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Bitcoins, the quintessential secure online currency, is rapidly gaining momentum as the preferred mode of payment online. It has established itself as the leading Peer to Peer (P2P) virtual currency system due to its secure, simple and decentralized nature. With a substantial amount of online activity going around leveraging payments through bitcoins, the idea of earning bitcoins by helping other people online sounds great! While there exists other methods to earn bitcoins, they almost invariably involve wiring your money to currency exchange websites which in turn convert them to bitcoins - not a quite appealing proposition. Contrasted against this backdrop are websites like forbitcoin.com that offer the best way to earn bit coins - earning them by helping people!
The best thing about forbitcoin.com is the fact that you earn bitcoins doing what you do best or put more simply things that you can easily do online - with other people paying in bitcoins for the services that you render to them. This modus operandi ensures that there are no steep learning curves for what you have to do to earn bitcoins, you just do what comes naturally to you and whenever someone needs your services, your online bitcoin wallet gets a fresh flow of bitcoins. You think you know your talent and skills - go ahead create a post elucidating your abilities and services offered. Most of these jobs are just micro jobs that can earn you some easy bitcoins pretty quick while simultaneously allowing you to put your creativity and skills to task. With tasks as simple as YouTube video creation, article writing or just popularizing Facebook pages the opportunities are immense to earn ample bitcoins with little effort.
Alternatively, you could also spend a fortune of your hard earned money on buying expensive video cards and other expensive equipment (that you may never use!) to earn those elusive bitcoins rather than just earning them without spending a single penny. Sounds foolish? - it actually is! Consider you are a software programmer, you would hardly take an hour to code something which someone (a novice in programming) is willing to pay you bitcoins for - he gets his work done and you earn the bitcoins with minimal effort - it is as simple as that. So go ahead - take advantage of websites like forbitcoin.com to find what you can do, leveraging your extant skills and earn bitcoins for your online bitcoin wallet. | <urn:uuid:747e751f-dc6d-497d-bbe9-1c2ffeb9e159> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://earnbitcoins453361.blogspot.com/2011/06/earn-bitcoins-when-someone-needs-your.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954483 | 458 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Do You Create Solutions or Worry About Problems?
Life is about keeping things in perspective.
Where is your focus?
Where we are in Louisville, it’s pretty gray in the winter … more gray than sun. And lately I’ve noticed more people complaining about the weather …
“It’s SOOOO gray, I just want to crawl back into bed…”
“It’s SOOO cold, I can’t leave my house…”
"I CAN'T exercise today, I NEED the sun for that…"
And so on.
But if you choose to live in this area, where it is always pretty gray in the winter, what is complaining about it going to do?
Surely won't change the weather. Don't get me wrong, sun would be nice … but complaining about it won't make it happen.
It reminds me about people who are addicted to the news.
You turn it on and hear about the debt. The unemployment is higher than ever. Health care debates – one side thinks it’s the greatest thing in the world, the other thinks it’s going to be the end of the world.
I'm not saying you should be unaware of current events, but just curious how that helps YOUR future?
Take time for YOU – worrying about problems takes time away from creating solutions.
You likely have heard the story how many super successful people started their businesses in a “down” economy – Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and many others.
They didn’t focus on how everything in the world wasn’t going their way – they created their way!
How does this apply to YOU?
If you’re always focusing on “My body will NEVER look good…” or “I will NEVER be able to wear XYZ…” etc, then you’re right, you won’t.
Put on your blinders like a horse racing in the Kentucky Derby and forge ahead towards your goals.
You are the only person who can create your future — if you're waiting for the "perfect day" or "perfect time" to do something, it's going to be awhile. | <urn:uuid:45434a1b-9ee2-4a2e-8be9-89f70b4c904e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mohrresults.com/nutrition/do-you-create-solutions-or-worry-about-problems-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937033 | 468 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Murder or Treatment?
Is Dr. Anna Pou a hero or a criminal? Some physicians think Louisiana's attorney general is on shaky ground charging Dr. Pou and two nurses with murdering patients who were stuck at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina.
By all accounts, Dr. Pou is a skilled and dedicated physician. She chose to stay at the hospital for days after the hurricane passed, hampered by heat, the absence of electricity, and dwindling supplies of medicine. The prosecution claims that Dr. Pou and two nurses "went from room to room with a set of syringes and vials, injecting at least four patients with a combination of drugs intended to kill those who could not easily be evacuated from the hospital."
The state's forensic pathologist found traces of both morphine and a central nervous system sedative in the tissue samples of several patients who died, drugs that they were not supposed to have in their bodies.
But what does this prove? That a doctor in desperate circumstances engaged in mercy killings, or that she used whatever drugs she had at hand to ease the suffering of patients while awaiting rescue?
"I'm fundamentally unconvinced of the framing of the story," said Dr. Steven Miles, a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota and an expert on the care of dying patients. "I'm not inclined to believe this is a euthanasia scenario or a physician-assisted suicide scenario."
One reason, Dr. Miles said, is that the drugs found in the dead patients -- morphine and the sedative Versed -- are not all that deadly and may not even have been what killed the patients. Many patients develop tolerances to the drugs and can handle high doses, he said. Barbiturates, readily available in a hospital, would be a far more efficient way to kill somebody if that was the intent, he added. ...
He also pointed out that two million deaths a year occur in medical settings, and 85 percent to 90 percent of those are preceded by decisions to withhold or end life support. The vast majority involve sedation.
Some witnesses claim they heard Dr. Pou talking about administering "lethal doses" of morphine. Even if that's true, will a jury second-guess what may have been a medical judgment that doomed patients should die in peace, not in pain?
|< Botched Drug Raid Map | Lebanese PM Claims He Was Misquoted >| | <urn:uuid:230c1ae9-ff7e-4802-baa3-4aace17ef8b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/07/20/288/94213/crimenews/Murder-or-Treatment- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960573 | 495 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Wayne State Offers Free Patent Clinic to Detroit Entrepreneurs
On the heels of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office opening up its first-ever satellite location in Detroit, Wayne State’s law school has announced it will offer a free patent procurement clinic to qualifying local entrepreneurs. It’s the only pro bono patent law procurement clinic in Michigan.
The clinic, located in Midtown at 471 Palmer, is staffed by law students and faculty and will be open for business shortly after the semester starts on August 27. “It gives students the opportunity to work as an attorney for inventors and entrepreneurs under close supervision,” says director Eric Williams. The clinic is designed for those who can’t afford legal representation but have technology with the potential to build a viable business and create jobs.
Williams says that the students staffing the patent clinic are a “pretty advanced group,” with undergraduate and master’s degrees in science and engineering. They will help with a client’s business formation, employment agreements, real estate, trademark and copyright issues, drafting and reviewing contracts, patentability searches, patent applications, and responses to patent office rejections. Applications that come from the clinic will also be fast-tracked through the patent office’s approval process.
The new satellite patent office is housed in a historic structure on the banks of the Detroit River that was once home to Parke-Davis Laboratories and the Stroh’s Brewerty headquarters. As for why the first satellite patent office is in Detroit instead of, say, Palo Alto, it’s because the city fit the need for access to research universities, a high number of scientists and engineers, and a high volume of patent activity already being carried out. According to patent office data, Michigan was ranked 7th in the nation in 2009 for total number of patents, with 3,516, and that was arguably the worst economic year in Detroit’s modern history.
Williams says that he imagines his students will work closely with accelerator and incubator clients, as well as with the university’s tech transfer office. “Myself and other adjunct professors are going out to incubators and universities trying to figure out which clients have the best chance for patentability,” he adds. “We want to reach out beyond Wayne State as much as possible. The ideal situation is that the inventor wants to patent something but the patent is part of a larger business model.”
Williams has already gotten interest from student entrepreneurs, who are “thrilled” at the prospect of free legal services that Williams estimates have a market value of around $5,000. He says he also has four emails sitting in his inbox from people all over the country who are requesting the clinic’s services. “People understand the importance of protecting their IP, and want insight if what they have is worth protecting, but we’ll prioritize matters in Southeast Michigan,” Williams says. (Those interested in the clinic should email firstname.lastname@example.org, and Williams will respond with an application and follow-up phone call if he thinks it’s a potential match.)
Williams, a Detroit native who graduated from Cass Tech, comes to his position at Wayne State after spending the past 15 years practicing law in New York. He calls the Wayne State gig his “dream job” and is clearly happy to be involved in Detroit’s revitalization—of which the satellite patent office could play a significant part. “From an economic development point of view, it’s wonderful to have something to draw innovators to the area and encourage those that are here to stay,” he adds. “All around, it’s a really big deal.” | <urn:uuid:8cd1e916-a3be-42fe-97e9-8ba7ab1aa47b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.xconomy.com/detroit/2012/08/08/wayne-state-offers-free-patent-clinic-to-detroit-entrepreneurs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960371 | 782 | 1.5 | 2 |
One of the serious threats to a user's computer is a software program that might cause unwanted keystroke sequences to occur in order to hack someone's identity. This form of an attack is increasing, infecting enterprise and personal computers, and caused by "organized malicious botnets," said Daphne Yao, assistant professor of computer science at Virginia Tech (http://www.cs.vt.edu/user/115).
To combat the "spoofing attacks," Yao and her former student, Deian Stefan, now a graduate student in the computer science department at Stanford University, developed an authentication framework called "Telling Human and Bot Apart" (TUBA), a remote biometrics system based on keystroke-dynamics information.
Their work won a best paper award at CollaborateCom '10, the 6th International Conference on Collaborative Computing, held in Chicago and sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers' Computer Society, Create-Net, and the Institute for Computer Sciences (http://www.collaboratecom.org/)
Yao holds a patent on her human-behavior driven malware detection technology, including this keystroke anti-spoofing technique. Her technology for PC security is currently being transferred to a company. The license agreement between the company, Rutgers University (Yao's former institution), and Virginia Tech is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Internet bots are often described as web robots. They act as software applications that run automated tasks over the internet. Bots usually perform simple and repetitive tasks, but at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone. When used for malicious purposes they are described as malware.
"Keystroke dynamics is an inexpensive biometric mechanism that has been proven accurate in distinguishing individuals," Yao explained, and most researchers working with keystroke dynamics have focused previously on an attacker being a person.
The uniqueness of Yao and Stefan's research is they studied how to identify when a computer program designed by a hacker was producing keystroke sequences "in order to spoof others," they said. Then they created TUBA to monitor a user's typing patterns.
Using TUBA, Yao and Stefan tested the keystroke dynamics of 20 individuals, and used the results as a way to authenticate who might be using a computer.
"Our work shows that keystroke dynamics is robust against the synthetic forgery attacks studied, where the attacker draws statistical samples from a pool of available keystroke datasets other than the target," Yao said.
Yao and Stefan also describe in their paper, "Keystroke-Dynamics Authentication Against Synthetic Forgeries," how keystroke dynamics can be used "as a tool to identify anomalous activities on a personal computer including activities that can be due to malicious software."
In January of 2010, Yao won a $530,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant to develop software that differentiates human-user computer interaction from that of malware.
The CAREER grant is the NSF's most prestigious award, given to creative junior faculty likely considered to become academic leaders of the future. The five-year grant is funding Yao's research for building a new malicious software detection system for personal computers that is able to accurately differentiate network behaviors of a legitimate human user from a malware program.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system. | <urn:uuid:173e91e4-dff2-4961-ac1a-a301b9023060> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/vt-vtc110110.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951576 | 723 | 3.171875 | 3 |
There seems to be some confusion. Let me clarify.
For starters, grassroots parallels greatness.
No big news flash, I was one of the organizers of the Jan. 21 Celebrate Walker Rally at Hart Park. Strictly a grassroots effort, and one of historic proportions – possibly the largest of its kind in the state, bringing 4,000 Walker supporters together in the the same place.
What force of nature could rev up a rally of this magnitude to inspire this many people to stand outside in the middle of winter for three hours?
The answer is: grassroots. Sure, there have been larger rally turnouts, but not at a grassroots level. So this raises the question, what is grassroots anyway?
The term, when I first heard it, reminded me of some sort of hippie revolution. I pictured tree huggers minus the bras, all singing to the rhythm of their sway. In my minds eye, I imagined them holding signs that said things like, "Grassroots For World Peace."
Admittedly, a make-love-not-war type of occurrence I want no affiliation with. But shortly thereafter, I heard the term a second time from a conservative comrade (I know how you liberals love when I use that term to refer to my friends). He told me of an upcoming "grassroots" event to be held at the Capitol in support of Gov. Scott Walker. My immediate thought was shock, assuming he referred to a large group of converted flower people who now stand behind our fearless leader. I asked him to please let me in on the term "grassroots event."
According to Wikipedia:
"A grassroots movement (often referenced in the context of a political movement) is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures.
"Grassroots movements are often at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party. For instance, a grassroots movement can lead to significant voter registration for a political party, which in turn helps the state and national parties."
So when was this movement born? The entry goes on:
“The earliest origins of the use of 'grass roots' as a political metaphor are obscure. In the United States, an early use of the phrase 'grassroots and boots' was thought to have been coined by Senator Albert Jeremiah Beveridge of Indiana, who said of the Progressive Party in 1912, 'This party has come from the grass roots. It has grown from the soil of people's hard necessities.'"
I thought about the theory of growing from the "Soil of people's hard necessities." It's not like our courageous politicians are inept. But they are only human, after all. And the great conservative activism organizations can only do so much with the gridlocks of a 501 structure.
Don't get me wrong, they move metaphorical mountains, but they too, need some extra hands. Plus, as a citizen's group we are not bound by the red tape of a fundamental non-profit structures. But this begs the question, what about profit? It's no secret that to host a rally of 4,000 people had its overhead. And certainly something had to be in place to make fundraising legal. So who paid whom? That's a good place to start.
The baseline overhead was in excess of several thousand dollars. We needed to raise money. There were insurance, permits and park rentals that needed to be covered ahead of time. And then the cost of food for the speakers, tents, porta-potties, a PA system, signs and a special security staff to keep the prowlers at bay.
We needed a formal political action committee to be formed. And so, Onward Wisconsin PAC was born, with a suiting name. And the funds came in generously to cover the lion's share of our needs. The rest was loaned by several organizers in the position to so.
The day of the rally, a team of dedicated comrades did one heck of a bake sale to cover the remaining cost. Yes, that's right, we paid for a major event with an old-fashioned bake sale. Nothing like conservative women and their baked goods to get the job done.
When we first launched the idea, we had a vision of an intimate gathering of 100 people or so. We would need no security or insurance, or things of that nature. There was no overhead in the infantile stages. But, obviously, this notion passed with yesterday's news. The next thing we knew, every conservative on Facebook, invited every conservative they knew. And they invited some, and the invitees did the same, and so on. Not long after, we were nearing 1,000 confirmed attendees. It was growing from the soil of people's hard necessity.
At that point we had to line up an impressive speaker schedule. I’m proud to take credit for Jerrid Madden, the 16-year-old new generation conservative, who left his mark on the entire crowd, liberal protesters included. To see Jerrid's inspiring speech, go to the event page here, http://www.walkerstandswithus.com/video.html.
But what about booking some big-name featured speakers? Two of our core coordinators would own this task single-handed. I was worried with the adverse political climate, and I wondered who would brave the cold to stand outside to speak without getting paid – and for a grassroots group affiliated with no one of official standing.
I was worried if it would be viewed as a potential PR nightmare by the politicians under such public scrutiny at this time. I mean, what if it's disastrous – and just before the open season of recall elections?
Today, I sit here recalling how all of them gambled – and won. As did we as the event organizers. We invited 17 speakers thinking maybe three would brave it. Hindsight proves we were way off. Of the 17 speakers invited, 17 accepted – including former Gov. Tommy Thompson, First Lady Tonette Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. But the star-studded cast of the day goes on and on. Did I mention it was cold outside?
In the days following the rally, I was chocked up every time I got an e-mail about Jerrid, or when I heard him mentioned on the news, or in the papers, and even brought up by a caller on the Vicki Mckenna show. And it's grown from there. I am humbled to have become a face of the movement, if you will, with regular media appearances, like this one, http://fox6now.com/2012/02/03/gov-scott-walker-to-meet-with-milwaukee-co-d-a/, and this one (another grassroots movement with legs), http://fox6now.com/2012/02/05/facebook-group-wants-to-write-in-walkers-name-on-dem-ballot/. Either way, grassroots turns out to be a very unstoppable force in itself. Never underestimate what grows in the soil of need.
In closure, I summarize the grassroots movement with the following statements from several comrades and rally organizers...
"Grassroots means you're able to inspire and impress someone who may be thousands of miles of away (Wyoming)."
"Grassroots is selling bakery to pay for your porta-potties."
"When people get together as a grassroots team, we are family. Everyone working to achieve one main goal. It is not about race, sex, religion, but based on the political beliefs."
"Grassroots is forming lasting friendships with people who you may never have had an opportunity to know otherwise - it's about coming together with a common goal and finding out just how much good and decency is in each and every one of you."
"Grassroots is bringing together a ragtag group of Facebook friends for the common purpose of creating the best event ever, and becoming lifelong friends in the process."
"Bakery that was made from scratch by people who asked for nothing in return."
"Grassroots is a stay at home mom (Meg Duffy) calling State Senators and asking them to hang out in a park in the middle of January- and not stopping until they said yes."
And in a private message, "All gave some, Noelle, Paris and Meg gave all."
How truly humbling. I think I speak for all of my grassroots allies when I say that we hosted the rally without one self-centered motive. This wa about a need. From the soil of our own treasured community the grassroots grow. And grow, and grow. We are silent no more, and I got news for you – I'm proud to say there's not a weed among us (except for Lisa Weed, that is).
So if you were one of the 4,000 patriots that attended the Celebrate Walker Rally – I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you – and your 3,999 comrades. Stay tuned, the grass is lush and lucrative. | <urn:uuid:1c1c6478-07b9-4f8a-9b96-762751d607a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wauwatosa.patch.com/groups/noelle-lorraines-blog/p/bp--what-exactly-is-grassroots-anyway | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971211 | 1,910 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Dr. Lamont Colucci is an associate professor of Politics at Ripon College, recent Fulbright Scholar to the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, and author of The National Security Doctrines of the American Presidency: How they Shape our Present and Future, among other books. You can find out more at lamontcolucci.com.
The nation had to prove it was a nation. It had to prove that it could fight and win. It, like so many nations today, had to receive assistance from a foreign power in order to gain its freedom and independence. That nation seeking assistance would become the United States; the nation offering help following the Battle of Saratoga was France. Twice, American men died to preserve the independence of America's oldest ally and now, through many years of turbulence and trials there is another window of opportunity to test our mettle in support of the French Republic.
France, motivated by the victories of groups such as al Qaeda in the Maghreb, and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, is conducting a rapid military incursion into Mali. This included the immediate use of airstrikes, Special Forces, and paratroopers. France has made a good case that their so-called haste was for a real fear that the capital would fall, and Mali would become "Sahelistan."
The March 2012 coup in Mali overthrowing the government makes the current situation difficult. Therefore, we cannot pretend this is a battle for democracy versus tyranny; it is a battle of civilization versus barbarism; it is a battle of the West versus extremism. Although, the recapture of Timbuktu may be a positive turning point, French President Hollande has promised to keep French forces in Mali "as long as necessary."
France should be applauded. She took the opposite view of the Obama administration in Libya and the continued U.S. ambiguity that has left over 60,000 Syrians dead. France acted before the tragedy became worse. It is therefore no surprise that the Obama administration is shielding itself from full support by criticizing the hastiness of the French operation. One would assume this sentiment is not shared by the civilians being brutalized by the Islamic extremists.
The French have requested a greater U.S. role, but the Obama administration seems comfortable with only logistical support. Thus far, the United States has provided military transport, limited refueling, and nonlethal equipment. The latest news is that the United States is considering a UAV airbase in Niger, primarily for surveillance.
The short-term concern from the American side was over who was going to pay for the American aid. The long-term interest was over France's exit strategy. The Obama administration has touted Libya as the model for an "Obama Doctrine." In fact, the inaction in Libya, and the lack of overt leadership following Qadhafi's downfall led in part to the trouble in Mali with foreign fighters spilling over into the rest of North Africa. The decisive use of American power early could have prevented much of this (and the tragic events in Benghazi).
The situation in Mali from a realist point of view is one where the Islamic extremists could use Mali as a base of operations. From a liberal point of view the atrocities committed by the extremists cannot go unanswered. Western forces, as much as they can stop Islamic extremist atrocities, can also prevent Malian government and African force retaliation. On Tuesday, Toria Nuland of the Department of State said, "What I will say is that the U.S. military is not going to be engaged in combat operations in Mali, and we don't expect U.S. forces to become directly involved on the ground in combat either. So this is a discrete set of missions in support of our French ally in the efforts that they are making to support the people of Mali." The statement is fantastical on many grounds, but in particular the administration's allergy to understanding the global War on Terror. Mali has become a node in the global War on Terror like it or not. Do we seek victory in this conflict or simply accommodation?
The United States needs to give clear and unambiguous support to our French ally. This support can be in transportation, refueling, surveillance, armed drones, air strikes, and if necessary, a larger military presence, that is overt and direct.
The issue that the media has focused on is the actual issue of Mali, important in its own right. However, the issue for American grand strategy is three-fold, and the relationship with France is deep, historical, and cultural and goes well beyond paper treaties.
First, are we serious about victory in the global War on Terror? If so, the intervention in Mali is a necessity. Second, are we serious about protecting civilians from the worst aspects of barbarism? If so, to support the French is not a question. Lastly, is all the talk of alliances and renewed friendships more than talking points? If so, the support of our oldest ally in her just cause is obligatory. Do we seriously expect France to side with the United States in future conflicts if we fail to honor the alliance?
- Read Schererezade Rehman: The Financial Crisis Threatens U.S. National Security
- Read Heather Hurlburt: Public Opinion Is on Chuck Hagel's Side
- Check out U.S. News Weekly, now available on iPad. | <urn:uuid:99edea75-9b06-4074-a1a2-c1a417587365> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/01/29/the-united-states-must-support-france-in-mali?s_cid=rss:world-report:the-united-states-must-support-france-in-mali | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968697 | 1,092 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Each Indiana child is a promise and a hope. Our job as citizens of our great country is to help fulfill their promise to us from us for us.
The call to the Crisis Center came in the midst of a major snowstorm. A little girl, barely out of a single-digit age, had been dropped off at a public building. Traffic crawled as people made their way home before the roads got worse. It was really cold with temperatures dropping toward zero. Our staff person got into a Crisis Center van and maneuvered around stuck autos to retrieve her and bring her to safety.
The little girl had no socks. Her shoes were too big for her small feet. Her coat was held together with safety pins. She hadn't had a bath in quite a while. Her mother had beaten her and told her not to come home. The little girl sat in sadness and bewilderment, waiting for what would happen to her next. She was one of almost 300 children and youths who come to Alternative House on their own through our Safe Place/Safely Home program.
Alternative House is the only place in Northwest Indiana where a young unaccompanied girl or boy can receive shelter and help without being in the child welfare system. Sometimes it is a family argument that has gotten out of hand. Financial or other stresses become overwhelming. Arguments and cold words push people apart who should care about each other. Kids become discards.
Nationally, 1.6 million to 2.8 million kids are pushed out or leave home each year. About 2,000 are kids from Lake and Porter counties. Many are never reported missing. Thanks to caring Lake County law enforcement, kids are transported to safety at Alternative House when discovered by police.
Federal statistics show Indiana has one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the nation. Child poverty soared 22 percent in the last year. Indiana's centralized call center had an increase in child abuse reports, but they investigated a smaller percentage and substantiated an even smaller number. The system is failing too many.
Last year, money to help abused and neglected children was given back to the state's treasury to help the budget during the economic downturn. A total of $320 million has been returned. Reports of abuse and neglect have increased, even though the state is attempting to "work smarter."
The Crisis Center is under tremendous financial pressure to provide services to the kids whose lives at home are so bad they risk leaving on their own. There are no "per diems" for them. And the funding available does not match the need. These kids need help. We need help to give them care.
Gabrielle Gifford, the Arizona congresswoman is recovering from a gunshot to the head, said with hope, "We can change things for the better."
Yes, we can. When we keep the promise to our Indiana children, we keep it for ourselves, too. Someday, their job might be caring for us.
Shirley Caylor is executive director of the Crisis Center. The opinions are the writer's. | <urn:uuid:093606d2-b8c4-44ac-a6be-09fc9c1bf3f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/guest-commentary/editorial-advisory-board-indiana-s-children-are-a-promise/article_24b19950-6a4e-5059-9407-04423ca359be.html?mode=comments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97792 | 622 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘friends and family’
Means of social communication networks began life as a simple and fun with friends and family, but must meet, where they have the ability to make or break business, career and reputation in a few seconds.
Social media for the purpose of life on a daily basis is positive or negative either very easy or very important. A simple example is the Christmas issue last year with Rage Against the Machine, the first with a song that many have enjoyed listening to, but not others. In a high-level singer Zack De La Rocha, who enjoyed a return to glory, while other artists may be time once lost in life “have the opportunity to be on top of the charts at Christmas. All because of the protest against the Facebook factor X. Read the rest of this entry »
If a board of directors is composed of friends and family? The employee is prepared to remove the name of his nonprofit organization, the bees? However, community leaders, to help the situation, the growth of the organization through their financial and business? The answer is yes, all the above, but at different times of growing your business. “
Start: small and comfortable
A new small non-profit is unlikely that the driving force to win the makers of the community, it is more likely to start with a board of people who are part of his immediate staff. The Constitution on the side of it is probably true and support. The disadvantage is that they are loyal to the organization and its mission, but you are. Accordingly, while I am glad to hear you do a great job, may be less happy to leave on weekends and evenings to help develop a realistic budget or charity events.
If a committee which is made by friends and family a place to support staff, it is important to know that one of these cards is unlikely to help your organization more than a “mom and dad “both financially and otherwise. This is because his commitment is to you – not your organization or its mission. And” because, presumably, your friends and family, not the leaders of the community or funding prospects. If due to a small organization with a budget-like you could benefit from the support and friendship, which together brought, and have the card in the camera. If, however, are interested in growth, remember to take the next steps in the development board. Read the rest of this entry » | <urn:uuid:4023ef23-0208-4ae9-b495-abda6953ab29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lalupitaelsalvador.com/tag/friends-and-family/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973166 | 495 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Joseph Dumville (1865-1937):
In the 1871 census, Joseph, aged only 5, was living with his parents in Hunton:
James Dumville, Head, married, 46, Agricultural Labourer, born in Hunton
Margaret, Wife, married, 35, born in Kirby M
Elizabeth, Daughter, unmarried, 11, Scholar, born in Hunton
George, Son, 10, Scholar, born in Hunton
Joseph, Son, 5, born in Hunton
John, Son, 4, born in Hunton
Lucy J, Daughter, 2, born in East Lockport, America
Margaret, Daughter, 4 months, born in Hunton
|Mary and Joseph Dumville|
Mary died in 1920, and in his later years we know that Joseph used to divide his time between his three daughters: four months with Blanche (Mrs Airey) in Hunton, four months with Lily in Kirk Merrington, and four months with Annie (we don't know where Annie lived).
Joseph was the last bearer of the Dumville surname to live in Hunton. In 2002 two ladies still living in the area recalled Joe in letters to Jill Holroyd. The first:
I remember Joe Dumville living in the village when I was at school and a teenager. He was the last here to carry the name. He would die in the late 1930s but his daughter was here till a few years ago... Joe worked on the roads - brush shovel and wheelbarrow - sweeping them before mechanical sweepers came. And on Saturday mornings he swept the pavements in the village and tidied it up.
and the second:
I remember a Joe Dumville at Hunton. His Grandson went to school with my late husband and he would be about 80 years old. I think but I am not sure my Mother telling me that Joe came from County Durham.
In 1937, while staying in Kirk Merrington, Durham, with his daughter Lily, Joseph had a heart attack and died. He and his wife are buried in unmarked graves in Kirk Merrington. He has descendants alive today, still living in different parts of England.
Peter Dumville writes about Joseph's son Henry:
My Grandfather Henry was born in Hunton in 1891 and moved to Kirk Merrington in the early 1900s. In 1922 he moved to Stainforth near Doncaster to work at the newly opened Hatfield Main Colliery. His family had lived in Hunton for a good many years. (Peter Dumville, Thursday 3rd October 2002)
Frank Dumville writes about Joseph's son James (Jim), and others in the family:
I was born at Kirk Merrington in 1938. My father James (1902-1969), was Henry's brother (Peter's grandfather). There were four brothers and three sisters in the family. Their father was Joseph (born 1865), also a molecatcher, who once lived at Hunton and Kirk Merrington. His father was James (1824-1887), who had thirteen children and was also a molecatcher like his father Robert (1762-1857) the famous molecatcher...
I visited Hunton many times with my parents as a schoolboy visiting my aunt Blanche, my father's sister. My memory of Hunton was going out rabbiting with uncle Willie Airey (Blanche's husband). He would get his ferret out of the hutch, pick up the nets and off we would go. He would only catch two rabbits, one for us to take home and one for the ferrets. He also had pigs at the bottom of the garden so with the rabbit we usually took home a large ham. Happy memories. (Frank Dumville, Thursday 13th February 2003) | <urn:uuid:800fd018-20b8-4e5a-a591-2bb9f10de20e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dumville.org/jd1865_bio.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985563 | 779 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Chelan County PUD
With more than 20 years of participation, Chelan County PUD was honored this week for its support of the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival held at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery each fall.
Representatives of the U.S. Forest Service visited the PUD Board meeting Monday and presented an award to Commission President Norm Gutzwiler on behalf of the Pacific Northwest Region Watershed and Aquatics Program. The plaque recognized the PUD for “sustained leadership in developing, implementing, and maintaining the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival” and for “significantly contributing to public awareness of at-risk fish populations in the Pacific NW Region.”
Gutzwiler thanked Jeff Rivera of the Forest Service and then asked him to hand the award to Debbie Gallaher, the PUD’s representative on the Salmon Festival planning committee. “It’s people like Debbie and her staff that do the work,” said Gutzwiler.
The Wenatchee River Salmon Festival is a four-day natural resource education event held each fall to celebrate the return of the salmon to the Wenatchee River. Volunteers from Chelan PUD set up and operate an area at the festival where children and adults make artistic prints using synthetic fish that are painted with bright colors and then pressed onto paper. The Japanese art form is known is gyotaku. As people paint the fish and make their prints, volunteers talk about fish anatomy, the varieties of fish in local rivers and lakes and answer any questions.
PUD volunteers also serve as guest hosts for a large aquarium at the festival that is filled with varieties of fish from the region. The volunteers provide information about the fish and answer questions. The opportunity to talk about fish and natural resources gives PUD staff the chance to explain how collaboration with resource agencies helps lead to efforts such as the PUD’s Habitat Conservation Plans which protect endangered fish and allow continued operation of the PUD’s hydropower resources to provide low-cost power to residents of the region.
Gallaher, Visitor Services manager at the Rocky Reach Visitor Center, leads the PUD participation each year for the Salmon Festival. She told commissioners Monday that staff looks forward to the festival every year and invited them to save the dates of Sept. 20-23 for this year’s event.
In other business:
Commissioners recessed their meeting and reconvened at 5:30 p.m. at 560 Valley Mall Parkway in East Wenatchee for the quarterly meeting of Mid-Columbia PUD managers and commissioners from Chelan, Grant and Douglas PUDs. Commissioners set a special meeting of the Board for 9 a.m. on Aug. 21 at the North Central Regional Library, 16 N. Columbia, Wenatchee, for the purpose of holding a Board retreat. The next regular commission meeting is at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 6, in the PUD boardroom at 327 N. Wenatchee Ave.
Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD’s home page at www.chelanpud.org.
509-661-4639, direct line | <urn:uuid:418d032f-8a71-4870-804e-2c4ab26c6ec1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chelanpud.org/10680.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924859 | 673 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Excellence in technology
In 2011, Rolls-Royce invested £908 million in gross research and development, of which £520 million was funded from Group resources. Globally, 475 new patent applications were approved for filing – a record number for the Group.
Major technology programmes
Gross research and development
Research and technology
The Group’s 12,400 engineers are an increasingly integrated global resource, whose activities include research and technology, product development and in-service support.
Our successful model of collaboration, through a network of 28 University Technology Centres and seven advanced manufacturing research centres, provides access to world-class research.
With the opening of three advanced manufacturing research centres in the UK during 2011, a total of five are now operational. The next two are due to be opened in the US in 2012 and Singapore in 2013. These centres bring companies, industrial sectors and universities around the world together, in a common endeavour to develop step-change improvements across a portfolio of manufacturing technologies.
In addition, the Advanced Simulation Research Centre was opened in Bristol, UK, in March 2011 and is now enabling Rolls-Royce and member organisations to access the latest simulation technologies for product development, reducing the need for costly physical testing and improving product design efficiency.
The year was notable for the successful entry into service of our latest large engine, the Trent 1000, as launch engine for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Trent 1000 completed 670 flights in service with launch customer ANA by the year end.
Flight testing of the BR725-powered Gulfstream G650 recovered from the tragic loss of a test aircraft in April to achieve Provisional Type Certification from the Federal Aviation Authority in November 2011.
The Trent XWB development programme continued successfully, with several key functional, maturity and certification tests completed at sites in four countries. The engine is the only option for the Airbus A350 airliner family. The Trent XWB promises to be the most efficient, large aero gas turbine ever produced.
Our ongoing work to improve the environmental performance of our products continued with key technology demonstrators. The Environmentally Friendly Engine (EFE) completed successful testing of an advanced ‘lean burn’ combustor. Meanwhile, the latest E3E medium-size, two-shaft demonstrator core completed testing at the University of Stuttgart’s altitude facility during the year.
Our engineers in Indianapolis are working on key enabling technologies for the US Air Force ADVENT contract. This work focuses on developing and demonstrating variable cycle engine technologies aimed at incorporation in future generation US military aircraft. The team completed designs and procured test hardware in preparation for a core engine test which will take place in 2012 and a full demonstrator engine test in 2013.
In addition, during the year we won contracts for the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Integrated Vehicle Energy Technology (INVENT) and Integrated Power and Thermal Management System Development (IPTMSD) programmes. These both focus on development of electrical and thermal management architectures to support the next generation of military aircraft.
Engineers in our submarines business are engaged in detailed design of the PWR3 reactor plant, which, in May 2011, was selected for the next generation of Royal Navy submarines. This project now represents the second largest technology programme in Rolls-Royce after the Trent XWB. Rolls-Royce has been designing and supplying nuclear reactors for the Royal Navy for over 50 years, with the PWR2 model currently the latest version in service. At the Nor-Shipping Exhibition in Oslo, our Environship concept, the NVC 405 Environship, won the ‘Next Generation Ship’ award, and we launched a new ‘concept bridge’ for marine vessels.
In other marine programmes, we completed our first production Permanent Magnet Tunnel Thruster, and the Rolls-Royce operated NATO Submarine Rescue Service achieved full operational capability. A prototype carbon fibre azimuthing thruster exceeded performance and noise expectations during sea trials. Azimuthing thrusters rotate 360 degrees allowing them to perform both the propulsion and steering duties for a vessel.
In civil nuclear, EDF selected Rolls-Royce to modernise the safety-critical I&C systems of 20 French nuclear power plants. This contract, combined with a 25-year services agreement, means we are committed to support our SPINLINE™ technology with EDF until 2048.
Rolls-Royce has developed a reputation for engineering excellence and has been at the forefront of innovation for over 100 years. We continue to push technological barriers, create intellectual property on behalf of our stakeholders and develop advanced power products across each of our chosen markets. | <urn:uuid:cdb4ea81-dc0d-459c-a6d6-18316b20f857> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rolls-royce.com/reports/2011/business/rev-engineering.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927998 | 950 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Complete loan documents & requirements
Every time a student or parent accepts a student loan, they are required to meet specific legal requirements. This page guides you to the forms or actions that are required of you to receive the loan that was offered on your eFAAN.
The best place for a current student to go to complete your loan process is Financial Aid Status, your personalized guide to the Financial Aid process at the University of Minnesota.
Teaches you how to monitor your student loan debt and make wise borrowing choices.
Student Loan Promissory Notes
Federal Direct Loan prom notes are completed on the Federal Direct Loan web site. They need only be signed once if you accept a loan once every 12 months while you are a student.
Parent PLUS Loan Requirements
Parent loans require that both parents and students complete specific requirements.
Truth in Lending Act discosure documents
If you have a loan that requires these documents
(Private loans, SELF, Perkins, University Trust Fund Loan (UTFL), Nursing student loan, etc.) you will find links in Financial Aid Status. | <urn:uuid:2aa11fa7-77c1-414b-acc0-d9065a9f4852> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.onestop.umn.edu/finances/financial_aid/loans/complete_loan_requirements/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942546 | 218 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Front Page Titles (by Subject) 3. Indestructibility. - Money and the Mechanism of Exchange
The Online Library of Liberty
A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
3. Indestructibility. - William Stanley Jevons, Money and the Mechanism of Exchange
Money and the Mechanism of Exchange (New York: D. Appleton and Co. 1876).
About Liberty Fund:
Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals.
The text is in the public domain.
Fair use statement:
This material is put online to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. Unless otherwise stated in the Copyright Information section above, this material may be used freely for educational and academic purposes. It may not be used in any way for profit.
If it is to be passed about in trade, and kept in reserve, money must not be subject to easy deterioration or loss. It must not evaporate like alcohol, nor putrefy like animal substances, nor decay like wood, nor rust like iron. Destructible articles, such as eggs, dried codfish, cattle, or oil, have certainly been used as currency; but what is treated as money one day must soon afterwards be eaten up. Thus a large stock of such perishable commodities cannot be kept on hand, and their value must be very variable. The several kinds of corn are less subject to this objection, since, when well dried at first, they suffer no appreciable deterioration for several years. | <urn:uuid:bd5b8923-957a-4f47-aef2-986dffada0b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=318&chapter=9899&layout=html&Itemid=27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905129 | 328 | 2.5 | 2 |
Zywicki in Newsweek: Financial Product Safety Commission Not a Good Idea
Proposals to form a Financial Product Safety Commission modeled upon the Consumer Product Safety Commission are an inappropriate attempt to prevent the introduction of poorly designed financial products to the marketplace, according to Professor Todd Zywicki.
"A credit card is not an exploding toaster," says Zywicki, pointing out that unlike faulty consumer products, complicated loans are actually suitable for some borrowers.
Zywicki's comments are part of a Newsweek article about Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren, a bankruptcy scholar who was appointed to head the Congressional Oversight Panel as it critiques the government's bailout of the banking industry and attempts to provide reform to the nation's financial system.
The Debt Crusader, Newsweek, April 20, 2009. By Daniel McGinn.
"Warren's big idea is to create a Financial Product Safety Commission modeled after the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which ensures the safety of small appliances and toys; such an agency would have kept the poorly designed mortgages that caused the credit crisis off the market entirely. 'This crisis started with the cheating of American families, and [solving it] has to begin there, too,' she says. It's just one of the ideas she's promoting in her new role. Each month, her committee's reports create controversy. For February's missive, the panel hired an outside investment firm whose analysis concluded that the Treasury Department had overpaid by one third for the ownership stakes it took in big banks last fall. In a report released last week, the panel explored how, in previous financial crises, liquidating insolvent banks and sacking their managers led to a quicker, cleaner resolution of the mess.
"Some of her ideas have sharp critics. 'A credit card is not an exploding toaster,' says Todd Zywicki, a law professor at George Mason University, because unlike faulty consumer products, complicated loans are actually suitable for some borrowers. Zywicki says Warren's views are extreme because she views every lender as exploitative and every borrower as a hapless victim. Financial-industry lobbyists are even more critical, slamming her for shoddy scholarship and radical ideas (though they decline to do so publicly). Critics also question just how much influence her committee will have. 'It has no authority, it doesn't have any enforcement power, it [only] makes suggestions--it's a pulpit at best,' says one lobbyist." | <urn:uuid:b5b78713-73f4-47c8-815d-680509e21f06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.gmu.edu/news/2009/zywicki_fpsc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962649 | 492 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Skip to Main Content
Recently graph theory and complex networks have been widely used as a mean to model functionality of the brain. Among different neuroimaging techniques available for constructing the brain functional networks, electroencephalography (EEG) with its high temporal resolution is a useful instrument of the analysis of functional interdependencies between different brain regions. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, which leads to substantial cognitive decline, and eventually, dementia in aged people. To achieve a deeper insight into the behavior of functional cerebral networks in AD, here we study their synchronizability in 17 newly diagnosed AD patients compared to 17 healthy control subjects at no-task, eyes-closed condition. The cross-correlation of artifact-free EEGs was used to construct brain functional networks. The extracted networks were then tested for their synchronization properties by calculating the eigenratio of the Laplacian matrix of the connection graph, i.e., the largest eigenvalue divided by the second smallest one. In AD patients, we found an increase in the eigenratio, i.e., a decrease in the synchronizability of brain networks across delta, alpha, beta, and gamma EEG frequencies within the wide range of network costs. The finding indicates the destruction of functional brain networks in early AD.
Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, IEEE Transactions on (Volume:20 , Issue: 5 )
Date of Publication: Sept. 2012 | <urn:uuid:a85f2b52-8bdb-4fbf-988c-1284184d7c71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=6214616&contentType=Journals+%26+Magazines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912639 | 296 | 2.296875 | 2 |
USAgain Bins Cropping Up In Fargo Moorhead
USAgain is a company that collects unwanted clothes, shoes, linens, towels and much more, and then resells them in the US and abroad. They have diverted millions of pounds of clothing from landfills, which in turn has generated new revenue streams for US businesses and non-profits. I was surprised to read that only 15% of clothes and shoes are recycled, meaning that 85% of these materials are sent to landfills. If your deterrent was due to convenience, hopefully these handy bins are going to change those numbers dramatically!
I’m sure you have seen one of these bins in the Fargo Moorhead area. There are currently 11 bins placed in the Fargo, Moorhead and Dilworth area, making it very convenient to drop items off at!
In Fargo and Dilworth, the Petro Serve stations have a bin and in Moorhead, the K-Mart store on Highway 10 has one as well. Check here to find other locations, by entering your zip code in the “Find A Drop Box” square.
There are a few things that I really like about this option, versus the local thrift stores, which I still have plenty of items for. First off, convenience. The bins are strategically placed around town and on any given day, I’m driving by at least a couple of them on my daily communte. Tossing bagged items in my front seat and having them “in sight”, helps me remember to drop things off. Secondly, I like that all I have to do is bag the items in a plastic bag and pull up and drop it off. Lastly, I LOVE the recycling piece of it and knowing that even if my ”wares” aren’t in good enough shape to be reused (ie: old towels) that they will be recycled in to other things, such as mixed rags, insulation material or furniture padding.
The next time you are heading to a garbage can with some old clothes or shoes, toss them in to a plastic bag instead and head to one of the USAgain bins!
For more information, check out their webpage . | <urn:uuid:6e66cdf1-a5d7-437f-b0c4-6752b3a93e85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.directoryoffargomoorhead.com/blog/usagain-bins-cropping-up-in-fargo-moorhead/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963489 | 452 | 1.546875 | 2 |
News release Oct. 25 from the Gay European Tourism Association:
A report out today shows that gay Europeans spend up to $65 billion (€50 billion or £41 billion) each year on tourism, roughly the same as the USA although Europe’s population is nearly three times as large. The study comes as the Gay European Tourism Association (GETA) launches Gay Welcome, its new website to help people find gay and gay-friendly hotels, events and destinations throughout Europe.
GETA’s report, Gay Tourism Matters, estimates for the first time the number of people who live open gay lifestyles in western, central and eastern Europe at nearly 26 million, or 2.6% of the total population. This figure ranges from 5% in Western European countries down to just 0.25% in Turkey and the former Soviet states in Eastern Europe.
Drawing on existing research into the tourism spending of gay people from outside Europe, including the USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan and Australia, the report estimates that there is an additional market of $112 billion (€86 billion or £70 billion), much of which is spent in Europe. Community Marketing, the San Francisco based market research agency, reported in its 2011-2012 Annual Gay and Lesbian Tourism Report that London and Paris are the third and fourth favourite destinations for gay Americans, after New York and San Francisco.
Although 'out' gay people only represent 2.6% of the European population, the $62 billion spend represents 8% of the $823 billion (€632 billion) that the European Union estimates is spent on tourism in Europe each year.
“Gay people are a great market for the tourism industry” said Carlos Kytka, Executive Director of GETA. “Because we tend not to have children we have more disposable income and free time. We have a higher propensity to travel, particularly in quieter periods outside school holidays.”
Many destinations and hotels are actively promoting themselves to the gay market. European cities including London, Berlin, Stockholm and Cannes already market themselves as gay destinations understanding the value of gay spending power.
Christina Guggenberger of the Stockholm Visitors Board says that “Stockholm clearly understands the importance of targeting the gay market. Diversity, openness and respect are core values for any welcoming destination. Stockholm profits from being a popular destination for the LGBT travelers and it also supports our position as a world class destination.”
Increasing numbers of hotels are appealing to gay tourists. GETA’s GayWelcome.com website lists over 3,500 hotels and guesthouses throughout Europe that welcome gay guests. Travellers can rate their experience and recommend local attractions. The site also provides guides to gay destinations and major event listings throughout Europe.
“You don’t have to paint your hotel pink to appeal to gay guests” said Carlos Kytka. “You just need to make us feel welcome. Gay people who are questioned about sharing a double bed or excluded from honeymoon and valentine offers are not going to come back.”
GETA is rolling out programmes to help its members understand how to welcome and promote themselves to gay guests. “As societies become more open to gay men and women, businesses cannot afford to ignore this important market segment” said Kytka. “We want to improve the travel experience in Europe for gay people and help gay-friendly companies to prosper and grow.”
The Gay Tourism Matters is available for free on www.geta-europe.org and the Gay Welcome website is www.gaywelcome.com. | <urn:uuid:9ee03cf8-fc36-48c8-bfdb-1a8d695457cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2012/10/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933516 | 738 | 1.648438 | 2 |
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Where the Lab is Headed
Jefferson Lab is headed toward new scientific questions - the ones being turned up in the dynamic research process now going on. Answering them will require even better particle-detection and data-acquisition technology. This second generation of CEBAF science will also require upgrading the accelerator to 12 GeV, double the present energy.
Increasing the energy means improving the accelerating cavities and building the upgraded cryomodules that will contain them - ten cryomodules to be added to the accelerator outright, and, depending on performance, up to six more to replace some of the present ones. The new seven-cell cavities in the upgraded cryomodules will have higher gradient, boosting the beam's energy faster within a given length. They will also operate with a better Q, or quality factor, reducing power consumption and cost.
Together with constructing a fourth experimental hall, Hall D, the upgrade also requires increasing the fields in the magnets that transport the beam, adding a tenth beam-recirculation arc between the two linacs (linear accelerators), and doubling the capacity of the central helium refrigeration plant. (The accelerating cavities can operate superconductively because they are immersed in liquid helium at 2 degrees Kelvin, some 456 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.)
When CEBAF was originally planned for 4 GeV, its designers, mindful of the future, made sure to accommodate
the possibility of future upgrades. That same principle will apply in 12 GeV preparations. In the still
longer term, the energy might well be doubled yet again, to 24 GeV - for a third generation of Jefferson Lab science. | <urn:uuid:51bc4c13-61ec-4993-b4e1-9cfbae035e63> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jlab.org/media_relations/InstPlan/brochure99/headed.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909433 | 352 | 2.515625 | 3 |
The father of Traylor's baby tested negative for HIV and she was able to give birth to a healthy daughter. Traylor believes she contracted the disease from an ex-boyfriend who has not been tested.
Over the past two years, Traylor has come to a place of acceptance, and she takes personal responsibility for taking a chance with her health by having unprotected sex. But in hindsight, she realizes that even though she knew about HIV, she didn't fully understand her risk of contracting it.
"At home we didn't talk about HIV because it just didn't exist in my world," she said. "I was aware it was out there, but I didn't know what it looked like."
HIV doesn't have a face, and someone who is infected doesn't necessarily exhibit any physical signs.
"You think that you would see signs that a person is sick," she said, but since that isn't always the case, teens and young adults can feel a false sense of security. They may think, regarding their partner, "we talk all the time, I trust them, so I don't need to go get tested," she said.
Traylor wasn't always open with her status, but now she dedicates much of her time and energy to raising HIV awareness because she considers the often imperceptible nature of the disease a factor in its continued transmission.
Love, sex and stigma
Jon Diggs, a prevention specialist and counselor for The Evolution Project, an Atlanta-based center that offers HIV and STD prevention, treatment, and counseling, calls teens' underestimation of risk part of the "invisible syndrome."
Diggs works primarily with black gay, bisexual and transgendered men, a community that is disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. In 2010, the CDC estimated that 72% of new HIV infections in young people were transmitted through same-sex, male sexual activity. Fifty-seven percent of estimated new infections in this age group were in African-Americans.
Michael Kaplan, president and CEO of AIDS United, which supports more than 400 grassroots organizations annually, said that as a young gay man he found it difficult to talk to his doctor about HIV testing. | <urn:uuid:5aa4277e-6c7d-44bf-a616-be0e06ce5ab8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wpbf.com/news/health/Why-youths-aren-t-getting-tested-for-HIV/-/8788734/18576668/-/item/1/-/g2mr94/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989471 | 447 | 2.53125 | 3 |
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Review: Teaching How to Learn in a What-to-Learn Culture
Kathleen Hopkins has written a book so satisfying to the mind of this educational therapist that I find myself quoting it to every colleague I encounter. Shedding the old taboos against teachers disclosing their life stories, Hopkins shares with exquisite prose her personal obstacles and influences that molded the remarkable educator she has become. Weaving together theory, life lessons, and practice, she provides ways of thinking that “embolden both the teacher and the learner to think differently.” She brings the reader the very notions that have been fundamentals in my own practice for years— “the joy of really teaching students, not just content”; such ideas as “searching for each learner’s individual gifts,” reaching for their “skylights” that transcend all that they have been taught; learning from real life situations, beyond memorization into dynamic discovery of ideas; modeling a love of learning for it’s own sake. These are indeed the blueprints for real learning to take place.
Anyone, in any field, who has ever tried to teach anything to others can benefit by the perspective of this profound book--so revolutionary in the power of its wisdom and the readability of its text.
Dorothy Ungerleider, MA, BCET Founding President, Association of Educational Therapists
Changing the Lives of Children with Learning Difficulties.
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Learn about the training and the NILD Educational Therapist certification programs we offer. Find out how you can acquire the rewarding skills to make a difference in the lives of children with learning challenges.
Discover the programs we offer that can help your child become a successful, lifelong learner.
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Please consider making a donation by giving online or calling the NILD headquarters office-Phone (757) 423-8646 or Toll Free: (877) 661-6453. | <urn:uuid:5ecd1e64-06fa-4302-946c-3927a2750e33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nild.net/index.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933599 | 774 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Ukraine has asked for international help in closing down its nuclear reactors at Chernobyl. After the fire in the No 2 reactor last month, the Ukrainian parliament last week voted to close down the station by 1993. It has called on the UN to set up a special programme to decommission the plant.
Yurii Shcherbak, the Ukrainian environment minister, proposed putting the job of decommissioning the No 2 re actor out to international tender. Shcherbak also suggested that bids from abroad should be invited to make safe the No 4 reactor that blew up in April 1986. The concrete 'sarcophagus' that entombs the stricken reactor is already beginning to deteriorate.
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content. | <urn:uuid:68982a37-4a58-4ebf-b0a9-93b4100dd485> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13217942.300-chernobyl-to-close.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933314 | 166 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Just a few weeks after the Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona outlawed altar girls, a new policy has been announced going back on yet another aspect of the Second Vatican Council; namely, the distribution of the Eucharist under both species. The Diocese of Phoenix has announced that reception of the Eucharist under both species of bread and wine will now be the exception rather than the rule.
This new policy will certainly generate a lot of discussion between liturgists and canonists. If you look closely at the situation, I think you will find that much more is involved than appears on the surface.
The Second Vatican Council opened up the Church to all of the faithful in a way that was unimaginable in the 19th century. All of the baptized, both male and female, were given new importance and responsibilities in the life of the Church. Regretfully, many Church leaders in the last 20 years have exerted a tremendous amount of influence to undo major aspects of the Council. Unfortunately, they are succeeding. As I have said many times, whereas the Council was a meeting of 2,500 years, operating under the glare of mass media, the present rollback is being executed by a handful of clerics operating behind closed doors.
They will not be able to completely undo the Council but they are certainly limiting its scope and effectiveness. | <urn:uuid:8d112525-6fa7-4b31-b4ae-617c82356760> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bishopjohnmccarthy.com/tag/species/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981613 | 267 | 1.6875 | 2 |
|1.||Heavy metal voodoo|
A type of music and at the same time a kind of religion. It is voodoo expressed in heavy metal music and also heavy metal music given meaning by voodoo. At a concert the bamd performs voodoo ceremonies on stage and the mosic has voodoo themes. It give a deeper meaning to the lives of it's fans.
Are you into heavy metal voodoo? | <urn:uuid:43119620-61c6-4164-a5d8-f5b089a269d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Heavy%20metal%20voodoo&defid=4522886 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918838 | 87 | 1.710938 | 2 |
New York Times
April 12, 2005
New York is poised to make history today, becoming the first state to effectively do away with the death penalty since capital punishment returned to the criminal justice system in the mid-1970s.
The reasons for this shift in attitude are myriad. A spate of revelations of wrongful convictions, including the exoneration of 13 death row inmates in Illinois, has focused on the impossibility of drafting a law so airtight that it would never catch an innocent person in its clutches. Growing majorities of New Yorkers have told pollsters that they prefer life without parole as the maximum sentence for those convicted of the most heinous crimes.
I was always opposed to the death penalty, but it unexpectedly became intensely personal for me in 1995 when my wife, Linda, first suspected that the man known as the Unabomber could be my brother, Ted. I knew Ted was mentally ill, but I never saw him as violent. Yet when newspapers across the country published his manifesto, it was clear to us that Ted was most likely the Unabomber.
I was faced with a dilemma that even in retrospect seems overwhelming. If I turned my brother in, I knew there was the possibility he would face execution. If I did nothing, I knew there was a likelihood that another innocent person would die as a result of his actions.
The only promise I received from the federal agents I worked with to capture my brother in his Montana cabin was that they would keep our family's involvement secret, a promise that was not kept.
But even as we successfully fought to keep Ted from getting the death penalty, I learned of many other cases of families who couldn't keep loved ones off death row, loved ones who committed murders but also suffered from mental illness and didn't have access to the lawyers and attention that Ted's case drew.
Those cases included Californian Bill Babbitt, whose brother, Manny, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who wrestled with demons similar to my brother's, was convicted of killing an elderly woman in Sacramento. Bill, who has become my close friend, had to undergo the trauma of watching his brother executed at San Quentin prison.
Here in New York, the death penalty was reinstated in 1995 in a law that was meant to meet the U.S. Supreme Court's requirement that states create statutes that it would not be "cruel and unusual." At that time, Gov. George Pataki took office after unseating Mario Cuomo in a campaign in large part aimed at Cuomo's annual veto of pro-death penalty legislation. Pataki and the legislature quickly enacted the new death penalty law.
Then last June, the state's highest court declared a portion of that law unconstitutional. The state Senate quickly passed a fix proposed by Pataki. However, the Assembly, where 75 of the 150 members were not present in 1995, launched hearings, and it is expected that a committee will vote today against the proposed fix — leaving New York without a death penalty.
Many of the same legislators who wanted the death penalty in the past are likely to vote against it now. It is a measure of how much has changed in the intervening years that few of them appear to fear retribution from voters.
The hearings were remarkable for the passion and clarity of the arguments. In addition to anti-death penalty activists and religious leaders, witnesses included exonerated death row inmates, murder victims' families and district attorneys — even some who personally favor a death penalty but called it unworkable and too expensive.
Particularly compelling was the revelation that, in the last 10 years, New York state has spent an estimated $200 million on capital-crime prosecutions — on a special defenders' office, prosecutors' training, the building and staffing of a death row and other costs. Only seven death sentences were handed down; no one has been executed.
New York is not alone in having second thoughts on the death penalty. As monitored by Equal Justice USA — an advocacy group aligned with the anti-death penalty Quixote Center — New Mexico, Connecticut, Illinois and Kansas are all reexamining their death penalty laws. In California, the state Senate has stepped up to establish a commission that, once funded, will begin the process there.
What is significant is that as in New York, the debate over the unfairness, unworkability and high cost of the death penalty is taking place with little evidence that politicians fear retribution from their constituents.
We in New York have learned that we can live without the death penalty. We hope that the rest of the country learns what we have learned. | <urn:uuid:c7b1a12f-26e4-4d1c-9355-1a418d1500fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christusrex.org/www1/news/lat-4-13-05b.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982756 | 930 | 1.75 | 2 |
BY TRACEY O'SHAUGHNESSY | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Wax trickles and congeals. It is gummy and malleable, by turns resilient and pliant.
In the astonishing works of Martin Kline, wax is the primordial sap that courses through the canvas, blossoming into petal-like lesions that ring and spurt like fungi. Just what these rubbery tags that pebble Kline's breathtaking encaustic paintings represent is unclear. They could be the mossy underpinnings of the earth, the elemental sludge that gelled to create Earth, or thought itself, which bursts from the neuronal swamp into cognition and resolve.
"Martin Kline: Romantic Nature," at the New Britain Museum of American Art, is Kline's first major retrospective, which in itself is surprising. Klein is too good an artist to have been overlooked that long, and the New Britain museum doesn't have a robust history of exhibits for contemporary artists. Its last such exhibit, of Cleve Gray, was mounted only after the artist's death.
Klein, whose textured, three-ings are deeply organic, seems an icon for this shape-shifting age. He paints with encaustic, or pigmented wax, applying the molten material into colonies of brushstrokes that seem to swirl, dribble and coagulate.
The works have the molded robustness of sculpture with the elastic delicacy of plastic. The result is an explosive, mannered work, where fluorescent tongues of wax collect and disperse like barnacles.
Take a quintessential Kline work like "Cosmos," 2000, which appears at a distance like a radiant, daffodil-yellow sun. Draw closer and it's clear that the sun's center is three-dimensional, extending outward in successive orbits of rocky nuggets. The nuggets look like worn-down gravestones or misshapen teeth, and as the rings broaden, the distance between them lengthens until they become smaller and particle-like. At the edge of the orb is merely a feathery radiance that seems to expel pieces of itself like shavings from a lathe.
It's this sort of confused elegance that makes Kline's work so symphonic. Once a viewer gets beyond the colors — often neon or psychedelic — and the spongy texture of his work, the harmony and rhythm of the work intoxicates.
"On one hand," writes Marshall N. Price in the exhibit catalog, "Kline's forms breathe, grow, multiply, and reproduce; they seem to be alive and are generative, constantly moving. On the other, they are calm and contemplative, evoking a frozen moment in the life of a growing organism."
In other words, the works have all the frenzy of modern life, with the bewitching tranquility that tantalizes from the margins. Kline's work incarnates that pleasantly familiar oxymoron. Life could be so breathtaking, if only we stopped to take a breath.
Look, for instance, at "Great Silver Falls," which opens the exhibit. Thick skeins of tinsel-like encaustic dribble down a huge, aluminum gray background. The fluidity of the work — its willow-tree-like cascades of drapery — is such that the hiss of the falls is almost audible.
It is easy to get lost in the kernels of stalagmite-like phosphorescence of "Phenomenon," the pinwheel-twists of "Randazzo," or leafy knoll of "Secret Garden." Everything seems in flux on Kline's canvases, bubbling like the lurid green glyphs of "In The Lab" or the gnarly rosette of "Read Red."
Kline's paintings, writes Barbara Rose, "do not represent nature or anatomy, but their imagery evokes different forms found in nature: canals, streams, rivulets in the landscape; roots; tube, sap systems in plants and trees; circulatory organs inside the human body."
Klein's work conjures a phantasmagoria of ideas and associations, in part because of his deeply rooted artistic sensibilities. Many of his works, like "Secret Garden" allude to literary or artistic sources. So "Secret Garden" is a maze-like square centered in whiplash-like branches of lime green that swell around it like a thicket.
His monumental "Great Expectations," an enormous, dripping fountain of ivory white, suggests the sagging candelabra or decaying bridal veil of Miss Havisham's mansion. It spills over in globs of bleeding white goo that slither down the vertical canvas like tears.
Kline has often said that his artistic training never got much beyond the 19th century, which explains his frequent homages to artists from Thomas Eakins to Jasper Johns.
His "Dream of Pollock (for Kirk Varnedoe)," presents a familiar Jackson Pollock motif, a horizontal arabesque with that artist's signature whiplash blacks, whites and silvers. But the center of the work is pure Kline, with his pine cone-like wings spreading outward.
Perhaps the exhibit's greatest treasure is its seasons series, in which Kline creates resplendent grids that alludes to the colors of each season. Each inch-by-inch tile of the grid could work on its own as an abstract art of tangerine, merlot and cobalt glyphs.
Together, the works create a riot of autumnal oranges, bleak grays, ebullient blues and fertile greens. These are magical works of texture and color, the kind of works that viewers will have to restrain themselves from touching. | <urn:uuid:f724834b-15c4-4e5a-9e3a-8271672e77bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2012/04/23/entertainment/arts/631501.prt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948376 | 1,196 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Vaginal mesh helpline is here to help you understand your vaginal mesh and locate a vaginal mesh lawyer and vaginal mesh doctor
Speak to a female social worker at the vagina Mesh helpline. Helping "women of the Mesh" and reviewing all dangerous drugs and medical devices that harm women like Yaz, Yasmin, Mirena IUD, and all Vaginal mesh, Bladder sling and Prolapse implant devices'What is Vaginal Mesh?
by arthur on March 19, 2012
Vaginal mesh is a medical device made from biological, synthetic (absorbable and non-absorbable), and composite mVaginal Mesh 300×250 2 What is Vaginal Mesh?aterials. Also called a vaginal hammock, vaginal sling or bladder sling, it is placed in the vagina to strengthen the walls and keep pelvic and reproductive organs in their proper positions. Vaginal meshes have been used by physicians since the 1950’s. They were originally designed to treat abdominal hernias and have been modified to also treat Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). Vaginal mesh surgery became a popular procedure in the 1990’s.
Women may get POP or SUI after childbirth, through hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), or because of aging and menopause. According to the American Urogynecologic Society Foundation (AUGS), about 50 percent of women between 50 to 79 years old suffer from POP, while some 15 million experience SUI. POP starts when the pelvic muscles are stretched and weakened. Without support from the pelvic muscles, a woman’s reproductive or pelvic organs such as the bladder, urethra, uterus, rectum, or even intestine; have the tendency to move downward and bulge into the vagina. Sometimes, more than one organ moves down from its position.
SUI may also be caused by drinking too many fluids, especially those high in caffeine and/or alcohol content. SUI can also be acquired through the intake of various types of medication, or even due to constipation, pregnancy, or UTI. Changes in lifestyle like diet modification and doing Kegel exercises can treat SUI. However, in cases where it is already affecting one’s daily routine and activities, undergoing a surgical procedure may be necessary.
To treat POP and severe cases of SUI, the vaginal mesh is implanted through the vagina to reinforce the pelvic muscles, anchor the vagina walls, and support the organs. During the surgery, incisions are made in the vagina. The tissues supporting the vagina are then strengthened with stitches. The mesh is then placed under the skin of the vagina. The surgeon may use a generic vaginal mesh, or a pre-cut version that matches the defects that need to be corrected. Either way, the holes of the mesh will allow tissues to grow naturally onto its surface.
Vaginal mesh was introduced to eliminate the need to perform hysterectomy to treat POP. Results of undergoing surgery to get a vaginal mesh were successful for most patients. However, there are also cases when complications occur, including infections, bleeding, pelvic pain, and mesh erosion.
After receiving hundreds of reports from patients who experience complications after their surgery, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about the risks associated with the use of vaginal mesh. Some vaginal mesh recipients have filed lawsuits against several vaginal mesh manufacturers. In addition, the FDA found that vaginal meshes placed through the vagina instead of through an incision in the abdomen result in more problems to patients after surgery. The FDA has advised the public to be aware of the risks of said procedure. Women are also encouraged to ask their doctors or surgeons for alternative treatments to POP and SUI
Tags: American Medical Systems or AMS, Bard Avaulta vaginal mesh, Bard mesh lawyer, bladder mesh lawyer, bladder sling lawyer, boston scientific vaginal mesh lawyer, Ethicon mesh, Gynacare mesh, Johnson and Johnson mesh, prolapse mesh lawyer, Prolapse surgery, tvt sling, TVT sling lawyer, vaginal mesh, vaginal mesh doctor, vaginal mesh help, vaginal mesh lawyer, Vaginal mesh Urogynecologist | <urn:uuid:10aa99a8-67f1-46e0-9b19-94db7868fbff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://vaginalmeshhelpline.com/what-is-a-vaginal-mesh-get-help-with-doctors-and-vaginal-mesh-lawyers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942557 | 867 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The 5 Biggest Mistakes Almost All Web Designers Make
By Jason Mangrum, CEO - ImmWebDesign.com
Huge Mistake #1: Creating a Website with Flash -- Did you know in a recent study, top internet marketers discovered that having a website created with Flash, actually decreased the response from prospects and customers by as much as 370 percent?
Here's why: Your prospects and customers are most likely visiting your website using all types of different computers, connection speeds and internet configuration settings...
What may look great to one visitor may not even appear for another! You could very easily have shelled out hundreds or even thousands of dollars to have a website created using the Flash technology, only to find out that some of your visitors will never see it! (Not to mention the loading times can cause your visitor to close your site, never to return again.)
Huge Mistake #2: The "Internet Catalog" Approach -- You see this everywhere. Good, honest and hardworking businessmen and women get online to sell their products or services, and have a site created for them that contains a link to just about everything they offer on one page. Their thinking goes along the lines of, "...well, I don't want to leave anyone out. If they come to my site, I want to make sure I have what they're looking for..." -- This way of thinking could not be further from the truth.
Here's why: There's an ancient rule that goes back to the very beginning of direct-marketing on the internet, taught by the richest, most legendary and well-respected internet marketers of all time...
"When you give your prospects too many choices, they become confused and aren't sure what to do next. Confused people never buy anything."
Huge Mistake #3: Optimizing Your Sales Site for the Search Engines -- You'll see this taught in nearly every "internet marketing" course, manual or eBook out there... "You must optimize every page of your website for the search engines!" -- In fact, this false teaching is accepted as 'gospel truth' so often that most web designers will offer to do this for you at no, or little extra cost...
What they don't understand is that certain words and phrases must be either re-worded (to make it "keyword rich") or taken out completely, just to be looked upon highly by the mighty search engines -- and this could kill your sales, literally overnight.
Here's why: When you or a hired web designer optimize your sales page (i.e. any web page designed to sell your products and services) to get a higher listing in the search engines, you're going to have to sacrifice the pulling-power of your sales copy (i.e. written sales material) just to get those higher listings. Sure, this can bring you more traffïc -- but what good is all the traffïc in the world, if your visitors arrive at your website and aren't compelled enough to read why they should order your product?
For years, it has been taught that you should always try to find a "balance" of SEO (Search-Engine-Optimization) mixed with promotional copy designed to sell your products and services...
Wrong Again! -- The truth is that you should never optimize your sales page for the Search Engines. Instead, you should create tiny "entry pages" for each keyword related to your product or service, (highly optimized for the Search Engines) and have them link to your main sales site! (We can show you exactly how to do this quickly and easily and get *massive* targeted traffïc from the Search Engines - without ever *touching* your sales site!)
Huge Mistake #4: Having a "Graphics-Based" Website -- Sure, graphics can certainly help us to visualize a particular situation or circumstance, product or service... But did you know that having a graphically-driven website can actually distract your visitor away from your sales message?
After all, your sales message (or "web copy") is The #-1 most important factor in a website that makes monëy. If your visitors are paying more attention to your "professional graphics" than your sales message... you've just lost another sale.
Here's why: You've got approximately seven seconds from the time your visitor arrives at your site, to the time they decide whether to buy your product, get more information or leave. If you've got a graphically-intensive website, your website will most likely still be loading past your seven-second time limit.
That's a "customer-killer" in and of itself - however, the real reason lies within the fact that the bigger, brighter and more beautiful your graphics are, the more they will distract your visitor from your sales message. And if your visitor is distracted even for one second, it could mean the difference between getting a sale, and losing a customer.
Huge Mistake #5: Designing a Website with Zero Marketing Experience -- Most web designers have no idea how to make monëy on the internet, with anything other than their design services. It's not their fault - they simply have no or very little marketing and sales experience. After all, they're just website designers...
However, having your website designed by someone with Zero internet marketing experience is like buying a street-car without an engine... it won't go anywhere, and it'll just waste your time and monëy! | <urn:uuid:368936c4-efb5-4ac6-9363-6096520cef3c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.youneeditall.com/web-design-and-development/common-web-mistakes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951634 | 1,130 | 1.554688 | 2 |
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Review by Jim Brown
Help support robots.net by purchasing this book now from Amazon.com!
Title: The Definitive Guide to Building Java Robots
Author: Scott Preston
ISBN Number: 1-59059-556-4
Number of Pages: 419
List of Chapters:
Chapter 1 - A Primer
Presents his java/laptop/ssc paradigm/architecture he'll be using.
Chapter 2 - Serial Communications
Tells how to connect and use pc to robot via serial ports & bluetooth
Chapter 3 - Motion
Tells how to use servo controllers for servo and wheel control
Chapter 4 - Sensors
Tells how to use compass, switch, and distance sensors
Chapter 5 - Speech
Tells how to use speech output and speech recognition
Chapter 6 - Vision
Tells how to get a camera image and process it
Chapter 7 - Navigation
Tells how to make your robot get about
Chapter 8 - Other Topics
Talks about using Scheduling, Ant, MySQL, Tomcat and Groovy
Chapter 9 - Sample Programs
Puts it all together and explains using diagnostics and such
Appendix A - The Definitive Guide API
Gives descriptions of all the classes created in the book
Appendix B - Microcontroller Reference
Gives brief explanations of some of the controller commands used
Appendix C - Robot Parts Reference
Lists some great URLs
When Steve asked me if I would do a book review, I said OK, but little did I know that he would pick out such a great book for me to review! I'm a Java coder myself so a Building Java Robots book is right up my alley. One of the things I asked him when he passed the book to me was, "Do I get to keep the book?" He said I couldn't because after the review it would be donated to the DPRG library. I'm so upset. Perhaps I can check out the book indefinitely from the DPRG library. [Evil grin] Really! The book is that cool!
The book starts off by explaining the architecture he uses and it's just what I would want to use for a perfect power robot: A laptop with serial control boards all controlled by Java. He bagged me right there! What's cool about Java is that it has all of these great Libraries and APIs such as video, speech, and more that you don't have to reinvent. Scott shows how to take great advantage of all of these. A laptop with control boards is to me like the Holy Grail of personal robotting. Forget piddling around with dinky robot boards. A laptop bot is the way to go and all you need is Java and a few support boards for sensors and motors and stuff. So while I read this book, his ideal robot paradigm was mine too so I was really connecting.
The way Scott lays out the book is really good too. He talks a little bit and then he jumps into some sample code. But, the way he does it is the way everyone should do it. First, he has a "Code Objective" which is a quick sentence about what he's about to do, and then he has a "Code Discussion", which is a paragraph or two explaining the code, and then he presents the raw code, but always not too complex. For almost every code section, you'll want to bookmark the pages because you'll want to steal, er, um, use them for your own robot. Pretty soon you'll see you'll have practically the whole book earmarked, as just about every code snippet is very useful! Oh man, you can use just about all his classes and sample code for your robot the way it is!
So, you stop and think about what all you want your robot to do, and low and behold Scott tackles just about everything and lays out how to do it. You want your robot to control servos via a serial port, got it. You want your robot to recognize speech and talk, got it. You want your robot to see and recognize things, got it! You want you robot to navigate and avoid obstacles, got it! And, what's so nice, he explains everything in easy to understand terms and provides sample code that you can use right away. I mean, I read the Speech section and I feel totally confident that I can incorporate what he discussed and have my robot talking and listening in no time flat!
The book reads as though he knows the topics are advanced but he keeps it simple as if you can do it too. I mean really, you have to know a lot of advanced things to build a robot but the way he approaches it, he keeps it simple and you'll believe you can do it too and they won't seem so daunting! I'd say it's not for dummies by any means, but if you already have a little bit of robotic technical wits about you, you'll be on the level.
Of course, there's always some "gotchas." The book is really geared toward the programming side of robotics and is not for the novice programmer. If you don't know Java, you'll need to learn it first or it may be difficult to understand the Java code, which is a lot of what the book is all about. You'll need to know about BASIC Stamps and how to code them as he uses them. You'll need to buy a few things like serial servo controllers and other robot parts, but you knew that right? You'll need to be acquainted with all the tools Scott uses such as the Java tools, Internet protocols, and other tools that he discusses in the book. Really, though, if you're much of a programmer, you'll likely pick up on all these topics fairly quickly. Scott kindly lists all the places on the Internet that you can get the tools and libraries for free as he talks about them in each chapter so you're never in the dark. Even more information can be found on Scott's website.
So for me, I'm thinking as soon as I start building my laptop bot, I want to have this book around for reference. It really seems to be a definitive guide to have around for a powerful personal robot. It's a hard cover so you'll know it will last through all your page turning. He covers all the necessary topics to build a Java Laptop bot and it would save a lot of time for getting such a robot up and going. I would highly recommend this book for those wanting to build a Java Laptop bot! Great job Scott! To me, it's a must have book for power robot builders.
It sounds like a very good book, not only for robotic applications but for general control of external circuitry using a PC. I'm considering buying a copy.
Serial ports are getting rare on laptop computers. Is USB communication described, or is there a way using Java to use a USB-to-serial converter to talk to subordinate RS-232 controller boards?
Basic Stamps are mentioned - is this book very Stamp-centric? I've owned two of them (a BS2 and an older one), and don't care for them.
Great review, Jim!
I tested all the code at my PC and Basic Stamp BOE, before uploading to the Robot. I used the USB-Serial converter for that and have a picture of it on page 3.
Have fun reading. Let me know if you have any questions.
The book uses the BS2 because Parallax was nice enough to donate a few, but the core of the book is Java. If you have other microcontrollers, you should still be able to use about 90% or more of what's in the book.
I also talk about the Lynxmotion SSC-32.
My Laptop (Dell Inspiron 8600 running Fedora Linux) has no serial ports, just USB and Firewire. I've been using a USB to serial converter for a while with my MRM board and it works fine with all the software I've tried. Seems to be totally transparent to the software on the laptop. I know some folks who've had similar luck but others who've gone through two or three brands of USB to serial adapters until they found one that worked for them.
While I was reading, even though Scott used bs2 in his examples, I didn't feel like Scott was locking you into bs2 stuff. I think there was some bs2 code in the book but just for example and nothing at all complex that couldn't be reworked easily for something else. It seemed the code for the bs2 code was not the focus but rather the java code pc side of things was the focus.
USB to Serial for new laptops is a little tricky, but it's getting to be a pretty common yet easy to deal with problem. One other option that Scott mentioned in the book was using bluetooth. In the book, he shows what to do in java and it's just as easy to use as a serial port!!! Look ma, serial comm with no cables! That's sort of what you want for a robot anyway, right?... no cables back to the pc? If you're not familiar with bluetooth serial comm sw & hw, he details how to do it in the book!
Another thing that was interesting in the book was he mentioned setting up the robot to act as an internet server. He got a Tomcat servlet engine going on the robot (he has a laptop robot remember). That way you could access your robot or make it do stuff from your pc through a browser! You could get access the web cam pictures on a webpage, etc. You could connect it to the internet and control your robot from anywhere. You could be at work and send your robot commands!
While I had the book I noticed that I must have spilled something on the top right corner of the book or laid it in something! On closer inspection I noticed that it was actually some kind of art that was printed on the cover. Whew! It got my wife too! She thought I got something on the book! Later, even though I knew the book was printed with that greasy spot looking thing on the top right corner, I'd still take a second look at it now and then. Scott, tell Apress they spilled something on the cover artwork! -- Does anyone remember having a "Chicago" album where the inside record jacket had fingerprints printed on it. You pulled it out and thought you had gotten the jacket dirty with your greasy fingerprints? I know, speaking about vinyl records tells my age. Those were the "good times I remember." Yeah, it must have happened Saturday in the park, I think it was the 4th of July.
2012 Top 10 Robot Christmas Gift Ideas
DARPA Robotics Challenge Kick Off
2012 ASABE Robot Contest Photos
Interview with David L. Heiserman
David Anderson on Subsumption Robots
Review: Apocalyptic AI by Robert M. Geraci
Raspberry Pi Interview with Eben Upton
2012 VEX Robotics World Championship
Giant Dallas Robot Cited as Best Public Art
There's More Than One Way to Skin a Robot
Day of the Androids at Hanson Robotics
Apocalyptic AI by Robert M. Geraci
Robotics Programming 101
Pololu 3pi: the 10,000 Mile Review
Unofficial LEGO Mindstorms NXT Guide
Machinima Review: Stolen Life
i-ROBOT Poetry by Jason Christie
The Definitive Guide to Building Java Robots
Microbric Viper Kit
Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots | <urn:uuid:e63f0cbd-91d8-4c09-a978-06c4671769ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.robots.net/article/1868.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96425 | 2,412 | 2.34375 | 2 |
NEW DELHI: Brushing aside the unsuccessful test-firing of the 3,500-km Agni-III, defence scientists say initial preparations for testing the two-stage solid-fuelled ballistic missile again have already begun.
But the second test of the missile, which is important for India's credible nuclear deterrence against China, will be undertaken only after the reasons behind the first test's failure are "fully analysed and pinpointed".
"An exhaustive analysis of the missile test launch's telemetry data is being conducted to pinpoint whether the flaw was in design, manufacture or assembly of the missile," said an official.
Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to be presented an initial report on the episode on Wednesday or Thursday, he added.
After an initial powered flight, a ballistic missile enters a free-flight zone, which is finally followed by the re-entry phase, where the missile re-enters the earth's atmosphere from the stratosphere on way to the target.
The test of Agni-III on Sunday, except for the initial launch, failed on each of these counts, with the missile plunging into the Bay of Bengal without reaching anywhere near the intended target.
Agni-III did not achieve the intended high-arching trajectory it should have as per design projections. It did go up vertically for 12 km but then, rapidly lost height. | <urn:uuid:3247b8f4-7c97-4a81-bb90-2d621798f5bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-07-11/india/27806257_1_agni-iii-free-flight-zone-ballistic-missile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95196 | 285 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Association of numbers with physical quantities and natural phenomena by comparing an unknown quantity with a known quantity of the same kind. Weights and measures are standard quantities with which such comparisons are made. The earliest ones measured mass (weight), volume (liquid or dry measure), length, and area using units mostly based on dimensions of the human body. The cubit, representing the distance from elbow to fingertips, was the most widespread unit of measure in the ancient world. As such units were standardized, more were added, including units of temperature, luminosity, pressure, and electric current. Measurements made by the senses instead of by measurement devices are called estimates (see estimation).
Learn more about measurement with a free trial on Britannica.com. | <urn:uuid:446297a2-80fe-4505-8a4a-64fa2f6b4717> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reference.com/browse/measuring+instrument | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970491 | 149 | 3.890625 | 4 |
- The all-natural compound found in high concentrations in the brain
- Helps nourish brain cells and keep them fluid, flexible, and ready for nutrient absorption
- Helps brain transmitters communicate at optimum levels
This amazing compound (PS) is your brain’s best friend. Unfortunately it is believed that PS declines with age. PS plays a critical role in helping the neurotransmitters in your brain work smoothly in processing signals and in sending out responses to them. PS can help fight absentmindedness and mild memory problems associated with aging. Power up, and protect your memory today. Suggested use is one to three capsules daily. | <urn:uuid:77e3ed17-6801-436e-8274-734daab7fc02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.valleynaturals.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=0c3f7e8b-e961-4a3c-97c3-dbaac38347c6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925925 | 131 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Management Fashion Pay-For-Performance For CEOs
Source: University of Zurich
The authors show theoretically and empirically that Pay-for-Performance, like many management fashions, has not achieved its intended aim. The paper focuses on previous empirical studies that examine the relation between variable executive pay and firm performance on various different dates. The results indicate that a variable CEO income contributes very little to the increase of the firm's performance, and that CEO salary and firm performance are not linked. The example of Pay-for-Performance shows that in the long run, many management fashions do not solve the problems that they promise to solve. | <urn:uuid:e8b0d2c7-9ece-4624-802a-f665c025e7be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techrepublic.com/whitepapers/management-fashion-pay-for-performance-for-ceos/2963911 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933026 | 129 | 1.5 | 2 |
The 2012 London Regenerative Medicine Event will take place February 16, 2012 at the Penridge Suite in London, England.
Continued improvement in health depends upon the development of affordable and effective medicines and new therapeutic treatments. The last 20 years has seen the growth of a global healthcare industry based on human proteins produced in transformed mammalian cell lines. There is now an opportunity to replicate this growth in new industries using human stem cells in pharmaceutical and regenerative medicine applications.
This meeting will focus on exploring the biological and engineering challenges that lie ahead before cell based therapies can become an everyday reality. The event has CPD accreditation and will have a discussion panel session.
For more information, please visit www.regonline.co.uk/regen2012. | <urn:uuid:06507102-3e33-47d3-87c8-e1842d5d8ce5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.naturalstandard.com/news/news201201026.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918585 | 152 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Compost Away your Stinky Toilet!
I know when I usually go to the bathroom, there is potential to smell up the entire place and cause quite a stink. However, there is a new product on the market that could reduce that nasty odor and help save the environment. The Sun-Mar composting toilet is a new invention that will help homeowners and businesses save 27 percent on their water bills. It could be the ultimate for charter buses, RVs and rural homes to stop the lingering smell of poop in the air.
The innovative lavatory requires no plumbing, local sewage connection or septic system. It works by evaporating urine and composting solid waste without any ground water being needed or being contaminated. The alternative to conventional toilets also uses organic processes to convert the waste into a safe fertilizing soil. The Sun-Mar toilet uses a very unique system to decompose the waste in a clean and efficient manner. It uses a distinct three-chamber system, which includes a patented drum
technology—called a Bio-drum—which speeds up the breakdown of human waste and toilet paper. The three-chamber technology also has a section for evaporating urine and a finishing drawer to remove the sanitized compost. Instead of flushing, toilet owners place inexpensive chemical-free bulking material to the drum chamber to fast-track the breakdown of nutrients in the human waste. It then periodically uses a handle to freshen the waste while being mixed. The waste should be dumped outside, preferably in a garden, but it only needs to be done a few times of year.
The Sun-Mar composting toilet is designed for air to be constantly circulating through the toilet so that there would be as little smell as possible. The innovative piece of equipment has been certified for residential and cottage use by the National Sanitation Foundation. Fraser Sneddon, Manager of Sun-Mar Corp., said that getting rid of an odor is a challenge with composting toilets, but that it isn’t a problem with the innovative green technology. “Many people tend to feel uncomfortable about the idea of composting their own waste, which often conjures up images of smelly outhouses or compost heaps in the garden, but Sun-Mar’s product eradicates that notion because it’s so easy to install and effortless to operate, creating a sanitary and odor-free environment,” Sneddon said. | <urn:uuid:f747d901-9f04-446f-8c37-9363978134ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.enn.com/?p=2202 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947218 | 494 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Along with tuna, salmon is one of the most widely consumed types of fish used in sushi. It is characterized by its bright orange hue, oily texture and mild flavor, which makes it perfect for beginners and for those who simply prefer texture over strong flavors in sushi. Finding fresh salmon may be a challenge if you don’t live near a coastal region. I highly endorse Catalina Offshore Products for their overnight shipping and absolutely top-notch fish quality. The price is pretty competitive as well
Salmon nigiri is often included as a staple in a basic sushi set along with tuna, eel and egg. This is likely due the wide availability of salmon and its relatively low cost. Nearly 90% of salmon consumed in America is farm-raised salmon, which makes it easy to find in practically unlimited supplies. Though there are many species of salmon that can be used in sushi, the most commonly served is the king salmon which is found primarily in the Pacific Ocean and is the largest among the types of salmon. Most consume the belly side of the fish which is often leaner than the other parts. Young salmon is also another option, as the oil tends to taste sweeter than in adult salmon.
Salmon is a versatile fish that can be served in a variety of ways. Aside from the standard nigiri where it is placed on top of a small ball of rice, salmon can be experienced in sashimi form as well. The skin of salmon is also frequently enjoyed as an entirely separate dish. The flavor of salmon can be enhanced through a pinch of salt and a dash of citrus, and then dipped into soy sauce mixed with wasabi.
Salmon has only been consumed as sushi since the advent of refrigeration and freezing, as it was impossible to enjoy it without getting food disease and infections. In fact, salmon is one of the few fish that require a certain amount of time in freezers before being consumed raw, whereas other fish used in sushi is generally best served fresh. Salmon were often found dwelling in rivers containing parasites and it took decades to figure out a way to kill the parasites while maintaining the texture and flavor of the fish. The Ainu people of northern Japan were the first to realize that freezing the salmon beforehand would kill off the Anisakis parasites that was causing them to become sick. Through consequent processes of trial of error, freezing the salmon before consumption has now become standard procedure serving salmon as sushi today.
Raw salmon also offers a number of health benefits. Salmon meat is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which helps in combating cancer and preventing cardiovascular disease. Salmon also contains vitamin E, which has proven beneficial in avoiding skeletal myopathy, among other debilitating ailments.
Salmon is a popular sushi fish and for good reason: it is tasty, healthy and adds an aesthetic appeal to any sushi platter. | <urn:uuid:273c16fc-1888-4481-9ea2-ae925386b243> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.howtomakesushiathome.com/salmon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975129 | 575 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Achieving a spot in the Register’s top 10 elementary schools of Orange County is no easy feat.
Schools need a near-perfect blend of academic achievement and award recognition, coupled with strong student body diversity and physical fitness. Any dips or slips, even if overall performance remains high, can dramatically hurt a school’s standing.
A group of third-graders swarms popular Acacia Elementary School Principal Karen Whisnant after bowing to her as an ongoing joke. She knows almost all of the 680 students by name and spends time interacting on the playground during lunch.
MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Yet half of the schools in the Register’s top 10 haven’t maintained a place in this uppermost echelon for just one or two years. They’ve held the spot for four or even all five years that the Register has ranked Orange County’s 379 public elementary schools.
“When I started here, first and foremost it was about taking the steps to stay on top,” said Erik Miller, who took over two years ago as principal of No. 9-ranked Oka Elementary in Huntington Beach.
Oka, with its extraordinary ability to use campus resources and faculty talent to maximum effect, has been a Register top 10 school for four of the past five years.
“You work extremely hard to get to the top, but you have to work just as hard – if not harder – to stay at the top,” Miller said. “It’s about making sure everyone feels a sense of connection and pride to Oka, a unified front, with the understanding that kids are the top priority.”
Three Irvine schools also have maintained spots in the Register’s top 10 for four of the past five years – Stone Creek Elementary, ranked No. 3 this year; Meadow Park Elementary, No. 8 this year; and Northwood Elementary, No. 10 this year.
The campus that takes the top 10 crown, though, is this year’s No. 5-ranked school, Rossmoor’s Weaver Elementary, which has been a top 10 school for all five years the Register has ranked elementary schools.
"The teachers consistently reflect on their practices, and they look at research, and they adjust their teaching as their students change," said Weaver Principal Erin Kominsky, who has headed up the campus since it opened as a magnet school 16 years ago. "At Weaver, it's been our motto: 'We give ordinary children extraordinary experiences.' "
Joining the top 10 list this year for the first time were Villa Park Elementary, ranked No. 7, and the Register’s top elementary school for 2013, Acacia Elementary in Fullerton.
“Every morning I wake up so excited to come here,” said Acacia sixth-grader Catelyn Thomas, 11, of Fullerton. “The teachers are really nice; they are crazy and fun.”
Acacia Principal Karen Whisnant credits the school’s jump from its No. 39 rank last year to a “perfect positive storm” that has dramatically increased the school’s academic standing and infused it with new synergy.
“It’s fabulous kids, families and teachers who work so hard and work so well as a team, collaborating for the success of children,” Whisnant said. “I know this sounds so superficial, but it’s just such a wonderful place for a child to go to school.”
REACHING NEEDIEST KIDS
What all of the Register’s top-ranked schools share is an uncanny aptitude for using and adapting their limited resources in ways that ensure even the most vulnerable, at-risk and underperforming students can achieve at their full potential.
Perhaps nowhere is this ability more evident than at Danbrook Elementary at the western edge of Anaheim – not a top 10 school, but by far the most improved elementary school in Orange County, with a No. 45 ranking, up from No. 340 a year ago.
Danbrook realized that although 94 percent of its students came from impoverished homes, they were capable of much more.
More than anything, Danbrook students needed to feel supported and empowered, administrators and parents concluded. So they hosted a splashy, month-long party leading up to annual state testing, with students made the fawned-upon guests of honor.
“We had to make sure the students own their education and seek out opportunities,” Danbrook Principal Erasmo Garcia said.
Similarly, at Villa Park Elementary, which shot up 61 places into the Register’s No. 7 spot this year, school officials realized that to get better results, they needed to radically restructure the look and feel of classrooms.
Villa Park students not only needed to be routinely grouped by ability in each classroom, but the classrooms themselves needed to be physically relocated so all classes in each grade level could be next to one another.
Since those changes were implemented, “the staff collaborates more," Villa Park fourth-grade teacher Sharon Rowland said. "I think that's why we're seeing the success we're seeing.”
One big change in this year’s Register elementary school rankings is the number of Register medals awarded. Just 73 elementary schools received a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal this year, down from 136 last year.
The main culprit is rising school-accountability standards mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind law, which has led to increasing numbers of U.S. schools being labeled as failing. About an eighth of a school’s overall Register score is determined by whether it met all federal testing targets in the prior year.
Last year, California unsuccessfully petitioned the federal government for a waiver that would have made schools exempt from No Child Left Behind sanctions.
In rejecting California’s waiver application, the U.S. Department of Education noted California schools had not made enough progress with education reform initiatives, including developing a statewide system for evaluating teacher performance.
Without a federal waiver, all students at a campus must be deemed “proficient” by next year to avoid being labeled a failing school.
“It’s a flawed accountability system,” said Orange County school Superintendent Al Mijares. “We have very strong and robust elementary schools that are continuing to make progress, but the way No Child Left Behind is currently designed, there is no compensatory adjustment for the progress made.”
The 379 O.C. elementary schools ranked by the Register increased their Academic Performance Index score by an average of three points last year, to 853 out of 1,000.
A high student poverty rate remained the best predictor of a poor-performing school, as poverty tends to correlate with lower parent education levels and less parental involvement, as well as higher concentrations of students learning English.
But the poverty association was loose, with many schools continuing to defy the odds.
Notably, Santa Ana’s John Muir Elementary maintained a place in the Register’s top 10 for the second year in a row, placing at No. 6 this year even with a student population that is 59 percent economically disadvantaged.
Muir’s primary advantage over other Santa Ana Unified campuses is that families elect to send their kids to the school, making it one of the district’s three “fundamental” elementary schools of choice.
A second Santa Ana fundamental school, Jim Thorpe Elementary – also a top 10 school last year – was ranked No. 15 this year.
At all of Santa Ana’s fundamental schools, parents must sign a written pledge at the beginning of the school year – don't be tardy to school, sign off nightly on completed homework assignments, volunteer a minimum number of hours at school, adhere to dress codes, and agree to standardized discipline and interventions.
Still, many schools are struggling to find a formula for success.
In the Fullerton School District – home to both this year’s top-ranked school, Acacia, and the bottom-ranked school, Orangethorpe Elementary – the emphasis has been on raising student expectations and continually refining curriculum for all schools, said Superintendent Robert Pletka.
A newly instituted district accountability system requires that all Fullerton schools assess student performance data every four to six weeks; the district assesses the same data about four times a year, Pletka said.
‘It goes all the way up to the superintendent,” he said.
Even so, district officials must remain sensitive to the unique needs and preferences of each school, Pletka said.
At Orangethorpe, which fell 9 API points last year to 749, many families specifically choose the multi-age school because it’s known for de-emphasizing standardized tests and stressing a “much more developmental, enriching” learning experience, Pletka said, one that encourages engagement and exploring one’s own interests.
“It’s a line we walk, but there are strategies that help student achievement that don’t compromise what parents are asking for,” Pletka said.
“It’s important to ensure all of our schools have high levels of rigor. People say, ‘I’m not going to introduce that concept or that grade-level standard because that child can’t handle it.’ But that thinking doesn’t help kids – it actually prevents them from reaching and achieving.”
Register staff writer Fermin Leal contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.org or Twitter: @OCeducation | <urn:uuid:6093a2e9-6011-4c1b-99d1-33c37da31eb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ocregister.com/news/school-414108-elementary-year.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955519 | 2,034 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Eye Candy: Science, Sight, Art
Are you drawn to Impressionism? Or more toward 3D computer art? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or is it? Contrary to the old adage, there may be universal biological principles that drive art’s appeal, and its capacity to engage our brains and our interest. Through artworks ranging from post-modernism to political caricature to 3D film, Margaret S. Livingstone and Patrick Cavanagh join cartoonist Jules Feiffer and others in an examination of newly understood principles of visual perception.
Recorded June 2010; Posted October 2010 | <urn:uuid:3fe0be1b-464e-4a90-8e56-1c2253f5d038> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/videos/eye_candy_science_sight_art | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91139 | 128 | 2.15625 | 2 |
"In horses, and most other mammalian quadrupeds, 57% of the vertical impulse is applied through the thoracic limbs, and only 43% through the hind limbs.” (H. W. Merkens, H. C. Schamhardt,G. J. van Osch, A. J. van den Bogert, 1993).
Chazot is learning here to develop the forelegs’ propulsive activity at the trot departure. This is done teaching the horse to control accelerations of gravity through his vertebral column and therefore regulating the weight on the forelegs. The riding technique allowing such education is about matching the biomechanical properties of the rider’s vertebral column with the biomechanical properties of the horse’s vertebral column. The reins are long and there is no weight on the bit. Once in a while the rider reminds the horse to do not push on the bit.
This technique differs widely from the usual driving the horse onto the bit. Driving the horse onto the bit is a primitive technique that is based on antiquated knowledge of the equine biomechanics. Rushing the horse on the forehand and/or lowering the neck increases the weight on the forelegs. The technique hampers the horse’s ability to move efficiently and soundly. | <urn:uuid:115b731a-a46a-4dab-a07c-53926ba8afec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scienceofmotion.com/documents/horse_training_podcast.php?entry_id=1273862148&title=the-learning-of-forward-movement | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905909 | 275 | 2.5625 | 3 |
The PENCILS Strategy
Price. The price should be at a good level considering the business value (financials, products, etc.) of a company.
Earnings growth. Your reasonable estimates for growth should be one that over the long-term would provide a nice return on your investment (this is where the Future Value technique comes in).
Niche. A company must have a niche in its market, otherwise it is very difficult to survive for very long.
Common products. I believe it is the companies with common (and, preferably, simple) products that make great long-term investments, as long as it fits the bill with the other "pencils" letters.
Intelligent leaders. Without intelligent management, you won't feel comfortable with investing in a company.
Long-term prospects. Investing is all about the long-term. If the long-term prospects aren't there, neither should your investing money.
Secure financially. Financial security is key for a company's long-term success, because it is what allows a company to take advantage of growth opportunities. (This, of course, is assuming it isn't in a turnaround situation, special situation, etc.)
I believe companies with the PENCILS characteristics are among the top long-term investments out there. Really, all you need is to find some companies that have all the PENCILS charicteristics, except price, and wait for a downfall. The PENCILS strategy is all about finding great, well-run companies that are at great prices. Find ENCILS, wait for the P. | <urn:uuid:fc7213d9-cb54-4b5a-9884-0722f45b5097> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://caps.fool.com/Blogs/the-pencils-strategy/406 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940707 | 326 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Heat sticks are becoming popular among home brewers, and for good reason. Having two heated vessels really streamlines a brew day, and makes double brew days significantly less painful. And the economics of electric heat are compelling (in fact, that’s the way I’ve decided to go for the 7 bbl system at Two Mile). For example, to bring 5 gal (18.9 L) of water from 20°C to 80°C — a typical scenario for a home brewer heating strike liquor — requires 4.75 MJ of energy, costing roughly:
- Propane: (4.75 MJ * $7.33/kg)/(46.44 MJ/kg * 40%) = $1.87
- Electricity: (4.75 MJ * $0.117/kWh)/(3.6 MJ/kWh * 80%) = $0.19
Using current retail pricing, per Wikipedia, and assuming 80% efficiency for the electric system (which is really conservative) and 40% for propane (which is actually pretty optimistic). So the thing will pay for itself, and pretty quickly. As regular readers know, I’m always willing to jump on a bandwagon, especially if I can do it for less money and with less regard for aesthetics and/or safety.
All joking aside, working with 120 VAC circuits is inherently dangerous, and adding water doesn’t exactly help. I’m using a GFCI outlet, but having only one safety system between me and death doesn’t cut it. So I knew that I wanted the body of my heater to be plastic. I also wanted to be able to move it from kettle to kettle without using any tools, yet be able to mount it such that the element didn’t make contact with the kettle wall. Lastly, to allow for future tinkering, I didn’t want to have to solder or weld or epoxy anything together.
- 1440 W water heater element
- Grounded appliance cord (15 A minimum)
- 120 V lamp assembly (optional)
- ABS project enclosure (at least 1.5″ tall)
- 3″ x 3″ 90° angle bracket
- 2 ea. 1/4″-20 machine screws, nuts, and lock washers
- 1″ NPS stainless nut
It turns out that plumbing parts in 1″ NPS are hard to find, so I had to order the nut online. I’m guessing that in a bigger town I’d be able to find one at a dedicated plumbing supply shop. Everything else I was able to get from my local Radio Shack and Ace stores. Total cost was $39 since I had to buy a 1-1/4″ drill bit. So the unit should pay for itself after about 15 batches, not even accounting for getting my propane tanks refilled half as often. The first project enclosure I bought (pictured) turned out to be a little small at 1″ in height. While I was able to use a scrap piece of plastic to keep the element leads from contacting the mounting bracket, that approach made me a little uncomfortable and I ended up buying a 5″x2.5″x2″ box instead. With the lid and element nut/gasket tightened down, the unit isn’t quite water-tight, but should certainly stand up to some splashing.The actual build is pretty self-explanatory and took less than an hour. I drilled the 1-1/4″ mounting hole for the element at one end of the project box, then used a Dremel rotary tool to cut away enough material at the other end for the angle bracket and power cord. I friction-fit the bracket and box around the lip of my thickest kettle before marking and drilling the two holes in the top of the project enclosure. One more hole near the element end of the box holds the panel-mount power indicator. That turned out to be pretty much redundant — as soon as the unit is plugged in the water around the element starts boiling.
Wiring is equally simple. The live wires (black and white) of the extension cord are connected to the element, along with the power indicator, in parallel. The ground wire (green) is sandwiched between the mounting bracket and the lid. Since the angle bracket is in contact with the kettle (and therefore water), the GFCI will trip should anything that can be touched become “hot”.
That’s all there is to it. On a test run using 4.5 gal (17.1 L) of water, I was able to heat it from 4°C to a boil (92°C) in 100 minutes. That’s an average of 1050 W, or about 73% efficiency. Most of the losses can probably be attributed to the fact that I left the kettle open in order to keep an eye on the heater. Regardless, it’s a significant improvement over using propane. | <urn:uuid:ea2d47df-e8f1-495c-8534-6e2f2e619e4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://seanterrill.com/2013/02/19/the-30-electric-hlt/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946808 | 1,033 | 1.757813 | 2 |
McDonald's English Under the Arches
- Over 45 sites around the country
- Over 2500 participants since 2008
- 91% course completion
- 88% employee retention one year after graduation: 84% two years after graduation; 73% three and four years after graduation
- Over 95% of participants increase their wages following participation in the program
English Under the Arches: An Introduction
Begun through a series of pilots in 2007, English Under the Arches™ (EUA) is an English language learning program specifically designed for McDonald’s managers and manager trainees.
McDonald’s has a long history of promoting from within—70% of restaurant managers and 50% of U.S. company officers began their careers in entry level positions in a McDonald’s restaurant. During recent years, McDonald’s found that to continue helping some employees take on more responsibilities, they needed to help them improve their English language skills. To be most effective, language training needed to be both available on the job to accommodate busy schedules and tailored to the specific communications tasks required of a McDonald’s manager.
With these criteria in mind, McDonald’s developed English Under the Arches, a program to develop employees’ English skills and to help them advance in their careers at McDonald’s. The program currently operates in over 45 sites around the country and is slated to continue to expand in the coming years.
“Before I took the class, I was afraid of a lot of things—when I was at work, talking to the customer, and with my co-workers. I was afraid of talking to my kids’ teachers ... But now, the people that I work with and my customers CAN understand me. I have relationships with them.”
- Edna Barrera, General Manager, EUA graduate
How the Program Works
Individual franchise owners, known at McDonald’s as “Owner/Operators,” select managers and manager trainees to participate in the program, pay their tuition and provide paid work time for the employees to attend classes while at work. The program is voluntary and Owner/Operators participate when they identify high-potential managers who would provide continued value and would progress rapidly with the aid of language training.
Many McDonald’s employees work more than one job and have family responsibilities. To allow employees time to study, classes are held during their work time in McDonald’s restaurants (five hours/week), often in their restaurants’ “crew room” via computer. Employees connect with other student-employees (in nearby restaurants) and the teacher in real time in a “virtual classroom,” allowing employees to gain the language skills they need to advance without losing work or transportation time. Students receive regular wages for the time they spend in language training and are able to immediately apply what they learn to their work.
In addition to the virtual classes, students learn through:
- Face-to-face classes: traditional classes with students and the teacher in a convenient location.
- E-learning practice: independent work by students on an online program.
- On-the-job practice: students are assigned specific activities to practice their English skills on the job
The four courses include:
- Shift Basics: this eight-week course focuses on listening and speaking skills needed to train crew in English and prepares students to succeed in the EUA Shift Conversation course.
- Shift Conversation: this 22-week course covers listening and speaking tasks needed to run a shift (delegation, feedback, maintaining a respectful workplace, customer complaints).
- Shift Writing: this 12-week course covers reading and writing tasks needed to run a shift (telephone messages, communication log, incident reports)
- Conducting Performance Reviews: this eight-week course is the newest course available through English Under the Arches. It covers listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills needed to provide performance feedback.
Course sites are determined by groups of Owner/Operators who see a local need for English language courses, and new sites are opening as interest grows. As a commitment to Skills for America’s Future, McDonald’s has pledged to continue to expand the program over the next year. At most sites, McDonald’s works with local community colleges to recruit exceptional English teachers and, in some cases, the face-to-face classes take place at community colleges.
Measurement has been a critical element of program development, including pre- and post-testing using BEST Plus, a nationally used, oral evaluation tool. On average, 86% of students have progressed 1 or more language levels after completing each conversation course. McDonald’s has found that the contextualized curriculum helps to accelerate language learning and the unique delivery model encourages the high attendance and high graduation rates.
Since the program began in 2007, over 95% of participants who complete an English Under the Arches course have received a pay raise due to the increased responsibilities they are able to take on. Significantly, in a high turnover industry, 73% of participants were working for McDonald’s four years after completing the program. Owner/Operators report that the most important results are the changes they see in their employees’ behavior. More confident in their English, participants are able to interact with customers, solve problems on their own and answer the phone—all tasks many would have been unable to do before participating in English Under the Arches.
Skills for America's Future (SAF) is a non-partisan, employer-led initiative of the Aspen Institute. It is focused on creating a national network of partnerships among employers, community colleges, industry associations and other stakeholders. These partnerships are designed to ensure that American workers receive the necessary training to meet the skill needs of employers, giving them the opporunity to obtain and keep good jobs.
For more information about how your company can partner with community colleges and Skills for America's Future, contact Rene Bryce-Laporte at firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:170cdbcf-d6c7-4d43-834d-821e0bef8d82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/economic-opportunities/skills-americas-future/models-success/mcdonalds-english-under-arches | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954215 | 1,252 | 2.359375 | 2 |
PARIS, France - Global food prices rose by 1.4 per cent in September after holding steady for two months as cereals, meat and dairy prices climbed, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization said yesterday.
The FAO's Food Price Index, a monthly measure of changes in a basket of food commodities, edged up three points to 216 points in September.
"Following two months of stability, the Index rose slightly, mostly on strengthening dairy and meat prices and more contained increases for cereals," a FAO statement said.
Prices of sugar and oils fell, it added.
The overall index remains far off the record 238 points reached in February 2011, and is four per cent lower than in September 2011.
The cereals sub-index also rose, by one per cent or three points from August to 263 points in September, as gains in wheat and rice offset a decline in maize.
While gains in maize, or corn, prices had been behind most of the increases in recent months, the FAO said tightening wheat suppliers were also becoming a concern.
The FAO said the Cereal Price Index is seven percent higher than in the corresponding period last year but still four percent below the peak of 274 points registered in April 2008.
The meat price index rose 2.1 percent, with pork and chicken prices seeing the biggest gains.
The dairy index jumped by seven percent from August, registering its sharpest monthly gain since January 2011, said the FAO.
The FAO said its latest forecasts confirm a decline in global cereal production this year from the record registered in 2011.
"At the currently forecast level, world cereal production in 2012 would be 2.6 percent down from the previous year's record crop but close to the second largest in 2008," said the FAO.
The overall decrease comprises a 5.2 percent reduction in wheat production and a 2.3 percent reduction for coarse grains, it added.
The FAO has already forecast for two months that grains consumption would outstrip production, with stocks being drawn down.
It expects grains stocks to fall by 28 million tonnes to 499 million tonnes at the end of seasons in 2013, despite global demand sliding as a result of high prices.
It noted that production has been affected by drought in key producing areas such as the United States, Europe and Central Asia. | <urn:uuid:4916b96d-d367-4bdc-8048-b52c24675631> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/Global-food-prices-climb_12677713 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961105 | 476 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Vectioneer has developed a revolutionary intuitive design tool to design parallel mechanisms such as Hexapod or Crank Driven Motion Systems. The algorithms that provide the kinematic and dynamic modeling are written completely from scratch and are implemented in Python 3. The software allows to change designs very quickly and calculate system performance and component specifications on the fly. This way it is possible to show the effect of design changes in real-time.
Using this dedicated software the design process is much more efficient than using regular CAD packages to model and simulate the system in. We can provide our customers with a new motion design in mere hours, including a complete report of all the kinematic and dynamic requirements on the system components, such as maximum servo motor torques and velocities, average power consumption, worst case forces, maximum joint angles, motion enveloppe drawings, etc.
Although largely complete, the software is still under heavy development to add more features such as genetic algorithms to search for optimal mechanism solutions automatically.
For the user interface we use our favorite free software, Blender, which turned out to be perfect for the job. It provides a fast and stable platform and has an excellent interface to our own Python code. As an extra it can render amazingly realistic pictures and animations of our designs to impress our customers with.
The software is not for sale, but is used to design new custom motion systems for our customers.
Please contact us for more information. | <urn:uuid:da06673f-d351-42da-bba6-0c338210e6e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vectioneer.com/archives/805 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923001 | 297 | 1.914063 | 2 |
I just finished reading SHOCK OF GRAY by Ted C. Fishman, NYT bestselling author. The writer closely examines the not-so-distant future for a time when the world's population over the age of 65 is expected to reach 1 billion and discusses the ramifications of such a change in demographics. It's a very compelling look into what it will all mean for families, the workplace and even the nation,
The million dollar question becomes "Who will take care of them?"
or what could be more accurately asked as "Who will take care of us?" as many join the ranks of the elderly in another 20 years.
I was particularly fascinated by a state in Germany that has a novel solution to the existing problem of thousands of unfilled caregiver jobs despite the high rate of unemployment there. Prostitutes are being retrained to fill these roles. Apparently, the job skills acquired in their former profession translate nicely to skills necessary to care for the elderly. They are used to listening, empathizing, and are not deterred by the less sanitary aspects of the position. I wonder if such a program could work over here.
Ted C. Fishman also raises the excellent point of the importance of providing interesting and worthwhile activities for senior communities. Sarasota, Florida is used as an example of a city offering fine arts, academic lectures and good restaurants. A personal pet peeve of mine is seeing age-inappropriate art in nursing homes. Do we really need to end life the way we started - making macaroni art?
The Mediterranean diet has widely been accepted as the healthiest in the world. In Spain, it goes a step further because it is quite unusual to see a person eating or drinking alone. According to the author, there is a complex link between Spain's diet and longevity but since the people are recognized as the most social eaters in all of Europe, strong social networks logically play a role in happy, relatively healthy and well-adjusted members of a community.
There are no easy answers to the many questions that are likely to come up as we prepare for this unfamiliar world. For now, acknowledging the challenges ahead is enough. Opening the dialogue is a stepping stone to future solutions. | <urn:uuid:4d361992-628a-4bbf-8391-46eba731bec6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://farmingdale.patch.com/groups/jill-anne-sacklers-blog/p/bp--the-silver-lining-chronicles-shock-of-gray | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971765 | 450 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Pleased rather with some soft ideal scene, The work of Fancy, or some happy tone Of meditation, slipping in between The beauty coming and the beauty gone
Writing is an escape from a world that crowds me. I like being alone in a room. It's almost a form of meditation- an investigation of my own life. It has nothing to do with "I've got to get another play
Make your judgment trustworthy by trusting it. Cultivate regular periods of silence and meditation. The best time to build judgment is in solitude, when you can think out things for yourself without the probability of interruption
What we have to learn, in both meditation and in life, is to be free of attachment to the good experiences, and free of aversion to the negative ones
I still practice Transcendental Meditation and I think it's great. Marharishi only ever did good for us, and although I have not been with him physically, I never left him.
Sleep is the best meditation.
Peace can be reached through meditation on the knowledge which dreams give. Peace can also be reached through concentration upon that which is dearest to the heart
The more intense the nature of a man, the more readily will he find meditation, and the more successfully will he practice it.
The flowering of love is meditation.
Meditation practice is regarded as a good and in fact excellent way to overcome warfare in the world; our own warfare as well as greater warfare
The man whose whole activity is diverted to inner meditation becomes insensible to all his surroundings. If he loves, it is not to give himself, to blend in fecund union with another being, but to meditate on his love. His passions are mere appearances, being sterile. They are dissipated in futile imaginings, producing nothing external to themselves.
Finding a calm place inside myself through meditation kind of helped me to get over a lot of mental illness ... it's just been a really great thing in my life.
Meditation and water are wedded for ever.
You contemplate and you wander without any worries, between heaven and earth, in your own private world, and in this way you acquire supreme freedom.
But if the elephant of my mind is firmly bound On all sides by the rope of mindfulness, All fears will cease to exist And all virtues will come into my hand.
Will all be bound By binding my mind alone. And will all be subdued By subduing my mind alone.
The Perfect Teacher himself has shown That in this way all fears As well as all boundless miseries Originate from the mind
It is not possible for me To restrain the external course of things;But should I restrain this mind of mine What would be the need to restrain all else ?
Even those who wish to find happiness and overcome misery Will wander with no aim nor meaning If they do not comprehend the secret of the mind- The paramount significance of Dharma.
I meditate and put on a rubber tire with three bottles of beer. Most of the time I just sit picking my nose and thinking
How do we meditate silently? Just by not talking, just by not using outer words, we are not doing silent meditation. Silent meditation is totally different. When we start meditating in silence, right from the beginning we feel the bottom of a sea within us and without. The life of activity movement and restlessness is on the surface, but deep below, underneath our human life, there is poise and silence. So, either we shall imagine this sea of silence within us or we shall feel that we are nothing but a sea of poise itself
When you meditate you have to try to quiet and calm the mind. There should be no thought within the mind. Right now you feel that if you can cherish twenty ideas at a time, then you are the wisest man on earth. The more thoughts that enter into our minds, the more clever we feel we are. But in the spiritual life it is not like that. If consciously we can make the mind calm and quiet, we feel that a new creation dawns inside us.
Whether we meditate individually or collectively, there is one thing we absolutely must do: we have to meditate consciously. Making an unconscious effort is like forcing oneself to play football in spite of one's utmost unwillingness. One plays, but gets no joy. Conscious effort is like playing football most willingly. One gets real joy. Similarly, conscious meditation gives us inner Delight from the soul
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Related QuotesQuotes with Keyword Meditation | <urn:uuid:cd89f2b8-3bef-4747-bb57-c4cbfab9f18a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category-Meditation-page-6.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943321 | 970 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Tue December 4, 2012
Report: Bloomberg Urged Hillary Clinton To Run For NYC Mayor
The New York Times broke one of the more intriguing political stories of the week, last night: In a phone call "not long ago," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged Hillary Clinton to consider running for his job after she ended her tenure as secretary of sate.
Bloomberg, the Times reports, seems anxious about his role in politics after he finishes his third and final term as mayor of the country's largest city. During the call, which the Times confirmed with three people, Clinton left it very clear that she was not interested in the job.
But perhaps no one puts this story in better context than Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committee member from New York.
"If in fact he did say that to Hillary Clinton, it's only because he holds the position and therefore regards it as a step up from being president," Zimmerman told the Times.
Clinton is widely believed to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 should she chose to pursue it. Clinton, who sought her party's nomination in 2008, has repeatedly said she's not interested.
The New York Times has much more on the story, so we encourage you to click over. | <urn:uuid:ab5ad0cb-3fd1-4ffe-a84e-aee86082dc33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wnku.org/post/report-bloomberg-urged-hillary-clinton-run-nyc-mayor | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978958 | 255 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Kombucha tea, an originally East Asian fermented beverage made up of bacteria, yeast, tea and sugar, has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Despite the controversy surrounding its health claims in the past decade or so, the beverage continues to be produced by a slew of mainstream manufacturers.You've seen it in health-food stores, heard celebrities rave about its anti-aging properties, and maybe you've even tried it to see what all the hype is about.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Reese Witherspoon and Halle Berry are just a few of the many Hollywood actresses who have admitted to swearing by the acidic drink, but according to Sharon Palmer, dietitian and author of The Plant-Powered Diet, we probably shouldn't be taking health advice from the stars. "Although celebrities bring attention to many issues of diet and nutrition, that doesn't mean they are always correct or give the best advice," Palmer tells The Daily Mail.
Related: The health benefits of green tea
While kombucha has been used over the years to treat everything from AIDS to cancer to bad skin -- and has been praised for its effects on general health and well-being, immune system boosting and anti-aging properties -- many medical experts are saying the beverage's alleged benefits cannot outweigh its potential dangers.
According to the New York Times the "buzz" that people often feel after drinking kombucha is likely due to the drink's alcohol content. In June 2010, Whole Foods Market stopped selling unpasteurized kombucha varieties because the alcohol content of the raw tea could be as high as three percent depending on the brand and whether or not it continues to ferment in the bottle. The retailer was, of course, worried about government repercussions.
Mayo Clinic doctor Brent A. Bauer says, "There isn't good evidence that kombucha tea delivers on its health claims. At the same time, several cases of harm have been reported. Therefore, the prudent approach is to avoid kombucha tea until more definitive information is available."
Related: How to make the perfect cup of tea
The cases of harm he's referring to would likely be the reports of infections, allergic reactions and stomach problems in kombucha tea drinkers, not to mention the woman who died from cardiac arrest due to increased acid levels in 1995, after consuming it daily for two months. In 2009, there was also a 22-year-old who was hospitalized for lactic acidosis, the same potentially fatal condition that the woman had in 1995, a mere 12 hours after consuming the beverage. Luckily, he survived.
The American Cancer Society weighs in on the controversy, warning "anyone with an immune deficiency or any other medical condition to consult a physician before drinking the tea. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not use this tea."
Verdict: This is clearly not the miracle drink it's been hyped up to be, and it's scary to realize how much of an impact celebrity endorsements can have on our health choices. Eating well and exercising regularly come out on top once again for achieving optimal health, and no one can argue with that.
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Vertical Field of View
The vertical field of view of a VR visual interface determines the angle of immersion for vertical eye movement. When looking upwards does the user see display or blank surface? What about downwards? A greater angle of display increases immersion by engaging peripheral vision into the virtual environment, but you pay for it in terms of hardware cost and weight.
Below, we offer a selection of links from our resource databases which may match this term.
Related Dictionary Entries for Vertical Field of View:
Resources in our database matching the Term Vertical Field of View:
When you stop and think about it for a moment, the most logical and intuitive way to view a collection of pictures - which is what most radiology scans consist of - is to reach out with your hand and sift through them.
Developed by researchers at the University of Bristol 's Interaction and Graphics department, PiVOT is a project designed to allow a group of people to interact with the same interactive display table system,by providing a personalised view of the data space on the table to each user, but at the same time, providing a central, shared view of the data so everyone can see the big picture.
World Review: Furcadia
To connect and participate in Furcadia is free, however, there are many alluring extras, add-ons for your characters, available for purchase.
Special Client Required
An eminently accessible book, this slimline, 200 page tome uses casual friendly language to describe the view rather contrary to mainstream imagery, that videogames are producing a generation of businesspeople unlike any who have come before. The mindset of the gamer is producing successful business people with a paradigm shift in view to the older generations.
Genetically personalised medicine - the naescent field of pharmacogenetics - is starting to make its impact felt. This field is part of the hospital in the home phenomenon so vital to long-term immersion use, for the physical shell.
Research conducted in 2009, which proceeded to fade into obscurity, found a direct connection between the attractiveness of a face to human subjects and the exact dispance of spacing of facial features relative to the size of the head in both horizontal and vertical dimensions. When building an avatar face we can actually move the features around and take advantage of their findings in ways physical faces cannot.
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Luke Lee, a bioengineer at the University of California, Berkeley, US, has developed a way of making tiny compound eye structures, optics with a field of view of up to 180?, that self assemble.
The result is a tiny co...
One thing long term immersion has in common with infirmity, is the necessity of exercising an unmoving body.
Now Charles Filipi, a surgeon at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, US, is looking to create a bed that goes a...
On January 23, 2009 e-paper testing was started in Japan around Toshima Ward Office, which is just east of JR Ikebukuro Station. A wireless network was set up at the Toshima Life and Industry Plaza and served as the emergency hub for dissem...
A virtual reality headset supported by major video game developers is the latest tech project to cause excitement on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter.
Oculus Rift secured its target of $250,000 (£160,200) within its first f...
A myriad of silicon transistors are responsible to pass on the information on a microchip with today's technology. The transistors are arranged in a planar array, i.e. lying flat next to each other, and have shrunk down already to a size o... | <urn:uuid:2151b2ee-406d-4431-8fd3-690dbb8a98e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.virtualworldlets.net/Resources/Dictionary.php?Term=Vertical%20Field%20of%20View | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916695 | 762 | 2.3125 | 2 |
Intriguing findings from this Science article about possible connections between social fear, genetics, and racist responses. The authors theorize that racist responses are more closely tied to an in-born social fear (out group bias) than they are to specific learned responses to race, and they use a group of children born with Williams Syndrome to try to test the idea. Kids with Williams Syndrome lack a few genes that are related to social fear, causing them to ber very sociable and have no fear of strangers (sometimes called "cocktail party personality").
This research could be a good place to start discussions about several topics: how creative researchers have get when studying complex behaviors (such as racist responses), how tough it is to operationalize some variables (the researchers in this study have to work hard to carefully measure "racist responses" - it sounds like they used something similar to the implicit associations test), and the links between genetics and, well, everything!
To me this study is a good example of the interconnectedness of psychology - our "chapters" are in many ways artificial boundaries between sets of ideas. The AP Psych. free-response questions always try to break down these barriers (requiring students to use knowledge from more than one chapter to answer a single essay question) and this research makes that reality evident.
Posted by Rob McEntarffer | <urn:uuid:c6d43860-b311-4d7a-aed3-0bc9755dc2a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com/2010/04/social-fear-basis-of-racism.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949544 | 272 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Silicones aren’t made to run, but they are made to fly.
No material is left behind in the race to reduce weight in aircraft design, not even sealants. Simrit, the industrial sealing products division of the Freudenberg and NOK Group companies, stepped up the plate to develop a low-density silicone material that reduces weight by 15 to 20% compared to similar materials. With a specific gravity of less than one, it has the same physical properties of traditional silicone materials, but weighs less.
It turns out that the nacelle system, the housing that contains aircraft engines, is a critical area for weight savings and fuel economy improvements. Simrit’s silicones, specifically its AMS 3302 and AMS 3303 compliant materials, helped reduce the weight and exhibit properties that could work for several aerospace sealing applications. These low-density silicones operate at temperatures anywhere from -85 to +401°F (-65 to +205°C). They set at a durometer of around 50 to 60+ Shore A. Like most silicones, they resist common aircraft fluids and can also work in fireproof constructions.
The material is produced at Simrit’s Nadcap-approved Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada plant. The plant is certified to the AS9100 Revision C quality management system including design for the aerospace industry.
More information: http://www.simrit.com | <urn:uuid:7f832db1-61ab-4d81-af57-8851b8b448a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://machinedesign.com/news/low-density-silicone-cuts-weight-aircraft-nacelle | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932489 | 295 | 2.96875 | 3 |
After having a good go at this, I now have a much better understanding about Routing than before :). But i've been trying to figure this out for a long time now and i am way over my deadline for my project. Im at the point where i will try to *hire* help if that is what it takes to get it finished!!! Any offers..... ?
In short i am trying to sniff packets across the VPN, but please read on to get the whole picture.
Router Hardware: WRT54GL V1.1
There are 2 sites that are separated by WAN, our site and the Customer site. Each site will have a WRT54GL router that has 3rd party firmware on it (Open-WRT or DD-WRT), because it was planned to be used to provide a VPN layer to extend the sniffer for our in-house Product named here as "LS". The sniffer is integrated with "LS" to capture and decode packets to insert them into a SQL DB for "LS". At the Customer Site we can already use a HUB as a network Tap to provide a data stream for ourselves without interfering with their traffic. In-fact our current design is with the Sniffer + LS + DB (all on one machine) being connected to the HUB at the Customer site, but now we need to extend this design by using the Router(s) to connect both remote sites so we can bring the packets to "LS" which will now be running at "our" site (not the Customers Site). Please see diagram below:
HUB ------> (Customer Site) WRT54GL Router (as VPN Client) ------> VPN over WAN ------> (Our Site) WRT54GL (as VPN Server) ------> LS with DB + Sniffer
The packets that the Router will be receiving via the HUB will not be addressed to it (via MAC or IP). However, the Router's NIC that Serves the LAN ports appears to be in a promiscuous mode, because it receives packets that are not addressed to it or its network.
I have tried so far with both Open-WRT and DD-WRT firmwares and had little success. I can only get the packets that were received in promiscuous mode into the LAN area of the Router, but they do not pass through the WAN. The only packets that i have managed to successfully route through the WAN were ones that were properly addressed. And that was to use the Router's MAC as the Destination MAC in the packet and also use a Destination IP in the packet that is not local to the Router (so it takes the WAN as its default Route).
To me, this seems that it is more of a configuration problem that is at a linux/kernel level, because the packets get into the router's LAN. But this is only my opinion because i am no expert as this.... which is why i am stuck :laugh:
I figure that once i know how get the packets out of the WAN, i can then go about trying to route them over the VPN.
Thanks for listening and thanks in advance for any support!! | <urn:uuid:475e99cf-9ee1-4153-ba9c-be43d90da653> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linux.com/community/forums/person/31281 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965817 | 655 | 1.601563 | 2 |
This month I am participating in the the Whole Foods 28 Day Healthy Eating Challenge, which is affiliated with their Health Starts Here work.
For five weeks, I will attend a class at my local store, with sessions to include: Whole Foods core values and wellness lecture, a healthy eating demo and a healthy eating on a budget store tour, navigating your way through a healthy lifestyle change, a cooking class with the store chef and a supper club with a panel of experts. Additionally, they will be screening the film "Forks Over Knives", but since I've already seen it, I won't be going to that session (but you should see it if you haven't! Fantastic film!). All this, plus a book and a bag of healthy starter groceries (lentils, quinoa, steel cut oats, Lara Bars, digestive enzymes, etc!), for just a $30 donation to their Whole Planet Foundation. This is the third time the store near me has ran this program, so if you are interested I would suggest that you see if a Whole Foods near you already is holding the class or let them know that you are interested.
At our first session this week, we reviewed what we should be eating during this time period by learning about their four pillars of healthy eating: eat whole, unprocessed foods, lots and lots of plants, healthy fats and foods with a high nutrient density. They are stressing eating a plant strong diet, which could include eating meat or dairy as as more of a garnish to a dish, but stated they aren't there to make everyone into vegetarians. While I know they are trying to not push people away, they are basing their course on the work of Dr. Fuhrman and Rip Esselstyn, so I wish they would at least touch on the benefits of a plant-based diet. They also brought in an expert on wellness who talked about reducing stress levels for a healthier lifestyle. He taught us a breathing exercise to try to combat cravings and explained how chocolate, dairy and sugar all temporarily increase your relaxation response, which is why you want to eat them when you are stressed.
This is supposed to be a challenge and I am sure that it will be. This month includes the Super Bowl, my birthday, Valentine's Day and a trip to New Jersey to visit my family. All of these are potential pitfalls for a healthy diet. However, I am hoping to learn some new things (such as more ways to cook greens!) in this course and apply them for the long term. For the next 28 days, I plan to follow their suggestions as closely as possible. It's time to go from eating vegan junk food to really focusing on eating good, whole, nutritious food. So far, after just one class, I have a lot of new information and resources. I'm looking forward to seeing where these next few weeks of class take me.
(Picture from the Whole Foods website) | <urn:uuid:16cdfd98-4c8e-4b34-a415-2dcdd8f5534a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://everydayrevelry.blogspot.com/2012/02/28-day-healthy-eating-challenge.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977361 | 598 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The holidays are a time of reflection, giving and a time to think about using some of your free time to help others. Without the support of their community, some local charity groups will not be able to continue doing all of their work.
New Hyde Park Patch has compiled a list of some volunteer positions that are available locally. In this list are even opportunities that you can volunteer to help out from the comfort of your home.
1. Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience, has numerous positions to be filled. They need volunteers in the following categories, Wish-Granting, Office Help, Speakers Bureau, Special Events, Wish Assist Phone Greeters and Wish-Story. They also accept student interns. The Wish-Story volunteer position can be done from your home. Hours vary based on position and your schedule. Full training is provided.
2. Herricks Alzheimer's Day Program are looking for people to participate in the activities that they run, as well as to socialize. They also have some paper work opportunities.
You can reach them at 516-742-0851 for more information.
3. 's Social Ministry department could use help in their food pantry with stocking shelves. They also could use drivers, shoppers and people to visit local parishioners.
For more information call 516-326-3403.
4. is constantly looking for volunteers. They ask that you fill out this online form at: http://www.nhpfd.com/Recruitment.php and someone will be in touch with you as to how the process works.
5. is always looking for volunteers to help in their many different offices with varying positions, based on your time and skills.
For more information about the positions and ways you can volunteer your time, they ask that you call 718-470-7000. You can also visit their website at: http://www.northshorelij.com/NSLIJ/lij.
6. has opportunities for high school students to serve community service hours as volunteers. Student can become library assistants helping with various duties and also receive their community service hours while helping out.
You can call 516-355-7850 for more information or visit their website at: http://www.nassaulibrary.org/hillside.
7. Ronald McDonald House is always looking for help with various duties, such as helping with the dinner program and in-house volunteers. They especially would love groups of people 16-years-old and older to come in and cook meals, as Ronald McDonald likes to provide dinners to the families on a daily basis.
They ask that you call 718-343-5683 for more information and ask for the volunteer coordinator to find out where you can best help or you can visit their website at http://www.rmhlongisland.org/home.html.
8. Education Assistance Corporation is in need of New Hyde Park residents. Their staff and volunteers have been helping Nassau County caregivers since 1986. Your time can help a caregiver in your neighborhood enjoy some time to themselves. The program offers free training, support and an hourly stipend is also available. Start the New Year off by offering the gift of respite to a family.
You can call 516-539-0150 Ext 217 and finding out more about how to help. You can also visit their website at: http://www.eacinc.org/p-seniorrespite.htm.
9. Meals on Wheels is looking for help preparing and packaging dinners to be delivered, organizing schedules, making phone calls, loading delivery vehicles and delivering meals.
For more information regarding what they will be looking for come the new year you can reach them at 845-229-5896 or visit their website at: http://www.mealcall.org/meals-on-wheels/ny/
10. Parker Jewish Institute is looking for volunteers of all ages to join their team to help with resident and patient care.
For more detailed information and to find out what exactly they need in the new year they ask that you call 718-289-2100 for more information or look over their website at: http://www.parkerinstitute.org/. | <urn:uuid:d5ac1ce0-afa9-4991-a11a-1ad1f8247472> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newhydepark.patch.com/groups/volunteering/p/ten-places-to-volunteer-near-new-hyde-park | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950944 | 899 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Curation is a valuable skill for today’s learner. In a culture of content overload, members that provide great content to their audience will be recognized leaders in network communities. Optimally, we equip students to differentiate good content from bad in preparation for their further education and careers. Curating an online topic (and allowing comments) also increases self-awareness and provides additional insight from others. The nuances of sharing content and writing to an audience become much better understood through interactivity between the curator and participating audience.
Via Ilkka Olander, Timo Ilomäki, Juergen Wagner, Evdokia Roka | <urn:uuid:f84c1e42-acb3-48dc-bfc5-c2f366e3e6d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scoop.it/t/new-media-technology/p/3997333281/why-scoopit-is-becoming-an-indispensable-learning-tool?tag=Depression | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941939 | 129 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Sinuous Antique Edwardian Diamond Ring
Its a legend! This eye catching jewel is featured on page 263 in the latest 7th edition of the book, "Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry" by C. Jeanenne Bell! See over 30 of pieces of our jewelry highlighted - both currently for sale and from the recent past. Don't miss this wonderful resource.
When is a one carat diamond not a one carat diamond? When three gems visually merge into one crescendo of a ring. The jewelers of the Edwardian period were the unrecognized magicians of their time. A round cut old European diamond of .57 carats (color I, VS1 in clarity) is centered in a marquise or pointed oval shaped cartouche. Flanking the center stone north and south are two more round cut diamonds. The illusion is complete - the placement of the three gems in such close proximity along with their platinum frame gives the unmistakable appearance of a 1 carat diamond marquise cut diamond. Even close up the stones seem to merge into one solid diamond. And the pocket book is certainly smiling.
Additionally, 18 old European and old mine cut diamonds embrace the “1 carat” with a total weight of .90 of a carat. Add the platinum mount with its open work design and mille grain setting and an ethereal Edwardian antique ring has a presence that belies its actual size. Measures 3/8 of an inch in width at the bottom and top (0.8 cm) by ¾ of an inch in length (1.8 cm). Size is US 6 (UK L-1/4; Euro 16.5; 52 mm) and can easily be sized. Weighs 5 g. In very fine condition with some minor wear to the platinum surface sides and back of the ring as expected. Please note that carat weight is approximate, as the stones remain in situ. Dates to circa 1905 – 1915.
If choosing this for an engagement ring, remember it is best worn by itself without a wedding band.
Note: All diamond weights and color grades are approximate since the stones were not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting. | <urn:uuid:ac9196b5-3a4d-4cca-9f69-e29a74b2feb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.georgianjewelry.com/items/show/10264-sinuous-antique-edwardian-diamond-ring | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935398 | 453 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Nine-time New York City Marathon champion loses her long battle with cancer.
Written by: Mario Fraioli
Grete Waitz, the nine-time New York City Marathon champion and arguably the most renowned female marathoner off all-time, lost her nearly six-year battle with cancer on Tuesday, passing away in her sleep. She was 57 years old.
Most known for her unprecedented nine New York City Marathon titles between 1978 and 1988, Waitz was also a five-time world cross country champion. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the first World Championships of Athletics in Helsinki in 1983 and captured silver at the 1984 Olympic Marathon. She was also a two-time London Marathon champion (1983, 1986), clocking her personal best of 2:24:54 to win the race in 1986.
Diagnosed with cancer in June of 2005, Waitz was as a true ambassador for the sport of distance running, particularly for women.
“Running a marathon is something many people want to do – it is like the ultimate goal for them,” she told Matt Fitzgerald in an interview with Competitor.com last year. “Not everybody can climb Mount Everest or dance on Broadway but most people can complete a marathon. The numbers of first-timers are increasing and that is why some races get bigger and bigger. I am personally happy to see that so many women take on the challenge of 26.2 miles.”
Waitz’s passing is sending shockwaves throughout the running world. Her reach extended well beyond the finish line, as she devoted much of her time and energy to supporting such charitable organizations such as the Cure Foundation and Special Olympics. She was also an ambassador to the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge racing series, helping to encourage health and wellness in the workplace.
“She survived six years which doctors consider miraculous and during that time she took care of Jack, her family and started a foundation-building exercise facilities in cancer hospitals,” said Barbara Paddock, a close friend of Waitz and senior vice president at JP Morgan Chase, on Tuesday. “She will always be a super amazing, beautiful, caring, determined woman.”
“God has a strange way of doing things,” added Tracy Sundlun, senior vice president of events at The Competitor Group, who has known Waitz since the early 1970′s. “Perhaps he was a step ahead of things. For her to pass away, the greatest female athlete our sport has seen, to pass away on the day of the Boston Marathon is fitting. It doesn’t make it any less painful, but it’s fitting.”
“To go from this high of exulting in impressive performance earlier in the day to tears of being crushed is just…” added a shaken Sundlun, unable to find the words to finish his sentence. | <urn:uuid:a99f70c2-77b0-4ef8-a4d4-0d1926b09f0a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://running.competitor.com/2011/04/news/marathon-great-grete-waitz-passes-away_25541 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974101 | 596 | 1.585938 | 2 |
For Tamar Muskal, an Israeli-American composer, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians goes beyond politics. It is music, it is poetry, it is the lone voice, speaking of pain and dreams.
It is also in her composition "The Yellow Wind,"(premiered on May 14 and 15, 2005) which combines a full orchestra, an Arabic flute, Arab and Israeli poetry and songs, and excerpts from the 1988 book of the same title by David Grossman. It is to be given its premiere tonight by the Westchester Philharmonic in Purchase, N.Y.
The project was a labor of love for more than a year, Ms. Muskal said, a time of writing the music, finding Arabic translators and mixing in the right words. She also knew that her subject was so incendiary that she risked being accused of politics rather than respected for creating art.
"At this point, it's not relevant who's at fault," she said of the troubled Mideast, during a recent interview at a Manhattan Starbucks.
Ms. Muskal, who is Jewish and grew up in Israel, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, said that at 39 she realized that pain is pain, no matter who does the suffering.
"It's a collection of stories and interviews," Ms. Muskal said of her "Yellow Wind," much like Mr. Grossman's book. "It doesn't analyze. It doesn't offer any solutions."
"But the thing I can bring is my own music," she said. "Music can get to places where no talk can get. With politics, people get aggressive and defensive in two minutes." The composer described her 35-minute piece, which was commissioned by the orchestra, as a "song here, a song there, here a text, here the song," and said it played with boundaries in more than one way. It's folklore, it's all kinds of music and does not neatly fit into any genre.
The composer said she started with just a vague idea of creating a piece about the feelings of the people involved in the Mideast conflict, perhaps running Arabic and Hebrew words together. She ended up turning to the book, an account by Mr. Grossman, an Israeli novelist, of the experiences of both groups in West Bank settlements and camps in 1987. Ms. Muskal said she was moved by his stories from his seven-week journey, finding them apolitical and balanced.
So she approached Mr. Grossman about doing something specifically for her and he declined, she said, but offered to let her use his book as she wished.
And there Mr. Grossman's words are, read by the narrator as Ms. Muskal's music plays: "I decided not to talk with Jewish or Arab politicians or officials.
Their positions are well known, to the point of tedium. I wanted to meet the real players in the drama. The people who live it. Albert Camus said that this passage from speech to moral action has a name: 'to become human.' "
The Palestinians and the Israelis get about equal stage time in Ms. Muskal's version of "The Yellow Wind." The piece features the vocalists Keren Hadar and Mira Awad singing in Hebrew and Arabic, and work by the Israeli poets Shaul Tchernichovsky, Natan Alterman and Natan Yonatan. The Arab poet Mahmoud Darwish's "I Am From There," featured in the composition, says: "I have learned and dismantled all the words in order to draw from them a single word: home."
Brian Lehrer, the WNYC radio moderator and talk show host, will be the narrator.
Ms. Muskal took lessons in Arabic music and learned enough Arabic to set the words to music fluently.
Bassam Saba, a Long Island-based musician who plays the nay, an Arab flute, is onstage the whole time. He helped familiarize Ms. Muskal with Arabic music.
"I saw how she thinks to force these two cultures together, composition-wise,"
"It follows all the discovery and connections between people on earth now,"
Mr. Saba continued. "People are looking for each other more. It represents this kind of cultural communication. For me, it was important to look for this marriage, coming from the Middle East."
Some of Ms. Muskal's own life lessons came from being a transplant. She left Israel in 1994, she said, for the far more diverse shores of Manhattan. Armed with a music degree from the Rubin Academy for Dance and Music in Jerusalem, Ms. Muskal commuted to Yale, earning a master's degree in music. She now lives on the Upper West Side with her two young children and her husband, Daniel Rozin, an artist who teaches at New York University.
"On one hand, it's fascinating," she said of becoming a New Yorker. "On the other hand, when you're from a small country, you suspect everything that isn't you. Slowly, you discover beautiful things in other cultures."
Ms. Muskal's other recent commissions have included a concerto for string quartet and orchestra for the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra, and pieces for the Richmond Symphony in Virginia. Her "Dmamah" for four instruments, performed in 2001 at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, had "color and life," Bernard Holland of The New York Times said in a review.
Paul Lustig Dunkel, the Westchester Philharmonic conductor and music director, described Ms. Muskal as a major young composer who about three years ago became the philharmonic's education composer-in-residence, writing orchestral pieces based on student art and poetry. He said he hoped "The Yellow Wind" would lure younger audiences interested in world music and big themes.
"Art is a very good way - an excellent way - to get people to think about what's going on," he said.
Introduction by Tamar Muskal
As an Israeli and a composer I wanted to write a piece that dealt with the Israeli -Palestinian conflict. The piece, for full symphonic orchestra (3333, 4331, hrp, pn, 3 perc, timp, narr, strings and three soloists: Nay (Arabic flute) player and 2 female singers, has its themes in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; yet it is meant to be universal, a work of art that can carry its message anywhere in the world where suffering and conflict exist. The texts in the piece are taken from three sources: 1) from renowned Israeli author David Grossman's collection of interviews collected in his book The Yellow Wind; the interviews were conducted during a series of Grossman's visits to the west bank, refugees camps, settlements and villages 2) poems by Shaul Tchernichovski, Natan Alterman and Natan Yonatan, and 3) poems by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish..
The two vocalists represent their own people: an Israeli, who will sing the Hebrew poems (Tchernichovski, Alterman and Yonatan) and a Palestinian who will sing the Arabic poems (Darwish). Both singers will sing the poems in their original languages (Hebrew and Arabic)
The Narrator (Brian Leher from WYNC) will read excerpts from Grossman's The Yellow Wind in English (a translation form the original Hebrew). Each vocalist will sing three poems: The first four poems will be sung alternately -- Arabic, Hebrew, Arabic, Hebrew -- while the last two poems will intertwine with each other. Thus, at the work’s apex there will be a kind of duet between the two vocalists, though each one has her own poem. Both the Hebrew and the Arabic texts will reveal a gradual development in their subject matter and in their emotional intensities.
The Yellow Wind was premiered on May 14 and 15, 2005. The other pieces in the
Saint Saens: Violin concerto no. 3 to be played by the well known violinist:
Joshua Bell, and Brahms: Symphony no. 2.
Tamar Muskal - bio
Tamar was born in 1965 in Jerusalem, Israel. She studied viola, music theory
and composition at the Rubin Academy for Dance and Music in Jerusalem and
earned her BA in 1991. Ms. Muskal came to the United States in 1994 and
subsequently earned her Master's degree from Yale University, where she studied with
Jacob Druckman, Martin Bresnick and Ezra Laderman. She continued her studies at
the City University of New York, where she studied with David Del Tredici and
Recent commissions have included a concerto for string quintet and orchestra
for members of the string faculty at Penn State University, an orchestral
piece for the Richmond Symphony, a chamber piece for Music From Copland House
Ensemble and a percussion quartet for the Ethos Percussion Group. Ms. Muskal has
also served as the Westchester Philharmonic's education composer-in-residence
for the past three years, and in that capacity has written three orchestral
pieces based on students' artwork and poetry.
Ms. Muskal also focuses on music for theater; recent works include "Angels in
America" performed in Cincinnati, "The Labor of Life" and "The Seven Beggars"
performed at La Mama Theater in New York, and "Cristabel" and "Trojan Women" performed
in New Haven.
Ms. Muskal has been the recipient of many awards and fellowships, from
prestigious institutions such as ASCAP, Meet-the-Composer, the Jerome Foundation,
American Music Center and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Her most recent
award is from the American Academy of Arts and Letter (2004). While at Yale,
Ms. Muskal received awards for her work, including the John Jackson Prize for
the best composition for strings, the Wood Chandler Memorial Prize for the best
composition in large form, the Lucy G moses Fellowship for students with
exceptional promise and the Irving S. Gilmore Fellowship given for one student of
each department. Her piece DMAMAH recently won the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble
composition competition and the Tampa Bay Composers Forum Composers Compet
'The Yellow Wind' Premiere May 15th
Read additional reviews on The Arab-Israeli Melting Pot
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Paul Lustig Dunkel, conductor and music director of the Westchester Philharmonic and Tamar Muskal
From left to right: Keren Hadar, Paul Lustig Dunkel, Bassam Saba Tamar MuskalJoshua Bell and Mira Awad. | <urn:uuid:d6253d34-6fe4-4061-aecf-6116998ac191> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewish-theatre.com/visitor/article_display.aspx?articleID=1365 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966526 | 2,227 | 1.84375 | 2 |
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Refusing to take the anthrax vaccine has cost a former noncommissioned officer at Elmendorf Air Force Base his military career.
Staff Sgt. Craig Perry said he was preparing to sign up for a third hitch when he was ordered to get the vaccination.
Perry says he did some research and didn't like what he found. He didn't want the shots -- a series of six over an 18-month period.
Perry was a jet mechanic at Elmendorf, and that placed him in the category of personnel who could be sent overseas on short notice.
The Department of Defense has concluded that potential enemies might use biological weapons containing anthrax on American troops. All 2.4 million members of the armed forces eventually are scheduled to take the shots.
Perry got his vaccination order in October of 1999. By then, the shots had become controversial. Concerns had arisen about some potential long-term effects, like cancer, a danger that the Pentagon insists does not exist.
People like Perry remembered that similar assurances offered in the past have proved erroneous. Agent Orange. Atomic radiation. Possibly Gulf War Syndrome. In September, the Air Force Times ran a story about a biological warfare instructor who advised against the vaccine and was kept from reenlisting.
In October, when Perry got his orders, 17 people at Elmendorf had refused the shots and were facing punishment. Nationwide, more than 120,000 people have taken the shots. Only a few hundred have refused, according to national news reports.
Still, Perry worried about the shots, especially a warning that mentioned ''fertility problems.'' Now 33, he was about to get married and start a family. He and his fiancee saw this as a choice between Perry taking the shots and staying in the Air Force as planned or serving the months remaining on his tour and leaving.
''We made the decision to get out,'' Perry told the Anchorage Daily News. He told his bosses he would not be reenlisting and was assigned to finish his tour at a base in Virginia.
He figured the debate over his taking the vaccine would be moot because no foreign assignment was likely during the time he had remaining to serve.
But he was wrong. He had disobeyed an order. The Air Force busted him back to its lowest rank and then discharged him.
His supervisors gave him several chances over several months to change his mind. They offered counseling and reassurance. But in the end, there was no compromise, not even for a valued employee.
But of course, he's not an ''employee,'' said Lt. Col. Michael Gilbert, staff judge advocate at Elmendorf. ''Every person who comes into the military raises their hand and takes an oath. ... They are not employees. They are military members.''
Gilbert couldn't talk specifically about Perry, but he agreed the vaccination order probably is costing the Air Force some good people although ''not people who should remain in the military.''
Someone who has refused the vaccine might not be able to do the job one day and might endanger the rest of his unit, Gilbert said.
So Perry received a general discharge, which comes without any GI benefits.
As a civilian, Perry already is making $20,000 more a year than he was in the military. But Perry said he will continue trying to get his discharge upgraded to honorable.
Peninsula Clarion ©2013. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:9311af3d-8228-4d36-87ab-35b4771cafd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/032000/ala_032000ala002pm.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987669 | 708 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Freedman's Law: Start with a good idea
So, you want to write a book. If you've never been published, that's the biggest barrier, since you have a higher burden of proof, says Samuel Freedman, an author who teaches nonfiction book writing at Columbia University. But his students prove that it can be done.Skip to next paragraph
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"How to" books and articles about publishing overemphasize marketing, says Mr. Freedman.
"A book proposal is not a business plan," he says, although he adds that authors do have to show that there is an audience for their book.
Here are Freedman's tips on how to get a book contract:
*Get the right idea. It should be "both timely and timeless" and lend itself to a book-length piece. "One obstacle is understanding the difference between a great magazine piece and a book," he says.
*Read. Examine well-reported, narrative nonfiction books as models. Among the writers Freedman admires are Robert Caro and Alex Kotlowitz.
*Look at successful proposals. Get them from authors and agents. "The great proposals are not about markets, they're about the power of the narrative," Freedman says. His proposals include a sample chapter, and an overview essay that outlines the book, its characters, and significance.
*Block out time for reporting, researching, and writing a proposal. "It has to be something you love and are ready to sacrifice for; otherwise it's not the right idea for you," says Freedman, who spends three to 12 months developing a proposal.
*Get an agent. Find one who has handled similar work and send your proposal.
*Build a network of other writers, who can give you feedback and emotional support.
(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society | <urn:uuid:0ebb1e27-4fa6-4104-8a80-756b74faec77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0824/p17s2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957036 | 388 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Survival rates are highest for traumatic injuries or accidents when treatment is received within one hour.
We all know that accidents can happen in a split second. Some are much more severe than others, and there is no time to spare when deciding how to take action.
According to the Trauma Foundation, a traumatic injury or trauma is a blunt force or penetrating physical injury that requires surgical and other medical specialists to consult, observe or perform surgery in order to optimize recovery. Examples of traumas are life-threatening injuries such as those due to serious car crashes, bad falls or gunshot wounds.
Time is of the Essence: The Golden Hour
Trauma Foundation statistics report that traumas are a leading cause of disability and account for 45-50,000 deaths per year. When it comes to treating traumas successfully, time is of the essence. A victim’s chances of survival are highest if he or she receives the appropriate emergency care within the first 60 minutes after the trauma occurs. This time period is known as the golden hour.
Level II Trauma Center
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has a history of providing the highest level of critical medical care for our community and the Pasco County region. Thanks to an affiliation between HCA Florida and USF Health, Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point was recently designated a Provisional Level II Trauma Center—the first and only in the Pasco, Hernando and Citrus County area. We are staffed and equipped around the clock to provide trauma patients with life-saving care during the golden hour.
Learn more about trauma care at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point here. Learn about all the other services we offer on our website or contact us by phone with your non-emergency questions at (727) 819-2929. | <urn:uuid:c39cae20-d62b-468d-9e2c-d47b8fe34325> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.rmchealth.com/2012/07/10/whats-the-golden-hour/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948794 | 367 | 2.25 | 2 |
Denialism is the employment of rhetorical tactics to give the appearance of argument or legitimate debate, when in actuality there is none. These false arguments are used when one has few or no facts to support one's viewpoint against a scientific consensus or against overwhelming evidence to the contrary. They are effective in distracting from actual useful debate using emotionally appealing, but ultimately empty and illogical assertions.
Global Warming Denialism is a disorder. It is an extremely Dangerous disorder that Threatens to KILL the human species and all animals if we allowed it to.
I personally know a number of people that deny climate change. That is what has brought me to put this in the news here at Care2. This is a serious issue. If denialists are allowed to spread Lies unchallenged and poison the opinions of too many people, their disinformation could easy result in many people dying. If people do not realize the truth and do not take action against Global Warming, the consequences will almost certainly be deadly for large numbers of people. Those people may even be you or I.
If Global Warming continues unchecked, considerable areas of densely inhabited land will be permanently flooded. Millions will be forced to migrate to new areas. Such huge numbers of refugees will be certain to result in conflicts and great hardships.
Floods and changing weather patterns will cause areas that are currently prime farmland to experience crop failures. These crop failures are likely to occur worldwide. The result will be massive famines.
Huge numbers of refugees suffering from famines will be a likely breeding ground for all sorts of nasty diseases. There will be many deaths and much suffering.
Hearing claims that global warming is untrue is scary. The possibility that those false claims may be believed by gullible people is even more scary. They are scary to me because their denial could very well result in death and suffering for myself, my loved ones, nature, wildlife, & humans all around the planet.
It's so sad that these people are so willing to cause the deaths of other humans just to increase their own profit margins. When it comes down to it, a lot of the denialism is because of the Love of Money.
Big companies DO NOT care about you or the environment. All they care about is filling their bank accounts up with money. They lie because they have to in order to keep making billions and they do not care who they hurt while lieing.
This is still the same old Republican Denialism that is being funded by the oil companies. The Republican party has long been dedicated to using any means necessary to help the rich keep getting richer. They couldn't care less if the planet goes to hell, just as long as they can keep their fat donors raking in the money.
Although President Bush has every right to have his policy goals articulated by his appointees, recent reports of top scientists being censored by the administration are indeed troubling. Altering presentations does not alter reality.
The White House has a considerable record of charges that it attempted to edit or censor scientific information to conform with political goals. Among them:
Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was accused of censoring experts on polar bears about the potentially harmful effects of climate change on the creatures.
Goddard Institute for Space Studies Director James Hansen said earlier this year that Bush administration officials had attempted to stop him from delivering a speech in which he urged prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.
As he was leaving his position as U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona testified before a House committee that the White House would not allow him to speak on aspects of stem cell research, comprehensive sex education, emergency contraception or other politically charged topics.
In 2003, Council on Environmental Quality Director Philip Cooney is said to have made more than 300 changes to an Environmental Protection Agency report on global warming, supposedly exaggerating uncertainties about global warming.
The latest example of questionable political involvement in matters of science involves Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gerberding, a highly regarded infectious disease specialist, was set to deliver written testimony to a Senate panel on how climate change could effect the spread of disease.
Gerberding was prepared to present 12 pages of testimony to the committee, but after submission to the Office of Management and Budget for review, the testimony was reduced to six pages. Gone, among other statements, was one stating: “Populations in Midwestern and Northeastern cities are expected to experience more heat-related illnesses as heat waves increase in frequency, severity and duration.”
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters Gerberding's testimony was cut because, “in the draft there were broad characterizations about climate change that didn't align with the IPCC.” The IPCC is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which periodically issues reports on climate change research, including two this year. A number of scientists at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been involved in drafting these reports. Further examination, however, revealed no inconsistencies between the IPCC report and Gerberding's speech.
At this point, more than 12,000 scientists have signed a statement criticizing the Bush administration for manipulating science. With the many public health challenges confronting the nation and the world, Americans have a need and a right to know the truth. All our lives could depend on it.
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Al Gore and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work to raise awareness about the threat of global warming.
With his passion and hard work, Al Gore has demonstrated that committed citizens can make a difference. He has inspired millions to stand together against one of the biggest challenges of our time.
This year's Nobel selection sends a strong message that to achieve peace we need to live in harmony with one another and with the environment. By stopping the destructive effects of global warming, we are not only preventing future conflicts ignited by lack of resources, but we are also fighting for our own survival.
Please take a few minutes to sign our petition to say "Congratulations!" to Al Gore for this remarkable achievement and urge him to continue his critical work to fight global warming!
There are gadgets that
change everything (the
iPhone, the first Intel
Centrino laptops, Bose's
headphones), and then
there are devices that
are so spectacularly bad
that they should be
immortalized in their own
way. The last few
Small space rocks are
carving fresh craters
into the Martian surface
more often than
researchers say. A new
study finds that there
are more than 200
asteroid impacts on the
Red Planet every year.
The Irish potato famine
that caused mass
approximately 1 million
deaths in the mid-19th
century was triggered by
a newly identified strain
of potato blight that has
been christened "HERB-1,"
according to a new study. | <urn:uuid:75d1d069-0279-4108-885d-a01231398a5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/sharebook/577339509&tag=denialismdenialistsglobal?pid=577339509&share_type=&tag=change | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960417 | 1,438 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Canton is located in Georgia.
Canton, Georgia has a population of
family-centric than the surrounding county with
38.42% of the households
containing married families with children.
The county average for households married with children is 39.68%.
The median household income in Canton, Georgia is
The median household income for the surrounding county is $66,189
compared to the national median of $50,935.
The median age of people living in Canton is
The average high temperature in July is 89
degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 29.6 degrees.
The average rainfall is approximately 54.5 inches
per year, with 2.5 inches of snow per year. | <urn:uuid:7cebf1bb-1f17-4bbc-b591-15f8530094cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.realliving.com/GA/Canton | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961431 | 154 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Click any image in the slide to see a larger version.
Scroll down to read accompanying notes.
Slide 15 of 21
The program that I used for modeling alfalfa seed pollination was Stella II,
an easy-to-use program for systems modeling. One starts by creating a flow
chart that contains three elements:
Stocks are accumulations. They collect inflows and lose outflows. Flows fill
and drain accumulations. The arrowhead on the flow pipe indicates the
direction of flow. Finally, converters change inputs to outputs. They hold
constants, graphs, and calculate algebraic relationships. For example, in my
model open, unpollinated flowers are a stock with an inflow of buds opening,
and outflows of pollinated flowers ready to develop pods. | <urn:uuid:2f50ba45-60c8-4cb3-9f7e-23255f9b2ea9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pollinatorparadise.com/PT_question/sld015.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923989 | 169 | 2.90625 | 3 |
These are great photos in the panoramic style used in the early to mid 20th century. Some showcasing old apparatus going out with new coming in. Another popular panoramic was photographing the entire department at one time. I hope you enjoy these 9 photographs as much as I did.
The earliest firefighting operations in America saw lines of buckets being passed back and forth between a water source and the structure on fire. This method, the best available at the time, was both labor intensive and ineffective. Large amounts of water were lost as the heavy buckets passed from hand to hand and the actual delivery of the extinguishing agent to the seat of the fire was poor and unreliable.
The introduction of hand-pumping engines greatly improved water delivery to the fire area, but the crude machines still had to be filled by bucket brigades. Gooseneck delivery nozzles on the engines did allow streams to be directed with some accuracy into the burning structure.
In Holland, the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, Jan van der Heiden, and his son Nicholaas took firefighting to its next step with the fashioning of the first fire hose in 1673. These 50-foot lengths of leather were “sewn together like a boot leg.” Even with the limitations of pressure, the attachment of the hose to the gooseneck nozzle allowed closer approaches and more accurate water application. Van der Heiden was also credited with an early version of suction hose using wire to keep it ridged.
The next major advance in fire hose was made in 1807 by two American firemen from Philadelphia’s Hose Company 1. James Sellars and Abraham Pennock experimented by using metal rivets instead of stitching to bind the seams of leather hose. There efforts paid off and became a huge success.
Leather hose still had many drawbacks, including drying out, cracking and bursting from excessive pressure. The introduction of rivets, however, allowed higher pressures and greater delivery of water on the fireground. The improved hose now was 40 to 50 feet in length and weighed more than 85 pounds with the couplings.
This improvement prompted the further development of suction to draw larger quantities of water much more quickly than before. The water could be delivered directly to the pumper through a hose, thus eliminating the need for buckets. It was said that 100 feet of hose was the equivalent of 60 men with buckets. Hose oilers were developed to keep the leather supple and pliable. Various types of oils and other substances were used to keep the hose in shape. Continue reading
I discovered a “ORIGINAL” 1736 Roster from Benjamin Franklins Union Fire Company while researching online. Mr. Tom Lingenfelter is the proud owner and discoverer of this priceless, one of a kind fire service artifact! I contacted him and spoke with him in length concerning this and several other things. He has graciously given me permission to repost this information for the fire service world to enjoy. I hope the fire historians are as excited about this as I was when I first saw it! Here is the story… GM
America’s history detective, Tom Lingenfelter, is at it again. Lingenfelter has uncovered a document significant to both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the nation – an original, handwritten, manuscript featuring the complete list of members of the nation’s first volunteer fire company, The Union.
The Union Fire Company was the first volunteer fire company in Philadelphia and more importantly, the first formed in the United States. Founded in 1736 by Benjamin Franklin, members were required to keep and maintain their own buckets and linen salvage bags to help douse flames and carry away the personal items of those exposed to the ravages of fire.
Each member was further required to make and keep two lists of the names of each member of the company. One list was to remain posted by his bags and buckets; the other was to be carried and presented at all fire company meetings. This list was one of two lists belonging to Joseph Paschall, a member of Philadelphia’s Common Council.
At the time this list was made, Paschall was serving as the Union’s clerk. The job of clerk rotated monthly between members, as did the position of names on the list. Since Paschall’s name headed this list, he was the current clerk of the company. It most certainly was the list he carried with him as is evidenced by the folds in the paper. A lack of holes indicates that it had never been posted. Additionally, the list matches the sequence of members recorded in the manuscript minute book of the Union Fire Company now in possession of the Library Company of Philadelphia signifying that Paschal was the Company’s first clerk.
The Union’s membership featured some of the most prominent Philadelphians of the era. Most notably on this list is Benjamin Franklin, celebrated printer, scientist, entrepreneur and statesman. Other names include: Richard Sewell, Sheriff of Philadelphia; Edward Roberts, Mayor; Edward Shippen, Judge; Philip Syng, Silversmith and Official; Samuel Powel, Jr., Merchant; George Emlen, Brewer; Charles Willing, Official; Hugh Roberts, Hospital Director; Joseph Turner, Sea Captain and Merchant.
Small “X’s” are marked before and after each name. “X’s” on the right of each name are in the same ink as the document. “X’s” before each name are in pencil. Paschall’s name is the only one not marked with an a pencil “X.” Research has uncovered no other surviving example of a similar list either in private or public hands. This fine and exceedingly rare document appears to be the only remaining Union Fire Company roster in existence.
When Peter Stuyvesant, the governor of New Amsterdam, appointed four fire wardens in 1648, the history of organized firefighting in America began. In a stroke of political savvy, Stuyvesant named two Dutchmen and two Englishmen to the posts. These original fire wardens – Martin Krieger, Adrian Geyser, Thomas Hall and George Woolsey – were able and honest citizens, and politically correct public servants of their time.
Krieger owned and operated a tavern across from Bowling Green. Later, when the city was incorporated, Krieger became a member of the governor’s Executive Council and held other important posts until the British took control. Geyser worked for the Dutch West India Company, founder of New Amsterdam. He later served as a member of the Executive Council. Hall was an Englishman who had been taken prisoner by the Dutch and released on parole. He developed strong ties to Dutch power brokers and his popularity grew. Hall owned a large farm near what is now the corner of Beekman and Spruce streets, and held a number of civic offices. Woolsey, the second English fire warden, was the agent of a leading Dutch trader. Continue reading
The history of firefighting in America can be traced all the way back to Jamestown, VA, the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Founded in 1607 by colonists from the London Company, Jamestown was under the command of Captain James Smith. It did not take long for fire to begin taking its toll on the new settlers.
In January 1608, a devastating fire destroyed most of the colonists’ provisions and lodgings. Smith made a concise assessment of the situation: “I begin to think that it is safer for me to dwell in the wild Indian country than in this stockade, where fools accidentally discharge their muskets and others burn down their homes at night.”
Three hundred ninety years later, Smith’s read on America’s safety issues is not that much different than today’s. Our headlines still feature the same two elements – fire and guns.
The population of the New World continued to rise as shiploads of immigrants stepped ashore looking for a fresh start in a new land. Cities began to take shape, and the problems Smith found in the small stockade multiplied as more and more structures were added. The fire load in these cities increased as forests were cleared and wooden homes and buildings were constructed. Continue reading
EDITORS NOTE: Read the NY Times article on the awards ceremony in 1913.
by Paul Hashagen - A composite structure, the Equitable Building actually consisted of five buildings erected at different times, the tallest being ten-stories high. It occupied the entire square block bordered by Broadway, Nassau, Cedar and Pine Streets. The buildings had undergone many alterations, including openings on most floors between various structures, allowing uninhibited travel from one area to another.
On January 9, 1912 at 5:18 A.M., a building employee discovered a wastepaper basket, chair and a desk in the watchman’s office were burning briskly; the employee went to summon help.
The fire traveled from the tiny office down a hallway to a large shaft containing two elevators and eleven dumbwaiters that served the exclusive Lawyer’s Club and the Cafe Savarin from the eighth floor kitchen. There were direct openings on each floor, from the cellar to the roof, with the exception of the fourth floor.
Employees attempted to place a standpipe hose into operation, but stretched short. Finally, an excited employee told a policeman of the fire, and sixteen minutes after the fire was discovered, Box 24 was transmitted. It sent four engines, two ladders, two battalion chiefs and the deputy chief of the First Division. Continue reading
WASHINGTON DC – On April 10th, 1922 the District of Columbia Fire Department responded to a reported barn fire at 36th & N Streets. While enroute DCFD Engine Co. 9 was severely damaged in an accident with a truck.
As Engine Co. 9 passed through the intersection at 21st & Q Street NW a Highland Express Company transfer truck failed to yield to its lights and siren. In the blink of an eye the 7 tons of the red behemoth crashed through the truck and struck a tree shearing off the left front of the rig. Continue reading
BOSTON, MA – On September 24, 1906 the American La France Fire Engine Company loaned an automobile chemical unit to the department for trial. This unit was first placed in the quarters of Engine Co 26/35 on Mason Street and then to the quarters of Engine Co. 22 and Ladder Co. 13 on Warren Avenue where it remained the longest. It was equipped with two (2) 35-gallon chemical tanks, 250 feet of hose and other necessary tools. The unit was built on a Packard chassis and was equipped with a gasoline 30 horse power engine, which could speed up to 30 miles per hour.
The first response was that same night to an alarm in South Boston at 1835 hours to Box 129, Sixth and B Streets for a fire at 276 Dorchester Avenue. The apparatus responded over the Broadway Bridge and made very good time. District Chief Ryder was going to use the new wagon to respond to fires from his quarters on Warren Avenue. The chauffeur was Frank Shea who had been Chief Mullen’s driver and was familiar with the motor apparatus. Other firemen assigned were John F. Watson, William H. Boudreau and William A. J. Drinan. This unit used the designation of Chemical 13 while operating from Ladder Co. 13’s quarters. Continue reading | <urn:uuid:b8ce9b6a-a122-443f-98e2-f0e3963bd717> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sconfire.com/2012/06/summerville-ff-dies-in-wreck/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971228 | 2,377 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Here are some email courses and newsletters designed to help you train for a specific distance, such as a 5K or half marathon, or stay motivated to keep running. Click on a link to sign up and get started!
Email Courses for Beginner Runners4 Weeks to One Mile: This learn to run, beginner running program is designed to help beginner runners build up to running one mile continuously. For four weeks, you'll receive weekly emails with specific instructions for a beginner run/walk program, as well as other helpful information for new runners. By the end of four weeks, you'll be able to run one mile without stopping.
3 Weeks to a 30 Minute Running Habit: This beginner running program is designed to start a new running habit. You'll receive daily emails with specific instructions for a beginner run/walk program, as well as other helpful information for new runners. To get started, you only need to be able to run for 1 minute at a time. By the end of the three weeks, you'll be able to run/walk for 30 minutes.
Beginner 5K Training Plan: Running a 5K (3.1 miles) is an excellent goal for beginner runners. This e-course picks up right where "3 Weeks to a 30-Minute Running Habit" leaves off. It's suitable for anyone who can do 5-minute run/1-minute walk intervals for 30 minutes. Even if you don't want to run a 5K, this program can help you run 30 minutes continuously (without walk breaks).
5K Training Plan for Beginner Runners: This 5K training program is perfect for beginners who can already run at least one mile. Even if you don't want to run a 5K, this training program will get you ready to run the 5K distance by the end of the email course.
Beginner 10K Training Plan: This eight-week 10K training program is designed to help you run to your 10K finish line. This training plan assumes that you can already run at least two miles. Even if you don't want to run a 10K race, this program will get you ready to run the 10K distance by the end of the email course.
Beginner Half Marathon Training Plan: This 12-week half marathon training schedule is perfect for a beginner runner and a first-time half-marathoner whose goal is simply to finish the 13.1-mile race. It assumes that you already run at least eight miles per week.
Running Motivation Email CoursesImprove Your Running Motivation: If you've just started learning to run or you're training for a race and you're looking for some extra motivation, sign up for this "Improve Your Running Motivation" email program. Every week for eight weeks, you'll receive an email with tips and advice for staying motivated to run, as well as ideas for keeping your running habit fun and fresh.
12 Weeks of Running Quotes: Reading motivational running quotes can help get you pumped to keep running. Sign up for "12 Weeks of Running Quotes" and every week for 12 weeks, you'll receive an email with running quotes to inspire you and give you something to think about during your runs. | <urn:uuid:c45c80e6-8cbf-4586-8f15-b8ab82fcf0e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://running.about.com/od/trainingschedules/a/Running-And-Jogging-Email-Courses-And-Newsletters.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956517 | 657 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Shutoku wrote:Lotus415 wrote:Ryoto wrote:Try finding a Jodo Shinshu temple. You might have some luck there.
Yes, I've thought of that, but from what I've read of their teachings their thoughts on Amitabha being a myth do not really correspond to what I have studied.
I am caucasian and attend a Jodo Shinshu Temple, and have for over 15 years.
Regarding ethnicity, the Temple membership is 90% Japanese Canadian. Services are mostly in English, though Sutras are not Chanted in English, and some Gatha's (Hymns) are Japanese with romaji, however Dharma talks are either in both Japanese and English, or only English. Really only a handfull of members do not speak English at this point.
I think it is generally true that the vast majority of Shinshu Temples in North America are like this.
Regarding the nature of Amida. I have never met a Jodo Shinshu follower who did not feel Amida was real, although not all feel the description in the Sutras is necessarily to be taken 100% literally. Some do some don't, but all Shinshu followers I have met feel Amida is real and is a manifestation of Dharma-Kaya, and all feel we are helpless to attain Enlightenment by our own power and thus rely upon Amida and recite Nembutsu in gratitude.
I think the beauty of a Sangha is not just in the form the liturgy takes, or how you interpret something. The beauty of a Temple is the people who practice together. In the west I think there is a common idea that while Buddha and Dharma are important, Sangha is less so. I cannot even tell you how much my Buddhist life has been enriched by being around Temple members....even if we are not talking about Buddhism. Even if we are working together at a chow mein sale to raise funds for the Temple, or a cleaning crew keeping the Temple tidy, or just having tea after a service.
So my advice is to not get too wrapped up in pre-conceived notions of ethnicity or interpretation. Just go to a Temple and see how it feels. If one doesn't seem to fit try another. I suspect you will find that Pure Land practice will be more prevalent in more ethnically based Temples, but that's ok. Don't discount it because of that. Language and culture barriers might not be as big as you imagine, and actually even if they are pretty big, if you stick with it you will gain experience and understanding you might not have otherwise.
thank you for such a great and use full reply, What are some pureland buddhist beliefs? | <urn:uuid:3049f098-852f-49c9-bdb2-e1c3773290a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?p=119838 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968058 | 558 | 1.578125 | 2 |
LST-606 was laid down on 27 November 1943 at Seneca, III., by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co.; launched on 3 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. George Milligan; and commissioned on 24 April 1944, Lt. William R. Brooks in command.
During World War II, LST-606 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations:
Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands—September 1944
Leyte landings—October and November 1944
Lingayen Gulf landing—January 1945
Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto—April through June 1945
Following the war, LST-606 performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-September 1945. Upon her return to the United States, she was decommissioned on 13 May 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 19 June that same year. On 19 April 1948, the ship was sold to the Bethlehem Steel Co., of Bethlehem, Pa., for scrapping.
LST-606 earned four battle stars for World War II | <urn:uuid:24363add-0e6e-49ea-858c-d99d2a121894> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/l21/lst-606.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95753 | 218 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Web & Social
Israel and Hamas are fighting a war on a new front. This week, they took to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media to report live on real-world attacks in Gaza... or, depending on who you ask, to spread propaganda. Now, the brains behind @IDFSpokesperson have been revealed.
According to the Associated Press, Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich is the woman in charge of the Israeli Defense Forces' brand-new "Interactive Media" branch, a collection of 30 soldiers trained to craft the blog posts, infographics and status updates that comprise Israel's media campaign. The group was reportedly formed just two months ago, but it's apparently already important to the military's operations. In February, Leibovich told the AP, she'll be departing her other job as international spokeswoman to concentrate on this social media initiative.
So what, after all, are the IDFSpokesperson's aims? "The goal is to reach as many audiences as possible, and second, to convey our message, without the touch of an editor," Leibovich told BuzzFeed.
She also seems to believe, though, that a Tweet can have a real-world effect, conveying a "message of deterrance" to Israel's enemies. Remember this tweet?
We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 14, 2012
When BuzzFeed asked her whether a message like this was appropriate for Twitter, this was her reply:
"You call this violent language? When rockets are falling on our heads, and I'm referring to 500 rockets in the last 72 hours, if you can even imagine the extent. Then when you have certain time that you want to convey a message of deterrence to an audience, then that's a good tool to do it."
Leibovich, a mother of three, also said that it helped to have 18-year-old conscripts in her division because they understand social networks. "The creative side of the language almost comes natural," she said. | <urn:uuid:57f07c1a-7345-4e99-8836-b3092f09c27b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/11/16/3656536/idfspokesperson-message-of-deterrence-idf-hamas-gaza | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961541 | 438 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Senior volunteers in her hometown devastated by Hurricane Sandy
Although it has been three months since Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the New Jersey Shore, residents there continue to recover. Perrie White, a senior Sociology major, from Mantoloking, N.J., whose town was devastated during Sandy, decided to spend her Jan Term giving back to her neighbors in need.
White spent nearly eight hours a day, six days a week, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Bay Head, N.J., leading 150 volunteers at the church, managing donations and serving between 250 and 300 meals daily.
“At first, I didn't know what I was going to do to fulfill my Jan Term requirement,” White said. “But, then, my advisor Dr. Dundes (Sociology professor) gave me the idea of volunteering at home. Since my mom is heavily involved in the community, she helped get me in touch with the church. This is the only church in the area that made it through the storm, so it has been bombarded with donations of food and other supplies, and really needed someone to help manage the day-to-day activities.”
During her time there, she was even interviewed by local newspapers and several filmmakers documenting the hurricane’s aftermath.
While she was on-campus at McDaniel during Sandy, she was hearing about what was happening to her hometown and, as she said, “really wanted to go home.” She left McDaniel a few days after the storm, and was there with her parents when they witnessed the destruction for the first time.
“It was awful,” she recounted. “Although my family is displaced while we renovate our house, I was lucky. There are people who have nothing left.
“This has been a bittersweet situation. I never would have stepped foot in this church otherwise. In some ways, it is the best thing that could have happened. I've discovered that I enjoy helping and being depended on by others. I am thinking that I might look into a career in national disaster planning after graduation in May.” | <urn:uuid:4080e6a1-e5cd-404c-9064-59840f66a3b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcdaniel.edu/information/headlines/news-at-mcdaniel/archive/senior-volunteers-in-her-hometown-devastated-by-hurricane-sandy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989768 | 444 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Zionism and Israel - Biographies
Biography of Golda Meir (Meyerson)
Biography of Golda Meir (Meyerson)
Golda Meir (1898-1978) was fourth Prime
Minister of Israel from 1969-1974 and served as Foreign minister from 1956-1966. She was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev
(Ukraine) in 1898. When she was eight years old, her family immigrated to the United States. Raised in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, she joined a Zionist youth movement, married Morris Myerson, and, in 1921, immigrated to Palestine, joining
In 1924 the Meyersons moved to Jerusalem, and Golda began a series of positions as an official of the Histadrut -
General Federation of Labor, and became a member of its "inner circle." Over the next three decades, Golda Meir was
active in the Histadrut, first in trade union and welfare programs, then in Zionist labor organization and fund-raising
abroad, and later still in political roles. She was appointed chief of the Histadrut's political section - designed to
use the Histadrut's growing power to advance Zionist aims such as unrestricted Jewish immigration. When, in 1946, most
of the Jewish community's senior leaders were interned by the British authorities, Golda Meir replaced Moshe Sharett as
acting head of the political department of the Jewish Agency until the establishment of the state in 1948. From then on
she played a part both in internal labor Zionist politics and in diplomatic efforts - including her ultimately
unsuccessful secret meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah on the eve of the Arab invasion of Israel in 1948, in an attempt
to reach agreement and avoid war.
In June 1948 Golda Meir was appointed Israel's first ambassador to the Soviet Union, a position she filled for less than
a year. She was elected as a Member of Knesset in the 1949 elections, and served as Minister of Labor and National
Insurance from 1949 to 1956 - years of social unrest and a high rate of unemployment, caused by mass immigration. She
enacted enlightened social welfare policies, provided subsidized housing for immigrants and orchestrated their
integration into the workforce.
During the following decade (1956-66), Golda Meir served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. She initiated Israel's policy
of cooperation with the newly independent nations of Africa, introducing a cooperation program based on Israel's
development experience, which continues to this day. At the same time, she endeavored to cement relations with the
United States and established extensive bilateral ties with Latin American countries. Between 1966 and 1968 she served
as Secretary-General first of Mapai and then of the newly formed "Alignment" (made up of three Labor factions).
Upon the death of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol in 1969, Golda Meir - the "consensus candidate" - was chosen to succeed
him. In the October 1969 elections, she led her party to victory.
As Prime Minister, Golda Meir concentrated
much of her energies on the diplomatic front - artfully mixing personal diplomacy with skillful use of the mass media.
Armed with an iron will, a warm personality and grandmotherly image, simple but highly-effective rhetoric and a
"shopping list," Golda Meir successfully solicited financial and military aid in unprecedented measure. She kept order
in the Labor party between rival partisans of Shimon Peres and Itzhak Rabin. Golda was outspoken and blunt and ignored
pressing domestic and international issues. She dismissed minority social activists saying "These are not nice" (Eyleh
Hem Lo Yafim) and famously angered Arabs by saying "There are no Palestinians."
Shortly after she took office, the War of Attrition - sporadic military actions along the Suez Canal which escalated
into full-scale war - ended in a cease-fire agreement with Egypt. Meir ignored repeated peace overtures from Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat and her administration ignored intelligence warnings of an imminent Egyptian attack. The
country was thus caught off guard in October 1973 by the Yom Kippur War. Egyptian and Syrian troops made significant
advances into into Israeli territory, while the IDF was revealed to be unprepared and disorganized.
Nonetheless, Golda Meir did not lose her nerve. She showed strong leadership during the surprise attack of the Yom
Kippur War, securing an American airlift of arms while standing firm on the terms of disengagement-of-forces
negotiations and rapid return of POWs. Although the Agranat Commission of Inquiry had exonerated her from direct
responsibility for Israel's unpreparedness for the war, and she had led her party to victory in the December 1973
elections, Golda Meir bowed to what she felt was the "will of the people" and resigned in mid-1974. She withdrew from
public life and began to write her memoirs, but was present in the Knesset to greet Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on
his historic visit to Jerusalem in November 1977.
Golda Meir died in December 1978, at the age of 80.
from Israel Foreign Ministry )
Israeli and Zionist Biographies The Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Zionism and Israel
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Zionism - Table of contents at the Jewish Virtual Library
Zionism article at Infoplease
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The US Library of congress has a comprehensive and balanced set of articles
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Zionism FAQ Zionism Israel Center Maps of Israel Jew Israel Advocacy Zionism and its Impact Israel Christian Zionism Site Map | <urn:uuid:b814650f-2ea1-4a5c-ba85-0d4fc6a3f81d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zionism-israel.com/bio/golda_meir_biography.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935783 | 1,563 | 2.8125 | 3 |
George W. Bush's February 17 nomination of John Negroponte to the newly created job of director of intelligence was the subject of a flurry of media coverage. But one part of Negroponte's resume was given little attention: his role in the brutal and illegal Contra war against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua in the mid-1980s.
From 1981 to 1985, Negroponte was the U.S. ambassador to Honduras, a country that was being used as a training and staging ground for the CIA-created and -backed Contra armies, who relied on a terrorist strategy of targeting civilians. Those years saw a massive increase in U.S. military aid to Honduras, and Negroponte was a key player in organizing training for the Contras and procuring weapons for the armies that the United States was building in order to topple the socialist Nicaraguan government (Extra!, 9-10/01).
Negroponte's ambassadorship was marked by another human rights scandal: the Honduran army's Battalion 316, which operated as a death squad that tortured, killed or disappeared "subversive" Hondurans--and at least one U.S. citizen, Catholic priest James Carney. Despite regular reporting of such crimes in the Honduran press, the human rights reports of Negroponte's embassy consistently failed to raise these issues. Critics contend that this was no accident: If such crimes had been acknowledged, U.S. aid to the country's military would have come under scrutiny, which could have jeopardized the Contra operations.
Many reports included brief mentions of Negroponte's past. The New York Times (2/18/05), for example, noted that "critics say" that Negroponte "turned a blind eye to human rights abuses" in Honduras. But the Times (like most mainstream reports) quoted no critics on the subject; to get a sense of what Negroponte's critics actually said, you had to tune into Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now (2/18/05), where Peter Kornbluh of the National Security Archive said that Negroponte
Kornbluh added that declassified documents from those years show Negroponte had "stepped out of being U.S. ambassador and kind of put on the hat of a C.I.A. station chief in pushing for the Contras to get more arms, in lobbying and meeting with very high Honduran officials to facilitate U.S. support for the Contras and Honduran cooperation, even after the U.S. Congress terminated official support for the Contra war."
The night of Bush's announcement, network news broadcasts woefully understated or misrepresented this history. On NBC Nightly News (2/17/05), reporter Andrea Mitchell glossed over Negroponte's Honduran record: "As Ronald Reagan's ambassador to Honduras, he was accused of ignoring death squads and America's secret war against Nicaragua."
While Negroponte might be accused of ignoring Honduran death squads, no one could credibly suggest he was ignoring "America's secret war against Nicaragua." The documentary evidence, as Kornbluh explained, suggests that he was intimately involved with running it.
ABC's Good Morning America Robin Roberts turned this reality on its head (2/18/05), noting that Negroponte's "entire life has been a lesson in quiet and measured diplomacy" and that "he generated controversy long after a stint in Honduras when he denied he knew anything about the work of Contra rebel death squads."
Some reporters simply soft-pedaled the history; as CNN reporter Kitty Pilgrim put it (2/17/05), "During his four-year stint as U.S. ambassador to Honduras, he had a difficult balancing act in the battle against Communism in the neighboring Sandinista government in Nicaragua." (Sandinista Nicaragua, of course, was not Communist, but a country with a mixed economy and regular elections, one of which voted the Sandinistas out of power in 1990.) Pilgrim's CNN colleague, Paula Zahn (2/17/05), complained that "the critics are already out there sniping at him."
Fox News reporter Carl Cameron (2/17/05) noted that "the only partisan criticism noted Negroponte's role as U.S. ambassador to Honduras in the '80s, when he played a key role in the Reagan administration's covert disruption of Communism in the Nicaragua." In this case, "covert disruption" stands in as a euphemism for a bloody guerrilla war that took the lives of thousands of civilians. Cameron went on to note that the "partisan" remarks "came from a member of the House, which has no vote on his nomination."
NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly made similar observations (2/17/05), noting that previous confirmation hearings generated "a lot of questions about the role he played during the early '80s when he was the ambassador to Honduras." Kelly seemed aware of this history, but thought it a settled matter: "He has already dealt with those issues and obviously answered them satisfactorily-- he was confirmed for that job at the United Nations."
Some pundits were remarkably lenient in the standards by which Negroponte should be judged. Fox News Channel commentator Charles Krauthammer explained (2/17/05) that "he was the ambassador in Honduras during the Contra war. So he clearly knows how to deal with clandestine operations. That was a pretty clandestine one for several years. And he didn't end up in jail, which is a pretty good attribute for him. A lot of others practically did."
In general, right-wing pundits and commentators were much more likely than mainstream news reporters to cite Negroponte's shady past-- as proof that he is the right man for the job. On CNBC (2/17/05), Tony Blankley happily summarized Negroponte's human rights record:
After James Warren of the Chicago Tribune disagreed (calling the Contra war an "at times slimy operation"), Blankley offered a blunt response-- "Well, we won"-- which host Lawrence Kudlow endorsed: "We did win. Thank you, Tony. I was just going to say, you know, the forces of freedom triumphed with a little bit of help from the right country."
Fox News Channel's Fred Barnes took the same line (2/19/05):
By way of balance, Fox pundit and NPR correspondent Juan Williams noted that while he didn't "have any love for Marxists," it was important to note "what death squads do to people, and you understand that nuns were involved, Fred, then you think--wait a second--excess is not to be tolerated in the name of democracy."
Barnes' response: "Well, now that we have democracy, there are no death squads." | <urn:uuid:3c7246cb-919d-44db-a061-e18601b113a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fair.org/take-action/media-advisories/media-omissions-on-negropontes-record/7/?issue_area_id=43 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96997 | 1,403 | 2.03125 | 2 |
PRICE - The Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) will sponsor a bird viewing event on Saturday, April 30, 2005 at Desert Lake in Emery County from 8 a.m. until noon. The event commemorates national celebrations of Migratory Bird Day and Wetlands Day. The event is free to the public. DWR biologists will be on-hand with spotting scopes and binoculars to assist the public with waterfowl identification.
Desert Lake is located east of the town of Elmo. From either Carbon or Emery County, take State Highway 10 to the Elmo turn-off (State Route 155). Travel to Elmo. On Main Street, travel east out of town until you see a sign for the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. Follow the sign. In less than a mile, you will arrive at Desert Lake. Signs will direct you to the viewing locations.
Desert Lake serves as a rest area for many species of birds during migration. These include ducks, geese, sandpipers, herons, gulls, terns, pelicans, and cranes. Desert Lake is managed by the DWR for the benefit of migratory waterfowl. Normally closed to public access, the lake also serves as a sanctuary for nesting birds. The DWR encourages Castle Country residents to come out and enjoy this unique opportunity. For more information, contact Brent Stettler at 435-636-0266 or email@example.com | <urn:uuid:96d20457-c005-4344-a2e8-eaf41b44d233> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sunadvocate.com/print.php?tier=1&article_id=6797 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933328 | 309 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Gulliver’s Travels is a novel written by Jonathan Swift. It is currently published by the Penguin Group. Books like Gulliver’s Travels are an integral part of language arts curriculum. This story follows a man by the name of Lemuel Gulliver, who has a love for traveling that often gets him in to troublesome situations.
The story begins with Lemuel Gulliver taking his first journey at sea after his business as a surgeon does not prove profitable. In the first voyage, Gulliver is shipwrecked on the island of Lilliput, which is inhabited by little people. After being convicted of treason, Gulliver escapes. He begins a second voyage, which lands him on the island of Brobdingnag. This island is full of giants who use Gulliver for their own amusement. Again, Gulliver escapes.
Gulliver’s Travel’s summary continues when Gulliver takes two more voyages. In the last voyage, Gulliver is banished from the country of Houyhnhnms because he is not a horse like the other creatures.
This book is important for children to read because it reveals the differences between various cultures and religions. The book also examines humans as individuals, and humans as part of a community.
This Gulliver’s Travels passage reveals Gulliver’s view that the justice system in England is corrupt. "I said there was a society of men among us, bred up from their youth in the art of proving by words multiplied for the purpose, that white is black, and black is white, according as they are paid. To this society all the rest of the people are slaves."
Another Gulliver’s Travel passage demonstrates Gulliver’s disdain for philosophers who were more concerned with knowledge than helping those who were living in poverty and struggling to survive. ". . . there is nothing so extravagant and irrational which some philosophers have not maintained for truth."
Since Gulliver’s Travels is a novel meant to be read by high school students, teachers can organize a few fun word games to go along with the book. First, teachers can break the students up in to four groups. Each group can create an island map based on one of Gulliver’s four voyages. The map should represent the type of people and their culture as described in the book. Literature printable worksheets can help students retain information they have read. Additionally, teachers can put together a Gulliver’s Travels spelling list and students can use this list to practice not only their spelling, but also their knowledge of the book. Finally, students can get together to play the Gulliver’s Travels board game produced by Milton and Bradley. | <urn:uuid:8adcea4f-7488-4c8b-9c6e-7e940eb4df03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/literature-games/gullivers-travels.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969286 | 574 | 3.015625 | 3 |
White House ‘Big Data’ Push Means Big Bucks for Drone Brains
- 5:13 PM
The military has a data problem. More specifically, it has a too-much-data problem. Analysts have to sort through massive amounts of information collected by orbiting surveillance drones and satellites, or finding the data trails left behind by spies inside defense networks. Sorting through all this data is also necessary for making unmanned vehicles more autonomous.
Bring on the White House’s new “big data” research initiative. Announced this morning, the plan aims to invest “more than $200 million” in six government agencies to develop systems to “extract knowledge and insights from large and complex collections of digital data,” according to a White House statement (.pdf). That means anything too large for normal software to handle, meaning data sets of at least dozens of terabytes, at minimum. The biggest beneficiary of all this could be the Department of Defense.
The Pentagon already spends hundreds of millions annually on “big data”-esque problems. The initiative announced today could add to that kitty up to $60 million per year for new research projects. That includes a $25 million yearly sum for a new Darpa data mining program called XDATA, which is broadly defined as a tool to analyze large amounts of meta-data and “unstructured” data like message traffic. (In comparison, the Department of Energy is receiving only $25 million in funding for a new data mining institute and the National Science Foundation is being granted $13.4 million.)
Where is all the rest of that defense research going? Several places, and a lot of it for helping drones crunch the massive amounts of information pulled from sensors.
Some of these systems, like Darpa’s Mind’s Eye, seeks to develop “visual intelligence” in aerial sensors, which would give military computers the ability to connect visual data with pre-written cues. Effectively, that could mean giving drones the tools to spot enemy soldiers automatically. Other programs likely to benefit include the Insight program, which can help drones spot potential threats on the battlefield.
That information is “growing rapidly in both volume and complexity,” Darpa acting director Ken Gabriel said. “From scraps of paper to hard drives, to overhead imagery and intercepts — the data collected is often imperfect, incomplete and heterogeneous. This trend is further accelerated by the proliferation of various digital devices and the internet. All of which is used by our adversaries to operate and hide in this data terrain. The sheer volume of information itself is creating a background clutter.”
Clutter so thick, even a quarter-billion dollars in investments may not be enough to cut through. | <urn:uuid:dbc71161-ee30-42f3-8654-998a444bff48> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/03/big-data/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Fpolitics+%28Wired%3A+%28Section%29+Politics%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935999 | 570 | 1.9375 | 2 |
Lousy germinators still overwhelm crops
Only 1% of some weed seeds will germinate in the year they’re produced. Compare that to 95% for corn and soybeans. So why is weed control still such a big issue?
Bill Johnson, Purdue weed control specialist, says the real difference is that weeds play the numbers game. Weed dynamics work against the crop. Consider pigweed, for example. It’s a small-seeded broadleaf weed. “One plant grown without competition can produce a million seeds,” Johnson says.
• Weeds compete through sheer, overwhelming numbers.
• Germination percentages for weeds are extremely low.
• Stop weeds by preventing them from going to seed.
An acre of pigweeds can produce 2 billion seeds. So if only 1% germinate in any given year, that’s still a lot of pigweed plants! “If only 1% germinate, you’ve still got 20 million pigweed seedlings the next year. Compare that to 30,000 corn plants and 150,000 soybean plants. The odds are definitely stacked,” says Tom Jordan, another Purdue weed control specialist.
Part of the take-home-message is that weeds can simply overwhelm a crop with seed numbers. So it’s important not to have many plants going to seed.
Once seeds are in the soil, they can last for several years, depending upon the species. However, Jordan says the ability to survive 30 to 40 years in the soil and still germinate is exaggerated for some species.
Weeds win! Or so it appeared at this point. A huge number of plants germinating from seed choke this field. It was later cleared up with herbicide, but it was a lucky kill, weed specialists say.
This article published in the June, 2011 edition of INDIANA PRAIRIE FARMER.
All rights reserved. Copyright Farm Progress Cos. 2011. | <urn:uuid:05027202-da35-429b-8647-a2abf3125885> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://farmprogress.com/american-agriculturist/library.aspx/lousy-germinators-still-overwhelm-crops-41/49/1233 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949701 | 411 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Courtesy of the City of Glendale
Anita Garouni's painting "Home" was rejected as a public art donation by the City of Glendale.
Noses are up and thumbs are down in Glendale where officials have rejected a donated public art piece for the first time in more than ten years.
The colorful piece, featuring Armenian figures floating near the Statue of Liberty and Turkey's Mt. Ararat, was praised for its "beautiful theme" but considered not culturally inclusive enough. It also "wasn’t of the highest aesthetic quality," according to a report that appraised the 18-by-24 inch oil painting at $1,800.
Robbed of this diamond in the rough, residents of The Jewel City will have to look elsewhere for their daily recommended allowances of floating heads, Armenian princesses and Noah's Arks once destined for a city-owned office wall.
A 15-year resident of Glendale, artist Anita Garouni said of her creative tour de force, it is "an expression of deep gratitude for America, my country, who accepts all…and gives safe haven for the immigrants of the world," explains the Glendale News Press.
She told the commission that her painting, "Home," is a representation of "the love she feels for the United States and her Armenian culture."
The inspired showpiece, however, failed to make it past the Arts & Culture Commission, or City Council, based on the criteria of relationship to the city, maintenance requirements, and aesthetics, according to Public Art Project Manager Ripsime Marashian.
The city received 10 donated pieces since 2000, and officials hope this "one little exeception" will not discourage others from submitting their masterworks for bureaucratic critique. | <urn:uuid:c249596a-ca3a-4c23-8981-aa4cc96321b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2012/01/26/4425/how-could-glendale-not-want-artistic-masterpiece/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96632 | 359 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Letter to the House of Representatives on ENDA
October 23, 2007
On behalf of the National Education Association's (NEA) 3.2 million members, we urge you to support passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) (H.R. 3685), scheduled for floor debate this week. This bill represents an important step in addressing basic civil rights in the workplace.
NEA has a long-standing commitment to the elimination of discrimination in the workplace in all facets of society. We believe that all persons must have equal opportunity for employment, promotion, compensation, and leadership. Passage of ENDA will support the fundamental American ideal that individuals should be judged in the workplace by their ability to perform the required job rather than by prejudice and discrimination. Poll after poll of the American public demonstrates the overwhelming support, across party lines, for passage of such anti-employment discrimination legislation.
Some opponents of ENDA have argued that it may be inappropriate for Congress to extend protections to individuals in jobs that involve contact with children, such as teachers and other school personnel. We vigorously disagree. Diversity among educators is not a threat, but rather a great asset to the profession and the students they serve. Unfortunately, prejudice and harassment continue to plague many gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender educators who educate our nation's children with great dignity and skill.
We also urge your support for an amendment to be offered by Representative Baldwin (D-WI) that would expand the important protections under ENDA to transgender Americans. The Baldwin amendment would help ensure that no one is left out or exempted from the most basic civil rights and employment protections.
NEA believes that America must take affirmative steps to end discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere. Therefore, we urge your support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act as well as the Baldwin amendment.
Diane Shust, Director of Government Relations
Randall Moody, Manager of Federal Advocacy | <urn:uuid:47239699-f078-48ad-affb-98e211f49726> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nea.org/home/Letter-to-the-House-of-Representatives-on-ENDA.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946612 | 391 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Dec. 30, 2004 Kids' favorite purple dinosaur, Barney, or that cute, fuzzy red ‘monster’ from Sesame Street, Elmo, want all kids to be able to play with them. With the holidays approaching, some kids, however, may not be able to play with them because of physical limitations or other disabilities.
But now, because of “RePlay for Kids,” a nonprofit organization in which engineering students and staff from Case Western Reserve University donate their time and expertise to repair and modify toys for children with disabilities, every child can play with their favorite toy. During the holiday season and throughout the year, engineering faculty, staff and student volunteers at Case fix the toys and assistive devices for Cleveland-area nonprofit organizations that provide medical, educational and recreational services to these children.
RePlay for Kids, the brainchild of Case biomedical engineer Bill Memberg, provides toy repair and modification services for organizations that have limited resources. These organizations often do not have the time, funding or technical knowledge to repair the devices or toys. RePlay for Kids provides these services at no cost and therefore increases the number of functioning toys and assistive devices available for kids with physical limitations.
“Young children learn through play and social interaction,” said Memberg, founder and president of RePlay for Kids and a senior biomedical engineer at the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Center, a collaboration of Case, Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center and the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. “Toys help children develop play skills and teach cause and effect relationships. Children with disabilities are no exception, yet are often unable to use mainstream toys due to limitations in their strength and coordination.”
Many of the toys are donated to RePlay for Kids by the U.S. Marines’ well-known “Toys for Tots” campaign.
A few companies do sell adapted toys, but the selection of toys is relatively small, Memberg explained. RePlay for Kids adapts a wide range of battery-operated toys, increasing the variety of toys available for children with disabilities.
No other organizations in the Cleveland area provide such services, Memberg said.
RePlay for Kids hosts monthly toy repair and modification workshops for volunteers, most of whom are Case students, faculty and staff, including several members of Case fraternities and sororities. In these workshops, volunteers repair or adapt as many toys and assistive devices as possible in the allotted time.
In addition, RePlay for Kids conducts seminars for parents of children with disabilities and hands-on workshops where occupational and physical therapists or other nontechnical volunteers are shown how to adapt a toy. In a recent hands-on workshop, seven volunteers without technical backgrounds were able to successfully adapt more than 20 toys in one afternoon.
An analysis of the savings to local agencies by RePlay for Kids since 1998 found that it would have cost agencies about $34,500 to purchase replacements for the toys that were repaired or modified. Most of the toy workshops are held at facilities provided by Case at no cost to RePlay for Kids.
Several service organizations in the Cleveland area purchase and distribute specially adapted toys and other assistive devices for use by children with disabilities. Due to the limited market, the adapted toys are significantly more expensive than their mainstream counterparts. However, a mainstream toy such as Barney, Elmo or a Tonka truck can often be easily adapted by installing a cable that allows a more accessible switch to be plugged into the toy. Depending on the nature of the child’s disability, the switch could be larger (and therefore easier to hit), could require less force to press, or could be activated by puffing into a tube or tilting his or her head.
“These adapted toys with alternative switches are often used to encourage children to make a certain motion as part of their physical therapy treatment,” Memberg said. “A child also benefits psychologically by being able to play with mainstream toys similar to those used by their peers or siblings.”
RePlay for Kids has provided services to 14 agencies. Organizations served include the Boards of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties in Northeast Ohio; United Cerebral Palsy of Cleveland; and the Akron Public School District.
More information is available on the RePlay for Kids web site, http://www.replayforkids.org.
<b>About Case Western Reserve University</b>
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences. The Commission on Presidential Debates selected Case to host the U.S. vice presidential debate on October 5, 2004. http://www.case.edu.
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Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. | <urn:uuid:1632e854-b071-4b3d-8870-237b81473009> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041220002617.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956319 | 1,093 | 2.3125 | 2 |
As we got to talking, we soon realized that Donna had a great passion for her family history research and had worked out how to get the most out of her MyHeritage.com account. We asked if Donna would be willing to share some of her experiences with the community, and tell us a bit more about her family story. We hope you enjoy the interview!
When I was growing up I remember reading “This Day in History” in the local newspaper, which would give a few examples of things that happened on that day’s date in the past.
Most fun, of course, was reading about things that happened on my birthday but no matter what the day it was always interesting to read things that had happened in the year I was born.
For those of us who were keen to know more about what the world was like in the year we were born, the Internet has been a fantastic tool but it still involved doing research and, in many instances, pulling the pieces of the puzzle together.
This post was written by our colleague Denie, who lives in the Netherlands. We have translated his Dutch post into English and hope you will enjoy his truly beautiful family story!
This post is dedicated to the story of a very mixed family. A family which embodies centuries of global migration. A family that today might be characterized by a specific appearance, but has roots in almost every continent on the globe. It's my own family: A family of Dutch, French, Germans, Africans and Javanese, Israelis, Muslims, Huguenots, Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Roman Catholics, and Protestants.
While I could talk for hours about my family history, I will keep this post very brief. Generally, I consider Suriname the central location for our family. After all, this is where my family's diversity is centered.
Create a family tree chart design, send it to us, and take part in our Charts Contest. The winner will receive $200 in printing and shipping costs to get a high quality poster delivered to their doorstep.Last week we launched our Family Tree Charts service. Thousands of you have already created family tree charts and prepared individual designs with individual colors, backgrounds, etc. Now we'd like to see what you've come up with. Send us your family tree design to participate in the contest, it doesn't matter if you have prepared. We'll draw up a shortlist for our readers to vote on. The following points explain how to enter.
This video talks about the origins of Crestdale, one of the first African-American communities in the United States. All of those in the video are descendants of the original founders of the community.
Practical new features for family history lovers
This week we’re very excited to launch Family Tree Builder 5.0 – packed with many new features that make researching, building, printing and sharing family trees easier than ever. New features include the unique ‘Tree Consistency Checker’, useful ‘To-Do’ lists, better privacy controls, beautiful charts, mail-order posters, DNA marker entry and much, much more. There’s added value and enjoyment for everyone, from genealogy beginners to seasoned pros.
This is a FREE update, which means anyone who had an older version of Family Tree Builder can download the new version and upgrade for free. Those of you who are already Premium and PremiumPlus members can also do that, and the new program will automatically detect their status and respect it. Installing the program on top of an older version is safe and will not affect existing data. The good news for people who weren't using this great software before and want to start using it: it's free.
Let's dive in and take a closer look at the new features in the latest version of Family Tree Builder.
Last week we set you the challenge of identifying a celebrity from a childhood picture, and this week we're doing it again.
This one, we think, is a little easier than last week's pesky challenge. In fact, when you find out who this is you'll probably cup your face in your hands and weep an ocean of tears at the obviousness of it all, before learning the contents of Celebrity Childhood Photos: 2010 Edition by heart to avoid future embarrassment.
But we don't want that to happen. So here are a few clues:
- this person is a Hollywood star
- this person is best known by his middle name
- the first rule of these clues is that we do not talk about the clues
Do feel free to ask questions of us, which we'll answer in the comments. Although keep them to 'yes/no' questions - we can't give the game away too easily. | <urn:uuid:51f4197f-75a2-4d3f-9088-36681ae77be1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.myheritage.com/2010/12/page/3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974835 | 975 | 1.601563 | 2 |
|Esther's Hanukkah Disaster |
It’s hard to pick the perfect gift, and Esther the Gorilla’s choices seem all wrong at first. But it all gets sorted out when she invites her animal friends to a joyful Hanukkah party.
Jane Sutton grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, where she began writing stories and poems at a young age. She graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in Comparative Literature. In addition to writing books, Jane is a writing tutor and teaches a community education class for adults about how to write for kids. She, her husband, and grown children live in the Boston area.
We interviewed Jane about being a cut-up and having the guts to cut (as in revision) and about Esther's Hanukkah Disaster:
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Horton Hatches an Egg by Dr. Seuss
What’s your favorite line from a book?
From George and Martha by James Marshall: “How do you expect to walk home with your loafers full of split pea soup?” she asked George.
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
James Marshall, Arnold Lobel, Virginia Lee Burton
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I have always enjoyed writing. In elementary school, I would turn an assignment to "write a paragraph using all the spelling words" into a three-act play. An essay I wrote in fifth grade is entitled "A Criticism of Humanity on Behalf of the Ducks." In college (Brandeis University), a sociology professor assigned us to "do something you always wanted to do and keep a journal on it." I wrote a series of children's stories, and that’s when I knew I wanted to write children’s books.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Write, write, write. Keep a notebook with you at all times (well, maybe not in the shower) because you never know when you’ll get an idea for a story.
Where did you get the inspiration for your latest or upcoming Kar-Ben book?
I used to tell my children a version of this story, and it gradually evolved into a book.
What are you most excited about promoting in your new book?
The book carries a lesson about the importance of putting oneself in another’s place, but it does so subtly, without hitting the reader over the head, and it’s lots of fun. I think the book lends itself to re-reading because young listeners will know from the beginning how inappropriate Esther’s gift choices are and, I hope, giggle with anticipation of the consequences.
What is the most interesting thing you learned in the process of writing your book?
I learned that my revisions were more effective when I put the book aside for a few days and then returned to it. The time and distance made me see that certain parts could be improved or even cut.
How do you hope your book will impact the Jewish life of a child?
At first Esther (the main character) purchases gifts because they appeal to her, not really thinking about the recipient. Her eventual understanding encourages the Jewish value of thinking about others—compassion and empathy. Also, the characters express clearly that the significance of the holiday of Hanukkah is more important than the gifts. And finally, even though these are anthropomorphic animals, they enjoy rich Jewish traditions.
Anything else you would like to share with readers?
I didn’t want to grow up. I figured being a child was a good deal: I got free food and I didn’t have to go to work. When I realized I did have to get older after all, I promised myself that I would always remember what it was like to be a child. Being a children’s book author is a way of fulfilling that promise to myself. | <urn:uuid:b19e3f26-84d5-4ba7-8db9-070bdb811a26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://karbenbooks.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966218 | 829 | 1.65625 | 2 |
How happy were you on 20 March this year? Given Western European statistics, let's assume not overtly happy. Because, let's face it; a grey March day in Europe is not always the most uplifting scenario. In fact, it might very well be that you cannot recall any specific feelings from the 20th of this rather anonymous month at all. However, the UN has named the 20 March the International Day of Happiness. | <urn:uuid:7a3ddcc1-56a8-4a88-9992-96ef2157343e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unric.org/en/happiness | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980621 | 86 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Seven US Marines were killed yesterday night at the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, when their helicopters collided in mid-air around 8:00pm. They were training for deployment to Afghanistan, according to USMC spokeswoman 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley.
The two helicopters, an AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter and a UH-1Y Huey Venom like the ones in the image, collided during "routine training operations." According to the Marines, six of the Marines were from Camp Pendleton, California, and one was from Yuma. The helicopters were part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Light Attack Helicopters based out of Camp Pendleton.
The Bell AH-1W SuperCobra is a twin engine, two-crew attack helicopter with two blades. It entered service in 1970 but it's no longer in production. The AH-1W is still the backbone of the US Marines attack helicopter fleet. The SuperCobras have been in all kinds of war scenarios, from the invasion of Grenada to the Gulf War—where they destroyed 97 tanks—as well as escorting humanitarian convoys in Somalia and Haiti. The last official crash of a SuperCobra happened on September 19, 2011. Two Marines died. The SuperCobra was also stationed in Camp Pendleton.
The Bell UH-1Y Venom—aka Super Huey aka Yankee—is a twin engine utility helicopter. Much more modern than the SuperCobra, it flew for the first time in 2001 and it's still in production. It was designed to replace the venerable UH-1N Twin Huey light utility helicopter. It can carry 10 passengers in crashworthy seats, plus two pilots. [Yuma USMC] | <urn:uuid:d1da2d35-0279-4bde-ba1c-22d2cfb8d3f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gizmodo.com/5887724/two-helicopters-crash-killing-seven-marines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956882 | 363 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Alone in his room, Henry Alonso packed for school.
Take off hanger, rebutton top button, button third and fifth buttons, lie down flat on its front. Pull back the arms, and fold in the sides a little. Fold in half, put it in the suitcase. Turn back to closet, take another shirt...
"HENRY!" his father roared.
"WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GONE BY NOW! YOU KNOW I WANT TO BEAT THE TRAFFIC! NOW HURRY UP! WE'RE LEAVING IN A FEW MINUTES WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!"
That makes a lot of sense, Dad. "I'm hurrying."
Two shirts left. Rebutton top button, button third and fifth buttons...
I don't want to wear these. No one wore these when we visited the campus. I told my mother this.
"The student handbook says there's a school uniform, and that's what a proper student should be wearing."
"The admissions pamphlets say that it hasn't been enforced almost since the school's inception -- I showed you where it said that."
"But you'll be impressing the teachers more, you'll see."
"I'll be sticking out from everyone else more."
"But in a positive way."
"Not to everyone else."
"Well, don't worry what everyone else thinks... what they think doesn't matter."
Fold in half... there. Finished packing. Packing the last of fourteen regulation school uniforms, the only clothes I've got.
High school. Blank slate. Fresh start. New beginning. Unprejudiced peers. Chance for friends finally.
Cooperative Fictions Page
Return to the control division.
Page maintained by the Ikibomot Authors | <urn:uuid:9cd51720-d2d9-4fbc-b94b-bdf80cdbddc8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apricot.com/CooperativeFictions/Ikibomot/chapter1/page1.html | 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 | 0.937344 | 375 | 1.671875 | 2 |
How to Set your Memory Timing in BIOS
The BIOS on your motherboard offer numerous settings to optimize your memory. These settings modify RAM functions that, while basic in nature, are often given widely different names. There are five basic settings that if set correctly can help optimize your memory. We'll briefly explain the options. We've also included examples of what the settings might be called in different BIOS versions.
NOTE: Not all BIOS menus offer all these settings.
Memory timings are usually in the following order:
tCL - tRCD - tRP - tRAS - CMD
For example, our PDC1G3200LLK has a timing of 2-3-2-5-t1. This translates to the following:
tCL = 2 tRCD = 3 tRP = 2 tRAS = 5 CMD = 1
We've also included examples of what the settings might be called in different BIOS versions. Please note that not all BIOS menus offer all the settings It is recommended that customers using our Patriot Extreme Performance or Dual Channel memory set their BIOS to the settings specified for their memory. | <urn:uuid:51b28af3-7ee1-4efe-849e-989fb74e2b9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.patriotmemory.com/support/biosp.jsp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915378 | 232 | 2.328125 | 2 |
IN setting 50p as the minimum price per unit of alcohol, the Scottish Government has instituted a radical policy to tackle the problem drinking which is taking an increasing toll on the health of individuals and the wellbeing of communities.
The 50p per unit is 5p higher than the 45p originally proposed to reflect the increase in inflation.This will affect the lowest-priced brands of all types of alcohol but, as we report today, consumers should be alert to producers raising the price of dearer products (which should not be affected) to protect brand differential.
To be effective, a minimum price must be at a level that will have a deterrent effect on those whose prime concern is alcohol intake rather than quality. It should not be so high as to encourage a black market or trips across the Border. Modelling by researchers at Sheffield University has shown that price is crucial to the effect.
On their current estimates, in the first year of operation a minimum price of 50p would result in 60 fewer deaths, 1600 fewer hospital admissions and around 3500 fewer crimes, with the total reduction in harm valued at £64 million. Even if their projections turn out to be over-optimistic, there will be a considerable saving of life and reduction in illness and crime from minimum pricing.
It will continue to be controversial, not least because the immediate effect will be to increase profits for retailers, especially the supermarkets which have used rock-bottom drink prices as loss leaders. This is a valid criticism. However, it ignores the fact that a minimum price which applies to all retailers will help smaller shops to compete with the dominant chains. It is possibile that, in an increasingly competitive market place, supermarkets may reduce the price of food as an alternative way to attract customers. Without the power to impose duty on alcohol or tobacco, the Scottish Government's options are limited but it has found a way for the public purse to gain by introducing a public health levy designed to recoup revenue from big retailers that sell alcohol and tobacco, although how effective this will be is yet to be seen.There remains a question about whether setting a minimum price flouts European competition law. On the evidence of the damage caused by alcohol in Scotland, it would appear that it can be defended as a public health measure.
The Herald has consistently supported minimum pricing as part of an overall strategy to combat damaging patterns of alcohol consumption. The sunset clause in the legislation will require the policy to be re-evalutated after five years and this is an important recognition that price alone cannot change what has become a cultural acceptance of drunkenness. Minimum pricing has been supported by agencies ranging from the police and health bodies to the licensed trade. They must ensure accurate information is gathered to monitor the situation.
The former Labour-LibDem Scottish Executive pioneered the ban on smoking in public places, a controversial public health measure that led the way for other parts of the UK and produced significant health benefits. The SNP Government's minimum pricing legislation could do the same. David Cameron has said he is willing to consider a similar measure in England; there is a strong case for the UK Government following Scotland's example.
We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly. | <urn:uuid:e3f5c9a2-142f-460c-9247-898de218a38f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-view/a-case-for-toasting-minimum-pricing.17590897 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955488 | 745 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Parramatta Park is a must see for visitors to Sydney. If you are interested in Australian history then you will already know about this National Heritage Listed Park. Colonists convict and free, were first successful in growing sufficient food to feed themselves here. The Parklands were too attractive to be reserved for subsistence cropping for long and were used by successive Governors as a respite from the stresses of running a very large open air prison. Following a determined public campaign, the area was gazetted a People's Park in 1858.
Ever since then the parklands have been Parramatta's backyard, a place where the community meets for family picnics, sports, cycling with the kids and walking the dog.
There are two fun playgrounds and kids can ride safely on the sealed off-road area. The Park's circuit road is used for road training by cyclists including a dedicated Triathlon club and runners. Tucked in beside the Macquarie Street entrance is a large formal rose garden which contains a rare collection of heritage and species roses.
History enthusiasts will want to take the Curator's tour of the convict built, eighteenth century Dairy building. Also on offer is a FREE tour of the Park hosted by the Park's knowledgeable Director, and for those interested in natural history are Ranger led tours discovering wildlife. Check out the Park's web site for booking information and other events and festivals.
Parramatta Park Cafe, located down by the river is child and dog friendly, serves excellent food and coffee and is open 8am to 3pm daily.
Don't miss Australia Day on 26 January when all are welcome to a grand all day celebration of being Australian. The day starts with massed hot air balloon carnivale at 6am and culminates with a rock concert and fireworks display into the night.
Level entrance for people with disabilities, toilet facilities.
Provision for children includes two playgrounds, off-road sealed cycling and wide open space for just running around.
02 8833 5000
Corner Pitt and Macquarie Streets
Sydney Suburbs, New South Wales, 2124
Car park, Picnic Area, Public Toilet, Sheltered Area, Shop, Toilet facilities for the Disabled
Experiences you can enjoy at Parramatta Park:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Cultural, Flora/Fauna, Historic/Heritage, Nature based | <urn:uuid:e6ff1f49-ff73-4ed5-a871-2aa6aa725071> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.traveldownunder.com.au/New_South_Wales/Greater_Sydney/Parramatta_Park.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941254 | 494 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Northern Water Supply Action Plan prepared
Rs 1,600 m Emergency Economic Project:
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWS&DB) has prepared a
Water Supply Action Plan for the Northern Province to be carried out
along with a Rs 1,600 million Emergency Northern Economic Project.
The Action Plan is under way to meet the water requirements of the
Northern population. It is envisioned to meet the sanitation and
hygienic requirements of the people, Irrigation and Water Management
authorities told the Daily News Thursday.
According to NWSDB chairman Karunasena Hettiarachchi, the Board has
commenced construction of what will be the “biggest” water and
sanitation projects in the North under the National Water Action Plan,
The projects are funded by the Asian Development Bank. They are known as
“ADB Fifth” and “ADB sixth”projects. | <urn:uuid:e65eeaaa-502f-4ff0-95b0-a6586e90f7cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/02/25/news12.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903221 | 197 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Diet supplements are a multi-billion dollar business in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not allowed to regulate their products as long as they do not make specific health claims. The people who work in these stores are sometimes paid extra when they sell supplements. They will often guide people to products that pay the highest rates, to add to their own pay. In contrast, your doctor does not receive money from drug companies for medicines you are prescribed.
Food supplements are not monitored by the FDA and can be harmful. They can interact with your other medicines and increase your risk for severe side effects. Some supplements work because they have ingredients that are not listed on the label, such as steroids. These “secret ingredients” may have very harmful side effects. In the past very harmful heavy metals like mercury or lead have been found in health supplements. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking supplements and which ones you are taking.
Most probiotics have not been shown to work for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. VSL 3# is the only probiotic that has been shown to be of benefit for some people in order to prevent pouchitis after colectomy. Probiotics have been shown to be harmful in rare cases for people who are very sick. Talk to your doctor before starting a probiotic.
Fish oil, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, may be of some benefit at high doses for those with Crohn’s disease. It is not proven to be of help for ulcerative colitis. There are very few side effects, but it may be costly. It may be cheaper and safer to eat cold-water fish that are high in omega-3 (for example, salmon, mackerel, herring) 2 to 3 times a week than to pay for fish oil capsules.
Aloe vera gel may be beneficial for those with ulcerative colitis. You have to be careful because aloe vera juice, which is more available in stores, has a laxative effect and is therefore a problem for people having diarrhea. Aloe latex (may be called aloe juice) contains strong laxative compounds. At this time, aloe products are not regulated by the FDA so it is hard to tell if a product truly contains aloe vera gel or the laxative aloe latex.
No. There is no evidence that purging the colon can help IBD and might actually cause a flare of symptoms.
The best source is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health. This is the web address: http://nccam.nih.gov/. | <urn:uuid:07977487-6b21-4834-9b8a-ffe01053d999> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.med.umich.edu/ibd/education/complementary.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964876 | 557 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Do you ever wonder how much power it takes to support the world's online searches?
How many servers it takes to keep us connected via social networking?
What it takes for us to buy and sell things on auction sites?
Want to see the smoke and mirrors behind the magic show we call the World Wide Web? Here are your answers.
Finding Stuff: The Astounding Resources Powering Search Engines
Image via Flickr by Danard Vincente
Part of staying on top (Google commands over 85 percent of search engine market shares) is keeping certain things secret. So Google won't come out and say how many servers it uses. Some have estimated that it takes a million or more servers to do what Google does, but recent estimates based on power consumption put that number closer to 900,000. Close enough. But Google is apparently efficient with natural resources, accounting for less than one percent of global data energy consumption.
Google employs between 25,000 and 30,000 people, but it's unclear how many of these employes are dedicated to working on servers. Aside from technicians who maintain the servers, other workers manage the climate control systems to keep servers at a safe operating temperature and work on development of better procedures and practices.
Yippee! for Yahoo!
Yahoo! isn't nearly as ginormous as Google, so it's no surprise they operate fewer servers. Yahoo! operates a mere 100,000. Relatively speaking, this seems small, but is still an impressive amount of computing power. For instance, the new data center Yahoo! is building in Wenatchee, WA will consume an estimated 40 megawatts, or enough to power 33,000 homes.
Ever wonder what's up with the exclamation point? The company had to add this to comply with copyright laws, since Yahoo was already taken by a barbecue sauce maker. Before Google went public, Yahoo! considered buying them out, but thought the price was too high. Wonder if they still think so? Not all Yahoo!'s investments were bad decisions, though. The email platform they bought back in 1997 remains the world's most popular email service.
Yahoo! is the second largest search engine, commanding less than 8 percent of market shares. divvying up the remaining 7 percent of market shares are Bing with five percent, followed by Baidu, Ask, AOL and Excite, in that order.
Connecting Us: What it Takes to Power Social Networking Sites
Image via Flickr by Gavin Llewellyn
Perhaps starting out with Google was a bad idea, because now you won't be impressed with Facebook's 30,000 servers. But according to VP of Technology Jeff Rothschild, that number grows daily. Facebook added a whopping 20,000 servers within a span of only 18 months. Facebook's servers are now managing one billion users worldwide, or one-seventh of the world's total population. Over half of U.S. citizens have Facebook accounts.
So, Facebook must be doing something right, right? Not necessarily. Even with this astounding growth, customers rated Google+ higher in customer satisfaction than Facebook. In fact, Facebook is ranked worse than any other company among e-businesses in customer satisfaction, scoring a 61 out of 100. But don't feel too sorry for Facebook. They enjoy 350 million active users, 35 million of whom update their statuses every day. This translates into roughly $1 billion in ad revenue each year.
Trash Talking Twitter
Until 2010, Twitter outsourced their data center operations. But its sudden and tremendous burst in popularity (20 million new users in the span of three months) forced them to build their own custom data center in Salt Lake City, UT. Twitter faced serious image problems with angry users and took heat in the press for their failure to keep up with customer demands. Like most computing powerhouses, Twitter is relatively hush-hush about their data centers.
Twitter has committed to taking these steps to improve user experience:
However, it is unclear what date these goals are to be met. During their peak growth period in 2010, 300,000 new accounts were created every day. Twitter is expected to have a total membership of 500 million by March 2013, but only about 170 million of these are regular users. It took tweeters three years, two months and one day to reach one billion tweets, but now users produce a billion tweets every single week.
Buying Stuff: eCommerce Consumes Vast Computing Resources
Image via Flickr by danielbroche
Amazon shares this competitive spirit and doesn't like talking about their internal operations very much. In 2009 it was estimated that Amazon used 40,000 servers, but a recent report concludes it takes 500,000 servers just to run Amazon's cloud computing platform.
As of 2012, Amazon employs 56,000 people and is hiring faster than Google and Microsoft combined. Amazon added 4,900 new employees in the last quarter of 2012, a 10 percent rise over the third quarter of 2012. But even this massive hiring spree pales in comparison to last year's, when Amazon expanded their workforce by a mind-boggling 19 percent in the third quarter of 2011. Apparently, we like buying on Amazon.
In order to serve their 160 million users worldwide, eBay is charged with managing an eye-popping 8.5 pectabytes of data. These figures include the data it takes to run services for Skype and PayPal. This massive server power is housed in humongous data centers, but eBay is keeping their number of servers secretive.
Experts estimate that it would take about 50,000 servers to handle this amount of data. eBay opened in 1995 and made its first online sale on Labor Day, a fitting tribute to its 27,000-member strong workforce.
What This All Means
Image via Flickr by TerryJohnston
The world has about 509,147 data centers. These data centers sit on 285.8 million square acres, the same space of 5,955 football fields. Every month, Google produces 260,000 kg of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of running a home freezer unit for 5,400 years. In the process, it consumes 3,900,000 kWh of power, enough to wash 5,000,000 loads of laundry. The 62 trillion pieces of spam slathering the Internet each year produces the same amount of carbon dioxide as 1.6 million cars.
However, the Internet is getting greener faster than most industries. If the auto manufacturing industry improved their environmental impact at the same rate, we would now be able to buy a car that gets 7,200,000,000 miles on a single tank of gasoline. The Internet is good for people, too, providing an estimated three million jobs, and employing about two percent of the U.S. workforce. Impressive, no? | <urn:uuid:cbeee180-4c6f-4881-ba40-68d05ab7a754> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.orsyp.com/blog/616-data-center-technology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918554 | 1,392 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Editors. "A rival to the Swabian League is formed". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2010
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=14180, accessed 21 May 2013.]
Members of the German Swabian League renew their allegiance for another ten years, but the Duke of Wurttemberg, the Elector Palatine and the Margrave of Baden retreat from this union to form a rival pact, which is joined by Frederick the Wise of Saxony in 1515. | <urn:uuid:0a9cfaca-97c9-4bc6-8e01-47c5fc175c02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=14180 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918801 | 121 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Duyfken 1606 replica returns to Fremantle to make WA home
- From: PerthNow
- September 23, 2012
THE replica Duyfken 1606 has returned to Western Australia, where it will now make its home.
Speaking at a ‘welcome home’ event at Victoria Quay in Fremantle this morning, Premier Colin Barnett said he was delighted to see the ship back in WA waters.
“The State of Western Australia is very pleased to welcome the Duyfken replica back to Fremantle after so many years away from Perth and after what I understand has been a very challenging sail heading south down the coast,” he said.
“The Duyfken replica was built in Perth and it is fitting this ship will now make its home here.
“The State Government made $260,000 available to bring the Duyfken replica back to Perth from Sydney and has also committed $125,000 a year for the next 10 years to enable the ship to stay here. We have also allocated two employees to help run the enterprise.”
The original Duyfken’s landing at Cape York in 1606 is the first authenticated contact between Europeans and indigenous Australians.
“It will be a great tourist attraction and a brilliant piece of living history for WA school children to learn something about the early days of the maritime exploration of Australia’s coast,” the Premier said.
“The WA Government is proud to support the Duyfken’s return.”
• The Duyfken, a Dutch East India Company ship, sailed by Capt Willem Janszoon, visited Australia in 1606 - 164 years before Capt Cook landed in Botany Bay
• Duyfken’s visit marked the start of 150 years of Dutch maritime exploration of Australia, mostly along the WA coast | <urn:uuid:3131c5c4-a501-442b-9e41-a650403cd1f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/duyfken-1606-replica-returns-to-fremantle-to-make-wa-home/story-e6frg13u-1226479689936?from=public_rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932115 | 392 | 1.570313 | 2 |
THIS EXHIBITION presents Renaissance editions of Dante's Divine Comedy from the John A. Zahm, C.S.C., Dante Collection at the University of Notre Dame, together with selected treasures from The Newberry Library. The Zahm collection ranks among the top Dante collections in North America. Purchased for the most part by Zahm in 1902 from the Italian Dantophile Giulio Acquaticci, the 15th- and 16th- century imprints presented here form the heart of Zahm's collection, which totals nearly 3,000 volumes, including rare editions and critical studies from the Renaissance to the present. The nine incunable editions and nearly complete series of 16th-century imprints featured in this exhibit constitute essential primary sources for both the history of Dante's reception during the Renaissance and the early history of the printed book.
The concentrated Dante collection at Notre Dame is nicely complemented by the wide-ranging holdings of The Newberry Library in Renaissance literature and history, and especially for the history of printing and publishing. These two rich and varied collections have often been used by Dantists in the Midwest and from abroad. The complementarity of the collections is mirrored in the formal cooperation of Notre Dame and The Newberry Library through the consortium of The Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies, of which Notre Dame has been an active member since 1983. The exhibit was originally held at the Department of Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Notre Dame, October 15 - December 15, 1993 and the Newberry Library between 15 April - 15 June, 1994, and has been produced in expanded form for Internet publication by a collaboration between the William and Katherine Devers Program in Dante Studies, University of Notre Dame and the ARTFL Project of the University of Chicago. The Devers Program, the ARTFL Project, and the Newberry Library are proud to welcome you to Renaissance Dante in Print (1472-1629).
Theodore Cachey, Department of Romance Languages,
University of Notre Dame, Theodore.Cachey.firstname.lastname@example.org
Louis Jordan, Department of Special Collections, Hesburgh Library, University of Notre Dame, Louis.E.Jordan.email@example.com | <urn:uuid:69089a5c-87fd-4b79-9b6f-3c240e01e363> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.italnet.nd.edu/dante/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936099 | 445 | 2.328125 | 2 |
DirectoryArticle Free Pass
Directory, French Directoire, the French Revolutionary government set up by the Constitution of the Year III, which lasted four years, from November 1795 to November 1799.
It included a bicameral legislature known as the Corps Législatif. The lower house, or Council of Five Hundred (Conseil de Cinq-Cents), consisted of 500 delegates, 30 years of age or over, who proposed legislation; the Council of Ancients (Conseil des Anciens), consisted of 250 delegates, 40 years of age or over, who held the power to accept or veto the proposed legislation. The Ancients also picked the executive—the five Directors (Directeurs)—from lists drawn up by the Five Hundred. A Director had to be at least 40 years old and to have formerly served as a deputy or minister; a new one was chosen each year, on rotation. The Directors chose government ministers, ambassadors, army generals, tax collectors, and other officials. However, though nominally inheriting many of the centralized powers of the former Committee of Public Safety, they had no funds to finance their projects or courts to enforce their will. The Directory was a fatal experiment in weak executive powers; it was created in reaction to the puritanical dictatorship that had existed under the Reign of Terror of 1793–94, and it would end up yielding to the more disciplined dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Directory suffered from widespread corruption. Its policies aimed at protecting the positions of those who had supported the Revolution and preventing the return of the Bourbons. Despite its unsavory reputation, it consolidated many of the achievements of the National Convention, such as the creation of a system of elite centralized schools, the grandes écoles. The French economy recovered from the disruption caused by the Terror, and the successes of the French armies laid the basis for the conquests of the Napoleonic period.
What made you want to look up "Directory"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:a2127381-c2ab-41de-bdd0-ec5cfda9bf5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/165043/Directory | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960063 | 414 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Current Xorg CVS
See X.Org's CVS info page for access to current CVS.
Historical background and CVS process
The XOrg Foundation repository was initialized with X11R6.6 on the main branch.
There are two primary branches from the main branch. They are named XORG-STABLE and XORG-CURRENT, and are nicknamed -STABLE and -CURRENT respectively.
XFree86 has been imported on the vendor branch. The tree has been kept in sync with XFree86, through the release of their version 4.4 with the exception of changes to their files that contain their new version 1.1 license.
The vendor branch has been merged to -CURRENT. -CURRENT also contains many other bug fixes and enhancements beyond what is in XFree86 4.4. -CURRENT is currently known to build on the following platforms (in alphabetical order):
* AIX 5.2 (ppc) * FreeBSD 5.1R (x86) * Mac OS X 10.3 (ppc) * Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 3 * Red Hat Fedora Core 1 * SUSE Linux 9.0 (x86) * Solaris 9 (SPARC)
Work is currently proceeding to ensure that it builds on other platforms as well.
When the community agrees, the -CURRENT branch is merged to the -STABLE branch.
Automated nightly builds of -CURRENT (and -STABLE once something interesting has been merged to it) occur and VSW5 is run against those builds.
Eventually -STABLE is merged to the main branch which may become the basis for a release. As you can see, lots of changes occur on branches, but there are fewer (by version number) changes on -STABLE, and the least number of changes by version number on the main branch.
-- Main.KalebKEITHLEY - 05 Mar 2004 | <urn:uuid:5394a450-db42-4a20-9835-3203477ea33e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/XOrgRepository/?action=PackagePages | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947349 | 401 | 1.523438 | 2 |
While this is a step in the right direction, it’s sad that anything like this needs to be proposed. It should already be 100% within our rights:
Just the title of the resolution itself points out the absurdity of the current laws on the books. Wow, we can now grow our own food and enter into private contracts with other people?
Again, it’s good to see something like this, but it’s likely that the State and the Federal government will likely continue to enforce existing laws (e.g. arresting Amish people for selling fresh milk).
And what’s up with this part of the preamble:
“While it is legitimate for government to see that producers are following the law in order to ensure the highest level of food safety for the public, there must be a distinction made between those farmers engaging in direct commerce with the public, as in the case of a farmer’s market or grocery store, and those individuals choosing to take part in a private herd share or community garden share.”
Why is it legitimate for government to do that? Let people decide what’s safe to put in their bodies. If the government wants to publish information on food safety inspections, that couldn’t hurt, but let the ultimate power reside with the people. | <urn:uuid:848786f5-c009-4756-a4e5-52262ee88702> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pluckytree.tumblr.com/post/12223067141/didnt-we-already-have-food-freedom | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953748 | 272 | 1.570313 | 2 |
This female sharpnose crab, Scyra acutifrons, at left was releasing her young into the water in our Life on the Edge exhibit. Here her abdomen is completely open, revealing masses of thousands of pale brown larvae (see yellow arrows) being held in place by her pleopods (see blue stars), special appendages used just for this. The blue arrow indicates one of the larvae swimming towards the surface.
Here is a video of the sharpnose crab releasing her young in the water.
Most of the time, a female will hold her abdomen folded closely against her underside. It’s only when “in berry” (with eggs) that she will open it to reveal her clutch. As development progresses for several weeks to months, she will periodically open this abdominal flap to aerate the eggs and pick out non-viable eggs.
Like many familiar crabs, sharpnose crabs have internal fertilization, but the females may store the sperm for months or longer before using it to fertilize thousands of eggs. Sharpnose females may reproduce several times a year, not just in the spring.
When her eggs are ripe, the female will allow the sperm to flow over them as they are being released from her body. She will immediately attach these fertilized eggs to the underside of her abdomen, the area between the abdominal wall and the abdominal “tail.” When her eggs are hatching, she will either flick her abdominal flap into the water to release the young, or as in this case, use her front claws to assist their release into the water column.
As with most newly-hatched young, these larvae immediately began swimming to the surface. In the wild, they would become part of the plankton.
Newly hatched young look nothing like their parents and go through several molts to transform into the basic shape, shown at left, a more adult-like form that will settle out of the plankton to the substrate below.
The spines often seen on crab larvae found in our plankton tows are thought to help the larvae stay buoyant in the water column. The “tail” is used to scoop up tiny zoo-plankton prey towards the mouth. Other appendages are used for swimming.
Come visit the Aquarium and learn more about our animals in the Life on the Edge exhibit! | <urn:uuid:d86044cf-c1fc-4dcd-a642-cbf804f37111> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.seattleaquarium.org/marine-animals/baby-sharpnose-crabs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971365 | 487 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Learn the Basics
When you think of Saw Palmetto you may not think of an herb for female fertility - which is why it's important that you learn more. Saw Palmetto is an effective herb to treat infertility in men and in women.
The herb is actually a small palm tree which is native to the Southeastern United States. It grows slowly and lives a long time (sometimes hundreds of years). The extracts used for fertility treatments come from the fruits of the trees. They're rich in fatty acids and phytosterols, both of which are beneficial to you.
Saw Palmetto has huge effects on female infertility problems when those problems are related to polycystic ovarian syndrome - or PCOS. The herb extract helps women to deal with excesses of the "male" hormones and primarily benefits those who have excess androgens.
The herb is safe for women to take. You can have excess androgen issues verified with your care provider before you begin treatment with the extracts.
It's not just safe - studies have actually shown that it can be just as or even more effective than medications commonly prescribed to women who have excess androgens.
Traditionally it has been used by women as a uterine and vaginal tonic.
Do stop taking Saw Palmetto during pregnancy. The testosterone-reducing effects that are so beneficial to you are not good for your baby.
It can help clear up problems with acne and facial hair as well as reducing symptoms of PCOS related to fertility. Beginning a low-carbohydrate diet while supplementing with the extract can help increase the effects and stop PCOS symptoms.
Saw Palmetto is traditionally thought of as a "man's herb" and for good reason. It can help with a variety of prostate disorders (such as benign prostate hyperplasia) and it's also very supportive of overall reproductive health in males.
It builds up tissues and supports the health of the glands. It's similar to red raspberry and red clover for women's health - it's an all-around tonic that greatly benefits men.
It's also been shown to help with impotence and low libido issues, both of which can have a huge effect on male fertility.
The extract can be taken in standardized dosages (from 85%-95% standardized), making it easy to measure and take in capsule form. Many women with PCOS get the most benefit by taking it twice daily. It's often available for men in an overall men's fertility supplement - a great way to get your man to take everything he needs in one swoop!
Learn the Basics | <urn:uuid:0754eec6-5ee5-43f1-946c-92dc3c75d6bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.getting-pregnant.com/saw-palmetto.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967846 | 535 | 1.507813 | 2 |
How to be ready for Big Data
Big Data is coming, but for most organisations it's still three to five years away
By Thor Olavsrud | CIO US | Published: 14:47, 21 March 2012
Big Data is all the rage these days, and more than a few organisations are at least wondering what sort of business intelligence they could derive from all the information at their dispoals.
But while awareness of Big Data is growing, only a few organisations - like Google or Facebook - are really in position to capitalise on it now. However, the time is coming and organisations that expect to leverage Big Data will not only have to understand the intricacies of foundational technologies like Apache Hadoop, they'll need the infrastructure to help them make sense of the data and secure it.
In the next three to five years, we will see a widening gap between companies that understand and exploit Big Data and companies that are aware of it but don't know what to do about it, says Kaylan Viswanathan, global head of information management with Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) global consulting group. The companies that succeed in turning Big Data into actionable information with have a clear competitive advantage, Viswanathan says.
Related Articles on Techworld
"Today, most companies are aware of Big Data," he says. "There's a lot written about it. There are conferences about it. Awareness has become quite pervasive. But if you look at actually exploiting Big Data, I would say we're at the very beginning stages of it."
Viswanathan says he believes that Silicon Valley Internet-based businesses like Facebook and Google - where the entire business is based upon the management and exploitation of data - are leading the charge when it comes to Big Data. Industries like financial services won't be far behind, he says, and neither will the intelligence or military communities. Other verticals like retail, telecom, healthcare and manufacturing will follow.
"In terms of readiness to exploit Big Data relatively soon, I would say the companies have to be market leaders in their industry segments," he says. "They will be the ones that tend not to wait until others have exploited new technology. They would rather forge ahead and set the standard for their industry vertical."
The role of Big Data
What role would Big Data play? Well, for instance, a pharmaceutical company might want to identify the top 100 opinion-makers in the pharmaceutical world. To do so, it could crawl the web and go to millions of pages related to the industry, ingesting the data while weeding out anything that's not related to the objective. Or an automobile manufacturer could collect instrumentation data live from its cars in real-time as they're driven on the road.
In many cases, says Larry Warnock, CEO of Big Data encryption and key management specialist Gazzang, we have not yet imagined the ways in which we will leverage Big Data.
"It's like a giant fishing net dragging the bottom," Warnock says. "There's big fat tuna and swordfish in there, but also mussels and lobsters and flounder. They're just scraping data and they don't know yet what they're going to do with it. The correlations that could be drawn from that data haven't even been determined yet."
The semantic data model in Big Data
One of the keys to taking unstructured data - audio, video, images, unstructured text, events, tweets, wikis, forums and blog - and extracting useful data from it is to create a semantic data model as a layer that sits on top of your data stores and helps you make sense of everything.
"We have to put data together from disparate sources and make sense of it," says David Saul, chief scientist at State Street, a financial services provider that serves global institutional investors. "Traditionally, the way in which we've done that and the way in which the industry has done that is we'll take extractions of that data from however many different places and build a repository and produce reports off that repository. That's a time-consuming process and not an extremely flexible one. Every time you make a change, you have to go back and change the data repository."
To make that process more efficient, State Street set out to establish a semantic layer that allows data to stay where it is, but provides additional descriptive information about it.
"We have to deal with a lot of reference information," Saul says. "Reference information can come from different sources. Our customers may call the same thing by two different names. Semantic technology has the ability to indicate those things are in fact the same thing. For instance, someone might call IBM 'IBM' or 'International Business Machines' or 'IBM Corporation' or some other variation. They really are the same thing. By showing that equivalence within the semantic layer, you can indicate they're the same thing."
Another example involves State Street's risk management business.
"If we're trying to pull together a risk profile for all of the exposures we have to a particular entity or geography or whatever, that information is kept in lots of different places. Numerical information in databases, unstructured information in documents or spreadsheets. We see that providing a semantic description for these various sources of risk information means we can quickly pull together a consolidated risk profile or an ad hoc request. One of the other benefits that we see is that semantic technology, unlike a lot of other things, doesn't mean we have to go back and redo all of our legacy systems and database definitions. It lays on top of that, so it's much less disruptive than another type of technology that would require us to go to a clean slate. We can do it incrementally. Once we've provided a semantic definition for one of these sources, we can add on other definitions from other sources without having to go back and redo the first one."
State Street has approached the semantic data model by building a set of tools to help end users - generally a business person rather than a programmer or DBA - do the description.
"The tools are much more designed for the actual owner of the data," Saul says. "In most cases that's not a programmer or DBA, that's a business person. The business person, in describing the data, knows what that data is. They know what this reference information is supposed to connote. Using the tool, they can translate that into a semantic definition and in turn use that and combine it with some other definitions to produce, say, a risk report or the onboarding of a new customer. For years we've talked about being able to blur the line that exists between IT and the business and having business be able to have tools where they can more clearly express requirements. This is a step in that direction. It's not full business process management, but it's certainly a step in getting there."
Securing Big Data
But collecting all this data and making it more accessible also means organisations need to be serious about securing it. And that requires thinking about security architecture from the beginning, Saul says.
"I believe the biggest mistake that most people make with security is they leave thinking about it until the very end, until they've done everything else: architecture, design and, in some cases, development," Saul says. "That is always a mistake."
Saul says that State Street has implemented an enterprise security framework in which every piece of data in its stores includes with it the kind of credentials required to access that data.
"By doing that, we get better security," he says. "We get much finer control. We have the ability to do reporting to satisfy audit requirements. Every piece of data is considered an asset. Part of that asset is who's entitled to look at it, who's entitled to change it, who's entitled to delete it, etc. Combine that with encryption, and if someone does break in and has free reign throughout the organisation, once they get to the data, there's still another protection that keeps them from getting access to the data and the context."
Gazzang's Warnock agrees, noting that companies that collect and leverage Big Data very quickly find that they have what Gartner calls 'toxic data' on their hands. For instance, imagine a wireless company that is collecting machine data - who's logged onto which towers, how long they're online, how much data they're using, whether they're moving or staying still - that can be used to provide insight to user behaviour. That same wireless company may have lots of user-generated data as wellcredit card numbers, social security numbers, data on buying habits and patterns of usage -any information that a human has volunteered about their experience.
The capability to correlate that data and draw inferences from it could be valuable, but it is also toxic because if that correlated data were to go outside the organisation and wind up in someone else's hands, it could be devastating both to the individual and the organisation.
Warnock says the risk is often worth it. "Downstream analytics is the reason you gather all this data in the first place," he says. But organisations should then follow best practices by encrypting it.
"Over time, just as it's best practice to protect the perimeter with firewalls, it will be best practice to encrypt data at rest," he says.
When it comes to Big Data, Warnock says the key to encryption is transparent data encryption: essentially encrypting everything on the fly as it is captured and written to disk. That way, every piece of data ingested by the organization is protected. In the past, companies have resisted such measures because of the monetary cost and performance cost. But Warnock notes that many tools are now open source, driving down their cost in dollars, and the performance hit has dropped substantially to only 3-5% at the application layer.
The other step to really making that encryption secure is an automated key management solution. "The secret for Big Data security, and quite frankly any kind of security, is key management," Warnock says. "Key management is the weak link in this whole encryption process." | <urn:uuid:f2f93046-c046-43db-a182-6e9a2ca53e0a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://features.techworld.com/applications/3346045/how-to-be-ready-for-big-data/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965759 | 2,084 | 1.773438 | 2 |
What Is Lumbar Microsurgery?
Lumbar microsurgery is a way of doing low-back surgery through a small incision. There are two types of lumbar microsurgery. Microdecompression is removal of bone from the spine. Microdiskectomy is removal of disk. This removal takes pressure off nerves and reduces symptoms.
During a microdecompression, bone is removed. First, a small portion of the lamina is removed. It is taken from the vertebrae above and below the pinched nerve. Removing part of the lamina is called a laminotomy. If there is no disk problem, the small opening made by this process may take pressure off the nerve. But most often, additional bone is pressing on a nerve. This bone is also removed.
During a microdiskectomy, some disk is removed. In most cases, a laminotomy must first be done to expose the damaged disk. The part of the disk outer wall and soft center that presses on the nerve can then be removed. Any disk matter that is loose or that may cause problems in the future is also taken out. There is usually enough disk remaining to cushion the vertebrae.
How You Benefit
Lumbar microsurgery uses a smaller incision than traditional lumbar surgery. This means more of your skin and muscles stay intact. A smaller incision also helps you heal faster. This surgery often relieves leg pain from the hip down to the foot, reduces leg numbness, allows leg strength to improve, and sometimes reduces back pain (after the pain from surgery is gone). | <urn:uuid:8f628bce-669a-4bb5-812a-c1d290aa7ea6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fairview.org/HealthLibrary/Article/82373 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934833 | 336 | 2.75 | 3 |