your treatment is likely to be. For more information, see our document called Do I Have Testicular Cancer?
Medical history and physical exam
If you have signs or symptoms that may suggest testicular cancer, your doctor will want to take a complete medical history to check for risk factors and symptoms. During a physical exam, the doctor will feel the testicles for swelling or tenderness and for the size and location of any lumps. The doctor will also examine your abdomen, lymph nodes, and other parts of your body carefully, looking for any signs the tumor has spread. Often the results of the exam are normal aside from the testicular abnormalities.
Ultrasound of the testicles
An ultrasound can help doctors tell if a lump is solid or filled with fluid. This test uses sound waves to produce images of internal organs. A transducer (wand-like instrument) emits the sound waves and picks up the echoes as they bounce off the organs. A computer processes the pattern of echoes to produce an image on a monitor. The echoes from most tumors differ from those of normal tissues. These patterns of echoes also can help distinguish some types of benign and malignant tumors from one another.
This is an easy test to have and it uses no radiation, which is why it is often used to look at developing fetuses. You simply lie on your back on a table and a technician moves the transducer along the skin of the scrotum. Usually, the skin is first lubricated with gel. The pattern of echoes reflected by tissues can be used to distinguish certain benign conditions (like hydrocele or varicocele), from a solid tumor that could be a cancer. If the lump is solid, then it may be a cancer and the doctor may recommend further tests or even surgery to remove the tumor.
Blood tests for tumor markers
Some blood tests can help diagnose testicular tumors. Many testicular cancers secrete high levels of certain proteins, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). When these proteins (called tumor markers) are in the blood, it suggests that there is a testicular tumor. A tumor may also increase the levels of an enzyme called lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). However, LDH levels can also be increased in conditions other than cancer.
Non-seminomas often raise AFP and/or HCG levels. Pure seminomas occasionally raise HCG levels but never AFP levels, so any increase in AFP means that the tumor has a non-seminoma component. (Tumors can be mixed and have areas of seminoma and non-seminoma.) A high LDH often (but not always) indicates widespread disease. Sertoli and Leydig cell tumors do not produce these substances. The levels of these proteins may not be elevated if the tumor is small.
These tests also sometimes help estimate how much cancer is present, to evaluate the response to therapy, and to make sure the tumor has not returned. For more information on tumor markers, see the section called "How is testicular cancer staged?"
Surgery to diagnose testicular cancer
If the doctor sees a solid tumor on ultrasound, he or she will recommend surgery to remove it as soon as possible. The surgeon will try to remove the entire tumor along with the testicle and spermatic cord. The spermatic cord contains blood and lymph vessels that may act as pathways for testicular cancer to spread to the rest of the body. To lessen the chance that cancer cells will spread, these vessels are tied off early in the operation. This is best done by operating through an incision (cut) in the groin. This operation is called a radical inguinal orchiectomy.
The entire specimen is sent to the lab, where a pathologist (a doctor specializing in laboratory diagnosis of diseases) examines the tissue under a microscope. If cancer cells are present, the pathologist sends back a report describing the type and extent of the cancer.
In rare cases, when a diagnosis of testicular cancer is uncertain, the doctor may biopsy the testicle before removing it. This is done in surgery. During this operation, the surgeon makes a cut in the groin, withdraws the testicle from the scrotum, and examines it without cutting the spermatic cord. If suspicious tissue is seen, a portion of the tissue is removed and immediately looked at by the pathologist. If cancer is found, the testicle and spermatic cord are removed. If the tissue is not cancerous, the testicle can often be returned to the scrotum, and treatment will be surgery to remove only the tumor or the use of appropriate medicines.
If the diagnosis of cancer is made, your doctor will order other imaging tests to see if it has spread outside of the testicle.
This is a plain x-ray of your chest and can be taken in any outpatient setting. This test is done to see if your cancer has spread to your lungs or the lymph nodes in the middle area of the chest known as the mediastinum. If the x-ray result is normal, you probably don't have cancer in your lungs. But most doctors feel a computed tomography (CT) scan can better judge whether the cancer has spread to the chest.
Computed tomography scan
The computed tomography (CT) scan is an x-ray procedure that produces detailed cross-sectional images of your body. Instead of taking one picture, like a conventional x-ray, a CT scanner takes many pictures of the part of your body being studied as it rotates around you. A computer then combines these pictures into an image of a slice of your body.
CT scans are helpful in staging the cancer. They can help tell if your cancer has spread into your lymph nodes, lungs, liver, or other organs.
Before the scan, you may be asked to drink a contrast solution and/or get an intravenous (IV) injection of a contrast dye that helps better outline abnormal areas in the body. You may need an IV line to inject the contrast dye.
The injection can cause some flushing (redness and warm feeling that may last hours to days). A few people are allergic to the dye and get hives. Rarely, more serious reactions like trouble breathing and low blood pressure can occur. Medicine can be given to prevent and treat allergic reactions. Be sure to tell the doctor if you have ever reacted to any contrast material used for x-rays or if you have an allergy to shellfish.
You need to lie still on a table while the scan is being done. During the test, the table moves in and out of the scanner, a ring-shaped machine that completely surrounds the table. You might feel a bit confined by the ring you have to lie in while the pictures are being taken.
CT scans are sometimes used to guide a biopsy needle precisely into a suspected metastasis. For this procedure, called a CT-guided needle biopsy, you remain on the CT scanning table while a radiologist advances a biopsy needle through the skin toward the location of the mass. CT scans are repeated until the doctors are confident that the needle is within the mass. A fine needle biopsy sample (tiny fragment of tissue) or a core needle biopsy sample (a thin cylinder of tissue) is removed and examined under a microscope.
Magnetic resonance imaging scan
Like CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans provide detailed images of soft tissues in the body. But MRI scans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of x-rays. The energy from the radio waves is absorbed and then released in a pattern formed by the type of tissue and by certain diseases. A computer translates the pattern of radio waves given off by the tissues into a very detailed image of parts of the body. A contrast material might be injected just as with CT scans but is used less often.
MRI scans are particularly helpful in examining the brain and spinal cord.
MRI scans are a little more uncomfortable than CT scans. First, they take longer -- often up to an hour. You may be placed inside a large cylindrical tube, which is confining and can upset people with a fear of enclosed spaces. Special, more open MRI machines can help with this if needed. The MRI machine makes buzzing and clicking noises that you may find disturbing. Some places will provide earplugs to help block this out.
Positron emission tomography scan
For a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into the patient's vein. The amount of radioactivity is very low. Cancers use sugar much faster than normal tissues so the cancer cells in the body absorb large amounts of the radioactive substance. A special camera can then be used to create a picture of areas of radioactivity in the body. The picture is not finely detailed like a CT or MRI scan, but it can provide helpful information about your whole body.
This test can be helpful for spotting small collections of cancer cells. It is sometimes useful for looking at enlarged lymph nodes that remain after chemotherapy. A PET scan may help the doctor decide if they contain scar tissue or active tumor. Often the PET scan is combined with a CT scan. This helps decide if abnormalities seen on the CT scan are cancer or something else.
PET scans are often more useful for seminoma than for the non-seminoma type of testicular cancer, and so are less often used in patients with non-seminoma.
Last Medical Review: 05/04/2012
Last Revised: 01/17/2013 | <urn:uuid:b4d2c497-5db7-4e57-ad08-25be7471386c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cancer.org/cancer/testicularcancer/detailedguide/testicular-cancer-diagnosis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93192 | 2,577 | 3.109375 | 3 |
PHILADELPHIA - A cellular protein called HDAC6, newly characterized as a gatekeeper of steroid biology in the brain, may provide a novel target for treating and preventing stress-linked disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Glucocorticoids are natural steroids secreted by the body during stress. A small amount of these hormones helps with normal brain function, but their excess is a precipitating factor for stress-related disorders.
Glucocorticoids exert their effects on mood by acting on receptors in the nucleus of emotion–regulating neurons, such as those producing the neurotransmitter serotonin. For years, researchers have searched for ways to prevent deleterious effects of stress by blocking glucocorticoids in neurons. However, this has proved difficult to do without simultaneously interfering with other functions of these hormones, such as the regulation of immune function and energy metabolism.
In a recent Journal of Neuroscience paper, the lab of Olivier Berton, PhD, assistant professor of Psychiatry, shows how a regulator of glucocorticoid receptors may provide a path towards resilience to stress by modulating glucocorticoid signaling in the brain. The protein HDAC6, which is particularly enriched in serotonin pathways, as well as in other mood-regulatory regions in both mice and humans, is ideally distributed in the brain to mediate the effect of glucocorticoids on mood and emotions. HDAC6 likely does this by controlling the interactions between glucocorticoid receptors and hormones in these serotonin circuits.
Experiments that first alerted Berton and colleagues to a peculiar role of HDAC6 in stress adaptation came from an approach that reproduces certain clinical features of traumatic stress and depression in mice. The animals are exposed to brief bouts of aggression from trained "bully" mice. In most aggression-exposed mice this experience leads to the development of a lasting form of social aversion that can be treated by chronic administration of antidepressants.
In contrast, a portion of mice exposed to chronic aggression consistently express spontaneous resilience to the stress and do not develop any symptoms. By comparing gene expression in the brains of spontaneously resilient and vulnerable mice, Berton and colleagues discovered that reducing HDAC6 expression is a hallmark of naturally resilient animals. While aggression also caused severe changes in the shape of serotonin neurons and their capacity to transmit electrical signals in vulnerable mice, stress-resilient mice, in contrast, escaped most of these neurobiological changes.
To better understand the link between HDAC6 and the development of stress resilience, Berton and colleagues devised a genetic approach to directly manipulate HDAC6 levels in neurons: Deletion of HDAC6 in serotonin neurons -- the densest HDAC6-expressing cell group in the mouse brain -- dramatically reduced social and anxiety symptoms in mice exposed to bullies and also fully prevented neurobiological changes due to stress, fully mimicking a resilient phenotype.
Using biochemical assays, Berton's team showed it is by promoting reversible chemical changes onto a heat shock chaperone protein, Hsp90, that HDAC6 deletion is able to literally switch off the effects of glucocorticoid hormones on social and anxiety behaviors.
Chaperones are proteins that help with the folding or unfolding and the assembly or disassembly of protein complexes. The way in which glucocorticoid receptor chaperoning and stress are linked is not well understood. Yet, genetic variations in certain components of the glucocorticoid receptor chaperone complex have been associated with the development of stress-related disorders and individual variability in therapeutic responses to antidepressants.
"We provide pharmacological and genetic evidence indicating that HDAC6 controls certain aspects of Hsp90 structure and function in the brain, and thereby modulates protein interactions, as well as hormone- and stress-induced glucocorticoid receptor signaling and behavior," explains Berton.
Together, these results identify HDAC6 as a possible stress vulnerability biomarker and point to pharmacological inhibition of HDAC6 as a potential new strategy for antidepressant interventions through regulation of Hsp90 in glucocorticoid signaling in serotonin neurons. | <urn:uuid:3909b521-87bd-4560-959d-7970e63629d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencecodex.com/gatekeeper_of_brain_steroid_signals_boosts_emotional_resilience_to_stress-90230 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919822 | 867 | 2.703125 | 3 |
This is a drawing showing the composition of the interior of Uranus.
The Composition of Uranus' Interior
The composition of Uranus' interior is methane, in the form of ice.
Ice begins forming in the atmosphere of Uranus, near the methane cloud deck. The amount of ice in the air keeps increasing until there is slush, and then solid ice. This ice is warm (for Uranus) and can flow like the rocky underground mantle layers of Earth.
Compared to Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus has very little metallic hydrogen, and there is much more ice. The drawing shows many more purple ice "cubes" compared to that of Jupiter. Because the magnetosphere comes from the metallic layer, this means that Uranus should have a much smaller magnetosphere than does Jupiter.
The core of Uranus is made out of heavier, rocky and metal elements.
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Magnetospheres are generated with 1.) magnetic materials and 2.) with motions within the magnetic material. The Earth-like planets generate magnetospheres within the iron cores at the center. However,...more
The Giant planets do not have the same layered structure that the earthlike planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the earthlike planets, and they have much more gas and ice inside....more
The picture shows places on Jupiter which are hot. Jupiter is a very warm body in space, as shown in the picture, and this warmth is associated with the energy of Jupiter. When the energy of the outer...more
Motions in the interior of a gas-giant planet such as Uranus may be very different from the motions within the Earth. A second idea for the motions in the interior of a gas-giant planet is shown in this...more
Motions in the interior of a planet help carry heat from the inside to the outside. The drawing to the left illustrates the kind of movements that happen in interior of a planet. Material rises from the...more
The giant planets have definitely changed since their formation. But how much remains to be seen. Most of the original air of the giant planets remains in place. (The earth-like planets lost most of their...more
Uranus' atmosphere is made of methane, a medium sized molecule. At the uppermost reaches of the atmosphere, methane gas breaks apart due to energy from the sun and from the magnetosphere. The remins of...more | <urn:uuid:b0f148f5-8f1d-4d19-b5a6-33ed9579f524> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.windows2universe.org/uranus/interior/U_int_compo_overview.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937317 | 601 | 3.703125 | 4 |
Before you continue reading this you should immediately pull out your phone or tablet, and start downloading Angry Birds Star Wars. While your device of choice is downloading the game, I’ll tell you why you made a wise decision.
Angry Birds Star Wars is the latest game in the Angry Birds series by Rovio. The original Angry Birds was massively popular physics based game, where birds are taking revenge on pigs that stole their eggs. You hurl different types of birds across your screen using a slingshot. Different birds have different abilities, including bombs and, splitting into 3.
Earlier this year Rovio released Angry Birds Space which was similar to the original game, but it added the gravitational pull of celestial bodies to the mix. So instead of just flinging a bird across the screen, you can now fling the bird near a planet, or moon, and have the birds orbit around their target until they hit.
In Angry Birds Star Wars they took everything they previously used, and combined them with Star Wars to make an epic little game. It features birds that are based on Star Wars characters that have their own special abilities.
- Luke has a lightsaber ability, and swings it out attacking what’s in front of him.
- Obi-Wan uses the force to push an object that is near him.
- Han Solo will shoot his blaster 3 times which is good for hitting things at long distance.
- Chewbacca is a giant bird that will go through just about anything.
- Rebel Pilots split into 3 birds just like the original game
- R2D2 shoots out electricity
- C3PO will detonate himself and his shrapnel will disperse out until it hits something.
One of the other great mechanics this game added is the pigs fighting back. In previous games the Pigs just sat there and waited for you to take them out. In this game the pigs man turrets that you can either take out, or fly past with good timing. Sometimes when you take the turret out, it may cause friendly fire taking out some of the pigs it was intending to protect. Some of my favorite moments in the game involved accidentally taking a turret out and having it do the dirty work for me.
In most Angry Birds game there isn’t a cohesive story to follow, but this game does a good job of telling the original Star Wars tale with zero dialogue.. Sometimes there are small cut scenes to show you the area you are supposed to be in. Other times it will be a simple picture. Either way they present it, if you have ever seen Star Wars, you totally understand what’s going on.
Angry Birds Star Wars breaks their levels down into worlds. Each world has 40 levels except the bonus world which has 33. Currently the worlds include Tatooine, Death Star, Path of the Jedi, and Bonus. Hoth should be a free update made available in the future. Tatooine and the Death Star worlds follow the plot of A New Hope, while Hoth, and Path of The Jedi follow Empire Strikes Back. I assume in the future they will have paid DLC for Return of The Jedi.
In the game as you play through each level you earn Stars which unlock other features and bonus levels. One cool thing you earn as you play is the use of the Millennium Falcon. It will allow you to change one of your birds into a beacon which will send for the falcon to fire on a particular area of the screen.
The sound in the game is excellent. It basically sounds like Star Wars. It doesn’t sound like they lifted the original music and sound effects, but it sounds close enough that you know exactly what they were going for. On most portable games I tend to eventually mute the game music or sound effects because it gets repetitive but I didn’t get that feeling with this game.
I enjoyed this immensely but it has 2 small issues. The first being that it was a bit easier than most Angry Birds games because the special abilities are so awesome. The second is that the game doesn’t have an individual volume control other than mute. Most high profiled games released for the mobile space will have a way to lower the volume of the game so you can listen to other things, but still hear the game if you wanted to. With this game it’s all or nothing.
This game has been released on multiple platforms including iOS, Android, PC, and OS X. Each one has a different price point, but on Android you can play through Tatooine, and Death Star for free with the occasional ad. If you choose play through Path of The Jedi, it will cost you $1 with ads and $2 without. | <urn:uuid:8fd94152-ac8f-4422-ac37-59ac21a50779> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nerd-base.com/2012/11/08/review-angry-birds-star-wars/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959464 | 966 | 1.992188 | 2 |
The Pilgrims’ Short Lived Experiment in Communism
Many have credited Karl Marx with inventing what we now know as communism in the middle of the 19th century. The concept of communal living and dependence, however, came long before The Communist Manifesto. Over the centuries, the concept has been applied by different people in different places. While the reasons for applying the communal approach varied as widely as the people who attempted it, one thing did remain constant: failure. From Roman latifundiae to the Soviet Union, communism time and again proved the failure inherent in its concept. Americans do not need to look to distant lands and little known peoples for evidence of the failure of communism. They simply need to look back at one of the most celebrated groups of people in their history: the Pilgrims.
As most educated Americans know, Puritan Separatists, or Pilgrims, landed in Massachusetts in 1620. What many don’t realize is that the original economic system of their colony, Plymouth Plantation, was a form of communism. There was neither private property nor division of labor. Food was grown for the town and distributed equally amongst all. The women who washed clothes and dressed meat did so for everyone and not just for their own families. This sounds like the perfect agrarian utopia envisioned by Marx and Lenin. What happened to it? To find the answer to that question, one must turn to Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford. Bradford served as Governor of Plymouth Colony from 1620 to 1647 and chronicled in great detail everything that happened in the colony.
By 1623, it was obvious the colony was barely producing enough corn to keep everyone alive. Fresh supplies from England were few and far between. Without some major change, the colony would face famine again. In his chronicle, Bradford described what was going wrong and how it was solved (pardon the King James English):
All this while no supply was heard of, neither knew they when they might expect any. So they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advise of the chiefest among them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other things to go in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of the number, for that end, only for present use (but made no division for inheritance) and ranged all boys and youth under some family. This had very good success, for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression. | <urn:uuid:7b655942-605c-4a1f-b1d5-e76a26598aab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=158034&cpage=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986643 | 642 | 3.5 | 4 |
Some Maps in Napoléon vu par Abel Gance (1927)
Both near the beginning and at the very end of Gance’s Napoleon are sequences where maps combine to configure key meanings of the film. The first, twelve minutes in, is a school geography lesson on the climate of islands. In a classroom full of maps, the teacher points first to one blackboard on which he has drawn Sicily and Malta and then to another on which he has drawn Cyprus, Crete and Madagascar:
On both boards the maps are positioned without respect for topographical exactitude. The lesson proceeds with the teacher rubbing Sicily and Malta from the left hand board and drawing another map, of which he says: ‘And as for Corsica, that half-civilised island…’.
To this denigrating description a child in the class responds angrily. The scene serves to signal the young Bonaparte’s pride and temper, but though the provocation of such a response is the principal narrative purpose here, for a reader of maps in films there are other things to note. The teacher replaces the two islands on the first board with a solitary island, emblematic of Bonaparte’s isolation, a Corsican among the French. (In a later sequence we see that Bonaparte has on his wall a map of solitary Corsica as reminder of his isolation.)
The three islands on the other board are, in conclusion to the lesson, also effaced and replaced with a solitary ‘little island lost in the ocean…’: Saint Helena.
The topographical disorder of the teacher’s mapping is subsumed by the larger narrative purpose, taking us beyond the end point of Gance’s film – which climaxes on the first Italian campaign – to the end point of Bonaparte's story: his exile and death. And all this work is done by the simple line drawing of a map on a blackboard:
There is more in this sequence, related to the kind of map we are shown. This is a rare instance in cartographic cinema of a map actually being drawn in the mise-en-scène. The hand-drawn images correspond to the teacher’s attitude, allowing himself to give a personal interpretation of the places he maps in his own way. Such idiosyncrasy informs, more dramatically, a moment more than two hours later in the film, where Bonaparte, now working in the army's topographical office, presents his plans for a campaign in Italy. His hand-drawn map of Italy is received, enthusiastically, by his superior in a room displaying printed maps of that peninsula:
When passed on to General Schérer, the hand-drawn map is returned with Schérer’s hand-written comment: ‘these plans [both ‘plans’ and ‘maps’] are the work of a madman’.
Rather than burn his map, Bonaparte uses it to patch a broken window, from where later he can retrieve it when given command of the army in Italy.
When we see this map a second time, we see more of it, including what had been obscured the first time: Corsica, exactly positioned west of Italy, a corrective to the topographical disorder of his schoolteacher’s mapping.
The return of this same map on screen marks a narrative shift, the progress in Bonaparte’s reputation as a strategist, as well as his passage from the margin to the centre. When he confronts his reluctant generals he has before him printed maps, a sign that his vision is no longer idiosyncratic.
Before this apotheosis, Bonaparte is shown to have proved himself in the siege of Toulon, represented by Gance in cartographically spectacular fashion. Bonaparte is first asked by General Carteaux what we would do to take Toulon, and his plan is shown on the map through animated movements of emblems:
Carteaux ridicules the plan, and it is only later, when Dugommier has taken charge of the siege, that Bonaparte’s plan is put into action. Before the assault itself we have Bonaparte’s vision of the plan through a different graphic map, superimposing on Toulon several animated numbers and symbols that represent (I think) the calculations that had gone into the plan’s conception:
The film’s cartographic variations include recurring sights of a globe. In the schoolroom it is just part of the background and no attention is paid to it, but globes that appear in later scenes are more significantly positioned. In the scene where Bonaparte repairs a window with his rejected Italian plan, to the left is his map of Corsica, and to the right is a globe showing, in a dramatic contrast of scale, the Americas:
The same globe appears in other rooms occupied by Bonaparte, and a similar one is centrally positioned in the scenes representing Admiral Hood’s headquarters during the seige of Toulon.
None of these is interacted with until a scene where Bonaparte kisses a globe and is asked by Talma, the actor who has been giving him lessons in courting: ‘Are you kissing Paris?’
To which Bonaparte replies: ‘It is the mouth of Josephine’:
This spectacular superimposition of two objects of desire, Josephine and the world, presents in an obvious manner a private/public polarity. After Josephine has become Bonaparte’s wife, the collocation of her face and the globe returns within a more complex cartographic confection at the end of the film, as part of the fifteen-minute triptych sequence that brings it to a close. The first maps in this climactic sequence are a spinning globe and a map of Italy, in printed form this time, presented to each side of Josephine’s face, forming a ‘triptych of desire’:
For about thirty seconds these three elements occupy the sequence, each at moments fading out and returning, while on each are superimposed different fragments of action from the Italian campaign, including shots of Bonaparte contemplating the scene before him. Moments later the elements of this triptych are brought together in the central panel, while to each side the military action is shown more clearly, without superimposition.
The four superimposed elements in this central panel - the face of Josephine, the turning globe, the map of Italy, and the silhouette of Bonaparte - do not appear quite as confused in the film, where movement helps to differentiate them, but the confusion nonetheless signifies, contrasting not only with the simple shots of soldiers, but also with what is to come in the sequence, centred on Bonaparte's face rather than Josephine's.
The sequence becomes domininated by what Maureen Turim calls ‘recapitulative flashback’, in which maps still figure but as signs of things remembered, so that on the map shown here, beside the young Bonaparte’s face, Corsica is as important as Italy:
Memories of his victory over the English at the the siege of Toulon also appear in map form:
Some maps in the triptych sequence evoke the past (Corsica, Toulon), some point to the present (Italy), and the spinning globe announces a future in which Bonaparte will bestride it. In the midst of the maps remembering Toulon appears a map of England, twice, reminding us (somewhat unnecessarily) of the enemy at Toulon, but at the same time pointing to the future, in the manner of the reference to Saint Helena in the film's first cartographic sequence. England will be Bonaparte's nemesis, and that we are shown this country's outline so clearly, without superimposition, suggests that we should not forget it.
(I have not discussed all of the maps to be seen in this film, notably a map on the wall of the French headquarters during the siege of Toulon perplexes me. If anyone recognises the outline of this island I would much appreciate hearing from you. Furthermore, I have used the 225 minute Zoetrope/Brownlow edition for this piece, and I don't doubt that there are many more interesting maps to be discussed in Kevin Brownlow's more recent, 5-hour restoration (see trailer here). When I get a copy of that version, I shall revise this piece accordingly.)
(With thanks to Mitchell Sams for help with this piece.) | <urn:uuid:e8d032f1-4211-4ae8-8af7-d8bf612b52cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thecinetourist.net/some-maps-in-gances-napoleacuteon.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951291 | 1,785 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dulcimer enthusiasts spread music, fun and fellowship
By SUE WATSON
There is music in the hills that can be said to have originated there – in Appalachia. The dulcimer – a four-stringed instrument that is picked or strummed in the lap – made its debut sometime in the late 1700s to early 1800s, according to Forrest Smith of Booneville.
He’s been spreading the dulcimer and its music for about 10 years over North Mississippi through the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association. There are about 20 chapters and 400 members. Play is casual and can take place at a festival, in a church, at a state park - really anywhere there is an invitation extended.
“People just come when available, so it’s always a new and fresh group,” Smith said during an interview recently at Wall Doxey State Park.
The association met at the park October 3 - this is the second year in a row - then spent the afternoon at Burton’s Sugar Farm where about 14 people from seven different clubs played their instruments.
The association has produced a music book and a musical arrangement which enables anyone to play.
“You have to be able to count to 10 and have two fingers,” Smith said. “It sounds the same as somebody who has a doctorate in music.”
The dulcimer is played in a key of D most of the time. The dulcimer, a diatonic instrument, plays the melody while bluegrass instruments play the harmony, he said.
The association doesn’t play the bluegrass style, but play folk music and hymns or traditional bluegrass. Contemporary bluegrass is left for folks who like to play fast. Smith said most of the association’s members are senior citizens.
It takes about three weeks to make a dulcimer. They are usually made of walnut and the second most popular wood is cherry. Each dulcimer has its own voice and can be played to almost speak the words of a song.
Smith plays a dulcimer made of magnolia.
“The darker the wood, the more base, and the lighter the wood, brighter the sound,” he said.
The clubs perform nearly 500 times a year, which makes for interesting travel for Smith and his wife Eileen. There are clubs as far south as Philadelphia.
He said half the people who show up at a dulcimer playing event and who learn to play, have a dulcimer stuck back in a closet.
Holly Springs has a club that meets the second and fourth Thursdays from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. in the Marshall County Library. New players are welcomed.
Estelle Gadd of Potts Camp is president of the local club.
“Everybody who learns about the dulcimer has discovered the clubs by accident,” said Molly Hazel of the Blue Springs club. “A lot of us had them in our closets.”
Hazel first met the dulcimer group at Tishomingo State Park.
The dulcimer historically is an instrument that is learned by ear, and some clubs won’t accept members who don’t play by ear, Smith said. People with disabilities - arthritis, missing fingers, and multiple sclerosis are able to play the dulcimer using the system of notation used by the association. No musical background or talent is required.
“We will loan them an instrument, teach them to play and give them the music, all free,” said Smith. “It’s the cheapest show in the world. Buying gas is a different thing.”
With 20 clubs, individuals interested in dulcimer playing and all the fun, food, and fellowship that goes with it can usually find a club close to home to be a part of. Other clubs in this area are found in Booneville, Corinth, New Albany, Oxford, Pontotoc, Ripley and Tupelo.
Estelle Gadd helped start the dulcimer group in Ripley and after remarrying Ganus Gadd of Potts Camp, she asked Smith to start a club in Holly Springs.
“It means a lot because we older people don’t have a lot of places to go or things to do,” Gadd said. “Nothing costs anything. We go to nursing homes, churches and weddings.”
The club in Holly Springs has about 25 members and some of the group play somewhere almost every night of the week and sometimes several times a day, she said.
Members of the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association just returned from an annual pilgrimage to Mountain View, Ark., held for dulcimer players each September.
The members play around the courthouse square in the daytime, go out to eat and usually play there, and return to the square for more music, she said.
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Glandular fever, or mononucleosis, is a viral infection that causes inflamed tonsils (shown here) and fever, and may cause an enlarged spleen. Symptoms most often appear in teens, but more than 80 percent of adults in the United States carry the virus and can transmit it.
An infection is an illness caused by microorganisms or bacteria that invade the body. The body's defenses against infections begin with blocking the entry of microorganisms into the system. Hand washing is an effective strategy in preventing the entry of microorganisms into the body through the skin, the respiratory system, or the GI (gastrointestinal) tract.
Local infections may produce redness, tenderness, and swelling, but systemic infections produce more serious symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, and fatigue. Many infections will go away on their own, however, as the body's immune system can successfully fight off many infections. Others, however, require treatment, such as the use of antibiotic medications. | <urn:uuid:73dbbbfd-c06b-4d1e-8daf-f387434a351f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://diet.com/g/infection | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904339 | 351 | 3.609375 | 4 |
A reader sent me an excerpt from a fascinating interview with Hitler (by one Major Josef Hell) on why he singled out the Jews for extermination:
When I now broached the question of what the source of his so strongly felt hatred for the Jews was, and why he wanted to destroy this so undeniably intelligent race - a race to which the Germans and all other Aryans, if not the entire world, owed an incalculable debt in virtually all fields of art and knowledge, research and economics - Hitler suddenly calmed down and gave this unexpectedly sober and almost dispassionate explanation:
It is manifestly clear and has been proven in practice and by the facts of all revolutions that a struggle for ideals, for improvements of any kind whatsoever, absolutely must be supplemented with a struggle against some social class or caste.
My object is to create first-rate revolutionary upheavals, regardless of what methods and means I have to use in the process. Earlier revolutions were directed either against the peasants, or the nobility and the clergy, or against dynasties and their network of vassals, but in no case has revolution succeeded without the presence of a lightning rod that could conduct and channel the odium of the general masses.
With this very thing in mind I scanned the revolutionary events of history and put the question to myself against which racial element in Germany can I unleash my propaganda of hate with the greatest prospects of success? I had to find the right kind of victim, and especially one against whom the struggle would make sense, materially speaking. I can assure you that I examined every possible and thinkable solution to this problem, and, weighing every imaginable factor, I came to the conclusion that a campaign against the Jews would be as popular as it would be successful.
The lingering mystery in my mind is how people like Hitler could occasionally admit their true strategy without undercutting their public pronouncements. Perhaps that's the reason why Mein Kampf was so poorly written? | <urn:uuid:23721def-4847-4128-a812-da0372f00298> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2008/04/why_hitler_chos.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97097 | 399 | 1.585938 | 2 |
FTC's information-gathering process was completed in the fall when the results of a consumer perception study arrived, said James Kohm, director of the commission's enforcement division, in an interview. The commission has begun deliberating on revisions, he said, but no timeline has been announced for their release or implementation.
FTC takes action on relatively few environmental cases. Around 45 complaints have been filed under the Green Guides since their initial implementation in 1992, according to commission data.
While the complaints might only scratch the surface of greenwashing, Juska said, they serve as a deterrent. She said Greenpeace would like to see the Green Guides become stricter, but FTC could achieve the same goal by cracking down on greenwashing using the standards that are already in place.
"The Green Guides themselves serve as great guidelines," Juska said. "But if they're not being enforced, they're not useful."
As part of its environmental enforcement campaign last year, FTC went after Kmart Corp., which ultimately agreed to change the marketing for a line of house-brand paper plates. Kmart had advertised the plates as biodegradable, which FTC deemed misleading because the plates would not usually decompose in municipal solid waste facilities, where about 90 percent of garbage is disposed.
The commission filed two other complaints over the biodegradability of products, as well as four against companies using environmental claims in the marketing of bamboo clothing. In all four of those cases, FTC argued that because the clothing material had been made from bamboo into rayon using harsh chemicals, consumers were being misled by claims that the use of bamboo was environmentally friendly.
Stricter guidelines could signal an intention to step up enforcement, but revisions would also have an impact beyond the agency's own enforcement mechanisms, environmental attorneys say.
California state law has incorporated the Green Guides into its own environmental marketing laws, as has Indiana. The statutes defer to the Green Guides whenever certain environmental marketing claims are made, opening up violators of the Green Guides to criminal penalties and civil suits rather than just administrative action by FTC.
In emerging industries, where there is little legal precedent, courts would likely look to federal guidelines even if they lack the weight of law, said Brad Mondschein, an alternative energy and green development attorney at Hartford, Conn.-based Pullman & Comley LLC.
"The Green Guides would become extremely persuasive to a court, especially in the early cases, because the courts would otherwise have very little guidance to go on," said Mondschein, who has written about the guidelines. "While they certainly won't be definitive, I would think they probably hold a lot of sway."
FTC's consideration of guidelines for the marketing of renewable energy credits and carbon offsets has prompted particular debate, most of it hinging on the lack of a regulatory framework to ensure that the purchase of offsets actually reflects greenhouse gas reductions. Various studies have suggested a significant fraction of offsets are linked to projects that were already close to completion or that would have been completed regardless.
Terrapass Inc., a San Francisco-based carbon offset provider, submitted a letter to FTC during the comment process saying the integrity of the market depends on the interpretation of this concept, typically referred to as "additionality." | <urn:uuid:7515d254-ebf8-4419-87e7-04a9527d17fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=greenwashing-environmental-marketing&page=2 | 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 | 0.970341 | 662 | 2.390625 | 2 |
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THORPNESS, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND STOCK PHOTOS, STOCK PICTURES & PHOTO ART PRINTS
Stock photos gallery of Thorpness Suffolk, England landmarks & travel sights. The village was originally a small fishing hamlet in the late 19th century, with folklore stories of it being a route for smugglers into East Anglia. However in 1910, Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie, a Scottish barrister who had made his money designing railways around the world, bought the entire area from north of Aldeburgh to past Sizewell, up the coast and inland to Aldringham and Leiston. Most of this land was used for farming but Ogilvie developed Thorpeness into a private fantasy holiday village, to which he invited his friends’ and colleagues’ families during the summer months. A country club with tennis courts and a swimming pool, a golf course and clubhouse and many holiday homes were built in Jacobean and Tudor styles.
The House in the Clouds is a water tower at Thorpeness, Suffolk, UK. It was built in 1923 to receive water pumped from Thorpeness Windmill and was designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with the appearance of a weatherboarded building more in keeping with Thorpeness’s mock-Tudor and Jacobean style, except seeming to float above the trees. Now it has been converted into a holiday home. You can see photos in our stock pictures collection
Thorpeness Windmill is a Grade II listed post mill at Thorpeness, Suffolk, England which was built in 1803 at Aldringham and moved to Thorpeness in 1923. Originally built as a corn mill, it was converted to a water pumping mill when it was moved to Thorpeness. It pumped water to the House in the Clouds. You can see photos in our stock pictures collection
Buy all the stock photos in this gallery on line as Royalty Free or Rights managed stock photo. The stock pictures & stock images are all high resolution digital stock photos made award winning professional photographer Paul Williams.
Photo Art prints are also available to buy on line in large to small print formats for framing as art works for home, office art , or commercial art.
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Did Ancient Humans Have Knowledge of the Electromagnetic (EM) Spectrum?
By Glenn Kreisberg, Radio Frequency (RF) Spectrum Engineer
It’s been suggested, at various times, that ancient humans had knowledge and use of unseen powers, forces and energy fields. Could these unseen forces and fields consist of electromagnetic frequency waves and particle fields that make up the EM Spectrum? This is not a simple question to answer.
What evidence exists, and what kind of evidence may come to light, to support such a claim?
There is no question, that as it has always existed, the EM Spectrum is a naturally occurring part of our environment, comprised of a continuous sequence of electromagnetic energy arranged according to wavelength or frequency, as generated by particle motion (vibrations) and pulses created from many sources.
There is also no doubt that many ancient cultures had a connection with nature and natural forces that was fundamental and could only be described as intimate and profound in ways we moderns can merely attempt to comprehend.
This article will examine some of what evidence and possible evidence exists, that suggests ancient knowledge of the EM spectrum, examine its scientific foundation and whether it can be used to form a hypothesis and hopefully, be applied to solving this mystery.
From ancient times to today, humans have demonstrated an inherent curiosity and the desire to understand mysterious and odd phenomena, signs and images. For the vanished civilizations and cultures of Egypt, Sumer, and other early civilizations, and actually for the entire lapsed time of humankind, there remain many unsolved and unsettled images, messages, texts, tablets, artefacts, inscriptions, engravings, schemes, and phenomena that suggest a connection to unseen forces.
As modern society explores the mysterious meanings of certain universal cultural myths and symbols, so too may have humans from earlier civilizations, who repeated and venerated various motifs throughout time and traditions. The origin and meaning of these mysterious symbols may have, in fact, remained unknown even to the ancient cultures that utilized them, the ancients knowing only that certain signs and symbols were important clues to even more ancient lost knowledge and powers.
It has been noted by many that the designs and motifs of ancient architecture often reflect and in many ways try to mimic the patterns, signs and signals found to occur naturally in our environment. Most significant, for the purposes of this report, are the many variations of the basic waveforms, be it sine wave, saw-tooth wave, box wave or the endless variety of spirals and wave forms that adorn ancient cave wall, temples, and structures and appear in architecture, scrolls, tablets and inscriptions throughout the ancient world.
Below are examples of waveform symbols appearing in ancient designs and motifs that existed in ancient cultures from around the world.
Fig. 1 The dragon or serpent is an ancient Chinese symbol for an unseen force. This one appears to take the shape of a box tooth wave.
Southeastern Native American cultures dating back 20 to 25 thousand years extensively used waveform symbols for ornamentation on nearly all handmade items and wares such as pottery and textiles. The variety is nearly endless. Some typical examples follow:
As I have mentioned, the EM Spectrum exists naturally, occurring as a part of our natural environment. And again, acknowledging the ancients’ intimacy and interdependency with nature, it would not be surprising if they possessed some knowledge of this naturally occurring “tool.”
The ancient cultures of this world are known to have identified and utilized the forces of nature to their benefit, including water, fire, wind, and sound. Are we to believe that mankind is only now, in the past century, exploiting the waves and frequencies of the EM spectrum for the first time? I'm not so sure. And perhaps more importantly, if ancient culture did possess this knowledge, where did it come from and how was it processed?
Mayan Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza has a saw tooth wave form built into its architecture.
A thorough examination of this subject must begin first with tracking the breakthroughs and discoveries that have occurred throughout history and that have led to the concepts and principles that make up modern electromagnetic theory. (See Appendix 1)
Electromagnetic radiation has been around since the birth of the universe; light is its most familiar form. Electric and magnetic fields are part of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, which extends from static electric and magnetic fields, through radiofrequency and infrared radiation, to X-rays
From written history it appears that many of the concepts now familiar in EM theory were explored and developed during a time when many modern high-tech investigative and detection tools and methods did not exist.
But is it possible that the ability to manipulate the particles and waves of the EM spectrum was discovered and developed even earlier than written history suggests? Could it be that many of the symbols, images, architectures, and myths of ancient cultures are representations reflecting the possession of such knowledge? | <urn:uuid:3f01d6fb-b344-41d4-88d7-b047c182546a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grahamhancock.com/forum/KreisbergG1.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955553 | 1,009 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Like the Sound of Music‘s Von Trapp family hiding in the Alps, plants may find refuge from a warming climate in the mountains.
Research in the Swiss Alps suggests diverse mountain habitats could act as stepping stones to allow plants to escape into more hospitable hideaways as their usual homes heat up.
A large, flat savannah offers little variation in temperature. If the temperature warms up, the whole area warms up.
But Daniel Scherrer and Christian Körner from the University of Basel, Switzerland found a broad spectrum of habitats in the central Swiss Alps after studying an alpine meadow for two seasons. In the rugged mountain landscape, different conditions existed close together.
The plants growing in those varied conditions were adapted to the particular set of temperatures of the micro-climates, the scientists found. The research suggests that these plants could start growing in neighboring habitats as the temperature increases.
To test this, Scherrer and Körner used a computer model to simulate what would happen if the temperature went up 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. They found that only 3 percent of all temperature conditions disappeared. Some of the cooler habitats shrank or shifted, but pockets remained. This suggests that plants have the opportunity to shift habitats, instead of just dying off.
Preserving mountain habitats is even more new important now in light of this research. A diverse Alpine meadow could save many different habitats, compared to a single habitat in a grassland of equal size.
“It is known from earlier geological periods that mountains were always important for survival of species during periods of climatic change such as in glacial cycles, because of their ‘habitat diversity,’” concluded Körner.
“Mountains are therefore particularly important areas for the conservation of biodiversity in a given region under climatic change and thus deserve particular protection,” Körner said.
Photo: Different habitats exist close together in the Alps. Wikimedia Commons | <urn:uuid:e12fbfc8-76ea-4109-8fcc-20b3e9f9c58f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/mountains-may-be-climate-change-refuges.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930027 | 401 | 4.21875 | 4 |
Brussels’ AIDS Charity is run by David Wilmots, a former AIDS-prevention worker and owner of “Brussels Beer Garden”. His project partner is Prof. Gui Xi’en, Chief Physican, Department of Infectious Diseases, ZhongNan Hospital.
Hubei reports there are about 850 AIDS orphans, including 80 who are studying in senior high school or college. The Chinese government provide up to the age of 14 years (Gao Zhong) of free education for them but after this, the orphans are on their own.
Brussels’ AIDS Charity helps these orphans to give them opportunities to continue and graduate from their schools by providing tuition fees for those who really are in need.
In the last years following donations were collacted and given to the orphans:
2008: 43,169 RMB
2009: 54,850 RMB
2010: 59,535 RMB
2011: 61,788 RMB
2012: 91,019 RMB
We will keep you up-to-date about the actual donation for 2013! | <urn:uuid:9fa05a22-6fc9-41e3-b38e-f38ab27b3aa9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brusselsbg.com/?page_id=128 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959653 | 229 | 1.539063 | 2 |
H.E.A.R.T. – Women and Children
On average, single men comprise 41% of the homeless populations, families with children 40%, single women 14% and unaccompanied minors 5%
Requests for shelter by homeless families alone increased by 13%
56% of the people requesting emergency food assistance were members of families - children and their parents
(Source: U.S. Conference of Mayors report, December 2004)
The fastest growing segment of homeless is single parents with dependent children. Eighty percent of these parents are women.
It’s a little-known fact, but it’s true: most shelters can only house a family in crisis for 2-3 weeks or up to 30 days. On day 31, they’re on their own, and still in crisis.
In fall 2004, Hope Ministries opened Hope Family Center—located at 3333 E. University Avenue in Des Moines—a Christ-centered long-term residential and life recovery program designed to restore hope to homeless mothers and their children. At full capacity, we will be able to provide help for up to 48 women and their children (12-15 families).
Hope Ministries is grateful to the Greater Des Moines Remodeler’s Council for donating $150,000 of time, talent along with donated supplies from over 60 companies to renovate the basement of one of our houses into classrooms, children’s activity areas, meeting and classrooms, reception area and office space.
Our director of family ministries oversees all aspects of the program and staff, which include a case manager, a children’s ministry coordinator, several shift supervisors providing round-the-clock staffing of the Center and numerous volunteers.
• OUR GOAL
• ESSENTIALS TO REAL LIFE CHANGE
• KEY ELEMENTS OF HOPE FAMILY CENTER
• RESIDENT TESTIMONIES AND STORIES
• A FUTURE WITH PURPOSE
• THE FACILITY
• LIFE-CHANGING PRINCIPLES
• THE H.E.A.R.T. RECOVERY PROGRAM
• DAILY STRUCTURE
• BIBLE STUDY, DEVOTIONS, WORSHIP DISCIPLINES
• FAMILY CENTER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
• HOPE FAMILY CENTER PHOTO ALBUM
The goal of the Hope Family Center is to love, encourage and motivate mothers and children to consider making significant life-change.
Essentials to real life change include:
Having a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ
Understanding God’s Word, the Bible
Being in healthy relationships with others including accountability
Practicing introspective self-evaluation
Being equipped with life-skills
Key elements of Hope Family Center include:
A stable environment for children to thrive and parents to grow and heal.
A well-designed, faith-based, Christ-centered program that encourages responsibility and accountability, while providing the tools and life-skills necessary for real, measurable progress toward independence.
Individual living facilities for each family to promote family life and dignity with sufficient measures in place to ensure safety and security.
Resident’s Testimonies and Stories
A Future with Purpose
Hope Family Center guides homeless mothers and their children on a journey of hope called the H.E.A.R.T. Recovery Program. While in the H.E.A.R.T. Recovery Program, families replace addiction, anger and confusion with Christ-centered tools that build maturity, and strength through these phases; healing, equipping, accountability, responsibility and transition.
Within the Center’s safe, clean environment, each family receives 24 hour care, and individualized case management. During their 18-24 months on the program, moms overcome life-dominating habits; learn essentials such as growing in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and understanding God’s Word, the Bible; develop and manage healthy relationships; acquire self-evaluation and life-skills; and, set goals for a more stable future and a future of HOPE.
• offers three ranch-style houses totaling. Each house has eight bedrooms for families and shared living space
• front and back living room areas are available for family time and TV/movie viewing
• moms prepare meals for their families in the kitchen with staple grocery items provided for them by Hope Ministries, the majority of which are donated to the ministry by individuals, churches, and corporations
• food pantry in all three houses
• periodically church and other groups and individuals deliver prepared meals to offer moms a break through our Meals for Hope program
• families eat together in the dining room as their schedule permits
• community toys are available to the children in the toy room in each house
• families launder their clothes for free on-site in the laundry rooms in each house
• a wonderful play area in the backyard was donated by a the Cargill Corporation.
• the renovated basement offers offices for staff; two activity areas where children learn the community characters of caring, kindness, responsibility and respect; and two classrooms where moms participate in the program classes
Hope Family Center teaches and models biblically-based principles in order to help women and children be all that God intended them to be.
Hope Family Center provides a safe, clean environment, 24/7 staff, and individualized case management. The program is designed for twelve months or longer. It is expected that families commit to stay and complete the program.
Our Purpose Is to Assist Women in the Following Areas:
Offer a variety of coursework with emphasis on spiritual development, recovery issues and, life-skills.
Introduce the basics of Christianity and the person of Jesus Christ.
Help them know and follow Christ by helping to establish a Biblical relationship with Him.
Help them develop a healthy Christ-like identity so they can establish healthy mutually supporting relationships. Residents learn to live by the following characteristics:
• Grace (undeserved love)
• Longsuffering (patiently endures wrongs or difficulties)
• Meekness / Humbleness
• Mercifulness (undeserved forgiveness)
Establish a care plan, which will identify their personal goals.
Help them move toward accepting personal responsibility for their actions.
Scripture states that children are a gift from the Lord; therefore, we will provide the following support ministry for children:
• Bible reading, stories, music and other activities
• Educational opportunities
• Fun, play, recreation
• Restoration and healing through parent involvement
The H.E.A.R.T. Recovery Program
• The HEART of the matter at Hope Family Center is healing and restoration in a long-term supportive environment.
• The H.E.A.R.T. Recovery Program is “grace-based” and unique in the State of Iowa. Our comprehensive continuum of care model focuses on five phases over a period of 18-24 months.
• The five phases incorporate Healing, Equipping, Accountability, Recovery and Transition to women and children in need of hope and help in regaining stability in their lives
• Our recovery program focuses on the three different areas of
Residents are provided opportunities to learn and grow in five basic areas thereby giving them a foundation on which to build a new life.
- Spiritual Development (includes but not limited to)
• Bible classes
• Church attendance
• Mentoring support
- Recovery/Counseling (includes but not limited to)
• Individual counseling
• Support groups
• Relapse prevention classes
• Relationship classes
• Conflict management
• Addiction recovery
- Life Skills (includes but not limited to)
• Financial management to include spending and savings plan
• Physical health/hygiene
- Educational Development and Employment
• Educational assessment
• GED certification or High School diploma
• Vocational/technical or higher learning
• Job search (upon completion of educational goal or program)
• Employment is discouraged during the first 60 days.
• Employment is allowed only if it does not interfere with other program activities and only after individual educational goals have been achieved.
- Individualized Case Management
• Weekly case management meetings
• Basic needs assessment
• Establish care plan to include mid- and long-term goal setting
• Identification of support team
• The first four months in program:
• women attend intensive daily morning classes
• afternoons are open for women to study and other personal commitments
• At month five, program classes move to one day a week and women either begin working on their GED, attending continuing education classes / college, or working part-time
• Children go to school or off-site daycare
• Daily bedroom checks are conducted during their first nine months to help establish good housekeeping skills
• Families have daily Home Care chores to maintain their community living space
• Residents conduct a weekly house meeting and attend community meetings twice a week
Bible study, devotions, worship disciplines:
• All classes/program elements are required whether it’s the spiritual development track, or the recovery or life-skills tracks.
• We have a Christianity class 101 that our mothers start out in as they are entering the program.
• We use the Alpha curriculum which explores the basic principles of Christianity and is geared toward non-believers, seekers and new believers. New moms, attend the Alpha two mornings a week for eight weeks.
• Then they move into a Christianity 102 class, which is a “Growing in Christ” study. This will be a weekly class for 8 weeks.
• This class is followed by Christianity 103
• Experiencing God study
• Purpose Driven Life study
• Their first four months, staff and volunteers do daily devotions in a class setting. The goal is to begin to build a foundation of the discipline but also to teach different techniques.
• After four months, our mothers are required to lead / attend devotions with each other three times weekly and then do devotions on their own the other days.
• Moms are required to journal their devotions and report to their case manager.
• Our mothers are required to find a church home within their first month and then attend weekly.
• As mothers mature in their faith, they are encouraged to expand their study of God’s Word, daily prayer, Christian fellowship and outreach.
Hope Family Center Volunteer Opportunities
We have numerous volunteer opportunities at our Family Center. We encourage you to review the list by clicking here.
Once you have reviewed the Hope Family Center volunteer opportunities, we invite you to complete an on-line volunteer application. CLICK HERE.
Hope Family Center Photo Album | <urn:uuid:30556d13-fae8-423a-a179-fc400580e2dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hopeiowa.org/facilities/heart.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923822 | 2,221 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Saturday, May 25, 2013
A photograph of members of the Greely High School girls' basketball team that surfaced last week on social media has led to discipline for some of the players and raised concern among administrators about anti-Semitic symbolism.
In the undated photo, which the school's principal believes was posted on Facebook, two players face each other, smiling, and give the Nazi salute with one arm in the air, while a third player sits cross-legged between them, holding her hands in peace signs. All three are wearing their team uniforms.
Members of the team had been referring to one player as "Hitler," according to a letter sent to parents of the players.
Administrators also said in the letter that "inappropriate and biased language (was) used by members of the team."
"We're certainly taking it very seriously," said Greely High Principal Dan McKeone. "We talked to several members of the team."
McKeone said administrators investigated the origins of the photo, and while they have not determined its location on Facebook, he said he believes it was taken by a parent.
Superintendent Robert Hasson said he was notified of the incident but was not part of the disciplinary response.
"Those are unacceptable behaviors at MSAD 51, at Greely High School, and for student athletes," Hasson said.
The letter to players' parents, dated Monday and signed by McKeone and Athletic Director David Shapiro, condemns the actions and urges parents to be proactive about addressing the issue.
McKeone said he got a copy of the photo last week, and it prompted a meeting involving the players, the coach, administrators and a school social worker.
Players have been disciplined, but McKeone declined to say what the consequences were.
He said the discussion was aimed at "helping our kids understand that once you put something out there, it's out there, and you can't take it back."
This is the second incident of anti-Semitic imagery in the Cumberland-North Yarmouth school district this school year. In December, Greely Middle School and some privately owned buildings nearby were vandalized with swastikas and offensive language that was later removed.
Matt Byrne can be contacted at 791-6303 or at: | <urn:uuid:495747ee-d6ee-4138-aa62-2ce08306c4fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pressherald.com/news/photo-lands-greely-girls-in-hot-water_2013-02-07.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984497 | 469 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Washington Street Historic District
Washington Street, Cumberland, Allegany County
The Washington Street Historic District is an approximately 35-acre area to the west of downtown Cumberland which is primarily residential in nature. It consists primarily of six blocks of Washington Street as it undulates up from Willis Creek, the short block of Baltimore Street just west of the creek, and a small section of Green Street which parallels the creek along the foot of the hill that sharply rises with the beginning of Washington Street. Washington Street is lined generally with large-scale 19th and 20th century houses representing most of the major architectural styles prominent in the Mid-Atlantic region up to the start of World War II. Included here are examples of Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Colonial Revival, and bungalow. Near the eastern end of the district are two prominent county institutions, the 1890s Romanesque courthouse and the 1850s Greek Revival academy building which now forms the nucleus of the library. Smaller houses and small commercial buildings traditionally have characterized Green Street. The small block of Baltimore Street included is commercial in nature with a heavy residential zone historically. Here stands the Algonquin Hotel, built in 1926 as a residential hotel but converted to a more commercial hotel use in the late 1930s. Although the courthouse and the hotel structures are volumetrically greater than most of the houses, their heights are made less noticeable by their positions in the undulating streetscape.
The Washington Street Historic District derives historical significance from an early period with the construction of Fort Cumberland in the 1750s (a frontier outpost during the French and Indian War), as a political and educational center with the county courthouse and the first permanent school (now the nucleus of the county library complex on Prospect Square), and as the residence of Cumberland's leading citizens through the 19th century and into the 20th century. Here resided social, political, commercial, and industrial leaders of the city which by the close of the 19th century was the second largest city in Maryland in terms of manufacturing as well as physically the second largest in size and population, positions held by Cumberland well into the 20th century. Cumberland also was a major transportation center in the state. The Washington Street Historic District is also significant for its architecture. Within the District can be found some of the best examples of the major architectural styles popular in the Mid-Atlantic region during the 19th and 20th century in Cumberland. Influences represented include Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Colonial Revival and its various forms, and bungalow. Major national and local architects whose work is found in the district are John Notman, Bruce Price, Wright Butler, George Sansbury, and Robert Holt Hitchens. | <urn:uuid:9aea0a15-2b23-40a1-b519-9ca72e0116c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mht.maryland.gov/nr/NRDetail.aspx?HDID=121&COUNTY=Allegany&FROM=NRCountyList.aspx?COUNTY=Allegany | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953926 | 566 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Two Cups - Elijah's and Miram's
Everybody knows that we place a cup of wine for the prophet Eliah at the center of the Seder table. At a dramatic moment in the Seder, the door is opened to welcome this usually unseen guest into our homes in the hope that the final, messianic, redemption of all people is at hand. Our ancient traditions tell us that final redemption will come at the season of Israel's redemption from Egyptian bondage - on some Passover to come.
We sing Eliah's song, and watch expectantly and hopefully for the wine in the cup to diminish, a sure sign that Elijah has visited and the dawn of a new redemption is near.
Less known, and of more recent origin, is the custom of placing a second cup on the Seder table for a second unseen but deserving guest - the prophetess, Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron.
Well, who was it who watched wistfully as her baby brother was whisked away in a basket floating on the waters of the Nile? Who was it who, disregarding her own safety, dared to approach the Pharaoh's daughter, Princess of Egypt, and offer to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for her? Who was it who led the redeemed Israelite women and men in song and dance to celebrate their salvation at the Sea? Who was it, according to tradition, for whose sake a well of fresh water followed the wandering Israelites through the wilderness so they might survive the perilous journey?
It was Miriam, the Prophetess, symbol of all the courageous and worthy women who kept the home fires burning, even when the men became discouraged and despaired of redemption.
Who then is more deserving to be "toasted" with wine and saluted for service "above and beyond" than she?
If the Cup of Elijah is one symbolizing hope for future redemption, Miriam's Cup symbolizes redemption realized through the tireless efforts of Israel's women. Let us honor her for her heroism, and through her, all the brave, capable, devoted, faithful and loyal women of Israel who have been, and continue to be, the ongoing source of Israel's strength.
Biglal nashim tzidkaniyot nig'alu avoteynu miMitzrayim. For the sake of our righteous women were our ancestors redeemed from Egypt. | <urn:uuid:747d1698-0662-4e1f-b69b-c3a20dd1d589> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://haggadot.com/clip/two-cups-elijahs-and-mirams?f%5B0%5D=im_field_catgories%3A27&f%5B1%5D=im_field_catgories%3A35&f%5B2%5D=im_field_catgories%3A24&f%5B3%5D=im_field_catgories%3A28&f%5B4%5D=im_field_catgories%3A21 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958137 | 492 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Born in the Weald of Kent, c. 1422; died at Westminster, 1491; the first English printer and the introducer of the art of printing into England. Of his life we have little definite information beyond that given us by himself in the prefaces and epilogues to his printed books. He thanks his parents for having given him an education that fitted him to earn a living, though he says nothing as to the place where he had been educated. From the records of the Mercers' Company we learn that in 1438 (the first definite date of his life that is known) he was apprenticed to Robert Large, a well-known and wealthy London mercer. About 1446 he became a merchant on his own account and settled at Bruges, and, being a good man of business, soon became prosperous. In 1453 he went to England for his formal admittance to the Mercers' Company, and in 1465 he was appointed governor for Bruges of the Merchant Adventurers, an association of English merchants. This important position involved delicate and responsible commercial negotiations, and Caxton seems to have fulfilled his duties honourably and with success. About 1470 a change took place in his life. He gave up his connexion with commerce, and entered the service of Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, sister of Edward IV. It is not known why he did this, but it may well be that he wished for greater freedom for literary work. He had already begun his first translation from the French, the "Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye", and this he finished in 1471, dedicating it to his patroness, the Duchess of Burgundy. It was this piece of work which led him to turn his attention to the art of printing. The book in manuscript was much sought after, and the labour of copying was too heavy and too slow to meet the demand. Therefore, he says, "I have practysed & lerned at my grete charge & dispense to ordeyne this said book in prynte…that every man may have them attones."
There is some evidence to show that Caxton first learned printing at Cologne, where other famous printers had learned it, but the question is still under debate. His first book, the "Recuyell", was undoubtedly printed at Bruges in 1474, at the press of Colard Mansion, an illuminator of manuscripts, who had set up a press in that city in 1473. Caxton's second book, the "Game & Pleye of Chess", another translation from the French, came, it is almost certain, from the same press in 1475.
The highest point of interest in Caxton's life is reached when in 1476, returning to England, he set up a printing press of his own at Westminster. The first dated book issued from this press was the "Dictes and sayings of the Philosophers" and bears the imprint 1477. From this date to the end of his life he issued ninety-six books from the Westminster press, including, amongst others, the works of Chaucer and Gower, Sir Thomas Malory's "Morte d'Arthur", and various translations of more or less classical works from French, Latin, and Dutch, together with a number of smaller books, a good many of which are religious. His industry was very great, and he died in the midst of his work. He was not only a skilful master printer and publisher of books, but to some extent a man of letters—editor, author, translator—with a certain style of his own and a true enthusiasm for literature. His work as writer and translator helped to fix the literary language of England in the sixteenth century. Specimens of his printed books exist in various public and private libraries. The British Museum possesses eighty-three Caxton volumes, twenty-five of which are duplicates.
BLADES, Life and Typography of Wm. Caxton (London, 1861- 63); condensed and revised edition of the above (London, 1882); GORDON DUFF, William Caxton (Chicago, 1903); LEE, in Dict. Nat. Biog., s.v.; British Museum Catalogues.
APA citation. (1908). William Caxton. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03469a.htm
MLA citation. "William Caxton." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03469a.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by WGKofron. With thanks to Fr. John Hilkert, Akron, Ohio.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. | <urn:uuid:c5b0834b-d97e-4e04-a3eb-e9f3d18bf909> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://noreply@newadvent.org/cathen/03469a.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97496 | 1,122 | 2.75 | 3 |
Despite all the hoopla about internet advertising, old-fashioned print ads can still produce solid results, as long as you understand how to use them effectively. That requires a familiarity with their advantages and disadvantages, and knowing how to get the most bang for your buck.
Here are four types of print advertising to consider for your marketing plan, and what you need to know about each option:
Pros: They still command a sizable audience, and provide instant access to a diverse segment of the population.
Cons: People 30 and under are less likely to subscribe to newspapers. Pages also tend to be fairly cluttered.
How to get the most out of newspaper advertising
For starters, if you’re advertising in a daily, make sure to place your ads in editions going to specific zip codes likely to reach your targeted customers. In addition, don’t pay for a costly full-page ad. According to Rodger Roeser, vice president of Justice & Young Advertising and Public Relations in Cincinnati, Ohio, it takes about 17 times for a reader to see an advertisement before it registers. The upshot: It’s best to use your dollars to pay for more frequent, smaller displays of a quarter-page or less. To make sure more people see the ad, try to have it placed so that editorial content is wrapped around it. And, make it simple. “The more focused the message, the more impact,” says Jay Lipe, president of Emerge Marketing in Minneapolis and author of Stand Out from the Crowd: Secrets to Crafting a Winning Company Identity (Kaplan Publishing, 2006).
Chances are, smaller newspapers will be better bets. You also might find that a daily isn’t the best choice. For example, many cities have weekly community newspapers that, according to Roeser, tend to attract more female readers. The upshot: If your product or service is aimed at women, then it probably makes more sense to advertise there.
Expect to pay from $2 per column inch to $400 or more, depending on the newspaper’s circulation.
Pros: The production quality is generally much higher than newspapers. You can also hone in on a more finely tuned market by choosing magazines aimed at specific vertical markets.
Cons: They’re more costly than newspapers--anywhere from $2,000 for a full-page color ad to six figures, depending on circulation and demographics of readership. And if the magazine is a monthly, there may be a long lead time for delivery of your ad in advance of publication.
How to get the most out of magazine advertising
Most small businesses should eschew general-interest magazines in favor of highly targeted publications that focus on your customer. That can mean consumer publications aimed at anyone from golfers to cat owners, or business-to-business magazines. “Otherwise, it’s like using a nuclear bomb to kill an ant,” says Roeser. Lipe, for example, points to the maker of retail displays and fixtures that recently advertised in a magazine specifically for fixture manufacturers. In a period of several months, according to Lipe, the company achieved its goal, landing at least three accounts with Fortune 1000 companies. Remember, as with newspapers, frequency is more important than size.
And don’t forget to look for value-added programs. Many magazines will allow advertisers to speak at or attend seminars or trade shows they sponsor. Nikki Campbell, president of Campbell Consulting, a marketing firm in Pittsburgh, participates in a career fair put on by a local magazine in which she advertises. The publication gives her free exhibition space.
To find magazines that address your target market, visit the Magazine Publishers Association and get their Magazine Handbook.
Yellow Pages Advertising
Pros: Costs are lower than magazines or newspapers. And customers are conducting an active search for a service.
Cons: Generally, customers under age 35 head online, instead of turning to the Yellow Pages.
How to get the most out of Yellow Pages advertising
Generally, Yellow Pages ads are effective for less pricey services, and products considered commodities – plumbers or hardware stores, for example. If your company fits the bill, there’s one key rule: size matters. Since you’re only paying for one ad once a year, you should consider paying for a bigger display likely to attract more attention. One tip: rates charged by independent Yellow Pages publishers are about half those produced by the top telephone companies, according to Simba Information in Stanford, Ct. The average rate for a quarter-page ad in a book published by one of the top twenty-five publishers is $15,289.
Pros: These methods are generally low cost.
Cons: Usually such methods are not suitable for businesses targeting a broad area.
How to get the most out of off-the-beaten-track advertising
Many communities produce a wide range of non-traditional print publications, such as directories or calendars. For businesses aiming at a highly local clientele, for example, community calendars might be a good choice. Campbell recalls a car wash that recently paid for four ads, each with a coupon, printed in the local calendar. The business ended up redeeming 300-500 coupons a month. “You have to know your customer’s mindset,” says Campbell. “If they’re the type of people who look for coupons, the daily newspaper might not be the best place to reach them.”
While internet advertising may be getting most of the press these days, don’t discount the value of print advertising in your marketing mix. There are plenty of opportunities for small businesses and startups to take advantage of print advertising as they formulate a marketing plan.
Anne Field is a freelance writer for StartupNation. | <urn:uuid:be5a1d37-b6c8-4290-8626-5ffa94c0db62> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.startupnation.com/NET_ROOT/print_template/PrintContent.aspx?content_id=1349 | 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 | 0.935677 | 1,189 | 1.585938 | 2 |
• A majority of US adults believe that some crimes, for which offenders are currently incarcerated, do not demand time behind bars.Another striking result from that poll found a lack of public confidence in the effectiveness of prison at altering behavior: "More than half (54%) do not think that serving time in prison or jail reduces the likelihood that a person will commit more crime in the future, while about two-fifths (38%) hold the opposite view."
• Eight in ten (77%) adults believe the most appropriate sentence for nonviolent, nonserious offenders* is supervised probation, restitution, community service, and/or rehabilitative services; if an offender fails in these alternatives, then prison or jail may be appropriate.
• Over three-quarters (77%) believe alternatives to incarceration do not decrease public safety.
• More than half (55%) believe alternatives to prison or jail decrease costs to state and local governments.
• US adults more often think alternatives to incarceration are more effective than prison or jail time at reducing recidivism (45% vs. 38%).
• Respondents cited a variety of reasons they believe justify sending fewer people to prison or jail, including expense, overcrowding (danger to guards, danger to inmates), the ability of proven alternatives to reduce crime, and the fairness of the punishment relative to the crime.
Meanwhile, Steve Hall from the Stand Down Texas Project alerts us to a separate poll by CNN concerning attitudes about the death penalty that suggests a very different public sentiment, though I think the question was framed in a biased way. For starters, before asking the pro or con question, the only example of an executed inmate given to the poll-taker was a serial killer who murdered 8 women in Connecticut, a particularly heinous crime that's not representative of the average death row inmate's case. (In Texas, even accomplices can be convicted of capital murder under the "law of parties."
CNN's poll found 53% of Americans favored the death penalty for murder, while 43% preferred life without parole (the only choice offered besides "not sure"). The findings, though, are extremely suspect regarding their application to real-world policy because the options didn't include the most common sentence in murder cases - incarceration that's LESS than LWOP and frequently leaves the murderer parole-eligible after a certain, minimum sentence, if they can convince the parole board they're no longer a continuing threat.
In 2007, according to TDCJ's annual report (pdf) Texas state prisons received 1,078 offenders convicted of charges of homicide (p. 18). Only 37 of them received sentences of LWOP, while just 14 went to death row. So that's a pretty biased way to frame the question if the goal is to present realistic policy alternatives.
RELATED: Poll: Tough on crime messages don't resonate with critical swing voters. | <urn:uuid:8e857a33-d6b5-4bcc-9d0d-78e58baf50b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2009/06/measuring-public-attitudes-on-criminal.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94157 | 578 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Zonta International was founded in 1919 and focuses on improving the legal, political, educational, health and professional status of women around the world.
Initially Rose Day was used to rally support for those who were fighting for women's rights. Today, men and women send the yellow roses to women admired for their support of women's progress.
Rose Day coincides with International Women's Day that is celebrated March 8 of each year.
When you see Zonta members delivering yellow roses this year you should know that proceeds from this project go to support scholarships for deserving young women from the area. This year Zonta will provide six local scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000. Recipients will be graduating high school seniors and one college junior or above who is seeking a business-related major.
Other projects funded by Zonta are the Monthly Planners each fall, The Holiday Home Tour co-sponsored with The Lamar Ledger, which provides funds for the Domestic Safety Resource Center, the donation of a tree to the annual Fantasy Tree Auction and others.
There is still time to order roses for women you would like to honor this year. Contact any Zonta member or call 336-0861 Fri., March 1 is the deadline to order roses, which will be delivered March 7. | <urn:uuid:a9198eac-8ee0-4e4b-9d65-fc9fdb42c458> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lamarledger.com/lamar-news/ci_22615635/zonta-rose-day-honors-women.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967219 | 264 | 1.835938 | 2 |
An End To Kvetchup
You can stop smacking the bottom of the bottle. MIT researchers have solved one of the world’s eternal scientific mysteries — how to get out the last drop of ketchup.
Their solution is LiquiGlide, a super-slippery coating that won’t let anything stick to the insides of glass and plastic bottles.
PhD candidate Dave Smith and a team of mechanical engineers and nano-technologists at the Varanasi Research Group have been working for the last two months developing LiquiGlide, the coating made of nontoxic materials that can be used in food packaging.
Smith, quoted in Co.Exist on Fast Company, said the coating could reduce food waste in a big way. | <urn:uuid:66f5c7cc-2408-405b-aa2e-cc23b841e1a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crownheights.ch/blog/blog.php?bid=9295 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921829 | 156 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Latest Hosting Posts
Our cloud technology works on three specific cloud computing service models that are popular, effective, and flexible and most importantly user friendly. Therefore, the basic models of the cloud architecture are:
1. Infrastructure as a service: The infrastructure part includes the computer, network, storage, load balancing devices, virtual machines. All the hardware or the physical resources required for the clients are provided and also can be scaled up and down with the help of these services.
2. Software as a service: as the name suggests it includes the software section such as the virtual desktop, various utility applications, content resources management, email, games and much more. In this cloud computing model the service provider install, manage and operate various software's and the client access them from the cloud.
3. Platform as a service: In this section the hosting provider helps the client with the required platform to work, it includes execution runtime, database, web server, development tools, and operating system. Here, the client does not have to distribute resources manually.
Let's discuss some of the most popular cloud computing deployment models. Basically there are four deployment models functioned by the cloud provider and each one of them has their features that fit the requirements of the users.
1. Public cloud - With this type of cloud the applications, resources, storage and others are provided to the general community through a service provider. These services are basically free or can be accessed with the help of pay per use basis. This cloud computing management model can only be accessed with the help of internet only. This model also confirms that the personal information and data of the user will never be uncovered to the public at any point. This deployment model in general provides an expandable and rate efficient methods for setting up the cloud services.
2. Private Cloud - This cloud infrastructure is exclusively operated for a single organization, it doesn't matter if it is managed internally or by some third-party and hosted internally or externally. When it is managed in the correct manner, it will show constructive results for a business, however, each step involves a lot of security issues that needs to be corrected and check otherwise it can have serious impacts over the cloud and the last thing is you need to buy, build and manage them yourself. This cloud computing model offers a wide range of benefits and according to the suggested name it offers features and advantages dedicatedly for the cloud owner.
3. Community Cloud - It's a mutual effort in which the infrastructure is shared between numerous enterprises from a particular group of people with familiar concerns that comprise general interests and purpose, like a common mission. The costs involved are spread over fewer users, therefore, only some of the cost savings potential of cloud computing are realized. The members of the community distribute access to the information and application in the cloud.
4. Hybrid Cloud - The hybrid cloud is said to be a mixture of two or more clouds such as the public, private or the community cloud. These remain independent with each other but are combined inside the cloud and offering benefits and advantages of the multiple cloud computing deployment models. | <urn:uuid:30b0c530-29cc-43ac-bc7c-91227776cde6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hostreview.com/blog/130128-are-you-familiar-with-the-cloud-computing-deployment-models | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951844 | 624 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Last year we discussed news that researchers from Oxford University discovered playing Tetris after watching a disturbing film reduced the amount of intrusive flashbacks experienced by test subjects. The researchers then wondered if that was true for other games, so they began a new study, the results of which were just published in the journal PLoS ONE. Reader SpuriousLogic points out that while they repeated their earlier finding about Tetris, they also found that subjects who played trivia game Pub Quiz instead reported more flashbacks. "Research tells us that there is a period of up to six hours after the trauma in which it is possible to interfere with the way that these traumatic memories are formed in the mind. During this time-frame, certain tasks can compete with the same brain channels that are needed to form the memory. This is because there are limits to our abilities in each channel: for example, it is difficult to hold a conversation while doing math problems. The Oxford team reasoned that recognizing the shapes and moving the colored building blocks around in Tetris competes with the images of trauma in the perceptual information channel. Consequently, the images of trauma (the flashbacks) are reduced. The team believe that this is not a simple case of distracting the mind with a computer game, as answering general knowledge questions in the Pub Quiz game increased flashbacks. The researchers believe that this verbal based game competes with remembering the contextual meaning of the trauma, so the visual memories in the perceptual channel are reinforced and the flashbacks are increased." | <urn:uuid:cb934088-52e0-4e0b-89ac-658e21159654> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/11/12/210213/tetris-may-reduce-ptsd-but-pub-quiz-makes-it-worse | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964369 | 297 | 2.890625 | 3 |
One of the longest ever photographic exhibitions of marine life will be launched this month on Dún Laoghaire’s East Pier. Stretching the whole length of the pier (approx 1.6k), the exhibition, which will be on view from 7th July to 3rd August, will capture the first ever outdoor photographic exhibition of “Tara Oceans, A Worldwide Portrait of Marine Plankton*” discovered during a recent expedition of a scientific team on the schooner Tara.
On 10th July, Tara will arrive in Dún Laoghaire direct from her home port, Lorient, France and will be moored on the East Pier until 13 July. Tara, a 36m long aluminium sailing boat, has been navigating around the world for the last 30 months – from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Antarctic Oceans – studying plankton in marine ecosystems and also certain coral ecosystems virtually unknown until today.
Recently scientists have discovered the great importance of Plankton for our climate as it represents 80% of single-celled organisms on Earth and plays an essential role in the life of our planet. Tara Oceans Expedition is the very first attempt to make a global study of marine plankton.
“Studying plankton is like taking the pulse of the planet” says Dr Emmanuel Reynaud, from UCD, who points out that scientists are hoping “to better understand the functioning and diversity of marine life and its response to climate change”.
The public are invited to visit the schooner Tara on the 11th and 12th of July at berth 1 on the East Pier each afternoon from 13.00 to 19.00. Also on view in the East Pier Lighthouse from the 10th to 16th July there will be an exhibition of creative drawings and sculptures by pupils from Newpark Comprehensive School ‘20,000 leagues under the sea, a school project’. In addition to these exhibitions – The newly refurbished National Maritime Museum is also hosting a photographic exhibition of corals and coral reefs species that were photographed in remote coral reefs during the Tara Oceans Expedition in collaboration with Kahikai. The exhibition will run from the 7th of July to the end of August. Entrance to the Museum is €5, family: €10, unwaged: €3. The Maritime Museum is also hosting a free public lecture by Dr. Emmanuel Reynaud on the 13th of July at 19.00
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, together with UCD Science Dept, the French Embassy, Dún Laoghaire BRAND project, Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Comhairle Na nÓg are also delighted to announce that as part of the celebrations, they have collaborated to host the Irish Premiere of Planet Ocean, directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot in partnership with OMEGA. The screening will take place on 12 July to an invited audience in County Hall, Dún Laoghaire. The film will also be open to the public on the 14th July in the Lighthouse Theatre Dublin as part of UCD’s science week. For information about tickets please visit www.ucdimaginescience.ie .
“The 90-minute documentary, which draws on the talents of some of the world’s leading aerial and underwater cinematographers, oceanographers and biologists, has been created to change the way people look at the oceans and to encourage them to imagine conservation and stewardship as responsibilities shared by everyone on Earth”, says Dr. Emmanuel Reynaud.
For more information go to: www.oceans.taraexpeditions.org | <urn:uuid:1eb1efbd-f6ae-4f37-a03e-67b90f311c08> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dunlaoghaire.ie/tara-oceans-expedition-launches-longest-ever-photographic-exhibition-on-dun-laoghaire%E2%80%99s-east-pier/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951893 | 780 | 2.046875 | 2 |
International excellence with wide acknowledgement of the depth and relevance of our research, the exceptional quality of our education, and the usefulness of our service to agriculture and forestry.
The mission of the Faculty of AgriSciences is to be the preferred provider of world-class research, education and service to agriculture and forestry in southern Africa. We strive to use our knowledge, expertise and skills to the benefit of South Africa and the region, of its people and its industries, and of our clients in a manner that ensures the sustainable use of the region’s natural, physical and social resources and that gains the widest public recognition.
To this end:
The significance of the Faculty of AgriSciences
- our research forms a seamless continuum, from path-breaking fundamental investigations, through market-driven applied research, to technology development and transfer aimed at practical implementation;
- we ensure, through our modern, high-quality methods of learning and teaching and inspired by our research successes, that our students are the first choice of employers, that they are known as the shapers of opinion, and that they are ready to step into leadership roles whether locally or internationally;
- we provide a one-stop service to industries and clients;
- we work together in strategic alliances;
- every member is multi-skilled and of world class standard.
At present, agriculture and forestry are faced with several challenges, including job creation and the financially competitive provision of safe foods and fibre of adequate quality. Together with the nature conservation industry these sectors also have to consider the diversity of our country’s topography, soil variations, the divergence of our climatic regions, and the product requirements of sophisticated and fastidious buyers. The agriculture industry is involved with the conversion of raw materials into inventive, nutritious and tasty food products that can be sold in supermarkets. The forestry industry, again, is based on the fact that wood is a renewable and versatile product, with the result that there is a constantly increasing demand for a variety of wood products, for instance in the construction, furniture, paper and packaging industries. The Faculty of AgriSciences firstly equips entrepreneurs with an extended knowledge base to facilitate informed decision making with a view to different marketing aims, such as adding value with regard to niche markets. We are also aware, however, that agriculture and forestry must not be practised at the cost of our natural resources. South Africa possesses a distinctive variety of fauna and flora that must be respected, protected and conserved in agricultural and forestry practices. The Faculty of AgriSciences therefore also aims to direct its application and management of living organisms in a scientific and ethical manner in teaching, research and community involvement, so that everyone in the country can benefit from an improved quality of life.
Agriculture in South Africa contributes approximately 3–3,5 % of the gross domestic product, is important with regard to earning foreign exchange (R22 073 million in 2004), provides numerous employment opportunities (8% of formal employment opportunities) and makes provision for the basic food and fibre requirements of people. In addition, there is an increase in the popularity of agri-tourism, which offers an escape to city dwellers. Each R1 million increase in the final demand for agricultural products is accompanied by the creation of 83 new employment opportunities. The corresponding figure for job creation in the rest of the economy stands at a mere 29 opportunities. Agriculture is universally regarded as an important player in poverty relief.
Land is an important factor of production in agriculture, as well as in forestry. The Republic of South Africa extends over an area of 122,3 million hectare. Around 102,8 million hectare, nearly 84%, are utilised for agriculture and forestry. Approximately 16 million hectare of this area are under cultivation for crop production, approximately 1,5 million hectare are planted with trees, with 143 000 hectare being covered by natural forests. Natural pasturage covers about 83 million hectare, of which the greater portion can be classified as semi-desert.
Land with optimal physical and chemical features is scarce and only occurs here and there, although various unique soil/climate combinations do make it possible to provide products for niche markets.
South Africa has to deal with a shortage of water. Approximately 30% of the country has a rainfall of less than 250 mm a year; approximately 34% receives between 250 mm and
500 mm of rain, 25% has between 500 mm and 750 mm of rain and a mere 11% of the country has an annual rainfall of more than 750 mm. Rainfall patterns over the largest part of the country are erratic and droughts are frequent. Because of these and other factors, South Africa is primarily dependent on storage dams and underground water sources for its water supply. Just over 1,2 million hectare of agricultural land is under irrigation, and this provides approximately 30% of the total production. With its utilisation of almost 50% of available water, agriculture places the biggest demand on our country’s water sources. Increased pressure is brought to bear on the sector, though, to relinquish more water for industrial and domestic use. Without irrigation, however, only 10% of agricultural land can be utilised. Planting and management of forestry plantations in catchment areas have to be conducted according to strict guidelines to avoid disturbing the water flow. South Africa
has very high evaporation figures – in the interior this may reach 15 mm per day. Further, up to 75% of the annual rainfall can be lost due to evaporation, which further reduces the amount of water available for crop production. The management of water and irrigation in this country therefore requires particular expertise.
South Africa remains an agricultural country par excellence. Our varied climate and topography make it possible to grow just about any crop. We also are in the favourable position of being able to provide most of the primary food and fibre requirements of our country’s rapidly increasing population ourselves. Foods that South Africa is not able to provide fully, although it is produced in considerable quantities, include wheat, oil seeds, rice, tea and coffee. More than 33% of all horticultural products are exported. Deciduous fruits make up the greater portion of these exports. Other examples of South African export products include subtropical fruit, maize, sugar, vegetables, wine, cut flowers, flower bulbs, mohair and karakul pelts. Eighty-one per cent of agricultural land is under natural pasturage, which is mainly used for extended stock farming. This amounts to approximately 70% of South Africa’s total land area. Stock farming includes large stock, pigs, small stock and poultry. Aquaculture is another industry with considerable development potential that is coming to the fore.
Besides the production of fresh products for immediate use, much value is added to the industry by means of post-harvest handling, product processing, food processing, preservation, storage, packaging and product development. The quality of the product that eventually reaches the consumer’s table, however, is still determined on the land or in the herd. This necessitates conscientious and environmentally responsible pest and disease control.
The Republic of South Africa has beautiful indigenous forest and bushveld regions. Some
of our tree types provide wood that equals the best and most beautiful of woods from other world regions. Unfortunately the area where indigenous forests occur is limited and foresters were obliged to establish exotic forests years ago to make provision for the demand for wood. South African foresters at present own and manage 1,3 million hectare of commercial softwood and hardwood plantations, which cover 1,1% of the total land area, as well as at least 30 million hectare of bushveld. Compared to other countries, however, the wood-producing area of South Africa is relatively small. In the USA, 30% of the total land area is dedicated to the production of wood; in the European Union 29% of the land area is given to wood production, and in the Russian Federation 45% is used in this way. In South Africa, most of the wood is produced in KwaZulu-Natal and in Mpumalanga, while lesser amounts are produced in the Eastern and Western Cape and in Limpopo. In 2005, roundwood production comprised 9,2 million m3 of softwood and 12,8 million m3 of hardwood, of which 66,5% was sold as pulp wood and 24,9% as saw-timber.
Plantations, forests and bushveld are not created or utilised to only supply our need for wood; people are given opportunities for recreation and the enjoyment of nature as well. The country’s rapid population growth also increases the importance of such nature regions and most of these forests are accessible to the public. We must also not lose sight of the wider field of conservation ecology, namely the preservation of our fauna and flora, the management of nature areas for their aesthetic and scientific importance, and the restoration and protection of the environment to ensure that it remains habitable. Trees are also of importance in rural and urban areas for products like fuel wood, bark, dyes, medicine and other items that help to improve quality of life for people. Tons of non-wood products (thatching, ferns, fungi and flowers) are also removed from plantations, forests and the bushveld annually and large numbers of South Africans make a living by doing this.
The cultivation of trees involves a delicate balance between Mother Nature and hypermodern scientific techniques. Each aspect of this exercise, from the sowing of the seeds to the care of the trees to ensure full development, demands the expertise of specialists – the proud products of the Faculty of AgriSciences. With the present demand for wood being greater than the supply, our harvests need to be regulated with extreme caution to prevent the exhaustion of the supply. Scientific silvicultural management enables us to know the extent of our country’s supply of wood at all times, and how much we will need or should have at any given time, even in decades from now. The supply of wood can be increased through new plantations, increases in production in existing plantations and acting against harmful influences. We are currently self-supporting with regard to certain products, but not regarding all, which is why we both import and export wood products at present.
Wood has to be harvested as trees mature. This involves a difficult process, particularly where plantations are on steep mountain slopes, as is often the case. Road systems have to be planned with care and equipment must be acquired and employed judiciously. Wood harvesting is positioned on the boundary between engineering and forestry and therefore involves the blending of artistry and technique. Millions of rands can be made or lost during the process of removing the wood from the forest and delivering it to the processing plant. In plantations in which large and powerful machines make their way among the trees during harvesting, tiny new trees have to be able to survive within weeks – the conservation and cautious handling of forest land is therefore of extreme importance.
The wood processing industry comprises different sectors that manufacture a wide range of products. When wood is processed at processing plants, minimal loss of wood and the least environmental damage possible are of prime importance. Consumers furthermore expect the longest possible utilisation of products. Reducing losses and ensuring the durability of products therefore help to protect South Africa’s supply of wood against over-exploitation. The typical products of primary wood processing, e.g. pulp (fibre), paper and cardboard, sawn wood, wood veneer, mine timber, treated poles and charcoal, and compound products like laminated wood, plywood, chipboard, hardboard and wood plastic contribute considerably in adding value to this renewable raw material. When these products are also used as building materials in constructions designed by engineers and architects, are utilised in joinery for manufacturing furniture, or are used as packaging material or for the manufacturing of writing materials, the value of wood is further increased and essential employment opportunities are created. A unique side of the forestry industry is represented by the range of chemical products manufactured from wood. Some such products are even regarded in the same light as fossil fuel products. With “clean energy” as the current buzz word, wood, as a renewable raw material, offers various possibilities. It is therefore evident that thorough knowledge of the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of wood and wood-processing technologies is required in all processing stages to provide affordable quality products that can also compete on international markets.
Statistics show that South Africa had 211 primary wood processing plants, like sawmills, mining timber mills and veneer mills, pulp, paper and cardboard mills, and preservation and charcoal manufacturing plants in 2005. Total sales from these amounted to R15 milliard, with R9,5 milliard earned through exports. Over against this, total import of wood products amounted to R6,1 milliard. Imported wood products, together with locally cultivated timber, were processed further in the secondary and tertiary sectors of the timber industry. | <urn:uuid:a2d82a08-055a-421a-aa45-af0c075fd6b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://academic.sun.ac.za/agric/faculty/faculty_eng.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953971 | 2,678 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Wal-Mart's Eco-efforts - Mainstream Green or Pipe Dream?
Some time ago, Lloyd wrote a post about why it’s getting harder to hate Wal-Mart. His reasons for this were many, including the corporation’s efforts in green roofing, its purchases of green power, its sustainable fish targets, and its purchases of forest lands for conservation.
He did point out, however, that the retail giant is not all sweetness and light – especially regarding the pressure they place on suppliers to cut costs (for more criticisms, check out this Grist post on the Impossibility of a Green Wal-Mart).
Since Lloyd’s post there has also been some speculation about the company backing off their ambitious targets for organic produce, though it should be noted that this speculation was later denied.
While it would be erroneous to call any big-box, pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap retailer sustainable, Wal-Mart have been doing more than many to move towards greener business practices. Today sees yet another step in the company's efforts both to go green, and to appear to do so (readers will no doubt make their own minds up about how these two objectives ultimately balance out in practice).
Around 2000 representatives from Wal-Mart’s suppliers are gathering in Arkansas this morning for the Live Better Sustainability Summit, which is billed as a chance to hear Lee Scott and other company executives talk about the need for sustainability, transparency, efficiency and accountability all the way down the supply chain, as well as an opportunity to meet and learn from some of the most innovative green businesses, non-profit organizations and institutions in the world.
The list of exhibitors is certainly formidable, including Forest Stewardship Council, World Wildlife Fund, Rainforest Alliance, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry and the Biomimicry Guild, so we are hoping that attendees will leave with some very concrete action points on how sustainability can be integrated into the core of their business, not just how it can be used to increase sales. This event seems to be more about internal sustainability than it is about external PR, but TreeHugger has been given the opportunity of being one of the very few media representatives present.
Over the next few days we will be bringing you news of how the event went in general, as well as specific points from Wal Mart’s sustainability agenda, and hopefully conversations with some of the exhibitors and other participants.
For now though, we would love to get our readers’ perspectives on Wal Mart’s push towards sustainability – What are they doing right and what more could they do? Do you have specific questions about the company’s sustainability record or goals, or do you believe the corporation’s whole business model is essentially unsustainable and unreformable?
Whatever your views, we would love to hear from you, so leave a comment in the box below. Maybe we’ll even get a chance to pitch your views to company representatives themselves. ::Wal Mart Live Better Sustainability Summit:: Via personal invite::
Disclosure: Sami Grover is also Director of Sustainability at The Change, a company that is exhibiting at the Better Living Sustainability Summit. | <urn:uuid:6fafd440-e9de-49ff-afb7-f68f873f2612> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/wal-marts-eco-efforts-mainstream-green-or-pipe-dream.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961764 | 666 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Posted on | April 3, 2008 | 41 Comments |
Not many people have seen me in my youth, they like me old and wrinkled. Can you believe I was ever this good looking!!
When I grow up, they make me up to look like this! Now do you know who I am?
Yes, I am Kudampuli, as some of you correctly guessed!
Kudampuli (scientific name: Garcinia cambogia) also known as Gambooge, Malabar Tamarind, Fish Tamarind etc is an essential ingredient in all the seafood loving kitchens in Central Kerala, the coastal South Indian state. As the name suggests (Puli = sour in Malayalam), the dried fruit is used as a souring agent in Kerala’s famous fish curries and other seafood preparations.
Kudampuli is known for its medicinal values in Ayurveda. It helps to promote digestion, and a decoction (kashayam) made out of it is used against Arthritis and some uterine deceases. It is also known to cure ulcers.
The green fruit shown in the first picture is a young version, it will turn yellow when ripe. Once fully ripe, fruits are collected, cut in half, deseeded and are sun-dried for a day. The sun-dried fruit halves are smoked till black, and are rubbed with a mixture of salt and oil before transferring to earthenware pots and tightly sealed. These will stay fresh for years. Before use, wash the pieces under running water quickly to remove any dust accumulated from the drying and smoking process, then soak these for 10 minutes in water. Kudampuli pieces are added along with the water in which it was soaked in to curries and it gives a delicious sour taste that is so unique.
Kudampuli is sometimes referred to as Kokum in some of the cookbooks from Kerala, so for the longest time I was under the assumption that Kokum and Kudampuli are the same. But Kokum (Garcinia indica) used in Marathi and Konkani cuisines is a different fruit, these two are not interchangeable in recipes.
Here are some of my recipes using Kudampuli.
Prawn and Mango Curry
Kudampuli can also be used in some vegetarian curries using vegetables like plantain, colocasia, taro etc. I will soon post a vegetarian recipe using Kudampuli.
Availability in the US: Kudampuli is available in the Indian grocery stores in Seattle, so I am guessing it will be available in other places too at least in the US. Sorry, I am not sure about other countries. | <urn:uuid:0b13b768-4192-48b0-b29f-c4b577482f89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.sigsiv.com/2008/04/kudampuli-gambooge.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957634 | 569 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The World Is Flat
|The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century|
Original 1st edition cover
|Publisher||Farrar, Straus and Giroux|
|Publication date||April 5, 2005|
|Media type||Print (Hardcover and Paperback) and audio-CD|
|Dewey Decimal||330.90511 22|
|LC Classification||HM846 .F74 2005|
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century is an international bestselling book by Thomas Friedman that analyzes globalization, primarily in the early 21st century. The title is a metaphor for viewing the world as a level playing field in terms of commerce, where all competitors have an equal opportunity. As the first edition cover illustration indicates, the title also alludes to the perceptual shift required for countries, companies and individuals to remain competitive in a global market where historical and geographical divisions are becoming increasingly irrelevant.
Friedman himself is a strong advocate of these changes, calling himself a "free-trader" and a "compassionate flatist," and he criticizes societies that resist these changes. He emphasizes the inevitability of a rapid pace of change and the extent to which emerging abilities of individuals and developing countries are creating many pressures on businesses and individuals in the United States; he has special advice for Americans and for the developing world (but says almost nothing about Europe). Friedman's is a popular work based on much personal research, travel, conversation, and reflection. In his characteristic style, he combines in The World Is Flat conceptual analysis accessible to a broad public with personal anecdotes and opinions. The book was first released in 2005, was later released as an "updated and expanded" edition in 2006, and yet again released with additional updates in 2007 as "further updated and expanded: Release 3.0." The title was derived from a statement by Nandan Nilekani, the former CEO of Infosys. The World is Flat won the inaugural Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award in 2005.
In his book, The World is Flat, Friedman recounts a journey to Bangalore, India, when he realized globalization has changed core economic concepts. In his opinion, this flattening is a product of a convergence of personal computer with fiber-optic micro cable with the rise of work flow software. He termed this period as Globalization 3.0, differentiating this period from the previous Globalization 1.0 (in which countries and governments were the main protagonists) and the Globalization 2.0 (in which multinational companies led the way in driving global integration).
Friedman recounts many examples of companies based in India and China that, by providing labor from typists and call center operators to accountants and computer programmers, have become integral parts of complex global supply chains for companies such as Dell, AOL, and Microsoft. Friedman's Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention is discussed in the book's penultimate chapter.
Friedman repeatedly uses lists as an organizational device to communicate key concepts, usually numbered, and often with a provocative label. Two example lists are the ten forces that flattened the world, and three points of convergence.
Ten flatteners
Friedman defines ten "flatteners" that he sees as leveling the global playing field:
- #1: Collapse of the Berlin Wall – 11/9/89: Friedman called the flattener, "When the walls came down, and the windows came up." The event not only symbolized the end of the Cold War, it allowed people from the other side of the wall to join the economic mainstream. "11/9/89" is a discussion about the Berlin Wall coming down, the "fall" of communism, and the impact that Windows powered PCs (personal computers) had on the ability of individuals to create their own content and connect to one another. At that point, the basic platform for the revolution to follow was created: IBM PC, Windows, a standardized graphical interface for word processing, dial-up modems, a standardized tool for communication, and a global phone network.
- #2: Netscape – 8/9/95: Netscape went public at the price of $28. Netscape and the Web broadened the audience for the Internet from its roots as a communications medium used primarily by "early adopters and geeks" to something that made the Internet accessible to everyone from five-year-olds to ninety-five-year-olds. The digitization that took place meant that everyday occurrences such as words, files, films, music, and pictures could be accessed and manipulated on a computer screen by all people across the world.
- #3: Workflow software: Friedman's catch-all for the standards and technologies that allowed work to flow. The ability of machines to talk to other machines with no humans involved, as stated by Friedman. Friedman believes these first three forces have become a "crude foundation of a whole new global platform for collaboration." There was an emergence of software protocols (SMTP – simple mail transfer protocol; HTML – the language that enabled anyone to design and publish documents that could be transmitted to and read on any computer anywhere) Standards on Standards. This is what Friedman called the "Genesis moment of the flat world." The net result "is that people can work with other people on more stuff than ever before." This created a global platform for multiple forms of collaboration. The next six flatteners sprung from this platform.
- #4: Uploading: Communities uploading and collaborating on online projects. Examples include open source software, blogs, and Wikipedia. Friedman considers the phenomenon "the most disruptive force of all."
- #5: Outsourcing: Friedman argues that outsourcing has allowed companies to split service and manufacturing activities into components which can be subcontracted and performed in the most efficient, cost-effective way. This process became easier with the mass distribution of fiber optic cables during the introduction of the World Wide Web.
- #6: Offshoring: The internal relocation of a company's manufacturing or other processes to a foreign land to take advantage of less costly operations there. China's entrance in the WTO (World Trade Organization) allowed for greater competition in the playing field. Now countries such as Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil must compete against China and each other to have businesses offshore to them.
- #7: Supply-chaining: Friedman compares the modern retail supply chain to a river, and points to Wal-Mart as the best example of a company using technology to streamline item sales, distribution, and shipping.
- #8: Insourcing: Friedman uses UPS as a prime example for insourcing, in which the company's employees perform services – beyond shipping – for another company. For example, UPS repairs Toshiba computers on behalf of Toshiba. The work is done at the UPS hub, by UPS employees.
- #9: Informing: Google and other search engines are the prime example. "Never before in the history of the planet have so many people – on their own – had the ability to find so much information about so many things and about so many other people," writes Friedman. The growth of search engines is tremendous; for example take Google, in which Friedman states that it is "now processing roughly one billion searches per day, up from 150 million just three years ago."
- #10: "The Steroids": Wireless, Voice over Internet, and file sharing. Personal digital devices like mobile phones, iPods, personal digital assistants, instant messaging, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Digital, Mobile, Personal and Virtual – all analog content and processes (from entertainment to photography to word processing) can be digitized and therefore shaped, manipulated and transmitted; virtual – these processes can be done at high speed with total ease; mobile – can be done anywhere, anytime by anyone; and personal – can be done by you.
Proposed remedies
Thomas Friedman believes that to fight the quiet crisis of a flattening world, the United States work force should keep updating its work skills. Making the work force more adaptable, Friedman argues, will keep it more employable. He also suggests that the government makes it easier to switch jobs by making retirement benefits and health insurance less dependent on one's employer and by providing insurance that would partly cover a possible drop in income when changing jobs. Friedman also believes there should be more inspiration for youth to be scientists, engineers, and mathematicians due to a decrease in the percentage of these professionals being American.
In a 2007 Foreign Policy magazine article, Harvard Business School Professor Pankaj Ghemawat argued that 90% of the world's phone calls, Web traffic, and investments are local, suggesting that Friedman has grossly exaggerated the significance of the trends he describes: "Despite talk of a new, wired world where information, ideas, money, and people can move around the planet faster than ever before, just a fraction of what we consider globalization actually exists." Indian development journalist P. Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor for The Hindu, says "its not the ‘world’ that is flat, but Thomas Friedman’s ‘brain’ is flat."
The book is perceived to be written from an American perspective. Friedman's work history has been mostly with The New York Times and this may have influenced the way in which the book was written – some would have preferred a book written in a more "inclusive voice".
Friedman is right that there have been dramatic changes in the global economy, in the global landscape; in some directions, the world is much flatter than it has ever been, with those in various parts of the world being more connected than they have ever been, but the world is not flat […] Not only is the world not flat: in many ways it has been getting less flat.
Matt Taibbi of the New York Press wrote a scathing review, saying that "On an ideological level, Friedman's new book is the worst, most boring kind of middlebrow horseshit. If its literary peculiarities could somehow be removed from the equation, The World Is Flat would appear as no more than an unusually long pamphlet replete with the kind of plug-filled, free-trader leg-humping that passes for thought in this country", adding: "Things are true because you say they are. The only thing that matters is how sure you sound when you say it. And that's basically what he's doing here. The internet is speeding up business communications, and global labor markets are more fluid than ever. Therefore, the moon is made of cheese. That is the rhetorical gist of The World Is Flat. It's brilliant." Taibbi also takes issue with the title, noting that "The significance of Columbus's discovery was that on a round earth, humanity is more interconnected than on a flat one. On a round earth, the two most distant points are closer together than they are on a flat earth. But Friedman is going to spend the next 470 pages turning the "flat world" into a metaphor for global interconnectedness. Furthermore, he is specifically going to use the word round to describe the old, geographically isolated, unconnected world." He concludes, "473 pages of this, folks... Is there no God?"
John Gray, formerly a School Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics and Political Science, wrote a review of Friedman’s book called "The World is Round." In it, Gray confirms Friedman’s assertion that globalization is making the world more interconnected, and in some parts, richer, but disputes the notion that globalization makes the world more peaceful or free. Gray also declares, “least of all does it make it flat”.
- 1st edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005, ISBN 0-374-29288-4 – The original jacket illustration, reproducing a painting called "I Told You So" by Ed Miracle, depicting a sailing ship falling off the edge of the world, was changed during the print run due to copyright issues. These issues were settled in March, 2006.
- Audio book, Audio Renaissance, 2005, ISBN 1-59397-668-2
- 2nd edition ("Updated and expanded"), Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006, ISBN 0-374-29279-5
- 2nd revised and expanded edition ("Further Updated and Expanded: Release 3.0"), Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007, ISBN 0-374-29278-7
- Warren Bass (April 3, 2005). "The Great Leveling". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- Pankaj Ghemawat (March/April 2007). "Why the World Isn't Flat" Foreignpolicy.com. (Subscription). Accessed 2008-04-03.
- Pankaj Ghemawat (March 2007). Why the world isn't flat. Foreign Policy. Accessed 2012-10-05.
- Peter Begley (2006). "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century". Accessed 2006-11-06.
- Richard Florida (October 2005). "The world is spiky". Atlantic Monthly. Accessed 2009-05-09.
- Taibbi, Matt (2005-04-26). "Flathead: The Peculiar Genius of Thomas L. Friedman". New York Press. Archived from the original on 2008-12-18.
- Gray, John. "The World is Round." Trans. Array The New York Review of Books. 2005. 1-9. Web.
- Justin Fox (October 17, 2005). "A Painter Is Flat-Out Flimflammed". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 2007-10-21. | <urn:uuid:bdabc31d-b1be-48cb-b6db-aaca0d2aa1b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_world_is_flat | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932265 | 2,841 | 2 | 2 |
Establishing policy and providing leadership for the Texas public school system are the responsibilities of the State Board of Education. By adopting policies and setting standards for educational programs, the board provides the direction necessary to enable Texas public schools to prepare today’s schoolchildren for a successful future.
Composed of 15 members elected from roughly equally populous State Board of Education districts, the board adopts rules and establishes policies that govern a wide range of educational programs and services provided by Texas public schools. The commissioner of education serves as chief executive officer of the board and supervises the administration of board rules through the Texas Education Agency. Together the board, the commissioner, and the agency facilitate the operation of a vast public school system consisting of 1,237 school districts and charter schools, more than 8,400 campuses, more than 659,000 educators and other employees, and more than 4.8 million schoolchildren.
As part of its efforts to provide the best possible education to public school students, the board designates and mandates instruction in the knowledge and skills that are essential to a well-balanced curriculum. It also reviews and adopts instructional materials based on those curriculum standards.
In its other activities, the board oversees the investment of the Permanent School Fund, approves the creation of charter schools, and adopts regulations and standards for the operation of adult education programs provided by public school districts, junior colleges and universities.
The board is required to meet at least quarterly. Meetings are usually held in the William B. Travis State Office Building, which houses the Texas Education Agency, at 1701 North Congress Avenue in Austin. Each meeting, except for executive sessions restricted by law to specific topics, is open to the public.
Although policy decisions must be made by the full board, much of the detailed preliminary work is completed in committee sessions usually held on the Wednesday or Thursday preceding each meeting. Here, members of three standing committees — Instruction, School Finance/Permanent School Fund, and School Initiatives — consider items listed in the board agenda for the scheduled business meeting and review staff progress reports of work under way, proposals for new programs, and suggestions for improving current efforts.
The Committee on Instruction has primary responsibility for issues dealing with curriculum and instruction, student testing, special education programs, and alternatives to social promotion.
Primary responsibility for the preliminary work on issues dealing with the Permanent School Fund and school finance rests with the Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund.
The Committee on School Initiatives deals with issues such as the authorization of new charter schools and rules proposed by the State Board of Educator Certification.
Approximately one week before each meeting, the agenda is posted on the Texas Education Agency's website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=1156. A copy of the agenda is also made available to each of the 20 regional education service centers located throughout the state. A meeting notice is published on the "Current Meeting Notices" page on the Texas Register website at http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/pubomquery$.startup. The agenda is also available at board meetings. Individuals wishing to testify before the board should contact the executive assistant to the State Board of Education for information regarding registration procedures at (512) 463-9007 or fax at (512) 936-4319. Individuals may register between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the Friday and Monday preceding the board meeting. | <urn:uuid:d86ddaf9-f74b-4bab-8ea9-79193bacfabc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=4214&ekfxmen_noscript=1&ekfxmensel=e9f6cb525_620_628 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952553 | 716 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Why All SADCMember States Should Join DEASA
Major distance and open learning providers in the world have made significant progress towards the establishment of a “world distance and open learning university”. Moreover, donors and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are gradually moving away from funding one institution or one country in favour of targeting regions. It is against this background that we are urging all SADC member states to join the Distance Education Association of Southern Africa (DEASA).
DEASA, a regional powerhouse in distance and open learning is the train that all SADC member states should board in pursuit of developing their human resources. Tony Dodds, an eminent scholar in distance and open learning revealed shocking statistics at the recent Pan Commonwealth of Learning Conference in Durban that in 2000, the world’s 125 million children were illiterate, 50 million of them in Africa. He further postulated that of the 875 million illiterate adults, 200 million were in Africa. His projections indicated that by 2015, 55 million children and 250 million adults in Africa would be illiterate.
The above statistics indicates that Africa and indeed southern Africa face a huge problem that will drain her limited resources. SADC member states should note the striking factor of urgency that Africa has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. How will Africa feed, educate and sustain her millions? How should she best protect herself from a greedy world? Faced with such realities and with the growing awareness that there is no longer time for lengthy trial and error, social experiment and profligate actions, Southern African countries stand poised at the threshold that will determine her future. The only ray of hope for SADC member states is to educate their people and DEASA could play a meaningful role in the process.
In his novel; The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad portrayed Africa as a continent of barbaric, illiterate and pitiful people. Africa then was seen as the Dark Continent. For too long now the technologically advanced countries of the world have perpetuated the image of Africa as peopled by stereotypes and myths. African leaders are now heralding the birth of an African renaissance. We are of the view that Southern African countries are still close to a fresh start in ODL and as such DEASA has the responsibility to nurture and support SADC member states’ efforts in the provision of ODL to the masses that are out of school. Education is also viewed as one of the essential components that have the potential to lead to the success of the African renaissance. The New Economic Programme for African Development (NEPAD), can only succeed if Africa develops knowledge societies in which people learn new skills and technologies to increase productivity.
By joining DEASA, SADC member states can be globally competitive in ODL and can even produce materials for export to other less developed regions of the continent to reverse the situation where Africa has become the dumping ground of irrelevant programmes developed in the first world. It can be argued that the greatest gift of humanity has always been the ability to adapt to the realities of environment but before beginning to cope with the problems, man must see clearly where the problems lie. The world has a lot on to the literate, indeed western technology is locked in the written word and literacy has become the key to development. Distance education providers in the SADC region have to put aside whatever misgivings they might have about one another and join DEASA as they would be in a better position to come up with new objectives and solutions fitted to the specific needs of Southern African people. The Southern Africa’s cultures and past may provide exciting ingredients for ODL that the rest of the world has been waiting for.
By joining DEASA, all SADC member states will be enhancing the communal spirit that the founding fathers and mothers of our different countries adopted in order to develop and prosper as a region when they formed SADC. It should be noted that it takes patience and foresight, immense faith and impeccable judgment if people are to make best choices, the ones most sustainable and appropriate to their needs and which will provide the greatest good for greatest numbers. | <urn:uuid:52daafff-9491-4ef4-a2f0-e8f8b1270dd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deasa.org.za/about.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965413 | 850 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Fitbit makes every step you take a step toward better fitness, even on your busiest days. Fitbit Ultra's super sensitive 3-D motion sensor tracks your day down to details a pedometer can't catch, showing your exact steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled. The new altimeter tracks floors climbed so you can monitor this heart-healthy activity, encouraging you to take the stairs at home or work, or climb a little further on your next hike.
We all know solid sleep is hugely important to well-being and weight loss. But until now the question has been: just how do you track sleep? The answer — the Fitbit Tracker. Slip your Tracker into the Fitbit sleep wristband before bed, and it will keep a watchful eye as you slumber. When your info uploads to Fitbit.com, you'll see not only how long you sleep, but how well you sleep.
The Tracker monitors how many times and how long you wake up during the night. Over time, you can apply what you learn to better understanding what helps you sleep better.
Tiny, comfortable, and discreet
Unlike bulky, awkward devices that all but scream, "Look at me, I'm on a diet," the Fitbit Tracker is light and small enough to wear all day without anyone knowing. In fact, it's the smallest fitness tracker out there. Tuck it in your pocket, or clip it to your belt or bra, and you're set.
Your stats automatically upload to Fitbit.com whenever your Tracker is within about 15 feet of the base station plugged into your Mac or PC. There are no buttons to push, no data to enter, just your stats waiting for you to explore.
Share with friends
Nothing motivates like a supportive community and a little healthy competition. On Fitbit.com you can share info with friends and create your own private groups with friends and family to set collaborative or competitive goals. You can also join public groups and forums to ask questions and get advice from thousands of people with similar fitness goals.
The Fitbit Ultra uses a MEMS 3-axis accelerometer that measures your motion patterns to tell you your calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, and sleep quality. A built-in MEMS altimeter measures your vertical climb up stairs and hills.
|Height||2.125 inches (5.5 cm)|
|Width||0.75 inch (19.5 mm)|
|Depth||0.5625 inch (14mm)|
|Weight||0.4 oz (0.025 lb, 11.34 grams)|
The battery will last a minimum of 3 days between charges. The typical user's experience is 5-7 days.
To check the battery level, place the Tracker on the base station and press the button. You can also see your battery level on your personal dashboard at Fitbit.com, based on the last time you synced wirelessly.
To charge the battery, just put it on the base station. It takes about an hour to fully recharge from a low indicator.
|Battery life||5–7 days|
|Battery type||Lithium-ion polymer|
|Radio transceiver (for wireless sync)||2.4 GHz| | <urn:uuid:233b3963-bc9d-4244-937e-04c83832f070> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=GAMFIT1021&name=Fitbit-Ultra-wireless-activity-and-sleep-tracker-- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925451 | 670 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Thus Conscience Can Make Good Indians of Us All
“During my interaction with Kaleem, I learnt that he was previously arrested in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case and he had to spend about one-and-a-half years in prison. During my stay in jail, Kaleem helped me a lot and used to serve me by bringing water, food,etc. for me. I was very moved by Kaleem’s good conduct and my conscience asked me to prayaschit by making confessional statement.”
(Swami Aseemanand in his confessional statement to Magistrate. The statement was recorded on December, 18 under section 164 of the IPC, and is thus admissible in evidence. Kaleem, the Muslim boy, has been accused of the crime, namely the blast at the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, that Aseemanand says was infact committed by Hindutva terrorists.)
I was asked the other day what kinds of people I thought to be the greatest danger to the “idea of India.” Hopelessly enough, as many in the audience must have thought, I came up with a complicated answer, contradicting the clarity that seems rampant these days.
Yet my simple point was that the answer to the question must depend greatly on how one is placed within the nation-state.
Ask the question of a Tata, a Birla, an Ambani, or those that comprise the country’s land and mining mafia, or those in politics and the bureaucracy who largely do their work, or those in the corporate media who remain busily occupied in peddling with penchant the ever-more avaricious aspirations of India’s upwardly mobile classes, or the endowed non-resident Indians impatient to do away with the uncouth habits of the masses and to pave some ten percent of the “homeland” (which they have deserted) with gold (that they may also own), and the answer you might get is left-wing extremism, trade unionism, NGO activism, wasteful social spending and so forth.
Ask the other eighty or so percent of Indians who sweat in fields, farms, factories, or vend the day for a pittance, forest-dwellers who are told not a tree, a bush, a patch of land, or a drop of water belongs to them anymore, or millions of children who rag-pick, or slave in shops or homes, who feed on crumbs and get roundly abused and beat routinely and die like flies in the cold and heat, and they might not even comprehend the question you ask, being past all conceivable danger all their wretched lives. The “idea of India,”-- what might that be? Ask those who still scavenge for a living, and get treated like lepers for their labours of keeping the rest of us clean, and they might say that the greatest danger is that they may be dispossessed even of the privileges of scavenging which keeps them just this side of starvation.
And ask the same question of India’s religious minorities, and they might say, (however denied they remain in the “developmental” concerns of the super-power-to-be), the greatest danger continues to be the prospect that the Constitution that guarantees to them, as to others, an equality of secular citizenship and the right to freely practice their faiths may yet be dethroned by a putsch from majoritarian fascists who remain to this day unreconciled to the idea of India as a pluralist space, and to the Constitution and to a system of laws which say that all citizens may be treated equally.
To wit, if for ideological convenience, the danger were to be formulated as the danger to the Constitutional regime, leaving aside for now any consideration of the quality of its implementation, such danger lurks not in one quarter but in two.
It may suit the ruler- Indian to say that such a threat comes only from the Maoist communists, but vast numbers of other Indians know, as Jawahar Lal Nehru did, that the greater threat remains embedded in the fascist politics of the Hindutva- right, since its exertions are always liable to be mistaken for sound “nationalism.” And if the first is so obvious an object for liquidation, against which every other sort of considerable Indian might easily be mobilized, the latter is more in the nature of a virus that afflicts even sound secular Indians in some nerve-end or capillary. And being a threat from the economic right, its operations are more prone to be excused, both by the corporate power-houses and by the elites who look upto them. Note how sections of India’s influential electronic media are already debating whether an Aseemanand is a terrorist or only a “zealot” after all. And how ideologues of Hindutva who never tired of dubbing terrorist acts on behalf of Muslim individuals or groups as “Jehadi Islamism,” now suddenly advise that terrorism has no colour whatsoever, despite the fact that all of the Hindutva terrorists who have thus far been nabbed or identified can be seen clad insistently in saffron robes. Or how, in contrast to the stated and proven disapproval of violent Naxalism by India’s parliamentary Left, the parliamentary BJP is out brazenly denying that Hindutva terrorism exists, or that investigations and findings in that regard are anything but a dirty conspiracy against the “nationalist” majority community. Ergo, whereas Muslim perpetrators were to be justifiably held guilty prior even to the most elementary forms of proof, their Hindutva counterparts (which is what they are) are to be thought victims of conspiracy even in the face of piling evidence and confessions made to Magistrates in the full knowledge that such confessions are admissible proof.
Here is the BJP’s problem: so long as the connections that these Hindutva terrorists bear to the RSS remained concealed, their shennagans could be attributed to misguided individuals or to “fringe groups.” But now that Aseemanand has spilled the beans on the lead role of a very senior RSS leader in the series of blasts (Malegaon 2006 & 2008, Ajmer, Mecca Masjid, Samjhauta Express, Modasa, and who knows how many of the others) earlier attributed, per the Pavlovian instincts of the country’s police forces and sundry organs of opinion, to Muslim individuals and groups, there is no way that the puppet-BJP can nod in agreement.
And the Congress, as always, finds itself caught in a cleft stick: it may not be seen to be prevaricating, and it may not be seen to be anti-Hindu. It will be no exaggeration to say that the future of Indian political and Constitutional life may well depend on how the cases against Hindutva terrorists are either carried to lawful conclusions or muffled and erased.
Ever since the murder of Mahatma Gandhi by a man who belonged to the RSS, and, according to the statement made by his brother, Gopal Godse, on his release from incarceration some years ago, never left the RSS, contrary to such propagation by the RSS, this “nationalist” organization whose pioneering scions drew their inspiration explicitly from Hitler and Mussolini, has been found to be complicit by a plethora of official Commissions of enquiry in episodes of communal violence against India’s minorities. Such violence it knows is one sure way of always keeping in the foreground its racialist thesis about what ought to constitute “Indianness”. And, at the least, to keep Indian Muslims in the doghouse for as long as possible. Aseemanand, whose Bengali name is Naba Kumar Sarkar, clearly sought to carry forward, as is implicit in his confession, the tradition first unleashed by another Bengali from the nineteenth century, Bankim Chander Chatterjee, who propagated the view that not the colonizing British but India’s Muslims, descendants of the Moghuls, were the real enemies of the nation. And, after him, with theoretical support from the German Nazis, whom he praised no end, the revered RSS guru, Golwalker, in his two offerings (We, Our Nationhood Defined, and Bunch of Thoughts) wrote India’s Muslims as “Enemy Number One.”
Ironically, but understandably, Indian Muslims increasingly realize that the best course for them is not to resort to violence, (reason why in recent years most Muslim organizations of any consequence have repeatedly engaged in public denunciation of terrorism), but to invoke the promise of Indian democracy and the secular, democratic Constitution from whence it draws breath and legitimacy. It is not for no reason that Muslim vanguards have insistently said that whatever be the ignominies heaped on them both by the Hindutva camp and institutional agencies whose biases make themselves evident time after time, they stand by the rule of law. A course of thought and action which indeed, equally ironically and understandably, do not suit the Hindutva agenda, since such behaviour on behalf of Indian Muslims helps their greater assimilation into the mainstream politics of the country, and facilitates greater approval from that vast liberal mass of citizens who seek to get a leg up without frequent mayhem, however their sympathies may lie with the “Hindu cause.”
Long years ago during Nehruvain India when the secular and humanist, if not wholly socialist, ideal suffused civic and cinematic life (see Meghnath Desai’s “Nehru’s Hero), the great poet, Sahir Ludhianvi,, wrote a stirring song for a movie. In that song, an idealist Indian who has adopted an “illegitimate” love-child, seeks to dream for the future of the young one. From that song I have a minute ago on impulse translated but two stanzas as well as I could on the instant:
Such Creed as teaches hate is not yours,
Such stride as tramples the human pate is not yours,
Such temple as has not in it the Koran,
Such mosque that has not in it the Gita
Are not yours;
Yours will be the yearning for peace and harmony,
Human you were born, human you shall be.
These merchants of Creed, these traders of the nation,
These that sell the very shroud for a consideration,
Assasins and looters that reside in palaces,
Those that kill the Garden’s spring instead of its calluses,
To them your breath shall come
As the clarion of death.
Such idle sentiments then gave offence to no one, and were not censored. Keeping in mind the ugly revelations we are witness to, both with respect to the captains of the economy and the vast network of chicanery they seem to have engendered in brand India’s nook and cranny, and now with the revelations of terrorism on “this” side, how nice it would be to call a halt both to the merciless and marauding exertions of exploiters who may not leave a blade of grass in place in pursuit of profit, not to speak of the whole Niyamgiri hill, and to sectarian refusals to accept India as a garden of plural perfumes wherein not the monsters of hate belong but angels of peace, harmony, equity and conscience.
And thus I have sought on purpose to highlight in the epigraph that part of Aseemanand’s confession which relates to the stirrings of conscience. I ask, if a terrorist who set out to unleash “bomb for bomb,” could thus be affected by the power of innocence and service on behalf of the “enemy other,” and feel impelled to make atonement even at the prospect of implicating himself to a judicial sentence of death, what should this say to the rest of us. In this most noble moment of realization Aseemanand conveys a message to all of India, and indeed to the rest of the world, one that invites us to find our own humanity and, thereby, that of all others.
Ultimately, there could be no better or finer idea of India than is contained in that existential moment of redemption that Aseemanand has experienced. The question is, will this act of supreme enlightenment shame the RSS into rethinking its dodgy, abrasive and hate-filled existence and career, or will it continue to thwart and stymie the lives of some 180 million peace-loving Indians because they are not Hindus?
Indeed, after the revelations about Narendra Modi’s ubiquitous intimacy with all the murderous proceedings of the Gujarat episode of 2002, as encapsulated in the report submitted by the Special Investigating Team to the Supreme Court and scooped by the Tehelka journal, what a lasting service Modi could render to the Idea of India as a secular and pluralist paradise and a land of peace and harmony were he to take a leaf out of Aseemanand’s book and confess to his misdeeds, which after all included sheltering the key terrorists of Madhya Pradesh and Indore vintage in the Dang district of Gujarat, most of all, Aseemanand himself, and allowing free play to the carnage that happened in 2002.
Aseemanand is to be applauded on another count as well. In his letter to the President of India he has sought permission to be allowed to travel to Pakistan so that he might attempt a heart-to-heart with the likes of Hafiz Saeed with a view to bringing about in the latter a conversion matching his own.
An aspiration of profound proportions resides in that impulse, one that seeks to do nothing less than to draw the Pakistani Jihadis away from Maulana Maududi, just as Aseemanand’s own confession seeks to draw the RSS away from Golwalker to Gandhi. And this writer for one thinks that the Indian State would rise so far above its own lowly politics of antagonism should it make it possible for Aseemanand to make that trip. That endeavour in itself would constitute a transformative event, regardless of what came of it. It is when the mind weakens in its evil resolve that the sinews go limp as well.
Far from making “cowards of us all’ (Hamlet), an awakened conscience alone can change both personal and collective destinies in ways more far reaching than either realpolitik or the force of arms.
Note: A shorter version of the article appeared in Mathrubhumi Weekly as a commissioned piece. | <urn:uuid:54a7ef6e-c766-4e44-bf4a-96a2f9095322> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zcommunications.org/thus-conscience-can-make-good-indians-of-us-all-by-badri-raina | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958181 | 3,049 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Sunday, May 19, 2013
By GLENN ADAMS, The Associated Press
BYRON — A town of 140 people in western Maine is considering an ordinance to make gun ownership mandatory.
View Town of Byron in a larger map
It's the latest of a handful of communities nationwide to pass or consider such rules, which are widely considered unenforceable.
All three members of the Board of Selectmen in Byron favor it, and Head Selectman Anne Simmons-Edmunds said she expects residents to approve it at Monday's town meeting.
"We're hoping that the town will get on board with us but will accept whatever the town wants," Simmons-Edmunds said Friday.
Communities from Idaho to Georgia have been inspired to "require" or recommend that their residents arm themselves ever since a gunman killed 26 children and educators on Dec. 14 in a school in Newtown, Conn., and raised fears among gun owners about an impending restriction on Second Amendment rights.
The article up for a vote in Byron asks, "Shall the town of Byron vote to require all households to have firearms and ammunition to protect the citizens?"
Backed by gun-rights supporters, the ordinance is intended to pre-emptively block gun-control laws, said Attorney General Janet Mills, adding that it will be "null and void" if it passes.
It is pre-empted by a 2011 state law that bars municipalities from adopting firearm regulations.
"I think the town is going to have to shoot it down," Mills said Friday.
That's what happened this week in Sabattus, where the selectmen took the police chief's advice and voted not to send a similar proposal to voters.
David Marsters, a retiree in Sabbatus, proposed the ordinance, saying it would act as a hedge against crime.
The idea has also caught on in Nelson, Ga., a city of just over 1,300 about 50 miles north of downtown Atlanta, where supporters of the gun-ownership proposal say light police patrols leave residents virtually unprotected for most of the day.
The proposal contains several exemptions for people who object to owning firearms because of personal beliefs, religious reasons or mental disability.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Jonathan Bishop said convicted felons would also be exempted.
Spring City, Utah, moved forward with an ordinance this year, "recommending" the idea of keeping firearms. Other ordinances have been passed in Virgin, Utah, and Cherry Tree, Pa., largely as symbolic gestures.
Greenleaf, Idaho, a town of 900 people in the southwestern part of the state, adopted an ordinance in 2006 that encourages residents who don't object for religious or other reasons to keep guns in the homes and seek training on using firearms.
City officials said they don't know how many residents own guns.
In Byron, Simmons-Edmunds said probably 90 percent of the households already have guns, so the town wouldn't have to enforce the ordinance by checking every household.
"We're not going to invade anybody's privacy," she said. "We just want to send a statement that we're not going to give up our guns." | <urn:uuid:38e086b8-f303-482d-aa45-0e50e11c6fd8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pressherald.com/news/Maine-town-to-consider-mandatory-gun-ownership.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968256 | 644 | 1.632813 | 2 |
"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,'' long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means said.
Native American have one of the highest social entitlements populations (Welfare, food stamps, WIC, SSI etc), so I guess this mean we no longer have to pay for them or offer them social or economic services. I'm not saying the white man has done everything right by the Indian so if you want to go, then go. Just don't come looking for any of my tax dollars. Which interestingly they are going to be a tax free nation. I guess they hope that there casino's will pay for their social services and infrastructure upkeep.
Here is the Lakota Freedom Website. | <urn:uuid:d0db27b5-91e9-4c52-94d8-3e9f51351cb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.badmovies.org/forum/index.php?topic=117273.msg174980 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951245 | 165 | 1.5625 | 2 |
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Holy Trinity Icon
Today at Mass the pastor was talking about the mystery of the Blessed Trinity during his homily. His talking about God the father, God the son and the Holy Spirit made me think how the Church is hung up on women not being equal to men. We all know God is neither male nor female, yet calling God our father and our mother is frowned upon in most Catholic Churches.
If you look at what issues concerns the hierarchy, abortion, birth control, woman’s ordination, homosexuality, women religious and recently the Girl Scouts support of there is a general theme of sex and gender, the gender being denied equality with men is women.
I have a friend, a woman, that was ordained a Catholic priest and the all male hierarchy excommunicated her. I have a friend, a Catholic male priest that in conscience supported women priest and he too is excommunicated by the same males. Most Catholic women use contraceptives as birth control yet the all male Catholic Bishops are suiting the Federal Government for making insurance companies at Catholic institutions provide birth control. Lesbians and Gay persons are considered to have a spiritual defect for being who they are naturally. The religious education system was built on the back of religious women and not they are being criticized for being too concern about social justice and peace issues.
At the beginning of the homily our pastor brought out an icon of the Holy Trinity and put it on a table in the middle of the aisle. He forgot to mention what it was until after the homily. It is a famous Eastern Orthodox Russian icon of the Trinity by Andrey Rublev, created between 1408–25. As my friend explains in his book Praying with Icons an icons are not so much art in the ‘usual sense’ but aids to prayer and contemplation, ‘windows on the divine’.
I was sitting near the Holy Trinity Icon and noticed that the three persons, the one God, depicted in the picture could be male or female. God is our father and our mother and when the Roman Catholic Church all male hierarchy wakes up to this fact the Catholic Church will be renewed and the mystery of Holy Trinity will become clearer. | <urn:uuid:2658552d-d07a-41eb-a13e-f655834ebc42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nonviolentworm.org/DiaryOfAWorm/20120603-GodOurMotherAndOurFather | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969524 | 451 | 1.625 | 2 |
The winner of The Cartier Award 2009 was the American artist Jordan Wolfson. Wolfson is a conceptual artist, based in Berlin and New York.
Wolfson’s winning proposal was selected from over 450 applications by artists from all over the world. At Frieze Art Fair 2009, Wolfson presented a nomadic seminar on the subject of String Theory that took the form of a walking tour of Frieze Art Fair. Each tour, strictly limited to one person at a time, was guided by a theoretical physicist from Queen Mary University, London, who casually explained the concept of String Theory. The team of physicists was headed by Dr. David Berman, Reader in Theoretical Physics at Queen Mary University, London, and expert in String and M-theory. Each tour was recorded and then transcribed to form the basis of an ever changing, ever growing script that was reenacted by two actors and directed by the artist in Regent’s Park the following day.
The Cartier Award is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading art awards. It allows an emerging artist from outside the UK to realise a major project at Frieze Art Fair as part of the critically acclaimed Frieze Projects programme. Neville Wakefield, curator of Frieze Projects, commented: ‘Jordan’s unique brand of poetic conceptualism ranges across the sciences and humanities to create what are at once delightful and perplexing forays into the narratives and myths that colour our times. Especially exciting is the opportunity to bring such complex and sometimes challenging work to the wider audience of Frieze.’ | <urn:uuid:19b04806-6f24-4c1a-8a29-6825dddfee4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.friezefoundation.org/cartier/category/year_2009/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968131 | 324 | 1.882813 | 2 |
1. What's more classic than sidewalk chalk? Creative Family Fun shared a driveway shape maze.
2. I think these toddler friendly s'mores from Raise a Boy are genius!
3. There's lots of fun at Lasso the Moon with 5 ways to take sidewalk chalk to the next level.
4. Bubbles are a true classic in the summer. Adventures in Reading with Kids turned bubble blowing into art!
5. How fun is this playground scavenger hunt at KC Edventures??
6. Little Wonders' Days combined science and fun with an experiment in bouncing bubbles.
7. Love, Play, Learn came up with a fun game involving water balloons.
8. Famiglia and Seoul tells a sweet story about some learning fun on a nature walk.
9. My kids love the sandbox. They'd love it even more if it was Familylicious' sand table full of pirate treasure .
10. Inspired by Family Magazine snuck in some learning with an activity I know my son would love with a slingshot word challenge.
And to go along with these, check out our favorite warm weather books and activities.
I've pinned these to the Kid's Co-op Pinterest Board (and you can find a featured button on my buttons page if you'd like one.)
Thanks so much to everybody who linked up last week! Can't wait to see what you've got this week! | <urn:uuid:508ea00f-92bf-4d9c-98cc-c8f0e0184f89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.readingconfetti.com/2012/07/kids-co-op-10-new-takes-on-summer.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910912 | 291 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Susan Casey's "The Wave," on monstrous ocean waves, reviewed by John Lancaster
In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks,
and Giants of the Ocean
By Susan Casey
Doubleday. 326 pp. $27.95
Susan Casey has a thing about the ocean. Her first book, "The Devil's Teeth," chronicled her sojourn among great white sharks and the scientists who study them off the Farallon Islands near San Francisco. Now she has immersed herself in another chronicle of men (well, mostly men) and the sea, this one focused on a force of nature even bigger and more powerful than the implacable beasts of her previous work. "The Wave" is exactly what its cover advertises: a book about huge waves and the equally outsize personalities who spend and occasionally risk their lives trying to measure, understand, predict and sometimes even ride them on surfboards.
This might seem a bit of a gimmick, blending as it does the worlds of meteorologists and physicists, among others, with portraits of gnarly surfer dudes such as Laird Hamilton, whose obsessive -- some would say suicidal -- quest to hurl himself off the lips of waves the size of seven-story buildings provides the book with its main narrative thread (to say nothing of some very impressive wipeouts). But somehow it all hangs together. This is due in part to its scary environmental theme -- about which more in a moment -- and especially to Casey's singular fascination with waves, the bigger the better, which emerge not just as hydrological phenomena but as distinctive, often malevolent personalities that in some ways are the most interesting characters in her book.
They are certainly the most deadly. Readers may want to pop a Dramamine before reading Casey's account of the RSS Discovery, a British research vessel that was nearly pounded to smithereens by a massive storm in the North Atlantic in 2000. Instruments on board measured the "significant wave height" -- an average of the largest 33 percent of the waves -- at 61 feet, "the largest ever scientifically recorded in the open ocean" (some spiked as high as 100 feet). The episode added to growing evidence about the prevalence of so-called rogue waves, which can rise up unexpectedly from much smaller seas. The question Casey poses at the outset of her book -- and that animates much of what follows -- is whether climate change is likely to generate even bigger waves.
If so, a handful of elite athletes will be waiting eagerly on the beach. These would be "tow surfers," who instead of catching waves the old-fashioned way -- by paddling -- are catapulted onto them by partners riding personal watercraft. The technique allows surfers to catch waves that were previously considered too big to ride. The sport was pioneered by Hamilton, who introduces Casey to the testosterone-fueled subculture of which he is the undisputed king. Possibly because he shared a portion of her advance, Casey's portrait of Hamilton -- depicted as a brooding hero with rippling deltoids and a penchant for Delphic utterances such as "Fearlessness is ignorance" -- is not especially revelatory. On the other hand, he is what he is, and there is no disputing his mastery of gargantuan waves such as Jaws, an aptly named offshore break near his home in Maui, and Teahupoo (pronounced tay-ah-HOO-poo), a freakish Tahitian killer "with the personality of a buzz saw."
Casey's descriptions of these monsters are as gripping in their own way as any mountaineering saga from the frozen peaks of Everest or K2. "As Teahupoo reared up it drained the water from the reef, turning the impact zone -- a lagoon that was mercilessly shallow to begin with -- into a barely covered expanse of sharp coral, spiky sea urchins and volcanic rock," she writes. "This happened in seconds, in an area maybe three hundred feet long. I stared. I had never seen a wave behave like this one."
Casey interrupts her surfing narrative with frequent digressions on the science of big waves and especially their relationship to climate change. At a climatologists' conference on Oahu, she is baffled by the talk of chaos theory and quantum mechanics, but not by the underlying message: A warming atmosphere means warmer seas, which mean larger and more violent storms, which means bigger and more destructive waves -- with potentially dire consequences for shipping and coastal erosion. As one climate scientist cheerfully tells her: "We're gonna get smacked. No doubt." Lest anyone doubt the potentially devastating effects of really big waves, Casey devotes another section of the book to tsunamis, such as the one that sloshed around a remote fjord in Alaska following an earthquake in 1958. The high-water mark on the mountains flanking Lituya Bay was measured at 1,740 feet.
All this talk of destruction lends a creepy sci-fi element to her narrative and makes the exploits of Hamilton and his buddies seem all the more harrowing. In the end, though, we are thankful she included us on the ride.
John Lancaster is a former Washington Post reporter and a surfer. | <urn:uuid:c209bd75-9f9a-4db0-9b9d-5513b4f5ffcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/08/AR2010100802787.html?wprss=rss_print/bookworld | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970603 | 1,080 | 1.71875 | 2 |
UNITED STATES, Petitioner v. IDAHO, EX REL. DIRECTOR, IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES.
508 U.S. 1 (113 S.Ct. 1893, 123 L.Ed.2d 563)
UNITED STATES, Petitioner v. IDAHO, EX REL. DIRECTOR, IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES.
Argued: March 29, 1993.
Decided: May 3, 1993.
The McCarran Amendment allows a State to join the United States as a defendant in a comprehensive water right adjudication. It also provides, however, that "no judgment for costs shall be entered against the United States in any such suit." Idaho legislation enacted in 1985 and 1986 provided for a state-court adjudication "within the terms of the McCarran Amendment" of all water rights in the Snake River Basin. The legislation also altered the State's methods for financing such adjudications by requiring all water right claimants to pay a filing fee. Idaho uses these funds to pay the administrative and judicial expenses attributable to water right adjudications. After filing a petition under the 1985 and 1986 legislation naming the United States and all other Snake River water users as defendants, the State refused to accept the Federal Government's notices of claims because they were not submitted with the required filing fees. The United States estimates that in its case the fees could exceed $10 million. The United States then filed a petition for a writ of mandamus to compel the State to accept its notices without fees, asserting that the McCarran Amendment does not waive federal sovereign immunity from payment of such fees. The State District Court granted Idaho summary judgment on this issue, and the State Supreme Court affirmed.
Held: The McCarran Amendment does not waive the United States' sovereign immunity from fees of the kind sought by Idaho. While "fees" and "costs" generally mean two different things in the context of lawsuits, the line is blurred, indeed, in the context of this proceeding. Whereas Idaho courts used to proportionately tax the "costs" against all parties to a water right adjudication at the time final judgment was entered, many of the items formerly taxed as "costs" are now denominated as "fees," and required to be paid into court at the outset. Moreover, although the Amendment's language making "the State laws" applicable to the United States submits the Government generally to state procedural law, as well as to state substantive law of water rights, it does not subject the United States to payment of the fees in question. This Court has been particularly alert to require a specific waiver of sovereign immunity before the United States may be held liable for monetary exactions in litigation. See, e.g., United States v. Chemical Foundation, Inc., 272 U.S. 1, 20-21, 47 S.Ct. 1, 8, 71 L.Ed. 131. The Amendment's language is not sufficiently specific to meet this requirement. Pp. ____.
122 Idaho 116, 832 P.2d 289 (1992), reversed and remanded.
REHNQUIST, C.J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which WHITE, BLACKMUN, O'CONNOR, SCALIA, KENNEDY, SOUTER, and THOMAS, JJ., joined. STEVENS, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment.
Jeffrey Minear, Washington, DC, for petitioner.
Clive J. Strong, Boise, ID, for respondent. djQ Chief Justice REHNQUIST delivered the opinion of the Court.
The McCarran Amendment allows a State to join the United States as a defendant in a comprehensive water right adjudication. 66 Stat. 560, 43 U.S.C. 666(a). This case arises from Idaho's joinder of the United States in a suit for the adjudication of water rights in the Snake River. Under Idaho Code § 42-1414 (1990), all water right claimants, including the United States, must pay "filing fees" when they submit their notices of claims. Idaho collects these fees to "finance the costs of adjudicating water rights," § 42-1414; the United States estimates that in its case the fees could exceed $10 million. We hold that the McCarran Amendment does not waive the United States' sovereign immunity from fees of this kind.
Discovered by the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Snake River the "Mississippi of Idaho"is 1,038 miles long and the principal tributary to the Columbia River. It rises in the mountains of the Continental Divide in northwest Wyoming and enters eastern Idaho through the Palisades Reservoir. Near Heise, Idaho, the river leaves the mountains and meanders westerly across southern Idaho's Snake River plain for the entire breadth of the Statesome 400 miles. On the western edge of Idaho, near Weiser, the Snake enters Oregon for a while and then turns northward, forming the Oregon-Idaho boundary for 216 miles. In this stretch, the river traverses Hells Canyon, the Nation's deepest river gorge. From the northeastern corner of Oregon, the river marks the Washington-Idaho boundary until Lewiston, Idaho, where it bends westward into Washington and finally flows into the Columbia just south of Pasco, Washington. From elevations of 10,000 feet, the Snake descends to 3,000 feet and, together with its many tributaries, provides the only water for most of Idaho. See generally T. Palmer, The Snake River (1991).
This litigation followed the enactment by the Idaho Legislature in 1985 and 1986 of legislation providing for the Snake River Basin Adjudication. That legislation stated that "the director of the department of water resources shall petition the state district court to commence an adjudication within the terms of the McCarran Amendment." Idaho Code § 42-1406A(1) (1990). The 1985 and 1986 legislation also altered Idaho's methods for "financing the costs of adjudicating water rights"; it provided that the Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources shall not accept a "notice of claim" from any water claimant unless such notice "is submitted with a filing fee based upon the fee schedule." § 42-1414. "Failure to pay the variable water use fee in accordance with the timetable provided shall be cause for the department to reject and return the notice of claim to the claimant." § 42-1414. Idaho uses these funds "to pay the costs of the department attributable to general water rights adjudications" and "to pay for judicial expenses directly relating to the Snake river adjudication." §§ 42-1777(1) and (2).
The Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources filed a petition in the District Court of the Fifth Judicial District naming the United States and all other water users as defendants. The District Court entered an order commencing the adjudication, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Idaho. In re Snake River Basin Water System, 115 Idaho 1, 764 P.2d 78 (1988), cert. denied sub nom. Boise-Kuna Irrigation Dist. v. United States, 490 U.S. 1005, 109 S.Ct. 1639, 104 L.Ed.2d 155 (1989). When the United States attempted to submit its notices of claims unaccompanied by filing fees, the director refused to accept them. The United States then filed a petition for a writ of mandamus with the state court to compel the director to accept its notices without fees, asserting that the McCarran Amendment does not waive federal sovereign immunity from payment of filing fees. The District Court granted Idaho summary judgment on the immunity issue: "The ordinary, contemporary and common meaning of the language of McCarran is that Congress waived all rights to assert any facet of sovereign immunity in a general adjudication of all water rights . . . which is being conducted in accordance with state law." App. to Pet. for Cert. 86a (emphasis in original).
The Supreme Court of Idaho affirmed by a divided vote. Idaho Dept. of Water Resources v. United States, 122 Idaho 116, 832 P.2d 289 (1992). It concluded that the McCarran Amendment "expresses a 'clear intent' of congress to subject the United States to all of the state court processes of an 'adjudication' of its water rights with the sole exception of costs." Id., at 121, 832 P.2d, at 294. The court also "declined to read the term judgment for costs as including the term filing fees." Id., at 122, 832 P.2d, at 295. Whereas "costs" are charges that a prevailing party may recover from its opponent as part of the judgment, "fees are compensation paid to an officer, such as the court, for services rendered to individuals in the course of litigation." Ibid. Two justices wrote separate dissents, asserting that the McCarran Amendment does not waive sovereign immunity from filing fees. We granted certiorari, 506 U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 373, --- L.Ed.2d ---- (1992), and now reverse.
The McCarran Amendment provides in relevant part:
"Consent is given to join the United States as a defendant in any suit (1) for the adjudication of rights to the use of water of a river system or other source, or (2) for the administration of such rights, where it appears that the United States is the owner of or is in the process of acquiring water rights by appropriation under State law, by purchase, by exchange, or otherwise, and the United States is a necessary party to such suit. The United States, when a party to any such suit, shall (1) be deemed to have waived any right to plead that the State laws are inapplicable or that the United States is not amenable thereto by reason of its sovereignty, and (2) shall be subject to the judgments, orders, and decrees of the court having jurisdiction, and may obtain review thereof, in the same manner and to the same extent as a private individual under like circumstances: Provided, That no judgment for costs shall be entered against the United States in any such suit." 43 U.S.C. 666(a).
According to Idaho, the amendment requires the United States to comply with all state laws applicable to general water right adjudications. Idaho argues that the first sentence of the amendment, the joinder provision, allows joinder of the United States as a defendant in suits for the adjudication of water rights. It then construes the amendment's second sentence, the pleading provision, to waive the United States' immunity from all state laws pursuant to which those adjudications are conducted. Idaho relies heavily on the language of the second sentence stating that the United States shall be "deemed to have waived any right to plead that the State laws are inapplicable." Because the "filing fees" at issue here are assessed in connection with a comprehensive adjudication of water rights, Idaho contends that they fall within the McCarran Amendment's waiver of sovereign immunity.
The United States, on the other hand, contends that the critical language of the second sentence renders it amenable only to state substantive law of water rights, and not to any of the state adjective law governing procedure, fees, and the like. The Government supports its position by arguing that the phrase "the State laws" in the second sentence must be referring to the same "State law" mentioned in the first sentence, and that since the phrase in the first sentence is clearly directed to substantive state water law, the phrase in the second sentence must be so directed as well.
There is no doubt that waivers of federal sovereign immunity must be "unequivocally expressed" in the statutory text. See Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 498 U.S. 89, 95, 111 S.Ct. 453, 457, 112 L.Ed.2d 435 (1990); United States Dept. of Energy v. Ohio, 503 U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 1627, ----, 118 L.Ed.2d 255 (1992); United States v. Nordic Village, Inc., 503 U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 1011, ----, 117 L.Ed.2d 181 (1992). "Any such waiver must be strictly construed in favor of the United States," Ardestani v. INS, 502 U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 515, 520, 116 L.Ed.2d 496 (1991), and not enlarged beyond what the language of the statute requires, Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club, 463 U.S. 680, 685-686, 103 S.Ct. 3274, 3277-3278, 77 L.Ed.2d 938 (1983). But just as " 'we should not take it upon ourselves to extend the waiver beyond that which Congress intended, . . . neither, however, should we assume the authority to narrow the waiver that Congress intended.' " Smith v. United States, 507 U.S. ----, ----, 113 S.Ct. 1178, 1183, 122 L.Ed.2d 548 (1993) (quoting United States v. Kubrick, 444 U.S. 111, 117-118, 100 S.Ct. 352, 357, 62 L.Ed.2d 259 (1979)).
We are unable to accept either party's contention. The argument of the United States is weak, simply as a matter of grammar, because the critical term in the second sentence is "the State laws," while the corresponding language in the first sentence is "State law." And such a construction would render the amendment's consent to suit largely nugatory, allowing the Government to argue for some special federal rule defeating established state-law rules governing pleading, discovery, and the admissibility of evidence at trial. We do not believe that Congress intended to create such a legal no-man's land in enacting the McCarran Amendment. We rejected a similarly technical argument of the Government in construing the McCarran Amendment in United States v. District Court for Eagle County, 401 U.S. 520, 525, 91 S.Ct. 998, 1002, 28 L.Ed.2d 278 (1971), saying "we think that argument is extremely technical; and we decline to confine the McCarran Amendment so narrowly."
We also reject Idaho's contention. In several of our cases exemplifying the rule of strict construction of a waiver of sovereign immunity, we rejected efforts to assess monetary liability against the United States for what are normal incidents of litigation between private parties. See, e.g., United States v. Chemical Foundation, Inc., 272 U.S. 1, 20-21, 47 S.Ct. 1, 8, 71 L.Ed. 131 (1926) (assessment of costs); Library of Congress v. Shaw, 478 U.S. 310, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2957, 2966, 92 L.Ed.2d 250 (1986) (recovery of interest on judgment); Ohio, supra, 503 U.S., at ----, 112 S.Ct., at ---- (liability for punitive fines). And the McCarran Amendment's "cost proviso," of course, expressly forbids the assessment of costs against the United States: "No judgment for costs shall be entered against the United States."
The Supreme Court of Idaho pointed out in its opinion that "fees" and "costs" mean two different things in the context of lawsuits, 122 Idaho, at 122, 832 P.2d, at 295, and we agree with this observation. "Fees" are generally those amounts paid to a public official, such as the clerk of the court, by a party for particular charges typically delineated by statute; in contrast, "costs" are those items of expense incurred in litigation that a prevailing party is allowed by rule to tax against the losing party. See 10 C. Wright, A. Miller, & M. Kane, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2666, pp. 173-174 (1983). Before Idaho altered its system for recovering its expenses in conducting comprehensive water right adjudications in 1985 and 1986, Idaho courts, at the time of entry of final judgment, used to proportionately tax the "costs" of the adjudication against all parties to the suit, and not simply against the losing parties. Idaho Code § 42-1401 (1948). When Idaho revised this system, many of the items formerly taxed as "costs" to the parties at the conclusion of the adjudication were denominated as "fees," and required to be paid into court at the outset. This suggests that although the general distinction between fees and costs may be accurate, in the context of this proceeding the line is blurred, indeed.
While we therefore accept the proposition that the critical language of the second sentence of the McCarran Amendment submits the United States generally to state adjective law, as well as to state substantive law of water rights, we do not believe it subjects the United States to the payment of the sort of fees that Idaho sought to exact here. The cases mentioned above dealing with waivers of sovereign immunity as to monetary exactions from the United States in litigation show that we have been particularly alert to require a specific waiver of sovereign immunity before the United States may be held liable for them. We hold that the language of the second sentence making "the State laws" applicable to the United States in comprehensive water right adjudications is not sufficiently specific to meet this requirement.
The judgment of the Supreme Court of Idaho is therefore reversed, and the case remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
It is so ordered.
Justice STEVENS, concurring in the judgment.
As the Court points out, ante, at ____, before 1985 "fees" comparable to those at issue in this litigation were taxed as "costs" in Idaho. Because I am persuaded that these exactions are precisely what Congress had in mind when it excepted judgments for "costs" from its broad waiver of sovereign immunity from participation in water rights adjudications, I concur in the Court's judgment.
CC∅ | Transformed by Public.Resource.Org
The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. See United States v. Detroit Lumber Co., 200 U.S. 321, 337, 26 S.Ct. 282, 287, 50 L.Ed. 499. | <urn:uuid:a1eea12b-b1cc-46c0-bd97-8aeb70c842a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/508/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931479 | 3,893 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Come, Little Leaves: Two for Fall by Lois Ehlert
The first waves of the coming tsunami of fallen leaves are beginning to break, reminding us that the season is changing. It's time to turn to the science of leaves, which, thanks to the uproarious display offered by North American trees, is always a pleasant occupation.
There's no better source for the picture book set than the artful books of Lois Ehlert, whose earlier Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf takes the reader along on a close look at the life cycle of a maple tree through the eyes of a child who plants and tends it. Ehlert's collage technique utilizes unique materials as well as stunning paintings to make us look, really look, at the wonder that is the leaf and the tree.
In her 2006 book Leaf Man, Ehlert has found a new medium for her collage. Despairing of the possibility of incorporating the fragile texture and colors of real leaves in her collages, she hit upon the idea of photocopying autumn leaves as she found them and using the copies to create the layouts which fill her pages. Set against gorgeous backgrounds using varied texture and color, her charmingly witty leaf art collages fill her die-cut pages, which ripple like river banks, curve like hillsides, and zigzag like the tops of fir trees.
The unifying story is slight but evocative. "Leaf Man," an anthropomorphic fellow made up of maple, beech, and gingko leaves, with a sweet gum ball for a mouth and acorns for eyes, is blown away by the autumn winds, leaving "no travel plans." "A Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows," is the recurring refrain as Leaf Man sails past leaf chickens, leaf geese, leaf pumpkins and squash, leaf turkeys and cows, and leaf turtles and fish. Where does he land? Ehlert doesn't tell, but she does advise "...listen for a rustle in the leaves. Maybe you'll find a Leaf Man waiting to go home with you."
Again, Ehlert's art summons forth our ability to see the detail in a pile of windblown leaves, to see the individual colors, spots and all, and the shapes of the fall leaves all around us. Backing up the sensual experience of her text, the endpapers are filled with colorful leaves identified by their source tree, while the dust jacket flaps display "mystery leaves" and the various places they were found, from Santa Fe to Wisconsin to Orlando.
Just right for early childhood education, these books combine a playful and aesthetic experience coupled with botanical information, but their lasting value is that of inspiring a walk among the trees to look for, and really see, those "signs of fall." | <urn:uuid:ad3d9928-a5a1-4d14-8530-4ee300ee5e5b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://booksforkidsblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/come-little-leaves-two-for-fall-by-lois.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960724 | 573 | 1.992188 | 2 |
April 29, 1999
KALAMAZOO-- Using the computer software program Quicken to monitor a business' finances is the focus of a free training seminar offered Thursday, May 6, by Western Michigan University's Women's Business Development Center.
Thomas J. Scampini, a financial consultant with Salomon Smith Barney of Kalamazoo, will discuss "Using Quicken to Monitor Your Business" from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the YWCA, 353 E. Michigan Ave.
According to Pat Guenther, director of the Women's Business Development Center and assistant director of WESTOPS, the University's Office of Public Service, Scampini will not teach how to use the Quicken program, but show how features of the program can be used to control a business' finances. She says that Quicken offers a number of report features that are of value to a business owner.
"We want to show that you can control a business' finances by using an out-of-the-box program. You don't need anything fancy or sophisticated because these kinds of programs are ideal for what you'll need," Guenther says.
The workshop, cosponsored by the YWCA, the center and the Haworth College of Business, is part of a continuing series of workshops run by the center. A different workshop on business-related issues is offered the first Thursday of every month.
The Women's Business Development Center was created in February to provide support for women business owners, potential owners and professionals through training, group and individual problem-solving consultation, current business information, and networking opportunities. University faculty members and volunteers from the business and professional community serve as speakers, trainers and mentors.
While registration is not required, those interested in attending are encouraged to call the Women's Business Development Center at (616) 387-2714 to reserve a seat.
Media contact: Marie Lee, 616 387-8400, firstname.lastname@example.org
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA | <urn:uuid:1d6418aa-3a98-410a-857a-8935f5de8558> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wmich.edu/wmu/news/1999/9904/9899-257.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939224 | 436 | 1.554688 | 2 |
David R. Anderson ’74 became president of St. Olaf College on July 1, 2006, the 11th president of the College since it was founded in 1874. He previously served as provost and professor of English at Denison University.
In his inauguration address, “Honor the Past, Celebrate Today, Embrace the Future,” President Anderson shared his understanding of and vision for St. Olaf. Excerpted below are some of his remarks.
Our college is a complex institution even among liberal arts colleges, and our complexity derives from our history and our identity. Well over a century ago, Norwegian-American immigrants who had settled in this part of the Midwest aspired both to provide a superior education to their own children and to educate and nurture them in the faith they had brought with them from their homeland. From our earliest days we have been more than just another institution of learning … we have been committed to providing as good an education as could be had, to honoring our roots, to providing opportunities for students to grow in their faith and, inseparably from that growth in faith, to helping each student understand how he or she is called upon to serve others, especially those in need.
St. Olaf has defined the best education that can be had as a residential liberal arts education. We bring students together to this campus on a hill, place them in community with one another, and open to them the faculty and the curriculum of the college. We do this not to prepare them for any particular occupation but rather to provide them with the base of knowledge, the skills and proficiencies, the experiences, and the habits of mind and heart that will enable them to flourish in whatever future awaits them. And we do this in the most rigorous fashion. It has never been part of the purpose of St. Olaf College to settle for less than the academic best, nor should it ever be. Academic excellence informs our identity and characterizes our history.
Our academic excellence is totally consistent withindeed derives from and exists in unison withthe profound faith commitments which define the nature of our college and inform the lives of many of the people who study and work here. St. Olaf was founded as college of faithful Christians, and it is one today. Not every student or faculty or staff member is a Lutheran, nor must they, nor should they be. Not every student or faculty or staff member is a Christian, nor must they, nor should they be. But the center of gravity of the college rests on the notion that we teach and learn for a purpose greater than knowledge for its own sake and greater than for ourselves. It rests on the robust worship life of the college. It rests on the joyful noise this college makes to God in the extraordinary music of this place. It rests upon the countless opportunities all of us in this place have through reading and study, our experience of the arts, fellowship and service to deepen our faith and to become more fully human. This is a distinguishing characteristic of our college, and it sets us apart from most of the other excellent colleges in America today. | <urn:uuid:88e09371-0efb-45c0-9047-e9974b4a9060> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wp.stolaf.edu/president/ | 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 | 0.976723 | 631 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Date: September 20, 2010
During Andrews University Freshmen Orientation Week, held August 15–22, new students spent less time mulling over their college plans and anxieties and more time serving others.
On Friday morning, just three days before the start of the 2010–2011 school year, nearly 350 student and University volunteers boarded the busses and headed to various locations in the community to tackle service projects. The projects covered a wide range of needs, including yard work, cleanups, moving boxes, painting and childcare, among others.
“Volunteer service is such an important part of what the world needs,” says Charlotte Smith, events coordinator for the Office of Social Recreation & Athletics at Andrews University. “We like to expose our students to its importance their very first week on campus.”
The Volunteer Day was organized by Smith and her department’s student workers in conjunction with the Office of Campus Ministries and their Outreach volunteers. Following conversations with various businesses in the area and the Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan, cleanup projects were created and assigned to group leaders and students. The service projects were not mandatory; and yet, nine busloads of volunteers were sent out.
|Students cleaned out the Dowagiac River, removing trees and branchs that had fallen into the river.|
Groups who chose to serve in Benton Harbor worked on projects at Six Degrees Resale Store, Child & Family Services, Consequential Minds, Kid Zone, the Orchards Mall, and several other locations in the city.
“We went to a charter school in Benton Harbor and put mulch on the playground and gravel around the building,” says Christian Tchamba, a group leader. “The man that we helped was very grateful. He said that the work usually takes 3–4 weeks to complete himself and he hasn’t had help in over two years. Everyone was willing to work and no one was complaining. It was a really good experience.”
Another group was sent to Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve in Niles, and another still to St. Joseph to paint at the Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan.
“They did a great job painting our office, and now it looks fresh and clean,” says Debra Panozzo, adult and family volunteer coordinator, Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan. “It was good to speak to them about volunteering and for them to support us in our effort to promote, support and connect volunteers who work to build a strong, caring community. Volunteering is a good way to fulfill the mission of Andrews University as the students seek knowledge and affirm faith in order to change the world.”
Another group got messier than most at Arthur Dodd Memorial Park in Cassopolis, Mich. Students worked along the Dowagiac River shoveling mud, building fences, staining wood, filling the playground area with wood chips and removing trees and branches that had fallen in the river.
“The pleasure was all ours in hosting those wonderful young adults at Dodd Park...” says Scott Wyman, director, Cass County Parks and Recreation. “Their enthusiasm and energy was so much appreciated by my staff, and to be honest, they worked so hard that I ran out of projects towards the end of the day! I am hopeful that this newfound partnership has a chance to flourish for many years to come.”
|In all, 350 student, staff and faculty volunteers completed 14 major projects.|
In the end, nearly 14 major projects were completed.
“Thank you to all of you who made this day possible and please keep our students in your prayers,” says Smith.
-Written by Ashleigh Jardine, student news writer, Office of Integrated Marketing & Communication | <urn:uuid:852c18e2-1f47-40f4-99a2-77558c45e68d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.andrews.edu/news/2010/09/service_day.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975502 | 785 | 1.664063 | 2 |
. "5 Postdoctoral Training Opportunities: Postdoctorate Fellows and Junior Faculty." Assessment of NIH Minority Research and Training Programs: Phase 3. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2005.
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Assessment of NIH Minority Research and Training Programs: Phase 3
clear for sometime that postdoctoral trainees are valuable resources to the institutions and senior faculty who employ them, but their status is often ambiguous. On some campuses, postdocs are viewed as students, even though they do not take classes and are not working toward a degree. On other campuses, they are viewed as employees, but they are not provided employee benefits such as medical coverage, holiday leave, and maternity leave. Nor are they provided other protections afforded to employees by law, such as the Family Medical Leave Act or whistleblower protection. Postdocs are not represented by labor unions either. When medical and other benefits are provided to postdocs, there is no regulatory oversight or guidance to ensure that these benefits are applied consistently. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a role in this situation. Postdocs on NIH training grants have one set of benefits, while those on NIH research grants have another. According to one program administrator, “The health benefits available from my institution, if one is on a research grant, are vastly better than what the government makes possible through a training grant. Family leave is vastly better if you are on a research grant than if you are on a training grant. When NIH institutes hire postdocs, they get full government benefits, whereas those who are supported on training grants, which are supposedly equivalent positions, are not treated anywhere near as well.”
Further, there are no standards or benchmarks of achievement for postdoctoral training as there are in the medical or legal professions, for example. The lack of achievement standards leaves postdocs vulnerable to abuse by mentors, who have a vested interest in keeping their labs fully staffed for indeterminate amounts of time. Prolonged postdoctoral training is interpreted by some potential employers as an indicator that the individual is not productive.
Underrepresented minorities face additional difficulties. Being the only minority in a lab, research group, or department is an isolating experience. Minority individuals may feel that they are under a microscope or that they are carrying the burden of an entire race of people. Because so few minority mentors and role models exist at the faculty level, some minority trainees report that they endure the “imposter syndrome,” that is, a lingering feeling that they do not deserve their professional status or achievements. Such manifestations of lowered self-esteem have the potential to subvert minority trainees’ desires to “aim high” professionally. Even mentors may project lower achievement standards onto their minority trainees. This and other expressions of ignorance or bias by mentors have the potential to sour mentor-mentee relationships, erode trust, and create social and professional distance. For those minority trainees who are unique within their families by virtue of their educational attainment, there is added stress. Lesser-educated family members may criticize the postdoc for “not getting a real job” or for their inability to shoulder family burdens proportionally, such as caring for a disabled or elder family member or child. | <urn:uuid:5656fe1c-fa5a-4e29-9f91-9a143ff2ab8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11329&page=122 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961532 | 697 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Family Centered Practice
GRIT values the uniqueness of families. Through collaboration, a flexible partnership is created. The family is the constant in a child's life. Parents hold a central role in informed decision making and choices for the well-being of their child and family. An integral aspect of our program is to ensure parents experience meaningful opportunities for active parent participation, learning, and strengthening of each family. The family gains confidence in their abilities to positively influence their future.
Inclusion is embedded in the belief that "we all belong". All children have the right to participate in natural settings, regardless of their diverse abilities. When children are included, they are active and valued participants in typical family life, community, and in their neighborhood school. An inclusive community is a welcoming community where each member experiences the feeling and reality of belonging.
Learning through Play
Young children learn through play. Guided play forms a strong foundation for ongoing social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Through building on play interests, children learn to make sense of their world, practice skills, expand their imagination, and create a valued role for themselves with their peers. Play leads to feelings of competence and self-confidence; it is the real work of children.
The most valuable asset of an organization is its people. GRIT families and staff are involved and passionate. They learn together, seek knowledge, and discover innovative practices for their work. Through constant dialogue, respect, and trust, people and ideas evolve and grow.
- Friday, May 10
- Tuesday, April 30
- May 28 or 29
- Monday, June 3
- Saturday, June 8
- Saturday, June 8
We've currently raised $18,635.91 to date. | <urn:uuid:823464e6-ada1-4cd5-9774-1e97751ee421> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gritprogram.com/about_GRIT/program_values.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964655 | 352 | 2.71875 | 3 |
In My Words: 'Sleeping giant’ shapes American politics
Kenneth Fernandez, director of the Elon University Poll, looks ahead to future elections and the role Latino voters will play in deciding outcomes.
The following column appeared recently in the (Greensboro, N.C.) News & Record, the Fayetteville Observer, the Winston-Salem Journal and the (Burlington, N.C.) Times-News via the Elon University Writers Syndicate.
A ‘sleeping giant’ shapes American politics
By Kenneth E. Fernandez - email@example.com
For as long as I can remember the Latino community has been referred to as the “sleeping giant,” a label that represents its size and growth as well as the way its political participation and electoral success have lagged behind other groups, notably whites and African-Americans.
The results from this past election suggest the sleeping giant is not only awake but is getting out of bed and going to the polls.
Just days after President Barack Obama was reelected, the Pew Hispanic Center released a report showing that Latinos comprised 10 percent of the number of people who cast ballots this fall. If current demographic trends continue, within a generation, today’s Latino voters will be “the leading edge of an ascendant ethnic voting bloc ... likely to double in size.”
The presidential election is usually decided by a few key states. In Nevada and Colorado, Latinos just gave Obama a comfortable margin of victory, and the growth of their populations in both places calls into question exactly how long they’ll be dubbed “battlegrounds.”
Likewise, Latinos played a critical role in making Florida competitive. Once a monolithic group loyal to the Republican Party, Latinos in the Sunshine State today form a very diverse group that diverge notably by region, generation, national origins and citizenship status.
Latino turnout and enthusiasm have reached historic levels. In addition, the group’s diversity has helped increase its relevance: Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cuban-Americans, just to name a few, each hold different political experiences and attachments. Increasingly these groups have dispersed across the country, creating significant populations in counties in the South and Midwest, bringing them into contact with different political environments.
Given the diversity of the Latino population, some strategists in the Republican Party believe the Hispanic vote is still in play because of relatively strong conservative views on issues such as gay marriage, abortion, taxes and small business regulations.
Both parties recruited prominent Latino political leaders to speak at their recent conventions. Democrats picked San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to be the first Hispanic keynote speaker in DNC history and the RNC invited Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, Texas senatorial candidate Ted Cruz and Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño to speak in Tampa.
These officials represent the current and future leadership of both parties and potentially a future presidential candidate. However, both parties must go beyond symbolic gestures and speeches, and back legislation important to the Latino community, specifically immigration reform, if they hope to bring Hispanics into their fold.
To maintain their advantage with Latino voters, Democrats must follow through on their promises. Democrats have failed to pass immigration reform even when they controlled both houses of Congress and faced a sympathetic president, first with George W. Bush in 2007 and then Obama in 2008.
Republican policies on family values and lower taxes may be attractive, but they’re eclipsed by the GOP’s stance on “self-deportation,” associated by many Latinos with opposition to the Dream Act, which allows children brought to the U.S. by their parents a path to citizenship instead of deportation.
And self-deportation is seen as a change in direction from the policies supported by George W. Bush, his father George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, all of whom supported immigration reform that allowed a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have strong ties to their community and the economy.
If the GOP is going to be competitive in battleground states such as Nevada and Colorado it will have to take a close look at its policy agenda. States not traditionally viewed as electoral battlegrounds might soon become such because of Hispanic voters.
Look no further than North Carolina. Latinos make up almost 9 percent of the Tar Heel population. Their impact to date on local, state and federal elections may be modest, but even this is changing as the number of Latinos registered to vote more than doubled in the past four years.
If that pattern continues, Latinos will begin to play a more prominent role in electoral politics here. The 2012 presidential race was closer in North Carolina than in many battleground states, including Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Virginia.
North Carolina will undoubtedly see even greater attention from the men and women seeking the White House in 2016. I suspect the attention will come, in part, from far more television and radio ads in Spanish.
Kenneth E. Fernandez is an assistant professor of political science and director of the Elon University Poll.
Elon University faculty with an interest in sharing their expertise with wider audiences are encouraged to contact Eric Townsend (firstname.lastname@example.org) in the Office of University Communications should they like assistance with prospective newspaper op/ed submissions.
Viewpoints shared by this syndicate are those of the author and not of Elon University. | <urn:uuid:4835cf8c-27c2-4c94-9fcc-add29cd063ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.elon.edu/e-net/Article/63622 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951596 | 1,111 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Dovetailing with the launch of the first ever Portland State sustainability scholarship program this past fall, the Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS) recently received a $50,000 grant from the Fred W. Fields Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF), which ISS will use to help expand and sustain the scholarship program.
Last fall, four incoming freshmen were awarded sustainably scholarships funded by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation challenge grant through the University Honors program. Each student was awarded $5,000 per year for four consecutive years and is expected to engage with research projects focused on urban sustainability, one of ISS’ focal research areas. Next year’s scholarships for the four returning sophomore students and four new freshmen will be funded from the OCF gift.
“We’re excited to be able to support more undergraduate work on urban sustainability, and are honored by the Oregon Community Foundation’s confidence in our efforts,” said Jennifer Allen, director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions.
With the costs of education soaring, financial assistance is becoming increasingly important for many students. Today, half of PSU students are the first in their family to attend college, and nearly 65 percent of PSU students graduate with debt from loans, which can impact career choice.
“A university education is the most determinant social escalator for ending cycles of poverty and preparing people for the work force,” said Scott Shlaes, development director for sustainability initiatives at PSU.
In addition to the scholarship program, ISS plans to use the OCF funding to expand the sustainability internship program. Over the past three years, PSU has partnered with organizations such as Ecotrust, the city of Portland, the Museum of the City, and Sustainable Northwest to offer paid internships to students through the Career Center.
“Many PSU students are unable to take an unpaid internship because the lack of income causes financial hardship. But in today’s work environment, real-world experience is not a luxury, it’s a necessity to be seen as a viable employee,” said Shlaes. “These scholarships and internships provide needed assistance, helping promising students reach their goals.”
If you’d like to join others across the PSU community and support sustainability focused scholarships or internships, please click here.
To learn more about the new sustainability scholarship program through University Honors, visit pdx.edu/honors/sustainability-scholars. | <urn:uuid:8c2e7632-fb6c-477b-808c-b78faf32a04d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pdx.edu/music/news/sustainability-scholarship-internship-programs-get-financial-boost | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956487 | 510 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Piracy is justified, even dignified stealing – at least according to the large number of people pirating today.
It’s as if the act itself, a Robin Hood-esque gesture, takes the guilt of the criminal and replaces it with the valor of a hero. It’s common water-cooler talk to overhear how the latest HBO show was torrented, or of someone using a cracked copy of Adobe’s latest Creative Suite. If these overheard crimes were truly criminal, then why aren’t they reported? Who would even dream of reporting the crime of copyright violation? I know I wouldn’t. It bugs me, but it bugs me the same was as someone’s running a of red light, or driving drunk – acts far more serious that could lead to loss of life, yet whose penalties are oddly similar to the 5 years, and up to $500,000 a copyright violator might face.
The reason behind this murky area of criminality and justified taking-from-the-Man, could be, that regardless of our social codes of conduct, as humans, our morality is instinctive, and while we understand the illegality of an activity, if it appears to not cause harm, then no harm done. I’m not a social anthropologist, nor a historian of legalese, so I’m going to avoid going down the path of tracing where along the evolution of man we moved from enjoying all our entertainment for free, to paying for entertainment, and now returning to taking our entertainment for free again. However, my guess is this isn’t a long enough history to be engrained in our DNA quite yet.
Instead, my reason for calling to task piracy, is it’s impact on creativity, and the stuff creative individuals produce that makes this life more enjoyable – those songs that define a period in our lives, the movie that changed us, made us cry, or feel better about being human, or the software that opened up new worlds of expression and expertise and gave artists unimagined ways to create.
I wouldn’t go to the point of saying that piracy is killing creativity. It’s not. It’s just making it a lot more expensive and difficult to be creative in a period of expansive creative options. It’s not a coincidence that the golden age of the original pirate came during a period of technological innovation and exploration. The world was no longer round and the high seas, with their galleys of gold, were ripe for picking. And in the end, what was a monarchy with a few less heavy bars to clog their coffers. Today, as media companies appear to make millions, who’s to care that a few songs get swiped for free, or few less DVDs aren’t sold because someone already watched the show for free on YouTube.
In times of creative surplus, bring in the surplus of crime.
However piracy is making creativity more expensive. Piracy is stripping away the reward for being creative. And it’s forcing copyright laws to be even more ludicrous (can’t forget SOPA) and invasive. If you stop and look at the financial impact, there’s no difference between the hijacked truckload of DVDs destined for Walmart, and the person that posts the latest HBO show for millions to download. But what would you say to Joe over coffee when he told you about the Freightliner he commandeered last night, full of the latest releases from Lady Gaga. You probably wouldn’t smile and look away. Even if he claimed he was planning on giving all the CDs away for free.
There are those that will counter this argument with examples of creative work, made for free, given away without expectation of profit, that bring satisfaction, and recognition to the artist(s) involved. However, for anyone that’s tried to dine on recognition it’s not that satisfying. If there aren’t methods to take away the option of piracy, slowly, creativity will dry up. The shows we truly enjoy, for their ability to expertly take us to Mordor with the carefuly crafted scene, will be replaced by YouTube cats and corporate banter against the backdrop of green-screen halos. The great photography of Helmut Newton will be replaced by a plethora of stock photos and Facebook Instagrams, and the writing of Hemingway will be typed by robots injecting blogs with SEO keywords.
And posts like this.
The only and way to truly stop SOPA, piracy and bad cat videos and make sure we continue to enjoy the fruits of creativity, is to frown at our friends that hijack Freightliners, and think twice before hitting download on the link that no one will likely every call you on, but will slowly bring to an end the type of shows you wanted to watch in the first place. | <urn:uuid:225f80e5-bffd-4cd9-ad75-0c815173d100> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.natecreates.com/blog/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957765 | 1,014 | 1.703125 | 2 |
‘We will crackdown on these gays’, Says Uganda Minister
Kampala – Gay rights activists should be banned from holding meetings or standing up for their rights, a key Ugandan minister said Friday, ahead of a scheduled court appearance next week over allegations that he had impeded the exercise of gay rights.
Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo is due in Kampala’s High Court on Monday, accused by gay rights groups of preventing them from holding conventions.
“We will continue a crackdown on these gays by all means,” Lokodo, a former Catholic priest, told dpa by telephone. “We cannot allow them to use meetings as platforms to promote their activities.”
The activists are taking Lokodo to court after they said he shut down two conventions in Kampala this year. They claim his actions were “unlawful” and contravened the country’s constitution and freedom of expression.
“He closed our workshop on Monday,” said gay activist Dennis Wamala. “We are not free at all. We walk in fear.”
Uganda has come under fierce international criticism for cracking down on gay rights. In 2008, a bill was introduced in parliament proposing tough sentences, including the death penalty, for gays and lesbians.
International pressure forced the government to delay an outcome on the bill, but gay activists say they are nevertheless living in fear.
A high-profile activist was murdered in January 2011, after a local tabloid newspaper made public a list of 100 gay and lesbian citizens. | <urn:uuid:0dc17ac2-d44d-4acd-8bcf-10ec7c4325ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://indepthafrica.com/we-will-crackdown-on-these-gays-says-uganda-minister/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966237 | 326 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Any Austen fan will appreciate this beautiful new hardback about her life & work. Filled with gorgeous colour illustrations, paintings, photos and letters this books covers every aspect of Austen.
There are specific sections dedicated to her most famous novels such as Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion and Sense & Sensibility. Her influence throughout history is examined and the modern films and spin off books are incorporated.
Enjoy getting a true insight into one of the most incredible authors in history. It has been 200 years since Sense & Sensibility was first published but still Jane Austen has a place in our hearts and minds. | <urn:uuid:3e777266-6a4d-4ccd-81f9-8fa6aeb37ea3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fairfieldbooksonstation.wordpress.com/tag/sense-and-sensibility/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962293 | 126 | 1.5 | 2 |
By Mike Adams on NaturalNews.com
Susan G. Komen for the Cure has now crossed the line into asinine idiocy thanks to its new alliance with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), where pink buckets of fried chicken are sold under the slogan, "Buckets for the Cure." I'm not making this up.
This idea that buying fried chicken is actually going to cure cancer is one of the most utterly idiotic health ideas yet witnessed in American pop culture. Komen for the Cure is so far gone from reality that the organization apparently doesn't even think twice about suggesting such an absurd idea. Eat more fried chicken, folks, and then what? Loading up on that kind of a diet is more likely to cause you to kick the bucket than to find a cure for cancer.
Does fried chicken actually promote cancer?
Fried chicken, you see, is coated in starches. The recipe for the KFC chicken batter is basically flour, sugar, salt, black pepper and monosodium glutamate (MSG). All by itself, this is a recipe for chronic degenerative disease because the flour and sugar are highly processed, and the MSG is an excitotoxin that Dr. Russell Blaylock links to obesity, cancer and neurological disorders. And the chicken meat itself? That's another cruel story on top of that (read more below).
When you fry starches at high temperatures, you also create acrylamides, toxic chemical by-products of cooking that are believed by many health experts to promote cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/acrylami...). One scientific study, for example, demonstrated that eating acrylamides boosts kidney cancer rates by 59 percent. Acrylamides are also linked to ovarian cancer.
The Komen pinkwashing fraud
So now we've got Susan G. Komen for the Cure actually promoting foods that promote cancer. It just boggles the mind, but it's entirely consistent with what I've said about Komen for the Cure in the past: The organization is a drug-company-funded front group that actually promotes cancer in my opinion. I see it as engaged in outright fraud by scamming consumers out of their money while claiming to be "searching for a cure" when, in reality, most of the money raised by the group actually goes to pay for more mammograms that cause cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/027742_m...).
If Susan G. Komen for the Cure were using such tactics to promote herbal remedies, it would have been shut down and its executives arrested long ago as fraudulent quacks. But because the group is so strongly aligned with the profiteering, powerful drug companies, it continues to get away with these utterly fraudulent marketing gimmicks without suffering a single investigation from the FTC, Dept. of Justice or even any mainstream newspaper.
Why is it that Komen for the Cure can actually promote products that cause cancer and no one seems to notice the outright hypocrisy? Why aren't the quack-watching websites screaming about the quackery of selling cancer-causing foods to raise money to fight cancer? Why isn't 20/20 or 60 Minutes or some other television investigative show taking a look at the outright fraud being perpetrated against consumers? Where are the comedian hosts of the show "B.S." when it comes to exposing the fraud and quackery of the cancer industry?
The silence tells you everything: The cancer industry gets a free pass. As long as these organizations run around toting pink ribbons, they can get away with anything... including fraud.
The cruelty of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
It's not just about fried chicken promoting cancer, by the way. By linking up with KFC, Susan G. Komen is also promoting extreme animal cruelty.
Undercover investigations of KFC chicken suppliers conducted by PETA have shown chickens being beaten, thrown against walls, abused and even spray-painted by malicious workers. | <urn:uuid:91f236e8-0614-4ee1-ad82-e370c74061d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-komen.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948282 | 818 | 1.96875 | 2 |
The Chickens Come Home to Roost — U.S. v. Said
I have to respectfully disagree with Dave’s interpretation of Judge Jackson’s decision. The decision is almost certainly incorrect from the standpoint of the law of nations; as Dave rightly points out, the definition of piracy in the High Seas Convention and in UNCLOS likely represents the customary standard. But I think Judge Jackson’s decision makes complete sense given the US’s Alice-in-Wonderland approach to international law, whereby the Congress simply defines the “law of nations” as it pleases, no matter how idiosyncratic — read: wrong — that definition may be. In other words, Said is the judicial cousin of the Military Commissions Act, which pretends that the “law of war” includes murder, conspiracy, and material support for terrorism in order to allow the US to prosecute “terrorists” in military commissions instead of in civilian courts.
I have no problem with Dave’s syllogism, which I think accurately describes Judge Jackson’s decision. My disagreement comes with this statement:
It would be relatively straightforward IF the 1819 statute (now 18 U.S.C. § 1651) stated the elements of the crime of piracy. Unfortunately it only refers to “piracy as defined by the law of nations.” Judge Jackson determines that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1820 decision in U.S. v. Smith, upholding the validity of the 1819 statute while declaring that piracy is “robbery or forcible depredations . . . upon the sea” provides the applicable definition. While the court discusses subsequent cases and scholarship, it is dicta under the decision’s logic, and most sources simply refer back to Smith anyway.
I think that the “subsequent cases” are anything but dicta in the opinion. Indeed, Judge Jackson’s holding depends on them. Dave seems to believe that Jackson disagrees with the idea that “since the 1819 statute refers to the law of nations rather than to a specific definition of piracy, what logically ought to be locked in by the rule of interpretation the court relies upon is the reference to the law of nations, not the definition of piracy contained therein.” But I don’t think he does: although the judge states that he “must determine… what Congress meant by piracy as defined by the law of nations, as stated in sec. 1651 at its 1819 enactment,” he then immediately acknowledges that “since the statutory language of sec. 1651 is devoid of any guidance on the scope of piracy as defined by the law of nations, the Court must examine any relevant judicial decisions to answer this question” (p. 6). Judge Jackson thus accepts that the object of his inquiry is how the law of nations defines piracy; he simply believes that the appropriate method of identifying that definition is to look at US judicial decisions on the subject.
Judge Jackson then proceeds to canvass the decisions themselves. He begins with Smith, which essentially defines piracy as “robbery upon the seas.” But he does not limit piracy to the Smith definition. On the contrary, he specifically rejects the government’s argument that piracy is not limited to “robbery upon the seas” by insisting that “the discernible definition of piracy… under sec. 1651 has remained consistent and has reached a level of concrete consensus in United States law since 1820.” He cites a number of federal decisions to that effect, such as the Sixth Circuit’s 2007 decision in Taveras, the Eleventh Circuit’s 2006 decision in Madera-Lopez, the 1841 Supreme Court decision in Schooner Amistad, and a bunch of other federal cases from the late 19th century. All agree with Smith that the law of nations defines piracy as “robbery upon the seas.”
Again, this line of cases is almost certainly wrong. But to describe all of the cases after Smith as dicta misses the fundamental problem with Judge Jackson’s decision: its animating assumption that “United States law since 1820″ accurately reflects the law of nations concerning piracy. United States law since 1820 does not accurately reflect the law of nations, just as the Military Commissions Act does not accurately reflect the law of war. By treating the US cases as a reliable proxy for the law of nations, therefore, Judge Jackson necessarily reached the wrong conclusion.
So, was Said wrongly decided? The answer, paradoxically enough, is both yes and no. As Dave notes, Judge Jackson should have relied on the High Seas Convention and UNCLOS instead of on Smith and its progeny for the definition of piracy. So from a “real” law of nations perspective, the decision is clearly wrong. But I think the decision is absolutely correct as a matter of US law, which has consistently assumed that the law of nations is more narrow than it actually is. Indeed, as Judge Jackson points out (p. 12), because Congress specifically criminalized violent acts short of “robbery upon the seas” in 18 USC 1659, adopting a broader definition of piracy would effectively nullify that section.
In the end, then, I think the title of this post — “The Chickens Come Home to Roost” — is an accurate one. If Congress wants to rely on international law (the law of nations, the law of war) to define domestic crimes, it needs to accept the fact that international law does not always take the position that the US wants. When it comes to pirates and the law of nations, it does — the defendants in Said probably did commit an act of piracy, no matter what Smith and its progeny say. But when it comes to “terrorists” and the law of war, it does not — murder, conspiracy, and material support are not war crimes, no matter what the Military Commissions Act says. The US should not be able to make use of international law only when it is convenient, relying on it when it wants to sentence pirates to life imprisonment, ignoring it when it wants to avoid trying “terrorists” in civilian courts. So forgive me if I find Judge Jackson’s decision in Said, incorrect though it may be, more than a little satisfying.
P.S. Just to be clear, Dave has been one of the most intelligent critics of the Military Commissions (see the links on his homepage here), particularly concerning the crimes within its jurisdiction, so I am in no way implying that he endorses the misguided approach to the law of war on which they rely. We also don’t disagree about piracy under the law of nations. I am simply taking issue with his reading of Judge Jackson’s decision. | <urn:uuid:3bbb7731-f765-4d7c-b872-23d9a3fa5caa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://opiniojuris.org/2010/08/19/the-chickens-come-home-to-roost-us-v-said/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958014 | 1,418 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The Baltimore school board has received 13 applications from groups wanting to open charter schools, reflecting a broad range of educational trends and philosophies.
One stresses the arts, while another focuses on physical fitness. Some emphasize experimental and project-based learning, while others believe in a prescribed, back-to-basics approach. There's a proposal for a language "immersion" school that would teach pupils in Chinese, Russian or French. Two proposals would cater to children in foster care.
An application generating significant discussion calls for an all-boys middle school with year-round classes, a 12-hour academic day and mandatory Saturday activities -- an attempt to keep a vulnerable population off the streets, while stopping short of creating a boarding school. New federal regulations have made it easier to create single-gender classes and schools.
The proposals highlight a wide-ranging effort by educators, parents and concerned residents to reach out to failing students in Baltimore, now home to 17 of the state's 24 charter schools. And they come amid a battle between the city school board and charter operators over how such schools should be funded.
Charter schools -- public schools that operate independently under contracts with local school boards -- are supposed to foster innovation. In the Maryland suburbs, where academic achievement is higher, there have been fewer charter proposals. Anne Arundel County, for example, has one application pending. Howard County and Baltimore County have none.
Carl Stokes, a co-founder of the proposed all-boys middle school in Baltimore, presented grim statistics at a public forum Tuesday night as he made the case that something different must be done to save the city's adolescent males. He said more than 50 percent of fifth-grade boys at East Baltimore elementary schools are passing the state math test. But by the time those boys are in eighth grade at surrounding middle schools, the pass rates are in the single digits.
"It's so stunning -- and I'm not being dramatic -- it takes my breath away," said Stokes, a former city councilman and mayoral candidate.
The city's first charter schools opened in August 2005. Their results have been mixed. One, KIPP Ujima Village Academy, has the state's highest seventh- and eighth-grade math scores.
The Baltimore school board is scheduled to vote Dec. 12 on the 13 applications -- 12 for schools that would open in the 2007-2008 school year and one for 2008-2009.
Nationally, most charters open as new schools. But in Baltimore, some existing schools, including KIPP, have converted to charters. The new batch of applications would convert Dr. Rayner Browne Elementary, General Wolfe Elementary and the Baltimore Freedom Academy.
Many of the applicants focus on struggling children. Among them is the Bluford Drew Jemison Math Science Technology Academy, which would serve 300 middle-school boys.
Anne O. Emery, who would head the board operating Bluford Drew Jemison, said Baltimore now has one all-boys school: the juvenile detention center. "If we look at the dropout rate, if we look at the incarceration rate, we have failed our young men," said Emery, an educational consultant and retired school administrator.
The school would be named after three African-Americans successful in math and science: astronauts Guion S. Bluford and Mae Jemison, and blood bank founder Charles Drew, who discovered how to store blood plasma. Pupils would be required to wear shirts and ties.
For decades, the city's flagship high schools, Polytechnic Institute and City College, served only boys. Currently, the only single-sex school is the prestigious Western High for girls.
Stokes said Bluford Drew Jemison would offer many activities beyond the normal school day to keep boys out of trouble. Like many charter schools, it would have to raise money privately to offer the program it envisions. Meanwhile, the amount of public money that charter schools get is the subject of a lawsuit.
The city school board is appealing a ruling by the state Court of Appeals that school systems must give their charter schools the same funding as other schools.
The city spends the equivalent of about $11,000 per child in its regular public schools. Charter schools receive $5,859 per child in cash and the rest in services that the school system provides. such as special education and food. Many of the schools want the $11,000 in cash.
Sun reporters Anica Butler, Gina Davis and John-John Williams IV contributed to this article.
Charter school applications
The city school board is scheduled to vote Dec. 12 on the following charter school applications:
Bluford Drew Jemison Math Science Technology Academy. The school would serve 300 middle school boys in East Baltimore, with an extended school day and school year. | <urn:uuid:63d4b6e7-9bae-475f-ad0b-2c0f9b9cb218> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2006-11-30/news/0611300099_1_charter-schools-baltimore-school-elementary-schools | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961044 | 981 | 1.90625 | 2 |
By Katherine Scott, editorial coordinator
If your company is operating and recruiting workers in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, respecting the local culture while encouraging better education is a necessary balance, said Eric Malcore, Kurdistan area manager for Weatherford. “The Kurds believe that being Kurdish is very important, which matters from a competency and nationalization standpoint because it affects how you deal with the local work force,” Mr Malcore explained at the 2012 IADC Critical Issues Middle East Conference in Dubai on 5 December. Moreover, he said, while cost and government requirements are large factors in acquiring local workers, “it’s really ethics that we nationalize for.”
An independent region of approximately 4.5 million people, Kurdistan has a relatively young population, something oil and gas companies in the area should bear in mind. “You have guys who are 25- to 30 years old or you have very old men. In the middle, there’s not a whole lot else.” Due to the number of Kurds that left during periods of turmoil and the general insulation of the region, residents have fallen behind in acquiring critical skill sets, Mr Malcore explained. This means that recruits are typically inexperienced.
A Kurd will generally quit public school around 15 years old, Mr Malcore said. For those who remain in school, a shortage of facilities means that students often have to share classroom time, permitting only four hours a day of education. “That makes a huge difference on what they learn, what they comprehend and where they end up.”
Kurdistan’s seven major universities are also fairly new; just one existed 10 years ago, said Mr Malcore, explaining that since most have been created in the last few years, the maturity levels of the programs are poor. Therefore, he continued, graduates are not on par with international standards. “Culturally they’re just not ready to work for us.”
The first step toward obtaining more qualified personnel, Mr Malcore believes, is breaking the language barrier. Most oil and gas companies in the region operate in English or Arabic, but the majority of locals speak only Kurdish. That makes it difficult to develop worker competency, he said. “They can’t attend training classes until they learn a basic level of business English.” Because Weatherford has almost 700 employees working in Kurdistan, 50% of whom are Kurdish, the company has invested in providing English classes. “We also do a shadow program for every expatriate to have a Kurd trainee follow them around to get a sense of the work,” he said.
Co-presenting with Mr Malcore at the Dubai conference was Mohamed Fahmi, a young Kurd serving as Weatherford’s public relations officer for local operations. The company has identified him as a future manager for the organization in Kurdistan and encouraged his attendance at the conference to further his career development and expose him to the international oil and gas industry, Mr Malcore said.
Presenting information on the nationalization efforts of Kurdistan’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Mr Fahmi noted that the MNR places pressures on the oil and gas industry because of its size and presence. Efforts to increase local staffing levels are also driven by the area’s high unemployment rate.
“Our strategy is to work with the MNR so that we can identify any gaps in hiring local workers,” Mr Fahmi said. Proactively, companies should provide nationalization lists and inform the ministry of future plans, he urged. “Fill out a list and show (the MNR) how many local staff the company has hired. ”
Companies should also be careful of nepotism, Mr Fahmi added. “We avoid hiring family, relatives and friends because we at Weatherford think that everyone deserves a fair chance to work for the company.”
To further develop the worker pool in Kurdistan, Mr Malcore suggested that industry continue to meet with local universities to express what companies need from graduates, i.e., better grading standards and courses in English and Arabic. “I have talked to the dean of every university in Kurdistan, and they all have committed to improving, or making mandatory, English classes.” Companies should also do its part by employing student interns as internships are a requirement for some programs. “Any companies that are in Kurdistan need to be encouraged to help universities specifically in this case.”
Mr Malcore acknowledges that Kurdistan is still a new area for the oil and gas industry, and only in the last five years has “anybody drilled any significant wells,” but industry must engage with Kurdistan universities and its government in order to assist with the grassroots development of local workers and further encourage operations in the area. | <urn:uuid:9ef024b2-eec8-4c7b-b8e1-78aef45c041c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drillingcontractor.org/enhancing-education-remains-key-to-building-kurdish-work-force-competency-19802 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965657 | 990 | 1.796875 | 2 |
All posts in Social Justice
We would like to recognize and congratulate our grant recipient, Oakland Rising for its voter engagement and mobilization efforts over the past year which culminated in big wins for Oakland, the larger Bay Area community, and California. Oakland Rising is a multilingual, multiracial collaborative building on Oakland’s rich history to advance smart, community-first solutions for a thriving city. Oakland Risings voter engagement victories this year included:
- Reaching 25,252 low-income, immigrant, and voters of color living in Oakland’s flatlands during their fall campaign alone
- Identifying 19,544 Oaklanders who support progressive tax policies to bring back public funding for schools and programs also during their fall campaign
- Providing 80 jobs for low-income, under-employed, or previously incarcerated residents through their paid “Daily Team” canvassing position
- Mobilizing 375 community volunteers to do precinct walks and GOTV
- Passing Proposition 30 as part of California Calls to safeguard funding for public schools by raising taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Californians
- Defeating Proposition 32 to ensure that big money interests will NOT silence the voices of workers and Unions in our political system
We salute Oakland Rising for its many achievements in 2012 and look forward to a new year of work ahead in the effort to bring about a more just, sustainable, and prosperous Oakland for all!
Photo courtesy of Oakland Rising
Our grant recipient, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law yesterday released a preliminary report of its findings from Election Protection 2012 to Congress urging them to take action to fix the persistent problems in our election system that make it difficult for many Americans to vote. The long lines endured by many voters this year were a problem, amongst several others that demonstrated the inadequacies of the election system. As the Lawyers’ Committee points out: “If we truly want an election infrastructure that lives up to the ideals of our democracy then we need to fix a lot of things.” Here are their suggestions: (more…)
We would like to congratulate our grant recipient Youth Radio for being awarded this week with the White House’s National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award! This prestigious award is the nation’s highest honor and was given by First Lady Michelle Obama to only 12 community-based arts and humanities organizations across the country. First Lady Michelle Obama stated: “The 2012 awardees demonstrate the power that comes from young people realizing their creative promise. These outstanding organizations from across the country inspire our youth to explore the world of possibility that awaits them, and they are gaining critical skills that translate into every other aspect of their lives.”
Youth Radio’s work has made a significant impact in the lives of many young people over the past two decades by improving academic scores and graduation rates, enhancing life skills, helping youth express themselves creatively, and develop positive relationships with peers and adults. Kudos to Youth Radio for their outstanding achievement as they make Oakland proud!
Photo: Youth Radio Producer Nishat Kurwa and Student Shyra Gums with First Lady Michelle Obama.
A new survey conducted by the Penn Schoen Berland National Post-Election poll reveals that the majority of Americans would like to see national standards for how people vote, including what hours polls are open, who is eligible to vote, and the type of ballot used. MacArthur Foundation President Robert Gallucci makes the point: “On the heels of an election that required some Americans to endure a long line to cast their vote and others to face confusing new requirements, the message from this poll is clear. Our democracy and our electorate deserve better rules and procedures for efficiently administering federal elections.” (more…)
Poll results say this election is too close to call and results will not come in for several more hours… but, we are already winning.
Groups from around the Bay have for months now been engaged in deep coordinated voter engagement work, from creating voter guides to forming paid and volunteer phone bank and field teams, reaching tens of thousands Oakland and San Francisco residents. [more on Oakland Rising and San Francisco Rising]
Because of this, we are already winning …
And, for that, we thank those individuals who hold the participation of those around them to be as important as their own.
We thank those organizations that are, to their communities, the place to learn and come together, that work to transform people’s own relationship to the governance of their communities and society, that center those on the margins.
The fight against voter suppression and harassment became personal this past Tuesday, when my niece, a 19 year old college student in North Carolina, was challenged at her polling site by a “very nasty” electioneer – NOT an official poll worker but an “observer” – who demanded to know if she was old enough to vote, and then handed my niece a slate of opposition candidates. Knowing her rights, my niece held to the Aries fire that she shares with her grandmother and rebuffed the “poll monitor,” proudly casting her first vote in a presidential election.
Another victory against voter suppression was won last week in Ohio and Wisconsin as voting rights groups, including our grant partners, The Lawyers’ Committee and ColorofChange.org pushed communications conglomerate, Clear Channel to remove over 100 billboards in mostly Black and Latino neighborhoods which they say were designed to intimidate voters. The billboards read “VOTER FRAUD IS A FELONY!” and warned that it can lead to prison sentences of up to three and a half years and a $10,000 fine. As ColorofChange.org points out: “In no small part because voters are more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit fraud at the polls, the billboards were widely viewed as an effort to intimidate minority voters who are uncertain about their rights from voting.”
Oakland housing rights advocates, including our grant partner, Causa Justa :: Just Cause had cause to celebrate recently as Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Congressperson Barbara Lee, State Assemblyperson Nancy Skinner and community members held a press conference in support of a Comprehensive Foreclosure Prevention Package. The plan which was approved by the Oakland City Council on October 16th will provide a new means by which tenants and homeowners can receive foreclosure assistance. The package includes:
- Door to door outreach to roughly 3,500 residents in risk of foreclosure
- Referrals to housing counselors and access to legal assistance and a city team that will help advocate on behalf of borrowers to the bank
- Tenant and homeowner rights trainings
- A pilot program called ROOT that will buy back homes for borrowers facing foreclosure and restructure the loans to be fixed rate and affordable
Over the past two years, we have seen restrictive voter ID legislation introduced in states across the nation that could make it harder for voters to cast a ballot. Some of these laws have been successful in being passed while others have been halted, thanks to the efforts of voting rights advocates, citizens who voted against restrictive legislation, and courts who overturned or blocked such laws. Our grant partners, The Brennan Center for Justice recently published a clear analysis and mapping of states, showing where these laws have passed, where they were blocked, and where they are in effect for the 2012 election. Some of the findings revealed:
Black men are heavy users of mobile technology, so why are they not pursuing careers in this field? This is the question that researchers at Pennsylvania State are investigating with a grant they received from the National Science Foundation as reported by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. Lynette Kvasny and Eileen Trauth, both professors of information sciences and technology at Penn State are conducting interviews with Black men on the path toward careers in Information Technology in order to determine which factors encouraged them to make this decision. Dr. Kvasny presents a compelling question: “There’s so much technology in their world, but why do so few Black men make a connection between being a user of technology and making a career out of it?” | <urn:uuid:c3970e84-3d95-40c4-b6be-c005c45d6a1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.mkf.org/category/social-justice/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963143 | 1,646 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Negotiating with pressure groups such as the RSPCA is not a good idea because they always want one more concession. What has been largely overlooked is that pressure from this quarter created a concertina effect on the inside at Becher’s Brook, because the shortest route has been made too easy.
It is time to say to it and to extreme fanatics that racing is what it is and they can either pay for a ticket alongside 70,000 other people, or protest with the few attention seekers on the pavement outside.
Reducing the number of runners is too simplistic. Halving the number in the London Marathon would reduce the chance of someone dying of a heart attack by 50 per cent, but it would still be a marathon.
But, given that racing is a responsible sport, there are two aspects that could be looked at. Aintree can ensure that the cores of the fences are padded with the best protection. That would help avoid stragglers hurting themselves if they get too low. Then, at the risk of sounding repetitive, the race should be run on soft ground. Horses suited by such ground are slower than top of the ground horses. They are not capable of the speeds that the modern, smaller, RSPCA-designed fences encourage. And when there is a spill, the ground is more forgiving.
But whilst racing rightly turns its back on activists, it needs to work harder on the media, which is either staggeringly-ignorant of the facts or conveniently misinformed.
After this year’s race, one national newspaper gave huge projection to a woman who pontificated that Synchronised and According to Pete were destroyed because their owners did not want the expense of mending horses which could not race again. That is totally untrue.
When a human breaks a leg and then comes around from a general anaesthetic, it is not that hard to explain why they should stay in bed. A horse, on the other hand, scrabbles around, panics and stands up — refracturing its leg. In America they have tried suspending horses in water to stop them hurting themselves in recovery, but other complications have arisen and caused prolonged suffering.
There are still too many people that do not understand why horses are humanely destroyed. So, in the face of newspapers sending news reporters rather than racing correspondents to Aintree, racing needs to get this message across.
Forty per cent of our Classics are run at Newmarket during the first weekend of May. And yet, even the racing public has not got a clue what sort of form the fancied horses for both races are in.
The beginning of the serious Flat season could not be choreographed in a more dysfunctional manner. So, why do these races come too early? Probably because two Earls got drunk in Newmarket at this time of the year and bet each other a couple of thousand guineas that their colt would outrun any opposition on the Heath the next day.
It is time we grew up and moved the Guineas to later in the season, with a proper build-up. That will cause mayhem in the European calendar, and the Derby will also have to be moved. Of course, the French will not like it. At which point we will just have to tell them, like the activists, to take it or leave it. | <urn:uuid:579f7190-a506-416d-93d7-816e3abba90e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/9234964/Pandering-to-the-ignorant-minority-has-caused-many-of-the-Grand-Nationals-problems.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973086 | 687 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Try continuing these patterns made from triangles. Can you create
your own repeating pattern?
If you can post the triangle with either the blue or yellow colour face up, how many ways can it be posted altogether?
Can you help the children in Mrs Trimmer's class make different
shapes out of a loop of string?
Watch this "Notes on a Triangle" film. Can you recreate parts of
the film using cut-out triangles?
How many different ways can you find to join three equilateral
triangles together? Can you convince us that you have found them
How many triangles can you make using sticks that are 3cm, 4cm and 5cm long? | <urn:uuid:4cd7c0ad-9f01-4f71-926a-6f895badc028> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nrich.maths.org/8815 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926618 | 140 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Danny Hart’s day begins with a teaspoon of pollen and ends with a spoonful of homegrown honey.
The sweet rewards of beekeeping began nearly 15 years ago for Danny and wife Janet of Brimfield, who now manage between 21 and 26 hives. The couple, named the 2005 Illinois Beekeepers of the Year by the Illinois State Beekeepers Association, started with no experience. Class time, beekeeper mentors and plenty of reading set their foundation for success.
“If you start reading about bees, it draws you in,” Janet says. “The more you read about them, the more you want to try your hand at beekeeping.”
Both urban and rural residents with about $250 and some hobby hours to spare can become beekeepers. The sale of honey and products, such as beeswax candles, pollen and body butter, can make the hobby self-sustaining or even slightly profitable.
As a bonus, beekeepers enjoy honey’s natural vitamins and minerals, as well as its stamina-boosting benefits. They experience the honeybee’s fascinating social structure. And they support mankind’s existence, as bees pollinate nearly one-third of the food supply.
The Harts and other Illinois beekeepers advise beginners to read a how-to book, talk to experienced beekeepers and take a class.
Many classes or programs are offered throughout the state, says Bill Buckley, president of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association. Visit the association’s website at www.isba.us to learn more or to find a local association that may sponsor a class.
The popularity of beginner beekeeping classes throughout the state indicates managed hives are again on the rise, says Steve Chard, apiary inspection supervisor for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. About 1,350 beekeepers managed 20,000 hives in Illinois in 2009.
Do keep in mind that there’s more to it than just buying some bees. Wannabe beekeepers within city limits should first check regulations in their communities. Most cities allow beekeeping, so begin to educate your neighbors about the benefits of beekeeping and the docile nature of honeybees, says Buckley, a 38-year beekeeper who lives in the Chicago suburb of Willowbrook.
Sharing honey helps, too, he adds.
After some education, start with two hives, the Harts say. Each hive will hold one colony of bees. Beekeeping suppliers, such as Illinois-based Dadant, offer kits for beginners that include everything from the hive to the head veil. Then, plan to order a package of bees for spring delivery.
Another option is to buy a nuc. A nuc includes several frames from a working hive; thus, it contains bees, a queen, honey, pollen, eggs and larva. Once your colony is established, register it with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, as required by law.
Various year-round hive management activities will include monitoring brood chambers, bee behavior, food supply, diseases and pests. Honey harvest can begin as early as summer. The Harts collect honey several times from June to September. Some beekeepers harvest once in the fall.
Extracting honey from the honeycomb can be as basic as a hand-crank extractor in a newspaper-lined kitchen. The Harts have graduated to a state-inspected extracting room and now share their original extractor with local beginners.
Honeybees in Illinois produce an average of 82 pounds of honey per hive, says Danny, whose goal is 100 pounds. The bees will need 50 to 60 pounds of that to last through the winter. The rest is the beekeeper’s reward, which provides plenty for a nightly spoonful. | <urn:uuid:04909b0e-cc03-47e0-88c6-9053c0800e7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ilfbpartners.com/sweet-life-of-beekeeping/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946128 | 773 | 1.8125 | 2 |
American Eagle Silver Dollars are a safe, secure form of silver investment. These coins were minted from 24th November 1986, and are the official silver bullion coins of the United States. The face value of these coins is $1.00 and they contain 99.9% pure silver. The remaining percentage of metal in the coin is copper.
Because of the purity, the coins have a predictable yield of silver when refined for the bullion value. All the American Eagle Silver Dollars are guaranteed by the US Mint to contain the right percentage of silver. The minting process is very secure and all variations and origins of coins are meticulously tracked.
Characteristics of the American Eagle Silver Dollars
As a buyer of these coins, you should be aware of what the coins look like and what their characteristics are, so that you do not get conned into buying worthless, or highly devalued coins. It is also best to buy from reputable dealers. These people buy and sell in bulk, so their prices are competitive and directly related to the market value of silver.
Avoid buying special “collectors’ edition” coins from home shopping channels, or gift stores for investment purposes. Many of these collections will be based on a particular theme or time period. While this may have novelty value, or human interest value, it almost always means nothing to serious collectors.
In fact, many non-standard silver dollars, or modified American Eagle Silver Dollars, are worth less than the face value of $1.00. This is because of the addition of other metals for decoration, or paint. Since these coins are worth less than their face value, they need to be refined to get their value as bullion. Because of the impurities from paint and cheaper metals, the refining process is more involved and the final price you get is even less than it ought to be.
The obverse side of the American Eagle Silver Dollar, has the Walking Liberty design. This design dates back to 1916 and it is a great favorite amongst collectors and the general public. The reverse side of the coin has the heraldic eagle, with a shield and thirteen five-pointed stars. The stars represent the original thirteen colonies of the USA.
Beware of Fake Coins
The edge is reeded and the year of minting is always displayed. You can spot a fake quite easily, just by comparing it to a real coin, or pictures of a real coin. There are many fakes and a lot of them originate in China. Common mistakes include attributing minting to a year before the Walking Liberty design was created., such as 1906. This is done to confuse people, because they think the differences in design are due to a minting year that they are not familiar with.
The American Eagle Silver dollars were minted and introduced onto the open market, as a means of bringing down the federal deficit in the 1980′s. The silver originated from the Defense National Stockpile. It took many years for the project to start, since many players in the industry, including silver mining companies, were worried about the price of silver falling, due to the sudden re-introduction of the stockpile onto the market.
Due to the controversy of the decision and the potential to harm the silver trade, the American Eagle Silver Dollar is under strict regulation when it is minted and distributed. This makes it a safe investment, if you are willing to wait until the right time before selling silver. | <urn:uuid:a9429783-ad8d-4d8a-9a1b-3656889bd19e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.silvercoin.org/american-eagle-silver-dollars.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960172 | 702 | 1.625 | 2 |
SILVER ANNIVERSARY FOR PORCELAIN PARTNER
The Jumbo Roll of Toilet Paper Turns 25
ORLANDO, Fla. – Innovations in the toilet paper arena may not change the world, but they can certainly help people out in times of need.
One such creation – the Jumbo Roll Tissue (JRT) dispenser has forever changed the public restroom experience. Found in airports, restaurants, stadiums and other locations away from home, these outsized dispensers and seemingly endless rolls of TP have greatly curtailed those embarrassing “spare-a-square” moments when the toilet paper well runs dry.
Today, this iconic product marks its 25th anniversary and its manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark Professional, has much to celebrate. To commemorate the JRT 25th anniversary, Kimberly-Clark Professional unveiled – and then sliced – a jumbo-sized cake shaped like rolls of JRT toilet paper at the ISSA/Interclean trade show in Orlando, Fla. The cake was then shared with hundreds of the company’s customers.
“JRT literally changed the course of restroom history,” said Richard Thorne, vice president of Kimberly-Clark Professional North America. “When people think of supply and demand, toilet paper doesn’t generally come to mind, but the JRT dispenser forever changed this equation – increasing the supply of toilet paper to meet the demands of busy public restrooms.”
When the jumbo-sized roll was first introduced in 1985, most public restrooms only offered single toilet paper rolls, similar to what people use at home. JRT changed all that by providing the equivalent in length of 10 standard toilet paper rolls in one giant roll.
In the 25 years since it was invented, the jumbo roll has supported people away from home in jumbo proportions, with nearly 2 billion pounds of toilet paper being used throughout North America. That’s the equivalent of more than 150,000 jumbo elephants, plus the avoidance of the jumbo-sized annoyance that comes with an empty toilet paper dispenser!
Since its introduction in 1985, the original JRT toilet paper dispenser has spawned some equally innovative progeny. These include:
• Coreless Bath Tissue – Launched in 2001, this product eliminated the cardboard core and hole inside the roll. In addition to providing more tissue, by getting rid of all those cardboard cores, it reduced packaging waste by 54.6 percent as compared to standard roll bath tissue.
• JRT Coreless Bath Tissue – In 2003, coreless bath tissue was joined by a Jumbo Roll sibling, which also offers more TP and boasts significant reductions in packaging waste.
• The Electronic JRT Dispenser – Introduced in 2008, eJRT is the first dispenser to automatically dispense toilet paper via an electronic sensor. The ground-breaking dispenser also contains high-capacity coreless bath tissue, with associated packaging waste reductions.
“JRT was clearly a pathfinder product that paved the way for even greater innovations in the world of toilet paper,” said Thorne. “And with our focus on sustainability over the years, we’ve also increased amounts of recycled fiber content and added Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Green Seal certified offerings. Only time will tell where it leads us next.”
About Kimberly-Clark Professional
Kimberly-Clark Professional is an indispensable business partner, delivering leading-edge health, hygiene and productivity solutions that provide tangible value every day, everywhere.
Kimberly-Clark Professional is also committed to reducing environmental impact at every stage in a product’s life cycle with its Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow program. Known for innovative, quality solutions for away-from-home washrooms, “clean” and “industrial” manufacturing environments, and DIY settings, the global brands of Kimberly-Clark Professional include Kleenex, Scott, Kimcare, WypAll, KleenGuard, and Kimtech. With the acquisition of Jackson Safety, Kimberly-Clark Professional offers an even broader range of PPE and other safety offerings, including welding and work-zone safety products. Located in Roswell, Ga.,
Kimberly-Clark Professional is one of Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s four business segments and can be visited on the web at www.kcprofessional.com
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world''s population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. | <urn:uuid:e5017a99-2760-4c08-8182-addc0828a1ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cmmonline.com/articles/print/kimberly-clark-release-11-15-3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925356 | 1,010 | 1.898438 | 2 |
THURSDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- Feelings of shame, social isolation and rejection can heighten depression in lung cancer patients, a new study finds.
The findings may help explain why depression is more common among lung cancer patients than among patients with other kinds of cancer, according to the researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla.
"Given its strong association with tobacco use, lung cancer is commonly viewed as a preventable disease," study co-author Paul Jacobsen said in a Moffitt news release. "Consequently, patients may blame themselves for developing lung cancer and feel stigmatized. Even lung cancer patients who have never smoked often felt -- accurately or inaccurately -- that they were being blamed for their disease by friends, loved ones and even health-care professionals."
For the study, the researchers gave mental-health questionnaires to lung cancer patients and found that 38 percent of them suffered from depression. Greater levels of perceived stigma were associated with greater levels of depression.
The study was published in the March issue of the journal Psycho-Oncology.
"Documenting this link between stigma and depression is important because it adds further evidence to the growing body of research suggesting a link between illness-related stigma and the symptoms of depression," Jacobsen said. "For example, studies on depression and HIV have found similar links between disease, stigma and depression."
The findings suggest that psychotherapeutic approaches might be useful in treating or preventing depression in lung cancer patients, study co-author Brian Gonzalez said.
"Many approaches to reducing perceived stigma focus on education of the public about lung cancer inaccuracies and stereotypes, and replacing those inaccuracies with facts," Gonzalez said in the news release.
"Instead, therapy that focuses on altering the patient's thoughts and feelings associated with their perceptions of stigma may prove effective in reducing depressive symptoms," Gonzalez said. "For example, emphasizing the addictiveness of tobacco products and the deception in tobacco-industry advertising could help patients view themselves as being 'wronged' rather than as a 'wrongdoer.'"
The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about depression and cancer. | <urn:uuid:dfe95a3d-ac99-4ee6-9c11-e31e39a62bf9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reshealth.org/yourhealth/newsarticle.cfm?articleID=663133 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963015 | 443 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Chaucer in Rome is set in Rome during the Holy Year 2000, which the Pope has declared a pilgrimage year. Matt, Sarah and Pete are fellows at the Academy of Rome doing their own pilgrimage of a sort, but to art instead of God. Matt has just had skin cancer successfully removed, but he can no longer use the toxic paints that were his medium of choice. Sarah and Pete convince him to try a video project. The subject he chooses is controversial, and Pete’s parents, who have just come to town, are destroyed by the project. Guare’s play is a mixture of the ridiculous, the idiotic and the tragic, as selfish devotion to art meets real-life pathos, humor and tragedy. | <urn:uuid:c32f2b35-eb49-4ea0-8313-794a0eb7da66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stageagent.com/Shows/View/4992 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984006 | 150 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix (French pronunciation: [ʃamɔni]) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics. The commune's population of around 9800 ranks 865th within the nation of France.
Situated near the massive peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges, Chamonix shares both the summit of Mont Blanc and the title of highest commune in France with its neighboring commune, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. The commune is well known and loved by skiers and by mountain athletes of all types. Mont Blanc, at a height of 4810 meters, is the third most visited natural site in the world. This lends the area a notably cosmopolitan atmosphere. With an area of 245 square kilometers, Chamonix is the fourth largest commune in mainland France.
Visit Wikipedia for more information about Chamonix, France. | <urn:uuid:f00d5efd-71f9-4ed8-bd3b-de5b2db3c8d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.otalo.com/vacation-rentals/France/Chamonix/r.php?start=120 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907576 | 235 | 2.1875 | 2 |
In one study, 33 participants with normal chances of developing colon cancer, and no family cancer history, took 2,000 mg of ginger root extract per day or a placebo for 28 days. Doctors said that the dose was equal to 7/10ths of an ounce of raw ginger, a safe and reasonable dietary amount.
Before and after the study, researchers analyzed colon tissue for signs of inflammation. While there was no change for the placebo group, the ginger group had 28 percent lower levels of an enzyme the body releases in response to inflammation, including the type of inflammation that occurs in the early stages of colorectal cancer. Doctors are calling for more study to determine how much this inflammatory enzyme needsto decrease to prevent colon cancer. | <urn:uuid:2db8afec-b855-496b-8b68-0b5678e6b496> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nutritionexpress.com/showarticle.aspx?articleid=1627 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954392 | 149 | 2.59375 | 3 |
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Perhaps most serious of all, the developing world where economic growth is the difference between comfort and an empty stomach is feeling real pain. A central meme of Davos was the cry from emerging economies that they were being starved of capital, as domestic stimulus packages in the rich world sucked up financing and bankers retreated to local markets. The Institute of International Finance predicts that private capital flows to emerging markets will tumble this year to just $165 billion, a drop of more than 80% from the $929 billion of private money that flowed into them in 2007. "Countries that have done everything right can no longer raise money," complained Indonesia's Minister of Trade, Mari Elka Pangestu.
Dialogue and Coordination
Less noticed were two other knock-on effects of the recession in the rich world. First, with less money to spend, its consumers will be taking fewer trips overseas. Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva expects tourism in his country to contract by 20%, and African nations such as Kenya will be hit, too. Yet tourism is a major driver of wealth creation and entrepreneurship in destination nations. Second, as those in developing-world diasporas lose their jobs on automobile lines in Detroit and Germany, or as domestic servants in places such as Hong Kong and Singapore, so the remittances that have become important to nations as far flung as Mexico and the Philippines will shrink.
In senses narrow and broad, this is a truly global economic crisis, which is why global solutions are required. Twice this year, world leaders are going to gather to address problems that cannot be solved by any one of them alone. The meeting that has caught the public imagination, so far, is the conference that takes place in Copenhagen in December, charged with finding a successor to the Kyoto accord on climate change. But the more pressing date is April, when leaders of the G-20 leading economies will meet in London, continuing a dialogue they began in Washington last fall.
In Davos, there was a consensus that the London gathering needs to lead to more international coordination of a global economic stimulus and better regulation of international financial markets and, indeed, that such an outcome is possible. "This is not like the 1930s," said Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, when world leaders could not respond together to the Great Depression. Jean-Philippe Courtois, the Paris-based president of Microsoft's international operations, says that developing economies in particular are demanding a greater say in how the global economy is managed. "They want to have more dialogue on some of the core issues of the planet," Courtois says, "and there's a lot of expectation that this dialogue will happen."
To be sure, there were skeptics. Some market fundamentalists, such as Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, will always be suspicious of attempts to regulate capitalism. Looking to the G-20 meeting, Klaus said, "I am more afraid of the reforms than I am of the crisis itself." But that was a minority view. Most political leaders showed a bias toward action. Any proposals for reform, said Christine Lagarde, the French finance minister, should be "politically sellable, technically sound and enforceable."
Sounds great; but such broad language leaves a lot of leeway. The agenda for the G-20 meeting is potentially vast and keeps changing. How far can national plans to stimulate demand be coordinated? What should be done with the toxic assets still on bank balance sheets and still destabilizing domestic financial systems? When the G-20 first met in Washington, it looked as though a short-term fix for the chronic instability of the banking system was bearing fruit, and swift government action to recapitalize banks in France, Britain, Germany and elsewhere was seen as a brilliant stroke. But it has become evident that the initial rescue packages didn't address the fundamental underlying problem of the toxic assets. Britain, the U.S. and Germany are among those who are implementing a second round of rescues. They are likely to sequester bad assets in special state-guaranteed banks or funds that will sort through them, discarding the junk and holding on to the rest in the hope that they will one day have value. | <urn:uuid:d89f6023-87ee-4550-808f-41a8b2506bc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1873191_1873190_1877197-2,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964674 | 868 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Google asks FCC for Wireless Spectrum, But Don't Get Too Excited
Google has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for permission to apparently conduct testing on, well, something. But it's not a new wireless service that some have hoped it would be, CNET has exclusively learned.
Steven Crowley , a wireless engineer, discovered the application , which was filed by Google last week. The application asks for permission to test frequencies across the 2524 to 2546 MHz range and 2567 to 2625 MHz range. According to Crowley, those ranges are reserved for Educational Broadband Service and Broadband Radio Service. But here's the catch: Clearwire, a company that Google had owned a slice in until last year, uses the ranges for its mobile broadband service.
Predictably, that has prompted speculation over whether Google is testing its own wireless network. The company currently offers free Wi-Fi service in the Chelsea neighborhood in New York City and has been dipping its toe in the service waters with Google Fiber in Kansas City. | <urn:uuid:e729e5a1-d1e8-42f5-a81c-27ca772d8b64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/print/news/2013/01/google-asks-fcc-wireless-spectrum-dont-get-too-excited | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957447 | 208 | 1.859375 | 2 |
The diseased animal “at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health,” the USDA says. Officials discovered the animal at a rendering facility in central California, which they have not chosen to name. During a briefing in Washington, USDA chief veterinarian John Clifford assured reporters that the meat did not enter the food chain and the carcass will be destroyed safely. The first mad cow case in 2003, a cow from Canada shipped to the U.S., caused an extreme dip in beef exports — and some nations to restrict American beef to this day. (hat tip to Breaking News) source
It seems the department still considers the potato a second-class vegetable.A spokesman for the National Potato Council, irked that — despite a failed USDA attempt to limit potato use in new school lunch guidelines — potatoes are still passed over in favor of greener, leafier vegetables. (via bencrair)
» Bad day for scurillous-ness: The former USDA official was famously the target of a heavily cut video clip that seemed to present her as a racist who withheld help to a white farmer. The aftermath saw a gross and shocking leap to conclusion by the USDA under Tom Vilsack, which forced her resignation, before some helpful skeptics examined the full video which showed she was making a point AGAINST racism. I’ll admit, this case does have relevant, personal importance for bloggers, as the man charged is in that sense “one of our own,” even ones that wouldn’t be caught dead at a Breitbart event. But notwithstanding, whether the charge of defamation is well-earned or not, some of Mr. Breitbart’s antics have been grossly deceptive and unscrupulous. | <urn:uuid:2a437ab6-b4aa-426d-9b60-2e8a6990f861> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shortformblog.com/tagged/usda | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958892 | 353 | 2.015625 | 2 |
March 3rd, 2013
A tradition in Christianity which found its self-identity as “Protestant” in the sixteenth-century Reformation. Protestantism began when the church, according to Protestants, lost the Gospel during the middle to late middle ages and reformers began to “protest” this loss. Martin Luther, often seen as the father of Protestantism, rejected the Pope”s claims to infallible authority, believed that the Gospel was being lost to a system of works-based salvation, and confessed the Bible alone was the only infallible and ultimate source of authority for the Christian. Protestantism is not a church, but a tradition which claims to have restored or reformed the Gospel, and hence, the church. Protestantism is made up of thousands of denominations (various expressions of the Protestant faith) and boasts nearly four hundred million members world-wide. | <urn:uuid:201d1dea-44fd-4272-bc18-773cf31225ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/wordoftheday/protestantism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971828 | 183 | 3.640625 | 4 |
Anthony Daniels (”Theodore Dalrymple”) compares the attitudes of two women, born ten years apart, toward the serial murderers who killed (and in one case at least, raped and tortured) a sister of each.
Is the difference merely idiosyncratic, or is it expressive of a change in the general culture? Or perhaps, as one commenter suggests, it is a difference in “class”; hard-working vs. upper-crust, I think she means.
Also, I was struck by this remark from a commenter:
According to Jewish ethics, when it comes to sins committed against another person, only the victim has the right to forgive the sinner. Third parties, including God, do not get involved. In sins against God, God can be asked for forgiveness.
The piece is fascinating, absorbing–Dalrymple at his best. Highly recommended. | <urn:uuid:0432885e-829b-4b39-9f92-94e3b2853107> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.countingcats.com/?p=13692&cpage=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968718 | 187 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Court of Appeals
District III (1981-2007); Chief Judge (1998-2007); Deputy Chief Judge (1989-1998); Presiding Judge (1984-1998)
Chief Judge R. Thomas Cane retired July 31, 2007 after his last nine years as the Chief, and 26 years as a member of the appellate court he joined in 1981.
Cane's legal career began far from Wisconsin, in Okinawa, where he served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps from 1964-67, after graduating from Marquette University Law School.
Rotating service between both prosecuting and defending servicemen in military trials during a tumultuous period, Cane saw the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam swell from 14,000 when he joined, to 240,000 by the time he left.
After several years in a general private practice in Kaukauna, and several more as an assistant district attorney in Outagamie County, Cane served as a circuit court judge from 1972 until his appointment to the court of appeals nine years later.
As Chief Judge, Cane handled the administrative duties of the court, ensured that the workload of the judges was equalized by shifting cases between districts when necessary, and resolved any personnel problems.
As Chief, he was also a permanent member of the five-judge publication committee, which reviewed and decided which of the court's decisions would be published and become precedent. The rest of the membership of the committee changed periodically, with rotating members comprised of one judge from each of the court's four districts.
Cane was also a frequent author of articles concerning issues in Wisconsin law, with his last two articles in 2005 dealing with the troublesome economic loss doctrine. He was also a frequent presenter on legal issues to both the Wisconsin judiciary and the State Bar at their seminars. He received numerous awards from the Judiciary and State Bar for his writings and presentations. While Chief Judge, he was very active in the National Council of Chief Judges, serving on its Education Committee and Executive Board.
In his own future, Cane looks forward to golfing, traveling, upland hunting, and fishing during his retirement. He is also looking forward to going back to his first love as a trial judge—but this time in a reserve capacity, spending more time with his family, and serving on Wisconsin's recently formed Government Accountability Board with five other retired judges. | <urn:uuid:b56922fb-0c18-411e-b4c0-8383a6a6df6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wicourts.gov/courts/appeals/judges/retired/cane.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987242 | 488 | 1.734375 | 2 |
How To Rake Leaves
Raking leaves is a yearly rite for anyone who has trees in their yard, but it can lead to muscle pain and a huge mess if you don't know how to rake leaves properly. The best answer to getting rid of leaves is a leaf blower or a mulching lawn mower, but if you don't have one or can't afford one, than raking is probably your next best option. When you rake you are pulling the leaves across your lawn into one large pile, where you can bag and dispose of them. While the actual task of raking isn't very difficult, it requires the use of a few muscles that don't get much work, so using an improper form, or raking too much in a single day, can cause debilitating pain.
Things you will need:
- Pick the right day to rake leaves. It should be a day where there is no rain and very little wind. The past two or three days should also have been dry, so the leaves aren't wet and sticky.
- Clear off a small patch of lawn. This patch should just be big enough to fit your tarp. Make this patch in a central location on your lawn, since you will be raking all the leaves here.
- Lay out the tarp over the clear spot.
- Rake the leaves toward the tarp. Start one one end of the lawn, furthest from the tarp. Use short strokes to prevent yourself from stretching too far.
- Take frequent breaks, switch up your hands and keep your feet moving. Raking leaves isn't difficult, but if you simply repeat the same motion over and over, you will end up in extreme pain by the next day.
- Pick up the tarp, once all the leaves are on it, by the corners. You can then take it wherever you want. You can use dead leaves as compost in a flower bed, or you can simply bag them up and throw them away. | <urn:uuid:d6772d2e-57c3-4217-847f-7a184fabc34f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-rake-leaves.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962376 | 407 | 2.125 | 2 |
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Anderson, Robert B.
Birth Year : 1843
Death Year : 1930
Anderson was born in Green County, KY. His mother and siblings were the property of Colonel Robert Ball, and his father was the property of Alfred Anderson. When he was six, Anderson's mother had a dispute with the mistress and was sold for field work in Louisiana. Robert never saw his mother again. In 1864, Anderson ran away to Lebanon, KY, where he joined the Army. He served in the west and received an honorable discharge, whereupon he returned to Kentucky but eventually moved out west, in 1870 settling in Nebraska. As a farmer, he had both years of prosperity and years of poverty until he finally found security with a farm of 1,120 acres that grew to be 2,000 acres. Anderson married in 1922 at the age of 79; his wife was 21. His wife's family soon moved in and his wife took over his affairs, which resulted in the land being heavily mortgaged. It was around that time, in 1927, that Anderson had his book published by the Hemingford Ledger: From slavery to affluence; memoirs of Robert Anderson, ex-slave. In 1930, he deeded all of his property to his wife. Robert Anderson died after the car he was riding in overturned; his wife, her brother and a friend survived. Ball's wife, Daisy Anderson, who passed away in 1998, had been one of the three surviving Civil War widows in the U.S. For more see D. D. Wax, "Robert Ball Anderson, ex-slave, a pioneer in Western Nebraska, 1884-1930," Nebraska History, vol. 64, issue 2 (1983), pp. 163-192.
Listen to the oral history and read the transcript of Daisy Anderson and Alberta Martin, two of the last living Civil War widows, at radiodairies.org.
Subjects: Agriculturalists, Authors, Freedom, Migration West, Military & Veterans
Geographic Region: Green County, Kentucky / Lebanon, Marion County, Kentucky / Box Butt County, Nebraska
Burnette, Arp C.
Birth Year : 1881
Burnette, born in North Carolina, was the first African American employed by the University of Kentucky Agricultural Extension Service, where he began work in 1919 and retired in 1944. He was in charge of Negro extension work in Kentucky. Burnette was a 1903 graduate of North Carolina A&M College [now North Carolina State University] and taught at the school for a few years after his graduation. Burnette had several other jobs before he arrived in Kentucky just prior to the building of Lincoln Institute. He helped clear the fields for the construction of the school, and once the school was in operation, he taught agriculture for six years. He left the state for a brief period, then returned to head the Kentucky State College Agricultural Department [now Kentucky State University] for three and a half years before becoming an agent with the UK Agricultural Extension Service in 1919. He was hired by Dean Thomas P. Cooper. Burnette had an assistant in Madison County. Among his many responsibilities, Burnette assisted with the development of 4-H for Negro youth, which grew to have more than 5,000 members. He organized the Negro Club in Madison County, KY. Also during his tenure, the number of meat cattle owned by Negro farmers more than tripled and food crop production doubled. After his retirement, Burnette was replaced by John Finch. In 1947, A. C. Burnette Day was held in Hopkinsville, KY. In 1952, there were three African American agricultural agents and six home demonstration agents, all serving 32 counties. In those counties with few Negro farmers, all farmers were served by the white county agent. For more see J. T. Vaughn, "Farm agent fears work cut life span from 100 to 80," Lexington Leader, 06/16/1952, p. 8. See also The College of Agriculture and Home Economics, University of Kentucky, by J. A. Smith; and the Thomas Poe Cooper Papers at the University of Kentucky's Special Collections Library.
Subjects: Agriculturalists, Education and Educators, Migration West
Geographic Region: North Carolina / Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky / Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky
Groves, Junius G.
Birth Year : 1859
Death Year : 1925
Junius Groves was born a slave in Green County, KY, or Louisville, KY. He walked to Kansas City in 1897, where he worked for 40 cents per day. Groves was able to save enough money to purchase a nine acre farm in Edwardsville, KS, which enabled him to later purchase a 500 acre produce farm there. At one time he produced more potatoes than any other farmer in the world, the harvest so large that a private railroad track was built on his land by Union Pacific Railway for shipping the produce. Groves was known as the "Potato King of the World." He also founded the community of Groves Center, KS, in 1913. For more see Junius K. Graves (sic) in The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians, by A. A. Dunnigan; and the Junius G. Groves entry on the Kansapedia website, by the Kansas State Historical Society.
Subjects: Agriculturalists, Businesses, Migration West, Railroad, Railway, Trains
Geographic Region: Green County or Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Kansas City and Edwardsville, Kansas
Birth Year : 1955
Merion Haskins was born in Campbellsville, KY. The 6'4" forward played high school basketball at Taylor County High School; he ranks fifth among its all-time leading scorers with 1,761 points. Haskins played college ball for the University of Kentucky (UK) from 1973 to 1977, playing in a total of 86 games and scoring 134 points. Haskins and Larry Johnson were the second and third African American players recruited by UK's Coach Joe B. Hall; they were two of the earliest African American recruits to the UK basketball team. Haskins, a UK College of Agriculture graduate, did not play professional basketball; he was employed as a leaf procurement officer with Philip Morris USA. He is the brother of Clem Haskins. For more see Merion Haskins in "Gumm, Cards back in groove with 74-50 romp at Knox," Central Kentucky News Journal, 03/01/2004; Merion Haskins on the Big Blue History website; and R. Weckman, "What a difference a generation makes" in the UK College of Agriculture's the magazine, Spring 2000.
Subjects: Agriculturalists, Basketball
Geographic Region: Campbellsville, Taylor County, Kentucky
Hind experimented with plants and developed new farm crops; he was thought to be the first person to cultivate watermelons in Kentucky. Hinds Bend on the Kentucky River is named after him. Hind had been a slave at Boonesborough. For more see Kentucky's Black Heritage, by the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights.
Subjects: Agriculturalists, Freedom
Geographic Region: Boonesborough, Madison County, Kentucky
Tobacco in Upper Canada
Start Year : 1819
Escaped slaves from Kentucky and Virginia had raised tobacco in their respective state and took those skills with them to Upper Canada in 1819. During the 1820s, the city of Amherstburg became the major location for tobacco farming, and the city attracted even more escaped slaves with experience raising the crop. "Six hundred hogs head [sic] of tobacco was exported to Montreal annually." The Canadian tobacco market was glutted by 1827, resulting in the dramatic deterioration of both the price and quality of the tobacco, so the economic tobacco boom came to an end. For more see p. 23 in Unwelcome Guests: Canada West's response to American fugitive slaves, 1800-1865, by J. H. Silverman.
Subjects: Agriculturalists, Freedom, Migration North
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Virginia / Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
Willis, Frank R.
Birth Year : 1874
Willis, from Louisville, KY, raised poultry; his chickens won national and international awards, including the World's Champion Cockerel award at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1933. For more see The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians, by A. A. Dunnigan; and Frank R. Willis in the following Crisis articles, "Industry," v.13, no.1, November 1916, p.29, and "Industry," v.19, no.2, December 1919, p.82..
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Chicago, Illinois | <urn:uuid:db8f12c8-378d-4911-bfd3-26adf8bdfdde> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nkaa.uky.edu/subject.php?sub_id=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967048 | 1,825 | 2.328125 | 2 |
The Scirocco Study R features a 270hp (201kW) 2.0L TFSI mated to a six-speed DSGEnlarge Photo
Drawing inspiration from the previous Scirocco GT24 race concept, the new Study R features a similarly aggressive front bumper and oversized rear wing. The bonnet also features a pair of cooling vents, while the rear bumper picks up an integrated diffuser.
Power comes from a 270hp (201kW) version of the Scirocco’s 2.0L TFSI engine, and is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. Other features include stiffened suspension, four-piston brake calipers, and a high-flow sports exhaust.
The production version of the Study R is rumored to be called the Scirocco R20T, and it may even be sold in the United States as a special edition model. Back in October, comments from VW America spokesman Steve Keyes revealed that a high-performance version of the Scirocco could be launched in the States as a replacement for the R32, which is bowing out of the market next year. | <urn:uuid:ca37ccbf-272c-41a9-ab9e-d9aaeadfd92f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1031084_vw-unveils-scirocco-study-r-at-bologna-motor-show | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917573 | 249 | 1.5625 | 2 |
On July 2, 1984 Warner
Communications sold its Consumer Electronics Division and its Home Computer
Division to Tramiel Technologies, Ltd. From that day on, Atari's immediate new
image and product line would be computers. Using Atari's highly visible name,
the Tramiels set out to produce a sell an all new line of computer systems.
These systems were originally based on the National Semiconductor 32032 chip.
The N32032 supply in quantities and cost range were in doubt, so the MC68000 was
Of the Home Computer Division employees, only those with Operating System skills
and 68000 skills were retained, nearly all other engineers were let go. Atari's
Industrial design team was also let go and in a matter of months, all key
positions were filled by former Commodore employees loyal to Jack Tramiel.
The new Atari Computer division set out to produce a low cost computer system
for the masses with power and performance, without a hefty price tag, so became
Atari's new slogan: "Power without the Price".
However in a rush to put out the new system and get a market share before
Commodore's newly acquire Amiga system was to be released, certain corners were
cut on the new "ST" systems. The OS was not as refined as it could've been and
also it was not in ROM, but instead on supplied diskettes. This issue was
quickly rectified a few months later. Newer systems came out such as the worlds
first 1MB personal computer: the Atari 1040ST, later improvements included the
1040STf with built in disk drive and RF modulator to connect it to a television
A big improvement model came in the form of the Mega ST system with its pizza
box design, detachable keyboard which everyone demanded, a Mega-Bus expansion
slot for video, networking and memory expansion. Stackable hard drives were also
made available. A new laser printer was also introduced along with the Mega ST
called the SLM804. A Mega ST with laser printer and desktop publishing software
actually cost as much as the laser printers alone from IBM and Apple.
Major improvements came with the Mega STE line with its new stylish case design,
LAN port, use of SCSI hard drives, VME expansion and more importantly the
Blitter chip graphics processor which had been promised since the ST's were
first released giving the ST line faster graphics updates, more colors and range
The ST went outbound with the release of the STacy laptop, this 15lb behemoth
was a blessing from ST users and more importantly... musicians who had taken an
almost cult following to the ST line of computers because it was the only
computer to offer built-in MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) ports and
ease of use with its graphically OS based on CP/M 68K using Digital Research,
Inc's GEM (Graphic Environment Manager) for its graphic front end.
The long rumoured and delayed Atari TT030 made its debut, a power house system
originally intended to run Atari's UNIX system V version 4.0, this workstation
packed a punch with a 32mhz 68030, Blitter, SCSI, Local-talk(tm) LAN port, 3
serial ports and much much more. However, problems with the system forced a
limited UNIX version release and the more mainstream release using Atari's
latest version of TOS (The Operating System).
In 1991 Atari had shown two remarkable systems designed to showcase Atari
technology. They were called the Atari STbook and the Atari STPad "STylus", one
was an Atari laptop which weighed in at only 5lbs. A truly remarkable feat
especially when you take into account only a year before Apple released its
Macintosh Portable which weighed almost as much as the previous 15lb STacy
laptop. The STBook was released in limited numbers (approx 1,000) and most were
in Europe. The second product was even more incredible, the STPad was a pen
based tablet computer based on Atari ST technology. Only 1 known fully assembled
prototype is known to exist and is part of the Atari Historical Society museum.
A mock-up case of another is in the possession of a European collector.
Atari final product, the Atari Falcon030 was Atari's last shining ST star, with
even better graphics then all previous systems, built in Motorola DSP (Digital
Signal Processor), direct audio-to-hard drive recording, plus Atari Works office
suite on its built in IDE hard disk, the Falcon was a wonderful system. Its only
shortcoming was that it was packaged into the old Atari 1040ST casing instead of
a detachable keyboard design. Such a design was in the works called the
MicroFalcon, also a larger Pizza-box version called the Falcon040 was in the
works, but these were cancelled as all work was directed towards Atari's last
and greatest product, the Atari Jaguar 64 Interactive Multimedia system.
Back to top | <urn:uuid:4c99cc2b-6c3c-4cc3-a596-a26bbdce24fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/16bits/stmenu/historicalfiles/hf-computers.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962576 | 1,054 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Seattle Attorney Mark Walters is still buzzing after presenting his case at the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday.
Walters, a patent attorney with the firm Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP, represented a 75-year-old Indiana farmer who is being sued by agri-giant Monsanto for planting descendents of their genetically modified seeds (GMO) in his fields.
According to Walters, his client Vernon Hugh Bowman used so called 'trash seeds' to keep his field active after his main soy bean harvest. Monsanto said that 'trash seed' contained some of the company's GMO seed known as 'Roundup Ready' seed.
Monsanto sued Bowman and won in two lower court cases. Tuesday The Supreme Court Justices heard Walter's arguments that Bowman has the right to use seed that reproduced from Monsanto seed because it's affordable and available.
Rancher Maurice Robinette of the Lazy R Ranch near Spokane is watching this case on the other side other side of the country.
Robinette, a cattle rancher, also has a beef with Monsanto. He markets his cattle as GMO free and feeds them only GMO-free alfalfa grown on his ranch. But he is concerned that if a neighbor decides to use Monsanto's GMO 'Roundup Ready' seeds, they could blow into his field. Robinette said if that happens, he could lose his GMO-free status.
We contacted Monsanto about those concerns and a spokesman told there has never been a case when a farmer or rancher lost 'Organic' or 'GMO Free' status because of Monsanto seeds invading their fields. The entire Monsanto statement is printed below.
Walters said the Supreme Court Justices peppered him with hard questions but they seemed to understand the plight of the small farmer who cannot afford top priced seed for all off-season crops.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the case by June.
Statement from Monsanto Spokesman Thomas Helscher:
"I am not aware that any producer has ever lost organic certification as a result of the inadvertent presence of seed or pollen from genetically modified crops, alfalfa or otherwise. We believe farmers should have the opportunity to select the production method of their choice – whether that be organic, conventional or the improved seeds developed using biotechnology. All three production systems contribute to meeting the needs of consumers. Since the advent of biotech crops over 15 years ago, both biotech and organic crop production have flourished. We have no reason to think that will not continue to be the case." | <urn:uuid:695631a8-2abe-4330-932a-b8fb045581ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nwcn.com/news/washington/192651561.html?ref=next | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964774 | 519 | 1.507813 | 2 |
A degree in
accounting provides students with a strong foundation in financial, tax and
cost accounting concepts. Students are encouraged to use critical and analytical thinking to make rational decisions, solve
problems and understand the ethical implications involved in reporting and
using financial and nonfinancial information.
pursue careers in one of the four major fields of accounting: public
accounting, management accounting, government accounting and internal audit. Employment
can be found in public accounting firms, private industry, nonprofit
organizations, government agencies and educational institutions. Some graduates
open their own firms and are self employed.
continue their education in graduate school, and most obtain certification to advance
their career, such as becoming a Certified Public Accountant. In addition to
passing all four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination, most states require
candidates to complete 150 semester hours of college coursework and have two years
of professional experience.
certifications include Certified Management Account, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified
Internal Auditor, Certified Financial Services Auditor, Certified Information
Systems Auditor, Certified Information Technology Professional and Personal
Financial Specialist. These certifications also have requirements in addition
to the bachelor’s degree in accounting.
In the Workforce
accountants provide a broad range of accounting, auditing, tax and consulting
services to their clients. Our graduates have held various positions in these
areas for all types of public accounting firms, including the Big Four firms. Positions
have included: audit associate, staff accountant, senior accountant, tax senior
accountant, supervising senior auditor, tax manager, forensic accountant and consultant.
accountants support the management
functions of planning, directing and controlling operations within a company. They
work in various areas, including strategic planning, budgeting, performance
evaluation, cost accounting, asset management, financial analysis and reporting.
Positions our graduates have held include: corporate accountant, corporate
accounting manager, senior tax analyst, budget analyst, net asset accountant, international
audit supervisor, organizational development specialist, administration
director, assistant controller, controller, senior vice president, president, chief
administrative officer, chief financial officer and chief executive officer.
Government accountants perform audits of private businesses
and individuals whose activities are subject to government regulations or
taxation and maintain and examine the records of government agencies. Career
opportunities exist at the federal, state, and municipal levels. Federal agencies
include the Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Our graduates have held positions as accountants,
auditors and technical specialists for various government agencies.
perform compliance and operational audits within their organization. Their
responsibilities include examining and evaluating the organization’s internal
controls, financial and information systems, management procedures and the
efficiency and effectiveness of operations. Our graduates have held positions
as senior internal auditors and internal audit managers.
Graduates have also pursued careers in related areas and
have held positions as portfolio
managers, insurance advisers, financial advisers, security analysts, fixed income
traders, financial planning and analysis directors and university | <urn:uuid:aa3ce6fc-8da9-42ac-a3bc-20c970f4b118> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://salve.edu/academics/departments/bst/majorsMinors/accounting/degree.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918482 | 650 | 2.625 | 3 |
Over the next few weeks I am going to have a few meetings in which I’ll need to explain and justify the curriculum mapping project. This post is an attempt to further develop and share some of the perspectives and to develop an elevator pitch for the project.
It’s also reinforced the need to develop a name for the project. “Moodle curriculum mapping” doesn’t really send the right message.
Aside: I’m somewhat skeptical of the value and possible side effect of an aligned curriculum and curriculum mapping in general. (e.g. I’m not convinced institutional graduate attributes are possible or sensible, I’m not convinced that a mapped curriculum gives a true representation of what the student will actually learn/experience). However, I can see that this is becoming very important within Australian universities and that it will be done. I’m hoping this project can take the implementation of curriculum mapping in more interesting and useful directions. Time will tell.
The elevator pitch is formed by the sub-headings of the specific aims section. The “specific aims” section was written first.
At its simplest, the project aims to build on existing practices around curriculum mapping and fulfill existing needs, such as accreditation. More importantly, the project aims to make learning outcomes, graduate attributes etc a part of the everyday practice for a majority of academics in a way that is useful. As a result, it should help improve the validity of curriculum maps, encourage greater quantity and quality of use of the LMS and show how the institution is leading the sector. Most importantly, the project aims to provide a foundation that enables CDDU to more effectively engage with academics and, in broader terms, enable and encourage improvements in teaching and student learning outcomes.
It will do this through modifications to the Moodle LMS that aim make learning outcomes, graduate attributes and the alignment of those with learning activities, resources and assessment a “first class objects” within Moodle. These modifications, and more importantly, the processes used to roll them out will be designed to encourage and enable adoption and behaviour change.
The difficulties associated with doing this is that my overall focus for the project is around improving learning and teaching, which is a complex task with lots of connections. When people talk about curriculum mapping, they are typically talking about many different things, from many different perspectives.
Even more difficult is the fact that I am approaching this from the perspective of intervening in a complex adaptive system. This means that I don’t (and I believe, I can’t) have a firm idea of exactly where this project is going to go. This is because any fixed outcome is a waste of time, as the project proceeds we will learn more and the system (i.e. the university, its staff and their practice of L&T) will change around the project. What we think is a good thing to do in 6 months time, will be very different from where what we think would be good now.
And this is exactly the sort of “meta-discussion” that many of the people I’m going to talk to, will hate.
Some specific aims
So, let’s start with some specific aims.
- “outcomes etc.” – used to encapsulate the broad array of “stuff” people want to map, including: university graduate attributes, course learning outcomes, discipline outcomes/attributes etc.
- “course” – the smallest unit of study in which a student enrolls. Lasts for around 12 weeks.
- “program” – a collection of courses that form a degree.
- “majority” – the following often makes statements like “the majority of academic staff don’t teach well”. This is not a deficit model of academic staff. In the vast majority of cases the “don’t teach well” is due to contextual issues. I don’t blame the teacher.
There are a small number of academic staff who teach very well. They typically do this in spite of contextual issues and because they are intrinsically motivated. This group are in the minority.
My interest is in helping change the context so that the majority of academic staff are enabled and encouraged to improve their teaching.
Practical outcomes, reuse and a foundation
Just about every program that needs to be accredited has to generate some form of curriculum map, usually to meet the requirements of the external accrediting body. Increasingly, Australian universities are being required to demonstrate the presence and use of graduate attributes, typically illustrated through curriculum maps.
Proposition: This project will provide the functionality required to generate these and other curriculum maps.
There is existing work being done to generate these curriculum maps using established approaches (i.e. Word documents and spreadsheets). Rather than waste this work, these need to be used as inputs into this process.
Curriculum mapping is not a ends unto itself. It is typically part of a process used to increase understanding of a course and in particular its alignment and its relationships with other courses. That improved understanding informs subsequent action.
The intent is that this project is not simply about curriculum mapping, but it is focused on how the project can provide a foundation to enable and encourage subsequent action.
Make it part of everyday practice
Curriculum mapping is based around the idea that having alignment between the outcomes etc. and the learning activities, resources and assessments within a course is a good thing. The trouble is that as currently implemented outcomes etc are not part of the everyday practice for academic staff. Most academic staff, when planning a course, don’t think about outcomes etc. and alignment.
Support for this perspective comes from one of the few empirical examinations of academic practice that I’m aware of, the work of Stark, Lowther et al (1988), Stark et al (1990), Stark (2000), and Lattuca and Stark (2009). Some choice quotes from my thesis drawing on this work
How academics design their teaching is not described by a rational planning model (Lattuca and Stark 2009). In part, this is because the dominant setting for academics is teaching an existing course, generally one the academic has taught previously. In such a setting, academics spend most of their time fine tuning a course or making minor modifications to material or content (Stark 2000). Academics are usually not often required to engage in the development of new courses or major overhauls of existing courses (Stark and Lowther 1988). The practice of most academics does not separate planning from implementation, and rather than starting with explicit course objectives, starts with content (Lattuca and Stark 2009).
In part, this is because consideration of outcomes etc. are not a part of what many of them do around learning and teaching. That is, the LMS they are using doesn’t usually provide any support or recognition of outcomes etc. It’s not part of what they do in face-to-face L&T. To some extent, it’s a case of out of sight and out of mind.
This problem is made worse in institutions where an increasing number of courses are being taught multiple times a year. In my local context, this means that rather than an academic designing and teaching the course and its assessment. The design is done by the person currently teaching the course, and the next person teaching the course has to live with that design.
This becomes an increasing problem when many of these staff are contract staff employed to deliver the course. They don’t design the course, so the only place they see the outcomes etc. are in the small section of the course profile/syllabus.
Proposition: If alignment between outcomes etc, learning resources, activities and assessment is a good thing, then making outcomes etc and their relationship with learning resources, activities and assessment a highly visible and first class component of the LMS/learning environment is necessary to increase alignment, or at least consideration of it.
Improve the validity of the mappings
As argued above, outcomes etc and alignment is not a key component of the thinking of most academics. It has been widely recognised for some time that the validity of the mappings represented in static documents is somewhat questionable. Some more thesis quotes
In the absence of formally documented teaching goals, the actual teaching and learning that occurs is more in line with the teacher’s implicit internalised knowledge, than that described in published course descriptions (Levander and Mikkola 2009). Formal descriptions of the curriculum do not necessarily provide much understanding about how teachers put their curriculum ideas into action (Argyris and Schon 1974).
Curriculum mapping is typically done in a way divorced in time and space from the context within which academics teach. Subsequently, due to the known limitations of human memory – not to mention pressure to comply – it is unlikely that such curriculum maps capture the full complexity what occurs in a course. Given the static nature of such maps and their lack of use in everyday teaching, then over time the validity of their representation is only going to decrease.
Proposition: Curriculum maps that are generated, and continue to evolve, in the same time and space as everyday teaching and learning will have stronger validity in terms of capturing reality and consequently be of more value.
Enable and encourage improvements in teaching
The mapping process is fairly straight forward, if you are familiar and comfortable with a lot of the educational language involved in the process. A lot of academics aren’t. Some more thesis quotes
In the absence of formal qualifications or knowledge in learning and teaching, most academics teach in ways they have been taught (Phillips 2005) and/or which fit with disciplinary norms and their recent teaching experience (Entwistle 2003). Academic staff rarely read educational literature or call upon any available expert assistance when planning a course (Stark 2000).
A well designed mapping process would provide the scaffolding necessary for academic staff to be guided through the mapping process. It would provide pointers to similar maps, explanations of why it was done a certain way, reflections and insights from other teaching academics (not instructional designers) etc.
More importantly, the mapping process is the educationally easiest part of this process. What’s much more difficult is, once you have the map, using that to improve the alignment of the course learning resources, activities and assessments. Knowing how best, within the specific context, to provide students with the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on “critical thinking” is far more difficult than identifying where it is or isn’t provided.
The aim here is not just to help academics map the course, but then build on this to enable and encourage them to improve their courses.
Proposition: A learning environment that makes visible to all stakeholders the alignment (or not) of a course and then provides scaffolding necessary to improve that alignment will help improve teaching.
Encourage greater usage (quantity and quality) of institutional LMS
A lot is written about the poor quantity and quality of the learning and teaching that occurs within an institutional LMS. The vast majority of course sites are little more electronic photo-copiers, places to disseminate text. This is due to a variety of issues, most of them contextual and nothing to do with the LMS. However, some are due to the nature of the LMS and the types of tasks it makes easy (e.g. uploading some powerpoint slides) and the types of tasks for which it has no support (making visible and offering advice on how to improve course alignment).
Proposition: Well designed extensions to an LMS that encourage and enable improvement of course alignment will increase the quantity and quality of usage of the institutional LMS and subsequent student outcomes.
In a more institutional specific aspect of this aim, is the observation that Moodle (my institutions LMS) already offers support for tracking student progress against outcomes. However, this feature, which is optional, is not even enabled within the institutional instance of Moodle, and is currently not being used. Even though, there are parts of the institution that want to use this sort of feature.
Proposition: Building curriculum mapping around Moodle’s student “tracking” functionality will enable and encourage greater use of the student tracking functionality.
Demonstrate innovation and leadership
Within my own institution I have heard Deputy Vice-Chancellors ask “Where is all the innovative learning and teaching? We used to be at the fore-front.”
I have seen universities claim how innovative they are being around curriculum mapping because they are moving from using a Word document as the course curriculum map, to using an Excel spreadsheet. It’s not hard to be innovative in this area.
Proposition: The ideas described here are innovative and if successfully implemented can enable the institutions involved to demonstrate leadership within the sector.
Enable the CDDU to engage more effectively with academics
I work for the Curriculum Design and Development Unit (CDDU) at CQU. While I am not a curriculum designer, curriculum design is a key part of what the unit does. For me, the overall aim of curriculum design is to help academics improve the quality of their teaching and their students learning.
Current approaches to curriculum design have little impact. Arguably, this is because of a number of reasons, including – but not limited to:
- Mismatch between the instructional design process and how academics plan courses.
As outlined above, the majority of academics don’t use a rational planning model for course design. Instructional design is typically guided by a rational planning model. This mismatch is incredibly difficult for most academics to bridge, or even understand. The mismatch, in many cases, limits outcomes.
- Help arrives outside of the context of need.
An academic usually has a problem or question about teaching, while they are planning or teaching (which as argued above, is typically not separate tasks for academics). Instructional design assistance is typically not available within this context of need. Instead the academic must remember their need, at a separate time remember to ask for assistance, and then try to remember and explain the context of need to the instructional designer. Is it any wonder academics don’t draw on expert help?
- Instructional designer as the police or fire brigade.
The only time you need the police or fire brigade is when you are in trouble. The association people build up of these services is, trouble. Academics can form a similar impression of instructional designers, we only see them when I have a problem. It’s made worse in cases when management directs the academic to see the instructional designer.
Proposition: Properly implemented, this approach can make it easier for curriculum designers to embed assistance into the context within which teaching is taking place. If this works well, relationships will develop.
Specific project stages
While the specifics of the project are up in the air, not the least because of contextual uncertainties, it is possible to identify a collection of likely project stages:
- Explore what is possible with Moodle.
Where I am now. Playing with Moodle and its current outcomes functionality to see how it works and where the limits are. To find out what might need to be done, what are the limitations.
- Talk with external partners.
In mid-April I’m going to Canberra to talk with folk at University of Canberra and find out what there interest is around this topic.
- An initial local trial.
Half in this at the moment, but more progress once the “exploration” stage is complete. Work with a couple of programs to get some initial “mappings” done. This might involve a bit of rough coding to enable simple practices. Again, getting more of an idea of the project and what needs to happen. The purpose of this stage is to generate something concrete to show people what we’re talking about, rather than rely on abstract hand waving.
- Some “innovative” applications.
Arising out of the last stage, the aim will be to generate some new applications out of the initial trial to illustrate what might be possible. To really show that this isn’t just about curriculum mapping.
- Initial publications
Around about this stage we should be in a place for an initial publication or two, to get the word out.
- An ALTC grant application.
This is by July this year.
- Contributions to the Moodle community.
Eventually, when/if we produce something useful. It has to be given back to the broader community.
Lattuca, L. and J. Stark (2009). Shaping the college curriculum: Academic plans in context. San Francisco, John Wiley & Sons.
Stark, J., M. Lowther, et al. (1988). “Faculty reflect on course planning.” Research in Higher Education 29(3): 219-240.
Stark, J. and et al (1990). Planning introductory college courses: Influences on faculty. Ann Arbor, National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning.
Stark, J. (2000). “Planning introductory college courses: Content, context and form.” Instructional Science 28(5): 413-438. | <urn:uuid:a65c2bca-04ef-454d-be51-725fcf0eea6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://davidtjones.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943044 | 3,574 | 1.757813 | 2 |
CMW Artistic Director Sebastian Ruth offered WolfBrown an unusual challenge: to discover how "becoming a member of the CMW community affects students’ inner lives: their conceptions of themselves, their sense of themselves as effective, their willingness to try new things, or to be expressive.”
Dennie Wolf took Sebastian’s challenge, and developed a set of tools to measure student progress in three areas: Musicianship, Agency, and Participation in a Wider World.
From there, WolfBrown engaged in strategic meetings with CMW staff, Board, and families to design an evaluation in which students, families, and community members shared their opinions, and in the process learned more about the CMW, and each other.
The evaluation timeline was as follows:
||Phase III students adapt and develop tools to examine three areas of student outcome
|Fall 2008-Spring 2009
||Teaching staff conduct lesson-based interviews with students
||"Data Festivals" CMW families participate in pizza dinners where they create maps and diaries of their creative and musical worlds
||Members of the CMW evaluation advisory team meet with evaluators of similar intensive art organizations across the country to discuss and compare strategies
||Board members conduct interviews with families; final round of data collected; evaluators attend multiple afternoon lessons, rehearsals, performances
||Evaluators share a sub-set of findings at CMW Board retreat
||Evaluation draft is shared with Advisory Team, CMW faculty, and Board
||Final evaluation document is delivered to CMW and Rhode Island Foundation
||Ongoing translation of evaluation process and findings into a set of tools and strategies to further students' progress towards the three outcomes of CMW's program
Click here to listen to CMW Board President Liz Hollander discuss the evaluation process | <urn:uuid:63e7de0d-43ea-4c63-b21a-d2fb033c8f8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://communitymusicworks.org/evaluation/process.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932867 | 375 | 1.570313 | 2 |
|It's not unusual to hear people lament the good old days, that nebulous time of life when everything was somehow better than it is today. Of course, it's all in the way you see it, but if you're a Maine turkey hunter, this year will be the best it's ever been, at least for anyone alive and kicking right now.
Up until the late 1970s there was no turkey season in Maine, and thanks to the hard work of biologist Phil Bozenhard and his crew, birds transplanted from Vermont and, just a few years later, the state's first wild turkey hunting season of modern times took place, with a rousing take of exactly nine birds. The low harvest wasn't so much related to the fact that there weren't enough turkeys as there weren't enough knowledgeable hunters to pursue them. Much has changed since those halcyon days of naivety. Now, turkeys may be hunted in Wildlife Management Districts 10,11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, pretty much all of central and southern Maine. Due to an increasing wild turkey population and distribution in Maine resulting from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's active management program, spring turkey permits will be available over-the-counter rather than through the former application-lottery process.
Hunters may now purchase a spring turkey permit wherever hunting licenses are sold and season dates will be determined by the hunter's year of birth. Each person who buys a spring turkey permit will be authorized to hunt in Season A or Season B based on his or her year of birth. For the 2006 Spring Turkey hunt, hunters with “even” birth years (years ending in 0,2,4,6,or 8) will be authorized to hunt during Season A. For 2006, hunters with odd birth years (years ending in 1,3,5,7,or 9) will be authorized to hunt during Season B.
Season A is week No. 1: May 1, 2006 - May 6, 2006; week No. 4: May 22, 2006 - May 27, 2006; and week No. 5: May 29, 2006 - June 3, 2006.
Season B includes week No. 2: May 8, 2006 - May 13, 2006;
week No. 3: May 15, 2006 - May 20, 2006; and week No. 5: May 29, 2006 - June 3, 2006.
Hunters must purchase a spring turkey permit and a valid Maine resident big game hunting license or a valid non-resident or alien big game hunting license in order to hunt spring turkeys. (A valid archery license also permits hunting of spring turkeys with bow and arrow in Maine.) The permittee must possess the permit as well as their hunting license at all times while hunting. A person may assist in a hunt without a license or permit for that activity as long as that person does not carry hunting equipment.
To get all the details on this year's Maine spring turkey hunt, log onto www.state.me.us/ifw/hunttrap/turkeyhunting.htm.
Spring turkey hunting is the equivalent of the fall deer season among the thousands of hunters who pursue these big, challenging birds. The National Wild Turkey Federation (log onto that web site for a real wild turkey education!) has chapters in every state and is active in promoting turkey reintroduction, habitat restoration and hunting opportunities across the country. The local chapter is
managed by Tom Nannery at (207) 353-8654, or e-mail him at firstname.lastname@example.org.
If you drive anywhere at all in central Maine you have seen turkeys in fields or woods along the road. These big, dark-colored birds generally travel and roost in flocks and may cover several miles a day in search of food. In spring, the rather mundane life of the average turkey is disrupted by the annual breeding season. Dominant male birds will strut and gobble to announce their presence, and nesting hens will fly, run or walk long distances to find them.
This is where the hunter comes in. The plan is to locate males (identified by the long, stiff brush of feathers projecting from their breasts - called a “beard”) using crow, woodpecker or other loud, high-pitched sounds to stimulate a gobble from the highly agitated birds. Once a bird is located, the hunter sneaks as close as he can (but not too close!) and begins using soft hen yelps, produced by specially-made wood, slate or plastic calls, to lure the male bird close enough for a shot.
The process seems simple enough, but it may take several hours to complete and, all too often, the hunter moves or utters a false note and frightens the suspicious bird away. When things go as planned it's a marvelous thing to have a long-necked, anxious, suspicious gobbler come tippy-toeing into range, and when it goes wrong . . . well, you just pick up and start over!
Serious turkey hunting will wear you out, as this year's unlimited-permit hunters will discover. The best routine is to find a bird by calling to them at dusk (a process called “roosting a bird,” which simply means pinpointing the location of a gobbler on his overnight roost by crow calling or yelping loudly to get a gobbler to respond). And then, you must plan to be there before daylight the next morning, creep close to but not within sight of the bird, and, hopefully, call him into range. You could end up working three or four different birds with no luck, or you could end up losing out on the first wave of breeding activity and not hear another gobble till well past 10 a.m. Then, you continue the process till you get your bird or time runs out for the day.
Now's the time to get ready for the May season. There are camo clothes to buy, calls to practice with and decoys to consider. Compared to turkeys in other, heavily hunted states, our Maine gobblers are relative pushovers, but that will change once they start to learn the ropes. Have your fun this season and next, but in the coming years even our naïve birds are going to become more difficult to hunt - and that's when I'll give you the “advanced course” on spring turkey hunting! | <urn:uuid:00ab3f86-4d8e-4333-bcfc-c3dc3fffe97d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rollingthunderexpress.com/columnsarchive/allout/alloutdoors1024.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960987 | 1,354 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Immunization is key to preventing disease among the general population. Vaccines benefit both the people who receive them, and the vulnerable, unvaccinated people around them, because the infection can no longer spread through the community if most people are immunized. In addition, immunizations reduce the number of deaths and disability from infections, such as measles, whooping cough, and chickenpox.
Although children receive the majority of the vaccinations, adults also need to be sure they are already immune to certain infections and/or stay up-to-date on certain vaccinations, including varicella, seasonal influenza, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, mumps, rubella, zoster, human papillomavirus, pneumococcal (polysaccharide), hepatitis A and B, flu, and meningococcal. Childhood illnesses, such as mumps, measles, and chickenpox can cause serious complications in adults.
Many childhood diseases can now be prevented by following recommended guidelines for vaccinations:
A child's first vaccination is given at birth. Immunizations are scheduled throughout childhood, with many beginning within the first few months of life. By following a regular schedule, and making sure a child is immunized at the right time, you're ensuring the best defense against dangerous childhood diseases.
Please visit the Online Resources page for the most up-to-date guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
As with any medication, vaccinations may cause reactions, usually in the form of a sore arm or low-grade fever. Although serious reactions are rare, they can happen, and your child's doctor or nurse may discuss these with you before giving the shots. However, the risks for contracting the diseases the immunizations provide protection from are higher than the risks for having a reaction to the vaccine.
Aspirin shouldn't be given to children or teenagers because of the risk for Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease. Therefore, pediatricians and other health care providers recommend that aspirin not be used to treat any fever in children.
If more serious symptoms occur, call your child's doctor right away. These symptoms may include:
Although children receive the majority of the vaccinations, adults also need to stay up-to-date on certain vaccinations, including tetanus and diphtheria. In addition, those adults who have never had chickenpox or measles during childhood (nor the vaccines against these specific diseases) should consider being vaccinated. Childhood illnesses, such as mumps, measles, and chickenpox, can cause serious complications in adults.
Adults with certain medical conditions and who are planning to travel to foreign countries may also need to be immunized. Always consult your doctor.
The flu causes complications that may develop into a more serious disease or become dangerous to some groups, such as older adults and those with chronic medical conditions. For these reasons, the CDC recommends that the following groups be immunized each year:
In addition, the following groups should be vaccinated:
Always consult your doctor for more information regarding who should receive the flu vaccine.
This vaccine helps prevent pneumonia and blood infections caused by the bacteria, pneumococcus. It is recommended that people age 65 and older receive the vaccine. Younger people with heart problems, lung disease, diabetes, cirrhosis, kidney problems, or certain patients with cancer should also receive the vaccine. The vaccine is given only once, except in people with certain medical problems. Consult your doctor for information on the pneumococcal vaccine.
Tetanus toxoid prevents lockjaw, an illness which causes painful muscle spasms and can be fatal. Everyone needs a tetanus shot at least once every 10 years. People who haven't had a tetanus shot in the last five years and have a dirty cut or wound will generally be given one.
Diphtheria is an infection of the throat that can damage the heart or lungs. Like the tetanus shot, all people need a diphtheria shot once every 10 years.
Click here to view the
Online Resources of Non-Traumatic Emergencies | <urn:uuid:59660519-e730-4567-b7f7-4713bb11cdb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nyhq.org/diw/Content.asp?PageID=DIW000845&More=DIW | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946899 | 846 | 3.9375 | 4 |
What is Planeterra?
Planeterra is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and support of small communities around the globe. Originally established in 2003 by G Adventures, Planeterra has evolved out of a long history of travelers committed to finding ways to give back to the people and places they visit.
With a network of international field offices and guides, local non-profits and charitable organizations, Planeterra boasts a unique insider's understanding of the challenges facing the world today.
Our goal is to empower local people and communities to strengthen their well being while promoting long-term, environmentally responsible growth.
Planeterra's range of projects span the arenas of health, education, employment skills training, cultural heritage preservation, and environmental conservation. All projects have the central goal of helping local people achieve a sustainable way of life in an environmentally sensitive manner. Travellers have the opportunity to visit many of our projects while on a G Adventures Tour, and can spend extra time giving back on a Voluntour.
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G Adventures Voluntours provide travellers with an opportunity to give back while spending time with one of Planeterra's Community Projects. From helping protect endangered sea turtles in Costa Rica, to lending a hand at a pre-school in South Africa, you will be making a real difference in the lives of local people. No skills are required, just a desire to lend a hand, and learn more about what life is like in communities around the world. Check out a complete list of Voluntours currently offered.
Travellers, guides, soon-to-be adventure travellers, the committed members of Planeterra's adventure company partners, and local people in the countries we visit all come together in our Planeterra Community to get to know each other better, stay in touch, and share fun and inspiring moments from trips of a lifetime to daily experiences found in our desire to be part of the solution.
Visit the Community and you'll find:
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Jump in and join us in sharing how we're all finding the rewards in giving back and thinking of new ways to help local communities!
Shifting the overall trend from tourism, or simply descending upon a destination and spending time in an insulated tourism infrastructure in a foreign land, to travel – immersing yourself in another culture and experiencing a new place as local people do, is a massive undertaking. Planeterra's partners recognize the implications of this shift, and have been heavily involved in supporting sustainable community development through travel, including productive small economies, cultural preservation, and environmental restoration and protection. They are also positive global citizens and examples for other businesses in terms of their own business operations. We applaud all of their efforts in these areas. Our partners include the following world-renowned institutions:
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- Creating an international network of individuals, institutions and the tourism industry;
- Educating tourists and tourism professionals; and
- Influencing the tourism industry, public institutions and donors to integrate the principles of ecotourism into their operations and policies.
GSTC sustainabletourismcriteria.org: The Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC Partnership) is a coalition of 32 organizations working together to foster increased understanding of sustainable tourism practices and the adoption of universal sustainable tourism principles. The Partnership was initiated by the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Foundation, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Planeterra together with G Adventures is a steering committee partner, on industry implementation and education and training working groups with other industry and NGO partners.
Seva Canada Society www.seva.ca: Seva Canada is an international non-governmental organization whose mission is the elimination of preventable and treatable blindness. Since 1982, Seva's goal is to create and share sustainable and economically viable eye care programs through international partnerships. Seva provides funding and expertise to partners in 7 developing countries: Nepal, Tibet, India, Tanzania, Guatemala, Cambodia and Egypt - to deliver community and clinical eye care programs that reach the most vulnerable populations – women and children, the very poor and those living in rural areas. Since 2008 Planeterra supports an annual "eye camp" in Tibet where hundreds of Tibetans have their sight restored through a simple surgery that they otherwise would not be able to receive.
We are on the move to get the word out about Planeterra and our projects! Come join us at upcoming events, fundraisers, conferences and shows. Check out where we've been and where we're headed.
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By travelling on one of G Adventures' Voluntours you have the opportunity to spend time at a Planeterra community project while on tour. These visits are a hands-on experience of true cultural immersion in local communities.
Check out what's new in the world of Sustainable Travel and Planeterra. | <urn:uuid:c5e4324a-e0d1-444e-bddb-71ec9aad3dfa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gadventures.com/planeterra/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917421 | 1,300 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Award-winning filmmaker Ishu Patel, who has international recognition for his innovative animation techniques, had one ambition as a child in his native India: he wanted to work at the National Film Board of Canada, the home of Norman McLaren. While many youngsters have this dream, Patel's relentless drive and innate talent put it within his reach.
Patel, who joined the NFB in 1970, studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda, India; the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India; and the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland. He won a Rockefeller scholarship (1968) to study in the U.S., but deferred it until he was able to go to the NFB.
Patel's films are multiple award winners that continue to receive top honours at major film festivals: for example, The Bead Game, British Academy Award (1978) and an Oscar nomination (1978); Afterlife, the Canadian Film Awards (1978), the Grands Prix, Annecy, France (1978). Top Priority (1981) periodically reappears at festivals in Poland, Germany, Portugal and Italy. Paradise (1984) won the Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival (1985); 1st Prize, Los Angeles International Animation Festival (1985); and an Oscar nomination (1985).
Patel, who strives to break new ground, maintains an ongoing competition with himself. In the phantasmagorical Paradise, he used a variety of techniques to create images that have the depth of holograms. In his latest film, Divine Fate (1993), Ishu Patel examines the struggle of human spirituality in a world of material values. As part of NFB’s outreach program, he has given animation workshops and worked with the Inuit artists of Cape Dorset in the High Arctic, as well as with Ghana’s community health workers in West Africa.
Ishu Patel co-produced animation with NHK of Japan and Channel Four of Britain, and has contributed over 100 French-language animated segments to Sesame Street for the CBC. In 1998 he joined the Department of Animation and Digital Arts of the School of Cinema -Television of the University of Southern California to teach Experimental Animation and Production. In 2001, he left teaching to pursue his own projects. | <urn:uuid:af20a024-08d1-4e10-8c1a-f7ddbf5466cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www3.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/filmmakers/Ishu-Patel/biography.php?ts=s&ts=s | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948526 | 468 | 1.695313 | 2 |
→ February 2006 Contents → Column
Nuts & Bolts
This being the 100th, or sort of the 100th, issue of The Digital Journalist, I am sure that phrases like "THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION" will abound in some of the articles.
Actually, there are a number of photographic "revolutions" that are at least as important. There's the one that started it all, "THE CAMERA OBSCURA REVOLUTION." Then there's the "LENSES OF GLASS INSTEAD OF PINHOLES REVOLUTION." How about "THE ROLL FILM REVOLUTION" that let you take a lot more pictures in a hurry than the glass plate revolution ever did?
One thing about almost all photographic revolutions, quality aside: they make it easier to take more pictures in less time. That, of course, makes "THE THUMBWIND REVOLUTION" incredibly important, and yet dwarfed by "THE MOTOR DRIVE REVOLUTION."
For those who think more is better, "THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION" is a godsend. For those who think more is more, the final judgment will be a little more complex.
For most of us, film photography came with a set of brakes. Until the autofocus SLRs became the predominant news camera, most cameras did not have motorized advances or autofocus. That slowed you down. You were always a little bit cautious about shooting so fast that you would come to the end of a roll of film just as the best picture appeared. (The 4 GB compact flash card sure put an end to that.) You instinctively shot less, looked more and waited for the moment.
After film was processed, at least for the mags, you louped contact prints or slide sleeves, then made proof prints or projected the slides for a better look, and only then came the final prints or the selection of images for publication.
For the news business, it was a slow process. But with each stage, in camera or out, images were rejected and selected until, hopefully, only the best, the few survived.
The process of selecting final digital images for publication is not only much quicker, but often you are looking through a greater volume of images. Many photographers seem to think that holding down the button and producing a burst of "frames" will guarantee a good picture. I think that it's the exact opposite. Unless you choose the moment, the good one will always occur "between frames." Maybe Ken Jarecke, returning from the Katrina disaster, had a more practical perspective. He simply said he couldn't see how photographers who stuck to the "eight-frame burst" school of news photography could edit that much material.
Presuming you haven't used the small screen on the back of the camera to erroneously trash some of your best images while they are still in the camera, the digital editing process starts and ends in one session. If you are working away from your home base, your schedule is made even tighter by the fact that you will often have to transmit your selects once you have edited.
The dashing foreign correspondent no longer heads for the bar at the end of the day to entrance glamorous women with his tales of courage. He drags his silly butt up to his hotel room. Up go the images on his computer screen, quick comparisons are made and pictures transmitted. There's not much choice; production schedules have become shorter. And it's nice to get a little sleep before you have to go back out and watch some of the uglier things people can do to each other.
There's not a great deal of reflection that goes into the selection of the digital news pic.
But, there is good news: there is nothing original about a digital news picture.
Let me explain. When you make a copy of an original digital image, it is identical to the original. When you transfer a digital image from your camera to the computer, you are not tempted to save the image on the camera's compact flash card because the image on the computer's hard disc is an exact match. In digital photography, until you alter an image, there is no "original" or all the images are "originals." Being essentially negative in outlook, I like to think that there is no such thing as an original.
Newspapers, magazines and photo agencies will lose, mutilate, misplace, mishandle and destroy images in the process of getting out the news. The loss or mutilation of that precious film original was always a knife to the heart. But you have "Dolly, the Photo."
You have the clone. I don't care what your editor tells you about work for hire or what the imperious file clerk tells you about who owns the picture. Copy everything; keep it in your own file cabinet. We'll work out the niceties later.
Now you know what the real digital revolution is -- Dolly, the Digital Clone. It will affect ownership, theft, copyright, distribution, pricing (do you really want to pay extra for a "vintage" clone or would you like a nice, fresh clone?).
Store your clones on an auxiliary hard disc; they can last longer than CDs. Store them on two identical hard discs; then when one goes down you still have your images. Store them on three identical hard discs and keep two in the office and one in a safe deposit vault.
At your leisure, dive into that pile of clones and do a proper edit.
© Bill Pierce
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Everybody Poops, Part 1: When the Going Gets Tough
Everybody poops. It’s true. I poop. Hopefully, you poop. Show me someone who doesn’t poop and I’ll show you someone who’s going to be sick very soon. Men poop. This much is obvious to anyone who has ever had to live with us. Women poop, too. This is an oft-confused fact. My future wife is the most beautiful, articulate, emotionally intelligent, kind, caring woman I’ve ever met. She also craps like a trucker. You can forget the whole “they only poop out little pink ribbons” deal too fellas, it’s complete hogwash.
Fantastic, now that we’ve all gotten our fecal focus front and center, let’s talk about one of the more taboo subjects in polite society - our bowel movements. Since what goes in must inevitably come out, the condition of your poop upon departure can be telling.
For the sake of this article we’re going to break things down into two categories and tackle constipation, hard stools, and difficulty going to the bathroom this week, while next week we look at the other, looser, more frequent, waterier side of the coin. Fair?
According to WebMd.com, you are considered constipated if you have two or more of the following for at least three months:
- Straining during a bowel movement more than 25% of the time
- Hard stools more than 25% of the time
- Incomplete evacuation more than 25% of the time
- Two or fewer bowel movements in a week
However, ask anyone who has not had a bowel movement for two days or more if they think their symptoms will be relevant in three months and they’ll answer with discomfort. In my professional opinion not having at least one bowel movement per day (given normal eating habits and minus any extraordinary personal circumstances or travel) is a warning to take a look at your diet and lifestyle.
Delayed bowel movements, hard stools, and incomplete evacuations (not pooping to your heart’s content) can all be caused by a number of factors, but more often than not, they’re a mix of the ingredients going into your mouth coupled with your own genetic predisposition.
One of the most common causes for constipation and hard stools is dehydration. During the journey through your small intestine, the last stop before blast off, your body will reabsorb necessary liquids from your stool back into your system. After this process, if there is not enough fluid left in your stool, passing it will be difficult.
If constipation is an issue for you, the first step in amelioration is increasing your water intake and decreasing any dehydrating factors such as alcohol, caffeine, and excessive exercise.
In addition to minimizing dehydration, adding the following will help increase the moisture level and maneuverability of your stool:
- Increasing your fat intake with nuts, seeds, and avocado
- Increasing your fiber intake
- Drinking liquid aloe vera
Fiber will not only add bulk to your stool, but is also capable of absorbing five times its weight in water, thus creates an easier to pass stool.
Often times it’s not the hardness or dryness of the stool that’s causing issue, it just seems like there isn’t enough “push” to get everything out in one sitting. Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to this as a lack of Qi, or simply not having enough energy to facilitate a proper elimination.
All of your body functions take energy, from breathing to thinking to walking to eliminating. Peristalsis, the motion your colon goes through to pass stool also takes energy. Some ways to increase peristalsis are:
- Light exercise (ask anyone in the Marine Corps about their morning runs)
- Eating dried fruit
- Massaging in small circles clockwise around the navel
- Drinking tea made from the Chinese Herb Da Huang or Rhubarb Root is a sure fire way to promote a bowel movement (contraindicated in pregnancy or nursing)
By managing your water intake and dietary choices, constipation can become a seldom-experienced issue, allowing you to spend more time out in the world and less time in the bathroom.
Stay tuned next week for the next exciting chapter of Everybody Poops: Part Two, where we look at constipation’s evil stepsister - loose stools. | <urn:uuid:2cef88bc-8b9d-4f28-a9cd-19b9243f1347> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/everybody-poops-part-1-when-going-gets-tough | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94088 | 945 | 1.625 | 2 |
REPORT OF CONFERENCE HELD IN PARIS APRIL 1ST & 2ND 1939
Delegates from almost all the non-Fascist countries were present, as the Conference was a combined one of the Centrale Sanitaire Internationale, the Committee for Children, the International Food Commission, and the International Co-ordinating Committee.
The first session was devoted to a report by representatives of the International Commission returned from Valencia, where they had been arranging for the evacuation of refugees.
We were told that some 4000 Spaniards were assembled at Alicante, but they would not be able to leave unless rescued by warships or ships under protection. A deputation was therefore sent to ask the French Government to act immediately to rescue these men.
The deputation was composed of representatives of U.S.A., France, Switzerland, Holland, Norway and England (myself). We saw the Minister of Marine, who was sympathetic and agreed to order French warships to proceed to Alicante, subject to the Minister for Foreign Affairs having no objections, and to the Minister of the Interior granting the necessary permits for an additional 4000 refugees.
We accordingly went to see these two Ministers, but they were away, and we were received by their Secretaries, who promised to put our case to them.
At each of the Ministries the official attitude, while sympathetic, was: "Why should France take all the burden of the refugees? What are other countries doing about it?''
The Centrale Sanitaire Internationale.
After we returned, the C.S.I. Conference commenced, with reports from each of the delegates on the work of their respective Committees.
We were complimented on our work, on the speedy readjustment of our activities when Catalonia fell, and especially on our proposal to equip refugee doctors who emigrate.
It was stated that there is the greatest difficulty in getting into the Camps, and it is precisely those in which conditions are worst that are the most inaccessible.
The C.S.I. works through doctors in the areas where the Camps are situated, offering them stores and supplies.
Attempts had been made for Spanish and International doctors at present in St. Cyprien to be transferred to other camps where they could work, but the French Authorities had refused to allow this, citing "Administrative Difficulties".
It is not possible to send personnel into the Camps to work, as the Military Authorities refuse to recognise any voluntary organisation such as the C.S.I. The Red Cross Society is allowed in. This lack of facilities for representatives to work in the Camps leads to loads of material consigned for certain Camps getting distributed in others, at the will of the Authorities, while medical supplies intended for particular doctors often go elsewhere.
The general conclusion to be drawn was that it was intended to destroy the morale of the refugees and to induce them to return to Spain. | <urn:uuid:95a5974a-a255-4926-a50e-9172c9c7d901> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://contentdm.warwick.ac.uk/cdm/compoundobject/collection/scw/id/10327/rec/16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97976 | 597 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Early in his first term, Clinton faced a concerted attack on his administration for being supposedly weak on defense when several hawkish congressional figures and outside pressure groups tried to revive Reagan-era missile defense programs. In May 1993, Clinton's Secretary of Defense Les Aspin produced the administration's first Quadrennial Defense Review, a periodic Pentagon study assessing the country's national defense posture. Hailed by the administration as a "bottom-up review" of defense needs and priorities, the assessment concluded that plans for a full-blown missile defense system were neither technically feasible, nor financially possible. Aspin ordered the closure of the Pentagon's Strategic Defense Initiative Office, downgrading the plans by assigning them to a new Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
This outraged several hardline defense outfits like the Center for Security Policy (CSP) and High Frontier, as well as the defense lobby led by Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and TRW. With their Republican allies a minority in Congress, the missile defense lobby mobilized a coordinated grassroots congressional and media campaign to boost support for a combination of national and regional missile defense systems. Joining CSP in orchestrating the campaign were a number of other rightist policy outfits, including the American Conservative Union, the S.A.F.E. Foundation, the Coalition to Protect Americans Now, and Americans for Missile Defense, which together represented a formidable coalition of social conservatives, neo-conservatives, unionists, and hardline Republican nationalists.
The Coalition to Protect Americans Now revived Reagan's window-of-vulnerability claim in its demand to abolish arms control treaties and construct a defense system to "protect our families from ballistic missile attack." It sponsored a website featuring a map of the United States where, by selecting a town's location, a reader could receive often misleading information about which countries had or soon supposedly would have the capability to strike it with an intercontinental missile.
Further enflaming the hardliners was a 1995 CIA National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that asserted that apart from Russia or China, no rogue state could possibly pose a long-range missile threat to the United States before 2010. In response, congressional hawks, who after the 1996 elections controlled both houses of Congress, promoted a Team B-type evaluation of the NIE, resulting in the creation of a blue-ribbon panel known as the Gates Commission (after its chairman, former CIA Director Robert Gates). In its 1996 report, the commission concluded that the technical obstacles facing rogue states in developing intercontinental missile capability were even greater than those described by the CIA.
Unsatisfied with this outcome, the "peace-through-strength" lobby pushed their congressional allies to establish various "independent" commissions. Congressional figures affiliated with CSP successfully lobbied for the creation of two commissions, both to be headed by Donald Rumsfeld, to examine the ballistic missile threat and space-based defense capabilities. The unstated agenda of these commissions was to increase pressure on the Clinton administration to support new weapons programs and substantially increase major military spending. Both of the so-called "Rumsfeld Commissions," which undertook their work in the second half of the 1990s, assumed that the country faced near-term threats from a "strategic competitor" such as China, or a "rogue" like North Korea.
Both commissions received funding from defense spending bills, using taxpayer revenues to subsidize them. Although billed as independent and nonpartisan, the two commissions -- guided by Rumsfeld and his top deputy Stephen Cambone -- served to reinforce the positions of administration critics and military boosters.
The Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States issued its report on July 15, 1998. The report contended that "rogue states" such as Iraq, North Korea, or Iran could deploy ballistic missiles within "five years of a decision to do so," contrary to the CIA's estimate that it would take at least 10-15 years.
Although initially challenged by the director of central intelligence, a little more than a year later, in September 1999 the CIA released a new NIE that was substantially more alarmist than its previous one. It predicted that North Korea could test a ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States "at any time" and that Iran could test such a weapon "in the next few years." Commenting on the new threat assessment, Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pennsylvania), a main sponsor of the Rumsfeld Commission, congratulated himself: "It was the largest turnaround ever in the history of the [intelligence] agency." House Majority Leader Newt Gingrich was similarly ecstatic, saying the commission's conclusion was the "most important warning about our national security system since the end of the Cold War."
Although CIA officials argued that the new estimate was the result of "improved trade-craft," many experts attributed the revision to pressure from hardline Republicans, the considerable influence of Rumsfeld, and a campaign by Israel to focus attention on what the Likud government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw as a rising missile threat from Iran. A few years later, Joseph Cirincione, then-director of the nonproliferation program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, argued that the CIA's 1995 NIE "holds up pretty well in hindsight." He accused Weldon and other Republican hawks of developing "a conscious political strategy" to attack the CIA's estimate because "it stood in the way of a passionate belief in missile defense."
The second Rumsfeld Commission, the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization, was not so much a critique of the government's NIEs as an all-out exhortation to militarize space. The commission found in its January 2001 report that it is "possible to project power through and from space in response to events anywhere in the world … Having this capability would give the United States a much stronger deterrent and, in a conflict, an extraordinary military advantage."
Paralleling a similar assessment prepared by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) in its Rebuilding America's Defenses report (2000), the Rumsfeld space commission argued that because the United States is without peer among "space-faring" nations, the country is all the more vulnerable to "state and non-state actors hostile to the United States and its interests." In other words, U.S. enemies would seek to destroy the U.S. economy together with its ability to fight high-tech wars by attacking global positioning satellites and other "space assets."
Another commission, chaired by the controversial former director of central intelligence, John Deutch, was established in 1998 to assess whether the Clinton administration was failing to adequately monitor and counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly in China. The Deutch Commission questioned the administration's ability to assure China's compliance with nuclear export controls and expressed alarm that U.S. bond traders might be helping to finance China's weapons industry.
Rep. Christopher Cox (R-California) led another commission on China. A recipient of CSP's annual "Keeper of the Flame" award, Cox identified Chinese-Americans as suspects in leaking nuclear weapons data to the Chinese military. His commission, called the House Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/National Concerns with the People's Republic of China, issued a report in January 1999 accusing China of large-scale nuclear espionage. The report successfully sparked widespread fear among the public and policymakers that China was stealing U.S. nuclear secrets through payments to highly placed nuclear weapons scientists such as Wen Ho Lee, who worked at the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory -- and was later cleared of espionage charges.
Paralleling the congressional efforts were campaigns by various hardline and neo-conservative pressure groups. PNAC and the Heritage Foundation issued a joint statement in August 1999 strongly criticizing what they perceived as the lack of a firm U.S. commitment to Taiwan. "Efforts by the Clinton administration to pressure Taipei to cede its sovereignty and to adopt Beijing's understanding of ‘One China' are dangerous and directly at odds with American strategic interests, past U.S. policy, and American democratic ideals," argued the statement.
Concerned that the Clinton administration was doing nothing to address the viability of an aging nuclear weapons stockpile, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) insisted in 1998 that the Department of Defense create yet another independent evaluation commission -- the Panel to Assess the Reliability, Safety, and Security of the U.S. Nuclear Stockpile, or the "Foster Panel" after its chair John Foster. Kyl, a proponent of flexible uses of nuclear weapons, was among the leading opponents of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which had Clinton's full support.
In the early 1970s, Foster had been a key instigator within the Ford administration's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board for establishing the Team B exercise. Foster directed the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the early 1960s and was also a member of the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD) in the 1970s. Foster also had strong connections with defense industries. Predictably, his panel recommended that the U.S. government authorize the speedy production of new nukes, smaller nukes, and high-tech nuclear weapons that could reach precise targets.
The Middle East also occupied center stage for the threat escalators during this time -- but not because of the threat of non-state Islamist terrorists. Through PNAC, CSP, and the Committee for Peace and Security in the Gulf (CPSG), the neo-conservatives pressured Clinton to authorize support for the Iraqi expatriates of the Iraqi National Congress (INC) under the leadership of Ahmed Chalabi and to plan military operations that would overthrow Saddam Hussein. Congressional Republicans also mounted anti-Hussein initiatives in 1998. Randy Scheunemann, later a PNAC board member, served at the time as the national security aide to House Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), drafting the Iraq Liberation Act, a bill cosponsored by Lott and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut), which allocated $98 million to the INC and made the overthrow of Hussein official government policy.
While they succeeded in pressuring Clinton on many fronts, neo-conservatives and allied hardliners failed to push his administration to fully adopt many issues on their agenda. They saw Clinton as soft on Israeli security and despized his sponsorship of the Oslo Accords and his criticism of the rightist Likud policies.
The irony is that despite all the current rhetoric about how Democrats have failed to take terrorism seriously -- a failure that purportedly goes back to the early days of the Clinton presidency -- hawkish Republicans and their neo-conservative allies spent the better part of the 1990s advocating policies that doubtless distracted key policymakers from paying adequate attention to real security issues. Conservatives were raising the alarm over space weapons, China, Iraq, North Korea -- not terrorism, a threat they chose to ignore. When George W. Bush arrived in office, his administration focused on all the issues that his party had put in the pipeline, instead of on more pressing concerns.
Article courtesy International Relations Center
Tom Barry is policy director of the IRC and a contributing writer to Right Web
Comments? Send a letter to the editor.
Albion Monitor October
16, 2006 (http://www.albionmonitor.com)
All Rights Reserved.
Contact email@example.com for permission to use in any format. | <urn:uuid:dba9b9ae-eea0-43e6-9f7b-1c07eb82705a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.albionmonitor.com/0610a/blamegame.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956908 | 2,345 | 2.140625 | 2 |
President Obama's plan to raise taxes on the oil industry by an additional $4 billion a year never made much sense. Declaring open war on U.S. oil companies would reduce investment in domestic oil production and lead to even greater dependence on imported oil. It would result in a loss of jobs and royalty revenue, too.
Denigrating an industry that supplies about 60 percent of the energy used to power our $14 trillion economy isn't the right thing to do, especially at a time when we're less than a year into a weak recovery from the worst economic slump since the end of World War II.
Instead of agreeing to Obama's foolish tax, Congress should vote to open up new areas off the Atlantic Coast and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to drilling for oil and natural gas. Considering that Americans are shelling out more than $1 billion a day for imported oil, it would be absurd if we were not to make better use of our domestic energy resources. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that areas off the Atlantic Coast and in the eastern Gulf contain 3.8 billion barrels of oil.
The reality is we need the oil. The nation's demand for oil continues to grow, rising more than 35 percent over the past four decades, while domestic production has declined by a third. We currently buy more than 12 million barrels of oil a day from other countries, several of whom like Venezuela are hostile to U.S. interests.
The level of oil imports would be even higher if not for a 3-percent increase in domestic production in 2010, due largely to success in producing oil in the Bakken shale field in North Dakota and the Eagleford shale in Texas. Oil production from shale there has risen to more than 350,000 barrels a day, and is expected to reach 800,000 barrels a day in five to seven years thanks to the prospect of new production from the Utica shale in Ohio which may hold as much as 3 billion barrels of recoverable oil. All of this production was made possible by the same hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques that have increased natural gas production in the Marcellus shale in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Most of America's oil resources are in deepwater offshore, and it's in these areas where new advances in drilling technology could be a real game-changer. In the year since the BP Macondo disaster, 24 oil companies have pooled their resources to develop an apparatus designed to work like a small blowout preventer. Known as a capping stack, it can work in deepwater wells with pressures of up to 15,000 pounds per square inch, and should help ease concerns about drilling in the Gulf.
None of this is cheap. The cost of finding and producing oil is mounting. It now costs upwards of $100 million to drill a well in deepwater. The cost of drilling a horizontal well in the Utica shale in Ohio will likely cost $4 million or more. Producing the energy needed to drive our nation's economy requires massive capital investments. Since 2000, the oil industry has poured more than $2 trillion into U.S. capital projects.
But the Obama Administration's actions directly contradict what the market requires. Clamping additional taxes and drilling restrictions on the oil industry will make it even harder for U.S. companies to meet our country's energy needs and are doing nothing to advance our long-term energy security. At a time when gasoline prices are hitting or exceeding $4 a gallon, it's time to start asking our congressman and our president to loosen the noose on the petroleum industry and give American workers the opportunity to solve our energy problem.
Now is the time for Congress to show that it's serious about reducing our reliance on foreign oil. The House and Senate need to reject the Administration's proposed tax on the oil industry and approve legislation that removes barriers to exploratory drilling on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and in Alaska.
According to a study by ICF International, expanding domestic energy development in America's offshore areas could alone generate $1.3 trillion in government revenues over the life of the resource - along with major increases in jobs and economic activity that result from oil and natural gas development.
That's something to consider the next time anyone questions the value of offshore production.
Robert W. Chase is chair and professor of Marietta College's Department of Petroleum Engineering and Geology, 215 Fifth St., Marietta. | <urn:uuid:0b49f942-c129-4c5e-97d1-8efe71cd830a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/535999/Viewpoint--Raising-taxes-on-the-oil-industry-increases-dependence-on-foreign-oil.html?nav=5006 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952711 | 900 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Archive for the ‘ideas’ tag
That ideas are worth nothing without good execution is well demonstrated from this true story from way back in 2005. In a span of a few months, I independently came across the same compelling idea thrice.
The first time was while visiting the Bay Area, when I met my friend Sorav (now professor of computer science at IIT Delhi) at Stanford. Sorav and his buddies at Stanford had a kind of a startup club which met weekly to discuss new prospective business ideas. The week I was there, I got invited to that meeting. The idea that got discussed was of to develop a group messaging sms service. It was supposed to be like the yahoo groups of mobile phones so you could send out an sms and it would reach all your friends who could continue a group conversation using SMS. The idea excited everybody and I think we even continued to discuss it when I got back to India. But that was the end of it.
I heard something similar a second time when I met Saad around mid-2005. Saad and I had connected with each other via our blogs and decided to catch up and brainstorm ideas (in those days, Saad actually used to carry around a brainstorming kit, don’t know if he still has it!). Anyway, the idea was to see what we could do together. Saad mentioned that it would be cool if there was a way to share stuff in real time with rest of the world using the mobile phone. The specific example that Saad gave was, to quote him loosely, “Imagine if I could take a photograph of this room with my phone, and send out a message saying where I was, with whom and what we were doing”. It was supposed to be like a real time blog. The scenarios we discussed were sporting events or other situations where it would be cool or useful to be able to let the world know where we were and what we were doing. Both of us thought it was a really neat idea but nothing came out of it.
The third time I heard something similar was from Alok. We were discussing social networks and Alok mentioned that he felt that a mobile based social network would have lot of potential. After all, everybody’s social graph already exists in their phone book and leveraging that an interesting social networking concept could be developed. Once more, the idea sounded appealing but nothing came out of it.
Note that none of the three situations above were just drawing room conversations. I was in the business of building web based software and actively scouting for ideas. Technically, we could have actually accomplished what we had discussed and in fact a team already existed that could have executed any of these ideas. And of course, this was much before twitter came in to existence or became popular. All the three ideas above were similar to what twitter enabled eventually. The fact that I alone came across this idea thrice in that short span of time just shows that hundreds of people must have gone through a similar thought process at that time. It was obvious that mobile based social interactions were the next big thing. And yet, only one twitter emerged out of it.
So, the moral of the story is that if we could get a penny for our ideas, we would all be millionaires! We often give too much importance or credit for a good idea. But the real test lies in executing an idea, taking it to the market, refining it and building it into a success.
Oh, by the way, did I tell you that youtube was also my idea? | <urn:uuid:49db5058-dfd3-4f29-9fe9-322af4dbf1da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newdelhitimes.org/tag/ideas/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986663 | 731 | 1.640625 | 2 |
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Each year, about 414 pounds of food is discarded for each person in the United States at home, in stores, and in restaurants. This installation in Our Global Kitchen represents the 1,656 pounds of food that is thrown away by a family of four.
And this is just consumer waste—even more food is lost on farms and in processing and transportation.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
That’s a lot of food!
There’s nothing like a hot drink on a cold day. Why not try our special hot toddy recipe with a sweet surprising twist?
Care for a Crap-accino?
Coffee made from elephant dung actually sells for $50 a poop, er, pop at some luxe hotels.
Black Ivory Coffee, which was launched last month at luxury hotels in Thailand, the Maldives and Abu Dhabi, sells for a whopping $50 a serving, or $500 per pound.
But more noteworthy than the inflated price is the curious process behind this exotic new brew, which involves pure Arabica beans being eaten by elephants and then plucked a day later from their dung, resulting in what some say is the world’s smoothest cuppa.
“When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness,” said Blake Dinkin, who has spent $300,000 developing the coffee. “You end up with a cup that’s very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee.”
Yikes! A new study found that grapefruit can be deadly when paired with certain prescription drugs.
Potentially dangerous ones include common cholesterol-reducing medications, such as Zocor and Lipitor, and blood pressure medications such as Nifediac and Afeditab.
Restaurants are apparently really, really filthy. Seats are the germiest surface in a restaurant, followed closely by menus and lemon wedges, according to an undercover investigation by ABC News.
What’s so gross about lemon wedges, you ask?
Many restaurant and bar workers grab lemons with their bare hands, reaching in again and again without gloves or tongs. If they do not wash their hands thoroughly after using the bathroom, the germs spread.
Likelihood of excess: 4.3
Storage tips: Tupperware will keep your sliced turkey fresh for sandwiches. Don’t toss the carcass, though. Make stock with it instead. Break it down and put it in a pot of water with onions and any spare aromatics (rosemary, sage, oregano). Bring it to a boil, then simmer for one to two hours.
Secondary uses: Many prefer the open-face sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, but why not go deli style? Get fresh rolls, good cheddar and smoked bacon. Call it the Thanksgiving Club.
Likelihood of excess: 3.2
Storage tips: It’s best to leave it in the vessel it was served in. No need to fuss with transferring the sticky starch to Tupperware. Saran wrap over the top will do the trick.
Secondary uses: If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make turkey pot pie. Buy a premade pie tin and mix any leftovers you have, from potatoes and gravy to peas and corn, then bake at 350 until it’s crispy.
Likelihood of excess: 3.3
Storage tips: The key is not how it’s stored, but how it’s reheated. Before you nuke it or warm it up in the oven, add some unsalted butter, turkey stock or a little bit of gravy to keep it moist.
Secondary uses: If you’re making turkey pot pie, it works wonders as pie crust piled on top. Other uses include, but are not limited to, open-face sandwich, dollops pan-fried in olive oil and the old-fashioned cold late-night snack.
Happy almost Thanksgiving! Now put on your fat pants and get comfy — we’ve put together a few Turkey Day tips and recipes to get you through the day:
- Advice on avoiding a heated political debate over a lovely dinner
- Recipe for a quirkier turkey
- Mouthwatering apple bacon stuffed sweet potato [recipe]
- The right way to carve a turkey
- Homemade green bean casserole recipe
- What to do with all those leftovers?!
- Refreshing cocktail with fall flavors
- And remember, even if everything goes wrong, you’re not alone.
Traveling for Thanksgiving? Here’s a look at the TSA-approved festive foods that are ready for takeoff. | <urn:uuid:2e50432a-f28e-45a4-98d5-0a35eba051e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.thedaily.com/tagged/Food | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917509 | 1,009 | 2.125 | 2 |