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Basic Gear: Besides a good attitude and a dose of patience, there are several things a fencer needs to actually fence. While equipping oneself for a competition is a little more involved than this, to get started one just needs:
Many clubs will lend you equipment when you are just starting and doing a beginner course. Once you’ve completed the course, and are hooked, you will be encouraged to buy your own equipment. There are two options as a beginner, the first is to buy individual items one at a time until you have a full set and the second solution is to buy a “starter kit.” These fencing starter kits have all the “basic needs” items pre-assembled and sold as a bundle.
You have the list of equipment needed, but now what? Before you actually buy anything or start using your new equipment, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of the capability and purpose of each.
Jacket: The fencing jacket is to help protect the fencer. It’s important to select a jacket that is well made and that will provide adequate protection. The US does not have a set standard minimum requirement, though Europe requires a 350NW (CE Level 1) standard of protection. For international tournaments, the requirement is greater and "FIE" gear tests to the CE Level 2 (or 800NW) standard.
When starting out, the basic or 350NW uniforms are more than adequate. The main choices you'll need to make are between cotton or synthetic materials. Cotton tends to be cheaper, but is heavier and hotter while the synthetic materials are lighter weight but slightly more expensive.
Mask: The mask is also for protection so be sure to choose a mask that has sufficient interior padding, does not press on the top of the head or chin, and fits comfortably. Fencing masks also come in "standard" (or non-FIE) and FIE (internationally rated/approved) models. The standard masks will be adequate, but most fencers who are sticking with the sport for 2 or 3 years will upgrade to an FIE fencing mask for the extra protection (and status the "FIE" badge on their gear may have.)
Glove: Although you can buy non-electric gloves it is almost always worth buying a glove with a Velcro cuff that can be used for electric fencing. The Velcro cuff allows you to easily connect the body cord from under your sleeve to an electric weapon. These are sized either as small, medium or large, or in individual glove sizes. Going for gloves that are individually sized will usually get you a better fit but they tend to be more expensive.
Foil: The foil is designed for thrusting. The blade is very thin, with a blunted (or foiled) tip. Foil blades are flexible enough to bend upon striking an opponent, in order to prevent injuries.
Note: Blade Sizes – 5, 2, 0, What?
Most fencers use what is called a “Size 5” blade. This is the standard adult size. Youth fencers that are under 10 years old need to use a “Size 2” blade. The size 5 blade is approximately 35 inches long, where the size 2 is approx. 32 inches long and a “Size 0” is, yes you guessed it, about 30 inches long. Most fencing equipment suppliers should let you choose your blade size, or have special products set aside for youth fencers.
If you have any questions about what sized blade to get on your first fencing foil, epee, or sabre, ask your coach.
Sabre: The sabre weighs only a couple of pounds is designed primarily for cutting. It differs from the other modern fencing swords, the épée and foil, in that it is possible to score with the edge of the blade. For the other two weapons, valid touches are only scored using the point of the blade.
Épée: French for "sword," this weapon is similar to a foil, but has a stiffer, V-shaped blade, has a larger bell guard, and is heavier. Épée is the only weapon in which the entire body is the valid target area and in which there are no rules of “right of way”.
Besides the basics, there exists a whole host of other pieces and parts which fencing equipment suppliers can provide for you. These consist of everything from spare blades and parts to replace broken gear to component upgrades, premium uniforms, and tools to help you test and fix your own gear.
Visit the start page of our fencing equipment store to get started. | <urn:uuid:301728ed-21e0-4db6-b632-16daf6886640> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shop.fencing.net/Articles.asp?ID=131 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954263 | 956 | 2 | 2 |
According to a story from the Associated Press, the Obama administration is now openly embracing the Islamist shift which is taking place as a result of the past year’s series of revolutions that have swept through a series of Islam-dominated countries. Speaking to the National Democratic Institute, Clinton made it clear that a profound shift is taking place in American foreign policy. In the words of the AP story:
Clinton offered a forthright embrace of the democratic changes enveloping North Africa and the Middle East at a time when the euphoria of the successful revolutions from Egypt to Libya is giving way to the hard and unprecedented work of creating stable democracies.
After decades of partnering dictators throughout the region, her message was that the U.S. would approach the new political landscape with an open mind and the understanding that long-term support for democracy trumps any short-term advantages through alliances with authoritarian regimes.
While she reached out to the religious-rooted parties expected to gain power in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere, she said nothing about changing U.S. policies toward Hezbollah and Hamas, which have performed well in Lebanese and Palestinian elections but are considered foreign terrorist organizations by the United States.
Given the significance of the shift in American policy, Clinton’s silence regarding Hezbollah and Hamas might actually speak quite loudly; unless the administration quickly signals that U.S. foreign policy toward those parties remains unchanged, there is every reason to expect that they will be included in the new approach to the entire region.
Clinton’s comments come in the context of growing concerns about the role of the Obama administration in advancing the agendas of radical Islamic parties in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. As Joe Wolverton recently wrote for The New American:
Credible investigative reports indicate that there are many Islamic extremists among the claques of democratic leaders now seizing control of the Arab governments that have suffered the Spring. Some describe these self-proclaimed “jihadists” as “Trojan Horses” being led inside the walls of freedom surreptitiously as part of a greater strategy to infiltrate the new regimes and thereby tighten the grip of Islamic militancy throughout the region.
There is evidence that President Obama is aiding and abetting these designing democrats in their quest to expand the scope of Islamic fundamentalism. In Libya, for example, the United States aided the National Transitional Council (NTC) in drafting a pro-Sharia constitution, as well as providing more direct and lethal support of the insurgents in the form of missiles and munitions.
While the Associated Press noted that Clinton “welcomed the Islamist party Ennahda's strong showing in ‘an open, competitive election’ in Tunisia last month,” Wolverton observed that this party is “a group ideologically indistinguishable from the Muslim Brotherhood. ... Reports from that country indicate that the group’s primary aim is to dismantle wholly all vestigial remnants of French civil institutions and laws and replace them with a fundamentalist version of Sharia.”
While the Arab Spring has meant a wave of violence being unleashed against Christian minorities in several countries — including, most prominently, Egypt — Clinton simply called on the rising Islamic parties to act as if they are Western countries:
Religious and secular parties alike "must reject violence. They must abide by the rule of law and respect the freedoms of speech, religion, association and assembly. They must respect the rights of women and minorities," Clinton said. "They must let go of power if defeated at the polls."
"In other words," Clinton added, "what parties call themselves is less important to us than what they actually do."
Clinton is, of course, aware that the forces now ruling Egypt appear to have little interest in a transfer of power, but she spoke of their rule in words which were mildly critical, at best: "If, over time, the most powerful political force in Egypt remains a roomful of unelected officials, they will have planted the seeds for future unrest," Clinton said. "Egyptians will have missed a historic opportunity." In this regard, Clinton could as well have been describing the administration in which she is serving. Obama’s astounding array of "czars" and a federal bureaucracy of “unelected officials” control more and more aspects of American life from one presidency to the next.
While the Obama administration shifts its policy toward the rising Islamist parties of the Middle East, certain elements within the government of Israel — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak — appear to be planning a preemptive attack on Iran with the goal of eliminating that nation’s nuclear weapons program. Opinion is — to say the least — strongly divided in Israel over such a preemptive attack. In June 1981, Israel made a somewhat similar attack against Iraq’s nuclear program, conducting an air strike against a 70-megawatt nuclear reactor near Baghdad. However, Iranian officials are threatening that such an attack today could unleash a regional war. While some American politicians — including Herman Cain — subscribe to the dubious notion that such a war could be in the best interests of the United States, what seems certain is that given the diametrically opposed policies of the Obama and Netanyahu governments, the clear division between the foreign policies goals and interests of the two nations is growing.
What remains to be seen is whether any future U.S. presidential administration will be able to return to the more stable policy of America's past, avoiding “entangling alliances” with foreign governments that are not in the long-term interests of these United States. | <urn:uuid:7bebe08e-d2c1-408b-8238-340a6f93ff08> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/1479-obama-strengthens-ties-to-islamist-parties | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957532 | 1,136 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Stream turned orange by pollution finally cleaned up in multi-million pound scheme (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Stream turned orange by pollution finally cleaned up in multi-million pound scheme
A STREAM stained orange by pollution from old ironstone mines in Saltburn is finally being cleaned up thanks to a multi-million-pound scheme.
Saltburn Gill, which runs through the Valley Gardens down to the beach, changed colour overnight in May 1999 when it was polluted from a nearby mine that closed in the 1960s.
The pollution had a devastating effect on river life, depositing large amounts of iron oxide on the river bed and banks, up to the point where it meets the Skelton Beck above Saltburn beach.
The Gill was once a haven for Kingfishers and otters and runs through a site of Special Scientific Interest.
The Environment Agency has been working with the Coal Authority and the Saltburn Gill Action Group to design a pollution treatment scheme and turn the beck back into a high quality coastal stream.
Work starts today (MONDAY DECEMBER 10) on the scheme, which will take five months to complete.
More than £700,000 has been spent so far and a further £2m is earmarked to clean up the beck.
The cash comes from a £10.5m Defra fund to combat problems caused by abandoned metal mines across England.
Dominic Shepherd, regional water quality manager for the Environment Agency, said: “The mine water will be treated to a high quality which will allow the stream to regenerate, bringing life back to the once-dead waters.
“The work will be carried out in two phases. First, water will be pumped from the old mine workings until the current discharges dry up, which could take a year. When the pumping has stabilised the groundwater levels, a treatment scheme will be constructed.”
The new scheme will filter iron from the mine water before it enters the stream by using a series of ponds. The Coal Authority uses the tried-and-tested method at more than 60 treatment schemes around Britain.
Dr Simon Reed, director of operations for the Coal Authority, said: “We, together with our contractors and consultants, will bring our extensive experience in designing, building and operating mine water treatment schemes to bring very real environmental improvements to the community at Saltburn.”
Jim Wingham, chair of Saltburn Gill Action Group, said: “This represents a massive achievement for local people after eight years of working in partnership with all of the other bodies concerned to find a remedy for the pollution of Saltburn Gill. It represents a triumph for localism in its very best sense.”
The scheme is being built and operated by the Coal Authority under a permit issued by the Environment Agency. | <urn:uuid:57ae4d5b-04a2-4fa1-8c43-6e9d66fad3a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/10098858.Stream_turned_orange_by_pollution_finally_cleaned_up_in_multi_million_pound_scheme/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950246 | 595 | 1.976563 | 2 |
In Windows Firewall with Advanced Settings I can create a rule which blocks all inbound or outbound traffic for particular program by pointing to its .exe file. The problem is that this program has many .exe files in its directory, as well as additional ones in its sub directories. So many question is: do I need to make separate rules for each .exe file, which in this case would mean about 50 rules or is there a way to block the traffic for a group of .exe files based on their location on the local hard drive. Thank you.
*Configure and Add rules in windows firewall based on dynamic content (exe files) in that folder: *
you should work with PowerShell or command line tools that run everyday.
like this : Article Link
There are also some good VBScript samples on MSDN which I used as a starting point.
open ISA Server Management, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft ISA Server, and then click ISA Server Management.
Block responses containing Windows executable content visit this Article here
in our network that based on windows we have cache server named SQUID :
Squid content filtering: Block / download of music MP3, mpg, mpeg, exec files
If the .exe's are located in the same folder you can probably add it in the windows firewall list.If they are located in different folders then you have to manually add those.In general,the firewall will ask for user's permission if an .exe tries to access the network i.e one that is not recognized as a trusted application.But it wont track what are the individual exe's that are called inturn by that process.You can either disable all ports or specific ports.
In general the windows firewall is not my recommendation unless you update your windows everyday.Use Comodo's free edition to have better control and it can be easily setup.
Although @saber tabatabaee yazdi answer is much more thorough. | <urn:uuid:6e178a78-f515-4113-8016-a990222bd387> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/24557/windows-firewall-how-to-block-inbound-for-all-exe-files-in-a-folder | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944515 | 409 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Infogrames Entertainment SA (IESA).Atari Interactive has in turn licensed the brand name and assets to Atari, Inc. a 51% majority owned subsidiary of Infogrames Entertainment SA (IESA), encompassing its North American operations.
The original Atari Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers. The company's products, such as Pong and the Atari 2600, helped define the computer entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid 1980s.
In 1984, the original Atari Inc. was split, and the arcade division was turned into Atari Games Inc..Atari Games received the rights to use the logo and brand name with appended text "Games" on arcade games, as well as rights to the original 1972 - 1984 arcade hardware properties. The Atari Consumer Electronics Division properties were in turn sold to Jack Tramiel's Tramel Technology Ltd., which then renamed itself to Atari Corporation. In 1996, Atari Corporation reverse merged with disk drive manufacturer JT Storage (JTS), becoming a division within the company.
Atari Interactive started as a subsidiary of Hasbro Interactive, after Hasbro Interactive acquired all Atari Corporation related properties from JTS in 1998.IESA in turn acquired Hasbro Interactive in 2001, and proceeded to rename it to Infogrames Interactive. In 2003, IESA then changed the company name entirely to Atari Interactive.
The company that currently bears the name Atari Inc. was founded in 1993 under the name GT Interactive. IESA acquired a 62% controlling interest in GT Interactive in 1999, and proceeded to rename it Infogrames, Inc. After IESA's acquirement of Hasbro Interactive and its related Atari properties in 2001, Infogrames, Inc. intermittently published Atari branded titles for Infogrames Interactive. In 2003, Infogrames Inc. licensed the Atari name and logo from Atari Interactive and changed its name to Atari Inc.Currently, Atari Inc. develops, publishes and distributes games for all major video game consoles, as well as for the personal computer, and is currently one of the largest third-party publishers of video games in the United States.
In 1973, Atari secretly spawned a "competitor" called Kee Games, headed by Nolan's next door neighbor Joe Keenan, to circumvent pinball distributors' insistence on exclusive distribution deals; both Atari and Kee could market (virtually) the same game to different distributors, with each getting an "exclusive" deal. Though Kee's relationship to Atari was discovered in 1974, Joe Keenan did such a good job managing the subsidiary that he was promoted to president of Atari that same year.
In 1975, Bushnell started an effort to produce a flexible video game console that was capable of playing all four of Atari's then-current games. The result was the Atari 2600, one of the most successful consoles in history, sometimes called VCS for Video Computer System. Authors on the history of videogames have consistently presented the possibility the 2600 was named after the frequency 2600 hertz used by a blue box to gain control of telephone networks, or "2600: The Hacker Quarterly," which began as a magazine for telephone phreaking. Bushnell knew he had another potential hit on his hands, but bringing the machine to market would be extremely expensive. Looking for outside investors, in 1976 Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications for an estimated $28 - $32 million, using part of the money to buy the Folgers Mansion. He departed from the division in 1979.
A project to design a successor to the 2600 started as soon as the system shipped. The original development team estimated the 2600 had a lifespan of about three years, and decided to build the most powerful machine they could, given that time frame. Midway into the effort's time-frame, the home computer revolution was taking off, so the new machines were adapted, with the addition of a keyboard and various inputs, to produce the Atari 800, and its smaller cousin, the 400. Although a variety of issues made them less attractive than the Apple II for some users, the new machines had some success when they finally became available in quantity in 1980.
Under Warner, Atari Inc. achieved its greatest success, selling millions of 2600s and computers. At its peak, Atari accounted for a third of Warner's annual income and was the fastest-growing company in the history of the United States at the time. However, Atari Inc. ran into problems in the early 1980s. Its home computer, video game console, and arcade divisions operated independently of one another and rarely cooperated. Faced with fierce competition and price wars in the game console and home computer markets, Atari was never able to duplicate the success of the 2600.
These problems were followed by the infamous video game crash of 1983, with losses that totaled more than $500 million. Warner's stock price slid from $60 to $20, and the company began searching for a buyer for its troubled division. In 1983, Ray Kassar was forced to leave Atari, and executives involved in the Famicom deal were forced to start over again, and the deal eventually died. With Atari's further financial problems and the Famicom's runaway success in Japan after its July 16th, 1983 release date, Nintendo decided to go it alone.
Financial problems continued to mount and Ray's successor, James J. Morgan, had less than a year in which to tackle his predecessor's problems before he, too, left. In July 1984, Warner sold the home computing and game console divisions of Atari to Jack Tramiel for $240 million in stocks who then used it to create a new company under the name Atari Corporation. Warner retained the arcade division, continuing it under the name Atari Games, but sold it to Namco in 1985. Warner also sold the fledgling Ataritel to Mitsubishi.
Under Tramiel's ownership, Atari Corp. used the remaining stock of game console inventory to keep the company afloat while they finished development on a 16-bit computer system, the Atari ST. In 1985, they released an update to the 8-bit computer line, the Atari XE series, as well as the 16-bit Atari ST line. In 1986, Atari launched two consoles designed under Warner - the Atari 2600jr and the Atari 7800 console (which saw limited release in 1984). Atari rebounded, making $25 million profit that year. In 1989, Atari released the Atari Lynx, a handheld console with color graphics, to much fanfare. A shortage of parts kept the system from being released nationwide for the 1989 Christmas season and the Lynx lost market share to Nintendo's Game Boy, which only had a black and white display, but was available. Also in 1989, Atari Corp. sued Nintendo for $250 million, alleging it had an illegal monopoly. Atari eventually lost the case when it was rejected by a US district court in 1992.
In 1993, Atari positioned its Jaguar as the only 64-bit interactive media entertainment system available, and sold around 200,000 units (at $250 each) in its first year on the market.
By 1996, a series of successful lawsuits and profitable investments had left Atari with millions of dollars in the bank, but the failure of the Lynx and Jaguar left Atari without a product to sell. Tramiel and his family also wanted out of the business. The result was a rapid succession of changes in ownership. In July 1996, Atari merged with JTS Inc., a short-lived maker of hard disk drives, to form JTS Corp. Atari's role in the new company largely became that of holder for the Atari properties and minor support, and consequently the name largely disappeared from the market.
On March 6, 2008, Infogrames made an offer to Atari Inc. to buy out all remaining public shares for a value of $1.68 per share, or $11 million total. The offer would make Infogrames sole owner of Atari Inc., thus making it a privately held company. .
Hunger for land grows among SA majority ; Just 3 per cent of white land has changed hands, writes Declan Walsh in Vaalwater
Mar 11, 2004; The view from Louis Nel's porch has a movie-like quality. His hill-top house towers over the Limpopo plains, a majestic sweep of... | <urn:uuid:1e5d16ca-c5bc-454f-8511-15be35caa797> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reference.com/browse/changed+hands | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964964 | 1,747 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Those of us who love old houses in all of their different styles and architectural variations, are often confronted with what can be difficult choices when we are furnishing and decorating our homes. Some people feel that a period look is the only acceptable choice, others feel that a modern approach is in line with living in the 21st century, while others may take a more eclectic view. From time to time, in this column, I’ve given historical perspective on the things in our homes that we talk about, and spend a great deal of money on. Bathrooms, kitchens, lighting, floors and ceilings have all been topics here. Today, I’d like to talk about window treatments, from an historic perspective. In examining what was original to our homes, we may get a better idea of what we might want to have now.
From a practical perspective, window treatments give a home the following: protection against rain and wind, drafts and cold air in the winter, and strong sunlight and heat in the summer. Window treatments also offer privacy from outside eyes, keep bugs, crawling and flying things out and add beauty to the rooms they are in. Now by window treatments, I’m talking about anything in the window box. That includes shutters, shades, blinds, screens, awnings, curtains and drapes.
Looking at the houses we have here in Brooklyn, that many of us live in, we’re talking about homes built in the late 18th through early 20th centuries. Two hundred years of architecture, and amazingly, there really has not been all that much change in window treatments. Much of what was familiar in 1840 is familiar today. Let’s start with blinds.
Chroniclers of late 18th and early 19th century domestic doings called everything pertaining to window coverings blinds. Interior and exterior shutters, Venetian blinds, exterior awnings, roller blinds, various kinds of shades, all were lumped together as “blinds” in the literature, so sometimes it’s confusing to modern researchers, as we tend to think of “blinds” in only a limited and specific way. But call them what you will, all of these window coverings were in use.
Exterior shutters have been misused, as the use of them as decoration, popularized by the Colonial Revival, has thrown off our sense of how these shutters were actually used. Most of the shutters we see today were never meant to actually cover the windows they frame, but that’s what they were originally meant to do in our early frame houses, providing protection against the sun and rain, privacy and security. Very few period homes today, especially up here in the North, have working exterior shutters.
Interior shutters still are in use, however. Almost every row house built in this city once had interior shutters in the front rooms, facing the street. Most of us count ourselves lucky if we still have them, and it’s a special treat to find them, especially when they have been painted into their box frames for close to a hundred years. What a moment to cut them out of their painted cases, open them, and discover that the shutters within have never been painted, and all their louvers and mechanisms are intact.
There are several different styles of interior shutters. Some are solid wood all the way across. These would generally be found in earlier homes, before shutters were mass produced, and factory cut pieces assembled. Solid shutters could also be found in later homes protecting windows that could be seen from the street. Often the bottom shutters were solid, while the upper ones had adjustable louvers. As window sizes grew and shrunk, builders came up with interesting ways to divide the shutters, and there was usually an upper and lower set, to allow for the seasons, the amount of protection needed against the sun, or for privacy.
By the 1870s, when the Italianate brownstone was king, the “box shutters” as the encased shutters were called, were standard. Movable louvers were also standard, allowing the slats to be adjusted to allow light and air in, but maintain privacy from the outside world. Although other draperies were also highly popular, and we’ll get to that, the shuttered window was the common window covering for the Brooklyn home. Well, for the front windows, anyway. But that was not the only option.
We all are familiar with Venetian blinds. Today they come with metal or plastic slats, or new honeycomb slats. They are also now vertical, not just horizontal. But the classic blind — wooden slats connected by woven tapes and cording, mounted to a wooden frame — have been in use since the mid-1700s. Venetian blinds came in two different styles. One was the style we know today, the other had the blinds running in tracks on both sides of the window. These came in both interior and exterior versions.
Venetian blinds could be made to cover any size window, or any shape. Because the wooden slats were suspended from tapes, and manipulated by cording, fan shaped shades for Palladian windows could be made, as well as narrow shades for side light windows. The opportunities were unlimited, and as manufacturing techniques made the shades more affordable, they were quite popular amidst the 19th century’s upper middle class and above.
Mass production made Venetian blinds slightly more affordable, but they weren’t cheap. The average home had a less expensive alternative, one that is also still with us today, as well; the roller blind. Spring blinds were invented in the 1830s, and were mass produced by the 1860s, but most homes had pulley operated blinds throughout the 19th century. Roller blinds could be had by almost anyone, they could be made at home, and the coverings could be any commonly available fabric. Linen, canvas, gauze, calico, prints, cotton lawn, any of these could be used.
Godey’s Lady’s Book and other magazines offered instructions on how to make shades, and how to embroider or crochet trim for the bottom, and the pull chain. Ladies were encouraged to paint the shades with scenes from nature, or flowers and birds. Factories began producing shades in quantity, and every home had them somewhere, they were easy to put up and take down for washing, and kept the sun out, privacy in, and even kept some of the bugs out of the house in summer.
Those who couldn’t afford good quality cloth shades could find brown paper shades, or make them, as manufacturers began producing paper in common widths for windows, offering paper with printed borders. One only needed to measure the amount needed for the window, and affix it to the rod. Some homeowners began pasting wall paper to paper and cloth shades, making patterned shades, and that idea too, began to be popular with manufacturers.
This spurt of creativity didn’t suit the high end tastemakers of the day. Andrew Jackson Dowling, the great landscaper, lover of Gothic Revival architecture, and tastemaker thought the painted landscapes and patterned shades a tad gauche, as the shades covered up the wonders of nature outside the windows, but even he had to admit that if one was not amidst nature, as in a city, the patterns would bring nature inside. Today, we still use patterned fabrics and prints on our shades. A good idea can outlast even the best tastemakers.
The last form of shade used by the homemakers of the mid-19th century was the metal mesh shade. We still use them. They were made to keep bugs out, just as they do today. But since we are talking Victorian taste, and about a love of ornament and pattern, these metal screens, called in the writings of the day “wire blinds,” were not just put into place, they too, were often painted with landscapes and scenes.
So what about the yards and yards of draperies, the lace curtains, and the entire Victorian window excess that we associate with the period? We’ll talk about all that as we continue next time.
(Above ad: Hoxie.org) | <urn:uuid:2a5ee62a-bee2-416a-9196-0bc586005e0b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/01/walkabout-about-those-windows-part-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97836 | 1,735 | 2.75 | 3 |
– A project about storytelling
A project about storytelling
My project about George Polti's 36 dramatic situations. (a theory about story-plots) He states there are but 36 different dramatic situations. All story plots consist of a combination of these basic plots. I was fascinated by this crazy fact and wanted to make the theory visible. I made a selection of seven stories and created a sheet containing all storyelements present in those stories. When you place the sheet over the drawings you can tell which elements exist in a particular story. With the elements you can 'calculate' the story-plot.
For example: The storyelements are 1. the emperor 2. the real nightingale 3. the fake nightingale. The emperor is someone who is in love. The real nightingale is the loved one. The fake nightingale is the obstacle (for obtaining true love). A combination of these elements represent the story-plot: obstacles to love.
The Stories I've selected are: The Chinese Nightingale, The Birds, Moby Dick, Salome, Leda and the Swan, Animal Farm and The Wizard of Oz. | <urn:uuid:8baf0787-1181-47ae-808c-dae0d1e7bc16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.maaikeverwijs.com/?/projects/The-36-Dramatic-Situations-17/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909056 | 237 | 2.703125 | 3 |
In simplest terms, a mortgage is a loan that helps you finance a home.
The basics of mortgages.
In simplest terms, a mortgage is a loan that helps you finance a home. Your lender advances you a predetermined amount of money, which you agree to repay over a specified period of time. Here are some common terms you’ll hear:
Rates, points and loan fees
- Interest rate – The percentage of your outstanding loan balance that you pay the lender each month as part of the cost of borrowing money.
- Discount points – These allow you to "buy down" your interest rate at closing. The more points you pay, the lower your interest rate will be and the less you’ll have to pay each month. (For example, one point equals 1% of the mortgage. So on a $100,000 mortgage, one point equals $1,000.)
- Loan fees – Up-front charges to cover the cost of originating, processing and closing your loan. An origination point is a loan fee that equals 1% of your loan amount.
Your monthly mortgage payment
- Principal – The amount of money you borrow to purchase a home, and the outstanding loan balance at any point during the mortgage term.
- Interest – This is the cost of borrowing money, determined each month by your interest rate.
- Taxes – Assessed by your local government, they’ll usually be collected by your lender as part of your monthly payments and then paid annually or semi-annually on your behalf. This is also known as escrow.
- Insurance – Usually collected by your lender in an escrow account, insurance offers financial protection. There are two major components:
- Homeowner’s insurance – Also called hazard insurance, it offers protection against damage to your property caused by fire, wind or other hazards.
- Mortgage insurance – This provides partial protection to your lender in the event that you fail to repay your mortgage.
Getting the loan started.
After you find the right house or property, it’s time to secure financing. Use the full version of the Pre-Approval Application when you’re ready to apply for loan approval. You can save an incomplete application and finish it later.
How do you choose the right loan? First we suggest choosing the right lender: Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation. They’ve earned a reputation for delivering the most progressive solutions available, with skilled, experienced loan officers who put your schedule—and your needs—first.
Types of mortgages.
Fixed-rate mortgages and adjustable-rate mortgages are the two primary loan types you’ll find. Here’s what you need to know about them:
- Have interest rates that remain the same for the entire length of the loan.
- Deliver predictable monthly payments throughout the loan term.
- Protect you from rising rates, so your principal and interest payments can never increase.
- Have interest rates that adjust periodically based on market conditions.
- Offer an initial rate that is fixed for an introductory period (usually 1-10 years) and typically lower than for a fixed-rate mortgage. After that, the rate adjusts annually based on a market index.
- Allow some borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount compared with a fixed-rate mortgage.
Government loans are available for many buyers. Insured by the federal government, they come in two types: FHA loans and VA loans.
FHA loans are backed by the Federal Housing Administration and are designed to assist homebuyers by offering low down payment requirements and flexible qualifying guidelines.
VA loans are backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and available to qualified veterans and active-duty military personnel and their spouses. They offer many of the same benefits as FHA loans.
Learn more about the specifics of these mortgage types on our mortgage options page.
The period of time for repayment is called the term. Terms ranging from 10 to 40 years are available, with 30 years being the most common. Your monthly income and long-term financial goals usually determine the length of your term.
Longer mortgage terms offer lower monthly payments and make sense if you’re on a tight budget or you’d prefer to direct your monthly cash flow to other expenses or investments.
Shorter mortgage terms translate to higher monthly payments, but allow you to repay the loan faster and reduce the amount you pay in interest.
Have you been referred to a specific WMC loan officer?
Visit the Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation Loan Officer Selection page. All loan officers offer pre-qualifications, pre-approvals and full applications on their personal websites.
Learn more about Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation by visiting its website. | <urn:uuid:1d8a5dac-2d1c-4e38-bca2-2fbc59cce8a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shorewest.com/mortgage_basics.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94448 | 962 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Posted by Brad on November 5, 2007
People often ask “How does one design something with only two colors”?
Great use of space, lines, fonts and contrast.
This entry was posted on November 5, 2007 at 10:49 pm and is filed under Art, Creativity, Design.
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Get every new post delivered to your Inbox. | <urn:uuid:8ed45bdc-f6ab-4073-b441-b17d1a589384> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://motionhouse.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/great-design-and-its-only-2-colors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912284 | 186 | 2.171875 | 2 |
MY column for Lokmat First’s Youth Page
Documentary film making, as the name suggests has two aspects to it. The first is documenting a subject area, and the second is film making or visually building a story around it. Documentary film making generally deals with those topics that deal with reality – these could be historical, biographical, environmental, scientific, current affairs, sociological – anything that helps people understand the world better. There are many kinds of documentaries that are made – you have documentaries that are feature film length and are shown in theatres, and there are documentaries that are programme length and run on TV, and there are documentaries aimed at communicating an issue or training people on a method, that are used for private screenings. Documentaries communicate many different agendas, and can take anything between a few days and a few years to complete. For example, the average television documentary is usually put together in under a week, while a documentary that documented a number of children in the US as they grew up was spread over many years.
To be a documentary film maker you need to be curious about the world around you and have an aptitude for research and for story telling. So are there careers in Documentary Film Making? Yes there are.
The following are some of the ways in which you can get into documentary film making. Whether you become a documentary film maker depends on your passion and dedication.
- Join a News Channesl. Most news channels work with the documentary medium, either within a news programme or as a separate documentary slot.
- Join a production house that specialises in making documentaries. There are companies that work with TV channels making documentaries either for the Indian or international audiences.
- Work with a documentary film maker as an assistant. There are enough and more documentary film makers in India, and one of the best ways of learning, even today, is working with a senior film maker as an apprentice.
You may also want to look at the option of starting life making your own documentaries. Without working for anyone. In today’s day and age, with the cost of technology dropping that is possible. These would be the steps in making a documentary on your own :
- Find a subject that interests you and that you believe has a story that other people will find interesting.
- Conduct research on this topic. All research does not come out google, you may have to talk to academics, journalists, specialists, policemen, lawmakers – depending on the nature of your documentary to – to collect more data on the subject
- Collate this data – and start writing a structure for your documentary. Also based on your research, you would have a fair idea of who will sound good on camera and who will not.
- Call up people and fix appointments for filming. If you are shooting the film yourself, without a cameraman, then practise shoot at home and play it back to see if it looks and sounds good.
- List out other shots that you may need.
- Go and shoot – and make sure both the audio and the video are good. Sound in documentaries, plays as important a part as it does in fiction. You can dub someone in a film or a programme, but an interview with bad sound is difficult to redeem.
- Watch what you have shot, and write a story around it.
- Use a free programme such as windows movie maker to edit your film.
- Upload on a site and tell everyone you know.
The more you make, the better you will get. Don’t expect to make an award winning film the first time around – if you do it is a bonus. | <urn:uuid:c7a7f5cb-652d-48f4-acbf-b159c188e8e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://calamur.org/gargi/2013/02/22/lokmat-column-on-documentary-film-making-brining-real-on-reel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963901 | 746 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Voucher programs help smallholder farmers obtain agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers and improved seeds, while simultaneously building business for rural agro-dealers. IFDC recommends that vouchers be used instead of government programs that subsidize inputs and disrupt or discourage private sector efforts. Vouchers are often called “smart subsidies” because they supply inputs to farmers – generally at a lower cost to government – while encouraging commercial markets to be established and/or grow.
Vouchers act as coupons to transfer purchasing power to targeted smallholder farmers either by reducing the price of the input below market cost or by providing liquidity as production credit, with repayment expected at some later date. Farmers redeem the value of the vouchers for inputs through agro-dealers. The dealers then receive payment for redeemed vouchers from the program sponsors together with a pre-determined market margin to cover operating expenses and profit.
Successful voucher programs must be designed specifically for a particular country and the circumstances present at the time the voucher program begins. IFDC uses security measures such as watermarks, expiration dates and serial numbers to protect against fraud and program abuse.
IFDC voucher programs also provide benefits that direct subsidies cannot – training and technical assistance to both farmers and agro-dealers. Agro-dealers are trained to introduce new technologies and teach their farmer- customers how to correctly use inputs. This sets farmers on the road to increased productivity – the route out of the poverty trap.
IFDC voucher programs have been implemented in Afghanistan, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and Rwanda.
An IFDC Core Competency: Fertilizer Voucher Programs (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 36, No.1) | <urn:uuid:e8e036e0-9d38-4dc5-a31b-1659e1fa8c89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ifdc.org/Technologies/Market_Development/Vouchers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922917 | 349 | 2.375 | 2 |
The Chemistry of Protein
Food for Thought
Protein was named over 150 years ago after the Greek word proteios meaning "of prime importance."
Protein consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The addition of nitrogen gives protein its unique distinction from carbohydrate and fat, along with establishing the signature name, amino acid. Much like simple sugars, which link together to form a complex carbohydrate (see What Is a Carbohydrate?), amino acids are the building blocks for the more complicated protein molecule.
Amino Acids: The Building Blocks of Protein
There are a total of 20 different amino acids, and depending upon the sequence in which they appear, a specific job or function is carried out in your body. Think of amino acids as similar to the alphabet—26 letters that can be arranged in a million different ways. These arranged letters create words, which then translate into an entire language. The arrangement of amino acids is your body's “protein language,” which dictates the exact tasks that need to be carried out. Therefore, proteins that make up your enzymes will have one sequence, whereas those that form your muscles will have a completely different one.
Proteins are compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen and arranged as strands of amino acids.
Your Bod: The Amino Acid Recycling Bin
Your body continually gets the amino acids it needs from its own amino-acid pool and from a diet that meets your daily protein requirements. After you eat a food that contains protein, your body goes to work, breaking it down into the various amino acids. (Different foods yield different amino acids.) When the protein is completely dissected, your body absorbs the amino acids (resulting from your digested food) and rebuilds them into the sequence that you need for a specific body task. Your body is sort of like a recycling bin.
Amino (a-MEEN-o) acids are the building blocks for protein that are necessary for every bodily function
Let's take this amino acid talk a bit further. Out of 20 amino acids, 11 can actually be manufactured within your body. However, that means nine cannot be manufactured. You cannot function without each and every amino acid. It is “essential” that you get these nine from outside food sources. Therefore, they are appropriately called essential amino acids.
|Essential Amino Acids||Nonessential Amino Acids|
More on: Children's Nutritional Needs
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Total Nutrition © 2005 by Joy Bauer. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476. | <urn:uuid:5ba0e5a2-61e5-4cf5-8460-e90a8a7572f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://life.familyeducation.com/protein/foods/48677.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915186 | 583 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Judgment Released: December 5, 2011 Link to Judgment
The Court of Appeal has now released its omnibus decision on the new summary-judgment rule.
Three types of cases are amenable to summary judgment:
(1) cases where the parties agree to summary judgment;
(2) cases where the claims or defences are without merit; and
(3) cases where the interests of justice do not “require” that the issues be resolved at a trial.
The third category is a result of the new Rule 20 and its change in the text of the rule from “genuine issue for trial” to “genuine issue requiring a trial”. The Court introduced the “full appreciation test”, which asks whether “the full appreciation of the evidence and issues that is required to make dispositive findings be achieved by way of summary judgment, or can this full appreciation only be achieved by way of a trial?” The “full appreciation test” will be used to determine whether, in the interests of justice, the issues raised in an action require the unique forensic machinery of a trial, or whether instead, the issues can be appropriately resolved with summary judgment, using the motion judge’s new expanded powers under rule 20.04(2.1).
The Court held that in “deciding whether to use the powers in rule 20.04(2.1), the motion judge must consider if this is a case where meeting the full appreciation test requires an opportunity to hear and observe witnesses, to have the evidence presented by way of a trial narrative, and to experience the fact-finding process first-hand. Unless full appreciation of the evidence and issues that is required to make dispositive findings is attainable on the motion record – as may be supplemented by the presentation of oral evidence under rule 20.04(2.2) – the judge cannot be “satisfied” that the issues are appropriately resolved on a motion for summary judgment.”
The Court also observed that “it is not necessary for a motion judge to try to categorize the type of case in question. In particular, the latter two classes of cases we described are not to be viewed as discrete compartments. For example, a statement of claim may include a cause of action that the motion judge finds has no chance of success with or without using the powers in rule 20.04(2.1). And the same claim may assert another cause of action that the motion judge is satisfied raises issues that can safely be decided using the rule 20.04(2.1) powers because the full appreciation test is met. The important element of the analysis under the amended Rule 20 is that, before using the powers in rule 20.04(2.1) to weigh evidence, evaluate credibility, and draw reasonable inferences, the motion judge must apply the full appreciation test in order to be satisfied that the interest of justice does not require that these powers be exercised only at a trial.“ | <urn:uuid:e994b4ab-6db6-432f-9bfa-38ac945a0ad4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ontariorulesofcivilprocedure.com/?author=5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941565 | 619 | 1.515625 | 2 |
This post now on Google News!Nine species of introduced giant snakes could pose risks to U.S. ecosystems, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Geological Survey. The giant species now present in the U.S. are descended from imported pets that have been released outdoors. Already there are more than 10,000 Burmese pythons reproducing in the wild in south Florida. Boa constrictors are also known to be reproducing in south Florida. The USGS says there's "strong evidence" that an African python may have a breeding population in Florida too.
Some snakes big enough to eat people
All nine potentially risky species are constrictors - nonpoisonous species that kill their prey by wrapping around them and squeezing until the prey can't breathe. The USGS report says that "most...would not be large enough to consider a person as suitable prey." But some of then are large enough to eat people, such as the reticulated python, which can grow longer than 26 feet. This python is the snake "most associated with unprovoked human fatalities in the wild." Reticulated pythons have been both sighted and captured in south Florida, but are not yet known to be breeding there.
Mature individuals of other species - Burmese python, northern and southern African pythons - have also been documented killing people in their native range, although unprovoked attacks are rare.
Invasive giant snakes threaten more states than Florida
Several species of giant snakes are considered more "high-risk species" for the U.S.than others because they
(1) tolerate cooler temps and could put larger areas of the U.S. mainland at risk - not just Florida
(2) are a major threat to native mammals and birds
(3) are common in the pet trade, hence likely to be released within the U.S.
Among these "high risk" species are the boa constrictors and yellow anacondas, which could breed north of Florida in areas with mild winters.
Above, a boa constrictor in Manuel Antonio Parque Nacional in Costa Rica. Photo by Sally Kneidel, PhD
Above, our friend Jose Luis holding up an immature boa on his farm near Limon, Costa Rica.
Photo by Sally Kneidel, PhD
Nicole the resident biologist, Ken Kneidel and Sadie Kneidel examine an immature boa at Palo Verde Biological Station of OTS, in Costa Rica. Photo by Sally Kneidel, PhD
Several species of anacondas have also been sighted or captured in south Florida. Anacondas can grow longer than 25 or 26 feet too, and I believe have been known to kill humans, although the USGS report didn't say that. I've read that the record length on an anaconda is 28 feet.
Deep in the jungle, we found a beheaded anaconda
Below are two anaconda pictures my son Alan took on a foray into the Amazon rainforest in 2008. We were slopping and tripping through a difficult swamp in an effort to spot hoatzins (birds) when we passed a family of indigenous Peruvians heading back toward the river, returning from a hunting/foraging trip. All of them, including grandma, were slogging barefoot through the most treacherous swamp I've ever experienced, having submerged 3" long thorns. (I stepped on two of those thorns; they went right through my rubber boots.) But the Peruvian family seemed unperturbed. The whole family had homemade packs on their backs, and one pack carried a chopped up anaconda they intended to eat. The head, as you see, they had left behind.
The head of an Amazonian anaconda, severed by an indigenous family hunting for food. Photos by Alan Kneidel.
Introduced snakes can devastate native wildlife
The USGS scientists who wrote the new report said that U.S. birds, mammals, and reptiles in areas of potential invasion have never been exposed to huge snakes before, snakes longer than 20 feet and weighing more than 200 pounds. Said Dr. Gordon Rodda, a USGS scientist, "Compounding the risk to native species and ecosystems is that these snakes mature early, produce large numbers of offspring, travel long distances, and have broad diets that allow them to eat most native birds and mammals." He also said that most of these snakes can live in a variety of habitats, including urban or suburban areas. Boa constrictors and northern African pythons are already thriving in metropolitan Miami.
"We have a cautionary tale with the American island of Guam and the brown treesnake," said Robert Reed, an invasive-species scientist with the USGS, and coauthor of the report. "Within 40 years of its arrival, this invasive snake has decimated the island's native wildlife -10 of Guam's 12 native forest birds, one of its two bat species, and about half of its native lizards are gone." Reed goes on to say that "these giant snakes threaten to destabilize some of our most precious ecosystems and parks, primarily through predation on vulnerable native species."
What can you do?
Don't keep snakes as pets, and if you must do so, don't get snakes that grow into large constrictors. If you have one, or know someone who does, there are alternatives to letting them go outdoors after they grow too large to keep at home. Google "reptile sanctuary" to find a facility near you that accepts unwanted pets. If googling doesn't help, call a nature center or zoo near you for referral to a nearby sanctuary for unwanted pets. Releasing non-native pets outdoors is never a good idea.
More snake pics by Sally, below
A coiled and wary Bushmaster, among the most venomous vipers in Latin America. Photo taken along a trail at La Selva Biological Station by Sally Kneidel, PhD
A coral snake at Arenal Volcano Parque Nacional in Costa Rica, photo by Sally Kneidel, PhD.
Catherine Pucket (USGS) et al. 10/13/2010."Report documents the risks of giant invasive snakes in the U.S." USGS Release. USGS: science for a changing world.
Paul Rauber. Jan/Feb 2010. "Woe is us: ready, set, panic. Snakes on plains." Sierra magazine.
Some of my previous posts on the pet trade, invasive species, and snakes:
Keywords: invasive species snakes threats to wildlife wildlife trade endangered ecosystems python anaconda, boa constrictor python predation by housecats predation on birds | <urn:uuid:bb127e59-0432-46a7-a764-1af8b15a0fec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://veggierevolution.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956397 | 1,397 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Whether your pond is small or large — a thousand gallons of water or a million gallons — you need pond algae control to maintain its freshness and cleanliness.
We need a certain amount of algae in our ponds to attract certain pond life like salamanders and frogs. But when the algae is out of control, and interferes with swimming and fishing, this is when it needs to be addressed. The most desirable solution would be an all-natural one, especially for the fish in your pond.
While building a pond, you might want to take precautions to limit the growth of excess algae, such as creating an acceptable shore grade. You can also see that there is adequate inflow and that it is clean, and make the embankment sturdy. The sediment that comes in will also play a role. But no matter how you build it, it will eventually need to be maintained to control the algae.
There is a wide range of the patio fountains available in the market today. So, it’s not a matter of getting surprised, if you are confused with the selection. These days the costs of these fountains are dropping. This encourages the home owners to get the cascade of the type which they desire for!
Having a beautiful garden doesn’t have to be a chore. You want to enjoy the beauty of the landscape year-round, but you don’t want to spend all your time on upkeep. If that sounds like you, here are 7 simple things you can do to assure you have a wonderful landscape without a lot of back-breaking labor:
We have had our first kiss of warm weather already this year, and many of you are starting to think about lawn care for 2009. Of course, proper lawn maintenance includes watering, fertilizing, insect treatments and weed control. But what about the most important element; the mowing?
Following are some of the basic tips I offer my customers in regards to lawn mowing and trimming.
Gardening has long been an enjoyable, not to mention rewarding, hobby. Many wonderful heirloom plants have been around for centuries, and they should not be overlooked when planning your garden.
While the Victorians who created these heirloom species filled huge gardens with wonderful exotic plants, many of todays gardeners are working with a more limited space. Luckily, there are many varieties of heirloom plants, and many can fit on just a window sill. You can grow heirloom plants no matter the size of your garden.
If you want to try your hand at growing an heirloom species, consider the Boston fern. It is an evergreen plant that can be grown in a window garden. Youll need a window that receives some light, but no direct sunlight. Then youll need a sturdy plant hook, a hanging pot for your fern, and some potting soil. Just transfer your Boston fern to the hanging pot, and fill in the remaining space with potting soil. Firm the soil around your new plant, and water it. Then install the plant hook, and hang your new plant. To care for your Boston fern, water it when the soil is dry, and rotate it occasionally so that it grows evenly.
Using quality compost has been quoted as the single most important process for a healthy garden as it is a process that naturally returns all the essential components back into the soil. Good compost can be made in the home entirely from natural ingredients from the garden and kitchen.
Great ingredients for quality compost include bacteria, earthworms, crass cuttings, and fungi. Developing your own compost is environmentally friendly, reduces waste and overall produces a great organic and natural soil improver. As and when you compost at home then you will be over the moon to know that forty percent of actual household waste is from the kitchen and garden. Better than throwing this waste away to fill a landfill you can actually create good compost for use in the garden.
Different methods for Hydroponics.
Comparing Hydroponics Techniques
Growing using hydroponics indoors is rapidly becoming the popular choice of beginners and advanced gardeners alike. Hydroponics are so popular because any plant grown using the technique grows faster than its identical counterpart in normal soil. | <urn:uuid:1d62974b-32a0-4492-996c-19d93c4b2b26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yourpower2be.com/blogpage/index.php/category/gardening/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940774 | 871 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Saturday, December 24, 2011
It seems that the only time astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin took a break from finding new planets and bigger black holes during the fall 2011 semester was when university geologists edged in with evidence of a lake under the surface of Saturn’s moon, Europa.
As busy as those researchers were, the semester also brought discoveries in green energy, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, concealed handguns and the relationship between children’s happiness and their parents.
Here’s a look at the significant discoveries researchers at The University of Texas at Austin made in fall 2011.
Observations by University of Texas at Austin graduate student Paul Robertson and research scientist Michael Endl eliminated other possible causes of the transit signal using the Harlan J. Smith Telescope. Later, other astronomers found that the planet, called Kepler-22b, is just 2.4 times the size of Earth and may be as much as 20 times Earth’s mass.
The team measured the black holes’ masses by combining observations of the fast-moving stars at their hearts made with the giant Gemini and Keck telescopes in Hawaii with observations of their diffuse outer regions (called the “dark halo”) using the George and Cynthia Mitchell Spectrograph on the 2.7-meter Harlan J. Smith Telescope at The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory.
A team of researchers led by Bill Cochran of The University of Texas at Austin used the Kepler space telescope to discover an unusual multiple-planet system containing a super-Earth and two Neptune-sized planets orbiting in resonance with each other.
Many more such lakes might exist throughout the shallow regions of Europa’s shell, lead author Britney Schmidt, a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Texas at Austin’s Institute for Geophysics, writes in the journal Nature.
Further increasing the potential for life, the newly discovered lake is covered by floating ice shelves that seem to be collapsing, providing a mechanism for transferring nutrients and energy between the surface and a vast ocean already inferred to exist below the thick ice shell.
The efficiency of conventional solar cells could be significantly increased, according to new research on the mechanisms of solar energy conversion from chemists at The University of Texas at Austin.
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have devised a simple test, using dopamine-deficient worms, for identifying drugs that may help people with Parkinson’s disease.
A memory-enhancing drug may improve the speed and effectiveness of prolonged exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, according to a new pilot study by psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin and other institutions.
University of Texas at Austin researchers have discovered how to extract and use information in an individual image to determine how far objects are from the focus distance, a feat only accomplished by human and animal visual systems until now.
Like a camera, the human eye has an auto-focusing system, but human auto-focusing rarely makes mistakes. And unlike a camera, humans do not require trial and error to focus an object.
Johannes Burge, a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Liberal Arts’ Center for Perceptual Systems and co-author of the study, says it is significant that a statistical algorithm can now determine focus error, which indicates how much a lens needs to be refocused to make the image sharp, from a single image without trial and error.
“How new species form is one of the central questions in evolutionary biology,” says Krushnamegh Kunte, a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard who began his research as a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin. “Hybrid speciation is more common in plants, but there are very few cases in animals. This study may create the fullest picture we have to date of hybrid speciation occurring in an animal.”
Texas women who hold concealed handgun licenses are motivated to do so by feelings of empowerment and a need for self-defense, according to research by University of Texas at Austin researchers.
Despite the fact that middle-aged parents are no longer responsible for their grown children, the parents’ emotional well-being and life satisfaction remain linked to those children’s successes and problems — particularly their least-happy offspring, research from The University of Texas at Austin shows. | <urn:uuid:884bbe24-2b5e-4857-97ea-d53f6633bfd9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utexas.edu/opa/blogs/research/2011/12/24/research-round-up-fall-2011-new-planets-a-bigger-black-hole-more-effective-solar-cells-and-more/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941785 | 905 | 3.03125 | 3 |
For Immediate Release
Further Information: Contact Joseph Giomboni
Public Relations Office, (570) 208-5958
October 3, 2012 – Native American rights activist Harvey Arden will deliver the Peace and Justice Center’s Annual Barbara Sabol Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Burke Auditorium at King’s College.
Titled "The Broomstick Revolution," Arden will focus on his collaboration with Seneca Hawk Clan Elder Edna Gordon in a call for a grassroots, peaceable revolution for justice in American society and around the world. The lecture is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in on-campus lots. The program is co-sponsored by the Economics Department at King’s College.
For 23 years, Arden was a staff writer at “National Geographic Magazine. “ He is the author of “ Wisdom Keepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders,” “Dream Keepers: A Spirit-Journey into Aboriginal Australia, and most recently “Seneca Wisdomkeeper Edna Gordon: A Broomstick Revolution.”
Arden has lectured on his works at college campuses and venues across the country, including the Library of Congress, Harvard University, Columbia University, and, the University of Southern California.
The Barbara Sabol Memorial Lecture is named for a founding member of the Peace and Justice Center who died in 1997. The Peace and Justice Center is Northeastern Pennsylvania’s interfaith resource center for issues of peace and justice.
The Burke Auditorium is located in the William G. McGowan School of Business on North River Street. For more information on the lecture, visit the website www.peaceandjusticecenter.com or contact Dr. Margarita Rose, professor of economics at King’s College, at (570) 208-5900 ext. 5778.
King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross | <urn:uuid:a1a23d80-ff1d-45f8-95ba-1587a837f75f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kings.edu/news_and_events/arden | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934134 | 416 | 2.03125 | 2 |
From the Vatican Information Service:
FRANCISCANS: CONTINUE TO BEAUTIFY THE FACE OF THE CHURCH
VATICAN CITY, 18 APR 2009 (VIS) - Today in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace in Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI received 3,000 members of the Franciscan Family who recently participated in the "Chapter of the Mats" in Assisi, Italy, commemorating the birth of the Franciscan order on the eighth centenary of the approval of St. Francis' "Protoregula" by Pope Innocent III.
The dozen friars who first followed St. Francis of Assisi, said the Pope, have over the centuries become "a multitude scattered throughout the world. ... And I, as Pastor of the universal Church, wish to thank [God] for the precious gift you yourselves represent for all Christian people. From the brook that sprang up at the base of Monte Subasio, a great river was born which has made a notable contribution to the universal spread of the Gospel".
Francis, the Holy Father continued, "experienced the power of divine grace, as if he had died and been raised again. All his earlier wealth, all his reasons for feeling proud and secure, everything became a 'loss' from the moment he encountered the crucified and risen Christ. At that point abandoning everything became almost a necessity, in order to express the superabundance of the gift he had received".
Pope Benedict then went on to describe the focus of his meeting with the Franciscans as "the Gospel as a rule for life", and he highlighted how St. Francis "viewed himself entirely in the light of the Gospel. This is his appeal. This is his perennial relevance", he said. "Thus the 'Poverello' became a living Gospel, capable of attracting men and women of all times to Christ, especially the young who prefer radical commitment to half measures. Bishop Guido of Assisi, and later Pope Innocent III, recognised evangelical authenticity in the projects of Francis and his companions, and encouraged their efforts, also with a view to the good of the Church".
However, the Pope noted, "Francis could also simply not have come to the Pope. Many religious groups and movements were formed in that period and some of them stood against the Church as an institution, or at least they did not seek her approbation. A polemical attitude towards the hierarchy would certainly have brought Francis many followers. Yet his first thought was to place his own and his companions' development in the hands of the Bishop of Rome, Peter's Successor. This fact demonstrates his true ecclesial spirit. From the beginning he saw the little 'us' he had begun with his first friars as being part of the great 'us' of the one universal Church.
"The Pope recognised and appreciated this", added Benedict XVI. "In fact, he too could have failed to approve Francis' plans. And indeed, we may well imagine that among Innocent III's collaborators some advised him to do just that, perhaps fearing that the little group of friars resembled other heretical and pauperist groups of the period. However, the Roman Pontiff, well-informed by the bishop of Assisi and by Cardinal Giovanni di San Paolo, was able to discern the initiative of the Holy Spirit and welcomed, blessed and encouraged the nascent community of 'Friars Minor'".
"Eight centuries have passed and today you wish to renew your Founder's gesture", the Pope told his audience. "You are all children and heirs of those origins. ... Like Francis and Clare of Assisi, ... always begin again from Christ ... in order to see His face in our brothers and sisters who suffer, and to bring everyone His peace. Be witnesses of the beauty of God, whose praises Francis sang while contemplating the wonders of creation".
"Go forth and continue 'to repair the house' of the Lord Jesus Christ: His Church", cried the Holy Father. "Yet there is another ruin, an even more serious ruin: that of people and of communities", he said.
"Like St. Francis, always begin with yourselves", he concluded. "If you prove capable of renewing yourselves in the spirit of the Gospel, you will continue to help the pastors of the Church to make her face, as the bride of Christ, ever more beautiful. Now as at your beginnings, this is what the Pope expects from you".
Visit the "Clare and Francis" DVD website, which includes links to books and movies about St. Francis of Assisi. | <urn:uuid:21329aee-19a4-4227-ae51-ae5b57ff73f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2009/04/benedict-xvi-like-francis-and-clare-of-assisi-always-begin-again-from-christ.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976553 | 941 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Gr 1-2-Each of these easy readers provides an overview of a different body of water. The books include basic information such as location and size of the water mass, how the area was formed (with the exception of the Gulf of Mexico), what wildlife lives in or near the water, common recreational activities, and what makes the water mass unique. Abundant full-color photos, generous white space, and a large font size add to the appeal of these beginning nonfiction titles.-Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Library, UT BURLEIGH, Robert. Tiger of the Snows: Tenzing Norgay: The Boy Whose Dream Was Everest. illus. by Ed Young. unpaged. CIP. S & S/Atheneum. June 2006. RTE $16.95. ISBN 0-689-83042-4. LC 2005000469. Gr 3-6-A moving tribute to a humble man who realized a remarkable dream. The poetic prose tells the story of a Nepalese Sherpa boy who tended yaks on steep slopes, but who was always looking up and dreaming about the "snow-dotted black-rock peak" of Mount Everest (Mountain,/Mountain,/Why do you call me?"). Norgay traveled to Katmandu, where he "Unlocked the secrets of the climber's rope,/Studied the lore of the axe,/And apprenticed himself to death and danger." The poem's climax details the events of May 29, 1953, when he and Edmund Hillary made their final ascent. Throughout, the author repeats the refrain, "A song for Tenzing,/Tenzing Norgay," followed by one of the man's attributes ("Born to heights," "Pathfinder," "Quick-footed," etc.), elucidating his life and experiences. Young's hauntingly beautiful illustrations capture the mystery and grandeur of these dangerously high peaks with somber-hued pastels, predominantly blues and purples, set against black backgrounds. While most of the paintings are panoramic, with Norgay shown as a tiny figure, the final spread is a striking close-up portrait of him at mountain top, dazzled by the sun and beaming with pride. A stunning and lyrical ode to a contemplative man and his amazing achievement.-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. | <urn:uuid:1c24daec-b948-4e7e-a798-5281916a2844> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gulf-of-mexico-pam-zollman/1007591064 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922704 | 505 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Databases of Federally Funded Research
(current & past)
Another tool that can be useful in your search for funding is to find out about research that has been supported in the past, comparing what has been funded to that for which you are seeking funds. The NIH RePORTER, which replaces the CRISP Database, provides information on current and past awards from 1972 through the current cycle of awards. This database can be accessed by a keyword, PI name, date, and a variety of other parameters. The database includes an abstract for each award, publications, the name of the study section that reviewed the award, etc.
A similar search on past funding can be accomplished through the National Science Foundation's Award Search tool. Tthis tool will allow you to search on a variety of parameters for past awards made by the National Science Foundation.
In addition, if you contact our office, we will gladly conduct a search of the database archive of grants announcements made in the Chronicle of Higher Education. | <urn:uuid:19ba2984-2a4d-4cee-8b0a-baddf055cab1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yale.edu/grants/funding_info/fedfunded.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931323 | 203 | 1.765625 | 2 |
As a child, I read about gladiatorial shows and public executions of slaves, criminals and Christians in ancient Rome with great fear and trepidation. Rome was a prosperous and great warrior state that controlled the whole of the Mediterranean basin and almost the entire North-western Europe. But anytime I remember ancient Rome, I remember their murderous games and this always overshadows the prosperity and excellent system of government of the Roman Empire.
Recently, ancient Rome literally resurrected in Aluu, a community that borders the University of Port Harcourt. There, four University of Port Harcourt students were gruesomely murdered under very baffling circumstances. Indeed, it was a murderous game because spectators cheered as the mob descended on the students. Anybody watching the footage of the Uniport 4, paraded naked with their bodies soaked in blood before they were eventually clubbed and burnt to death will feel very sorry for our dear country. And like Rome, this incident may haunt Nigeria forever.
I have listened to various versions of the story. First, the boys were accused of stealing phones and laptops. Some say they were serial rapists who terrorised the community in the preceding four months. Another version says the students were indeed cultists who had intimidated Aluu and adjoining communities for a long time. And that at the time they were apprehended by the vigilance group, they had dangerous weapons in their possession. There is even yet another ridiculous account which says that the boys actually went to recover debt from their debtor who smartly turned the table against them.
Whatever the reason, the plain truth is that the Uniport 4 represented hope and the future, not just for their respective families and their communities but for the entire country. So for whatever reason, this is a needless death that should have been avoided. And this sordid act should be condemned by all men of goodwill.
I understand Aluu and some neighbouring communities had been under siege for some time now. In fact, the state of insecurity within the area had deteriorated so badly that the people had resorted to self-help. Consequently, they formed vigilance groups’ with absolute powers and the death of these boys is a direct consequence to that ill-advised move. Therefore, to all intents and purposes, Aluu was actually a disaster waiting to happen. But should this brand of jungle justice be visited on the Uniport 4 in the first instance? Again, are we such a depraved people? Where are the good men of Aluu? This is definitely not what I know of Aluu, a once peaceful neighbourhood. Did they just watch while evil was perpetrated or were they simply intimidated?
Security is at the centre of this latest national calamity and we must not pretend about it. The Aluu incident is clearly a failure of state security apparatus to arrest a deteriorating security situation that prevailed in the town for several months leading to frustration by the people who resorted to self-help. It was indeed the failure of the police to rise up to the occasion as the crime under consideration took at least two hours to accomplish. This failure drew substantially from Nigeria Police obsolete equipment, lack of modern communications gadgets and a slow response time that compounded the already bad situation, issues we have canvassed severally with no one willing to listen.
Quite expectedly, most of the eyewitness accounts alleged that while the murderous game was going on in Aluu, two patrol vehicles of the Nigeria Police were sighted around the scene, yet their presence did not make any difference. A source I do not doubt even claim that police patrol vehicles pulled over at the scene and left without offering any assistance to save an embarrassing situation.
But I have a personal fear for our country and I wish to express it. If what happened in Aluu could happen in Rivers, a model state in terms of security, then we must seriously guard against the fire next time. For those knowledgeable in security circles, Rivers State represents excellence in security management and hope for the common man.
For too long, we have been dancing on the edge, and it appears we are all waiting helplessly for an avoidable accident to happen. A few weeks ago, we were all confronted with the horror from Mubi, a polytechnic town in Adamawa State. Over 40 young and promising students were murdered in one fell swoop and everybody seems to be looking for answers in the same direction. No clues yet and it does not seem to bother us.
If the provision of security and welfare of the people as enshrined in the constitution are essentially the primary duty of any government, which of course includes state governments, then the issue of central policing must be revisited.
For me, these are warning signs and we cannot afford not to heed. Today, we are witnessing very strange occurrences in our country and we must rise to the occasion. Those who opposed state police yesterday for some reasons are beginning to see the need for further dialogue.
The arguments against state police usually dissolve in the face of logic. Police cannot be a platform for national integration and this must be emphasised. And around the world, there are not too many examples of successful policing federal states. Antagonists of state police are also quick to cite concentration of power on one single man (the governor), discriminatory tendencies, interstate rivalry and even jungle justice like the macabre dance in Aluu. Ironically, what happened in Aluu would not have happened if there was state police.
Strangely, the advantages of state police far outweigh its disadvantages. The truth is that the federal police as constituted today lack capacity and resources and it is too bureaucratic. These also explain why they are easily overwhelmed.
I think some Nigerians are beginning to appreciate the fact that a state police will be well funded. There is also the advantage of capacity building. There will be enough manpower and this will engender healthy rivalry. Adequate knowledge of the territory and quick response to distress calls are also possible because policemen are indigenes of the state and the environment is well known to them.
I know that despite these advantages, abuse could still occur. That is why a mechanism of control should be instituted at the centre to subordinate to some extent, the activities of the state police.
If we achieve the clamour for state police, a measure of frustration will leave our state governors who will then truly act as chief security officers. After all, governors will not be governors forever; they will leave someday and like every other member of society, will be subject to same laws. If while serving as governor they abuse the powers of the office, natural laws will catch up with them. More so, over time, the regulation of state police will be refined and perfected.
• Peterside, a member of the House of Representatives is Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources, Downstream. | <urn:uuid:986e6e52-03a2-43cf-b84a-038b58a6c784> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thenationonlineng.net/new/commentaries/opinion/uniport-4-and-state-police-imperative/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974912 | 1,377 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The Prodigal Son is one of the most beloved (and most misunderstood) stories of all time. Discover for yourself what Jesus was really driving at—you’ll never read it the same again.
Most people today are somewhat familiar with the parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32. Even those who know next to nothing about the Bible know something about this tale. Its themes and its language are deeply ingrained in our spiritual and literary traditions.
Shakespeare, for instance, borrowed plot points and motifs from the parable of the prodigal son and adapted them in The Merchant of Venice and Henry IV. The Bard also alluded to this parable repeatedly in his other dramas. Arthur Sullivan used the exact words of the biblical text as the basis of an oratorio titled The Prodigal Son, Sergei Prokofiev cast the plot in ballet form, and Benjamin Britten turned the story into an opera. At the opposite end of the musical spectrum, country singer Hank Williams recorded a song called “The Prodigal Son,” comparing the prodigal’s homecoming to the joys of heaven. The world’s great art museums are well stocked with works featuring scenes from the prodigal son’s experience, including famous drawings and paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Dürer, and many others.
Contemporary language is likewise full of words and imagery borrowed from the familiar parable. It is fairly common to hear a wayward child referred to as “a prodigal son” (or daughter). People also sometimes speak of “killing the fatted calf” (a metaphor for extravagant celebration) or “riotous living” (a dissolute or profligate lifestyle). You may have heard or read those allusions without recognizing their source. They are borrowed directly from the King James version of this best known of Jesus’ parables.
A Story to Remember
The parable of the prodigal son is one of several memorable parables recorded only in Luke’s Gospel. It stands out as the choicest of these parables for many reasons.
Of all Jesus’ parables, this one is the most richly detailed, powerfully dramatic, and intensely personal. It’s full of emotion—ranging from sadness, to triumph, to a sense of shock, and finally to an unsettling wish for more closure. The characters are familiar, so it’s easy for people to identify with the prodigal, to feel the father’s grief, and yet still (in some degree) sympathize with the elder brother—all at the same time. The story is memorable on many levels, not the least of which is the gritty imagery Jesus invokes. The description of the prodigal as so desperately hungry he was willing to eat husks scavenged from swine food, for instance, graphically depicts his youthful dissolution in a way that was unspeakably revolting to His Jewish audience.
Another thing that makes this tale unforgettable is the poignancy demonstrated in the father’s response when his lost son returns. The father’s rejoicing was rich with tender compassion. The younger son, who had left heedless and insolent, shattering his father’s hopes for him, came back an utterly broken man. Heartbroken and no doubt deeply wounded by his younger son’s foolish rebellion, the father nevertheless expressed pure joy, unmingled with any hint of bitterness, when his wayward son came dragging home. Who would not be moved by that kind of love?
Yet the elder son in the parable was not the least bit moved by his father’s love. His steely-hearted resentment over the father’s mercy to his brother contrasts starkly with the dominant theme of Luke 15, which is the great joy in heaven over the return of the lost. The central message of the parable, then, is an urgent and sobering entreaty to hard-hearted listeners whose attitudes exactly mirrored the elder brother’s. The parable of the prodigal son is not a warm and fuzzy feel-good message, but it is a powerful wake-up call with a very earnest warning.
That point must not be lost in our understanding and appreciation of this beloved parable. Unfortunately, the lesson of the elder brother is often overlooked in many of the popular retellings. And yet it is, after all, the main reason Jesus told the parable.
The Central Lesson of the Prodigal Son
The picturesque descriptions in the parable are not provided to add multiple layers of meaning; they are cultural details that help us understand the story in the context of first-century agrarian village life. By understanding the context, the main point of the story comes to light.
This parable spreads itself across twenty-two verses in this pivotal chapter in Luke’s Gospel. With so much lavish coloring, dramatic pathos, and fine detail carefully woven into this word picture, it seems clear that the vividness of the parable is deliberately designed to highlight the parable’s central meaning. We’re expected to notice and make good sense of the personalities and plot turns in this amazing story.
Indeed, the context of Luke 15, with its theme of heavenly joy over earthly repentance, makes perfect sense of all the major features of the parable. The prodigal represents a typical sinner who comes to repentance. The father’s patience, love, generosity, and delight over the son’s return are clear and perfect emblems of divine grace. The prodigal’s heart change is a picture of what true repentance should look like. And the elder brother’s cold indifference—the real focal point of the story, as it turns out—is a vivid representation of the same evil hypocrisy Jesus was confronting in the hearts of the hostile scribes and Pharisees to whom He told the parable in the first place (Luke 15:2). They bitterly resented the sinners and tax collectors who drew near to Jesus (v. 1), and they tried to paper over their fleshly indignation with religious pretense. But their attitudes betrayed their unbelief and self-centeredness. Jesus’ parable ripped the mask off their hypocrisy.
This, then, is the central and culminating lesson of the parable: Jesus is pointing out the stark contrast between God’s own delight in the redemption of sinners and the Pharisees’ inflexible hostility toward those same sinners. Keeping that lesson fixed firmly in view, we can legitimately draw from the larger story (as Jesus unfolds it) several profound lessons about grace, forgiveness, repentance, and the heart of God toward sinners. Those elements are all so conspicuous in the parable that almost everyone should be able to recognize them.
Seeing Ourselves in the Parable
There’s a good reason this short story pulls at the heartstrings of so many hearers. We recognize ourselves in it. The parable reminds us of the most painful aspects of the human condition, and those who take an honest look will recognize themselves.
For believers, the Prodigal Son is a humbling reminder of who we are and how much we owe to divine grace.
For those who are conscious of their own guilt but are still unrepentant, the Prodigal’s life is a searing reminder of the wages of sin, the duty of the sinner to repent, and the goodness of God that accompanies authentic repentance.
For sinners coming to repentance, the father’s eager welcome and costly generosity are reminders that God’s grace and goodness are inexhaustible.
For heedless unbelievers (especially those like the scribes and Pharisees, who use external righteousness as a mask for unrighteous hearts), the elder brother is a reminder that neither a show of religion nor the pretense of respectability is a valid substitute for redemption.
For all of us, the elder brother’s attitude is a powerful warning, showing how easily and how subtly unbelief can masquerade as faithfulness.
Regardless of which of those categories you fall into, my prayer for you as you listen to the series or read the book is that the Lord will use it to minister grace to your heart. If you are a believer, may you bask in the Father’s joy over the salvation of the lost. May you gain a new appreciation for the beauty and the glory of God’s plan of redemption. And may you also be encouraged and better equipped to participate in the work of spreading the gospel.
May listeners and readers who, like the Prodigal, have come to the end of themselves be motivated to abandon the husks of this world. And above all, may this message sound a reveille in the hearts of any who need to be awakened to the awful reality of their own sin and the glorious promise of redemption in Christ.
Adapted from A Tale of Two Sons, © 2008 by John MacArthur. | <urn:uuid:c67d2293-8a53-4c58-a30c-5523de083efb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/A115/An-Unforgettable-Tale | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938508 | 1,881 | 2.84375 | 3 |
As you travel towards Cartago, you will see why Costa Rica is called "The Garden of the Americas" because you will travel through some of the country's most colorful and visually impressive areas. You will ascend Costa Rica's tallest volcano, towering 11,257 feet (3432 meters) above the historic city. You will be able to go right to the rim of this natural wonder and take a close look inside the crater of this still active volcano. The next stop will be in the city of Cartago; the country's capital, while it was under Spanish rule. In Cartago we will be paying a visit to to the ruins Cathedra ruins, that currently scenic park with beautiful its gardens, then we will take you to the Basilica of Costa Rica's patron saint, too, "Nuestra Señora de los Angeles". A delightful lunch follows and then we set our way on to the Orosí Valley and the Ruins of Ujarrás to see the country's first colonial church founded in 1570. The final stop will be at the stunning Lankester Botanical Gardens. Created by Charles Lankester in 1917, these gardens, now under the administration of the University of Costa Rica, have become one of the most valuable botanical research centers in Central America. They cover 25 acres and house in the gardens over 800 species of native and hybrid orchids and a variety of other plants, including bromeliads, anthuriums and many types of ferns. There are species in flower year-round, but the peak season for the large orchids is February to April. | <urn:uuid:f629a1e8-f77e-4f18-80f5-02bddb2669dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://costaricatoptours.com/php/Tours7.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932195 | 329 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Toyota, BMW Expand Partnership to Sports Cars, Green Technologies
BMW and Toyota announced on Friday that they will jointly develop vehicle architectures and components, including those for sports cars, in addition to collaborating further on environmental technologies including fuel cells, vehicle electrification and lightweight materials.
Top executives for the two companies offered no details about those future sports cars. They clearly will be high performance, high-tech and green. They likely will be made of the lightweight materials and equipped with fuel-efficient, low-polluting engines the two companies have agreed to co-develop. The most recent announcement expands on cooperative arrangements agreed to earlier by the two companies. Last December, BMW and Toyota announced they would jointly research next-generation environmental technologies that leveraged Toyota's expertise in hybrids and BMW's diesel expertise. In March, the companies kicked off joint research into next-generation, lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid and electric cars. The deal also included BMW supplying Toyota's European subsidiary with small-displacement diesel engines starting in 2014.
But it is the sports cars that thrill Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda. In 2009, when he took the reins of the company his grandfather founded, Toyoda promised that automaker, famous for reliable but boring cars, would produce more emotional and passionate cars. The stylish 2013 Toyota Avalon, due out late this year, will be the first vehicle bearing Toyoda's imprint for more emotion.
"I get so excited thinking about the cars that will result from this (BMW-Toyota) relationship," Toyoda said at a press conference after signing the agreement with BMW Board Chairman Norbert Reithofer at BMW's Munich headquarters Friday. "I am the one most looking forward to a sports car that is environmentally friendly and truly excites car fans around the world."
An avid and skilled race car driver, Toyoda said: "When I drive at Nürburgring, there is always a car that passes me, and it is always a BMW. BMW knows how to make a car perform. BMW knows more than anyone else that roads make cars. At Nürburgring, BMW is my greatest rival and has earned my utmost respect."
Toyota's future sports cars may well show up at another famous racetrack — one in Le Mans, France, where earlier this month Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the 11th straight time, but did so for the first time in the race's 80-year history with a hybrid car. Toyota, which hadn't participated in Le Mans since 1999, returned this year and it also came with hybrid cars. Capturing the lead at one point, Toyota ultimately was forced to drop out of the competition.
The Toyota-BMW sports cars not only involve passion and performance but also practicality. A BMW-Toyota sports car undoubtedly will be expensive to develop with its costly materials and advanced propulsion systems. A partnership spreads the costs over what will also undoubtedly yield small unit sales volume of the sports cars.
That's now a familiar and successful concept for Toyota. The arrangement with BMW comes on the heels of the just-launched sports cars developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru. Built by Subaru, the partners spread the costs to develop the rear-drive, back-to-basic sports cars so both companies could sell them at a low starting price of about $25,000 and sell them profitably in relatively small volumes while building excitement for the respective brands. Both Toyota's version — Scion FR-S — and the Subaru BRZ are hot-sellers at the moment. Italian automaker Fiat and Japanese maker Mazda followed their lead, recently announcing that the 2015 Alfa Romeo Spider, a successor to the Italian brand's last roadster that ended production in 1993, will be based on the next-generation Mazda Miata MX-5.
For its part, BMW will have increased access to Toyota's vast expertise in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electrification technologies, as used in its expanding family of Toyota Prius models. "It (electrification) is crucial to the efficiency, range, and cost of the vehicle," BMW's Reithofer said Friday. "Mobility and its industrialization are in the midst of a technological shift. At the BMW Group, we refer to this as iconic change. I believe this is the most decisive moment our industry has ever faced."
Only a couple days ago, BMW ended talks with General Motors that began in December concerning joint work on fuel cells. A BMW spokesman said the German automaker is still talking to GM but no longer on the topic of fuel cells. Talks reportedly will continue on other fuel-saving technologies. BMW already cooperates with France's PSA Peugeot Citroen on engines for the Mini brand and the two are working on hybrid components. However, those are under review after GM bought a stake in Peugeot on a vehicle and technology development.
"Strategic partnerships are an essential part of our strategy number one," said Reithofer. "It is one way of securing long-term access to customers and technologies." | <urn:uuid:1f971291-6904-4975-aefa-3813559df302> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edmunds.com/industry-center/analysis/toyota-bmw-expand-partnership-to-sports-cars-green-technologies.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96595 | 1,036 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Obama Will Be Renominated in the Last Confederate Capital
CHARLOTTE (TheStreet) -- Perhaps the exhilaration surrounding the election of the first black president will be restored next month by a historic juxtaposition, when Barack Obama will be renominated nine blocks from the last meeting of the full Confederate cabinet.
Charlotte is a city of the New South today, its downtown vibrant and filled with skyscrapers, corporate headquarters, museums, upscale restaurants and professional sports facilities. That is the city Obama selected as the site of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which will take place during the week of Sept. 3.
While few Civil War battles were fought in North Carolina, the war's closing in April 1865 brought a focus on North Carolina and Charlotte, a small town with a few thousand residents. The second surrender of Confederate troops, following the April 9 Appomattox surrender, was in Durham. The last full meeting of the Confederate cabinet occurred on April 26, 1865, in a planter's home near downtown Charlotte.
That April, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled Richmond. They reached Greensboro by train and mounted horses. Accompanied by cavalry and wagon trains, they continued south to Charlotte, arriving April 18. Eight days later, following the last full cabinet meeting, they departed for South Carolina. For a week and one day, Charlotte was the Confederacy's de facto capital. Thus it is sometimes referred to as "the Last Capital of the Confederacy."
Few remnants of the Confederate legacy exist today. The one most likely to be noticed by convention visitors is a plaque embedded in the sidewalk on South Tryon Street near Fourth Street. The plaque states: "Jefferson Davis was standing here when informed of Lincoln's death. April 18, 1865." A second plaque, on North Tryon Street between Phifer Avenue and 10th Street, commemorates the final cabinet meetings, between April 22 and April 26
The plaques, like the sites of the two homes occupied by the widow of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson, are all within blocks of Time Warner Cable Arena, the convention site, and of Bank of America Stadium, where Obama will give his acceptance speech.
In the century and a half since the Civil War ended, Charlotte remade itself. Downtown is home to the headquarters of Bank of America(BAC) and Duke Energy(DUK) , the Levine Museum of the New South, two new art museums and the Nascar Hall of Fame. The city is also the largest, most profitable hub for US Airways (LCC) . | <urn:uuid:c16b8236-f676-4ff4-ba11-2f86d86ca3df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://business-news.thestreet.com/mcphersonsentinel/story/obama-will-be-renominated-in-the-last-confederate-capital/11655816 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957629 | 520 | 2.140625 | 2 |
We use a hosting company for our website but we have our mail servers hosted by our isp with our website domain; @sample.net.
On the website we have a contact form which emails firstname.lastname@example.org after the user submits it.
Using the default setting:
SMTP localhost sendmail_path /usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i
And custom settings:
I was able to successfully send the mail to external domains other than @sample.com. After looking into this I believe it is because the SMTP is localhost and not properly pointed at our ISP mail servers.
What value would I put in the SMTP if I have an external company hosting the site with our mail servers being hosted by our ISP? | <urn:uuid:88106ea0-662c-405b-9dd0-4047fb0a4e88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://serverfault.com/questions/317269/php-mail-settings-proper-values-for-my-setup | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928907 | 157 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Posted by: Tom Nolle
Cloud computing, Microsoft, personal computing, Ray Ozzie
Tech guru Ray Ozzie is leaving Microsoft, and in the wake of the announcement, a memo from Ozzie was leaked to the media. In the memo, Ozzie asks Microsoft to confront an age without PCs, an age in which Microsoft’s traditional PC incumbency would be meaningless.
What Ozzie is looking at is whether appliances like smartphones and tablet PCs, combined with cloud-hosted services, could change the appetite of the public for personal computing. I think that the answer is already known, but it’s ambiguous.
The question is whether cloud computing services can absorb all the functionality of local applications. In theory? Sure. In practice, though, the problems are willingness to pay and profit. If the total market for computing and applications among consumers is seen as being ad-sponsored, we’ve collapsed a multibillion-dollar industry into something that’s likely a tenth its current size, simply because you can’t expect ads to sponsor all of content, all of software, and all of everything else when the world’s ad spend is only about $680 billion and isn’t even growing as fast as world GDP. Thus, we’d have to expect that the consumer paid in some direct way for the incremental application services. So whether that direct payment was less than the cost of central hosting of the applications becomes the question.
To answer it, we say that central IT resources are always cheaper — economy of scale, after all. But the Erlang curve shows that economies of scale taper off at volume, meaning that there’s a point at which no further economy can be gained. And you still need a screen, keyboard (even if its virtual and on-screen), CPU chip and memory to create a network appliance. The cost of making that into a computer isn’t incrementally enormous. I can buy a netbook for $300 and get free or cheap software for writing, calculating, photo-editing and more. Sure, I have to sustain the software, update it and secure it, etc., but most of the threats to security come from the Internet, so don’t I have to secure my appliance anyway?
My point is that Microsoft is as much at risk of overreacting to the future as it is to undershooting it. Its biggest problem is the same one it had before all the Internet appliance stuff hit the market — once everyone who needs a PC has one, what’s your future strategy for growing revenue? Microsoft needs to capture the incremental revenue from the appliance-and-cloud craze, not substitute that revenue for its current revenue stream. If it does the latter, it dies, pure and simple.
Revolutionary stuff is interesting, and in this mindless media age, the only thing that matters is “interesting.” Truth won’t create clickthroughs. But truth is what creates markets. | <urn:uuid:7c5c4f0d-3903-4e39-92cb-62d5d69f17a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/telecom/in-exit-memo-ozzie-points-microsoft-toward-cloud-is-he-right/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949069 | 624 | 1.851563 | 2 |
The Canaanite Woman
esus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.
The Canaanite Woman
e might be excused for feeling a little taken aback at the way Jesus treats the Canaanite woman. It is out of character. She pleads for her daughter. He ignores her. She uses the same plea as Peter when he was drowning: ‘Lord help me’. Immediately Jesus stretches out his hand to help Peter. He ignores her.
The Gospel records one of two occasions when Jesus leaves Jewish territory and steps into a foreign country. In Mark’s account he entered a house and did not want anyone to know it. He wanted to rest. Is he worn out? He is seen; this poor Canaanite woman steps in front of him – desperate for healing, she pleads for her daughter. Jesus ignores her. Walks past. If someone ignores you, cuts you stone dead; how do you feel, what do you do? Walk away, treat them in the same way? Feel angry! The Canaanite woman cannot afford the luxury of anger. She is desperate, she refuses to be snubbed. As he passes by she continues to shout, persisting in her request – healing for her daughter.
The disciples come to Jesus and beg him to send her away. She is getting on their nerves. Send her away! Was Jesus having a bad day? Do we allow him to have a bad day or is there another reason for his strange behaviour? When the disciples plead with him to send her away, Jesus pleads for their understanding: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." As if to say: The Jewish people, my people, are my first concern. He can barely cope with the demands of this mission.
It must have taken great courage for a Canaanite woman to ask a Jew for help. The Canaanites hated the Jews and were in turn hated by them. Jews referred to the Canaanites - as dogs.
She brushes the disciples aside. She will not take silence for an answer: She kneels before Jesus: “Lord help me.” She is desperate, persistent and powerless. “Lord help me”.
Jesus still refuses her, even goads her. “It is not fair to give the children’s bread to dogs”. She refuses to take offence. In fact, she outwits Jesus. She is his teacher. In effect she says: Call us what you like, I don’t care: “Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.”
She overwhelms him. “Woman you have great faith!” She breaks through his silence, his belittling of her people, challenges Jesus in her need. “Woman you have great faith. Be it done for you as you desire”Her daughter was immediately cured.This incident changes the direction of Jesus’ mission in Matthew’s Gospel. The work of Jesus is no longer limited to the Jews but reaches out to non-Jews as well. “Go and make disciples of all nations…” The message for us is: Be persistent, insistent and come to him with a sense of our own helplessness. Seek ways of becoming part of his mission to others.
This is the Story of Jesus drawn from the four Evangelists
Gospel passages accompanied by a number of brief commentaries | <urn:uuid:0f6b877e-2549-46b9-8597-d1ec440c25ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://goodnews.ie/canaanite.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98119 | 899 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Too many people overvalue what they are not and
undervalue what they are.
Self-confidence is a thing that many people find difficult to have. This is kind of weird because most people know that their low state self-confidence influences the way they see themselves and how they performance. But, contrary to what many people believe, self confidence is not something that only the gifted few have access to. Any individual can work to begin building up their self-confidence.
Improved self-confidence come with self-development and self-improvement. It is about loving and accepting yourself just as you are. You need to be able to acknowledge both your weaknesses and strengths. Improved self-confidence begins with loving yourself.
To get improved self-confidence, you must also believe in yourself. You must find that place of contentment about who you are. Self-acceptance is a prerequisite of self-confidence. But, self-acceptance means that you must accept the bitter with the sweet. You have to honestly look at and evaluate the good things in your life, as well as your setbacks. Beyond self-acceptance, what else do you need to do?
You need to be able to understand your own true motivations, thoughts and emotions. By becoming more aware of your emotions and behavior, you will be in a better position to overcome and correct your behavior where you deem it necessary. Once you have made the decision to change some of your habits or behaviors, there are a couple of different strategies and methods that you can use gain control over them.
• Self discipline. Changing attitude and behavior, or even shifting your perspective a little, will take time. Change does not occur overnight. You need to gather enough knowledge and have enough insight into yourself to begin to start practicing the skills that you would like to improve and develop.
• Get clear. Having a clear vision of what you want to happen in your life is important. To be able to move forward in your life, you must choose a clear direction. Seeing what you want to have in an increasingly clearer image will help you remain focused and encourage you to continue to work for it.
• Choose wisely. The choice is yours. You can choose what you want to experience. You don’t have to accept or engage in everything that crosses your path. But, doing something that is really important to you, or something that you truly love, will give you enough confidence to continue with what you have started.
• Commit and trust the process. To be able to attain control over your personal development and growth, you will need to trust yourself that you can indeed undergo the process and commit to yourself that you will remain committed to the process.
When trying to develop your self-confidence, you will have to develop some new characteristics. You will develop more self awareness. This involves your readiness to look at your past and present, and accept them. Over and above this, you also will develop an improved self-knowledge which is understanding your past and your attitudes. Not only will you begin to be able to understand them, but you will also be able to comprehend the basis for such attitudes or experience.
Last, you will develop self discipline. Self-discipline is about how you make sure that your goals and vision are translated in action. You need self discipline to make sure that you do not back-out when the going gets a little tough. And it will get tough.
Building self-confidence doesn’t come with a simple snap of the fingers. Self- improvement is be a never-ending process and journey. | <urn:uuid:63d469f4-7d4b-45c4-8a0d-a837886aa977> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://martinamcgowan.com/2013/02/improving-your-confidence/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968027 | 731 | 2.421875 | 2 |
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This article constitutes an effort to gain insights into the nature of creativity and its mechanisms leading to creative solutions to problems. This article claims that reflection constitutes the underlying mechanism, serving as a catalyst for creativity. A total of five experiments is presented, incurred in industrial and academic research environments and pedagogical settings, that demonstrate the occurrence of creativity, deliberately triggered by reflection. The key contribution of this article is that, although the exact definition of creativity continues to elude us, two mechanisms have been uncovered that are potentially useful in triggering creativity, at will, in ordinary scientific and engineering personnel to achieve quantum leaps in our knowledge and achievement. Reflection plays a key, catalytic role in both of these mechanisms and also appears to underlie the inner workings of Nature.
Date of Publication: Jan-Feb 2004 | <urn:uuid:54d39ba9-17b1-46aa-902e-f653d3f5eb82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&tp=&arnumber=1263408&contentType=Journals+%26+Magazines&sortType%3Dasc_p_Sequence%26filter%3DAND(p_IS_Number%3A28255) | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950931 | 166 | 2.0625 | 2 |
For both undergraduates and MBAs, investment banks typically have a number of “core” schools at which they recruit. In the early fall, the banks will come to campus for informational presentations and receptions to give students an opportunity to learn more about the bank and to meet some bankers. These events are also an opportunity for the bankers to begin to identify potential good candidates. A little later in the fall (typically in late September or October), banks will hold first round interviews on campus. It is often competitive for students to win places on the interview schedule. Some banks and some schools will leave a number of interview slots open to students, through a lottery or other mechanism who were not directly selected for an interview.
Generally, students will have one or two 30 minute interviews. Second (and typically final) round interviews generally take place at the investment bank at what are known as “super” days (usually occurring either on a Friday or Saturday). Banks will normally pay for out-of-town candidates to travel to the bank. During these “super days,” candidates can expect to have anywhere from 4 to 10 or more interviews of 30-45 minutes in length each. Banks usually make their decisions very quickly regarding to who they will offer full-time positions. Candidates are contacted accordingly, often that same day, with the good or bad news.
Those that are being offered positions will receive a formal offer package. The offer package will include salary, signing bonus and a host of HR documents. Most of the time, the offer will have an expiration date, known as an “exploding offer.” While some schools try to crack down on exploding offers, banks use them to pressure candidates to accept and to try to prevent candidates from using the offer as negotiating leverage with another investment bank or other institution.
In this job market, an internship is almost mandatory. Having done an internship in banking (either over the summer or during the school year) shows (a) that you are serious about banking and (b) that you have a good idea of what you are getting into. Being able to demonstrate both A and B because of an internship will go along way in helping you differentiate yourself during the interview process.
For MBA students (who were not Analysts pre-business school), a summer banking internship is extremely important when it comes time for full-time recruiting. Interviewers will tend to question how serious is your interest in banking if you did your internship in another industry.
Assuming you’ve passed the first steps of getting your resume to the right person and that they want to interview you, the next step is to schedule your first round interview. You will typically have one or two back-to-back 30 minute interviews. If you are interviewing to be an Analyst, you will often meet with Associates and/or VPs and if you are interviewing for an Associate position, you will probably meet with VPs and/or Directors. At some banks, especially bulge brackets, one of the first round interviewers might be someone from the HR department. If you are from out-of-town, your first round will probably be a phone interview.
If your first round interviews go well, then you will be invited to meet with more bankers on site. In total, you might meet with anywhere from four to twelve or more bankers over one or two days. You will probably meet with bankers at all different levels (Associate to MD for an Analyst position, VP to MD for an Associate position), including the head of the group with which you are interviewing. If all goes well with the additional interview rounds, then someone (either HR or a banker) will let you know that you will be receiving an offer.
In order to get interviews, you have to get your resume in front of the right people. Occasionally, this can mean HR, but more often than not, it’s going to take a banker looking at your resume. Like every other type of job search, you’ve got to network. First thing to do is to contact any friends and acquaintances that are already in banking. Ask them to look at your resume and to pass it on to the right people. Without a doubt, you’ve got a much better chance if a banker passes your resume to HR than you do sending to HR directly (but do that too).
The next best thing to people you know, is your alumni network. Almost all schools have them, and almost all schools (undergrad and MBA) have alumni on Wall Street. Talk to alumni, ask about job openings, ask for advice and ask for informational interviews. Informational interviews are when you meet with (in person or over-the-phone) a banker for 15-30 minutes just to chat and to learn more about the job and the bank. Even though they are not technically interviews, definitely treat them as such. If the person likes you, he or she may be able to get you actual interviews.
Once you’ve exhausted your friends and your alumni network, try cold calling/emailing bankers. Most calls or emails won’t get returned but remember, it only takes one. And make sure to expand your search. There are literally thousands of boutique investment banks out there and boutiques are typically more flexible about their hiring practices than are the bulge bracket banks. And cover all your bases. Try headhunters and try to sending your resume to HR or applying online if the bank has an online application system.
Most importantly, don’t get discouraged. Networking and looking for a job is a difficult and ego bruising process. Some would say it’s a full-time job in and of itself. If you really hit a brick wall, then think longer term. Are there other jobs which could be stepping stones to banking? Or should you be considering an MBA?
It is important to understand that headhunters (executive search firms) get paid by the investment banks when they place people at those firms. The implication of this is that headhunters want to spend their time on people who are likely to get hired, and those are going to be people with prior banking experience: lateral hires. So it’s not to say that a headhunter will never be helpful to someone without banking experience, but this occurs pretty infrequently. Bottom line, it can’t hurt to give headhunters a call, but don’t hold your breath.
It depends. At some banks, if you get negative feedback from even one person with whom you’ve interviewed, you won’t get an offer. At other banks, 8 or 9 “yes’s” will be enough to outweigh 1 or 2 “no’s,” provided that the “no’s” aren’t very strong and aren’t coming from the most senior bankers. Occasionally, the opinion of the head of the group can be enough to get you an offer, regardless of the other feedback. Unfortunately, you will never know the dynamics of the situation when you interview so the best advice is to take all of your interviews seriously.
Switching from being an Associate at a law-firm to Associate at a investment bank is difficult but definitely doable. A fair number of lawyers make the switch every year. The more experience you have as a lawyer doing deals (M&A transactions, for example) and/or working directly with investment bankers, the easier it is going to be. One area of law from which lawyers very often make the switch over to banking is bankruptcy/restructuring.
In making the switch, there are two broad questions that you will have to answer during the interview process: (1) why do you want to switch and (2) can you count. Answering the first question obviously requires you to emphasize your interest in the banking side of transactions as well as general “business” topics. You should also be ready to answer the question of why did you become a lawyer rather than a banker in the first place.
“Can you count?” This is banker shorthand for saying, “Will you be able to do the analytical work required of a banking Associate - the valuation work and the modeling” “Do you understand financial statements and basic accounting?” And “Can you use Excel?”
Of course, “Can you count?” is a very silly question to ask a lawyer since most of us know that keeping track of billable hours in twelve minute increments is a lot harder than most of the analytical work required of a banker. In all seriousness, the truth is that the average lawyer (at a top law firm) is smarter than the average banker. And in fact, ex-lawyers often make the best senior bankers. But because some bankers have issues with inferiority, they can have a built-in bias against lawyers trying to switch to banking. Hence, the generalization that lawyers “can’t count.” | <urn:uuid:d117e122-3901-4203-aeac-7535072a4646> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibankingfaq.com/category/recruiting-and-job-search/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965931 | 1,858 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Frano SupiloArticle Free Pass
Frano Supilo, (born Nov. 30, 1870, Cavtat, Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary [now in Croatia]—died Sept. 23, 1917, London, Eng.), Croatian journalist and politician who opposed Austro-Hungarian domination before World War I and played a significant role in the controversies preceding the formation of an independent Yugoslav state.
As editor of Novi List, a Croatian journal he founded in 1900 at Rijeka, Supilo worked to promote Croatian-Serbian interests in opposition to Habsburg supremacy. In 1905 he drew up the Rijeka Resolution designed to create a Croat-Serb coalition, which he hoped would bring about an alliance with anti-Habsburg Hungarians. In an effort to discredit the coalition, Austro-Hungarian authorities provided the publicist Heinrich Friedjung with documents alleging that Supilo and his associates were working on behalf of Serbia. The latter sued Friedjung, and at the trial (1909) it was demonstrated that the documents were forgeries. Nevertheless, Supilo resigned as president of the coalition.
After the outbreak of World War I, Supilo supported the Allied cause and, together with the Croatian nationalist Ante Trumbić and Ivan Meštrović, a noted sculptor, founded the Yugoslav Committee in London (1915) with the purpose of liberating the South Slavs. A period of difficult negotiations followed involving the British and French promise to Italy of territories along the eastern Adriatic in the secret Treaty of London (1915), while the South Slavs debated between themselves over the nature of the future Yugoslav state. When Supilo insisted that a constitution precede unification, he was outvoted. Although he resigned from the committee over that issue, he later endorsed the Declaration of Corfu (July 20, 1917), whereby the South Slavic peoples would form a single kingdom (later called Yugoslavia).
What made you want to look up "Frano Supilo"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:5171edda-2991-4594-8871-ebd130314cbc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/574607/Frano-Supilo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960924 | 422 | 2.5 | 2 |
You may have suspected it all along, but the data backs it up: Manhattan is, once again, the most expensive place to live in the United States.
That's according to an index of 300 cities published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), which found that the cost of living in the borough of Manhattan in New York City is 133.5 percent higher than the national average of 100, with an index score of 233.5. Harlingen, Texas, is the least expensive city, with a cost of living 18.4 percent below the national average.
"The top 10 most expensive cities are pretty stable, they remain almost static," said Dean Frutiger, project manager for the Cost of Living Index project at C2ER. "There's more change with the bottom."
The council has published the quarterly data for 45 years (previously, it was released by the government) and bases its information on the prices of 60 consumer goods and services in six categories: grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care and miscellaneous items.
Not surprisingly, housing carries the largest weight, said Frutiger, noting that about 29 percent of our income is spent on housing. That's the reason Washington, D.C., wound its way into the top 10 this year instead of hovering around the 11th or 12th spot. "Housing prices have been hurt very badly by the recession. However, D.C.'s housing has remained relatively strong because there's a built-in market in D.C. You wouldn't believe the construction going on there relative to other cities."
So without further ado, here's a list of the seven cities with the highest cost of living out of 300 regions analyzed by C2ER.
|Manhattan, New York City|
Just about every New Yorker is obsessed with housing. It makes sense—living space is at a premium here. According to Frutiger, C2ER usually looks at brand new homes with four or more bedrooms at about 2,400 square feet. While they're not hard to find in the outlying suburbs, they are harder to locate in major cities like Manhattan. For that reason, C2ER will have to pro-rate housing data from New York to compare to the other cities in the index.
|Brooklyn, New York City|
Brooklyn, with a population of 2,504,700, according to the U.S. Census, is the most populous of the New York's five boroughs. It's also the second largest, which means that housing might be slightly more affordable than in Manhattan. But it's hard to know for sure, since C2ER has only been collecting data on Brooklyn for four years. But one thing is certain: "The addition of Brooklyn has kicked a few cities out," said Frutiger.
The cost of living in Honolulu is 70.8 percent higher than the national average. One reason: "Honolulu food prices have gone up at a faster rate than the rest of the cities," said Frutiger. He suspects it has something to do with transportation costs, which have been rising steadily.
While housing is a bit more affordable in San Francisco than in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Honolulu, transportation costs and health care were slightly more expensive than Brooklyn's, according to the data submitted to C2ER. "S.F. is usually third or fourth, because the housing is so expensive," he said. "In California it's always housing."
|San Jose, California|
San Jose might be the epicenter of all things virtual, but in real life its costs are almost as high as San Francisco's, especially in utilities, transportation, healthcare—and, of course, housing.
|Queens, New York City|
Queens--the largest New York City borough by area—is an expensive real estate market. Though housing prices are lower than in Brooklyn and Manhattan, grocery items, utilities, transportation and health care were higher than Brooklyn's.
"Everything is high in Stamford, relatively speaking. It's an upper class suburban community." It's not surprising that its cost of living is 46.7 percent higher than the national average. But though there's more ample real estate here, utilities costs are actually higher in Stamford than in Manhattan or Brooklyn. | <urn:uuid:d24ac7b1-2430-4a7a-a463-aeb52c7173b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abcnews.go.com/Business/expensive-places-live-america/story?id=17118717 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967456 | 886 | 2.28125 | 2 |
I found the guide produced by the d.school of Stanford to be a very informative and insightful document on the Creative Process. Through Mindsets, Modes and Methods, the guide outlines teachings that impart the Design Thinking methodology employed by many designers, educators, and creative teams. There are a variety of practical methods described that they have gathered from a wide range of people and organizations.
First, I was intrigued by the Modes outlined as they don’t fully articulate my own creative process, but I found them insightful. My own process starts with Discovery, which seemed to be missing in the Modes outlined, or perhaps this outline is meant to start AFTER the Discovery process is completed. For me, in the Discovery phase I am meeting with the client to determine the exact scope of work and then writing it out to make sure the client and I are on the same page.
After that, my second step is Research. In this step I am looking into several things: The Client’s business, their competition and the audience we are trying to reach. It seems that the modes Empathy and Define are both covered in my Research step, however I really like how the guide puts a detailed emphasis on each.
My third step is Concept development, then I move into Design/Production, and lastly Revisions until approved to deliver to Vendor. Steps 3-5 outlined in the guide (Ideate, Prototype, and Test) touch upon aspects of the final steps in my process, but go into much greater depths in many areas and don’t touch at all on some of the activities that I do.
Looking through the various Methods in this guide, I noticed that several of them referred to field-work with users. I found that interesting as I have never had the opportunity as a designer to engage in field work with users at all. I have only really seen that performed at larger firms and usually by people on the Account side or in a Research dept. The extent of my own experience in field-work usually involves touring the client’s place of business to learn more about the company and their products/services.
A couple of Methods jumped out at me that were of particular interest that I will use in the future related to Brainstorming:
How May We … (HMW) Questions to facilitate the brainstorming process with my team is one practical and useful approach. I liked how this method will allow me to start with my own Point of View statements, break the large questions up into smaller actionable pieces and get better ideas from the group that are focused on solving specific design challenges.
The Saturate and Group method was also one that I found to be a really cool brainstorming idea. In this method, thoughts and experiences from the field-work are written down on post-it-notes and put up on the wall (Saturate). Then connections and similarities are drawn from the notes; they get organized and placed together to synthesize the information into related groupings and patterns (Group). I can see that this method will be very helpful in facilitating idea generation with my team and organizing peoples experiences and insights into themes that can be built upon.
There were several other methods that jumped out at me as well. What, How, Why questions to analyze photos, as well as creating a Composite Character Profile as a way to understand an average user were two methods that I will incorporate into my working processes where applicable. | <urn:uuid:818f8649-a64e-4880-bec4-b504282b1631> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.scad.edu/tcarva20/2013/01/28/grds-701-unit-4-blog-entry-1-design-thinking-modes-methods/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976083 | 699 | 1.96875 | 2 |
On Sept. 28, 2012, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that will create the nation’s first state-run retirement plan for private sector employees. The legislation, Senate Bill 1234, establishes the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust for more than 6 million low-income, private sector employees whose employers do not offer retirement plans.
The plan will require all employers with more than five employees to withhold 3 percent of employees’ pay unless employees opt out of the plan. The new retirement plan is designed to supplement Social Security and provide low-income workers with a portable savings plan with a guaranteed return. The plan will be administered by a board chaired by the state treasurer, which will select either a private investment firm or the state’s public pension system to invest and maintain the plan’s funds.
Source: Barnes and Thornburg, LLC | <urn:uuid:47a52db0-447e-4b40-8057-4f710bce991b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.naeda.com/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesPrint.aspx?p=0&t=107&m=914&itemid=2534 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912593 | 174 | 1.546875 | 2 |
In Taoism and in traditional Chinese medical theory, the system of the Five Elements describes the interactions and relationships between phenomena. All of nature and the universe can be defined by the elements and all aspects of nature contain the principles of the five elements.
Tai Chi Ch’uan, all forms and all styles, is based on the Thirteen Movements, and the practitioner, over time and with the right teacher, learns to incorporate the limitless qualities of all of nature within every set, and by practicing your Tai Chi Chuan sets this way, you become one with the limitless characteristics of all of nature in every thing you do, whether it’s cooking, walking, working, interacting with others, and especially being an activist for positive change in our world.
The Thirteen Movements are the Eight Directions and the Five Elements. The Eight Directions are the four cardinal directions, East, South, West and North, and the intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest.
The Five Elements correspond to the Eight Directions: East, wood, green, springtime. South, fire, red, summer. West, metal, white, autumn. North, water, blue, winter. The diagonal, or intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest correspond to earth, yellow, the later stage of the four seasons.
While we were in Europe this past summer, Donald taught his inner-door students the deeper meaning of this design.
In fact, Donald and I have taken the essence of the martial, internal, healing and meditation arts that we have been studying for almost forty years (we started as young teenagers in the late ’60′s and early ’70′s, a time when the martial and internal arts were relatively unknown to most Americans) and have been teaching our close students how to achieve a deeper connection to the mystical, spiritual and limitless potentials of universal energies, going beyond the limitations of physical form itself.
We decided the time is right for the public to learn ’Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements.’ We are opening it up to practitioners of every style and form, as we believe this vital information is not limited to any one style and should be shared for the benefit of many. In this unique day-long workshop we will be revealing how to develop a felt sensation of all of the Five Elements and deepen one’s understanding of Taoist principles, in nature, and within ourselves.
- The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Tao Te Ching
This workshop will inform and empower practitioners of Tai Chi Ch’uan (regardless of style or form), Qigong, Hsing Yi, Bagua, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, tuina, and all other internal martial and healing arts, and take you to higher levels of accomplishment.
We believe that anyone can integrate and express the Five Elements within themselves to bring about lasting inner and outer harmony through the Five Forms, the Five Tastes, the Five Colors, the Five Sounds, the Five Seasons, the Five Directions, the Five Expressions, the Five Yin and the Five Yang Organs and the Five Remedies to the Negative Emotions.
Check out our webpage, and if you’d like to learn the Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements, on November 14, 2010, please feel free to register!
If you act soon, the first 11 people who refer five others who pay will attend the workshop for free. Have your friends register and pay, and tell them they must mention your name when they pay. They can register online here, or call 415.459.9098 to pay with a credit card. | <urn:uuid:e05830aa-c991-4066-a641-383042e3dff3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rubbos2.com/2010/10/03/what-do-the-five-elements-have-to-do-with-tai-chi-chuan-and-qigong/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930508 | 794 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Home Brewery: putti frieze
Three designs repeated in an ABCABCABCABC / CBACBACBACBA pattern on the side of the former brewery (it is now Nottinghamshire County Council Education Department / Social Services Department). The reliefs are in a 2:3 proportion and are white casts. A: drinking table; B: barrel; C: stirring- all allegories of the brewing process. The decorative ironwork gates are contemporaneous.
Photos with PM?
The Brewery company was first established in 1877, taking its name from the nearby Bestwood Home Farm. The present building dates from 1936. The central brick tower has its original illuminated advertisement, reused for the present owners.1
Related works : Brass panels on doors?
PMSA recording information | <urn:uuid:e6b76577-1861-4730-9ae4-1c246502d633> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/10549/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91973 | 159 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Connect me to:
Pair of Chinese Banquets, A
|by Jacqueline M. Newman|
and Gardner Pond
Holidays and Celebrations
Fall Volume: 2000 Issue: 7(3) page(s): 23 and 28
A look at a banquet menu can tell quite a lot, more than the location or the featured speaker, should there be one. The banquet menu is a printed expression with no taste, but it does advise about simplicity and/or complexity of the meal, also its economics and status. Banquet menus run the gamut from simple to complex. This past Chinese New Year in California, the same speaker was featured at one banquet in each category. She had some input, more for one banquet than for the other, but she was not a major menu decision maker. These banquets took place at different locations, the chefs were not the same; nor were the intended audiences. These banquets were not meant to be similar, but looking at their menus can serve as tools on how to evaluate banquet menus.
First, a commentary about the speaker written by Gardner Pond, a true Chinese expert. Following that, the two banquet menus, and finally, commentary and critique of them written by this magazine’s editor. Neither writer attended both meals, so taste comparisons are not possible, nor wanted, nor the intention of this article.
The first banquet was sponsored by the Association of Chinese Cooking Teachers (ACCT). It was their Annual Chinese New Year Dinner and a ten course banquet held at Chef Chu’s in Los Altos California. For the record, this meal occurred after the second one. The Banquet at Chef Chu’s commenced with traditional appetizers and cocktails, a ritual both eastern and western, followed with an oral presentation about the significance of the Chinese New Year to the Chinese family. Grace Young, author of Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, gave both talks. Prior to her addressing the ACCT members, she took time to introduce herself to the dinner guests, an opportunity which produced the effect that when she was formally introduced, one felt that here was a friend you knew.
Jan Nix, the ACCT president, in her introduction, told attendees that Grace was a product of the San Francisco Bay area and that she now resides in New York. She stated that the speaker was an author of more than sixty cookbooks, many in the Time-Life series. The amazing thing about the number of cookbooks was that none on them involved Chinese cooking. The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen is Ms. Young’s first Chinese effort; hopefully not her last.
Grace Young commenced her commentary saying that her friend Amy Tan felt that there was need for food perspectives to reflect Cantonese perception. One of these is to honor family, another to pass on your heritage of cooking. Ms. Young said that these became her objectives; and that it took five years of research to attain them. The Chinese book she wrote is a mixture of vignettes of family life and traditions combined with recipes. It was reviewed in Flavor and Fortune's Volume 6(2) on page 16. Ms. Young adapted all things American with the exception of the Cantonese cooking. She stated that there had been an erosion of Chinese cooking and she is trying to bring it back. An example given was that the wok is the traditional cooking utensil and by that she meant a flat-bottomed wok or skillet. There was no discussion of food preparation, nor of recipes.
Ms. Young then spoke about the Chinese New Year, which is time to retire debts and make amends to others, and that it is most important to honor family through reunion and renewal. The home is cleaned and the mind is purged of disparity. Only then does the family sit down to a good home-cooked meal. The foods served are often symbolic of health, long life, and prosperity through their properties or their names.
The spelling for both banquet menus below are as they appeared on their handouts. The Chinese New Year Banquet at Chef Chu’s that evening was a delightful meal of items representative of the holiday and the chef’s talents. That menu was:
Five Wonders of China Cold Platter
Double Boiled Winter Melon and Bamboo Mushroom Soup
Eight Treasure Sweet Rice Boneless Stuffed Squab
Garlic Baked Jumbo Tiger Prawns
Steamed Pork Ribs in Winter Squash
Yin Yang Chicken
Dry Scallops over Jade Pendants
Sweet and Sour Whole Fish
Pearl Ball in Sweet Rice Wine Soup
The other New Year’s banquet was held at Yank Sing’s newest Chinese restaurant in San Francisco at the Rincon Center on Spear Street. The banquet menu for this meal has recipes adapted from those in The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. The menu for the second banquet was:
Deem Sum of Petite Spring Rolls, Turnip Cake, Shrimp Dumplings)
Glazed Roast Squab
Pepper and Salt Shrimp
Oyster-Vegetable Lettuce Wraps
Stir-Fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce
Sweet and Sour Pork
Poached Whole Sole
Fried Rice with Yank Sing XO Sauce
Petite Sesame Balls
Both banquets were fund raisers, The first one, above, was for a primarily Chinese group with a reasonable number of non-Chinese people attending; it is an event done annually by ACCT. The second banquet was sponsored by the San Francisco chapter of The American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF). It was held in conjunction with several AIWF events taking place that week. The attendees at this banquet were mostly non-Chinese, and the menu was prepared by a restaurant normally only open for dim sum, not for dinner. This second banquet was, as indicated, limited to recipes from the speaker’s book. Both talks were similar and centered around the Chinese New Year holiday, and at both, the holiday was explained assuming the audience was unfamiliar with holiday symbolism. It was reported that both audiences were delighted with their respective talk.
Prior to the second banquet, there was a book signing and lion dances. There was little opportunity for Ms. Young to speak with anybody other than those who purchased her book and wanted her to sign it when they did. At this banquet, there was no presentation cold platter. In a non-traditional Chinese manner, the hot appetizers were passed among the guests on trays by waiters and waitresses during the book signing and before everyone sat down. At the first banquet there was the traditional five (though it can also be seven or nine or more) cold platter items.
The second banquet, which was at Yank Sing’s, was really less of a formal holiday meal and more representative of a family holiday dinner. Though the menu said poached whole sole (a whole fish is a classic banquet final main dish, at Yank Sing the fish was served in pieces, no visible head or tail. Classically, at banquets, when the whole fish is served, the head should be facing the most honored guest.
The hot soups at each banquet meal were at two economic levels. Banquets should be costly special meals, to double boil a soup speaks of effort and economics, and wintermelon is not an ordinary food, while seafood soup can be. Having tasted this seafood soup, it was good but not banquet food. The clams in black bean sauce is something one can eat any time, the dry scallops one does not. So they are very special, cost big bucks, and speak banquet distinctiveness. This comparative continues for almost all of the dishes, i.e.: Pepper and Salt Shrimp served at Yank Sing are less special than the Jumbo Tiger Prawns served at the other New Year meal.
Banquets usually end with fried rice or a noodle dish. The reason given is 'to fill the cracks.' Those in the know do not empty that rice or noodle platter. If one does, that is an insult to the host; it shows that there was not enough food served and/or that you didn’t eat some of it because it was not worthy. Seafood Rice implies lots of seafood in the fried rice, while Fried Rice with XO Sauce only says that someone is fancying up a dish more in name than in contents. Probably, only a teaspoon or tablespoon of this costly sauce might be used, far less an expense that the cost and psyche of the seafood.
The final soup at Chef Chu’s ACCT banquet was a classic culmination at a Chinese New Year banquet. The Pearl Balls at Yank Sing were on a plate, not poached in liquid as is classically done for the New Year.
So these menus are indicators of differences in banquet meals. Another article about banquets will follow as there is no room in this issue to further detail classic Chinese banquets, menus from them, and other banquet issues.
Gardner Pond, one of two donors to the prestigeous Pond-Hertzmann Chinese Cookbook Collection at the Sheilds Library at University of California–Davis, was a docent in San Francisco teaching and touting Chinese food, a subject in which he has considerable experise; the other author is this magazine's editor-in-chief. | <urn:uuid:51919111-0ee2-4506-a46d-789ac0ca3092> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.flavorandfortune.com/dataaccess/article.php?ID=253 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97231 | 1,936 | 2.0625 | 2 |
The Real Life Mary Poppins: The Life and Times of P.L. Travers by BookCaps
Price: $2.99 USD. 12180 words.
Published on February 20, 2013. .
Among twentieth century authors, P. L. Travers was by far the most productive and famous to hail from the British colony of Australia. After a brief and modestly successful acting career, she moved to London and pursued her own brand of journalism. She was a well-regarded drama critic and travel author, and she became friends with many influential writers and thinkers on both sides of the | <urn:uuid:bd633f0a-2501-40e9-8e3d-03b77d9ad6f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smashwords.com/books/tags/mr_banks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976938 | 124 | 1.695313 | 2 |
|PDF (2 MB)|
Vulnerability to Political Change
Some authorizers report that they operate in a climate of political vulnerability. In Chicago, New York, and Indianapolis, for example, the effort to open quality new schools is driven by high-level political leaders. Chicago's mayor, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and the chancellor of the NYC Public Schools all have tied their political fortunes to their respective new schools initiatives through frequent media appearances and public efforts to personally recruit high-quality organizations to open schools. In Indianapolis, the mayor has launched the charter schools effort from his own office, thereby taking full responsibility for the schools and their results. If any of these elected officials loses a future election or—in the case of the CEO and chancellor—is replaced, there is a danger that the charter school reform effort could collapse under new leadership.
In a very direct way, the political vulnerability that these offices operate under acts as a powerful incentive. Staff members cannot afford complacency— they need to recruit and approve strong schools that get measurable results—and they need to promote their successes widely to gain public support for their work. To varying degrees, this pressure also encourages staff members to institutionalize their processes as much as possible so they are less vulnerable to future leadership change. The authorizing staff in Indianapolis, for example, has worked hard to publicize its schools' successes so that the charter school initiative has strong public support no matter who the next mayor is, and regardless of how committed to charter schools he or she might be. They also have developed a series of handbooks outlining how to implement various processes to ensure continuity for the schools.
According to these authorizers, political pressure is desirable to the extent that it motivates them to improve their practices. It is also desirable to the extent that it reflects the wishes of the broader public. But research and experience suggest that the most common barriers to meritbased authorizing decisions are political—such as those arising from influential community groups that have a weak charter application but think they have a good idea, or from administrators who do not want to upset parents by closing a school, or from parents who want to keep "their" school open, regardless of its performance. Even if these particular authorizers have not fallen prey to such problems, policymakers should consider ways to minimize the power that their specialized influences can exert if they destabilize authorizers' policies and threaten their ability to make merit-based decisions. Policymakers also should consider the amount of time and money these offices spend building public and political support for their initiatives. According to these authorizers, when staff members have to spend an inordinate amount of time responding to the concerns of special interest groups, it compromises their own internal practices.
Authorizers that operate transparently—sharing both their decisions and their processes with the public—may be more insulated from these types of pressures. It is difficult for opponents to argue against hard evidence of a school's success or failure, for example. Specialized committees, such as California's Advisory Commission on Charter Schools, that make recommendations to the final decision-maker also give the public a voice while helping to ensure that an authorizing office and its successful charter schools are less vulnerable to political change.
In addition to protecting individual authorizers from disruptive politics, policymakers also can insulate the state's overall system of authorizing. By empowering a diverse set of authorizers with different kinds of political and institutional bases, several of the states where the authorizers profiled in this guide are located have established systems in which high-quality authorizing is likely to endure even if political change affects the work of one particular authorizer. | <urn:uuid:664d329b-5da5-4982-851e-2b3d57c5db47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/choice/charter/authorizing/pub_pg20.html?exp=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969651 | 731 | 2.140625 | 2 |
RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution stabilizes and protects cellular RNA in intact, unfrozen tissue samples, eliminating the need to immediately process tissue samples or to freeze samples in liquid nitrogen for later processing. Tissue pieces can be harvested and submerged in RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution for storage without jeopardizing the quality or quantity of RNA obtained after subsequent RNA isolation.
Advantages of using RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution:
• Effectiveness—Stabilize RNA for 1 day at 37°C, 1 week at 25°C, 1 month at 4°C, or indefinitely at -20°C
• Simplicity—A single reagent that immediately inactivates RNases and stabilizes RNA within tissues or cells
• Convenience—No need to freeze samples in liquid nitrogen or rush samples back to the lab freezer
• Mobility—Perfect for tissue collection "in the field"
• Versatility—Compatible with many RNA isolation procedures including most RNA isolation kits
RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution has been tested on a variety of mammalian tissues, plants, E. coli, Xenopus, fish, and Drosophila. It is ideal for:
• Protecting RNA integrity in tissues rich in RNases
• Collecting samples from different time points without having to process the samples from each time point immediately
• Archiving tissues for future microdissection
• Submerging animal cavities or organs to stabilize RNA during lengthy dissection procedures
• Collecting samples at locations (e.g., hospitals, field sites, the space shuttle) where immediate RNA isolation is not possible
• Shipping samples on wet ice or even at room temperature if shipped overnight
RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Procedure
The dissected tissue (less than 0.5 cm in any one dimension) is simply submerged in approximately 5 volumes of RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution at room temperature. The solution permeates the cells, stabilizing the RNA. The sample can then be stored indefinitely at -20°C (the tissue does not freeze), at 4°C for up to a month or at 25°C for up to a week. For RNA isolation, the tissue is simply removed from RNAlater® and treated as though it had just been harvested. Most tissues can be transferred directly to a lysis buffer and homogenized. Samples treated with RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution and then frozen can be ground with mortar and pestle or thawed and processed like fresh tissue without concern for cell rupture and release of RNases since the RNases have already been inactivated. Cells can be spun out and then added to lysis buffer, or in some cases, RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution can be added along with the cells directly to the lysis buffer.
Compatible with a Variety of Procedures
RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution is compatible with one-step RNA isolation methods, such as TRIzol® Reagent; with glass binding methods such as Qiagen's RNeasy™ or the Ambion® RNAqueous® kit; with acid phenol extraction methods such as the Ambion® ToTALLY RNA™ kit; and with methods that use oligo(dT) selection of mRNA, such as the Ambion® Poly(A)Purist™ kit.
In-house research, as well recently published independent research, indicates that the use of RNAlater® RNA Stabilization Solution for tissue storage does not affect the outcome of subsequent RNA expression analysis experiments compared to other processing methods. | <urn:uuid:239c48ae-0dfa-4114-b913-8ef777921b9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://products.invitrogen.com/ivgn/product/AM7020 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920665 | 741 | 1.695313 | 2 |
What do you get when you get a college diploma? To hear David Foster Wallace tell it, you get a muscle that will help you forever after — in shopping lines, overcrowded parking lots, in traffic jams. This muscle, he says, frees you when the world gets painfully dull.
Fundraiser Dan Pallotta says nonprofits are rewarded for being frugal, not for what they get done.()
May 17, 2013 Sex is nice, but can animals make babies without it? One summer, two little boys, their tutor and the tutor's two friends did an experiment to explore this question. What they discovered, back in 1740, shocked the world.
May 16, 2013 The results are preliminary, and alpha parents seeking an edge for their children shouldn't risk electrocution. Still, the findings are provocative and may lead researchers down a new road.
May 16, 2013 Scientists used a Dutch woman's dirty stocking to learn that mosquitoes infected with malaria find humans hard to resist. Like a fungus that turns ants into zombies, the parasite seems to change the behavior of the mosquitoes for its own benefit.
May 16, 2013 The news that scientists have successfully cloned a human embryo seems almost certain to rekindle a political fight that has raged, on and off, since the creation of Dolly the sheep. It's a fight that has, over the past decade and a half, produced a lot of heat and light and not a lot of policy.
May 16, 2013 Scientists have discovered water that was sealed in Canadian bedrock for nearly half of Earth's history. It may contain the descendants of ancient microbes. The discovery could give scientists new insights into early life on Earth and inform the search for life on other planets.
May 15, 2013 The mission launched in 2009 to hunt for Earth-like planets circling distant stars may be coming to an end because of a faulty part in the space telescope. | <urn:uuid:f5075301-db36-410a-8140-804dde6fa93b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.npr.org/sections/science/?ft=1&f=1007 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946799 | 390 | 1.757813 | 2 |
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Today's Top News
The Next Great Coal Spill? Massey's Billion Gallon Disaster in Waiting
As President Obama makes his third trip to the Gulf today to assess the worst crude oil spill in American history, residents in the coalfields can't help but sympathize with the stricken area.
In 24 states across the country, coalfield citizens have been living with area watersheds contaminated by toxic coal slurry and coal ash for decades. Thousands of miles of streams have been jammed and sullied with coal waste from strip-mining and mountaintop removal operations.
But it's the magnitude of the massive coal slurry impoundments and dams hovering above communities in the mountains of the Appalachian coalfields that bring home the sickening images of the Gulf oil spill.
"After watching the disaster unfold in the Gulf with 20-40 million gallons of oil already spilled," says Bo Webb, in Naoma, West Virginia, "I cannot begin to imagine what would happen to our Coal River Valley if the 9 billion gallon sludge dam above us failed."
Webb is referring to the Brushy Fork impoundment, the largest and potentially weakest coal slurry impoundment in the nation operated by Massey. According to Massey's own evacuation reports, a break in the class "C" coal slurry impoundment would result in certain injury or death for the nearly 1,000 residents downslope in the valley. Some area residents would have less than 15 minutes to escape a 72-foot tidal wave of coal slurry.
We're talking about billions of gallons of coal sludge here, not millions.
Despite pleas and protests by local residents, Massey Energy is operating a reckless strip mine near the Bee Tree branch of Coal River Mountain, blasting outrageously close to the multi-billion gallon coal slurry impoundment that is held back by a weakened earthen dam.
Webb's concerns are not unfounded. Ten years ago, millions of gallons of toxic coal sludge broke through a similar impoundment at another Massey operation in eastern Kentucky. The worst environmental catastrophe in the US until the TVA coal ash pond disaster, the Martin County spill at the Massey site dumped over 300 million tons of toxic sludge into 100 miles of streams, contaminating the water supplies for 27,000 people, and wiping out 1.6. million fish.
Here is a clip from that coal spill that remained under the news media radar:
In the meantime, coalfield residents from Alaska to Wyoming are wondering if it will take a disaster on the level of the BP oil spill to get the Obama administration to deal with the unfolding disasters of coal slurry impoundments, coal ash ponds, and reckless strip-mining. | <urn:uuid:29abfb1b-2c62-4652-9b0e-68e5ae8cd0cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/06/04-3?quicktabs_1=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923459 | 652 | 2.078125 | 2 |
If you happened upon the newspaper, radio, and television ads last year, you might have assumed they were the work of a conservative organization. After all, they spotlighted black students and their parents touting an idea close to the hearts of many Republicans: government-funded vouchers for tuition at private and parochial schools. The tagline for the multimillion-dollar ad campaign, however, was this: "Parental school choice is widespread -- unless you're poor."
The sponsor of these ads is a controversial group called the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO). Founded in August of 2000, BAEO supports vouchers along with other education options for low-income parents, such as charter schools and home schooling. But the group only advocates vouchers targeted to low-income parents. It does not defend the "universal voucher" scheme that conservatives favor, and which some fear would leave public schools to founder while white middle- and upper-class parents combine public funds with their own in order to send their children to the best private schools.
This distinction has not silenced BAEO's critics. "BAEO is a black face on a white agenda," says Reverend Timothy McDonald, president of the African-American Ministers Leadership Council, a national coalition of pastors who oppose vouchers. Leaders from the National Urban League, the NAACP, and other anti-voucher black organizations have voiced similar concerns about BAEO.
This debate is not new -- and it's not news that some members of the black community strongly support voucher programs. With more than 90 percent of black children enrolled in public-school systems, many African-American parents are losing patience with limited educational options. But some black leaders are nervous about the wider movement for school vouchers -- and about the role groups such as BAEO might play when they band together with conservative activists and funders.
If the new organization has already ruffled some feathers, it has also succeeded in pulling together a broad roster of Republican and New Democrat supporters. Former Democratic Congressman Floyd Flake is on its board of directors, as is conservative columnist Armstrong Williams and 32-year-old Corey Booker, the Democratic challenger in Newark, New Jersey's mayoral race. BAEO's founder and president is Howard Fuller, who also leads the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University.
Fuller is no stranger to the fight for school vouchers. The 61-year-old reformer, a veteran of the black-power movement and onetime fundraiser for a guerrilla movement in Mozambique, worked in 1990 to create a means-tested voucher program in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The program was hailed nationally as a pioneering experiment.
Under Fuller's leadership, BAEO has developed a national network. There are now more than 33 local chapters in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Since 2000, the group's membership has grown from an initial core of around 100 to close to 1,000. And this year, it moved its headquarters from Milwaukee to Washington in order to better influence national decision makers.
BAEO's critics worry that the organization's influence will only strengthen the hand of white conservatives who want to privatize public schools. Connect the dots, these opponents suggest: BAEO has accepted grants from the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Bradley Foundation. Wal-Mart heir John Walton was a major contributor to unsuccessful ballot initiatives for school vouchers in Michigan and California. And the Bradley Foundation has provided grants to vocal opponents of affirmative action, to The Bell Curve author Charles Murray, and to the organization run by David Horowitz, author of Hating Whitey: And Other Progressive Causes.
Fuller deflects concerns about BAEO's funding with one of his favorite maxims: "We have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests." In any case, says Lawrence Patrick III, CEO and executive director of BAEO, "The people who give us money know we're not supporting universal vouchers. We've taken such a hard line, and it would be difficult for us to a budge an inch." Even some BAEO critics trust Fuller's motives. "There are those who favor vouchers because they care about kids, and there are those who want to destroy public institutions," says Hugh Price, president of the National Urban League. "Fuller falls into the first category."
The question, however, is one of strategy. It's possible that winning support for targeted vouchers will end up paving the way for universal vouchers. Indeed, one need look no further than the Milwaukee experiment for an important lesson on how messy these matters can become. Annette Polly Williams, who worked with Fuller to implement Milwaukee's program, later broke from the movement because she was unhappy about pressure from the right. Now a Democratic state representative in Wisconsin, Williams says former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson and other conservatives worked to "hijack" the voucher program by expanding it to more well-off families.
"The people now who are taking over want to pick the leadership in our community," she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 1998. "[Fuller] is the person that the white people have selected to lead the choice movement now because I don't want to cooperate."
Fuller shrugs off the criticism. He argues that black leaders should counter the threat of long-term conservative schemes by joining the movement for targeted vouchers and steering it in the direction they want. The question for liberals who support public schools is this: What alternative can they offer that's more promising than targeted vouchers?
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(If there's one thing we know about comment trolls, it's that they're lazy) | <urn:uuid:1bb35082-bfe8-4f21-aa6e-553e65c33385> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://prospect.org/article/who-vouches-vouchers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958438 | 1,148 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Any recent progress in this area? (A way to get the student's name for a certificate?)
This is a thread from about 7 years ago, so most of the people involved in the discussion are probably gone.
What specifically is it that you're trying to do, and what Blackboard version are you using?
Yeah, ancient thread, I know. :)
I'm using Vista 8, and I'm trying to make a completion certificate with the current student's name (as it appears in the Grade Book) on it.
I want to avoid having the students enter their names.
I'd also love to grab the date of the student's 100% score on the assessment, but right now, I'll settle for the name.
There used to be a Powerlink available to generate certificates in CE/Vista courses, but unfortunately, all the posts I've seen about it are pretty old, and none of the links work anymore.
Ok Mike, thanks. Though unlikely, if I find it, I'll post the link.
© Blackboard, Inc. | <urn:uuid:590eb702-b388-4a9d-8f01-1a32f6768272> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://discussions.blackboard.com/forums/p/28656/90989.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948317 | 221 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Let’s start with some background about the Lisfranc Joint. It is located between the midfoot and forefoot at the joints between the metatarsals and the cuneiforms and cuboid bones [collectively known as the tarsal bones]. There is a special Lisfranc ligament that connects the 2nd metatarsal to the 1st cuneiform. Lisfranc joint injuries are rare, but can be difficult to treat as they are often misdiagnosed. So how do Lisfranc injuries occur? It is most commonly occurs in automobile accident victims, military personnel, runners, football players (and other contact sports), and sometimes even a staircase foot slip can all cause the injury. If you fit in one of these categories of personnel and are experiencing pain and swelling in the aforementioned region then please come see Dr. Steinberg, Dr. Yanes, or Dr. Ho at Frederick Foot and Ankle Specialists.
Why should we write about an injury that rarely occurs? Well, simply because if it does occur you should be aware of the symptoms and complications that can arise from the injury. Matt Schaub, of the Houston Texans (NFL), was recently diagnosed (last Sunday!) with a Lisfranc injury. His injury, most likely, occurred as he planted his forefoot to the ground, had his heel in the air and twisted his foot. Obviously, to be certain of the injury Matt Schaub went to see his doctor and a Foot and Ankle Specialist. Coincidentally, that’s part of our practice’s name! Visit us at our locations in Frederick or Urbana, MD to get your consultation of your injury.
We’ll do the necessary tests and referrals to properly diagnose your injury and get you the proper treatment for your ailment. If the injury is stable (bones aligned) we’ll begin with a period of immobilization followed by gradual return to activity. However, if it is unstable surgical treatment may be recommended. Surgery will depend on the amount of swelling the patient presents and the severity of the injury. We want to make sure you get the correct treatment because we don’t want you to experience changes in your foot, such as, widening of the foot. Recovery from such an injury can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year. We’ll definitely make sure to take all the precautions to ensure a fast and speedy recovery!
At Frederick’s Foot and Ankles Specialists we have taken notice in the toning shoes popularity. The belief is that these shoes represent a shortcut to getting in shape and toning your body while you walk. Well, at least that is what the companies are advertising. Customers have mainly been purchasing Sketchers Shape-ups or Reebok Easy-tones. These shoes have two distinct and unique designs. Sketchers Shape-ups are a ‘rocker-bottom’ structure similar to the rocking chair concept. It will allow you to rock from heel to toe during you walking stride. Reebok Easy-tones design consists of a ‘ball-like’ design on forefoot and heel. The concept is similar to you trying to balance on exercise ball while doing sit-ups.
It is true that traditional shoes can restrict natural foot function. It can promote weakness and possibly increase injury to foot or ankles. Toning shoes will just as likely alter natural foot function as well. In some people it may create too much instability in walking/standing, which make it difficult to wear in certain intense activities. Toning shoes may slightly tone your lower extremities, but is the appearance worth less than optimal foot function? Visit our doctors in one of our locations in Frederick or Urbana, MD for more information on normal foot function.
When celebrities, such as, Kim Kardashian and Eva Mendes promote Sketchers Shape-ups and Reebok Easy-tones consumers will jump at a moment’s notice to purchase these ‘miracle’ shoes. But you must keep in mind that these shoes do not directly cause significant weight loss or a ripped body. They may provide some benefits, but you must be aware of the health risks that the shoe can cause through extended use. Patients do not realize that these shoes wear out more quickly than the standard due to the material the shoe is made out of. People who overpronate (roll ankles inward) should never consider these shoes as an everyday shoe. The shoes over time compress quickly and pronate the foot excessively. This can lead to hip, knee and joint problems.
‘Rocker-bottom’ shoes have been around the medical world for years. They have been used to rehabilitate ankles and work on position stance. It is important for you to know your foot tendencies and be aware of your limitations of your foot structure. Visit us to discuss specifically about your structure!
Have you been experiencing pain right under that big toe after some physical activity or from wearing shoes/heels all day? Well that pain may be coming from two common conditions: sesamoiditis or Gout. Let’s start by giving a little background of each condition. First, sesamoids are the two circular small bones that are located right underneath the big toe. Their main purpose is to assist with weight-bearing and help elevate the rest of the bones in the big toe. With so much weight and so much biomechanical involvement the tendons surrounding the sesamoids can become inflamed or irritated.
Gout is a condition that is caused by a build up of uric acid in the joints. The big toe joint is the most common affected area. The noticeable different between gout and sesamoiditis is amount and timing of pain. Gout is normally accompanied with extremely painful attacks (mainly in men) and a classic symptom of waking up in the middle of the night with sharp throbbing pain in the big toe.
At Frederick’s Foot and Ankle Specialists we can help determine which condition you may have. Most importantly, we can help alleviate and treat the symptoms that arise from having either condition.
Usually dancers, runners and baseball catchers are more prone to getting sesamoiditis. While, eating too much red meat, shellfish and brandy, being a man over 40 yrs and genetics makes you more gout-prone. Did you know that historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin and King Henry VII of England had gout conditions? Gout has been around for a long time, unfortunately for Mr. Franklin and King Henry VIIIthey didn’t have Dr. Steinberg, Dr. Yanes, or Dr. Ho to treat them with today’s prescribed gout medication. So stop by our offices in Frederick or Urbana, MD!
Treatment for sesamoiditis is more up to the patient. Usually stoppage of the activity causing the inflammation is requested. Ibuprofen and aspirin may be prescribed and some more cushioned shoes may be ordered. In severe cases, we would administer steroid injections.
These are two drastically different conditions. One that you are more genetically-disposed (Gout) and the other that is caused mainly by physical activity without rest (Sesamoiditis). Come see us to help determine the proper diagnosis.
It’s getting that time of the year where the weather turns cold permanently. The days seem longer, the day gets windier, and the air is chillier. Despite the weather change and the challenges the wintry environment presents there is a minority of people that love this weather and love to be outdoors every minute of it! At Frederick Foot and Ankle Specialists we are glad you enjoy your favorite time of the year, but we are here to tell you to take precautions so you may keep joying what you love for many years to come.
Dangerous exposure of your feet to cold over for a long period can lead to a serious condition called frostbite. Frostbite starts by producing pain and a burning sensation in the exposed areas. If the frostbite goes unnoticed or untreated numbness will present in the toes or feet and can change in skin color, from pale or red to black.
Frostbite can be classified under two categories: Superficial frostbite injuries refer to those that involve the skin and subcutaneous tissue. When the damage goes deeper, beyond the subcutaneous tissue and into muscles, nerves, tendons, or bones, they are classified as deep frostbite injuries. At Frederick and Urbana, MD we will tailor a treatment plan to the frostbite based on the extent of the injury.
You might be asking how do celebrity athletes such as, Shaun White, spend so much time in those snowy conditions practicing his insane snowboarding tricks. He simply takes the necessary precautions to prevent frostbite. He checks his feet and he sees a medical professional on a consistent basis. It should be noted that children, the elderly, and diabetics are more prone to frostbite because of the size of their extremities and/or poor circulation.
If you suspect any sign of frostbite, please come see Dr. Yanes, Dr. Steinberg, and Dr. Ho immediately. We’ will need to rewarm the area, apply bandages and prescribe possible antibiotics and monitor damage tissue.
Do you have pain in your big toe? If your toe hurts by simply trying to point it up towards the sky (dorsiflexion) then you may have something called, Hallux Rigidus. This ‘unmoveable’ big toe is one of the most common forms of arthritis of the foot. Hallux Rigidus occurs as a result of wear-and-tear injuries, which wears down the articular cartilage. This can cause the bone to start rubbing on bone. If this condition is not caught quick enough a bone spur, or overgrowth of bone, may develop on the top of the bone. This overgrowth can prevent the toe from bending as much as it needs to when you walk. As you can imagine this results in very difficult and painful walking. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, come see us at Frederick Foot and Ankle Specialists!
So who is more prone to getting Hallux Rigidus? Really, anyone with bad biomechanics or abnormalities of the foot can get it. But one of the main causes is osteoarthritis. The joint space is narrowing during this condition exacerbates hallux rigidus. People with flat feet or excessive rolling in of the foot/ankle are also highly susceptible to developing hallux rigidus. But what we really have to look out for is the second most common cause of this condition, which is overuse. Workers that have to stoop or squat naturally add more stress to their big toe joint. Hallux Rigidus can be formed from such activity or as simple as stubbing your toe.
An example of overuse of that big toe joint is basketball players. College super-athletes, such as, University of Washington Isaiah Thomas even experiences hallux rigidus. He elected to undergo surgery after his basketball season in order to alleviate and cure his chronic joint pain.
Our offices at Frederick and Urbana, MD will assist you in treating your hallux rigidus condition. If caught at a less severe stage we can provide accommodations such as shoe modifications, orthotic prescriptions, medication, corticosteroid injections or physical therapy. Dr. Yanes, Dr. Steinberg, and Dr. Ho will exhaust nearly all of the conservative treatments available before suggesting any surgery. Surgery may be needed to clean up the joint, to restore normal alignment and function of the joint or to fuse the joint to eliminate any further pain.
We want you at your best and want you to walk pain-free so stop by if you are feeling any of the symptoms! As always check your feet daily and stop by! It can help avoid future health problems! | <urn:uuid:375cb151-28a3-45a7-8a7c-cf9cc52a1d71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mynewfeet.com/blog/tag/Frederick+Foot+and+Ankle+Specialists.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949349 | 2,469 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How and where do I register my dog?
Get a registration form from your local Council, complete the form and return with the required fee. Council will then issue a tag. A microchipping fee may also apply. Dog registration forms will be mailed to all known dog owners at annual registration time. If you do not receive a form in the mail OR you are a new dog owner, please make application to your local Council Service Centre.
At what age should my dog be registered?
All dogs MUST be registered by the age of three months.
When do I need to register my dog?
Registration is required annually on the 1 July. Owners have until the 31 July to register their dogs without incurring a penalty. Throughout the year, dogs being registered for the first time will be charged a part fee, for the time remaining in the registration year.
What does it cost?
REGISTRATIONS - Council sets the fees annually commencing 1 July. Please see fees and charges.
PENALTIES - 50% will be applied to ALL outstanding registrations after the 31 July.
My dog has died - do I get a refund?
If your dog has died, and you have paid your annual registration fee, you are entitled to a partial refund on that year's registration fee. To apply for a refund you will need to complete a Dog Refund form and provide Council with the tag from the deceased dog or other proof of death (like a veterinary certificate).
Can I transfer my existing registration from another Council?
To transfer registration, you will need to produce the old tag, complete a registration form and a replacement tag will be issued.
What is the selected owner policy?
This is a status that owners need to apply for. Certain criteria are applicable and a declaration form will need to be completed. The fees are reduced for selected owners.
Does my dog need to be microchipped?
New microchip laws came into effect on 1 July 2006. All new dogs first registered on or after 01 July 2006 need to be chipped. The microchip number must be advised to Council.
How do I get my dog chipped?
Contact your local vet or Council's Animal Control unit can administer the chip for a fee.
My neighbours dogs are barking continuously; what can I do?
Call your local Council office with all the details and they will contact the Animal Control unit who will despatch an officer to investigate.
What are the hours of operation?
Tokoroa Landfill: 9.00am to 4.00pm Tuesday to Sunday (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day until 1pm))
Putaruru Transfer station: 9.00 - 4.00pm Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day until 1pm))
What does it cost?
The weighbridge system is used and fees are based on $123.00/tonne plus a National Waste Levy (currently $10.00 + GST per tonne). Fixed fees apply to special items - please see the latest fees and charges schedule for information.
What is the charge for greenwaste?
Half of the normal fee.
Can we take chemicals, old paint etc to the landfill?
Only by special arrangement.
What about my recyclables?
There are recycling depots at the landfill entrance and you are welcome to put your recyclable material there without entering the landfill and incurring a cost. This applies only to cans, bottles, plastics, newspapers and kraft paper. No greenwaste.
What about rubbish bags?
Official refuse bags - 60 litre maximum capacity only - are free if bag and contents are deposited over the tipface after weighing. Unofficial bags, up to 60 litres capacity, are $2.00 each to dump.
Do you have recycling collection?
Urban residents have a fortnightly kerbside recycling collection. In addition to this service, there are public recycling depots at both landfill entrances and other areas. Collection days may be subject to change especially during statutory periods. These changes will be published in the media and Councils website at that time.
Official refuse bags can be purchased from Council offices, supermarkets and other stores
When is my collection day?
Council provides a weekly collection of official bags from defined areas (mostly urban) paying for this service.
Tuesday - Putaruru and Arapuni
Wednesday - parts of Tokoroa (central - bordered by State Highway 1, Baird Road, Maraetai Road and Elizabeth Drive)
Thursday - parts of Tokoroa (south of Maraetai Road)
Friday - Tirau and parts of Tokoroa (northern - north of Baird Road) (west - west of Elizabeth Drive, between Baird Road and Maraetai Road)
How much for a refuse bag?
Retail price (Council offices only) = $5.00 per set of 5 bags from 2 July 2012
These costs are subject to an annual change.
Where is my local Council office and contact number?
Tokoroa, Torphin Crescent (885 0340)
Putaruru, Overdale Street (883 7189)
Tirau i-Site, Main Road (883 1202)
What are the Council office hours?
Tokoroa: 8.00am to 5.00pm
Putaruru: 8.00am to 5.00pm
Tirau i-Site: 9.00am to 5.00pm (limited services available)
What is Council's postal address?
Private Bag 7, Tokoroa, 3444
What is Council's website address?
Where are our libraries?
Tokoroa, Mannering Street (886 6574)
Putaruru, Overdale Street (883 7187)
Tirau, Station Road (883 1208)
What are the Library hours?
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9.30am to 5.30pm
Wednesday: 9.30am to 6.00pm
Saturday: 9.30am to 2.00pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8am to 5.00pm
Wednesday: 8am to 5.30pm
Saturday: 9.30am to 12.30pm
Monday to Friday: 2.30pm to 5.30pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Where are our Pools?
Tokoroa, Roslin Street (885 0739)
Putaruru (Summer only), Glenshea Park (883 3498)
Tirau (Summer only), Goodwin Street Reserve
When are the Pools open?
Monday - Friday 6.00am to 8.00pm
Saturday, Sunday & Public holidays 7.30am - 8.00pm
Putaruru (Summer only):
Daily 12 noon to 6.00pm
Tirau (Summer only):
Daily 12 noon - 6.00pm
How can I pay my rates?
Cash/Cheque/Eftpos/Direct Debit (monthly & quarterly only), Automatic Payment (weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly), Direct Credit, Telephone and Internet banking. Credit card facility is not available.
When are my rates due?
Rates are invoiced quarterly and are normally due 7 September (Instalment 1), 7 December (Instalment 2), 7 March (Instalment 3), 7 June (Instalment 4)
Will I get a penalty if I don't pay by the due date?
Yes. If you miss payment, a 10% penalty will be applied to the unpaid balance of the instalment.
How do I change my address?
A Change of Address form needs to be completed. Council does not accept a change of address over the phone, notification of the change must be made in writing. Change of Address can be advised by email to the rates team.
My property has been sold, what happens to my rates?
Usually on transfer of the property your solicitor contacts the Council rates department, to ascertain how much needs to be paid or if a refund is due. In the first instance, please check with your solicitor; however, an officer from Council's rates department may be able to help you.
I didn't receive a rates notice?
Let us know the property you are paying rates for so that we can ascertain why you may not have received a notice. Perhaps we have an incorrect mailing address (see above note on how to request a change of postal address). Otherwise, a copy invoice can be supplied.
How do I apply for a rates rebate?
Council administers the rates rebate scheme for The Department of Internal Affairs. Certain criteria apply for the rebate. A rebate application form or information regarding the rate rebate scheme can be obtained by contacting one of Council's Customer Service Officers at either the Tokoroa or Putaruru office.
Am I allowed to hold a sausage sizzle in town?
You need to complete an Application for Use of a Public Place form. Approval from surrounding affected premises will need to be sought. You also need to complete an Application for Registration-Temporary Food Stall form. Once all criteria are met, your application will be considered by Council's Environmental Health Officer and you will be notified accordingly. There is a fee attached. If you are a non-profit organisation, please provide a supporting letter with your application as you may be eligible for a waiver of fees.
Can I sell raffle tickets in town?
You need to complete an Application for Use of a Public Place form. Signed approval from surrounding affected premises will need to be sought. Once all criteria are met, your application will be considered by Council's Environmental Health Officer and you will be notified accordingly. There is no fee for this application.
Can I burn rubbish/have a hangi?
Council's Principal Rural Fire Officer will set the criteria to the current conditions. Please ask a Customer Service Officer.
We've got rats! Can Council help?
Council has rat bait available at the Customer Service Counters. The bags cost $2 each.
How do I apply for a Pensioner flat?
An application form will need to be completed and certain criteria apply. Please ask a Customer Service Officer for a form so that you can view the criteria.
Frequently asked for telephone numbers
|TANGS (Tokoroa A Naturally Growing Success)
||TANGS no longer exists. The phone number is defunct.|
|Waikato Regional Council
||0800 800 401|
|Plant & Animal Pest Advice
||0800 BIOSECURITY or 0800 246 732|
||Flybusters 0800 837 070|
or Paul Black 07 883 8389
|CAB - Citizens Advice Bureau www.cab.org.nz
||0800 367 222|
|Work and Income
||0800 559 009|
|South Waikato Achievement Centre (Recycle Centre)
|Emergency after hours numbers
||Sewerage and Water
||Dangerous Goods Inspector
||Emergency Management/Rural Fire
||Animal Control Officers
||Environmental Health Officers
||Noise Control Officer
||Roadworks and Flooding (Downer EDI) | <urn:uuid:8797feba-e6e7-41fb-b134-4463ccf9b42b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.southwaikato.govt.nz/our-services/customer-services/Pages/Frequently-Asked-Questions.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908922 | 2,356 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Mr. Panetta’s decision came after he received a Jan. 9 letter from Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who stated in strong terms that the armed service chiefs all agreed that “the time has come to rescind the direct combat exclusion rule for women and to eliminate all unnecessary gender-based barriers to service.”The Times article said it was unclear why the Joint Chiefs decided to act now after years of discussion, although there is speculation that recent threats of legal action may have played a role. However, a Government Accountability Office report issued on January 29 raises some questions about the timing of such a monumental change in policy.
I first reported the GAO report in a January 31 blog post at The Weekly Standard where I addressed the fiscal impact of allowing women in combat positions. However, the broader focus of the report is spelled out in its title: "DOD Has Taken Steps to Meet the Health Needs of Deployed Servicewomen, but Actions Are Needed to Enhance Care for Sexual Assault Victims." An explanation of the special focus on sexual assault victims appears early in the report [emphasis added]:
The roles for women in the military have been expanding and evolving, particularly since the Persian Gulf War more than 2 decades ago. Formerly, servicewomen served primarily in supportive roles in overseas U.S. military operations. Today, servicewomen are integral to combat support and counterinsurgency operations, and they serve in many roles they previously did not hold. In late 2011, for example, women began serving aboard Navy submarines. In early 2012, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced that changes to its assignment policies would result in more than 14,000 additional positions being opened to women, including positions in select direct ground combat units. Further, while sexual assault victimization is not unique to women, the presence of women in new roles suggests that continued vigilance with respect to this issue is needed. Given the expanding and evolving role of women in the military, the health and wellness of servicewomen plays an important role in overall military readiness.According to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012, this report was originally due by December 31, 2012. As mentioned above, the report was released on January 29, but given that the paragraph above does not mention the lifting of the women in combat ban, the GAO report was apparently finalized prior to Panetta's announcement. This policy change, much more far reaching that even the change opening "14,000 additional positions" in early 2012, exponentially increases the need for "continued vigilance" regarding "sexual assault victimization" that the GAO calls for. Therefore, the timing of the announcement lifting the ban and the DOD's reaction to the GAO report recommendations is curious.
The GAO made two recommendations at the conclusion of its inquiry regarding "sexual assault victimization":
To enhance the medical and mental health care for servicewomen who are victims of sexual assault, GAO recommends that DOD (1) develop department-level guidance on the provision of care to victims of sexual assault; and (2) take steps to improve first responders' compliance with the department's requirements for annual refresher training. DOD did not concur with the first recommendation, but cited steps it is taking that appear consistent with the recommendation. DOD concurred with the second recommendation.In this short summary of the DOD's reaction to the draft report, which the DOD reviewed before the GAO prepared and issued the final version on January 29, the GAO notes that the DOD "did not concur with the first recommendation, but cited steps it is taking that appear consistent with the recommendation." This summary sounds sanguine about the steps the DOD is taking to conform to the GAO's first recommendation, but it fails to convey the lengths to which the DOD appears to have gone to avoid concurring and to avoid fully cooperating with the GAO staff conducting the review. Here is the full paragraph from the body of the report discussing the DOD's recommendations. It is quite lengthy, but I have taken the liberty of highlighting all the references to the DOD's reticence to fully engage the GAO:
In written comments on a draft of this report, DOD stated in its cover letter that, overall, the department did not concur with the report's findings and conclusions. However, DOD's cover letter did not provide an explanation for this comment. In an enclosure to its letter, DOD stated that it did not concur with our first recommendation that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs develop and implement department-level guidance on the provision of medical and mental health care to victims of sexual assault that would specify health care providers' responsibilities to respond to and care for sexual assault victims, whether in the United States or in deployed environments. DOD's justification of its assessment, however, did not make clear why the department did not concur. Instead, DOD provided examples of steps it has been taking that may help to address the findings in this report. Specifically, DOD stated that, while the second version of DOD Instruction 6495.02, entitled "Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program Procedures" has been in coordination for nearly 2 years and is not yet published, the revised instruction will be comprehensive and will contain two medical enclosures. According to DOD, the first medical enclosure will address health care provider procedures and direct the Surgeons General of the military services to carry out responsibilities related to the
coordination, evaluation, and implementation of care, while the second medical enclosure will address health care providers' responsibilities related to Sexual Assault Forensic Examination kits. During the course of this review, we met with DOD officials who had knowledge of and were involved in the instruction's revision, but these officials did not discuss or share their draft revisions with us when we presented our findings to them. We cannot verify, therefore, whether the enclosures referenced in DOD's comments will address our recommendation. However, we plan to review the instruction when DOD finalizes it to determine whether it meets the intent of our recommendation. Finally, DOD stated that the department meets its oversight responsibilities with regard to sexual assault response through training in graduate medical education and through monitoring and oversight of the process that governs credentialing and privileging of providers. However, it is not clear why this statement is applicable to our recommendation. We did not address these points in the finding that led to this recommendation, and our recommendation is focused on the need for additional guidance.
The DOD's lack of transparency and full cooperation with the GAO has certainly compromised the effectiveness of this report at the precise time when a huge policy change regarding women is emerging. Not only, as the GAO indicates above, will this require further follow up by the GAO, but it has prevented Congress from having complete information on an important aspect of the issue at a time when Congress must decide whether or not to act. As the GAO report said:
Given the expanding and evolving role of women in the military, the health and wellness of servicewomen plays an important role in overall military readiness.Implementing this policy change, unless Congress intervenes, will be the first order of business for Chuck Hagel or whoever ends up being confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense. And given the importance of the military readiness of the United States, the Department of Defense owes the GAO, Congress and the American people full disclosure when it comes to how it plans to handle one of the most significant changes to the armed forces in our lifetime.
Note: A version of this article first appeared on February 6, 2013 at The Weekly Standard. | <urn:uuid:2a020b26-f4f3-4c83-9569-fd650a24ab78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://speakwithauthority-jsm.blogspot.com/2013/02/department-of-defense-rejects-gao.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96265 | 1,544 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Vice-Chairman Deng Xiaoping and the reform-minded officials around him seem determined to learn from the mistakes of the Polish leadership to keep the same problems from coming up in China.
Indeed, the lessons drawn by the Chinese authorities are already visible in the way Peking has scaled down its economic modernization drive and stepped up efforts to root out bureaucratic corruption.
The People's Daily commented recently, "The development of this crisis has its roots in the long years of serious economic policy mistakes, in the disruption of the democratic principle in political life, in the serious bureaucratism or even corruption among certain leading cadres, which have aroused strong resentment among the masses against their party and government."
Observers in Peking have pinpointed several basic errors made by the Polish government during the past decade that, in China's view, led to the current crisis.
Chinese officials are said to fault Warsaw for three crucial mistakes in the economy: promoting heavy industry at the expense of agriculture; using money inefficiently, after borrowing far too much in the first place; and making unrealistic promises to the people about the country's economic prospects, raising expectations that could not be fulfilled.
It is noteworthy how much of this critique is applicable to China itself. And almost every facet of the "four modernizations" program is being readjusted to avert the kind of trouble Poland is experiencing.
"The entire industrial front must be contracted," the Peole's Daily wrote recently. "We must close, halt, or amalgamate a number of factories. Heavy industry must retreat and light industry and agriculture must be promoted."
Several major capital construction have been canceled, including the widely publicized, multibillion-dollar Baoshan steel works in Shanghai. And meanwhile more state money has been chaneled into agriculture, and a limited market economy has been allowed in the rural areas.
After a spurt of borrowing from abroad, which led to a 1980 debt of $4.2 billion, the Chinese have sharply curtailed plans for future foreign loans, partly because Peking cannot afford today's high interest rates, and partly to prevent the country from becoming too dependent on foreign aid. | <urn:uuid:152b6b95-58e5-4208-abd8-f2e3181b2f4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.csmonitor.com/1981/0225/022561.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963289 | 437 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Categories - News
In the latest in an ongoing stream of developments surrounding user privacy and the fair usage of cookies online, Mozilla have announced that a new patch will change the default settings to disallow third party cookies in Firefox 22 (we’re currently on version 19). The announcement has received increased attention since Mike Zaneis, Senior Vice President for IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), tweeted that this would be a “nuclear first strike” against the ad industry. Furthermore, the arrival of this patch comes in the wake of a tumultuous year for user privacy and cookies policy, as European laws detailing fair usage for cookies came into effect back in May 2012, and August saw Google receive the largest FTC fine ever for circumventing Safari’s privacy settings to enable cookies.
To reiterate, this isn’t necessarily a new feature to Firefox. Previous versions of the browser have included the option to block third party cookies in the privacy tab of Firefox’s general options, but the new patch will make this setting the default for Firefox users. So what will the patch mean? Well the short answer is… not a whole lot. It should be made clear that this setting is already in effect within Safari, which similarly disallows third party cookies (unless the source already has a cookie previously set). Additionally, this in no way affects first party cookies, which can still identify a returning user and follow one around the web.
The real significance of the announcement is that it makes it clear how Mozilla is looking to align itself in the coming year. 2012 saw Chrome jump ahead of Internet Explorer as the most popular browser worldwide, and as Chrome’s market share has increased steadily over the last 12 months, IE and Firefox’s market shares have decreased in kind. With this new patch, Firefox is looking to align itself alongside Safari as a more ’privacy-focused’ web browser, while Chrome and (to a lesser extent) Internet Explorer focus on improving the user experience and delivering the best suited content to each user, more or less ignoring the user’s online privacy.
To what extent and
to what avail collected surfing data is being used is increasingly a concern among internet users. Yet, personally, I still think it’s debatable whether or not the automated monitoring of one’s online identity and our surfing behavior is even truly that concerning (or at least a breach of one’s anonymity). Either way, whether one thinks that delivering users content that’s best suited to them is more important, or strictly protecting privacy is, it’s obvious that allowing third party cookies is the most ideal situation for online advertisers, particularly as browsing begins to converge across platforms and devices, and the possibility to track a user across them becomes more and more real. The real, at present unanswered, question is how advertisers will cope with this loss of data. Will online advertising methods have to quickly evolve? It will certainly be a challenge.
Fittingly, this announcement also ties in with Sony’s new plan to release a Firefox OS phone in 2014. Perhaps this “bombshell” announcement about a cookies default setting – which is definitely far more bark than bite – was merely an attempt to curry favor with the pro-privacy lobby and fan the flames of a debate that continues to discredit Google by highlighting its most glaring flaw. | <urn:uuid:63ce2870-ff5e-4420-b779-59ecac2911a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thesearchagents.com/2013/02/the-continuing-battle-for-privacy-firefox-22-to-block-third-party-cookies-in-firefox-by-default/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939864 | 690 | 1.742188 | 2 |
The City Commission and Fiscal Court have started a discussion about bringing back a human rights commission after its dismissal in the 1970s.
During a joint City Commission and Fiscal Court meeting Monday afternoon, representatives from the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights said about 24 counties have established human rights commissions to act as advisory groups on local human rights issues.
The local commissions help residents address issues including disability accommodations and age discrimination, and provide assistance to the state commission, state program coordinator Glenda Green said.
In most instances, the Franklin County board would refer issues to the state commission, which employs 26 people – 10 less than seven years ago, added John Johnson, executive director of the state commission.
It was formed 52 years ago but hasn’t eradicated every human rights issue from Kentucky, Johnson said.
Age discrimination, women’s rights, health care, diversity in communities and schools and disability accommodations will be focal points of the commission.
“Sometimes it is good to hear from the citizens about the issues going on locally,” Johnson said.
The state commission has encouraged local governments to charge a commission with making reports on issues and sponsoring discussions in the community to help address human rights issues, Johnson added.
The state commission provides technical assistance in creating the local commission, and has sent sample ordinances to both local governments, Johnson said.
The city had a similar commission when Bob Bennett was mayor, Magistrate Don Sturgeon said.
Sturgeon served on the board that met on an as needed basis for two-year terms.
Johnson explained the commission would have as much power as the two governments allowed it to have, but it would be most effective to appoint a wide representation of the community.
“I don’t think local commissions ought to be involved in the blame game, but it is good to look at local conditions and look at a long-range plan to address concerns,” Johnson said.
The other counties that have adopted a commission have appointed a mostly volunteer group with a small budget between $500-$1,000, Johnson said.
The commissioners and magistrates agreed to continue the discussion after they researched the previous board and what guidelines they would create for it. | <urn:uuid:be9b508b-0ca1-4eb3-a0bb-e4a247cc9fc4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.state-journal.com/local%20news/2012/04/17/group-suggests-human-rights-commission | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964743 | 449 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Stock Photo Description:Photo of surface of the Planet Mars from Spirit Rover. This is a photo by NASA Public Domain showing surface of the Planet Mars from Spirit Rover.
The Spirit rover had to dig a little deeper to find out more about this martian rock, dubbed "Wishstone."
Spirit used its rock abrasion tool, or "RAT," first to scour a patch of the rock's surface with a wire brush, then to grind away the surface to reveal interior material. Examination of the exposed circle revealed that the rock is rich in phosphorus. Spirit used its panoramic camera to take the three individual images that were combined to produce this false-color view emphasizing the freshly ground dust around the hole cut by the RAT.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell
Image courtesy of NASA. NASA images are in the public domain and may be used for free, however certain restrictions may apply. This public domain image may not be used in any way suggesting approval or endorsement of any people appearing in the photos. Please read the NASA guidelines for use for more information and info about using the NASA insignia logo and other intellectual property that may appear in these NASA public domain images. | <urn:uuid:d778445c-ec64-4228-9ace-4e7086b8462a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0124-1010-1812-3507.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903069 | 245 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Committee on undergraduate women's leadership launches website
Posted September 15, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
A committee established to develop a better understanding of women's leadership in academic and extracurricular activities at Princeton has launched a website seeking observations about leadership roles at the University and suggestions from students, alumni, faculty and staff.
The Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women's Leadership was commissioned by President Shirley M. Tilghman to provide recommendations to expand opportunities for students to pursue leadership roles inside and outside the classroom. The committee's website asks campus community members to answer a series of questions about their experiences and views related to student leadership at the University. This information will help the committee shape its recommendations, according to committee chair Nannerl Keohane.
"The committee already has gathered valuable input from many Princetonians in the initial phases of our work, and we look forward to capturing the full range of diverse perspectives on this issue," said Keohane, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the University Center for Human Values. "Feedback from the website will augment the information we collect while continuing to meet with various groups this fall. The insights gained are critical to our work as we explore whether there are disparities in how male and female undergraduate students assert leadership inside and outside the classroom at Princeton."
The website includes information on the members and purpose of the committee, as well as a timeline of the committee's activities. The site will be updated as the committee works to fulfill its charge by February 2011 to issue a report describing its findings and presenting recommendations for improving the opportunities for all students to excel at Princeton. | <urn:uuid:35fcf5d6-a347-4602-8558-c6d9d12d7097> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S28/45/61S67/index.xml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954849 | 345 | 1.734375 | 2 |
When people in the United States talk about great fantasy heroes, it's all Conan, Bilbo, and Harry Potter. Nobody ever talks about the little French dude with the wings on his head. Asterix the Gaul has a huge following in Europe, thanks to decades of adventures in the Roman Empire and the rest of the world. But he's never gotten his props in the United States, and few people recognize his importance in the fantasy canon.
Here's why Asterix deserves more props as a fantasy hero.
Who is Asterix?
Asterix was the hero of a comic strip by Goscinny and Uderzo in the early 1960s, which later became a popular series of books in France, which took off massively in the U.K. thanks to some witty translations by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge. In a nutshell, the comic takes place in an alternate history where the Romans failed to conquer one tiny part of ancient Gaul — a single village where the inhabitants take a magic potion that gives them super-strength.
Asterix is a story of resistance — and it's probably no coincidence that it came to popularity for the post-World War II generation that still remembered the German occupation. But the little Gaul and his best friend, the large and dim-witted Obelix, also go on tons of adventures together, traveling to various parts of Europe and elsewhere. The typical Asterix adventure has to do with the Romans (or some other group) trying to outwit the Gauls, or steal their supply of magic potion, or mess with one of Asterix's friends. And Asterix has to use his wits and cunning — as much as any magical powers — to win out.
It's a wish-fulfillment fantasy about the underdog beating the giant unstoppable armies of oppression. But it's also a story of a wily hero making his way through a series of adventures, in the tradition of Odysseus and countless others. And it's a super-satirical look at things like bureaucracy, war, boxing, and cultural differences, filtered through a very French wackiness. The downside, of course, is that it's a product of its time and a lot of that satire is pretty darn racist, especially whenever African people show up.
Besides Asterix and Obelix, recurring characters include the vain and shouty chief Vitalstatistix, the lovable druid Getafix and the ear-bleedingly-terrible bard Cacophonix. Plus the cute dog Dogmatix. There are tons of recurring jokes and motifs in the series, and part of the fun is seeing the same gags in every book, like Obelix devouring an entire wild boar by himself and Asterix's cartoon uppercut.
Goscinny and Uderzo did 24 volumes of Asterix before Goscinny died — and even though the series continued after that, it's probably best to ignore all of the later stuff. Their penultimate Asterix volume, Obelix & Co., is probably my favorite — it's a pretty sharp departure from the goofiness of the rest of the series, in which the satire gets a much sharper edge. The Romans finally figure out a way to defeat those rebellious Gauls — they use capitalism. In particular, they turn Obelix's trade in menhirs, big ritual stones, into a thriving commercial enterprise, so that the village's economy becomes complex and diversified, and everybody is obsessed with inflation and market strategies. It's actually a genuinely clever look at how global capitalism can conquer where armies can't.
What kind of fantasy is Asterix?
When Conan the Barbarian goes off on his voyages, he fights monsters and sorcerers and larger-than-life threats. Asterix and Obelix, for the most part... fight people. I'm racking my brains to think of a single magical thing in the Asterix comics, besides the magic potion that allows Asterix to fight against impossible odds. And I'm coming up blank. There's plenty in Asterix's world that's exaggerated and silly, but not actually magical.
And maybe that's one reason why fantasy fans never talk about Asterix in the same context as other fantasy heroes. He doesn't live in a fantasy world. In fact, you could argue that Asterix is the opposite of Conan. He's a magical guy traipsing around an unmagical world, and the fantasy premise is just what allows Asterix to survive his adventures — and the village to exist, of course. I can't think, off the top of my head, of another long-running fantasy series where the heroes are literally the only ones who have magic powers.
But in the case of Asterix, it totally makes sense — the Roman Empire is often portrayed as more "modern" than the village in Gaul, with its sophisticated economics and fancy customs. Obelix's constant catch phrase is "These Romans are crazy!" — and my favorite time he utters it is at the climax of a weird avant-garde theater performance in Rome, that Asterix and Obelix have been roped into performing in. The Romans are pomo and fancy and sophisticated, while the Gauls are down-to-Earth and simple — and old-fashioned. The fantasy premise of Asterix is that there's a magical potion that allows people to keep living in the past, and resist the rise of modernity.
And I think that's one reason why Asterix is such an appealing hero — not just because he and his village represent resistance against invaders, but because the climax of every adventure is that Asterix gets to remain true to his origins. He doesn't have to compromise who he is, in the face of a world that wants him to change or accept new ideas. At the end of every adventure, Asterix returns home to his village for a massive feast, which symbolizes that all is well, and that the village remains unchanged from the start of the story. Asterix's real superpower is remaining himself, no matter what you throw at him. And we could use more fantasy heroes like that. | <urn:uuid:437a44a3-658b-4616-baef-74db812ebe9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://io9.com/5966002/asterix-the-great-unsung-fantasy-hero?tag=asterix | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966919 | 1,269 | 1.726563 | 2 |
United States and Peru Officials Meet in Peru to Discuss Implementation of U.S. -Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Environment Commitments
Washington, DC - Representatives from the governments of the United States and Peru met April 13 - 17 in Peru to continue discussions on the Forest Sector (Logging) Annex to the Environment Chapter of the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA). The U.S. delegation, led by USTR, held meetings with entities responsible for implementing the PTPA's commitments under the Annex, which included the Ministries of Trade, Environment, and Agriculture; OSINFOR (the supervisory entity for forestry and wildlife); and representatives from Regional governments. In addition, both the U.S. and Peru delegations held their first-ever joint open forum with civil society, including the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to discuss progress made to date and address concerns related to the implementation process.
USTR continues to work closely with the Government of Peru to ensure that the environmental obligations under the PTPA are successfully implemented in a transparent manner. Both delegations agreed on the importance of maintaining active engagement with civil society. The United States looks forward to hosting the next meeting between civil society and government officials from both countries in Washington, D.C. in June.
The U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) entered into force on February 1, 2009. The Agreement is the first free trade agreement in force that incorporates the enhanced environmental provisions set out in the May 10, 2007, Bipartisan Agreement on Trade. Over the past several months, Peru has undertaken unprecedented changes to its legal and regulatory regimes to implement its environmental obligations under the Agreement. As provided in the Forest Sector Annex, Peru has 18 months from entry into force to fully implement its obligations under that Annex. In accordance with a commitment made by the two countries earlier this year, the Sub-Committee on Forest Sector Governance, established under the Forest Sector Annex, will meet within the first six months after entry into force to discuss matters relating to the implementation of the Annex. | <urn:uuid:b6d9f901-e8cd-4180-aaf0-73761dded6d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2009/april/united-states-and-peru-officials-meet-peru-discuss-i | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938639 | 426 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Since 1961, voters have given the thumbs up 13 times for bonds that basically gave the state Green Acres program permission to borrow money to acquire land and protect it from development. As a result, 640,000 acres have been preserved under the program.
But funding for Green Acres is depleted once again. When these funds run low, the state misses chances to buy environmentally critical parcels, or to take full advantage of periods when land prices are low. The battle between preservation and development is a race, and lack of funding is a handicap.
The obvious problem is that New Jersey is broke. The state’s credit rating was dropping even before Hurricane Sandy struck, thanks to the bipartisan habit of pushing big costs to the future. Gov. Chris Christie has played this same game, baking in costs that are rigged to explode within the next five years.
So if New Jerseyans really want to buy more open space, we need to finance it with a new tax or fee to cover the costs. Running up the credit card in the face of the fiscal disaster would be reckless, even if the cause is a good one.
That is a scary proposition for some preservationists, who fear voters will reject it out of hand. Many would prefer to see open space take a slice out of an existing revenue stream, say a penny or half-penny from the sales tax. But that is a shell game that would leave the state budget even deeper in the red.
State Sen. Robert Smith (D-Middlesex) is among those who believe voters will give their support to a new fee or tax. For 24 years — without success — he has sponsored a bill that would introduce a fee on water consumption, raising money exclusively for open space. Smith sees the water user fee as “a logical connection,” protecting both the supply and the quality of the water. Such a fee would have to go before the voters, but he is confident it would pass, given the historic support for preservation in the state, and the understanding that voters have of the state’s weakened finances.
The danger is that Christie, with an eye to the 2016 GOP presidential primaries, will oppose any new fee or tax. He is right to be concerned about the high costs of living and doing business in New Jersey. But clean water and open space yield tangible benefits, as voters have confirmed over and over.
“The state government is broke,” Smith says. “Put the question on the ballot, I think it would get very strong support. It’s pay as you go.”
The water fee makes great sense. And if voters don’t want to pay it, then we should not buy the land. It’s that simple. | <urn:uuid:6919afe0-0d03-4d61-9e1c-06970b49d1e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2012/12/saving_open_space_in_new_jerse.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967728 | 565 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Six Things You Probably Didn’t Know About 9/11
#1.) 20 people were pulled out alive from the rubble of the World Trade Center. That included two policemen who were buried for close to 21 hours, and a woman from the 64th floor of one tower who was buried for 27 hours.
#2.) The British lost the second highest number of people. More than EIGHTY nationalities lost at least one life that day. 372 non-Americans were murdered, including 67 Brits.
#3.) The fire lasted for 99 days. The World Trade Center fire wasn’t extinguished completely until December 19th…a full 99 days after the attacks.
#4.) A third skyscraper fell. A 47-story building, World Trade Center Building 7, ALSO fell late in the afternoon on 9/11. It wasn’t hit by a plane, the fires and collapse of the other towers made it fall.
#5.) One company lost two-thirds of its employees. A financial services firm called Cantor Fitzgerald saw 658 of its 960 employees die on 9/11. Ten years later, the firm has donated more than $180 MILLION to those employees’ families.
#6.) The steel from the WTC was sold. About 185,101 tons of steel were left in the aftermath of the World Trade Center. Much of it has been sold to China and India, the rest has been used for memorials. | <urn:uuid:427fb121-d848-42e1-acd5-b87adc4d1b3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://98kool.com/six-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-911/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972229 | 299 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Cain and Abel probably never thanked Eve for bearing them, and most of the billions born afterwards also did not express gratitude to their female parents. In 1904, to correct the oversight, Anna Jarvis urged the adoption of an annual American holiday, the second Sunday in May. Now, 106 years later, it's that time again. Happy Mother's Day.
Human mothers are lucky because their gestation period averages 266 days and their newborn's weight is usually between six and nine pounds. Pity the African elephant, whose pregnancy lasts 640 days. That's nine months plus an additional year. Camels and giraffes carry their fetuses for more than 13 months and have to contend with the long legs besides. Dogs' and cats' wait-for-the-litter time is about 62 days and involves having multiple young, sometimes as many as 12.
And these mothers accomplish fertility without in vitro fertilization and the aid of an unprincipled doctor, unlike the octomom.
Since the beginning of recorded history, birthing practices have changed slowly. By the second century A.D., upper-class Roman women used midwives. Soranum wrote that an ideal midwife was robust, literate, had her wits about her, and had slender arms and fingers with short nails. Also needed, he said, were warm water, olive oil, pleasant things for the mother to smell (like melons and apples), and a birthing stool with arms and a back for her to sit on during childbirth. Poor Roman moms sat on another woman's lap during delivery.
Not much is known about natal practices during the Dark and Middle Ages, but whipping the soon-to-be mother supposedly induced labor. If the family was wealthy, someone else could be hired to suffer the blows. A member of medieval royalty was said to have employed 20 male surrogates to ensure an easy delivery. (She was also sharing the experience of labor pain.)
Until the 15th and 16th centuries, female midwives were preferred over male medicos who were also called midwives. The choice was partly because men charged more but also because of prudery. Popular opinion was that a man should not be involved in such an intimate procedure (despite a male's involvement nine months earlier). England's William Harvey, discoverer of the blood's circulatory system, was a noted obstetrician, as was Peter Chamberlin the Elder. He is credited with the invention of a claw-like wooden (or sometimes leather-covered) implement to aid in delivery: forceps. For 30 years, he and Chamberlin the Younger tried to keep the device secret from rival practitioners.
Until the 1800s, ways to help ease childbirth pain were almost nonexistent. One very early medical tract offered advice from Caesarean section delivery: Five men were needed: four to hold the patient down and one to cut open her abdomen. Some midwives and physicians had begun to make use of laudanum, a solution of opium and water. Other sedatives included various herbs, ether, and chloroform (used by Queen Victoria for her seventh delivery). Some religious fanatics protested, saying that anesthetics denied God the prayers and supplications of women giving birth.
For centuries, puerperal fever had killed many thousands of women and their babies. It was only after William Smellie and later Philip Semmelweiss and Oliver Wendell Holmes observed the commonality among fatalities: The deceased had been treated by doctors and nurses who rarely washed their hands between cases. Simple antisepsis — just soap and water — solved a deadly problem.
A 21st century mom has much to be thankful for: improved medical knowledge, well-trained obstetrical staffs, fully equipped hospitals and modern medications, plus her understanding of the necessity of maintaining good health. Even so, she might envy the female seahorse, for whom pregnancy is no problem. The little fish produces the eggs and then waits for a male to swim by. Then she pumps the tiny eggs into his pouch for fertilization. Her job is finished. He is the one with the rapidly expanding abdomen as 200 babies grow bigger and bigger before they are expelled into the sea.
Although I have forgotten much of what I learned in high school 75 years ago, I still remember Pearl Buck's "Good Earth," in which the main character gives birth alone — and then goes out to plant a rice field. When I had my first child 66 years ago, most urban women gave birth in hospitals and spent two weeks there "recovering." This lying-in-state so weakened her muscles that she was ill-prepared for caring for an infant, washing zillions of cloth diapers, hanging them out to dry, ironing baby clothes, making strained vegetables, and sterilizing everything in sight (except her husband). Today's new moms typically spend only a day or so in the hospital. Perhaps tomorrow's will opt for a drive-through delivery.
Even though becoming a mother is a joyous occasion, it is hardly a noteworthy occasion. World population is rapidly reaching 7 billion — and each of them had a mother. Four babies are born every second, an amazing 240 a minute. In the U.S., 85 million women are mothers. More than 4.3 million babies are born annually. If even half of all female parents were to receive a card, flower, candy or a restaurant meal, how merchants would rejoice! And the economy would sag a little less.
As for me, I've never liked receiving Mother's Day presents. Instead, just give me visits from my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren — anytime and often.
Louise Turnbull is a Denver native and retired teacher. She was a member of the 2005 Colorado Voices panel. | <urn:uuid:63d7e024-0740-4f7a-bd61-d999bef43207> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15034458?source=pkg | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9793 | 1,181 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Date: September 28, 2010
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
Description: This CRS Report discusses U.S. security assistance for Taiwan, formally called the Republic of China (ROC), particularly policy issues for Congress. It also lists sales of major defense articles and services to Taiwan, as approved by the President and notified to Congress since 1990. This report uses a variety of unclassified consultations and citations in the United States and Taiwan.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department | <urn:uuid:13f39621-056b-455f-ad32-3667a91338ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/collections/CRSR/browse/?q=%22trade%22&start=10&t=dc_subject&fq=str_location_country%3ATaiwan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919606 | 102 | 1.570313 | 2 |
New Episode of Wx TV!
Posted by Jim Gunshinan on July 19, 2010
This week's episodes are:
1. Weatherization In a Hot & Arid Climate (We went on the road to Phoenix, Arizona to see some of the challenges these crews face trying to keep homes in this region cool.)
2. Dense Packing Walls with Cellulose from the Interior (A crew in Butte, Montana will demonstrate insulating the walls of a very old home that contains some balloon framing.)
Click here to see them at: http://weatherization.org/wxtv
After viewing the shows, leave a comment or question on the blog below each episode. We welcome getting your feedback.
WxTV is a new show highlighting the latest developments in the world of weatherization. Episodes take you step-by-step through new rules, techniques, and products or just about anything else that might be of interest to weatherization professionals. WxTV is one of nine projects funded through the National Community Action Foundation-ExxonMobil Weatherization Training Partnership, supporting advanced weatherization training models.
Enter your comments in the box below:
(Please note that all blog entries and comments are subject to review prior to posting.) | <urn:uuid:24b20578-c4d9-4a43-83aa-e391e8aca5ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.homeenergy.org/show/blog/page/23/nav/blog/id/82 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911009 | 258 | 1.789063 | 2 |
By Jon Miller | Post Date: November 2, 2010 1:36 PM | Comments: 1
On a recent trip to a market in southern China it occurred to me that there must be a thriving industry producing red ink in this country. By red ink I mean not financial losses but the literal wet and sanguine stuff that so much of the signage here seems to use. Red and yellow are the new black and white. No doubt only the wise judgment of thie nation's leaders that it would cause a critical shortage of red dye prevents newsprint and books from being printed on red paper.
There are cultural reasons for the ubiquity of the color red in China. Around the world many retail stores use bright red or yellow signs because the human eye is drawn to these more than other colors. Attractive images are used for the same reason. For the multi-billion dollar retail industries in which influence over human attention and interest is paramount, the scientific study of signage is taken seriously. To a greater or lesser degree, visual controls play a key part in our lives and work and understanding how to make them effective is important.
In the case of this stop sign a combination of color and shape are used to inform us of the meaning of this visual control. It is not necessary to be able to read Chinese to know this sign says "stop". There is more information on this sign than a foreign visitor needs, yet there is enough to inform them to stop. In fact a sign without any writing, such as the one below, would have been sufficient.
The minimum distinguishable or noticeable difference in scientific terms refers to the smallest amount of light, concentration of chemicals, force or any information that is sufficient to make a difference in observation. In terms of visual controls, it is best to understand what accounts for the minimal noticeable difference and design the visual control with as little extraneous and distracting information as possible. In other words simple is best.
One could argue that in cultures such as China where there is so much red in signage that the minimum noticeable difference for a visual control such as a stop sign must be shape, not color. But one would be wrong. The stop sign itself is merely a decoration, a nod to conformity to international standards. The person making their way through the streets of China must deftly judge the size, speed and location of various moving objects while using the stop sign as a reminder at best, to temporarily increase vigilance. Navigating traffic in China is a full-immersion activity that relies on the 5 senses plus a sense of balance, a sense of danger, and an awareness but not a naive trust in the effectiveness of visual controls.Comments are moderated to filter spam and inappropriate content. There may be a delay before your comment is published. | <urn:uuid:f9a68d1b-4dba-4e8b-a275-b877ed13a4d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gembapantarei.com/2010/11/effective_visual_controls_and_the_minimum_noticeab_1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943277 | 560 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Sexually transmitted infections may be one of the most important preventable causes of adverse outcomes of pregnancy, including low birth weight/prematurity, congenital infection, stillbirth, and postpartum infection. However, diagnosis and treatment can reduce or eliminate potential risks and increase a woman's odds of a healthy delivery.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that pregnant women be routinely screened for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and syphilis. Depending on risk factors, screening for bacterial vaginosis, herpes, or other STIs may be recommended by a healthcare provider. The following brochures can help educate your patients about the importance of STI screening during pregnancy and steps to take to ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery. | <urn:uuid:4203aa25-6309-4ddc-9fc8-a8df9fdb0709> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ashapublications.org/pregnancy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901257 | 156 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Director: Philippe Calderon
WHITE TUFT THE LITTLE BEAVER is a wildlife feature created with a family audience in mind. It tells of the fascinating adventures of a beaver family in the great northern Canadian woods.
A beaver couple live by their dam, as the seasons go by. They have babies, gather food, maintaintheir dam, play and swim, and of course defend their territory against predators and intruders. Afterone of their young gets lost in the forest, the mother and father beaver search frantically for him,while he is rescued by an unlikely ally...
White Tuft the Little Beaver | <urn:uuid:30d52b73-31d0-484a-9ada-7b207f38811f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.femail.com.au/white-tuft-the-little-beaver.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959071 | 129 | 1.890625 | 2 |
I want to know difference between
varchar(255) in terms of memory usage and programming problems of using more memory.
The difference is going to be in how much data you are allowed to store there. The memory and disk space will depend on how much is actually stored, not what limits you put in place.
Most db's (MySQL included) store varchar fields with a length identifier and then a variable length data string. This means that the size of the field on disk goes up more or less linearly with the actual data stored. Similarly in memory, you aren't going to be allocating a large amount of memory for a small string unless it is padded (so varchar uses a lot less memory than char does regardless of underlying storage of the latter). In fact some db's like PostgreSQL store VARCHAR() and TEXT fields the same (and there is a 1GB compressed size limit there) and try to optimize storage based on actual requirements of the data being used.
In general these decisions should be made based on what your data retention and collection needs are, not based on the performance considerations. The performance can be tuned and that's the lovely thing about an RDBMS.
Since varchar takes disk space proportional to the size of the field, so the length of a field should be appropriate to the data that is being stored there, not least because there is a limit to the length of single record in each database e.g. SQL Server (it's ~8000 bytes). | <urn:uuid:fd400d1a-824e-4a81-ae64-0fe177424515> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/35526/what-is-the-difference-between-using-varchar100-and-varchar255/35527 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914249 | 312 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Feature: The Arts
Fabricating the Weapons and Armor of The Lord of the Rings
Figure 1. In The Fellowship of
the Ring, Frodo Baggins (played by Elijah Wood) receives the sword
known as Sting from his cousin Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm).
lic. to New Line.)
For sword smith Peter Lyon
work on The Lord
of the Rings
movies came naturally, almost as if his life was preparing
him for this role. At 38, he makes his living selling handcrafted weapons,
mostly to people who participate in historical re-enactments. In his free
time, he teaches combat techniques to fellow members of the Wellington Medieval
Guild and practices jousting with the Order of the Boar, both in his native
“Even when I was a kid, I was always interested in ancient history and
prehistory —especially where there isn’t a fair bit of knowledge
about it,” Lyon said. “It leaves a lot of room for imagination.”
The Lord of the
is an exercise in imagined history. It revolves around the One
Ring, forged by the evil Sauron to control a land called Middle-earth. The
gold band granted its bearer powers, such as invisibility and immortality,
but also was evil in its own right and corrupted its owner. The ring fell
into the hands of Frodo Baggins, who came from a people known as hobbits—short
creatures dedicated to peace and simple pleasure (Figure
). The Lord
of the Rings
centers on Frodo’s quest to return the ring to
the fires where it was forged, which is the only way its power can be destroyed.
Along the way, he gathers allies from other denizens of Middle-earth such
as dwarves and elves, and he confronts villains in frightening forms.
Those imaginings of J.R.R. Tolkien were to come to life less than a kilometer
from Lyon’s forge near Wellington, New Zealand. In the late 1990s, New
Zealand native Peter Jackson began preparations for his own quest: filming
the three books of The
Lord of the Rings
as three movies simultaneously. He hired special
effects specialist Richard Taylor, also of New Zealand, to oversee the props
and effects. When Taylor began assembling artisans at his Weta
, he invited Lyon to make the movie’s swords. Lyon accepted,
unaware of the magnitude of the job he was about to undertake.
“In the early days, I thought ‘It’s wonderful. I’m
going to have steady work for a while,’ ” Lyon said. “It
was only when I learned about the fan responses that I realized what I was
getting into. Tolkien and The
Lord of the Rings
mean so much to so many people.”
Published first in the 1950s, the books have a following of fans passionate
in their loyalty to Tolkien’s vision. Before the first movie, The
Fellowship of the Ring
s, was released, they were vocal in their opposition.
To ensure that the movies remained true to the written version, the Weta Workshop
was equipped as an artisan studio of the fifteenth or sixteenth century, which
closely paralleled the era described in Tolkien’s novel. Taylor hired
crafts-people—most of whom never worked in television or movies—to
apply their skills in blacksmithing, sword-making, lost-wax bronze casting,
leather-working, jewelry-making, and other arts, to The
Lord of the Rings
“Fundamentally, when I started on the film, I knew the last thing we
wanted to do was have a movie that looks as though it came from a 1990s art
department,” Taylor said. “The
Lord of the Rings
, and the world of Tolkien’s Middle-earth,
has at all times got to replicate or in some ways even be a heightened reality.
It’s a cultural statement for a world that Tolkien imagined to be totally
Tolkien’s plots revolve around good and evil, and weapons are integral
to the story. The integrity of the weapons, especially the swords, was essential
to remain true to the book, Taylor said. The starring swords, with names of
their own and lengthy histories, were treated in Tolkien’s writing almost
as characters in their own right, lasting through the ages longer than the
hobbits, elves, and humans who possessed them.
Years of battle were reflected in the rough finish on the swords of
(a-left) the evil Ringwraiths and (b-right) Strider (Viggo Mortensen).
lic. to New Line.)
So for four years, in an on-site foundry, Lyon focused his skills on Middle-earth
weaponry. From artists’ drawings he crafted swords that were designed
to reflect their own histories. Those that had seen many battles were forged,
then aged by applying acid and other chemicals to create a pitted, corroded
effect (Figures 2a
The damaged surfaces were cleaned to give the appearance of an old blade that
was still cared for. Swords used by elves were elegant and curved to represent
their more evolved culture (Figure 3
Orcs who were barbaric fighting creatures, carried crude, chunky weapons.
Figure 3. Weapons of the elf culture
were known for their curves and decorative details. (© New
Line Productions. All rights reserved.)
Figure 4. (a-top) A fragment of the
sword Narsil after it was broken in an ancient battle. (b-bottom)
King Elendil (played by Peter McKenzie), carries Narsil into
its final battle before it is shattered. (©NLP,
Ent. lic. to New Line.)
Lyon made two types of each sword: hero swords, which were for close-up filming
only, and stunt swords, to be used in battle scenes and shot from a distance.
He made at least two of each hero sword, and about five of each stunt sword.
The hero swords, like real swords, were made of spring steel and heat-tempered
for a hard edge.
“I followed very much the same process I use for re-enactors,”
Lyon said. The swords were made with a tang that extends into the handle for
better durability. The blade was balanced just as it would be for fighting.
The steel for the hero swords was simple, Lyon said, because stainless and
highly alloyed steels do not offer adequate strength, hardness, or toughness.
The largest of the swords were Narsil
) and Glamdring
), each weighing between 1.8 kilograms and 2.4 kilograms with a length
of 1.2 meters to 1.4 meters. The shorter swords, such as Sting
) weighed about 1.3 kilograms and were 1 meter long.
Figure 5. Gandalf the wizard (Ian
McKellen) and his sword, Glamdring. (©NLP,
Ent. lic. to New Line.)
Figure 6. Frodo’s sword Sting
was engraved with Elven script. (©NLP,
Ent. lic. to New Line.)
When making the hero swords, Lyon had to keep in mind that actors might be
holding them for long periods of time, shooting and re-shooting close-up scenes.
Just as in medieval times, swords needed to be light to be most effective.
MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD
- In J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing,
Mithril is a metal more valuable than gold. Gandalf the Grey, in
The Fellowship of the Rings, said Mithril “could be
beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could
make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its
beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of Mithril
did not tarnish or grow dim.”1
In Peter Jackson’s movies, Mithril, in the form of a chain-mail
vest worn by Frodo Baggins, was not so mysterious.
“The Mithril vest is a big cheat,” said Richard Taylor,
who directed the physical effects and costumes in The
Lord of the Rings movies.
“We did consider it, we did ponder it, and we were stumped
by it,” Taylor said. “This is the first publication
where I’ve admitted how tragically we failed to do something
special. Just from a fan base, we wanted to be able to tell a neat
story in the future about how cool the materials were that we investigated.
We were hoping that we could somehow weave titanium twine or something
like that. But it was not to be.”
In the end, the Mithril was made of lightweight, stainless-steel
chain mail used for butchers’ gloves. That mail was finer
than the movie’s craftsmen would have been able to produce,
Taylor said, and looked appropriate when sprayed with a pearlescent
Even lighter were the stunt swords. Made of soft aluminum with plastic handles,
those swords weighed about half of their hero-sword counterparts. Stunt swords
were used in active battle scenes, where actors could freely and forcefully
swing them and damage was likely. Artistic details were incorporated even
if the stunt swords were only going to be seen as a blur in an action sequence.
If the hero sword had a design etched on its surface, the stunt sword bore
the same design. If the hero sword was scuffed from action, the stunt sword
was identically scuffed.
“The whole design philosophy of the film was everything had to be as
real as possible, there’s nothing that can be distracting,” Lyon
Tolkien’s descriptive storytelling set the standard for the film, Taylor
“There’s no doubt that the world, due to the incredible visual
writings of Tolkien, has a preconceived vision of what Middle-earth should
look like,” Taylor said. “So, to some degree, we had to capture
that notion, and Tolkien’s vision as well, of course, of what these
weapons looked like.”
Possibly the only way to truly appreciate the work of the craftsmen at the
Weta Workshop—on a conscious level—is with a DVD and a remote
control. Freeze on a scene in the elf land of Rivendell and appreciate the
bronze detailing of Legolas’s quiver, crafted with the lost-wax process.
Pause in an Orc battle scene and notice the varieties of helmets, some representing
a family’s standing within the Orcan culture, others illustrating that
Orcs were scavengers who gathered armor and weapons that were dropped on battlefields.
Stop on a close-up of a dwarf and observe the belt buckles with squarish,
angular designs that reflect dwarvan architecture.
Such details—the metalsmiths hand-forged more than 10,000 buckles for
the Orcs alone—pass by so quickly they are nearly impossible for the
average viewer to notice.
“Unfortunately, so much of it isn’t actually seen in the film,
and so people would argue, why do it then? Why on earth would you go to that
trouble?” Taylor said. “Because the real world has a level of
subliminal detail that supports a cultural inheritance through graphic design
that gives you the feeling that what you are looking at in the present is
predated by a huge cultural influence that goes back hundreds, if not thousands
of years. . .Therefore, every single actor, every single character, had a
different buckling system, a different belting system, a different level of
cultural integrity built into the variety of detailing on the armoring, to
emulate the feeling of this process.”
In this atmosphere, Taylor said, the actors more easily slipped into their
roles. “As they dressed in the armor, as the layers and layers of detail
went on, they felt as though the culture of those characters was being invested
in their acting performance.”
Authentic swords added realism to the performances, Taylor said. The actors
were not experienced with swords, and so the better their balance, the more
comfortable they felt in the hand, the more realistic the scene being played.
Lyon excelled, Taylor said, in providing the quality of sword required.
“Peter Lyon made weapons that were so exquisite and so rich in culture
and subtlety of use that the actors grew to find it a complete delight using
these weapons,” he said
For the next two Decembers, fans of The
Lord of the Rings
will be treated to the continuation of the on-screen
saga. Taylor was not about to predict the movies’ critical success—the
first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring
, received 13 Academy Award
nominations and won four. The second installment of the trilogy, The Two
, opens in theaters in December. In that movie, Taylor promised
that fans of swords and armor would be treated to “possibly some of
the largest battle scenes ever seen on the screen.” The final film of
the trilogy, The Return of the King
, will be in theaters in December
When all the filming is done, the elegant swords and frightful armor crafted
by Peter Lyon and others will still belong to New Line Productions, which
produced the movies. Taylor hopes the items can be preserved in New Zealand
as a tribute to the artists who created them. “I believe that the props
in their own rights are beautiful enough items that they’re worthy of
a permanent exhibition,” he said.
As for the movies themselves, Taylor expects that they will be watched for
years to come. By striving so diligently to satisfy existing Tolkien fans
and to live up to the Tolkien legacy, the movies have been produced with a
timeless, enduring quality.
Probably the best indication of the first film’s success is the fan
response. Well before The Fellowship of the Ring
’s opening on movie
screens, the production company was deluged with angry letters from fans of
the literary version, Taylor said. All opposition was quelled, though, after
those fans had the opportunity to digest the epic film.
“The hate mail ceased completely since the film was released,”
ART IMITATING ART
Figure A. With an eye for
detail, reproductions of the sword Sting were designed
from drawings and are sold to the general public. © 2002
Figure B. The sword of the Witch-king, leader of the Ringwraiths,
posed reproduction problems because of its ancient, worn appearance.
© 2002 United
- After Peter Lyon faced the challenge
of forging realistic swords from artists’ designs for The
Lord of the Rings, Kit Rae began designing realistic copies
of Lyon’s work for sale to the general public.
Rae is art director for United
Cutlery Brands, a Tennessee company licensed by New Line Productions
to mass-produce the swords of The
Lord of the Rings. He is also a lifelong fan of the epic
“I have probably read The
Lord of the Rings a dozen times, so I always had my own
vision of what each sword looked like,” Rae said. “When
I saw the designs they were not what I expected, but they were incredible.
They each appeared to have come from the unique and different histories
of each of the Middle-earth races. There are historical elements
from real swords with a twist of fictional design thrown in that
makes each one very interesting.”
The process of making The
Lord of the Rings swords began, for Rae, with photos of
the actual props. From those photos, Rae and a team of artists began
design work, creating drawings for each part, and then carvings
from those drawings (Figure A).
Eventually, the company received copies of props to check measurements
and shapes. When the design was perfected, steel prototypes were
made for the final product. Specifications for the swords were then
sent to outside vendors, who manufacture them in large quantities.
The most popular sword so far has been Sting, the sword of
Frodo Baggins, said Jessica Hall, sales and marketing manager for
As of mid-October, the company had five swords available: Sting;
Glamdring, the sword of Gandalf the wizard; Narsil,
the sword of Aragorn; the sword of the Witchking; and the sword
of the Ringwraiths. Five new items are scheduled for release in
Particularly challenging in reproducing the movie props, Rae said,
was perfecting the finish on the swords.
“The props were very detailed with weathering and distressing
to make them look used and really fit into the world of Middle-earth,”
Rae said. “We had to experiment with different platings, clear
coating, and paint wash processes to get similar looks.” The
Witchking and Ringwraith blades, which were supposed to be 3,000
years old, appeared especially damaged, he said—“corroded,
pitted, and very ancient looking” (Figure
B). The company typically uses stainless steel for collectors’
swords because it maintains its appearance for long periods of time.
Rae considered using carbon steel instead, processing it to “force”
corrosion, but decided the metal would then be prone to rust. That
effect might be too realistic for customers paying $150 or more
for a sword.
“In the end, we used a random acid etch process that achieved
a similar look in stainless,” he said.
Also challenging to reproduce were fullers, or hollow grooves known
as “blood channels,” Rae said. The grooves, which run
down the center of both sides of the blade, were used often in sword-making
to reduce weight while retaining the full strength of the steel
thickness. At United Cutlery, no swords had ever been made with
those grooves and the company had to devise a special milling machine
for that purpose, Rae said.
When the swords are completed, they may differ from the original
somewhat by being lighter in weight and possibly smaller, to be
more “retail friendly,” Hall said. The weapons, with
blunted blades, are mounted on plaques and sold either on the Internet
or in retail outlets, such as hobby stores and book stores. | <urn:uuid:4efea62e-3cc1-492e-88be-568ce02c71af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0211/Byko-0211.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963192 | 4,038 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The New Year is a chance to make a fresh start, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has a smart alternative to diets or other popular resolutions. Why not resolve to be a smarter consumer? It isn’t hard to do, and it could help you avoid some common scams.
Here are our 10 resolutions to be a savvy consumer in the coming year:
- Be skeptical of “job offers” that promise easy money. Unemployment in the nation is high, and scammers are targeting the large pool of job hunters. Beware of any job offer, work-at-home scheme or business opportunity that promises big money for little work and no experience.
- Always check a business out with the BBB before you buy. Nearly 400,000 businesses meet BBB standards and are qualified to use an Accredited Business seal on their websites and at business locations. Visit www.bbb.org to find BBB Business Reviews for nearly 4 million businesses across North America.
- Always read the fine print—especially with “free” trial offers. Thousands of consumers complained to the BBB this year after signing up for a “free” trial offer online that resulted in repeated charges to their credit or debit cards, sometimes amounting to hundreds of dollars every month. Read the terms and conditions of any “free” offer before handing over credit or debit card numbers.
- Keep your computer safe. If you haven’t already done so, install anti-virus software on your computer and check regularly for software and operating system updates and patches. Don’t open attachments or click on links in e-mails unless you can confirm the email came from someone you trust.
- Never wire money to someone you don’t know. Many scammers send fake checks to victims, then require that the victim wire money back to the scammers. Scammers know that it’s extremely difficult to track money sent via MoneyGram, Western Union or Green Dot Moneypak. Once you’ve wired the money, it’s nearly impossible to get it back.
- Fight identity theft. Shred paper documents that include sensitive financial data and dispose of computers, cell phones and digital data safely. The BBB offers tips and checklists on what to shred and hosts annual Secure Your ID events nationwide to help you stay safe.
- Ask the BBB for help. File a complaint with your BBB if you have a disagreement with a business or have been ripped off by a scammer.
- Create a budget and stick to it. Setting a budget can help you stay afloat in 2012. The BBB has advice on how to create a budget to help you get out of debt and stay out of debt at www.bbb.org.
- Fight fake check fraud. Thanks to advances in printing technology, scammers have the ability to create professional-looking phony checks. Educate yourself on the common types of check fraud and be extremely wary of checks that come with claims that you’ve won the lottery, are eligible for a government grant or have landed a job as a secret shopper.
- Get everything in writing. Don’t just take a company’s word for it. By getting any verbal agreement in writing, you can limit miscommunication and misunderstandings between what you expect from a business and what the business delivers. | <urn:uuid:c8c69af2-2260-4a2b-ac83-e08d5b749bc3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kirkwood.patch.com/groups/jerri-strouds-blog/p/bp--bbbs-10-resolutions-can-help-you-become-a-smarter-consumer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927928 | 696 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Japan's government said Wednesday that it could take 40 years to clean up and fully decommission a nuclear plant that went into meltdown after it was struck by a huge tsunami.
Nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono suggested that the timetable is ambitious, acknowledging that decommissioning three reactors with severely melted fuel plus spent fuel rods at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant is an "unprecedented project," and that the process is not "totally foreseeable."
"But we must do it even though we may face difficulties along the way," Mr. Hosono told a news conference.
Under a detailed road map approved earlier Wednesday following consultation with experts and nuclear regulators, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) will start removing spent fuel rods within two to three years from their pools located on the top floor of each of their reactor buildings.
After that is completed, Tepco will start removing the melted fuel, most of which is believed to have fallen to the bottom of the core or even down to the bottom of the larger, beaker-shaped containment vessel, a process that is expected to begin in 10 years and completed 25 years from now. The location and conditions of the melted fuel is not exactly known.
That's more than twice as long as it took to remove the fuel from the Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island that suffered a partial meltdown in 1979.
Trade Minister Yukio Edano promised that authorities would ensure safety at the plant. He also vowed to pay attention to the concerns of tens of thousands of residents who were displaced when the plant was knocked out by Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami, spawning the world's worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl accident in 1986.
"We must not allow the work toward decommissioning to cause any new risks or delay the return of the residents to their homes," he said.
Completely decommissioning the plant would require five to 10 more years after the fuel debris removal, making the entire process up to 40 years, according to the road map.
The road map for Fukushima is twice as long as the time set aside to decommission the Tokai Power Station, the country's first commercial reactor that stopped operation in 1998.
The process still requires the development of robots and technology that can do much of the work remotely because of extremely high radiation levels inside the reactor buildings. Officials say they are aiming to have such robots by 2013 and start decontaminating the reactor buildings in 2014.
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The “Silver Tsunami” created by aging Baby Boomers is hitting America. Let’s explore how we adjust to it, enjoy it and defy negative expectations about age.
A carefully guided tour through the confusing world of modern bookselling and publishing.
Reflections on raising families in a holistic way -- with a focus on nutrition and alternative health.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall | <urn:uuid:0099d097-ce91-4f86-a9e5-c833a7aa530c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/21/japans-nuke-cleanup-could-take-up-to-40-years/print/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961419 | 625 | 2.90625 | 3 |
The Pig in the XL Pipeline
Insider reveals concealed “error”
in pipeline safety equipment that could blow away the GOP’s XL pipe dream
Sunday, January 22, 2012
by Greg Palast
“They threatened me. Last night I got a call and they threatened me. If I talked.”
“Pig Man #2,” a pipeline industry insider, had a good reason to be afraid. He was about to blow the whistle on a fraud, information that could blow away the XL Keystone Pipeline project.
His information: The software for the crucial piece of pipeline safety equipment, the “Smart PIG,” has a flaw known to the industry but concealed from regulators.
The flaw allows cracks, leaks and corrosion to go undetected – and that saves the industry billions of dollars in pipe replacements. But there’s a catch. Pipes with cracks and leaks can explode – and kill.
Federal law requires the oil and gas industry to run a PIG, a Pipeline Inspection Gauge, through big oil and gas pipelines. The robot porker, tethered to a GPS, beeps and boops as it rolls through, electronically squealing when it finds dangers.
But whistleblowers told us at Channel 4 Dispatches (the “60 Minutes” of Britain) that the software is deliberately calibrated to ignore or minimize deadly problems. They know because they themselves worked on the software design team.
This week, President Obama refused to issue a permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, but invited its owner, Trans-Canada, to re-apply. The GOP has gone wild over Obama’s hesitation, screeching that slowing the Canada-to-Houston pipe for a full safety review is a jobs killer.
But it’s the Pipeline that’s the killer. Here’s what Pig Man #2 told me, on camera, his face in shadow:
When his team found the life-threatening flaw in the program, they immediately created a software patch to fix it. But then their supervisor ordered them to bury the fix and conceal the problem.
With the PIG calibrated to the danger sensitivity required by law, oil and gas companies would have to dig up, inspect and replace pipe at a cost of millions per mile. That’s not what the oil companies wanted from their contractor that designed the PIG program.
The programmers’ bosses took no chances. “We had to sign nondisclosure agreements.” They were required to conceal “any problems of this sort or the nature of the software we worked.” It could not “be made public at all. Under threat of lawsuit.” Nice.
With the error left in place, he said, “People die.”
Pig Man #2 was shaking a bit when he said it. On September 9, 2010, a gas pipeline exploded, incinerating 13-year-old Janessa Greig, her mom and six others.
A PIG – an honest PIG – would have caught the bad welds in the old pipe.
Trans-Canada says that Keystone XL won’t contaminate the Ogallala Aquifer, the Plains states’ crucial water source. Keystone’s permit application boasts that we can rely on XL’s “full pigging capability.”
Sure. Last summer, an ExxonMobil pipeline burst and poisoned parts of the Yellowstone River - only months after it had been “pigged.”
The danger of a muzzled PIG goes beyond Keystone XL. New gas fields opened by hydraulic fracking will require over 100,000 miles of new transmission pipe.
This week, Newt Gingrich called Obama’s temporary block on the XL Pipeline, “stunningly stupid”; and Mitt Romney said Obama’s decision threatened America’s “energy independence.” (Mitt, the oil is from, uh, Canada.)
But the real question is, can we trust these pigs? And not just the ones in the pipeline.
Greg Palast, whose reports can be seen on BBC Television Newsnight, is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy” and “Armed Madhouse.” His latest book, Vultures’ Picnic, includes Palast’s investigation of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, vulture capitalism, and “the pig in the pipeline.”
You can read Vultures' Picnic, "Chapter 1: Goldfinger," or download it, at no charge: click here.
|Leave your comments on Facebook| | <urn:uuid:54a02a1b-dc8f-43f1-9142-9b8b6a782251> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gregpalast.com/the-pig-in-the-xl-pipelineinsider-reveals-concealed-%E2%80%9Cerror%E2%80%9Din-pipeline-safety-equipment-that-could-blow-away-the-gop%E2%80%99s-xl-pipe-dream/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943239 | 976 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Children’s TV may have a problem on its hands: to a large slice of its target demo, a television is just a dumb iPad. Consider these stats: Cable viewership among kids 6-11 was down 13 percent in the first quarter, following a 6 percent decline in Q4 2011. Meanwhile, some 70 percent of children under 12 in homes with tablets use them regularly, and 51 percent of kids between 5 and 8 across all households are on the computer several times a week.
That means trouble for kids’ networks in particular. Though children today are largely platform agnostic, linear cable channels remain married to a single delivery device, and cable provides more or less all kids’ TV programming now that Saturday morning shows on broadcast are all but dead. (Broadcast stations are required to carry a certain amount of kid-centric programming. Of course, children are in no way required to watch it—which might be the only way one could get them to tune in to Aqua Kids ).
Felicia Thomas of ID Media—and mother of a 4-year-old boy—doesn’t think the pint-sized digital revolution will happen immediately, simply because of the range in kids’ ages. But it’s undeniable, she says, that kids are gravitating toward digital media. “[Kids] can’t just get on the Internet with the iPad, which is why parents are so comfortable with it,” she says. “Younger children are going to watch television, but children in their teens and tweens know how to get onto the Internet and play video games and watch YouTube, so you’re definitely going to see a shift with the older kids.”
And her own son? “He definitely loves the iPad,” she reports.
Nickelodeon has been especially hard hit by the downturn in kids' viewership. The network took a significant ratings dive in the fourth quarter of last year, suffering a 17 percent year-over-year drop among kids 2-11, the network’s target demo. This quarter, the hole deepened with a 25 percent falloff. Philippe Dauman, president and CEO of the channel’s parent company, Viacom, even blamed his firm’s decline in earnings on the “inexplicable” ratings slide and during a conference call had to field questions from analysts about whether streaming services like Netflix were hurting TV viewership. After all, several seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants are available at any given time online, and the network runs the program as often as nine times per day. With hit franchise iCarly also aging, the network is looking to Big Time Rush and several other music-oriented programs to win viewers.
Nick’s ratings woes didn’t exactly cast a pall over its recent, upbeat upfront presentation—still, the network knew it needed to impress.
“Nickelodeon has no intention of letting the recent ratings slip slow down our creative momentum,” Cyma Zarghami, president of Nick and MTV Networks’ Kids & Family Group, told the crowd at New York’s Lincoln Center before a teeth-rattling reel from Michael Bay and a speech from Bay himself, who is producing the new Ninja Turtles flick for Paramount and Nick. A source close to Nick, who asked not to be named, blames new Nielsen research practices for the drop-off, but adds that the channel is committed to staying on top no matter what. “We’re not sitting still,” the source says. “If this is the hand we’ve been dealt with the sample, we’re still committed to keeping our standing.”
For their part, agencies say they are not about to abandon Nick—if anything, they’re looking forward to more leverage than usual in negotiations over ad rates with what has traditionally been the top ratings draw by far in the kids category. “I don’t think we were ever worried,” says one ad buyer. “You don’t ever want to see a massive ratings drop, [but] our GRPs are guaranteed.” And that is important, since Nick controls some 75 percent of all GRPs in the kids market, or at least did as recently as a year ago.
Rival networks smell blood, naturally. Competition between Nick and the Disney Channel is more intense than ever, with Disney regularly outpacing Nick in the ratings. Meantime, Disney is spinning off its Disney Junior programming block, which focuses on the 2-5 demo, into a full-blown network (see sidebar). “We’re pretty much neck and neck with Nick’s [preschool block],” says Gary Marsh, president and CCO of Disney Channels Worldwide.
“Neck and neck” might be pushing it. The numbers illustrate how the gap between the two networks has narrowed, and dramatically. Year-to-date since Dec. 26, Nick’s preschool block beats Disney Junior programming by 12 percent in the 2-5 demo; in the same period a year ago, Nick had a 48 percent lead.
Upfront season is traditionally a time for networks to make noise, and this year Disney did not disappoint. The net, which usually hosts a simple breakfast presentation, pulled out all the stops this time around with a full-blown party at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York. The Mouse House is upping the ante, with more musical programming on its flagship network (where High School Musical once reigned) and new product in the boys’ action category on spin-off net Disney XD, including plenty of Marvel Comics-branded material to dovetail with Marvel’s big summer films.
While kids' viewership would seem to be struggling among all age groups—according to Nielsen, total viewership among those under 12 was down 2.9 percent last year versus 2010—programming executives and media buyers alike contend that Nielsen’s numbers don’t jibe with their own. They also point out that kids' viewership is no longer exclusive to the large cable nets but, rather, is fragmented across an ever-growing number of channels, with relative newcomers like The Hub, Disney XD and Sprout all gaining traction.
“Television has by far the highest-share viewing among kids,” says Darcy Bowe, associate media director at Starcom. “There’s no evidence that they have decreased their share in viewing. The TV is still king in their world. I don’t think it fragments as much for them.”
But ultimately Nielsen numbers are currency, accurate or not. And while cable executives are loathe to admit it, their business may become less about fighting for a slice of a shrinking TV pie than about amortizing lost viewership via other uses of valuable intellectual property.
Cartoon Network continues to push for multiplatform penetration, but without putting any TV shows online. The Turner kids net is firmly opposed to subscription-based streaming services that cut out either the MSO or the advertiser, and with good reason. “We have shows up through VOD, through our MSOs and so forth,” says Stu Snyder, president and COO of Cartoon Network. When asked about the possibility of streaming on Netflix or Hulu, he replies, “We have no plans to do that, no.”
Cartoon’s policy more or less mirrors that of parent Time Warner, which is leading the charge for the cable-authenticated streaming TV Everywhere initiative. The basic idea seems sound—provide streaming to cable subscribers only—but it requires complicated authentication protocols that even grown-ups struggle to understand. It’s also worth noting that, though ad-supported, Cartoon does not deliver the 2-11 demo nearly as reliably as Nick—roughly half as much, in fact. Nick pulled down some $1.15 billion in net ad sales last year, while Cartoon came in at under $400 million. Still, of the big three —Disney, Nick and Cartoon—only Cartoon grew year-on-year in total day viewers this quarter.
It’s one thing to try to habituate NCAA fans or viewers of TNT’s The Closer via the authentication process, and quite another to cut off your brand from young—and on-demand nativist—kids on the Web. Credit Disney for at least trying to branch out. It is one of some 100 brands launching new channels on YouTube, where it will feature original content based on Where’s My Water?, a breakout app.
It will be interesting to see whether Disney’s YouTube channel catches fire. Despite anecdotal evidence that kids are heavy YouTube viewers, neither Nick nor Cartoon seem interested in the platform. Nick, at least, has obvious reasons for resisting: parent company Viacom is suing YouTube owner Google for copyright infringement. Most surprisingly, kids nets have virtually no presence on Hulu, which would seem ideal for long-form children’s content.
And for all the hype, there’s not much innovation on the iPad, and networks are approaching the device cautiously. Nick, for instance, features several educational apps tied to shows like Dora the Explorer, as well as SpongeBob games, but there’s no full-fledged Nick app for watching full-length series. Cartoon does have a viewing app, but requires users to authenticate—and Time Warner Cable subscribers are out of luck. Disney, as noted, has several popular iPad and iPhone games, as well as a comics app. And while it’s possible to buy Disney movies for the iPad, when it comes to watching shows, no such luck.
Still, brand extensions don’t always hit. Cartoon’s 28 branded games based on Ben 10, one of its most successful franchises, moved a total of 10.26 million units—compare that to Activision’s Call of Duty games, selling upwards of 131 million units. Disney’s much-hyped Epic Mickey, which was exclusive to the Wii, sold just 2.5 million copies.
But there are successes, too. Last August, the Disney Channel’s TV movie Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension impressively scored an average of 7.6 million viewers. When Disney included seven-day DVR in its numbers, the audience grew to 10.7 million, evidence of what every parent already knows: When a kid likes something on TV, he or she watches it over and over—and over and over.
In that is a lesson for the whole industry: Multiplatform entertainment is increasingly what not just kids but all consumers want. If they can’t get it from the networks, they will get it elsewhere.
Illustration: Yasmeen Ismail | <urn:uuid:976481a4-fdae-4221-8811-3ccf730aee6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adweek.com/print/139164 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955222 | 2,248 | 1.617188 | 2 |
SandScience brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.
Why would insurance companies be interested in sand at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico?
HintThink about weather patterns.
AnswerThe layers of sand tell when a hurricane will hit. There is a pattern to the layers. Every 300 years or so, there is a category 5 hurricane. Insurance companies can use that theory to increase their warning for homes that are around that area.
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
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Networks & Community
Social network analysis takes as its starting point the premise that social life is created primarily and most importantly by relations and the patterns formed by these relations, which we call social networks. By studying behaviour as embedded in social networks, sociologists in this area explain macro-level patterns not simply as a large number of people acting similarly because they are similar, but as a large number of people acting on one another to shape one another’s actions in ways that create particular outcomes.
Social network analysis is both a theoretical perspective and a method for studying the social relationships that make up our social worlds and our communities. By measuring the character of ties between individuals, scholars in this area study phenomena such as communication patterns, occupational success, diffusion processes, and collective action. | <urn:uuid:4c2ee15d-cf19-4daa-92fb-41322a7a69ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sociology.utoronto.ca/research/specialization/networks-and-community.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96115 | 158 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Sometimes I have control issues. Sometimes I have control issues.
I'm not speaking here as myself -- don't get me wrong. I'm quoting
someone with whom I was talking a few weeks back, and that's how he
explained his anxiety during this season of numbered shopping days and
drop-in friends. He said, "I can't take all the Christmas
craziness because sometimes I have control issues."
You didn't think that I was like that, did you? I'm Mr. Just-let-go!
I don't think I have to define control issues for anyone here in the
room. But let me do it anyway. For the kids. "Control issues"
means you have standards and a clear sense that your own hand at the
helm of any vessel is superior to anyone else's. The phrase means if
it's your puck in the hockey game, you get to referee the ice. It means
that "the buck stops here" is not a desk ornament but a
Control issues are OK, I guess, if they don't wear you down or wear
down anyone around you, the way that someone else always being in
charge can do, squelching the spirit. A lot of us have these issues
Things must have been different two thousand years ago. Imagine Mary
with control issues. The scripture reports that when Gabriel first
visited and told her she would have a son she was "deeply
troubled," but then she spoke the mantra of higher consciousness:
let it be. Mary would bear God's child, but she wouldn't have done so
if she had control issues.
Imagine Joseph with control issues. Actually that's easy. He didn't
have the perfect reaction to the angel's first news about what was
going on in Mary's life. He pondered what the scriptures call
"privately breaking the engagement." It sounds
like what we do before a blind date. But another angel visited him in a
dream, and when he woke up, he let go, and he married Mary without a
hint of hesitation.
Imagine God with control issues. The God who is in charge of
everything all of the time, finding parking places here and holding off
hurricanes there, the God with lists of thou-shalt-nots and pages of
dietary mandates will wear lots of people down, substituting law for
love. The God who runs a universe with no space for human creativity
and no hope for free will, who therefore makes war inevitable and peace
unworthy of our earnest work, this puppetmaster god doesn't pass
the test of faithful human insight if God has control issues. But if
two thousand years of theology are correct, and our God became human in
a baby, if the heart of our faith is right and the word became flesh
and dwelt among us full of grace and truth, if God was once not only
human but an infant -- an infant -- then God must be able to let go on
a scale that none of us can even comprehend. But we can imitate it. We
can imitate Mary and Joseph and Jesus and God. Not in avoiding what is
our responsibility but in giving a measure of trust to the ways of God
that are not our ways as well as a measure of trust to the ways of
people that are not ours either. When we trust God and each other,
something new is born.
If we can get over our control issues, maybe God has something new
to show us this Christmas. Something new that will grow in us.
Something to imitate and something to adore. Flesh and blood as
precious as all divinity, sitting right next to us in a pew, living
homeless in our city, serving in our armed forces, married to us,
trying to inspire us to see that in Jesus we find a new way to be
Birth is the ultimate act of vulnerable letting go. Life is the
heart of what we value in our faith. Love is the way Jesus would have
us live. If we're willing to pursue another's way and let them lead,
not by directing us, but inspiring us. I think that's what Jesus would
Merry Christmas. Amen.
Copyright © 2005
Kenneth F. Baily. Used by permission. | <urn:uuid:4a5e3113-3f7e-4d24-ab31-edea2fb21023> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nhcc.net/sermons/Sermon20051224b.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970221 | 906 | 1.640625 | 2 |
V/. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
From the Gospel according to Saint Luke. 23:26
The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.
In Simon of Cyrene, we have the proto-type of a faithful disciple who takes up the Cross and follows Christ. He is not unlike millions of Christians from a humble background, with deep attachment to Christ. No glamour, no sophistication, but profound faith. Such believers keep rising on the soil of Africa, Asia and the distant islands. Vocations arise from their midst.
Simon reminds us of small communities and tribes with their characteristic commitment to the common good, deep rootedness in ethical values and openness to the Gospel. They deserve attention and care . The Lord does not desire that “one of these little ones should perish”. In Simon we discover the sacredness of the ordinary and the greatness of what looks small. For the smallest has some mystic relationship with the greatest, and the ordinary with the most extraordinary!
Lord, it is your wonderful plan to lift up the lowly and sustain the poor. Strengthen your Church in her service to deprived communities: the least privileged, the marginalized, slum dwellers, the rural poor, the undernourished, untouchables, the handicapped, people given to addictions.
May the example of your servant, Mother Teresa of Kolkata, inspire us to dedicate more of our energies and resources to the cause of the “poorest of the poor”. May we one day hear these words from Jesus: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
Pater noster, qui es in cælis:
Tui nati vulnerati,
© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana | <urn:uuid:806732be-4a3f-4b69-b1c1-cdae5dd3ee1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2009/via_crucis/en/station_08.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957868 | 455 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Monday, June 11, 2012
The ability to provide customers with a superior experience goes a long way toward retaining their business. But according to a recent survey, many companies are struggling in this area.
A survey conducted by nFusion and Pegasystems Inc. found that 95 percent of organizations feel the customer experience is important, yet only 6 percent said they deliver the best service.
"Today's organizations are challenged to unify incredible amounts of customer data that are typically soloed across various departments as they struggle to adapt to new channels and provide more consistent customer experiences across touch-points," said John Ellet, CEO at nFusion.
Many customer experience issues occur due to the absence of a single point of accountability for delivering customer experience in the company, according to the source.
The customer experience can be enhanced by integrating new technologies, such as mobile applications and social media, into contact centers, according to 1to1media.
Society is trending toward mobile and social, so the utilization of these technologies will make customers' lives easier, leading to an enhanced customer experience. | <urn:uuid:eab5310d-524d-4b0f-8003-682862767964> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.teletech.com/news/customer-management/companies-struggle-to-deliver-superior-customer-experience-800793611 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956136 | 222 | 1.695313 | 2 |
for National Geographic News
A previously unproven tool in the planet-hunting arsenal has finally netted its quarry—and it's found an unusual cosmic duo.
Using a technique called astrometry, scientists have spotted an extrasolar planet that's thought to be the same size as its parent star.
By contrast, Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is only a tenth the width of the sun.
The newfound gas giant, called VB 10b, orbits a red dwarf star, a relatively cool, small star less than half the mass of the sun. Although both are roughly the size of Jupiter, the planet orbits the star because the star is much more massive.
VB 10b's discovery is the culmination of a 12-year search using an instrument at California's Palomar Observatory.
(Related: "'Hidden' Planet Found in Old Hubble Image.")
The telescope attachment specializes in astrometry, a technique first tried 50 years ago that measures the minute back-and-forth motions of a star created by the gravitational tug of an unseen planet.
Most of the previous planet-hunting attempts have had more luck with the radial velocity—or Doppler wobble—method, which measures stellar movement toward and away from Earth.
Radial velocity and other techniques are better at finding very massive worlds in tight orbits around their stars.
Astrometry, on the other hand, could open the door to finding a whole new class of planets that were difficult to spot before, said study author Stuart Shaklan of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.
"It allows you to see planets further from their stars," Shaklan said, because the greater the distance between the two bodies, the more a star seems to shift. "It's also a technique that works well on [spotting] very faint stars.
That aspect of the technique, however, remains unproven. VB 10b, which lies about 20 light-years away in the constellation Aquila, orbits its tiny star at the same distance at which Mercury orbits our sun.
VB 10b is called a "cold Jupiter," because its star is small and dim enough that the planet is not scorched despite its close proximity.
Astronomers think planetary systems with cold Jupiters might be miniature versions of our own, with rocky inner planets and outer gas giants.
It's conceivable that VB 10b has rocky neighbors, Shaklan said, but this would have to be verified with other telescopes.
"This is an exciting discovery, because it shows that planets can be found around extremely lightweight stars," Wesley Traub, a planet hunter at JPL who was not involved in the study, said in a statement.
"This is a hint that nature likes to form planets, even around stars very different from the sun.
Findings will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES | <urn:uuid:8f3d4be7-0ee5-4fa2-95d5-11af11fdb0a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090529-new-planet-found.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955268 | 613 | 3.671875 | 4 |
ABC English & Me is for very young children learning English as a second language. ABC English & Me, combines over thirty years of experience with the most current Early Language Learning methodologies — and plenty of fun.
Musica • Movimento • Inglese • Fun
Using music, which stimulates and enhances language acquisition, and whole-body physical expression, which improves retention, each lesson is effective and enjoyable for all. And because a child learns best at home, families receive monthly interactive materials that support and complete the enriching classroom experience!
Thank you for your interest in Kindermusik and ABC English & Me where you will find music, laughter, fun, a community of moms and children speaking and learning English in Milano. | <urn:uuid:51293305-3fca-48f0-bae2-833c3b9d2ab3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mommymusicme.com/ | 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 | 0.916164 | 149 | 1.6875 | 2 |
New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s soda ban is all over the news, but setting the politics aside, here at Everyday Health, we wanted to know how sugary soda drinks affect your health.
Did you know that according to the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, Americans consume on average 50 gallons of soda per year? That load of soda accounts for the single largest source of sugar and empty calories in our diets. The USDA reports that soda is the leading cause of childhood obesity in the U.S. Other health concerns arise as well: increased risk of heart disease among men, high triglycerides among women, and increased risk for aggressive behavior in kids. For those with or at risk for diabetes, soda can spike insulin levels in the body.
Interestingly we have also covered how video games improves health, which was indeed a great concept of how we can improve health in matter of minutes. Soda can some time lead to severe headache too, which is why 90% of world population severing from headache.
Soda has no nutritional value, just empty calories, and often leads to weight gain and cavities. Whether weighing in on the political debate, or just making health decisions for you and your family, the risks of regular soda consumption should be considered before enjoying your favorite cold beverage. | <urn:uuid:b52c640a-5141-4fe0-8f12-aee1efbc19f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allinfographics.org/case-study-why-big-sodas-is-bad-for-health-facts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945378 | 261 | 3 | 3 |
“I am not ashamed to say that the mega project is a gift from God because as a result of the project the government will build a 60-km road from Long Lama to the dam site at Long Keseh, benefitting about 12,000 Kayans from nine longhouses along the river,” he said.
He said he had proposed to have a road to link all the longhouses along Baram River before the dam was even conceptualised, more as a wish for a better life for the people.
The road came into the picture when the government proposed the Baram dam, he added.
“What I am saying is that if there is no Baram dam, there won’t be any road being built. It does not make any economic sense just building a road like that. The proposed dam justifies the building of the RM500-million road,” explained Lihan.
Urging his critics to look at the bigger picture, he said the stretch of road from Long Lama made up Package B of the overall road project under Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy. He said the package cost the government a massive RM500 million.
Package A is the stretch of road from Beluru to Sungai Tinjar encompassing Lapok road.
“Our people who are already poor have had to buy 4WD vehicles to travel through this road, having to bear high maintenance cost due to wear and tear their vehicles were subject to. But this will be behind us three years from now,” said Lihan.
Lihan said tender for Package B of the SCORE project would close on Sept 24 and both packages would start this year.
The assemblyman urged Baram folk not to politicise the Baram dam project.
“I urge for understanding and acceptance of this mega project. The expected life-span of a dam is around 500 years. The dam will generate cheap energy for the community. Let us play a part in nation-building by accepting this project.
“Of course there are certain groups instigating the people to reject this project. In life, one has to accept challenges. If the Orang Ulu reject this project, there won’t be an opportunity like this for a very, very long time, maybe not during our lifetime on earth,” said Lihan. – The Borneo post | <urn:uuid:b4708b2c-1565-4e97-a01c-5e947f547d9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/lihans-joke-baram-dam-a-gift-from-god-for-the-orang-ulu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972265 | 495 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Online orders can be made here [site entirely in German].
I plan to give a more thorough review on this volume in the coming weeks, but for now all I can say is that the book, for me, is a dream come true. Here are a few "unboxing" photos, some samples of the content, and an excerpt from the preface to the edition.
The outside cover (the book production is strikingly similar to the 2009 Antiphonale Romanum):
And a look inside:
Here's the 'Ad te levavi' from page one (the graphic on the front cover is of this incipit–notice the melodic differences from the 1908 edition):
A page from the Kyriale, which appears to be identical to the previous editions:
And, lastly, a look at the Order of Mass, contained in the back of the book, which conforms identically to the usage in the 2002 Missale Romanum:
Again, a more thorough review of this volume will be forthcoming. For now, I will close with a few very informative paragraphs from the beginning of the five page preface contained in the new Graduale Novum:
UPDATE: This volume can also be purchased at a cheaper price here.PREFACE TO THE GRADUALE NOVUM
In its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, art. 117, the Second Vatican Council requested that a more critical edition (editio magis critica) be produced of the books of Gregorian chant, which had been published in the early 20th century on the basis of the reform of Pius X.
Convinced of the urgency of this request, a few members of the International Society for the Study of Gregorian Chant (AISCGre), founded in 1975, have been meeting since January of 1977 to begin work on restoring the chants of the Graduale Romanum (1908). They have been re-examining the ancient manuscripts that were consulted for the Editio Vaticana, in order to exploit the progress that scientific research has made since the publication of that edition. The aim of this group was to achieve a more accurate rendition of the ancient chants; the basis for their restitution work were the adiastematic manuscripts from the 10th century, which are the oldest witnesses of the melodies and are written without notation lines, as well as the most important diastematic manuscripts from the 11th century which do render the exact intervals of the melodies. With regard to the adiastematic manuscripts, the need for an editio magis critica already became apparent with the publication of the Graduel Neumé of Dom Eugéne Cardine (Solesmes 1966) and the Graduale Triplex (Solesmes 1979). The wide dissemination of these books had done more to strengthen the awareness of the importance of a revised edition than the scientific publications had been able to do.
After about two decades of common work, the scholarly results of this group of specialists, whose work is still in progress today, have been published, beginning in 1996 twice yearly as "Suggestions for the Restitution of Melodies of the Graduale Romanum" ("vorschläge zur Restitution von Melodien des Graduale Romanum") in the journal "Beit age zur Gregorianik" (BzG) by the ConBrio Publishing House (Regensburg). For each chant, not only were the suggested restitutions published for the first time, but also a detailed critical apparatus, which cited the pertinent manuscripts in support of each suggested change.
The appearance of the melodies will strike the casual reader as unfamiliar, not to say strange in the present edition in the case of a few chants. For example, alongside the familiar si-flat there is also a mi-flat, fa-sharp and do-sharp, tonalities that were "forbidden" in Medieval times by the theoreticians, but which were nevertheless sung in not a few cases, as is shown above all by the transpositions of Gregorian melodies that appear in many diastematic manuscripts. This fact has been known for over a century; but it has been comprehensively and meticulously confirmed above all through the researches of the last decades. Since the scribes who produced the adiastematic manuscripts did not render exact melodic intervals anyway, there had been no need for them to resort to melodic transposition in order to avoid "forbidden" tones.
May 34 years of collaborative effort bear its fruits through this edition and may it prove useful to the users of this book in the realms of scientific research and teaching, but above all in fostering a vibrant celebration of the Church's liturgy. | <urn:uuid:e8288cf1-2e73-4c1b-92c9-eff0aa2ba484> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chantcafe.com/2011/03/graduale-novum-has-arrivedhttpwwwblogge.html | 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 | 0.955139 | 974 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The Ice Cream Stand
Glossary terms from:
Any activity or organization that produces or exchanges goods or services for a profit.
A description of an enterprise including its name, its goals and objectives, the product(s) sold and distributed, the work skills needed to produce those products, and the marketing strategies used to promote them.
Money in the form of paper currency or coins (as distinct from checks, money orders or credit).
Attempts by two or more individuals or organizations to acquire the same goods, services, or productive and financial resources. Consumers compete with other consumers for goods and services. Producers compete with other producers for sales to consumers.
An amount that must be paid or spent to buy or obtain something. The effort, loss or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something.
The quantity of a good or service that buyers are willing and able to buy at all possible prices during a period of time.
The relationship that exists when the values of related variables move in the same direction. Also known as a positive relationship.
The price at which the quantity demanded by buyers equals the quantity supplied by sellers; also called the market-clearing price.
Something a person or organization plans to achieve in the future; an aim or desired result.
The quantity and quality of human effort available to produce goods and services.
A period of time long enough for firms to change the quantities of all the resources they use; the exact amount of time varies depending on the industry.
Anything that is generally accepted as final payment for goods and services; serves as a medium of exchange, a store of value and a standard of value. Characteristics of money are portability, stability in value, uniformity, durability and acceptance.
The fee paid for insurance protection.
The amount of money that people pay when they buy a good or service; the amount they receive when they sell a good or service.
People and firms that use resources to make goods and services.
A good or service that can be used to satisfy a want.
A process of manufacturing, growing, designing, or otherwise using productive resources to create goods or services used to to satisfy a want.
Income received for entrepreneurial skills and risk taking, calculated by subtracting all of a firm's explicit and implicit costs from its total revenues.
The amount of a good or service people will buy at a given price in a given period of time.
The amount of a good or service sellers are willing and able to offer at a given price in a given period of time.
An exchange of goods or services for money.
A period of time long enough for existing firms to change some--but not all--of the resources they use.
The situation that results when the quantity demanded for a product exceeds the quantity supplied. Generally happens because the price of the product is below the market equilibrium price.
The amount of a good or service that producers are willing and able to offer for sale at each possible price during a given period of time.
The situation that results when the quantity supplied of a product exceeds the quantity demanded. Generally happens because the price of the product is above the market equilibrium price.
Effort applied to achieve a purpose or result, often for pay; skills and knowledge put to use to get something done; employment at a job or in a position; occupation, profession, business, trade, craft, etc. | <urn:uuid:b94ead00-bfbb-4795-8950-dd579517613c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/EconEdLink-print-glossary.php?lid=853 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923861 | 695 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Discover the world of beer with Beerologist Allen Winn Sneath. You can even ask your own questions online.
Why is kegged beer called draft beer?
Do you have an explanation for what causes a hangover?
Is Guinness really good for you?
What does the term 'shelf life' mean exactly and does it differ from one type of beer to another?
How many calories are in a regular pint of beer?
The Royals love their beer.
What does the term 'tied house' mean?
The original king of beers.
The single most expensive "component" in beer is the tax.
How does the term "rule of thumb" relate to the brewing process?
What is Cenosillicaphobia the fear of?
What is the most expensive beer in the world?
How to clean your beer glass
Please explain what a beer engine is.
What is your view on the Molson Coors takeover of the Creemore Springs microbrewery?
What country has the most individual beer brands?
We enjoyed your talk on the history of beer and brewing at the Oakville Historical Society last Wednesday. Very informative and entertaining. Are you available for other such speaking engagements? Also, we wanted to purchase a signed copy of your book but they were sold out. Are there any available?
Why were so many of the early breweries destroyed by fire?
What are the most popular brands in Ontario?
Why do British pubs have such colourful names?
Do you know how many brands of beer there are in the world?
I know more guys drink more beer than most women, but how much more?
Can you please explain the term 'short beer'.
Other than the malt, yeast, hops and water basics what other ingredients can be used to make beer?
What makes a great beer?
Beer saints are beer's blessing from the past
What brands are considered the world's most popular beers?
Beer taxes are a legacy from the past
Can you tell me what Black and Tan beer is?
What is the significance of the letter X to beer?
All about the world's first beer
Now tell me what lambic beers are.
I believe that ordinary drugstore medicines contain alcohol.
How many carbohydrates are contained in a bottle of beer?
How is the Belgian Gueuze beer made?
When were twist-off caps introduced in Canada?
When was beer first bottled?
What is the price split between the brewer and the government on a case of beer here in Ontario?
During two separate stays in Japan I noticed that the normal procedure for an evening out starts with a Kirin beer before the meal, but only one. Then the men switch to sake or liquor drinks. Is this the norm throughout Japan? If it is, what a shame.
Is malt liquor considered to be a beer?
The undeniable link between beer and religion
What is the most extreme recipe for beer that you have come across?
I know Molson makes Rickard's beer, but is there a real person named Rickard?
What is a seasonal beer?
Correction to the Bluenose story, with thanks to reader Alan Brown
What causes 'chill haze' in beer?
What is the origin of the word 'growler'?
The Molson-Coors Saga: A critical time line that helps define this high-profile merger
Here is a further clarification on the role of the ale-conner, thanks to regular reader, Alan Brown.
Labatt boasts that their Classic brand is krausen-brewed. What does this mean?
Is there a 'seasonality' to beer sales in Canada?
What determines the difference between a brewpub, a microbrewery, a regional brewery and a major brewery?
What is an ale-conner?
What Maritime brewery sponsored the Bluenose schooner?
What is 'audit' ale?
I recently saw a documentary on the Halifax disaster. What details do you have on the impact it had on the local breweries.
What is your take on this Molson-Coors deal?
Is the brewing of beer older than wine making?
I have heard brewers refer to the use of a 'clarifier'. What purpose does this serve in the brewing process?
What do the double x's on the Dos Equis Mexican beer label signify?
Can you provide a review of newsworthy events for the year 2004.
Can you unravel the partnership agreements between American and Canadian brewers for me?
What does the beechwood aging process mean?
Why is the head on beer important?
How important is water in the brewing process?
Please explain Gravity Brewing.
Is it true that eggnog was originally made with beer?
The Firkin Pub I go to is referred to as a 'free house'. What does this mean?
What is your favourite beer?
What information do you have about the origins of saké?
Does milk stout actually contain milk?
What is 'lager ale'? I thought these two basic styles were the opposite of one another.
Have you ever heard of a drink called 'shandy-gaff'?
What does the term 'growler' mean?
The latest rumour is that Bill Sharpe is the man behind the takeover of Northern Breweries. Can you confirm this?
Canadian brewers describe their production volume in hectolitres. How much is a hectolitre?
A Canadian company is purchasing Northern in Sudbury. Any news on which company?
Who invented beer, the Egyptians or the Chinese?
Is there any evidence of a brewing tradition among the early Jewish people?
Have you ever heard of a drink called 'black velvet'? How is it made?
How do you make an ale flip?
Some English friends use the term 'half & half'. What does this mean?
Business reporters refer to a brewery's market share as an indictor of their success ranking in comparison to the competition. What is the dollar value that relates to that market share?
In the U.K. pubs serve 'cask conditioned' beer. How is that beer different than the pub draughts we serve in North America? Are there different ingredients in the two styles of beer?
In the foyer of the Esplanade Bier Markt in Toronto, there is a small statue of a boy urinating in a fountain. What connection does this have with beer?
What happens to the beer during the aging process?
Does the term 'alewife' refer to the brewer's wife?
I think your Altbier definition needed a sentence or two more to explain how Altbier differs from ale.
Is it just me or is there something in Belgian white beer that gives it a hot, peppery aftertaste?
What innovations have Canadian entrepreneurs made to the beer industry?
What is altbier?
What does the term 'bride ale' mean?
Why is copper used for the tanks in a brewery?
I have been unable to find your Brewed In Canada book in the bookstores. Can you tell me where I can get a copy?
Do you have any info on the potential closing of Sudbury's Northern Breweries?
Where, when and who made the first 'dry' beer?
Is dark beer stronger than beers of a lighter colour?
Are bottles of Corona served with a wedge of lime to improve the weak taste?
My girlfriend claims there are no health or nutritional benefits to drinking beer.
The Rickard signature appears on the Rickard's beer labels. Is he a real person?
What is the origin of the word "beer"?
Is it true that draft beer is fresher than bottled beer?
What effect has the introduction of 'low-carb' beers had on the beer market?
Is it true that Canadian beer is stronger than American beer?
Do you believe beer tastes better in a frozen glass?
Does the beer foam cheat me out of a full measure of beer?
What connection was there with a maritime brewery?
The TV commercials say "Fosters is Australian for beer", but a friend of mine told me that the beer is actually from the U.K. Is this true and if so, would that not be false advertising?
Will drinking beer will give you a beer belly?
What is the significance of the red star on the Heineken beer label?
Is it a myth that the darker the beer, the stronger the beer?
How is light beer made?
Who brewed the first light beer and when was it introduced?
Why is beer considered a 'blue collar' cousin to wine?
What brewery is considered the smallest and where is it located?
What insider info do you have on the Coffaro beer that is seen on the Sopranos TV series?
Brick brewery takes credit for re-introducing the 'stubby' bottle. When was the stubby introduced?
Why is the "standard" alcohol strength of beer in Canada 5%, and not some other number like 5.5% or 6%? Is it regulated by the government, or is it something historical?
What's the story behind the Guinness book of world records?
Do you know the origin of a "yard of ale"?
Is there any truth to the idea that beer is a good hair conditioner?
We know that a lot of whisky was smuggled to the States during prohibition. Was beer smuggled as well?
What special care is required for draft beer?
What is "small beer"?
How does Cream Ale differ from regular ale?
What does the term "steam beer" mean?
Why does draft beer in some places seem flat, with no head?
Why were illegal drinking clubs called 'blind pigs'?
Can you suggest some food pairings with beer?
How does the process of making "dry" beer differ from regular beer?
Do you know what beer used the slogan "If you are going to have more than one beer, have (brand name)"?
Any idea why I can't find a brand called Moose Drool anymore?
Why do some breweries use adjuncts? Do they improve the flavour?
What is the normal shelf life of beer?
What is the origin of the word 'speakeasy'?
Can you offer some beer styles with similar taste characteristic to wines?
Are imported beers stronger than American beers?
Why do people believe the best beer is sold in green bottles rather than plain brown?
Is it true that all wheat beers should always be served with a slice of lemon?
I like drinking my beer out of the bottle. A friend of mine says this is wrong. Beer should be drunk from a glass. How so?
How long ago did Labatt purchase the Alexander Keith brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia?
Is there any truth to the story that bock beer is the left over beer at the bottom the tank?
They say beer is an acquired taste. But do all beers have a bitter taste?
Is it true that dark beer is fattening?
When were the stubby brown bottles introduced in Canada?
Is dark beer stronger than beers of a lighter colour?
What do you say to people who believe beer doesn't go with food?
In a recent question, you listed Canada as 16th in the world in terms of beer consumption. Was that gross consumption (number of total litres), or per capita consumption (average number of litres per person)?
I read recently that beer has many positive effects on older people. Can you shed any light on this?
On a global scale, how does Canada rank in beer consumption?
What is the difference between stout and porter?
Are oysters actually used to make oyster stout?
Is there any truth to the idea that drinking dark beer helps improve a mother's breast milk?
Why is barley wine classified as a beer?
Allen knows his subject matter well. As an ad agency executive for over 25 years, he developed some of the Canadian beer industry's most memorable campaigns. He was a founding partner in the Algonquin Brewing Company, one of the country's first generation microbreweries. Allen is the author of Brewed In Canada, the only book documenting Canada's colourful 350-year-old brewing industry. The work was awarded the Quill & Tankard Trophy by the North American Guild of Beer Writers. Allen is available for informal and entertaining speaking engagements. You can contact him direct via email at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:b9cd9231-332c-42f2-a6fc-871b78703791> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thejewelsoffood.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=writings.list&a=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954406 | 2,603 | 2.625 | 3 |
The Wonderlic Test is a cognitive ability test administered to prospective college students and employees in various professions. It assesses one’s ability to learn and solve problems. It is considered to be a predictor of one’s professional performance. The Wonderlic test is most commonly known as a test given every year to football players entering the National Football League (NFL) draft. The test was created by Eldon F. Wonderlic, an industrial psychologist.
The Wonderlic test is considered to be the most widely-used aptitude test in the world. Employers rely on this test to assess a potential employee’s ability to solve problems, understand instructions, adapt, and learn. How well a candidate scores on the Wonderlic test can help an employer determine how well the candidate would fit with the company and, therefore, decrease turnover, decrease the amount of time spent on training, and increase productivity. A score of 10 indicates basic literacy, while 20 suggests average intelligence. A perfect score of 50 was obtained once by a football player. Several other individuals have come close. The average score overall is 24 with average scores in various professions as follows: warehouse worker – 14; security guard – 17; football player – 20; salesperson – 24; journalist – 26; computer programmer – 29; chemist – 31.
The original version of the Wonderlic test is scored by the number of correct answers given in the allotted time. The participant is given 12 minutes to answer 50 questions. The questions are presented in open response format and increase in difficulty. The original version of the Wonderlic test was available only on paper.
A new version of the Wonderlic test was created in 2007. This version, known as the Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test, contains more current questions and is available both on paper and online. It is available in three versions: pre-test, contemporary, and classic. The pre-test is abbreviated, containing only 30 questions. It takes eight minutes to complete and is given remotely. The contemporary version can be taken online or onsite and uses the latest testing methodology. The classic version of the Wonderlic test is taken onsite on paper.
Employers can now use a specific Wonderlic test to assess basic skills, writing skills, perceptual ability, and software skills. In addition, there are also behavioral tests available to assess one’s productivity and risk to a company. These are especially useful for candidates with little or no work experience. By using a Wonderlic test, you can determine how one’s personality fits in with the company, how likely an individual is to display counterproductive behavior, and someone’s work readiness. The results show an employer what an individual’s areas of weakness before hiring him, thus saving time and money. There are also in-depth personality tests available that an employer can use to specifically test candidates who will be in client-facing positions, such as sales, or in key roles, such as leadership or management. A company can use the Wonderlic test to see if an employee’s personality is the right fit for these types of positions.
A Wonderlic test is only available for purchase by schools and employers. Sales are not made to individuals. Pricing information is not readily available. More information is available by contacting the Wonderlic sales department.
Last Updated: 04/24/2012 | <urn:uuid:d1ecee75-2155-4710-9686-489dbcd88491> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.notetakinghelp.com/wonderlic-test.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942644 | 683 | 2.40625 | 2 |
...more about the local birds. At present I have a number of unanswered questions about the Spangled Drongos I have been seeing around my place. These birds come here in the winter time and stay for a short while. Usually I see only one or two of them and they disappear again after only a short while. This year there have been a lot more of them and they have stayed for weeks. So why are there so many this year? Was it a specially good breeding season this last summer? Are all the new homes that have recently been built in town providing better habitat for them? Why are they staying so long or is this about habitat as well? The birding books don't/can't tell you things like this.
The photos are of two different birds. (I had written a few sentences here about the eye color differences but apparently this is not right - thanks Tony for correcting me.) | <urn:uuid:8fd582b1-5aa3-4a34-99f0-42fd7d4c562d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sandystraitsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-wish-i-knew.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98129 | 184 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Black Books are esoteric tomes that are magical and other-worldly in nature. When read, they present the reader with exceptionally powerful knowledge that comes with incredible powers which mortals could never conceive. They are Daedric artifacts created by Hermaeus Mora to lure mortals into his service. Some appear to have been written in the past, while others appear to be from the future. They are much sought after as they contain hidden knowledge that grants the reader great power.
The Dragon Priest Miraak came into possession of one book that led him into the service of Hermaeus Mora. Eventually this resulted in him learning how to bend the will of Dov. The Dwemer discovered another book in the First Era. Since the acquisition and usage of hidden knowledge was somewhat a specialty of the Dwemer, and they began to study it to reveal its secrets.
However when opening a black book inside Apocrypha, the corresponding region of Apocrypha would not open. Instead the player would be transported back to Solstheim. This can be used to exit Apocrypha at any time without using(reaching) the hidden knowledge book typically set at the end of each Apocypha scenario. This is especially important in the case of reading Waking Dreams without activating the final main quest At the Summit of Apocrypha because after reaching the word wall for Dragon Aspect, there is no visible exit in form of interactive item while the door behind player is locked.
Black Books can only be read in Solstheim. Attempting to read a black book in Skyrim will result in the message: "A vision of Solstheim swims before your eyes and then is gone." When the message is acknowledged, the inventory closes and the surroundings shake briefly.
|Epistolary Acumen||Found in Nchardak during the quest "The Path of Knowledge".||Dragonborn Force|
|Filament and Filigree||Found in Kolbjorn Barrow during the quest "Unearthed".||Secret of Arcana|
Secret of Protection
Secret of Strength
|The Hidden Twilight||Found in Tel Mithryn, next to the Staff Enchanter.||Mora's Agony|
|The Sallow Regent||Found in White Ridge Barrow||Seeker of Might|
Seeker of Shadows
Seeker of Sorcery
|The Winds of Change||Found in Bloodskal Barrow, during the quest "The Final Descent".||Companion's Insight|
|Untold Legends||Found in Benkongerike, after the word wall.||Bardic Knowledge|
|Waking Dreams||Found in the Temple of Miraak during the main questline.||Skill tree reset in exchange of one dragon's soul.|
- Some followers react to the Dragonborn reading a black book, making such comments as "I can't believe you do that on purpose", "Not again", "I wish you'd stop doing that", or "That can't be good for you..."
- Neloth can give the locations of Black Books in the quest "Lost Knowledge".
- The books remain as quest items after "At the Summit of Apocrypha" and cannot be dropped.
- A Black Book can be treated as a portable storage container while on Solstheim. Upon re-entering the "Winds of Change" the player is close to a chest and the exit. It is helpful to dump the heavy loot there while exploring, then take it back when near a merchant/permanent storage.
- The Sallow Regent is likely a reference to Robert Chambers' The King in Yellow.
- Upon exiting Apocrypha, the sound of paper whirling in the wind will persist. Saving and reloading the game should fix this.
- Upon exiting Apocrypha from The Sallow Regent or The Hidden Twilight, the burning sound of the darkness will persist. Saving and reloading the game, or going back to Apocypha and returning should fix this.
- If the Dragonborn falls into the water it results in death. When the game reloads the autosave, their health will continuously go down, even though in Solstheim. Loading a previous save is the only known fix.
- When you use the perks book to exit out of The Sallow Regent, your health bar continues to go down. On two accounts this was fixed by going back into the book, conjuring a sword, start fighting the lurker while taking damage from the black 'fuzziness' and then falling/jumping down. A message appears on top left of the screen saying 'you cannot fight'. When it autoloads you, your healthbar is returned to normal.
- Lurker they can be flung into the air similar to a Giant. When they respawn in Solstheim they can end up unresponsive, walking into the ground or laying on their side. The only known fix is to load a previous save. If the Dragonborn is stomped on by a
- Upon entering or exiting Apocrypha, any spells, shouts, or powers equipped will be immediately unequipped.
- The Dragonborn may be unable to leave apocrypha by reading a Black Book. To return to Solstheim, the Dragonborn can "die" by going into the water.
- Sometimes there are two copies of Untold Legends. Attempting to re-enter Apocrypha by reading Untold Legends may not happen, thus permanently locking the player out of that part of Apocrypha. The only known fix is to reload a previous save.
- Entering and Exiting Apocrypha with Dragon Aspects active may cause the Dragonborn's facial hair to become invisible.
- Sometimes reading a Black Book will cause the player to enter into a non-stopping load screen. Current "fixes" are to simply skip reading them until Bethesda releases a patch.
- Dialogue asking Neloth if he's found anymore Black Books may still be availible even after the Dragonborn has found all five. Neloth will point the Dragonborn towards a location that has already been cleared of the Black Book, thus rendering the quest impossible to complete.
- The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn (First appearance) | <urn:uuid:220d57f8-ffc6-4b9a-8b15-4bd664d65e45> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Books | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919088 | 1,288 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Chemical biology news from across RSC Publishing.
Interview: Chemistry for a healthy diet
17 June 2010
Cesar Fraga is a professor at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina and is associated with the department of nutrition at the University of California, Davis, US. His main areas of interests are in plant-derived polyphenolic compounds against degenerative disorders, including cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. He is also an associate editor for Food & Function, a new journal from RSC Publishing
What motivated you to specialise in food and nutrition?
My first steps in research were made under the supervision of Alberto Boveris at the University of Buenos Aires, where later I got my doctoral degree. Alberto had just created his research group and we were working on the in vivo determination of excited species as an index of free radical damage and protection by antioxidants. My interests in antioxidants and their health effects grew from that day forward. With an increased interest in antioxidants as health promoters, my involvement in food and nutrition also grew. There is a need for more scientists to investigate the mechanisms behind the nutritional and functional aspects of food.
Could you explain what catechins, flavonoids and polyphenols are?
These are chemical compounds: polyphenol is the characteristic common to the three; flavonoids are a certain kind of polyphenol, and catechins certain kind of flavonoids. All are present in plants that we often eat so they are part of human diets. The chemical structures of these compounds support chemical reactions that explain the health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables. The identification of such chemical substances present in foods did not get much attention in the past. But today, it is becoming more relevant in terms of defining important biological functions.
You are most interested in the benefits and impact of certain foods in the body, what is the hottest area of research at the moment?
I consider that heart and intestinal diseases are conditions that can easily be affected by the type of food eaten. Clearly both conditions are related to other important increasing pathologies such as obesity and diabetes, among others. Knowing the mechanisms of these diseases and the participation of food components in them could allow us to design better diets and if not enough, to supplement the diet or provide a therapeutic agent. Our main target is to study the effects of healthy foods and their components.
You worked on the effects of chocolate consumption. Could you comment on its nutritional value?
In the past, it has been demonstrated that eating dark chocolate, with a very high percentage of cocoa, can improve our vascular function which is directly involved in preventing heart disease, and hypertension and associated diseases. There are also evidences that relate cocoa consumption with a better intestinal function, inflammation, including brain health. However, I am very cautious in saying that the health benefits of cocoa justify a 'therapeutic' and non controlled increase in chocolate in our diets. But, I can safely say that we can incorporate a moderate and appropriate consumption of chocolate as part of a healthy diet.
Could you comment on the scientific research output in South American countries?
Nutrition research in South America is growing in quantity but more important in quality. We have the Pampas, the Amazonas, and the Andean ecosystems that consist of many indigenous plants. The latter play a big role in folkloric medicine. I am convinced that South America can be an attractive hub for research in food components and their health promoting functions. I would like to think that I can contribute towards that vision.
As one of the associate editors who will be handling papers for the new RSC journal Food & Function, what do you find most exciting about this journal?
I like the journal's vision of being at the interface between basic and applied research in nutrition. Food & Function will be a great venue for research on how the physical and chemical properties of food can affect the vital biochemical and physiological actions inside the body. The journal will be a fantastic vehicle to make basic research from the laboratory more readily accessible to everyone who is interested in reading about the health benefits of food.
What does the term Food & Function mean to you?
Foods have various functions. For example, most fruits and vegetables contain nutrients and constituents that are not essential or at least we do not know if they are, but generally, they promote better health. It is believed that they co-act in the prevention, and perhaps, cure of certain diseases.
Which scientists do you most admire and why?
I can safely say that I have had three major teachers in my career and I admire certain aspects of the scientific endeavour of all three of them. I admire the discussion and work aptitude of Alberto Boveris, my PhD supervisor; the scientific vision of Al Tappel; and Bruce Ames's capability to generate novel ideas and crystallise them. Additionally, during the last few years I have met UC Berkeley's legendary scientist, Lester Packer, from whom I have learnt that apart from producing good science, it is also important to generate the niche in which science is created and grows. And last but not least I definitely admire the fire and dedication to science of Patricia Oteiza, my wife, who is also a nutrition scientist.
Cesar Fraga homepage
University of California, Davis, US
External links will open in a new browser window
Also of interest
A new peer-reviewed journal linking the chemistry and physics of food with health and nutrition
Monika Pischetsrieder and Rainer Baeuerlein look at how the safety of GM food can be assured
Gordon Shephard highlights the analytical methods used to ensure our food is free from the natural toxins produced by fungi | <urn:uuid:c42db638-7ae5-44cf-9029-e7e5faa5e144> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/cb/Volume/2010/07/cesar_fraga_interview.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9554 | 1,155 | 2.5 | 2 |
France's new Socialist government will push ahead with plans to lower the pension age for people deemed to have worked long enough, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said on Thursday, defying an EU warning on the cost of the retirement system.
As the number of job seekers in France hit its highest this century, the European Union's executive arm said on Wednesday that budget plans inherited from the previous government were not tight enough for France to meet next year's fiscal target.
In its annual assessment of French public finances, the European Commission said the financing of the pension system had to be closely monitored despite savings that should come from a 2010 reform by conservative former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
President Francois Hollande, who took office this month, plans to partially roll back that reform, which raised the retirement age by two years. His main aim is to reestablish the right to retire at 60 on a full pension for people who started work as young as 18.
“It will be done and it will be done in the coming weeks,” Moscovici said on France Inter radio.
Hollande is under pressure from rising unemployment as the euro debt crisis adds to pressures on the economy.
The number of French jobseekers rose in April for the twelfth month running to 2.89 million, up 0.1 percent from March and the highest since September 1999. The labour ministry said it was braced for more layoffs in the months ahead.
Hollande's partial rollback of pension reforms is expected to cost 5 billion euros ($6.2 billion) annually by the time it is fully phased in over five years and is to be financed by an increase in workers' pension contributions.
In addition to the initial changes, Hollande's government wants over time a broader overhaul of the retirement system and its financing, with talks due to start in the coming months with trade unions and employers.
Hollande's government has pledged to stick to the previous government's commitment to cut the public deficit to an EU-imposed limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product next year from an estimated 4.2 percent this year.
Warning that the target would be missed without additional measures, the Commission said the French government needed to detail additional measures, especially for reining in spending.
“The European Commission's recommendations on deficits are an assessment of past policies and are not a criticism on measures to come in the future,” European Affairs Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told LCI television.
The government has ordered an in-depth audit of public finances, which Moscovici said the national audit office would deliver between June 20 and July 1, shortly after the two-round parliamentary election on June 10 and 17.
On the basis of what the audit turns up, the government is then due to prepare a bill in July adjusting the 2012 budget to ensure that deficit targets are respected. - Reuters | <urn:uuid:2287e26d-37a4-4d2b-b9e4-b1eb2d8b3a79> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iol.co.za/business/international/france-rebuffs-eu-warning-on-pension-reform-1.1309025 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969637 | 588 | 1.75 | 2 |
For the past 4 days, media attention has been focused on the three Cleveland girls who were abducted close to their homes and kept as prisoners in an old run-down house with neighbors on all sides.
NOW, neighbors tell how they broke down the door to free the women, the little 6-year old girl who came out with them, presumably the child of their abductor, and stories of screams coming from the house over the LAST TEN YEARS.
Besides the obvious curiosity about how they are, how this happened, how they were subdued for so long, and all the salient details, my question is WHY DID THIS HAPPEN, AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO CHANGE TO MAKE SURE IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!
As a security analyst, I have to place some of the blame at the door of the Cleveland police, not that they are different from any other police department in the U.S. Police are trained to catch criminals – that is their reason for being. But it seems that, increasingly, in crimes where women go missing, even a 16-year-old, the search for them never really gets underway. With no speeding car to chase, no easy suspicious person to detain, they stop looking.
Statistics say that about 2300 people go missing every day, over half are men, so that
leaves about 1000 females, and of these, about 70% are young women. so that easy math – about 700 A DAY! or 255,500 EVERY YEAR!
My point is just that the Cleveland Triple Abduction should be a wake up call for parents, citizens AND law enforcement to find a better way to search for these missing girls.
The world has changed – we have cameras, social media, facebook pages, and we need for all of these to be routinely used to find missing girls before we see another case exactly like this one. | <urn:uuid:4eef4749-2650-49df-a61e-1165de826c87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.caroline-hamilton.com/?cat=330 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963474 | 384 | 2.15625 | 2 |
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) held hearings for the last two days on the issue of drug promotion on the internet and social media. Of key concern – drug ads on Google and elsewhere were missing critical health side-effects information which is mandatory in other media formats such as print, radio and television. To help clarify the issue, heavy weights such as Google, Yahoo and Pfizer testified to present their case in addressing these concerns.
As we saw it, there are two different, but related, issues at play here, including:
1.) How drug companies can advertise on the internet:
Due to the nature of the medium (i.e., small website banners and sponsored search links) companies such as Google, Yahoo and various pharmaceutical companies are urging the FDA to provide a direction on how to appropriately inform consumers of the drug’s health risks. Google and the pharmaceutical industry have provide suggestions that include links back to informative web properties; both the WSJ Health Blog and NPR’s Health Blog delve deeper into this story.
2.) What role pharma companies will play in social media regarding how drug information is discussed:
The big issue at hand is how pharma companies must disclose health risks while remaining conversational on social media (i.e., Twitter, Facebook and blogs). One issue that resonated was control on user edited sites like Wikipedia; these sites provide less control for brands to manage what the users add or delete from drug information. As such, pharmaceutical reps are arguing that they should be held accountable for only information under their direct control, such as company websites. More information on this story can be found on NextGov. Some interesting thinking on addressing both of these concerns by Pharma Marketing News and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America, as reported by redOrbit: “Online pharmaceutical-marketing expert John Mack of Pharma Marketing News, recommended that the FDA take the unprecedented step of mandating that drug manufacturers put “tags” on their Twitter posts in order to monitor and potentially censor discussions about specific products. A similar suggestion was made earlier in the week by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America representative Jeffrey Francer, in which he encouraged the FDA to require a standard safety logo for drug-related Web content that would link consumers to an official FDA-approved website with information about the medication in question.”
As marketers, for any campaign or program, clearly we need to be mindful in how we create online ad campaigns and how we develop social media strategy to ensure proper discloser of drug health risks. We are strong proponents in the value of social media in providing access to health related information and connecting with others of similar conditions. In fact, social media is the perfect tool to being an informed patient, which, we believe, can help in better treatments and care. However, social media is no substitute to consulting with our doctors about what is the best course of treatment for whatever ails us.
We’ll continue to monitor this news and share updates and thinking along the way. | <urn:uuid:f83c16b9-ac30-4f28-a530-51f709a80d76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.openthedialogue.com/tag/google/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944591 | 615 | 2.0625 | 2 |
AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Commerce Secretary John Bryson
Remarks at Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2012
Good morning, everyone. On behalf of President Obama and the entire administration: Welcome to Oceans Week. It’s great to see such a diverse community here today–from researchers, to businesses, to Congressional staff, to local, regional and nonprofit groups.
I want to thank the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for putting together a great week, as well as for their input into the National Ocean Policy which will soon enter its implementation phase. Everyone should stay tuned for more on that in the months ahead.
Obviously, this is a crucial moment for America’s economy. As we emerge from the biggest recession since the Great Depression, our businesses have added over 4.3 million jobs over the past 27 months.
That’s good news, but we still have much more work to do. And today, I’d like to speak about how our oceans play a key role in our economic recovery. The fact is, America’s waters have always been a strong economic engine. Some call it the “blue economy.”
Sir Walter Raleigh–one of America’s early explorers–said this: “For whosoever commands the sea, commands the trade. . . . Whosoever commands the trade of the world, commands the riches of the world and, consequently, the world itself.”
I’m sure that Raleigh couldn’t have fathomed the impact of planes or railroads, much less e-commerce. But the fact remains: Even centuries after he spoke those memorable words, there remains a vital and powerful link between America’s oceans, rivers, lakes and coasts–and America’s economy.
Consider this: More than half of Americans live in coastal watershed counties, even though this area makes up only 17 percent of U.S. land area. And those counties support about 66 million jobs.
So now more than ever, we need to ensure that the blue economy is strong and growing. This morning, I’ll touch on three ways that we can do that.
First, we need to show off America’s waters.
I grew up in Portland, Oregon. As a boy, I remember going with my father and my uncle to the Columbia River. While they would go into the deep water to catch salmon, I would spend much of the day trying to fix the line on my little fishing pole.
Then, while in high school, I worked as a camp counselor on the shores of Puget Sound. I took the campers on three- and four-day canoe trips.
I’m sure that many of you have personal connections like that to our waters. And you cherish those memories that you made with friends and family.
Today, it’s time that we share those experiences with the rest of the world. That’s what NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation are working towards every day. Together, they support 14 marine-protected areas across the United States.
These sanctuaries offer snorkeling, whale watching, fishing and much more. Altogether, NOAA estimates that these communities and coastal businesses drive about $4 billion into the economy.
And nationwide, we see major impacts on our economy from things like recreational fishing. When you add up the bait shops, boat sales, and the other economic drivers in fishing communities – it comes to more than $73 billion, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.
But here’s the problem: Our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes are sometimes overlooked when both Americans and international travelers plan their vacations.
That’s part of the reason why Secretary Salazar and I are heading up the administration’s new National Travel and Tourism Strategy, which was just released last month.
We believe that showing off our oceans, rivers, lakes and coasts isn’t just a nice thing to do. The fact is, travel and tourism is America’s number one services export.
Last year, we had an all-time record of 62 million international travelers to the U.S. They supported 7.6 million good American jobs.
We need to build on that momentum. That’s why our new plan sets a goal of 100 million visitors each year by 2021.
The only way we are going to meet that goal is if everyone works together. Many federal agencies are involved in this effort. For example, the State Department is working to issue more tourist visas from countries that have a growing middle class.
In addition, our private-sector partners on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board are working to ensure a great experience for tourists. For example, they want to make it easier for them to get through our airports and arrive at their final destination.
Today, we need your help. Let’s get the word out about the wonderful opportunities to discover and explore America’s vast waters.
I encourage you to check out the new Travel and Tourism Strategy, and thank you in advance for helping reach its important goals.
The second way we can strengthen the blue economy is to maximize the potential of our oceans and waterways.
I believe that we can ensure that our oceans are healthy, while also leveraging their ability to drive our economy.
Specifically, they can help increase U.S. exports. Even with air cargo and high-speed trains, it’s important to remember that shipping remains a cornerstone of our export infrastructure.
In fact, nearly 99 percent of our foreign goods trade–as measured by volume–is transported by ship.
In 2011, over half a trillion dollars in U.S. goods were exported around the world through shipping. I think Sir Walter Raleigh would be smiling at that.
So it’s no surprise that our waterways are a key part of President Obama’s National Export Initiative. It seeks to double U.S. exports by 2015. We are making historic progress toward meeting this ambitious goal. Last year we hit an all-time record of $2.1 trillion in exports.
And our folks at places like NOAA are working harder than ever to build on that. For example, NOAA’s Navigational Services Division uses high-tech positioning tools–combined with the latest weather data – to ensure that our exports can move safely and efficiently.
The technology and information we provide to the private sector is particularly important at our nation’s ports.
For example, if a shipper knows that a port has just one additional inch of water depth, they can load more goods onto the boat. With that one inch, you can put 99 more Chevy Volts onto a car carrier–or enough wheat to make over 400,000 loaves of bread.
And my commitment is that we will continue to do everything possible to empower our exporters who use the sea to send out good, quality, Made-in-America products.
But today, we must do even more–and I’ll just give one important and timely example.
The Senate is now taking a hard look at having the U.S. join the Law of the Sea Convention.
This has the strong support of groups ranging from our military to the World Wildlife Fund to the American Petroleum Institute to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The economic benefits of this treaty are clear.
First, it will ensure that we can continue to protect and maintain our shipping routes. But it’s more than that.
It will give our energy companies the certainty they need to make crucial investments that create jobs. It will help our telecommunications companies as they build and maintain undersea cables, and it will secure our access to rare earth minerals which we need to make computers and cell phones.
Importantly, it will also help us urge other countries to support sustainability to protect their marine habitats and species and to promote healthy oceans.
Already, over 160 countries have signed onto this treaty. Republicans and Democrats alike have voiced their support for many years–everyone from Presidents Clinton and Bush, to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, to James Watkins, the former Chief of U.S. Naval Operations, Secretary of Energy, and Chair of the Commission on Oceans Policy.
So, it’s clear that no country has more to gain from this treaty than the United States.
Important meetings are already underway to draw up the rules that are flowing from the Convention. The U.S. has an empty seat waiting for us at the table. We need to fill it.
After all, America has never been content to sit back and let others make decisions that could affect our security, our economy, or our environment. The benefits of this Treaty are too great to ignore–especially at this crucial moment in our recovery. We should act now.
Finally, it’s commencement season. So I think it’s appropriate to close by saying that we need to inspire the next generation to understand, explore and protect our waters in the decades that lie ahead.
About a mile from here, in D.C.’s Crime Museum, NOAA just opened a new exhibit on the 40th anniversary of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
As you know, this law helps protect marine life and our marine ecosystems.
As we speak, there might be a young person wandering around at that museum, looking at the pictures, and thinking–for the first time–“This is what I want to do. This is my world.”
I bet that many of you here today had that same “aha!” moment at some point early on.
And today, you probably still have moments that spark your interest and imagination.
For example, I’m sure that many of you know that NOAA’s telepresence technology allows us to send seafloor images to researchers and scientists around the world.
As you may have seen on the news a few weeks ago, this helped us uncover an incredible shipwreck deep in the Gulf of Mexico.
Looking forward, we’re going to do even more to spark the interest of young people. For example, starting this weekend, we’re teaming up with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Sportfishing Conservancy, to launch what’s called the Sanctuary Classic. Through competitions and scholarships, the Sanctuary Classic will foster excitement among our youth about conservation and fishing.
So what’s clear is this: We need to find young people who share our curiosity and interest in America’s waters.
Maybe they want to be an oceanographer or researcher who works in this field. Maybe they want to go into public service at a place like NOAA. Or perhaps they simply want to start a business that helps people understand and enjoy our waterways–like the business I worked for that summer, taking campers on canoe trips on Puget Sound.
We need to identify these young people. We need to nurture them and mentor them. And ultimately, we need to make sure they can make a difference, just like all of you are making today in your daily work.
I will leave you with a quotation from one of my favorite presidents. I have a portrait of him behind my desk at the Commerce Department.
President Kennedy once said, “Knowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity. Our very survival may hinge upon it.” I think that everyone here would agree.
Our oceans and waterways are critical to our prosperity, to our quality of life, and to the future of our nation. So, let’s show them off. Let’s maximize their potential. And let’s inspire the next generation to follow in our footsteps.
Thank you, and have a great week. | <urn:uuid:849b8317-9092-448b-9f05-3db9834dd3e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commerce.gov/news/secretary-speeches/2012/06/05/remarks-capitol-hill-ocean-week-2012 | 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 | 0.948686 | 2,455 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Facebook ranks fourth in the Top 10 most popular phishing targets in the first quarter of 2010
Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, has released its latest report on the evolution of spam for the first quarter of 2010 compiled by company experts Darya Gudkova, Elena Bondarenko and Maria Namestnikova. As is stated in the report, the number of phishing attacks on social networking sites has increased. Facebook unexpectedly became one of the most popular targets for the phishers. “This was the first time since we started monitoring that attacks on a social networking site have been so prolific,” stated the report’s authors.
Top 10 organizations targeted by phishing attacks
The percentage of phishing emails in the first quarter of 2010 averaged 0.57% of the total volume of mail traffic.
Spammers have learnt to exploit the new Internet platforms such as blogs and social networks for their own ends. The saturation of the spam market has led to a halt in the growth of the volume of unwanted emails in mail traffic, having stabilized at around 85.2% in the first quarter of 2010. This figure coincides with the final result for 2009.
The first quarter saw no major changes to the list of countries considered to be key sources of spam: the US was first (16%) followed by India (7%) and then Russia (6%).
The migration of spammers from China’s .cn domain to the Russian .ru zone is another noticeable event that occurred in the first quarter of 2010. This was caused by a tightening of the domain registration rules in China. Russian domains are attractive to the fraudsters because of their more relaxed legal requirements.
The full text of the report for Q1 is available at: www.securelist.com/en. | <urn:uuid:a5e1013c-8fd7-4d75-96f2-cb6f8ebbf1d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kaspersky.com/au/about/news/spam/2010/Facebook_ranks_fourth_in_the_Top_10_most_popular_phishing_targets_in_the_first_quarter_of_2010 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952823 | 370 | 2.0625 | 2 |
PERTH AMBOY— Approximately 85 percent of the city now has electricity, according to Mayor Wilda Diaz. The areas that remain without power appear to be the sections of Water and Front streets that were directly impacted by the effects of the storm.
The Budapest area of town as far North as Chamberlain and Barry Avenue, has not yet received power. PSE&G has explained that the substation that services this area is located in Sewaren and had been under water until yesterday. The utility is in the process of drying, repairing and testing the equipment and it may still be days before power can be restored to these areas.
Shelters are open 24-hours a day at McGinnis School on State Street and Shull School on Hall Avenue. They are providing: ice, food and power to charge electronics. The YMCA at 357 New Brunswick Avenue is also open until 6 p.m. and offers cell phone charging.
The mayor has asked residents to conserve water until further notice and said that the city’s tap water is safe to drink.
To register for federal assistance for storm related damages, residents should call 1-800-621-FEMA or go on-line at disasterassistance.gov for information. | <urn:uuid:ccd770ea-a79e-4544-8fbd-6fd09d0a6369> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://njtoday.net/2012/11/01/power-restored-to-most-of-perth-amboy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977176 | 255 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Chanel Griffith, Contributing writer
Although scientists are still unsure of what actually causes breast cancer, research and media attention have made certain facts about the disease widely available. Most people now know what to look for when performing a breast self-exam, and that both men and women are affected by the disease.
However, many are unaware that breast cancer is a blanket term for a number of different types of cancer that occur in the breast, all of which may manifest themselves in different ways.
Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed form of cancer affecting American women. The best way to survive breast cancer is early detection and treatment. Here are the five most prevalent forms of breast cancer affecting women today.
In-situ ductal carcinoma is often thought of as noninvasive breast cancer because cancer cells have not migrated to other parts of the body. In other words, the cancer cells remain where they started. According to MayoClinic.com, in-situ ductal carcinoma occurs when cancer cells originate and grow in the milk ducts of the breast. WebMD.com states that ISDC has the best prognosis of all breast cancer diagnoses, with a 95 percent chance of removing all cancer cells with breast-conserving surgeries and a very low recurrence rate, depending on family history and the size and amount of cancer cells present.
Infiltrating ductal carcinoma starts just like ISDC, in the milk ducts of the breast. However, IDC is thought of as invasive because cancer cells that started in the milk ducts migrate and spread to surrounding breast tissues, according to WebMD.com. IDC accounts for close to 80 percent of all invasive breast cancer diagnoses, and can become very dangerous, as this type of cancer can metastasize to other parts of the body.
Infiltrating lobular carcinoma is less common than IDC, but manifests in a similar way. MayoClinic.com states that ILC starts to grow in the lobules that produce milk in the breast, and is thought of as invasive because it then migrates to the breast tissue, and possibly to other parts of the body. ILC often feels different to the touch during a breast exam than IDC.
According to WebMD.com, one normally feels a general thickening of an area on the breast with ILC, as opposed to a defined lump in the breast as with IDC.
Medullary carcinoma is a less common form of breast cancer than ISDC, IDC or ILC, and accounts for about 15 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses. According to a report from MayoClinic.com, medullary carcinoma presents similarly to IDC in that it normally originates in the milk ducts of the breast. However, the difference is found in the general appearance of the cells. Cancer cells of medullary carcinoma look very similar to the gray matter of the brain, or the medula, which is where this type of cancer gets its name.
Medullary carcinoma most often occurs in women who have entered their late 40s and 50s, and is also thought of as invasive because it can metastasize to other parts of the body.
Inflammatory breast cancer is a less common form of breast cancer that is highly invasive and very aggressive, according to MayoClinic.com. Inflammatory breast cancer presents an increased risk. Due to the lack of any lumps in the breast, it can be difficult to detect with a mammogram.
Inflammatory breast cancer normally starts in the milk ducts but rapidly metastasizes to the outermost layer of the breast's skin, making the breast look swollen, red and bumpy. The tumor cells also invade and block the breast's lymph nodes, thereby blocking the release of any fluid.
MayoClinic.com states that inflammatory breast cancer accounts for 5 to 6 percent of all breast cancer cases in the U.S. Because of the difficulty in detecting this form of cancer, survival rates are markedly lower than with other forms of breast cancer. | <urn:uuid:bd7df8e9-541b-4867-bfc7-6edd445c526a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.local10.com/breast-cancer-awareness/What-are-different-kinds-of-breast-cancer/-/4044140/1608544/-/1r3sloz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963648 | 837 | 3.0625 | 3 |
What do art and the Battle of Thermopylae have in common? Well aside from the fact that the Greeks had a hand in both, Steven Pressfield also wrote a book about each one. I’ve read several of his fiction books but I’ve recently finished an excellent non-fiction work of his, The War of Art, in which Pressfield deals out a swift kick in the ass regarding yourself and that eternal enemy each of us faces every day, resistance.
I’m a firm believer that we all hold the tools to our own salvation but most of us go through life not even opening the tool shed. Truthfully, it can be somewhat daunting to face down your own perceived inadequacy, constant stream of lame ass excuses, and inherent short comings, on a daily basis. Pressfield blows open the doors, hands you the tools and personally reads aloud the manual for what you need to do everyday to be successful at whatever it is you do.
Pressfield reiterates the story of how he got started as a writer and the stream of dead-end jobs, failed relationships, and bad decisions that finally pointed him in the right direction. He also talks about how he faces the everyday struggle to sit down and write. What demons tug at him, trying to send him into a downward spiral of procrastination and resistance. He shares with us the little tips and tricks he’s learned, through the occupational school of “hard knocks”.
The War of Art holds up a mirror, and in it’s reflection you’ll see, in what area, your lacking in being able to nail that presentation to your boss, bring in a healthy stream of clients, stick with your commitment to make it to Crossfit three times a week, or whatever it is your failing to accomplish because your just this side of greatness.
We all need a jump start from time to time and if your feeling like there’s something that’s tugging at you, trying to bring you down, I’d give this book a try for a little pick me up.
What do you use to motivate yourself? Is it a quote from a book or poem? Something a mentor once taught you? Please, share with the class.
20 Min AMRAP:
1 Rope Climb
9 Kettlebell Sumodeadlift High Pulls (1.5pd/1pd)
12 Box jumps (24″/20″) | <urn:uuid:12015cc4-c091-4db5-94da-19943c7e25d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crossfitpacificcoast.com/2012/05/16/the-battle-begins-anew-every-day-by-baker | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953185 | 511 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The American Shad is the best-known of all the shad and herring that swim in the Chesapeake Bay. The silvery fish – typically 20- 24 inches long -- can be identified by its row of dark spots along its side and the scutes or sharp saw-like scales along its belly.
A highly migratory species, shad often travel in schools. They are anadromous -- meaning they live in the sea for the majority of their lives, and enter freshwater to spawn. River-specific, they return to their birth river to spawn. In Maryland, peak spawning time is mid-April through early June.
Young shad eat zooplankton and insects, while the adults choose plankton, small crustaceans, and small fish to consume; but while migrating upriver do not feed. The average lifespan of the fish is 5 years at sea, and during that time it may migrate over 12,000 miles. The oldest American shad recorded in Maryland was 11 years of age.
American and Hickory Shad were both closed to recreational and commercial fishing in 1980. American Shad commercial fishing off Maryland’s Atlantic Coast was opened for a limited season in 1992; this season was closed permanently in 2004.
Historically, the American Shad spawned in nearly every accessible river and tributary along the East coast from Canada to Florida. However, the deterioration of water quality and blockage due to dams and other obstacles have depleted American Shad stocks. Since 1993, hatchery stocking has been used to increase the American Shad populations in our waterways.
Illustration of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) | <urn:uuid:254239be-df62-41a9-98ab-90a4d9285401> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/mydnr/CreatureFeature/americanshad.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970515 | 334 | 3.328125 | 3 |
By Stuart Frost
What does the word Byzantine mean to you? If the answer is not very much I suspect that you’re not alone. The word was one of the period terms we tested with focus groups. These took place in the autumn of 2002 when we conducted research to feed into the planning for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. Byzantium was unfamiliar to almost all of the participants in the focus groups. This isn’t surprising as Byzantine history isn’t a subject that is widely studied in Britain. It isn’t, for example, included in the National Curriculum for England and Wales.
In 330 the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great founded the city of Constantinople on the site of Byzantium. The new city was to replace Rome as the capital of the Roman world and to become the centre of an empire that endured until 1453. The modern label for this empire is Byzantine although contemporaries described it as the Empire of the Romans. The Byzantine empire was finally brought to an end by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Constantinople is now known better known as Istanbul. There are many reasons that help explain why an empire which endured for so long is not better known by the public.
The Byzantium 330-1453 exhibition at the Royal Academy provides a wonderful opportunity for those who are intrigued about Byzantine art to find out more. There are some stunningly beautiful objects in the displays. I’ve been looking forward to this exhibition ever since I heard about it for various reasons. I was particularly interested to see how the exhibition team would cope with the challenge of covering a chronological span as vast as 330-1453 in a comparatively small number of rooms. The Medieval and Renaissance Galleries have an equally challenging scope, covering all of Europe from 300-1600, so it is always illuminating to see the decisions that other institutions make when faced with a similar situation.
Whilst the V&A’s own medieval and Renaissance collections don’t provide a comprehensive overview of Byzantine art history they do include a small but significant number of key objects. In fact a number of objects that will appear in the V&A’s new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries are on display currently at the Royal Academy.
It is endlessly fascinating to see how other institutions display and interpret objects from the V&A’s collections. Seeing a familiar object alongside artefacts from different collections often generates new thoughts and ideas. I’ve illustrated this blog entry with pictures of a number of those V&A objects that can be seen in the Byzantium show. As always click on the image if you’d like to know more about the object.
Click here to find out more about the Byzantium 330-1453 exhibition at the Royal Academy, London. | <urn:uuid:6ceefb8f-b25a-4e99-8ee8-5483885e31d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1265_frost/?p=74 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954714 | 569 | 2.8125 | 3 |
At the BIO International Convention, this session featured three farmers from different regions of the world that have had substantial experience with agricultural biotechnology, and they provided testimony as to how the technology has improved their lives.
By Michael J. Phillips
At the BIO International Convention, this session featured three farmers from different regions of the world that have had substantial experience with agricultural biotechnology, and they provided testimony as to how the technology has improved their lives. Rosalie Ellasus from the Philippines began farming in 1995 when her husband died leaving her with three small children to raise and educate.
The office worker took a gamble and bet all her savings on purchasing a 1.3 hectare rice and corn farm. She had no farming experience and faced repeated buyer rejections as her corn was affected by mites, disease and fungi producing toxins. Rosalie persevered, and after joining an Integrated Pest Management program, she was introduced to Bt corn. The Bt corn performed well on her farm, and in 2002. From her first efforts in 2001 to 2008, yields rose from 3.5 to 7.9 tons per hectare. And her success continued in 2009 - when her now 10 hectares - produced 8.9 tons per hectare. The success on her farm has allowed Rosalie to send her children to college and provide financial security for her family. Rosalie actively shares benefits of her success through local and international organizations Terry Wanzek, a fourth generation North Dakota farmer, raises corn, soybeans, wheat, dry edible beans, and sunflowers on 9,000 acres.
But Terry is more than a farmer. He was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1992. He became a member of the North Dakota Senate from 1994 to 2002, and was re-elected to the State Senate in 2006. He has been Chairman of the Senate Ag Committee and has led the efforts to defeat a proposed moratorium on biotech wheat and led a study on biotechnology and renewable fuels. Terry considers the benefits of growing biotech corn and soybeans to be 1) allows use of no or minimal till methods; 2) conserves soil moisture and reduces erosion; 3) increases yield; 4) decreases herbicide costs ($84 vs $18/acre); 5) enhances wild life habitat; 6) improves soil organic matter; 7) produces more high-value crops (corn vs wheat); 8) increases production efficiencies leading to more family time; and 9) has made Terry’s farming operation more productive and profitable. Gabriela Cruz manages a 500 hectare farm in Portugal that has been in their family for over 100 years. Her farm produces maize, wheat, barley, and green peas. Gabriela has grown biotech maize since 2006. The potential for severe soil erosion is very real on her farm.
With the adoption of Bt corn, it has allowed her to use no or minimum till methods and significantly reduced any real threat of soil erosion. Also, Gabriela cites increased soil productivity, decreased fuel costs, reduced labor costs, and decreased water consumption for irrigation as additional benefits. The testimonies provided by these three farmers from different parts of the world provide eye witness accounts that agricultural biotechnology can increase productivity and protect the environment.
Michael J. Phillips, Ph.D. was BIO’s Vice-President for Food and Agriculture until he retired in 2007. He is currently President, MJ Phillips and Associates LLC, an agricultural consulting firm – specializing in biotechnology. | <urn:uuid:36a52230-26b0-4217-8fb4-e3ed0523be3f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bio.org/print/2620 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962334 | 710 | 1.960938 | 2 |
SOME 30 people who were imprisoned for several months because of an inability to pay their fines for minor offences were released in time to spend Easter with their family and friends.
Among those released was a 24-year-old vendor from Ocho Rios in St Ann, who had served three months in prison for breaching the Copyright Act. He described his time in prison as hell.
"Sleepless nights ... tiresome days. I feel like I have been here for years. I would love to one day go back to school and get some subjects. This life is not for me."
A media release from Food For The Poor on the weekend said it is Jamaica's largest Easter prisoner-release programme to date.
Food For The Poor donors paid the prisoners' outstanding fines to secure their freedom and reintroduce them to society as productive citizens.
Their release is part of Food For The Poor's prison-ministry initiative, which is conducted during the Easter and Christmas seasons each year.
One inmate from the Richmond Farm Adult Correctional Centre in St Mary joined the group at St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre for his release.
"Love means action, and Food For The Poor is today demonstrating our love by paying your fines for you to return home to your families," Jacqueline Johnson, Food For The Poor Jamaica's senior consultant, told the beneficiaries.
"We are proud to do this because everyone makes mistakes, but everyone deserves a second chance. You have been given the opportunity for a fresh start."
In addition to paying their fines, Food For The Poor also gave each released inmate a gift package containing toiletries and a stipend to assist with transportation and food while they travel to their various homes.
Speaking to the four released inmates from Tamarind Farm Adult Correctional Centre in St Catherine, Sandra Ramsey, Food For The Poor Jamaica's prison ministry administrator, said the charity was blessed with donors who consistently provide the funds each year to release inmates.
"The donors work hard to ensure that the funds are provided every year. Therefore, whatever you do, try not to return. Make the most of this investment." | <urn:uuid:2141316d-b9d3-4753-adde-f51d438f08f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120409/news/news11.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975408 | 429 | 1.601563 | 2 |
This paper explores the prevalence of emotional and behavioural disorders in children referred to a Community Paediatric Occupational Therapy service for assessment and treatment of problems with development of motor skills.
Parents of 47 children from a clinical sample of children who had been identified with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) returned the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)--a brief measure of the pro-social behaviour and psychopathology that can be completed by parents, teachers or youths.
Significant emotional and behavioural problems were reported by 29 parents (62%) with a further six (13%) reporting problems in the borderline range. Seven children (15%) were without significant problems in one or more area although only four of these (9%) were outside the borderline range for all of the sub-domains of the SDQ.
A significant proportion of children with DCD were reported by their parents to be at risk of psychopathology. Further research is needed to understand the relationshipbetween motor difficulties and emotional and behavioural symptoms; however, it is recommended that interventions for children with DCD should support mental health and behavioural problems as well as motor development.
Newcomen Centre, Guy's Hospital, London, UK. firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:2a63ba96-91f8-4393-8692-925cab9aa7d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-developmental-coordination-disorder/abstract/45 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962054 | 258 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Tax filing can be a daunting task especially for beginners. One has to be fully prepared and aware of the tax basics. The following are key steps to review:
What documents do you need?
The primary requirement is the W-2 or earning statements from all your employers. Your employers can mail these to you saving you the headache of hunting for them. According to the Federal law, these copies should be sent to you by January 31.
Also, there are other documents you may need to look out for in the mail. For instance, depending on one’s present portfolio, one may receive a 1099 for all the additional income not yet taxed. This could include interests on savings or other bank accounts as well as dividends. They could come alongside other important tax information in January, and it is up to you to be on the lookout. All these forms are essential during tax filing.
What does one fill out?
Obviously, all taxpayers have to fill the IRS’s 1040 Form. However there are different versions of this form for different taxpayers. Those with no dependents or itemized deductions should fill the 1040EZ while the 1040A is reserved for those with dependents but no itemized deductions.
If you need to itemize deductions, either you are a single person or a couple (eligible for deductions higher than $5,800 and $11,600 respectively) you should fill out the 1040 long form. Otherwise, there is a standard deduction for both categories depending on one’s filing status.
Before claiming any deductions, be sure you have the clear records. For instance, you cannot claim charitable donations unless there are receipts proving funds were given out. Beginners may not have much foresight, but by taking time to review the tax forms carefully during your first filing, you will learn all you need for next year.
How do you file?
When it comes to tax preparation and filing, there are several options to consider. A taxpayer can hire an attorney, an enrolled agent, a public accountant or a licensed tax preparer. One can also use free online software.
The best resource, however, depends on the complexity of your tax returns. First timers with fairly straightforward returns can utilize the online resources which offer free services to low-income taxpayers. Still, regardless of the resources one uses to prepare returns, it is advisable to file them electronically for faster refunds. | <urn:uuid:fbf87c9a-ea52-4016-a817-3a8be20596d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.limonwhitaker.com/2012/05/tax-411-how-to-file-your-1040/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960605 | 493 | 1.929688 | 2 |
I've been hearing good things about yet another MIT Media Lab spin-out, PerfectSight Opticals, which comes out of work done at the lab's "Camera Culture" group.
A group of four Media Lab researchers developed a plastic lens assembly (cost: $2) that can clip onto the front of a mobile phone. When a user looks through the lens at the mobile phone's screen, she sees a set of parallel lines. She presses keys on the phone to make the lines overlap, and in about two minutes, the phone displays the proper prescription data. (See the videos below.)
The project won a $5,000 award at last spring's MIT Ideas Competition, and a small team working to commercialize the technology also was chosen as a finalist for the MassChallenge start-up competition this summer. The team says that "uncorrected refractive errors" (near-sightedness and far-sightedness) affect about 600 million people, and are the second most common cause of blindness worldwide. As you might expect, the majority of those people live in less-developed countries, where there isn't a Lenscrafters on every corner, and where the lowest-tech equipment for diagnosing eye problems still costs around $100.
Ekeji writes via e-mail, "We are working on productizing the prototype...We are in discussions with several potential partners in that regard, and our current plan is to have a [Version 1] product available in six months or so."
The company isn't yet actively raising money, though Ekeji says they may talk with some individual angel investors soon.
PerfectSight doesn't yet have a Web site, and when I e-mailed with Ekeji earlier this month, he said they hadn't yet incorporated.
Two videos about the original MIT project, below:
[ Second video is from the Media Lab's LabCast series, by Paula Aguilera and Jonathan Williams. ]
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about the blogger
About Scott Kirsner Scott Kirsner was part of the team that launched Boston.com in 1995, and has been writing a column for the Globe since 2000. His work has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, and Variety. Scott is also the author of the books "Fans, Friends & Followers" and "Inventing the Movies," was the editor of "The Convergence Guide: Life Sciences in New England," and was a contributor to "The Good City: Writers Explore 21st Century Boston." Scott also helps organize several local events on entrepreneurship, including the Nantucket Conference and Future Forward. Here's some background on how Scott decides what to cover, and how to pitch him a story idea.
June 24: Web Innovators Group
An evening of demos, plus two presentations from mobile execs Micah Adler of Fiksu and Wayne Chang of Twitter Boston.
June 25: TEDxBoston
The oldest and biggest of the locally-organized TED events is back, at the Seaport World Trade Center. Tickets are free, but tough to get. Also streams on the web and airs on WBUR.
July 16: Tech, Drugs & Rock and Roll
Barbecue, live music, and a spotlight on new technologies and science coming out of Boston University. | <urn:uuid:25dec3f4-0010-42e5-a3dc-1e770ee8a3d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2010/08/figuring_out_your_own_eyeglass.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948486 | 694 | 2.296875 | 2 |