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Guide to Daniel Bennahmias oral history interviews OHP.8334
Finding aid prepared by Judith Janec
Tauber Holocaust Library
JFCS Holocaust Center
2245 Post Street
San Francisco, CA, 94115
Title: Daniel Bennahmias oral history interviews
Identifier/Call Number: OHP.8334
Contributing Institution: Tauber Holocaust Library
Language of Material: English
Storage Unit: Tauber Holocaust Library Archives
Storage Unit: OHT Box 4
Physical Description: 0.3 Linear feet comprising one sound disc with accompanying transcript of 27 pages, and one videotape with a total running time of 2:40
Date: 1986 June 24 and 1991 November 12
Abstract: This collection comprises one sound disc with accompanying transcript and one videotape of two oral history interviews with Daniel Bennahmias conducted by the Holocaust Media Project on June 24, 1986 and by the Holocaust Oral History Project on November 12, 1991.
Creator: Bennahmias, Daniel
Creator: Barnett, Lisa
Creator: Braun, Ilana
Creator: Mauldin, Denise
Creator: Netter, Bea
Creator: Neuberg, Joel
This collection comprises one sound disc with accompanying transcript and one videotape of two interviews with Daniel Bennahmias. One interview was conducted by Joel Neuberg on June 24, 1986 on behalf of the Holocaust Media Project; the second interview was conducted by Bea Netter, Lisa Barnett and Ilana Braun on November 12, 1991 on behalf of the Holocaust Oral History Project. Daniel Bennahmias is a Holocaust survivor
The interviews describe Mr. Bennahmias experiences growing up in the Jewish community of Salonika in Greece; his and his family's incarceration in concentration camps by Greece because of their Italian citizenship; the occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany; his deportation first to a transit camp in Haidari and then to Auschwitz and his experiences there as a sonderkommando. The interview describes Mr. Bennahmias deportation to Mauthausen, Austria and then to Ebensee; his liberation by American troops; his subsequent reactions to the trauma of his concentration camp experience; his eventual immigration to the United States, and his marriage and career.
Daniel Bennahmias was born in 1923 in Salonika, Greece, where he lived with his parents, Mark and Harriet. His father's family was from Italy, and had Italian citizenship. His father worked at the Bureau of Information in Salonika. During the period that Italy was at war with Greece, Italian citizens were imprisoned. When the Bennahmias family was released they moved to Athens in 1941, lived in the ghetto, and hid there during the period after 1943 when the Nazi occupiers began to deport Greek Jews.
The Bennahmias family was discovered in March of 1944, arrested, and imprisoned in Haidari concentration camp for one month, after which they were deported to Auschwitz. Mr. Bennahamias's parents were murdered upon arrival, and he was selected to be part of the sonderkommando unit. He worked in the crematoria until January 1945, when he was sent to Mauthausen, then Ebensee, in Austria. He was liberated by American troops in 1945.
After the war, he returned to Athens. He married and moved with his wife to the United States, where he got a chemistry degree at UC Berkeley. Mr. Bennahmias died October 22, 1994.
There are no restrictions to access for this collection.
There are no restrictions to use for this collection.
The master copies of the oral history interviews are located at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bennahmias oral history interviews - OHP.8334, Tauber Holocaust Library, JFCS Holocaust Center, San Francisco, California
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Auschwitz (Concentration camp).
Ebensee (Concentration camp).
Mauthausen (Concentration camp).
Holocaust survivors -- United States
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Personal narratives
Jews -- Persecutions -- Greece
United States -- Emigration and immigration
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The lavender, or the aroma of it, is everywhere – candles, hand applications, shampoo, bath gel, air freshener, even laundry detergent. It’s the most extensively utilized and popular essential oil. According to the experts, aromatherapy authors and educators, pure lavender essential oils provide gains for the body, mind and spirit. Lavender offer a pacifying and comforting effect that can help unstrain the user. It’s also emotionally uplifting and inducing if one is experiencing overmastered, irritable or distracted which was explained clearly by experts.
To gain from the lavender, one has to ensure utilizing pure lavender essential oil and not a synthetic substance aroma. Check the product tag and look for the words “Lavendula angustifolia.” There are many other kinds of lavender essential oil, but they come from secondary hybrids that don’t make the optimal gains of pure lavender essential oil.
It’s easy to buy pure lavender essential oil and utilize it for the individual and around the house. Most of the natural products and health food stores have essential oils, such as the Aura Cacia, which also provides a full line of lavender aromatherapy products, including the massage, bath, body care and more products. Here are a few simple methods to take advantage of the aromatherapy gains of lavender.
Using Pure Lavender Essential Oil Individually
Touch a drip of pure lavender essential oil behind the ears to relieve motion illness. Rub a couple of drops of lavender oil on the pillow cover to assist the individual while sleeping. A drip of lavender oil on a bug bit assists to take away the puffiness and itchiness. Use dilute lavender oil to roughened or damaged skin to secure and comfort it. Massage the oil round the scar tissue to decrease the appearing of scars. Diluted lavender oil used under the arms acts upon as an efficacious natural deodorant. To make relaxed and absorb tension, include six to eight drips of lavender oil to bath water.
If one has spent too many hours in the sunlight, assist cool suntan by combining various drips of lavender oil into cool water then covering onto skin. To assist relaxing, light a candle and admit to burn for a few minutes, and then include various drops of lavender oil to the dissolved wax. When one is feeling irritated or mentally deflected, place a few drops of lavender oil on a tissue and breathe in the aroma to recover mental balance.
Whether you garden for business, to feed your family or just for your own pleasure, the tips below will help you to make the most of your garden. Figure out what you need beforehand, so you don’t spend money on equipment that isn’t necessary, or impractical seeds for your climate.
Starting seedlings in pots before planting in your garden is a smart idea. They are then more likely to survive and to become thriving, mature plants. This also helps tighten time between plantings. As soon as you harvest the mature plants in your garden, your new seedlings will be large enough to plant outside!
For proper optimum growth, plants require sufficient amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Most plants grow better in higher levels of CO2. The best way to expose your plants to a high level of carbon dioxide is by growing them in a greenhouse. When it is exposed to high carbon dioxide levels, a plant has the best growing condition possible.
When it’s autumn, it’s time to start planting all of your fall edibles. A pumpkin makes a great container, and costs less than a clay pot. Clean out the pumpkin just like you would if you were making a jack o’lantern. Spray Wilt-Pruf inside the pumpkin and along its edges so that the pumpkin won’t rot. Once you have completed this, start planting!
Draw up a garden plan before you plant the first seed. Doing this makes it easier to keep track of where you planted what when you first start to see sprouts. A good plan can also help you to place each plant in the area that is most beneficial to them.
Good green gardens begin from seeds, not plants. Starting from seed is far less harsh on the environment than using plants you buy at the nursery. Plastics from nurseries aren’t recycled often, which causes them to go into landfills; so try starting with seeds, or buying from organic nurseries.
A wheelbarrow and kneeling bench or stool are smart investments for your garden. Gardening can take a toll on the knees, but a small ergonomic stool will be a comfortable solution. Also, gardening can involve a lot of heavy lifting and moving items, therefore a robust wheelbarrow can make that aspect much easier.
Garden for fall colors. It doesn’t have to be that way! The brightest season of the year when it comes to foliage is fall. Maple, beech, and dogwood display colors ranging from dark crimson to light yellow. When choosing shrubs, think about cotoneaster, hydrangea or barberry.
If you want to draw advantageous insects to your garden, plant some heather. Bees love heather, and it’s one of the earliest sources of nectar for the bees when they emerge during springtime. Spiders, ground beetles and other insects helpful to your garden tend to live in a heather bed, because heather beds are generally undisturbed. Because of this, you might want to invest in a good pair of horticulture gloves for the times when you need to prune it.
Strawberries are a great plant to grow in any organic garden, especially if you happen to have kids or any strawberry lover in your home. Children will be more willing to help you if they can pluck their own fruit from the garden.
If you have recently suffered a cut, discontinue horticulture until the cut has healed completely. A cut that has come into contact with extraneous materials like dirt can become seriously infected. Look for newer bandages which are able to completely seal your cut.
Keep your garden tools close at hand to make the most of your horticulture time. For example, you could use an over-sized tote bag or an apron with multiple pockets. Tools you’ll need to garden efficiently include towels, gloves, pruning shears and other plant-specific tools.
It just requires some effort and a bit of learning on your part, and of course, a whole lot of patience. Once you see the garden you’ve created, you’ll know all your efforts were worthwhile. | <urn:uuid:e3dfca0f-f9f6-47aa-a110-3e084a11c26d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mygreataromatherapy.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944534 | 1,392 | 1.84375 | 2 |
|July 2, 2004
A large drop in blood pressure may herald the onset of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in seniors, Swedish researchers report. The finding adds new information about the still poorly understood relationship between blood pressure and the memory wasting of Alzheimer's disease.
High blood pressure has long been linked to heart attacks and strokes, and some studies have linked long-term high blood pressure to Alzheimer's as well. Other reports have linked very low blood pressure to memory problems and dementia also. Maintaining blood pressure in a healthy range- that is, 120/80, where the second number is 80 or lower- helps assure that blood flows normally, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the heart, brain, and other vital organs.
In the current study, investigators from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm followed nearly 1,000 older men and women in Sweden aged 75 and up. They were given regular exams and memory tests at the start of the study, then again at three and six years later.
At the end of the study, those seniors who had a drop in the upper blood pressure number of 15 points or more had a three-fold increased risk of developing Alzheimer's. Scientists aren't sure why the two are linked. One possibility is that the same factors that damage the brain in Alzheimer's disease may also cause blood pressure to drop. Alternatively, low blood pressure may decrease blood flow to the brain, accelerating the memory loss and brain damage that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. It is important to note, however, that these results do not mean that high blood pressure is better than low blood pressure, or that you should forego your high blood pressure medicine. Nor can you can do anything to prevent this type of drop in blood pressure.
Scientists continue to explore the link between blood pressure and brain health. In the meantime, have your blood pressure monitored regularly and strive to keep it in a healthy range. A sound diet, regular exercise, and proper medical care are essential to maintaining a healthy blood pressure and, possibly, preserving the health of the brain as well.
The report appeared in the July issue of Stroke, a medical journal from the American Heart Association.
Chengxuan Qiu, M.D., et al: Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, July 2004. | <urn:uuid:7d247b70-f950-4e2d-97ea-ceb1eb974a33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alzinfo.org/07/articles/diagnosis-and-causes-80 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940639 | 472 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Mandala sand painting
UTSA presents mandala sand painting Nov. 5-7
By Marlon Anderson
Director, Inclusion and Community Engagement Center
(Oct. 31, 2008)--To begin UTSA Diversity Month, Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery will construct a Mandala Sand Painting from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Nov 5-7 in the University Center window lounge at the 1604 Campus.
From all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks to form the image of a mandala. To date the monks have created mandala sand paintings in more than 100 museums, art centers, and colleges and universities in the United States and Europe.
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Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning sacred cosmogram. These cosmograms can be created in various media, such as watercolor on canvas and wood carvings. However, the most spectacular and enduringly popular are those made from colored sand.
In general all mandalas have outer, inner and secret meanings. On the outer level, they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened mind. On the secret level, they depict the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to produce purification and healing on these three levels.
The mandala sand painting begins with an opening ceremony, during which the lamas consecrate the site and call forth the forces of goodness. This is done by means of chanting, music and mantra recitation, which will be at 11 a.m., Nov. 5 at UTSA.
The lamas begin the exhibit by drawing an outline of the mandala on the wooden platform. On the following days, they lay the colored sands. Each monk holds a traditional metal funnel called a chakpur, while running a metal rod on its grated surface. The vibration causes the sands to flow like liquid onto the platform.
Traditionally most sand mandalas are destroyed shortly after their completion. This is done as a metaphor for the impermanence of life. The sands are swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. The waters then carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing. The closing ceremony at UTSA will be at noon, Nov. 7.
For more information on this and Diversity Month programs, contact the UTSA Inclusion and Community Engagement Center at (210) 458-4770. | <urn:uuid:63dc1366-183f-4824-95e1-555992b76d65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utsa.edu/today/2008/10/mandala.cfm?585C05110F421C57314F027D55 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92955 | 676 | 2.390625 | 2 |
California is only weeks away from adopting new rules to oversee and regulate the controversial pratice of fracking for oil in the state, but one lawmaker wants to put it all into law.
For the second time in as many years, State Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski of Fremont has introduced a bill that would require public disclosure of all fracking in California.
Earlier this year, Investigative Reporter Stephen Stock discovered that oil companies use this practice and it's not regulated or even monitored here. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing means forcing huge amounts of water and chemicals at high pressures underground to get at oil. After our story aired, state regulators vowed to change that.
New administrative rules are expected out before Christmas. Wieckowski's bill, if passed, would make those regulations and public disclosures part of state law. | <urn:uuid:38362718-b255-4d60-bf80-67c57a8186f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Bay-Area-Lawmaker--181931601.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952867 | 166 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Trap pesky moths from your birdseed supply, keeping it safer and fresher. These traps are an effective, easy, and economic solution. Place trap next to your birdseed supply, and its pheromone lures go to work to draw in moths.
The Birdseed Moth Trap attracts and captures moths such as the Indian Meal Moth, Mediterranean Flour Moth, Almond Moth, and Raisin Moth. These insects occur almost everywhere and are attracted by food. The moths lay eggs on or near food. The adult emerges and flies about seeking a mate. The Birdseed Moth Trap uses the same biochemical that female moths use to attract male moths for mating. Male moths are drawn by the scent and caught on the pad. 3.5" x 2". 2 pack. | <urn:uuid:6ac333b7-7ffd-4d42-9f09-63209faf29b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=9089+20766+10500&pcatid=10500 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958874 | 171 | 1.9375 | 2 |
Press release: J G Ballard: Further Reflections
Famous for his provocative, dystopian visions, J G Ballard was a writer so spectacularly imaginative and distinctive that his name has become an adjective in its own right. His fiction, often shocking, predicted the rise of terrorism against tourists, the alienation of a society obsessed by new technology and ecological disasters such as the melting of the ice caps. It ranges from science fiction and psychological fables (such as Crash) that uncover the weirdness of normality, to the iconic autobiographical work Empire of the Sun. His archive was acquired by the British Library in 2010.
This event will feature contributions by some of J G Ballard’s associates and fellow authors. Speakers include writers John Gray and Toby Litt; the producer of the film of Crash Jeremy Thomas; Bea and Fay Ballard and Claire Walsh. Chaired by Philip Dodd | <urn:uuid:486f3582-e4fd-464b-bc1b-cbf8f303829c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tothelastword.com/tag/jg-ballard/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962447 | 179 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The Silver Work of C.J. Vander
C.J. Vander was the last of England's preeminent silver firms, creating exceptional silver masterpieces using the time-honored traditions of the silversmith's art. In fact, they were one of the last remaining English flatware makers to employ the age old method of hand forging flatware, where each piece of silver starts out as an ingot and is formed by a silversmith using a hammer. After the pieces were forged they would be planished, or hammered flat, polished, chased and decorated, and then polished again, with all of these processes accomplished by hand. Though time-consuming, such craftsmanship ensured a product that was superior in every possible way. It was this firm's steadfast commitment to quality that made them the favorite of both royalty and nobility alike throughout Europe. | <urn:uuid:2177676e-fc96-478d-ae52-686843f9d77b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rauantiques.com/library/Artists%20and%20Makers/the-silver-work-of-c-j--vander-CJVANDERSILVERSMITH.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975341 | 173 | 1.578125 | 2 |
We all suspect that the internet is rotting us to the very core of our souls. But is it bad for our physical health as well?
That's the question Insurance.com explores in an infographic. The answer is a depressing, "Probably."
A couple highlights that speak to this slow decline in health:
- As many as 10 percent of us are addicted to the internet.
- Some internet addicts saw up to 20 percent brain shrinkage.
- Internet overuse can be linked to eye strain and bad posture.
- It also causes sleep deprivation, provides a forum for bullying and is a conduit for relationship stress.
So keep it up, internet lovers -- but keep it up safely, if you would.
This story originally appeared on PR Daily | <urn:uuid:803bbabc-1aaa-4f29-805c-a910abb89d56> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/225116 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943868 | 155 | 2.640625 | 3 |
It's environmental, really
Jumping on the success of another similarly named car from France, the rightful heir to the Ferrari supercar legacy has arrived in the form of the positively stunning Ferrari LaFerrari. Easily the most anticipated debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the LaFerrari inherits the powerful lineage of the 288 GTO, the F40, the F50 and the Enzo and takes the Prancing horse into a new realm of design and technology.
First, let’s talk aesthetics. Incorporating design cues from the F50, the Enzo and the current 458 Italia, the body of the LaFerrari is as functional as it is beautiful. The ultra-light carbon fiber body, produced using F1 techniques, has been sculpted in all the right places. From the deeply vented trunk lid to the huge fenders to the muscular flanks of the rear engine cover, the LaFerrari is both fluid and beastly. We especially love the wonderful bean sprout side mirrors, which are elegant and set high to get past the rear haunches.
Most importantly, though, the LaFerrari will perform with aplomb. It’s powered by the most potent V12 ever in Ferrari road car, and uses a HY-KERS (Hybrid Kinetic Energy Recover System) hybrid electric drive system, adding 160 hp to the already whopping 789 hp 6.3-liter V12. It will take well under three seconds to get from 0-60; 124 MPH takes a whole seven seconds; and top speed means 217 MPH. This kind of power, coupled with massive carbon ceramic brakes and lightweight calipers, computer controlled aerodynamics and state-of-the-art dynamic control systems, should result in some pretty wicked track performance — which will probably only be fully exploited by the Ferrari test drivers. The ridiculously wealthy 499 customers who can afford it, on the other hand, will more likely be claiming it as a total insurance loss when they blow it into the weeds because their egos outweighed their driving abilities. Pricing has yet to be announced, but expect that will easily exceed a cool million. Our only gripe is the name. At least they didn’t slap on the founder’s middle name and call it the Ferrari Anselmo. | <urn:uuid:94d6aed3-d9f7-4242-8f25-2b54b1240f5d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gearpatrol.com/2013/03/05/ferrari-laferrari/ | 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 | 0.925362 | 477 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Six EU-funded education projects aimed at promoting social inclusion were named today as winners of the 2010 European Awards for Lifelong Learning. The winning projects are from Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom and involve partners from many other European countries. The awards were announced at a conference in Barcelona.
Ninety five per cent of young people taking part in projects supported by the European Union’s Youth in Action programme improved their language skills and 66% believe that the experience also increased their chances of finding a job, according to a recent survey conducted by the European Commission. 60% voted in the 2009 European Parliament elections, compared to an average of 29% among young Europeans.
Androulla Vassiliou, the Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, will discuss progress by Member States in setting national targets to reduce the number of early school leavers and to increase the proportion of young people in tertiary or equivalent education when she joins Ministers at the Education, Youth and Culture Council in Brussels on 10-11 May 2010. The Council will deal with sport for the first time.
Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner responsible for education and culture, will discuss future policy priorities at a meeting with Andreas Demetriou, the Cypriot Minister of Education and Culture, in Brussels tonight. They will be joined by the Polish Minister of National Education, Katarzyna Hall, and the Director-General of the Danish Ministry of Education, Torben Kornbech Rasmussen. Cyprus, Poland and Denmark will lead the Presidency of the European Union from July 2011 to December 2012.
High level representatives from business, higher education and politics are meeting in Brussels on 4-5 May for the 2010 European University-Business Forum. Participants will discuss how universities and businesses, in particular SMEs, can join forces for their mutual benefit. The forum will explore how new forms of working together can contribute to the EU's reform agenda, in particular to regional development, innovation and the quality of education.
Twenty European films financed by the European Union’s MEDIA programme have been selected for screening at the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival, including six films in competition for the Palme d’Or Award (see annex for details). 17 May is the European Rendez-vous at Cannes, when the festival celebrates the best of European cinema. Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou will announce the winner of the 2010 European Talent Prize, which is awarded to the best project for a film with a European dimension. Together with Festival President Gilles Jacob, she will also meet industry professionals and representatives of the European and international film institutions to discuss funding for film-makers. | <urn:uuid:344be9ae-621f-49bc-aceb-0369618a5a1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/vassiliou/headlines/press-releases/2010/05/index_en.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939759 | 551 | 1.648438 | 2 |
|As humans… we can give up two of a kind in search of a full house. Animals do not have that shot at the cards. Animals cannot seek a higher education to improve their life. They cannot seek aid from any agency in the event of a natural disaster. They cannot flee to friends or family if their lives take a turn for the worse. Animals cannot change the hand they were dealt. They rely solely on us…the human race. We hold their cards.
We have the responsibility to deal them a winning hand.
Each book in the Without A Home series is a wonderful and unique collection of short stories about animals who unexpectedly find themselves – without a home. Open the pages and allow the animals to take you on their journeys, of life before the shelter, their stay at the shelter, and then their new life after being given that second chance, through their eyes, and in their own words. Their tales will bring back to light some of life’s most important lessons.
Newly Released and for sale now! – Christmas Angels.
Coming in 2013 – Without A Home Inspiring and heartfelt tales of horse adoptions.
Coming soon….The Without A Home
Do you want us to help you raise money for the animals in your organization? Email
email@example.com to find out how we can partner together to help your homeless animals. | <urn:uuid:1da2f443-c83b-40e4-9874-03bc7a2c88b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dnjbooks.com/ | 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 | 0.962061 | 281 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Please welcome Deirdre Morhet as out accounting expert. She is the owner of BASC Expertise, a full service accounting firm based in Chandler, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix.) She will be providing insights on taxes and other accounting issues that pertain to business owners, families, and individuals.
According to the Washington Post, the payroll tax hike that took effect on January 1 likely just wiped out any improvement you made in your income over the past year. If you’re a median-wage single person, you’re likely to bring home around $900 less this year than you did last year. An upper-middle class, two-breadwinner family can, toward the high end, lose up to $4000 in income.
Now this is not technically a tax hike — it’s actually the end of a tax cut — but we’ve had a couple of years to get used to it, so we still feel the pain. Importantly, the payroll tax holiday implemented in January 2011 was one that seemed to directly result in more disposable income for a lot of people; the Federal Reserve said that the average American spent about 33% of the money they received from the cut — far more than many similar programs.
That means that not only are you going to feel the hurt in your wallet, but it’s quite possible that the sudden loss of all that money moving around the economy at large may result in what the experts call a ‘contraction’ — a mini-recession in the middle of a larger downturn. Generally, prices take longer to respond to a contraction than spending money does, so you can expect the first quarter of 2013 to be noticeably tighter financially than the last quarter of 2012.
What can you do about it? There’s really only one option; choose things you can do without, and do without them. Wash your clothes in cold water. Wait an extra couple of weeks for your haircut. Skip the soda with your lunch. Bottom line – whenever Uncle Sam decides to keep more of what you earn, you need to make lifestyle adjustments to compensate for it.
Lastly, in a recession, prices on other goods and services tend to stagnate or drop, which should also help offset the drop in take home pay in the long run. | <urn:uuid:ab523249-3b33-4fee-8087-367ad7e02d04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fiscallysound.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965109 | 470 | 1.835938 | 2 |
In a new trial, two new programs for delivering implantable cardioverter–defibrillator therapy resulted in fewer inappropriate interventions (shocks or antitachycardia pacing) and an unexpected reduction in mortality. Improved programming could benefit patients with ICDs.
The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is highly effective in reducing mortality among patients at risk for fatal arrhythmias, but inappropriate ICD activations are frequent, with potential adverse effects.
• How common are inappropriate ICD activations?
Inappropriate ICD activations, which are typically caused by supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, are frequent, despite sophisticated device-related detection algorithms that are designed to differentiate supraventricular from ventricular tachyarrhythmias; such activations have potentially life-threatening side effects. Inappropriate device-delivered therapy, defined as therapy delivered for nonventricular tachyarrhythmias, affects 8 to 40% of patients with ICDs.
• How are conventional ICDs programmed?
Conventional ICD programming typically treats ventricular tachyarrhythmias at a heart rate of 170 beats per minute or higher.
Morning Report Questions
Q: What were the results of this study, which compared conventional ICD programming to high-rate or delayed therapy?
A: The study, published in this week’s edition of the Journal, compared conventional ICD programming to high-rate therapy (with a 2.5-second delay before the initiation of therapy at a heart rate greater than or equal to 200 beats per minute) or delayed therapy (with a 60-second delay at 170 to 199 beats per minute, a 12-second delay at 200 to 249 beats per minute, and a 2.5-second delay at greater than or equal to 250 beats per minute). In the Kaplan-Meier estimates of all-cause mortality, the conventional-treatment group had a significantly higher cumulative mortality during follow-up than did the high-rate and delayed-therapy groups. Inappropriate shock energy was reduced in the high-rate and delayed-therapy groups by 77% (P=0.01) and 54% (P=0.03), respectively. The total appropriate shock energy was similar in the three treatment groups (P=0.48). The frequency of syncope was similar in all three treatment groups.
Q: What was the most common rhythm associated with inappropriate antitachycardia pacing and inappropriate shock in this study?
A: First occurrences of inappropriate antitachycardia pacing were most frequent with regular supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (73%) and atrial fibrillation (19%), and first occurrences of inappropriate shocks were also most frequent with these arrhythmias (55% and 36%, respectively). | <urn:uuid:e8ef5378-a0e4-4736-a140-29fbcd4139d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.nejm.org/now/index.php/icd-programming/2012/12/13/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934254 | 579 | 2.828125 | 3 |
The Smurfette Principle
the tendency for works of fiction to have exactly one female amongst an ensemble of male characters, in spite of the fact that roughly half of the human race is female. Unless a show is purposefully aimed at a female viewing audience, the main characters will tend to be disproportionately male.
In many series, men will have various different personalities, but women will always be The Chick.
Often, the problem lies with the source material — the work’s an adaptation of something written or created decades before equal recognition for women started to gain momentum. Other times, writers will try to correct this problem by inserting a few more female characters.
- source: TV tropes
Check out this great video on the Smurfette principle by Feminist Frequency‘s vlogger Anita Sarkeesian:
The classic Smurfette embodies the traits of the only Smurfette in Smurfville:
Blonde, attractive, consciously feminine in dress, thought, speech and actions.
Think this trope is outdated? Well let’s see which TV shows I currently watch have only one woman amidst a primary cast of men:
Samantha Bloom amidst Steven Bloom, Leo Nash, Bill Hoyt and Carlton Shaw.
Black Smurfette. Attractive, petite and consciously feminine in her dress. Frequently found in high heels and tight pencil skirts during missions and among her fellow male spies.
Hawaii Five-O (2010 – present)
Kono Kalakaua amidst Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly and Danny “Dano” Williams.
Asian Smurfette. At the beginning of the series, Kono proves that she deserves to `hang with the boys` by punching a fellow surfer who “stole her wave”. Way to go Kono. You could have just talked to him or given him a dirty look but you chose to resort to violence and show how bad-ass you are to the boys. She rarely gets to do fieldwork like Steve, Dano or Chin Ho. Instead, she is frequently stuck inside the office doing paperwork or chasing leads that often direct her to the ‘emotional’ aspects of the job such as handling children, telling family members their relative is dead or general tasks of emotional support to Chin Ho.
Burn Notice (2007 – present)
Fiona Glenanne amidst Michael Westen, Sam Axe and Jesse Porter.
The classic Smurfette except a bit older. Fiona is very much consciously feminine in her specialized, typically masculine field of armaments
and weaponry. Frequently found in high heels, tight jeans, a tight top with no bra in hot Miami.
Interestingly enough, Madeline Westen, Michael’s mother , is pictured in the promotional poster along with Fiona. However when Madeline and Fiona talk, the topic is usually about Michael. Jesse Porter, the only person of color in the team is not pictured on the poster. But that’s a whole other story involving race.
Chuck (2007 – present)
Sarah Walker, the classic Smurfette, amidst John Casey, Chuck Bartowski and Morgan Grimes.
Ellie Bartowski and General Beckman are both female characters but they are not in the primary cast. Their stories are not the main focus of the show. Both characters primarily exist in relation to other characters in the show.
Ellie exists in relation to Chuck as his sister, wife to Devon ‘Captain Awesome’ Woodcomb, and mother to her new baby. She used to be a doctor but apparently, with her new baby, that’s now out the window. When Ellie and Sarah talk, it`s mostly about Chuck.
Beckman exists apparently to only order the primary cast of mostly men around. When Beckman and Sarah talk alone, it`s mostly about Sarah being concerned that something is wrong with Chuck or that something in the mission would endanger Chuck.
Fringe (2008- present)
Olivia Dunham, a classic Smurfette (albeit mysterious and slightly moody), amidst Peter, Walter and definitely in the FBI Fringe office.
Agent Astrid Farnsworth and Nina Sharp are also female characters but I do not consider their stories to be the focus of the show. In fact, we do not know much about Astrid other than the fact that she is Walter’s assistant/babysitter. Nina Sharp, though suggested to be brilliant, never really demonstrates her intelligence to help solve any mysteries in the series. In fact, I would argue her primary relation to the show is through her relationship with Dr. William Bell – who gave her control of his company upon his death – and Dr. Walter Bishop whom she provides with
continual emotional support and encouragement. The 3 female characters rarely talk to one another and when they do, it’s typically about Olivia’s relationship to Peter or the way Walter is acting.
Castle (2009 – present)
Kate Beckett amidst Richard Castle, Captain Roy Montgomery, Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan.
Arguably, Martha Rodgers, Alexis Castle and Lanie Parish are all female characters in the show. But again, they do not make up the primary cast or plot which revolves around the NY police precinct. In fact, come to think of it – Castle is essentially a ‘house husband’ but somehow manages to find some way to remain outside of the house as much as possible. If a woman in a TV show is shown to be a housewife, her character’s concerns will probably revolve around her husband, her children and house chores not homicides or how to save NY from terrorists.
Star Trek (2009) with Uhura
Star Wars (The Original Trilogy) with Princess Leia
Star Wars (Episodes IV, V, VI) with Padme Amidala
Pirates of the Caribbean (I, II) with Elizabeth Swann
Inception with Ariadne
Transformers (I,II) with Mikaela Banes
X-Men (I, II, III) with Jean Grey
and many more I’m sure. But maybe I’m just looking for movies and TV shows with Smurfettes…maybe this isn’t such a big deal after all. There
are shows like The Wire, 4400, V, BSG, Firefly and Buffy which have more than one female character in their primary casts. And what about Veronica Mars, True Blood, Dollhouse which are all stories told from a female perspective?
Certainly there are shows which do not feature Smurfettes (thank god) but the point is that those shows are far and few in between. Not to mention, some of them have stereotypical representations of queerness (BSG with Admiral Helena Cain, True Blood with Lafayette) , of race (Angel, a Buffy spin-off, with the evil deity Angel and Zoe Washburne as the militaristic second-in-command of the Firefly both ironically played by Gina Torres, Wallace Fennel in Veronica Mars as the basketball playing, black male sidekick), of femininities (manipulative Anna, helpless Lisa, anti-hero Diana in V, anti-heroes Starbuck and Echo) as well as of masculinities (clueless pawn Tyler in V, overprotective Bill in True Blood, charming sexually viable Malcolm in Firefly, headstrong Admiral William Adama in BSG).
I think the point that Sarkeesian makes in the video about Hollywood trying to capture nostalgia from the 80s and 90s films, TV shows and
such is most interesting. I have noticed that there is set to be a bunch of movies based on the Avengers from the Marvel Universe . Here are is the confirmed cast of The Avengers movie (2012):
Professor Erik Selvig
The Incredible Hulk
Guess who the Smurfette is?
When I write blog posts like these, I have mixed feelings. I feel excited to be writing about something I am passionate about but overwhelmingly, I feel frustrated that such tropes still exist today. I worry what my younger sisters and female cousins would think when they watch these shows and movies. It’s not that it’s wrong to watch these shows – it’s just that we have to be careful when we exclaim that these shows are being progressive just because they feature a superficially ‘strong’ female character.
Maybe we need to ask ourselves why we feel this need for superhero movies? Why we are attracted to men as heroes in TV shows. Why the heroes are almost always male and typically hypermasculinized, white and able bodied.
We need to start looking at everyday superheroes. Heroes who walk by us in the street, who sit next to us on the bus, who live with us, who care for us, who nurture us, who stay up late into the night to offer us their support. We need to start looking at real women and at real men, with feelings, with motivations, with their own lives and concerns.
I’m not saying it’s wrong to watch movies and TV shows that perpetuate these stereotypes (or maybe it is, depending on your viewpoint) but the important thing is to remind ourselves is that they do not exist in a vacuum. These ideas of women, of men, of people come from wider, oppressive ideas that exist in our society. We can start to challenge these ideas by critically thinking about and questioning the multi-million dollar movies and popular TV shows that cross national borders and individual imaginations. With time, we can hope to work for change.
Want to see more common tropes on women in pop culture? | <urn:uuid:efee31e7-2f36-4b04-9ba3-3128b1467dce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lifeandlimabeans.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/the-smurfette-principle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950665 | 2,001 | 1.757813 | 2 |
NCSU Institutional Repository >
NC State Theses and Dissertations >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
|Title: ||The effects of patch shape and connectivity on nest site selection and reproductive success of the Indigo Bunting|
|Authors: ||Weldon, Aimee Jean|
|Advisors: ||Nick M. Haddad, Committee Chair|
Christopher E. Moorman, Committee Member
Theodore R. Simons, Committee Member
|Keywords: ||patch shape|
|Issue Date: ||1-Mar-2004|
|Abstract: ||Habitat fragmentation and its associated effects have been blamed for the recent population declines of many Neotropical migratory bird species. Increased predation and parasitism resulting from edge-related effects have been implicated for poor nesting success in many studies, mostly of forest interior species. However, little attention has been devoted to disturbance-dependent birds. In this study, I examine how patch shape and connectivity in fragmented landscapes affects the reproductive success of disturbance-dependent bird species, specifically the Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea). I conducted my study in a landscape-scale experimental system of similar-area habitat patches that differed in connectivity and in shape. Shapes differed between edgy and rectangular forms, where edgy patches contained 50% more edge than rectangular patches. I tested whether edgy patches function as ecological traps for species with strong edge preferences, by leading them to select dangerous habitats. Indigo Buntings preferentially selected edgy patches over rectangular patches, but experienced significantly lower reproductive success in edgy patches early in the season. Although predation pressure intensified in rectangular patches late in the season, seasonal fecundity was still significantly lower in edgy patches, providing the first empirical evidence that edges can function as ecological traps for Indigo Buntings.
A second objective of my study was to evaluate the efficacy of conservation corridors for disturbance-dependent bird species. Conservation corridors have become a popular strategy to preserve biodiversity and promote gene flow in fragmented landscapes, but corridors may also have negative consequences. I tested the hypothesis that corridors can increase nest predation risk in connected patches relative to unconnected patches. Nest predation rates increased significantly in connected patches compared to unconnected rectangular patches, but were similar between connected patches and unconnected edgy patches. This suggests that the increase in predator activity in connected patches is largely attributable to edge effects incurred through the addition of a corridor. This is the first landscape-scale study to experimentally demonstrate the potential negative effects of conservation corridors.|
|Appears in Collections:||Theses|
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. | <urn:uuid:8dc62367-9a76-44ce-a31b-28acc8319e9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/handle/1840.16/1872 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91297 | 557 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Armed Forces and Forced Arbitration
Despite Efforts, the Fine Print Still Casts a Shadow on Financial Protections for Military Members
Oct. 8, 2012 — Predatory lending is a widespread problem affecting millions of consumers. Due to unique circumstances, the U.S. military in particular has compelling reasons for shielding its service members from unscrupulous financial products and services. The Department of Defense has observed that pre-dispute binding mandatory (or "forced") arbitration clauses,
present in most lending and credit contracts, inhibit service members’ ability to resolve disputes and seek remedies for lenders’ misconduct. The most effective solution to address forced arbitration for military borrowers is a law or regulation that covers all consumers. A single rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau restricting the practice in all contracts for financial services and products will restore the rights of military members and civilian consumers. | <urn:uuid:38eee899-bb01-418b-a8a5-3ca3a21f789e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5637 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938696 | 176 | 1.929688 | 2 |
1. Bake: The puff dough must be baked very complete. Start by docking it all over from edge to edge. This is important to allow the steam to escape during the baking process. Too many holes will make the sheet lay really flat and too few holes will cause it to be very puffy. Depending on what you use to prick the holes this may take some experimentation. Baking on a parchment paper will be advised. Start out with a hot oven (425F) Once it has puffed up the heat can be reduced. If it puffs too much you can pierce the area with a narrow tipped knife. Reducing the heat to 375F continue baking until it is golden brown all over. A nutty aroma should develop when it is done. If it is not baked completely the sheet will collapse and the flaky layers will form a tough leathery layer. Cool completely before using.
2. Prepare: Whip the cold pastry cream with vanilla. Slice the chocolate cake into layers that will cover the area of one of the puff sheets.
3. Assemble: Pick your best surface for the top. The flat (baked) bottom will be the top smooth surface. The other flat baked bottom should be placed on a flat board or pan. Spread half the vanilla pastry cream evenly from edge to edge. Overlay the layers of chocolate cake. Moisten with the Rhum Syrup and spread the remaining half of pastry cream onto the cake. Press on the second puff sheet flat sided up. Using a flat pan press it down firmly.
4. Trim: Using a sharp serrated knife trim off the excess un-even edges, on all four sides.
5. Apply: Using a sifter, apply an even coating of powdered sugar to the top layer of the cake, until it is covered perfectly white.
6. Chill: Chill until it is to be served
7. Slice: Wash your knife and dry it completely before each cut, as slicing into servings.
Prepared by: Julieta for the January 2005 meeting (Julieta purchased this cake from a local bakery.) | <urn:uuid:585dc89b-eb7e-484d-8550-9a094916e049> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.epicureaders.com/recipe_0501_persiancake.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919105 | 433 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Illegal Dumping At Avondale Mine Disaster Site
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP – A utility company said that it plans on building metal gates to block off a dirt road that leads to a notorious illegal dumping site in Luzerne County.
A spokesman for UGI Utilities told Newswatch 16 that it operates a natural gas line underground and that it plans to install gates to deter illegal dumping near the site of the Avondale Mine Disaster near Route 11.
Historians said 108 miners and two rescuers were killed when the Avondale Colliery caught on fire in 1869.
Plymouth Historical Society President Steve Kondrad he’s disappointed to see that the trash has returned, months after volunteers cleaned up the mess last year.
“The next day, the next month, somebody comes back and dumps it all over again. Its right near Route 11, its hidden from plain view and it`s known by people that illegal dump as a good spot to dump,” said Kondrad.
Kondrad said volunteers will not organize another clean up at the site until after the gates are built. | <urn:uuid:50ed44bb-049b-417e-9ff4-5a8dacb35ba5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wnep.com/2013/03/08/illegal-dumping-at-avondale-mine-disaster-site/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958407 | 237 | 1.75 | 2 |
The latest news of health and safety in sports starts with helmets and hockey:
* Forbes reported that Reebok is taking on a competitor for its claims that it can stop hockey concussions with its helmets.
Hockey equipment company Bauer had made claims concerning a newly introduced helmet (the RE-AKT) that has revolutionized protection against head and brain injury. One of Bauer?s competitors is not thrilled with the company?s stance that the RE-AKT is the only helmet that reduces rotational acceleration. Reebok-CCM Hockey, a subsidiary of the adidas Group and official outfitter of the National Hockey League, told Forbes.com that it acknowledges Bauer shares a goal of helping the hockey industry create safer equipment, but takes issue that Bauer?s CEO has made ?stray comments and false safety claims? regarding its new product. “The topic of head injuries in hockey is too important and of serious concern to the general public to be the subject of confusion in the marketplace regarding product performance.” said Phil Dubé, General Manager for Reebok-CCM Hockey.
* Speaking of helmets, the Woodland (Calif.) Daily Democrat wrote about a new type of helmet called the ?Gamebreaker? that being backed by a former NFL player and a coach.
The Gamebreaker is a new type of protective headgear designed to reduce the threat of concussions and other head injuries for participants in what are considered “non-contact” sports. Manufactured and distributed by Newbury Park-based Gamebreaker Helmets, the protective cap is fast becoming required equipment in flag football and at high school seven-on-seven passing tournaments across the country. The helmet is essentially a protective cap that can also be used in sports like soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and water polo. The Gamebreaker has foam inserts that cushion impacts and a chin strap and laces that allow users to get a custom fit.
* University of Arizona quarterback Matt Scott denied he had a concussion against USC two Saturdays ago, despite showing such symptoms on the sidelines. The Arizona Daily Star reported that he did suffer a concussion last Saturday against UCLA. Teammate Hank Hobson also suffered a severe neck injury.
* The Hartford Courant published a guest column by a Yale assistant professor of nursing about the effects of concussions.
* The Baltimore Sun wrote about how a Maryland task force on concussions listened to public testimony Monday.
* Seahawks.com wrote about the concussions suffered by strongside linebacker K.J. Wright and left guard James Carpenter.
* Time published an op-ed piece by author Mark Hyman, who reiterated his stance that kids under 14 should not play tackle football.
– Bill Bradley, contributing editor | <urn:uuid:90315ce0-13f7-4b5f-af0d-dad6ebcf8a4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nflevolution.com/article/Battle-lines-drawn-in-dispute-over-helmets-in-hockey?ref=2761 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957518 | 559 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Today, we are talking about your PCV valve. The PCV Valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for Burnt Hills motorists. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.
The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the sedan engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.
These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause sedan engine corrosion, something we see occasionally at Gil’s Garage. At high speeds on Burnt Hills freeways, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.
Back in the old days, car makers simply installed a hose that vented these gases out into the atmosphere. But starting in the 1964 model year, environmental protection laws required that these gases be recycled back into the air intake system to be mixed with fuel and burned in the sedan’s engine.
This is much better for air quality and improves gas mileage also. (Budget-conscious Burnt Hills motorists take note!) The little valve that performs this important function is the PCV valve. The PCV valve lets gases out of the engine, but won’t let anything back in. Over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and decreased gas mileage.
Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV Valve at Gil’s Garage in Burnt Hills and quick and inexpensive to replace. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Burnt Hills motorists don’t know about it. Check your sedan owner’s manual or ask your Gil’s Garage service advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a replacement.
There’s another aspect to the PCV system. In order for the valve to work correctly, it needs a little clean air to come in. This is done through a breather tube that gets some filtered air from the engine air filter. Now some vehicles have a small separate air filter for the breather tube called the breather element. That’ll need to be replaced at Gil’s Garage when it gets dirty.
Please ask your friendly Burnt Hills service advisor about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals in Burnt Hills, you can avoid some very pricey engine repairs. | <urn:uuid:5249cd16-8959-4357-83a6-72eb356da079> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gilsgarage.com/car-care-tips | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924799 | 586 | 2.5625 | 3 |
RSU Hilltop Challenge helps to develop commitment, self-confidence and teamwork among its participants as well as strengthen teams and individuals using a combination of games, obstacle courses, and initiative/problem-solving activities.
RSU Hilltop Challenge is an Exhilarating Maze of:
Each of these activities sharpen physical and mental skills in a cooperative environment.
RSU Hilltop Challenge Promotes:
These team-building and experiential learning programs demand a high level of expectation by participants, but provide these challenges within a supporting and caring atmosphere.
The underlying principal of RSU's Hilltop Challenge is that if a person is supported to move out of his/her comfort zone, and has a successful experience, then powerful conditions exist for positive change both for the individual and the group | <urn:uuid:956f925f-1c16-4a8a-9db5-58780c6bd0ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rsu.edu/hilltopchallenge/index.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928441 | 162 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Biographies of Buchanan County Residents:
Stephen S. Brown
Transcribed by Danielle Thompson
the History of Buchanan County and the City of St Joseph and Representative
STEPHEN S. BROWN, senior member of the firm of Brown & Dolman, of St. Joseph, and one of the ablest lawyers in this section of the State, was born in St. Lawrence County, New York, February 14, 1846. There he grew to manhood and mastered the intricacies of the legal profession before he had reached his 23rd year. Realizing the advantages which a new country offered to an enterprising and ambitious young man, he hast his lot with Missouri, locating in DeKalb County in 1869. There he opened an office and his diligent application to his profession, together with his determination to succeed, soon enabled him to surmount the difficulties which beset the pathway of the novice and, as he gained the confidence of the people, he acquired a practice which was at once lucrative and satisfactory. He remained there until June 1, 1882, when he moved to St. Joseph and the success and popularity achieved in DeKalb County followed him to his new field and have been increased by his 22 years of residence and work among the people of Buchanan County. He has conducted some of the most difficult cases tried in the State or Federal courts. Mr. Brown is pleasantly located in the National Bank of St. Joseph building. | <urn:uuid:85e6e7c9-0c92-4752-a796-2be7173197a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobuchan/BioBROWNStephenS.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 | 0.987163 | 292 | 1.671875 | 2 |
How do we know an individual’s age at death?
Scientists can sometimes work out how old an individual was at the time of their death. Their age at death is determined by examining their teeth and bones, and by understanding how quickly these structures develop within the bodies of our ancestors.
Teeth and bones
Teeth can tell us how old certain individuals were when they died – especially if they died young. Their ages can be determined because teeth appear in a certain sequence and at particular ages.
Much of the information about an individual’s age is gathered by looking at the types of teeth visible above the jaw surface (gum line). Additional information comes from examining the degree of root development deep within the jawbone.
Ages are now also being confirmed by microscopic examination of tooth enamel. When tooth enamel grows, it produces tiny growth lines in the enamel. These lines can be counted to give the tooth’s age.
Our first deciduous ‘milk teeth’ or ‘baby teeth’ begin to appear at around six months of age. These gradually fall out during childhood and are replaced by permanent or ‘adult teeth’. All our teeth appear in a certain sequence and each type of tooth appears at a particular age. The ages at which different teeth appear in humans is shown in brackets.
- central incisor (6-9 months)
- lateral incisor (7-11 months)
- canine (16-20 months)
- first molar (10-16 months)
- second molar (20-26 months)
Permanent ‘adult’ teeth
- central incisor (6-8 years)
- lateral incisor (7-9 years)
- canine (9-12 years)
- first premolar (10-12 years)
- second premolar (11-13 years)
- first molar (6-7 years)
- second molar (11-13 years)
- third molar (17-25 years)
An individual’s approximate age can be determined from certain bones. Young individuals who are still growing have special growth plates in their bones but by about 20 years of age, the bones have stopped growing and the growth plates disappear.
Some bones begin to fuse together after the body stops growing. In humans, bones begin fusing from about the age of 16. For example, the sacrum is a structure at the base of the spine which is actually made up of five bones, called vertebrae, but these individual bones fuse together when we are between 16 and 23 years of age. The collarbone becomes fused at about 26 years of age.
By 23 years of age, the five vertebrae that make up our sacrum become fused together into a single unit.
Our skulls contain many bones that tightly join along lines called sutures. The sutures begin to fuse from about the age of 17 and some fuse more quickly than others. In very old age, all the sutures are completely hidden by bone tissue. The basilar suture on the base of the skull is particularly useful when aging an individual. It closes between 18 - 24 years of age.
Rates of development
To estimate an individual’s age, it is important to know the rate at which their body develops or grows. Modern humans, for example, are slow to develop from a baby to an adult. We take twice as long to reach maturity as our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees. This is reflected in how quickly our bodies grow and mature. For example, human adolescence begins at about 12 years of age but in chimps it occurs at about 6.5 years of age.
Why did we evolve a delayed development rate?
Delaying development is a risky strategy as young are reliant on a mother for food and will not survive if she dies early. In addition, the delay in reproducing means offspring risk dying before they are able to replace themselves by breeding. However there may be a number of advantageous factors involved including:
- delaying childbirth allows for older mothers that have had time to grow bigger, stronger bodies. This helps reproduce bigger babies that are more likely to survive but also mothers who can give birth more frequently, or even survive the stresses of childbirth
- an extended childhood allows more time for learning and socialising. Human brains are relatively small at birth but grow quickly, achieving 95% of adult size by five years of life (although white matter continues to grow up until about 18 years of age). This period of rapid growth coincides with a childhood dependent on others and in an environment where learning can occur
When did our ancestors evolve delayed developments?
Combining the evidence from teeth and bones with understandings about growth rates allows the ages of some of our early ancestors, particularly children, to be determined.
Our early ancestors, particularly the australopithecines, developed quite quickly. Microscopic growth lines in their tooth enamel show that they developed at a rate similar to that of modern chimpanzees.
For instance, the Taung Child, a fossil belonging to the species Australopithecus africanus, was once believed to be about six years old when it died. This was based on the position of the child’s first permanent molar tooth, which was just beginning to appear in the jaw. Comparisons with modern human children suggested an age of six. In the 1980s, a technique called computerised tomography confirmed that the teeth were developing quickly, in a very apelike manner. This showed that the rate of growth was similar to that of chimpanzees rather than modern humans. This new information estimated the Taung Child’s age as three and a half years at the time of death. Enamel growth line counts confirmed this age.
Early Homo species appeared to have developed at rates that were intermediate between those of modern apes and modern humans.
A 1.6 million-year-old Homo ergaster skeleton from Kenya, known as the Turkana boy, was assumed to be about 12 years old when he died because he was about 163 centimetres tall and weighed about 50 kilograms. Closer examination of the teeth and skeleton revealed he was probably about 8, meaning that although he had a reasonably long slow period of growth, he developed more quickly and attained more of his height and body weight earlier than modern humans do. A female pelvis from this species, discovered in Ethiopia and described in 2008, was shown to be wide enough to have birthed young that had brains as large as 320cc - about 30-50% the size of an adult H.ergaster. This suggests that this species developed a large proportion of the brain before birth, like modern humans, and less of it during childhood, which is more ape-like.
Studies on a later human species, Homo antecessor, that lived about 800,000 years ago in Europe, offer further clues. A study in 1999, based on rough estimates of tooth eruptions in three juvenile specimens, found that this species matured like modern humans. However, more detailed studies are in the pipeline.
There is considerable debate about the growth patterns one of our closest (in time) relatives, the Neanderthals. Some studies have concluded that their teeth developed at the same rate as modern humans do whereas others claimed they didn't. Confirming this either way would help determine whether our distinctive growth patterns evolved before or after the Homo sapiens line split from the Neanderthal line.
Our own species, Homo sapiens had fully extended chidlhoods by the time the first members of our species appeared over 200,000 years ago. In 2007, scientists studied the teeth of an 8 year old child found in Morocco, dated to 160,000 years old. The study revealed the child had grown as slowly as a modern 8 year old. | <urn:uuid:2ce03720-dca3-43b6-af16-45293fefd256> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://australianmuseum.net.au/How-do-we-know-an-individuals-age-at-death | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963432 | 1,620 | 3.703125 | 4 |
In his first-ever overseas trip in 5 1/2 years in statewide office, Gov. Sean Parnell said he was able to advocate for Alaska’s interests in Europe and elsewhere, as well as learn more about how linked his state was to other parts of the world.
Speaking to the Juneau World Affairs Council on Monday, Parnell said the United Kingdom’s upscale supermarket chain Waitrose buys 250 metric tons of Alaska seafood a year.
“They have a large focus on sustainable, they are sensitized to overfishing,” he said.
Parnell said the wild Alaskan fish come from clean, cold water, and that carefully managing our resources is written into the state’s constitution.
“They can sell that with the UK and European public,” he said.
At the Westminster Kingsway Catering College, which Parnell described as the “Harvard of culinary schools” the director loves Alaskan seafood and taught its preparation to his 14-17 year-old students.
At a dinner there of Alaskan fish and shellfish, it was touted as “sustainable, clean, fresh and great-tasting,” and that view will benefit the state, he said.
“They help us tell the Alaska story when it comes to seafood,” Parnell said.
He also visited Birdseye Igloo, a major maker of breaded seafood.
“They call them fish fingers, we call them fish sticks,” and they’re made with Alaskan pollock, he said.
Parnell said he also visited with BP executives, talking natural gas sales, and even visited the World War II bunker from which Churchill ran the war effort.
At the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Parnell met with wounded U.S. soldiers from Fort Wainwright.
One solder had lost a limb in combat just days ago.
Parnell said he wanted to let the man know of the American people’s support and thankfulness, but the wounded soldier had a message for Americans as well.
“Tell them to remember that no one made us give of ourselves like this, we do it freely day in and day out,” he told Parnell.
In Italy, the governor and first lady Sandy Parnell met Sister Eugenia Bonetti, who had a network of 200 shelters across the country for those escaping human trafficking.
“In my view Sister Bonetti is a modern-day Mother Teresa,” Parnell said.
After traveling through Europe on what was part trade mission and part fact-finding tour, Parnell said he’s increasingly worried about the European debt crisis.
Talking with the American ambassadors there, Parnell said he shared their concerns about a default on debts there.
If that diminished the value of the euro, the European currency at risk, those countries will be able to buy fewer American products, such as seafood.
“This European debt crisis is not a European debt crisis — it is a potential global contagion,” he said.
Parnell said he’s been reluctant to spend public funds for out-of-state travel, but said he’s also seen trips to Houston bring tens of millions of dollars of oil industry expenditures into the state.
Accompanying Parnell on the trip a month ago was his chief of staff, Mike Nizich.
And the trip also included a visit to Israel, where Parnell said he heard fears about Iran’s nuclear development, diminishing American national influence, and some of the innovative ways that country was dealing with it special challenges.
An Israeli company, Ormat Industries, is exploring for geothermal energy in Alaska, while an electric vehicle maker might have some lessons could be used in Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan, he said.
• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:954ae7d3-61f4-40c0-bee3-cd68386530f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-12-13/european-tour-parnell-pitches-alaska-overseas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963278 | 861 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The Soyuz TMA-15 launched today with Soyuz commander Roman Romanenko, European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne of Belgium (Belgium's second man in space after Dirk Frimout). and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk. All five space agencies building the International Space Station will be represented by full-time crew members for the first time. Interestingly, this evening's tagline on the news was "Lots of ritual before the launch." including an orthodox priest splashing De Winne's face with holy water... part of a fixed ritual the Russians always perform before a launch.
Soyuz TMA-15 Launch Expedition 20-21 | <urn:uuid:cf972875-cddb-40b1-837b-3edceb851591> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dedroidify.blogspot.com/2009/05/belgian-in-space.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912242 | 135 | 1.640625 | 2 |
tenant of a bog,
An envious little frog,
Not bigger than an egg,
A stately bullock spies,
And, smitten with his size,
Attempts to be as big.
With earnestness and pains,
She stretches, swells, and strains,
And says, 'Sis Frog, look here! see me!
Is this enough?' 'No, no.'
'Well, then, is this?' 'Poh! poh!
Enough! you don't begin to be.'
And thus the reptile sits,
Enlarging till she splits.
The world is full of folks
Of just such wisdom;--
The lordly dome provokes
The cit to build his dome;
And, really, there is no telling
How much great men set little ones a swelling.
Jean de La Fontaine, Fable III, Book I. | <urn:uuid:059cd090-79ea-4040-b809-5e4faa56ce5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/french_literature/jean_de_la_fontaine_fables/frog_ox_grenouille_boeuf.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905768 | 191 | 1.507813 | 2 |
La Ronde (play)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
La Ronde is the title usually given to Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play Reigen. It was not performed until 1920, when it was shut down on its first production in Berlin on December 23, resulting in an obscenity trial. The play presents a series of "before and after" tableaux of interconnected characters in different sexual situations. The play scrutinizes the sexual morals and class ideology of its day and may be described as a bedroom farce.
The play caused a scandal because one of its principal themes was the transmission of syphilis in all layers of Viennese society.
Three films were also based on the play: the 1964 film La Ronde of the same title, directed by Roger Vadim, Reigen (the original title of Schnitzler's play), a 1973 film directed by Otto Schenk, and La Ronde (1950 film) by Max Ophüls.
The play takes place in Vienna in the 1890's and consists of ten love scenes between pairs of people. There are ten characters, each playing in two adjacent scenes (counting the last as adjacent to the first). The play starts with The Whore and The Soldier, followed by the Soldier and The Parlor Maid, and so on in this fashion until making full circle with The Whore back in the first scene.
- The Whore and the Soldier
- The Soldier and the Parlor Maid
- The Parlor Maid and the Young Gentleman
- The Young Gentleman and the Young Wife
- The Young Wife and The Husband
- The Husband and the Little Miss
- The Little Miss and the Poet
- The Poet and the Actress
- The Actress and the Count
- The Count and the Whore | <urn:uuid:f8f31dab-b4db-48a3-82e8-0e595b7be281> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Reigen | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950967 | 372 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The Law Library has been in existence since the late 1950’s. Originally being housed on the second floor of the County Courthouse (now known as the Spartanburg Judicial Center), it consisted mostly of materials donated by local law firms and retired attorneys. Eventually more formal funding became available and the collection was moved to the top floor of the Judicial Center in the early 1980’s, to its current location, where it was designated the H. Carlisle Bean Law Library by the Spartanburg County Council.
The H. Carlisle Bean Law Library came under the operation and management of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries system in 1999, when the Spartanburg County Council passed Resolution R-99-002, naming it as the 11th branch in the Library’s system. Since that time, the library has added a full time Assistant to the staff, continued to expand its collection of legal materials, and has been updated with computers, electronic databases, and wireless Internet service.
H. Carlisle Bean (1923-2000) began practicing law in 1948 after serving in World War II as a Naval Officer and pilot. Mr. Bean practiced law in Spartanburg for over 50 years and served briefly in the South Carolina House of Representatives. From 1953 to 1961 he served on the Spartanburg County Public Libraries’ Board of Trustees, and served as its Chair for 6 of those years. He also served as the Chairman of the Law Library Committee of the Spartanburg County Bar Association for 25 years.
**Our Library staff is trained to help you find information pertinent to your case, but we are not attorneys and are therefore not legally nor ethically allowed to answer legal questions, interpret the law for you, recommend forms, or give any legal advice at all. We subscribe to the American Association of Law Libraries’ Ethical Principles.
|Equipment available at the H. Carlisle Bean Law Library|
|Cost: Limited legal research may be requested of our staff, for a $10.00 fee plus a charge of 50¢ per page printed. Fax service available to Spartanburg County Bar members’ offices, for a $10.00 fee plus a charge of 50¢ per page.| | <urn:uuid:79e8e97a-fdca-43d7-bdae-bddc0ffc4e60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://Derrick@infodepot.org/zLawLib/LawLib-history.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936823 | 448 | 1.585938 | 2 |
This defintion is one of four of the components that are described as making up marine biodiversity.
Genetic diversity is the variation in the genetic composition among individuals of a population, a species, an assemblage, or a community. Diversity on a genetic level is a reflection of the similarities and differences in the genes (segments of DNA on chromosomes) of individuals. These variations can evolve as a result of many different processes, such as mutation, and physical or behavioral isolation of populations.
Although genetic diversity is not always obvious, it is extremely important as it is a requisite for evolutionary adaptation to a changing environment. The greater the variation among individuals within a species, the greater the likelihood that some will be able to adapt to different environmental conditions and that the species will survive major changes in their surroundings, such as global warming.
Please note that others may also have edited the contents of this article. | <urn:uuid:323094c5-baad-4a9c-875e-4fd7451a3239> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vliz.be/v/index.php?title=Genetic_diversity&oldid=35071 | 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 | 0.947048 | 183 | 3.640625 | 4 |
Help us give a duck
Author: Zhi Yan
Right now there’s an even greater incentive to rummage through your cupboards to unearth your old mobile phones! Over the next two months, for every two mobile phone handsets received through their recycling program, MobileMuster will give a duck to a family fighting poverty in Mozambique through the Oxfam Unwrapped program. Mobiles received between the 1 November 2010 and 31 January 2011 will be counted. Up to 1,000 ducks will be donated.
This is a timely opportunity to let your family and friends know about MobileMuster’s ‘duck initiative’, especially over the Christmas period when new mobile phones are often given as presents. Remember, it’s not just the handsets that can be recycled – you can also drop off your old mobile phones batteries, chargers and accessories.
For more details on this initiative, click here. To find a MobileMuster drop-off location, search on RecyclingNearYou.com for ‘Mobile Phones’ in your local area. | <urn:uuid:6273a80f-bfe3-435b-b2b0-5e93aac9b09a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.recyclingnearyou.com.au/news/display/198 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925951 | 226 | 1.84375 | 2 |
An electronic device which generates a periodic signal of a particular frequency, usually a sine wave, but other waveforms (square, sawtooth, triangle) are often used. Oscillators are common in audio devices such as synthesizers and test signal generators. Early synthesizers used oscillators as the basic component for all of the sounds of the machine. All of the filters and envelopes modified the sound created by the oscillator to produce the desired sound. Nowadays most keyboards produce sounds by playing back samples recorded on chips or by more modern synthesis techniques such as Physical Modeling (see WFTD archive Physical Modeling Synthesis), FM, LA, or any number of other methods that have been employed in the past 10 years. | <urn:uuid:03e870c2-ce02-43a0-a19c-bf62c9338a8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/oscillator/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951764 | 149 | 3.6875 | 4 |
AMHERST – It’s a “major catastrophe” waiting to happen, according to Chuck Hurley.
The homeowner’s frustrated with the pace of government action to repair a partially blocked culvert in Brookdale, beside his property.
Hurley said a number of officials have visited the site in the wake of a Sept. 25 story in the Amherst Daily News. The resident said the culvert’s been flooding for years, and a repair two years ago didn’t help. In addition to the damage local residents experience – his septic bed has been submerged – he fears a far worse scenario: a motorist or school bus leaving the road and being swallowed by deep flood waters.
The embankment is steep on both sides of the road and there’s no guardrail.
Buffy White, the Department of Transportation’s area supervisor, wasn’t available for comment. Brian Skabar, MLA for Cumberland North was out-of-province. But Dave Reid, operations supervisor for DOT operations in Amherst, was able to speak on the issue.
“It’s not really a hold up – it all takes time,” said Reid.
In his estimation, the pace of work to address the situation has been reasonable (in September, Reid said there would be work on the site this fall). He said approval requests are with the Department of Environment and the Department of Fisheries. A tender may be put out by the end of December or early January.
“That’s what we’re hoping,” he said.
Winter conditions should not prevent the work being completed, according to Reid. When asked if the steps will be taken this winter to prevent flooding at the site next spring, the supervisor was guardedly positive.
“Looks like it is.” | <urn:uuid:4218d7eb-db16-433d-8507-531fd3950d50> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cumberlandnewsnow.com/News/Local/2012-12-05/article-3134080/Patience-for-floods-runs-out/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955245 | 390 | 1.710938 | 2 |
I have seen some people who have acquired much information, yet remain quite ignorant. I have witnessed those who are “highly educated,” yet believe the color of your skin somehow makes you a better or lesser person.
True knowledge is not just information collected or learned.
Knowledge needs the right mind to absorb and properly process it. It needs positive intentions to support it, wisdom to envelope it, and the right door to express it. It allows one to look into the world and contemplate. It is a complete sound house that is used to protect the self and others from harm, promote safety, growth, tranquility (not irrational fear) — peace. When there is an aspect of knowledge that is missing, it creates a weak home allowing those with negative power to abuse their responsibilities and bulldoze growth and one’s sense of security.
People with true understanding comprehend that this world is not about “us” and “them.” It is not about irrational fears. This world is about all of us: the human race and how we can differ yet still grow and learn together.
True knowledge opens worlds of understanding in all areas, even though we may not see eye to eye. As a human race, we have been given critical thinking higher than any other creation so that we may contemplate our purpose in life and understand our surroundings as we exist amongst many other things.
Knowledge is an absolute right and responsibility of every individual whether male or female, rich or poor, whatever social status, race or age. The essence of contemplation and education is the very foundation of Islam.
“Read” was the first word and command ever revealed in the Quran.
“Read! In the Name of your Lord Who created. He has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.” (96: 1-5)
This verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad after long periods of contemplation regarding his Creator and the world around him. It is a command that came from the All-Knowledgeable and accordingly taught by Prophet Muhammad: “When the son of Adam dies, his deeds end except for three: a continual charity, beneficial knowledge (knowledge that people benefit from), or a righteous child that prays for him.” (From the many authenticated sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.)
This call to knowledge and education has been taken seriously by American Muslims, and specifically American Muslim women. According to the 2009 Gallup Polls, American Muslim women were among the most highly educated female religious groups in the United States.
For a Muslim, to teach and help others gain beneficial knowledge is not only a reward within itself, but, most importantly, it is rewarded by God as beneficial knowledge. So, when you teach, you witness individuals expand in their understanding, become motivated, confidant and improve their life. This is my primary source of personal motivation to do and continue with as much good as I can.
I am rewarded for every good action by receiving 10 good deeds. Now, imagine I teach someone to read, then every letter he or she learns I am rewarded for. Then, that person teaches his or her child, that child grows up and teaches his or her children, and then their children teach others. When you keep multiplying by 10, that’s exponential growth.
I will continuously receive good deeds even after I have left this Earth until the end of time — just because I took the time to help one person. Talk about a good investment.
Knowledge is the essential C.ontemplate U.nderstand R.ead E.ducate for the mind.
This Voices column was written by Jenan Jondy, who has a degree in biology and is a volunteer with the Literacy Volunteers of Bangor (www.lvbangor.org). She resides in Hampden with her husband and is the mother of four children.
Columns on Islam are published in cooperation with the Islamic Center of Maine in Orono. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life. | <urn:uuid:a763c155-f3ff-40d6-a8eb-fe798b3da231> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bangordailynews.com/2010/04/09/living/knowledge-a-cure-for-the-mind/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97185 | 857 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Sellafield (formerly known as Windscale) is a nuclear processing and former electricity generating site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England.
Facilities at the site include the THORP nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and the Magnox nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. It is also the site of the remains of Calder Hall, the world's first commercial nuclear power station, now being decommissioned, as well as some other older nuclear facilities
BBC News - Sellafield has a bunker that stores about 100 tonnes of plutonium, which experts say is enough to manufacture thousands of nuclear weapons.
The BBC understands the men were taking photographs and are all believed to be Bangladeshi.
Four houses in east London were raided by counter-terror detectives as part of the investigation.
Scotland Yard said a small container was removed at one of the addresses.
The container is being examined. Explosives officers attended as a precaution, although the container is now not thought to have had explosives or hazardous material in it.
The arrests were made within hours of the news breaking that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan, and members of the public have been warned to remain vigilant amid fears of reprisals from groups sympathetic to al-Qaeda.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "At this stage we are not aware of any connection to recent events in Pakistan."
The Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant, or THORP, is a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, England. THORP is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and operated by Sellafield Ltd (which is the site licensee company). Spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors is reprocessed to separate the 96% uranium and the 1% plutonium, which can be reused in mixed oxide fuel, from the 3% radioactive wastes, which are treated and stored at the plant. The uranium is then made available for customers to be manufactured into new fuel.
If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks | <urn:uuid:9d817667-e978-418b-8029-fa9149390922> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/05/five-arrested-under-terrorism-act-near.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 | 0.970147 | 448 | 1.953125 | 2 |
My four-year-old daughter is taking swimming lessons. She loves swimming and is excited to learn. At the end of her first week, she passed to the next level with flying colors. I’m proud of her but mainly I’m happy that Kate has inherited her mother’s swimming skills and not mine.
When I was a kid, it took me several attempts to graduate out of the beginner’s swimming class. I remember my classmates moving on—continuing their lessons in a deeper part of the pool—while I was still in the shallow end, staring at the “3 FT” sign, wondering why I didn’t go on with them.
“You’re staying with me because I want you to be perfect at blowing bubbles and kicking,” the young teacher told me.
This seemed reasonable to me. My teacher cared about me so much that she wanted me to be the best I could be. I knew that when I moved up to the next level, my bubble-blowing skills (unlike my former classmates’) would be perfect, not just “passable.”
The following week, I was still in the beginner’s class but it was okay because I was there to perfect my kicking. And my teacher was clearly thrilled to have me stay her class—she kept giving me hugs and saying things like, ‘I’m so proud of you! You’re doing GREAT!” I had no problem repeating the class again. And when I had to repeat it another time, it was fine with me—I knew I was developing into an Olympic-caliber kicker and bubble-blower.
Eventually I graduated to the next level but my memories of the rest of my swimming lessons are hazy. I only clearly remember two things: 1. Nobody seemed to be particularly impressed with my bubble blowing or kicking and 2. I swallowed a lot of water. Okay, there was a third thing: Despite the perfect skills I had developed in the first level, everyone else was better than I was. It was baffling!
Years later, sometime in high school, my mom told me the bitter truth about my swimming lessons.
“You were an awful swimmer,” she said. “You were so afraid of the water – it took the entire summer to get you to put your head underwater.” Over the years, my mom would gleefully tell anyone who would listen about how bad I was in my swimming lessons. “An entire summer,” she’d say, “just to dunk his head underwater! Can you believe it?”
To this day, my mom will use any excuse to bring up this embarrassing part of my childhood. There’s about a 97% chance that she’ll mention it if any of the following subjects are discussed in a conversation:
Kids who suck at things
I have a feeling that if someone were to mention “Dunkin’ Donuts,” my mom would follow it by saying, “Speaking of dunkin’… you know who took an entire summer to dunk his head underwater for the first time?”
As I got older, my fear of the water subsided but my swimming skills didn’t improve all that much. How bad of a swimmer am I? To give you an idea, I’ll end with this story:
Ten years ago, I went to a friend’s bachelor party weekend. At the time, he was into triathlons and as part of the weekend’s festivities he wanted everyone do a mini-triathlon with him. The race was a 300-meter swim, 11-mile bike, and 5K run.
A few minutes before the start of the triathlon, hundreds of people waded into the small manmade lake, getting psyched to race. I was a little nervous about the swim but I kept telling myself, “It’s only 300 meters. Less than one lap around a track. You’re not that bad of a swimmer. You can hold your own for 300 meters.”
At the sound of the starting gun, we all took off and I swam as fast as I could. I saw everyone around me and worked hard to keep up with them. I was in the zone—arms churning and legs kicking like a machine.
Around the halfway mark, I started to feel a little tired but I knew it was almost over. I was holding my own! Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a race official in a canoe rowing over towards me. I had heard him yelling “Turn left!” to the others ahead of me, so I knew that’s why he was coming my way. He rowed within a few feet of me, leaned out of his canoe, and said:
“Are you okay?”
It was not a proud moment. After I replied, “Yeah,” I looked around, which was when the real humiliation set in.
I wasn’t dead last—I think there were one or two fat guys behind me—but I was definitely bringing up the rear and apparently wasn’t looking very good while doing it. Who am I kidding. I looked horrendous. My swimming was so awful that it prompted a race official to confirm that I wasn’t drowning.
My daughter begins her next set of swimming lessons today and, from what I’ve seen so far, she should grow into a much better swimmer than her dad. At least that’s my hope. I don’t ever want her to have to hear, “Are you okay?” in the middle of a swimming race. | <urn:uuid:a32c6076-1a9a-42a0-9e84-396c6c050415> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.metzgercartoons.com/3/archives/07-2012/1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988421 | 1,215 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Clinton, Edwards, Obama: behind the branding, they're more similar than you think.
Can America survive the tedium of its black and female candidates?
It felt a bit like Election Day in Iowa this weekend, as Democratic candidates at Senator Tom Harkin's Steak Fry served up appetizers of the campaign to come.
What in the world was Clinton thinking when she attacked Obama for pledging not to use nuclear weapons in the hunt for Osama bin Laden?
Obama thinks Jackson's endorsement will give him a rocket boost with black voters. It won't.
Barack Obama's political vision grew out of his early experiences as a community organizer in Chicago.
The media have fashioned an impossible portrait of Barack Obama: an American cleansed of the baggage of racism and slavery.
Barack Obama's youthful supporters are using Facebook and other social networking web tools to spark a movement that could make a real difference.
David Axelrod, Barack Obama's closest political adviser, is applying the lessons he learned from Chicago's ugly racialized politics.
In Kenya's Yala Swamp, where Senator Barack Obama traces his African roots, an Oklahoma-based company has wrecked a rich and delicate ecosystem. | <urn:uuid:c106fc52-a287-4ac2-a602-b6e044787d2d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenation.com/section/barack-obama?page=39 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947266 | 241 | 1.625 | 2 |
Watchdog says "no" to kidney cancer drugs
LONDON (Reuters) - Kidney cancer patients should not be treated with four expensive new medicines on the National Health Service, the country's health cost-effectiveness watchdog said on Thursday.
The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said Roche's Avastin, Bayer's Nexavar, Pfizer's Sutent and Wyeth's Torisel could extend patients' lives by some months but were not cost-effective.
The drugs -- known generically as bevacizumab, sorafenib, sunitinib and temsirolimus -- should therefore not be a treatment option for advanced and/or metastatic kidney cancer, NICE said in its preliminary recommendation.
The decision fuels controversy about the way NICE rations treatment on the state health service in England and Wales, denying patients access to costly modern medicines that are used routinely in many countries, notably the United States.
Cancer Research UK said it raised questions about whether NICE's system of appraisal was appropriate for all types of drugs, especially when there were few alternative treatments.
NICE argues it has to make tough choices when deciding which drugs should be paid for and which not.
Modern targeted drugs are revolutionising cancer care, yet they often increase survival by only a few months. Drug companies argue they need to charge a high price for them to make a return on risky research investment.
The high price of treatment with the kidney drugs means it would cost 71,500 to 171,300 pounds for every year of healthy life gained, NICE calculated.
NICE has led the world in assessing the cost-effectiveness of drugs since 1999 but similar "health technology assessment" bodies are springing up in other countries as payers seek a rational way to assess whether costly new targeted cancer therapies are worth using.
Worldwide cancer drug sales are expected to increase at an annual rate of 12-15 percent over the next five years -- twice the pace of the growth in the overall pharmaceutical market -- and reach $75 billion to $80 billion (38 billion to 41 billion pounds) by 2012, according to healthcare consultancy IMS Health.
(Editing by Paul Bolding)
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After 40 weeks of pregnancy, a baby is born;
Since January 22, 1973, 55 million unborn children have been aborted. Their opportunity to feel a mother's sweet caress or to hear a father's hearty laugh was taken away by two U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Despite this tragedy, protectors of life have worked for 40 years to save vulnerable members of our human family. Lives have been spared from the violence of abortion because of the dedication of prolife people like you.
You can make a difference! For 40 weeks before the 40th memorial of Roe on January 22, we celebrated the development of human life by sharing a fact about the unborn child every week. Join our efforts and share the story of life before birth with your family and friends using email and social networks. After 40 weeks, a baby is born and after 40 years of Roe, life begins again.
Week 1: Though the baby hasn’t been conceived yet, doctors start the gestational age here, with the end of the mother’s last cycle. What is a calm scene in the womb will soon turn into a show of amazing growth and development over the next nine months.
Week 2: At the end of week two, fertilization occurs and a unique, complete human being with 46 chromosomes detailing her entire development throughout life has entered the world!
Week 3: The baby’s cells are dividing and growing rapidly as she travels down the fallopian tube to implant in the wall of the womb so mother can nourish the developing child.
Week 4: The baby is the size of a period at the end of a sentence, and cells in the baby have separated off to form the placenta which will nourish the child until birth. The baby has already communicated to her mother’s body with hormones to let her know she is growing in the womb.
Week 5: Organ systems are beginning to develop and the baby’s heart starts to beat, just 21 days after fertilization.
Week 6: The baby’s neural tube closes, eventually becoming the fully-formed brain and spinal cord. The baby’s tiny heart is already pumping blood and beats 80 times a minute, and she is 1/8 of an inch long.
Week 7: Tiny nostrils are visible and the baby’s hands and feet are beginning to take shape.
Week 8: The baby is ½ of an inch long.Only six weeks after coming into existence fingers, ears and eyes can be seen. Taste buds are forming on her tongue and tooth buds are taking shape.
Week 9: The baby has grown a quarter of an inch in just a week and her teeny tiny toes are now visible.
Week 10: The baby’s eyelids close to protect the wonderfully complex eyes while they form. Each minute the baby’s brain develops 250,000 new neurons and she can now move her muscles.
Week 11: The baby is two inches long. She has reached the end of the embryonic stage and is now known as a “fetus,” Latin for “young one.” Her kidneys are developing and produce urine for the first time.
Week 12: Fingernails have begun forming on the baby’s small fingers.
Week 13: Bones are beginning to harden in the baby’s head, arms and legs.
Week 14: The baby is 3 ½ inches long and if we had a window to the womb we could tell if she was a girl or if he was a boy.
Week 15: The baby’s hair pattern on her head is forming. Researchers argue whether her widow’s peak is the result of her genetic code or her own self-directed growth in the womb.
Week 16: An ultrasound at this point would reveal the baby moving her legs and arms and maybe even sucking her thumb. It might also be able to determine her gender.
Week 17: Fat begins to form to keep the baby warm and cozy afterbirth.
Week 18: The baby is 5 ½ inches long and might hear her first sound with her developing ears.
Week 19: A waxy substance called vernix begins to cover the baby’s skin to protect her from the amniotic fluid.
Week 20: Halfway through 40 weeks, the baby’s mother might begin to feel her tiny movements for the first time.
Week 21: The baby is now 10 inches long, measured head to heel. Her digestive system is getting exercise as she swallows amniotic fluid.
Week 22: Hair becomes visible. The baby’s eyebrows might even be visible and her body is covered in small, fine hairs called lanugo to help hold the protective vernix to her skin.
Week 23: We could take the baby’s fingerprints and rapid eye movements start occurring. Is the baby dreaming, and what does a baby in the womb dream about?
Week 24: The baby is almost 12 inches long and has been regularly sleeping and waking. Her mother might be able to guess which she is doing based on her movement.
Week 25: Her mother’s voice or other familiar sounds are recognized by the baby, who responds to them.
Week 26: Lungs are getting stronger in the baby, who is 14 inches long now. Her teeth buds are apparent in her gums.
Week 27: The baby has reached the end of the second trimester. Every major body system is present and has been functioning, and only 13 more weeks of exercise in the womb are needed to make her ready for the wide world.
Week 28: Eyelids have reopened and the baby’s eyelashes are present.
Week 29: The baby’s bones have finished forming, though they are soft in preparation for continued growth.
Week 30: The baby’s eyes are wide open now and she has a full head of hair.
Week 31: The baby’s brain has developed enough to control breathing and her own body temperature independent of mother.
Week 32: The baby’s first haircut happens as lanugo begins to fall off.
Week 33: Small pupils in the baby’s eyes can function, dilating and constricting in dim or bright light.
Week 34: Fingernails have now fully grown out on her fingers as the baby reaches more than a foot and a half in length.
Week 35: In preparation for birth, the baby begins to gain lots of weight, about a half a pound every week.
Week 36: The baby is getting quite cramped in the womb now, but she is still able to move around. What a big change the next month will bring!
Week 37: Almost ready for birth, the baby begins positioning head down in the womb to make birth easier.
Week 38: The baby has a firm grasp with her hands and is considered full-term at this point.
Week 39: While she continues growing in the womb, the baby’s family is anxiously waiting and preparing for the moment they can see her with their own eyes for the first time.
Week 40: The big day arrives and the baby experiences a whole new world on a day forever remembered. It’s an experience more than a million of her fellow babies are deprived of every year in America.
Prolife Action Center - Our Action Center provides news on current events and legislation, and action items for you to help make a difference.
Educational Resource Centers - Right to Life of Michigan Educational Resource Centers offer a lending library with prolife books and videos, free brochures and pamphlets on life issues, and the latest prolife materials.
Volunteering - You can sign-up to volunteer or share this link with friends and family.
Abortions Since Roe v. Wade - A flier to help make sense of the statistics and trends of abortion in the United States.
It's Easy to Be Prolife - A flier that looks at some common arguments in favor of abortion and prolife responses to them.
Courting Disaster - Our LifeNotes explanation of Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton and other court cases that involve abortion.
Providing and Promoting Abortion - A flier providing an overview of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest provider and promoter of abortion.
Download these half page (5½ x 8½) print ads/flyers to place in your newsletter, as bulletin inserts or in your local newspaper on its own or as part of a signature ad. Or simply print them to use as educational handouts.
If you or someone you know is experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy please call 800-57-WOMAN, a toll-free 24/7 to be connected to a caring, confidential help agency. Or, find a help center near you, we list more than 150 agencies in Michigan on our web site. VIEW LIST
© RIGHT TO LIFE OF MICHIGAN, 2340 PORTER ST SW, PO BOX 901, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49509-0901, (616) 532-2300 | <urn:uuid:b8e83684-44ea-4cb8-9f61-2aa21de8676d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rtl.org/40/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95021 | 1,898 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Spaceflight Experts Weigh In on Upcoming SpaceX Launch
- 3:46 PM
- Categories: Space
After months of anticipation and a series of delays, SpaceX is once again ready to fly.
In the early hours of May 19, the private spaceflight company’s Dragon capsule is scheduled to lift off from the launch pad and, four days later, attempt to dock with the International Space Station. (You can watch the launch live at 4:55 EDT on our Open Space site.) If everything is successful, SpaceX will become the first private company to accomplish something that only nation-states have previously done.
But success remains a big “if.” Even the company’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has been quick to point out that SpaceX is still in a kind of beta-testing mode.
“It’s not as though we’re asserting that success is highly likely,” Musk told our aerospace reporter Jason Paur during a live Google+ hangout interview. “In fact, we’re saying that there’s a very good chance that the mission might not succeed. That’s the nature of a test.”
In the buildup to the test launch, Wired has been conducting interviews with experts from the spaceflight community, getting their opinions and asking what sort of an impact the Dragon’s launch will have. Those weighing in have included a legal scholar, a former SpaceX executive, a NASA engineer, a former astronaut, and two of our own Wired Science bloggers: space historian David S. Portree and DIY spacecraft builder Kristian von Bengtson. You can read the full interviews or check out some key excerpts below.
The mission has attracted a variety of viewpoints. Some have praised SpaceX for their attempt to usher in a new era of spaceflight while others have criticized the company for over-hyping what they can realistically achieve. Here we present a roundup of the diverse ideas regarding this SpaceX launch.
We first wanted to know how much to believe the buzz about this upcoming flight. Elon Musk has stated that he started SpaceX to bring down the cost of spaceflight and eventually develop the technology to bring people to Mars. While that day is far in the future, we wondered:
Will this launch be a big game-changer for how spaceflight is done?
“Emotionally, it’s a big deal. If it’s a spectacular success, there will be a lot of high-fiving and pats on the back, and they will be very well deserved. If it’s a failure, we can take comfort in the fact that it’s just a step. This is a challenging test program and that’s how you learn.” Read more.
– Michael Lopez-Alegria
President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, a private-spaceflight advocacy group.
“This is a game changer in terms of proving it’s a commercially viable thing to do. It’s being done and procured on a commercial basis. So this launch is like a Netscape moment in many ways. SpaceX will open up the gates for a lot of new business opportunities.” Read more.
– Lawrence Williams
Former vice president for strategic relations at SpaceX and one of its founding executives.
“In certain ways yes, and in others ways, it won’t be as big a change as all the hype behind it. SpaceX is a private company but they could not succeed without significant government money and the promise of a fairly large supply contract.” Read more.
– Henry Hertzfeld
Scholar of economic, legal, and policy issues surrounding spaceflight and NASA at George Washington University in Washington D.C. | <urn:uuid:271eee27-4c62-45ed-9dc5-624b6cd6e70f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/05/spacex-qa-roundup/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935756 | 782 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Automotive Technology: Honda
This major includes advanced operating theories of automotive systems and components. Students learn to apply automotive operating principles and to diagnose malfunctions in automotive systems. The curriculum emphasizes the development of skills in service, repair, and test procedures in relation to Honda/Acura vehicles and systems. Specialized service courses prepare students for advancement in Honda/Acura dealerships. The major also prepares students to take written certification exams (e.g., the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence exams), vehicle safety inspection, and Honda/Acura certifications. Specific courses prepare the student for transfer to four-year majors, such as Automotive Technology Management.
Graduates have a diverse set of skills and abilities that could prepare them for "green" careers focused on energy, renewable energy, and the environment. Read more...
About the curriculum
View the classes you will be attending in the College Catalog.
Accreditation & Industry Connections
This major was developed from a partnership of the Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT) program of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Pennsylvania College of Technology.
List of jobs via the College Catalog.
According to the US Department of Labor*, median hourly wages of automotive service technicians and mechanics, including commission, were $17.39 in May 2011. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.91 and $22.86 per hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $9.91, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $28.65 per hour. Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of service technicians were as follows:
|Automotive repair and maintenance||$16.87/hr|
|Automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores||$16.16/hr|
*Statistics reported in May 2011
Special Admissions Requirement
View general transfer procedures via the College Catalog.
Tools, Uniforms & Supplies
Uniforms and tools are available for purchase through The College Store.
Clubs & Activities
Penn College Motorsports Association
Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA)
Automotive Technology: Honda Advisory Committee
Advisory committees, which act as recommending bodies to the faculty and administration, consist of in-field professionals who act as partners in the development of curriculum. Their curricular and equipment advice as well as their industry connections and internship opportunities are invaluable to our students and to the growth of our institution. | <urn:uuid:af39eaff-46c3-47d2-bf82-556604599602> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pct.edu/schools/tt/automotive/ah.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930306 | 498 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Later in the film, Scorsese's camera follows Harris to Mali in West Africa to visit musician Ali Farka Toure. Scorsese uses the same technique of segueing from the one-chord drones of John Lee Hooker to Toure playing guitar, and it all sounds like the same song. In an effective, visceral manner, Scorsese and Harris consistently weave the thread through a culture's past, present and future by illustrating the vast interconnectedness of the blues.
By tracing the history of the blues back past Jim Crow, sharecropping and slavery across the ocean to Africa, Scorsese reiterates some of the overused blues mantras. But it's worth the trip; once in Africa, he allows the musicians to share a unique perspective on the blues from across the Atlantic. Scorsese, whose The Last Waltz is considered one of the best live-music documentaries ever, also makes room for varied opinions about the blues. This is but one way of sparing the viewer of monolithic and dogmatic pronouncements about the genre, a trap that Ken Burns' jazz documentary didn't avoid.
Scorsese's guide in the film is the musician and former New Orleans resident Corey Harris, who seems surprisingly comfortable in his role; he's equally at home playing his guitar or interviewing other musicians whether in the United States or Africa. His keen sense of what the blues means to himself and other musicians, our nation, and the world at large shows that Scorsese's more personalized approach to this musical form was a perfect decision.
The film moves from Harris' journeys finding musicians in the South to archival footage of work gangs, fife and drum parades, and footage of musicians such as Son House and Muddy Waters. Later, an interview with Johnny Shines, who traveled with the legendary Robert Johnson in the 1930s, sheds more light on the blues' most iconic and mysterious figure. In another segment, Harris also interviews Taj Mahal, who started playing in the 1960s during the folk blues revival and is a connection between the early part of the century through the '60s on to today. Mahal offers a simple yet deep analysis of how rural life and Mississippi social conditions led to the blues, and how the blues captured that life in its lyrics and rhythms.
Then Scorsese takes the film to the place where the African roots of the music are most apparent, the North Mississippi hill country where the late cane flute player Othar Turner made his home. A sequence with Turner and Harris playing on Turner's porch and talking about Turner's music and how he learned it are among the most profound moments in the entire film.
When Scorsese and Harris travel to Mali to visit with such musicians as Salif Keite, Habib Koite, Toumani Diabate, and Ali Farka Toure (many of whom have played in New Orleans over the past decade), Feel Like Going Home seems to hit its stride. Diabate's ancestors were the griots (or holders of stories and histories) for the Mandinka empire several centuries before, and Diabate and Harris compare the griots in Africa and the descendents of slaves across the ocean. With amazement, Harris notes the survival not just of human life but a cultural form as men, women and children spent several months in the dank hold of a slave ship. "I'm a strong man," Harris says, "but I'm not that strong. I'm sure many people went crazy and died. It's a miracle we made it that far." | <urn:uuid:c8757dcc-248b-4ba8-a921-f08237120ec8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/the-blues-comes-home/Content?oid=1241988 | 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 | 0.961808 | 731 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Thousands of protesters converged on Bahrain’s capital Manama on Friday of last week over a year after an uprising began there.
Many women took part in the protests as police fired tear gas and drove armoured vehicles at the crowds.
But protesters taunted police and threw rocks, petrol bombs and tear gas canisters back towards their lines.
The protests took place on the same day as the funeral of 59 year old Abda Ali Abdul Hussein. She died the previous night after her home was tear gassed.
Abda’s brother said, “I consider her a victim of the clashes.”
The official opposition Wefaq was licensed to hold ten protests on the same day. These too showed the frustration of young people who form the majority of the street based pro-democracy movement.
Many of them are organised into the 14 February Youth Coalition, a movement formed last year. It says it wants the overthrow of the Al Khalifa family, which dominates Bahrain’s government and economy.
They broke away from one of the official protests, ignoring Wefaq organisers.
In the Budaiya district of Manama, young people pulled down a lamppost thought to carry a security camera facing a popular coffee shop. | <urn:uuid:fcdb0709-9ad0-4072-88f4-0e0810a63dd0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=27993 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970111 | 256 | 1.679688 | 2 |
This year's World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development argues that gender equality is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative.
The Report stresses that despite the overall progress, primary and secondary school enrolments for girls remain much lower than for boys for disadvantaged populations in many Sub-Saharan countries and some parts of South Asia. ICN’s Girl Child Education Fund seeks to address this issue by supporting the primary and secondary education of girls under the age of 18 in four sub-Saharan African countries. For more information go to www.fnif.org/girlfund.htm:
The Report focus on four priorities for domestic policy action:
- Addressing excess deaths of girls and women and eliminating gender disadvantage in education where these remain entrenched.
- Closing differences in access to economic opportunities and the ensuing earnings and productivity gaps between women and men.
- Shrinking gender differences in voice within households and societies.
- Limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations. | <urn:uuid:7a666cc6-752a-4f02-bbd9-590fd8e0f369> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icn.ch/news/world-development-report-2012-gender-equality-and-development/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919905 | 227 | 3.5625 | 4 |
The first steps in a legal challenge to the French ban on face coverings have already been taken. Twelve Muslim women were arrested outside Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday, apparently for an unauthorised protest rather than for wearing the niqab - ten of the twelve were not wearing it.
This protest and others undermined the notion that any woman wearing the niqab is disempowered and deprived of independence. Kenza Drider, a 32-year-old French woman, appeared to show a great deal of independence when she contacted the media in advance and tipped them off about her movements before travelling on a train from Avignon to Paris wearing a niqab.
A challenge to the European Court of Human Rights can't come soon enough. The notion that a relatively democratic European country is making laws about what clothes its citizens are allowed to wear should outrage anyone committed to free expression.
Supporters of the ban have at times avoided the main issue by talking about women being forced to cover their faces by their husbands or parents. It's outrageous to pressurise somewhere to wear a niqab against her will. But it's no less outrageous to oblige her not to wear it when she would freely choose to do so.
The issue then is not about one form of dress versus another. It is about clothes that are freely chosen against those that result from force or social pressure. People may be pressurised into wearing a niqab, or they may be pressurised into dressing in the latest fashions when they would rather not. Or they may choose these things freely.
I respect the fact that some women find the niqab liberating and empowering. I recognise that others believe it to be a requirement for them. But I understand that others fear that the niqab is oppressive or ethically wrong. But it is a big leap from regarding something as wrong to calling for it to be banned.
I'm relieved that there have been few calls for a ban in Britain. Inside Parliament, a ban has the support of only one MP. Outside Parliament, a ban is backed by the UK Independence Party and the Daily Express, both of which are cheerleaders for a number of other far-right causes.
Sarkozy may hope to distract attention away from his own dreadful policies by targeting a small minority of the margins of society. Thankfully, women with the courage of Kenza Drider don't seem likely to let him do so.
(c) Symon Hill is associate director of Ekklesia. His book, The No-Nonsense Guide to Religion, can be ordered at http://www.newint.org/books/no-nonsense-guides/religion , priced £7.99. | <urn:uuid:5bf7cb84-20f4-4817-9ee2-784210094e73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/print/14558 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9706 | 558 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Darwinian ideology is the only one to enjoy global state protection. It has been protected by special laws for 150 years, and is still protected today. One can criticise even the most dangerous ideologies, such as fascism and communism, but criticism of Darwinism is absolutely squashed.
This has been the case for the 150 years of the history of evolutionary theory:
Darwinists’ despotic methods have to date been used to silence people who have seen the truth. Professors in many parts of the world who have attracted attention by issuing anti-Darwinist statements have been hurriedly removed from their posts. Biology teachers sceptical of evolution have been forced to teach it through hints to the effect that “Keep your anti-evolution views to yourself, or we will wreck your career!” Professors sceptical of evolution have been obliged to support it. The scientific findings opposed to evolution have been swept under the carpet. No anti-Darwinist activity has been allowed in any official institutions or bodies anywhere in the world. Dictatorial methods have been used to hide the fact that science refutes evolution.
The most recent example of this policy of intimidation has come from Britain. Michael Reiss, director of education of the Royal Society, Great Britain’s most prestigious scientific institution, recently found himself the target of an intense reaction from Darwinist circles for rightfully suggesting that Creation be taught alongside evolution in schools. Darwinists were baffled by the way that such a pro-Creation suggestion could come from this scientific institution, known for its pro-evolutionary activities. Fanatical Darwinists such as the atheist evolutionist and zoologist Richard Dawkins were not slow to launch verbal assaults. Darwinist scientists affiliated to the Royal Society issued statements that Reiss’s suggestion has been “misunderstood” or that the professor “did not actually mean to say that...” in order to demonstrate their “embarrassment” to the Darwinists making these protests. This pro-Creation suggestion, opposing Darwinism which is protected by law, from one of the strongholds of Darwinism, threw all Darwinists into a panic.
The fanatical Darwinist dictatorship did not long delay in imposing sanctions on this brave suggestion. Professor Reiss was hurriedly REMOVED FROM HIS POST as the Academy’s director of education. The professor, who HAD BEEN ASKED TO TENDER HIS RESIGNATION “for the good of the institution,” was told that he could continue to teach biology but had LOST HIS POSITION OF DIRECTOR in the Academy.
This policy of intimidation, that has been implemented in a comprehensive manner across the world for a long time now, is an indication that the Darwinist dictatorship is turning into an empire of fear as time passes. The policy is also, of course, an indication of another important reality: THE COLLAPSE OF DARWINISM!
Were the theory of evolution true, then it would be supported by scientific evidence. Darwinists would be able to produce intermediate form fossils and show that protein emerged by chance. Creation being taught alongside evolution in schools would not terrify the proponents of evolution. Darwinists would feel no need to hide the unearthed fossils and to manufacture forgeries. They would have no need to resort to intimidation and fear to silence those voices raised in favour of Creation, which they actually know to be telling the truth. The way they resort to these methods to prop up the theory of evolution is the most definitive proof of the theory’s total defeat. Darwinism has been routed, because the Atlas of Creation has proved to the whole world that the theory of evolution is a fraud.
People have now changed their opinions in the wake of the Atlas of Creation. They no longer believe in the idea that Darwinists have been trying to impose, that everything came into being by chance, nor in the lie that chance gave rise to life, human beings, civilisations, technology, Paris and London. They are unwilling to have efforts made to impose that nonsense on them. Having seen 100 million fossils they no longer find any of the theory of evolution’s accounts credible.
For that reason, intimidatory tactics can no longer be of any benefit to the fanatical Darwinist dictatorship. Darwinists can no longer convince people of the veracity of the theory of evolution. The 150-year-old fraud that is evolution has been annihilated by means of the Atlas of Creation.
Say: “Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is always bound to vanish.” (Surat al-Isra’, 81) | <urn:uuid:f2f0cc42-07cb-43da-a1b2-03195bc35c32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.harunyahya.com/en/works/9749/The-Darwinist-dictatorship-is-collapsing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968081 | 951 | 2.109375 | 2 |
NASA’s Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft is more than two billion miles from home.
Even at that distance, Earth controllers this month have woken up the probe from hibernation, as well as successfully test the New Horizons Radio Science Experiment (REX).
That test took advantage of an Earth-moon-spacecraft alignment to simulate atmospheric measurements “REX” will make at Pluto in 2015.
REX is integrated into the spacecraft communications system.
The operation team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Maryland uploaded a new set of commands to the spacecraft’s computer; made sure its digital data recorders were in working order; primed the communications system for testing of the Radio Science Experiment (REX); refreshed the memory on one of the Guidance and Control processor memory banks; and prepped the Solar Wind at Pluto (SWAP) and Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instruments for more than three months of science-data collection.
Today, the team returned the spacecraft to hibernation.
The REX tests took place on Jan 21.
The team took advantage of a fortuitous Earth-moon-spacecraft alignment that allowed it to simulate the occultation technique New Horizons will use in 2015 to probe Pluto’s atmosphere and to search for an atmosphere around Pluto’s largest moon, Charon.
New Horizons is the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt of rocky, icy objects beyond.
The craft was launched on January 19, 2006 and is slated for the Pluto-Charon encounter in July 2015.
Since departure from Earth, the spacecraft is nearing 2,200 days of its cruise into the unknown.
For more information on this long-distance mission, go to:
By Leonard David | <urn:uuid:9514da66-0c82-4753-9a3e-21edef261cf8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spacecoalition.com/blog/pluto-bound-spacecraft-wake-up-call-then-hibernate?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CoalitionForSpaceExploration+%28Coalition+for+Space+Exploration%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922764 | 369 | 3.5625 | 4 |
17.03.2013 - 21.07.2013
The Picassos Are Here!
Curators: Anita Haldemann & Nina Zimmer
Pablo Picasso is a crucial figure in 20th century art. With his extensive and varied body of work, he shaped modern art like no other. From March 17 to July 21, 2013 the Kunstmuseum Basel will present an ambitious retrospective of works drawn exclusively from Basel collections. The super Picasso holdings of the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Fondation Beyeler will be exhibited together for the very first time. In addition, the show will include works from numerous private collections in Basel, some of which have never been exhibited in public and will form the perfect compliment to the institutional holdings.
Ever since the legendary „Picasso Year" of 1967, the City of Basel has had a special relationship to Picasso. At the time, Basel residents approved a municipal loan of 6 million Franks in a city-wide plebescite and in a unique fundraising action collected an additional 2.4 million Franks to secure two important paintings (Les deux frères and Arlequin assis) for the Kunstmuseum. Picasso was so touched by this democratic ex-
pression of love that he gave the city three paintings and a famous drawing for Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.
But Basel‘s special connections with Picasso go back much further. Even before the Second World War, art collectors such as Raoul La Roche, Rudolf Staechelin, Karl Im Obersteg and Maja Sacher-Stehlin began to build important collections in which Picasso is prominently represented. Many of these first-rank works are part of the Kunstmuseum Basel‘s collections today, or are on long-term loan there. The museum itself began to acquire its first works by Picasso for the Kupferstichkabinett in the 1920s, and has continued to expand its holdings through significant purchases of paintings since the 1950s.
After the war, Ernst Beyeler disseminated the Spaniard‘s work to Basel art enthusiasts through the exhibitions in his gallery while simultaneously building his own impressive collection. Today, the concentration of Picassos in private hands in Basel is astounding in both quantity and quality.
The unique convergence of all these holdings has created an extensive exhibition that showcases all the important periods of Picasso‘s work at the highest level. The artist‘s paintings, drawings, and prints, as well as sculptures, will be brought together on the second floor of the Kunstmuseum, which will be devoted entirely to a single show for the first time since the Van Gogh exhibit. This will enable the visitor to observe the striking interrelatedness of the works and to experience Picasso in all of his fascinating periods of artistic creation from the Blue and Rose periods, through Cubism, Neoclassicism and the surrealist-influenced work of the 1930s, to his production in the 1940s and 50s and finally in his late period. | <urn:uuid:5007d445-246d-4e2d-8b29-8e0070940f84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch/en/exhibitions/current/the-picassos-are-here/?type=ht | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951308 | 652 | 1.796875 | 2 |
©2008 PastPresent® Gallery
All Rights Reserved
|Reproduction of an 1860 Map of Prussia & Germany
- Antique Map Reproduction -
by Samuel Augustus Mitchell
+ Click to enlarge
•The German Empire Begins to Grow•
This is one of the finest maps of Gemany & Prussia ever created. It was made to the unification of Prussia & the various Germanic States. The border is striking and the colors more vibrant than most other 19th century maps of this region.
The original hand-painted map, from which this replica was made, was created by the second generation one of America's finest mapmaking families, Samuel Mitchell, Jr. of Philadelphia. This map was the one of the first created under son's watch, so he spared no expense to create one of the finest maps ever made. With the coming war, the borders (particularly in the West) would be changing often and this view of the U.S. is fascinating.
All sizes shown are approximate. Matted maps or prints are smaller than the "matted" dimensions shown by about 6".
All of our authentic, more than 100-year old, maps and prints come double matted within museum quality, archival rag mat boards at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE.
Due to the INCREDIBLY high shipping prices charged for OVERSIZE shipping, shipping charges may be higher than quoted for items that measure more than a total of 70" (matted height + width). For example a matted piece measuring 32" x 40" would be considered OVERSIZE (72"). For complete delivery information, see Information page.
All our authentic antiques are one-of-a-kind items. Since they are actual old works of art expect small imperfections. In some cases we may have more than one of a particular map or print. Since each is unique they may vary slightly from the item shown (when we have more than one if a particular item, the colors may be different than those shown). Each antique map or print has been dry cleaned by hand and are conservation mounted and protected in attractive rag mats. Every work in our gallery carries a lifetime guarantee of authenticity (authentic antiques only) and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee (see Information page for details). Again, the sizes stated are approximate.
For stunning antique map, print, and photograph reproductions, explore PastView Gallery.
If you are looking for the Ultimate Bulletin Board, please visit Shareboards.com.
For the finest custom mirrors take a look at FraMirrors - Art That Reflects Life.
Discover the world's first self-healing push pin maps, tackamaps the bulletin board map - stick it to your map. | <urn:uuid:d16c15c1-7b4b-40a5-b853-115143d2e1d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.antiquemapgallery.com/anmapreofmi18.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913883 | 562 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why do some services show a picture of a yellow bus, while others have a blue bus?
The service information in the Brahe Trip Planner comes from the timetable databases of Turku Public Transport or Matkahuolto. Bus routes provided by Turku Public Transport are marked with a yellow bus symbol. They are internal to Turku. The blue bus denotes regional routes. These routes run between Turku and other municipalities or are internal to other municipalities.
Why doesn't the Brahe Trip Planner suggest the bus line I use every day?
The Brahe Trip Planner cannot guess your travelling habits. The suggested routes are calculated using only the available information about travel times and the given search parameters. One benefit of the service is the possibility to find new route alternatives. If you already know a good way to make your trip, you can compare the routes suggested by the Brahe Trip Planner to see if faster or easier options exist.
Why doesn't the Brahe Trip Planner recognize the address or place I'm searching for?
The address database used by the Brahe Trip Planner is the best available data, updated by the city survey offices. The index of places to search for is collected from many different sources and updated manually, so it will never be perfect. Please give us feedback about places we should add.
Are the night buses included in the service? I was trying to find a route for late Friday night but I couldn't find any routes using the night buses.
The night buses are included in the service. You have probably been accidentally searching for a route for Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. Unlike in the printed timetables the date changes at midnight instead of at 4 a.m. Thus, the night buses running between Friday and Saturday can be found by setting the date to Saturday and buses running between Saturday and Sunday can be found by setting the date to Sunday.
Why the routes shown on the map do not run along the streets?
The Brahe Trip Planner shows straight lines between bus stops, because there is only a few shape points available on the routes. Walking paths are more accurately drawn because a different technique is used and therefore there is more shape points available.
I wish to use public transport to go to the city centre, but I do not know the street address. How do I find the route?
If you can't find the correct place name but you know its location, the easiest way is to use the map search and select your destination by pointing on the map.
What do the different coloured lines on the map signify?
The Brahe Trip Planner map service uses lines to show travel routes and circles to show stops on the route. The colours signify the mode (type of vehicle) used on that part of the journey: bus = dark blue and walking = blue dotted line. Transfers between modes are shown as yellow circles, and the place of departure and destination are shown as yellow squares. The mode icons used in the list of route suggestions also use the same respective colours.
Why is the distance from my home to the nearest stop calculated by the Brahe Trip Planner as much too long?
The walking connections are calculated on a network of streets with additional walking links. The Brahe Trip Planner does not know all possible shortcuts and paths which are not built and maintained by the cities.
The default walking speed is too slow for me. Can I change the setting?
The advanced search options allow you to adjust several settings to your preference, including the walking speed.
Why doesn't the Brahe Trip Planner show the ticket fare for the journey?
The Turku Public Transport and regional transport systems have a complex fare system, and it is not possible to show all of them for each route in the Brahe Trip Planner. More information on fares is available on the websites of the Turku Public Transport, TLO and Matkahuolto Travel Services.
The Brahe Trip Planner suggests only routes with a transfer from bus to bus, even though 20 minutes later there is a direct service available. Why is that route alternative not shown?
All connections suggested by the Brahe Trip Planner are strictly time-specific. Starting at the time you gave, the route with a transfer is the fastest way to get to your destination. If you search for a later time, the direct connection may be fastest. You can select the advanced search option "least transfers" to find direct connections.
I have saved a route search for my journey from work to home as a bookmark on my browser. When I select it from the list, I get a route suggestion for a time which has already passed!
A better way of saving a route you use regularly is to use the 'Save route' function of the Brahe Trip Planner. If you save a route as a bookmark, remove the time parameters from the address.
How do I know where I need to get off the bus, when travelling to a place I am not familiar with?
Under route suggestion you can find links "Print route suggestion" and "Show detailed information and transfer maps". Transfer maps and the listing of all stops along your route can be printed and used to follow the progress of your journey.
Is it possible to use the Brahe Trip Planner with a mobile phone?
The Brahe Trip Planner -service is based on maps, and very few mobile terminal browsers support the techniques used in the service.
Can I use the number of kilometres provided by the Brahe Trip Planner for checking an invoice for travel expenses or my tax form?
The numbers of kilometres provided by the Brahe Trip Planner are indicative, as they are partly measured as straight line distance. Thus they are suitable only for estimating the approximate length of a journey. | <urn:uuid:35fb61c2-0a22-44bb-9072-cc2eba253920> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reittiopas.turku.fi/en/faq/ | 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 | 0.933768 | 1,192 | 1.679688 | 2 |
We have come together as a group of concerned parents to help stop teenagers and other drivers from dangerous driving habits like texting and speeding. As parents, we want to keep our children safe but we can’t always be there to ensure they make good decisions. Awareness is crucial but it is not enough,Mobile Tattletalecan help save lives through parent monitoring technology.
There is no doubt texting while driving is creating danger on the nation’s roads. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has called distracted driving a deadly epidemic. And a new nationally representative survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center shows just how widespread it is. Almost two-thirds of the survey respondents had seen drivers in other vehicles texting on a cell phone or other mobile device, just in the previous 30 days. Almost all—94 percent—had observed motorists talking on a handheld phone. In the same period, more than half had seen a dangerous situation that was related to a distracted driver.For more statistics click here
Even with these stats, teenagers continue to text and drive. It is part of their culture, with many of them more proficient in front of a mobile screen than behind the wheel of a car. That’s where Mobile Tattletale steps in. Mobile Tattletale is an application that is set up on a teenager’s phone. When a teenage driver is moving faster than 20 MPH (or speed determined by parent), Mobile Tattletale sends a warning message to the parents or temporarily disable the ability to text or call until the automobile slows down under 20 MPH. Read more….
Although teens make up only 7 percent of the total driving population, they account for 14 percent of all fatalities. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 19. And today, 16-year-old girls are just as likely to crash as 16-year-old boys. In fact; the risk is the highest at age 16, when the fatal crash rate is 40 percent higher than for 18 year-olds and 30 percent higher than for 19-year-olds.Teenage Speedster was invented to warn parents when their teenagers may be at risk of high speed driving. Whether they are the driver or a passenger in a car, Teenage Speedster will send a text to warn a parent of the high risk situation. Unlike “car chips” and other deterrent devices that are reactive measures, Teenage Speedster has the ability to alert the parent by text message within seconds of the speed being calculated over the predetermined threshold. Read more…..
Family Responsibility Plan:
Mobile TattleTale has partnered with Voice On The Go to build a family-friendly distracted driving plan focused on protecting parents and teenage drivers. Read more….
Mobile Safety Plan for Businesses:
The partnership also allows the two companies to market a product offering to businesses with mobile sales teams and fleets. Read more….
Banning texting is not enough, according to a report by the Highway Loss Data Institute; text messaging-while-driving bans have not resulted in a reduction in crashes, and may even be “ineffective”. The institute said, in states where texting while driving is illegal, there appears to be a “slight increase in the frequency of insurance claims filed under collision coverage for damage to vehicles in crashes.”
It could be that drivers who continue to text while driving are doing it more surreptitiously, hiding their phones from view of other drivers and law enforcement, increasing the risk of an accident even more, the institute says. “What I would say is that texting and cell phone devices have become such a component of life for teens and for young people that it’s hard for them to differentiate between doing something normal and doing something wrong,” said Steven Bloch, senior research associate for the Automobile Club. | <urn:uuid:f38059de-0f23-4d0e-b1c8-afc1eebfe77f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mobiletattletale.com/solutions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956905 | 789 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Eli Lake has a devastating article in today's New York Sun on the grooming of Iranian youth into the Islamic jihadist supremicism.
But Andrew Bostom points out that the important historical context to this phenomenon is lost entirely. " What we are witnessing today is not simply a "post-Revolutionary phenomenon" comforting as that may sound--this is a full-throated return to the Shi'ite theocracy that existed in Iran with the founding of the Safavid dynasty at the very outset of the 16th century, and lasted till 1925. i.e., for 4 centuries."
He has written about this extensively (in 4-parts "The Ayatollahs’ Final Solution?"), but here is a brief summary:
The Safavid rulers, at the outset of the 16th century, formally established Shi’a Islam as the Persian state religion, while permitting a clerical hierarchy nearly unlimited control and influence over all aspects of public life. The profound influence of the Shi’ite clerical elite, continued for almost four centuries (although interrupted, between 1722-1794 during the period of Sunni Afghan invasion, and internecine struggle), through the later Qajar period (i.e., until the Pahlavi seizure of power in 1925), as characterized by the noted Persianophilic scholar E.G. Browne, writing in 1930:
The Mujtahids and Mulla [religious leaders] are a great force in Persia and concern themselves with every department of human activity from the minutest detail of personal purification to the largest issues of politics.
Reza Pahlavi’s spectacular rise to power in 1925 was accompanied by dramatic reforms, including secularization and westernization efforts, as well as a revitalization of Iran’s pre-Islamic spiritual and cultural heritage. This profound sociopolitical transformation had very positive consequences for Iran’s non-Muslims. By virtue of , “…breaking the power of the Shia clergy, which for centuries had stood in the way of progress”, Walter Fischel (a pre-eminent modern historian of Iran’s Jewish minority) observed that Reza Shah, “…shaped a modernized and secularized state, freed almost entirely from the fetters of a once fanatical and powerful clergy”.
The so-called “Khomeini revolution”, which deposed Mohammad Reza Shah, was in reality a mere return to oppressive Shi’ite theocratic rule, the predominant form of Persian/Iranian governance since 1502. Conditions for all non-Muslim religious minorities, particularly Bahais and Jews, as well as Muslim women, rapidly deteriorated.
Here is the Lake article
WASHINGTON — A new Freedom House study of Iranian textbooks finds that the Islamic Republic is teaching its children to embrace Islamic supremacism, preparing them to enter a political system that discriminates against women and non-Muslims.
The study, "Discrimination and Intolerance in Iran's Textbooks," is the most comprehensive to date of Iran's textbooks, analyzing 95 compulsory textbooks for grades one to 11. The main author of the study, Saeed Paivandi, is a sociologist at Paris-8 University and one of the few Western scholars to specialize in Iran's post-revolutionary education system.
"The discourse of the textbooks has not been written with the concept of equality of all human beings, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," the study concludes. "In the textbooks' reasoning, human beings cannot be equal with one another on this earth, in the same way that, on the day of reckoning, they will be subject to divine judgment for their identity and actions. The trend, based on the clear and official negation of the equality of human beings, created different positions for the various people in society. Some individuals are born first-class citizens, due to their identity, gender, and way of thinking, while others become second- and third-class citizens. Those who are excluded from the inside are victims of this discriminatory system."
That system inside Iran has led to a raft of laws that prohibit non-Muslims from holding high government and military posts, enforce a quota of non-Muslims allowed to matriculate at universities, and require non-Muslim shopkeepers to designate their stores as such. But the lessons of Islamic supremacism also applies to Iran's foreign policy, which the American government says is to support terrorist groups throughout the Middle East. For example, the Islamic culture religious studies textbook for eighth-grade instructs, "Defensive jihad is incumbent upon every one, the young and the old, men and women, everyone, absolutely everyone, must take part in this sacred battle, fight to the best of his or her abilities or assist our fighters."
A seventh-grade textbook on the same subject says: "By taking note of the guidance and instructions provided by Islam, every Muslim youth must strike fear in the hearts of the enemies of God and their people through combat-readiness and skillful target shooting. He must always be ready to defend his country, honor, and faith and use all his capabilities and power in this endeavor. After the victory of the revolution, His Holiness Imam Khomeini, the deceased leader of the Islamic revolution, issued an order for the establishment of the basij (paramilitary group) for the oppressed."
The report places the present school curriculum in Iran in the context of the country's ancient tradition of religious Muslim schools but finds major differences between the two. Iran's modern school curriculum, for example, teaches secular topics such as science and political history, while the Khomeinist doctrine of the state runs through these subjects, as well. On lessons on world history, the textbooks emphasize a unity with fellow Islamic republics.
The textbooks also enforce a strict view that women should be at home raising children. A 10th-grade textbook for religion and life says, "A mother whose husband earns sufficient income cannot say, 'My job demands that I leave my child at the day care center every day,' and, in this way deprive her child from her constant love and attention."
While the textbooks recognize other religious groups in Iran, including Jews, they refer to followers of the Bahai faith as members of a cult. | <urn:uuid:530a881e-fc6b-430b-bc43-fc13738477b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/national_review_institute_summit_2007/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953628 | 1,288 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Israel’s image as a victim of terror is taken for granted by most Americans. Thus, the NBC report from February 9 of this year was all the more stunning. Obama administration officials leaked to NBC that Israel had teamed up with a violent, cultish, US-terror listed Iranian organization called the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) to assassinate Iranian scientists.
Citing US government sources, NBC reported that Israel financed, trained and armed the MEK to carry out the deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists. That Israel had a role in the assassination of the scientists took few by surprise. That it collaborated with a fundamentally anti-Israeli, Marxist-Islamist terror organization to pull off the attacks was perhaps a bit more surprising. (That the Obama administration would divulge this information and embarrass its close ally Israel publicly was also unexpected.)
The MEK’s history of violence and anti-Israeli activities is long and bloody. In the 1970s, it established deep ties with Yasser Arafat and both provided and received training from the PLO fighters. Much of the late Shah’s antipathy towards Arafat was rooted in the latters ties to the MEK and other opponents of the Pahlavi dynasty, publicly complaining “that some of the groups of the [Palestinian] resistance trained Iranian saboteurs to infiltrate our territory, kill our people and blow up various installations.”
Only days after the 1979 revolution toppled the Shah’s regime, Arafat showed up uninvited in Tehran, hoping that his investment in the Iranian opposition would translate into political, financial and military support to the PLO by the new Iranian regime.
Massud Rajavi, the head of the MEK, greeted Arafat in Tehran with a Kalashnikov as a welcoming gift. When Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980, Rajavi fled Iran for Iraq, where he enjoyed the protection of Saddam Hussein until 2003. A former MEK fighter told me that Arafat visited the MEK’s military camp in Iraq (Ashraf).
Israeli diplomats knew that whoever seized power in Iran in 1979 would be no lover of Israel—whether it was the Islamists who opposed Israel on religious and ideological grounds, or the leftists who viewed Israel as an outpost for American imperialism in the region. The MEK was unique since it fell in both categories.
Exactly when Israel’s ties with the MEK were established is unclear. But by the early 1990s, as I describe in my book, a relationship was forming, though its full nature and extent remains unknown.
At the time, Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh pushed Yitzhak Rabin to signal Tehran that Israel could also play the terrorist card. Sneh argued that whenever Iran used Islamic Jihad or Hamas to blow up a bus in Jerusalem, Israel should use the MEK to respond in kind in Tehran.
But cooler heads prevailed. Rabin refrained from entering into a public relationship with the organization. But the Labor government left the door to the MEK half open: it permitted the Iranian terrorist group to use two Israeli satellites to beam their TV broadcasts into Iran.
Even the MEK’s alleged revelation of the Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz in 2002 was based on information leaked to the organization by Israel, according to Israeli intelligence expert Ronen Bergman. Indeed, a former US State Department official told me recently that while Israel does not publicly acknowledge its ties to the MEK, Israeli officials privately tell the US that the MEK is “useful.”
All of this has fueled suspicions in DC that the current multi-million dollar lobbying campaign by the MEK to get off of the State Department’s terror list is bankrolled by Israeli sources. Dozens of former US officials have received tens and thousands of dollars in speakers’ fees from the MEK or its surrogates to speak out on their behalf. These former officials have likely violated US laws on material support to terrorist organizations, and several of them have had their records subpoenaed by the US Treasury in an ongoing investigation.
Political one-night stands are not unusual in the Middle East. Even tactical collaboration with sworn enemies takes place. But associating Israel with a cultish Iranian terror group is damaging to Israel on several levels.
First, any attempt by Israel to hold the higher moral ground and point fingers at the regime in Tehran will be lost if Israel itself is entangled with violent terrorist groups that kill indiscriminatingly. This may have implications for other states’ willingness to collaborate against terrorist groups targeting Israel.
Second, if Israel teams up with an organization described by the US State Department as “fundamentally undemocratic” and “not a viable alternative to the current government of Iran,” the argument that peace in the region would be achieved if only the other states in the region were as democratic as Israel will become even more unconvincing.
And finally, this will likely undermine Israel’s ability to rebuild ties with the Iranian people down the road. The MEK has the dubious honor of being the only entity more disliked by the Iranian people than the Iranian regime itself.
It’s simply an association Israel should avoid. | <urn:uuid:8d0f77e0-013d-4cea-b29c-fcba7d3fba90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/15/is-israel-flirting-with-iranian-terrorists.print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96697 | 1,068 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Written by Yedidya Atlas
Speaking at the UN Security Council last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared, “It is time for the international community to put aside our own differences and send a clear message of support to the people of Syria.” And the day after the Security Council vote with Russia and China vetoing the resolution to adopt the Arab League plan, a frustrated Mrs. Clinton repeated her call to “support the Syrian people's right to have a better future.”
The problem of Mrs. Clinton and others who express such concern for the ongoing internecine violence in Syria is that they constantly issue pronouncements about the “Syrian people” as if it was a homogeneous national grouping. Her ignorance was further demonstrated when speaking to reporters during a visit Sunday in Bulgaria. She said: “the international community had a duty to halt continuing bloodshed and promote a political transition that would see Mr. Assad step down.” Can she honestly believe Basher al-Assad will simply agree to resign?
If one is to ever develop a coherent and attainable goal oriented Syrian policy, one first has to understand the various groupings and allegiances at play.
The “Syrian people” is a composite of religious and ethnic groups who historically oppose each other. The dominant group, approximately two thirds of the population are Sunni Muslims; 12 percent are Alawites; 9 percent are Kurds; 10 percent are various Christian sects (Arab Christians, Assyrians and Armenians); and the remainder are a hodgepodge of religio-ethnic groups including Druze, Turkmens and Circassians.
Let’s focus on the Sunni, the Alawites and the Kurds. The Sunni majority includes the Muslim Brotherhood. It is subjugated by the ruling Alawites led by the al-Assad family. The Sunni majority, which lost power to the Alawite dominated secular nationalist Syrian Ba’ath Party in a 1963 coup, began to cause increasingly violent unrest led by the Muslim Brotherhood. This later developed into open revolt.
In 1980, after an assassination attempt against President Hafez al-Assad failed, he came down on them like a ton of bricks, literally. In 1982, the city of Hama, a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold, was destroyed by regular Syrian army forces, including tanks and artillery, commanded by Rifat al-Assad, Hafez’s younger brother. An estimated 20,000 residents of Hama were killed. The revolt was quelled and the Alawite al-Assad family continued to rule.
However, the real dispute goes way back. The Sunni majority view the Alawite minority as heretics. The Alawites, or Alawi as they called themselves because of their adherence to Ali (the Muslim prophet Mohammad’s cousin and son-in-law), were originally called by the Sunnis the “Nusayri” after the Shi’ite Ibn Nusayr in the 9th century, indicating their break with Islam. After 1920 and French rule in Syria (which included Lebanon), the persecuted Alawites ingratiated themselves with the new rulers.
The French encouraged Alawites to join the French commanded Syrian army and dominate the officer corps as a counterweight to the hostile Sunni majority. This subsequently set the stage for the Alawite dominance of the Baath Party and the 1963 takeover of the Syrian government.
The Kurds, while only 9 percent of the total Syrian population, comprise the majority of the Jazira province, and are affiliated with major Kurdish populations in neighboring Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Historically, the Kurds once ruled their own land known as Kurdistan which included eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and northern Syria. The Kurds in all of these countries are persecuted by the current ruling regimes in their respective countries.
In 1957 the KDPS (Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria) was founded. The Syrian central government never recognized the Kurds as a separate entity, thus the KDPS remained an underground organization. In 1960 a number of its leaders were imprisoned. In 1961, after the dissolution of the UAR – United Arab Republic with Egypt, the Syrian government decided to “recognize the Kurds” as a separate entity and in the summer of 1962 conducted a special population census of the predominantly Kurdish province of Jazira. All of the identified Kurds were stripped of their Syrian citizenship and declared “aliens.” At the same time a media campaign was launched against the Kurds with such slogans as “Save Arabism in Jazira” and “Fight the Kurdish Threat.” These policies coincided with the beginning of Mustafa Barazani’s Kurdish uprising in Iraq and the discovery of oilfields in the Jazira province. In the summer of 1963, Syrian forces joined with the Iraqi military in attacking the Barazani led revolt to reestablish an independent Kurdistan.
In the mid-1980’s through the early 1990’s, following the unsuccessful revolt against the al-Assad regime by the Sunnis, the Kurds too clashed violently with the regime which only resulted in mass arrests and killings of Kurdish Syrian civilians. And while the al-Assad government's ongoing persecution of the Kurds is part of its general suppression of any form of political dissent, it continues the previous policy of repression because a separate Kurdish identity is still viewed as a threat.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s involvement in last year’s so-called “Arab Spring” in Tunis, Egypt and Yemen, induced the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to take their opposition to the al-Assad Alawite regime up another notch and the protests/riots began followed immediately by the al-Assad style ruthless oppression.
As the daily violence expands, and the death toll rises, one hears the cacophony of statements such as Secretary Clinton who said on March 27, 2011: “Many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he’s a reformer.” But by November 18, 2011, Mrs. Clinton finally awoke to the fact that Bashar al-Assad’s so-called reformist attitudes were baseless. Speaking to ABC News, she reversed herself and said: “We heard what Assad said about what he wanted to do for reform. But when it came to it, in the Arab Spring and as people actually demanded some freedom and their rights, he responded, as we have seen, very violently.” Considering Syrian history in the past 30 years alone, one wonders why she is surprised.
Syria is the scene of an ongoing civil war of sorts between the Sunni majority led by the Muslim Brotherhood and the minority Alawite controlled regime led by the al-Assad clan with various minor religio-ethnic players scattered over the field. If the al-Assad regime falls, it is not merely the al-Assad family that is in trouble, the entire Alawite population can expect similar or worse persecution by the Muslim Brotherhood led Sunnis as they attempt to turn the clock back to a modern version of the Ottoman period. Bashar al-Assad is fighting for both Alawite dominance and survival.
Secretary Clinton and Co. must realize that life is not a Hollywood movie and Syria isn’t a western country. Syria is a serious mess and there is no happy ending in sight soon
The author is a veteran journalist specializing in geo-political and geo-strategic affairs in the Middle East. His articles have appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Insight Magazine, Nativ, The Jerusalem Post and Makor Rishon. His articles have been reprinted by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the US Congressional Record. | <urn:uuid:15accdb7-96a6-45f0-8fee-db19a9bb3d90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rightsidenews.com/2012020719847/editorial/world-opinion-and-editorial/a-syrian-scorecard-for-hillary-clinton/print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964771 | 1,589 | 2.0625 | 2 |
For many Christians, we tend to misunderstand the concept of God’s grace. We sometimes continue on in old practices that were associated with our lives before we came to know Christ. I feel as if we may do this not fully understanding our freedoms in Christ and thinking that we are covered by grace. We all need to be justified through faith because of sin, so how did this justification take place, and how are we to live under this justification?
Romans 5 gives an excellent description of how our faith in God justifies us as sinners. It explains how sin entered the world, and how it has been conquered by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Because of the overwhelming amount of sin, we needed Christ to make us righteous again. Verse 20 shows us that the Old Testament law was put into effect to show us that sin was in our hearts, and that when this “sin increased, grace abounded all the more” this grace was provided through the death of our Savior. As we enter into chapter 6, we are asked this question:
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?”
What does this statement mean? We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) aren’t we always going to sin? To find the meaning in this statement, we must read further in the text. Let’s read on through verses 2-4.
“By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
The text shows us that as baptized believers, we have taken part in a death to sin so that we may be made into something new. To continue constantly in the sinful life we used to lead would mean that we have not died to sin. If we have not died to sin, we are still living in sin, and grace is not covering us. If the death of our old self has not taken place, how can we be raised from that death, or be covered by grace? Lets read on through verses 5-11.
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
To be covered by the grace of God, we must die to sin, be buried with Christ through baptism and be resurrected into a new person. When we become Christians, we cannot continue in the same path as we once were on. The will of God demands a change, one that takes full devotion and wisdom to obtain. Death is defined as “the end of life” and when we enter into God’s grace, we end the old life, and start a new one. In doing this, we are set free from sin. Death through sin will no longer have dominion over us because we are set free and alive in Christ.
As Christians, things will come up that demand a change. This is part of our growth in Christ. Maybe we need to change the old way we used to dress for modesty purposes when we study about 1 Timothy 2:9. Maybe we do not need to watch our favorite TV show any more because it does not contain things spoken of in Philippians 4:8. Now comes the question, shall we continue on in sin so that grace may abound? Will we willfully continue on in it hoping grace will cover us, or will we put it to death? Freedom in Christ bestowed upon us by the grace of God is not a freedom to continue on in sin. “Live as a people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).
By Ashley Hudson
Ashley Hudson is a stay-at-home-mom with three children ages 9, 5, and 3. She and her family worship at the 7th and Beech Church of Christ in Durant, Oklahoma. Her husband, Jake, is the Campus Minister for the Student Bible Center at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Be sure to check out her blog at www.hudsonfive.wordpress.com | <urn:uuid:0b27bd5e-4179-4996-8c64-89a72e53d35e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://comefillyourcup.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/living-under-the-grace-of-god/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977711 | 1,037 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Talking with Your Doctor
Discussing Sensitive Topics
It is important for you to discuss sensitive topics with your doctor because they can affect your health. Sensitive health issues, like sexual problems or memory loss, concern many older people, but they are not just normal parts of aging. You may find some of these topics embarrassing, but remember, your doctor is used to talking about personal matters.
Anyone at any age can have a drinking problem. As the body ages, alcohol can have a greater effect. Someone whose drinking habits have not changed may find over time that he or she has a problem. Also, people should not drink when taking certain medications.
Tell your doctor if
- alcohol is affecting you differently
- you are drinking more than usual
- you feel like you want to drink alcohol earlier and earlier in the day
- it is hard to stop after one or two drink
- you use alcohol to help cope with sadness.
Falling or Fear of Falling
A fall can cause injury and short- or long-term loss of independence. It is normal to fear falling, but you do not want to let your fear affect your daily activities. You can talk to your doctor about things you can do to lessen your chances of falling, such as exercises to improve balance and strength.
Driving is an important part of everyday life for many people. Deciding to stop driving can be hard. Tell your doctor if you or people close to you are worried about your driving and why. Your doctor can see if there are health problems that may be affecting your driving. Vision and memory tests are important. Your doctor may also know of a driver's education refresher class for older drivers.
Grief, Mourning, and Depression
As people grow older, they may lose friends and family to death or illness. Also, sometimes older adults have to move away from home or cannot do a favorite activity anymore. Talking to your doctor about these types of events can help him or her suggest things to help you cope with the losses.
It is normal to feel sad and mourn when you have a loss. However, tell your doctor if you feel sad all the time or for more than a few weeks. Also, tell your doctor if you have less energy, are not hungry, have trouble sleeping, or have little interest in life. These could be signs of depression, a health problem that your doctor can help you with.
Most doctors understand that sexuality remains important in later life. If you are not happy with your sex life, do not just assume it is due to your age. Talk to your doctor about this issue. You can also ask your doctor about how a health problem, medication, or surgery may change your sexual function.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Practicing safe sex is important at any age. The death of a spouse, divorce, or separation can lead some older people to date again and possibly have sex with a new partner. Your doctor can discuss with you how safe sex can reduce your risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
Older people sometimes have problems making it to the bathroom. Problems controlling your bladder or bowel are called incontinence and it can often be treated. Your doctor may suggest exercises, ways to change your bathroom habits, medications, or surgery to help with this problem.
Many older adults worry about not being able to think and remember as well as they did when they were younger. For most older adults, these abilities do not change too much with age. Let your doctor know if you have been confused or have problems remembering recent events. Be specific about the changes you have noticed. This will help your doctor find the cause for these problems.
Problems With Family
Even strong and loving families can have problems because of stress caused by illness. It can be painful to talk about family problems, but if your doctor knows about them, he or she may be able to help you and your family.
Talk to your doctor if you think you are being mistreated or neglected by a family member or caregiver. Abuse can be physical, verbal, mental, or even financial. Your doctor can help you get help if you are being mistreated.
Feeling Unhappy With Your Doctor
Sometimes people become unhappy with their doctor. You may feel upset by something your doctor or the doctor's staff has said or done. Do not avoid your doctor. Be honest with him or her about your feelings so that you both can work out the problem. | <urn:uuid:e4a2c84b-d97f-44ab-84de-3537efe899b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nihseniorhealth.gov/talkingwithyourdoctor/discussingsensitivetopics/01.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967227 | 913 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Capital formation is one of the important factors leads to increase in the size of national output income and employment, solving the problem of inflation and balance of payment and foreign debts. Domestic capital formation helps in making a country self sustainable. According to classical economist, one of the main factors which helped capital formation was the accumulation of capital. Profit made by the business community constituted the major part of savings the community and the saved has assumed to be invested. They thought capital formation indeed plays a deceive role in determining the level and growth of national income and economic development. In the view of many economists, capital occupies the central and strategies position in the process of economic development in an underdeveloped economy lies in a rapid expansion of the rate of its capital investment so that it attains a rte of growth of output which exceeds the rate of growth of population by the significant margin. Only with such rate of capital investment will the living standard begin to improve in developing country. In developing countries, the rate of saving is quite low and existing institutions are half successful in mobilizing such savings as most people have incomes so low that vertically all current income must be spent in maintain a subsistence level of consumption.
Investment is an essence of the national economy. Banking system is the integral part of investment system in productive sector. It involves the sacrifice of current rupees for future rupees. It is concerned with the allocation of present fund for later reward, which is uncertain. When people deposit money in a saving account in bank for example; the bank must invest the money in new factories and equipments to increase their production. In addition borrowing from the banks most issues stocks and bonks that they sell to investors to raise capital needed for business expansion. Government also... [continues]
Cite This Essay
(2011, 12). Deposit Mobilization of Commercial Banks in the Context of Nepal. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 12, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Deposit-Mobilization-Of-Commercial-Banks-In-882536.html
"Deposit Mobilization of Commercial Banks in the Context of Nepal" StudyMode.com. 12 2011. 12 2011 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Deposit-Mobilization-Of-Commercial-Banks-In-882536.html>.
"Deposit Mobilization of Commercial Banks in the Context of Nepal." StudyMode.com. 12, 2011. Accessed 12, 2011. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Deposit-Mobilization-Of-Commercial-Banks-In-882536.html. | <urn:uuid:bbbed647-3876-4bc2-8772-3adda54abff3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.studymode.com/essays/Deposit-Mobilization-Of-Commercial-Banks-In-882536.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906165 | 542 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Intro | Profile | Case Studies | Ecosystem Assessment
[We're] putting the question, with the environmentalists, to the international marketplace: "How much are you willing to pay?" And the cynics will tell you, "Not a penny. . . . The world will not pay any more for your products than it will from a forest that's managed differently." So, we'll see. We're asking the question.
Peacefully and productively resolving the conflicts of competing agendas is one
of the great environmental challenges facing the world's populations. In
Earth on Edge, Moyers and his team of producers take us to Clayoquot
Sound in Canada. There native Indians (called the First
Linda Coady, V.P. Weyerhaeuser
Nations), environmentalists, and one of Canada's biggest lumber companies
MacMillan Bloedel are uniting in an experimental collaboration.
Clear cutting of old-growth cedar, hemlock, and fir had been halted by the
environmentalist protesters. But when the logging stopped, so did the potential
for jobs for many of the First Nations' people. Economic conflict brought
the lumber company, the First Nations, and the environmentalists together.
The result is Iisaak, a new company that harvests trees in a way that mimics
natural processes, allowing the ancient rainforests and the wildlife they
support to survive. This innovative project is advised by an independent
team that determines whether the logging merits a green seal of approval
The success of the effort depends on consumers: Are they willing to pay
more for wood harvested sustainably?
Cutting timber in a harvest management area.
Agricultural | Forests | Coastal |
Grasslands | Freshwater | Urban
The Value of Ecosystems | <urn:uuid:0830bf37-5337-4fca-b24f-e43ecb75f1c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pbs.org/earthonedge/ecosystems/forests.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909481 | 376 | 2.578125 | 3 |
“Confidence is earned through doing and believing.” -Erika Pope-Gusev
Shortly after sharing this post on how to build a simple fort, I was contacted by Fort Magic and asked if I’d like to review their fort building kit. My children make forts every single week (this week it’s a beaver dam/fort), so how I could I refuse?
There will be a generous giveaway at the end of this post.
When our Fort Magic kit arrived, I was impressed by the sheer quantity of materials (seven different stick sizes with over 350 pieces altogether). I spoke highly of our new toy to my lovely neighbors, and they all wanted to have a turn with Fort Magic. The kit made the rounds around our houses…a few times…and I can confidently say that it’s popular with girls and boys, and children between the ages of 1 and 7. Our 5-year old neighbor built a tent-fort over his bed and kept it there for a full month! The kit finally made it back to us and my 4-year old asked to make a submarine from the instruction manual (shown in my photos in this post).
Fort Magic was founded by entrepreneur and homeschooling mom Erica Pope-Gusev, who’s joining us today to talk about how she came about designing this imagination-building toy.
It’s great to have you here today, Erika! What is the inspiration behind Fort Magic?
Our family had purchased a dryer for our home. My son, who was 8 at the time, begged me to keep the huge box. I agreed. He played with this box for months! He and his friends turned that box into every imaginary item they could. Only it was large and in the way in our apartment. This sparked my imagination and instantly I invented Fort Magic in my mind! After 2 years of trial and error and invention we finally created the perfect Fort Building Kit for kids! Where a child can build a fort as big as their imagination with just one kit! Literally! :)
The materials used to build with Fort Magic are both simple and incredibly smart. What contributed to your design process?
The design process of creating Fort Magic was basically being a kid myself! We call our business the Fort Magic Fun Factory. I originally just started building (playing!) and working with my prototypes and would think, “hmm, this could be cool,” then I would try and add something else or create something new. After many months of building and trying lots of different sized pieces, we came up with our current kit components!
It really can build anything and it really is the ultimate building toy! And it fits nicely in one little bag. :) Some companies create toys with just enough pieces that you have to buy a second to really do something cool with it. That is NOT our philosophy. We wanted out kit to be excellent enough to be purchased alone and STILL give a child enough to build fantastic life-sized forts! Kids deserve it. If a family wants 2 kits that is great also. But it won’t be because one kit leaves feeling cheaped-out, it would be because you just want to build more cool stuff!
What do you hope children will gain from the experience of playing with this these materials?
Oh my goodness! First and foremost we want kids to have fun! But also, Fort Magic is obsessed with children becoming their best! Our mission is the building of greatness in children one fort at a time. :) Our goal is to give power to children to literally create their own realities, life size! Not only by building and creating life-sized forts of their own to play in, but by igniting a confident belief in their minds that maybe they CAN do anything else! Confidence is earned through doing and believing.
With Fort Magic kids learn to plan their designs, build their designs, cover and decorate their designs, and see their work! That is education: fun and confidence building in one experience!
Fort Magic also brings the whole family in to play. If you look at our Facebook page you’ll see so much creativity coming from the minds of boys AND girls! Building toys are often directed primarily at boys, but girls LOVE to build also! The long term plan is to support our product with our online World of Fort Magic page on our website where kids can learn how to create all kinds of DIY projects, educational materials to support themes, resources for parents on how to use Fort Magic to help their kids.
There are sooo many benefits from creative building toys like Fort Magic! I can hardly start to name all of them. We are busy preparing a lot of material that will launch soon on our World of Fort Magic page for customers to use. We are really excited about this!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I would just like to thank all of our fans, reviewers and customers for their enthusiasm and support! We are so happy to recieve emails and notes from kids and parents on how much they love their Fort Magic kits! It just makes our hearts soar. :) We get a lot of positive reviews and we love it.
We are really aiming to create the best quality product we can for children. Safety first (highest standards of safety certification). Everything is the absolute best quality because kids deserve it! Our materials and are so well made they will last for generations and we love that! We’re just a family business started by a mom who loves her kids and is a big kid herself. Just pure, good fun toward the goal of helping our kids reach their best in life; that is Fort Magic. :)
Check the Fort Magic Facebook page for photos of kids and their creations! Each month we hold a Fort Magic Photo of the Month contest — winner receives an additional Fort Magic Kit, free!
To enter for your chance to win a complete Fort Magic Kit ($249 Value), click on the Rafflecopter giveaway. This is the first time I’ve used Rafflecopter to run a giveaway. I’d love to hear what you think about it. This is open to U.S. addresses only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway | <urn:uuid:4ea371bc-998f-4818-a146-564367f0ac70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tinkerlab.com/fort-magic-the-coolest-fort-in-town-giveaway/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972221 | 1,285 | 1.726563 | 2 |
This journey along the Autopista del Atlántico travels across the northernmost region of Spain in Galicia, a green land on the roaring Atlantic, similar to Scotland, and abundant with colorful tradition and culture.
Coruńa’s history centres mainly around its harbor. In ancient times, the city was an important seaport and under Roman occupation, it was known as Flavium Brigantium. Legend has it that the vivacious Maria Pita revolted against the former pirate Sir Francis Drake and thus assisted in the liberation of the city. The Santiago De Compostela Cathedral is said to be the most outstanding monument in Spain. It covers 23,000 square metres and took more than a hundred years to build.
Pontevedra is a city on the mouth of the Rio Lérez. Cobbled pavements lead past splendid Pazos de Borbén, the residential palaces of the city’s old trading families.
Two hundred kilometres long, the Galician coast represents 30 percent of the Spanish coastline. Its strategic location once made Galicia an ideal haunt for smugglers and pirates and its tiny villages give the impression that time has stood still.
A large chain bridge leads to Vigo, with gently sloping wooded hills that surround Galicia’s most dynamic city. The narrow alleys of the old town of Berbés, with its pretty middle class houses, arcades and historic squares indicate the dramatic history of this battle-scarred city.
The journey via the Autopista del Atlantico through the captivating and dramatic landscape of one of Europe’s most beautiful regions is one that covers much Spanish history swathed in the rich ambience of a truly golden past. | <urn:uuid:a7b657c6-2978-4533-81bb-d0200d6d305e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.travelvideostore.com/travel-video-series/on-tour-/on-tour-freeway-of-the-atlantic-a-coastal-tour-of-northern-spain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934538 | 358 | 2.484375 | 2 |
He's three! The little bugger is THREE! How did we make it? I can't even fathom that it has been three years since Giraffe was a newborn.
He is a goofy little thing that loves I mean LOVES to play with tiny matchbox cars. I constantly have to scan the room for them as he tends to leave them about. I am worried one of these days I might trip!
The night before his birthday mommy and daddy were in a panic as the gift we ordered him ( a fabulous set of bongos) hadn't arrived yet. I ran to a certain store that shall remain nameless ( but highly targets their store to consumers by having amazing things that we all really really need on each and every endcap) to find something, anything worthy of his special day. I ended up with nothing but a card and some more matchbox cars. Upon exiting the store I saw an employee pull a nice looking shoe box out of a cart, I ran after him, " Are you going to THROW THAT AWAY?, " I asked. " Yes," he said looking a little scared of my wild n' crazy DIY eyes. I begged him to have it and away I went.
What does every three year old need? A parking garage for their little cars! My husband said it couldn't be done in a night- I think he knows I dig a challenge. Away I went glueing and cutting. I searched the house for interesting pieces of cardboard that could be melded into some sort of garage. While I didn't take actual building photos I have a few tips for how to make one for yourself!
Tips & Tricks:
- Select a sturdy bottom such as a piece of foam core or matboard.
- Leave no piece of cardboard unturned: Toliet paper and paper towel tubes, seed starters, shoe boxes and many other types of cardboard things make GREAT garages.
- Start building! Once you have selected a few pieces start planning before glueing. Think of places for cars to hideout, travel under/over/ and through.
- Remember that little ones like to lean on the things they are driving on ( learned from experience! ) If you can, build some supports for your bridges and ramps.
- Heat up your glue gun and make it happen! Run the glue gun along the edges and press down firmly to the piece you are trying to adhere to. The sky is the limit!
This is a super creative project that your child could even help you with by coloring on the pieces before they are glued! The best part is it's virtually indestructible, if a piece is removed or broken just glue it back on or make up something else. Here are a few more shots for ideas:
Did you enjoy this post? Please join the sweet people to the left and or " like" us on facebook for more Sweeter Hours fun! | <urn:uuid:0f6cb8e7-5988-4f65-8390-d38a39e3e3fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sweeterhours.blogspot.com/2012/02/sweet-makes-diy-recycled-parking-garage.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975727 | 599 | 1.59375 | 2 |
April 19, 2007
L.A. Shoah remembrance dedicated to young victims
This year's Yom HaShoah Ve'Hagvurah Community Wide Holocaust
Remembrance Day program, "Children in Crisis: Voices from the Holocaust" paid
special homage to the many defenseless and innocent children killed by the
Approximately 3,500 people gathered in Pan Pacific Park on
Sunday for the annual event at the Holocaust Memorial Monoument in a
ceremony that featured Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lt. Governor John
Garamendi, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Hadassah Lieberman, wife of Sen.
Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).|
Lieberman, the daughter of Holocaust survivors and a strong advocate of Israel, described in an interview that her message is two-fold:"We must memorialize the victims, and we must keep our eyes open to all the genocide whether it be in Darfur or by Ahmadinejad ... Baruch Hashem, we are still here."
She emphasized that Jews must be fearless in opposing those who hate, and proudly affirmed in her speech that, "Despite all of Hitler's efforts, the daughter of Holocaust survivors ... is the wife of a United States senator."
During welcoming remarks, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust Chairperson Randol Schoenberg announced that Pan Pacific Park, currently the home of the L.A. Holocaust Monument, will become the location for a new home for the museum. A long-awaited move, Schoenberg said the goal of the new museum will be to "teach 50,000 students each year."
Jona Goldrich, chairperson of the Los Angeles Holocaust Monument, also said that "educating children, Jewish or non-Jewish, is the most important priority of all."
Other featured speakers included Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis of Encino's Congregation Valley Beth Shalom and Ehud Danoch, consul general of Israel in Los Angeles. Concluding the service, Cantor Heshel Walfish of Congregation Beth Israel in Los Angeles led the group in reciting the Mourner's Kaddish.
The event was sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Jewish World Watch (a member of the Save Darfur Coalition), the Los Angeles Holocaust Monument, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust and Second Generation. | <urn:uuid:03d9c6f1-0078-4ad7-8596-6523b369e4a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/print/la_shoah_remembrance_dedicated_to_young_victims_20070420 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90668 | 483 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Biology (from the Greek bios , meaning "life") is the scientific study of all forms of life, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Biology is composed of many fields, including microbiology, the study of microscopic organisms such as viruses and bacteria; cytology, the study of cells; embryology, the study of development; genetics, the study of heredity; biochemistry, the study of the chemical structures in living things; morphology, the study of the anatomy of plants and animals; taxonomy, the identification, naming, and classification of organisms; and physiology, the study of how organic systems function and respond to stimulation. Biology often interacts with other sciences, such as psychology. For example, animal behaviorists would need to understand the biological nature of the animal they are studying in order to evaluate a particular animal's behavior.
History of biological science
The history of biology begins with the careful observation of the external aspects of organisms and continues with investigations into the functions and interrelationships of living things.
The fourth-century B.C. Greek philosopher Aristotle is credited with establishing the importance of observation and analysis as the basic approach for scientific investigation. He also organized the basic principles of dividing and subdividing plants and animals, known as classification. By A.D. 200, studies in biology were centered in the Arab world. Most of the investigations during this period were made in medicine and agriculture. Arab scientists continued this activity throughout the Middle Ages (400–1450).
Words to Know
Classification: The system of arranging plants and animals in groups according to their similarities.
Genetic engineering: Altering hereditary material (by a scientist in a lab) by interfering in the natural genetic process.
Germ theory of disease: The belief that disease is caused by germs.
Microorganism: An organism that cannot be seen without magnification under a microscope.
Molecular biology: A branch of biology that deals with the physical and chemical structure of living things on the molecular level.
Natural selection: Process by which those organisms best adapted to their environment survive and pass their traits to offspring.
Scientific investigations gained momentum during the Renaissance (a period of rebirth of art, literature, and science in Europe from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century). Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and Michelangelo (1475–1564) produced detailed anatomical drawings of human beings. At the same time, others were dissecting cadavers (dead bodies) and describing internal anatomy. By the seventeenth century, formal experimentation was introduced into the study of biology. William Harvey (1578–1657), an English physician, demonstrated the circulation of the blood and so initiated the biological discipline of physiology.
So much work was being done in biological science during this period that academies of science and scientific journals were formed, the first being the Academy of the Lynx in Rome in 1603. The first scientific journals were established in 1665 in France and Great Britain.
The invention of the microscope in the seventeenth century opened the way for biologists to investigate living organisms at the cellular level—and ultimately at the molecular level. The first drawings of magnified life were made by Francesco Stelluti, an Italian who published drawings in 1625 of a honeybee magnified to 10 times its normal size.
During the eighteenth century, Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778) developed a system for naming and classifying plants and animals that replaced the one established by Aristotle (and is still used today). Based on his observations of the characteristics of organisms, Linnaeus created a ranked system in which living things were grouped according to their similarities, with each succeeding level possessing a larger number of shared traits. He named these levels class, order, genus, and species. Linnaeus also popularized binomial nomenclature, giving each living thing a Latin name consisting of two parts—its genus and species—which distinguished it from all other organisms. For example, the wolf received the scientific name Canis lupus , while humans became Homo sapiens.
In the nineteenth century, many explorers contributed to biological science by collecting plant and animal specimens from around the world. In 1859, English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) published The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection , in which he outlined his theory of evolution. Darwin asserted that living organisms that best fit their environment are more likely to survive and pass their characteristics on to their offspring. His theory of evolution through natural selection was eventually accepted by most of the scientific community.
French microbiologist and chemist Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) showed that living things do not arise spontaneously. He conducted experiments confirming that microorganisms cause disease, identified several disease-causing bacteria, and also developed the first vaccines. By the end of the nineteenth century, the germ theory of disease was established by German physician Robert Koch (1843–1910), and by the early twentieth century, chemotherapy (the use of chemical agents to treat or control disease) was introduced. The use of antibiotics became widespread with the development of sulfa drugs in the mid-1930s and penicillin in the early 1940s.
From the nineteenth century until the end of the twentieth century, the amount of research and discovery in biology has been tremendous. Two fields of rapid growth in biological science today are molecular biology and genetic engineering. | <urn:uuid:ee95d70c-f19e-4780-8d84-cb18fc582041> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scienceclarified.com/Bi-Ca/Biology.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953541 | 1,119 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Brazil: bar codes on sidewalks give tourist info
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro is mixing technology with tradition to provide tourists information about the city by embedding bar codes into the black and white mosaic sidewalks that are a symbol of the city.
The first two-dimensional bar codes, or QR codes, as they're known, were installed Friday at Arpoador, a massive boulder that rises at the end of Ipanema beach. The image was built into the sidewalk with the same black and white stones that decorate sidewalks around town with mosaics of waves, fish and abstract images.
The launch attracted onlookers, who downloaded an application to their smartphones or tablets and photographed the icon. The app read the code and they were then taken to a web site that gave them information in Portuguese, Spanish or English, and a map of the area.
They learned, for example, that Arpoador gets big waves, making it a hot spot for surfing and giving the 500-meter beach nearby the name of "Praia do Diabo," or Devil's Beach. They could also find out that the rock is called Arpoador because fishermen once harpooned whales off the shore.
The city plans to install 30 of these QR codes at beaches, vistas, and historic sites, so Rio's approximately 2 million foreign visitors can learn about the city as they walk around.
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- 8041Oklahoma tornadoes: Rams quarterback Sam Bradford leading aid effort | <urn:uuid:fff9fdba-c541-4df4-be63-a7b591ef4c7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newsok.com/brazil-bar-codes-on-sidewalks-give-tourist-info/article/feed/492086 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924555 | 416 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Limit your off-the-clock training time
If you’re like me, you like to do as much as possible to help your students succeed at learning. But “doing as much as possible” doesn’t mean you have to show up early and stay after class to answer questions.
The dilemma: You give too much
I taught adult education computer classes for the first time in a vocational school. The courses ran seven weeks, and the class met one night a week for three hours—7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.
Like most new instructors, I tried to cram as much information as possible into the time available. I wanted my students to get their money’s worth, so I kept them busy right up until the last scheduled minute of class.
The problem was what happened at 10:01. Most of the students bolted out of there, but others hung around to ask questions and shoot the technical breeze. I frequently didn’t get to leave until 10:30 or so. After working all day and teaching all night, that extra 30 minutes of informal (off-the-clock) training was getting old.
The solution: Schedule time for questions before and during class
I didn’t want to rush to the parking lot as soon as class was over and leave my students hanging, so I decided to try a different approach. First, I came right out and said, “I love hanging around with you guys after class, but I need to get home sooner.”
Then I announced that I would make myself available for miscellaneous questions 15 minutes before class started. In addition, I announced that we would have a formal question-and-answer period the last 15 minutes of the class. I told my students that if they didn’t want to stick around for the questions and answers, they could leave early. They LOVED that! There’s something about getting to leave anything a few minutes early that’s uplifting.
So my “regulars” showed up early and yapped my ear off before class. And while some of the folks bolted at 9:45, most of them stuck around for the question-and-answer period that was built into the end of the session. By 10:01 we were all headed home.
Take your break between classes
Full-time trainers know the value of taking a break between classes. No matter how motivated and energetic you are as an instructor, you’re only human. If you teach back-to-back classes all day and you spend the time between classes talking to students, you’re going to burn out. Do yourself and your students a favor—take some time to decompress between classes.
If your students try to keep you after class, politely say, “I’d love to talk some more, but I really need to get ready for the next class.” Ask the students to write down their questions and bring them in to the next class.
Have you found yourself doing a lot of training off the clock? If you’d like to comment on this article or share your own technique for managing your time, please post a comment below or send me a note . | <urn:uuid:5e89db4f-49aa-4e6e-8216-d0095f0ce94f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techrepublic.com/article/limit-your-off-the-clock-training-time/1029947 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974957 | 676 | 1.875 | 2 |
Transfers/Donations of FEMA Household Goods
FEDERAL ACQUISITION SERVICE
U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND THE
AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER RECOVERY
AND THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS,
PREPAREDNESS, AND RESPONSE
JULY 31, 2008
Good morning, Chairman Thompson, Congressman King, Chairwoman Landrieu, Senator Stevens and Members of the Subcommittees. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in today’s hearing. I am Barney Brasseux, Deputy Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) of the General Services Administration (GSA).
The Federal Acquisition Service carries out the GSA Administrator’s role in providing acquisition and logistics services to Federal agencies. Included amongst these logistics services is management of the Federal program for the disposal of personal property. This is managed by our Office of Personal Property Management, part of our Office of General Supplies and Services.
Generally speaking, “personal property” is defined as any property except buildings, land, agency records, and naval vessels.
The primary mission of GSA’s Office of Personal Property Management is to maximize the reuse of Federal property. As provided in Title 40 of the United States Code and implemented by the Federal Management Regulations (FMR), Federal agencies are required to report excess personal property to GSA for screening for redistribution to other Federal agencies and other eligible recipients. Property is generally transferred at no cost to Federal agencies, their authorized contractors, cooperatives, and project grantees.
Property is reported to GSAXcess®, a web based program that is used by our customers to screen and select needed property. Once reported, property is normally offered for screening for 21 calendar days. For Federal agencies, most property is transferred on a first-come, first-served basis, although for some specialized commodities, we will allow time for competition for these high demand items, such as aircraft and construction equipment. Property transfers are also processed through GSAXcess®. Recipients of property are responsible for making all necessary transportation arrangements. The FMR states the property should be removed within 15 days, although that can be lengthened on agreement between GSA and the holding agency. GSA ensures that property recipients are aware of this time deadline and that property recipients comply.
Excess property which is not selected for transfer within the Federal Government is declared by GSA to be surplus to the Federal Government at the conclusion of the screening period. Once GSA declares the property surplus, the property can be transferred under the Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program. This program is operated through the State Agency for Surplus Property (SASP) in each State, territory, and the District of Columbia. The SASPs are established under Title 40 of the U. S. Code. The SASP is responsible for determining the eligibility of activities within the State to receive donated Federal surplus property, in accordance with the requirements in statute and the FMR. The SASPs are also responsible for fair and equitable distribution of surplus property within the State and ensuring compliant use of donated property. Each State has a written State Plan of Operations for the SASP which is approved by GSA.
Eligible recipients of property under the donation program are specified in Title 40. Major categories of eligible recipients are:
- State and public agencies, which generally include States, their departments, divisions, and political subdivisions of States, including cities, counties, and other local government units and economic development districts.
- Nonprofit educational and public health activities exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code, including, but are not limited to:
- Medical institutions and hospitals;
- Providers of services to the homeless; and
- Providers of services to the impoverished.
SASPs will pick up and warehouse property for donation within the State or may allow the ‘direct donation’ of property meaning the donee will make arrangements to pickup and transport property which is allocated to them. Again, GSA will ensure removals are timely and within the established time frame.
Property that is donated is normally placed in use by a donee within one year, for one year. The usage requirement is lengthened to 18 months for property with an original acquisition value exceeding $5,000. Donations are made to the SASPs at no cost to the Federal Government. As the SASPs are self sufficient, by law, they assess service and handling fees to the actual donee recipients in order to fund their operations. These fees are specified in the State Plan of Operation for each SASP.
SASP operations are reviewed by GSA Regional Offices on a regular basis to determine if operations are in compliance with the State Plan and applicable regulations.
GSA has the authority, under the FMR, to shorten screening when necessary or appropriate. Based on the concentration of property and its characteristics and potential demand, we often do so. At times, we will conduct an on-site, physical screening event. In these cases, we will most often offer screening for Federal agencies for one day. Once no Federal agencies express interest in the property, GSA declares the property surplus to the Federal Government. On the second day, GSA offers screening for the SASPs. These on-site screening events are well advertised in advance to allow customers to make travel and transportation plans.
Surplus property not selected for donation is offered for public sale. The Office of Personal Property Management’s Sales Program is approved as a Sales Center under the Federal Asset Sales Program (eFAS), one of the initial e-government initiatives. GSA is the only nationwide activity approved as a Sales Center for all commodity groups and for all methods of sale. Surplus property is offered for competitive sales to the general public, most commonly through GSA Auctions®, our internet auction site. All GSA sales, whether on the internet, or live auctions or other methods still utilized at times, are listed on GovSales.gov, the eFAS central portal for all government sales.
Regarding the event currently under discussion, in mid-December 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initially advised GSA of its intent to report excess household goods to GSA and FEMA's request to conduct an on-site screening event. FEMA reported the excess household goods to GSA on February 4, 2008. GSA and FEMA worked together to conduct an on-site screening event. Our Property Management Office in Fort Worth advertised this event to our nationwide list of Federal agency customers and to all SASPs through direct emails and through the National Association of State Agencies for Surplus Property.
The first day of on-site screening, February 13, 2008, was for Federal agency customers and representatives of thirty different activities participated and requested property. The second day, February 14, 2008, the remaining property was offered for donation to the sixteen SASPs that elected to participate. Those SASPs were Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas.
Thank you again for this opportunity to speak to the Subcommittees. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. | <urn:uuid:13298109-cae9-4f42-ada7-d96b1c332081> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gsa.gov/portal/content/103170 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934616 | 1,547 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (hereinafter referred to as the “recreation area”), which includes the Hells Canyon Wilderness (hereinafter referred to as the “wilderness”), the components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System designated in section 3 of this Act, and the wilderness study areas designated in section
of this title, shall comprise the lands and waters generally depicted on the map entitled “Hells Canyon National Recreation Area” dated May 1978, which shall be on file and available for public inspection in the office of the Chief, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. The Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as “the Secretary”), shall, as soon as practicable, but no later than eighteen months after December 31, 1975, publish a detailed boundary description of the recreation area, the wilderness study areas designated in section
of this title, and the wilderness established in section
of this title in the Federal Register. | <urn:uuid:1724822d-3827-4c33-abe1-0293a71ffa39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/16/460gg?quicktabs_8=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937528 | 202 | 1.734375 | 2 |
What is Amber
Amber is a resin that has been fossilized. Amber has been appreciated over the centuries for its beautiful color, used in jewelry and other areas as an ingredient in perfumes or to create remedies.
Sometimes amber holds a little animal or plant, it preserves them over the years and centuries!
You can find amber in ddifferent colors, yellow-orange-brown (the “typical” amber color), pale lemon yellow, brown to very dark brown, red, green and even blue amber. | <urn:uuid:37e2bd67-7022-4861-9429-35d58467096e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gatearte.com/?p=486 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938566 | 107 | 2.625 | 3 |
House GOP Wants to Make Tax Hikes Harder to Pass
Their proposal calls for a two-thirds majority vote before tax increases can be passed.
House Republicans are proposing new rules that would make tax increases harder to pass.
Now, tax increases need a simple majority to pass but under the GOP's proposal they would need a two-thirds majority to become law, the AP reported. Republicans also want any change to apply to withdrawals from the state's rainy day fund as well.
They also want to bar the house speaker from voting unless there is a tie, claiming that the speaker's vote tends to strongly influence the vote of majority party members.
The proposals came out just before Governor Deval Patrick submitted his $34.8 billion budget to the State House. The budget calls for an income tax increase of one percentage point – from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent – coupled with a decrease in the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent. | <urn:uuid:a27d4b05-baf0-4c8f-8651-8d3a1aa711e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mansfield-ma.patch.com/articles/house-gop-wants-to-make-tax-hikes-harder-to-pass-e8b5c25e?logout=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961172 | 200 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. We fund more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support.
We are a nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle. Our focus is to support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF, and ultimately to find a cure.
The Foundation's drug development model has been recognized by Harvard Business School and by publications such as Forbes, The New Yorker, and Bloomberg Businessweek.
Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation funds and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is one of the most efficient organizations of its kind and is an accredited charity of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Is…Hope in Action
Until we end this disease, our team will work tirelessly to extend and enhance life for those with cystic fibrosis by functioning as:
- Research pioneers, blazing new trails in drug development;
- Fund-raisers, securing the money needed to support the fight against CF;
- Advocates, keeping CF a top priority in government, industry and research;
- Stewards, using your donations to help fuel the creation of new drugs;
- Caregivers, linking patients and families to specialized CF care; and
- Helping hands, offering support, information and resources.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Is…Building on Success
- When the Foundation was established in 1955, children with CF rarely lived long enough to attend elementary school. Due in large part to the Foundation's aggressive investments in innovative research and comprehensive care, many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.
- In 1989, CF Foundation-supported scientists discovered the defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis — a monumental breakthrough on the road to a cure.
- The Foundation played an integral role in the development and FDA approval of five therapies that are now part of regular treatment regimens for many with CF. The Foundation has a robust pipeline of promising potential drugs that target the disease from every angle.
In 2012, the FDA approved the groundbreaking drug Kalydeco™, the first drug to treat the underlying cause of CF in a small group of people with the disease. The Foundation also is supporting research that may eventually treat the root cause of the disease in all people living with CF.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Is…Still Making Progress
We are proud of our achievements. But, we still have much to do. Learn more about what the Foundation does to fight cystic fibrosis and how you can get involved.
back to top | <urn:uuid:906d283d-1656-4450-a065-529cff9cd1d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/index.cfm?dspPrintReady=Y | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942671 | 598 | 2.109375 | 2 |
AMA Identifies 'Most Burdensome' Federal Regs
The American Medical Association has sent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services a list of "most burdensome" federal regulations that the physicians' organization says will interfere with patient care, drive up administrative costs, and add more paperwork.
In a letter to CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD, AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, MD, said the list -- and accompanying suggested solutions -- were compiled after an extensive survey of more than 2,000 physicians from an array of specialties, and from state and medical specialty societies.
"Thousands of physicians have answered the AMA's call to identify federal rules and regulations that create significant burden for their practices and take up time that is better spent with patients," Wilson said in his letter. "Physicians' top concerns, including unfunded federal mandates, elimination of Medicare payment for physician consultations, and incompatible and inconsistent quality initiatives, offer a road map for CMS to make strategic changes that benefit the entire Medicare system."
Among the top complaints were unfunded mandates for services such as translators, administrative burdens associated with drug plan authorizations, growing legal liabilities with the expansion of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, and increasingly higher documentation and certification burdens
President Obama in January issued an executive order calling on all government agencies to complete an analysis of rules that may be ineffective, insufficient or excessively burdensome.
AMA said its survey was conducted earlier this year so it could give CMS with physicians' top concerns as they complete their analysis. The survey responses dealt primarily with issues under the purview of CMS, the government agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid.
John Commins is a senior editor with HealthLeaders Media.
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- Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research: Avoiding Confusion | <urn:uuid:a22cf21d-1aad-43f4-add1-61432706f8ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/LED-264936/AMA-Identifies-Most-Burdensome-Federal-Regs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934398 | 460 | 1.546875 | 2 |
I’ve had so much fun pondering how we can celebrate Epiphany with the kids,
I wanted to share!
First, some Epiphany basics:
When is Epiphany?
January 6th, twelve days after Christmas.
What is Epiphany?
Originally it celebrated Jesus' dedication in the temple but now focuses on the visit of the three wise men.
Ways to Celebrate!
1- We've moved our wise men clear across the house and have been slowly moving them closer to our nativity scene each night. I read how another family had a blast making the journey into an adventure for the wise men. The magi had to overcome all kinds of "obstacles and dangers" to make it to the baby Jesus.
2- Dress up and reenact the wise men's long journey, their visit to Herod’s court, and finally worshipping the baby Jesus. See Matthew 2 for the complete story.
3- Read these wonderful children’s books together:
The Last Straw, by Fredrick H Thury
Humphrey's First Christmas, by Carol Heyer
The Magi, By Bevan Olsen
The Third Gift, by Linda Sue Park
4- Play “Follow Yonder Star!”: Start by hiding baby Jesus! Hang a star off the end of your broomstick and take turns guiding the rest of the family around the house in search of the baby Jesus.
5- Dedicating the kids.
Jesus was dedicated to the Lord eight days after his birth just like all little Jewish boys are. So I was reading up on how Jewish families dedicate their new babies, and it inspired me to whip up a little dedication ceremony to share with our kids!
Click below to open the pdf file and print.
6- On the actual day of Epiphany, worship Jesus with gifts like the Magi did!
-Choose a ministry or charity to bless with your time or money together.
-Choose kind ways to bless those around you as a family.
-Write down ways you can give the best parts of you to Jesus this year.
Then roll the pieces of paper up and place them in a jar
or fold them into origami stars and hang them in the house.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
Hoping your Epiphany is filled with joyful worship and sweet memories together, friends!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! | <urn:uuid:5aa17b8f-bb6a-4120-b5dc-a9b0ac5d5422> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whenrunningamok.blogspot.com/2012/12/celebrating-epiphany.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949022 | 549 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Breakdown: Frozen Treats by Dana Angelo White in Cookies & Other Desserts, September 18, 2012
- Comments (1,923)
The classic: sweet, velvety, delish. Ice cream is typically made with a combo of cream and milk (and sometimes egg yolks). Premium varieties of vanilla ice cream average about 230 calories and 13 grams of fat per ½ cup.
Ice cream ala Italy. This frozen confection is basically ice cream, but less is more! Gelato is made with less air whipped into it. The result is a dense and creamy delight. The nutrition facts stack up similar to ice cream (see above) but we did find a few store-bought brands that scored lower in both the fat and calorie department. Trader Joe’s and Ciao Bella are 2 personal favorites.
Here’s where things get sticky. There are so many options in the world of frozen yogurt. Soft serve chains, homemade and store-bought all offer their own special version of this tasty treat. Overall, fro-yo offers some tummy-pleasing probiotics and will be lower in fat than ice cream. BUT the calorie content might very well be in the 200-calorier per ½ cup ballpark so check labels on your favorite brand.
Frozen Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt comes up the big winner from a nutrient standpoint and now you can even indulge in the frozen version. Many favorite brands like Ciao Bella, Stonyfield and Ben & Jerry’s have unveiled new products. Nutrition facts will average (per ½ cup vanilla) 100 to 150 calories, 0 to 5 grams of fat, and 6 to 10 grams of protein.
Have you tried this cultured beverage? Now all that tart and tangy goodness comes as a chilly treat. With only 90 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving, it’s great for smoothies.
Here’s where folks get confused . . . sherbet and sorbet aren’t one in the same. Lovingly (and incorrectly) called “sherbert” by adults and kids alike, this frosty goodie is made with dairy and therefore contains a small amount of fat. That same ½ cup serving averages 130-ish calories and 1 to 3 grams of fat. Grocery store shelves were overflowing with this stuff when I was a kid but it’s harder to come by than it used to be. Fear not, this raspberry recipe is to die for!
Last, but certainly not least is sorbet. Its defining characteristic: it’s dairy free! Mostly fruit flavors abound but Ina Garten makes a ridiculously good chocolate sorbet. The lack of dairy gives sorbet a more icy texture but that will vary depending on how much sugar there is (the more sugar, the less icy). The basic ingredients are fruit and sugar, which will run about 120 to 150 calories (and zero fat) per ½ cup. For an even icier treat, try sorbet’s closest cousin: granita.
TELL US: What’s your favorite frozen treat? | <urn:uuid:126ef4a3-44c6-4719-a0bb-71a4472f8f1e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2012/09/18/breakdown-frozen-treats/comment-page-12/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91946 | 642 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Yesterday's Post-Gazette ran an optimistic story about downtown's new condo building. It includes this familiar--and frustratingly vague--statement about who will live there:
Mr. Falbo is hoping to build off the success of 151 First Side, Downtown's first new condominium building since 1968. He has sold 62 of 82 units in the high rise, with the bulk running from $350,000 to $450,000. About 23 buyers have moved into the building so far. Forty percent of all buyers have been from out of town.
Seeing that so many of the downtown projects are receiving public support, it helps to know these statistics. But the "40 percent of all buyers" figure is to squishy to tell us anything. What does "out of town" mean? Does "town" mean "region," or "city limits"? Moreover, the percentage of "buyers" is less important than the percentage of actual "residents." If some speculator from Upper Topeka buys eight condos and rents them out to a bunch of guys who currently live in Shadyside, that doesn't do the city a whole lot of good in terms of new people or new taxes or vitality, etc.
If you think that's quibbling, it's not. Other city's, such as Baltimore, have made serious efforts to define who is moving where. I mention one effort here:
New downtown residents are predominantly young, white and highly educated, with household incomes of $50,000 or more, the report found. Nearly three of every four come from out of state.
"The new residents are fairly different than what the Census shows for Baltimore City, but the downtown area is much different from other areas of Baltimore City," said Matthew Kachura, a research analyst for the Jacob France Institute at the University of Baltimore, which surveyed 470 new downtown residents.
I am sure Ralph Falbo is a nice fellow and an honest man. But it doesn't make sense to rely on him for these kinds of statistics. A clear assessment of what's happening downtown--and who should pay for it--requires an independent actor to do the asking. This is basic stuff: How many of the people moving downtown have simply moved there from other city neighborhoods?
Hello? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette? One of the universities?
Note that this is the first condo building in Pittsburgh since 1968. And tweaking Falbo's numbers reveals that a full 60 percent of all buyers are NOT from "out of town." Would an objective observer expect future condo developments to attract more out-of-towners or fewer? I am open to any explanation anyone is willing to offer. But I remain flabbergasted that nobody is asking any of these questions. These developers continue to promise that their projects draw a substantial interest from people in suburbia and even farther afield. But do they?
People ask in other places. Why not here? We are renowned for our "world-class development institutions" and "one of America's great newspapers." But all seem curiously un-curious in this regard. | <urn:uuid:5480bf44-2d16-44bb-8fb3-d3da98c4e438> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://antirust.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/10/so-who-is-movin.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967299 | 632 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Evanston wants to buy abandoned gas station site
Evanston aldermen will be asked tonight to give the city manager authority to buy a former gas station site on the west side.
The property, at 1801-05 Church Street, a half-dozen years ago was proposed as the site for Darrow Corners, a 27-unit low-income housing development that was rejected by the City Council on a 5-4 vote
Since then the city has purchased and demolished two small apartment buildings just north of the gas station site that were also to have been part of the Darrow Corners development.
Some development has occurred on the block in recent years, including the conversion of a shuttered dollar store into the Boocoo cultural arts center, and the work now underway to convert a former animal hospital that was the site of a failed black history museum project into a building contractors cooperative.
Top: The concrete base that once supported a gas station sign marks the edge of the 1801-05 Church Street property. Above: The vacant lot is on the same block as the Boocoo center and a planned contractor's cooperative, the building with the scaffolding.
The city is also starting a streetscape improvement and repaving project on that section of Church Street this summer, which will include creation of a protected bike lane.
The site is just a half block from the Veolia waste transfer station, and the odors from the transfer station wafted through the gas station site this morning.
The gas station site is just across Darrow Avenue from the Strange Lofts commercial rental building.
The gas station site is owned by entities controlled by Daniel Cheifetz, the local developer who launched Boocoo.
A city staff memo says another entity, Phoenix Bond & Indemnity has purchased unpaid back taxes on the property from 2007 and could gain ownership of the property through a court order if Cheifetz doesn't pay off the tax debt by late July.
Community and Economic Development Director Steve Griffin says an environmental study has determined that there are four underground gasoline storage tanks on the property and that will likely cost at least $75,000 to clean up the site.
The resolution calls for using an amount not to exceed $150,000 from the West Evanston TIF for the property acquisition. | <urn:uuid:f3563342-5542-46dc-a1cb-a5798e662d81> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.evanstonnow.com/story/government/bill-smith/2012-06-11/50184/evanston-wants-to-buy-abandoned-gas-station-site | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965433 | 472 | 1.640625 | 2 |
RT-600: Step And Stand Rehabilitation System
How does it work?
The aim of the RT 600 Standing and stepping programmes is to increase the percentage weight bearing capacity of your body through your legs with the use of electrical stimulation delivered to your leg muscles.
Functional electrical stimulation is delivered in a standing position through the use of a hoist and a reciprocal step and stand action is achieved. Electrical stimulation is delivered to the selected lower leg muscle groups.
You step or stand in the RT600 while secured in a comfortable supportive harness from the electrically powered lift with your feet are secured into the RT600's footplates using velcro straps. This arrangement allows you to support an adjustable amount of your body weight. This is called partial body weight supported stepping (or standing).
Typically you would build up to 1 hour sessions at least three times per week, but not more than once per day. Your clinician will prescribe the usage that is appropriate for you.
What do I need to do before I can be assessed to use the RT-600?
To make sure that the standing and/or stepping programmes are meaningful and successful for you, you will be required to stand three times per week for a 30-60 minute period, for 3-4 weeks prior to your assessment. This will help to condition your body’s tolerance to being upright for longer. Full/good range of motion is required in all of the joints in your legs. There are several factors to consider during the initial assessment which will determine whether the RT 600 will be suitable for you to use or not. A Risk Assessment will be completed to determine whether the RT600 is suitable for you at this time.
Before you can use this system, your body needs to be conditioned to using electrical stimulation in particular the RT 300 system. This means that in clinic you will be required to use the RT300 system for 21 sessions first. This is important as high levels of stimulation are required in your leg muscles during the standing or stepping programmes on the RT 600.
How can I benefit from using the RT-600?
- Improved cardiovascular endurance and vital capacity
- Improve balance and posture in sitting and standing
- Maintain and/or increases range of motion
- Aids in the prevention of joint contractures
- May reduce spasms
- May stimulate circulation
- May promote efficient bowel and bladder function
- Social and emotional element of being upright
Who can benefit from using the RT-600?
- Spinal cord injury with an ASIA A, B, C or D (Paraplegia, Tetraplegia)
- Brain Injuries
- Multiple sclerosis
- Stroke, Hemiplegia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Transverse Myelitis
- Cerebral Palsy | <urn:uuid:71069bd3-1de0-4fe7-b460-a7aa1c4cfced> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.neurolinkphysio.co.uk/what-we-do/restorative-therapy-fes-machines/rt-600.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914714 | 573 | 2.015625 | 2 |
woman who does not work outside the home can still save for her own retirement through a spousal IRA, for example.
Sandra Heading-Marchand found herself in the same predicament as many divorced women: She suddenly had more expenses but less income from which to pay them. “My ex-husband had the income coming in. I stayed home; I was trying to develop a home-based business as an art designer. He would put money into my account, and I would handle the household bills.” After divorcing her husband three years ago, the 55-year-old had to figure out another plan.
Unlike many married women, Heading-Marchand took on the primary role in managing the couple’s finances. She was responsible for paying all the bills and balancing the checkbook. Though he provided the money, her husband took a more passive role.
Now that Heading-Marchand was on her own, she worked on building up her business so that she could generate enough income to live on. Until then, she made ends meet by taking on two jobs: one as a jewelry designer and another as a designer at a fashion house. “I stuck to a budget and it was working, but after the divorce all of the money coming in went to bills. I didn’t have any extra money. Everything went to property taxes, utilities, and maintenance on the house.”
Today, Heading-Marchand has regained her footing. She knows that life is full of unexpected surprises, so she began to ramp up her savings. She now has about $5,500 socked away.
Dividing it Up
“Divorced women are the worst off financially,” says WIFE’s Bahr, who specializes in the financial issues of divorce. “Oftentimes in divorce, a couple is dividing up debt, and then women are trying to dig themselves out of a hole.”
The first step in the divorce process is to understand what you’re dividing up. “Women need a total understanding of their finances and their financial documents,” advises Stanny, who has been through two divorces. She advises women to talk to an accountant as well as a divorce lawyer and an estate lawyer.
Taking Care of You
Women often fight for the house because they think keeping it will be better for their children’s emotional state. But that might not be the best financial move, says Hounsell. “Within a year they can’t afford to keep the house up anyway,” she says. In fighting for the house, many women fail to negotiate a divorce settlement in their own best interest. That means you must think carefully about waiving your rights, such as for alimony. Though increasingly rare, alimony might still get awarded for marriages of 10 years or longer, especially if your spouse earns significantly more than you do. You will not have another opportunity to renegotiate it once the divorce decree is signed, so think hard about it. If your spouse has retirement savings or a pension, by law you might be due half. You may even be able to withdraw this amount without incurring the 10% penalty on | <urn:uuid:c37b5917-3384-494d-a6df-77bed7612acf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.blackenterprise.com/mag/a-woman%e2%80%99s-guide-to-investing/5/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987108 | 665 | 1.648438 | 2 |
FOR the third straight year, the District of West Vancouver council has passed a budget with no effective tax increases for residents.
"This budget is a testament to our staff's ability to do more with less in an environment of continually rising costs. We have managed to table a budget that delivers highly valued programs and services that the community has come to expect," Mayor Michael Smith said in a press release.
The steady tax rate coincides with an average eight per cent increase in the municipality's assessed property values for 2012, the release notes. Council adjusted its tax rate accordingly.
When the tax property bill comes in the spring, though, it is still liable to be a little higher as several components of the total bill are outside the district's control including school taxes, B.C. Assessment fees, Metro Vancouver's tax rate and TransLink.
Residents will also have to dig a little deeper for their water, sewer and solid waste utility fees, which are going up by $34, $49 and $35 respectively in 2013.
Those fee hikes come, in part, to help fund capital and planning projects including the Eagle Lake membrane filtration system and Metro Vancouver's updated solid waste management plan. | <urn:uuid:77723b84-6777-430d-ab9e-1e2c808862d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nsnews.com/news/story.html?id=7757923 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956666 | 242 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Get Knowledge to Benefit Self
1 I am for the acquiring of knowledge or the accumulating of knowledge - as we now call it; education. First, my people must be taught the knowledge of self. Then and only then will they be able to understand others and that which surrounds them. Anyone who does not have a knowledge of self is considered a victim of either amnesia or unconsciousness and is not very competent. The lack of knowledge of self is a prevailing condition among my people here in America. Gaining the knowledge of self makes us unite into a great unity. Knowledge of self makes you take on the great virtue of learning.
2 Many people have attempted to belittle or degrade my followers by referring to them as unlettered and unschooled. They do this to imply that the believers in Islam are ignorant. If such a claim were so, then all the more credit should be given for our striving for self-elevation with so little. But truth represents itself and stands by itself. No followers, nor any other people are more zealous about the acquiring of knowledge than my followers. Throughout the Holy Quran, the duty of a Muslim to acquire knowledge is spelled out.
3 My people should get an education which will benefit their own people and not an education adding to the "storehouse" of their teacher. We need education, but an education which removes us from the shackles of slavery and servitude. Get an education, but not an education which leaves us in an inferior position and without a future. Get an education, but not an education that leaves us looking to the slave-master for a job.
4 Education for my people should be where our children are off to themselves for the first 15 or 16 years in classes separated by sex. Then they could and should seek higher education without the danger of losing respect for self or seeking to lose their identity. No people strive to lose themselves among other people except the so-called American Negroes. This they do because of their lack of knowledge of self.
5 We should acquire an education where our people will become better students than their teachers. Get an education which will make our people produce jobs for self and will make our people willing and able to go and do for self. Is this not the goal and aim of the many foreign students who are studying in this country? Will not their students return to their own nations and give their people the benefit of their learning? Did not Nkrumah return to Ghana to lead his people to independence with the benefit of learning he acquired here in America and elsewhere? Did not Dr. Hastings Banda return to give the benefit of his education to his people who are striving toward freedom and independence in Nyasaland? Did not Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria give the benefit of his education to the upliftment and independence of his people. Does not America offer exchange scholarships to smaller, weaker and dependent foreign governments so their students will acquire knowledge to aid the people of those countries? Then why shouldnt the goal in education be the same for you and me? Why is scorn and abuse directed toward my followers and myself when we say our people should get an education which will aid, benefit and uplift our people? Any other people would consider it a lasting insult, of the worst type, to ask them to refrain from helping their people to be independent by contributing the benefit of their knowledge.
6 Get an education, but one which will instill the ides and desire to get something of your own, a country of your own and jobs of your own.
7 I recall, in 1922 or 1923, when a debate was taking place in Congress concerning appropriation of funds for Howard University, a school set aside to train my people, in the nations capital. A senator said this, and it is in the records to be examined in effect: What would be the need of the government appropriating money to educate Negroes? He said that they would not teach our people the science of modern warfare (defense), birth control or chemistry. He knew these were the things free people must know in order to protect, preserve and advance themselves. We have not been able to protect, preserve and advance ourselves. This shows the slave-master has been very successful in dominating us with an education beneficial to him. There is a saying among us, "Mother may have, father may have, but God blesses the child who has its own." It is time we had our own.
8 I want an education for my people that will let them exercise the right of freedom. We are 100 years up from slavery. We are constantly told that we are free. Why cant we take advantage of that freedom? I want an education for my people that will elevate them. Why should we always be lying at the gate begging for bread, shelter, clothing and jobs if we are free and educated? Do not get an education just to set it up as some useless, symbolic monument to the black man in the Western Hemisphere. We need an education that eliminates division among us. Acquire an education that creates unity and makes us desire to be with our own.
9 The acquiring of knowledge for our children and ourselves must not be limited to the three Rs - reading, riting and rithmetic. It should instead include the history of the black nation, the knowledge of civilization of man and the universe and all the sciences. It will make us a greater people of tomorrow.
10 We must instill within our people the desire to learn and then use that learning for self. We must be obsessed with getting the type of education we may use toward the elevation and benefit of our people - when we have such people among us, we must make it possible for them to acquire this wealth which will be beneficial and useful to us.
11 One of the attributes of Allah, The All-Wise God, Who is the Supreme Being, is knowledge. Knowledge is the result of learning and is a force or energy that makes its bearer accomplish or overcome obstacles, barriers and resistance. In fact, God means possessor or power and force. The education my people need is that knowledge, the attribute of God, which creates power to accomplish and make progress in the good things or the righteous things. We have tried other means and ways and we have failed. Why not try Islam? It is our only salvation. It is the religion of Allah, His prophets and our forefathers. | <urn:uuid:a34bd427-3739-433d-9ee7-7217213a83ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seventhfam.com/temple/books/black_man/blk23.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975986 | 1,307 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Atlantic Cape Offers Short-Term Health Career Training
February 7, 2011
Those who wish to pursue careers in the expanding health care field have many training options at the Health Professions Institute at Atlantic Cape Community College. Some short-term health career training programs with ongoing enrollment include:
Emergency Medical Technician prepares students to perform basic life support as an emergency medical technician. The training program consists of lecture and skills modules, CPR certification, practical experience during a clinical rotation, and field experience.
Administrative Healthcare Specialist equips students with the training necessary to perform a variety of administrative duties in the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, dentists and other health care facilities.
Certified Nurse Aide gives students the tools to launch their health care career. This program is a mix of classroom lecture and clinical experience that readies participants for employment at long-term care facilities, medical day cares and other health facilities.
Certified Home Health Aide prepares students to work at home health care agencies, providing basic personal care for patients in their homes. This new program teaches a wide range of skills to prepare participants for certification.
Other courses include: Phlebotomy, CPR Recertification and Certified Nurse Aide-Recertification. The HPI also offers the following online courses: Medical Transcription, Pharmacy Technician and Administrative Veterinary Assistant.
The HPI offers comprehensive health care training in a modern, state-of-the-art facility located at Atlantic Cape’s Charles D. Worthington Atlantic City Campus, 1535 Bacharach Blvd.
For more information, call (609) 343-4814 or visit www.atlantic.edu/hpi. | <urn:uuid:ccb54198-dea4-47f4-a4ea-c8758ba23a01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://atlantic.edu/about/news/article.php?article=1067 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931294 | 345 | 1.695313 | 2 |
London, August 28 (ANI): Eating an ultra-low calorie diet for just a few weeks could have long-term health benefits, Scottish experts have suggested.
Experts at Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, say the crash diets - where people consume less than 800 calories-a-day - lead to significant weight loss, improve overweight people's blood pressure, increase fertility and reduce the symptoms of asthma.
A team from the university's Centre for Obesity Research and Epidemiology reviewed 32 studies which had looked into the effects of very-low-energy-diets (VLEDs) on obesity and related health issues, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
The long-term benefits of the crash diets showed significant weight loss in almost all the previous studies.
We have found that long-term benefits such as improvements in cardiovascular risk, respiratory disorders and fertility are achievable with the use of these short-burst diets, the Daily Express quoted Dr Catherine Rolland, a member of the research team, as saying.
The knock-on effect was seen for at least five years after the diet ended, Rolland added.
The review also found little evidence to suggest any negative effects of VLEDs on bone health, liver or kidney function - areas of concern highlighted in some previous weight-loss studies into restricted dieting.
The findings have been published in the British Journal of Nutrition. (ANI) | <urn:uuid:1e3817cb-3784-4fa1-baa0-6ca0fa7acc4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.smashits.com/840641/Crash-dieting-could-give-5-year-health-boost.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947518 | 285 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Who we Are
We, the Comboni Missionary family of North America, seek to follow in the footsteps of our founder, St. Daniel Comboni, by ministering to those he loved; the world's "poorest and most abandoned people".
“The missionary will have to understand that he is a stone hid under the earth, which will perhaps never come to light, but which will become part of the foundations of something much greater.” - Saint Daniel Comboni
Today the Comboni Missionaries are working in four continents. We worked first in Europe and Africa, moving to North and South America in the 1930s and expanding into Asia in the 1980s. In all the places we serve, we foster the growth of Basic Christian Communities, an effective means of evangelization. Particular attention is paid to young people, to their education and professional formation, through the support and organization of numerous schools, both in the city suburbs and in little villages lost in the forests.
In line with the original inspiration of the Founder, Comboni Missionaries have set up in Africa and Latin America, and now in Asia, centers for Bible formation, catechesis, theology, professional and social training, to prepare local people who are active in the work of evangelization and human development. In this way, the missionaries collaborate in making the local Churches increasingly autonomous, taking more and more responsibility ~ forming the parish until it can be given to the diocese with local clergy.
Here in the United States, as we visit different dioceses and share about the Church’s mission, there are always those who have not heard of us but become intrigued and interested in our work. The missionary has many stories to share, experiences of other cultures that are engaging, inspiring, sometimes sad and sometimes funny… always there are stories of Hope! We share another side of accounts in the news from around the world. Stories of the church of the poor, which despite many challenges and difficulties, remain a sign and source of hope for many.
“The harvest is plenty, laborers are few; pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers…”(Matt. 9:37-38). We are workers for peace and justice and especially workers who witness and share God’s compassion and love. Yes, in developing countries, but also right here in the USA, the land of plenty, the Comboni Missionaries stand with those who are marginalized, the poor, the voiceless as did St. Daniel Comboni. Working to empower people, to build relationships… working together with the local church to build up the Kingdom of God! | <urn:uuid:65824379-54b0-453e-841a-4af4d54e00b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://combonimissionaries.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82&Itemid=100184 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961417 | 546 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Kosta Grammatis, CEO and founder of ahumanright.org, sees having an Internet connection as a basic human right. Grammatis is raising $150,000 to buy an orbiting satellite from a bankrupt company. He's looking for donors and partners.
One man's bankrupt satellite company is another man's opportunity to spread free Internet across the world. That's the hope of Kosta Grammatis, CEO and founder of ahumanright.org, who sees having an Internet connection as a basic necessity — in fact, a human right — for every global citizen.
Grammatis is raising $150,000 to create a business plan for buying a communications satellite and moving it to a new orbital slot to provide free Internet service to developing countries. He has his sights set on the TerreStar-1 satellite: a spacecraft the size of a school bus that launched in 2009 and is owned by a company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.
The idea of making free Internet available to all may sound like a pipe dream, but Grammatis has the right combination of technical background and ambition for the job. His resume includes working as an engineer for private spaceflight company SpaceX, as well as creating a bionic eye camera to transform a one-eyed filmmaker into "Eyeborg."
Grammatis and his team plan to pay the bills by allowing telecommunications companies to buy and resell high-speed bandwidth, even as they provide a slower connection speed for free to everyone. They have also begun to develop an open-source, low-cost modem that could provide developing countries with their link to the satellite and the rest of the world. | <urn:uuid:a925d88f-5648-4972-b6b5-14cd01a9cf2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1222/One-man-s-plan-for-free-Internet-for-the-world-via-satellite | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966045 | 341 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Wildscape Acres is more than a place —it is an interactional adventure with Nature. Over a decade ago we rescued a turn-of-the century home ready for demolition, then relocated it on a 165-acre savannah in NE Texas, ten miles north of Bonham near the hamlet of Ravenna. The restored home now sits atop a hill surrounded by a large meadow encompassed by woodlands, making it literally a little house on the prairie. In keeping with its natural surroundings, the home has a warm, rustic ambiance. The entire environment has become a sanctuary for both the two-leggeds and four-leggeds that inhabit it and visit it. Wildscape Acres is part of a Texas Wildlife Management Program.
The vision that guides and imbues the evolution of Wildscape Acres is one of restoring harmony between human and Nature. We offer those who visit here an opportunity to grow, learn, play, relax, and renew themselves. We host and facilitate activities designed to foster community spirit and self-sustaining practices. One of our many offerings is Harmony House Concerts, featuring performances by outstanding acoustic singer/songwriters from the USA and abroad. We also founded and facilitate S.E.E.D., a Children's Community Garden project. Others have described Wildscape Acres as a “rustic refuge and return to simpler times.” One guest summed up her feelings by saying, “It's like a homecoming — each time I visit I come home to myself.”
Faye Wedell & Scott Lipsett
c/o Faye Wedell
P.O. Box 812
Bonham, TX 75418
History of Wildscape Acres
by Faye Wedell
Our vintage home here on Wildscape Acres has a colorful history. According to one local historian, its original owners, Haden & Betty Whitsett, moved into the house (then located in Bonham, Texas) in the early 1900s. In his youth, Haden (later known to many as “Uncle Hade”) had attended a gathering held in Shiloh, Texas, when Quantrill and his band of vigilantes came through recruiting soldiers for the Confederacy in 1861. Although he was only fourteen and considered too young to serve, Haden and two other youths were captivated by Quantrill’s tales of adventure. The next morning, the three rode off to become part of that dark part of history known as the Civil War. Young Whitsett broke away from the renegade troop in Missouri and joined a branch of the Confederacy. He served as part of Shelby’s division of 1200 Confederates until the War ended in 1865. In 1951, “Uncle Hade” died at the age of 103 and left the house to his niece who had cared for him — Zora Arledge.
“Miss Zora” lived there and
made her living by serving
“homecooked” meals to others.
Later, she became Bonham’s
culinary artist for baked goods.
Upon her death, the house was
sold to the Baptist Church to be
used for office and printing
space. Later, the First
Presbyterian Church bought it
with the intention of making
a parking lot on the property.
During a ride with my mother in 1998, I noticed the house up on beams. As a young girl, I’d often gone eagerly to the house to pick up cakes from Miss Zora — and received a cookie as a treat. Those wonderful aromas and the memory of a dining room filled with delicacies came flooding back.
I had already decided to return to my roots, but was still exploring what kind of dwelling to build. When I asked about the fate of this historical home, Mother said she would find out. Fifteen minutes later, she called to tell me I could have the home in return for moving it, but we had to have it off the property by a certain date. I immediately called Scott to come check the house for structural integrity. (He does professional furniture restoration.) So, Scott and I decided to reclaim this historical home and move it onto the family property we now call Wildscape Acres!! The mover Scott found (Cunningham House Movers) met the deadline!!
The land itself also had to be reclaimed. It had been planted in Bermuda grass and used for pastureland for several years. Earlier than that, it was the home place of a sharecropper and his family who worked for my grandfather. We placed the house atop the highest spot, facing east for the morning sun and surrounded by prairie with a panoramic view of native woodlands — like a natural amphitheater!
A new chapter in homesteading began in which we wanted to combine past with present, with simplicity and sustainability as goals — an ongoing process toward Wildscape Acres’ bright future! In our quest to live in harmony with our surroundings, permaculture and bioregionalism principles have become our guideposts.
Wildscape Acres: Future Possibilities
When thinking of the future possibilities for Wildscape Acres, the words, community, conservation, preservation, land stewardship, and permaculture always come to mind. The ultimate possibility for such a diverse space is to create a learning center — where individuals and groups can come to learn, interact/share, play, and grow in a multitude of ways. This possibility can span many age groups, including combining generations in creative, experiential learning opportunities.
An outdoor classroom, complete with various centers that stimulate creativity and an appreciation for nature, is part of our overall vision. This could incorporate School-to-Farm projects. The Arbor Day Foundation, which promotes Nature Explore Classrooms across the nation, is another resource we intend to use. We believe that nature is the best teacher ― its lessons being invaluable.
“I should ask that a gift to each child in the world be a a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life…..”
A hands-on classroom for alternative building projects is another possibility that would fit into the overall concept of Wildscape Acres. One of the first structures envisioned for the property is a part straw-bale building, combined with greenhouse panels. This would allow it to be used year-round for growing food in raised beds and as a potting shed/cold frame for starting new plants. Building of animal shelters and a pole barn would include the reuse of salvaged wood and other materials, plus the use of the renewable red cedar on the property.
Wildscape Acres can also serve as a contemplative retreat for self-growth and self-awareness. Evolving into human “beings”, interconnected with all species, is a possibility—resulting in compassion, loving kindness, and tranquility!!
Making a Moved House a Home
Home - with plenty of work ahead
Click on "Photos of Wildscape" (top of page)
to see our dream come to life. | <urn:uuid:6c94c1ca-c872-42f8-adbd-10a8f2988252> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wildscapeacres.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966289 | 1,469 | 1.664063 | 2 |
I love this problem though I’m sure I wouldn’t if I ever had it. It is one of those hand problems diagnosed by history and physical exam. The name can be a mouthful and is tricky to spell, but it is one that is treatable. Most often with a good outcome.
De Quervain tenosynovitis was first described in 1895 by a Swiss surgeon, Fritz de Quervain. He reported 5 cases of patients who had the now “classic” physical finding -- a tender, thickened first dorsal wrist compartment. Now this condition bears his name – De Quervain tenosynovitis.
De Quervain tenosynovitis is an entrapment tendinitis of the first dorsal compartment of the wrist. Even a small amount of swelling or inflammation of the tendons (abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis) trying to slide through the non-elastic tunnel creates more irritation and inflammation (photo credit). The involved tendons are used to move the thumb, so pain occurs with thumb motion.
De Quervain tenosynovitis is the second most common entrapment tendinitis of the hand/wrist. The most common is trigger finger (trigger digit) which is about 20 times more common. Frequently patients are mothers of infants aged 6-12 months who will have symptoms in both wrists.
Anyone with De Quervain tenosynovitis will note pain with thumb and wrist motion. These patients will also note tenderness and thickening at the radial styloid. Crepitation or actual triggering is rarely noted. Repetitive lifting/use is responsible for friction tendinitis. De Quervain tenosynovitis can also develop in individuals who have sustained a direct blow to the area of the first dorsal compartment.
Physical findings on examination will include local tenderness and swelling of the extensor retinaculum of the wrist over the first compartment. A positive Finkelstein sign confirms the diagnosis.
"Finkelstein sign” is done by tucking the thumb into the palm where it is held by the patient’s fingers. The examiner then gently deviates the wrist ulnarly. This creates a sharp increase in pain along the first dorsal compartment in any patient with De Quervain tenosynovitis. (photo credit
The goal in treating de Quervain's tendinitis is to relieve the pain caused by irritation and swelling. Nonsurgical treatment should be tried first. If the tenosynovitis is associated with pregnancy, then the nonoperative treatment should be prolonged (4-6 months).
- Splints. Splints may be used to rest the thumb and wrist.
- Anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs). These medications can be taken by mouth or injected into that tendon compartment. They may help reduce the swelling and relieve the pain.
- Avoiding activities that cause pain and swelling. This may allow the symptoms to go away on their own.
- Corticosteroids. Injection of corticosteroids into the tendon sheath may help reduce swelling and pain.
- Surgery -- recommended if symptoms are severe or do not improve. The goal of surgery is to open the compartment (covering) to make more room for the irritated tendons. (photo credit)
The procedure is usually done on an out-patient basis. The surgery typically involves identification and cutting of the tendon sheath segment under local anesthesia. Care must be taken to avoid cutting the sensory branch of the radial nerve. Patients commonly return to their normal activities within 2-3 weeks. The procedure has been reported to be successful in about 90% of the cases.
De Quervain Tenosynovitis; eMedicine Article, Feb 17, 2009; Roy A Meals, MD | <urn:uuid:66bebceb-6d8c-4ba5-93f9-af6c6bb0d263> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rlbatesmd.blogspot.com/2009/07/de-quervain-tenosynovitis.html?showComment=1248270795379 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92529 | 795 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Temporary Side-Effects of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a unique and versatile medical imaging technique that uses powerful magnets, radio waves and computers to produce detailed images (or scans) of the inside of the body. Although there are intricacies and complexities involved in this technology, it is considered to be a safe and painless procedure. The test is non-invasive and radio waves used do not cause permanent damage to your body. Precautions should be followed before using an MRI.
However, there are some MRI side effects that have been observed once the procedure is completed. The side effects are usually psychological due to the nature of the MRI scan.
During the MRI scan, the patient is required to lay down on a table, which slides the patient into the center of the MRI machine. The entire procedure may take around half an hour. The patient needs to be flat on his back during the whole time. The patients may tend to feel claustrophobic because the diameter of the chamber is not more than 4 feet. This may cause discomfort to the patient. At the same time, when the patient lays on the back for a prolonged period of time, it might cause some pain in the back. However, these issues are temporary, but it is worth noting for those with chronic pain in certain joints or areas. Moreover, during the test the patient needs to lie still in the small cavity of the MRI machine.
To overcome such issues, it is better to take medication that will suppress the nerves or sedate the patient. The best option is to use an open MRI machine to avoid claustrophobia. The other common MRI side effects include headaches, dizziness, sweating, nausea, and fatigue.
The good news is, these are all temporary symptoms that are usually caused by discomfort. Patients are suggested to tell doctors in they have any concern so that the doctors can take required measures to avoid any discomfort. | <urn:uuid:bcd1bd50-829b-4821-a5c3-610e24013037> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.radiology-info.org/magnetic-resonance-imaging-side-effects.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947273 | 394 | 2.828125 | 3 |
U.S. House to EU: A pox on your emissions law
Congress threw the gauntlet at the European Union last month when a bipartisan group of House Transportation Committee leaders filed legislation to ban U.S. air carriers from participating in the EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS).
The EU plans to impose a costly fee on any civil aviation operators landing or departing from EU airports beginning on January 1. Under the EU-ETS, all civil aircraft (including business aircraft) would be forced to participate, despite the objections of the U.S. government and now Congress.
“This unjust European Union emissions trading scheme is a clear violation of international law that puts U.S. air carriers at a competitive disadvantage, kills U.S. aviation jobs and may lead to a trade war,” said Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This bipartisan measure sends a clear message to the EU that the United States will not participate in this ill-advised and illegal EU program.”
The bill, the “European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011,” directs the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit U.S. aircraft operators from participating in the EU’s ETS. It also instructs U.S. officials to negotiate or take any action necessary to ensure U.S. operators are not penalized by any unilaterally imposed EU-ETS.
Program Lacks Transparency
The U.S. government has formally objected to ETS. Under the scheme, all flights into or out of an EU airport would be subject to the program’s emissions cap-and-trade requirements, regardless of how long that flight is in EU airspace. U.S. operators would be required to pay an emissions tax to the EU member state to which they fly most frequently.
Even if the U.S. consented to this unilateral program, there is no requirement that this revenue go to emissions-related research and development. The ETS also lacks any transparency or clarity, providing no guidance as to how the EU will apply the ETS to international air carriers.
“The European Union plans to unilaterally thrust an emissions trading scheme upon U.S. airlines in violation of international agreements and laws,” said Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), ranking Democrat on the transportation committee. “To boot, this trading scheme looks more like a shell game to shuffle the money around because no one can say with certainty that the money will be used for its intended purpose.”
Numerous other countries including China, Australia and Canada have also expressed objections to the application of ETS to their air carriers. U.S. airlines have also challenged the policy before the European Court of Justice as a violation of international law.
The proposed law notes that U.S. aircraft operators will be required under the ETS to pay for European Union emissions allowances for aircraft operations within the U.S., over other non-EU countries and in international airspace for flights serving the EU countries.
It also claims that the EU’s extraterritorial action is inconsistent with long-established international law and practice, including the Chicago Convention of 1944 and the bilateral aviation agreement between the U.S. and the European Union and its member states, and directly infringes on the sovereignty of the this country.
The U.S. has made it clear that International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) policies, standards and recommended practices should provide the framework for any measures to address international civil aviation emissions issues. The U.S. formally lodged an objection to the EU-ETS at a half-yearly meeting of the U.S.-EU Joint Committee in Oslo, and members of Congress confronted EU leaders on the matter in other recent meetings. The Joint Committee was established by the U.S. Open Skies treaty signed in 2007 as a forum for both sides to discuss important aviation-related issues. | <urn:uuid:ffe3ecff-0df0-4205-a427-e045dfda034d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2011-07-31/us-house-eu-pox-your-emissions-law | 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 | 0.9384 | 813 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Back to the future
Posted by sailskkf, 07 April 2011 · 147 views
I have been out on an Internet adventure looking for inspiration for a small sports boat design and while browsing the wave piercing bows, wings and canting keels forums around the world I turned up this remarkable beast.. She's a 14m canting keeler concept yacht from designer Andrew Hawley. She's supposed to meet two criteria..speed and beauty. I'm not sure she's practical or that the bowsprit and the bow arrangement would actually work. But she certainly looks fast and she certainly looks beautiful.. But there is more to this boat than meets the eye and is she truly as modern as she looks?
There are significant similarities to the Aero boats designed and sailed way back in the 1930's by Olympic sailing and aerodynamics pioneer Dr Manfred Curry. He's credited with inventing the cam cleat, the cunningham (although it bears Brigs-Cunningham's name), the fully battened main and discovering that the leeward side of a sail generates 4/5th of the driving force of a yacht. So we owe a lot to him! He was also a scientist in the field of allergens - multi-talented then, he certainly knew his boats.
If you look at the Aero series of J dinghies you will see the same wave piercing bows, hugely innovative fully battened mains and beautifully worked and curved wooden gaff topmasts. If you took the wood and turned it into carbon and kevlar you would be looking at a boat from tomorrow not the 1930's!
Manfred Curry is Germany's most successful sailor, he was born there to American immigrants. He competed in the 1928 Olympics for the USA aged 28, much, much younger than the average sailing age in the event and was able to finish 10th and 6th in two classes. He is reported to have competed in more than 1400 regattas and won over 1000 of them. | <urn:uuid:b01771e7-bf34-4bb0-b89b-a921a7172c60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?app=blog&module=display§ion=blog&blogid=90&showentry=440 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981278 | 407 | 1.65625 | 2 |
A study of four European regions found that the incidence and prevalence of basal cell carcinoma is underreported compared with that of malignant skin cancer.
The incidence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer among the white population, continues to rise worldwide. Researchers analyzed the cancer registry database practices of Finland, Malta, southeast Netherlands, and Scotland. They examined the records of first and multiple BCC registrations.
Data from 2009 were examined for Finland, Malta, and southeast Netherlands; 2006 data were analyzed in the Scottish database. For greater accuracy, investigators also checked hospital and pathology databases for possible omissions from the cancer registries.
Investigators acknowledged the difficulty of logging all BCCs, given that many are undocumented because they are not histologically verified, and they are excised without biopsy. Compounding this, researchers wrote, is that registry clerks have difficulty discerning between BCC rebiopsies, re-excisions, recurrences, and new tumors that grow in the same location.
Study results indicated that first primary BCC occurrence was underreported. Researchers found 30% more patients presented with a BCC, and there were 40% to 100% more BCC tumors diagnosed than were routinely registered.
“Currently, routinely reported first BCC incidence rates [for the four regions studied] should be multiplied by a factor of 1.3 for [a more accurate] estimate of the total number of patients diagnosed as having a BCC in a given year,” researchers concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures. | <urn:uuid:83c011c0-00fd-477b-9bf5-203be85c70ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healio.com/dermatology/cutaneous-oncology/news/online/%7BE901EFA8-1583-497C-9965-F4448184CD23%7D/Basal-cell-carcinoma-incidence-not-adequately-registered-in-four-European-regions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962576 | 312 | 3.4375 | 3 |
She profiled each of them, providing as much information as the authorities had been able to gather: age, gender, injuries, what they were wearing, where they were found, what they had in their pockets. There is “The Girl With the Peach Tattoo,” a woman who was found dismembered in a garbage bag in Hempstead Lake State Park thirteen years ago. And “The Man in the Median,” found on the Northern State Parkway at least twenty-six years after his death: only a skeleton, tattered clothes, and a gold watch remained.
Alongside the story of each cold case, the Long Island Press printed the photographs of the victims’ tattoos, their clothing, and their facial reconstruction illustrations—all in an effort to trigger a reader’s memory.
Gallucci didn’t stop when her story came out. She carried stacks of the issue with her and left them everywhere she went, even taking trips to Manhattan and upstate towns to distribute them there, hoping the Long Island cases she described could be connected to missing-persons cases elsewhere. She said she was haunted by the thought that these victims would remain nameless, and that their killers would get away with murder.
She’ll never know how many tips to police hotlines came in as a result of her story. But as Tony Evelina, an area director for the a volunteer advocacy group The Doe Network, told Gallucci for her article, publicity is the key to identifying unnamed victims. “You’ve got to keep them in the spotlight constantly,” he said. “You can’t let people forget.” Gallucci earns her LAUREL for shining that light. | <urn:uuid:bbd40306-fc8a-423e-89af-426b03bdf3d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjr.org/darts_and_laurels/darts_and_laurels_novdec10.php?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983842 | 357 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Eco-Amritsar 2017 Campaign launched to Make Holy City Environmentally Sustainable
Eco-Amritsar 2017 Campaign launched to Make Holy City Environmentally Sustainable
AMRITSAR: June 30, 2012: A historic meeting envisaging Eco Amritsar took place in the city bringing together over 200 representatives of religious bodies, city administration, environmentalists, educationists and business leaders to commit to make the entire city eco-friendly by year 2017 when city celebrates 440th anniversary.
This diverse gathering was put together by EcoSikh on its 3rd anniversary this month.
Guru Ram Dass, the 4th Sikh Guru, founded Amritsar in 1577 and it is now the 29th largest city in India. It is also a site of major religious tourism attracting 100,000 pilgrims daily from all over the world, to visit the Golden Temple which is the holiest temple in Sikhism.
Dr. Rajwant Singh, President of EcoSikh said, "We are excited that so many major stakeholders like heads of religious bodies, educational institutions, hotels, hospitals, builders, industries, NGOs, shopping malls and students groups have devised plans for a major awareness drive and reducing energy consumption. This certainly will help relieve the pressure on the city's natural resources which has increased with the recent surge of pilgrims."
The SGPC, which runs the management of the Golden Temple, has announced it will celebrate Amritsar's foundation day in June every year and will commit to organic farming in the lands associated with Gurdwaras in Amritsar district.
Leaders of many diverse groups including Guru Nanak Dev University, business group Celebration Mall, Alpha Mall, Chief Khalsa Diwan (which runs a large number of educational bodies), Durgiana Mandir Committee, and DAV educational institutions showed up to support this effort.
The city administration has also pledged to enforce rainwater harvesting in all government buildings and institutions as well as in establishments of more than 500 sq. meters in area.
In addition, a plan will be devised for collaborative effort by the city and environmentalist Baba Sewa Singh for tree plantation across the city to be run under the auspices of the DC of Amritsar. Ravinder Singh SDM Ajnala, representing DC's Office at the meeting informed the audience that there are 65000 three wheelers which infuse polluting gases in the air in the city and especially around the sacred sites like the Golden Temple leaving permanent mark. EcoSikh has appealed to the State government to consider adding 50 buses in next five years to help reduce pollution by boosting public transport.
Bhai Manjit Singh, Chairman of Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) notified that, "PEDA had already installed a solar power plant at the Golden Temple and would soon be putting up solar steam cooking system which would cut down LPG consumption of the shrine to half. He said they had planned to generate 10 per cent of the city's power requirement from solar energy."
Padam Shri Environmentalist Baba Sewa Singh ji said, "It will be our good fortune if we can make this Guru ki Nagri green. My services are available. One should care and nurture trees like his own children."
Gunbir Singh, Secretary of Khalsa College Charitable Society, a prominent 120 year educational institution with a large 300 acre complex in Amritsar, announced that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EcoSikh pledging to focus on plantations, water and energy audits and to involve students to explore educational projects and internships.
Sanjay Sachdeva, President of AIPL, a major business enterprise in Amritsar and creator of the Green City project and Celebration Mall, said, "we are committed to support and become partners in this endeavor. It is urgently needed."
|L to R: Sanjay Sachdeva, President (AIPL) on Podium, Harminder Singh, Rep: Chief Khalsa Diwan, Rajbir Singh (Pingalwara Org), Joginder Singh (SGPC), Baba Sewa Singh (Khadoor Sahib), Dr. Rajwant Singh (EcoSikh), Bhai Manjit Singh (PEDA), Ravinder Singh (SDM Ajnala-Representing DC Amritsar), Gunbir Singh (Khalsa College/WWF)|
EcoSikh has proposed a six point agenda for the campaign in which sections of civil society and the administration in Amritsar make commitments towards sustainable infrastructure, conserving water, recycling and better waste management, alternate energy usage, introducing public transport, increasing green cover/ open spaces, and also sharing information on greening strategies.
Many NGOs from the city showed their enthusiasm to join this new initiative. In addition, many academicians and members of several kar sewa groups joined to make this meeting perhaps the largest gathering discussing environmental future of the Holy city.
Ravneet Singh, India Project Manager of EcoSikh, said, "Amritsar has lot of talent and energy and this kind of movement will become an outlet for citizen-based environmental activism. Amritsar sends a powerful message of peace and harmony and combining this with environmental angle has an important relevance as humanity is facing a dire future."
Among the prominent leaders representing various interest groups joined and among them were: Dr. Inderjit Kaur, Head of Pingalwara institution, Kiranjot Kaur, SGPC member, Col. KS Dhillon, representative of Ista Hotel, Kuldeep Singh, Head of Punjab Pollution Control Board Amritsar Division, Dr. Inderjit Singh, Registrar Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr. Dharamvir Singh, Director of Education Chief Khalsa Diwan running 65 schools, Jaswinder Singh Advocate, President of Akal Purakh Ki Fauj, Satpal Mahajan, President of Durgiana Mandir, Jaswinder Singh Jassi, Information officer of SGPC, Jaswinder Singh from Chandigarh, Captain AP Singh, Head of the Alpha Mall, a large business presence, Kulbir Singh of Alpha Group, Arvinder Singh Chamak, President of All India Brick Kiln Association, Dr. Rakesh Sharma, President of Voice of Amritsar, P.S. Bhatty, President Pollution Control Committee, Neera Sharma, Principal of DAV School, Pritpal Singh, President of Amritsar Hotel Welfare Association, and Krishan Kumar Kuku ji, an influential President of Real Estate Developers Association and Printers and Processors Association of Amritsar. Col. Kuldeep Singh Sandhu conducted the stage and also played a key role in organizing meetings with many stakeholders in the city. Prominent Psychiatrist Dr. Gurpreetinder Singh helped reaching out to many NGO and helped in developing strategy of this initiative. Harkirpal Singh, son of Late Bhan Singh, longtime secretary of SGPC, and HP Singh of GNDU, Rajpal Singh from Sukrit also helped in organizing this meeting. MK hotel group, a major hotel establishment, also helped to support this initiative.
EcoSikh shared its three years achievements through a short movie at this event which was very much praised by the viewers. Watch the EcoSikh video on YouTube.
|Program started with a recitation of shabad 'Dithe Sabhe Thaav' by Sehejneet Kaur from USA and Rajbinder Kaur, a upcoming Kirtan Singer from Amritsar. This hymn celebrates City of Amritsar in Guru Granth Sahib. Rajbinder also sang a punjabi song prepared by Music Director Ravinder Singh on nature.|
|Members of several NGOs of Amritsar including Voice of Amritsar and Mission Agaaz along with Kuldeep Singh of PPCB in the center and DIG of Baba Bakala.|
|Ravneet Singh, EcoSikh India Manager welcoming the gathering
||SGPC Representative Joginder Singh|
|Dr. Amrik Singh, Head of Indian Medical Association Amritsar and head of Hospital Association of Amritsar announcing MoU with EcoSikh on several green initiatives.|
|Krishan Kumar (Kuku), President of Real Estate Developers Association and Head of the Hoteliers Association in Amritsar, Suneet Singh Tulli, CEO and President Datawind, , and Bibi Bhupinder Kaur, wife of Late Surat Singh (Puran ji), head of Akhand Kirtani Jatha.|
|From left to right: Rajbir Singh of Pingalwara, Joginder Singh(SGPC) , Baba Sewa Singh ji, Dr. Rajwant Singh (EcoSikh), Bhai Manjit Singh(PEDA) and Ravinder Singh (SDM Ajnala from DC Amritsar's office).|
|Gunbir Singh, Finance Secretary of Khalsa College Governing Council and head of WWF Punjab announcing initiatives of the prominent Khalsa College administration.|
|EcoSikh Video being shown - also below| | <urn:uuid:74c0b363-622e-4859-8b30-feadd134f0ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sikhnet.com/news/eco-amritsar-2017-campaign-launched-make-holy-city-environmentally-sustainable | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938341 | 1,916 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Jon Spaihts, a screenwriter for the recently released film Prometheus, recently wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal titled “Can Sci-Fi Relaunch the Space Program?” In it, he details the relationship that science fiction has had and can have to space exploration. He details how space travel “originated” with the Cold War and how the “space race” helped to produce a rich volume of science fiction that was tied to the competition between the USSR and USA.
In a way he romanticizes the Cold War, which is not dissimilar to many academics and pro war politicians who long for the days of clear national competition and what they see as an easier appeal to patriotism (in other words: having the big Other to remind the public to fear). Spaihts’ brief history of science fiction here leaves out important historical ties between SciFi and space programs, most notably the “Star Wars program” (see the role of The Citizen Advisory Panel on National Space Policy where SciFi authors were encouraging the implementation of the military program).
Many on the Left and the Right want to see a sort of space exploration, but what kind of space program does Jon Spaihts want to see revived? Aside from the end of the article where he is implicitly promoting space tourism as a potentially exciting new trend for rich folks who have always dreamed of space, the most telling phrasing is when he discusses trends in SciFi:
Although these trends are cloudy, one can argue that in the last fifteen years the space epic has fallen from favor, as sci-fi films have concerned themselves more with cyberpunk scenarios and Earthly dystopias than travel between the stars. As if our culture as a whole had turned its eyes away from external adventures to internal struggles.
So in essence, he sees the “internally looking” science fiction sub genre of cyberpunk as problematic and is advocating for a more outward and escapist space exploration style of the genre. We can certainly see this in Prometheus: a rich corporate boss wants to fulfill his life by funding a trillion dollar space ship to discover the meaning of life. While the film does not necessarily promote this sort of expansionist ideology, nor is it as much of a critique or warning against the corporate lust for profits in space as we find in earlier influential Scott films like Alien. This is problematic for science fiction: the ignoring of the internal contradictions that genres like cyberpunk offer in favor of “outward looking” space exploration stories that move our attention from real struggle to a dream of future prosperity and wonder (which is interestingly very similar to the “American dream” itself).
It would be interesting to hear Ridley Scott’s take on this question, considering he was not only the director of Prometheus but of perhaps the most influential cyberpunk film of all time Bladerunner which is a clear “inward looking” science fiction critique of a future ruled by corporate power. | <urn:uuid:bd1f0bfd-4881-4760-a775-a0e2b4e9f372> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://leftfilmreview.net/2012/06/14/should-contemporary-sci-fi-relaunch-the-space-program/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952554 | 609 | 1.890625 | 2 |
This page contains bills sponsored by presidential contenders.
Bill sponsorships indicate the topics that legislators are most interested in, and spend the most time on.
Legislation by 2008 Presidential Candidates: giving tax credit to remove lead-based housepaint
Source: Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act (S.2053/H.R.4464)
OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: Allows a tax credit for 50% of the costs of reducing lead hazards in U.S. homes built before 1960 in which certain low-income children less than six years of age and women of child-bearing age reside. Allows a maximum credit of $3,000 for lead abatement costs and $1,000 for the cost of interim lead control measures.
EXCERPTS OF BILL:
Congress finds that:There shall be allowed as a tax credit, an amount equal to 50% of the lead hazard reduction activity cost paid, up to $1,000 per year for certain activities and $3,000 per year for other activities.
- Of the 98 million housing units in the United States, 38 million have lead-based paint.
- Of the 38 million housing units with lead-based paint, 25 million pose a hazard due to conditions such as peeling paint and settled dust on floors and windowsills that contain lead at levels above Federal safety standards.
- Lead poisoning remains a serious, entirely preventable threat to a child's intelligence, behavior, and learning.
The Administration has established a national goal of ending childhood lead poisoning by 2010.
- Current Federal lead abatement programs only have resources sufficient to make approximately 7,000 homes lead-safe each year.
- The replacement of old windows that contain lead based paint significantly reduces lead poisoning hazards in addition to producing significant energy savings.
- Childhood lead poisoning can be dramatically reduced by the abatement or complete removal of all lead-based paint.
LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Referred to Senate Committee on Finance; never came to a vote.
- Topic: Environment
- Headline: Tax credit to remove lead-based housepaint
- Headline 2: Sponsored bill for tax credit to remove lead-based paint
- Key for participation codes:
- Sponsorships: p=sponsored; o=co-sponsored; s=signed
- Memberships: c=chair; m=member; e=endorsed; f=profiled; s=scored
- Resolutions: i=introduced; w=wrote; a=adopted
- Cases: w=wrote; j=joined; d=dissented; c=concurred
- Surveys: '+' supports; '-' opposes.
participating in 05-S2053
||s1o||OH Former Republican Senator (lost re-election, 2006)|
||s2p||Illinois Republican (Retiring 2008)|
|Gordon Harold Smith
||s1o||OR Former Republican Senator (lost re-election, 2008)|
participating in 05-S2053
Total recorded by OnTheIssues: | <urn:uuid:f21f81e7-64e9-4866-823a-a2a8d3369ee6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ontheissues.org/noteBook/Note_05-S2053.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911421 | 653 | 1.609375 | 2 |
This 1969-D Roosevelt dime was struck on a copper core. The clad layers separated from the core after blanking but before the strike.
The advent of clad coinage in 1965 expanded the number and variety of planchet errors available to the collector.
The process of fabricating and then bonding two coils of clad strip to a middle coil of core strip invites numerous mishaps as does the subsequent rolling of the composite strip to coin thickness.
One of the rarest bonding errors is the “struck core,” wherein both clad layers fall away after the blank is punched out. While it’s common for one clad layer to fall off after blanking, I have only seen or heard of a handful of cases where both layers have been lost. They include two Roosevelt dimes struck on copper cores (both shown here), two to three Washington quarter dollars struck on copper cores, and a 1965 Kennedy half dollar struck on a 79 percent copper and 21 percent silver core. All are naturally quite thin and significantly underweight, and most show weakness in the strike.
Most struck cores are thought to be the result of improper cleaning. Both sides of the core strip and the internal surface of each clad strip must be meticulously cleaned prior to bonding. The surfaces are scoured clean by rotating descaling brushes that often leave fine striations on the surface.
Our first illustrated coin is a 1969-D Roosevelt dime struck on a copper core. Since each copper-nickel clad layer weighs approximately 0.4 gram, the expected weight of the core alone would be 1.47 grams. The reported weight of this dime is 1.4 grams, which is close enough to clinch the diagnosis.
The weakly-struck areas on either face show no fine striations, which may mean that this portion of the strip wasn’t cleaned at all. This conclusion is not certain however, as the presence and distinctness of striations is somewhat variable in the more commonly seen counterpart to this error, the isolated struck clad layer.
Our second piece is a 1981-P Roosevelt dime struck on very different-looking copper core. A small island of gray metal appears on the right side of the obverse face and a few flecks of gray metal on the reverse face. I have my doubts that the gray metal is remnant cladding because the southern tip of the obverse patch actually dives beneath an adjacent flap of copper.
Cladding should always occupy a superficial position relative to the core. I believe that either copper atoms migrated so as to partly envelop this island of cladding, or this dark gray patch represents an area of core material enriched by migrating nickel atoms.
At 1.3 grams, the coin is a bit lighter than expected. The reason is immediately apparent on close inspection. Before and after the coin was struck, moderately thick layers of copper spalled off the obverse face in several places, exposing interior metal with a fine matte texture. Even the intact portions of the obverse surface show cracking and flaking.
The features described above are consistent with an improper annealing error. Such errors occur when copper-nickel clad or solid copper-nickel planchets are exposed to excessive heat or when oxygen floods the annealing oven. Within the alloy, copper and nickel fractions tend to segregate out (copper usually to the surface). Areas of copper-nickel often darken to a gray or black color. Planchets become brittle, the surface often cracking and flaking. Metal exposed by missing flakes has the aforementioned fine matte texture.
In the case of this 1981-P dime, it’s likely that the intense heat weakened the bond between the clad layers and the core, causing separation after blanking. The heat also rendered the core brittle and friable. Given this scenario, one would expect to find some single-sided missing clad errors with the characteristics of an improper annealing error, but I have yet to encounter one.
Coin World’s Collectors’ Clearinghouse department does not accept coins or other items for examination without prior permission from News Editor William T. Gibbs. Materials sent to Clearinghouse without prior permission will be returned unexamined. Please address all Clearinghouse inquiries to firstname.lastname@example.org or to 800-673-8311, Ext. 172. | <urn:uuid:a1478975-78da-4aff-b295-667d484f2b90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coinworld.com/articles/viewarticle/struck-dime-copper-core-possibly-freed-by-exc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924625 | 886 | 2.34375 | 2 |
UN Envoy to Darfur Rebuffs Critics and Cites Progress on Peace
The United Nations special representative to Darfur, Ibrahim Gambari, dismissed criticisms of his performance and said violence in the western Sudanese region is declining.
Gambari was criticized by Human Rights Watch for attending the Jan. 20 wedding of Chadian leader Idriss Deby in the presence of Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of responsibility for genocide and war crimes in Darfur. UN guidelines bar its officials from attending ceremonial events with people indicted by international criminal courts, Human Rights Watch said.
Gambari, speaking to reporters yesterday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, dismissed his critics as “people who are specialized in character assassination” and he credited the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission for improving security in the region.
“The fact that Darfur is no more in the news shows that something positive is happening,” he said. “The level of violence has gone down significantly.”
Insurgents in Darfur took up arms in 2003, accusing al- Bashir’s administration of neglecting the region. The conflict has led to the deaths of as many as 300,000 people, mainly due to illness and starvation, and forced about 2.7 million to flee their homes, according to UN estimates. The Sudanese government has put the death toll at about 10,000.
News of Deby’s wedding made headlines in Sudanese newspapers such as al-Sudani, al-Intibaha and al-Sahafa because the bride, Amany Musa Hilal, is the daughter of Musa Hilal, a former militia leader in Darfur. The UN Security Council imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Hilal and three others on April 22, 2006, because of allegations they were involved in human- rights abuses.
Human Rights Watch said the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations explained in a Jan. 25 letter that Gambari attended the wedding in Khartoum at Deby’s invitation and had “no control over the guest list.”
Gambari said the political situation is improving in Darfur following a peace agreement signed in Doha in July between the government and the Liberation and Justice Movement rebel faction.
“Now power sharing is real, now you have the vice president, the ministers of justice, health, information and education, and the head of the regional authority from Darfur,” he said.
The main rebel movement in Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement, boycotted the signing of the Qatar-brokered peace agreement. Following the death of leader, Khalil Ibrahim, on Dec. 25, Gambari urged JEM to join the peace process.
To contact the reporter on this story: Salma El Wardany in Khartoum at firstname.lastname@example.org
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at email@example.com
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions. | <urn:uuid:2cb9068f-5860-47ba-98b0-c61017f2c979> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-09/un-envoy-to-darfur-rebuffs-critics-and-cites-progress-on-peace.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946795 | 690 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Web edition: December 13, 2012
Print edition: December 29, 2012; Vol.182 #13 (p. 19)
2012 SCIENCE NEWS TOP 25: 3
Bird flu researchers started the year with a self-imposed moratorium on work deemed too dangerous for public consumption. That ban was supposed to last just 60 days, but as the year ends, the research is still on hold. And scientists have been left debating whether it makes sense in the first place to do research that, in the wrong hands, could spread a deadly disease.
The halt was called in response to two controversial studies in which scientists created mutated versions of the H5N1 avian flu virus. Unlike the original, the engineered versions could pass through the air between ferrets, common stand-ins for humans in influenza research. A U.S. government advisory panel decided there was a danger that terrorists might use information from the studies to create and unleash a deadly flu pandemic.
In the studies, two teams coaxed versions of H5N1 to evolve in the lab by passing them from ferret to ferret until the viruses could spread on their own when the animals sneezed or coughed. Initially it appeared that the virus in one lab was both infectious and deadly, prompting the government advisory panel to recommend that neither of the two papers describing the work be published in full. That ruling was reversed in March, and both papers were published in June, one in Nature (SN Online: 5/2/12) and the other in Science (SN: 7/14/12, p. 8).
The decision to allow publication ultimately came down to whether ferrets in Ron Fouchier’s lab at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands lived or died when infected with the airborne version of the virus. Perhaps no animal’s fate has come under as much scrutiny since Schrödinger’s hypothetical cat.
A majority of the 23 panel members concluded that because the ferrets survived, the mutated virus did not pose an immediate threat. Those researchers also thought publishing both papers might give public health officials the tools to more quickly spot burgeoning pandemics and to speed the development of vaccines and antiviral medications.
But six outvoted panel members disagreed. A paper by Yoshihiro Kawaoka’s group at the University of Wisconsin–Madison posed no immediate danger, they agreed, but Fouchier’s work presented a possibility for abuse. These panel members recommended making available only a redacted version of Fouchier’s results that excluded virtually everything but the finding that the virus could become airborne.
The complexities of working with influenza viruses almost ensure that anyone hoping to create a biological weapon from the flu would need specialized training. But anyone who has the skills to create a deadly airborne avian flu could make their own version without knowing what the two research groups found. And the flu would make an unwieldy weapon, one nearly impossible to control.
The initial concern over the two papers led the U.S. government to revise its policy on dual-use research, which is basic research that could be bent to nefarious purposes. In February, the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity made recommendations on ways to strengthen codes of conduct for researchers performing such work.
The moratorium was initiated by 39 influenza researchers, including Fouchier and Kawaoka, and prohibits work that makes H5N1 spread more easily or increases its virulence, called gain-of-function experiments. Such research remains hotly debated among scientists, public health officials, security experts and others. This summer the U.S. government proposed an indefinite continuation of the work stoppage.
As editor of the journal mBio, microbiologist Arturo Casadevall of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City commissioned a series of essays about H5N1 research. Fouchier, Kawaoka and a colleague argued in the journal that the research should go forward because it would produce valuable knowledge about how flu viruses adapt to mammals and how to stop their spread. Other researchers weighed in on safety measures to contain the viruses in the laboratory.
“We need to ask the scientists a question that hasn’t really been answered yet,” Casadevall says. “Is the information we get from gain-of-function experiments critical for moving forward? If so, can we get the information any other way?”
T. Hesman Saey. Controversial flu research published. Science News Online, May 2, 2012. [Go to]
T. Hesman Saey. Second of two blocked flu papers released. Science News, Vol. 182, July 14, 2012, p. 8. Available online: [Go to]
Eruption early in human prehistory may have been more whimper than bang
Greed may breed financial fitness, but evolution allows unselfishness to survive
Fine-tuning of technique used in other animals could enable personalized medicine
Simulation suggests long-term effect on sea level not as dire as some predictions
Coverage of the 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting
The Year in Science 2012
Three-part series on the scientific struggle to explain the conscious self
Tables of contents, columns and FAQs on SN Prime for iPad | <urn:uuid:ded47451-6ec4-4246-b338-84238cfd46d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/346997/description/Controversial_bird_flu_papers_fly | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950966 | 1,090 | 2.5625 | 3 |
It's Groundhog Day.
Have you never noticed why it makes perfect sense to consider the beginning of spring on this day in the beginning of February, which seems like the middle of winter? I submit that it really is the end of winter, if you understand winter properly, in terms of the deprivation of light, as opposed to warmth. It's the darkness that hurts. The cold is bracing. Put on a fuzzy sweater!
Officially, winter begins on the solstice, but that is the darkest day of the year. If you care about light, half of the darkest days are already over when winter officially begins. And the phenomenon of each day getting darker is completely over. Winter understood in terms of darkness would put the solstice at its center and extend a month and a half in either direction. Thus, if the solstice is December 21, as it was this year, then true winter — light-sensitive winter — began around November 6 and ends a few days from now, around February 5th.
Kids, it's Spring! Wake up and smell the daffodils! | <urn:uuid:225ea901-eaea-4857-b20b-013482a9fab4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://althouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/punxsutawney-phil-predicts-early-spring.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97595 | 224 | 2.78125 | 3 |
I dislike the “show v. tell” term because it’s often bandied about with no further explanation. For the longest time, this flummoxed me. Where was I telling? How could I show? But as an editor, I’ve gotten a better understanding, coming across situations where just a few word changes would make a world of difference.
For example, which feels more immediate and in the moment:
I heard a bowstring twang just as Roger crashed into me.
A bowstring twanged as Roger crashed into me.
Any time you use “I saw,” “I thought,” “I felt” etc. you are taking us out of the intimacy of seeing the world through your characters eyes into the world where the character is standing back and examining it, not acting. Let us see through her eyes. Active action happening right now is more powerful.”Felt” is on a list of passive verbs that should be avoided as much as possible. Phrases like “made me feel” or “a feeling came over me” may be wordier but they work better because they create the feeling in readers that the POV character is experiencing the emotion right now. It’s more intimate. We are inside their head, not hearing them narrate a story after the fact. Even better are descriptive phrases.I felt angry at the sight of him.At the sight of him, my breaths shortened and my body tensed. I clamped my lips together, fighting the urge to speak my mind.No mention of “anger” and yet the second makes it clear what emotions the POV character is feeling, right?”Was” and “Were” are burdensome as well. Although sometimes unavoidable in description and exposition, look for every opportunity to replace them with more colorful verbs. For example:His face was still calm.His face remained calm.Seeing her approach, I began to back away.Seeing her approaching, I backed away.
The same thing but one is more immediate. It may be subtle but over the course of the novel or story little bits add up. It sometimes helps to keep a list of passive verbs and vet your manuscript in a later draft, looking for places where they can be replaced easily with better wording. This way you are not so caught up in trying to avoid them that it stymies getting words on the page. After all, it’s easier to fix what already exists than to create it in the first place. At least, most of the time that’s been my experience.
In a great post on her blog about this topic, agent Natalie Lakosil suggests: “My favorite way to think about it is to imagine that your book is the patient, and your reader is the doctor who needs to figure out what is wrong with them. When a patient walks in, they don’t say: ‘I have appendicitis.’ They’re going to say, ‘My side hurts and I keep throwing up!’”
To translate this into your fiction, she offers the following examples:
Don’t write: She was sad.
Do write: She felt as if the sun would never shine again. It was a crushing, heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Oh no, she used “she felt,” but she recognizes this is sometimes a problem and offers this alternative to avoid it:A heavy, crushing feeling settled over her; tears welled in her eyes and she couldn’t breathe. Etc.etc.
The context of the story will make much clear. Is the character sad? Scared? Desperate? Angry? Nervous? Horny? All of the above? (Unlike, I know.) The reader will see by how the character acts in the scene as it plays out which is the right answer and that makes the story more powerful in many ways.Sometimes, telling is natural. As Lakosil points out with this example: “I advise to keep it real. Your patient isn’t going to walk in and say, ‘I believe I have an acute hyperactive diaphragm’; they’re going to say, ‘I have the hiccups!’”
Lakosil writes: “Readers like to feel smart; they like to be able to say, ‘I knew it!’ without feeling like they were told or led to that conclusion, but rather because they’re just that awesome at reading into clues.”
If you tell the reader something your character doesn’t know, the reader will feel disconnected. Frustration comes when the character fails to pick up on it and act.
Here’s Lakosil’s solution: “Think backwards. You’re the doctor; what do you need your patient to tell you in order to figure out what’s wrong with them? What logical order do you need to hear these symptoms in to figure it out?” She also warns: “Try to think through if what you’re leading with, or what you’re developing plot-wise, is answering or revealing things that don’t need to be answered or revealed yet. And also check if what you’re revealing is a why or a what.”
Motive and events are not always the same. If a person is dead that tells you little about how they died or why in many cases. Bullet holes to the brain are obvious, poison is not. And we know nothing yet of who killed them and why. Skilled mystery writers employ this powerfully. Revealing the why too early makes the reader ahead of the narrator and the story feel predictable and slow. The narrator becomes an idiot who is unsympathetic. Why can’t she see this already, the dolt?
So whys and whats should be paired so that they work together in a logical order that carries the plot forward to its denouement without ruining the anticipation and surprise.
So avoiding telling is really a matter of creating and nurturing intimacy between story and reader. Finding ways to keep the reader and narrators close so that the reader experiences events unfolding like real time, immediately, right now. These are several examples of things you can pinpoint which detract from that. I hope it helps you unravel a bit of the mystery behind the “Show v. Tell” criticism that’s commonly thrown around. For another helpful posts on this topic: see The Six Degrees Of Show V. Tell http://victoriamixon.com/2010/12/01/the-6-degrees-of-show-vs-tell-rated-by-quality/.
For what it’s worth…
Bryan Thomas Schmidt is an author and editor of adult and children’s speculative fiction. His debut novel, The Worker Prince(2011) received Honorable Mention on Barnes & Noble Book Club’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases for 2011. A sequel The Returning followed in 2012 and The Exodus will appear in 2013, completing the space opera Saga Of Davi Rhii. His first children’s books, 102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Books For Kids (ebook only) and Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter- Land Of Legends (forthcoming) appeared from Delabarre Publishing in 2012. His short stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and online. He edited the anthology Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 (2012) and is working on Beyond The Sun for Fairwood Press, headlined by Robert Silverberg, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress, forthcoming. He hosts #sffwrtcht (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer’s Chat) Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on Twitter and is an affiliate member of the SFWA. | <urn:uuid:e18db60f-e1a8-487e-a94d-2b164584d43d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/2012/10/22/write-tip-intimate-pov-and-show-v-tell/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957741 | 1,658 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Difference between revisions of "Harare"
Revision as of 18:33, 14 July 2010
Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe.
Harare is home to some two million people, with most in central Harare but some 500,000 in the surrounding districts of Rural Harare, Chintungwiza and Epworth. Once a city of modern buildings, wide thoroughfares, numerous parks and gardens, it is now in increasing disrepair thanks to Zimbabwe's economic downward spiral.
Harare's airport is the major gateway for flights into the country. Air Zimbabwe also operates a small network of domestic flights. International flights are easily available, with Air Zimbabwe with flights direct to London and Johannesburg. In recent times Air Zimbabwe flights often had to be cancelled due to a lack of spare parts and fuel. Flights are however more frequent now foreign airliners include South African Airways and low-fare Kulula.com , both flying from South Africa's Johannesburg International Airport.
A National Road from Johannesburg allows easy access. Buses are easily available ranging from greyhound (for R450 as of April 2010) to the local ones (for R250 as of April 2010). The bus takes between 16-24 hours. Delays at the border are very common and typically range from 3 to 8 hours, although they can be as much as 20 hours at Christmas time.
Most ordinary long-distance bus services depart from the Mbare Terminal, located 3km southwest of Central. Warning: The terminal itself is giant, confusing, and dangerous. There are several disconnected regions of the terminal, and finding something as simple as a taxi can require walking over 500m through markets and alleys. Although minibuses to Mbare depart from the 4th Street Terminal in Central (located at 4th & Mugabe), it may be worth taking a taxi which will be able to find a bus to your destination for you.
The Road Port Terminal, adjacent to the 4th Street Terminal in Central, has first class services to international destinations.
Although the best option to get around is by car, it used to be difficult, as there were fuel shortages in Zimbabwe.
Since Zimbabwe redistributed farms, there have been limited exports, meaning there is no foreign currency available to import fuel into Zimbabwe. As a result Zimbabwe went through a period of fuel shortages. However, now as with most other commodities, fuel is freely available at most outlets for cash or a coupon system. Most operators now import fuel by themselves and prices are independently set. Most service station will however close relatively early at around 7pm (there are a number that offer 24 hours services but could be far from where you are).
Roads: The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe has deteriorated dramatically in recent years since the government has failed to maintain them. Most of the country is now without street lights. The main highways are still in a good state of repair outside of the cities - traffic is so light now that damage from trucks is minimal. You should be OK without a 4x4 unless you head into rural areas and game parks. If you enter from South Africa, be sure that your insurance waiver is valid for travel in Zimbabwe.
Taxis: in 4+1 style taxis it is very common to fit as many as 8 people inside. Rides around town shouldn't cost much more than $5 for the entire cab at night, typically $2 or $3 during the day, unless you are going very far. Make sure you negotiate the price before you get inside the car
Minibus taxis are readily available with frequent services between central and all suburbs. Ask around for the terminal for your destination. Typically the fare is 5 rand.
There is a strong appreciation for the city's cultural and historical heritage and a number of the older buildings have been preserved. The Mining Pension Fund Building at Central Avenue and Second Street is one example and many more are to be found along Robert Mugabe Road between Second Street and Julius Nyerere Way.
The Book Cafe has a wide variety of live music throughout the week, and there is another club that plays afro-jazz right next door.
Stars, located next to the Rainbow hotel, is a high class bar/club/lounge that plays hip hop and house music. It can be expensive but a lot of fun.
Symphony is a hip hop club/lounge very similar to Stars
Globe Trotters also known as GT is a much less expensive club
Balcony is very similar to Globe Trotters
As of April 2010, virtually all purchases in larger stores are made with US dollars, which is the national currency. Rands are accepted everywhere, but you should check the exchange rate at the place first, many places will accept rands at a 10R to $1 ratio (as of April 2010 it's ~7.3:1)
Anything made locally is very inexpensive. Packets of zimbabwe cigarettes cost 50 cents (as of April 2010). Everything that is imported is relatively expensive compared to South Africa, cans of Coca-cola typically cost $1.
If you want to experience shopping the way it is traditionally done in many African countries, you need to stroll around at the open flea-market at Mbare. Here tourists can feast their eyes on a colourful array of baskets, food, clothing and other items.
In September 2005, the government bulldozed Mbare flea market along with every other informal market in the country. Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless and without an income. The government's policy to try and cut down on informal trading has been disastrous in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
By October 2006 many markets have sprung up again, Mbare Musika is not particularly safe and visitors should take care, especially of pick-pockets. Do not bring any valuables.
Zimbabwe's Staple food is Sadza: a thick white porridge (a bit like mashed potato), that's made from corn meal. It's eaten at every meal, accompanied by vegetables or meat in some form.
In Harare there are many westernised restaurants serving European or American style food, but far more exciting are the outdoor cafes:
With the dollarisation of the economy there has been a big increase in the number of restaurants and coffee shops in Harare. You can find information on the eatout.co.zw website. The Zimbabwe Tourism website has also recently been upgraded.
Diplomats and NGO's are a large part of the clientelle at the Harare Restaurants
Try Chibuku, a popular local beer. It comes in "scuds" - large 2litre brown plastic containers. The beer is lumpy and opaque beige, but is good and painfully cheap.
Shake-shake is prepackaged sorghum beer (brewed in the traditional African style) and is very thick and filling, and comes in milk cartons.
The locally brewed Castle, Lion, Zambesi and Bohlingers are definitely worth trying.
The city boasts an internationally recognized 5 star hotel (The Meikles Hotel), but also has a signficant number of three to four star hotels that offer affordable accommodation without compromising on quality. These include The Crowne Plaza Monomotapa, The Cresta Lodge and The Holiday Inn. There are several cheap backpackers guesthouses, particularly in Selous Avenue (doubles with shared bathrooms in the $20 range). But be wary when walking alone at night in the Selous Avenue area. Harare also has quite a number of bed & breakfast/guest houses, mostly set in former residential houses with extensive gardens.
The Epworth Balacing Rocks are located on Chiremba Road, 10km Southwest of Central. Looks for the signs on the left. 4th Street Terminal has frequent minibus services to the Balacing Rocks--the driver will know where to let you out. Be careful of your personal safety inside the park. The cost is between $2 and $10 per person depending on the situation. | <urn:uuid:69835601-db2e-4191-a69a-351a14b5e8e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Harare&diff=prev&oldid=1498909 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968041 | 1,658 | 2.375 | 2 |
Australia is made up of 6 states and 2 territories. Each of these areas offers a different Australian experience. From the big cities to the Outback or Great Barrier Reef there is much to explore. Enjoy memorable wildlife experiences or relax on an island resort. For the more adventurous travel let us take you off the beaten track to some of the more unusual places that Australia has to offer.
When you are planning a vacation to Australia and the South Pacific, please remember that Australia is an island the size of the U.S.A. It is wider across than the distance from New York to Los Angeles but has a population of only 20 million people.
Start your outback adventure in Alice Springs, in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre. Sail over the spinifex plains in a hot air balloon or bike ride to Simpsons Gap. Join a safari of quad bikes across the desert or fly over the MacDonnell Ranges. Peer into the traditions of the Aboriginal Arrernte people who have lived here for 20,000 years and browse contemporary Aboriginal art along Todd Mall. Connect to stories of Afghan cameleers, flying doctors and plucky pioneers in the many heritage sites around the town. This rollicking, modern town is also a day trip from the iconic attractions of Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon.
Soak up Sydney’s gorgeous harbour, seductive outdoor lifestyle and great natural beauty. Kayak under the Sydney Harbour Bridge or wave at the Opera House as you ride a ferry across the harbour to Manly. Learn to surf at Bondi Beach or swim in the calm waters of Coogee. Lose yourself in the cobblestone cul-de-sacs of The Rocks or in the markets, boutiques, cafes and pubs of Paddington. As well as a world-famous harbour and more than 70 sparkling beaches, Sydney offers fabulous food, festivals and 24-7 fun.
Melbourne is a maze of hidden laneways, opulent bars, exclusive restaurants and off-the-beaten-track boutiques. Here you can soak up culture, hit the sporting grounds, taste the dynamic food and wine scene, dance til dawn or wander the parks and leafy boulevards. Visit Federation Square, the city’s landmark cultural space, and enjoy a sunset beer on the St Kilda promenade. Shop till you drop on funky Brunswick Street or upmarket Chapel Street. Wander Southbank’s cafes, bistros and bars and get a world tour of cuisines in Carlton, Richmond and Fitzroy. Take an Aboriginal Heritage Walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens and cheer with a capacity crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Laze in the lush riverside gardens of South Bank, then browse the markets and swim in its lagoon. Bike ride in the City Botanic Gardens and abseil the cliffs of Kangaroo Point. Glide down the river on a majestic paddlesteamer or take a high-speed ferry to vibrant inner-city villages like Bulimba and New Farm. When culture cravings hit, wander the art galleries and museums, watch a performance by the Queensland Ballet, Opera or Orchestra perform or see cutting-edge theatre in the Powerhouse. In the boating hub of nearby Moreton Bay and Islands, you can swim, sea kayak, snorkel coral reefs, toboggan down the world’s tallest sand dune, hire a sail boat or tussle with a marlin.
Ex-HMAS Brisbane Conservation Park
Dive the Brisbane and experience this historical treasure and budding environmental wonder. The ex-HMAS Brisbane Conservation Park is an artificial reef and dive site off the Sunshine Coast, and is set to become one of Australia's premier dive attractions.
Kuranda - Village in the Rainforest
The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda Village is just 25 kilometres northwest of Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is a vibrant little town surrounded by World Heritage Rainforest. Travelling to Kuranda is a highlight in itself. Visitors can travel to Kuranda on Kuranda's Historic Scenic Railway, by car or bus, via the spectacular Kuranda Road, or above the rainforest canopy on Skyrail - the world's longest rainforest Cableway.
Passports and Visas
A valid visa is required for all people wishing to travel to Australia. Visitors of all nationalities (except Australian and New Zealand passport holders) must obtain a visa prior to arrival. Qantas Vacations can issue Electronic Visas, for a $25.00 fee per person, prior to your departure.
The Australian unit of currency is the Australian dollar.
Goods and Services Tax
All goods and services purchased in Australia are subject to a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is usually included in the displayed price. You may apply for a refund on the GST but only on goods costing A$300 (GST inclusive) or more, bought from the same store no more than 30 days before you leave Australia, which are to be taken with you as hand luggage or worn onto the aircraft upon your departure. Further information is available from Australian Customs upon arrival.
The electricity current in Australia is 220-240 volts; AC 50Hz. The Australian 3-pin power outlet is different so you will need an adapter socket. Check your appliances to see if there is a 100-240v switch. If not, you will need a voltage converter. Universal outlets for 240v or 110v shavers are usually found in leading stores.
Tourist Refund Scheme
When in Australia you can claim a refund on the tax you pay on some goods and services (except consumables). Refunds available at major airports in Australia.
Driving in Australia
A bonafide tourist may drive in Australia on a valid overseas driver's license. Please remember to drive on the left hand side of the road.
Australians do not depend on tips or gratuities for their income and tips are not expected for normal service, even in restaurants and pubs. However, tipping in appreciation is at your discretion.
What to Pack
Australian lifestyle is generally informal and the accepted norm is to dress for comfort. We recommend you pack lightweight, comfortable clothes and shoes, while a sun hat and sunscreen are essential. If you're visiting during winter, leave space for a jacket or sweater and if you're planning a special occasion a more formal outfit may be required.
Be Sun Smart
Wear a shady hat and cover up exposed skin with long sleeves or strong sunscreen. Wear factor 15+ and try to avoid exposure during the hottest part of the day - from 10am to 3pm.
When to go
Truth be told, any time is a good time to be somewhere in Australia. When it’s cold down south, it’s magnificent in the north and the Centre; when it’s too hot and sweaty up north, the southern states are at their natural finest. There are also the numerous festivals and other public spectacles that are on show every month, from the summertime food-and-wine banquets and large-scale concerts, through mid-year arts celebrations, to end-of-year footy finals, horse races and yachting contests.
The seasons in Australia are the antithesis of those in Europe and North America. Summer is December to February; the weather and longer daylight hours are tailor-made for swimming and other outdoor activities across much of the country. Summer is also school holiday period and consequently high season for most places. Unless you want to compete with hordes of grimly determined local holiday-makers in ‘Are we there yet?’ mode for road space, places on tours, seats on transport, hotel rooms, camp sites, restaurant tables and the best vantage points at major attractions, you should try to avoid Australia’s prime destinations during the peak of school (January) and public holidays. During these times, you’re also likely to encounter spontaneous rises in the price of everything from accommodation to petrol.
Winter is June to August, when temperatures drop with the latitude. This is officially designated the tourism low season for most of the country, but not the Northern Territory, Queensland and top of Western Australia. Winter in this northern stretch offers respite from the humidity of the wet season (which runs roughly from October to March, with the heaviest rain falling from January onwards; the Dry lasts from April to September) and the temperatures are highly agreeable. It’s also when roads and tracks are most accessible up north. Autumn (March to May) and spring (September to November) both enjoy a lack of climatic extremes everywhere.
DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT…
A willingness to use 'mate', 'no worries' and 'she’ll be right' liberally
An appetite for seafood, steak, beer (other than Fosters), barbecues and fresh fruit
A travel insurance policy covering skydiving, bungee jumping, diving, skiing, abseiling and white water rafting
Warm clothes because winter does actually occur in Australia…well, down south anyway
Extra-strength insect repellent to fend off merciless flies and mosquitoes
Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat to deflect fierce UV rays
A towel and bathers/togs/swimmers/swimming costume/cossie/trunks/Speedos/budgie smugglers…for the beach
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