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This undated screen grab released by the Kaspersky Lab site shows a program of the computer virus known as Flame.
NEW YORK (AP) - Two more banks, U.S. Bank and PNC, are reporting problems with their websites. The news comes after a financial services security group warned about possible cyberattacks on banks.
A spokesman for U.S. Bank says some customers have experienced delays. He says the bank is working to fix the problem and is working with law enforcement. A spokesman for PNC says the bank is "taking appropriate measures."
The U.S. Bank spokesman says the issue appears to be related to problems at other banks in the past week. JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America both had system problems last week, and Wells Fargo reported access problems with its site Tuesday.
Last week, the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center raised its cyber threat level to "high" from "elevated" because of potential cyberattacks.
First Coast News | <urn:uuid:1e23efe1-d99e-47f2-a52d-7b623c6dbc74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.firstcoastnews.com/money/article/275563/11/US-Bank-PNC-latest-to-report-website-problems | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969155 | 201 | 1.703125 | 2 |
What are classes everyone should take in college?
I’m a college educator, and I get this question a lot from students, prospective students, parents, even followers on Tumblr, so I thought I’d collect some resources for anyone who has this question:
And here’s my list:
1) Introductory web design: the future of just about everything is online. Knowing how to do basic layout and content management puts you ahead in the marketplace, as does understanding the basics of what technologies fuel the web. Also, having a professional-looking website going into the job market is a huge plus. Here’s an example of a class I teach in this subject.
2) Business or Technical Writing: knowing how to create professional-looking and -sounding documents is essential for any career. Here’s my technical writing class.
3) Marketing/Advertising/Public Relations: knowing how to effectively promote yourself and others is also an essential skill set in today’s economy. Competition is fierce. Just trying to get a job is about marketing yourself to prospective employers, and all three of these areas are highly marketable in general.
5) Finance/Economics: the other thing all successful professionals have in common is that they understand how the financial system works, and how to leverage financial opportunities for themselves, and, of course, how to manage their money.
6) Research: yet another thing successful professionals know how to do is find valuable information. This should be a course in your major that teaches you how to do research as an X-type of professional (because the research process is radically different in every profession), or a course that supplements your major well.
7) Logic/Critical Thinking: the ability to think through and find solutions to complex problems is yet another thing professionals have in common. This should be yet another class in your major, or one that supplements your major, as this is also very different for different professions.
8) An advanced technology course pertinent to your future career: every modern-day professional, from economists to interior designers, utilizes technology in their daily work lives. Find out what the people you want to become are using and learn as much as you can about those technologies.
9) Informational interviews: this isn’t a course, but it should be. There’s research now that most people who get sustainable jobs in this economy already know the people who hire them. This means that cultivating a professional social network is more important than ever. Ever wonder how that friend of yours landed that great job? Ask him/her. Informational interviews are simply meetings you schedule with people who have a job you want, meetings in which you ask them how they got that job.Here’s how to conduct one.
10) Internships/Service-learning: most employers don’t trust educators to prepare students for the workforce, and with good reason. College educators are busy. We can’t know everything. And I will also admit that unfortunately some of us don’t stay as much in touch with market realities as we should (I definitely strive to). Hands-on experience is essential for landing a job right out of college, and the lack of it is my theory for why 1 in 2 college graduates is currently jobless or underemployed.
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- dharmasimulation posted this | <urn:uuid:64fd9500-eea2-4e11-8f4a-f812267091fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dharmasimulation.com/post/27303011887/what-are-classes-everyone-should-take-in-college | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953207 | 813 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Since the season opener on Saturday, Nov. 3, sixty-two wolves have been killed in Minnesota, shutting down one of three designated zones after meeting quota, according to the Star Tribune and Duluth News Tribune.
The first ever managed wolf hunting for Minnesota began on Saturday, with the smallest of the three hunting zones in Minnesota closed down after meeting its quota. Hunters were able to rifle hunt in the same zones that they hunted deer.
Upon opening, 32 wolves were killed Saturday,18 on Sunday, and six registered Monday, according to the Star Tribune. Hunters in the East-Central zone had killed eight by Monday - the early season harvest quota is set at nine. After hearing the news, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources decided to close down the zone after shooting hours, according to Duluth News Tribune.
The season, which will last 16 days, issued a total of 3,600 licenses for wolf hunting. The licenses were given out through a lottery of 24,000 applications. The entire season has a quota set at 400, "200 in the early season that runs concurrently with the firearms deer season and 200 in a second hunting-and-trapping season that will open Nov. 24," the Star Tribune stated.
Other zones that have yet to reach quota are the DNR's Northwest zone, where the quota is 133 and 29 have been killed; and the Northeast zone where the quota is 58 and 25 have been killed.
According to the Duluth News Tribune, Minnesota's wolf population is approximately 3,000. When more pups are born in May, the population may grow by 6,000 wolves, stated L. David Mech, a senior scientist with the Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey and an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota. The population will then drop again in February when wolves are either killed by other wolves or by the state.
The second wolfing season will begin on Nov. 24 and go until Jan. 31. The DNR hopes to reach their target of 400 wolves killed by that point. | <urn:uuid:da08d7e3-a04d-4148-b513-221c4cd97426> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.lib.umn.edu/micha444/3101newsfall2012/2012/11/sixty-two-wolves-killed-since-saturday-season-opener.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968855 | 415 | 2.125 | 2 |
Here is your oil spill update for Thursday, May 6th.
Stopping the Flow
Yesterday, crews capped one of the three leaks in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. However, like putting your finger on a hole in a garden hose, this did not reduce the total amount of oil leaking into the ocean.
Today, crews are moving to lower a giant concrete cap over the wellhead. From the NPR coverage:
Such an operation has never been tried at such extreme depth, said Doug Suttles, the British oil giant’s chief operating officer.
“You can imagine we’re landing a very, very large metal building on the sea floor to capture the flow,” he said. “This has to be done at a depth of 5,000 feet, so it’s a complex task.”
Once the cap nears the seabed, remotely operated underwater vehicles will be used to guide it into place. A steel pipe will be attached to a tanker at the surface and connected to the top of the cap to move the oil.
Potential pitfalls include the difficulty of placing the enormous cap in the right location, the danger of the cap’s pipe clogging with thickened oil, and volatile and explosive chemicals. Additional coverage can be found at the Washington Post. In the Boston Globe, Chris Reddy, a chemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, compared the oil spill to the Battle of Stalingrad.
Location and Amount of Oil
According to the NOAA 24-hour prediction, the oil may make landfall in parts of Louisiana today. These are the red locations on the map below. You can download the original map, as well as 48- and 72-hour predictions at the NOAA Deepwater Horizon Incident website.
There are unconfirmed reports of turtle deaths. From the AP:
Wildlife officials say at least 35 endangered sea turtles have washed up on Gulf coast beaches, but it’s not clear what’s killing them. Necropsies have shown no signs of oil.
Investigators will look into whether some shrimp boats taking part in an emergency shrimping season removed devices from their nets that are intended to allow turtles to escape, said Sheryan Epperly, sea turtle team leader for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Also see sea turtle conservation expert Wallace J Nichols’ guest post at the Intersection. | <urn:uuid:6249b20d-3f5f-4b26-abc5-7a61882877ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://deepseanews.com/2010/05/oil-spill-update-thursday-may-6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940289 | 493 | 2.25 | 2 |
Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images
STRASBOURG, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 24: French President Nicolas Sarkozy (C) shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti (R) on November 24, 2011 in Strasbourg, France. The three are meeting to seek agreement on how to resolve the Eurozone debt crisis as both Monti and Sarkozy are under pressure to reassure financial markets over the future of their respective countries' economies. (Photo by Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images)
The markets are rallying big-time today, with the Dow alone up more than 400 points. So what's going on? Elizabeth Harrow at Shaeffer's Research sums it all up rather neatly:
[T]he good news seems to be pouring in from all corners of the globe: Euro-zone leaders finally agreed on ground rules regarding the expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF); policymakers in Beijing lowered their reserve requirement ratio for banks; and the Federal Reserve coordinated with the European Central Bank (ECB), Bank of England, Bank of Japan, and other major central banks to lower the cost of emergency dollar loans. And, as if the bulls needed another catalyst, the day's slate of domestic data was surprisingly robust. Payroll giant ADP announced that the private sector added a stronger-than-forecast 206,000 jobs last month, while pending home sales and the Chicago PMI also improved beyond economists' expectations. | <urn:uuid:7e49f7c3-0044-4774-bfd1-71b15f27f9a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scpr.org/blogs/economy/tagged/ecb | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927004 | 307 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Stalin purge victims honored
Wooden cross marks location of executions
MOSCOW -- Russian Orthodox priests consecrated a wooden cross yesterday at a site south of Moscow where firing squads executed thousands of people 70 years ago at the height of Josef Stalin's political purges.
Created at a monastery that housed one of the first Soviet labor camps and brought by barge to Moscow along a canal built on the bones of gulag inmates, the 40-foot cross has been embraced as memorial to the mass suffering under Stalin.
The ceremony at the Church of New Martyrs and Confessors, built recently at the Butovo site, is one of a series of events planned throughout this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the Great Purge of 1937, when millions were labeled "enemies of the state" and executed without trial or sent to labor camps.
Hundreds of people, most of them women wearing colorful headscarves, laid flowers and lit candles under the cross. The crowd, led by priests carrying icons, continued to the execution and burial site for a service. Some of the women were crying.
There were no representatives of the government, which has shown little interest in the anniversary of the Great Purge. This is in keeping with efforts by President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, to restore Russians' pride in their Soviet-era history by softening the public perception of Stalin's rule.
"We have been ordered to be proud of our past," said Yan Rachinsky from Memorial, a non-governmental group dedicated to investigating Stalin's repression.
"I know no other example in history when 700,000 people were killed within 1.5 years only for political reasons," he said in an interview.
The wooden cross was carved at a monastery on the Solovki Islands in the White Sea, one of the earliest and most notorious camps in the gulag.
It arrived in Moscow on Monday after a 13-day journey that took it down the Belomorkanal, a 141-mile waterway linking the White Sea with Lake Onega. The canal was built between 1931 and 1933 entirely by gulag inmates. | <urn:uuid:3ec54588-2912-470e-bfe5-a4f34b63fe77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2007/08/09/stalin_purge_victims_honored/?camp=pm | 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 | 0.969071 | 437 | 2.5 | 2 |
Halotherapy, or salt therapy, is believed to help relieve symptoms of respiratory conditions caused by asthma, allergies, bronchitis, COPD and cystic fibrosis, as well as skin diseases such as eczema, acne and psoriasis.
“The benefits of salt therapy are numerous and the sessions are safe, drug free and 100 percent natural. The negative ionic charge found in the dry sale aerosol gives natural detoxifying properties,” said Amy Cameron, owner of The Salt Room La Jolla. “Salt therapy also promotes stress reduction, which can lower blood pressure and help with insomnia. It even helps prevent respiratory viruses, including the common cold and flu.”
Cameron was inspired to open her own salt room after experiencing the tremendous health benefits of halotherapy in a salt room in Florida.
“I knew right away that it was an amazing health alternative,” she said. “I’ve always loved La Jolla and knew this would be the perfect location because of its health-conscious community.”
The natural health guru knows a thing or two about the importance of being mindful of her health in every aspect of her life.
“I have worked in the natural health field for many years and teach yoga and meditation. Healthy living and breathing are so important to me,” she said. “In order to open my own salt room, I worked closely with professionals in Florida and Europe who study salt therapy and develop the devices for salt rooms.”
What Cameron and husband Michael created in La Jolla was a reproduction of a natural 200-square-foot salt cave made with 3,000 pounds of Dead Sea salt right in the heart of the Village. To enhance the relaxing experience, clients are given a cup of tea before entering the salt room, which is complete with zero-gravity chairs, crisp, clean air, softly lit colors emanating from the salt-laden walls and soft music.
“For 45 minutes, you get to relax, meditate or fall asleep and shut out the world. During this time, your body can rest and heal. At the end of 45 minutes, the music is turned off, signaling the end of your session,” she said.
According to Cameron, salt therapy is not a new form of natural therapy. In fact, it has been used for many hundreds of years, dating back to the days of Herod the Great in biblical times. It is, however, relatively new to the United States.
“There are only 30 salt rooms in the U.S., but there are 30,000 in the world,” she explained. “Salt mines and caves are naturally formed and people have been visiting them for hundreds of years to heal respiratory issues and skin conditions.”
The Salt Room La Jolla also carries a wide range of natural health products, including an organic skin care line, organic teas, salt inhalers, neti-pots, Himalayan salt lamps and natural, organic hand cut mineral soaps, scrubs and bath salts made with Dead Sea salt.
Now offering halo massage — which combines the benefits of salt therapy with a therapeutic massage — the Salt Room La Jolla is offering a 45-minute halo massage for $115. Guests can also mention the company’s website and receive 20 percent off a halotherapy session.
The Salt Room La Jolla is located at 7509 Draper Ave., Ste. A. For more information, visit www.saltroomlajolla.com or call (858) 456-3900. | <urn:uuid:b08efbc8-5b49-4a11-b8ee-1eb2a0294a65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sdnews.com/view/full_story/21110748/article-The-Salt-Room-La-Jolla-offers-a-Dead-Sea-experience-in-the-heart-of-the-Village?instance=ljvn_business_page | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949122 | 740 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Methods of reproduction are varied. Sharks have internal fertilization, and most give birth to live young. Those that lay eggs produce large ones with tough shells. Since embryonic development is well-protected in these fish, they produce a relatively small number of young, only seven or eight at a time in some species. A few of the bony fishes, including some aquarium species, are live bearers, but most lay small, unprotected eggs that are fertilized after deposition in water. In most marine species the eggs float freely in the currents, where they are eaten by other animals. An enormous number of eggs is therefore necessary to ensure the maturation of a few; in many species a female produces as many as 5 million eggs in one spawn. The eggs of most marine fishes contain oil droplets that buoy them up, while those of most freshwater fishes are heavy, with sticky surfaces that adhere to objects in the water. Most freshwater species build nests for the protection of the eggs, and in some the adults guard the nests.
Sections in this article:
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Vertebrate Zoology | <urn:uuid:b3160bbc-cf66-477a-83e0-520a8888ffb0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/fish-zoology-reproduction.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945446 | 247 | 4.0625 | 4 |
A few months later, that shuttle service and others like it were raided, arrests were made, and people were deported. Sporadic busts may garner headlines and inconvenience some potential illegals, but others will continue to climb fences, traverse tunnels, and die of exposure in the harsh Arizona landscape. Border crossers pay desert guides their paltry life savings, but are often double-crossed. Minutemen militia members, armed and angry, mark their territory with handmade signs depicting ever-vigilant silver-hearted coyotes. Liberal establishments display the common words “Humanitarian Aid Is Never a Crime” in support of the drinking-water stations compassionately set up along immigration routes. The anachronistic words “dago” and “wetback” are uttered with alarming nonchalance. Thousands march for solidarity, while hundreds taunt them — it’s a powder keg.
This dance will continue with or without Arizona’s new law, because, unlike the cultures of Wal-Mart and Wall Street, a cornerstone of Mexican culture is an immense patience. Those of Mexican heritage I know — some legal, some illegal — are almost without exception honest, hard-working, humble, family-oriented people. They just happen to have been born in the barrio of North America, a land we hurt more than help with our drug lust and imbalanced trade agreements. The “values” our politicians glibly use as sound bites are the values by which most Mexicans actually live. Our often shallow, asocial, and materialistic culture can stand to become more tempered by their presence.
David Kish can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.
: This Just In
, Politics, Latin American Politics, Mexico, More | <urn:uuid:038f5d67-b2e4-44c6-b6f0-1150ac260a6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/102040-an-immigrant-song/?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950536 | 368 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Born in Daresbury, England,in 1832, Charles Luthwidge Dodgson is better known by his pen mane of Lewis Carroll. He became a minister of the Church of England and a lecturer in mathematics at Christ Church College, Oxford. He was the author, under his own name, of An Elementary Treatise on Determinants (1867), Symbolic Logic (1896), and other scholarly treatises which would hardly have given him a place in English literature. Charles Dodgson might have been completely forgotten but for the work of his alter ego, Lewis Carroll. Lewis Carroll, shy in the company of adults, loved children and knew and understood the world of the imagination in which the most sensitive of them lived. So he put the little girl Alice Liddell into a dream-story and found himself famous as the author of Alice in Wonderland (1865). Through the Looking Glass followed in 1871. In recent years Carroll has been taken quite seriously as a major literary artist for adults as well. His works have come under the scrutiny of critics who have explained his permanent attractiveness in terms of existential and symbolic drama: The Alice books dramatize psychological realities in symbolic terms, being commentary on the nature of the human predicament rather than escape from it. In addition to his writing, Carroll was also a pioneering photographer, and he took many pictures of young children, especially girls, with whom he seemed to empathize. | <urn:uuid:4384606e-8ac1-4be8-8a84-857abd41bd40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.textbooksrus.com/search/bookdetail/default.aspx?isbn=9781117490694 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981682 | 292 | 3.15625 | 3 |
A new study suggests particular kinds of attachment experiences may cause some adults to avoid long-term relationships.
In the investigation, researchers sought to resolve an ongoing debate on the genesis of “avoidant attachment.” Psychologists have questioned if the behavior is due to innate personality traits, such as being more of a loner, or is a delayed reaction to unmet childhood needs.
In the study, Tel Aviv University psychologist Dr. Sharon Dekel and Barry Farber, Ph.D., of Columbia University, studied the romantic history of 58 adults, aged 22-28. They found that 22.4 percent of study participants could be categorized as “avoidant” when it came to their relationships.
The “avoidant” behavior was characterized by demonstrating anxiety about intimacy, a reluctance to commit to or share with their partner, or a belief that their partner was “clingy.”
Overall, they reported less personal satisfaction in their relationships than participants who were determined to be secure in their relationships.
Dekel and Farber believe the roots of the commitment reluctance stems from adults trying to meet childhood needs. They found that while both secure and avoidant individuals expressed a desire for intimacy in relationships, avoidant individuals are conflicted about this need due to the complicated parent-child dynamics they experienced when young.
The premise of their study, Dekel said, is based on attachment theory, which posits that during times of stress, infants seek proximity to their caregivers for emotional support. However, if the parent is unresponsive or overly intrusive, the child learns to avoid their caregiver.
The researchers believe that adult relationships reflect these earlier experiences. That is, when infantile needs are met in childhood, a person approaches adult relationships with more security, seeking intimacy, sharing, caring, and fun, Dekel said.
This relationship perspective is called a “two-adult” model, in which participants equally share desires with their partner.
Avoidant individuals, however, are more likely to adopt an “infant-mother” intimacy model. For this group, when they enter relationships, there is an attempt to satisfy their unmet childhood needs, Dekel said.
“Avoidant individuals are looking for somebody to validate them, accept them as they are, can consistently meet their needs and remain calm — including not making a fuss about anything or getting caught up in their own personal issues.”
The tendency to avoid dependence on a partner is a defense mechanism rather than an avoidance of intimacy, she adds.
Researchers believe this is an area that deserves future study as individuals may have problems in obtaining satisfying romantic relationships. As a consequence they are also less happy in their lives and are more likely to suffer illnesses than their secure counterparts, said Dekel.
Psychologists need a better understanding of what these insecure individuals need, perhaps through more sophisticated neurological studies, she suggests.
There is also the question of whether or not these attachment styles are permanent. Dekel believes that there are some experiences which can help people develop more secure relationship styles.
One clue to this capacity is a study Dekel performed that observed the experience of a traumatic event is often associated with survivors showing a greater ability and desire to form closer relationships.
Source: Tel Aviv University | <urn:uuid:fb567e75-1393-48ec-812a-1077458a8bca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/12/11/attachment-style-may-factor-into-fear-of-commitment/48925.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965615 | 670 | 2.75 | 3 |
Insights vs. Metrics: Finding Meaning in Online Qualitative Research
June 28, 2012
The use of projective techniques in qualitative marketing research has become an accepted as well as expected practice in the industry. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews (whether face-to-face or online) are particularly suitable for activities that go beyond the question-response format. There are any number of reasons for using projective techniques but they essentially boil down to something similar to the statement from AQR: “What these techniques have in common is that they enable participants to say more about the research subject than they can say spontaneously, accessing thoughts, feelings or meanings which are not immediately available.” Or, something along the lines of tearing down walls as from Applied Marketing Research: “Projective techniques are important in breaking through the wall of rationalizations consumers use on a daily basis to justify the purchase or likes/dislikes of products or brands.”
Projective techniques come in a variety of flavors. In addition to those listed on the AQR site – collage, personification, bubble drawing, role playing, etc. – there is also guided imagery, picture sorts, sentence completion, tarot cards, and more. The types of projective techniques used by researchers has grown over the years (and continues to grow), primarily because many researchers believe (although, I am not one of them) that there is no limit to what is acceptable as a projective technique, and online resources such as Pinterest have broadened the projective possibilities.
Researchers have promoted and defended their use of projective techniques based on the ability to tap into the less-public portion of people’s minds and thereby gain a ‘truer’ picture of the ‘real’ attitudes and emotions that drive behavior. By ‘digging deep’, researchers offer their clients rich results with new insights that might otherwise be left undiscovered. Although this blog has discussed the limitations and inappropriate uses of projective techniques, there is no question that the proper projectives in the hands of skilled qualitative researchers can move the research measurably closer to understanding how people think.
In the continuing fast-paced evolution of online qualitative research, let’s hope that the value of offline qualitative skills such as projective techniques are not being ignored or overshadowed by the increasingly-loud buzz of social media metrics. While these metrics are potentially useful in tracking stated attitudes and behavior, they do little in helping us understand what lurks behind individual patterns of thinking. Michael Wolfe’s recent blog post describes BBDO’s “proprietary approach for ‘scoring’ textual [online] conversations” and how that is used to create the “Service Engagement Index” which has been used to link service and consumer demand (in this case, hotel bookings). Netbase utilizes their “high-precision natural language processing engine” to parse and analyze social media content to, among other things, “uncover unmet needs” and ultimately derive their “Brand Passion Index.” Ray Poynter at Vision Critical recently discussed “How to Use Google Insights as a Research Tool,” outlining how Google Insights gives social media researchers a new, free tool to assess Google searches by key word, time period, and geographic location. These are just a small few of the initiatives underway that tap into the social media metric mania.
All of this tracking has the potential to provide marketers with some idea of what some portion of their target audience is saying or doing at a particular moment in time – insight with a small ‘i’. But let’s not confuse that with the ever-present need to understand how people think – Insight with a big ‘I’. It is encouraging to see useful online qualitative research tools – such as Pinterest, Webcam research (such as that from FocusVision), mobile device technology, and others – that enable researchers to continue to build on their offline skills that dig behind the obvious and attempt to reveal how people truly think. The future is promising for more to come. | <urn:uuid:05b33b04-07d4-4261-995f-fa6b517d0069> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://researchdesignreview.com/2012/06/28/insights-vs-metrics-finding-meaning-in-online-qualitative-research/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94669 | 851 | 1.984375 | 2 |
By Nicole R. Rivera, Ed.D.
At some point in our lives, we’ve probably all had the unfortunate experience of being “on the outside,” regardless of whether it came from starting a new job, moving to a new community, or simply joining a new group. Being on the outside may lead to feelings of awkwardness and discomfort, but eventually—if we’re lucky—someone from the group takes time to welcome us with some local knowledge.
In an educational setting, many students find themselves “outside” when they are part of a minority group, when they have a disability, or when they’re merely new to town and transitioning into a community. Being on the outside at school creates that same sense of uneasiness found in later life, but may affect a student’s ability to cope with daily challenges and achieve their maximum potential.
Consider moving to any college around the country as a freshman. No matter where you go, there’s a unique culture built from decades of campus-specific knowledge and behaviors. Just this week, for instance, I had a discussion with a group of students about the culture of our campus. The students filled me in on the best and worst times to go to the dining hall, the nicknames of campus buildings, and even some of the local slang. All of these practices perpetuate a unique cultural education of their own. What’s more, they build community, foster common ideals, and generate a sense of ownership between pupils and their institution.
Lisa Delpit defines the culture of power by first noting the existence of a dominant group that understands the codes or rules for participating in any given group. Members of the dominant culture, she notes, may not even recognize this tacit knowledge because it’s just “the stuff they know.” As a result, they may be unintentionally keeping newcomers on the peripherals by failing to recognize what they need to know and how they can share it. In some cases, those on the outside of the group may even be blamed for their lack of knowledge and ostracized accordingly. To combat these concerns, Delpit advocates for explicit teaching of cultural rules and norms to provide open access to the environment.
This position accurately sums up what it means to engage in culturally-centered practices; having a level of awareness of one’s own knowledge, and then sharing that knowledge with others to engage them in the culture too. Recently, I completed an interview study with first year college students that exemplifies the process. Each of the students was recruited by the college’s Multi-Cultural Affairs program to participate in a summer transition program prior to entering the first year of college. The transition program introduced students to the culture of the institution prior to the academic year and facilitated strong social bonds within the group. My work followed the students through their first year to explore their transitions.
Participants of the study consistently talked about the value of gaining knowledge about the college. Through their summer experience the students gained “insider knowledge” through both direct teaching and observation. When they returned to school in the fall, they already belonged. Some even told stories about how they directed others around campus and gave advice, thus helping even more individuals move from “outside” to “inside.” In the end, students who were initially identified as “at risk” because of different factors instead became the campus’s cultural elites!
It is imperative that schools recognize the power structures within their systems. In doing so, mechanisms may be designed to effectively integrate new students and faculty, thus preventing isolation, discomfort, and detachment from the community.
Delpit, L. (2006). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: The New Press. | <urn:uuid:3b544b6b-e67b-461e-9492-ccb17a3da5da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psyched/201204/insider-knowledge-the-power-culture-in-education?quicktabs_5=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960718 | 782 | 2.609375 | 3 |
With over 250,000 cars flooded by Hurricane Sandy, many drivers will have lost their vehicles for good.
It's bad enough when fresh water floods from torrential rain and storms soak your car, but when salt water brought in by hurricane force wind and tide gets to your car, the damage is often irreversible.
Most people know that salt and salt water is corrosive, eating metal and electronics inside your car.
Whether your car will be salvageable after being flooded usually depends on the age of the car and the amount or height of the water that gets in. Most newer cars run on somewhat sophisticated electronics whereas cars built in the 1970's or before were much more mechanical.
If your car has been flooded, don't try to start it right away. Check to see if the lights come on by turning the ignition key enough to initiate the electronics, but not enough to crank the car's engine.
If the lights and other electronics come on, that's a good sign. That means that the water probably didn't get high enough to short circuit the electronics.
Open the hood of the car and check the water level there. You can usually see puddling in different areas of the engine compartment showing you where there was water.
If the car was flooded by salt water, rinse everywhere the water got to with fresh water to remove the salt and allow the engine to dry completely.
You can try to start the car once it's dry, but don't be too disappointed if it doesn't start. Water and engine's don't mix well.
If the car starts, you can let the engine run and listen for unusual noises under the hood. There's a chance that the engine will run for a short time and then further absorb water into the inner workings that forces it to shut down.
If the car doesn't start though, there's a good chance that it never will without serious time, effort, and money. Most insurance companies will give you current market value of the vehicle and not even try to have it fixed.
Even if the car does start and run, you'll probably want to have the interior cleaned and disinfected and have the engine inspected by a trained automotive technician.
If you're lucky enough, your car may suffer only minor damage in a flood. Unfortunately, most times a car has been flooded, it's taken its last ride on dry pavement ever.
Need to replace a flooded car or just time to replace one you're driving now? Give us a call at ProAutoBuying.com (401) 965-3822 or contact us through our website and we'll get you a great deal on any new or used car. Guaranteed! | <urn:uuid:db4d7c16-881b-4d92-8ca1-d9faad6b94d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellaonline.com/ArticlesP/art178709.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969563 | 547 | 2.4375 | 2 |
A small earthquake was felt in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah.
The U.S. Geological survey says the magnitude 3.9 quake struck at 9:46 p.m. MST Wednesday and was centered in Colorado, about 55 miles southwest of Grand Junction and 55 miles southeast of Moab, Utah.
University of Utah Seismologist Jim Pechmann says the temblor was chiefly felt by people in Grand Junction, Colo., as well as in some towns in Utah.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
Pechmann says the area was hit by quakes measures magnitude 4.4 in 2000 and 4.1 in 2004 | <urn:uuid:2e8cb821-e616-4837-8e2c-92da4a77717f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.krdo.com/news/Small-quake-shakes-Colo-Utah-area/-/417220/18260276/-/oo3w58/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986407 | 132 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Status and Trends of Biodiversity
Located in the south of the Sahara Desert, Mali is characterized by high temperatures and generally low rains (1200mm in the south and almost 0mm in the north of the country). The presence of large rivers like the Niger and the Senegal, as well as mountain massifs and other types of ecosystems, accounts for the existence of various biological activities. The country has identified 1739 species of plants, 136 mammal species, 640 bird species (15% considered rare), and 143 fish species. Attention needs to be drawn to the Plateau Mandingue, the Haut Bani Niger, the Delta Central du Niger, the Gourma, and the Adrar des Ifoghas, which constitute areas of great importance in regard to biodiversity. Moreover, Mali is an important domestication center for cultivated plants, such as rice, corn, sugar cane, and sorgho. Human activities, such as forest clearance, overgrazing, poaching, overfishing, bush fires, chemical fights against parasitic diseases, and use of chemical fertilizers are threatening the country’s biodiversity. The lack of awareness regarding environmental protection and the significant increase of population are adding to this difficult situation. | <urn:uuid:29cf1315-eb56-49cc-88d9-3388715d0e1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=ml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917751 | 247 | 3.59375 | 4 |
ggs at shiresoft.com
Wed Mar 16 19:59:52 CST 2005
On Wed, 2005-03-16 at 17:43 -0800, Eric Smith wrote:
> Guy wrote:
> > It doesn't
> > require *any* lab environment (just the right software and suitably
> > compliant hardware...ie a CDwriter that allows "raw" writes).
> I was assuming a "normal" CD-writer, which can't be assumed to
> support raw writes. Many CD-writers don't, and some that do claim
> to support raw writes do so incorrectly.
The one's I've used have done a reasonably good job of it. In many
cases it's the software that gets it wrong.
> If you can do raw writes, you can guarantee the alignment of the
> "data" to the subcode framing. Otherwise (with a non-raw-write-capable
> drive, you cannot, and thus you can't predict the complete details
> of the actual EFM sequence that will be written to disc. Though to
> be fair, that only will affect 14 channel code bits out of every 1372.
> But even after you've done all that, you're not going to find a way to
> generate any channel data pattern that is significantly more succeptible
> to externally induced error (e.g., oxidation) than what you will get
> from random data. That was my original point.
> > I've done this work.
> I hacked my own software to read a CD based on raw preamp output, in
> order to investigate copy-protected discs, but what would the point
> be in developing anything that could generated a desired EFM channel
> pattern from application-level data, unless you were developing or
> validating a CD writer?
It was a while ago (1997). A certain company (who shall remain
nameless) said that certain things w.r.t. CDROMs could only be done with
their media and their writers. I took that as a challenge and was able
to reproduce what they were doing with generic media and writers that
were available. It required that I delve deeply into how the CDROM
format worked and specifically the Reed-Soloman codes (since I was
writing "raw", the writer wouldn't generate them, so I had to). I was
able to write whatever I wanted (well there were limits) onto the CDROM.
Even after I had done this and showed that my results were identical to
theirs, I had their engineers telling me that it was impossible.
Which only goes to prove: "The possible we do immediately, the
impossible takes a little longer".
TTFN - Guy
More information about the cctech | <urn:uuid:4f8edd97-061d-4125-9000-aff34641f6c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctech/2005-March/002247.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969541 | 596 | 1.5 | 2 |
I try not to spend too much time complaining about media bias, mostly because it doesn’t do any good.
But I have had a couple of posts about the topic, usually when there’s a hopelessly outrageous example on an issue I care about.
- That’s why I complained about an ABC report about Mitt Romney and tax havens.
- It’s why I groused about a Reuters report that presumed Obama’s spending plans created jobs.
- And it’s why I nailed the Washington Post for using “slash” to describe a tiny reduction in the growth of spending.
I’ve also had a few posts where I hit the media for mistakes that probably don’t represent overt bias, but instead reflect no knowledge of economics and/or a cloistered worldview.
- This New York Times report about government freebies being costless.
- This distorted story, also from the New York Times, about tax reform and loopholes.
- A report from the EU Observer about which Greek political parties are against bailouts.
- And this story from the Associated Press about Social Security’s finances.
Now we can add another example to the list. But it definitely belongs in the first group, because this is clear, blatant, and deliberate bias. I’m talking, of course, about ABC News and its reprehensible decision to smear a member of the Tea Party simply because he had the same name as the Colorado killer.
The obvious question to ask is why the reporter who did the smear, Brian Ross, hasn’t been fired. But not just Brian Ross. The axe should fall on anyone involved in the ideologically biased and legally reckless decision to speculate that a 52-year old Hispanic Tea Party member was responsible for the Colorado shooting
Here’s a good cartoon from the Hope-n-Change website, which has an amusing collection of anti-Obama cartoons. This does capture the mentality of the establishment media.
P.S. Here’s another cartoon about media bias that is definitely worth sharing.
P.P.S. I get irked whenever anybody refers to the big networks and newspapers as the “mainstream press.” That’s a horribly misguided term, considering how far left they are. The Tea Party is much closer to the mainstream than those clowns. That’s why they should be called the “establishment press.” | <urn:uuid:b1607dc2-8c53-4761-8775-016227689a8d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/why-hasnt-brian-ross-of-abc-news-been-fired/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946218 | 510 | 1.5 | 2 |
Development of a Pregnancy-Specific Screening Tool for Sleep Apnea
1Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago, IL; 2NorthShore University HealthSystem, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Evanston, IL; 3Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Chicago, IL
The Berlin Questionnaire and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) are commonly used to screen for sleep apnea in non-pregnant populations. We sought to evaluate the Berlin and ESS in pregnancy and to determine whether an alternative screening approach could better detect sleep apnea in pregnant women.
Pregnant women at high risk for sleep apnea (women with chronic hypertension, pre-gestational diabetes, obesity, and/or a prior history of preeclampsia) completed a sleep survey composed of the Berlin and ESS, and participated in an overnight sleep evaluation with the Watch-PAT100 (WP100), a wrist-mounted device designed to diagnose sleep apnea, defined as an apnea hypopnea index ≥ 5. Using multivariable statistics, demographic, clinical, and subjective symptoms that were independently associated with sleep apnea were determined and a prediction rule for the presence of sleep apnea was developed. The predictive capacity of this newly developed system was compared to that of the Berlin and ESS using receiver-operating curve (ROC) statistics.
Of the 114 women who participated and had a valid WP100 study, 100 completed the Berlin and 96 the ESS. The Berlin and ESS did not accurately predict sleep apnea in this high-risk pregnancy cohort, with ROC area under the curves (AUC) of 0.54 (p = 0.6) and 0.57 (p = 0.3), respectively. Conversely, a model incorporating frequent snoring, chronic hypertension, age, and body mass index performed significantly better (AUC 0.86, p > 0.001).
The Berlin and ESS are not appropriate tools to screen for sleep apnea in high-risk pregnant women. Conversely, our four-variable model more accurately predicts sleep apnea in pregnancy.
Facco FL; Ouyang DW; Zee PC; Grobman WA. Development of a pregnancy-specific screening tool for sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med 2012;8(4):389-394.
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Join the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and receive a subscription to JCSM with your membership | <urn:uuid:ebdf1651-9728-45c5-a4c1-9c112f8425dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=28613 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903281 | 572 | 1.695313 | 2 |
||"For, no matter how isolated we make him out to be, even the loneliest loner is a social type. Adam Lanza was not an alien, not a monster, nor a machine. He was one of us."
The Social Context of Mass Murder
- Social - Article Ref: IV1301-5365
Number of comments: 1
Opinion Summary: Agree:1 Disagree:0 Neutral:0
By: Robert C. Koehler
And so the nail is driven in. This is isolation; this is the coffin. And there are so many ways of saying it.
The social context of being human has been shattered for far too many people, and one manifestation of this is the eerie rise in mass murders
- seemingly senseless, impersonal rampages - over the last four or five decades. Since the 1960s, they have increased fourteenfold in the United States, far exceeding the rise in population, according to sociologist Peter Turchin, whose four-part essay,
"Canariesin a Coal
Mine," ran at Social Evolution Forum shortly after the Newtown killings.
"The reason we should be worried about rampages," he writes, "is because they are surface indicators of highly troubling negative trends working their way through deep levels of our
In other words, groping for the motive of yet another lone nut with a gun is a sterile obsession. Why did Adam Lanza kill 27 people last month, including his mother and 20 small children? Why did William Spangler set a house on fire barely a week later, on Christmas Eve, then kill two of the volunteer firefighters who responded to it? Any personal motive we might learn of
wouldn't come close to filling the void of understanding these terrible acts tore open in the national consciousness. How are such things possible?
"There are monsters in our midst," cried Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, in his goofy press conference. His analysis had the depth of a videogame. Surely we can do better, but only if we begin looking at the social context of the mass murderer.
"Our most widespread and tragic mistake has been to imagine the suicidal mass murderer as someone who lives outside of society, the ultimate and perverted
individualist," Peter Alexander Meyers wrote last week at Huffington
Post. "For, no matter how isolated we make him out to be, even the loneliest loner is a social type. Adam Lanza was not an alien, not a monster, nor a machine. He was one of
Meyers added: "We share with him a social reality that is the common spring of both good and
So this is our task: to look for a motive not among the scattered remnants of an isolated
soul's despair, but to begin exploring the collective shadow of our social contract. What is it about the world
we've created that allows us to produce not just an endless array of creature comforts and ultrasophisticated technology and so much else that we consume, love and take for granted, but also, in increasing numbers, mass killers? Could it really be true that such people as Adam Lanza, William Spangler, James Holmes, Jared Lee Loughner and Robert Bales are
"canaries in the coal mine" - harbingers of a troubling trend that permeates all of society and is only going to get worse?
The defining characteristic of mass murder, as Turchin points out, is not that
it's senseless or random, but that the victims (at least some of them) were murdered for purely impersonal reasons. They had significance as symbols, not individuals. The killers, while no doubt triggered by personal problems and their own mental imbalance, are
- like suicide bombers and any other terrorist - making an abstract point about what they perceive as a social or institutional wrong: attacking their workplace, their school, the government or anything else they see as responsible for their woes.
"The rampage shooters see themselves as moralistic punishers striking against deep
injustice," Turchin writes. ". . . it is usually a group, an organization, an institution, or the whole society that are held responsible by the
Turchin calls it the "principle of social substitutability" - substituting a particular group of people for a general wrong or malevolent
"other." And guess what? Such behavior is built into the structure of civilization itself.
"On the battlefield," he writes, "you are supposed to try to kill a person whom
you've never met before. You are not trying to kill this particular person, you are shooting because he is wearing the enemy uniform. . . . Enemy soldiers are socially
That is to say, the definition and practice of war and the definition and practice of mass murder have eerie congruencies. Might this not be the source of the social poison? We divide and slice the human race; some people become the enemy, not in a personal but merely an abstract sense
- "them" - and we lavish a staggering amount of our wealth and creativity on devising ways to kill them. When we call it war,
it's as familiar and wholesome as apple pie. When we call it mass murder, it's not so nice.
But why are mass murders on the increase? A plethora of factors point to a society-wide descent into psychosis. These include, but are hardly limited to, spreading poverty and economic stagnation for the middle class; and the unraveling of the social safety net, including services for war vets. General social stress combines with
people's individual circumstances. And increasingly over the years, a belief in collective responsibility for one another has given way to hyper-individualism, jettisoning more and more people to their own devices. And anyone can get a gun.
The "losers" occasionally arm themselves and strike back.
Robert Koehler is an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist and nationally syndicated writer. His new book,
Courage Grows Strong at the Wound (Xenos Press) is now available. Contact him at
koehlercwgmail.com, visit his website at
commonwonders.com or listen to him at Voices of Peace radio.
© 2013 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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A "Virtual Scrapbook" of Kansas City regional history
The role of the historian is to take the bits and scraps that have survived of the past and paste them together into a useable shape from which we can understand and learn about our present and future. This page presents a few of those bits and scraps some original documents, some thoughtful articles and reminiscences about Kansas City's regional experience.
As with any scrapbook, the choice of the fragments is somewhat personal, mirroring in part the interests, the philosophies, and the approaches to history of the SHSMO-KC staff. It is also determined by which projects are available and doable. Therefore the relationship among the parts may be evident, or they may be non-existent. Regardless, each element and the whole are provided for whatever value and enjoyment you may take from them.
Assistant Director, SHSMO-KC
THE KANSAS CITY HISTORY PROJECT
In the late 1950s a group of scholars lead by the University of Chicagos Dr. R. Richard Wohl undertook to study the history of Kansas City. This effort, known as the Kansas City History Project, was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Kansas City Trusts and Foundations. Kansas City was the subject of this work because it was considered large enough and diverse enough to be a representative urban community, while being enough to be a manageable project far more so than would be a study of New York, Chicago, or Boston.
The Project yielded a variety of results primarily as papers, theses and dissertations, and books. Many of the students went on to become noted scholars and teachers in urban history.
The History of Kansas City Projects and
the Origins of American Urban History
by Charles N. Glaab, Mark H. Rose, and William H. Wilson. [Reprinted from the JOURNAL OF URBAN HISTORY 18#4 (August 1992): 371-394 with permission from the Sage Publications, Inc.
This critical article, co-authored by two of the participants in the History Project, traces the origins and legacies of this important early effort in urban history studies. "The History of Kansas City projects developed because of three related circumstances; the sociopolitical concerns of foundations, the research strategies of scholars outside urban history, and the ability of the directors to relate urban history to both."
The Usable Past: A Study of Historical Traditions in Kansas City, by R. Richard Wohl and A. Theodore Brown. [Reprinted from The Huntington Library Quarterly 23 (May 1960): 237-59 with permission from the Huntington Library.]
"The Usable Past" article is both a valuable insight into the role of local historians writing about KCs past over a 100 year period, and also the philosophies and analytical methods of modern, academically trained historians as they evaluate sources.
The Influence of Surroundings by Sidney J. Hare by Sidney J. Hare. Park and Cemetery VII#7 (September 1897): 156-157.
Among the most influential planners in Kansas City and national was Sid Hare, founder with his son Herbert, of the landscape and city planning firm of Hare and Hare. This speech before the eleventh annual convention of the Association of American Cemetery Superintendents held in Cincinnati OH September 14th-17th, 1897 was abstracted in the Association's Park and Cemetery journal. Unfortunately the full text of the speech may not have survived. Reportedly Hare's speech was one of the earliest articulated links of landscape design and cemetery design which would influence two decades of refinements in cemetery design and ambience.
Water: Playful Pranks of the Missouri. Kansas City Times,
January 7, 1872, 4/1
"The Floods of 1827 and 1844 – Will There be a Flood this Spring – Some Recollections of a Native of the Soil."
This revealing article written for the Kansas City Times in 1872, reported memories from one of Kansas City's earliest residents – Pierre Menard Chouteau, son of Francois and Berenice Chouteau, who settled in the vicinity in 1822 Though some of the facts are garbled (the earlier flood was in 1826, not 1827), there are interesting tidbits of information and relationships of places and people.
STORY OF THE “EARLY DAYS” by Henry H. Avis.
"Personal reminiscences of freighting across the plains, the pony express, gold mining and Indian fighting."
In July 1921, 81 year old Henry H. Avis (1840-1927) for the occasion of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the State of Missouri felt compelled to put onto paper his reminiscences of his experiences from roughly 1857 to 1867 when he travelled and worked as an express rider, gold prospector and Indian fighter in Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The original typescript document bares Avis' signature and a notary confirmation that it was "duly sworn, on his oath stated that the above and forgoing statement...was true to the best of his knowledge and belief at this day."
A Preliminary Survey of Photographers and Artists in Kansas City, Missouri, 1850 to 1882 (and a few miscellaneous photographers in Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties, Missouri, 1860 to 1880) by David Boutros
A Preliminary Survey of Photographers and Artists in St. Joseph, Missouri, 1859 to 1889 by David Boutros
These papers, based upon research done nearly 30 years ago, is a preliminary attempt to provide for the student of historic photographs information for knowing the photographer behind the photograph. They are surveys of photographers and artists in Kansas City and St. Joseph: a compilation of names, occupations, addresses, and relationships of persons involved in what can be called the beginnings of the photographic and arts community in those western Missouri cities.
The primary method of this study was to read and record information from the available city and business directories of Kansas City, St. Joseph, and the State of Missouri. This research, though an important first step, is far from conclusive. The persons listed were likely not the only photographers in the cities. Amateurs and semi-professional photographers who were found in the directories under other professions were not included. Artists, artist suppliers, and picture dealers have been included because many were known to also deal with photographers. Also listed were persons employed by the photographers and others including retouchers, camera operators, print finishers, and even messengers and porters.
Artists played an important role in the photographic industry. The term “artist” applied in the directories to the early photographers illustrates the relationship of the two professions. Further, the artist often used photographs to supplement his work, and the photographer used the artist’s brush to improve his photographic images. Many artists were employed by photographers to perform two functions: to retouch the negative to improve on the reality of the image taken, and to color the photographic print giving a more life-like illusion to the final product.
The material presented in each paper is divided into two parts: an alphabetical listing of the persons associated with the photographic industry with a chronological account of their occupations, business addresses residences, and a yearly index of the names of these same persons.
A Brief History of Kansas City
Medical Schools with Kansas City or University of Kansas City as part of their
by Marilyn Burlingame (May 24, 2005)
Researchers, most specifically genealogists not residing in this area, who enter “Kansas City College” or “Kansas City University” into an Internet search engine, inevitably find “The University of Kansas City” (now the University of Missouri-Kansas City) on their screen. This usually results in a request to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Archives for records, particularly student information.
Unfortunately, little such information is available. The Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City has the Jackson County Medical Society Records (KC0088), the Kansas City Academy of Medicine Records (KC0187), and the Kansas City Medical Library Club Records (KC0186), which contains brief histories and lists of faculty for many schools, but not students. Additionally, there is useful information in From Shamans to Specialists, A History of Medicine and Health Care in Jackson County Missouri by Barbara M. Gorman, Richard D. McKinzie, and Theodore A. Wilson (Kansas City, MO: Jackson County Medical Society, 1981). Also available and very useful is, Hospital Hill: An Illustrated Account of Public Health Care Institutions in Kansas City, Missouri by James Soward, (Kansas City: Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation, 1995). [Soward's research notes are in SHSMO-KC's James L. Soward (1932-2005) Papers (0879kc).]
This paper by Marilyn Burlingame, long-time Senior Archives Specialist for the University of Missouri-Kansas City University Archives, pulls together a very brief "genealogy" of the various medical schools in Kansas City.
Broadcasting in Kansas City
The following three papers were authored by William James Ryan, a broadcast historian and professor emeritus of communication at Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri. He was chair of the Department of Communication, and the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts at Rockhurst. Bill Ryan began the Kansas City Broadcasting Oral History Project (KCBOHP) in 1985, producing 100 oral history interviews with men and women who served a variety roles in Kansas City radio and television. These interviews were named the Kansas City Broadcasting Oral History Collection (KCBOHC) and are now be found in the William James Ryan (1940- ) Papers (K0457), at the State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center-Kansas City (SHSMO-KC).
From this wealth of research he has written a number of papers and articles, including "Which Came First?—65 Years of Kansas City Broadcasting,” (Missouri Historical Review LXXXII (July 1988): 408-423) for which he received the Missouri State Historical Society's Author's Award. He has a chapter in Television in America: Local Station History from Across the Nation (Iowa State University Press, 1997), and nine articles in Historical Dictionary of American Radio (Greenwood, 1998). His book manuscript, Keep Watching Kansas City: Where Listeners Become Friends. A Regional History of Broadcasting, 1914-1979, that SHSMO-KC hopes to publish in the future.
Bill is a member of the Oral History Committee of the American Journalism Historians Association, the Society for Professional Journalists, Missouri Broadcast Education Association, and the History Division of the Association of the Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication.
African-Americans in Local Broadcasting: Kansas City, 1922-1982
This paper is derived from a presentation to the 77th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, Kansas City, Missouri, October 9, 1992.
Reporting the ‘51 Flood: An Oral History of the Impact of a Natural Disaster on Local Broadcast News
This paper is derived from a presentation to the American Journalism Historians Association Annual Meeting, Lawrence, Kansas, October 1-3, 1992.
Elinor Fox and WHB’s Wartime Programming
Kansas City’s pioneer WHB is an example of how local radio could offer opportunities for innovative programming developed by an energetic career-minded woman in the late 1930s and how her responsibilities increased as men left for the military while the station adapted to a wartime mode. Placed in the context of WHB’s wartime programming, this paper uses oral history research with Elinor Fox Kamen to tell how she entered radio just before World War II, wrote, produced and announced her own new programming ideas during the war and then moved out of broadcasting after the war.
Submitted to the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication Midwest Journalism Conference, April 8-9, 1994, Columbia, Missouri.
Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawks: “The Orchestra That Made Radio Famous”
The Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawks Orchestra was the first band to broadcast popular music live to a nation-wide radio audience on a regular schedule. The orchestra’s debut was heard throughout North America. Carleton Coon and Joe Sanders pioneered the use of radio to reach a mass audience with popular music, leaving a legacy to musicians who followed.
Original manuscript written December 6, 1987; edited for presentation at the Popular Culture Association conference on February 17, 1989.
Still Serving Kansas City: A History of Prime Health by Michael B. Wood (August 2005)
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to care about the history of an organization that no longer exists—either in name or in function. On closer examination, though, Prime Health’s story is one of commitment to a community and to an ideal by a group of citizens who felt they could make a difference.
Prime Health was the first HMO established in metropolitan Kansas City, opening its doors in 1976. Part of a national effort to provide economical quality health care, from the beginning it was at the forefront of the HMO movement, in that it was among the first medical operations in the country to make widespread use of nurse practitioners to enhance access to and quality of care. The collaborative model using physicians and nurses is widely used in clinic settings today; was selected by Medicare to become one of four demonstration sites for its “risk” contracts, which allowed beneficiaries to have their coverage provided by an HMO; was the first health plan in the area to offer preventive and early detection services in its basic package, to provide enrollment with no exclusion for preexisting services and to implement an “urgent care” program—opening its health centers in the evening and on weekends to deter unnecessary emergency use.
This article provides a first hand view of the development of this exceptional institution, written by one of its founders, Michael B. Wood.
The William Volker and Company by David Boutros
William Volker, the businessman, is unfortunately overlooked in favor of William Volker, the philanthropist. Volker is perceived in the popular tradition as a kind hearted “easy touch” who could not say no to an out-stretched hand. In fact, Volker was not an “easy touch” but was as methodical in his philanthropy as he was in his business, and many of his business goals—providing quality service, giving incentives for self reliance and efficiency, and being busy and happy—were also the goals of his giving. For this reason Volker’s business life is, in fact, an important factor in understanding the actions and values of the man. The significance of the William Volker and Company is not only the means by which Volker gained the wealth he so freely gave away, but is also an expression of his most basic attitudes toward life and his fellow men.
This article traces the history of the Company and the interaction of its founder's personal philosophy in its operation and development.
Also see The William Volker and Company Records (K0059).
Letters from the Century Box.
The evening of December 31, 1900, citizens of Kansas City gathered at Convention Hall to celebrate the new year and the new century. They placed mementoes of the community into a cooper box to be sealed for a future generation of Kansas Citians to open. That box, the Century Box, remained closed, stored first in a wall at Convention Hall, and then when that building was razed in 1936, moved to a wall at Municipal Auditorium's Music Hall. On January 1, 2001, nearly 1,000 interested citizens came to Union Station to watch the Century Box opened and to hear the messages and see the mementoes revealed. Among the first items to come out of the Box was the letter from the James A. Reed, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, which was read to the crowd by the city's current Mayor, Kay Barnes.
Equally interesting is the future thinking letter by the Kansas City, Kansas Mayor, R.L. Marshman. Anticipating great technological changes, Marshman also projected many political and social changes to the metropolitan area.
It is important to see these letters, and the other messages from the Century Box, as expressions of optimism and of hope from a generation that created the "Kansas City Spirit". Rebuilding Convention Hall in 90 days, they believed and intended to make Kansas City into the "City of the Future". With these letters the Mayors, assuming the success of that venture, are sharing in its glory and the dawn of yet another new century.
Resources and tools
Kansas City Regional Histories Bookshelf
A contribution to the KC150 Celebration.
State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center-Kansas City has brought together the digital publications and indexes of some of the key Kansas City regional history books.
Last revised: Monday, December 31, 2012
© State Historical Society of Missouri | <urn:uuid:6a637c44-74b8-49b6-9d9f-a8d8eabbc447> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.umkc.edu/WHMCKC/Scrapbook/Scrapbook.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948935 | 3,510 | 2.1875 | 2 |
The overall pattern of food over a period of time is more important than the contents of one meal.
Children who have been breastfed have lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels and are less likely to be obese as adults.
Children need a constant supply of iron-rich foods and while chicken and sausages do contain this mineral it would be useful to try and include other sources such as eggs and pulse vegetables like peas, beans and lentils to ensure that the children are meeting their needs.Try to get into the habit of always offering a small glass of orange juice with iron - rich foods as it helps the body absorb extra iron.
Calcium is an important nutrient for healthy bones and teeth and so it is especially important that children include three servings (teenagers and young people need five servings) of milky foods in their diet every day. The best sources of calcium are milk, cheese and yogurt.
Check with the family doctor before using any vitamin or mineral supplements. ‘Food first’ is the motto for getting all the nutrients children and adults need, as food provides nutrients in a form that is much better used by the body. There may be times when some children do need the extra boost of a supplement.
Healthy Snack Ideas:
- Chunks of raw vegetables and fruit
- A small sandwich
- Yogurt or fromage frais
- Dried fruit
- Dry roasted nuts (not for under 5s)
- Scone or bagel
- Plain popcorn
- Cheese cubes or fingers
- Bread/toast and jam or peanut butter
- Breakfast cereal and milk
So Your child won’t drink milk? Try…
- Cheese on crackers
- Fruit salad with yogurt
- A mug of hot chocolate
- A slice of pizza or lasagne
- A fruit smoothie or milkshake
- Baked potato with grated cheese
- Custard or milk pudding
- A toasted cheese sandwich
- Macaroni cheese or cheesy pasta bake
- Cheese slices, triangles or strings
- Chunks of cheese in crispy salad
- Fish with white sauce
- Muesli with natural yogurt | <urn:uuid:72a568ba-f41a-4500-9f95-f16b5bbdedaa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rollercoaster.ie/Article/tabid/156/ArticleName/A_Balanced_Diet/Default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926042 | 444 | 3.34375 | 3 |
A rising wave of metal theft is causing British insurers to pay out more than £1 million every week, an insurance conference concluded.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI), who held the talks, has said that everything from train cables to sculptures are stolen, with around 1,000 incidents taking place every week.
Five years ago there was half the number of metal thefts occurring and insurers are bearing the impacts of the crime wave. However, it could be costing the wider economy as much as £770 million per year due to the direct financial loss of the theft, disruption and lost business.
“Metal thieves are putting lives at risk, causing expensive damage and massive disruption," said Nick Starling, the ABI's director of general insurance.
"From delayed train journeys to loss of telephone and internet connections, to damaged churches, most people are affected by this crime."
The ABI, therefore, supports government action to make it more difficult to shift stolen metal, as well as tougher repercussions for offenders.
Insurance firms should act now to improve the security of its customers, as well as compensating those afflicted. | <urn:uuid:8f8af62f-630c-41f8-9641-dbac8611fddf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.quotezone.co.uk/news/Metal-theft-costing-insurers-%C2%A31mn-a-week.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978644 | 230 | 1.96875 | 2 |
The Humboldt Economic Index has been used as a measure of economic activity across the county for over a decade, but it has never included our county’s prinicipal economic activity—pot production. Erick Eschker, Director of the Humboldt Economic Index and Professor in the Department of Economics at
Humboldt State University, is working to make the index reflect Humboldt’s real-world economy and has developed an anonymous marijuana production survey as a way to gather data while protecting the privacy of growers.
The better we can establish the importance of the marijuana industry to Humboldt County, the more credibility the grower community will have with both government officials and the non-grower general public. The marijuana economy and the community it has supported for over 30 years must become normal, matter of fact and openly discussed, not a matter for snickering, denial or wild speculation. A conspicuous perch on the monthly county economic index will not only lend credibility to what is already in place and working, but will provide a basis for identifying areas where improvement is needed.
If you’re interested in participating, see the introductory letter printed below. You can remain completely anonymous, but there needs to be a one-time verification that you are a real, local grower. You can be verified by contacting Erick Eschker directly or by going through HuMMAP. What verification means is that someone from HuMMAP whom you know would act as a one-time anonymous intermediary, telling Erick that we know someone who is willing to do the survey. He would then assign you a number which we would pass on to you. From then on, you would send in a short form directly to him each month with that number on it.
These days, that level of cloak and dagger secrecy is hardly necessary, with so many people growing very publicly under California’s medical marijuana laws. But, to get a real assessment of the economic activity in the county, it has to include as many people as possible, regardless of operation size or legal status. Erick is interested in gathering data from big and small growers, indoor and outdoor, across the county.
Charley Custer of HuMMAP can be reached at 707-923-1440 and Erick Eschker can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or 707-826-3216
From Humboldt State Department Of Economics:
Dear Community Member,
The Humboldt State University Humboldt Economic Index is creating an exciting new measure of the local economy that will track marijuana production and we need monthly data from people who are producing marijuana. All data will remain strictly confidential and we will report only an overall average and not amounts from any individuals. We are seeking data from both indoor and outdoor producers. Specifically, we need the following data each month:
1. amount of trimmed marijuana produced last month
2. amount of trimmed marijuana sold last month
3. number of employees at your production site last month
4. average wholesale price of marijuana that you sold last month
5. expected production of next harvest
We expect that it will only take a few minutes each month to report these data. We will carefully explain the specific type of data that we are seeking from you. We will work with you to find the most secure and confidential means to obtain your data. We do not need to know your name, but we need to know that we are receiving data from the same person and we must be able to contact you if we have data questions. We will assign a unique identifier number to you and will not enter your name into our records.
If we can secure on-going participation from enough people then we can provide the public the only monthly source of marijuana production information for the county. We will release the results each month when we publish the Humboldt Economic Index. This will help business people like yourself and community leaders to much more accurately gauge the state of marijuana production in this area. Your help as a new data provider would be invaluable with this important community service, and we hope that you will agree to participate on an on-going monthly basis.
We need data providers who are willing to voluntarily provide monthly data to us. Every month, the data provider will email, fax, phone, or mail in the information to the Index. Itis our experience that these data can be sent with very little effort. These data will be collected and used to form a Marijuana Index. This Index is not a dollar or quantity amount, but rather reflects changes in overall production each month. The Marijuana Index will be set so that January, 2010, say, is the “base year.” So, for example, the Index may publish that the Marijuana Index is “120” in February, 2012. This means that overall production in our sample of companies is 20% greater compared to January, 2010.
In addition to providing monthly data to the Index, we ask that you give as much historical data as possible, back to January, 2009 or earlier, if possible. This is important in order to form a consistent and useful historical data series.
Data confidentiality is strictly enforced at the Index. We know that you will only give us confidential data if you are assured that your numbers will not be made public. The only number that we report each month is the overall sector Index value. We never report actual amounts for individuals. Since we use many data providers, it is impossible for anyone to calculate a specific individual’s numbers from our report. We also never list our data providers. The data that we collect from you and our other data providers is entered into a password protected spreadsheet. It resides on a password protected computer in a locked room. Only faculty members and our two student assistants have access to this room. Our two student assistants sign a letter pledging to maintain the strict confidentiality of your data. We have never had a breach of security.
The most recent Humboldt Economic Index can be accessed at <http://www.humboldt.edu/econindex/current.pdf>. As you can see, there is no individual-specific data that are released to the public.
Thank you for your help with this important community endeavor. Please contact me if you would like to participate or have questions.
Erick Eschker Director, Humboldt Economic Index and Professor, Department of Economics Humboldt State University email@example.com 707-826-3216 | <urn:uuid:f0169c1a-31ba-48f2-a30d-8b9f87e8eac7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hummap.org/2011/05/02/humboldt-countys-real-economic-index/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942442 | 1,351 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Equal thanks, however, must go to the films, performers, music and recordings explored in these pages --- all which have proven, beyond my wildest expectations, that they still possess the power to intrigue, enlighten and entertain. This, at a time when it seemed they'd been all but forgotten and that all there was to learn about them had already been written.
The early Talkies, while resigned to forever lurk in the deep shadows behind the era of the silent film and the product of the 1930's, are still very much with us --- a bit forlorn and tattered perhaps, but patiently waiting to spring to life once again, whenever given the chance to do so.
The ultimate credit, then, must go to you --- the readers of this work, for allowing these distant voices and lost chords of another day, time and place to be heard and appreciated again... and anew.
For this holiday offering, and until "Vitaphone Varieties" returns on New Year's Day of 2007, a diverse selection of what I hope will be audible cheer!
From 1932, a two-sided British 78rpm recording entitled "Gracie's Christmas Party," in which the beloved British entertainer, Gracie Fields, welcomes listeners into her home on Christmas Eve for an evocative bit of melody and mirth. Gracie's rendition of "Singing in the Bathtub," from "The Show of Shows" (WB-1929) is but one of many pleasures to be found in this lovely artifact of a more innocent time, lost beyond recall.
"Gracie's Christmas Party" (1932)
While the allure of child performer Davey Lee is difficult to appreciate today, there's no denying his place in film history as the first true child star of the sound era.
Between 1928 and 1930, Lee appeared with Al Jolson in "The Singing Fool" and "Say It With Songs," and as a supporting player in "Frozen River," "Skin Deep and "The Squealer," but in 1929 would be given his own starring vehicle "Sonny Boy." As could be expected, Lee's popularity was as tremendous as it was ultimately short lived. Before a momentarily charmed public turned its attention elsewhere, the boy was utilized for advertising campaigns, public service announcements, all manner of film cross promotional advertising, and was the feature character in a number of children's books and at least one commercial 78rpm recording.
For Christmas of 1929, the Brunswick two-sided recording of "Sonny Boy's Bear Story" was deemed an appropriate gift item for the kiddies, but as to how often they were allowed to listen to the recording on the family's phonograph is very much a matter of debate and tolerance, as you'll discover here.
"Sonny Boy's Bear Story" (1929) Davey Lee
Rather astonishing, but former child actor Davey Lee has his own small but charming web site --- surely the only such instance for any Vitaphone era performer, and well worth a visit. The link: "Sonny Boy Lives Here"
From 1931, an example of an idea that came either too late or too early in the game to be effective! Although Victor's first entry into the realm of the long-playing record was met with critical acclaim, it wasn't enough to lure the financially conscious public into the phonograph dealer's showroom. Had the device arrived four or even three years earlier, the outcome might have been rather different --- but as it was, 1931 wasn't the right time for entertainment luxury items. While the content of this demonstration disc (one side of which is offered here) is technically acceptable and certainly entertaining, it's interesting to note that most of the selections hearken back to an earlier day --- 1928, 1929 and 1930 specifically, and that despite the selling point being that this new process allows for greater "elbow room" for the performers, all that listeners heard here were, primarily, much abbreviated renditions of selections that could be heard, in full, on standard 78rpm recordings! A noble misfire.
With Frank Crumit as the Master of Ceremonies and performances by The Revelers, pianists Arden & Ohman and Nathaniel Shilkret leading the Victor Orchestra, here's a "right idea, wrong time" bit of phonograph history.
"Victor Artist's Party" (1931)
Nothing about the history of the early talking films is set in stone, and the fact that much of it seems to be badly in need of reevaluation is made apparent by the wealth of misinformation surrounding the 1928 film "My Man," which featured multi-talented entertainer Fannie Brice.
Usually cited as being largely silent with a few interpolated vocalizations (as in "The Jazz Singer") and that the film performed miserably outside of key cities that could boast audiences appropriately ethnic enough to patronize and appreciate the film, such wasn't the case.
Whether or not readers of a Lima, Ohio newspaper entered the puzzle contest to the right in order to win tickets to see "My Man" is unknown, but audiences turned out in droves nonetheless --- and not only in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, but in small cities and even smaller cinemas throughout the States, from late 1928 to mid 1929. Period reviews of the film are limited (many "reviews" are actually prefabricated publicity placements, but these become easy to detect in time!) but almost without exception, are tremendously positive. In fact, when a negative aspect concerning the film does appear, it's invariably in connection with the fact that the film does have brief periods of silence (a musical score with inter-titles --- perhaps 20% of the film's length) and that it wasn't designed as a full talkie.
Indeed, in more than one instance, the film was "held over" for the run of another full week --- a fact in direct contrast with the usually gloomy evaluations of the film one encounters in some books.
To be fair, the fact that precious little was thought to survive of the film for decades likely played a role in it's misrepresentation, but as bits and pieces of the film's Vitaphone disc soundtrack begin to emerge (only about 20% is still absent today) and fact gradually replaces opinion, the story changes.
Unfortunately, there's no getting around the fact that absolutely nothing is known to exist of the visual elements for "My Man," but hope springs eternal --- and films have a remarkable knack for turning up when least expected and from the most unexpected of sources too. I for one can't believe that a film so infused with the spirit and vibrancy of this most remarkable of all American entertainers would allow itself to remain lost forever --- if only for the fact that Brice herself would likely want nothing more than to set the record straight, once and for all.
Two excerpts from the surviving Vitaphone disc material for "My Man."
The first, a rendition of "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You," that begins simply at a piano as Brice puts her affection for an oblivious bloke (Guinn Williams) into song, and then opens up with full yet fleeting orchestra accompaniment.
"I'd Rather Be Blue..." (1928) Vitaphone Excerpt
The second, occurring on Fannie's wedding day, begins with an orchestral reprise of the above tune (one of the film's few silent sequences) and then explodes into an unusual and delightfully joyous rendition of the usually tear-laden song "My Man."
To close this holiday edition of "Vitaphone Varieties," which will return on New Year's Day of 2007, a moment of subdued romanticism from a film not usually thought of in either term --- "The Gold Diggers of Broadway" (WB-1929,) in which Nick Lucas provides the vocal incentive for William Bakewell to tuck a reluctant Helen Foster into bed and then, gentleman that he is, leave her to her dreams! | <urn:uuid:83daac91-0d25-4def-8bdc-511b9da301a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://vitaphone.blogspot.com/2006/12/yuletide-frolic.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969908 | 1,654 | 1.5 | 2 |
The number of women joining religious orders in England and Wales has almost tripled in the last three years, according to a June 13 article in England’s Catholic Herald newspaper that said 17 women joined religious orders in Britain last year, up from six in 2009.
“Something is definitely happening,” said Father Richard Nesbitt, Westminster diocesan vocations director, when asked if this could be the sign of a revival for women religious in Britain.
Sister Cathy Jones, who works for the National Office for Vocation in London, also said there has been a “significant increase in those thinking of entering religious life.”
Sister Cathy, who took her final vows more than a year ago as a member of the Religious of the Assumption, said there was a record number of women at the Westminster Diocese’s “Come and See” event in February, which gives women the chance to learn more about consecrated life.
She said more than 30 women attended the event , far exceeding the number that would have been drawn to a similar function 20 or 30 years ago.
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New York Governor Cuomo declares a ‘Public Health Emergency’ due to harsh flu season
Just three days after Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a public health emergency for that city because of the flu outbreak, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo did the same for the whole state of New York, according to a Governor’s press release Jan. 12.
New York has already reported nearly 20,000 influenza cases so far this season (19,128). This is over four-times the number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases that were seen during the entire 2011-2012 flu season.
Additionally, as of January 5, 2013, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) received reports of 2,884 patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza, compared to 1,169 total hospitalizations in 2011.
In addition to the declaration of a public health emergency, Cuomo also issued an Executive Order which allows pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations to patients between six months and 18 years of age.
This Order suspends for the next 30 days the section of State Education Law that limits the authority of pharmacists to administer immunizing agents only to individuals 18 years of age or older.
So far this season, New York has reported to pediatric influenza-related deaths.
“We are experiencing the worst flu season since at least 2009, and influenza activity in New York State is widespread, with cases reported in all 57 counties and all five boroughs of New York City,” Governor Cuomo said. “Therefore, I have directed my Administration, the State Health Department and others to marshal all needed resources to address this public health emergency and remove all barriers to ensure that all New Yorkers – children and adults alike – have access to critically needed flu vaccines.”
New York health officials strongly advise all New Yorkers who have not already received their influenza vaccine to do so immediately, and to encourage all providers to continue to administer the influenza vaccine to their patients.
NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mr. Cuomo made a public display of getting shots this past week, according to a NY Times report.
For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page | <urn:uuid:26631ad9-dd09-43f7-a222-c3314afc6056> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/new-york-governor-cuomo-declares-a-public-health-emergency-due-to-harsh-flu-season-16381/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946602 | 454 | 2.1875 | 2 |
In 1548 Palladio received his first public commission from the town of Vicenza. The reconstruction of the original loggia surrounding the medieval town hall had collapsed in 1496, and after gathering proposals for its replacement from many of the well-known architects of the time, including Jacopo Sansovino, Sebastiano Serlio, Michele Sanmicheli and Giulio Romano, the town council decided in favour of the design by the local architect Palladio, thus firmly establishing his reputation. Palladio's solution for the loggia of the Palazzo della Ragione (also known as the Basilica) is brilliantly convincing, not least because of the use of the Serlian motif with which he concealed the irregularities of the inner structure, particularly the different widths of the bays, by varying the side openings while giving the building a harmonious general appearance. The idea of a double skin for the building derives from the structure of ancient Roman theatre walls, the vertical axes of which are articulated by equal-sized openings on the different floors and by engaged columns set in front of the walls. In addition, Palladio projected the Serliana--subsequently also called the Palladian motif--in the third dimension, since its columns are duplicated towards the interior of the loggia. The boundary between the building and the piazza was thus made permeable, as befitted the building's function as the seat of the town council. | <urn:uuid:16ae4f38-3ca8-443a-8963-7181c7a1ce4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://contentdm.unl.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/archivision/id/27633/rec/10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96367 | 300 | 2.875 | 3 |
Social media in education
In 2004 Robin Sloan, Matt Thompson and Aaron McLeran released the video EPIC2014 with the following stand out lines:
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. In the year 2014 people have access to a breadth and depth of information unimaginable in an earlier age... At its best, EPIC [Evolving Personalised Information Construct] is a summary of the world — deeper, broader and more nuanced than anything ever available before. But at its worst, and for too many, EPIC is merely a collection of trivia, much of it untrue, all of it narrow, shallow and sensational... Perhaps there was another way."There is a role that education can play in the EPIC forecast to help ensure that for as many people as possible it is the best of times, but of course we know it will never be. Commenting in 2005 on the accuracy of the predictions in their video Matt Thompson said, "Robin and I know 2014 won't resemble the future EPIC describes. Because 2005 already does." And in 2009 most people still have no idea how they might use this new media scape to their educational benefit. Most aren't even aware that it exists!
In 2009, 5 years after Youtube became popular in the world, the NSW Department of Education and Training (Australia's largest state education body) unblocked Youtube - for teachers only. Twitter remains blocked for everyone in school, as do numerous other social media platforms that make up the mediascape described in the EPIC video. A situation of censorship, blockage or just poor performance that is common in most educational institutions that have made computing a central force in their practice.
More recently and more famously, anthropologist Michael Wesch released his video The Machine is Using Us that endeavors to explain how and why this new media is significant (his longer videos go into more depth). But over the past 5 years I am yet to met a teacher in Australia or New Zealand who can talk at any length about Wikipedia's role in education. I know only 2 or 3 who use Youtube beyond simple viewing, and only a handful who have 'opened' their practice up for wider participation and involvement. The vast majority of the teachers I work with still have no idea how to make a hyper link, how to use tabbed browsing, what it means to subscribe to RSS feeds, or even begin to imagine what use these things would be in their profession, let alone their students and the wider community. I've given up on the possibility that the education sector might help ensure the best of times for people in the epic future of now. That assurance will have to come from somewhere else.
And what of open education - currently hijacked by another concept known as open educational resources (OER)? It is the peak of digital and network awareness in the education sector, but what relevance does it have to teachers and students really? According to the two videos, we already have all the access we need, so if we were to answer that question from the perspective of resources alone, we could only conclude nothing! OER has nothing to offer teachers and students at all. A teacher doesn't need OER to make it ok doing the things they do anyway. A normal person doesn't care if the resource they are using is an illegitimate copy in a format that doesn't meet standards of obscure freedom - they just want access, and so far they have it.
OER promises more efficient production of content - based on collaboration; reusability of content - based on copyright; and sustainability of content - based on formats. These are the concerns of the publishing industry, libraries and educational policy makers. Copyright and format standards are nothing more than geeky nuisances to the average teacher I work with, who hours before class is printing off the staple bound A4 photo copy they have been piecing together for 4 years now, or burning illegitimate copies of CDROMs that the library bought for a packet 10 years ago, or slapping together a restricted access Moodle for the first and only time, relying heavily on over time, Google (anything-will-do) search, and technical assistance.
As it turns out, no-one is reusing OER anyway, and this is just evidence that the publishing industry is well and truly asleep at their wheel. Even if teachers had the prerequisite skills, awareness and political disposition for appreciating OER (assuming that person still works in education), we all know that educational content is inherently non-reusable anyway, making collaboration even more difficult and the rest redundant. Let's face it, the concept of open educational resources needs to be very broad in scope if it is to survive the hell ride of implementation, which is why open education is less about content than it is about practice - probably most of all in the process of assessment.
Certainly narrowing open education down to a MediaWiki, the Internet or even digital formats will ultimately cripple progress toward a free and egalitarian education system. Open education is about much more than content...
At the beginning of 2008 almost 70% of NZ was not connected to a useful Internet, and apparently 80% of the world had no dial tone - online learning is the practice of a minority, and yet has been the primary focus of most educational development funding over the past 15 years. Why is this? How is it that policy makers and funding agents had the apparent foresight 15 years ago to start investing huge amounts of money into computer mediated online learning? This was long before there was any evidence to say it would benefit people learning? And long long before we had any evidence to say it would be useful to teaching and education - we're still waiting for that evidence.
In 2004, when the Internet was only starting to have signs of persistent impact on our way of life - it would seem that this investment money had all but dried up when it came to ideas about open education and engaging with social media. 15 years later, and billions of dollars down, how can we know it was money well spent? Well it wasn't. We have countless CDROMs sitting under dust on library shelves, we have learning object repositories complete with SCORM compliance and DRM, painfully stupid learning management systems that struggle to work with our even more painful student management systems! And most of all we have a deeply entrenched IT infrastructure that is totally geared towards restricting access rather than granting access to learning and opportunities for education. Today, if you spoke to most people living in the worst times of epic, you'd have to wonder about the wisdom and motivations of the of the education sector.
Age old questions
So my question is this: What is it REALLY that is causing the teacher disengagement from something so apparently important to the meaning of literacy, teaching and access to learning? Why does it seem that the world's greatest encyclopedia, the most phenomenal video library and the most in depth access to first hand experience is made up by everyone except those wrapped up in the education system? Perhaps there is wisdom in the crowd, and that disengagement is the only appropriate response to something that's worth to the education system remains to be seen? Is it really a simple question of policy, incentives and rewards? Or is it something deeper in the psyche of a teacher, a student, human sensibilities of power and the system of education? Could it really be true, that education has never been about the empowerment of people really, rather the survival of an institution? That would mean that me, you and all those good people we've met are all part of that inevitable goal. How undignified it is to know the set up is wrong headed, but there isn't anything you can do about it but help it stay that way.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons (Attribution) license. | <urn:uuid:e4fa2db0-d0be-4cf1-806e-e9305be92e4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.leighblackall.com/2009/07/myths-lies-and-bullshit.html?showComment=1248201919484 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968279 | 1,579 | 2.828125 | 3 |
There is an article over at the 15MinuteWebsiteMaker that caught my eye because they were advocating CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) over CMS (Content Management Systems). That’s a little like comparing the use of a motor-driven bicycle to a car. The site contends that:
… Content Management Systems are expensive to buy, set up, and maintain. Cascading Style Sheets are inexpensive by comparison and require very little maintenance…
…Static sites containing CSS don’t have this problem. They load quickly and easily without hindrances like tables to slow them down…
…the CMS system has limited template designs and sometimes only one style to use throughout the site. If the company wanted to change the look of their online presence, a designer would have to come in and reload all new templates…
So here are my 5 reasons that a user should choose CMS over a simple CSS site.
1) Using a CMS, a site administrator has nearly total control over site design, layout, and content, all from a web site environment, as most CMS engines use an online “administrator only” section for controlling the site. In addition, you will not need to hire someone to continually update the site (by uploading “new” pages). The maintenance of the system is self-contained. And some CMS (like Kentico) provide many more page layouts and styles than a business would ever need to use.
When the author of the article claims that a designer would have to come help the company if they use a CMS is misleading. If the company uses CSS, and no one in the company has any knowledge about CSS or access to graphics editing software, then they will need to enlist the help of a designer to make any changes to the site.
2) In modern CMS dynamic web site environments, URLs can be configured to allow very good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) which can enhance your standings in search engine rankings.
Older CMS systems (and some that are not as sophisticated) did not give users much control over how the URLs in their site looked, so often you would have something that looked like “http://www.yoursite.com/default.aspx?pageid=25fdac43bcdb§ion=45” which search engines had a hard time crawling and figuring out that the page requested is “Products”. Modern CMS systems overcome this limitation by rewriting the URL as “http://www.yoursite.com/Products/” which makes search engines happier and your search engine results more accurate.
3) The fact that you can make a CSS site very quickly and easily does not mean you know how to optimize your pages for SEO. Further, in order to effectively optimize your site, there are a lot of search engine spider rules and tricks that you will need to know.
You still have to know SOME tricks to tweak your search engine results, but for the most part, modern CMS systems handle the rules for you. You may (as a site administrator) need to go into the settings of the site to add keywords and metadata, but other tricks like how headers should be coded, etc. are handled by your CMS.
4) You can install a modern CMS and maintain it by yourself if you take the time to learn how. The companies that produce these systems make it fairly straightforward to install their products. Alternatively, you can work with partners of your chosen CMS to not only install the CMS, but also provide training to administrators and content providers on the proper use of the system.
Whether you use a CMS or CSS for your site, you will need some amount of knowledge. People are not just born with the understanding of CSS, and if you ask me, I would say a CMS is easier to use than CSS.
5) Finally, most hosting companies will regularly back up your database on a regular basis, so your data is secure. They also back up their web servers on a regular basis. CSS Templates require no back-ups, until the web server that is hosting the site crashes and you lose your site altogether and have to start from scratch.
Backups are a way of life, especially when your website is critical to the mission of your business. Whether you host your own site on your own servers, or you host it with a web host (like GoDaddy, etc.) your site (and any associated data) will need to be backed up.
I will not argue against the fact that CMS are the best choice for large corporations who need the ease of site management and data that they provide. But I would also argue that CMS are appropriate for small to medium sized businesses as well because there are many out there that are free or low cost, yet still provide the same benefits listed in this post.
Above all things, I say this… There is no one perfect answer for a website, whether your business is small, medium or large. Investigate your options, know your budget (for both the immediate as well as on-going maintenance), and work with people in the industry (like Dash Technical Solutions) who can help point you in the right direction. | <urn:uuid:da2e92ff-9025-407f-9c25-0bfd496ccc5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dashtechnical.com/blog/?tag=/css | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951005 | 1,059 | 1.96875 | 2 |
About this artwork: How to look at my , or any, work of art - from ART STUFF November, 2011 1. The Formal Framework - Visual analysis - Technique - Style - Symbolism and metaphor. 2. The Personal Framework - Reflects the artists life - Links to other aspects which may relate to the artists life. 3. The Cultural Framework - The influences of time and place - Connections to contexts and cultural purposes. 4. The Contemporary Framework - Exploring contemporary issues. My art makes the invisible visible. Always near/er to the (he)art of Creation, but never close enough, yet.... Slideshows of work uploaded 13 and 14 March UQbaS Links to videos of my paintings at YOU TUBE watch?v=kPFgKwZvLx0 watch?v=xD7tC8Hmjpk watch?v=-Hfo1UsSL58 watch?v=yW7b72aRj94 The human mind treats smaller paintings as if it is looking AT an object or a thing such as a table or chair , but larger works are experienced (like installations) as if one is part of them and participate in them. Now that you know this please do not treat these images as if they are just more objects or things you look AT, but experience and participate in them. | <urn:uuid:b2e6c3a7-5a18-4712-8279-3b26f8b9de64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artmajeur.com/en/gallery/galerieulrich/collection/older-work-around-2010/1419682/artwork/de-152/6135763 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925035 | 279 | 1.882813 | 2 |
We are told to have faith even unto death. In some cases people are asked to deny Christ and take another faith. True faith will not allow someone to deny Christ, they would rather die and leave this world. This is the classic martyr. I know you already know this. Many people give their life to Christ but never face death the way I just described. It is easy for some sitting in their chair surrounded by laws and armies that protect them. I have to wonder just how many would face death for what they believe? I know millions have given their lives in Christ name over the years. But not here in the States. How quickly some lose their God given sight.
1 Cor 13:13 And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Indeed faith is important, but faith in what? What Christ are we not to deny?
Christ as defined by other men, by religions? Christ is we find evidence for? The Christ of doctrines, opinions and ideas?
There is a difference in giving up our life for Christ, and giving up our life to prove how much we think we are right? Do you see the difference?I will die for you God because I think I am right!
Is this martyrdom? There are lots of people in this world, suicide bombers for example, who are willing to die to prove how much they think they are right, and if we are dying to prove ourselves right, we are dying to prove others wrong. Is this love? Is this hope?
What does faith that walks with hope and love look like?
The faith that the Bible calls us to is much greater than this, and it only grows, or flourishes, develops, with hope and love. And in the end only faith, hope and love remain. And so if we walk towards martyrdom without these, what will remain as we die? Nothing, at least this is what Paul teaches, yes? And without love, it is all just noise, distraction. So if we die without love, we have died in vain. For no reason at all.
Without love, our faith is nothing, it is merely noise, and giving our life for empty faith is not martyrdom.
So what is this faith that walks with hope and love?
Hebrews 11 gives us a wonderful discourse on faith.Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
The faith that scripture speaks of is faith in things that are unseen. It is not faith in ideas about God, or doctrines, or religions or prophets, or faith in any evidence of our ideas about God. We cannot prove our faith to others with anything that is seen in this world. The only proof of our faith is love.
The outward manifestation of our faith is love, the inward manifestation is a devotion and focus not on this world, but on things unseen.
Those who have faith are not walking focusing on this world They are not focusing on events that unfold in this world or what all the evidence in this world is pointing to.
The faith that we are called to is inexplicable. It rises from within. It is a trust, a knowing, a certainty, that all is and will continue to unfold according to God's will, no matter how things appear in this world. And so in such faith, such trust, we can simply love. We do not need to prove ourselves, or stand up for ourselves or our beliefs, we just love, no matter what happens in this world.Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Head in the clouds, feet on earth. Focusing above, on Christ, walking here in hope for all beings - that all will receive the promises, loving all as though they are our self. This is the Key.
Faith, hope and love are the only things that remain, the only things that will bring us into the Kingdom, for these are the Kingdom, the greatest being Love. And if we do not love all, walk in hope for all, walk in faith of God's Power and Ability to heal all, to save all, to redeem, no matter how things appear here, we will not remain. If we do not have hope and love for all things, faith in all things, full faith in God, then we will fall away just like everything else that is temporal in this world.
We must become as that which remains. We must become Love, Hope and Faith.
Colossians 3If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
When our focus is on Christ, when we love fully, we offer ourselves fully to Christ, to be used in this world to benefit others. So it is not that our life is taken from us by those who are wrong or evil, but that we willingly lay down our life, we do not resist others who wish us harm, loving all, trusting God.
As it was with Isaac. Did you know that he was 35 when Abraham took him up the mountain to sacrifice him? Isaac went willingly with his Father, fully understanding what was unfolding, trusting as Abraham that God would indeed provide all that was needed, meaning that if God called for Isaac to lay down his life, it would not have been a sacrifice, Isaac loving fully in self offering, understanding that if God wanted his life, he himself must not need it anymore. | <urn:uuid:aa084c3d-7568-4401-8e37-9cddf9867393> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mormondiscussions.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=568144 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981193 | 1,784 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Six Utahns cast ballots Monday in the presidential election that really counts — the Electoral College. Mitt Romney received all those Utah votes, but, of course, he still lost nationally.
"Do I wish I were voting for the winner? Absolutely," said Utah Attorney General-elect John Swallow, one of the six Utah electors. "But do I stand in line and say as an American the election is over and I will support the president of the United States? Absolutely. That’s what we do in this country."
"It’s bittersweet and a little disappointing" to vote for Romney when it is known that he already lost, said Kyle Hicks, another elector. "But it’s an honor to represent Utah with my vote."
President Barack Obama is projected by most media to win the Electoral College by a 332-206 margin. The Constitution requires electors to vote in their state capitols at noon on the Monday following the second Wednesday in December — and send ballots to Congress to be counted on Jan. 6
The Electoral College gives each state votes equal to the number of its members in Congress — and Utah has two senators and four members of the House, one more than in the 2008 presidential election because of population gained in the 2010 Census. The District of Columbia is also given three votes.
In most states, electors are pledged to the candidate who wins the overall popular vote there.
"So voters instruct electors, who cast the actual votes," Lt. Gov. Greg Bell told students who watched the voting in the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Chambers. "Today is what counts," said Stan Lockhart, an elector who is a former chairman of the Utah Republican Party.
In Utah, the state conventions of political parties vote to select a slate of electors to cast the state’s official ballots if their party’s nominee wins the statewide popular vote. The last time the Democratic electors in Utah were able to cast ballots was 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide.
The Republican slate became the official electors here this year as Romney won 72.8 percent of the popular vote.
The official electors besides Swallow, Hicks and Lockhart included Utah Republican Party Chairman Thomas Wright; former GOP gubernatorial candidate Fred Lampropoulos; and Terry Camp, an aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Two states — Nebraska and Maine — determine how their electors are pledged a bit differently. In those states, one elector is pledged to the popular vote winner in each congressional district, and two votes are given to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
Dave Wasserman with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report figures that if every state used the same method as Maine and Nebraska, Romney would have won the electoral vote 276-262.
While Republicans in several states are discussing pushing to change the system because of such findings, Lockhart — the former GOP chairman who was one of the Utah electors — said he doubts Utah would ever make such a move.
"My sense is that Utah is more traditional in our approach, so I don’t anticipate that things will change," he said.
Some Utah legislators have also proposed that Utah join a growing compact of states that would pledge to give their Electoral College votes to whoever wins the national popular vote.
State Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, has said that would help ensure that a candidate cannot win the popular vote but lose the election — which happened in 2000 with George W. Bush and Al Gore, in 1876 with Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden, and 1888 with Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland.
Stephenson has said it would take focus away from 11 swing states, which essentially decide elections under the current system, and force candidates to worry about all states.
Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:c561f4e0-d705-4249-9e37-3edcd7f7a235> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/55483052-90/cast-election-electoral-electors.html.csp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969275 | 796 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Southern Appalachian Creature Feature Podcasts
|For more information about the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature, please contact:
160 Zillicoa St.
Asheville, NC 28801
828/258-3939, ext. 234
Volunteers keep tabs on Amphibians
Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature.
In the depths of winter, it may be a little hard to think ahead to early spring, but soon spring peepers, tiny frogs found across the Eastern United States and among the first frogs to emerge and begin mating, will begin their calling.
The emergence of frogs and toads across North Carolina brings with it the emergence of citizen scientists who venture forth to help biologists track the distribution and well-being of frog and toad populations.
The North Carolina Calling Amphibian Survey Program, or CASP, is a volunteer-based monitoring program administered by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Across the state there are 175 routes, each with 10 listening stops at least ½ a mile apart. Volunteers adopt a route and drive it once during each of three sampling windows per year. At each stop, the volunteers note the species of frogs they hear, identified by their mating calls, and also note the abundance of each species.
The North Carolina effort is coordinated with the U.S. Geological Survey’s North American Amphibian Monitoring Program, which makes the data available to anyone, including scientists who can use it to get an idea of changes in frog and toad distributions and abundances.
Anyone with a willingness to learn the frog and toad calls and drive the route three times a year can become involved by contacting the state coordinator at jeff dot hall at ncwildlife dot org.
For WNCW and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this is Gary Peeples. | <urn:uuid:c58fe90f-d7f5-4d71-a015-b4005843840b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/podcast_transcripts/CASP.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914167 | 379 | 2.25 | 2 |
A remote island with white sandy beaches, turquoise sea and a lot of palm trees is maybe only a dream destination for those who did not heard about Maldives. This island nation located in the Indian Ocean at about 400 kilometers south-west of India has all the characteristics of a true paradise.
The state is made of twenty-six atolls that consist of 1,192 islands from which only 200 are inhabited. The tourism developed in the last three decades and is mostly based on luxury resorts located on remote islands. (more…) | <urn:uuid:cd10f857-4675-4d19-8d44-9932f6b160a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shocking-news.org/tag/diving/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98259 | 108 | 1.640625 | 2 |
What should I know about Aging?
Aging is a natural, normal part of life. We sometimes tend to fear growing older, accepting without question the belief that ill health and infirmity are inevitable consequences of the aging process. It doesn't need to be this way. While it's true that our risk of disease goes up as we age, there is no reason why we cannot enjoy good health for a lifetime. In fact, science is learning more about how we can do just that. No one can turn the clock back on aging, but an impressive body of scientific research points the way to strategies that may help people stay healthier as they grow older, and perhaps even live longer. How long you live and how healthy you remain while you live depend a great deal on the way you live.(1, 2)
The maximum possible human life span is estimated to be about 120 years.(3) The average life expectancy in developed countries is 76 to 79 years. Why the difference? While science has yet to discover how to increase the maximum potential life span, people can adopt lifestyle and nutritional strategies that may allow them to live in relatively good health significantly longer than the current average life expectancy. At center stage in aging research is a class of substances found in the human body and in nature, called "free radicals."
Free radicals: The free radical theory of aging, first presented by Denham Harman, M.D., in 1956,(4) says that changes that occur in the body with aging are caused by the buildup of free radicals. In a recently published paper, Dr. Harman discusses a growing scientific consensus that free radicals are a major cause of aging--maybe the only one.(5)
What, exactly, is a free radical? Everything that exists in the physical world around us--natural or man-made--is held together by chemical bonds. All substances are made of molecules that bond to each other by sharing electrons, the subatomic particles that orbit the atom's nucleus. Electrons like to form pairs; the pairing of electrons creates a biochemical peace and stability, without which, everything would come apart at the seams. Free radicals are molecules that have an unpaired electron. This unpaired electron makes the free radical highly unstable, like a sort of molecular loose cannon. So anxious is the free radical to find a mate for its solitary electron, it will snatch an electron away from whatever is close by. The issue is far from settled at this point, however: you may now have another equally rapacious free radical desperate to replace its stolen electron. This can set off a chain reaction producing thousands of free radicals in less than a wink of an eye.(6) The process continues until something comes along with spare electrons--a biochemical benefactor that can give up an electron without itself becoming a free radical--and order is restored.
These molecular peacekeepers, substances that donate electrons to halt free radical chain reactions, are called "antioxidants." Also known as "free radical scavengers," antioxidants include familiar nutrients like vitamins A, C, and E. The plant world fairly brims with antioxidants, which is one reason why fruits and vegetables are so healthy.
What happens if an antioxidant is not available in sufficient quantity to halt the free radical chain reaction? Our cells and tissue suffer collateral damage. Fatty molecules in cell walls, proteins, enzymes that regulate cell function, even DNA itself are all vulnerable to free radical attack.(7)
What does all this have to do with aging? Fortunately, nature has outfitted the body with a rapid-response team of enzymes that neutralize free radicals before they can do much damage. In health, and in youth, we have an abundance of these enzymes. As we age, the body may not produce enough antioxidant enzymes to ke | <urn:uuid:909b1361-0aa6-41d9-8a17-5f0817dadc04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://content.nhiondemand.com/SHK/HC1.asp?objID=100212&ctype=hc_A-D | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945288 | 766 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Traveling with the Mark Twain International Chorale, Maynard Blackwood revisited Omaha Beach in Normandy for the first time in 63 years. Maynard was a soldier in the 6th Engineer Special Brigade that landed on Omaha Beach June 5, 1944.
The ceremony began with the playing of The Star Spangled Banner followed by Taps. Choir Director Dr. Dan O’Donnell, read a copy of the speech delivered at his site by President Reagan on June 6, 1984 commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. Following the reading, the Mark Twain Chorale sang a Memorial Concert including Amazing Grace, Battle Hymn of the Republic, America the Beautiful, The Lord’s Prayer and, American Heroes, ending with The Lord Bless You and Keep You.
The Mark Twain International Chorale is a volunteer group under the direction of Dr. Dan O’Donnell. It is composed of folks from Northeastern Missouri and a few singers from Iowa and Illinois. This year’s tour to France, Belgium and Holland was the choir’s sixth International Tour. Choir members from the immediate Edina area are Brent and Rita Karhoff, JoAnne Layman, Gail Doss and Lila Hilgeford.
After the concert, Maynard spoke briefly about his memories as a former soldier returning to Omaha Beach. Excerpts from his oration include describing a monument erected on Omaha Beach in Memory of the 6th Engineer Special Brigade.
"This Memorial is dedicated to all members of this command who lived and fought and died for the cause of freedom," Maynard said. "I recalled, at the age of 19, just how scared I was as I waded ashore realizing that this was not a training exercise. This was the real thing entering a combat zone. Reflecting on that day, I realize my life was spared for a purpose. I’m not here as a hero. The military personnel buried in Veterans Cemeteries on foreign soil are the real heroes."
The Normandy American Cemetery is one of 14 permanent American World War II Military Cemeteries constructed on foreign soil by the Battle Monuments Commission.
Interred at the Normandy Cemetery are the remains of 9,387 service men and women. Three hundred and seven are unknowns, three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and four women. Also buried side by side are father and son and 38 pairs of brothers. Each grave is marked with a white marble headstone, a Star of David for the Jewish faith and a Latin Cross for all others.
Behind the Memorial structure is the Garden of the Missing. Its wall contains the names of 1,557 missing in the region who gave their lives in the service of their country but whose remains have not been recovered or, if recovered, have not been identified.
A time capsule to be opened June 6, 2944 is embedded in the lawn directly opposite the entrance of the Visitor’s Building. On the slab covering the capsule the following statement in inscribed, "In memory of General Dwight D. Eisenhower and the forces under his command this sealed capsule containing news reports of the June 6, 1944 Normandy landing is placed here by the newsmen who were there." June 6, 1969.
The service men and women interned in this cemetery came from all fifty states and the District of Columbia. A small number also came from England, Scotland and Mexico. | <urn:uuid:25ead81c-449d-463c-b85a-9d6797d74fd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nemonews.net/2007/09/11/maynard-blackwood-returns-to-normandy-after-63-years/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964704 | 695 | 2.203125 | 2 |
How’s this for a question:
The struggles in Europe to keep Greece in the euro zone and the brinkmanship in America over the debt ceiling have presented investors with an unattractive choice: should you buy the currency that may default, or the one that could disintegrate?
As usual, the Economist packs more insight into fewer words than any other publication I know of. Here are some additional excerpts for this week’s lead editorial:
In the early days of the economic crisis the West’s leaders did a reasonable job of clearing up a mess that was only partly of their making. Now the politicians have become the problem. In both America and Europe, they are exhibiting the sort of behaviour that could turn a downturn into stagnation. The West’s leaders are not willing to make tough choices; and everybody—the markets, the leaders of the emerging world, the banks, even the voters—knows it.
Though both about debt, the arguments in Europe and America have very different origins. The euro crisis was brought on by investors with genuine worries about the solvency of several euro-zone countries. By contrast the stand-off in Washington is a political creation . . .
The similarity between the European and American dramas lies in the protagonists’ refusal to face reality. European politicians, led by Angela Merkel, have gone to absurd lengths to avoid admitting two truths: that Greece is bust; and that north Europeans (and Mrs Merkel’s thrifty Germans in particular) will end up footing a good part of the bill, either by transferring money to the south or by bailing out their own banks. They have failed to undertake a serious restructuring: the current rescue package reduces Greece’s debt, but not by enough to give it a genuine chance of recovery.
America’s debt debate seems still more kabuki-like. Its fiscal problem is not now—it should be spending to boost recovery—but in the medium term. Its absurdly complicated tax system raises very little, and the ageing of its baby-boomers will push its vast entitlement programmes towards bankruptcy.
Yet Mr Obama and his party seem a model of fiscal statesmanship compared with their Republican opponents. Once upon a time the American right led the world when it came to rethinking government; now it is an intellectual pygmy. The House Republicans could not even get their budget sums right, so the vote had to be delayed. A desire to curb Leviathan is admirable, but the tea-partiers live in a fantasy world in which the deficit can be reduced without any tax increases: even Mr Obama’s attempts to remove loopholes in the tax code drive the zealots into paroxysms of outrage.
In both Europe and America electorates seem to be turning inward. There is the same division between “ins” and “outs” that has plagued Japan. In Europe one set of middle-class workers is desperate to hang on to protections and privileges: millions of others are stuck in unprotected temporary jobs or are unemployed. In both Europe and America well-connected public-sector unions obstruct progress. And then there is the greatest (and also the least sustainable) division of all: between the old, clinging tightly to entitlements they claim to have earned, and the young who will somehow have to pay for all this.
Sometimes crises beget bold leadership. Not, unfortunately, now . . . For all their talents, both Mr Obama and Mrs Merkel are better at following public opinion than leading it.
Our views on what the West should do will be painfully familiar to readers. Europe’s politicians need to implement not just a serious restructuring of the peripheral countries’ debts but also a serious reform of their economies, to clean out cronyism, corruption and all the inefficiencies that hold back their growth. America’s Democrats need to accept entitlement cuts and Republicans higher taxes.
Spend a few bucks and get yourself a subscription to the Economist.
The Boehner plan passed the House today, but only after he added a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget to it.
Two days ago, the Speaker was a guest on conservative radio host Laura Ingraham’s morning show. Responding to a question regarding the motivation of the obstructionist members of the Republican party, the Think Progress blog quotes Boehner as saying
Well, first they want more. And my goodness, I want more too. And secondly, a lot of them believe that if we get past August the second and we have enough chaos, we could force the Senate and the White House to accept a balanced budget amendment. I’m not sure that that — I don’t think that that strategy works. Because I think the closer we get to August the second, frankly, the less leverage we have vis a vis our colleagues in the Senate and the White House.
To get the votes he needed, Boehner had to submit to blackmail from members of his own party. I feel sorry for him. I really do. Everybody knows he doesn’t support legislation that bears his name. What an embarrassing position to be in.
It doesn’t matter. The Senate, wasting no time, has already tabled his bill.
A definite maybe, says Neel Kashkari, who established and led the Office of Financial Stability and the Troubled Assets Relief Program until May 2009. His view is that
a U.S. downgrade has the potential to be as bad or perhaps worse than the Lehman shock. The more strongly held a belief, and the larger the asset class it supports, the greater the potential damage to the economy when the belief is turned upside down. We may not be certain what will happen if U.S. credit is downgraded, but there is no upside to finding out.
Unfortunately, some politicians seem intent on finding out.
In her column in the Financial Times, Gillian Tett poses five questions for the Fed and Treasury Department. If the Republicans hadn’t linked the budget to the debt ceiling, none of these questions would have to be asked.
● What might the US government do to support the US money market funds if American debt is downgraded, or suffers a technical default? These funds currently hold a large volume of Treasuries, and if Treasury bonds tumble in value – or go into technical default – this could erode the net asset value of these funds. This, in turn, could potentially spark a run on these funds of the type that started to occur in 2008, particularly since these funds (unlike bank deposits) are not protected. But since this might have systemic implications, it is uncertain whether the government will – or will not – act.
● Will the US authorities step into the markets and act as the dealer or financier of last resort, if parts of the market freeze up? Right now, it seems unlikely that Treasury bonds would become illiquid after any downgrade; after all, this is the deepest bond market in the world. But a downgrade of US debt could, ironically, force some asset managers to sell more risky instruments (such as triple B bonds) to maintain average ratings benchmarks in their portfolios. That might create bottlenecks. There is also a risk the so-called repurchase (or repo) market might freeze. That would almost certainly prompt the government to step in (by accepting bonds as collateral and making loans); how this might work, though, is uncertain.
● What will regulators do about capital standards if some banks’ balance sheets balloon? In recent weeks, signs have already emerged of a flight of money towards supposedly “safe” banks in Europe and the US; if this accelerates, it could mess up some banks’ attempts to tidy up their balance sheets. Bankers guess that regulators will be lenient; but – again – this is unclear.
● How will regulators and risk managers respond if the “risk-free” status of US debt starts to crumble? Treasuries are currently zero risk weighted for bank capital adequacy purposes. Bank supervisors are unlikely to change this. However, some banks are reviewing collateral policies. On Thursday the Chicago Mercantile Exchange raised collateral haircuts for clearing Treasuries.
● What rules will apply for paying interest, accrued interest and principal on Treasury bonds, if a technical default occurs? On a normal day, asset managers and custodian banks make huge numbers of payments to investors, linked to the treasury market; but many institutions are uncertain what to do if a technical default occurs.
On occasion, the WSJ doesn’t enforce its subscription barrier. I sent the following link to my wife, who was able to access the article on her computer.
Give it a try if you’re not a subscriber.
Ronald Reagan is a hero of the Tea Party. Perhaps these obstructionist members of Congress should do a little research. If they did, they’d find that in a radio address on September 26, 1987, the Gipper said this:
“Congress consistently brings the Government to the edge of default before facing its responsibility. This brinkmanship threatens the holders of Government bonds and those who rely on Social Security and veteran benefits. Interest rates would skyrocket. Instability would occur in financial markets and the Federal deficit would soar. The United States has a special responsibility to itself and the world to meet its obligations. It means we have a well-earned reputation for reliability and credibility, two things that set us apart from much of the world.”
By the way, I voted for Reagan.
Finally — and I do mean finally — somebody (besides this egotistical blogger) is looking beyond D(efault)-Day. Mohamed El-Erian certainly has credentials far superior to mine. He’s the CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO, a global investment management firm and one of the world’s largest bond investors with approximately $1.2 trillion of assets under management at the end of 2010.
Before looking beyond D-Day, El-Erian outlines the damage that has already been done by the “political mess” in Washington. The debris: already-weak business and consumer confidence has been dealt a further blow; companies with massive cash holdings have been given another excuse to stay on the sidelines; and foreigners have been stunned by the political dysfunctionality of the country in which they have placed factories, whose financial instruments they buy with their savings and whose money serves as the global reserve currency.
That’s a lot of damage. But there’s more to come.
In just a few days, analysts will take another slice off their already muted growth projections. Fed Chairman Bernanke’s recent prediction that economic growth will accelerate in the second half of the year will be proven wrong. The postponement of the much-hoped-for robust recovery will result in the deepening of the unemployment crisis. Worse still, the budget reductions may make matters worse:
It is far from certain that, in forcing spending cuts, a resolution to the debt-ceiling debacle will materially improve the U.S. economic outlook. Indeed, because of the standoff’s detrimental impact on growth and employment, it could tip the United States closer to the very debt trap that reformers are seeking to prevent.
What is the “debt trap” and how does it come about?
. . . fiscal solvency is not merely a function of deficits and debt, interest rates and the profile of maturities. It is also highly sensitive to economic growth: The lower an economy’s growth rate, the higher a budget deficit is likely to be, the larger the debt accumulation, and the greater the need for yet another round of fiscal austerity to safeguard solvency. All are components of the much-feared debt trap.
To borrow a phrase from the Brits, El-Erian is spot-on.
Doug Elmendorf is the Director of the Congressional Budget Office. Today’s entry in the Director’s Blog is sobering:
Even a slight increase in the perceived risk of U.S. government securities would probably raise interest payments by a lot for years to come. If Treasury rates were pushed up by just one-tenth of a percentage point, the government would pay $130 billion more in interest over the next decade . . . If, instead, Treasury rates rose by four-tenths of a percentage point, the government would pay more than half-a-trillion dollars in additional interest over the next decade.
. . . public statements by many financial-market participants and experts have made clear that default by the federal government on obligations to debt holders would be a significant shock to the global financial system and economy. That shock could trigger large swings in stock prices, private interest rates, and the value of the dollar relative to other currencies; it might also generate massive disruptions and damage to the payments system and the flow of credit; and it would probably weaken the economy and reduce output and employment relative to what they would otherwise be. Indeed, the lack of a plan for increasing the debt ceiling may already be hurting household and business confidence, and default would reduce confidence further and increase uncertainty about future government policies, which would lower spending even apart from the effects of changes in asset prices and interest rates.
It is also unclear what would happen if the federal government were to default on obligations other than Treasury debt . . . debt holders might be unconcerned because the payments due to them would not be directly affected; however, debt holders might conclude instead that if the government is willing to default on some obligations, it could default on its obligation to them next. In any event, the individuals, businesses, and state governments that are owed money under current law and are counting on receiving it would clearly need to deal with sudden and unexpected shortfalls in their own finances.
The budget is on an unsustainable path. Debt held by the public is already higher relative to GDP than it has been in more than half-a-century, and CBO projects that it will exceed its all-time high in about a dozen years under current policies.
[...] Following the intensive public discussions of the past few months, a failure to agree on credible, specific policy changes would increase doubts about the ability of the government to manage its budget. That could, in turn, raise the perceived risk of U.S. government securities, which would lead to higher Treasury interest rates, higher government interest costs, and the possibility of dislocations in financial markets.
Moreover, and with a larger immediate impact on most Americans, the economy remains mired in a severe slump. Three-and-a-half years after the recession started, roughly 10 million fewer Americans have jobs than if employment had continued to expand at its pre-recession pace. Total output of the economy this year will be about $700 billion less than would occur with high use of our labor and capital resources. In addition, 44 percent of the workers who were unemployed in the first half of this year had been out of work for more than 26 weeks—an unprecedented share in the period since World War II. CBO expects that the lingering difficulties of the long-term unemployed in finding jobs, as well as the loss in business investment during the slump, will weigh on the nation’s output for years to come.
[...] With the federal budget and the economy both facing such serious problems, the additional problems that would probably be caused by a default on the federal government’s obligations could be especially damaging. We are on the brink of harming the budget and the economy, possibly undermining the international financial system, and doing significant damage to the credibility of legal commitments made by the U.S. government.
Congressional Budget Office Analyses
Wall Street bankers, from senior executives to traders, are complaining that the Federal Reserve is refusing to engage in planning for any downgrade or default by the US. With only days to go to the US Treasury’s August 2 deadline to raise the debt ceiling, bankers say they are not getting a response to efforts to discuss the market impact of a failure to reach a deal in Washington or if credit rating agencies cut the US triple A standing.
The Treasury has so far refused to make public any contingency plans for the event that there is no rise in the debt ceiling. Unless the Treasury indicates, for example, whether it would prioritise interest payments, it is hard for the Fed to discuss the implications with banks.
Presenting, courtesy of Bloomberg, le chart du jour — an eye opening inversion of the US credit default swap curve:
That means, as Bloomberg eloquently put it, that it costs more to insure US Treasuries for one year than it does for five years, for the first time ever.
Perhaps the most long-standing and widely-believed part of the conventional wisdom about the stock market is that it anticipates changes in the strength of the economy — and, therefore, of changes in corporate profits — by six to nine months. That’s what I was taught in business school, and that’s what I saw during my Wall Street career from the 1970s to the 1990s. This anticipatory nature explains why the market sometimes responds favorably to bad news and unfavorably to good news.
Something seems to have gone wrong. The conventional wisdom doesn’t seem to be working anymore. The graph below show the recent levels of after-tax profits for non-financial corporations.
Based on the two most recent observations, the conclusion is clear: instead of anticipating directional changes in profitability, investors reacted to them. The default explanation for this is that the level of uncertainty was so great that investors, as a group, lacked the confidence to attempt to anticipate change.
In my judgement, investors are still in reactive mode. Notwithstanding the weakness of the past few days, the market has held up remarkably well in the face of the dual debt crises — the one in Europe and the one here. Our crisis has not exacted a toll on profits — yet. Since investors no longer seem to anticipate change, recent experience suggests that the market won’t experience a serious downturn until after corporate profits fall short of expectations. The level of uncertainty — the lack of confidence — is still so high that it’s hard to imagine investors will revert to their former anticipatory ways.
The preconditions for disappointing corporate profits are falling into place. Dismay over the shenanigans in Washington have hurt both consumer and business confidence. Less confident consumers will spend less, as will less confident businesses. Even assuming that a default is avoided, there appears to be a growing likelihood that the credit rating of U. S. government securities will be downgraded. This would result in higher interest rates for the government (adding to the budget deficit), business, and consumers. The larger the cut in government spending, the greater will be the impact on the economy. The smaller the cut in government spending, the lower will be the confidence that the government is capable of dealing with the long-term budget problem.
This is not the time to be fully invested in stocks. Another piece of conventional wisdom — one that I abide by — is don’t catch falling knives. | <urn:uuid:69a95fc7-f591-4184-afe4-4e2df37a5909> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americanfuture.net/category/united-states-government/debt-ceiling-us/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956242 | 3,948 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The flag was adopted as the state flag when Texas became the 28th state in 1845. As with the flag of the United States, the blue stands for loyalty, the white represents strength, and the red is for bravery. Texas anthem: “Texas, Our Texas” written by William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright and composed by William J. Marsh. With this video you can see the flag and hear the anthem. Good for all students. | <urn:uuid:77d52f44-ec8d-4fb2-99b8-f180bb646ea1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=6159&CategoryID=1225 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967904 | 96 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Adobe Systems has released a malware classification tool in order to help security incident first responders, malware analysts and security researchers more easily identify malicious binary files.
The 'Adobe Malware Classifier' tool uses machine learning algorithms to classify Windows executable and dynamic link library (DLL) files as clean, malicious or unknown, Adobe security engineer Karthik Raman said.
Raman originally developed Malware Classifier for in-house use by Adobe's Product Security Incident Response (PSIRT) Team.
"Part of what we do at PSIRT is respond to security incidents," Raman said. "Sometimes this involves analyzing malware. To make life easier, I wrote a Python tool for quick malware triage for our team."
When run, the tool extracts seven key attributes from every analysed binary file and compares them to data obtained by running the J48, J48 Graft, PART, and Ridor machine-learning algorithms on a set of 100,000 malicious programs and 16,000 clean ones, Raman said.
However, various programmers have questioned the quality of the tool's code because of its heavy use of conditional statements.
The tool's source code is being discussed on Reddit, under the headline "How not to write python, Part 1 - Thanks Adobe," but some of the participants have pointed out that the complex conditionals are the result of the direct inclusion of an J48 decision tree classifier. | <urn:uuid:97e40304-3e5e-4157-b99b-1847e7f91fb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/open-source/3348945/adobe-malware-classifier-open-source-tool-released/?olo=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901966 | 289 | 1.875 | 2 |
Utah's home-grown health reforms have failed to put a dent in the ranks of the state's uninsured.
A record 377,700 Utahns 13.4 percent of the population went without health coverage in 2011, according to new data from the state Department of Health. That's up 25 percent from an estimated 301,700 uninsured in 2010.
But whether that represents a real increase isn't clear, due to improved survey methods. Among other changes, pollsters are now calling cellphones instead of just landlines to reach a wider range of residents, which nudged estimates higher.
"It's inched up, but we think it's more a reflection of a different way of collecting data," said Legislative Health Reform Task Force Chairman Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville. "But [the uninsured rate] hasn't improved much."
U.S. census figures show nearly 50 million Americans, or 16.3 percent of the population, were uninsured in 2010, the most recent year national data are available.
Utah's updated numbers make it harder to draw year-to-year comparisons. "This will essentially be a new baseline for us," said health department spokesman Tom Hudachko.
But they shed new light on the source of the problem: unaffordability.
Part-time workers and the self-employed who don't have access to employer-sponsored coverage are twice as likely to be uninsured as the rest of the population.
And the poor a single person earning under $14,867 a year, or $1,239 a month are uninsured at four times the state's average rate.
For them, buying a policy would eat up 14 percent of their monthly income, said Shelly Braun, health reform director at the Utah Health Policy Project. And that's assuming the person is relatively healthy; the average monthly individual health premium in Utah is $173, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Dunnigan acknowledged that Utah's reforms have fallen short of the mark.
"Frankly, part of the challenge is we've been sidetracked by federal health reform," he said, "which sucked the air out of the room. Just understanding and preparing for that is a full-time job."
But the federal law offers relief through an expansion of Medicaid, assuming Utah buys into the expansion. Republican leaders are waiting until after the election to decide.
The health law also benefits the middle class, those between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level. A family of four earning between $23,000 and $92,000 a year will be eligible for tax credits to buy coverage.
A whopping 95 percent of Utah's uninsured fall into this category. The Affordable Care Act, in other words, has the potential to virtually eliminate the state's uninsured problem.
But, as Dunnigan notes, it's not that simple.
Among those who are ineligible for subsidies: undocumented immigrants and middle-class workers with affordable workplace plans. The law considers a plan unaffordable when a worker's share of the coverage exceeds 9.5 percent of the worker's household income.
Further complicating things, that calculation is based on coverage for the worker only, and not for family plans, which on average cost 14 percent of household income.
There's also the possibility that people will shirk the law's requirement to have coverage, Dunnigan warned, because the tax penalty costs less than the premiums would.
What's more, as health costs continue to rise, the subsidies may not keep pace. Massachusetts' reforms, upon which the federal law was modeled, have "done a good job at enrolling the uninsured," he said, "but they haven't done a good job at controlling the costs."
Other key findings
Even though they're eligible for Medicaid, 56,500 Utah children are uninsured.
24 percent of young adults, between 19 and 34 years of age, have no health coverage.
26 percent of part-time working adults, and 29 percent of the self-employed, are uninsured.
Source: Utah Department of Health 2011 census of the uninsured | <urn:uuid:3612a5e8-53f5-4295-94f2-ee33ee3c76a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54787829-78/health-uninsured-percent-utah.html.csp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967162 | 838 | 2.046875 | 2 |
The work of public health educators (PHEs) is to change policies and environmentsas well as attitudes and behavior that affect health, and to operate in close association with community groups.
Public health educators work in a variety of settings with an array of agencies, businesses, and schools to develop and deliver educational programs. For example, a PHE might counsel factory workers about protecting themselves from pollution in the workplace, teach teenagers about how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, or partner with families of patients who are recovering from heart attacks.
Public Health Educators Duties:
-plan and direct programs
-design workshops and forums
-work with community groups, and serve a broad public health agenda.
-conduct studies of public health education needs, evaluate the materials and methods used in programs, determine program effectiveness, and try to improve the general health in communities
-work with people and organizations addressing health-related issues such as pollution, drug abuse, nutrition, safety and stress management.
-write health education materials such as fact sheets, pamphlets and brochures
Health education is important in preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Learning more about diet, exercise, tobacco use and other lifestyle choices, and modifying behavior accordingly, can help to prevent, control and treat these diseases and reduce the risk of complications. | <urn:uuid:b0c7c6dc-26b2-4ed3-b446-8e4672f4cc80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://medicalcareersite.com/2011/02/public-health-educators.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948475 | 266 | 3.90625 | 4 |
Women Have a Right to Decide Whether and When to Become a Parent
Outlawing abortion doesn’t make it go away, it only makes it dangerous
January 22, 2013
Outlawing abortion doesn't make it go away, it only makes it dangerous
To understand what the country would be like if we outlawed abortion we need to look no further than the 136 countries where abortion is still illegal in all or most circumstances. In Africa, 14 percent of all maternal deaths are attributed to unsafe abortion. In Latin America and the Caribbean, one million women annually are hospitalized for the complications of unsafe abortions. In South Africa, where the abortion law was liberalized in 1997, the annual number of abortion-related deaths fell by 91 percent by 2001.
The countries where abortion is illegal have significantly higher abortion rates than countries where abortion is safe and legal. Outlawing abortion doesn't make it go away, it only makes it dangerous.
Women in these countries are fighting for recognition that their lives have value. That women deserve full futures. That women should have the right to personal and political agency. That a women should be the one to determine what her family will look like. That a woman deserves the right to decide what happens with her body without the fear of risking her life to exercise that right.
We have the luxury in this country to be able to ask ourselves whether abortion should be legal while we enjoy the freedom to choose what's right for ourselves, even if it makes someone else uncomfortable. A person in this country who faces an unintended pregnancy has the legal right to make the best decision for herself and her family without having to fear that her decision will land her in jail or worse. That is not something I am willing to give up.
I am not interested in an America that takes away these most personal rights. The world is becoming more complex. We have big issues to solve. Let's not spend our energy, our time, and our creative minds restricting and removing rights from our citizens.
The decision about whether and when to become a parent is the most intensely personal and important decision that many will make in life. Let's have respect for those decisions and the lives that are making them. | <urn:uuid:29e52fd8-a220-4b0b-afdb-48a3226f3fd2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-abortion-be-illegal/women-have-a-right-to-decide-whether-and-when-to-become-a-parent | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961747 | 448 | 1.992188 | 2 |
and I spent part of an early August afternoon visiting two rural
cemeteries. Our goal was to photograph several tombstones and search
for additional family members. As the cemeteries were within driving
distance of our home our trip was hastily planned, realistic for many
of us, but not something I recommend. This week's column looks at our
experience and provides some suggestions when planning a cemetery
Our last-minute excursion was to two cemeteries in Mercer County,
Illinois: the Norwood Cemetery the southeastern part of the county, and
Greenmound Cemetery on the edge of Keithsburg. Some of our pictures can
be viewed on my website (www.rootdig.com/tombstones/).
Out in the Boonies?
By most definitions, the cemeteries we visited were rural. Burial
grounds in such areas may present challenges to those unfamiliar with
living and driving in a non-urban area.
are not used to driving in the country are advised:
- Do not
drive on gravel roads at speeds of sixty miles an hour. Dry, loose
gravel can send you in the ditch faster than you can imagine. Gravel
roads are not interstates.
blacktop roads can switch to gravel without any warning. The locals
know where the road changes from pavement to gravel (right there after
the Frederickson place because he complained for twenty years until
they paved it). If you notice the color of the road changing ahead of
you, slow down before the color change. It may be a different type of
paved road surface or it could be a change to gravel.
driving on gravel, stay in the "path" unless you are going up a hill.
Many gravel roads have a path for one car and locals only pull over and
drive on the right hand side of the road when meeting another car or
going up a hill. There's always a chance that a local person comes
careening over the hill at a high speed, right down the middle of the
road, never dreaming someone else is also on the road. --- Determine if
it is necessary to drive on a dirt road to get to the cemetery. Driving
on dirt roads after a week of heavy rains is not recommended.
permission to visit cemeteries that are located on private property.
Morgan's Ancestry Daily News article from 8 July provided many
additional excellent suggestions for cemetery visits. His article was
the impetus for our trip, although it took us a while to actually make
our visit. Readers are encouraged to review that article and a few
other ones from earlier columns:
Morgan's Tips for Photographing Cemetery Markers."
There are good preparation
suggestions here. I personally would recommend old jeans (not shorts)
and comfortable non-dressy shoes.
- Tombstone Rubbings
- We Rub Stones--follow-up
to the Tombstone Rubbings article.
Post a Message Before Your Trip
Before traveling to any distant cemetery, consider posting a message to
the appropriate county or regional genealogy mailing list or lists.rootsweb.com. Your post
indicate that you are planning a trip to the specific cemetery and that
you are wondering if there is anything you should be aware of before
making your trip. This is also a place to ask if the cemetery is on
private property or requires permission to access.
post the message the morning before you leave; post at least a month in
advance. Road closures in rural areas rarely have detour markings,
after all the locals already know the "way around." Cemetery
locations may be incorrect on some maps. One online map showed the
cemetery we were trying to visit on the west side of the interstate
when in fact it was a mile east! Find these things out beforehand, not
after. If you have never been to the cemetery before, consider
contacting the local genealogical or historical society to see if they
know anything about the cemetery.
Can't Get to the Cemetery?
Consider posting a lookup request on the appropriate county message
board if you are unable to visit the cemetery yourself. There is no
guarantee a response will be received, but it may be worth a try. There
are several things to keep in mind when posting a request for someone
to take a photograph of a tombstone:
or not you know the person is buried in the cemetery. The
lookup volunteer may be willing to go a hunch, but let them know this
beforehand, not after. Refer to the article "Leave no Stone Unturned"
(link above) for suggestions on determining where your ancestor is
size of the cemetery and whether or not there are any maps to help the
person locate the grave. Rural cemeteries do not often have maps and
may be in very isolated places. A local person may have an easier time
getting access to a cemetery on private property than an "out of
towner." Remember that small town cemeteries may be fairly large and
easily require several hours to search if there is not a map or some
kind of index.
distance of the cemetery from the person's home. In remote areas, it
may be difficult to find someone who lives relatively close to the
cemetery. If the person is driving thirty miles, it's a good idea to at
least offer to pay for gas.
Help Someone Else Out
Posting an offer to photograph tombstones on a county GenWeb page (www.usgenweb.org), a mailing list,
or a message board may result in more lookups than time allows. Only
make such offers if you are certain you will be able to handle them.
Monitoring the lists for requests is another option. I subscribe to the
county mailing list for the county in which I live. If there is a
cemetery photo request and time allows I will usually offer to take
digital pictures of the stone if the cemetery is reasonably close to
where I live. Consider helping out a fellow genealogist if at all
possible. You may receive unexpected payback.
daughter gave me five of her own suggestions for visiting cemeteries
and obtaining tombstone inscriptions. Those ideas follow along with
some additional comments.
1) Do not drink too much water while searching for stones. There might
not be a restroom nearby.
are well-advised to bear in mind that the cemetery may be in a remote
area. Do not assume you can just go up the street to a fast food
restaurant or to a nearby gas station for a quick snack and a restroom
to use for cleaning up. It might be helpful to bring something with
which to wash
your hands in case you end up digging in the dirt like I did. Bringing
beverages and snacks may also be advised, just take your garbage with
2) Have a
good detailed map to help see where the cemetery is located.
cannot be overemphasized. I had been to the two cemeteries in question
before and had printed out their locations using the USGS maps (http://geonames.usgs.gov). However
a county highway map would have been helpful when I went from one
cemetery to the other. My U.S. Rand-McNally atlas does not show every
road, nor are the ones shown all listed with their names or county
Charcoal can also be used to make rubbings.
not need to make rubbings of any stones, but charcoal does work in some
cases when chalk or crayon does not. We preferred to take pictures
pictures of the stone's surroundings to help you remember where it is
loved taking close up pictures of the stones. While this is a great
tool, we realized that pictures taken from a distance can help us see
neighboring stones in their relative positions and other landmarks in
the cemetery. Pictures of the cemetery entrance are also a nice
addition to your collection of tombstone photographs.
who you are looking for before you get to the cemetery.
was frustrated that we kept finding "additional" people, not originally
on our list. We had a short list of people we actually wanted to find.
However in one cemetery we kept finding extended family (aided by a few
tombstones that listed maiden names). While serendipitous discoveries
are always welcomed, as complete a list as possible is the best way to
start and reduce the chance you leave a stone un-located.
Michael's Last Warnings
Watch where you step. There may be low places in the cemetery, due to
sunken in graves, animals, or heaven only knows what else. You want to
avoid breaking your ankle if you are in the cemetery all by yourself
(another good reason to have a cell phone). Also be on the lookout for
stones that are not on secure mountings. They could easily topple over.
The best scenario is that you would be startled. The worse case
scenario is much worse.
John Neill is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute of
Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also
on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael
is currently a member of the board of the Federation of Genealogical
Societies (FGS). He conducts seminars
and lectures nationally on a wide variety of genealogical and computer
topics and contributes to several genealogical publications, including
Ancestry Magazine and Genealogical Computing. You can e-mail him at firstname.lastname@example.org or
visit his website at: www.rootdig.com,
but he regrets that he is unable to assist with personal research.
Contact Michael if
you'd like to use this article in your own publication.
Michael's Other Genealogy Articles | <urn:uuid:d252958b-e06a-48fc-8101-66655ff269c7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rootdig.com/adn/rural_cemeteries.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93297 | 2,105 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Posted Friday, March 23, 2012, at 3:24 PM
Photo by ALEXANDER BLOTNITSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Collective nouns are the free radicals of the English language. Funny, lyrical, and bizarre ones pop up like mushrooms (like a troop of mushrooms), sometimes in the broad daylight of the New York Times. Among my colleagues here at Slate, Melonyce McAfee is particularly fond of a “murder of crows,” Josh Levin has a soft spot for a “school of fish,” Jeremy Stahl prefers a “gaggle of geese,” and Anna Weaver loves a “passel of pigs.” A twitter feed consisting solely of neat collective nouns should be wildly popular, right?
Though the hashtag #collectivenouns is alive and well, the delightful Twitter account @collectivenouns, which compiles CNs “that may or may not have found their way into the Oxford English Dictionary,” has lain dormant since December 12. @Collectivenouns is the twitter feed of the UK-based website All Sorts; by appending #collectivenouns to a tweet, you can suggest any noun X for a group of Ys, and the site will keep track of your recommendation.
@Collectivenouns used to retweet the best of these, from the timely (a “kettle of protestors”) to the ageless (an “objection of prudes”). But now—life is hard, I know—you have to keep refreshing a #collectivenouns search if you crave quirky phrases to weave into your everyday conversation.
So I have decided to harness the power of Follow Friday to do some good in the world. Though All Sorts has already given us a treasure trove of CNs (the Semite in me loves both a “feh of Jews” and a “deutschbag of Nazis”), there remains an ocean (a dazzle? a predicament?) of nouns out there that still need interesting collectives. Like politicians. Or swing-state voters. Or hot air balloons. (A hot-air balloon of politicians, perhaps?).
Here’s a sampling (a soupçon? a whizbang?) of the site’s greatest hits to inspire you. Think of professions—like a “cascade of web designers,” a “brace of orthodontists,” or a “quantum of physicists.” You can wax poetic (a “glitter of Twinkies,” a “pinwheel of browser tabs”) or go blue (a “schlong of bratwursts”). Puns and wordplay are welcome (“a madeus of Mozarts,” a “fuck of ewes,” a “heard of homonyms”), as are personal attacks (a “keanu of bad actors”). One of my personal favorites: a “smug of Mac users.”
The best @collectivenouns entries are startling, specific, and true all at the same time. I can’t get an “armada of washing machines” or a “seemingly empty room of ninjas” out of my head.
Maybe some loving pressure from the Internet is exactly what the bongful of slackers behind this brilliant account needs to start tweeting again. I hope so. | <urn:uuid:d1c84de4-646d-4fec-8011-190a8d7382f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/03/23/collective_nouns_on_twitter_follow_friday.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917966 | 741 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Sorry, this event’s been and gone
|Fri 6 Jul ’12, 12:00pm–2:00pm||
Where: Kerikeri Primary School, Hone Heke Road, Kerikeri
Restrictions: All Ages
- Admission: Free
The Neurological Foundation of New Zealand presents a very special public lecture with author Ann Andrews and neuroscientist Associate Professor Debbie Young.
More than 10,000 New Zealanders have Parkinson's disease, but many thousands more are dealing with Parkinson's every day - relatives and friends, carers and health professionals. This event takes on a unique interview format with Sue Giddens from the Neurological Foundation interviewing Positively Parkinson's author Ann Andrews, then University of Auckland neuroscientist Associate Professor Debbie Young. Sue will talk to Ann about her Parkinson's journey over the last 11 years that culminated in the recent publication of her much-acclaimed book Positively Parkinson's. Following this, Sue will chat with Dr Debbie Young about her work as a neuroscientist at the University of Auckland, with a focus on her Parkinson's disease gene therapy work and the hope it holds for potential future treatments.
Positively Parkinson's author Ann Andrews has worked as a television and theatre producer, researcher, teacher and crisis counsellor. Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in mid-life, this is the book she would like to have read at that critical time. Since the book's launch, Ann has been interviewed by Kim Hill on National Radio, and featured in the NZ Listener in an interview with Margo White.
Associate Professor Debbie Young is based in the Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology Department at the University of Auckland's School of Medical Sciences. Her research interests are broad and include the study of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases. Dr Young provided insights into gene therapy research for Ann's book and will discuss highlights of recent studies in her interview segment.
No bookings required to attend this lecture. Please arrive early to secure seating. | <urn:uuid:7d291d5d-c055-45db-843e-c11d5d22636a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2012/positively-parkinsons/kerikeri | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944106 | 420 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Is It Time to Treat Violence Like a Contagious Disease?
A Proposed Scientific Theory Of Violence Control by Guns Or By Other Means.
Here at LGF the discussions about Sandy Hook and gun control have about run the gamut. This is a very calm place as compared to the larger ‘net. I probably represent the stronger pro defense/gun/2nd amendment position than most.
Others would focus on gun control, the gun and the gun. My argument is for the ‘no stone unturned’ approach. Some have posted very good Pages on funding research like this again. I’m open to universal b/g checks and restricting (without blanket bans) the most powerful or highest capacity guns.
Today I found a lengthy article by Brandon Kiem at Wired. Of course, I can only copy in a little and the links. I find the potential of the theory presented to be huge. In essence, violence has epidemics and other properties of communicable diseases. NY city has experienced waves of violence that came and went, came back stronger then faded away. Sound familiar? It should. That is just like the flu. These waves do not correlate with gun laws or the economy. Causation and coincidence mingle freely. We need the science to sort that out.
According to theory, the fact of learned behavior is what makes this ‘communicable’ violence. Now some will respond with a knee jerk thought such as all this is just to distract from gun control. Or that these soft sciences can never help. Or that some other personal opinion will be pwnd by the theory.
To those folks I would say stop a minute. Let the science be your guide. Be loyal to the facts as they can be found. Because from the NRA to HCI, advocacy groups have a first loyalty to their cause.
As a hopeful bottom line, this research could help us send resources to the right places. Some places need more safety net. Some more Police. Some, more intensive gang and gun law enforcement. Some places need new laws. Each time we misplace any of these resource, we waste time, money and ultimately lives.
A century from now, people might look back on violence prevention in the early 21st century as we now regard the primitive cholera prevention efforts in the early 19th century, when the disease was considered a product of filth and immorality rather than a microbe.
“It’s extremely important to understand this differently than the way we’ve been understanding it,” said Gary Slutkin, a University of Chicago epidemiologist who founded Cure Violence, an anti-violence organization that treats violence as contagion. “We need to understand this as a biological health matter and an epidemiologic process.”
Slutkin helped organize a National Academies of Science workshop that in October published “The Contagion of Violence,” a 153-page report on the state of his field’s research.
According to their theory, exposure to violence is conceptually similar to exposure to, say, cholera or tuberculosis. Acts of violence are the germs. Instead of wracking intestines or lungs, they lodge in the brain. When people, in particular children and young adults whose brains are extremely plastic, repeatedly experience or witness violence, their neurological function is altered. | <urn:uuid:4e3bc7c5-0248-486a-8772-eddb1a4826bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://littlegreenfootballs.com/page/292882_Is_It_Time_to_Treat_Violence_L | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949171 | 697 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Jackie Mason (born Jacob Maza on June 9, 1931, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin) is an American stand-up comedian. He enjoys provoking controversy with his politically incorrect routines and his opinionated observations on Jewish and American life.
Mason gained infamy by allegedly giving Ed Sullivan the finger on a live telecast of Sullivan's weekly variety show in 1962. He denied that he made an obscene gesture, insisting that he flashed numerous fingers and that Ed Sullivan assumed he gave him the finger. He later retaliated against Sullivan with a libel suit in the New York State Supreme Court and won. It would be a year and a half before Sullivan would finally let him back on his show.
Surviving videotape showed Mason talking through his bit, and then looking to his right, or viewers' left, toward Sullivan and commenting on the fact that Sullivan was giving him finger-signals, and expressed bewilderment over why Sullivan was signalling him. Presumably Sullivan was trying to tell Mason to wrap up his segment. Mason continued commenting, talking toward Sullivan instead of the audience, and at the same time swung his right hand around, apparently mocking Sullivan's signalling, and with the middle finger slightly separated from the others, leaving Sullivan with the impression (correctly or otherwise) that Mason had given him "the finger" on live TV. The camera then cut to Sullivan, who was clearly agitated over what had just transpired; his arms were folded tightly and he was staring downward, presumably holding his sense of outrage inside as best he could, at the perceived obscene gesture, and perhaps also at Mason's general truculence.
In 1991, Mason was criticized by African-American organizations such as the NAACP when he called New York mayor David Dinkins "a fancy schvartze with a moustache." He later apologized.
Mason also cofounded the organisation One Jerusalem to defend against the Oslo peace agreement. It has as cause to "saving a united Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel."
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Mason had several one-man comedy stage shows over the years. One was called The World According to Me, which was well-received. Later he had a show called Politically Incorrect, which ran into copyright problems as it was around the time that Bill Maher's TV show of the same name was on the air. Mason eventually added his name to his show's title to settle the situation.
In November of 2005 Mason started a daily talk show, "The Jackie Mason Show". The show can be seen nightly on the CN8 network on Comcast cable television.
John Byner impersonated Mason for the Aardvark cartoon character in the Cartoon series The Ant and the Aardvark. | <urn:uuid:efe20a24-ecea-4ede-a6c7-245fd29c4b74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mysticgames.com/famouspeople/JackieMason.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987125 | 583 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Welcome to the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Our practice combines advanced medical technologies with complementary modalities to offer a unique combination of therapies designed to aid patients improve their health and well-being.
Our focus is to identify the underlying causes of our patients' complaints and direct our therapeutic attention to eliminating their negative effects on health and well being.
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We make use of an extensive health history review, physical examination and conventional and complementary diagnostic testing to determine the underlying causes of our patients' ailments. We perform risk factor assessments and provide guidance and treatment to reduce or eliminate them.
Click here for intake forms
Click here for basic detox instructions | <urn:uuid:3e2b5e76-baf8-419a-b30b-71a58ff3788f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://centcam.com/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943195 | 229 | 1.53125 | 2 |
It is your worst nightmare.
The terrifying idea of being buried alive strikes fear into those who even consider the scenario. But for some that nightmare became a reality.
The book Premature Burial and How it May be Prevented is filled with stories of people buried alive, stories more frightening than any horror movie.
Premature burials were so common throughout history that a number of safety coffins were designed during the 18th and 19th centuries, fitted with a mechanism to allow the occupant to signal that he or she was still alive.
Warning to the squeamish: stop reading now!
Among the terrifying tales of internment is the story of Madam Bluden, who when she ‘died’ in 1896 was buried in her family vault at the Holy Ghost Chapel in Basingstoke, England. Luckily it was directly below a boys’ boarding school and the day after the funeral the children heard a strange noise and immediately alerted their teacher.
The vault and the coffin were opened just in time to witness her final breath, and the horrified students saw that in her agony Bluden had torn frantically at her face and had bitten the nails off her fingers.
Mary Best was just 17 when she fell victim to cholera in 1871 and following an agonizing battle with the disease, doctors pronounced the Indian teen dead and she was quickly buried in a vault in Calcutta’s French cemetery to curb the spread of disease.
It was 10 years before the mistake was revealed when the vault was opened to add the body of Mary’s newly deceased uncle, and the undertaker was greeted with a gruesome sight. The lid of Mary’s coffin, which had been nailed down, was on the floor, her skeleton was half in, half out of the coffin, and the right side of her skull bore a large, ugly fracture.
Meanwhile, the fingers of her right hand were bent as if clutching at something, perhaps her throat, and her clothes were torn. Rather than dying, Mary had fallen into a coma that was common among cholera victims, and struggled with all her might to break free from her confines.
Investigators determined that after bursting open her casket she fainted from the strain, then fell forward over the edge of her coffin and fatally struck her head against a stone shelf.
In 1851, Virginia Macdonald‘s mother was adamant that her daughter wasn’t dead but family members dismissed her as hysterical and the living corpse was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Eventually her pleas were heard and Virginia’s grave was opened, revealing the body lying on the side, the hands badly bitten – proving that mom was right after all.
A complication in pregnancy called eclampsia causes seizures and ultimately can cause a person to fall into a coma. That condition recently took the life of Downton Abbey character, Lady Sybil Branson. However, Lavrinia Merli of Mantua in Italy had not actually succumbed to the condition when she was buried in a vault in July 1890.
For reasons that have been lost over the years, the grave was then opened two days later and it was discovered that the girl had regained consciousness, turned over in the coffin and given birth to a child, but tragically both were dead.
A young British mother had a luckier escape after giving birth while stationed in the tropics with her army medical officer husband. The new mom suffered such great pain that doctors presumed she was dead and prepared her for burial but the attendants were unable to close her eyelids, so her eyes were open as her children came to pay their last respects.
After they left, the woman’s nurse began stroking the face of her dead mistress and was amazed to hear the sound of breathing and alerted doctors, who held a mirror to her mouth but found no vapor.
The loyal nurse persisted, applying mustard to her mistress’s feet and waving burnt feathers under her nose, which finally awoke the mistress from her corpse-like paralytic trance. Following her rescue, the woman revealed that she had been aware that her children had been saying their goodbyes and knew that she was in a coffin, but had been unable to speak.
For more spine-tingling stories of living burials and narrow escapes from the grips of death, Premature Burial and How it May be Prevented by Walter Hadwen, William Tebb and Edward Vollum is now available on Amazon.com. The books was written by British authors Walter Hadwen, William Tebb and Edward Vollum in 1905 and was recently revived. | <urn:uuid:96b318b8-6dd6-4a40-a875-943891e9f369> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/03/buried-alive-horrific-true-stories-victims-sent-early-grave/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988767 | 945 | 3.28125 | 3 |
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is an health medical professional that works in a variety of healthcare environments, including hospitals, nursing homes, retirement communities, and physician offices. CNAs generally work under the supervision of a registered nurse, performing direct patient care tasks. Job duties of a CNA may include taking patient vital signs, assisting with activities of daily living (bathing, eating, and mobility), administering medications, and attending to patient needs. The CNA reports any changes in patient condition to the registered nurse for further assessment. To be employed as a CNA, one must first complete a technical program to learn the skills necessary to be successful in the field. Coursework in a CNA program includes basic anatomy, pharmacology, and nursing skills. Programs generally range in length from 6 months to 1 year. After completion of a formal program, the title CNA is earned via passing a state certification exam. To be successful as a CNA, several qualities are needed. A good CNA must be organized, efficient, and able to multi-task. Attention to details is key. The job, although indoors, requires some physical ability. The strength to lift and move adult patients is required. CNAs generally work the same schedule as other health care personnel, either five 8-hour shifts per week or three 12-hour shifts per week. Hours can vary, and may include nights, weekends and holidays. Overall, a career as a CNA is a perfect choice for career stability and those dedicated to helping others.
Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) Tasks
- Position, feed, bathe, dress and assist patients with grooming and other tasks.
- Observe patients' conditions, measure and record food and liquid intake and output and vital signs, and report changes to professional staff.
- Assists with direct patient care under the supervision of the RN or other medical professionals.
- Provide patients with help walking, exercising, and moving in and out of bed. | <urn:uuid:d0de1755-4bca-42c9-ab63-e97dfba4a8b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Certified_Nurse_Assistant_(CNA)/Hourly_Rate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953795 | 402 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Almost every culture eventually develops a corpus of tales that serves both to partially explain the culture's origin(s) as well as to indicate what makes it distinct from others.
For the Chinese, this work would likely be the Romance of the Three Kingdoms; for the Jews, it would almost certainly be the Tanakh and the Talmud. For the United States of
America, the body of work in question would be a combination of the works of Mark Twain and Sergio Leone, the first three seasons of Roseanne, and any old NASCAR races that have
been recorded onto VHS tapes that are still extant. In Great Britain -- and perhaps more specifically England -- the comparable body of work is a literary cycle known as the Matter of
Britain. In both style and substance, it is similar to other cycles like the Matter of France, the Matter of Rome, and the Epic Cycle (i.e. the full oeuvre of material about the Trojan
War from classical antiquity). Ironically, the majority of the works that comprise the Matter of Britain were not written by Britons or in the English language.
The Matter of Britain is made up of exactly what you would think it would be: all of the most important works about the Arthurian mythos, the Canterbury Tales, tales about
the early semi-mythical kings of Britain, and everything in between. The works are of various genres, including romances, poetry, satirical comedies, songs, and allegedly scholarly
documents. The different works span several centuries, dating conservatively from the 9th to 15th but going perhaps as far back as the 6th; your opinion on this subject will be determined by
whether or not you believe that the bard Taliesin was a real person who lived in the 6th century and that if he was, the poems and songs attributed to him in the much later Book of Taliesin
are historically legitimate representations of his works. Regardless of the dating, this is an impressively extensive compilation of tales that reveals much about King Arthur, his comrades in arms, Celtic mythology, and medieval European cultural values, as well as changing perceptions about these and many other topics.
It is impossible to summarize the "story" of the Matter of Britain because it is comprised of at least 50 separate works, many of which are not connected to one another in any conceivable way
but which are nevertheless considered part of the overall canon. Likewise, it would be disingenuous of me to try to do this because I cannot truthfully claim to have read the entirety of the Matter
of Britain or indeed anything close to it. Instead, I'll describe the overall themes of the works and try as best as I can to contextualize and categorize the ones that are commonly accepted as
belonging to the cycle.
While the bulk of the Matter of Britain is certainly comprised of romances and chansons de geste (literally "songs of quests"), the most significant works to me are the ones that
purport to describe actual historical occurrences. The two most famous examples of this type are Nennius' Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons, c. 870) and Geoffrey of Monmouth's
Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain, c. 1140). The separate books are remarkably similar since Geoffrey used Nennius' work as the main literary source for his own,
although he also utilized Gildas' De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, c. 550). It is interesting that De Excidio is not considered part of the
Matter of Britain since it contains much of the same information presented in the later works, but I digress. Both Nennius and Geoffrey repeat the claim that "historical" Britain was first settled
in the 12th century BC by a figure known as Trojan Brutus, the grandson of the mythological founder of the city of Rome (and refugee from the destruction of Troy) Aeneas. Geoffrey goes on to
say that Brutus' descendants agree to subdivide Britain amongst themselves and even conquer Rome at some point. Later, Geoffrey awards the kingship of Britain to figures like King Lear (who is in
turn based on the Celtic sea god Llyr), Old King Cole (he of the popular childrens' song of the same name), Octavius (a nonexistent half-brother of the Roman Emperor Constantine), a certain
Ambrosius Aurelianus, and of course King Arthur. Nennius also references Ambrosius, though he does not seem to describe him as a king.
Ambrosius is important because he is often seen as being one of the most likely candidates for the historical King Arthur. Perhaps more appropriately, he's seen as one of the men upon whom
Arthur was based. Assuming that he is an actual historical figure, he would have lived in the 5th century after the end of the Roman occupation of Britain in 410. Obviously, he would have been of
at least partial Roman extraction and he is said to have been a great war leader of noble Roman birth who dealt the invading Saxons several crushing defeats. Nennius and Geoffrey agree on
this point, and much is made of the similarities between the descriptions of his activities with those of King Arthur, specifically the fact that both men are supposed to have defeated the Saxons
in battles located at Badon Hill. Geoffrey also directly states that Aurelianus was the uncle of King Arthur.
In addition to ruling Britain as an idyllic utopia from Camelot, Arthur comes into conflict with a nonexistent Roman Emperor named Lucius Tiberius, who demands that Britain return to the
Roman fold. In response, Arthur sacks Rome and conquers Western Europe, although the victory is short-lived since his nephew Mordred has usurped his kingship at home. Forced to abandon his
continental holdings, Arthur returns to reclaim his throne and despite killing Mordred in the climactic battle, he himself is mortally wounded and carried off to Avalon to recuperate until he can
make his return. The problem with both Nennius' and Geoffrey's works is not that they are fictional but rather that they conflate and intertwine fact with fable and legend and myth and other
contradictory facts on top of it all. Actual documented rulers and events are mentioned and described fairly accurately but are then turned on their heads with the inclusion of some detail like Old
King Cole being the grandfather of Constantine the Great or a rather, shall we say, unbelievable British conquest of Europe in the 5th century. Obviously, parsing out actual historical events from
these works into some sort of coherent narrative is a difficult proposition. Despite the negligible degree of historicity, these works are extremely valuable sources for understanding the political
and military situation in Britain as well as the natives' perceptions of the tumultuous years between the exit of the Roman Empire and the Germanic conquests.
Aside from the works presented as being historically accurate, several definite and acknowledged works of fiction that do much to illuminate the origins of the Arthurian legend can
be found in the Matter of Britain. Probably the most important works of this type are the ones written about the heroic knight Ywain (Chretien de Troyes, Hartmann van Aue), Welsh myths (the
Book of Taliesin, the Mabinogion), and stories relating to the familiar tale of Tristan and Iseult (too many to mention). The Matter of Britain is a fascinating thing to try to
unravel because while there might not be any obvious connection between something like Marie de France's stories and poems about courtly love and Wolfram von Eschenbach's tale about hunting for
the Holy Grail, each different work serves as a thread tying all the others together, whereby Marie's works demonstrate didactic points about relationships between men and women, which are
demonstrated in the cases of Tristan and Iseult, Lancelot and Guinevere, and Sir Gawain and his host's wife, of whom the latter two are knights of the Round Table
who quested after the Holy Grail, a theme picked up on in Wolfram's Parzival (among others, of course).
Although he is most frequently associated with England, it is in the Welsh Mabinogion -- a collection of native Celtic/Brythonic folk tales -- that we find the earliest references to Arthur. The
stories do not really fit into the more familiar body of Arthurian legend since they feature as protagonists characters either ancillary to or uninvolved with the main mythos. The character of
Yvaine (alternately spelled Ywain, Owain, Owen, or any other number of variations) is more important to the Welsh part of the cycle, being the subject of numerous works. He is based on an
historical figure called Owain mab Urien who ruled as a regional king in the 6th century. Like Arthur, Ywain was an accomplished warrior who fought against invading Germanic tribesmen. Ywain is
mentioned by Taliesin, which could place references to him as early as the 7th century (assuming the book of Taliesin is based on actual contemporary songs and not later conceits). He features
prominently in other parts of the Matter of Britain and to further establish a connection between the various works is also said to have been the brother-in-law of Iseult, the doomed lover of
The story of Tristan and Iseult is interesting because at its earliest stages it seems to have been completely unrelated to the Arthurian legend. The basic premise is that King Mark tasks the
knight Tristan with a mission to retrieve the lady Iseult from Ireland to be his wife. Naturally, Tristan and Iseult fall in love and have a torrid affair which must be constantly hidden from the
king. Depending upon which version you read, the lovers are either exiled, executed, or some other variation on this theme. The most common result is that Tristan is either killed in a duel or dies
of a broken heart and Iseult faints to death over his corpse. If you're vaguely familiar with Arthurian legend, you'll see the immediate connection between this love triangle and the one involving
King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot. It is pretty easy to theorize, in fact, that Tristan and Iseult formed the basis for the forbidden love of Lancelot and Guinevere, especially given the nature
of the relationship between the three parties. Tristan and Lancelot both love and revere their respective kings but still engage in an egregious betrayal of trust against them; Iseult and Guinevere
are wives of powerful men who fail to be happy in their marriages; Mark and Arthur are completely oblivious to any unseemly relationship between their wives and their most trusted knights until
it's far too late. It is supposed that the Tristan and Iseult story preceded the major Arthurian cycles by at least a century and the main elements were incorporated into later traditions. Perhaps
to underscore this, later traditions have Tristan being a knight of the Round Table and, as mentioned above, have Iseult being the sister of Ywain's wife.
The Holy Grail
Of course, what most people really think about when they're reminded of the Arthurian tales is the quest for the Holy Grail. To put it more accurately, perhaps, would be to say "the
quests for the Holy Grail." Actually, it seems like Grail questing was pretty much the hobby of all the Knights of the Round Table for one reason or another. It's sort of bizarre that almost
all of Arthur's really important knights go after it at some point, but there is never any suggestion that Arthur himself should find it. Likewise, accounts that are simultaneously considered
canonical feature mutually exclusive discoveries of the Holy Grail by various knights, especially Perceval.
Not helping matters is that there's absolutely no consensus as to what the grail actually is. Chretien's Perceval says the grail is a bowl while Wolfram's own version says
that it's a stone that fell from heaven. Indeed, Chretien doesn't even identify the grail as particularly "holy," ascribing more importance to a spear (likely the Spear of Destiny, the weapon
that is supposed to have pierced Christ's side) that is located near it. The anonymous Peredur even features the grail in the form of a severed head on a platter! The grail as we know it
-- the cup that caught the falling blood of Jesus at the crucifixion -- was likely conflated with a distinct relic called the Holy Chalice that is identified as the vessel that
Jesus used to serve the wine at the Last Supper. Robert de Boron's Joseph of Arimathea (obviously based on the biblical figure of the same name) is the first work to establish the Holy
Grail as this particular item. Written in the early 13th century (or so), this conception of the Holy Grail would evolve into the standard interpretation of the relic.
Tied up with the idea of the grail -- holy or otherwise -- is a figure known as the Fisher King. The Fisher King is the hospitable but powerless ruler over a formerly great
domain. The kingdom is a wasteland and the king is frail, almost always incapable of getting around on his own (due to a debilitating injury to his legs or his groin). His name comes from the
fact that he leads a boring, fruitless existence, idly filling his days by fishing. The Fisher King is kept alive solely by the sustenance he receives from the grail, typically identified as a
magically regenerating communion wafer. Occasionally, the Fisher King is two separate individuals, usually a father and son, the former of whom is bed-bound because of the injury and the latter
of whom meets visitors and recreationally fishes. The identity of the Fisher King is in dispute because his actual name is never the same in two different works. It is agreed in almost all versions
that the Fisher King was wounded in battle against Sir Balin.
To make a long story short, the Fisher King is the protector of the grail in its various incarnations. The health of the Fisher King is intimately tied to that of the land -- and I
mean "intimately" quite literally since it is implied that the Fisher King is impotent as a result of his injury, which causes the land itself to be infertile. Chretien's depiction of
the grail-as-bowl and the lance may relate a vaginal/phallic subtext to this, but then again, it may not. Perceval, Galahad, and Bors all encounter the Fisher King in their quests for the
grail, sometimes together, sometimes separately. The main point of these quests is not so much in physically locating the Holy Grail as it is healing the king and thus the land. In Chretien's
Perceval, the title character fails to heal the king and thus does not attain the grail. Likewise, neither Lancelot nor Gawain were able to attain the Grail in most versions of the story,
the former because of his indiscretions with Guinevere and the latter due to his generally wild and intemperate nature. Wolfram von Eschenbach has Perceval at last attain the grail not by healing
the king but rather through introspection and spiritual fulfillment; however, Chretien's story was left unfinished, so various continuations exist which have him actually healing the king. Sir
Thomas Malory has Galahad (Lancelot's son) achieve the grail with the help of Perceval and Bors. While the accounts vary as to how the Fisher King is precisely healed, Chretien says that it is by
asking "who does the grail serve?" and "why does the lance bleed?"
Regardless of what the grail really is or who actually gets it, the salient point is that winning it leads to spiritual completion. It's an almost gnostic concept, that
the attainment of a perfect soul is contingent upon a quest for an esoteric item. The wisdom required to acquire the grail is more important than actually getting it. This is ultimately the lesson
and meaning behind the Holy Grail, which explains why the concept of a physically cohesive grail failed to solidify until about a century after its introduction. Perceval could not originally win
the grail because he was too restrained, while Gawain and Lancelot were too passionate. Galahad, depicted as the most virtuous knight ever conceived, was the only logical grail champion.
The collection of these tales under the rubric of "the Matter of Britain" is extremely telling. While most of them were not even written in Britain or in the English language (in
its various historical forms), they all derive from a set of ideas that extends back to the pre-Christian era of the British isles. Arthurian legends are extremely interesting from a mythographer's
point of view because they represent a coalescing of Christian and pagan legends into one basically coherent whole. Arthur's status as "the once and future king" and the circumstances of his death are reminiscent of both reincarnated pagan fertility gods like Dionysus as well as very plainly Christian influences, specifically the messianic ideal embodied
by Christ. The narrative flow of the final cataclysmic battle between Arthur and the usurper Mordred is similar to the ancient Germanic myths about Ragnarok and Avalon is clearly an analogue
The early stories about the Holy Grail and the Fisher King are likely derived from ancient Celtic pagan beliefs, specifically the tale of Bran the Blessed. Bran was a king who
suffered a grievous wound in battle who was kept alive by a cauldron that magically replenished its contents. Indeed, Robert de Boron refers to the original Fisher King as a figure named "Bron."
Bran/Bron asked that his head be severed and placed on a platter, which is recalled in Peredur when the titular character encounters a similar sight. The esoteric nature of the grail as a
concept transcends both Christianity and paganism since it stands for a spiritual (but not religious) form of enlightenment.
The Matter of Britain ultimately represents what were considered the most important factors in the development of that nation. Arthur appeals to so many people because he can be so
many different things: maybe he was a Welsh national hero, a brave Roman warrior, a Norse god, a chivalrous and fatally trusting leader, or any combination of these and so many more. The other
characters all speak to us because they were not in the slightest bit perfect or complete, showing that people have had the same concerns about the world and one's place in it for centuries. The
great love story of Lancelot and Guinevere (or Tristan and Iseult) is only important because it is illicit and displays the complex emotions that must be involved in serving and betraying a great
man. The non-Arthurian works -- i.e. the Mabinogion, Marie's poems, and the "historical" tracts -- are important because they are the bones that give the mass of the rest of the body a shape and a
context. When compiling a group of works to represent the best and most significant aspects of a culture, one could do much worse than the corpus we call the Matter of Britain. | <urn:uuid:1084463b-e522-4060-8187-2cbc861caf74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://everything2.com/title/Matter+of+Britain?author_id=1492935 | 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 | 0.967895 | 4,032 | 2.4375 | 2 |
A Revolution in Education
I flew into Philly Friday night to be in Wilmington, DE Saturday to present at the Tatnall School SMART User Conference. Revolution member Greg Mentzer started the conference three years ago. Wow! What a fabulous conference. If you live anywhere in the area, make sure you come next year.
Smart's own Brady Phillips gave the keynote in the morning. He gave us the KEY to 21st Century Learning. First he had some quotes from the time of the impact of new technologies on education. His first was from 1855. What was the newest and greatest ed tech advancement at the time? the chalkboard at the front of the room. He also had quotes about the impact of radio, the movie projector, and the Apple II. The movie projector was said to inspire kids to come to school so drastically, that soldiers with guns and swords couldn't keep them away!
Our own Obe Hostetter, Tara Mattingly, Ellen Afromsky, Robert Muskett, Linda Treilman, Marty Ford, and Harvey Almarode also presented. Way to go Revolution! If any other members presented, or attended the conference, let me know. I don't want to leave anyone out. It was awesome to see so many teachers there, not because their collectively bargined contract said they had to be but, because they chose to do what was good for kids by improving their skills.
Great job, Greg. Thanks for all you've done in Delaware teaching teachers how to be more effective turning the cool into tools. | <urn:uuid:dcc5fcc4-692d-4efb-9005-7675636b25a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://smartboardrevolution.ning.com/profiles/blogs/tatnall-school-smart-user?xg_source=activity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97624 | 315 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Bahá'í: Unity and Political Oppression
The world’s youngest religion, Bahá'í preaches belief in world unity and the formation of one true religion, but it has been met with repression in Iran - the country of its origin - since it was founded.
The youngest of all major world religions, the Bahá'í faith promotes monotheism in the true sense of the word – believing that all religions are in essence manifestations of the same God. The faith promotes a utopian vision of a unified globe in which all humanity is one family, living in peace.
The tragic irony is that Bahá'ísm, despite its message of peace, has been oppressed and its followers persecuted since its conception in the 19th century. Historically, Iranian authorities attempted to quell the rise of the religion from its outset, claiming it to be heretical to Islam. This persecution is still a reality in modern day Iran – to the extent that many have compared the situation to the anti-Semitism of Nazi Germany. The faith underwent several significant attacks against it throughout the first half of the twentieth century (such as a 1933 ban on literature and its Centre in Tehran being demolished in 1955) but in 1979 the Iranian Government went so far as to make persecution of Bahá'í followers, Iran’s largest minority, an official policy.
The state policy to socially persecute Bahá'í believers is evident in the denial of higher education to these believes, and the refusal to officially acknowledge marriages in the Bahá'í faith. However the real battle is being fought on economic terms, with severe sanctions denying licenses, and governing bodies engineering the isolation of Bahá'í businesses, thus ensuring their financial ruin. This institutional persecution is further inflamed by Iranian media, with recent defamatory articles in state-owned newspaper - The Kayhan. Officials of the Bahá'í faith draw a parallel between their current situation and the persecution that all major world religions have been subjected to in their infancy. They claim that their suffering is simply a step towards the eventual unification of all countries under ‘The Parliament of Man’. Whilst the religion suffers from political repression in Iran, it thrives elsewhere, as the building of the Bahá'í Houses of Worship reveal. These various houses of worship are dotted throughout the globe; the most famous if the Lotus Temple in Delhi (pictured), which has beomce a tourist attraction in its own right and is open to worshippers of all religions.
In justifying its actions in cracking down on the Bahá'í, Iran’s government often seeks to denigrate the faith and therefore claims that the religion was planted by Western colonial powers as a tool for the subversion of Islam. This is despite the fact that Bahá'í doctrine inherently eschews converting members of other religions. Indeed the primary principle of the religion is the inclusiveness of all faiths; God is one and his messengers include Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad. Whereas colonial missionaries could certainly be held accountable for the spread of Christianity at the expense of other religions, becoming a part of Bahá'í involves asking an existing member if you may join, a impediment which brings to mind the closed circle of freemasonry rather than the proselytizing of Christianity.
The universal utopia of the Bahá'í ethos may elicit some skepticism, but the religions’ fundamental principles of extreme tolerance and unity, whilst respecting the teachings of other religions, reveal it be a uniquely peaceful and inclusive religion. The Iranian government’s commitment to oppressing the Bahá'í is bound up with their conception of an Islamic state and therefore shows no sign of abating in the near future, despite international pressure, meaning that Iranian Bahá'í will have to observe their peaceful, utopian vision in secret. | <urn:uuid:7e86e2d7-8408-4508-80cf-8f8849915025> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/iran/articles/bah-unity-and-political-oppression/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95898 | 765 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Comics : Amazing Spider-Man: This Is Spider-Man
This is a "World of Reading (Level 1)" book from Marvel Press. It's one of several such books that Marvel has produced since they came under the Disney mantle.
The book is 6" x 9", glossy square-bound cover, 32 glossy color pages. It features original text and original artwork.
Amazing Spider-Man: This Is Spider-Man
Apr 2012 : SM Title
Find in Online Shops
Summary: World of Reading (Level 1)
Each page of the book features an attractive color illustration on a, with a simple text sentence. Page one begins "This is Peter", with an illustration of a gawky looking American kid.
The next illustration is a full-color two-page spread which depicts an urban street scene as it informs us that "Peter lives in Queens. Queens is in New York City."
For ten more pages we meet Peter at school, being bullied by Flash Thompson. But then we get "Peter has a super secret." Subsequent pages then let us know that "He has a costume," and "He has web-shooters."
The story breaks into the occasional double-illustration per page as we learn that Peter is Spider-Man. We see Spider-Man fighting crime at night in the city, then we see an exhausted Peter Parker return home, and make his way back to school the next morning.
"At school, the kids learn about Spider-Man." "They like Spider-Man." "They do not like Peter."
But of course, they don't know that Peter is Spider-Man.
I like the way that this book sets out to do one specific job. Despite being released only a month or two before the 2012 film, it doesn't attempt to link with the movie in any way at all.
Instead it identifies one very specific element of the Spider-Man story — the contrast between Spider-Man the powerful and respected super-hero, and Peter Parker the meek and un-admired school kid.
In doing so, it aims to appeal to the 90% of kids who feel they are unpopular at school, while also helping them to learn to read.
This book doesn't achieve any particular greatness. But by focussing on a particular element of the Spider-Man mythos, it does manage to do one thing well. That is supported by text which is clear and unambiguous, and illustrations that are equally clear and appealing.
That has to be worth an above-par three-and-a-half webs. | <urn:uuid:704e1c7c-84eb-4e32-89b9-e1e7d7937715> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spiderfan.org/comics/reviews/spiderman_books_world_of_reading/this_is_sm.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947816 | 534 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Politics and judges shouldn't mix.
Having "Democrat" or "Republican" after a judicial candidate's name should not be a measure of whether he or she is qualified to dispense unbiased rulings.
Unfortunately, we've crossed that road with some local and state judgeships. But so far, Tennessee has avoided having its appellate court judges selected in partisan elections.
Gov. Bill Haslam wants to make sure the process doesn't change and is pushing for the current process to become part of the Tennessee Constitution.
If that's what it takes to keep overt politics out of state appellate judgeship selections, we hope the governor gets his way.
Under the state's judicial selection system, a commission nominates appeals court judges and the governor appoints them. In subsequent elections, voters cast ballots on whether the judges should be retained.
Haslam wants the constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2014. He's supported by Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell, both Republicans.
A group of legislators led by state Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, supports popular election of the judges. They argue the current selection process violates the state Constitution. They also believe elected judges would be more accountable to the public.
The public would be better off if Haslam wins this battle. Appellate judges issue rulings that have a tremendous impact on Tennessee citizens.
These decisions should not be issued by judges concerned about raising campaign funds and the feelings of partisan supporters or antagonists. | <urn:uuid:3f3d87c0-8ce9-4945-95ae-228a5b7a4dec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/09/no-place-for-politics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963737 | 302 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Study: Mega Vitamins Won't Help After Heart Attack, Chelation Treatment Might
SUNDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- There's mixed news from a much-anticipated clinical trial for people who've suffered a heart attack: While a study found that daily high doses of vitamins and minerals did nothing to improve patient outcomes, there was a hint that controversial "chelation" therapy might.
Still, the lead researcher said he's not ready to recommend chelation therapy, in which doctors give patients high-dose vitamins along with special infusions that seek to leach heavy metals from the body.
"These findings should stimulate further research, but are not by themselves sufficient to recommend the routine use of chelation therapy and high-dose vitamins in most patients," said Dr. Gervasio Lamas, chief of the Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in Miami Beach, Fla.
The trial, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, looked at whether chelation therapy might help patients who'd suffered a heart attack. The findings were presented Sunday at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual meeting, in San Francisco.
The expensive treatment, which involves dozens of arduous infusions conducted over a period of years, has been offered by certain clinics for decades but has yet to gain U.S. Food and Drug administration approval for heart patients.
However, its reputation got a boost in November when preliminary results from the same trial were presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. Those results did show a modest benefit from chelation therapy for some patients.
The trial involved more than 1,700 patients from the United States and Canada who had suffered a prior heart attack. Most were already taking standard therapies such as daily aspirin, cholesterol-lowering statins or blood pressure medications.
Because chelation therapy also involves daily high-dose vitamins and minerals, Lamas explained that the new analysis tried to separate out the effects of the supplements from that of the chelation itself.
The patients therefore were randomly selected to receive one of four regimens: high-dose vitamin/mineral supplements plus chelation, vitamins/minerals plus a placebo ("dummy") chelation therapy, chelation with placebo vitamin/minerals, or a placebo/placebo group (no actual therapy given). Chelation therapy consisted of 40 three-hour sessions with the IV infusion spread over 18 months, and the doses of vitamins and minerals given were much higher than recommended daily intakes.
After an average follow-up of more than four years, the researchers found no benefit for people who took the daily high-dose vitamins/minerals alone.
"We cannot recommend high-dose oral vitamins and minerals as adjunct therapy for people who have had [heart attacks]," Lamas said at an ACC press briefing on Sunday.
However, the team did see a slight benefit among the group who took the vitamins/minerals in combination with chelation therapy. Twenty-six percent of people in this group experienced some kind of cardiovascular event such as heart attack, stroke or hospitalization for angina (chest pain) -- less than the 32 percent seen among those who got placebo/placebo therapy only.
Still, the gap was not huge and Lamas, who does not use chelation therapy in his own practice, said he cannot recommend it at this time.
"The message really is a cautious message," he said. "We brought something that has been an alternative medicine treatment into the realm of scientific inquiry and found unexpected results that may merit future research. However, we don't think that the results of any single trial are enough to carry this novel hypothesis into daily use for patients."
Two experts who were not connected to the study were less than impressed by the findings.
"Many Americans think that a multivitamin a day is the cure-all to most ailments," said Dr. Tara Narula, associate director of the Cardiac Care Unit at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. However, "when it comes to heart disease, this appears to be a myth," she said. "There is no evidence that vitamin and mineral supplementation can be beneficial to cardiac patients."
Dr. Sripal Bangalore is assistant professor in the department of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City. He agreed with Narula that high-dose vitamins are of no help to heart patients, and added that the finding regarding chelation therapy is an isolated one and "needs to be studied further."
For her part, Narula said that "although it is noteworthy that chelation may be helpful, it is an expensive treatment and does carry significant side effects."
Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
There's more on the care of heart attack patients at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
SOURCES: Tara Narula, M.D., associate director, Cardiac Care Unit, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Sripal Bangalore, M.D., assistant professor, department of medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; March 10, 2013, press briefing, American College of Cardiology annual meeting, San Francisco, with Gervasio Lamas, M.D., chief, Columbia University Division of Cardiology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, Fla. | <urn:uuid:32be5761-2deb-4a69-b273-62ba0283fc7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthlibrary/related/doc.php?type=6&id=674280 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959911 | 1,114 | 2.0625 | 2 |
In a front page story on Sunday, the New York Times suggests that commodity investor Anthony Ward may be trying to corner the cocoa market. Ward–known as Choc Finger–reportedly purchased 241,000 tons of cocoa, about 7% of the world’s annual crop. The price tag? A cool $1 billion.
The NYT suggests that Ward is doing this to profit from future price increases, either natural or created by his new market power:
His play has some people up in arms. While some see it as a simple bet that cocoa prices will rise on falling supply, others say Mr. Ward has created a shortage of cocoa simply to drive up the price himself. … The fear is that Mr. Ward will become the go-to source until the annual cocoa harvest, which starts in October. With candy makers starting to stock up for the holiday season, they may be forced to pay him ever-higher prices — and cocoa has already jumped 150 percent since 2008.
“The squeeze was really timed perfectly,” said Eugen Weinberg, an analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.
The corner theory is plausible, but I think the NYT committed journalistic malpractice by not reporting another salient fact: cocoa prices are now about 15% lower than when Choc Finger made his play. Ward allegedly bought at a price around 2,700 British pounds per ton of cocoa, but according to the FT the futures contract for September closed on Friday at only 2,300 pounds:
If Choc Finger’s game is to profit from future price increases, he’s sitting on $150 million in unrealized losses. Not a sweet outcome.
Of course, that arithmetic applies only if Choc Finger is playing buy-and-hold with his cocoa stash. There are many other ways he might be trying to profit from his purchase. Perhaps he owned July futures that paid off handsomely from the run-up in price (as you can see in the FT chart, July was the front-month contract until July 15th, after which the September contract, at a much lower price, took over). Or maybe he locked in higher prices from pre-arranged sales? As Craig Pirrong notes, pre-negotiated sales make good sense if you are trying to execute a corner (Paul Krugman offers another simple model). Those details matter, but you wouldn’t know it from the NYT story. (My guess, by the way, is that he’s not down $150 million, although the logic of the NYT story would suggest that. But only time will tell.)
Whatever Ward’s motivation, keep in mind that big purchases don’t always pay off. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. As Choc Finger knows first hand, according to Amsterdam Trader:
Press is reporting the “biggest cocoa trade in fourteen years”, but it’s not that special. Back 2002 the same cacao king Anthony Ward bought 202.000 tons, just a little less compared to the current 241.000. At the time his purchase represented 5% of the world market. He made 40 million in 2002 on the trade. Three years ago Ward was quoted as the chocolate guru : “The world’s not going to run out of cocoa, but they’ll have to pay more to get the right beans”. Most press reports refer to the biggest cocoa trade in fourteen years, but haven’t done any more research. The large cocoa trade in 1996 was done by the firm Phibro, amounting 300.000 tons. In charge of the cocoa desk at the time at Phibro, was nobody else than the same Anthony Ward. Phibro lost money on this cocoa trade by the way, and was forced to unwind their positions. | <urn:uuid:d1a1177e-e37e-478f-a822-a339152e6c3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dmarron.com/2010/07/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974726 | 785 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Episode 90: “Celebrating Palau’s Independence, Rethinking Free Association with the United States” (hosted by Dr. Vivian Dames) airs 10/21/11.
On October 8, 2011 the Palauan Community Association of Guam (PCAG) came together to celebrate the final dismantling of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1994 and the 17th year of Palau Independence. The day of festivities was held at the Paseo de Susana park in the capital of Hagatna, nestled between the baseball stadium and the site of a small replica of the Statue of Liberty. This event also marks the 17th year of Palau’s controversial freely associated status with the United States. The Compact of Free Association is a negotiated agreement which provides US funding to Palau in exchange for US full authority and responsibility for security and defense matters. A renewal of the Compact is now awaiting approval in the US Congress which will provide $250 million dollars to Palau over 15 years. Where is Palau today on its ‘road to independence’? What do Palauans in Guam think about the political status of free association? What happened to the conditional nuclear free provision in the Palau Constitution? What are the lessons to be learned for the peoples of Guam as we pursue political decolonization?
In the first segment of this episode, we feature highlights from the morning program of the Palau Independence celebration. We begin with a welcome chant Chesols performed by Jovanni Tudong followed by excerpts of the welcoming remarks by Ted Iyechad, PCAG President; a summary of Palau’s history entitled “Road to Independence” by Davis Tewid, PCAG Vice President; a Moment of Silence in Honor of Fallen Palauan/American Soldiers (Jaycee Melwat, Meresebang Ngiraked, Philton Ueki, Jasper Obakrairur, Sonny J. Moses, John Flores & Adam Q. Emul); and excerpts from the keynote address of Honorable Johnson Toribiong, President of the Republic of Palau. This segment concludes with the National Anthem of Palau.
[The PCAG program also included a proclamation signing and remarks from Lt. Governor Ray Tenorio and presentation of a legislative resolution by Vice Speaker Benjamin ‘BJ’ Cruz and Senator Vicente ‘Ben’ Pangelinan, 31st Guam Legislature. The bountiful lunch showcasing the delicacies and displays of different states was accompanied in the afternoon by cultural performances, decoration contests and the 2011 PCAG Outstanding Citizen Awards.]
Following these program highlights is my interview with Mr. David Tewid, PCAG Vice-President who is a long-time Guam resident and Palauan-US citizen who holds a B.A. Economics from the University of Hawaii. In anticipation of the military buildup projected for 2014, Mr. Tewid retired several years ago from a program coordinator position at the Department of Public Health & Social Services to pursue real estate full-time.
I also interview Dr. Donald R. Shuster whose publications provide the primary source for Mr. Tewid’s presentation. Dr. Shuster is a professor at the Micronesian Area Research Center, University of Guam. Although interested in the entire Micronesian region, he specializes in the Republic of Palau. He has published a number of journal articles and books about elections, the compact, Roman Tmetuchl, baseball, and Father Felix Yaoch, S.J., and is currently working on a biography of Thomas Remengesau, Sr. One of Shuster’s publications cited in this interview is “Palau’s Compact: Controversy, Conflict, & Compromise” ISLA: A Journal of Micronesian Studies, Vol. 2, No. 2/Dry Season 1994. | <urn:uuid:77a15b1c-37c7-4ac3-b1b9-3d29494e59cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kprg.podbean.com/mobile/2011/11/21/beyond-the-fence-episode-90/?comments=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908601 | 805 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Two years after the mass uprising that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and instituted a system of electoral representation, Tunisia is still struggling to rebuild its economy. Chronic unemployment plagues youth and university graduates, GDP growth is slow, the budget deficit is increasing, and the country faces a $20 billion-plus external debt. The government has undertaken several initiatives to foster local entpreneurship and attract more foreign direct investment, but it has done so through the implementation of enormous foreign aid packages. Unless the unemployment rate significantly decreases through private sector growth and continuing internal unrest ends, Tunisia will be forced to rely on foreign aid to function.
To get back on solid economic footing, Tunisia has enlisted the international community. The European Union has allocated 220 million euros in financial assistance for Tunisia this year alone, and the two entities signed an agreement in November that will increase Tunisia’s European export market. Since January 2011, the U.S. has committed more than $300 million to help Tunisia pay its debts, transition into democracy, and provide entrenpreneurship and employability training for its citizens. Libya committed $200 million in aid in November. But all this foreign aid is a mere bandaid for Tunisia, whose finance minister has said that the government will need about $4.4 billion in financial assistance next year. Meanwhile, unemployment in Tunisia remains a staggering 18 percent. Private sector growth creeps at a snail’s pace in part because the government’s own employment initiatives have focused on enlarging the bloated public sector, further increasing its deficit.
Even if the private sector recovers and unemployment is addressed, social unrest, threatens to undermine any gains made. First, the recent rise in hardline Islamist demonstrations against the government, mostly by Salafist groups, deters potential investors like Qatar and Turkey from establishing self-sustaining capital development projects in Tunisia, which they may deem unstable territory for such ventures. Second, union strikes have become regular occurrences, stagnating Tunisia’s capacity for production. The crown jewel in Tunisia’s narrow resource base—its phosphate industry—has been crippled by such activities. Several plants belonging to the state-owned Compagnie de Phosphates have been forced to cease operations completely, and annual phosphate output is one-third of its pre-revolution level. If the current level of internal unrest continues, further hindering production growth and dissuading foreign direct investment, Tunisia will become entirely dependent on foreign aid.
The only bright spot in Tunisia’s economy seems to be its entrepreneurial community. Both local and foreign entities have established seed funds for startup companies in Tunisia, and foreign aid and NGOs are providing necessary business skills. However, the success of Tunisia’s entrepreneurial sector alone will not solve the basic economic problems facing the country. Foreign aid can certainly help, but it must be accompanied by effective government policies. Unfortunately, Tunisia’s ruling coalition has neglected thoughtful economic policies in favor of short-term fixes. If this pattern continues, Tunisia will soon find itself completely dependent on foreign assistance, dimming its post-revolution hopes of becoming an important regional player. | <urn:uuid:b7164abb-069d-4dcb-bc31-397d918de15e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allisonwgood.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940662 | 636 | 2.25 | 2 |
Polar Detectives: Using Ice Core Data to Decode Past Climate Mysteries
Students investigate the formation, physical and chemical properties of ice cores to determine the cause of a discrepant event.
Scientists analyze ice cores for evidence of climate history.
This activity is based on known events: 1783's Laki volcano in Iceland, an "unknown" in 1810 and the Mount Tambora eruption in 1815.
Can you imagine a "Year Without a Summer"? Both historians and scientists have found that in 1816 environmental conditions caused temperatures to drop abnormally, more than half a degree Celsius. This was enough to kill animals and crops in the northern hemisphere, to reduce the amount of sunlight due to persistent fog, and to have ice and snow forming in Europe in July and August. Conditions were so grim that author Mary Shelley holed up inside her holiday hotel and competed with friends to see who could create the scariest story. The result? Frankenstein! Figuring out what caused these events and whether they were a random occurrence is the job of climate scientists. To discover an answer, they begin with a question.
Question: "What caused the extreme 1816 summer conditions?"
Hypothesis: There may be ice core evidence of something that caused unusual temperatures.
What We Know: Snow crystals form differently under different conditions. In the center of Greenland, snow falls year round and does not melt. Layers get compressed into ice over time.
Task 1: Using your hand lens, examine the photos in the handout. How are the snowflakes different?
Dendritic flakes, far left, form when air is moist and warm. Colder, drier conditions produce finer, needle-like crystals, such as the third photo from the left in the handout.
Task 2: Sulfuric volcano emissions can be transported to the poles and fall onto the ice. For this simulation, sugar represents coarser summer snow, salt represents finer, winter snow, pepper represents ash and the cylinder represents the core. Sprinkle a few grains of each substance onto separate squares of black paper and examine them with your lens. What do you observe?
Working together, create a model ice core, using a spoon and funnel to manipulate the materials.
- Layer 1: Form the base of your core by adding summer snow to a thickness that you can clearly see, for example 10 ml.
- Layer 2: Add winter snow on top of the summer snow. These two layers represent evidence of one year of precipitation.
- Alternate summer and winter layers, filling the cylinder. Occasionally add evidence of an eruption, thick enough so you can see it when you are finished. Examine the "core". What do you observe?
How does the thickness of each layer relate to the weather at the time the snow fell? How does it relate to crystal size? In which layer(s) is there evidence of a volcanic event? How many years of accumulation are indicated in your model? Which layer is the oldest?
What We Need to Know: In addition to physical properties we can observe, snow also contains chemical indicators we can't see that give clues to the environment when the snow fell.
Designing an Investigation: Scientists designed two expeditions to search for evidence of sulfur in ice cores. The first expedition went to Summit Station, Greenland and the second to West Antarctica.
Task 3: Analyzing Data Review the graph in the handout. How many eruptions were indicated, during which year(s)? Which volcanoes were equitorial (sulfur distributed over both hemispheres)? Which were located in a mid- or high latitude location (deposited near the volcanic site only)?
Drawing Conclusions: Scientists were able to pinpoint ice cores from 1816 using physical and chemical means. You have examined evidence of volcanic eruptions from the same period. Could ash in the atmosphere have been a major factor, blocking northern hemisphere sunlight and causing a "Year Without a Summer"?
Linda M. Morris
Education Program Manager
Ice Drilling Program Office
Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth
linda [dot] m [dot] morris [at] dartmouth [dot] edu
For more information visit:
Documents relating to this resource are available for download below: | <urn:uuid:753678da-b2eb-4263-8366-7aff99ba0ac1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.polartrec.com/resources/lesson/polar-detectives-using-ice-core-data-to-decode-past-climate-mysteries | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929252 | 878 | 3.765625 | 4 |
WSU releases its first apple variety
The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission will hold an exclusive license for WA 2.
Retired WSU apple breeder Dr. Bruce Barritt checks another promising selection in an evaluation plot in a commercial orchard.
Washington State University has granted an exclusive license for its first apple variety to the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, which plans to make it available to any Washington State grower.
Inventions by WSU faculty, including fruit varieties, become the property of the WSU Research Foundation. Under an agreement reached this fall, the foundation will grant the exclusive license for its first new apple variety, known as "WA 2," to the Research Commission, which will set up a nonprofit organization to manage the commercialization of WSU varieties. The management entity will receive the master license for WSU's future apple releases, according to Dr. Tom Kelly at the Research Foundation's Office of Intellectual Property Administration.
WSU applied for a patent for WA 2 in March this year. The apple is bicolored with distinctive, conspicuous lenticels. It has a good balance of sweetness and acidity, but its most important attribute, according to breeder Dr. Bruce Barritt, is its texture. It is firm, crisp, and juicy, and stays firm in storage and on the shelf.
"It doesn't go soft and mealy at all," said Barritt, who believes the variety has as much potential as Gala and Fuji.
The evaluation and commercialization guidelines agreed upon by the WSU Research Foundation and the Research Commission took a couple of years to negotiate. As the final version was drawn up in August, it became apparent that the Research Commission's enabling legislation did not allow it to hold the license, as currently defined, or to set up a nonprofit organization to manage the variety.
Dr. Jim McFerson, manager of the Research Commission, said he was working with the Washington State Attorney General's Office and the Washington State Department of Agriculture to pursue legislation in the next session to modify the commission's enabling statute and allow the plan to go forward. He does not believe that this will delay commercialization of WA 2. The commission will start working on the management concept, even though it can't sign an agreement with the university yet.
"We intend to move through the process and do exactly what we need to do to achieve the agreed-upon goals," McFerson said. "It changes nothing about what we have agreed to do with WSU. As long as we're being diligent about the propagation of material for commercialization, so we ramp up that availability, I don't see this as forestalling commercialization in any way."
The management entity will likely be modeled after the grower-controlled Potato Variety Management Institute set up by the Oregon, Washington, and Idaho potato industries. The PVMI's goals are to:
• Exert grower control over varieties developed through grower-supported research.
• Work with the processing, grocery, and restaurant trade to increase adoption of new varieties.
• Use market research to focus variety development goals
• Manage distribution and use of varieties around the world
• Return royalties to the potato breeding program
The apple management entity will be composed of apple producers, along with nonindustry members who can bring outside expertise from the financial or retail sectors, for example.
Willow Drive Nursery in Ephrata, Washington, has been propagating trees of WSU's advanced selections for evaluation. When up and running, the management entity will fund the propagation of advanced selections and virus testing out of the fees growers pay for evaluation rights. The Research Commission is paying for propagation in the meantime.
Ten advanced selections, including WA 2, have been planted in small numbers in the orchards of four grower cooperators in Brewster, Quincy, Mattawa, and Prosser, Washington. This is Phase 3 of the evaluation and commercialization process.
Around 8,000 trees of WA 2 on the Malling 9 rootstock will be available next spring for widescale evaluation in commercial orchards (Phase 4). The nursery is using certified virus-free stock to produce about 500 trees of WA 2 on vigorous rootstocks that will become the mother trees in a foundation block for commercial nursery tree propagation in the future.
Brent Milne, a member of the Research Commission and chair of the breeding program's Industry Advisory Council, said trees probably would not be available for commercial plantings (Phase 5) until 2014 or 2015.
Milne said the evaluation and commercialization guidelines would provide a framework for the commercialization of other varieties from the program, in addition to WA 2. They encapsulate three goals he felt were important for the industry. They:
• Provide a way to safeguard WSU's intellectual property
• Ensure transparency of the process
• Ensure equal access to the materials from the breeding program for all Washington growers
WSU's apple breeding program began in 1994, with financial support from the Research Commission. Since the program had no trees to use as potential parents at first, Barritt used seeds collected from the orchard of the late Doyle Fleming at Orondo, Washington. WA 2 came from a seed of an open-pollinated Splendour apple from a tree in the middle of a Gala orchard. It is possible, therefore, that it is a Splendour-Gala cross, like Aurora Golden Gala and Nicola from British Columbia and the New Zealand variety Pacific Rose. Dr. Kate Evans took over as breeder when Barritt retired last year, but Barritt is considered the inventor of WA 2.
Kelly said that as the university looked at how to commercialize WSU's new apples, it considered many different scenarios, including inviting bids from entities interested in managing the varieties. "Every scenario you can imagine was thought about," he said.
Dr. Ralph Cavalieri, director of WSU's agricultural research center in Pullman, said many agencies that fund research ask for the first right to negotiate a license, and the Research Commission provided most of the external funding for the breeding program.
Kelly said it would be up to the commission to set up the management entity and decide how the varieties are to be managed.
"This is the first variety we have, and it's taken a while to figure out what to do. If we were a private business we could do what we want, and do it in the most profitable way," he said. "We're not after profits. We're working with the Tree Fruit Research Commission in general to do what's best for the industry."
McFerson said he believes that the proposed process for commercializing the varieties is what growers want, even though it is a new approach for the Research Commission to partner with another institution in this way.
"We need to do things differently," he said. "As long as we scrupulously stay away from promotion and marketing, I think that our grower community is supportive of our efforts."
Royalties from varieties that go into commercial production will be distributed by the WSU Research Foundation on the same basis as other WSU inventions. The foundation will deduct the costs of obtaining and maintaining legal protection for each variety. Fifty percent of the remaining income will be distributed to the Agricultural Research Center to support the breeding program; Barritt will receive 30 percent; and the Research Foundation and the ARC will each receive 10 percent. | <urn:uuid:10d82430-3e76-4aef-b539-ca13476885ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goodfruit.com/Good-Fruit-Grower/October-2009/WSU-8200releases-its-first-apple-variety/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954967 | 1,513 | 1.851563 | 2 |
There's no problem refining oil sands bitumen in Canadian refineries. East coast refineries could refine it if there was a cheap way to get it to Montreal. Most refineries in Canada and the US are operating below capacity right now.
The real problem is cheap refining capacity in China and India due to low wages, low standards of living, no health and safety standards, less taxes, few environmental standards, government subsidies, etc . For example, the Burnaby refinery that processes raw bitumen piped from the oil sands through the existing Kinder Morgan pipeline may close because they can't refine it as cheaply as China or India who can outbid them for the purchase contracts, even with tanker shipping costs. If they twin the KM pipeline to Burnaby, the Burnaby Refinery will certainly close and we'll lose those jobs and west coast capacity to refine our own Canadian oil in a world shortage.
Why such a rush to exploit and exhaust our domestic oil reserves when their value as a commodity and future oil security grows the longer they are left in the ground and world oil reserves begin to deplete? Short term economic growth and profit.....mostly China's though. | <urn:uuid:e7a63ec3-8e7c-4414-8622-40b14f9d2acc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=30209.0;prev_next=next | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950512 | 234 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Beginning of this year, James Joyce’s main body of work was released into the public domain. Most people are happy about it but the good fight against Joyce’s sole heir Stephen Joyce is not yet over, writes The New Yorker:
Sam Slote, one of the academics D. T. Max interviewed, now teaches English literature at Trinity College Dublin, and is a prominent figure in Joyce studies. When I spoke to him, he was careful to disabuse me of any impression that the estate might now be out of Joyce scholars’ lives for good. He pointed out that the status of the posthumous publications—the letter and manuscripts, for instance, as well as “Stephen Hero” (an unfinished autobiographical novel which Joyce radically revised as “A Portrait”) and “Giacomo Joyce” (a fragmentary, poetic account of Joyce’s relationship with a female student)—is still unclear.
Read the whole thing here. | <urn:uuid:c6e07778-21e1-4e7f-a6e9-d07a18d057b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://colordisco.com/fuck-you-stephen-joyce/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962029 | 203 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Tobacco Free Madison is hosting a BMX bike show called the Freestyle Connection at Lanier Field on Saturday, September 24, from 10 am – 1 pm. This group came to town a year ago and performed two standing room only shows for the community. They perform street tricks and some crazy ramp jumps that go over 20 feet in the air. They often get attendees involved in the action.
In addition to their entertaining bike show, the Freestyle Connection encourages youth to invest in their future by making good decisions today. Those decisions include choosing to be tobacco free and avoiding the impacts tobacco use can have on one’s life. Another decision they encourage youth to make is to wear their bicycling safety helmets. Healthy Start will be on hand providing a limited quantity of helmets, in various sizes to interested attendees.
The shows will be at Lanier Field, scheduled at 10 am and 12 noon.
The message that Tobacco Free Madison is trying to get out is that tobacco companies are manipulating the ingredients of many tobacco products to make them sweeter, more palatable with flavors like strawberry, grape, pina colada and chocolate chip cookie dough. They then package these products in brightly colored packages engineered to attract the attention of youth. Though legally not allowed to market towards youth, these marketing tactics appear to be aimed at none other. Big tobacco also alters the levels of some of the chemicals in these products to reduce the feeling of sickness that many get during their trial period starting a tobacco habit.
So if the products taste “better” are packaged more attractively and tend to not cause sickness, then youth are more likely to try them and initiate a tobacco habit that could last a lifetime, a lifetime that is statistically shorter than non-tobacco users.
We want to reduce youth initiation of tobacco use in Madison County and therefore reduce the impacts of tobacco use in Madison County.
Come out and join us on Saturday, September 24, at 10 am or 12 pm! | <urn:uuid:591eabf9-f399-4df2-b93a-3917338881a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greenepublishing.com/?tag=bmx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954383 | 402 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Daily Archives: April 9, 2012
Heroes. They are something we should all have, and they come in many shapes and sizes. Some may be the usual suspects, heralds of a cause, but others can be found unexpected places. In truth, I believe everyone has the potential to be a hero. And I can’t think of any better way to demonstrate this fact that to share a few of my local Saskatchewan heroes who also happen to be members of the acronym community.
Mikayla Schultz is the founder of TransSask (support services). She is a tireless advocate and campaigner for equality. Through tremendous efforts, she recently put government to the test and had many successes with the signing of a declaration formalizing March 25-31 as Transgender Awareness Week in communities across Saskatchewan.
Don Cochrane is a former University of Saskatchewan professor, who continues to educate everyone he meets. His groundbreaking work into subjects of importance to the Sexual Minority and Gender Variant community continue to force change, improving the lives of everyone in Canada. You can see his hand all over this province, and especially at the annual Breaking the Silence conference here in Saskatoon.
Sarah Houghtaling is a local high school student. She strives diligently to make lives better not only for those who attend school with her, but for minority students across our province. A student activist who’s name I highly recommend taking note of. She’s one of the many young people who WILL change our world for the better. If you are ever able to attend one of her talks, DO! You will be inspired.
Kay Williams is one of the most outspoken allies you will ever meet. A determined advocate for her son, and a helping voice in a confusing world for parents new to the world of parenting LGBTT2QI children and youth. Kay is a proud volunteer, and one of the founding members of PFLAG in Saskatoon. She also was awarded the Peter Corren Award for Outstanding Achievement this year at Breaking the Silence – and yes, I teared up during her acceptance speech (which I recorded, and will share at some point).
Four individuals, all unique, all at different stages of their journey, all willing to do whatever it takes to see things become better for those around them. All four are heroes, and all four I’m proud to call friend.
Who are the heroes in your life? | <urn:uuid:946e25b8-fbcb-4bfb-89df-70265101dc16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://td365.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963862 | 492 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Climate Reality Project rolls out new campaign to keep climate denial out of school curriculum
by Maggie L. Fox, Climate Reality Project
Do you think schools should teach our children that climate change isn’t real?
Of course not. But the Heartland Institute, an organization well-known for giving a microphone to climate science deniers, now wants to bring this false message into America’s classrooms.
As their President and CEO just admitted, they are writing a “global warming curriculum” that would say climate science isn’t settled. They’d like our teachers to claim we just don’t know if humans are changing our climate.
This plan is outrageous on its face. As you well know, the science behind climate change is not controversial — it is a reality. Scientists know that climate change is happening, and we are beginning to see the impacts with our own eyes. It would be the height of irresponsibility to urge our schools to teach something known to be untrue.
As its own budget documents reveal (PDF), the Heartland Institute is funded by oil and coal companies with a financial interest in denying climate science. But I think you’ll agree this industry-funded propaganda has no place in our schools.
Fortunately, one brave high school student is asking the Heartland Institute to stop. Corey Husic is writing to the group to say there is no place for a climate denial curriculum. He is asking that Heartland immediately “cease and desist” its plan to bring climate denial into our schools. And today, I invite you to sign this petition as well.
It’s time we move on from this false debate over climate science and engage in a much more fruitful and educational discussion over what we can do to solve the climate crisis.
We’ve created a short video to help you learn more about this urgent issue. I encourage you watch this video now, and sign the petition to keep climate reality in America’s science classrooms.
Corey Husic, a student and trained Climate Presenter, is sending the message below to Joseph Bast, President and CEO, Heartland Institute. Sign our petition and join Corey in standing up for reality. Say NO to climate denial in our schools.
Dear Mr. Bast,
I’m Corey Husic, and I’m a high school student in Pennsylvania. It’s come to my attention that you are prepared to spend a significant amount of money on a “global warming curriculum” to teach kids that climate change isn’t real.
That’s right. According to your own budget documents, you want to hand teachers a curriculum that says global warming is “a major scientific controversy” and that carbon dioxide might not even be a pollutant.
Please be advised: Your entire premise is false. The reality is that our climate is changing now and human activities are a primary cause. I’m just a high school student, so please don’t take my word for it. Just ask any National Academy of Science in the world or just about any actual climate scientist.
Given who pays your bills, your plan doesn’t come as a surprise. According to your own documents, your organization is funded by coal and oil companies with a financial stake in denying climate science — not to mention tobacco companies that tried to convince us smoking doesn’t cause cancer.
My generation is already experiencing a very different climate from our parents and grandparents. We will be the ones responsible for making sure coastal cities are able to withstand rising sea levels. We are the ones who will have to protect ourselves from weather extremes like stronger hurricanes, longer droughts and hotter heat waves. Instead of trying to undermine the science that shows humans are causing climate change, we should be learning how those changes are going to affect us and what we can do about it. In other words, teach us something useful.
We respectfully demand that you cease and desist your effort to bring climate change denial into our schools.
– Maggie L. Fox is the President and CEO of the Climate Reality Project. This piece was originally published at the Climate Reality Project.
NOTE: Think Progress is among several publications to have published documents attributed to the Heartland Institute and sent to us from an anonymous and then unknown source. The source later revealed himself. Heartland Institute has issued several press releases claiming that one document (“2012 Climate Strategy”) is fake and asserting other claims regarding the other documents. ThinkProgress has taken down the 2012 Climate Strategy document as it determines the document’s authenticity. | <urn:uuid:0d984363-7aaa-4469-a958-bfa25b91d0b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/02/24/431922/heartland-institute-keep-climate-denial-out-of-our-schools/?mobile=nc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947582 | 949 | 1.75 | 2 |
Team Foundation services are not available from server error when attempting to make WebAccess available from internet
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 9:41 PMHello, we're running TFS 2010 and we'd like to make WebAccess available to couple of our selected testers so that they can work with workitems. Our configuration: 1) Primary (physical) server Win 2008 R2, which has physical connection to inet, lets call it MYCOMP-SRV. It has public ip with ports 80, 8080 open and DNS www.mycomp.org 2) VM (virtual) server Win 2008 R2 with TFS 2010 - lets call it MYCOMP-TFS. WebAccess works well within the network as well as when connected to VPN. We've set up nat to transfer calls from 80,8080 to appropriate ports on MYCOMP-TFS. We successfully tested dummy pages to make sure requests get through. Problem: when we try to access WebAccess from internet, after authentication, we end up on the "Select a Team Project to work with" which displays errors: Team Foundation services are not available from server http://MYCOMP-TFS:8080/tfs. Technical information (for administrator): Unable to connect to the remote server Solution attempt: We went to TFS Admin Console -> Aplication Tier -> Change URLs and set the Notification URL to http://www.mycomp.org/tfs & restarted the server. Unfortunately, we ended up with the same error, only the server address was the above. We tried couple of variations (w/o /tfs, with port :8080, etc.), none work. Think to note is that ONLY the original address (http://MYCOMP-TFS:8080/tfs) pases the "Test" link - all other end up with Unable to connect error. Thoughts: For some reason, we're not able to access http://www.mycomp.org (or even the public IP address of the MYCOMP-SRV) from the MYCOMP-TFS (other internet sites work though). So we even tried to add the www.mycomp.org to "hosts" file along with the IP address of the MYCOMP-TFS. That ended up with getting "not authorized" error instead of the "unable to connect". We have a feeling the issue is connected with the fact that we're not able to browse the www.mycomp.org from MYCOMP-TFS itself. Unfortunately our expertise ended up with trying the hosts. Would anyone be able to come up with suggestion please? Thanks, V.R.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011 5:51 AMModerator
I am trying to involve someone familiar with this topic to further look at this issue. There might be some time delay. Appreciate your patience.
Vicky Song [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 8:03 AM
If you can access TFS Web within the network, the problem is not caused by TFS configuration.
The "not authorized" issue sounds like the double hop issue which is discussed in the following articles:
Thanks & Regards,
Jian-Wei Yu [MSFT]
Microsoft Online Community Support
Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. | <urn:uuid:174d0e11-460c-4751-b2e6-30f34f69d73a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/tfswebaccess/thread/a1b15dbf-1ce8-4ddc-90b3-eac41fa6a262 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915058 | 740 | 1.5 | 2 |
Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
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Step 1 Define the study area. As with the other analyses presented in this guidebook, it is important to take a critical look at the neighborhoods and infrastructure surrounding the proposed project and to determine which, if any, are likely to be affected by it. A geometric change in a roadway, for example, may affect transit routes well beyond the location of the change. Step 2 Perform a preliminary inventory of the modes (both motorized and non- motorized) and facilities available in the study area. Site visits, combined with reviews of sidewalk, trail, and transit maps, can be used to inventory modes and facilities that the proposed project may affect--either positively or negatively. Nonmotorized travel data may be available from existing travel surveys and traffic counts, although conventional sources such as these tend to under-record nonmotorized trips. Some data sources exclude nonmotorized trips altogether, and many undercount short trips, nonwork trips, travel by children, and recreational trips. Automatic traffic counters may not record nonmotorized travelers, and manual counters are usually located on arterial streets that may be less used by cyclists than are adjacent streets with lower traffic. For these reasons, special efforts are usually required to obtain the information needed to evaluate nonmotorized travel. Whenever possible, the data should be geocoded and incorporated into a GIS. This makes it easy to create maps that integrate various types of data (such as roadway and sidewalk conditions) with the demand for nonmotorized travel to identify areas where effects might be greatest. Step 3 Examine the demand for alternative modes. This step involves estimating how many people use (or want to use) alternative modes of transportation. Applying one (or a combination of) the methods presented in this section, one assesses how many people are likely to be directly affected by changes to the availability and usability of modes other than the automobile. If surveys are used, it may be possible to estimate how people value transportation choice as part of the community, even if some residents currently do not use alternative modes. Step 4 Evaluate how mobility would be affected by a project. Depending on the scope of the assessment, an analysis of the use and safety of alternative modes of transportation may range from a qualitative assessment of the project's impacts on transportation choice to an actual calculation of the total number of trips or people likely to be affected. Either way, the analysis results will be enriched by feedback from local planners, officials, and transportation users. METHODS FOR STUDYING TRANSPORTATION CHOICE Table 7-4 summarizes the three methods we suggest for evaluating the extent to which transportation choice exists for protected populations. Method 7. Modal quality assessment Qualitative analysis is a screening tool that is especially useful during the design phase of a project. The analysis answers the question of how a transportation project will affect the number and quality of transportation choices. 189
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Table 7-4. Summary of methods for evaluating transportation choice Assessment Appropriate Use Data Expertise Method level uses when needs required 7. Modal Screening Assess demand Design phase when Low Survey quality for various project will produce methods; assessment transportation significant changes in graphs, charts, modes availability of certain maps transportation modes 8. User demand Screening Assess current Planning phase when Low Survey and level of use of project will produce methods; evaluation various significant changes in graphs, charts, surveys transportation availability of certain maps modes transportation modes 9. Improved Screening/ Assess current Planning phase when Medium Survey transportation detailed use and future project will produce methods; surveys and demand for significant changes in graphs, charts, models various availability of certain maps transportation transportation modes modes When to use. An assessment of modal quality provides you with a baseline condition of transportation choice in an area of the community that is likely to be affected by a proposed transportation project. If the analysis reveals significant deficiencies, they can and should be addressed in the process of planning for the proposed project. If the project would worsen the level of choice, either it should be redesigned or substantial mitigation efforts must be carried out. Analysis. The analysis has three steps: 1. Identify the transportation modes to be considered. 2. Select suitable standards, guidelines, or indicators for each mode. This selection depends on two factors: Overall goals and objectives. For example, an analysis focusing on equity effects would probably use different indicators of transportation choice than would an analysis focusing on TDM objectives, such as congestion and emission reduction. Community preferences. Some communities may place greater weight on a particular choice or indicator. Consultation with elected officials and public advisory committees or a public forum may be useful to gauge community preferences. 3. Consolidate material from Step 2 into a small number of indicators that reflect the nature of the project being designed and the preferences and concerns of affected residents. Although a qualitative analysis certainly can involve the development of numeric measures, its principal objective is to give a general idea of who is likely to be affected by a transportation project and how. Using GIS, it is possible to categorize residential areas according to the number 190
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of transportation-disadvantaged residents and other attributes that may affect the need for alternative modes. Incorporated into a transportation model that has been modified to include alternative modes and transportation-disadvantaged groups, spatial data can indicate how the project would change transport choice and trip affordability for residents and visitors to the affected area. Data needs, assumptions, and limitations. Table 7-5 summarizes a series of simple factors that indicate whether an alternate mode would help provide mobility for nondrivers, low-income households, or people with disabilities within the affected area of the community. All of these impacts are highly relevant to an environmental justice assessment. Additionally, one is able to assess related quality-of-life factors such as whether it supports TDM objectives such as reduced traffic congestion, road and parking facility cost savings, and reduced environmental impacts. Results and their presentation. The results of a qualitative analysis can be presented using graphs or maps and incorporated into a transportation model. For example, analysis of a highway-widening project could include graphs showing how pedestrian and cycling level of service (LOS) would change under various design options (see Chapter 6), along with maps showing the location of major activity centers (e.g., schools, shops, transit stops, parks, and recreation centers) and residential areas relative to the project. Assessment. An analysis of modal quality is a potentially valuable element in an assessment of the current mobility of protected populations. It also is a relatively simple way to gain a general sense of how various options for achieving environmental justice objectives might affect the transportation choices available to residents of a geographic area. Its advantage is that it can be done quickly for several design options, and it can provide important insights. Using a rather basic checklist such as that in Table 7-5, one can evaluate the probable effects of each alternative on the transportation choices of area residents and visitors. Such an analysis can hardly be regarded as rigorous or definitive, but it can be a useful tool for providing an early warning at a critical juncture in the development of a transportation project. Method 8. User demand and evaluation surveys User demand and evaluation surveys can be used to gather information from travelers who may be inclined to use a particular transportation alternative. These surveys can also be used to obtain feedback on the specific barriers and problems facing people who currently walk or cycle on a particular facility or in a specific area. Such surveys are useful in that they help identify specific attributes of roadways and their environs that make them especially conducive to travel by means other than the automobile. The National Highway Institute (1996, Chapter XVI.B) provides information on user surveys to evaluate bicycle and pedestrian conditions. When to use. User demand and evaluation surveys are a practical method for assessing the capacity of an area of a community to enable localized mobility. If an area that is within the activity space of protected populations would be affected by a proposed transportation project, this method can be used to assess current capabilities and those if the project were undertaken. User surveys can be distributed to walkers and cyclists at a study site (e.g., survey forms can be 191
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Table 7-5. Sample of factors to use in a modal quality analysis Issue Likely result K Increase As a result of this transportation project, traffic volumes are likely to: K Decrease K Stay the same As a result of this transportation project, the number of pedestrian facilities surrounding K Increase the facility is likely to: K Decrease K Not change As a result of this transportation project, the quality of pedestrian facilities (e.g., number K Increase of cracks or potholes) surrounding the facility is likely to: K Decrease K Not change Will the number of pedestrian barriers (e.g., steep inclines or lengthy road crossings) K Increase increase, decrease, or not change as a result of this project? K Decrease K Not change As a result of this project, will residents surrounding the facility have increased, K Increased access decreased, or the same access to transit stops? K Decreased access K No change Are transit service coverage (i.e., the number of routes within a quarter mile), K Increase reliability, and frequency likely to increase, decrease, or stay the same as a result of this K Decrease project? K Stay the same The quality of service associated with paratransit services to residential areas K Increase surrounding the new facility is likely to: K Decrease K Stay the same Are availability and response times for taxi services likely to increase, decrease, or not K Increase change as a result of this transportation project? K Decrease K Not change Will the number of mobility barriers identified by people with physical disabilities K Increase increase, decrease, or not change as a result of this project? K Decrease K Not change The portion of the pedestrian network surrounding the project that meets barrier-free K Increase design standards is likely to: K Decrease K Stay the same As a result of this transportation project, the number of bicycle facilities (e.g., lanes or K Increase trails) will: K Decrease K Stay the same As a result of this transportation project, accessibility of bicycle facilities (e.g., lanes or K Increase trails) is likely to: K Decrease K Stay the same In general, will the proposed transportation project improve, worsen, or not affect the K Improve environmental conditions for nonmotorized travel in the area surrounding the facility? K Worsen K Not affect 192
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passed out along a sidewalk or trail), distributed through organizations (e.g., hiking and cycling clubs) and businesses (e.g., bicycle shops), or mailed to area residents. Analysis. Pedestrian and bicycle travel surveys should attempt to gather the following information: · Origin and destination of trips, including links by other modes (such as transit); · Time, day of the week, day of the year, and conditions (such as weather, road, and traffic conditions); and · Factors that influence travel choice (such as whether a person would have chosen another route or a particular mode if road conditions or facilities were different). A crucial part of this analysis involves identifying specific problems that travelers encounter when walking and cycling, such as streets with inadequate sidewalks, roads with inadequate curb lane widths or shoulders, and dangerous railroad crossings. These problems can then be addressed during the design phase of transportation projects in the area. Data needs, assumptions, and limitations. The following questions might be included in non- motorized travel surveys: · How much do you rely on walking and cycling for transportation and recreation? · How do you rate walking and cycling conditions in the study area? · What barriers, problems, and concerns do you have related to walking and cycling in the study area? · What improvements or programs might improve walking and cycling conditions? Note that in some circumstances results may be skewed by the fact that club members, people who frequent bicycle shops, and people most inclined to return surveys may not be representative of the entire user population. Results and their presentation. User survey results should be summarized to highlight key findings. The results can then be used to identify how transportation choice should be evaluated and how a particular policy or project is likely to affect transportation options. Standard statistical analysis techniques can be used to evaluate the accuracy of survey results. Geographic information can be presented on maps, and time series data can be graphed to illustrate trends. Results from user surveys can be used to demonstrate mode, group, or location analysis findings. For example, to analyze the effects a highway project will have on the travel choices of transportation-disadvantaged people, it may be appropriate to present survey data indicating the number of people in various groups near the project site (e.g., nondrivers, low-income persons, and persons with disabilities), their current travel patterns (e.g., how many currently walk and bicycle along the proposed route), and how these travel modes are likely to be affected. Assessment. User evaluation surveys are a commonly applied tool for determining the current circumstances facing pedestrians and cyclists. Problem areas identified in these surveys can then 193
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be addressed as a transportation project is designed. More specifically, this gives planners a better understanding of features to avoid or include to facilitate travel by alternative modes when designing upgraded or reconfigured facilities. By making it easier to travel by modes other than the auto, those whose resources are severely limited are bound to enjoy greater mobility. As is true of any user survey, however, the results will reflect only the views and experiences of current or past users. Those who have not been able or willing to use the various forms of alternative transportation will not be represented. Thus, it must be recognized that these surveys are only one useful source of information; they cannot be regarded as definitive for establishing the needs and preferences surrounding alternative transportation issues. Method 9. Improved transportation surveys and models Various conventional travel surveys can be improved to more accurately assess demand for alternative modes and how this demand would be affected by particular policies and projects. Most current surveys tend to undercount nonmotorized modes because the walking and cycling links of motorized trips are ignored (e.g., a walk-bus-walk trip is coded only as a transit trip). One study found that the actual number of nonmotorized trips is six times greater than what conventional surveys indicate (Rietveld 2000). Other limitations of most current surveys include not being sensitive to many factors that affect public transit demand. For example, most surveys are not sensitive to convenience and comfort features or to the quality of the pedestrian environment around transit stops. Furthermore, most current surveys do not consider certain alternative modes at all; they generally exclude ridesharing, taxi trips, automobile sharing, and delivery services. Most are not very accurate in predicting the effects of TDM strategies. Finally, many surveys and models are unable to specifically address travel by transportation-disadvantaged persons. When to use. In many circumstances, travel surveys can be improved to provide better information on travel demand for alternative modes, on travel requirements of transportation- disadvantaged groups, and on functional barriers to the use of alternative transportation. This information can be of great value when assessing the extent to which a proposed transportation project would reduce or worsen such functional barriers. Analysis. Surveys that are sensitive to alternative modes can be analyzed using fairly standard methods to answer such questions as how basic mobility for transportation-disadvantaged persons or travel choice by commuters is likely to be affected by a particular policy or project. In addition to examining direct, short-term effects, the analysis should consider to what degree the project is likely to contribute to long-term changes that increase automobile dependency and how this is likely to affect alternative modes. For example, the issues emerging from user surveys can become a checklist for identifying specific effects of the project that need to be assessed in the design phase. They also should be factored into go, no-go decisions. Data needs, assumptions, and limitations. The first step in improving standard travel surveys is to determine what questions the analysis is to answer. For example, the question might be, "How 194
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will widening this highway affect the travel choices within the study area?" Answering this question may require data such as the following: · Survey data concerning the number of people who have various transportation-relevant attributes (e.g., nondrivers, low-income persons, persons with physical disabilities, commuters, and tourists) in the area; · Survey data concerning the demand for transportation alternatives by the different groups (i.e., the types of modal attributes they find desirable and within their reach); · Survey data on the current quality of alternative modes and on the barriers that different user groups encounter, such as poor pedestrian conditions or inconvenient transit access; and · Analysis of survey data that can evaluate how a particular change in the transportation network would affect alternative modes and their use, especially by protected populations. Results and their presentation. Information can be presented in much the same way that current transportation survey data are presented: using tables, graphs, and maps, with results disaggragated by mode and demographic group as appropriate. Below are some examples of ways in which the survey results might be presented: · Graphs showing the number and quality of travel options currently available to different groups (e.g., motorists, nondrivers, minority populations, low-income populations, and those with disabilities) and how these options are likely to be affected by a particular policy or project; · Maps showing the location of barriers to walking and cycling identified in a survey and their relationship to public transit stops, shops, and employment and education centers; · Maps showing the location of transit access points and retail shops that provide delivery services and their proximity to residential areas with a sizable population of nondrivers; and · Graphs comparing average door-to-door commute times and financial costs between various residential areas and common workplace sites for travel by automobile and by alternative modes. Assessment. Travel surveys have long been an important tool for transportation planners. Such surveys have been almost entirely directed at the automobile, but it is certainly possible to adapt them for inquiries into the performance and needs of alternative transportation modes. Knowing as much as possible about people's concerns regarding current facilities and their desires for travel by alternative modes will help you assess the extent to which a proposed project would support these other modes. The surveys also can provide insights into how a proposed design could be modified to better support travel by alternative modes. 195 | <urn:uuid:07f0b856-16df-4ccb-a1e4-6c31405051db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13694&page=184 | 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 | 0.932793 | 3,892 | 3.234375 | 3 |
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
WE KNOW ASIA BETTER
Wake up call
Publication Date : 20-02-2013
Myanmar will temporarily cut gas supplies in April, causing possible power cuts in Thailand; it's time we got serious about alternative energy and sustainable consumption habits
Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal will today call an urgent meeting to consider emergency measures to cope with a possible electricity supply shortage in April, when Myanmar temporarily suspends its natural gas supply to Thailand during the Songkran festival.
Pongsak warned that a shortage may result in power cuts in some areas, since Myanmar supplies roughly 20 per cent of the natural gas consumed in Thailand. However, some energy experts say the suspension of the natural gas supply from Myanmar should not result in power cuts because Thailand has sufficient reserves.
Nonetheless, the possible shortage should prompt the government and private sector to undertake planning to diversify sources of power. In addition, the government should initiate a campaign to raise awareness about energy conservation and efficient use. This will have the added benefit of saving money on imported energy.
Myanmar will suspend the supply of natural gas from the Yadana gas field from April 4-12 while maintenance work is under way. The reaction here shows that Thailand's planning to cope with unexpected incidents such as this is inadequate.
The timing of the suspension is inopportune. In April, energy consumption peaks due to the extremely hot weather. The Electricity Generating Authority forecasts that consumption could peak at 27,000 megawatts, compared to 26,000 megawatts in April last year. The suspension of service from Yadana will remove 6,000 megawatts from the grid, severely affecting homes, factories and businesses in western Thailand. The Ratchaburi Power Plant, for instance, will likely have to switch to other fuel sources, such as bunker oil.
The relevant agencies are discussing options to cope with possible shortages. They might ask department stores and government offices to switch off or reduce power consumption during certain periods. The Energy Ministry expects there may be "brown-outs" in some areas in order to avoid the disruption of a total blackout.
If some power plants like Ratchburi are forced to shift to more expensive fuel such as diesel, electricity bills could increase. Then there will be the question of who should carry the burden of the additional cost of electricity production. These measures will be short-term, but the temporary disruption should serve as a catalyst for the government to undertake sustainable energy planning and management.
Among Thailand's major sources of power are natural gas from Myanmar and hydropower from Laos. Supply disruptions are always possible, and, since the sources are outside Thailand, they are beyond our control. Thailand will thus have to diversify its energy sources to minimise adverse effects. Diversification to include eco-friendly forms such as solar and wind energy now needs to be seriously considered, not least to minimise the impact on the environment.
Energy authorities also need to discuss controversial forms of power, such as the atom and coal. In making decisions on whether or not to go this route, for safety or environmental reasons, there should be thorough studies to educate and inform the public of the advantages and disadvantages of both, instead of just ignoring the discussion.
The environmental aspects must be taken into consideration because energy consumption and ecological issues are closely related. The public should be engaged in the search for options and alternative energy sources.
The discussion on awareness needs to be publicised. During the critical time, the public should realise the necessity of saving energy. However, recent government policies seem to run counter to the energy-saving effort. The first-car subsidy scheme, for example, has only encouraged people to consume more fuel. One of the best ways is to make the public realise the real cost of energy consumption. Thus, the concept of "polluter pays" should also be incorporated into future energy-management plans, to instil awareness in the business sector and among the general public. | <urn:uuid:0b669a6c-ebda-47d9-bef4-b3d69cb779c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.asianewsnet.net/Wake-up-call-42996.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938432 | 811 | 2.34375 | 2 |
A few days ago, I posted something here on the site about how there were more people standing on the Mall in DC for Obama’s inauguration than there are living in the entire, sprawling city of Detroit. The post itself wasn’t particularly insightful, but it led to an interesting conversation about Detroit, its declining population, and why it developed in the way that it did over the past century.
The first comment, left by our friend Ol’ E Cross, referenced an image from the Detroit Free Press (pictured above) that, as he pointed out , illustrated nicely the fact that Boston, Manhattan and San Francisco could fit neatly into the footprint of Motor City, with room to spare. He then made the case that this reflected, “the results of our region’s land use and infrastructure policies.”
But, as Robert was quick to point out, the comparison might not be fair, as these other cities had natural barriers to constrain their growth. Here’s a clip from his comment:
Cool map find, Ol’ E Cross. It should be noted that Manhattan is an island and that San Francisco is located at the tip of a fairly narrow peninsula. If Detroit sprawl had run up against similar natural barriers on all or most sides within a few miles, it’s likely the city limits would have ended there too, and Detroit’s population density would resemble more those of the old coastal cities. Actually, more likely in that case, Toledo would have attracted the shipping and transportation, and we’d all be driving down there to watch the Toledo Tigers, Toledo Red Wings, and Toledo Pistons. The good news would be that we’d have the Detroit Mud Hens, and those Lions would be Toledo’s problem right now. I could live with that…
But, the final comment belonged to city planner Richard “Murph” Murphy, who offered the following:
Not all of that is current land use and transportation policy – a lot of it is a result of the age of the cities, and the eras in which each of them had their growth spurts.
Look to 1900 as a convenient “dawn of the automotive age”.
1. NYC – 3.4m
5. Boston – 560k
9. SF – 343k
13. Detroit – 286k
36. LA – 106k.
Detroit grew in population 10-fold between 1900 and 1950 – the time when it was growing because of cars. Calling the socioeconomic structure of 1900-1970 “Fordism” is no coincidence; Henry Ford’s theory of “pay them enough that they can afford the product” built Michigan’s middle class by building MIchigan’s market for automobiles.
A city that has its population spike because those people are building and buying cars is a city that will be designed from the ground up around automobiles. LA similarly exploded during and after WWII, when good access to cars was joined by Levittown-style manufacturing of subdivisions, so it too is a city built around detached single-family homes and automobiles.
By comparison, NYC and Boston (and Chicago and Philly) are cities that grew to metropolitan critical mass before ready access to cars or even to single-family homes for the working class. Therefore, they’re cities that are built around proximity – put things close together, and you get density – and the mass transit systems that have to be created in order to keep that proximity from choking up the streets with cars. (I mean, more than they are.)
So, yes, some of it is a result of regional fragmentation pulling people and industry out of the core cities over the last half century. But as Robert notes, there’s also a fair bit of “how far could they expand before hitting boundaries,” whether those boundaries were the Hudson River, the San Francisco Bay, or the Dearborn City Limits.
But a lot of it too just has to do with the state of transportation technology and the housing finance markets at the time that the cities were growing. In no small part, NYC has density because it had density.
I just found this fascinating.
For those of you who don’t care in the least, here’s a link to footage of Arnold Schwarzenegger lifting weights. | <urn:uuid:e8961e03-bb92-4003-961a-f77c3a11b28c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://markmaynard.com/2009/01/detroit-and-how-it-got-this-way/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968657 | 897 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Abstract: Matt Chapman
Maximizing The Power of Open-Source for AGI
Modularity and Open Source continue to be two of the most important aspects of software that drives the Internet forward. This talk will explore the features of one particular highly modular Web Application Framework, and also the state of Mobile Application development, and how modular, open-source AGI platforms like OpenCog can learn from the successes of these frontiers.
The current mobile application ecosystem has enabled thousands of independent developers to build innovative applications on top of powerful device platforms with very little required understanding of the underlying technologies. Over roughly the same time, the Drupal Web Content Management Framework has grown from a hobby project by a Belgian student and his friends, to a “hobby project” (still governed & guided by volunteers) that powers the website for the White House and for such diverse organizations as Amnesty International, ING
Financial, and Playboy.de (the German site for the popular men’s magazine.)
How can AGI research get the same kind of prominence and sex appeal? By embracing the power of crowd-sourcing to harness the efforts of non-experts toward rapid progress, using 3 keys:
- Fostering a strong sense of Community
- Providing a single, authoritative, open repository for sharing efforts (Imagine an AI “app store”)
- Embracing technologies that reduce the barrier to entry to the lowest common denominator
I will suggest that there is a wide audience of potential hobbyist AGI researchers composed of enthusiasts for activities such as LEGO MindStorm robotics, Mobile App development, and Online Virtual Worlds (MMORPGs, Second Life) who could be a valuable resource to professional AGI practitioners. Engaging this audience will soon become highly practical given the maturation of OpenCog and open-source robotics platforms like NaoQi and ROS, along with the impending release of consumer-grade humanoid robots like the Nao. The challenge will be in developing an ecosystem where newcomers can make meaningful contributions right away, and also increase their expertise toward greater responsibility over time. | <urn:uuid:cb97b74e-24d1-4c7e-bfcd-da5f8184bd7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://agi-conf.org/2011/matt-chapman-abstract/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917952 | 429 | 1.804688 | 2 |
From the Earth Island Journal's special issue on the Anthropocene age.
My first earthquake happened at four in the morning, when some small god picked up my apartment building and shook it lightly before setting it down like a Christmas box that would, soon enough, be torn apart.
At the emergency preparedness class I took soon after, our instructor told us: “Some people get to learn of the storm hitting their town just a few days out. Too late! Not enough time to find water, board up, and make a plan. The good thing about an earthquake is you’ve got plenty of warning. Here’s yours: With certainty, you’ll be hit by a major earthquake in the next 30 years. It’s an ideal disaster.”
Let’s run with this for a moment. An “ideal disaster” has three characteristics. First, it needs to be small enough to do something about. So the sun exploding is not an ideal disaster. It’s paralytic, too big to do anything about.
Second, an ideal disaster is one that is sufficiently far in the future to be able to mitigate. When I was growing up in England we had something called the Three Minute Warning – the time between the detection of Soviet nuclear missiles and the moment when London would be incinerated. This, too, was not ideal.
Beyond being sufficiently clear and insufficiently present, the final and... | <urn:uuid:e9088628-2bd4-42ad-b5a6-cd407131040d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://foodandcommunityfellows.org/blog/retelling-black-breastfeeding-story?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963435 | 300 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Duncan Stewart: Some 'green' investments aren't very green
- November 27, 2007 8:26 AM |
- By Michael Hlinka
Money Talks is a collection of daily columns from The Business Network, which airs weekday mornings on CBC Radio One at 5:45 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. ET in N.L.).
By Duncan Stewart, director at Deloitte Canada Research in Toronto
(Listen to the original audio)
Canada already has a pretty limited stock market when it comes to green technology investments and you don't want to do anything that makes it smaller than you have to. But for people looking for stocks in the space, you've got to be careful about this phemonon called green washing, this is when companies or products try to pretend they're green when they actually aren't.
I just read a study on Tyler Hamilton's blog, clean break. It talked about a firm called Terra Choice that looked at a bunch of products out there that said they were green. And it determined that actually in a huge percentage of the time these weren't really green products at all.
Some of the deceptions that they practiced in was they had bad trade offs. They would say they were a green product, but in fact when you looked at the total picture it was nowhere near green. They were a little bit organic in one way, but maybe at the cost of filling up a thousand landfills. That happened 57 per cent of the time, according to the study.
And the other one that happened an awful lot was the zero proof argument, and it's where somebody would say "this is a green product or an organic product" but there was no evidence whatsoever to back it up. And I think in the stock market that's something we're seeing a lot of the times. There are a lot of companies out there that do in fact claim to be green. And either they are net, net not green or not environmental at all or they offer no proof whatsoever.
So, what's the answer for somebody who wants to get into this very promising sector of the market, but wants to make sure their investments are in truly green companies? And I think the answer is due diligence. You need to actually do some research and don't just look at a story you may see in a newspaper or the front page of any given website. It's important to actually go through, drill down and try to figure out if - on a total basis - this company is actually an enviornmental company or not.
Certainly one of the other important considerations is finding out what percentage of their revenues are actually from green products. Maybe they're green only one per cent of their revenues, you don't want to buy somebody who overall is perhaps harming the environment.
So, what's the advice I would give for investors out there? And the answer is call up and ask. That's what investors do, that's what professional investors do, that's what mutual fund managers do. That's also what Deloitte did when we put together the Green 15 this last year. We called up companies, we tried to verify that they were in fact as environmentally friendly as they claimed to be.
At the end of the day research is always something investors should do on any given stock and it applies in the green space as well.
-- Duncan Stewart
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All News blogs
- Kira Vermond: Resolutions for Work
- New Year, new you. At least that's what you're shooting for in 2012 at your workplace. This is the year that you're going to ditch your wallflower ways, speak up in meetings and take the initiative.... Continue reading this post
- Ellen Roseman: Air Miles-Use them or lose them!
- If you're collecting Air Miles, you now have only five years to use them. And if you don't redeem in time, you'll lose them.... Continue reading this post | <urn:uuid:778ce7dd-582a-4bff-a26e-2f0688ad0bde> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/moneytalks/2007/11/duncan-stewart-some-green-investments-arent-very-green.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968868 | 994 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Taking The Initiative
By Lauren Leary
Special to GoHolyCross.com
For most high school athletes, the process of college recruitment is a long, confusing and even expensive ordeal. With popular recruitment websites charging their users up to several hundreds of dollars just to send out a generic e-mail to colleges, many student athletes find themselves lost in the process, without guidance or individualized aid to easily grab the attention of a college coach.
John Macomber, a junior placekicker on the Holy Cross football team knows the frustrations of the college recruiting process all too well. Although the history major from Vienna, Va., attended the prestigious Georgetown Prep School, the difficulties of finding a Division I football program at a respectable college had not escaped him. The anonymity of the e-mails sent out by existing college recruiting websites who seemed to be looking solely for an excuse to scam high school athletes out of money was a frustration in itself, and gave Macomber the idea to develop recruiting4me.com, a do-it-yourself college recruiting site.
Macomber, who tied Holy Cross' single-season record with 12 field goals in the 2011 season, and who was also named to the Academic All-Patriot League and Capital One first team Academic All-District in 2011, is grateful that he chose to attend Holy Cross. Yet, he cannot forget his initial frustrations with locating a school that was a good fit both academically and athletically, and thus began to work on recruiting4me.com in August of 2011. He says he was especially inspired by the experience of a friend of his who was a promising athlete in high school, paid three thousand dollars to a recruiting website who only sent out a video from a generic e-mail and now is not playing college sports mainly for that reason.
When Macomber voiced his idea to launch what is now recruiting4me.com to his sister Annie, who graduated from William & Mary in 2010 and played both lacrosse and soccer at the college, she was onboard right away. The two student-athletes immediately began to brainstorm the different ways their website would vary from the already existing college recruiting sites. The pair decided to form a do-it-yourself program where users can search a database of schools based on compatible ACT and SAT scores, the size of the student population, information specific to their sport (the coaches' emails, etc.), financial aid and general interest.
With all of the NCAA participating schools included in their database, recruiting4me.com will then allow the student-athlete to create a personal profile, bookmark the schools that interest them and send out a personal e-mail to recruiting coaches from their own account - instead of the generic form used by other websites. This will solve an issue that Macomber realized early on in his own recruiting process, as he says, "there weren't any do-it-yourself recruiting websites. Coaches would get hundreds of e-mails from a particular recruiting website and you can't really make yourself stand out from that." Recruiting4me.com, however, aims specifically to make each athlete stand out, as they will not attach their company name to the e-mails, thus making the coach-athlete interactions more personal.
The website will also be drastically cheaper to use, as Macomber refers to it as a "cost-effective solution for a lot of high school athletes." Price was a main frustration he experienced with college recruiting sites, so his goal is to keep the cost of utilizing his own site's advice down to a minimum. Users of the site will also be able to read articles on financial aid and recruitment, as well as view e-mail templates for contacting coaches. Macomber cites one of the main perks of his website, which also varies from the other recruiting sites, as the ability to receive inexpensive and "honest advice from current and former college athletes" such as his sister and himself.
Macomber is working with Studio4 Technologies, a website programming company in Amherst, Mass., to develop the site and through his overseeing of the project, is confident in its accessibility for student athletes of all levels. He says the site will be beneficial to users in that they can easily search for schools that interest them, instead of sifting through Princeton review books and spending hours online to find people to contact, which is something he himself had to endure.
Macomber is content with his time spent on the Hill thus far both athletically and academically. "It has been an amazing experience," he says. "Holy Cross has taught me a lot about the expectations of a Division I football program. It has enhanced my work ethic both on the field and in the classroom." He hopes to lessen the stress of potential student-athletes so they can end up as content as he is in college, and spend less time, energy and money while doing so. | <urn:uuid:e7ebb31e-3caa-4c79-b69d-139e05edafe9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goholycross.com/sports/m-footbl/2012-13/releases/20120717fszv3q | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982472 | 1,004 | 1.53125 | 2 |
White Paper: "The Color Line and US Cultural Policy: An Essay with Dialogue"
From time to time, The National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture publishes white papers on issues of relevance to the cultural sector. Roberto Bedoya, Executive Director of the Tucson Pima Arts Council, wrote a paper entitled, "The Color Line and US Cultural Policy," that we are offering as a downloadable pdf.
Abstract: Roberto Bedoya's paper, "The Color Line and US Cultural Policy: An Essay with Dialogue," asks the question: What do democratically informed policy practices look like? Drawing on his 25 years of experience in the cultural sector as well as several other "guiding spirits", Roberto examines the deficiencies in cultural policy assumptions, formation and research mythologies as they relate to the allocation of resources and the articulation of value in the cultural sector. He argues there is a strong bias at work in many cultural policy research efforts to privilege the notion of objectivity, along with a reluctance to engage with the social meanings and motives framing this research. Further, he posits that communities of color are most affected by the impact of Western research methodologies and he offers the concept of "stewardship" as a new framing term for the policy community. Stewardship, he explains, is the idea where cultural policy makers and assessors measure an organization’s success by listening and learning about the stories, images and worldviews that drive an organization’s mission instead of the purely empiricist research prevalent in most cultural sector research methodologies today. | <urn:uuid:85f3de71-5454-4b70-b21b-8d70fee2502b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://namac.org/node/25774 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94765 | 314 | 1.632813 | 2 |
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Watching a chopper land is an incredible sight for most of us. But for those attending the Mississippi School for the Blind's Summer Enrichment Program, it's a completely different experience.
"It's an amazing learning experience, and you will find things you never knew before," said 14-year-old Kelly Sloan, a program participant and 9th grader at Ocean Springs High School.
Kelly Sloan is one of roughly 40 campers exploring dozens of vehicles in new ways during the program's "Transportation Day."
For Sloan and her peers, the chance to explore these vehicles isn't just about fun. It's a safety issue.
"If one of them drives up to me, like a police car for example, I know what it is. And I know I'm in trouble," said Sloan.
The program gives those without their full vision a hands-on experience.
"I feel it's very important, because I feel it's good to be aware of your environment, to know what it's like," said Sloan.
While it's a new experience for him, six-year-old Demerius Paige said being inside a police car was exactly what he expected.
"It would be like, wonderful," said Paige, a student at the School for the Blind.
"It just tickles me to death. You can see the joy in their eyes as they're exploring it. It does your heart good, and I'm glad they're having this experience," said Terri Ford, orientation and mobility specialist for the School for the Blind.
The two week summer camp runs through Friday, and is aimed at students in grades two through 12.
©2010 WLBT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:03966705-a268-40b5-a1a2-605faa4110e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/12660216/blind-students-explore-different-modes-of-transportation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979233 | 378 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Basilio (Grillo Miceli) of Ravenna and L'Aquila
Metr. Basilio was born on July 18, 1937 in Vittoria (near Ragusa, Sicily). In 1981 he was ordained a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1995 he became bishop of Ostia under a moderate jurisdiction of Greek Old Calendarists movement. In 1996 he became orthodox Archbishop of Ostia. In 2008 he joined the Orthodox Church in Italy, as vicar of Metropolitan Antonio and Archbishop of Florence. After Metropolitan Antonio's death, on 16 March 2009 he became the new Archbishop of Ravenna and L'Aquila and Metropolitan of Italy.
- Ortodossia Italiana (Italian) | <urn:uuid:f817e186-a7fd-40cc-812f-4455be6e596b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Basilio_(Grillo_Miceli)_of_Ravenna_and_L'Aquila&oldid=82299 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975921 | 143 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Boom and Bust (Part 2)
Many economists take it for granted that the attempts of the authorities to expand credit will always bring about the same almost regular alternation between periods of booming trade and of subsequent depression. They assume that the effects of credit expansion will in the future not differ from those that have been observed since the end of the eighteenth century in Great Britain and since the middle of the nineteenth century in Western and Central Europe and in North America. But we may wonder whether conditions have not changed. The teachings of the monetary theory of the trade cycle are today so well known even outside of the circle of economists, that the naive optimism which inspired the entrepreneurs in the boom periods of the past has given way to a certain skepticism. It may be that businessmen will in the future react to credit expansion in a manner other than they have in the past. It may be that they will avoid using for an expansion of their operations the easy money available because they will keep in mind the inevitable end of the boom. Some signs forebode such a change. But it is too early to make a definite statement.
Part I of "Boom and Bust" described the Austrian Theory of the Trade Cycle, or Austrian Business Cycle (ABC) theory, in order to pave the way for discussing the theory in the light of entrepreneurial expectations. If you are unfamiliar with the theory, a look at Part I, which includes links to many other resources, should prove helpful. Here, we shall examine the foremost objection to Austrian cycle theory, and see if the theory or the objection survives.
As Economist Richard E. Wagner of George Mason University says, in his working paper "Austrian Cycle Theory: Saving the Wheat while Discarding the Chaff": "...the primary criticism that has been advanced against Austrian cycle theory... is that the Austrian theory assumes that entrepreneurs are foolish in that they do not act rationally in forming expectations."
Wagner goes on to point out that "... a variety of occupations and businesses have arisen that specialize in forecasting the timing and extent of all kinds of governmental actions, including those of the central bank," so that, presumably, entrepreneurs have better information with which to form their expectations.
The idea of rational expectations entered into economic theory chiefly through the work of Robert Lucas. Justin Fox, in a Fortune magazine entitled "What in the World Happened to Economics?" explains Lucas' theory as follows:
He argued that if people are rational... they can form rational expectations of predictable future events. So if the government gets in the habit of boosting spending or increasing the money supply every time the economy appears headed for a downturn, everybody will eventually learn that and adjust their behavior accordingly... But the deductive logic of Lucas and other "new classical" economists led them to the stark conclusion that government monetary and fiscal policy should have no effect on the real economy.
As Austrian theory posits the central bank as the primary cause of the cycle of booms and busts that have characterized market economies for two centuries, it is easy to see why a wholesale acceptance of rational expectations theory entails a rejection of Austrian business cycle theory. I'll cite just one prominent example, from Gordon Tullock's article "Why the Austrians Are Wrong about Depressions":
The second nit has to do with Rothbard's [Tullock has decided to take a pamphlet of Murray Rothbard's as the canonical version of Austrian theory] apparent belief that business people never learn. One would think that business people might be misled in the first couple of runs of the Rothbard [Austrian] cycle and not anticipate that the low interest rate will later be raised. That they would continue unable to figure this out, however, seems unlikely.
What can Austrian theory say to this objection? If business people, aided by legions of "Fed watchers" and econometricians, can tell just what the Fed (or any other central bank) is up to, would we see a disappearance of the cycle?
To begin an examination of this question, I would like to recall the metaphor of the hyperactive pediatrician from Part I. Unsatisfied with how his patients were growing, the doctor kept administering doses of hormones that alternately sped up and slowed down that process. Let us imagine that we visit one of these patients after ten years of "treatment."
What do we know about this child's height compared to what it would have been without the treatment? Very little, I contend. The child might be taller than he would have been at his natural rate of growth, shorter, or even, by chance, exactly the same height. We might now that, at present, the doctor is applying growth-promoting hormones. But are they merely boosting growth up to where it would have been without the previous round of growth-retarding hormones, or boosting it above that?
Entrepreneurs are in a similar situation vis-à-vis the central bank and the natural rate of interest. When, exactly, could we point to a time when we saw this rate on the market? The Fed is always intervening, attempting to establish some rate. We might assume that, at least some of the time, this rate has been close to the natural rate, but how do we know which times? And even if we somehow did know that on, for instance, July 12, 1995, interest was at its natural rate, how could we relate that fact to what the natural rate should be now? And, while the Fed watchers might be able to tell entrepreneurs that the Fed is easing, they cannot say whether it is easing toward the natural rate of interest from some level above it, or past the natural rate from some level already below it.
Therefore, in regards to the interest rate level, we can see that the idea that entrepreneurs are committing clusters of errors by not somehow divining where the rate ought to be is to criticize them for lacking super-human capacities.
Entrepreneurs do know, however, whether the Fed is currently easing or tightening. But here the knowledge that is most important to them is how long this policy will be pursued. Interestingly, in this matter the Fed has a motivation to act contrary to whatever expectations the business community forms. If businessmen feel the Fed will raise rates, and therefore they refrain from hiring, undertaking new projects, making new capital good orders, and so on, then the Fed, watching the statistics collected on new hires, capital good spending, etc., will be less likely to raise rates. If businesses, feeling an easy credit policy will continue, do expand operations, it becomes more likely that the Fed will tighten.
Furthermore, Wagner's point, mentioned above, that businesses have become better at watching the Fed surely must be complimented with the observation that the Fed has become better at watching businesses. Furthermore, the Fed has a legal advantage on the entrepreneurs, in that businesses (especially public ones) must by law reveal a great deal of information, while the Fed has been chartered to keep its proceedings secret. Entrepreneurs and the Fed have entered into a sort of card game, and it is hard to see how entrepreneurs can be faulted for not always guessing correctly which card the Fed is about to play.
We must also look at the issue of which entrepreneurs are most likely to first take advantage of easier credit, and in what position this will place the remaining entrepreneurs.
Let us, for simplicity, divide entrepreneurs into classes A and B. (This sharp division is not crucial to the analysis, as you'll see.) Class A entrepreneurs are those who are currently profitable, i.e., those most able to read the current market and anticipate the future state of the market. Class B are struggling, money-losing, or, indeed, unfunded "want-to-be" entrepreneurs, less capable at anticipating the future conditions of the market.
Now, let us go to the start of the boom. It is 1996, and Alan Greenspan begins to expand credit. To where does this new supply flow? The As are not necessarily in need of much credit. If they wish to expand, they have available their cash flow. In the state of the market prior to the expansion, they were the ones most able to secure credit. They quite possibly have been through several booms, and, being able to read the state of the market well, may suspect that they are witnessing the start of another one. They are cautious about expansion under such conditions.
The situation for the Bs is quite different, however. Their businesses are marginal, or perhaps non-existent. They have previously been turned down for funding. And, the Bs are those very entrepreneurs least able to discern that a credit expansion is underway.
Moreover, even if they could tell that this is an artificial boom, it might make sense for them to "take a flier" anyway. [See Roger Garrison's "The Austrian Business Cycle in the Light of Modern Macroeconomics" for a similar view.] As it is, they are either not capitalized, or on the verge of failing. If they ride the boom, they will have a couple of years of the high life. And who knows, their business just might make it through! Or, perhaps, they will build a sufficient customer base to be purchased, maybe even enough to retire on. They use the easy credit to expand or start their business. We should notice that the As are much less susceptible to this motivation -- they expect to be "living the high life" anyway, since their businesses are already doing well.
As the Bs create and expand businesses, the boom begins to take shape. However, we can see that the actual situation of the As has changed:
Of course, in order to continue production on the enlarged scale brought about by the expansion of credit, all entrepreneurs, those who did expand their activities no less than those who produce only within the limits in which they produced previously, need additional funds as the costs of production are now higher. (Mises, Human Action, XX.6)
Although the As suspect, correctly, that the expansion is artificial, they cannot afford to shut down their business for the duration. But, if they can't, they must increasingly compete with Bs for access to the factors of production. Take, for instance, the A company Sensible Software, Inc., and the B company, Dotty Dotcom.
Dotty Dotcom, flush with venture capital and an "insanely great business plan," is luring top Java engineers with salaries exceeding Sensible's plus stock options that could be worth millions after the IPO. (This is an investment in higher-order capital goods, as top engineers are needed chiefly for more complex projects, which typically can take one to five years to complete.) Sensible simply cannot afford to lose all of its best programmers to Dotty. It must bid competitively for them.
However, in order to do so, it must take advantage of the same easy credit that Dotty is using to back its bids, as at the natural rate of interest existing at the start of the boom, Sensible was already bidding up as much as it deemed marginally profitable for producer’s goods. So the A entrepreneurs, willy-nilly, are forced to participate in the boom as well. Their hope is that, in the unwinding, the basic soundness of their business and the fact that they have expanded less enthusiastically than the Bs will see them through, perhaps with only a few layoffs.
Or, take the case of a class A mutual fund manager who suspects that stock prices are artificially high. If he simply puts his funds in cash and attempts to sit on the sidelines, he's sunk. All of his customers will leave, and he'll never survive to see the bust that proves he was right.
The analysis of the bank side proceeds in the same fashion. It is precisely the marginal lenders, those with the least ability to evaluate credit risks, that have the least to lose and the most to gain from an enthusiastic participation in the boom, that expand credit first. Again, the sounder lenders are eventually sucked in as well, in order to compete.
Notice that this analysis adds to the explanation of the radical difference between an artificial boom and a savings-led expansion. In the latter, the A entrepreneurs are able to sense that the consumers really *do* desire a lengthening of the production process and an increased investment in capital goods. Therefore, they are eager to take advantage of the increased savings. There is no reason to turn to the B entrepreneurs to find takers for the new funds.
Of course, entrepreneurs exist on a gradient, and there is no sharp A/B division. This was introduced only to simplify the discussion above, but the fundamentals remain unchanged under a more realistic assumption.
Another malinvestment from the boom, in addition to the intertemporal one, is the interpersonal one -- Bs are those that society least wants to have capitalized! One of the corrective forces operating to bring on the downturn is the fact that capital must be wrested back from the Bs and into the hands of those who can better satisfy the desires of the consumers.
This factor, it seems to me, fits well with our experience of real booms and busts.
For example, an architect I worked with was quite aware, two years ago, that we were in a "boom phase." He told me stories of witnessing a previous wipe out in Connecticut real estate in the late eighties. He expected another, and yet he had expanded his business anyway. There were simply jobs that he couldn’t afford to turn down coming his way.
Meanwhile, with the established builders in my area so busy, new builders have been popping up everywhere. Many of these people really should not be in the business. As Roger Garrison said to me, in commenting on this article:
In lectures more so than in print, I have often referred to the "marginal loan applicant" in explaining it all (your Class B entrepreneur). At the operational level, the relevant margin is the creditworthiness of the borrower and not an eighth of a percent difference one way or another in the rate of interest.
The idea that the Austrian cycle is caused by systematic, foreseeable errors on the part of entrepreneurs to a great extent depends, as Wagner points out, on confusion between individual choices and aggregate outcomes. Certainly, an omniscient socialist planner in perfect control of the economy, and who had by some miracle solved the calculation problem, would not choose to misalign the time structure of capital. But in a market economy, as Wagner says, "The standard variables of macroeconomics, rates of growth, levels of employment, and rates of inflation, are not objects of choice for anyone, but rather are emergent outcomes of complex economic processes."
I'd like to introduce one last metaphor to clarify this point. Picture a small town centered on a village green. This is an ordinary town in every way, except that the town council has acquired an odd ability and has chosen to use it in a most curious way. Somehow, the council has devised a way to extract 10% of every resident's cash holdings every evening at midnight. No effort to hide cash from the council is of any avail. In a redistributionist fantasy, the council has decided that it will deposit this pile of cash in the middle of the green every morning at six, available to anyone who wants to grab some.
In the aggregate, it is obvious that this activity cannot make the town better off. In fact, as everyone will now be spending time trying to grab back as much cash as they can, the town will be worse off. By chance, some less-well-off residents may occasionally make out well, but as time goes on, the net effect of the lost productivity will tend to punish them as well.
Still, it is not an error on the part of residents to plop down on the green at 5:55 every day. They are subject to a phenomenon that they cannot control, and each of their micro-level decisions lead them to participate despite the fact that, at the macro-level, this activity cannot make them better off. There is only one error necessary to generate this wasteful activity, and that is the error of the town council's foolish policy.
We must extend the bus driver metaphor from Part I. There, we had a single bus driver, representing "the entrepreneurs," driving a single bus, representing "the economy." The passengers (the consumers) had voted on a level of air-conditioning for the trip, but the Fed had replaced their vote with its own.
To handle the issue of expectations, we need to have many buses crossing the desert, each with its own driver. The drivers are competing for passengers, who will, to a great extent, board a particular bus based on the combination of comfort and distance the driver offers them. The drivers, while knowing that they do not have the passengers' real preferences on air conditioning, do not know what those preferences are, or how the temperature they have been handed actually relates to those preferences.
In addition, as the supposed air-conditioning preference (the interest rate) is lowered, it lures more drivers into the business, many of whom are not really qualified, but perhaps have no better shot at "making it" than to attempt the desert crossing anyway. Perhaps, after all, they will get across!
It is clear that the situation is far from optimal. Whenever the Fed has set a supposed demand for air conditioning (current consumption) that is too far below the real one, many buses will fail to make the crossing. Recovering from this ("sending out the tow trucks," we might say, or liquidating the failed investments) creates additional costs itself, and exacerbates the situation. But it is hard to see why the bus drivers are to blame.
Foreseeable errors on the part of entrepreneurs are not a primary component of the Austrian theory of the trade cycle. Of course, error is a key part of the theory -- the central error being the conceit on the part of the central bank that it can manipulate the interest rate away from the natural rate without untoward consequences. | <urn:uuid:c5aa3736-4059-4b9f-a830-1f15366835c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mises.org/daily/508/Boom-and-Bust-Part-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969407 | 3,719 | 2.921875 | 3 |
London 2012 basketball: Shoot some hoops with today's Google Doodle
Today’s Google Doodle for the London 2012 Olympic Games is another interactive and addictive one, following up yesterday’s hurdles challenge. Basketball is the sport of choice today, and players need to score as many two-point throws as they can in 24 seconds.
As the timer counts down, players need to quickly throw the ball using the space bar or the left mouse button before it turns red and trembles. Leave it too long to take the shot and the player drops the ball and frowns, Charlie Brown-style.
Holding the controls for longer gives your shot more power and, as the game progresses, the player moves further from the basket and difficulty increases.
If players are proud of their high score, they can gloat on Google+ and challenge friends to beat them. | <urn:uuid:e7366bfc-1da9-47a4-8e25-b65bc9826e65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.siliconrepublic.com/new-media/item/28699-shoot-some-hoops-with-the/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944692 | 175 | 1.507813 | 2 |
New York Police Commissioner Joe Kelly (photo) is considering the latest in technology — Terahertz Imaging Detection (TID) — to be mounted on police cars and allowing them to roam the streets of New York looking for people carrying guns. The NYPD, sometimes referred to as the world’s “seventh largest army” with 35,000 uniformed officers, already does a brisk business frisking potential suspects, with little pushback. In the first quarter of last year, 161,000 New Yorkers were stopped and interrogated, with more than nine out of 10 of them found to be innocent. And there are cameras already in place everywhere: in Manhattan alone there are more than 2,000 surveillance cameras watching for alleged miscreants.
But the new technology will avoid the necessity of doing public pat-downs because it would allow officers to note, from their cruisers, who is carrying heat. The technology, effective up to 16 feet (with improvements in longer scans already being tested), measures body heat and indicates any “blockages” of that heat by metal obstructions, assumed in most cases to be handguns carried on the person. What it can do is “allow the NYPD to conduct illegal searches by means of scanning anyone walking the streets of New York,” according to the report at RT.com. “Any object on your person could be privy to the eyes of the detector, and any suspicious screens can prompt police officers to search someone on suspicion of having a gun, or anything else, under their clothes.”
Click here to read the entire article. | <urn:uuid:026c7ea2-50cc-4198-b747-7517118fcc63> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jbs.org/legislation/new-yorks-long-distance-body-scanners-challenge-4th-amendment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959592 | 328 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Posted by doularama | Filed under News
Surely, some men will watch this and think that they would be able to do better, but there is much more involved than just the contracting of the uterus (the largest set of muscles in the body and men will never have them). There are other sensations, many would say pain, that come up in various parts of the body, and there is also a huge emotional factor that contributes. If you are frightened or anxious, dehydrated or have a full bladder, it all comes into play. There is so much involved, but this is still worth a look.
I say too bad men can not go through labor. Not because they deserve to suffer, but because it is really a privelege. Women can’t truly remember the physical component of how they felt during labor, but the emotional component never leaves us. That’s why, as a doula, I am working to help women create positive memories.
Comments are closed. | <urn:uuid:5224d319-349d-4af3-9f9a-ac263fb738ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://doularama.com/2009/09/labor-pains-for-men/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982898 | 205 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The Story of Nellie Ternan and Charles Dickens
Date of publication: September 1991
The 'invisible woman' of Claire Tomalin's book is the woman who, for the last thirteen years of Charles Dickens's life, was his secret obsession and intimate companion. Her name was Nelly Ternan; she was an actress, reared in a family of actresses and imbued with the traditions of the theatrical world; but within a few years of meeting Dickens she left the stage and disappeared from public view. Although she reappeared, she was always liable to become invisible again, sometimes by her own choice, sometimes at the insistence of those who, for one reason or another, preferred to keep her out of sight.
Her initial disappearance was considered essential for the protection of Dickens's good name with a public that idolized him. It enabled him to continue in his role as the great upholder of family values, and to maintain the image his daughter Kate mockingly described as the 'joyous jocose gentleman walking about the world with a plum pudding and a bowl of punch'. It also protected Nelly from scandal. So efficiently did Dickens and Nelly shield themselves that they managed to efface most of the traces of their association; and so well did she learn her lesson in artifice that she was able to reappear after his death as an entirely new person, constructing a background, history and even age to suit the requirements of the society she wished to enter.
Nelly's three lives - as child actress, as hidden love and as ultra-respectable wife and mother - span the whole of the Victorian and Edwardian ages. Until now her story has been considered only in the light of its impact on Dickens. In her lifetime no one asked her for her version or memories, any more than they asked her remarkable sisters Fanny and Maria, both writers who had also known Dickens intimately, for theirs. All three went silently to their graves, and it was only after the First World War that Nelly's part in his life began to be discussed openly, though even then some vehemently denied the very possibility of the association.
For the first time Claire Tomalin has chosen to look at Nelly's story from her own point of view. The new perspective offers some surprises. We see what it was like to be an actress before an audience that simultaneously despised and desired you; to be spirited out of existence by your great and famous lover; to be forced to live in a world of double identities and secret arrangements; and to find yourself as damaged goods facing an uncertain future at the age of thirty-one.
The Invisible Woman is in part a detective story, involving lost and found diaries and inked-out letters, playbills, census returns and bank accounts, railway networks, newspaper reports, disappearing babies, oblique literary references and letters of instruction still lying in solicitor's offices - many of the ingredients, in fact, of a Dickens novel. It is at once biography, literary criticism and social history, and contains an original and extraordinary account of the theatrical world that both nurtured Nelly and held Dickens in thrall throughout his life. From its pages emerges a startling new portrait of the great writer himself, in all his ambivalence. Finally it is a marvellously entertaining account of a love affair that cast its shadow over two families and two generations, and, more than a century later, is still a matter of spirited dispute. | <urn:uuid:70ba8bee-da8d-47b7-8512-dae70a2c7249> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/bookshop/details.aspx?titleId=2398 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979614 | 703 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Greensboro, NC -- In 1962, Guilford College opened their doors to everyone. Tuesday night, Guilford College's first African-American student, James McCorkle shared his story at the university.
McCorkle spoke of how other students treated him, he said, "It came two ways there were people who were openly accepting -- they would be smiling and so forth and speak and then there were those that didn't see you. You were just invisible. They would walk by and had their head hung down or something of that nature."
He also spoke on the legacy that he left -- even though it may not have been on purpose. "When I see all the things that have happened and all the people that have gone through after me, I really wasn't aware, and hadn't been aware, of the history of it -- that black students that came to Guilford after me and what I am learning now, its really making me feel good."
He said he still feels a connection to the campus, even though his experience may not have been 'normal.' "Its like it was my campus, even though didn't have perhaps some of the relationships and some of the things that my friends had happen and the campus that they were apart of, I still had that affinity toward that. This was my dorm, so it makes me feel good. It's like a homecoming."
To hear more from McCorkle, watch the interview above.
WFMY News 2 | <urn:uuid:55f960a4-f505-44a0-a68a-b3a15d750605> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.digtriad.com/news/education/article/247214/165/Guilford-Colleges-First-African-American-Student- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.995739 | 305 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Using insights from social science to understand climate change deniers
I learned some years ago that climate change is not a popular subject for presentations. Groups with so-called climate skeptics find that the doubters and deniers, often a small minority, take over the discussion with arguments that shift over time, and many groups just don’t want to deal with them, or haven’t figured out how to do so. Groups without dissenters often feel that they already know climate change is important, although very few in the audience, no matter how much they accept climate science, have internalized how fast and profound the changes might be. I’ve met people my age and younger who expect not to see harsh changes in their lifetime and as a result lose any sense of urgency. Others may have an alarmist or fatalistic reaction that makes them want to give up and go party. These groups tend to prefer reducing the focus on harsh realities in favor of solutions, preferably those they already believe in or are attracted by.
Presentations focusing on solutions are hard because so often we are mainly looking for something to allay our anxiety. Unfortunately, most solutions are problematic in one way or another, which people aren’t all that glad to hear; all solutions are partial. Nuclear power is a topic many prefer, because it gives us a chance to take sides, saying YES! or NO THANKS!
For a number of years, due to these group preferences, my presentations on climate change have ostensibly been about nuclear power; the majority of the slides have been on nuclear, certainly. For climate change, I usually include only about 2 slides explaining why scientists and national security types are worried, plus 3 slides on changes we might see in the next half century, both changes we cannot prevent and future harm we can reduce. I then introduce nuclear power as a necessary and relatively safe partial solution to climate change, according to energy scientists and policy experts. The core of the presentation focuses on answering the concerns of those who oppose nuclear, and listing the advantages of nuclear, from low greenhouse gas emissions to low pollution to reliability.
In two presentations in Philadelphia in June, I added another component: what social scientists say about the reasons why many people reject scientific consensus, whether it’s in climate science or nuclear energy. As usual, the presentations were billed as being mostly about nuclear energy. Both groups, one large and one small, accept climate change for the most part, with the large group divided on nuclear power, while the small group was mostly anti-nuclear.
In the past, my presentations on nuclear energy in a warming world were generally appreciated by people open to scientific information, and a few who became open. But most, on all sides, wondered, why do I need this information, and what do I do with it? This is in part because the science in isolation is insufficient to inspire action, whether on climate change or particular solutions; it doesn’t tell me what my role is.
Interestingly, the addition of the social science perspective helped in both groups. I worried that people would feel insulted about generalizations that they, like everyone, see what they want to see, and that what we want to see is largely determined by what our group believes. Instead, most felt that it helped make sense of the confusion in the public discussion of controversial social issues.
Social scientists say (a few examples):
• We react from the gut, often in less than 1 second, on topics for which we have no background. Those who read more become even more polarized, as almost all of us find information that confirms our gut reaction. One person in the polarized group said, questioning information I had presented, “I’ve read that Fukushima was worse than Chernobyl.” It is easy to find sources that agree with our own preconceptions, and to believe, as one person wrote years ago in attacking the sources I rely on, “Any source that disagrees with me lacks integrity.”
• According to Jonathan Haidt and others, a primary evolutionary advantage of reasoning is to support opinions that show that we are good and trustworthy members of the group. A less common use of reasoning is to explore open-mindedly issues which require us to move into a state of tension, where we might be wrong, where there is nuance. Most avoid exploratory reasoning, especially where our group takes a stand, where exploration could challenge group expertise.
• It’s easier to attack people I don’t know than people like ourselves who use energy and products in the home. Who wants to alienate our friends?
• We all make a number of common critical thinking errors, which we can learn to do less often. Here are a few:
—failing to make direct comparisons: looking at nuclear waste rather than comparing the waste stream of various energy sources.
—question substitution: “How long does nuclear waste last,” rather than “Does anyone die?”
—the halo effect: if I like/dislike something or someone, I like/dislike all aspects. If I want renewables, I insist they are safe, sufficient, and cheap (or will be by a week from Tuesday).
• The media quote those who disagree with the best understanding of scientists on climate change and nuclear power, no matter how odd their opinions or how few agree with them. The media feel that they are covering the political controversy, but readers assume they are covering the scientific controversy, giving credence to both sides. And then there are those who get their information from unapologetically biased sources, which consciously or unconsciously make claims that sound scientific, but are no more so than Creationism.
What We Can Do
While we all want to do something about climate change, I’m not sure that we can move as fast as we would like. The one thing in our immediate control is to continue reducing our own greenhouse gas footprint. This helps reduce our cognitive dissonance (if I believe the climate is important, then I want to live as if it were important) and gives us better understanding of policies that encourage us to change our behavior.
Harder but more urgent is to begin working with society to encourage implementing good policies. Before we can accomplish much, however, two steps seem critical: move our planet’s accelerating climate change and the need for a steep cost on greenhouse gas emissions onto the list of what we all pay attention to. And secondly, tone down the rhetoric: instead of polarizing the discussion by attacking those who disagree with us, start questioning and testing our own assumptions and those of like-minded people in our group. Working with like-minded people, to help bring the discussion of controversial social issues to a better place, can be difficult; it is also where we are most likely to be successful.
Both steps require us to consider which sources are trustworthy, and to study those that point to possible errors in our thinking. Learning that we might be wrong feels awful, but it’s in a good cause, increasing the chance we will find actual solutions to problems such as climate change.
Image Credit: Skovoroda/Shutterstock
Other Posts by Karen Street
The Energy Collective
- Rod Adams
- Scott Edward Anderson
- Charles Barton
- Barry Brook
- Dick DeBlasio
- Simon Donner
- Big Gav
- Michael Giberson
- James Greenberger
- Lou Grinzo
- Tyler Hamilton
- Christine Hertzog
- David Hone
- Gary Hunt
- Jesse Jenkins
- Sonita Lontoh
- Jesse Parent
- Jim Pierobon
- Vicky Portwain
- Tom Raftery
- Joseph Romm
- Robert Stavins
- Robert Stowe
- Geoffrey Styles
- Alex Trembath
- Gernot Wagner
- Dan Yurman | <urn:uuid:2e3f384e-bd56-49fc-b132-91645d84f6c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theenergycollective.com/karenstreet/96306/using-insights-social-science-presentations-climate-change | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953848 | 1,618 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Fitness regimen can hold off surgery, some patients and practitioners say
Alternatives can help patients, practitioners say
Medicine + Health Blog
Hospital / Urgent Care Locator
Adam Milligan works with client Mary Sue Fitzsimmons at his EquiVita fitness and wellness center on the Northwest Side.
In the end, Gloria Rubin might have to get a new knee.
She knows that.
But until then - if surgery and a replacement joint eventually become absolutely necessary - she will continue to do all that she can to live a full, active life.
For the past couple of years, her regimen to stave off both surgery and most pain medicine includes about a half-dozen trips each year from her home in northwestern New Jersey to Columbus.
That's right. She flies more than 400 miles to see her trainer.
She says Adam Milligan and his fitness and wellness studio just off King Avenue on the Northwest Side are that good.
(Plus, she and her husband have children and grandchildren to visit in Columbus.)
Rubin said she has avoided surgery in her arthritic knee thanks to Milligan's regimen of exercise and his teachings of how her body works (along with a good pair of custom shoe orthotics and a series of synthetic-lubricant shots to oil up her knee).
All those things together even made it possible for Rubin to climb the steep stairs to the top of the Acropolis in Greece in November.
"I texted Adam from the bus afterward in tears to say, 'Thank you. Thank you for helping me,'" Rubin said. "That tells you how important his work with me has been."
Milligan, who trained to be a physical therapist and holds an exercise-science degree from Ohio State University, started his business, EquiVita, 10 years ago.
At that time, he focused on helping people who had been through physical therapy but were not yet able to resume an ordinary exercise routine without reinjury. Milligan called it "transitional fitness training," and was successful at it.
But he wanted to do more.
Now, he's part of a growing number of practitioners outside traditional medicine who offer therapies that they say help the body's bones, joints, muscles and tissue work in concert.
Across central Ohio, doctors, therapists and fitness instructors offer deep-tissue massage, rehabilitative yoga, chiropractic care and acupuncture, among other things, as alternatives to surgery and pain medicine.
Dr. David Wang, an acupuncturist at the Center for Integrative Medicine at Ohio State University Medical Center, said many of his patients are referred by other doctors who have tried more-traditional therapies with limited success.
Wang said 90 percent of his patients find some relief through acupuncture.
That, he said, "encourages them, and that stimulates even more natural healing."
At EquiVita, Milligan evaluates each patient to see how his or her body moves and then builds an individual program around that. He said his holistic approach sets his work apart from traditional therapy.
He gave this example: A man injures his ankle and attends physical therapy for rehabilitation. Yet he keeps reinjuring the ankle or having recurring pain.
Milligan's assessment sees that the problem is really from an imbalance in the hips that causes a problem in the ankle.
"Our philosophy is that you have to know your body to know how it works," he said. "How do you stand? How do you walk? What can you do to make that all work together?"
Attitude and personal responsibility are keys to taking ownership of your health, he said.
Rubin can attest to that. During a phone interview this month, a beep signaled that she had an incoming text message.
"Oh, that's Adam," she said. "If I don't text him after my daily workout, he calls or texts and asks, 'What did you do and how did it go?'
"He cares enough to make sure that I achieve my goals in how I want to live."
Milligan doesn't discount traditional health care, and he doesn't consider what he does "alternative medicine." His facilities offer group exercise classes, personal-training sessions, massage and yoga.
But he also establishes a workout regimen for his clients and sends them to their own gyms, their own physical therapists, their own specialists and, most often, their own doctors (although he has a naturopathic physician on staff).
Rubin says that Milligan has helped her take control of her pain in a knee that is bone on bone.
"Adam has taught me not to sacrifice my quality of life," she said. "And he's given me the tools to not have to do that." | <urn:uuid:f7cec8dc-79b1-4b76-a435-44c3f50b0fe2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/02/27/fitness-regimen-can-hold-off-surgery-some-patients-and-practitioners-say.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976807 | 980 | 1.585938 | 2 |
BOTHELL, Wash., Nov. 1 (UPI) -- General Dynamics and the U.S. Army have demonstrated the use of precision-guided mortar rounds from a small unmanned aerial vehicle.
In three test engagements 81mm mortar rounds -- equipped a Roll Control Fixed Canard control system from General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems -- were launched from a Tiger Shark UAV at an altitude of about 7,000 feet.
The rounds, which featured a fusing solution from the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Engineering Center, were guided to within 23 feet of a GPS-identified target grid.
"This effort demonstrated a low-cost, tactical version of a GPS strike weapon for UAV platforms," said Mark Schneider, general manager of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' Seattle operations.
"Together with ARDEC, we have demonstrated a weapon in the 10-pound class for tactical UAVs that can be used to quickly engage and defeat targets.
"Advancements in GPS targeting and data-link technology provide a built-in growth path for this demonstrated technology."
Added Tony Sebasto, senior associate for Munitions at ARDEC, "The Air Drop Mortar program with General Dynamics provided a platform to successfully demonstrate and mature sub-systems including communication links, munition deployment, guidance and control and fusing."
|Additional Security Industry Stories|
WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) --A member of Congress who led an investigation into the BP oil spill in 2010 expressed outrage that a judge threw out a charge against a former BP executive. | <urn:uuid:c2e5e453-df99-487a-97e2-ecfe26ded536> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2012/11/01/Guided-mortar-rounds-fired-from-small-UAV/UPI-16901351797488/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932083 | 324 | 1.757813 | 2 |
US diplomatic recognition symbolizes a walker for united Somalia
January 17, 2013 is a memorable day for the entire people of Somalia. It will be marked as a day for jubilation. It is the day the US government abandoned its misguided policy towards Somalia and formally recognized the central government of Somalia after 22 years of avoidance, indifference or miscalculation. US diplomatic recognition symbolizes a walker or underarm crutch for united Somalia. To move fast forward, two challenges that need quick actions are the mobilization of international aid package and the overcoming of internal divisions based on clan loyalty, past injustices, collective mistakes, fear of the future or political self interest.
The people and government of Somalia are now delighted and grateful for the surprise decision of President Barak Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton not only to liberate Somalia from Al Shabab, pirates but also from foreign subjugation and manipulations as well as from self destructive Hobbesian mind-set. This historical move must be a vindication come late for the former US State Department Political Officer for Somalia Michael Zorick who was removed in 2006 from his position after he dissented from the G. W. Bush Administration’s counter-terrorism policy towards Somalia and late congressman Donald Payne who challenged Ethiopia’s involvement in Somalia. The announcement is also a triumph for ProfessorMichael A. Weinstein of Perdue University who consistently spoke for the best interests of the powerless and voiceless Somalia, for John Prendergast who wrote in 2006 the article Our failure in Somalia, for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars for its report Pathways to peace in the Horn of Africa: What Role for the US?, the Human Rigths Watch, and for Somalis who sacrificed their lives, resources and time for the dignity, freedom, unity and respect of Somalia.
Indeed, many were disappointed, skeptical or critical about the US policy focused on war on terror and foreign intervention without commitment to the restoration of the Somali State. Now, with its diplomatic recognition, the US government joined the forces for peacebuilding and statebuilding strategy in the fragile states through the New Deal Framework in opposition to the forces for trusteeship administrations, mediated models of governance, clan based building blocks or fragmented community governance. In response to a question from Falastin Ahmed Iman of VOA on the now abandoned deleterious dual track policy, the Secretary of State Clinton said categorically, “But our position now is the work that we did to help establish a transitional government, to support to fight against Al Shabab, to provide humanitarian assistance, now is moving into a new era, as the president said. I believe that our job now is to listen to the government and people of Somalia, who are now in position to tell us, as well as to other partners around the world, what their plans are, how they hope to achieve them.” I truly hope that the substance of this message is clear to all leaders of the Republic of Somalia.
The people of Somalia find themselves in the miserable life of fear, distrust, selfishness and aggressiveness harrowingly described by the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. The interest of the Somali people, of the United States and the international community at large lies in the establishment of an absolute but democratic, accountable sovereign central authority in Somalia. Here again, in her remarks, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphatically declared that the establishment of new government through democratic process was a personal priority for her during her time as a Secretary of State and that the US government finds admirable the level of commitment shown by the newly elected leaders of Somalia for carrying out their hard work mission of nation building.
The US diplomatic recognition of January 17 gives hope to millions of Somalis languishing in refugees camps in the neighboring countries or in internally displaced people camps. Surely, huge challenges and responsibilities are coming with the bold action of Obama Administration. It is up to the people of Somalia to step up and make responsible decision on their future. According to words of the Secretary State, the US Government has promised nation to nation relation, a steadfast partner to Somalia as Somalia makes the decisions on its own future.
Between 2009 and 2012 the US government spent close to 1.4 billion dollars on Somalia’s problems. The human and material costs inflicted on defenseless Somali civilians are immense. The Obama administration took long time to change the shortsighted US policy inherited from the G. W. Bush Administration. The path followed to arrive to today’s turning point was tortuous, troublesome and tarnished. For example, the constitution making process and resultant provisional constitution have sowed political and constitutional confusions that could undermine the huge benefits expected out of the US diplomatic recognition. Nevertheless, the future role of the US Administration as described by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could mitigate those flaws:
The president had a chance to meet President Obama earlier today at the white house, and that was a very strong signal to the people of Somalia of our continuing support and commitment. So as you, Mr. president and your leaders work to build democratic institutions, protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, respond to humanitarian needs, build the economy, please know that the united states will be a steadfast partner with you every step of the way.
For the first time in the world history, a formally recognized functioning government of Somalia which got independence on July 1, 1960 completely disappeared on January 26, 1991 when national and local institutions imploded and late President Gen Mohamed Siad Barre and his cabinet fled the country. No central or local authority replaced the government overthrown by the people. Thus, Somalia became a stateless (failed state), an unprecedented situation that has threatened the international peace and security because all malevolent forces have been thriving under it, e. g., warlordism, radicalism, piracy, human and drug trafficking, violence and illegal waste dumping. As failed state, Somalia ceased to provide state functions to its people and started feeding national despair, distress and survival of the fittest.
Somalia is now a bankrupt country, which owes billions of dollars to international creditors while it urgently needs billions of dollars in grant in the next 10 years for rehabilitation and recovery. The federal government lacks political and institutional capacity necessary to navigate through the complex conditionality procedures regulating countries in arrears or debt default with the international lenders like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank or get access to international financial markets. Therefore, Somalia needs the power and voice of the US government for solution. The Secretary of State offered hopeful commitment on this issue by saying,
So today is milestone. It’s not the end of the journey but it’s an important milestone to that end. We respect the sovereignty of Somalia, and as two sovereign nations we will continue to have an open, transparent dialogue about what more we can do to help the people of Somalia realize their own dreams.
It’s not secret that Somalia is not yet a solidly cohesive society. However, without immediate collective action, the new momentum could be lost and consequence could be disaster for all Somalis. Genuine, practical, respectful, and responsible dialogue among Somali stakeholders and elite is the path for win-win outcomes. | <urn:uuid:0fbcc257-7fa0-4dd4-a5f4-e661568384af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rajonews.com/2013/01/22/us-diplomatic-recognition-symbolizes-a-walker-for-united-somalia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948772 | 1,461 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Tom Burke was born and baptised on August 24th 1878.He emigrated on September 26th 1901. All three emigration records I’ve found so far for the Burke emigrants have shown the Burke brothers emigrating in the autumn (September or October). This may be just a coincidence or it could have a practical explanation. The summer was a very busy time on the farm. Hay was harvested to feed cattle over the winter in the summer months. This was a labour-intensive job and maybe the brothers waited until this was finished to emigrate. Maybe there was a lot of work available on neighbouring farms and the brothers earned some cash for the trip. In any case, Tom travelled on the SS Majestic, a White Star liner, arriving in New York on October 3rd. On the ship’s manifest he gives his occupation as “labourer” and declares that he is joining his brother Jack (John) in Chicago. He is carrying the princely sum of $5! The SS Majestic provided an interesting footnote to the “Titanic” story. When the Titanic came on the scene in 1912 Majestic was retired from White Star's New York service and designated as a reserve ship. When the Titanic met her fate in April, 1912, Majestic was pressed back into service, filling the hole in the transatlantic schedule.
In the 1910 US Census we see that he is living with his sister Margaret and brothers, Edward and Joe in rented accommodation at 120 East 56th St. He is working as a bartender in a saloon-restaurant. As we have seen already, it was common practice for the Burkes to knock a few years of their age and Thomas is no exception. He gives his age as 26 (6 years saved!). He became a naturalised US citizen on June 25th 1910. Interestingly, on the record he gives his date of arrival in the US as “about Sept. 26th 1901”. This is actually the date he left Ireland so obviously this date is etched in his consciousness while he is unsure of the actual date he landed in New York.
On June 17th 1913 he married Anna Finnerty who had been born in Chicago of Irish parents at the Church of St. Columbanus. Tom's age on the marriage record is given as 24!
By 1920 he is living at 7116 Eberhart Avenue (renting) and seems to have come to terms with the ageing process as he gives his age as 41, only a year shy of his actual age. Anna and himself now have three children – Eileen (5), John (3) and Thomas (2). Also living with them is Anna’s widowed mother and her two sisters, Loretta and Mary (who later married Thomas’ brother Jack). Tom is working as a guard on the ‘elevated care’ – this entry is poorly legible but maybe ‘elevated rail’ referring to the elevated commuter train track in Chicago (also known as the Loop).
By 1930 according to his Census return he is living at Wabash and is working as a salesman for a radiator company. The family is still renting ($65 a month) and owns a radio set! (this may seem an inane Census question but in the Thirties this was obviously hugely significant). Anna and himself have another son, Bernard and his mother-in-law still lives with them. Tom is now “47” ( 5 years shaved from his age).
The 1940 Census return is a mine of information on the family. Tom is back working as a bartender, working 60 hours a week (not bad for a 62 year old!) and earning $1,820 a year ($35 a week). In 1939 he declares that he worked 52 weeks so not much room for holidays there. The family now own a home worth $9,000 at 7300 South Michigan Avenue. Anna’s sister, Mary, is back living with them as her husband, Jack (Tom’s brother), has died. When I first became interested in the story of the Burkes one of the people I contacted was Tom’s daughter, Sr. Eileen Burke. She kindly sent me a letter written to her by Tom on February 24th 1952. In the letter he tells her that his brother Dan has died in Ireland, describing him as the “baby of the family”. Dan would have only been 15 years when he had last seen him. He then goes on – “In one of your letters did you mention a sister from Knockaderry. Well that is about six or seven miles west of our home at Kilmacow, this is the name of our townland. (He then draws a map of all the towns in this part of Limerick). You see now Kilmacow is midway between Croom and Knockaderry is some four miles west of Ballinagarry. I have seen their old football team play many a time in Croom and Rathkeale”.
Tom died on June 11th 1962 - the newspaper death announcement is below and is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in the Burke Family Plot. | <urn:uuid:1a64b262-58f3-46b9-a72f-58fe80348351> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://burkesofkilmacow.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987647 | 1,068 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The Body as Garden
Jeremy Geffen, in his book The Journey Through Cancer: Healing and Transforming the Whole Persondescribes seven levels of healing that a person may go through, not only when experiencing cancer, but through life as well. These levels correspond to the seven classic chakras (a sanskrit word meaning “wheel”) or bio-emotional-endocrine energy centers. These particular chakras are aligned from the base of the spine and move up all the way to the top of the head (the crown chakra). The third of Geffen’s levels, which is related to the third chakra or solar plexus found at the abdomen above the navel, is described by Geffen as: “The Body as Garden”. At this level a person is given the opportunity to nurture and nourish the body as if it were a beautiful plant sanctuary. The methods by which this tending and growing may be done include the areas of my current greatest interest. These areas of medicine are often considered “complementary” or “holistic” as they incorporate practices and ideas of what the body and mind actually are (and therefore how healing can be supported) that are not typically used in allopathic medicine.
When I was practicing anesthesiology and, in particular, high risk obstetric anesthesiology, I often used Reiki energy healing and guided imagery to help patients feel more at ease with their procedures. It was, in truth, one of the great instigators that inspired me to leave the world of anesthesiology and learn more holistic, less invasive ways of supporting people in feeling healthier, happier, and more aware of who they ar from a place deep within. I have found that these healing therapies bring people not only greater health and often healing but a more profound appreciation for and flow in life regardless of the apparent outward physical and emotional challenges they might be facing.
Over the next weeks I will share an array of these options by which anyone may help nurture, nourish and even weed their body garden.
Holistic Medical Options to Grow and Nourish the Garden that is your Body
1. Diet and Nutrition
A plant-based diet, grown in clean water, nutrient rich soil, with limited hormones or pesticides is so helpful in giving your body a better healing environment. It more readily provides nourishing vitamins, minerals, proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates it needs to help detoxifying and cleanse the body and rebuild healthy tissue. Your body does not then need to detox the toxins in the food (yet another stress on the system). Taking in food grown in this way supports healing following surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. It helps create a soothing milieu in which your mind can sort through the heal the myriad emotions it will experience during any major life event. Plus, I believe it has more positive, usable energy (like putting in higher octane gasoline or having a higher watt light bulb illuminating your whole digestive system). This third chakra area of the body is called the solar plexus–it does thrive on happy light energy. The liver and GI tract do indeed thrive on positive energy.
In lieu of acid-forming red meat, protein can be obtained from legumes (lentils, kidney and black beans), nuts, nut butters, naturally grown fish, and QUINOA (as seed/berry not a grain–so gluten-free). Quinoa may be eaten with any meal (including breakfast).
Inflammation can be greatly exacerbated by: greasy, fatty, fried foods, refined sugar, alcohol, tobacco, sodas, artificial sweeteners (try stevia plant leaf extract instead–it’s carried at The Honest Weight Food Coop on Central Avenue in Albany, NYand at Hannaford’s). Instead, increase warm or hot water, use soothing herbal teas–milk thistle and dandelion teas will help cleanse your liver and kidneys, chamomile and passionflower will help soothe your mind, and elderberry tea is a great gentle immune enhancer).
Most importantly, enjoy and bring calm, guilt-free happiness to anything and everything you choose to do. Love, positive thoughts and energy, and laughter will help you heal!
Next time I’ll discuss other herbs and supplements which can help fertilize the garden that is your body.
with respect and gratitude,
Beth Netter, M.D. is a holistic physician, Reikimaster, and meditation facilitator at The Center for Integrative Health and Healing in Delmar, NY. (518) 368-9711 www.CIHH.net | <urn:uuid:5a2b2f2c-af80-4e42-aefb-6b117f0cd637> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/date/2009/02/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926924 | 961 | 1.851563 | 2 |
"Amtchat Edwards, outreach and education coordinator at the Student Conservation Association (SCA), is the focus of a month-long "WETA Hometown Heroes" profile airing in May on WETA TV 26. WETA selected Edwards for his commitment to inform youth about environmental conservation through educational programs in the District.
"Edwards, a native of Washington, D.C., spends his time teaching area youth on the environment and what they can do to make a difference. Edwards' works supports the SCA's mission to engage the youth in hands-on service to the environment, building the next generation of conservation leaders. His programs include information on water conservation, the water cycle, plant identification, erosion control, predator/prey relationships, the Anacostia River and local birds." - full profile and video on WETA.org | <urn:uuid:279b124e-5ae8-4825-a7ff-f0a342b9b724> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesca.org/blog/2007/05/15/amtchat-edwards-hometown-hero | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929928 | 171 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Thoughts from a broken mind
As time has gone on, there has been some drift in the way food and nutrition writers use the term “carbohydrates” (or “carbs”), and it seems to be causing more and more confusion. I hope this little history makes things clearer.
Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients (along with proteins and fats) which make up our foods. They are essentially sugar molecules in various combinations. The word carbohdyrate comes from the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms which make them up, such as this model of a glucose molecule. Up until about 10-15 years ago, that was about it. (More about the structure of carbohydrates from Regina Bailey, About.com’s Guide to Biology)
Since that time, there has been a gradual shift, first towards calling high-carb foods ”carbohydrates.” It started out innocently enough — potatoes, rice, and bread were “carbs” because they were made up mostly of starchy carbohydrates. Next, there were “good carbs” and “bad carbs,” although the definitions of these varied depending upon who was describing them. More recently, any food that has any carbohydrate at all is sometimes called a “carbohydrate,” even if it doesn’t have much (spinach is now apparently a “carb” by that definition). Similarly, the term “simple carbohydrate” (which used to mean “sugar”) has morphed into meaning almost the same as “refined carbohydrate,” or the foods which contain them. This could be a sugar or a starch — I’ve seen white bread called a simple carbohydrate. “Complex carbohydrate” (which used to mean either “starch” or “fiber”) is now often used to mean whole foods that contain carbohydrate, even if they contain no starch at all (e.g. watermelon).
Are you confused yet?
This mess has led to statements in the media such as “carbohydrates are a good source of vitamins and minerals.” This is enough to make me want to tear out my hair — it’s what science writer Michael Pollan calls “nutritionism” at its worst. I propose that it’s much more helpful to think in terms of actual food. Food has vitamins, and food has carbohydrates, but carbohydrates do not have vitamins. There is no room in a molecule of carbohydrate for a vitamin.
Eating a healthy low-carb diet isn’t always easy, especially at first. But you can definitely make it worse for yourself! Here are ten easy things you can stop doing to make it easier on yourself.
This one seems totally obvious, but this is the #1 source of sugar in the U.S. diet, by far. There may not be another thing besides quitting smoking that would have as great an effect on the health of the general population than to stop doing this.
Of course, water is the obvious thing to substitute, but this is going to sound a little austere to a lot of people. Another suggestion is tea, in all its many forms: hot, iced, black, green, and herbal. The “regular” teas (black or green) and many of the herbals have a lot of health benefits, at a fraction of the cost of soda. There are even flavored teas. And don’t be afraid to mix and match! My current favorite is to brew some flavored green tea (lemon, mango, or jasmine) with some black tea. (Note: if you’re brewing green tea, it should be at a slightly lower temperature than black to avoid bitterness. I throw a couple of ice cubes into the kettle after it comes to a boil.)
Does the word “diet” bring on memories of being hungry, obsessing about food, and even dreaming about food? Do you think hunger and deprivation are necessary for weight loss? Well, start thinking about the opposite! If these experiences are frequent, your way of eating is simply not sustainable. Check this out: Low-carbers talk about their favorite things about eating this way, and notice how often “lack of hunger” and “feeling satisfied” comes up. (“Just cut down on calories” might work for awhile, but it usually becomes the same thing as “just go hungry”.)
The messages about how bad it is to eat fats are everywhere. You simply must learn to ignore them. The Harvard School of Public Health held a symposium with food writers and journalists where they asked them to take a pledge to stop using the term “low-fat”, but, alas, it was apparently in vain.
When we first change our diet, it’s easy to get into a rut and eat the same few foods all the time. This, for most people gets boring pretty fast, and the label “boring” is quickly added to the diet. Look at some cookbooks or recipes online, check out the spice aisle for inspiration, try a new vegetable or cut of meat. Use the change in your diet as an opportunity to expand your horizons. And remember, variety is a good thing, nutritionally speaking.
Low-carb bars and packets of snack foods have their place — when traveling, for example. But there are drawbacks to making them a part of our everyday diet. For one thing, people tend to have highly variable blood sugar reactions to many of these products. The “net carbs” may be look low, but for a variety of reasons, your body may disagree. Also, these so-called “highly palatable foods” are designed to “hook” our taste buds and brains into wanting more. Eating lots of artificially-sweetened foods foods is an example, as they tend to make us keep believing that foods are supposed to be that highly-sweetened.
Out of sight, out of mind. Seriously. Gazing at those bag of Chips Ahoy! cookies only reminds you that you used to enjoy eating Chips Ahoy. No good can come of this. My husband says that there are “islands” in the supermarket with “food that won’t poison me”. He just goes to those islands. I, too, just go to the foods I’m looking for, and ignore the brightly-colored packages along the way. “Shopping the perimeter” of the store, and avoiding the inner aisles altogether, is a great strategy if you can manage it.
There is a whole basket of things that stresses our bodies, and not getting enough sleep is one of the biggies. Lack of sleep and other kinds of stress tend to kick off cortisol and other stress hormones that mess with our blood sugar. This, of course, is the opposite of what a low-carb carb aims to do, which is to stabilize blood sugar. As part of the package, the stress reactions of the body tend to increase appetite, which we certainly don’t need!
I am a science-minded person — in fact, I came to low-carb eating because of the science. But many “science” articles in the news misrepresent the research, or the studies themselves are problematic in some way. Rest assured that over the years, as data accumulates, it points more and more to a reduced-carb diet being a very healthy way to eat for much of the population. In any case, the average result of 50,000 people isn’t going to tell you much about what will work for you. No study costing millions of dollars is needed; just check it out for yourself!
Almost every diet works for some people, and different amounts of carbohydrate work best for different people. One of the strengths of the Atkins Diet, for example, is that it is structured to help each person zero in on the types and amounts of carbohydrate that work best for their bodies.
Similarly, don’t try to argue your neighbor out of the diet that works for her or him. Just tell what works for you and your body — that’s hard to argue with.
If you know that a reduced-carb diet works for you — if you’re healthier and happier when you’ve rid yourself of the extra sugar and starches — you owe it to yourself to figure out a way to make this work for you as a permanent way of eating. No one is perfect, and we all need help making this a “way of eating” rather than a “diet”. | <urn:uuid:e0a64e1e-0737-4e1b-8b8d-28cd6c460669> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mikesanubis.com/2012/03/27/10-things-to-stop-doing-when-youre-on-a-low-carb-diet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963889 | 1,824 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Supralapsarians considered God's ultimate goal to be his own glory in election and reprobation, while infralapsarians considered predestination subordinate to other goals....If I had attended the Synod of Dort, I suppose I'd have voted with the infralapsarian majority against the supralapsarians, but the older I get the more I incline toward the antilapsarians over the prolapsarians.
Infralapsarians were in the majority at the Synod of Dort. The Arminians tried to depict all the Calvinists as representatives of the "repulsive" supralapsarian doctrine. Four attempts were made at Dort to condemn the supralapsarian view, but the efforts were unsuccessful. Although the Canons of Dort do not deal with the order of the divine decrees, they are infralapsarian in the sense that the elect are "chosen from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault from their primitive state of rectitude into sin and destruction" (I,7; cf.I,1). The reprobate "are passed by in the eternal decree" and God "decreed to leave (them) in the common misery into which they have willfully plunged themselves" and "to condemn and punish them forever...for all their sins" (I,15).
Defenders of supralapsarianism continued after Dort. The chairman of the Westminister Assembly, William Twisse, was a supralapsarian but the Westminister standards do not favor either position. Although supralapsarianism never received confessional endorsement within the Reformed churches, it has been tolerated within the confessional boundaries. In 1905 the Reformed churches of the Netherlands and the Christian Reformed Church in 1908 adopted the Conclusions of Utrecht, which stated that "our Confessional Standards admittedly follow the infralapsarian presentation in respect to the doctrine of election, but that it is evident...that this in no wise intended to exclude or condemn the supralapsarian presentation." Recent defenders of the supralapsarian position have been Gerhardus Vos, Herman Hoeksema, and G H Kersten.
03 December 2004
Infralapsarian or Supralapsarian?
Posted by Joel at 12/03/2004 06:09:00 AM | <urn:uuid:836be1cb-0faa-4b38-bc2a-8d5b3c58c2f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://faroutliers.blogspot.com/2004/12/infralapsarian-or-supralapsarian.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951355 | 490 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Last week I wrote about how students with their own blogs can be guided to create quality posts.
After I published my post, I showed my class the less ideal post example I used about dogs. It was so interesting to get their opinions on the fictional post. Seeing their “shock” at the lack of proofreading, lack of content and the use of multiple exclamation marks etc. was quite amusing! It made me realise that we have created a classroom culture where students aim for high standards.
When students in my class earn their own blog, I generally have a chat to them about the sort of posts they’d like to write about. Some students like to make blogs with a particular theme, such as cooking or sport. More often than not, students like to create blogs with a variety of post topics.
A common pattern
Without guidance or discussion, I have found that students can get into the habit of writing blog posts such as
- My family
- My pets
- My friends
- My favourite sports
- My favourite animals
- My favourite books
- My favourite foods….
The “My Favourite…” theme can go on and on!
I saw this pattern emerge many times before realising the students could be encourage to “think outside the square”.
Linda Yollis recently gave one of my new student bloggers some excellent advice, “You mentioned that you are thinking about future topics…. I also recommend just being observant. Sometimes posts come from something you notice in your backyard or on a drive somewhere. For example, I sometimes do posts about plants in my backyard or something new I noticed in my neighborhood. Hobbies are also a wonderful topic.”
I think writing about what you observe is a wonderful tip for student bloggers. Encouraging curiosity and the exploration of something new could help a student grow in so many ways.
Think about your audience
Another element that is important for student bloggers to understand is that your blog is not only about you and what you like, but about your readers too. Readers = comments = interaction = learning and growth!
Blogging is different from traditional writing or journalling; you are writing for an authentic audience.
Students need to think about whether their post topics are interesting for themselves and their readers. They also need to provide enough background information to help their reader understand the context of the post.
I recently helped a student think of some ideas for post topics. Here are some of the ideas that we came up with….
- A recipe with photos and instructions that others could follow
- A movie or book review
- A restaurant, hotel or tourist attraction review
- A poem or short story
- Instructions to do …. anything
- A discussion on what you’re learning at school
- List of some of your favourite websites with details
- A family tradition
- What makes you happy/angry/laugh….
- My dream holiday
- Make a poll where readers vote on your next post topic
It’s great for students to look to other students as role models. Just a few examples include:
Bianca - 2012 is Bianca’s third year of blogging after starting in my grade two class in 2010. She is a regular poster who has formed some strong connections with teachers, students and parents overseas.
Jarrod - this student was in my grade two class in 2011. He continues to blog in a non-blogging class and uses a wide variety of tools.
Miriam - this student established her blog when she was in Linda Yollis’ class. She continues to create regular posts that are very interesting and well written. Continuing the family tradition, Miriam’s younger sister, Sarah, also blogs.
Royce - this boy also earnt his blog while in Linda Yollis’ class. Every couple of weeks, he creates a new post with interesting information or observations. | <urn:uuid:ecb3dc20-f19d-46ac-ba5c-b53b2b8f616f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/2012/06/19/quality-student-blogs-part-two-post-topics/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964943 | 817 | 2.75 | 3 |
Attempting to describe what most Bedford Park area properties looked like exactly 200 years ago isn’t too difficult. Trees. And more trees.
Most of the land was still forest, covered with beech trees and some pine. The golden-bronze carpet of beech leaves on the forest floor was steadily turning brown in November 1804. The only break in the canopy of branches and pine needles was a single muddy road (Yonge Street) and a few paths, like the one along the Fourth Concession Line (Lawrence Avenue).
Clinging to Yonge Street were a handful of farms. The west side, north of Lawrence, had been the domain of the four Kendrick brothers. But most of them had left. Joseph had just sold his corner farm (northwest Yonge and Lawrence) to Duncan Cameron, a fur trader. His brother Duke still owned the next farm, but since the failure of his potash business (near Cranbrooke), he spent most of his time at his home in the Town of York.
The next farm was Kendrick property in name only. Hiram never occupied the site, instead renting it to Seneca Ketchum, who ran a thriving general store/tannery/cobblery/agricultural rental business. In fact, if the area farmers needed something, chances are Ketchum arranged to make it available.
Only John, the oldest Kendrick brother, still lived at his Yonge Street farm at the top of the hill overlooking what would later become Hogg’s Hollow. Just this month (200 year ago, that is), his daughter Mary married blacksmith Leonard Marsh who likely lived with his brother William on the north side of the hollow.
The east side of Yonge was an even quieter scene. The farm on the northeast corner at Lawrence had belonged to Bernard Carey, a United Empire Loyalist. But in 1803 he sold it to his son-in-law Jonathon Hale who would later buy the 200-acre farm south of Lawrence as well.
All the remaining land on the east side – from present-day Ranleigh to Loblaws – was still Crown land, waiting for the first settlers to hack a dent into the leafy canopy.
The season for farming was over for the settlers. As they headed into the winter, they used the time removed more trees and stumps, build bigger dwellings and out-buildings, and take on tasks, like weaving, to supplement the family income.
Yonge Street was everybody’s lifeline. There were plenty of farms to the north and south, so traffic wasn’t unusual. But it was excruciating. The road was nothing more than a morass of mud, ornery tree stumps, and potholes, all churned up by fall rains.
Settlers heading south to the Town York, or north to the new mills on the Don River, usually made the trip on horseback. The thought of slogging along Yonge in carriages and wagons wasn’t a welcome one. But, soon there would freezing temperatures and snow – and, once again, travelling on Upper Canada’s first ‘street’ would become easier, for riders and sleighs.
This article, written by Gary Schlee, originally appeared in the Fall 2004 issue of Community Life. | <urn:uuid:4925a7ef-d9f4-469f-804d-4f3a1f8094b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bedfordpark.wordpress.com/category/1804-yonge-street/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977259 | 687 | 2.71875 | 3 |
World Health Organization - WHO - No Longer on the Fence, Cell Phones Possibly Cancerous
They also report that Electro-smog is affecting upwards of 30% of people, many who don't realize that it's the EMF that's making them sick.
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Committee Resolution 1815; World Health Organization's International Agency on Research on Cancer (IARC) Classifies Radio Frequency EMFs as Possibly Carcinogenic
(This article comes to us courtesy of Oram Miller, a long time friend of BioElectric Shield. Although we go about protecting people from EMF from different aspects, we have been pioneers in the industry. We started to rewrite his article in our own words, but he says it so well. We trust your eyes will be opened)
God bless the Europeans! They have consistently been ahead of the curve on the EMF issue, way ahead of our own country's corporate-owned media and industry-influenced regulatory agencies, and they've done it again.
In May of 2011, the IARC - International Association for Research on Cancer declared Radio Frequency radiation as a possible cause of cancer. In this video you will listen to excerpts from the press conference and the related microwave Radio Frequency radiation emitted by cell phones and cell towers. You will then be able to determine for yourself that living close to cell towers might be a possible risk to your health. Watch Video
The Parliamentary Assembly of the 47-member Council of Europe passed a resolution on May 27, 2011 recommending sweeping changes to the way cell phones are used, how they are marketed, and how safe exposure limits are determined.
This was followed four days later by a landmark resolution by the World Health Organization's International Agency on Research on Cancer reversing their previous position that cell phones were safe. They announced that exposure to wireless devices are now "possibly" carcinogenic. Read the landmark press release
Bucking an industry that dominates federal regulatory agencies in this country, the Council of Europe resolution urges all of their member countries to follow the ALARA rule, advocating that EMF exposure levels from wireless devices and electric power be, "as low as reasonably achievable." They also recommend the adoption of the precautionary principle in setting new EMF exposure standards that would be 10,000 to 100,000 times lower for the indoor environment than what is currently accepted as safe by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
To achieve these more stringent standards, member countries are urged to raise awareness and educate the public, particularly young children (and their parents), teenagers and people of reproductive age as to the potential short and long-term dangers of EMF exposure from wireless devices, power lines and home electrical wiring and appliances.
The resolution recognizes, "both the so-called thermal effects and the athermic or biological effects of electromagnetic emissions or radiation." They acknowledge that, "waiting for high levels of scientific and clinical proof before taking action to prevent well-known risks can lead to very high health and economic costs, as was the case with asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco."
The Council is forward-thinking in terms of potential long-term economic costs to the very governments of their member countries if they ignore the health effects from the public's use of these devices. Doing so, they say, "could lead to extremely high human and economic costs of inaction if early warnings are neglected," wisely realizing that they would eventually pick up the tab for treating the harmful health effects of EMF exposure through their national health care systems.
The Council is also one of the first organizations to consider the needs of a group among us who are already symptomatic from these technologies. They advise their member countries to, "pay particular attention to 'electrosensitive' persons suffering from a syndrome of intolerance to electromagnetic fields and introduce special measures to protect them, including the creation of wave-free areas not covered by the wireless network."
Read our article concerning the Effects of Electromagneticsensitivity.
Except for the country of Sweden, I have never heard of any governmental organization even acknowledge that these people exist. That provision alone would be a God-send to many of those with whom I work on a daily basis as an EMF consultant, who find going out to most public places to be like entering a minefield. It's hard for these individuals to stay symptom-free in the face of a world that now wants wireless everywhere.
The Council even goes beyond advocating the reduction of human exposure to existing wireless technologies by advocating that member countries, "step up research on new types of antennas and mobile phone and DECT-type devices, and encourage research to develop telecommunication based on other technologies which are just as efficient but have less negative effects on the environment and health."
As a side note, did you catch the words, "other technologies" in the sentence above? What does the Council possibly know that we don't? Could there be a technology that carries the voice information without causing harm? In fact, Dr. George Carlo told us in 2008 when he presented his keynote address to our profession's annual conference that the Department of Defense, who invented cell phone technology forty years ago, knew of an additional frequency that could be broadcast to nullify the harmful effects of the most damaging frequency, the so-called "low-frequency information carrying radio wave," that is part of the transmission from every phone and cell tower.
Dr. Carlo said that unfortunately commercial cell phone manufacturers did not adopt this technology forty years ago when they started making the cell phones that we use. He said they could at any time, but to do so now would mean replacing all existing cell phones and broadcast transmitters currently in use (an economic boon for them) but also forcing them to explain why this would be necessary. That would potentially open them to litigation for any decisions they may have made in the past to withhold information about potentially harmful health effects caused by use of their products from the public, as did happen with the tobacco companies.
Incorporating this neutralizing broadcast frequency into phones and antennas of the future may yet come to pass as the only way out. I predict it can only happen if the manufacturers are given immunity from prosecution, leaving any harm from past cell phone use uncompensated but sparing everyone from that day forward. At least that is one potential scenario.
The Council's resolution further advocates educating the public as to the dangers of those wireless devices in our homes that continuously emit radio frequencies, including cordless telephone base units, Wi-Fi Internet routers, and even baby monitors.
They also advocate that electric power lines and inhabited dwellings be kept apart from each other at a safe distance, much farther than currently practiced in the building trade. They also say the siting of all new radio and cell phone antennas should be done so as to protect the health of nearby residents, not "solely according to the operators' interests." That's a refreshing concept!
Finally, the Council recommends transparency, research conducted independent from industry, improvement of risk assessment, and even that member countries "pay heed to and protect 'early warning' scientists."
Such a resolution could not come at a more opportune time. More than 1.4 million base transmitters exist in the world today connecting with over 5 billion cell phones, each of which is a miniature transmitter in itself (ever notice how many people around you at Whole Foods are talking or texting on their cell phone?). Wireless "hot spots" in homes and businesses are sprouting up everywhere. How many Cell Towers are near you?
So-called "Smart" electric meters are being installed on houses that emit frequent bursts of radio frequency (although less powerfully so here in Southern California than in the Bay Area due to different manufacturers of the meters here than there). Those frequencies penetrate into and between homes. Smart meters are supposed to "talk" to your appliances to monitor and regulate power usage in your home. New refrigerators and washer / dryers now have "always-on" wireless transmitting devices installed inside them that you cannot disable, emitting potentially harmful frequencies into your home whether you want them or not.
All of this results in a blanket of "electro-smog" covering urban and suburban environments inside and outside our homes. A growing percentage of the population, some estimate at 3-5%, are already sensitive to these EMFs. An even larger percentage, upwards of 30% of the total population, are affected and don't even know it. Read more about the effects and causes of Electro-Smog
Symptoms as diverse as headache, insomnia, fatigue, "brain fog," attention deficit disorder (ADD), learning disabilities and even more serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack and cancer have been shown to be caused by long-term use of these technologies.
The cell phone industry continues to deny that there is a link between illness and their products, but the research is now overwhelming and is heavily reported by media outside the US. I am told by an English aquaintance that in his home country, when news of research is announced showing the harm caused by cell phone use, their media always reports it.
We applaud the courage of the officials at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in speaking the truth and bringing these facts to the public's attention. We hope that their member countries will implement these provisions to protect the health of their citizens, and we hope that doing so will put pressure on countries in the rest of the world, including the US, to follow suit.
We also appreciate the World Health Organization's International Agency on Research on Cancer's new embrace of the research showing that cell phones are "possibly" carcinogenic, reversing its previous position that echoed industry's claim that cell phones are safe.
I highly recommend that you read in full the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Committee Resolution 1815, "The potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and their effect on the environment."
Also of note in this article, it's not just cellphones that are an issue, but also DECT-type wireless telephones, baby monitors and other domestic appliances which emit continuous pulse waves, and all electrical equipment that is left permanently on standby.
Read the WHO/IARC resolution on effects of radio frequency waves
EMF Safety Network (http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?
Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland (http://
Citizens for Safe Technology (http://
Again, I present links elsewhere on my own website to additional studies, including no less than 20 other websites each with multiple research studies on the health effects of exposure to EMFs:
"Cell Phone and Radio Frequency Risks" (http://www.
I also have pages on how to use these technologies more safely and other pages of interest on my website. Here are two of them:
"Protect Yourself from Cell Phone Frequencies" (http://www.
"Safer Use of Computers" (http://www.
Please pass this article on to your friends to alert them to the dangers of these technologies and how they can protect themselves and use them wisely. Let them know that what we are hearing from media in this country is not the whole story. There are those in government in other parts of the world who do listen to their scientists and to those in the public who are affected by and concerned about this technology, and who are doing something about it.
Thank you and all the best.
Oram Miller, BBEI
Certified Building Biology® Environmental Inspector
11693 San Vicente Blvd., #342
Los Angeles, California 90049
1927 Harbor Blvd., #238
Costa Mesa, California 92627
Read more about the WHO findings on EMF sensitivity and electro-smog and how it may be impacting your life.
Read more about Electromagnetic Sensitivity and its possible impact on your health.
These finding bring the entire issue finally to a new level of credibility. Until now it was far too easy for warnings to be dismissed as implausible or even silly. But that's no longer the case, WHO, Parliamentary Council and our own FCC have made statements that there are serious health concerns from cell-phone, wi-fi and all wireless or "always on devices".
If you've been trying to explain the dangers to people and they're turning a deaf ear, please pass these articles on. Statements from WHO, the FCC and the Parliamentary Council finally bring this subject into the main stream, and it's no longer just us pioneers out there beating our drums.
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- S. Bayne, Attorney/Mother, CA, USA | <urn:uuid:655d3d78-0678-45bc-a2a8-689e8afdad15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bioelectricshield.com/Cell-Phones-a-Risk/world-health-organization-who-cell-phones-and-wifi-may-cause-cancer.html?option=com_content&Itemid=31&catid=21&id=308&lang=en&view=article&fontstyle=f-larger | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959871 | 2,745 | 2.796875 | 3 |
"HOME." By Toni Morrison. Alfred A. Knopf. $24.
I've long admired Toni Morrison as a moral visionary, but her fiction, not so much. Of her nine novels, three -- "Song of Solomon" (1977), "Beloved" (1987) and 2008's "A Mercy" -- are masterpieces, yet the others, particularly the post-Nobel books "Paradise" (1997) and "Love" (2003) can be so stylized as to veer dangerously close to self-parody. Anyone who's read her in any depth may understand what I'm referring to: those stentorian rhythms, the biblical cadences, the characters who function more as archetypes than flesh-and-blood. | <urn:uuid:0628b8f8-658e-42fa-ba68-c9dcb4b64392> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.standard.net/authors/david-l-ulin | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925705 | 158 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Infuse the brain of a female prairie vole with the hormone oxytocin and she’ll quickly bond with the nearest male. In a similar manner, the hormone vasopressin creates urges for bonding and nesting when injected in the brains of male voles.
Neuroscientist Dr. Larry Young of Emery University opines that in human beings “sexuality has evolved to stimulate that same oxytocin system to create female-male bonds.”
It addition to working in concert with sexual desire and bonding, oxytocin seems to enhance feelings of trust and empathy. Somehow these emotions are wrapped up in the same stimulus package.
Analogs of hormones like oxytocin and vasopressin may turn out to be bona fide love potions, much more potent that those brewed by apothecaries in antiquity.
Biochemists might also be able to develop drugs that block these hormone receptor sites in the brain, producing individuals who seek the pleasure of sex without stimulating any need for long-term bonding. Some might argue that, in light of today’s sexual mores, such drugs would be unnecessary.
But would sex without emotional bonding be classified as love?
Unlike modern English, the ancient Greek language had four words for love. Storge denoted a mother’s love for her infant. Philia described brotherly love between friends. Eros, from which we get our modern term erotic, denoted sexual love. Agape was reserved to describe the unconditional divine love of God.
The ancient Greeks knew what they were talking about. Many times we in contemporary culture don’t, because we lack the vocabulary to crystallize these concepts.
While it may be triggered by surges of hormones, human love is more than mere biochemistry, because it entails more than just sex and bonding.
I recently read a profoundly descriptive passage on this subject in Betty Smith’s 1943 novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, in which the heroine, 16-year-old Francie Nolan, muses on her emotional needs:
“I need someone,” thought Francie desperately. “I need someone. I need to hold somebody close. And I need more than this holding. I need someone to understand how I feel at a time like now. And the understanding must be part of the holding.”
Despite the growing number of pharmacologic substances available to enhance the sexual act, I still feel, like Francie, that “the understanding must be part of the holding.”
In the end it’s the understanding that’s vastly more satisfying; it’s the understanding that makes us human. | <urn:uuid:cad7fbce-16ef-44f0-8c47-857ec6c1ac3e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://briantmaurer.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/the-biochemistry-of-love/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932602 | 553 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Portland radio station KBPS, first licensed in 1923, is the second oldest radio station in the city of Portland. The student body of Benson Polytechnic High School purchased the transmitter and other equipment from Stubbs Electric in Portland for $1,800. Money for the purchase of the station came from student body funds.
On March 23, 1923, the student body of Benson was licensed by the federal government to operate a radio station using 200 watts of power at 834 kilocycles. The first call letters of the station were KFIF. The station made its formal debut on the air and was officially dedicated in early May of 1923, between the hours of 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., on the opening night of the 5th annual Benson Tech Show.
In spring of 1930, the call letters changed from KFIF to KBPS, for Benson Polytechnic High School.
In 1941 KBPS stopped sharing its frequency with other stations and moved to 1450 AM on the dial where it remains today.
In 1971 the FCC gave the station permission to increase daytime transmitting power to 1000 watts. Nighttime power was 250 watts. KBPS is now licensed for 1000 watts 24-hours a day.
The KBPS studios, transmitter and 200 foot self-supporting steel tower are located at the rear of the Benson campus.
The KBPS program would not be what it is today without the hard work and dedication of Kevin Flink, who spent 32 years as the primary broadcast instructor at Benson High School. Kevin retired from teaching in 2007.
Kevin Flink circa 1980 Kevin Flink - KBPS Classroom 2007
KBPS Control Room
Kevin reflects on his more than three decades guiding students through KBPS:
"I was hired in August of 1975 to oversee the student program and also be a producer at the station. My first task was to make the student program as good as any in the nation.
I consulted with high schools around the country, textbook publishers, and my former college instructors as to what material they would recommend. What my research told me was that most if not all high school level text books about radio were written on about a 6th grade level, way too simple for the facility and quality of students that we were drawing into our program.
What we came up with was a text book that was used in colleges as an introduction to radio broadcasting, and a companion book that would give production exercises. It was called Modern Radio Station Practices. Later editions of this book are still being used in the program today.
We wanted the best program in any high school, and the chance to give our students a head start over anyone who just entered college and wanted to begin a broadcasting career. Since we had the radio station facility to work with also, we divided up the week, 3 days were spent in a classroom setting, and two days were spent in the transmitter working on production and announcing skills. And while the students were “in the transmitter” my time was spent as a production assistant at the station.
The transmitter engineer would supervise the students in their production assignments. Wendall Bates did a lot of that work with me in the early days. Others who helped out were Ron Ross, Tim Underwood, Richard Wilson and Tom Cauthers, James Boyd and others. Pat Franklin would supervise the students during their night shifts on air, which lasted from 5-10 p.m.
This stayed the same until we moved into the new KBPS Broadcast Center. In the new center we had two classrooms, one for advanced students, and one for beginning students. And each classroom came with two practice booths, so when students were not working on textbook work they could rotate into the booths to work on production assignments. This made supervision of the students much easier.
The idea was always to keep up to date with what was going on in the industry. And to give our students the chance to have a competitive edge over other college students entering the field, or anyone just starting out in the business with better production skills and industry knowledge.
I feel that I was able to help take the student program from the 1970’s into the 21st century. We have been copied by other school districts, won national and regional awards for our student programs, and have taught many student how to be productive members of the community. I’m very proud of my time at KBPS.
Dr Patricia Swenson
Patricia Green Swenson is one of the people responsible for making KBPS the station it is today. She dedicated her life to making KBPS an example of how an educational public radio station should be operated.
The longtime station manager of Benson High School's, KBPS died in her home Jan 4, 2010 after a long illness.
Swenson, 93, served as KBPS's general manager from 1946 until 1994. Scores of the station's alumni have gone on to work in professional broadcast outlets.
Born Patricia Green in 1916, Swenson took over the station in 1946. Founded in 1923 as the nation's second educational radio station, KBPS became a mecca for students at Benson Polytechnic High School who wanted to work in the era's most modern form of communications. The station only operated for six hours a day until Swenson took it over. By the time she left in 1994, its 14-member staff helped students through broadcast days that ran for 18 hours.
And though the station was staffed largely with inexperienced teenagers just learning the fundamentals of broadcasting, Swenson insisted on professional standards of behavior.
Swenson was delighted to keep her own career centered on KBPS. Her husband, Daryl, was an early alumnus of the station's student staff. They were married in the mid-'50s, and when he encouraged his wife to pursue a Ph.D through a New York University program, she wrote her thesis on the history of broadcast education, as evidenced by the history of KBPS. She achieved her doctorate in 1958, becoming the first woman to to earn such a degree from NYU's communications department.
A charter board member of the National Public Radio board of directors, Swenson also served on the board of directors for the National Association of Education Broadcasters. She was vice chairwoman of the Consortium for Public Radio in Oregon, and won awards including the James M. Morris Award for Distinguished Service presented by the Consortium for Public Radio in Oregon. | <urn:uuid:42b7f71c-5208-4ca8-b095-55770cc3316c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kbps.am/202.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984556 | 1,314 | 2.0625 | 2 |
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It's easy to be on cloud nine as a talented cast from the Yale School of Drama under an astute director present a rambunctious yet pointed revival of one of playwright Caryl Churchill’s early plays, “Cloud Nine,” at the Isenman Theater in New Haven through Saturday, January 26.
While I generally refrain from reviewing college productions, I have been noticing that the caliber of acting and production in college-level and, in particular, graduate school level efforts have significantly increased in recent years. Plus, I have been impressed by much of the work of Yale Drama School students in various Yale Repertory Theatre productions. Finally, “Cloud Nine” remains a special favorite of mine, though I last saw a production in the early 1980’s, I count it among my more memorable stage experiences.
With its satirical, yet strong attacks on male supremacy, its gender-bending approach to casting and its willingness to embrace gay and lesbian characters in such a romantically positive way, the play effectively captured a progressive ethos of the time that unfortunately would continue to be resisted by many of the powers that be for decades to come.
While watching “Cloud Nine” one can almost feel Churchill’s frustration with the gender inequality and military obsessiveness that continued to dominate the English conversation at the time Churchill was writing her piece. She deploys raucous humor during her first act, which takes place in colonial Africa during Victorian times, while taking a more tender yet still enjoyably funny tone in the second which takes place nearly 100 years later in a London park in 1979.
Her great theatrical conceit is that the characters in the first act reappear in the second act, but not only are they played by different actors, the characters themselves have only aged about 25 years. Odd as that sounds, it works remarkably well, allowing the audience to see how a few members of the family at the center of the play have grown and developed.
In many ways, Churchill is indicating that genuine fulfillment for the characters we first meet in the late 19th century would only begin to be possible in the late 1970’s, and even then, the vestiges of male domination, societal expectations and military colonialism would still be facts of day-to-day British life.
Director Margot Bordelon has clearly embraced Churchill’s text with a deep appreciation and understanding, offering a heartfelt production that is as enjoyable as it is rewarding. She and her scenic designer, Kate Noll, have created a triptych of a colonialoutpost and the surrounding brush, anchored by a mildly expansive veranda, to center the first act, while opening the stage to suggest a park like setting with a few trees, benches, swings and pole lamps for the second. Costume designer Elivia Bovenzi gets to have a field day in the first act creating high collared proper Victorian garb for the constrained ladies and traditional uniforms and adventurer garb for the rather pompous men. She also effectively captures the mixed bag of outfits that characterized the somewhat schizophrenic atmosphere of the late ‘70’s, of a society undergoing a re-evaluation of its strictures and structures.
“Cloud Nine” is also a great exercise for the Yale graduate students as well, as the actors are expected to play different roles in each act and, in some cases, to trade genders and even races. Significantly, Betty, the wife of the colonial official Clive, is in Churchill’s creation to be played by a man, while Clive’s “man,” or native servant, Joshua, is to be played by a white actor. This underlines the power of men of that era to define the roles and direct the actions of those in their power. As Betty admits, these women are fashioned by the men to their specifications. At the same time, Clive remains blissfully ignorant of any details surrounding his servant’s personal life, unaware of any tribal affiliation or potential sympathy for the rioting natives. In the second act a child named Cathy is to be played by the actor who played Clive in the first, which in addition to being deliciously ludicrous (the actor retains his moustache), underscores the changing gender stereotypes beginning to be seen in more contemporary times.
The first act focuses on Betty and Clive’s life on the outpost, where they have been accompanied by their young children, Edward, a sensitive young boy who is played by a female, and the baby, Victoria, who is played by a doll, Churchill’s droll comment on the value of female children in a male dominated society. They are joined by Betty’s proper mother, Maud, the children’s nanny, Ellen, and family friend Harry, of the macho jungle explorer type. Churchill turns the conventions of Victorian society on their heads, as it is revealed that Clive has been carrying on with the widowed neighbor, while Betty has secretly carried a torch for Harry, who has been known to play around with Joshua every once in a while and who is secretly worshipped by young Edward. The nanny reveals feelings toward Betty, who remains throughout frustrated, lonely, and unhappily tied to both her husband’s position as well as her society’s restricted expectations.
The second act finds a Betty, now played by a woman, taking a few tenuous steps toward self-actualization by deciding to leave Clive, while her grown children, the now gay Edward and the unhappily married Victoria, maneuver through their unexpected territories with a little more confidence. Edward will be able to shed his straying boyfriend, while Victoria will explore the possibilities of love with another mother she meets in the park. The two plot lines will ultimately cross paths by the end of the evening, on a note of grace and acceptance that grants the possibility of hope.
Director Bordelon’s cast wonderfully captures the whimsy and seriousness at co-exist at the heart of Churchill’s play. Timothy Hassler is especially winning as the much put-upon Betty in the first act and as the gentle searching Edward in the second, striving to determine what he wants and needs in companionship and relationships. Chris Bannow is equally fine as the obedient but subtly judgmental servant Joshua and later as Edward’s cocky, restless, macho boyfriend.
The grown Victoria is played as an intelligent yet unfulfilled mother by Molly Bernard, who earlier played the talkative moppet Edward more interested in playing with his sister’s dolls than going shooting with his father. Brenda Meaney, who performed double duty in the first act as the nanny and the boldy assertive widow, easily slides into the role of second-act Betty who remains fearful of the world she’s stepping into, yet aware that it is something she must do. Gabe Levey provides undeniable fun fitting into the stereotype of the unaware colonial authority and then portraying a three-year old girl’s annoying curiosity and tantrums.
Mickey Theis is excellent as everyone’s idea of the African explorer while equally managing the role of Victoria’s social-striving husband, adjusting to the new rules of fatherhood and sharing responsibilities that are emerging. Hannah Leigh Sorenson’s role as Betty’s mother is somewhat nondescript, but she shines as Lin, Cathy’s laissez-faire mother and new source of strength and passion for the adult Victoria.
The term “cloud nine” is not one I’ve heard a lot since the play’s American premiere in the early ‘80’s, although it was a waning but still used phrase in the lexicon. It means that state of ecstasy or profound satisfaction that one gains from a rewarding experience. Churchill deploys it as a song lyric (for this production set to music by Palmer Heffernan) to symbolize the thrills and excitements being experienced by the generation coming to age in the ‘70’s. But based on the Yale Drama School’s production, it’s clear that Churchill’s audacious 30-plus year old work can still get you there as well. | <urn:uuid:29360629-0d40-4cb4-a905-1f8fd9061a91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.examiner.com/review/yale-drama-school-students-afford-opportunity-to-reach-cloud-nine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962359 | 1,733 | 1.539063 | 2 |