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Michael Ignatieff’s piece in the NY Times magazine this weekend made for an interesting read. I really agree with a lot of the points made by Henry at Crooked Timber.
It’s an interesting piece in its own right, with some valid observations about the particular ways that certain kinds of intellectuals and scholars (a much narrower group than Ignatieff describes, however) tend to get mugged by reality. This is one reason that I strongly prefer the kind of historical and ethnographic scholarship that is descriptive rather than work that is trying to come up with comprehensive explanations or models. Model-makers and theorists are easily deceived about the messiness of real life. That’s fine when they’re confined to making models, and not so fine when they escape out of their theoretical clean-rooms and try to influence how policies get made.
A lot of Ignatieff’s critics accuse him of inflating the importance of people like himself, or of conflating his own errors with far more serious kinds of malevolence coming from other political and intellectual directions.
When I run down the list of prominent pro-war constituencies both inside and outside the government in the last six years. I would say that Ignatieff’s group of liberal hawks were more important in framing discussions among liberals and leftists than they were in affecting policymakers planning the war. This is where I particularly see it the way Henry does. From the perspective of Dick Cheney, or even of neoconservative intellectuals and policy wonks close to the Administration, people like Berman, Ignatieff and Packer were tools, not peers. This has a lot to do with the phenomenon of the liberal hawk who suddenly discovers that he is also anti-abortion, indifferent to torture and wiretaps if they’re carried out by the United States, strangely convinced by creationism, opposed to strong enforcement of occupational health standards, and so on. A lot of these guys took a position on the Iraq war that seemed to them to be a reasonable extension of a reasonable criticism of left defenses of sovereignty (a criticism that I’ve supported myself) but as long as they were taking that position, they expected their knockings on the door of American executive power to be answered with a friendly howdy-do neighbor and a welcome inside for tea. When the door to power didn’t open that way, some of these folks started adding all the other trappings and bangles of conservatism to try and get inside–maybe in a few cases (like Packer) hoping for that welcome to be extended while there was still time in their view to professionalize or smarten up the occupation.
I think Henry’s run-down of the relation of liberal hawk proponents of the Iraq war to other war proponents is pretty much correct.
There was one opportunist group for whom this was merely an opportunity to further their goals for long-term conservative hegemony over most policy-making feeder-streams and over as much of the public sphere as they could claim for their own. The war was an occasion, not a goal in and of itself. I wonder a bit if history is going to show that the war was actually their fatal overreach, that they’d been cautiously pushing forward through middle-American moral theatrics and small-beer post-Cold War foreign policy questions. I keep thinking that Karl Rove must have had some sleepless nights when true believers in invading Iraq commandeered executive power for their objectives.
There was another group of intellectuals and policy wonks who shared the liberal hawks’ fervent distaste for realpolitik and their belief in the forcible spread of liberalism but who came to that view from a very different intellectual trajectory–Wolfowitz, etcetera. Where the liberal hawks were outside of power looking in, these guys were much more like the New Frontier guys who planned Vietnam, full of themselves, feeling that this was at last their moment to carry out a grand geopolitical experiment and demonstrate that they had been right all along about how the world worked.
Cheney and the people closest to him seem to me to be yet another constituency with a different theory of power. I keep thinking of them as realpolitik types of a different flavor than Kissinger: brutalists whose theory of the Iraq war (and domestic politics) was more or less the same theory that a mobster applies when he sends an enforcer out to theatrically break a few debtor kneecaps. I don’t think many of them really cared much about whether Iraq ended up a liberal democracy. The war was about sending a message to future clients and potential enemies.
There was yet another group of writers, intellectuals and so on out there, many of them younger men for whom the war was a chance to participate vicariously in a particular kind of masculine spectacle, to demonstrate their affection for the professionalized military culture of post-Vietnam War America. I kind of understand what’s going on with this bunch. The post-Vietnam War military is an institution that a lot of American liberal-left elites are very distant from, but there are some genuinely attractive things about its culture. Before the Iraq war, I was really struck in my occasional conversations with military people at their attractive fusion of blunt honesty, egalitarian meritocracy, and aspirations to efficient managerialism. A lot of that turns out to be a kind of bluff when you take even a modestly harder look: how honorable have our generals and officers been in their political behavior within and outside their services in the last six years? How consistently meritocratic have these institutions really been? Efficiency? Uh, no. But there’s some real there, too–as higher education, for example, has drifted from some of its egalitarian commitments, the volunteer military has tried pretty hard to preserve a system where talent and commitment have a consistent payoff. It isn’t just this culture that explains this particular kind of fronting for the war, though: it’s also a kind of boys-own masculine theater, the keyboard commandoes and journalistic tough-guys sniffing around for an invitation into the Sekrit Clubhouse, a vicarious desire to prove their own manhood by prose genuflections to the guys on the battlefield. Some of the people who’ve fallen into this trap don’t seem to me to have the ideological and intellectual histories that led other people to put common sense into their safety deposit box. Any war anywhere would have been good enough, as long as it wasn’t a five-second scrub conflict like Grenada.
Another group who I think is fairly amorphous, distributed across a variety of ideological and intellectual commitments and backgrounds, are Huntington-style clash-of-civilization folks, genuine New Crusaders who aren’t out to prove that liberalism can flourish globally, but are largely instead spoiling for a sustained war with racial or cultural Others out of a neo-Spenglerian fear that the West is weak, hedonistic, self-indulgent, and has to be called to the frontiers to fend off the barbarians.
So what Ignatieff says is of interest, but it’s a narrow kind of interest. Matt Yglesias, quoted by Henry at Crooked Timber, is right that the liberal intellectuals who got caught up in supporting the Iraq war weren’t area specialists (with a smattering of exceptions) but instead generalist theorists. Area specialists have their own kinds of blind spots that are quite different. They tend to have a very hard time imagining or predicting major changes to the status quo in their region or countries of specialization, for example, and also have a tendency to protect access to their investment in area specialization by foregoing certain kinds of critique. Some of the commenters at Crooked Timber are also right that Ignatieff doesn’t exactly make a clean breast of it: he’s quick to blame others for tricking him or to imply that somehow everyone who resembles him intellectually is equally culpable of the same overall errors. Ok, so Kanan Makiya was a good guy and they all liked him, fine. But come on, the intellectual failures here are not his fault: they’re squarely on Ignatieff and Packer and so on. Those are the guys who didn’t trouble to read a bit more about Iraq or to think a bit harder about whether liberalism-by-occupation had any historical plausibility to it at all or to worry a bit about whether the Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight in the White House had even the least chance of pulling this all off.
Ignatieff also doesn’t seem to grasp that there’s a (large) group of liberal intellectuals who shared some of the same frustrations with past political experiences, had some of the same theoretical and empirical toolkit, had a generalist sensibility, and yet came to a completely opposite (and totally valid) skeptical conclusion about this war in specific and voluntary wars intended to spread liberalism in general. There were a lot of people with an idealistic commitment to liberalism but a realistic understanding of its historical underpinnings. Ignatieff tries to expand the circle of his specific failures to a larger group than he’s entitled to.
I don’t really think Ignatieff comes clean on the rhetorical and institutional shamelessness of a lot of war supporters in the run-up to the war, something that I still see in a lot of the so-called “decents”, even those who have recanted their specific advocacy of the war (some with the “competency” dodge, believing the war winnable in the abstract but lost on the specific policy failures of the Bush Administration). Ignatieff recognizes that principle matters, but he doesn’t seem to grasp that process matters too, that the process of public debate over going to war, the gravest decision a democratic society can make, was badly malformed by propaganda, chest-thumping, and manipulation. Every single proponent of the war should have forced themselves repeatedly to intellectually rehearse and evaluate the arguments against the war, and every single process of deliberation about war should have been at pains to respectfully include arguments against as well as arguments for. Ignatieff says he was carried away by his emotional desire to believe that things could turn out well in Iraq, but it’s more than that. His specific intellectual peer group was also carried away by their sense of exultant victory over long-time institutional and political adversaries within their own narrow worlds and so misperceived every critical or dissenting voice around them as the equivalent of George Galloway. | <urn:uuid:bb4121fa-7773-49f0-b9ba-a49c8ac8f272> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.swarthmore.edu/burke/blog/2007/08/08/ignatieff/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969015 | 2,213 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Another Reason to Sleep: It's Green
Getting enough sleep is not only good for your health and productivity, it's also good for the planet. But how green is sleeping? TreeHugger thinks it's actually pretty good. If you think about it, it makes sense:
After all, when we're sleeping, we're not consuming. We're not driving around. Most of us have the lights out. And if we're good little TreeHuggers, we may even adjust the thermostat, and turn off our appliances to fight vampire power. It's the reason why we have off-peak energy times, when demand is low, and we may even soon have appliances that automatically run while we are sleeping to even the strain on the electrical grid.But how much energy can sleeping more really save?
The 5 per cent of Britons who regularly grab less than five hours sleep utilise 16 per cent more electricity, 9 per cent more gas and consume and burn over 1.5g more fat in each 24 hours than the 6 per cent of Britons getting over nine hours in the land of nod."Energy savings also depend on the time of day you sleep. I definitely suggest reading the entire post, 'What's the Carbon Footprint of Sleep?'
MBG Approved Products | <urn:uuid:5a63309d-17a7-4122-9ca5-90f3101e1c9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-1540/Another-Reason-to-Sleep-Its-Green.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938542 | 260 | 2.296875 | 2 |
The 100 Days of Swine and RosesThane Rosenbaum in the Huffington Post, May 02, 2009
This week Barak Obama blazed through the first marker of his nascent presidency with characteristic coolness and panache. At times he seemed to be occupying a White House in hog heaven; at other moments the demands of the job and the state of the world has forced the president to go about his business as if he was putting lipstick on a pig. (Yes, I know: that imagery got him in trouble during the election.)
What is certain, however, is that the first 100 days in the life of an American president has never before been this blistering or eventful.
Whether in fixing our ailing economy, repairing America's reputation around the globe, or combating a recent public health crisis, the president is facing an enlarged portfolio of responsibilities and an abundance of situations in which pig references are figuring into his administration.
By now we are well aware that the meltdown of our financial markets and the bailouts of our corporations would never have occurred were it not for reckless bankers and rapacious corporate executives setting new standards for piggishness when it came to other people's money. All this vanishing wealth and plummeting 401(k)'s has inspired fond recollections of childhood piggy banks that never grew in value but at least didn't disappear.
In foreign affairs, President Obama has spent the past 100 days radiating his considerable charm and ingratiating himself to our present and former enemies, reassuring them that he neither bullies nor tortures and is quite willing to apologize for American mistakes. Whether this approach will successfully disarm Iran, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas, nations and groups that tend to favor jihads and beheadings over grace and charisma and often misread quiet diplomacy as a weakness rather than as an opportunity, is an open question. At least Obama should be mindful that that any concessions Iranian President Ahmandinejad is likely to offer in tempering his nuclear ambitions should be regarded as no more reliable than a pig in a poke.
When it comes to the cold warriors of America's past, we don't seem to be too concerned anymore about blinking first. Of all places to normalize relations and retreat from taking hard-line positions, the president has initiated indirect talks with Cuba. And the Cuban-Americans of Miami, who typically vote Republican and loathe any conciliatory gestures toward Castro's Cuba, most surprisingly seem to be supporting the new president's efforts.
Now I have seen everything: Obama really is that convincing. Could this mean that an enemy island best known for the Bay of Pigs debacle may soon become a vacation spot for Americans looking for an alternative to Cancun?
Speaking of Mexico, President Obama discovered this week that his Hurricane Katrina moment has arrived far sooner than he would have hoped--indeed, it came right in under the wire of his first 100 days in office. The young president is, apparently, being tested from every direction.
What is shaping up as the Year of the Pig is now manifesting itself as a possible global pandemic known as the Swine Flu. And, yet, President Obama remains calm, exuding confidence, keeping this crisis under control, as well.
And then day 101 arrived with news of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
As if he didn't already have enough on his mind, the president will have to make his first Supreme Court appointment before the next term of the Supreme Court begins in October.
But given the solid majority that the Democratic Party possesses in the Senate, and the considerable leeway Obama received in passing his economic stimulus package, it isn't likely that a confirmation battle is in the president's future.
It does seem as if the Obama administration is managing through this newly warped world at warped speed. In an age of digitalized compression, sound bites, and tweets that barely extend beyond the length of a complete sentence, Obama is being forced to pack it all in sooner than most, as if his term is coming to an end rather than just beginning.
After a mere 100 days he has fashioned a most impressive highlight reel. Things are likely to get worse, and the love affair with the new president will no doubt grow dim, with all things Obama one day becoming boring.
But for now, given the enormity of the challenge, the scale of ambition and the scope of his responsibility, there hasn't been room for him to piggyback on others, or any time to complain about being a guinea pig in navigating this democracy through a time of great crisis.
Contact: Thane Rosenbaum | <urn:uuid:ec3d1de7-6379-4781-b9c7-ff86b02ed0ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://law.fordham.edu/newsroom/15045.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97104 | 944 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Yael Cohen: ‘We are the generation that can change the world’
Yael Cohen recounted on Thursday at Big Omaha how her mom's fight with cancer gave birth to F Cancer.
Yael Cohen is on a mission to F--- Cancer, and based on this afternoon's talk at KANEKO during the first day of Big Omaha 2012, she'll be tough to stop. Cohen is the founder and president of F--- Cancer, a movement that is working to make a real impact in the fight against cancer.
F--- Cancer was founded in 2010 and strives to activate Generation Y to engage with their parents about early detection and teach supporters how to look for cancer instead of just finding it. Cohen used her Big Omaha talk to tell her story and share some key lessons from her non-profit work.
Cancer is close to home
Three years ago Cohen was working for a publicly traded resource company when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. At the moment she learned her mother's diagnosis, Cohen's life changed. "There was no intention of starting a charity," Cohen said, "but I didn't have an option." This was the moment that F--- Cancer was born.
Early detection is key
One of the first facts that Cohen shared with the audience was that 90 percent of all cancer caught in Stage I is curable. "Are you serious? 90 percent!" Cohen said as she recalled the first time she read that statistic.
Because of that, a core component of F--- Cancer is emphasizing early detection. "If I could teach you a single thing in your life," Cohen said she often tells people, "it was how to look for cancer."
We are the generation
One aspect that is tightly woven into the mission of F--- Cancer is its target audience of the youth, or what is also often called Generation C — the "connected generation." "We are the generation that can change the world," Cohen said. "Today, a 14-year-old in Alabama, because of Facebook and Twitter, has the same reach that Martin Luther King Jr. did."
With this goal in mind, F--- Cancer is calculated about how it reaches its target audience. "If you want to talk to the youth, you have to go where they are — online," Cohen said. "You have to speak their language, which is humor, wit and edge."
It was clear from the crowd's reaction that Cohen's story and mission resonated at Big Omaha. She finished her talk with three key lessons learned:
- Learn to say no. "It is the hardest thing I've learned," she said, "but most of the time you should be saying no."
- Know how to answer why.
- Get ready to belong to what you're building.
For real-time coverage of Big Omaha on Thursday and Friday, including a live stream of all 14 speakers, visit siliconprairienews.com/live.
Silicon Prairie News' coverage of Big Omaha 2012 is presented by CoSentry. For more than a decade, CoSentry has provided startups, web-based enterprises and larger organizations a safe, secure, affordable network of computing and data storage facilities.
Learn more about CoSentry at cosentry.com. | <urn:uuid:d1c6d4f5-c500-4387-8e02-8ae781f6e769> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.siliconprairienews.com/2012/05/yael-cohen-we-are-the-generation-that-can-change-the-world | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982528 | 667 | 1.609375 | 2 |
"We must try every solution we can to confront the oil spill and its impacts to the Gulf of Mexico and our shores," said Crist. "I appreciate BP and the United States Coast Guard's support for these technologies. We will continue to exhaust every tool to ensure the best possible outcome for Florida's environment, economy and quality of life."
The first project, which is estimated to cost approximately $300,000, will utilize up to nine barges in a configuration similar to boom to protect Destin Pass. The intent is to funnel the oil product to an area where it can be more easily skimmed. The initial effort will include three barges and expand. In addition to the barges the funding will also assist in protecting maritime resources as well as nearby infrastructure including bridges.
The remaining $200,000 will be used for the implementation of an underwater "air curtain" that will utilize a layer of bubbles to push oil from the murky depths towards the surface and large barges to block oil on the water's surface.
"We have notified the county and they are pleased that we were successful in securing this funding," said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael W. Sole. "By implementing these supplemental efforts, in addition to the work being done by Unified Command, BP and state agencies, we are taking proactive measures to ensure that our precious beaches, coastal communities and natural resources are protected."
For more information on Florida's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com, follow www.Twitter.com/FLDEPalert or call the Florida Oil Spill Information Line at 888-337-3569. | <urn:uuid:e406debc-ad3a-4cbc-8788-3513e3a93719> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.navarrepress.com/news/82-2010oilspill/2376-crist-announces-bp-funding-for-innovative-technology?reset-settings | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956619 | 340 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Only yesterday, the US Environmental Protection Agency made it public news that, following a collaboration with the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a new online mapping tool is to be made available to American citizens living in the state of California.
Its purpose is that of boosting the country's green energy industry by pinning down the areas where it is best to begin harvesting renewables.
Apparently, contaminated lands and various properties argued to have become degraded over the years are the first on the list when it comes to building various facilities whose end goal is that of producing clean energy.
More precisely, this Renewable Energy Siting Tool is to provide information with respect to roughly 11,000 portions of land that qualify to enter either of the two aforementioned categories.
Also, it explains whether or not the area taken into consideration can be efficiently used to generate power from renewable energy sources.
Jared Blumenfeld, one of the persons in charge of seeing to the success of this project, explained how, “Solar, wind and geothermal power projects may be the best use for certain tracts of impaired lands. By finding these properties and putting them back into productive use, we can reduce our carbon footprint while meeting the state’s energy needs.”
Backing up his statements, Debbie Raphael from California's Department of Toxic Substances Control made a case of how, “California has long recognized the need to reuse underdeveloped sites and create renewable energy sources.”
She further added that, “This tool allows people to make informed decisions to do both and turn underused land into potential sources of renewable energy redevelopment.”
Interestingly enough, it seems that EPA is also willing to offer its full support to those who decide to look into the possibility of taking one such contaminated or degraded site and putting it to better use by having solar or wind plants installed on it. | <urn:uuid:7517562d-dc42-4ab4-9017-b2dd6d93a9dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.softpedia.com/news/Contaminated-Lands-in-California-Are-to-Be-Used-for-Harvesting-Renewables-291317.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946364 | 383 | 3.046875 | 3 |
7 Essential Rules to a Happy Family Life
Here are some basic Rules to help you love your family easier, whether you already have a close-knit family or whether it is full of tricky relationships and resentments.
(Excerpted from "The Rules of Love" by Richard Templar)
1 of 8
Your Children Come Before You
There's a disturbing trend I've noticed over recent years of parents putting their own well-being before their children's. I'm talking here about children who are still under 18 and living at home. This trend is coupled with a horrid expression: "me time." Don't ever let me catch you using this phrase.
The fact is that when you decide to have children (whether it's a conscious choice or an accidental one), part of the commitment is to put your children before yourself. You've only got to stick it out until the youngest is 18, but until then your hobbies, career, free time, and all the rest takes second place.
Here's a case in point, and one of my particular complaints. Children really look forward to spending time on vacations with their parents. With school, work, and all the rest of it, it's often the best time for getting their parents' undivided attention. What do some parents do? They stay in hotels that will look after the kids for them all week so they can do their own thing. Now one morning is fine, if the kids are happy with it, but not a large proportion of the entire vacation. I know being a parent is exhausting, but that's the nature of the job. That's what you take on when you become a parent.
I'm not saying you can't ever go out for the evening, of course you can. I'm not saying you should only be about your kids. That wouldn't be good for them or you. They need to learn consideration. However, they also need to know that they are the top priority in your life. While you may want or need to work, which is fine, at least one parent needs a job that broadly fits round the kids, rather than jetting off on some fabulous career that takes you away from them for long periods.
If you put yourself before the children, not only are you not giving them the love they deserve, you're also telling them that all through life, looking after number one is more important than anything else. Believe me, that's a philosophy that won't make them happy.
More on: Instilling Values
From The Rules of Love Copyright © 2009, FT Press. Used by permission of FT Press, and Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
To order this book go to Amazon. | <urn:uuid:8a88dd4e-d9d5-408f-828f-da952e5d5205> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://life.familyeducation.com/slideshow/family/64754.html?page=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973918 | 551 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Question: Gary, you’ve worked many years around this field. Let us on the inside on the secret. What an individual do you, personally, to promote your trusty own brain fitness? Answer: While i try to get at least 23 minutes of aerobic conditioning each day; try to minimize my stress due to staying connected with family and friends; generally eat a brain healthy eating habits (fish, fruits, vegetables), and try as a way to balance my online time with items offline time. Which reminds me, I think it is almost era for me to sign off order.
The entire first comprehensive state-by-state measure of most of the nation’s procera avh.provides new insights into but how “brain smart” Americans are but also reveals simple actions they can transport to boost brain health. Often the life’sDHA Index of Brain Health analyzed the fifty states and the Place of Columbia based on twenty-one scalp health indicators in the areas associated with diet, physical health, mental health and as a consequence social well-being.
Neem: Neem is an excellent remedy regarding sprains, flu, skin problems, heart diseases, fever, indigestion, viral infection, etc. Some serious health concerns like cancer, kidney diseases and sexually transmitted illness are also treated by neem.
It will be well known for years that food too many foods which contain wrong fats, such as saturated fats , trans fats, is not healthy to one’s heart. According to new examination from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, one bad fat, saturated fat, was discovered to be associated with worse overall cognitive role and memory in women over moment. In contrast, a good fat, mono-unsaturated fat, was discovered to be associated with better overall cognitive job and memory. This study already been published online by the Annals along with Neurology, a journal of the The us Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, on May 18, 2012.
Be careful about your numbers – Keep your blood pressure, weight, blood sugar levels and ldl cholesterol in balance with regular check-ups with all your doctor or primary health care website.
So, whether your starting yet another term in high school, college, or graduate school, or you simply just to help boost your brain power, try introducing these foods regularly in your delicacies and snacks (include water every visit!). You’ll be tackling that calculus in no time.
DHEA (a steroid precursor to libido and estrogen purported to fight aging): The conclusion of a two twelve months study at the Mayo Clinic appearing in Minnesota and University of Padua into Italy showed that DHEA did but not improve strength, physical performance, or supplementary measures of health. The studys lead author, Dr. Nair (2006) said, No beneficial effects on premium of life were observed. Can be no evidence based on this study that DHEA has an anti-aging sense. | <urn:uuid:3b8ef908-3c8e-4ccc-8f64-2584a6463cee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fairfieldvisualarts.org/component/jcalpro/day/date/2012-06-22/6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953218 | 611 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Applied Research Seminar (GSR 719)
The purpose of this seminar is to offer structure, support and guidance for completing an intensive research project and writing a report. GSR719 should be taken after the internship and required courses have been completed. Students may still use data from their internship or other dataset with sufficient sample size and number of questions for an in-depth quantitative analysis.
Research Report Guidelines
You may use just about any survey dataset if (a) there are sufficient cases and a “rich” set of variables; and (b) you can identify some relevant theoretical/research question that can be asked and answered with the data. Data from an internship, either quantitative or qualitative, may satisfy these requirements. If you do not have such a dataset because the data from your internship were proprietary, or the project is ongoing, you may substitute an alternate dataset. This would include datasets available from the ICPSR, Roper Center, U.S. Government and Agencies, or other available data.
The format of the research report itself is intended to resemble an applied research report for a client (i.e. an ‘analytical report’ with a more detailed ‘technical appendix’). We recommend that you aim to produce a report that could be used as a writing sample for prospective employers in your area of specialization, and that will demonstrate your research methodological competencies. For those of you who are aiming at career solely in qualitative research, a qualitative study is acceptable. However, unless you already possess field notes or transcripts, it will be impossible in most cases to finish the project during one semester. In addition, all research with human subjects that involves contact or direct observation must be approved by the Institutional Review Board. Be advised that, despite the gulf between “qualitative” and “quantitative” research in academic circles, these two are closely interwoven in applied research.
The research report should contain:
- An overview and introduction to the problem
- A literature review
- Conceptual model
- Research questions and objectives
The methodology section should include:
- An overall description of the dataset
- Sampling procedure
- Item wording and coding
- A brief explanation of methodology if necessary (e.g. confirmatory factor analysis or relatively new techniques)
The aim of the data analysis is a multivariate technique such as regression or logistic regression. As you know from your statistics courses, data analysis using multivariate techniques hold many advantages over data analysis limited to two variable tables. Regression, including logistic regression, should be within the skill repertoire of most of you who have completed 708 and 709. As a less preferred alternative, two variable tables with appropriate “controls” for third variables will be acceptable for data analysis. Given that the project is an exercise in secondary data analysis, a purely descriptive data analysis will not be appropriate.
Students may still opt to submit a Master's Thesis of the traditional type. However, know that if you opt to use the more formal style, you will be responsible for that format with survey of the literature, discussion of relevant theories, etc. This may be appropriate if you are planning to use the report in conjunction with application to a Ph.D. program.
For further information, download the complete syllabus from GSR 719, or contact Professor Wood. | <urn:uuid:f43a5597-9f29-49e7-836d-d2885259aea0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/sociology/graduate/applied-research-seminar?None&month:int=2&year:int=2013&orig_query=None | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912169 | 694 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Courtesy of family
January 15, 2011
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, left of man in the middle, is seen in this photo from 1943. Jumper was the first Seminole to graduate high school and the first female chief of the Seminole Tribe. The man is her brother in his Marine uniform just before he entered the service. Their mother, Ada Tiger, is giving him his hat. Jumper is holding the hand of Priscilla Sayns. | <urn:uuid:65ec3958-1129-487a-8567-2b872a173311> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailypress.com/os-betty-mae-tiger-jumper-picture-011510,0,1622455.photo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974342 | 94 | 1.539063 | 2 |
he School Community Brigade initiated by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) mobilized around 1,000 volunteers to conduct school rehabilitation in the municipal communities of Catmon and Bantayan last May 24 and 26.
Various stakeholders from different organizations, volunteers and other concerned individuals through the brigade gathered together with collaborative endeavors to improve school facilities with the aim of giving schoolchildren of the two municipalities a better learning environment.
Participants of the two-day activity were parents, teachers, barangay officials from the local government units, nanays and employees from the RAFI Micro-finance Bantayan branch, and other volunteers. Pupils also did their part to help in repainting the chairs.
“Through joining the school community brigade, I learned how to paint walls, ceilings, and chairs. In activities like this, one should not mind whether or not he knows how to do the task. If everyone is willing to cooperate, the job will surely get done. As a mother, it is my obligation to help in the activities related to the education of my children,” said 47-year-old Eufemia Ybañez in Cebuano who is a mother of three pupils in Tamiao Elementary School.
The volunteers took part in activities like school clean-up, painting of classroom furniture and school buildings, minor repairs and the preparation of Indigenous tree nurseries, among others.
Next month, the RAFI will turn over 21 classrooms to the school administrators of the six elementary schools, which include the Vito Elementary School, Tamiao Elementary School, Baod Elementary School, Sillon Elementary School, Kabac Elementary School and Panalipan Elementary School.
The municipalities of Catmon and Bantayan in northern Cebu belonged to the first batch of beneficiaries of the School Rehabilitation Program of RAFI, now on its third phase of implementation.
The School Rehabilitation Program is one of the initiatives of RAFI’s education focus areas, believing that shaping the next generation of talents begins with nurturing the love for learning. Other focus areas of RAFI include integrated development, micro-finance & entrepreneurship, culture & heritage and leadership & citizenship.
For further details about the school rehabilitation program, contact Jicel Reve Gabriel at 418-7234 loc. 209 or visit their website www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph. | <urn:uuid:f497a692-a6ef-4726-aa36-904e39e80a03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eskwelahan.net/news/?p=11118 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95439 | 501 | 1.625 | 2 |
Twinsburg -- Voters in the city's school district this spring may be asked to renew, and make permanent this time around, a 1993, 6.9-mill renewal levy that will generate about $4.4 million annually for school operations.
According to the Shirley DeCheco of the Summit County Fiscal Office, the continuing levy set for the spring ballot currently costs the owner of a $150,000 home roughly $250.35 per year. However, the effective millage of the levy, which currently sits at 5.4 mills, may change by the May primary, likely changing a district homeowner's property tax.
The Board of Education was set to vote Jan. 23 to put the renewal on the May 7 ballot. If the general operating levy is passed in the May primary, it would change its status from a general operating levy to a continuing levy, renewing automatically in the future.
The levy has to be certified by Feb. 6 by the Summit County Board of Elections to make the May 7 ballot, Twinsburg School District Treasurer Martin Aho said.
Superintendent Kathryn Powers said the operating levy, which produced about $5 million for school operations last year, provides a crucial element of the district's funding.
"Parents really count on us to provide the services that we currently are doing," Powers said. "Should the levy renewal not pass, then I'm back to the drawing board of what other reductions I need to make to balance ... because $5 million annually is a lot of money. What am I going to reduce and where are we going to go as far as raising revenues?"
Powers said failure of the renewal could lead to further program and staff cuts, as well as the implementation of additional transportation and participation fees, on top of the $3.2 million in reductions made during the 2011-12 school year.
"To not renew the levy would create a huge hole in the district's revenue stream and would severely compromise our operations," added Board of Education member Steve Shebeck. "This levy has been, and needs to continue to be, part of the revenue system for the district."
"It's a renewal, so it doesn't involve any tax increase, which we're very pleased about," added Board President Kate Cain-Criswell. "It is a very important source of revenue for the school district."
The levy, which does not represent a new tax since it was first passed at 6.9 mills in 1993 but which, if passed May 7, would become a continuing levy that no longer requires renewal, is set to expire at the end of December, Aho said.
The levy was last renewed Nov. 6, 2007, according to school officials.
This renewal and change to continuing levy comes on the heels of a new 4.9-mill levy passed in November 2012 that will generate a fresh $3.8 million annually for the district.
While he said he doesn't oppose the levy renewal itself, Twinsburg resident Matt Cellura said he doesn't agree with the decision to make it a continuing levy, saying the taxpayers could become stuck paying for a levy the district may not need years later.
"I would prefer to see it as something we'd renew in five years as opposed to a continuing [levy]," Cellura said. "I think there's too much up in the air in terms of the state budget and how schools are going to be funded. We already passed one continuing [levy] in November."
Powers said a continuing levy is a way for the district to stabilize its funding.
"The reason for that is trying to lock in the financial stability of the district," Powers said. "So we don't have to come back to our voters in five years and say 'hey, can you support us again?' What we are hearing from the community is, 'We're tired of it always being on the ballot.'"
Board of Education member David Andrews added that the spring levy renewal is an important part of a $7 million operational reduction plan the district implemented in 2011 to recover losses following a phase out of state money (the tangible personal property tax) over the last several years.
"We filled $3.2 million of that by cutting positions and imposing, for the first time in Twinsburg, pay-to-participate fees and other students fees and taking a lot of steps to reduce expenditures," Andrews said. "The other $3.8 million of that $7 million hole came through with the levy that was passed in November."
Board of Education Vice President Paul Crosby confirmed that unspecified program and spending cuts would follow if the levy is not renewed.
"Hopefully, with the passage of the renewal, [the district will be] able to take the finances off that emergency-type agenda," Crosby said.
Powers said she hopes the Twinsburg community will support the levy renewal, given its importance to the well-being of the district and its status as a regularly renewed expense since 1993.
"I'm hoping it's not going to be a surprise to the community, because we've always been up front with saying that's the final piece to the operational change plan that needs to be put into place. With that, we have kind of solidified the financial plan for the district," Powers said. | <urn:uuid:f166f23c-f68f-49c8-8f01-370ff6b363d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.twinsburgbulletin.com/news%20local/2013/01/24/school-levy-renewal-heads-to-may-ballot | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977752 | 1,082 | 1.578125 | 2 |
This collection consists of two letters from C. A, Carson, Union Army soldier at "Camp near Sulphur Springs, Virginia (the extreme southwestern corner of the state, wedged between Kentucky and Tennessee), 12 September 1863, to his parents and brother. The letters are both on the same sheet of paper, and discuss, among other things, an episode of fraternization between Carson's unit and a Confederate force on the far side of a river. The accompanying envelope is postmarked Washington, DC, 15 September 1863, and addressed to S. L. Carson, South Dorridgewood, Maine.
Commonplace and letterbook, with early entries dating from 1823, includes hand-written poetry and by authors such as Shakespeare and Lord Byron. Later entries date from at least 1843 and include copies of letters that mention Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras societies.
The collection consists of reports and agendas for the annual, fall and spring meetings of the Carver Research Foundation Board of Trustees. Each report contains a list of the members of the Board of Trustees, addresses, and their professional positions. The reports also include detailed meeting agendas, reports by trustees and the Foundation director, financial reports, and other material describing activities of the Foundation.
Poster (37" x 25") of George Washington Carver by Betsy Graves Reyneau.
This collection consists of one letter from Luther K. Casey, Union soldier in Anderson Court House, South Carolina to his uncle, W. D. Barrell, in Turner, Maine, 16 October 1865. Discusses health of his fellow soldiers (evidently a part of the 1st Maine Battalion) , an incident in which three of his comrades were murdered, and denounces South Carolina as "the hardest Secesh hole in the whole south."
Letters from Sargeant Howard L. Cash to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. P. Cash of Princeton, Kentucky, while he was stationed in England, France and Czechoslovakia. There is also a V-Mail letter from Bill, a nephew of the Cash's and a bill of sale for a 1941 Plymoth P11.
Marcia Cassady writes to her mother, Anna, from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. She details the exhibits. Later C.A. Smith writes to Marcia about the vegetation of Florida where he vacations. He also mentions the Ohio floods.
One love letter from William Casttinan in Sanders, Kentucky, to Lura C. Baker in Verona, Kentucky.
Six catalogs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Three are clothing catalogs, one is a plant catalog, one is an automobile supply catalog, and one is a biography/silverware catalog.
Four letters and three envelopes from Horace H. Catinna of Louisville, Kentucky, to Hattie F. Pryor also of Louisville, Kentucky. In these letters, Horace professes his love for Hattie.
This collection contains five postcards written to Merrill and Iris Caudry in Elgin, Illinois, from Mildred and Dwight (John) Caudry in Savanna, Illinois. The postcards discuss general news from home as well as a vacation or possible move by Mildred and Dwight to Texas.
Letter to Mrs. Caufield from her son Ken, a factory worker in New Jersey. He appologizes for a lost letter and thanks her for gifts she has sent to him.
Papers submitted for credit in University of Alabama course EXT318 "Cemeteries and Local History," a course in the New College Life Track. The focus of the papers is on cemeteries as reflecting the history of a locale and may examine burial patterns, customs, ornamentation, or simply be an inventory of interments.
Four photographic albums from 1902 depict different aspects of coal and iron production of the Central Iron and Coal Company in Alabama; from mining to building a furnace, and transporting the material by train, as well as workers living areas, offices, and stores .
Charter and organizational information of the Tallassee Branch of the Central Plank Road Company
City Council minutes for 1890-1891 of this Bibb County, Alabama, city.
Letters written to his mother and brother while serving with the 52nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Peninsular Campaign and the Charleston Expedition
Letters written to other members of the Fort Morgan Historical Commission concerning the fort and Chandler's "Little Gems" project.
The depositions of Lewis and Mary Ann Chandoin of Virginia regarding two slave women (mother and daughter) belonging to a deceased neighbor, Mrs. Elizabeth Mimms.
Photocopy of promissory note in which Richard Chanoweth of Kentucky County acknowledges receipt of a barrel of whiskey and promises to deliver deer skins to Philip Engle as payment. | <urn:uuid:e607379e-474d-4c1c-bda6-335bc65244a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lib.ua.edu/print/digital/browse?p=2&sort=C | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948643 | 991 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Filed under: IC Compliance | Tags: Court Cases/Decisions of Significance, FedEx;, independent contractor liability, misclassification liability
The lawsuit was filed the same week as the Attorney General of the Montana, Steve Bullock, announced that his office settled its driver misclassification claims against FedEx Ground for $2.3 million. The New York lawsuit also follows by two months the filing of a similar misclassification lawsuit by the Attorney General of Kentucky, Jack Conway, and comes three months after the Attorney General of Massachusetts, Martha Coakley, settled its driver misclassification claims against FedEx Ground for $3 million.
Cuomo’s lawsuit was filed in the New York Supreme Court for New York County. It alleges that, by classifying its drivers as independent contractors, FedEx’s Home Delivery unit fails to provide its drivers the rights afforded to “employees” under New York’s labor laws, which includes the Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation, Wage Payment, and Overtime laws. According to the complaint filed in court, Cuomo alleges that “FedEx has the power to control, and does in fact control, almost all aspects of its drivers’ work” including “hours, job duties, routes, and even clothing.” There are reportedly over 700 drivers in the Home Delivery unit. (Click “More” for “Takeaway” below)
In contrast to FedEx’s Ground Division, its Express Division treats its drivers as employees, affording them rights under the state and federal labor laws.
A FedEx spokesman, Murray Lane, suggested that the lawsuit was timed by Cuomo to coincide with his election campaign for Governor of New York. A spokesperson for the Attorney General dismissed that claim over the timing of the lawsuit, reportedly noting that Cuomo’s office has been negotiating with FedEx to resolve the dispute for months, but to no avail. The spokesman also observed that the New York lawsuit was filed after a similar lawsuit was commenced against FedEx Ground by the Attorney General of Kentucky, Jack Conway.
FedEx Ground has over sixty class action cases brought under state and federal laws still pending against it; those cases have been consolidated in a federal court in Indiana. While FedEx Ground has won some court battles in the past two years, it lost a number including a California class action case in which it was required to pay $30 million in damages and legal fees.
Last fall, the IRS withdrew a $319 million citation against FedEx Ground for unpaid federal employment taxes, penalties, and interest under the “safe harbor” provisions of the Revenue Act of 1978. That “safe harbor” provision would be eliminated if Congress passes the “Fair Playing Field Act of 2010.” Another independent contractor bill, the Employee Misclassification Prevention Act, is currently pending in Congress. Eighteen states have passed laws cracking down on independent contractor misclassification in the past three years.
Takeaway: This latest lawsuit against FedEx Ground further demonstrates that misclassification has substantial legal consequences. Regardless of the outcome of the New York lawsuit, defending enforcement actions and class action lawsuits is costly. FedEx’s experience has led many companies, which utilize the services of a significant number of independent contractors, to take proactive steps designed to enhance independent contractor compliance.
Your comments are invited.
Attorney at Law
Pepper Hamilton LLP
The New York Times Building
620 Eighth Avenue, 37th Floor
New York, New York 10018 | <urn:uuid:4a08f1cd-504b-4a5c-964c-781484e25a3c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://independentcontractorcompliance.com/2010/10/24/new-york-is-next-state-to-sue-fedex-for-misclassification-of-its-ground-division-drivers-as-independent-contractors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96443 | 714 | 1.625 | 2 |
We all know families can make or break a self-management program. How do you exercise if everyone in your family says, “Aww, stay here and watch ‘King of Queens’ with us”? How do you get Oreos out of the house when family members love them? How do you stay relaxed when everybody in the house is arguing?
Bringing families together for mutual support can make a huge difference in blood glucose control and quality of life. But how do we do that? In managing diabetes, getting your family on your side requires honest communication. You want to be open about your own feelings, not critical of the other person’s behavior. People who love you do not want to hurt you, but they won’t realize how you feel if you don’t tell them.
Learn to use “I” messages, as in: “It’s really hard for me when you bring home those chocolate cakes. They’re really bad for me, and they’re hard to resist. Could you please eat cake somewhere else from now on?” rather than “Why do you keep bringing that cake in here? You know I can’t have it. Sometimes I think you don’t care about me at all.” If our family members feel attacked, they will have to defend themselves, and nobody will get anywhere.
Family may not want to change behaviors “just because Daddy is sick.” But since healthy-living practices for diabetes are healthy for everyone, you are really not imposing on family by insisting on eating better and exercising. You might motivate them to avoid health problems of their own. And when we learn to communicate clearly about health needs, our new skills can carry over to other areas of family life. We may find ourselves feeling better about ourselves, our families, and our lives than we have in years.
Clear communication is needed in other relationships, too. When you go see your doctors, do you tell them the whole truth about what has been happening with you and what you need? Or do you beat around the bush, hoping they’ll read your mind? Like family members, health-care professionals are not mind readers. They won’t know unless you tell them.
In asking others for help, communication needs to be clear and direct. Say you want help with moving. If you say, “Could you help me move next week?” people won’t know what they’re getting into. They’ll shy away. Instead, be specific. “I’m moving next week, and I’ve got about 12 boxes I need help with. It should take about an hour and a half. Can you help with that?” Most people will be glad to.
Where do we find help? After family, think about community: friends, neighbors, support groups, church, voluntary organizations, social agencies, and health-care professionals. Or advertise on the Internet. Support groups usually are full of information on available support. (See some links in my blog entry from last week, “Wellness is a Team Sport, Part 1: “I Hate to Ask.”) Remember that a support group can be one person—a friend who shares your issues and concerns.
We often worry about how to pay people back for helping us. While most people really don’t care about being paid back, it’s normal to want to compensate them. Here are some possibilities:
- Sincere thanks go a long way. Most people feel unappreciated most of the time.
- Listening is a great way to give to people. Most of us feel chronically unheard, and a few minutes of attentive listening are a great gift.
- Sometimes we can do things for our helpers, or do for others even less fortunate (”Pay it forward.”)
- Occasionally, paying people in money is a good option, if we can afford it and it won’t hurt their feelings.
- Sincere compliments are almost always appreciated.
So there is no need for us to go it alone, and we can’t. Learn to find, ask for, and accept help. Help others when you can, as long as doing so doesn’t damage your own health. When we cooperate more, the world will be a better and healthier place.
I’ve written a lot about these issues in Arthritis Self-Management, Diabetes Self-Management, and my books The Art of Getting Well and Diabetes: Sugar-coated Crisis. You can see more on my Web site, www.davidsperorn.com. And remember to leave comments with your questions and ideas below. | <urn:uuid:2fcaec99-0894-493a-9de6-702c55b20a75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/David-Spero/wellness_is_a_team_sport_part_2_working_with_family/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953094 | 992 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Premium Member Book
ASSUMPTION: Students will learn more and remember more of what they learned if they learn in real-world contexts, which also reduces boredom and disciplinary problems, stimulates more parental involvement, inspires self-confidence and responsibility in youth, and motivates them to learn.
Education in real-world contexts is not a new idea. Aristotle wrote, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." Centuries later John Adams echoed the thought when he said, "There are two types of education: One should teach us how to make a living and the other should teach us how to live." Our current education system is doing neither very well. | <urn:uuid:bb26992a-5110-4a90-8af0-8224e753fb2f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/111015/chapters/Life-to-Text.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970353 | 143 | 3.109375 | 3 |
books which might be of general interest to students of the "Early
Republic" period -- If you find any worth purchasing after following
one of these links, a portion will go to support of this web site:
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough a "story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900, ambitious to excel in their work."
The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity by Jeffrey Sachs. From book description: "For more than three decades, Jeffrey D. Sachs has been at the forefront of international economic problem solving. But Sachs turns his attention back home in The Price of Civilization, a book that is essential reading for every American. In a forceful, impassioned, and personal voice, he offers not only a searing and incisive diagnosis of our country’s economic ills but also an urgent call for Americans to restore the virtues of fairness, honesty, and foresight as the foundations of national prosperity.
Born near the border of North and South Carolina, in the log cabin home of an immigrant Scotch-Irish couple. His father died before Andrew was born.
In his early teens he joined a rebel regiment. He and his brother were captured by the British; they were maltreated somewhat, and became extremely ill. Their mother came and somehow secured their release, but the brother died on the way home. Jackson's mother, who apparently hated the British like many Scotch Irish, died of illness gotten while tending American prisoners aboard English prison ships.
[This very short piece is unfinished. For a relatively extended biography of Jackson, click ==>here].
Adopted son of Andrew Jackson, one of two twins born to relatives of Jackson's wife, Rachel. His mother was sick and unable to care for him, so his parents allowed the Jacksons, who had tried unsuccessfully to have a child, to adopt him. Somewhat profligate, given to excessive drinking and financial foolishness. "Marrying Sarah [Yorke of Philadelphia] was the best thing he ever did for his father. (Source: Remini, Jackson, vol 1, p161, vol 2, p334-5)
A Virginia slave girl who wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Harriet Jacobs, who had a free grandmother, managed to run away but could not get far so she lived for 7 years in her grandmother's attic before an occasion was found for her to run away to free soil.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, besides being separately printed with excellent notes, can be found (without the notes) as part of The Classic Slave Narratives, edited and with an introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
"A Yankee, son of a Revolutionary War patriot, and longtime partisan of the Irish cause. A "Democrat in the Federalist-Whig stronghold". Initial president of Boston's chapter (the first established in the U.S.) of the Friends of Ireland Society.
Source: Ignatiev, How the Irish..., p15.
Painter and engraver, who was born in, and mostly lived in, New Haven. Brother of Simeon Jocylyn, who tried, in association with the New York Tappans, to establish something between a college and what today would be called a trade school for African Americans.
Son of a watchmaker; helped found the National Bank Note Engraving Company; began painting portraits at 25; was exhibited, and praised, at the National Academy. He was somewhat of a protege of Samuel F. B. Morse, who encouraged him in the early 1820s when they both lived in New Haven. He traveled and studied in Europe in the late 1820s through 1830, and at least crossed paths with Morse over there. Back in New Haven, he set up a studio, and got into trouble for promoting the idea of the negro school. Made a famous portrait of Cinque, the leader of the Amistad revolt, which hangs in the building of the New Haven Colony Historical Society, along with a portrait of himself. (Source: DAB; Wyatt-Brown, Lewis Tappan, p87ff)
Tried unsuccessfully, with help from the New York Tappans, to establish something between a college and what today would be called a trade school for African Americans. He hoped to enroll Yale professors in the cause, but New Haven turned out en masse against the idea. Brother of the painter, Nathaniel Jocelyn.
Vice president under Van Buren, 1837-41. Represented Kentucky in Congress for 30 years, from 1807-37; as Senator from 1819-29, and the balance in the House of Representatives.
Even while a congressman, he was commissioned a colonel in 1813, in the War of 1812; fought under Harrison on October 5, 1813 in the Battle of the Thames, and was sometimes credited with personally killing the famous Tecumseh (a doubtful claim). He was a vocal anti-Sabbatarian whose words on the subject can be easily found in the Annals of America, vol 5, selection 20 (p284).
He was the only vice president whose election had to be decided in the House of Representatives. No doubt his anti-Sabbatarianism contributed to the dislike some people had for him; as well as the openness with which he espoused his paternity of his mulatto daughters (at least this was claimed at the time).
Richard John's Spreading the News characterized him as doing (at least what today would be called) a corrupt influence business with postal contractors, who were among the most vocal anti-Sabbatarians (except for the "six day" stage lines).
Years of Service: 1824-1825; 1825-1829; 1829-1833 Party: Adams-Clay Republican; Adams; Anti-Jackson
Representative and a Senator from Louisiana; born in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Conn., November 24, 1784; moved with his father to Kentucky in 1788; returned to Connecticut to attend primary school; graduated from Transylvania University, Lexington, Ky., in 1802; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Alexandria, La. (then the Territory of Orleans); member, Territorial legislature 1805-1812; during the War of 1812, raised and organized a regiment for the defense of New Orleans, but reached the city after the battle; engaged in agricultural pursuits; State district judge 1812-1821; elected to the Seventeenth Congress (March 4, 1821-March 3, 1823); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1822 to the Eighteenth Congress; appointed to the United States Senate in 1824 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Brown; elected to the Senate in 1825 and reelected in 1831 and served from January 15, 1824, until his death, caused by an explosion on the steamboat Lioness, on the Red River in Louisiana, May 19, 1833; chairman, Committee on Commerce (Nineteenth Congress); interment in Rapides Cemetery, Pineville, La.
Source: Biog. Dir. of Am. Congress. | <urn:uuid:3630be0f-6a58-4fff-b685-4469db39bd1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jmisc.net/BIOG-J.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972711 | 1,512 | 2.75 | 3 |
Date written: May 1st, 2005
Scripture ref: Revelation 2:18-29
TITLE: Asian Churches - Thyatira
PROPOSITION: In this lesson we will look at the Asian church of Thyatira. We will note that Jesus knows: 1) The state of the church, 2) Those who are unfaithful, 3) Those who are faithful.
Objectives: Each should be able to discuss the situation in the church at Thyatira.
Aim: That each would be more familiar with the lessons from this church.
1. Read: Revelation 2:18-29
2. About the Text:
1) There is only one reference outside of the book of Revelation to Thyatira.
2) It is the city from which Lydia came (Acts 16:14).
3) There is not much history on this city from ancient times.
4) It was founded by the Lydians and used in the 3rd century B.C. as a defensive position for other cities.
5) It was known for its famous dyes and its trade guilds.
6) It is known to Christians as the place of the woman Jezebel.
7) This is the longest of these letters.
3. Description of Jesus.
1) Eyes like flame of fire.
b. Knows the heart of men. Compare Revelation 2:23
2) Feet like burnished brass.
a. He sets the standard.
b. His steps are solid.
4. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.
DISCUSSION: Jesus knows . . .
I. The State of the Church.
1. What did Jesus know about her state?
1) Her Works – This was said regarding all of the churches in Revelation 2,3.
a. Each church has work to do.
b. Her work is to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
2) Her Love – Without love the church profits nothing (1 Cor.13:1-3)
3) Her Faith – This is the only way the church can please God (Hebrews 11:6).
4) Her Ministry/Service – The word "ministry" may refer to benevolence (see Acts 6:1).
5) Her Patience – No church could exist without patience (2 Peter 1:6 – Christian Graces).
6) These were things necessary for the ongoing work of the church and so Jesus commends them.
2. Her last works are more than her first.
1) This statement indicates that the church had grown.
2) Her works in the present are more numerable than when she first started out.
3) In this regard, she was not unlike many churches today.
4) The church is to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus – 2 Peter 3:18
II. Those who are unfaithful.
1. Who they are.
1) The Lord knows who the unfaithful are in the church.
a. Each congregation of the Lord has both faithful and unfaithful.
b. We must be faithful because we are but stewards of the Lord's possessions. (it is required in stewards 1 Corinthians 4:2).
2) The Lord expects the church to withdraw fellowship from those who are unfaithful.
a. 1 Corinthians 5 – we are to have no company with them.
b. Romans 16:17 – we are to mark them.
c. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 – withdraw from those that walk disorderly.
d. The church at Thyatira "suffered" (tolerated) them.
e. They were wrong in so doing.
f. Jesus expected them to cease doing so.
3) In the church at Thyatira it was Jezebel and her followers that were unfaithful.
a. We don't know if her name was Jezebel or not – likely not.
b. She is called this to bring to our remembrance the Jezebel in the O.T., Ahab's wife.
c. Jezebel was a ring leader of evil things.
d. She called herself a prophetess.
e. And she had many followers in the church here.
2. What their works are.
1) The Lord knows the works of the unrighteous.
a. They will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9).
b. He will execute judgment against the ungodly (Jude 1:15).
2) She was guilty of seducing Christians to evil.
a. She was doing Satan's work – James 1:13-15 "Let no man say . . ."
b. We can know that she didn't love them. 1 John 2:10 states "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him."
3) She taught that it was OK for Christians to . . .
a. Commit fornication. We must "flee fornication" (1 Corinthians 6:18).
b. Eat things sacrificed to idols. We cannot afford to fellowship unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11).
c. Similar things were happening in Pergamos (Revelation 2:14).
d. These teachings were evil.
e. The church must staunchly oppose immorality in her members.
4) The Lord gave her space to repent, but she did not.
a. All have been so given that opportunity (Acts 17:30, 2 Peter 3:9).
b. We must do works suitable for repentance (Acts 26:20).
c. If we fail to repent, only we will be to blame.
3. How to reward them.
1) They would be rewarded according to their works (Revelation 20:13).
2) Jezebel and her followers would be cast into a bed of tribulation unless they repented.
a. Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
b. Hosea 8:7 – Sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind.
3) Jesus would kill her children with death.
a. Likely this doesn't refer to her literal children.
b. Could be those who were her followers.
c. Could be the works that she was doing.
d. Could be her influence.
e. Whatever this was, this action would be evident to all.
f. Her punishment would prove that Jesus knew the hearts and minds of men.
4) Jesus knows all men's hearts.
a. Hebrews 4:12,13
b. John 2:25 "And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man."
III. Those who are faithful.
1. Who they are.
1) Jesus knew there were some that did not accept Jezebel.
2) They were the ones who did not adhere to her doctrine.
3) They were the ones who didn't "know the depths of Satan."
4) It is good to be ignorant about some things!
5) Some people say, "How can you condemn it if you've never tried it?"
6) We can know some things are wrong simply because God's word says they are wrong.
2. What they were commanded to do.
1) They were to "hold fast" to what they already had till Jesus came.
2) This means to hang on and not let go no matter what.
3) 1 Corinthians 15:2 – we are saved by the gospel IF we hold fast the words.
4) 1 Thess.5:21 – we are to hold fast to that which is good.
3. How to reward them.
1) Jesus would give them power over the nations – we have power through the gospel (Romans 1:16).
2) They shall rule them as with a rod of iron – the wicked will be punished (2 Thess.1:8,9).
3) They will be given the morning star – Jesus is the morning star (Revelation 22:16).
1. The Lord knows . . .
1) The state of the church.
2) The faithful
3) The unfaithful.
2. Let us resolve to be faithful and to keep the church pure as well. | <urn:uuid:9de36879-f57a-439f-9b19-d89f1bf11e1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.the-churchofchrist.com/2005/05/asian-churches-thyatira.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969895 | 1,807 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Did you hear about the small riot that took place in a retail clothing store in Columbus earlier today?
A woman in a stretch limo arrived at a Burlington Coat Factory location and upon entering the store loudly announced that she’d just won the lottery and would pay for all customer’s purchases up to $500.oo each!
Obviously people became excited, clothes flew off the racks, and thousands of dollars in purchases were made as this lottery-winning woman watched.
There was just one problem … the lucky lady who’d made the announcement was a liar – she didn’t have any money, and before long the customers noticed she wasn’t actually paying for anyone’s new clothes.
You would think that the customers who’d been taken in by this woman would be upset, and they were, but instead of putting the clothes back like civilized human beings, the steamed customers threw a collective temper tantrum and tore the store apart looting.
Can you hear them? “This stuff is MINE! I DESERVE this!”
I feel sorry for the store employees – they didn’t ask for this to happen to them.
What a bunch of animals … right?
It’s easy to look down my nose at these people and say to myself that I’m more well-behaved than they are. I mean, come on – I wouldn’t be caught dead looting, much less alive.
But on further introspection, I realize I suffer from the same bad attitude underlying the ridiculous actions of this group of fools.
That, my friends, is an attitude of entitlement.
Wikipedia defines entitlement as “the guarantee of access to benefits because of rights” and a “belief that one is deserving of some particular reward or benefit.”
If a person has a “sense of entitlement,” they believe they deserve certain things, if, for no other reason, than they exist.
You may struggle with this too not even realizing it, and I’ll tell you why: we live in a culture driven by this attitude of entitlement.
Consider how our country was founded. Certain inalienable rights are free to all men and women. We’re all equal – we’re all to be taken care of – we’re all deserving of only the best. This isn’t all bad – don’t get me wrong. I do believe human beings should take care of one another as that’s what God desires us to do … it’s this ‘deserving’ part I have a problem with. What do we really deserve when you get down to it?
Further consider: in the western world, we’re bombarded day after day with messages regarding our right to do this or that, say this or that, own this or that, have this or that taken care of for us … because we DESERVE it.
If you don’t believe me, watch an hour of television tonight and count the number of messages you pick up that feed into your sense of entitlement. Thumb through any major magazine or newspaper … if you haven’t looked for it before, you may be surprised to learn how desensitized you are to these messages for the same reason a fish doesn’t know it’s wet until it jumps out of the ocean onto the beach.
Our people live in the shadow of the tree of entitlement, and the bitter seed of self-centeredness and selfish pride is at its root daily being watered by popular culture. This tree produces bad fruit: that of the sin of Eve found in Genesis 3.
I believe there are a few healthy questions we Christians need to ask ourselves:
- As a follower of Jesus, how can I get over my own pride and self-centeredness?
- As a follower of Jesus making more followers of Jesus, how can I help others get over their pride and self-centeredness?
Just thinking out loud here tonight – you’re welcome to do a bit of thinking with me.
Here’s the full story on the clothing store riot, and here’s a video summary: | <urn:uuid:3d8e5efe-a2dc-4895-ad8c-32bf4a76d788> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://outoftheoverflow.com/tag/fake/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954795 | 881 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Good news from Arghandab
Afghan soldiers are better trained and happy to fight
“THERE is zero trust in the government but the ANA [Afghan National Army] is our only hope. They behave well with the people and are stronger than the Taliban.” That was the pithy assessment of one tribal elder trudging back towards Arghandab district near Kandahar, the day after the largest operation so far by the fledgling Afghan army. It had taken just 24 hours from the first appearance of Taliban fighters for over 1,000 Afghan troops to deploy and drive them out of Arghandab.
After a slow start the army is at last emerging as a credible fighting force. In 2007 $7.4 billion went into training and equipping it and the police. Every week now, a Kandak (a 650-man battalion) finishes training and takes to the field. The army will reach its initial target of 80,000 early next year. On August 5th the first formal transfer of authority to Afghan forces is due to take place for the Kabul area.
The army looks very different from the ragged force of three years ago, when units sent to the south were losing 30% of their men through desertion. Desertion rates in Helmand are now only 7%; about half of all soldiers re-enlist. They are better equipped, too, with body armour, M-16 assault rifles and the latest model of Humvee armoured vehicle.
Good equipment does not guarantee success, of course. The army the Soviet Union equipped lavishly in 1989 succumbed swiftly to the mujahideen. Many think the ANA too small. But at least it has stomach for a fight. “They are aggressive and fight forward,” says Captain Ray Dalzell, one of the sweat-stained British advisers in Attal, a new base the ANA built after sweeping up the Gereshk valley, an area of persistent Taliban activity. Others praise the ANA's speed across the ground and its ability to detect changing local opinion and mood invisible to foreign eyes.
But there are problems, too. The greatest, according to Major-General Robert Cone, an American in charge of helping rebuild the army, is a shortage of Western “mentors”—people seconded to help with technology, planning and logistics. Other problems are cultural. To the consternation of British NCOs, Afghan soldiers tend to see time between operations as a chance to catch up on sleep, not training. They resist carrying rations or ammunition on patrol, preferring to forage from villages. Corruption, on the other hand, seems to affect the army less than most Afghan institutions.
Ethnic divisions are also a worry, though the army strives to offset them. Battalion commanders are always a different ethnicity from their executive officer. Nonetheless Tajiks are disproportionately represented in the officer class and Hazaras and other smaller groups are under-represented. “I can't get promoted to sergeant-major because I can't pay the necessary bribes and I am just a Hazara,” claims one sergeant. “So I am leaving.” Half the army speaks Dari and the other half Pashto.
The army has the correct proportion of Pashtuns, the ethnicity from which the Taliban draws its strength. Unfortunately, they are overwhelmingly from the eastern provinces, the army's historic recruiting grounds, rather than the south where the Taliban comes from. So the ANA, while vastly preferred to either Western troops or the venal police, still seems foreign in the south. “The ANA does not have good relations with us,” says Haji Mohammad Anwar, a member of Helmand's Provincial Council. “The people like the behaviour of the ANA, but they are rented by foreigners.” Maybe so, but few can doubt the eagerness of those foreigners to hand over to the Afghan army as soon as they decently can. The ANA's improvement must bring that day forward. | <urn:uuid:17096f32-8635-466e-8e4c-cb90181b6edd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economist.com/node/11849555 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966493 | 831 | 1.835938 | 2 |
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Message from the White House: Acknowledgement of World Hepatitis Day
May 19, 2009
President Barack Obama issued the following statement acknowleding World Hepatitis Day.
May 19, 2009
I extend my warmest greetings to all those recognizing World Hepatitis Day. Your commitment to public health is evident in your ongoing work to raise awareness and take action against this life-threatening illness.
Hepatitis infects millions of Americans, can lead to painful symptoms and - in far too many cases - can cause death from related diseases. For many people, hepatitis often goes undetected and becomes increasingly difficult to treat over time.
Public awareness and preventative care are crucial to reducing the impact of hepatitis on Americans. With accurate and timely knowledge, individuals can undergo effective screening and testing. Together, we can also provide support and care for those infected, and aspire to eliminate this terrible disease. To achieve these goals and care for the many Americans suffering from diseases like hepatitis, comprehensive reform of our health care system is essential. That is one of many reasons why I am committed to enacting healthcare reform legislation this year.
As we mark World Hepatitis Day, I commend all those who are supporting people with hepatitis, and helping to improve treatment and prevention. I wish you every success as you continue this important mission. | <urn:uuid:4c7b2a93-edfc-46db-9ef1-9ef9f6801178> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hepatitis.med.nyu.edu/news/2009/message-white-house-acknowledgement-world-hepatitis-day | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930732 | 291 | 2.125 | 2 |
Terry J. Fitzgerald - Senior Economist and Vice President
Mark Holland - Contributing Writer
Published November 1, 2005 | November 2005 issue
Whenever a complex issue like employment shocks is examined, there are seemingly countless ways to gather, and then slice, available data.
This fedgazette looks through a brief window of time (1990 to 1993) to see what might be learned about the sources and effects of employment shocks during this period.
Taking a step back provides another perspective on the matter of employment shocks, not to mention some historical economic context. From a longer-run perspective, it is clear that employment shocks are not rare. In any given year, even with a hot national economy, some counties will experience a major decline in employment.
The reason for this is an often overlooked feature of market economies called "churn." Simply, market economies tend to create and destroy a lot of jobs simultaneously, as employers collectively allocate scarce resources for additional labor in some sectors and occupations while cutting back in others. Even in strong job markets, some jobs are being lost, just as some jobs are gained in the midst of a recession.
So it's useful to see how our four-year period of analysis (1990-93) compares to other periods in terms of the propensity for both annual employment shocks (decline of 3 percent or more) and booms (growth of 5 percent or more) among the district's 303 counties.<
Data on all district counties from 1969 to 2002 show that major job loss happens more often than you might think. In three-plus decades, there were more than 900 instances where one of the district's 303 counties experienced an employment decline of 3 percent or more—roughly, one every decade for each county in the district. The period of 1990 to 1993 averaged 12 county shocks per year (some counties experienced several shocks during this period)—well below the long-run average of 27 county shocks per year.
Are the same counties getting endlessly sucker-punched? In general, no. During the 1969-2002 period, every district county except one experienced a net employment decline in at least one year, and better than 80 percent (247) of district counties endured a 3 percent employment loss in at least one year. The only county in the district to maneuver through the entire 34-year period without experiencing a single year-to-year decline in employment was Burleigh County, N.D., home to Bismarck. (The county's closest call came in the 1980-81 recession, when it eked out a 0.1 percent increase in employment.)
But some counties certainly experience more than their share of shocks. Though all counties have some probability of employment shock, small counties are more prone. Counties with fewer than 4,000 workers make up 44 percent of district counties ("county years," technically, to factor for changing employment levels over time). But these counties experienced 66 percent of the 905 employment shocks that occurred from 1969 to 2002. At the other end, 7 percent of district counties have more than 32,000 workers, but they experienced just 1 percent of all shocks.
Before getting too gloomy about the employment picture in the district, remember that counties also experience employment booms more frequently than you might imagine.
From 1969 to 2002, 86 percent of district counties (260) experienced at least one year of 5 percent employment growth. Furthermore, a majority of counties saw at least one year of 7 percent employment growth, and all but one county had at least one year of 3 percent growth. (McIntosh County, N.D., had its largest employment gain of 2.7 percent during 1976.)
In fact, while an annual average of 12 district counties suffered a shock from 1990 to 1993, job growth was booming in 31 counties per year during this period. And even that is below the long-run average of 33 booming counties per year.
The moral of the story? A central feature of U.S., state and county labor markets is job churn. Each year millions of people nationally lose their jobs. But in most years, an even larger number of people find new jobs. The same is true on a smaller scale at the county level. Jobs are gained and lost within a county, and oftentimes other counties offer an employment counterbalance. Again, however, counties with fewer than 4,000 workers experienced proportionately more shocks than booms from 1969 to 2002, while the reverse is true for counties with more workers.
Job churn can often be messy, unpleasant—even gut-wrenching—particularly at the household and community level. But over time, it is this very churn that helps struggling economies transfer resources to better uses, while keeping healthy economies robust in an ever changing world.
Return to: County employment: Shocks and Rebounds | <urn:uuid:a320911f-f3c2-41ab-b1bf-2d3818ccbb29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=1428 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960219 | 977 | 2.484375 | 2 |
If you can believe it, Memorial Day weekend is only a week away. The kids are almost out of school, and in most people’s minds, summer is about to begin. That is unless you believe in the seasonal calendar which says summer doesn’t begin until June 20th. ( Summer Solstice occurs at 7;09pm EDT )
Let’s face it, the seasonal calendars that base the start of each 13 week season don’t particularly line up well with what most people’s perceptions of the seasons are…..Keep in mind that the start of each season varies in date from year to year…Be it the 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, or 23rd…..Those are dates that either the equinoxes or the solstices can occur in any given year.
I have long been an advocate of re-defining the start times of each season in a simpler way:
Beginning of Winter: Dec 1st
Beginning of Spring: April 1st
Beginning of Summer: June 1st
Beginning of Fall: September 1st
This would give us Winter for 4 months, Spring for 2 months, Summer for 3 months and Fall for 3 months….Here’s my reasoning. Keep in mind, no matter how you adjust the calendar, the weather pattern will not change significantly for some of the southernmost locations. However, for the majority of the country ( exluding Alaska and Hawaii ) enough change starts occurring by these dates to implement a seasonal change. Granted, year to year variations in weather patterns may allow for an earlier feel to the seasonal changes. ( such as this year, with March having ten 80 degree days )
However, my main reasoning for changing the season dates has less to do with the weather….and more to do with people’s mind frame. In other words, base the change to dates that accomodate how people think of the seasonal changes. Summer is a perfect example. Memorial Day weekend brings about the start of the year when many people begin regular trips to the lakes, beaches, cooking out on the grill, and countless evening activities. Not to mention, summer vacation is starting for most school districts ( although true, some schools in other parts of the country don’t end until early June )
And what about fall? I for one have never been able to grasp going three weeks into September for fall to begin. The kids are back in school, football has started, some trees even have hints of color change before the peak occurs in October, and people are in a different mode of thinking. Their activities tend to shift to other interests and thus they leave their summer mindset for another type of lifestyle.
As fall progresses, people trend more and more to a winter-type mindset which in many cases is in full swing by December 1st…well before the official start of winter. Winter wardrobes to accomodate the cooler weather, fires in the fireplace, more time indoors, be it at home, the office, or out in stores shopping. Even things like what we eat tend to be more related to how we view seasons.
The reality is though, the calendars will likely never change from the way they are now. Afterall, it’s been this way for many years and regardless of what the calendar says, people will go about their routines….despite whether it lines up with the season start time.
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Weather Of Oss is brought to you by these fine sponsors: | <urn:uuid:5e343a83-adc3-4122-bc63-d74d99ad1db0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weatherofoss.com/2012/05/18/one-week-away-until-the-unofficial-start-of-summer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955157 | 791 | 2.453125 | 2 |
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Prep Course for the PMI-PgMP® Exam is designed to give you a thorough understanding of program management and prepare you to earn your PMI-PgMP credential. | <urn:uuid:b19ab223-502c-47f9-98fd-f402cee31dc7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://iil.com/pm/certificationprep.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904858 | 342 | 1.5 | 2 |
These peppers are simultaneously sweet, spicy, and smoky thanks to some time spent over wood fires after harvesting. The slow-roasting also cooks away much of the water in the pepper, concentrating and intensifying the natural flavors.
Piquillos are primarily grown in the Navarra region in Northern Spain, but are canned and shipped all over the world. They're surprisingly easy to find in the gourmet food section of most grocery stores. Look on the label for the Seal of Authenticity or Denomination of Origin, both of which indicate that the peppers were grown and produced in Northern Spain.
Piquillos can be used for many things from soups to sandwiches, but I think they have the most appeal when stuffed. Their flesh is meaty and holds up well under canning. So long as you handle them gently, it's easy to stuff these bite-sized peppers with goat cheese, crab salad, a spoonful of spiced grains, or whatever your heart desires.
Here are a few recipes to get your creative gears turning:
Have you ever made anything with these peppers? | <urn:uuid:738951bb-c836-40de-8bc1-776dc2fc18c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thekitchn.com/a-taste-of-spain-spanish-piqui-151914 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966858 | 225 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Retirement income and healthcare affordability have been widely cited as growing challenges to an aging society. Now, according to a new report, housing should also take its place as an enormous unmet need for rising numbers of older Americans. "Housing an Aging Population—Are We Prepared?", a report by the nonprofit Center for Housing Policy in Washington, says the answer in most cases is a clear "No."
"Considerable attention is focused on the rising healthcare costs of an aging population—and rightly so," the report says. "But the housing and supportive services needs faced by the very same people receive comparatively little notice. Even today, federally subsidized rental programs meet the needs of only about one in four eligible households regardless of age."
Nearly half of lower-income older Americans spend more than half of their income on housing, and roughly a quarter spend between 30 and 50 percent, the report says. As people get older, housing requires ever-larger percentages of income. "The incomes of older adults tend to decline with age—as reflected in rising poverty rates," it explains. "But property taxes, maintenance, and utility costs all tend to rise over time for both older homeowners and renters."
Even the good news about gains in longevity is cause for concern, the Center says. Growing numbers of seniors are reaching their 80s and 90s. Many of them will be disabled and require special housing assistance. There are now more than 26 million households that include at least one person age 65 or older. Nearly 40 percent of them, or 10 million, include at least one disabled senior.
If they stay in their own homes and age in place, these seniors will need potentially costly changes to improve their home's safety and accessibility. "Given the strong desire of most older adults to age in place," the report says, "it is important to expand access to the services that many individuals need to live independently, such as meal preparation; assistance with bathing, dressing, or grooming; assistance taking daily medication; and housekeeping services."
In many cases, disabled seniors would receive better care and social support if they moved into apartments and other group assisted-living facilities. But there are not enough such units to meet the need, and the ones that do exist are too expensive for many older people.
Even now, government housing programs are overwhelmed by senior demand and underfunded to meet current needs. The scale of the problem will only grow as the number of older Americans increases. "By 2050, the population of individuals aged 65 or older will increase 120 percent from 40 million to more than 88 million," the report says. "One in every five Americans will be 65+. The numbers of Americans aged 85 or older will more than triple over the same period to 19 million."
The Center did not put any price tag on what it might cost to address the nation's growing senior housing problem. It did recommend action—and a "sense of urgency"—in eight areas:
1. Make homes more affordable. Lower-income seniors would get property-tax relief and older renters would qualify for housing vouchers.
2. Assist with home modification. Low-income homeowners and qualifying landlords would get assistance to retrofit dwelling units to make them senior-friendly and safer.
3. Connect residents to social services. Expand existing caregiving support programs to provide older residents with either home-based or institutional caregiving support, including help for activities of daily living.
4. Expand transportation options. Lack of public transportation and volunteer driving services is one of the more serious problems, preventing seniors from normal activities and adding to an unhealthy isolation for those who cannot easily leave their homes.
5. Encourage universal design in new homes. New government subsidized housing should be required to be friendly to seniors, and local building codes should be changed as needed to encourage developers of senior-friendly housing.
6. Create flexible zoning rules. Diverse housing mixes and high-density rental units should be encouraged with zoning changes, along with efforts to put housing units within walking distance of shopping and other commercial activities.
7. Preserve and expand the supply of affordable rental housing. More funds and support are needed to maintain the viable housing that now exists as well as build more.
8. Enhance consumer choice. Different housing models are needed, including public and private efforts, to provide people with wider living choices and also develop more successful solutions that combine senior living, healthcare, and social needs. | <urn:uuid:a174b0ac-f829-4ea0-8b26-6c7187d52192> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-best-life/2012/04/06/8-ways-to-improve-senior-housing_print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966688 | 898 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Mitt Romney thinks so:
China has an interest in trade. China wants to, as they have 20 million people coming out of the farms and coming into the cities every year, they want to be able to put them to work. They want to have access to global markets. And so we have right now something they need very badly, which is access to our market and our friends around the world, have that same– power over China. To make sure that we let them understand that in order for them to continue to have free and open access to the thing they want so badly, our markets, they have to play by the rules.
They’re a currency manipulator. And on that basis, we go before the W.T.O. and bring an action against them as a currency manipulator. And that allows us to apply tariffs where we believe they are stealing our intellectual property, hacking into our computers, or artificially lowering their prices and killing American jobs. We can’t just sit back and let China run all over us. People say, “Well, you’ll start a trade war.” There’s one going on right now, folks. They’re stealing our jobs. And we’re gonna stand up to China.”
The theory goes that by buying U.S. currency (so far they have accumulated around $3 trillion) and treasuries (around $1 trillion) on the open market, China keeps demand for the US dollar high. They can afford to buy and hold so much US currency due to their huge trade surplus with America, and they buy US currency roughly equal to this surplus. To keep this pile of dollars from increasing the Chinese money supply, China sterilises the dollar purchases by selling a proportionate amount of bonds to Chinese investors. Supposedly by boosting the dollar, yuan-denominated Chinese goods look cheap to the American (and global) consumer.
First, I don’t really think we can conclusively say that the yuan is necessarily undervalued. That is like assuming that there is some natural rate of exchange beyond prices in the real world. For every dollar that China takes out of the open market, America could print one more — something which, lest we forget — Bernanke has been very busily doing; the American monetary base has tripled since 2008. Actions have consequences; if China’s currency peg was so unsustainable, the status quo would have collapsed long ago. Until it does, we cannot conclusively say to what extent the yuan is undervalued.
What Romney is forgetting is that every nation with a fiat currency is to some degree or other a currency manipulator. That’s what fiat is all about: the ability of the state to manipulate markets through monetary policy. When Ben Bernanke engages in quantitative easing, or twisting, or any kind of monetary policy or open market operation, the Federal Reserve is engaging in currency manipulation. Every new dollar that is printed devalues every dollar out in the wild, and just as importantly all dollar-denominated debt. So just as Romney can look China in the face and accuse them of being a currency manipulator for trying to peg the yuan to the dollar, China can look at past U.S. administrations and level exactly the same claim — currency manipulation in the national interest.
While China’s currency policy in the past 40 years has been to attract manufacturing, technology, resources and investment into China (and build up a manufacturing base to provide employment to its low-skilled population) by keeping its produce cheap, America’s currency policy has sought to enjoy a free lunch made up of everyone else’s labour and resources. This has been allowed to develop because of America’s reserve currency status — everyone has needed dollars to access global markets, and so America has rested on her laurels and allowed her productive industries to decline. Why manufacture the bulk of your consumption when China can do it cheaper, and Wal Mart has no problem with slave labour? Why manufacture your military hardware when China can do it cheaper? Why produce your own energy when you can instead consume Arab and Latin American oil?
Former U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman raised this issue in an article from China Business News in a cable that was eventually leaked via Wikileaks:
The U.S. has almost used all deterring means, besides military means, against China. China must be clear on discovering what the U.S. goals are behind its tough stances against China. In fact, a fierce competition between the currencies of big countries has just started. A crucial move for the U.S. is to shift its crisis to other countries – by coercing China to buy U.S. treasury bonds with foreign exchange reserves and doing everything possible to prevent China’s foreign reserve from buying gold.
If we use all of our foreign exchange reserves to buy U.S. Treasury bonds, then when someday the U.S. Federal Reserve suddenly announces that the original ten old U.S. dollars are now worth only one new U.S. dollar, and the new U.S. dollar is pegged to the gold – we will be dumbfounded.
Today when the United States is determined to beggar thy neighbor, shifting its crisis to China, the Chinese must be very clear what the key to victory is. It is by no means to use new foreign exchange reserves to buy U.S. Treasury bonds. The issues of Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, trade and so on are all false tricks, while forcing China to buy U.S. bonds is the U.S.’s real intention.”
Romney and others of his ilk might brush this off, believing that China’s $3 trillion dollar reserve hoard was gained through unfair means — slave labour, cutting corners in quality, the aforementioned “currency manipulation”, etc, and that that somehow gives America the right to inflate away its debts and screw its creditors. To some degree, they have a point. If China had a problem with America inflating away its debts, it should never have put itself so deep into dollar-denominated paper. If China recognised that America’s debt position was unsustainable, it should never have put so much into something so unsustainable, irrespective of supposed American pressure.
In the short term, though, I think escalating the trade war through the imposition of tariffs is a very bad idea. America is a consumption-led economy, and with middle class incomes already squeezed, a constriction of the supply of cheap and readily available goods is likely to put a lot of downward pressure on consumption. And it’s not just consumption — in today’s hyper-globalised world, a huge proportion of manufacturing — including military hardware — at some stage flows through China.
As Vincent Fernando noted:
Most of America’s key military technologies require rare earth elements, whose production China holds a near-monopoly over.
It’s thus perhaps no surprise that China has made the threat of rare earth export restrictions a new political bargaining chip.
American corporations could gradually pull out of China and shift to manufacturing and extracting resources elsewhere including America (which has large rare earth deposits), but it would be a challenging process. Rebuilding an industrial base is hard: skilled and experienced labour takes time to develop (American labour is rusty and increasingly unemployed and disabled), and supply chains and webs have all agglomerated in China. Building up domestic supply chains takes time, expertise and entrepreneurial zeal. And any destabilisation could spook global markets.
So let’s make no mistake: in the short term America needs China far, far, far more than China needs America. The notion that China needs America as a consumer is totally false; anyone can consume given the dollars or gold, and China holds $3 trillion, and continues to increase its imports of gold.
Peter Schiff summarises:
The big problem for countries like China and India is that they still subsidize the U.S. They buy our Treasury bonds and lend us all this money so we can keep consuming. That’s a big subsidy and a heavy burden.
They can use their money to develop their own economy, produce better and more abundant products for their own citizens. It’s a farce to think that the only thing China can do with its output and savings is lend it to the U.S. government, especially when we can’t pay it back.
Mitt Romney seems intent on destabilising this fragile relationship. American policy that incentivised globalisation and the service economy has very foolishly drawn America into this fragile position where its economy is increasingly fuelled not only by energy coming out of the politically and economically unstable middle east, but also by goods coming from a hostile and increasingly politically and economically unstable power.
And make no mistake — although China has done well to successfully transform itself into the world’s pre-eminent industrial base and biggest creditor, it has a lot of bubbles waiting to burst (particularly housing), stemming from the misallocation of resources under its semi-planned regime. Which makes this entire scenario doubly dangerous. Any shock in China would surely be transmitted to America, simply because it is becoming increasingly pointless for China to continue subsidising American consumption (through buying treasuries) when they could instead spend the money raising the Chinese standard of living. That could mean a painful rate-spike.
The real problem is that Romney is trying to address a problem that is very much in the past. If Romney was elected as President on this platform in 2000, things might be different. But China got what it wanted: by keeping its currency cheap and its labour force impoverished it became the world’s pre-eminent industrial base, the spider at the heart of the web of global trade, and a monopoly on important industrial components and resources. China used American demand, technology and investment during the 00s to develop. Now the imperative is not to grab a bigger share of global manufacturing, or a bigger hoard of dollars, it’s to leverage that position toward the ultimate aim of returning China to its multi-millennial superpower status. The promise of Chinese primacy is quite simply the strongest tool for the CPC to retain its (increasingly shaky) grip on China.
However we should not discount the possibility that bursting economic bubbles may stoke up some kind of popular rebellion against the Communist authorities in some kind of Chinese Spring. A new more pro-Western regime is surely America’s best hope of containing China, while gradually manoeuvring itself out of dependency on Arab oil and Chinese goods. But that may just be wishful thinking; it is possible that a new Chinese regime may be vehemently anti-Western; the Opium War and China’s 20th century humiliation still ring deeply in the Chinese psyche.
So it is unclear what is next for China, and the relationship between China and America. But having the world’s biggest manufacturing base and a monopoly over rare earths is a strong position to be in if your ultimate aim is to manufacture huge quantities of armaments in the pursuit of an aggressive, expansionist foreign policy… | <urn:uuid:0f97ab27-fd4c-49a4-95fc-a2cd744dc9d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://azizonomics.com/tag/free-lunch/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952316 | 2,295 | 1.625 | 2 |
The U.S. economic downturn is giving new meaning to spring-cleaning
Retail stores across the country are closing because of falling consumer spending. Prices of goods and commodities are rising faster than incomes. With a weak job growth, Americans — and especially minorities — are having a tough time. Money is tight and credit is hard to come by. The latest government data show overall economic growth eked out a tiny 0.6 percent rate of increase in the first quarter of 2008, the same anemic pace as the final three months of last year. In the second half of the year, higher consumer spending, aided by recent tax rebates, would lift business profit and kick-start the economy, boosting hiring as early as next year. The reverse, however, could be dire, says economist Ken Goldstein at the Conference Board of New York.
The next president likely will inherit the most difficult agenda since the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, with problems that include rising national debt, high inflation, declining job growth, two wars and a failing education system. That’s not encouraging for small businesses. “When asked last year about their economic outlook, a majority of small-business owners responded positively. This year, a whopping seventy-one percent have a negative outlook on the economy. Clearly, small business is feeling the pinch,” says Todd McCracken, president of the National Small Business Association. NSBA’s 2008 survey shows 45 percent of all businessowners expect a recession in the next year, which could doom their survival. Rising cost of health insurance and a lack of capital are also expected to inflict damage on the sector. Sales and profits are down and fewer jobs are being created in 2008 than in any period since the survey began in 1993.
In this year’s TNJ Economic Roundtable, we sought views from four eminent economic experts. They are cautiously optimistic about the next two quarters, but they are also concerned that immediate benefits might not accrue to ordinary Americans unless priority changes are made.
Cheryl Pahaham, Ph.D., acting director, Bureau of Agency Analysis-Office of the New York State Deputy Comptroller.
The views expressed here are Pahaham’s own and do not reflect the position of her employer.
TNJ: Is New York State in a recession?
Pahaham: While there is still disagreement among the experts over whether the United States is in a national recession, analysts for New York State have not declared the state to be in a recession. However, they believe that a recession is likely to happen in the state in the short term. As evidence for the likelihood of recession, we are looking at the following indicators: the state’s dependence on the financial sector for revenue and that sector continues to see write-offs, losses and layoffs; the credit crunch and the mortgage crisis have had impact on various sectors of the state economy, but the extent of that impact is not fully known; slow wage growth in the financial sector has hurt consumer spending; falling retail sales and home values and rising energy prices; job losses in construction and manufacturing that have also limited consumer spending.
TNJ: What’s the outlook for New York State’s economy for the rest of the year?
Pahaham: The impending recession could be mild compared to what the state went through in years past. Looking ahead to the second half of 2008, there could be slower growth in wages and salaries, particularly in the finance and insurance sectors. There is likely to be slower growth in private-sector employment, as the financial sector continues to write down bad debt related to the subprime mortgage crisis.
TNJ: Which sectors are likely to ride out this downturn?
Pahaham: Sectors that are weathering the slump in New York State include education, health care, tourism and social services. Job growth is still projected to occur in these sectors.
Gregory Price, Ph.D., professor
/chair, Economics Department, More-house College, Atlanta.
TNJ: Is the country in a recession?
Price: Technically, we are not in a recession. A recession is official when output, as measured by GDP, falls for two consecutive quarters. So, this is a scientific measurement issue. Notwithstand-ing this, there is evidence of a general slowdown in economic activity as measured by broad production activity across the 12 Federal Reserve districts, as measured in “The [Federal Reserve Bank’s] Beige Book” report.
TNJ: What’s your outlook for the economy for the second half of 2008?
Price: Given rising housing inventories and gasoline prices, I suspect that the second half of 2008 will also be anemic. This could change if gas prices halt their rise and/or generous residential mortgage refinancing for defaultees emerge.
TNJ: Which industries are most affected by the slump?
Price: The transportation sector and those industries that complement it are retracting due to rising fuel prices. Obviously, the residential housing sector is slumping. As home equity is a major component of household wealth, which is used to finance a large array of consumer durables (e.g. appliances, furniture) and luxuries (e.g. vacations, jewelry, clothing), the adverse effects of the housing slump are widespread. Last but not least, the auto sector is slumping due to rising fuel prices.
William Rodgers III, Ph.D., professor/chief economist, Heldrich Center —Rutgers University, N.J.; member, Gov. Jon Corzine’s Commission on Govern-ment Efficiency and Reform.
TNJ: Do you agree with Professor Price that we are not in a recession even if it feels like it to many Americans, and what are indicators to look out for?
Rodgers: The “rule of thumb” definition of at least two consecutive quarters of decline in real gross domestic product indicates we are not in a recession. First-quarter real GDP grew at 0.6 percent, no change from the end of 2007. The recession-dating committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research, which monitors data on sales, real personal income, employment and industrial production, has not designated the start of a recession. The government’s report on first-quarter GDP growth contained several warning signs. The economy expanded because growth in personal consumption of services offset contractions in both durable and nondurable goods, while weakness in dollar value increased exports. National defense expenditures also surged. Meanwhile, signs of trouble were evident in the decline in domestic private investment, as well as in state and local government expenditures.
Going forward, ensuring the slowdown doesn’t turn into a recession will partly depend on a number of issues, including consumer expenditures, which makes up two-thirds of GDP. Other issues to be determined include: How much will Congress’ first stimulus package dampen the adverse impact of the housing crisis and rising oil prices? How much of the rebate checks will go to pay off household debt? When will a second stimulus package, which includes an extension in long-term unemployment insurance, funds for summer jobs, and aid to state and local governments to finance infrastructure projects, be passed? Answers to these questions will determine whether consumer confidence, hence consumer expenditures, continues its slide or rebounds.
TNJ: What are the major characteristics of this slump and do you expect any changes going forward?
Rodgers: The current slowdown is a symptom of a bigger problem: historically, anemic job creation. Since November 2001, average monthly job growth has been just over 90,000, but the labor force has grown by 130,000. More people want to work than the number of jobs being created. Further, even before the current spike in oil prices, inflation-adjusted income barely kept pace with inflation.
Yet I am optimistic about the future, although the following must happen. To help boost the job market, we need a second stimulus package that provides middle-class tax relief, either through additional rebate checks or tax cuts. Additionally, we need a serious re-evaluation of the costs and benefits of our involvement in Iraq. American tax revenue can be utilized more efficiently to stimulate our economy. According to the National Budget Priorities Project, the $156 billion for fiscal year 2008 Iraq Appropriations could provide any of the following: 44 million Americans, or 66 million children, with health care or 25 million college scholarships. Even modest human investments in these areas will have far greater short- and long-run impacts on the economy. If we don’t change our priorities, we will continue to witness growth in income inequality and an increase in the number of families that are struggling to have enough income to live on.
TNJ: Where should we expect to see continued job growth?
Rodgers: If the job market continues to deteriorate into the summer, many analysts will probably date the start of the recession as January 2008. Since then, 207,000 private sector jobs have been lost. The long-term contraction in the manufacturing sector is well known. The subprime fiasco and melting down of the housing market has led to contractions in construction and financial activities, but the erosion in jobs does not stop there. Wholesale and retail trade has lost nearly 73,000 jobs. Professional and business services, the broad industry that contains temporary help services, has shed 55,000 jobs since January 2008. This is important because the job loss indicates that employers are shedding their part-time and contingent workforces.
FINANCE & ECONOMY
Roundtable on the Economy
A difficult agenda ahead for the next president
By George Orwel
The only broad industries that have grown since the start of the year are education services, health services, leisure and hospitality. The growth in health services has been robust since November 2001 and can be attributed to the aging of the population and growth in demand for health services. The public sector has also helped the labor market remain afloat, with the largest growth occurring in local governments, largely hiring by local school districts.
Christian E. Weller, Ph.D., asso-
ciate professor, McCormack Graduate School, University of Massachusetts, Boston; senior fellow, Center for American Progress.
TNJ: What’s your prognosis of the economy and are there policy implications?
Weller: It is unclear if the U.S. economy slid into the recession at the end of the year. There are a few indicators that suggest it did, e.g., the shrinking labor market. But then, there are other indicators that have held up reasonably well, such as economic growth. Importantly, though, we will not know if there has been a recession until we are either well into it or until it is even over. From a policy perspective, there are two questions: First, how can we address the real economic pain that families are feeling, even if it is not formally a recession? Second, how can we make sure that the economy will grow faster after this slump in economic growth?
The answer to the first question requires attention to weak income growth and also to strong price increases, especially in energy and food. Consumer prices rose 0.2 percent in April, down from a 0.3 percent jump for March. The answer to the second question will require more public-policy attention to innovation, renewable energies and fuel efficiency, as well as to a more balanced approach to international trade. If policy measures are working, we should see a recovery of personal income growth, a slowdown in personal debt growth and a rise in economic growth to levels well above 2.5 percent.
TNJ: What’s your outlook for the economy for the second half of 2008?
Weller: The second half of 2008 will likely see a revival of the two-faced economy that was so characteristic of the years from 2001 through 2007. In particular, Wall Street could start to stabilize and possibly grow again, while incomes for families will likely fall as the labor market weakness will continue. As a result, we could see rising income inequality and, possibly, higher financial distress among families with high levels of debt. The indicators to look out for are: the bankruptcy rate, credit-card default rates, and mortgage foreclosures.
TNJ: Which sectors are doing just fine?
Weller: Few industries are not suffering from the widespread weaknesses in the U.S. economy. However, two industries have stood out, in part due to their robust employment growth. They include health care, which is benefiting from continued investments and from also inflation above and beyond overall price increases.
The hospitality industry — especially restaurants — is also holding up reasonably well, although there is no clear indication as to the causes for this robust growth. | <urn:uuid:431073d0-69bd-44a8-a9ef-5d5d822eeadd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tnj.com/archives/2008/june/economic-downturn | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956861 | 2,614 | 1.945313 | 2 |
A 500-Year-Old Engraving That Looks Like a Dinosaur
Founded in the 12th century A.D., the Carlisle Cathedral has served as a meeting place for the people of northwest England for 900 years. One of the bishops of Carlisle in the 15th century was Richard Bell. History records that he served in this position for 17 years, resigned in 1495, and died one year later. Bell’s body was then laid to rest in a tomb along a main aisle inside the cathedral. So what does all of this have to do with dinosaurs?
On the edge of Bell’s 500-year-old tomb is a narrow strip of brass on which various animals have been engraved, including a bird, fish, dog, and pig. Most remarkable, however, is an engraving of two animals with long necks and long tails. Although some of the brass engraving is worn due to 500 years of wear, these curious creatures are clearly of some extinct animal. In truth, more than any other creature, they resemble the longneck dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth.
What do critics have to say about the engravings? After passing off the animal on the left as “some kind of big cat,” one popular skeptical Web site admitted: “The animal to the right, though, does look rather more like a quadrupedal dinosaur than any other sort of animal, past or present” (http://skepticwiki.org/index.php/Bishop_Bell’s_Dinosaurs). The skeptics even recognized the unlikelihood of the engraving being a fraud: “In the case of Bishop Bell’s dinosaur, there is no corresponding profit motive, or any other apparent motive; and also, any tampering with the tomb would have to be done…in Carlisle Cathedral, and it is hard to see how a hoaxer could have gone about his work unobserved.”
It seems clear, even to skeptics, that at least one of the two curious engravings looks like a dinosaur. What is so spectacular about a dinosaur being engraved on a tomb built in 1496? Simply that the engraving is more than 300 years older than the first dinosaur fossils found in modern times. We have no evidence of humans finding dinosaur fossils and reconstructing their skeletons until the middle of the 19th century. So how did someone engrave such a convincing picture of a dinosaur in the late 15th century? The obvious, but often rejected, answer is men once lived with these creatures, and proof of their coexistence is found all over the world in the form of physical, historical, and biblical evidence. The fact is, evolution’s multi-million-year dinosaur timetable is wrong. | <urn:uuid:b8c15f2a-a98d-4ff8-a9a8-28184fcd4542> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=2&issue=877&article=975 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96065 | 569 | 3.921875 | 4 |
(CNN) -- Using archival footage and photographs, producers Peter Kunhardt and Sheila Nevins made the HBO documentary "Teddy: In His Own Words," which follows the life of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Sen. Ted Kennedy "worked like a bull" to advance his brothers' unfinished work, Peter Kunhardt says.
The film profiles Kennedy, who died late Tuesday, from birth through his speech last year at the Democratic National Convention. Kunhardt began the project after Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer last year.
Kunhardt previously profiled Kennedy's brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, in similar documentaries for HBO. On Wednesday, CNN asked Kunhardt about the production of the latest profile -- which CNN will show Wednesday night -- and what he learned about the youngest of the Kennedy brothers.
CNN: Why focus on Ted Kennedy? Why were you drawn to him as a subject? Was it the natural follow-up to your previous work about his brothers?
Peter Kunhardt: I grew up with parents who were liberal Democrats. I remember my mother crying as she listened to the radio report that President Kennedy had been shot. So nearly 20 years ago, when I produced "JFK: In His Own Words" for HBO, it was a subject I knew and cared a lot about. I knew less about Robert Kennedy when I produced "Bobby: In His Own Words" a few years later -- and even less about Teddy. (Although my uncle, George Lodge, ran against him for Senate in 1962.) When I was producing those other documentaries on his brothers, Teddy was in his 50s, he was busy building his own career, and there was never even discussion about producing a program about him. It was too soon. Two decades later, when it was announced he was diagnosed with brain cancer and that he was coming up on nearly half a century in the Senate, HBO and I didn't even have to discuss it. We all instinctively knew it was time.
CNN: Did you have preconceived notions about Kennedy that interviews either reinforced or dispelled?
Kunhardt: My preconceived notion was that Teddy was the carefree younger brother who rode his brothers' coattails and did not work as hard as they did. But, yes, that was dispelled as we dug into his story and as our chief researcher, Jill Cowan, began finding the film to prove otherwise. No Kennedy ever worked harder then Edward Kennedy. I'd say he was a slow starter, but once he took on the responsibility for his big family in particular and for the Democratic Party in general, he never let up on himself. He worked like a bull. He stumbled plenty of times, he had personal faults, he caused others great pain, but he recognized this, he was pained by this, and each time he picked himself up and worked harder to make himself better.
CNN: How did you obtain some of the rarely seen home movies and photographs used in the documentary?
Kunhardt: We simply looked everywhere, and we knew we were onto something that had not been done before when so many sources told us that they had never been asked for Teddy-related material. In fact, often we were transferring 16mm footage that had never been transferred before. Even the networks were surprised by the outtakes we found in their archives. It's all there, it just took time and a dedicated staff.
CNN: Were there any surprises during the filming of the documentary? Did someone say something remarkable or unexpected about Kennedy? Did a source material reveal something that is contrary to the Ted Kennedy many assume they know?
Kunhardt: We did no original filming for this documentary; it is 100 percent created using historical footage and audio that was made during different points of Kennedy's life. That's what gives it authenticity, I think. It's something my partner at HBO, Sheila Nevins, insisted upon. And she was right. So sticking to the "in his own words" format of those original two docs was the single most important decision we made.
CNN: Why do you think Americans cling to an idea of "Camelot?" What has Camelot come to mean in the Obama age?
Kunhardt: President Obama himself clings to Camelot -- and made that very clear when he thanked Teddy for his early support. He, like so many Americans, was inspired first by Teddy's brothers, then by Teddy himself. And one of the things that impressed me was how Teddy Kennedy never ceased to try and continue to advance the unfinished work of his brothers. He was incredibly loyal to them and the causes they represented. I think when someone is rich and powerful and glamorous and stands up for his principles and looks after the neediest Americans and speaks out for the downtrodden around the world, it spells "Camelot" for a lot of people.
CNN: Much has been made of Kennedy's relationship with President Obama. What did Kennedy say about that and about the relationship itself?
Kunhardt: Kennedy made it very clear that he was handing over the mantle that he had been carrying ever since his brother handed it to him. I think he saw Obama as the embodiment of everything he believed in and everything that he had worked so hard to make happen. It must have been incredibly rewarding for him.
CNN: What was Kennedy's reaction when the subject of Chappaquiddick was broached? How comfortable was he talking about it?
Kunhardt: Again, we did not conduct a new interview, but instead we knit his story together from his responses to many earlier interview questions. Early on he was incredibly uncomfortable speaking about it, humiliated by it. He seemed to cringe and dodge and lower his head. But over time, he was asked about it so often that he built up a shield, a formula response to deflect the questions that never stopped coming. He knew that a life was lost because of his actions, but he moved on. That's what he did so often. He just moved on.
CNN: What do you think Kennedy believed about how he was publicly perceived, both in politics and in his personal life?
Kunhardt: He knew people loved him and hated him. His last campaign was his hardest, and he realized he had to regain the trust of many whose trust he had lost. And I think during the 80s, when he really did want to be president, he believed that the public would support him, despite Chappaquiddick. But that did not happen. Then, once he resolved to commit himself to the Senate, I think he was surprised that the public would never let go of this idea that he wanted to be president.
CNN: What ultimately drove Kennedy as a politician?
Kunhardt: His parents. At his mother's funeral he said that everything he and his brothers ever did, they did for their parents. And I believe this. He cared deeply about the issues he stood for, but you can't forget who instilled the work ethic in him in the first place. Teddy Kennedy was a family man because of the deep influence of his parents, particularly his mother.
All About Edward M. Kennedy
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Kinect was left open by design so that techies and researchers could find interesting uses for the motion sensor, said Microsoft’s director of incubation for Xbox.
Microsoft’s Alex Kipman spoke with host Ira Flatow on NPR’s “Science Friday,” joined by Microsoft game developer Shannon Loftis and NYU Game Center professor Katherine Isbister.
The discussion came about in response to “hackers” who have developed, for instance, 3D modeling programs and (of course) real-time lightsaber overlays. After Microsoft released Kinect on Nov. 4, Adafruit Industries offered at $3,000 reward to whoever first came up with an open-source driver for Kinect.
Here’s a transcription of this section of the half-hour interview, the full audio of which can be heard here.
Flatow: We’re getting a lot of tweets in on this, of course folks are interested. But one of the tweets that we hear over and over again is about the guy — I’ll read the tweet — that, “Are you gonna talk about the guy that hacked the Kinect, the prize that was offered for the hack, and why Microsoft didn’t release it for the PC version yet?” Shannon? Alex? Any reaction to that?
Kipman: The first thing to talk about is Kinect was not actually hacked. “Hacking” would mean that somebody got to our algorithms that sit inside of the Xbox and was able to actually use them, which hasn’t happened. Or it means that you put a device between the sensor and the Xbox for means of cheating, which also has not happened. That’s what we call “hacking,” and that’s what we have put a ton of work and effort to make sure it doesn’t occur.
What has happened is someone wrote an open-source driver for PCs that essentially opens the USB connection, which we didn’t protect by design, and reads the inputs from the sensor. The sensor, again — as I talked earlier — has eyes and ears, and that’s a whole bunch of, you know, noise that someone needs to take and turn into signal.
Flatow: So you left it open by design, then, so that you knew people could get into it?
Kipman: Yeah. Uh, um, correct.
Isbister: And I just want to throw in that this is the kind of thing that’s a dream for researchers like myself. I mean, I still haven’t gotten an actual developers kit for the Wii, but we use open-source, shareable inputs to the Wiimotes, and that’s how we work with the Wii technology. And so I was very heartened to see that the Kinect’s actual hardware was going to be available soon for researchers anyway, to put stuff together and test in the lab.
Flatow: So you have no problem at Microsoft with people using the open-source drivers, then?
Loftis: As an experience creator, I’m very excited to see that people are so inspired, that it was less than a week after the Kinect came out before they had started creating and thinking about what they could do.
Flatow: So no one’s gonna get in trouble.
Kipman: Nope, absolutely not.
Flatow: You heard it right from the mouth of Microsoft!
Isbister: I’m really relieved.
Kipman: And I do want to also address, semi-quickly, the academic point. We will, sooner rather than later — and we’re already doing a lot of this — start, continue to partner with academic places to make sure that this innovation does make it into academic circles. Right? So we started this already with places like USC and other universities some time ago, and now that the product has volume we will start increasing that academic program. Which we have through Microsoft Research, where at the end of the day we’re excited by this technology. This technology really allows us to do new things, and we wanted this pallet to be available to academics so they can use the pallet to create brand new pictures we haven’t seen before.
Fake edit: This is via Ars Technica, but I see I transcribed the exact same section TechFlash did. I could have saved some time by just quoting Todd Bishop’s transcription but, alas, I did it myself. | <urn:uuid:5cac0aa6-fc73-4fe2-be37-bf2412017131> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/category/open-source/ | 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 | 0.961863 | 959 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Surviving Swine Flu
You're probably going to get swine flu, and there's really no need to freak out. Most people are surviving it just fine. Sure, fear-mongering news reporters love nothing better than a global pandemic to boost their ratings with sensationalist coverage of school shut-downs and hospitalizations, but while swine flu is no picnic, it doesn't look like it's going to wipe out civilization as we know it.
Let's go ahead and take a fatalistic approach to this virus. We're going to get it, and we're probably going to survive it; but those who are in high-risk catgories need to take special precautions. Wash your hands all you want; it's a virus, and it will travel.
We need a level-headed approach to combating this illness, and with a vaccine still not available to the public, it's important to take stock of your health and protect yourself and your loved ones before the flu season really takes off.
Know if you are at risk
You expect the flu to pick off the old and infirm, but this flu is different. You might not be happy to hear that most of the 77 swine-flu related deaths recently studied by the CDC had underlying conditions like asthma or diabetes that complicated their illness (10% of the U.S. population has diabetes; 16.4% has asthma). If you are asthmatic, your condition can be aggravated by respiratory complications associated with the flu, so have your fast-acting bronchial dilator on hand and talk to your doctor about other precautions you might want to take. Diabetics are slower to heal and more prone to infections, so discuss a proactive approach with your doctor before you get sick.
Consider a pneumonia vaccination
The swine flu vaccine itself is days or possibly weeks away, and the biggest risk of the flu isn't really the flu virus itself, but rather the bacterial infections that strike once your immune system has been weakened by the flu. Data from the CDC suggests what most doctors probably could have guessed: up to 29% of people who have died while infected with the swine flu have also had accompanying infections like pneumonia. I didn't even know that you could get a vaccine for pneumonia until recently, but apparently this underused treatment is fairly effective. The vaccine only needs to be given twice in a lifetime, and although it only covers a couple dozen strains of pneumonia (there are more than 80 different types), most infections are caused by the 23 strains of bacteria that are included in the vaccine. Pregnant/nursing women and children under the age of two are not generally vaccinated.
I've been calling around, and the price of a pneumonia vaccine seems to range between $30-55. That's not exactly cheap, but for an asthmatic like me, it's cheaper than a trip to the emergency room (again). Check your local pharmacy or clinic to see if they are offering pneumonia vaccines; many pharmacies are scheduling vaccination clinics that include the flu shot and pneumonia vaccinations at the same time. The vaccine isn't always covered by insurance.
Exercise and eat well
This is obviously something everyone should be doing already, but if today is the first day that you put down the bag of Doritos and take a slow walk around the block, so be it. You don't have to deprive yourself and go crazy with a weight-loss scheme; just add some fresh fruit and veggies (the darker, the better — think berries and kale) to your daily food intake and find ways to keep your blood pumping, even if it means long, leisurely walks around the block. Take deep breaths and try to slowly expand your lung capacity. Don't exhaust yourself, because that can just make you more prone to illness.
Get enough Vitamin D
Many people live with vitamin D deficiency, and it can be difficult to tell that you have one without a blood test. Vitamin D may play an essential role in keeping your immune system, particularly your respiratory system, healthy. There are few ways to get enough vitamin D, but you can take supplements, drink vitamin D-fortified milk (3 glasses a day), or make a point of spending at least 15 minutes a day outside during the sun's peak hours (11AM-1PM).
Get plenty of sleep
The flu hits those who are most vulnerable, and that includes not just the old and sick, but also the physically exhausted. Most people don't get nearly enough sleep on a daily basis, so if it means that you have to skip your favorite TV shows for a few weeks to get some more shut-eye, so be it. Remember, unless you are one of those rare genetic mutants who only needs 6 hours of sleep per night, you should be striving for somewhere around 8.5 hours of quality sleep.
If you get sick...
If you've managed to catch the swine flu, you can still take steps to avoid the worst aspects of the disease. The usual advice still applies: get plenty of rest, stay home if you can, remain hydrated, and allow people to tell you how good chicken soup is for you. For most people, this should be enough.
For those with immuno-suppressive disorders or anyone considered "high-risk," you might want to take an anti-viral medication within the first 24 hours of the onset of flu symptoms. Pneumonias develop when mucus and fluids in the lungs become infected with bacteria, which happens when the mucus is allowed to hang out and fester. To prevent pooling of mucus:
- Assuming you don't have any other conditions that would prevent this (like fresh stitches from an appendectomy), cough. Force yourself to cough; this moves the phlegm around in your chest and disrupts bacterial growth.
- When not sleeping, try to rest in an upright position.
- Try to move around when you are sleeping. Don't just stay flat on your back for many hours at a time.
- If you develop a cough that isn't bringing up much phlegm, and you have your doctor's go-ahead, get your hands on a good expectorant that contains Guaifenesin, like Mucinex. Expectorants help to thin the mucus out, so that you can bring it up when you cough. Breaking up this nastiness and coughing it out is crucial to preventing infection.
- If you are asthmatic, be vigilant and keep in touch with your doctor as necessary. At the first instance of respiratory distress, get thee to a medical facility.
**I am not a doctor, and nothing in this article should be construed as me giving medical advice. However, most of the tips given here do come from the Center for Disease Control or other reputable sources, so I promise that I am not just making stuff up. Please consult your physician before undertaking any new medical treatments.** | <urn:uuid:aae94735-ad0c-4993-8f86-71523e921704> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wisebread.com/surviving-swine-flu | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969611 | 1,425 | 2.6875 | 3 |
There are those who ascend one step at a time and there are those who skip steps.
Both styles for tackling new challenges are equally valid – but not if you're 23-year-old Kate Fischbeck.
After her 101-mile race, Kate Fischbeck celebrated with her crew. From left: brother Tucker Fischbeck, Mandi Nilsen, Daniel Munoz, Fischbeck, boyfriend Ryan Kennedy, father Tom Fischbeck, Karen Kennedy, Mike Kennedy.
COURTESY OF KATE FISCHBECK
A University of Irvine graduate, Fischbeck doesn't just skip steps. She leaps.
A few months ago, Fischbeck entered her first ultra-marathon, an event longer than a regular marathon's 26.2 miles. Most ultra-runners start with a 50K or a 50-miler. Fischbeck's first ultra-distance race covered 101.4 miles.
Fischbeck was the fastest women.
On Sunday, Fischbeck ran the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. She placed second in her division, in 3 hours, 18 minutes.
Understand, Fischbeck doesn't have a professional coach, isn't sponsored and has a regular full-time job. Her secret? Well, Fischbeck has three secrets to success: Training hard, confidence – and understanding what it takes to be a champion.
That means suffering. Her motto, and it's shared by others, is, "Pain is temporary, winning is forever."
UNDER THE WIRE
In high school, Fischbeck played soccer and ran track and cross country. She was mostly a middle of the pack kind of runner. But she burned with passion to push herself.
As a 17-year-old high school junior, Fischbeck and a friend entered the San Diego Rock 'N Roll marathon. Their supposedly tender age meant they had to sign an agreement stating they wouldn't try to run faster than a 4:30 finish. But the pace felt like they were being reigned in.
They looked at each other and said what the heck. Fischbeck crossed the finish line in 4:20.
Before Sunday's marathon, which ended before the Super Bowl began, Fischbeck and I shared a laugh about the rule. She explained, "I don't like being told I can't do something. I'm very determined. I'm really motivated."
Her tone was soft. But her explanation was hard-core.
A few years after that first marathon, she returned to San Diego and cut 12 minutes off her old time.
But Fischbeck wanted a bigger challenge. She turned toward triathlon. She could have started with a sprint-distance, an Olympic distance, even a half-Ironman.
Instead, Fischbeck entered a full Ironman – a race that includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a full marathon.
At age 20 in Louisville, Ky., she completed her first triathlon and her first Ironman in 15 hours and 26 minutes – well before the race's cutoff time.
Then Fischbeck, who works at Live Wire Energy in Anaheim, returned to her first love, running. On her blog, Fischbeck writes, running "makes me feel free, and that I have some kind of control over where my life will take me."
Soon, she was running marathons fast enough to qualify for the legendary Boston Marathon. But she knew there was something out there larger than Boston.
IN THE ZONE
Fischbeck isn't one to seek out the latest running gear, the fanciest gizmo or the newest fad.
Her outdoors philosophy is basic: "The faster you move your legs the faster you run. Plain and simple."
Simple is good. Some of us get so sucked into the vortex of intervals, fartleks, GPS-assisted times that we never emerge from the whirl.
I went through a period of taking running to the next level by timing everything I did, monitoring my heart rate. For some, that's great. For me, I misssed being in the zone where time and distance disappear, where endorphins take over, where trail running transforms into flowing like water through the natural world.
Fischbeck puts her zone this way: "Running is a way to help someone think. I always say, 'After a run I have my whole life figured out'."
After much research last summer – you don't leap stairs without knowing what you're doing – the Yorba Linda resident decided on her first ultra, a 100-miler.
She picked something called the "Javelina Jundred" in McDowell State Park outside of Phoenix. Her reasoning was sound.
An ultra rookie, the course was a series of laps around a 15.4-mile loop and meant that she'd repeatedly be passing her support crew. Smart.
She worked up to running 8 miles a day, Mondays through Wednesdays. Thursdays, she ran 12 miles; Fridays, 15; Saturdays, 35.
Her coach and support crew included friends, family and her boyfriend, Ryan Kennedy.
When some wondered about the sanity of Fischbeck's plan, Kennedy offered support, saying, "You can totally do this."
Finally, it was the end of October, race day. As Fischbeck says, "I was ready to do battle."
Then she discovered something unexpected.
PAIN AND GAIN
Fischbeck favored training on the Santa Ana River Trail while Kennedy rode his bike alongside.
The trail in Arizona was marked with rocks. For O.C. trail runners, rocks might sound like no big deal. Our rocks are nothing like the rocks in the hills of the Sonoran Desert. Running those bad boys is like running on a field of baseballs.
Fischbeck started in the back of the pack. But after the first loop she found her pace and started flying – despite temperatures in the 90s.
She ran through mental challenges mid-race, and by mile 75 discovered to her surprise that she was the leading female. Then her body started falling apart.
Fischbeck's back was in such pain, she had to run bent over. The rocks pounded her feet so badly all her toenails fell off.
But her crew that included Kennedy, her brother Tucker, and her father Tom – mother Teri wisely stayed home knowing severe suffering was involved – kept Fischbeck going.
"My biggest motivation was seeing my crew," the runner said. "I kept thinking just a few more miles until I get to see my friends and family."
On the last loop, a runner in second place started gaining. But after 19hours and 59minutes, Fischbeck was the first woman to cross the finish line.
This race report puts her accomplishment in perspective: "Fischbeck won a thrilling women's race, edging Lindsay Scheiwiller, with the two runners only five minutes apart at the finish.
"Of the 364 starters, only 160 finished within the 30-hour time limit."
Yes, Fischbeck was asleep before the race was over.
Fischbeck is planning on giving her crew a break. Her next big race isn't until next year. That's the Bryce 100 Trail Run in Utah.
In typical Fischbeck fashion, she says, "I just like doing the next biggest thing."
That philosophy will always help Fischbeck — regardless of her path.
Contact the writer: email@example.com | <urn:uuid:752cfe6f-1010-42df-978f-1acd12b8063a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fischbeck-479077-running-race.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970613 | 1,567 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Researchers claim food also speeds up the metabolism helping the body get rid of the booze more quickly.
Elin Roberts, of Newcastle University's Centre for Life said: "Food doesn't soak up the alcohol but it does increase your metabolism helping you deal with the after-effects of over indulgence. So food will often help you feel better.
"Bread is high in carbohydrates and bacon is full of protein, which breaks down into amino acids. Your body needs these amino acids, so eating them will make you feel good."
Ms Roberts told The Mirror: "Bingeing on alcohol depletes neurotransmitters too, but bacon contains a high level of aminos which tops these up, giving you a clearer head."
Researchers also found a complex chemical interaction in the cooking of bacon produces the winning combination of taste and smell which is almost irresistible.
The reaction between amino acids in the bacon and reducing sugars in the fat is what provides the sandwich with its appeal.
Ms Roberts said: "The smell of sizzling bacon in a pan is enough to tempt even the staunchest of vegetarians. There's something deeper going on inside. It's not just the idea of a tasty snack. There is some complex chemistry going on.
"Meat is made of mostly protein and water. Inside the protein, it's made up of building blocks we call amino acids. But also, you need some fat. Anyone who's been on a diet knows if you take all the fat from the meat, it just doesn't taste the same. We need some of the fat to give it the flavour."
She explained that the reaction released hundreds of smells and flavours but it is the smell which reels in the eater. "Smell and taste are really closely linked," she said. "If we couldn't smell then taste wouldn't be the same."
- Share your favourite hangover cures below: | <urn:uuid:c16c89cf-a20b-48aa-a67b-1f918ab2f3f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/5118283/Bacon-sandwich-really-does-cure-a-hangover.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963025 | 388 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Mid-Book Test (up to Chapter 29)
|Name: _____________________________||Period: ___________________________|
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
Directions: Answer the question with a short answer.
1. Who does Easter tell the jury Ginger is?
2. What does Rankin Fitch demand to know?
3. Where does Fitch go to meet with Marlee?
4. What is clear after the cross examination of Jankley by Rohr?
5. What offer does Shaver receive when he calls in to talk to the CEO of SuperHouse?
Short Essay Questions
Directions: Answer the questions with a short paragraph.
1. What is the problem that Hoppy is told exists with the land deal that Ringwald proposes?
This section contains 1,030 words|
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) | <urn:uuid:adef4142-9eb9-44d8-948a-872f78bc0ae4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/runaway-jury/test5.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907349 | 205 | 2.03125 | 2 |
John Dyer , and Abraham Dumbleton , of St. James's Westminster , was indicted for breaking the House of Henry Topping in the Night-time the 16th of August last, and stealing 20 Yards of printed Linnen, also Russia Linnen, and other Goods, to a considerable Value . The Prosecutor deposed, that his Shop was broken, and the Goodstolen, and that he found Part of them at one Mr. Hodgkins's.
Mary Hodgkins depos'd, That Margaret Dyer Wife to John Dyer , brought two Gowns made of the printed Linnen, which the Prosecutor own'd to be his Linnen, and also Sheets, which he own'd likewise to be his; and that Dumbleton's Wife was with Margaret Dyer when she came to her with the Goods.
Henry Cole depos'd That himself and the two Prisoners did break the Prosecutor's House between 2 and 3 a-Clock in the Morning, the Day laid in the Indictment; that he cut a Hole in the Shutter, put in his Hand, took out a Pane, opened the Shutter went into the Shop, handed the Goods out to Dyer and Dumbleton, who stood on the outside; that they carried the goods to a Turning where were some Logs, where they emptied the Bag and went again and fetch'd more; that they carried the Goods into the Fields, leaving Dyer to look after what they had left; he and Dumbleton carried each a Bundle to Dyer's House; that the Prisoners Wives had each a Gown made of the Prosecutor's Linnen. The Prosecutor swore the Linnen to be his, and Sheets made of Russia Linnen to be his. The Prisoners deny'd the Fact, and Dyer pleaded that Henry Cole had sworn against him out of Malice, because he being at that time a Prisoner in Newgate, he liv'd with his Wife, and he was afraid that if he got out he would be prejudicial to him. Cole did not deny but that he did cohabit with Dyer's Wife, but swore, after he did come out of Newgate they were very familiar together, and did commit several Robberies together besides this. The Fact being planily prov'd, the Jury found them both guilty of the Indictment. Death . | <urn:uuid:a0b4fd9f-c5b1-481d-b3b7-f554698056dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=t17291015-18 | 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 | 0.987875 | 493 | 1.773438 | 2 |
China sacks four officials in Tibet over 'stability'
The Chinese Communist Party chief in Tibet has sacked four officials for "endangering stability" in the region, state media reports.
According to the Tibet Daily newspaper, they were sacked for leaving their posts in the Chamdo region during the Lunar New Year.
The regional government on Monday had warned officials to maintain stability or face dismissal or criminal charges.
The dismissal comes as another Tibetan reportedly set himself on fire.
Two of the four officials face disciplinary charges.
The man who set himself alight is believed to be a monk in Aba prefecture in Sichuan province, rights groups said. If confirmed, this would be the 20th such case in the past year.
He was reportedly taken away by police on Wednesday and his current condition is unknown.
The incident was reported by various rights groups, as well as the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) in Dharamsala, India, the base of Tibet's government-in-exile.
The Tibet Divide
- China says Tibet always part of its territory
- Tibet had long periods of autonomy
- China launched a military assault in 1950
- Opposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959
- Dalai Lama fled to India
Tsering Tsomo, executive director of TCHRD, told Reuters news agency that the incident occurred outside a school.
Two exiled Buddhist monks, Kanyag Tsering and Losang Yeshe, were also quoted by various sources as saying that the man was taken away by security forces, with his current whereabouts unknown.
Aba county, an ethnic Tibetan area of Sichuan province, is where several of the self-immolations have occurred.
Tibetan-populated parts of China are experiencing their worst unrest in four years, ahead of the Tibetan new year on 22 February.
The incident follows a series of deadly protests against Chinese rule in the province since January. Last month, three violent protests were also reported.
Chinese state media has described the protests as mob attacks and riots, while activists say police have opened fire on peaceful protesters demonstrating against religious repression.
International media are denied access to the area, making it difficult to verify conflict accounts.
Correspondents say the recent violence in the region is the most serious outbreak of anti-government protest among Tibetans in nearly four years. | <urn:uuid:67308389-f559-4eb3-95b1-ac5505966bf2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16959038 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975048 | 492 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Apr. 17, 2007 A molecule designed by a Purdue University researcher could lead to the first drug treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
"There are many people suffering, and no effective treatment is available to them," said Arun Ghosh, the Purdue professor who designed the molecule. "There is an urgent need for a drug to treat this devastating disease, and the scientific community has been working on this problem for many years."
The National Institute on Aging estimates that as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, which leads to dementia by affecting parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language.
The new molecule prevents the first step in a chain of events that leads to amyloid plaque formation in the brain. The material at various stages of plaque formation is made up of fibrous clumps of toxic proteins that cause the devastating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, said Ghosh, who has a dual appointment in the chemistry and medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology departments.
"Interdisciplinary research and the tools available today allowed us to build a molecule that is both highly potent and highly selective, meaning it does not affect other enzymes important to brain function," he said.
Jordan Tang, head of the Protein Studies Research Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, is one of the discoverers of the critical enzyme and target for intervention, Ghosh said.
Tang discovered a key enzyme called memapsin 2, or beta-secretase, that is involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease. The action of this enzyme on a special protein, called the amyloid precursor protein, leads to the formation of plaques in the brain. The development of an inhibitor compound targeting memapsin 2 could block this reaction, thus preventing the disease. Utilizing Tang's information about the enzyme, Ghosh designed the first memapsin 2 inhibitor.
"This is the most exciting target today for Alzheimer's disease intervention," said Tang, who holds the J.G. Puterbaugh Chair in Medical Research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. "These interactions happen at a very early stage in the disease, and if we could block them, we could prevent many of the harmful steps that follow and drastically reduce the impact. In our most recent tests, a single dose of the designed compound reduced the beta-amyloid level by 30 percent."
As a therapeutic target, memapsin 2 has an additional advantage because it belongs to a class of enzymes called aspartyl proteases. Researchers already have successfully created drugs to block proteases for the treatment of other diseases. One of these successful drugs was developed from a molecule designed by Ghosh for treatment of drug-resistant HIV, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year. The principles used in the development of these drugs can be carried over and used in the design of new drugs, Tang said.
Ghosh's team achieved a breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research when they were the first to use a method called X-ray crystallography to map the structure of Ghosh's designed inhibitor bound to the enzyme. This revealed information necessary to move the research forward and develop molecules that could be used in drugs.
"The moment we had the crystal structure, we knew exactly how the inhibitor worked, the interactions of the molecular bonds and what properties were most important," Ghosh said. "This allowed us to quickly build inhibitor molecules and bypass the usual lengthy process of trial and error in molecule design. Within a year we had developed modified inhibitors that were much smaller and more druglike in character."
Ghosh's most recent research findings and the collaborative research results with Tang will be published in the May 3 issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and are posted on the journal's Web site. Purdue postdoctoral fellow Nagaswamy Kumaragurubaran and graduate students Sarang S. Kulkarni and Xiaoming Xu co-authored the paper. In addition, Lin Hong, Wanpin Chang, Vajira Weerasena, Robert Turner, Gerald Koelsch and Geoffrey Bilcer from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and Athenagen Inc. co-authored the paper. The National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging funded this research.
"We began this work in 2000 and prepared and examined several hundred molecules, we now have one with great clinical potential," Ghosh said.
Research into memapsin 2 faced a setback when memapsin 1, an enzyme very similar in structure, was discovered. Unlike memapsin 2, memapsin1 is involved in many important biological processes and its inhibition would cause serious adverse side effects, Ghosh said.
"Unfortunately, all of our early designed compounds that were potent against memapsin 2 also inhibited memapsin 1," he said. "Selective inhibition of memapsin 2, or building selectivity, became very important. The scientific community was faced with a formidable challenge."
Ghosh's team developed a novel structure-based design strategy to systematically understand where and how to target memapsin 2 specifically.
"According to our studies, inhibition of memapsin 2 does not cause toxic side effects," Tang said. "This is extremely encouraging because it allows for intervention very early in the stages of the disease, and it is a type of enzyme with which we are very familiar. There is a precedence of great success in this type of work."
Ghosh and Tang founded the biopharmaceutical company Zapaq, located in Oklahoma City, which now has merged with CoMentis. San Francisco-based CoMentis has used the research results of Ghosh and Tang to begin to develop pharmaceuticals. A drug from the memapsin 2 inhibitor could go into the first phase of clinical trials this year and begin the lengthy trial process necessary before the FDA approves a drug to be available on the market.
Alzheimer's disease usually begins after age 60, and the risk increases with age. According to the National Institute on Aging, about 5 percent of men and women ages 65-74 have Alzheimer's disease, and nearly half of those 85 and older may have the disease.
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Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. | <urn:uuid:5584c34c-0a7c-4e09-966f-1a827371d20a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417160548.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957939 | 1,291 | 2.828125 | 3 |
A few years ago, a 12-year-old girl ended up in the Hogar Del Niño orphanage. Her father was in prison and her stepmother was abusive, so she ran away to live on the streets. She was found by a police officer and eventually ended up in the home.
A 6-year-old boy was abandoned in the home after his aunt and mother said they didn’t want him. One young man has spent about 12 years of his life in the home. He’s now studying to become a teacher and hopes to become a doctor.
There are more than a dozen children in the home, most have been abandoned. From a young boy who was left in the park shortly after being born to a 10-year-old girl who was left in a police station. They have found a home at Hogar Del Niño.
“We receive children that are usually sent by a judge, either orphans, abandoned. They come out from families with violence or children that have been abandoned at a hospital,” said Lydia Garcia, who runs the orphanage.
The Oklahoma Connection
We arrived at the building in Lemoa, Guatemala on a clear Thursday afternoon. Several girls from the local community were standing outside, giggling as we drove up. Bill Brewer had talked about Garcia several times before. He knows her well.
The native Guatemalan was a translator for missionary groups before she got a scholarship from Oklahoma City University.
Garcia graduated in 1994, majoring in psychology. When she returned to Guatemala, she began to volunteer at the orphanage and took over last year when the director moved on.
At the orphanage children are surrounded by trees. Pears and limes are ripening on trees behind the building and the children help take care of the animals. Chickens and turkeys help feed the children and they sell some of the produce.
Garcia was all smiles when we walked in, showing off the classroom where they help kids with their homework. In the back, a small apartment had been built so volunteers have a place to stay.
The children who are there at the time are all smiles, a trait common for Guatemalan children, apparently even those who don’t have a family. I smile at one girl who is doing her chores. She says “Hello” to me, something that caught me off guard.
The children are put into private school and are even taught some English, two things not common in this part of the country. The six paid staff run and operate the orphanage from donations and money they can make selling produce from the outside garden. The children help where they can, doing chores and learning to take care of the animals.
The orphanage was founded in the 1980s by the National Methodist Church of Santa Cruz Del Quiche. The civil war in Guatemala had taken its toll and many children had been left orphans. Since then, private donations, including several large donations from the US, including several from Methodist churches in Tennessee, has made Hogar Del Niño into what it is today.
The practice of allowing foreign couples to adopt Guatemalan children was stopped by the Guatemalan government, although at least one of the children who was adopted in the past few years went to a family in Tennessee. Garcia said that was because the paperwork had been filed before hand. She also said that she is hopeful that the government will begin to allow it again.
More and more I’m amazed at how happy the children we have met on our journeys seem to be. It doesn’t matter where they are or what they have or don’t have. We didn’t see all the children at the orphanage, likely because some were still off at school for the day, but what we did see was something special. The orphanage gave the children an education and opportunity a lot of the other children we saw wouldn’t have. Despite what they had been through, they all seemed happy for it. | <urn:uuid:b8322207-565c-46ce-84e1-dc3bd95df4ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.newsok.com/newsroom/2009/08/07/the-orphanage-at-lemoa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990593 | 821 | 2.171875 | 2 |
"Blei Gissen" an old Pagan custom?
A few days ago I posted about "Blei Gissen" and asked whether we should believe it or not. One of the commenters pointed out that this is an ancient German New Year's custom, still popular, called Bleigießen. Just Google Bleigießen and see for yourself.
parshablog refers to a similar practice among the Pennsylvania Dutch, Charms and Superstitions.
From all of this it is quite clear that Blei Gissen was/is a pagan superstitious custom that we should have nothing to do with and in fact doing so may violate a number of issurim d'oraysa related to witchcraft and divination.
It amazes me that the Charedi population either won't go to a magic show or will make the performer state that what he is doing isn't magic and is just sleight of hand etc. but will do things like Blei Gissen with no problem. | <urn:uuid:71bb0b54-2276-4b0f-8198-1ed20dc980e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jewishworker.blogspot.com/2008/01/blei-gissen-old-pagan-custom.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927424 | 210 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Over the last decade, as mobile phones have become more prevalent and a quarter of American adults have shed their landlines, pollsters have debated how important it is to include cell phone users in their polls. Now, a Pew Research Center report finds that polls in the 2010 election cycle that contacted people on landlines only overestimated Republican support by as much as 6 percentage points. The reason: those who use cell phones only are on average younger and more likely to be minorities; both groups are traditionally Democratic voters.
Republican Pollster Adam Geller of the National Research Group does not believe that excluding cell phone-only voters poses as big a problem as the Pew report suggests. “There are a half a dozen reasons why a poll can be off and you really can’t ascribe it to a poll that does or does not dial a cell phone,” says Geller, adding that standard practices such as weighting for anticipated turnout can eliminate the bias inherent in a landline-only poll.
Few pollsters would dispute that cell-phone-only households tend to be younger and are more likely to be single and members of minority groups. However, some pollsters do question how likely people in these households are to vote—especially in a midterm election. “What we are probably describing by and large is a more presidential year voter,” says Geller. He does concede that for a presidential year, when turnout is generally higher and pollsters use less stringent likely voter screens, it makes sense to include cell phone-only households.
Mark Mellman, CEO of the Mellman Group, a Democratic pollster, counters that polling cell phones is imperative to achieving an accurate sample today and that polling firms that fail to include cell-phone-only households in their samples should be viewed with suspicion. “We were the only poll that was right about the Nevada Senate race,” he says. “There was a vast difference between cell phones and landlines, and if we had just polled landlines, we would have had the same inaccurate results.”
Mellman says that there are some regions of the country where including cell phones can make a crucial difference in poll results, and there are some regions where it is inconsequential. The problem there is that there is no way to know for sure yet which sort of region you are dealing with before you conduct a cell-phone poll. Mellman adds that the effort is always worth the expense. “If you do not poll cell phones you cannot be sure you are getting accurate results,” he states. “Period. End of story.”
The law requires that cell phone numbers be hand dialed by live callers, which means that polls including cell phones require more time spent in the field. (This is also why pollsters that use an automated system, such as Rasmussen Reports, do not include cell phones in their samples.) Going to this extra trouble in a non-presidential-election year, according to Geller, increases costs considerably without yielding dramatically different results. For his part, Mellman believes that the choice between polling cell phones and not is stark. “It is more expensive, it is more difficult, but if you care about getting it right, you will expend the effort,” he says. “People who care about getting it right will do it.”
The 2012 cycle will undoubtedly see many polls that include cell phones, but it is not yet clear whether the same will be true of polls in years between presidential contests.
Noah Rothman is the online editor at C&E. Email him at email@example.com | <urn:uuid:2499fd0d-1ed8-4d92-b089-0f3f5e1b11fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.campaignsandelections.com/email/campaign-insider/171842/pros-and-cons-of-polling-cell-phones.thtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973958 | 753 | 2.375 | 2 |
- Auto-Parallelizing Compilers can do a lot, but they are limited to loop level parallelism and in analysis of data dependencies
- Manual parallelization with directives is easy to implement, however care must be given to the treatment of data
- It is important to understand the exact semantics of the parallelization directives
- To obtain scalable performance it is often necessary to make program parallel at coarse-grain level, e.g. across subroutine invocations
- To obtain scalable performance it is often necessary to take care of proper data distribution on the machine
- It is necessary to profile parallel programs to diagnose cases of load imbalance and parallelization overhead. | <urn:uuid:4ebbb40a-6b52-49bf-a68f-1246e3252b51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sc.tamu.edu/help/power/powerlearn/html/parallel-smpnw/tsld059.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92109 | 135 | 2.625 | 3 |
The Daily Plant : Monday, June 4, 2001
A NEW PARK FOR STATEN ISLAND
Mike (Greenman) Browne, Deputy Chief of Design and his partners, the School Construction Authority and Langan Engineering "put their shoulders to the wheel," as Aesop says, to create a park that is an ecosystem for its plants and animals and a setting for stories and learning. The forest that was on the land has been preserved and integrated with the elements of a playground. The designers preserved over 150 native trees and 50 exotics. To stabilize the ground layer, they planted 1,200 shrubs and 3,150 ground covers. Into this lush midst, Aesop's characters, the fox, the hare, the tortoise, the gnat, and the bull have found a home. Visitors can find them crouching beneath the grapes, or sweating under the force of the sun. An amphitheater that seats 200 people will be a stage for storytelling and a lecturn for lecturing. For active play, two large pieces of play equipment, two swing sets, a spray shower, and a fitness trail were constructed.
There are delights to eye all over this park. Like a good story, kids may return to it again and again and discover new things each time. It is home to depictions of the 36 flora and fauna found in Aesop's tales and to living plants and animals too. This rich collection of natural life, the array of imaginative features added, and the fun play pieces join together to create one park for P.S. 6 students and Staten Islanders-theirs to use and enjoy. $1.8 million were contributed by the Board of Education and Council Member Stephen (Leafy) Fiala to fund the creation of Aesop Park.
At the park's dedication, Commissioner Stern told students, "Aesop teaches that 'appearances are often deceiving.' This park is a good example of that truth," he said. "It looks fun. Stay here a little while and you'll discover: it's fantastic."
Guy (Rough Guy) Molinari, Staten Island Borough President; Vito (South Shore) Fossella, Congressman; Stephen Fiala, Council Member; Marie (Sundance) Bodnar, District Manager for Community Board 3; Thomas (Richmond) Paulo, Staten Island Borough Commissioner; Carol C. Ildebrando, Principal of P.S. 6; and Vincent Casella, Principal Park Supervisor were among those present at the opening of the park.
THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Monday, June 6, 1988)
PARKS GARDENER SAVES A LIFE IN BROOKLYN
Quick thinking and prompt action helped Brooklyn Gardener Mauro Bacalo save a pedestrian's life two weeks ago. Bacalo was working in Columbus Park near the Supreme Court building in Brooklyn on May 23 when he heard a woman screaming. He rushed over and found an older man unconscious and bleeding on the sidewalk. Apparently suffering from cardiac arrest, the man had stopped breathing.
QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
"A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety."
Aesop (fl. c. 550 B.C.)
Directions to Columbus Park
- Pedestrian Paths Open Once More at Columbus Park
- Columbus Park is March’s Park of the Month
- DOWNTOWN DESIGN WINS CITYWIDE PRIZE | <urn:uuid:1e54fda0-6305-4f70-be36-ad2dd0901748> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M015/dailyplant/9639 | 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 | 0.940223 | 722 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from a recent interview with LucidWorks CEO Paul Doscher, who touches on an important consumer trend that’s hit the enterprise: Smart Apps. Doscher discusses the enterprise’s growing need for software that anticipates end users’ needs, and answers their questions with contextualized data, noting the web as a template for designing an interface for businessmen and women. His company, known for delivering data-centric application development platforms, sees firsthand what end users need, and how their consumer expectations around information accessibility and usability are impacting enterprise IT.
Big Data makes every employee smarter
What we’re seeing as it relates to Big Data is a requirement for an app to be smarter, with better awareness. With the overwhelming amount of information, apps need to be smarter and aware, looking at user usage patterns and putting that feedback into the app ranking to understand [end user] roles and provide access to the right information. After a while, the system can anticipate what the user’s going to need to make more effective decisions.
Talking about the role of IT and the role of end users, it’s going to be about the ability to integrate content contextually, and make it more valuable. The current paradigm is more poll-based. This has been true for some time. You have to know the questions the user’s going to ask before building an effective app.
With the next generation of apps, there’s going to be too much information and data. That [poll-based] paradigm is going to break. The system needs to be smarter and more context-aware to provide more answers as it culls through all the data.
Consumer trends impact the CIO
So the relationship then, between the CIO/IT and the end user, is the ability to build that platform where the information is consolidated, and the user interface is easier to use than ever before.
The original threshold will be what the user experience currently is on the web. We’re moving to a space where information is displayed on all sorts of devices, through Business Intelligence dashboards and different types of user interfaces. Information access is built in phases, based on patterns you’ve been researching, etc. The ultimate phase is when the system starts to provide answers, almost using Artificial Intelligence in a way where it can aggregate content, look at different variables and provide different possible outcomes.
If you think about it, based on everything we’ve been able to read and understand, is similar to what IBM’s trying to do with Watson in the healthcare space. A doctor can type in the specifics around a particular patient and Watson can go through the clinical data and come back with a statistical probability of outcomes the patient might have. Watson can go further and say, “here are the best treatments for this particular individual” based on genetics, location, gender, age and other data points.
LucidWorks builds the plumbing to bring data full circle
Right now we’re working on the plumbing. It’s not sexy, but someone’s gotta do it. Unless you have the underpinnings to contextualize this for the user, there’s UI developers for that particular user community. We don’t have any preconceived ideas around that. In more cases, the enterprise developing the app understands the best opportunity to display that information properly.
The way we look at is is sort of the three-level architectural tech stack. If you consider Hadoop to be the new generation data stack, the best Hadoop implementation will be limited by people’s ability to get content out of it. This requires workflow, machine learning technology, search as a fundamental component, security, cluster awareness, understanding how data is moving, etc.
When you break down the plumbing, it’s all about providing the parts. What we’ve done with our big data product is to pull together search technology and other Apache products that provide those capabilities and put it inside a REST API, and let clients take advantage of those function calls. They don’t have to worry about if the data’s in Hadoop, or somewhere else.
Hear more from Doscher on #theCube
Doscher has plenty to say on the topic, his company and what we can expect from the Big Data space this year. See his latest interview with #theCube from O’Reilly Media’s Strata Conference, held last Spring. | <urn:uuid:4084b876-396b-40dd-a894-c6b92874422a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/02/04/the-ultimate-smart-app-is-one-that-anticipates-answers/?angle=silicon | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925739 | 936 | 1.640625 | 2 |
How often should you replace your helmet? I’ve broken two helmets in all the years I’ve been cycling and I was really glad that they saved my head. I understand their value and that they are indeed a single use, or should I say single crash, product. I broke them both in Moab, Utah in consecutive years and the second one was the free replacement for the first. The first one got broken on Porcupine Rim. I entered a section of sand way too fast and got thrown over my handle bars. I saw stars and after getting the sand out of my ears, I couldn’t figure out why my helmet was so loose until my buddy Matt said, “dude, your helmet is like cracked in half”. This is Matt attempting to point out the big crack while I’m thinking I’ve got a lot more riding to do with this cracked helmet:
About 15 minutes later Matt did a face plant on a rock. Not much help from the helmet and lots of blood, I’ve got to find that photo, but I digress. I mailed the helmet back to Bell and they sent me a new one with a certificate that said, “Saved by the Bell”. The replacement helmet got broken on a trail called Amasa Back also in Moab. If you impact your helmet in a crash they are designed to protect you by compressing so after the crash the helmet has compromised and you need to replace it. If you’ve done anything else with it that could give it a significant impact like dropping a suitcase on it or your tool box, you should replace it.
But back to the question at hand, how often should you replace your helmet?
Some helmet manufacturers recommend replacing your helmet every three years. Now the helmet manufacturers aren’t particularly without bias in this situation. Heck, if they can get you to fork out another $75 or more for a Styrofoam bucket covered in a thin shell, that’s some serious profit. I’m not saying that they don’t have your best interest from a safety stand point in mind but there is definitely a profit motive at work here. So how do we find an unbiased third party that at least has the goal of keeping my melon in one piece as their primary mission? We look-up the highly factual, yet visually boring, Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI) website. http://www.helmets.org and see what they have to say about it.
First let’s dispel the three year myth: “Bell now recommends every three years, which seems to us too short. They base it partially on updating your helmet technology, but they have not been improving their helmets that much over three year periods, and we consider some of their helmets since the late 1990′s to be a step backwards, so we would take that with a grain of salt.” (BHSI)
So how old can your helmet be and still be safe? “Newer helmets from the late 1980′s and the 90′s may or may not need replacement. First look to see what standards sticker is inside. If it’s ASTM or Snell, the helmet was designed to meet today’s standards for impact protection.” (BHSI)
How about sweat, all that salt must damage your helmet? “Occasionally somebody spreads rumors that sweat and ultraviolet (UV) exposure will cause your helmet to degrade. Sweat will not do that. The standards do not permit manufacturers to make a helmet that degrades from sweat, and the EPS, EPP or EPU foam is remarkably unaffected by salt water.” “Sunlight can affect the strength of the shell material, though. Since helmets spend a lot of time in the sun, manufacturers usually put UV inhibitors in the plastic for their shells that control UV degradation. If your helmet is fading or showing small cracks around the vents, the UV inhibitors may be failing, so you probably should replace it.” (BHSI)
An Italian helmet manufacturer called MET notes that their testing shows that their helmets should last 8 years. Use good judgment, if the helmet is old technology, has any damage or no longer can be secured to your head correctly replace it. Hopefully you never have to use your helmet but if you do, you’ll be glad you had it. | <urn:uuid:20957648-494a-4b04-b1c4-f2d40137047d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beselfpropelled.com/how-often-should-you-replace-your-helmet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960579 | 916 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Uganda Ebola outbreak 'coming to an end': WHOSeptember 3rd, 2012 in Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes /
Uganda's latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus appears to be over, the World Health Organisation said Monday, pointing out that no new cases had been confirmed for the past month.
"There have been no new confirmed cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever reported in Kibaale district, Uganda, since August 3, 2012, indicating that the outbreak is coming to an end," the WHO said in a statement.
The organisation said there had been a total of 24 probable and confirmed cases, while 17 people had died from the virus since the beginning of the outbreak—one more than previously reported.
Ugandan health officials said in mid-August the outbreak was "under control", but since the incubation period for Ebola is around 21 days they were unable to say for certain that it was over.
The WHO stressed Monday that all probable and confirmed cases had been monitored for 21 days or more, adding that "the last confirmed case was discharged on August 24 ... following recovery".
Ebola broke out in early July in Uganda's western Kibale district, some 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Kampala, and around 50 kilometres (30 kilometres) from the border with Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ebola, which spreads by direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected persons, is fatal in about 50 to 90 percent of cases, with victims bleeding from body orifices before dying in the most severe instances.
The rare haemorrhagic disease, named after a small river in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killed 37 people in western Uganda in 2007 and at least 170 in the north of the country in 2000.
(c) 2012 AFP
"Uganda Ebola outbreak 'coming to an end': WHO." September 3rd, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-uganda-ebola-outbreak.html | <urn:uuid:f7b746a3-9301-4b41-ac7b-90d5f54cff59> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://medicalxpress.com/print265888410.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965835 | 418 | 2.734375 | 3 |
About the National Labor College
The National Labor College (NLC) is one of a kind, the only college in the United States with an exclusive mission to serve the educational needs of the labor movement. It is an activist institution made up of students, faculty and alumni who together form a learning community based on a common understanding of the world of work and the ecology of the labor movement. The College respects that its student body is made up of experienced, highly skilled working adults who have multiple commitments to family, job, union and community. In its academic programs, the NLC honors higher learning that takes place both inside and outside the collegiate community.
The National Labor College is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. 215-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Click here to download the NLC Viewbook. (PDF) 600 KB
By establishing the physical and intellectual space for the labor movement to imagine its future, the mission of the NLC is to make higher education available to workers, to prepare union members, leaders and staff for the challenges of a changing global environment; and to serve as a center for progressive thought and learning.
The NLC works to achieve the following institutional goals, which are guided by our mission, vision and values:
- To articulate and transmit the values of the labor movement to successive generations of union members
- To respond to the needs of those in the labor movement for knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to secure their futures and those of their families
- To incorporate workplace and union learning into degree programs in order to provide efficient and effective pathways to degree completion for workers
- To provide unions and labor-related organizations with members and leaders who are critical thinkers and skilled communicators
- To work in partnership with unions and other organizations who support the labor movement to provide relevant and collaborative programs that advance the movement
Vision and Values
Since its inception in the 19th century, the American labor movement has placed great emphasis on education. In 1969 the leaders of this movement founded the George Meany Center, which became the National Labor College, in order to offer the high quality education and training programs necessary to produce a diverse movement of working men and women dedicated to a more equitable and just society.
The contemporary labor movement faces the twin challenges of rapid technological change and a hostile political environment, which have together produced a long-term decline in union density. In recognition of these challenges, another critical role of the NLC is to explore labor’s often underappreciated role in the development of a stable middle class in the world’s most prosperous society and to transmit the values of the movement to all workers, especially younger people who may not know of labor’s essential role in the development of this society.
The labor movement’s values that are embodied today at the NLC are the same values that first brought working people together in a common movement to advance and protect their interests in the spheres of politics, economics and culture. Among these values are the following:
- Labor is the source of all wealth
- There is honor and dignity in all work
- Working people should have equal protection under the law and the freedom to bargain collectively to advance and protect their interests
- Education is the key to a free and democratic labor movement
- Democratic trade unions are essential to economic justice and to a free and democratic society
- For working people to fully realize their potential and that of their children, they must have equal access to high quality education at all levels
- Labor arts and culture are an essential part of education, as they provide the labor movement with its soul and spirit
National Labor College Outcomes
NLC graduates achieve the following outcomes as a result of their educational experience, rooted, again, in our mission, vision and values:
- Leadership: The ability to reflect upon, share and deconstruct experience with a goal of improving personal and organizational leadership practices.
- Critical Thinking: The ability to understand, question, analyze and discuss underlying assumptions that define a particular position or viewpoint.
- Effective Communication: The ability to clearly communicate, orally and in writing.
- Global Thinking: The ability to understand complexities of the economic, political and social environment.
- Information Literacy: The ability to analyze and make intelligent decisions based upon massive amounts of information, determine the nature and extent of needed information, know where to obtain critical information, and assess the validity of sources.
- Technological Proficiency: The ability to understand and use basic digital communication tools to function effectively in the changing society. | <urn:uuid:e375dd8a-531f-49bb-aba5-dae3414319c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iaffeducation.org/business-administration/about.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948225 | 973 | 2.03125 | 2 |
- change ups
State, Muskegon Turned On By Alternative Energy
By focusing on niches within the alternative energy field, backers of the Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone can “take full advantage” of the state’s NextEnergy proposal that envisions clustering the emerging alternative-energy industry in Michigan, with the centerpiece being a research center and tax-free business park on state-owned land near Ann Arbor, Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO Doug Rothwell said.
“To me, they are very complementary in nature,” Rothwell said during an address at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce’s April Early Bird Breakfast. “The initiative you have here in Muskegon can take full advantage of that.”
The Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone envisions turning the former 34-acre Teledyne Continental property along Muskegon Lake into a high-tech business park that would focus on attracting firms involved in the research and development of photovoltaic (or solar energy) cells and large stationary fuel cells for use in buildings.
The SmartZone, one of 11 designated around the state a year ago, is touted as a major component to Muskegon’s ongoing revitalization. Backers of the initiative largely agree with Rothwell’s assessment on the effects NextEnergy would have locally.
“It’s everything we wanted,” said Cindy Larsen, president of the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce. “The initiatives in Ann Arbor are aligned with Muskegon.”
The Muskegon Lakefront SmartZone includes a demonstration project that would use photovoltaic panels, stationary fuel cells and micro turbines to power the entire business park.
Interest in the demonstration project is “very strong,” said Dave Mielke, dean of Grand Valley State University’s Seidman School of Business. GVSU is a partner in the Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone with the City of Muskegon and the MEDC.
Mielke is meeting this month with the CEO of a corporation interested in participating in the demonstration project and hopes to have a favorable announcement by the end of the month, he said.
“This is going to be big,” Mielke said.
Like Rothwell, Mielke sees NextEnergy as a positive for Muskegon’s plans. The broader statewide initiative brings far greater attention and emphasis to alternative energy, benefiting all parties.
“It gives additional credibility to what we’ve started,” Mielke said. “It can only benefit us here.”
A narrow focus on alternative energy niches can enable the Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone to carve out a leadership role in the industry in Michigan, rather than play catch-up or compete against major players in the industry, Rothwell said.
“We want to make sure everybody can play for this,” he said. “There are many technologies that have their own niche role to play from.”
Gov. John Engler proposed the NextEnergy initiative last month to position Michigan to take advantage of the new emerging energy technologies, especially as the automotive industry evolves into the use of fuel cells to power vehicles.
“The heart of NextEnergy is transforming our cluster of auto innovation into a cluster of energy innovation. NextEnergy will power Michigan’s future,” Engler said.
More than 27,000 people in Michigan are presently employed in the production of automotive power trains. Another 200,000 jobs are linked indirectly at suppliers that support the manufacturing of engines and transmissions, Rothwell said.
The employment levels illustrate the importance alternative energy can play in Michigan’s economic future, Rothwell said.
“Michigan really has a lot to lose if we don’t get on the bandwagon,” he said. “This is an issue that is of huge state importance.”
The NextEnergy initiative, which still needs legislative approval, includes:
- Development of a research center affiliated with the University of Michigan to serve as a clearinghouse for information, education and research on alternative energy technologies.
- The Michigan NextEnergy Zone, a 700-acre, tax-free business park on state-owned land in York Township for alternative energy companies.
- Exemptions from the state’s Single Business Tax and personal property tax for companies, or activities within companies, whose primary focus is alternative energy research, development or manufacturing, no matter where they’re located in Michigan.
- Spurring demand by exempting from the state sales and use taxes any purchase of stationary and vehicular devices using alternative energy technologies. | <urn:uuid:be07e7b2-ca7e-4ad4-96a2-0b544c9c8dd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grbj.com/articles/59986 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919761 | 984 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Which was good news for the Central High basketball team. A point guard, Hornsby Jr. was “freaky athletic,” says Labrie. “He could jump, he could run, he could defend, he could handle the ball with both hands — you didn’t know if he was righty or lefty. He shot both hands. Dribbled both hands. Had he played a full career in high school, he would’ve been a definite scholarship player.”
A week into the season, Labrie named Hornsby Jr. captain. “He was a clear choice,” he says admiringly. “A lot of kids earn the respect of their peers. A lot of kids earn the respect of adults. He had the ability to do both.” As captain that season, Hornsby Jr. helped lead the team to an outstanding 20-3 record.
This was in Springfield, Massachusetts, where basketball was invented. In the sport’s birthplace, basketball “is life,” says Labrie. The kids play hard, many hoping to follow in the footsteps of Central High alum Travis Best, who played 11 seasons as a guard for the Pacers, Bulls, Heat, Mavericks, and Nets.
From age six, says Monique Hornsby, her son was one of those kids. “He always told us, ‘I’m gonna be somebody big. You watch. When I make it, I’m gonna take care of y’all. You’re gonna have this house. And this car.’ He said, ‘You watch and see. You watch and see.’ ”
City of crime
The Hornsby family
Once upon a time, Springfield was thriving. The third-largest city in Massachusetts, its wide streets were lined with stately, sun-dappled Victorians, its brick factories echoed with the happy noise of industry: Milton Bradley board games, Breck shampoo, Indian motorcycles, Smith & Wesson firearms, and Friendly’s ice cream all trace their roots to Springfield factories and drawing boards.
And, of course, it was here that James Naismith first lobbed a ball through a peach basket in 1891, launching millions of alley-oops and no-look passes worldwide. It’s where the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in 1959. Both are huge points of pride for a burg that calls itself the City of Firsts.
Recent years, however, have seen an erosion of the city’s quality of life. Most of those manufacturing jobs have disappeared. The city’s coffers have been depleted, leading to wage freezes and service cuts. Four years ago, the city suffered the indignity of having its finances taken over by a state control board imposed from afar by Beacon Hill.
Springfield has also seen in recent years an alarming uptick in violent crime. There were 20 murders there in 2007, the most since 1994. According to the demographic database cityrating.com, Springfield’s murder rate is 1.29 times the national average. Its aggravated-assault rate is 3.51 times higher. Worse, more and more of these incidents are being committed by younger and younger kids.
The good news, relatively speaking, is that overall crime was down 15 percent over the first five months of 2008, compared with the same period in 2007. But while there were just three murders in that time frame, compared with 10 the year before, unfortunately, says Hornsby Sr., “my son was the last one.” | <urn:uuid:0cecf5da-e5e7-493f-8321-538162abfa6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thephoenix.com/boston/RecRoom/67152-Death-of-a-hoop-dream/?page=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973256 | 753 | 1.625 | 2 |
Usually I avoid using this space to feature authors who don’t need the publicity. Yet David Grossman’s latest novel is so haunting and deeply felt, so rich in insight about a troubled part of the world that it’s a must-read. It’s a long work, and at close to six hundred pages, it builds up powerful resonance between the lives of ordinary people, sporadic violence and the strength and fragility of the natural world. Its intricate weave of storytelling is well worth your attention.
The novel’s central character, Ora, is a complex creation — passionate, conflicted, and driven to protect the life of her son, Ofer. About to be released from his army service in Israel, Ofer re-enlists for a major offensive. Distraught, Ora decides to set out on a long hike through the Galilee region, leaving no word behind of her whereabouts, so that no one can bring her dire news about the fate of her son. It’s magical thinking, but she’s convinced that by leaving home for a long-distance hike, she will somehow protect Ofer.
Ora’s just separated from her husband, Ilan, and so she cajoles her former lover Avram to come on the hike with her. Ora, Avram and Ilan were old friends from their army days, but Avram, once a brilliant and creative artist, was shattered by his wartime experience, having been captured and tortured as a prisoner of war in Egypt. Yet as they continue on their hike, Ora keeps her son Ofer alive by telling his story to Avram. The powerful rhythm of her family tale takes on its own life and Avram — at first reluctant to listen — begins to rally and to claim the story for his own. Yet the engine that drives this novel’s intricate machinery is the walk itself — step by step, its wonderful physicality pushing words forward, connecting Ora’s tales to the strength of her body and the land. The entire novel seems to grow up out of the earth. Ora’s passion for her country and her ambivalence about politics are sometimes spoken, sometimes not. Yet her sensuality, her alertness to nature and her commitment to the life of her son pierce through the texture of this novel and bring it to life.
Grossman is deft in his use of time-shifts and changes in point of view; his technical skills never get in the way of the story, never break the steady rhythm of the tale. For anyone who’s been to Israel, he evokes the surreal and disorienting aspects of the place; the novel’s juxtaposition of ordinary life with an undercurrent of anxiety is a feverish, unsettling reminder of what the country’s like. In fact the title To The End Of The Land is a play on Ora’s recurrent fear that Israel may cease to exist. Yet Ora is like Scheherazade, the Persian queen who saved her own life by enchanting her king with stories. Her passionate storytelling speaks to the power of life in ways she’d never imagined, and in so doing, it speaks to all of us.
To The End Of The Land by David Grossman is translated from the Hebrew by Jessica Cohen. It’s published in the U.S. by Random House and in Canada by McClelland & Stewart. | <urn:uuid:1c9768cc-d55d-44cb-b2a8-c612a2708f30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://carolesbooktalk.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/david-grossmans-to-the-end-of-the-land/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964957 | 717 | 1.554688 | 2 |
I’m a big sports fan, but lousy at predicting who will win tomorrow’s game. Maybe I should switch to handicapping political contests.
My prediction in a July 13 blog post that California and Amazon.com would find a face-saving way out of their confrontation over online sales taxes proved on the money. A deal reached this week puts off for a year California’s plan to require larger e-retailers like Amazon to collect sales tax. The face-saving quid pro quo for the state was Amazon’s agreement to push for a federal law that would lead to more online retailers collecting sales tax on online purchases in the same way that retailers in physical stores add sales tax.
While it’s hard to predict if the Cubs’ starter will have his best stuff tomorrow, it was pretty easy to see that both California and Amazon had a lot to lose if the state didn’t back off its plan to extend sales tax to more online purchases and Amazon went ahead and pushed for a referendum to put the question to the voters.
California state officials would have been in the position of trying to convince voters to agree to pay more taxes, not an easy sell these days. And, if there had been a referendum, proponents of the online sales tax—mainly the retail chains that have to charge sales tax on most online sales because their stores give them a physical presence in most states—would have spent the next several months painting Amazon as a greedy, tax-dodging scalawag. Not what Amazon’s marketing department had in mind.
Cooler heads prevailed, on both sides.
For now, the question heads back to Congress, which has for years given little consideration to a proposed law that would allow states that have made sales taxes less complex by participating in the Streamlined Sales Tax project to force all but the smallest online retailers to charge sales tax. If Congress passes such a law, it would effectively override the 1992 Supreme Court decision that allows states to force sales tax collection only on retailers with a physical presence in their states, such as stores or distribution centers. Laws to that effect have been before Congress for several sessions without going very far. But, given the budget problems of the states, there is a chance this bill could pass within the next year, or so it seems to me. (Check back next year to see how this political prediction pans out.)
Meanwhile, the question for retailers of all types is this: How big a deal will it be if online retailers charge sales taxes? A recent survey by Forrester Research suggests it might have an impact, but not as much as some seem to believe. The survey found 44% of consumers paid sales tax on their most recent online purchase, 38% did not and 18% couldn’t recall. Only 25% were sure they would have shopped elsewhere if the e-commerce site had added sales tax.
E-retailers certainly don’t want to lose 25% of their sales, but keep in mind this survey was taken during the second quarter of this year, when there were other web sites shoppers could go to that didn’t charge sales tax. Once the day arrives‑‑and I believe it’s not far off‑‑when most retail sites must charge sales tax, the choice for the shopper moves from whether to pay sales tax to whether to buy online or go to a physical store to make a purchase.
Surveys consistently show that consumers increasingly shop online not for the lowest price, but for convenience and a deeper selection than they find in stores. Those e-commerce advantages are not going away, and neither are online shoppers, regardless of how Washington ultimately settles the sales tax question. | <urn:uuid:5ffdb47e-0bbf-45c8-a43c-60196e448e93> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.internetretailer.com/commentary/2011/09/16/sales-tax-showdown-put?when=2012_10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972331 | 765 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Hundreds of local underserved children and families will receive free health screenings and medical education as part of a health awareness program from Henry Schein's Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities. The MedFest 2012 event will take place at the West End Medical Centers, 868 York Avenue, in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, October 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm.
The Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities health screening is open to the public and is free of charge to Atlanta- area children and adults. The program is co-sponsored by Henry Schein Medical, GA Association for Primary Health Care, Peach State Health Plan, WellCare, and Amerigroup.
There will be a variety of fun activities planned for participating children and their families including a costume showcase; face painting; "Bee Healthy sponsored by GE Corporation"; music and healthy snacks.
Health care volunteers will address diseases and risk factors that commonly afflict children and adults, such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes, obesity and poor oral health. Check-ups will also include vision, asthma, and dental screenings. Attendees will receive educational materials about the prevention and treatment of health issues and referrals to a local clinic or doctor's office if needed.
Henry Schein, the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, medical and animal health practitioners, is sponsoring its sixth annual health screening program as part of Henry Schein Cares, the company's corporate social responsibility program. | <urn:uuid:4a5d7ee2-2641-4115-8b55-8b37bf1b66e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.atlantadailyworld.com/20121030799/Community/799-free-health-screenings-at-west-end/Print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95129 | 303 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The Purpose of The Franz Jagerstatter People for Breaking the Silence
Blessed Franz Jagerstatter
"Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for Those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God's love."...Franz Jagerstatter
"Our Mission: Inspired by the witness of Blessed Franz Jagerstatter; angered by the invasion and occupation of Iraq by our government and the subsequent acts of terror and civilian atrocities committed in the past five years; mourning American casualties, both loss of life as well as physical and mental disabilities; we admit our own complicity by our failure to raise our voices (For a complete statement of the purpose of the Franz Jagerstatter People for Breaking the Silence, click on Purpose at the top of this page.)
Pope Benedict: "God's Kingdom is of a completely different kind; it is not built on arms and violence..."
Pope Benedict XVI
"Jesus clearly had no political ambitions. After the multiplication of the loaves, the people, enthralled by the miracle, wanted to take him away and make him their king, in order to overthrow the power of Rome and thus establish a new political kingdom which would be considered the long-awaited kingdom of God. But Jesus knows that God’s kingdom is of a completely different kind; it is not built on arms and violence... " For the text of the complete homily on Nov. 25, 2012, the Feast of Christi the King, click on Pope Benedict on Christ the King. | <urn:uuid:b446fd42-2453-42f5-8e56-c4cbc8249880> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.franzjagerstatter.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930094 | 331 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Invasive species: impacts on forests and forestry
Impacts of the forest sector on the introduction and spread of invasive species
Activities of the forest sector can contribute to the introduction and spread of invasive species through forest utilization practices and the intentional introduction of species for commercial forestry, agroforestry and other purposes.
Forest utilization, in particular practices such as timber harvesting, extraction of non-timber products, the construction of logging and transport roads and facilities for logging camps, and the conversion of natural forest to plantations, can have direct and indirect negative impacts on the ecological functions of forests and on forest biodiversity by promoting the invasion of alien species.Construction of a forest road in Bhutan (FAO/FO-0822/N. Winkler)
Forest roads provide essential access for timber extraction, management and monitoring of forest resources and as such are an important requirement for sustainable forest management and use. However when poorly designed and maintained, forest roads are often the cause of a variety of environmental problems associated with forest harvesting operations. Under some circumstances, forest roads may also initiate or accelerate the invasion of exotic species that ultimately displace native species. In addition, the increased levels of human activities in previously inaccessible areas, as facilitated by forest roads, cause many environmental problems including the possible introduction of alien species.
Forest sector activities can promote the emergence or re-emergence of infectious diseases which degrade human health and that of other species. Clear-cutting and road building may increase exposure of workers to infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and Marburg hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, leishmaniasis, malaria and Ross River virus disease. Logging can change the abundance, extent and quality of aquatic larval habitats for the Anopheles mosquito vectors of malaria and by disturbing the forest floor, creating depressions that catch and hold water, thus creating new sites for the development of more mosquitoes.
Deforestation can result in humans coming into closer contact with the vectors for such diseases as leishmaniasis, yellow fever, trypanosomiasis (both African sleeping sickness and Chagas disease), and Kyasanur forest disease. Similarly, some animal reservoir hosts increase in abundance near the edges between forests and human settlements thus increasing the risk of human exposure to pathogens. The destruction of forest habitat may result in the removal, replacement or eradication of dominant vector species and sometimes, the replacement species are more effective vectors of disease as observed with loa loa (tropical eyeworm) and onchocerciasis (river blindness). Deforestation and desertification may also be accompanied by changes in the distribution of vectors such as ticks, blackflies, tsetse flies and Anopheles mosquitoes.Forest workers, such as this worker in the tropical forests of Suriname, can experience increased exposure to infectious diseases and their vectors (FAO/FO-0760/M. Noebauer)
Refforestation activities can also affect the population dynamics of vectors and reservoirs which can promote the emergence of infectious diseases.
The forest sector itself is a major source of invasive species. Many of the tree species used in commercial forestry in many parts of the world are alien or non-indigenous to the area. Hundreds of species have also been widely and successfully planted for a variety of purposes including afforestation, desertification and erosion control, and for the supply of fuelwood and other forest products. Such intentional introductions however, can bring about many unintended and costly consequences when these species escape cultivation and invade natural ecosystems. Alien tree plantations can have negative effects on the biodiversity and water resources of afforested areas. Alien species that spread from plantations to natural and semi-natural areas, and also into areas set aside for conservation and water production, have considerable impacts on ecosystem properties and functions. | <urn:uuid:1ab56f06-555b-4f3f-ba4a-b3dcae72ca31> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fao.org/forestry/aliens/52520/en/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928036 | 780 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Water For Jobs campaign encourages funding of water treatment infrastructure to create jobs
During the recent political conventions, both parties adopted platform language recognizing the positive impact of clean and safe water on job creation, economic growth and health. While the candidates have touched on infrastructure investment as a way to generate jobs, water infrastructure has been largely missing from the conversation.
American Water is joining with the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and others in the industry on the Water For Jobs campaign. This widespread outreach effort sends a clear message to elected officials and political candidates that investment in improving the nation’s deteriorating water infrastructure is also an investment in America, and should be a priority issue in the November elections.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified a total water and wastewater infrastructure capital investment need of $1 trillion over the next 20 years. At current funding levels, there will be a capital funding gap of at least $224 billion nationwide unless investment increases.
As the gap between needs and investment grows, the impacts on jobs, lost business sales and GDP worsens, according to a recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on current investment trends in water and wastewater treatment infrastructure. The report states that failure to fund critical improvements will result in unreliable water delivery and wastewater treatment services, potentially leading to a $206 billion burden on businesses and households between now and 2020. What’s more, unless the infrastructure deficit is addressed by 2040, 1.4 million jobs could be at risk. Conversely, a study by the Economic and Policy Institute, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, suggested that expenditures on water infrastructure alone could lead to the creation of more than a million jobs over the course of the next five years.
“Investing in water infrastructure creates good paying jobs to repair, replace and upgrade our aging water systems that will ensure safe and reliable water. Such action will in turn attract and retain industry, business and qualified workers, which are essential to any thriving community. And, it promotes innovative technologies which can help keep America competitive,” said Jeff Sterba, president and CEO of American Water.
Americans overwhelmingly agree that water infrastructure investment is critical to protecting public health and promoting quality of life, with 95% of voters ranking clean water as the most important service government provides, according to a recent survey.
“This is an opportune time to come together as advocates for a bipartisan cause—the desperate need to invest in the nation’s crumbling water infrastructure is a viable way to stimulate the economy and address the challenges threatening one of our most precious resources,” said Sterba. | <urn:uuid:558920b6-3d2f-4b4c-a9ca-8df3f899890c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wwdmag.com/print/26395 | 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 | 0.944345 | 530 | 2.015625 | 2 |
logging in or signing up Sales forecasting aSGuest121522 Download Post to : URL : Related Presentations : Share Add to Flag Embed Email Send to Blogs and Networks Add to Channel Uploaded from authorPOINT lite Insert YouTube videos in PowerPont slides with aS Desktop Copy embed code: Embed: Flash iPad Dynamic Copy Does not support media & animations Automatically changes to Flash or non-Flash embed WordPress Embed Customize Embed URL: Copy Thumbnail: Copy The presentation is successfully added In Your Favorites. Views: 3575 Category: Entertainment License: All Rights Reserved Like it (0) Dislike it (0) Added: December 08, 2011 This Presentation is Public Favorites: 0 Presentation Description No description available. Comments Posting comment... Premium member Presentation Transcript Sales forecasting: Sales forecasting Presented By. Kamlesh Chhugani Ajay KumarIntroduction of sales forecasting: Introduction of sales forecasting A systematic attempt to probe future with the help of known facts. It is the “analysis and interpretation of the future conditions in relation to operations of enterprise.” Thus, its the process of predicting future systematically. The result of this process is known as forecasts. Its a difficult area of management. Most of us believe we are good at forecasting. However, forecasts made usually turn out to be wrong! Marketers argue about whether its a science or an art. The short answer is that it is a bit of both.Steps in sales forecasting: Steps in sales forecasting Defining the objectives to be achieved. Dividing various products into homogenous groups. Analyzing the importance of various factors to be studied for sales forecasting. Selecting the methods. Collecting and analyzing the related information. Drawing conclusions from the analysis made. Implementing the decisions taken. Reviewing and revising the sales forecasting from time to time.Methods of sales forecasting: Methods of sales forecasting Survey methods: Based on the opinion of buyers & consumers. First We select the potential buyers/consumers then collects their opinions for forecasting. Expert opinion: A company invites the opinions of executives and consultants who acknowledged experts in studying sales trends. By the opinions, it forecast future sales. This estimate is also based on past performance.PowerPoint Presentation: Market test methods: Its used for the changing consumer behavior prices,advertising,expenditure etc. It allows management to know how consumer will buy go for a particular product. Sales force opinion: Estimates the buyers intention from experienced personnel in the sales force. They can easily forecast for their respective territories. This method can be used only when the firm has competent high-caliber sales personnel.PowerPoint Presentation: Statistical methods: Its superior techniques because their reliability is higher than that of other techniques. A. Trends methods. B. Graphical methods. C. Time series methods. ( i ) freehold methods. (ii) Semi average methods. (iii) Moving average methods. (iv) Methods of least squares. D. Regression line.Significance of Forecasting: Significance of Forecasting An essential element of planning. It means estimating future sales on a systematic basis. Almost every business executive makes sales forecasting. Has assumed great importance in the modern business world which is characterized by growing competition, rapidity of changes in environment, fast technological changes and increased government control.Advantages: Advantages ( i ) For effective planning by providing a scientific and reliable basis for anticipating future operations such as production, inventory, supply of capital and so on. (ii) For reducing the area of uncertainty that surrounds management decision-making with respect to cost, production, profits, pricing, etc. (iii) Making and reviewing on a continuous basis will compel the managers to think ahead and to search for the best possible decisions with a dynamic approach. (iv) For efficient managerial control as Forecast of sales a must in order to control the costs of production and the productivity of personnel.Limitations of Forecasting: Limitations of Forecasting All forecasts are subject to a degree of error and they can never be made with a hundred percent accuracy. Guesswork can never be omitted from forecasting, though it can be reduced with the help of modern quantitative techniques. Managers often neglect to examine whether the forecasts are supported by reliable information . Managers must use their knowledge, experience and available information with a great degree of skill and take care to make forecasts more dependable.Steps in Forecasting : Steps in Forecasting ( i ) Understanding the Problem (ii) Developing the Groundwork iii) Selecting and Analyzing Data (iv) Estimating Future EventsSales Forecasting - Why is it necessary?: Sales Forecasting - Why is it necessary? To increase the profitability. To increase the revenue. To increase the customer base. To retain more and more customer. To raise the necessary cash for investment and operations To establish capacity and output levels To acquire and stock the right amount of supplies To hire the required number of people You do not have the permission to view this presentation. In order to view it, please contact the author of the presentation. | <urn:uuid:3844c95b-a4f3-46d4-bbd2-32ee98c18b80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/aSGuest121522-1274231-sales-forecasting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910916 | 1,033 | 2.21875 | 2 |
We've got a full calendar of special events over the next month or so, which I thought I'd just highlight so you can mark your calendars. We hope to see you often!
On Monday, 22 March our new exhibit opens: "'A More Interior Revolution': Elizabeth Peabody, Margaret Fuller, and the Women of the American Renaissance" will be available for viewing Monday through Saturday from 1-4 p.m., and will be up through 30 June. Guest curator Megan Marshall has selected letters and journals written by Fuller and Peabody, together with writings and works of art created by other women who participated in the literary renaissance in New England between 1830 and Fuller's death in 1850. The exhibition draws upon the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Concord Free Public Library. You can find more information on the exhibit here.
Some events associated with the show include a special preview of the show for MHS members and fellows (more info here), and two public gallery talks: "The Lost Letters of Margaret Fuller" by Stephen T. Riley Librarian Peter Drummey will be held on Saturday, 27 March, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. as part of the MHS Annual Open House. On Friday, 23 April, at 2 p.m., Leslie Perrin Wilson, Curator of the William Munroe Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library, will give a talk entitled "'No Worthless Books'": Elizabeth Peabody's Foreign Library and Bookstore, 1840-1852." The MHS also will sponsor a three-day conference, Margaret Fuller and Her Circles, 8-10 April 2010. For information on the conference program, please visit the conference webpage. The opening keynote for the Fuller conference, "'The Measure of my Footprint': Margaret Fuller's Unfinished Revolution" will be delivered by Mary Kelley at 6 p.m. on Thursday, 8 April, and is free and open to the public.
I mentioned the Open House above: we do hope you'll join us on Saturday, 27 March from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. for the exhibit talks (11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) or for guided tours of the MHS building (10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m.). You can learn more about MHS programs and events, become a member, and enjoy some special refreshments.
And if you've been following along with John Quincy Adams' tweets from Russia (or even if you haven't) we hope you'll join us for a talk by author Michael O'Brien on Wednesday, 31 March. Mr. O'Brien's new book is Mrs. Adams in Winter: A Journey in the Last Days of Napoleon (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010) about Louisa Catherine Adams' trek across Europe in early 1815. Refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m., and the talk will start at 6 p.m. Reservations for this event are requested; please go here for more information or to submit a reservation.
| Published: Tuesday, 9 March, 2010, 8:35 AM
Remembering John Brown
On the 150th anniversary of John Brown's execution (2 December 1859), a reminder that you can visit our current exhibition, "John Brown: Martyr to Freedom or American Terrorist - Or Both?" through 23 December, Monday - Saturday from 1-4 p.m. The exhibit includes personal papers, photographs, broadsides, engravings, weapons, and artifacts that illuminate Brown's life together with evidence of the continuing arguments about the morality and meaning of his actions.
And since there are a number of interesting columns about Brown and his legacy in the newspapers today I thought I'd link to those: at History News Network, David Blight's essay "'He Knew How to Die": John Brown on the Gallows, December 2, 1859" examines the difficult lessons of Brown's life and actions, concluding "John Brown should confound and trouble us. Martyrs are made by history; people choose their martyrs just as we choose to define good and evil. And we will be forever making and unmaking John Brown as Americans face not only their own racial past, but the ever changing reputation of violence in the present."
In the New York Times, Tony Horwitz calls Brown's raid "The 9/11 of 1859," and points out parallels he sees between Brown's raid and the attacks made on 11 September 2001 (and between Brown's trial and the upcoming trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed).
Also in the Times, David Reynolds argues in "Freedom's Martyr" that Brown should be remembered as an "American hero," and suggests that Virginia governor Tim Kaine and President Barack Obama should posthumously pardon Brown.
| Published: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 9:05 AM
"Gluttons for Books"
Books and reading played a major role in the lives and careers of both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. In a major conference, an exhibition, and a web presentation this summer, the MHS and other institutions around the country highlight the collections, reading habits, and literary legacies of these two men.
The conference, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson: Libraries, Leadership, and Legacy, is a joint effort sponsored by the MHS, the Boston Public Library, and the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello (and supported by several other institutions and benefactors). The full conference schedule is available here. It will begin in Boston on this coming Sunday, 21 June, with a keynote address by Dr. Ted Widmer, Director of the John Carter Brown Library (free and open to the public). Two days of panel discussions and other events in Boston will follow, and then the conference moves to Charlottesville, VA, for another keynote address by former U.S. Senator Gary Hart on Thursday 25 June. That will be followed by two concluding days of panel discussions at the University of Virginia. Information on registration, the conference schedule, and PDFs of the conference papers are available at the conference website.
To accompany the conference and extending through the summer, the MHS has mounted an exhibit, "'Gluttons for Books: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Their Libraries." The show includes the book catalogs of Jefferson and Adams, correspondence between members of the Adams family about books and reading, and selections from the retirement correspondence of Jefferson and Adams (which is, I think, one of the most fascinating exchanges of letters ever written). One case will highlight the recent discovery and verification of Jefferson's inventory of the collection of books he received through the bequest of his friend and teacher George Wythe (an MHS-Monticello collaboration). A computer terminal will be available to access those portions of the exhibit which have been digitized (including Jefferson's 1783 and 1789 catalogs, the BPL's excellent John Adams Library site, the Wythe List, and online catalogs of the Jefferson and Adams libraries).
The exhibition will remain on display at the Historical Society from Tuesday, 23 June through Friday, 4 September. The MHS is open to the public Monday-Wednesday, and Friday, 9:00 a.m. -4:45 p.m.; Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-7:45 p.m.; and Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The Society will be closed on Friday, 3 July and Saturday, 4 July. As the MHS hosts many programs for school teachers and other visitors during the summer months, please call the front desk (617-646-0500) for specific exhibition hours.
Finally, June's Object of the Month highlights one of the letters from our collections relating to the Wythe library: it's a 22 July 1806 letter from Thomas Jefferson's cousin and agent George Jefferson, notifying him that the Wythe books have been packed up in Richmond and are ready for shipment to Monticello.
| Published: Monday, 15 June, 2009, 10:28 AM | <urn:uuid:8503e248-1019-41c3-a99c-1e7f015fc986> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.masshist.org/blog/index.php?rownum=15&series=33 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940774 | 1,660 | 1.679688 | 2 |
You must give power in order to empower?
Empowerment is giving qualified people power and permission to act. Empowerment fails when leaders talk empowerment but hang on to permission or make it difficult to act.
Empowered people become colleagues not employees.
Transform your organization by making subordinates colleagues.
- Eliminate exclusive trappings of power. Reserve parking spaces based on achievement not position, for example.
- Destroy barriers by welcoming and respecting input from anyone. Never act dismissively.
- Mix with the “riff raff,” during meals and social activities. (Sarcasm intended)
- Honor people who actually do things rather than talk about doing things.
- Step back so others can step in.
In an “organization of colleagues” responsibility, accountability, and evaluation goes both ways.
The five suggestions I listed above are helpful but reflect safe top down structures. They aren’t enough. If you’re serious about empowering people, empower subordinates to give performance reviews to their bosses. If you are really serious, publish the results on your organizations intranet.
Colleagues hold each other responsible.
We can’t have subordinates evaluating bosses because:
- Subordinates aren’t qualified to give performance reviews. They don’t understand the Halo Effect, for example.
- Employees will use performance reviews to get back at superiors.
- Underlings won’t tell the truth, they’ll inflate reviews in order to appease bosses.
The reasons you resist bottom-up evaluations is your justification for hanging on to power and explains why people don’t feel empowered.
Good and bad news:
“Organizations of colleagues” are on the way in. Younger generations honor ideas from all quarters and disregard established structures. Thank the Internet and Social Media. Opportunities for empowered organizations are greater than ever.
What attitudes and behaviors become important if subordinates give performance review to bosses?
Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise. | <urn:uuid:4017f1ee-aeb9-48b3-98f6-a685017f647f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/how-to-make-subordinates-colleagues/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901778 | 456 | 1.796875 | 2 |
“She needed no help in conveying her sense of injustice, her commitment to fighting for the underdog, her indomitable sense of equality for all,” said Larry Golden, executive director of the Illinois Innocence Project and emeritus professor of political science and legal studies at the University of Illinois Springfield. At the age of 51, Gingold was one of Golden’s first students at UIS, and the two became close friends. Golden laments the loss of Gingold, to whom he refers as the “tiny woman with the quiet voice” that nevertheless rang with the power of justice.
Born in Terra Haute, Ind., in 1918, Ethel Silver Gingold grew up with three sisters during the Great Depression. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1940 and earned two master’s degrees during the 1970s from Sangamon State University, now the University of Illinois Springfield.
Gingold won numerous awards for her devotion to equality and right, including the University of Illinois Humanitarian Award in 2007, the Annetta Dieckmann Volunteer Award from the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1995, and many more stretching back decades. She was involved with civil rights groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, the Urban League and the Springfield-based Coalition to Promote Human Dignity and Diversity.
Gingold worked extensively with ex-convicts to help reintegrate them into society after prison, served on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, and served several roles in quasi-governmental agencies dealing with corrections issues. It was Gingold who lobbied the Sangamo Club in Springfield to allow women full membership during the 1970s, and she even created a scholarship fund at UIS to help students who overcame challenges while pursuing a degree. Her résumé takes up several pages and is so full of accomplishments and awards that it’s almost hard to believe a single person could do so much.
Gingold’s friends remember her as a tireless fundraiser for many causes. Mary Jo Potter, a close friend of Gingold, says Gingold was so persuasive in her fundraising that people would sometimes turn around when Gingold approached to avoid buying tickets to a charity event. Potter says that was just one facet of Gingold’s “fierce determination to continue struggles she didn’t see were over yet.”
What motivated Gingold to devote her life to ideals like equality and justice? Potter speculates that Gingold’s Jewish heritage made her especially sensitive to the tragic suffering and inhumanity of the Holocaust.
“She was committed to equality for all so that a similar situation would never arise again,” Potter said.
Gingold was known for supporting idealistic political candidates. Potter’s favorite memory of Gingold is the time Gingold took Potter to meet a young Democratic state senator from Chicago. That senator would later become President Barack Obama. Potter says Gingold treasured a book that contained a personal inscription from Obama, and Gingold may even have foreseen Obama’s rise to the White House.
Sangamon County associate judge Brian Otwell knew Gingold when Otwell was just a boy. His parents were friends with Gingold, and Otwell says Gingold “adopted” him when he moved to Springfield in 1979 as a young man preparing for law school.
“She was such a delightful person,” Otwell said. “She was always very generous with herself and her time. You could tell she always cared. She made you feel like you were one of the most special people in the world to her.”
Gingold would sometimes play matchmaker, Otwell recalls, and he would often bring his love interests to Gingold for her approval. He adds that Gingold’s evaluations were spot on.
“There was one occasion in which she wasn’t thrilled with my selection,” he said. “Needless to say, that particular relationship didn’t last very long.”
Otwell says he’ll greatly miss Gingold’s sense of humor, which he described as sardonic and often ironic.
“She was very sophisticated and intellectual on one hand, but she also enjoyed a good laugh or a good tease,” he said. “It was nothing malicious; there was not a malicious bone in her body. She could dish it out and take it equally.”
Larry Golden says Gingold had a knack for challenging assumptions and the status quo.
“Whenever we got together and particularly started talking about anything in the realm of social justice or politics, she would always come up with something that went against the grain and yet was right,” Golden said. “Discussions with her were always tinged with that, yet it was evident that she had a genuine respect for those around her.”
Golden says no matter the issue or who was affected, Ethel Gingold was involved.
“She would be in a group of people where she would know there would be some disagreement – maybe she would even be standing alone – and she was not afraid to push ahead for things she thought were right,” Golden said, noting that Gingold was one of the few white people involved in the leadership of the NAACP in Springfield. “It wouldn’t make any difference whether it involved a white person or a black person. She would stand up and call things as she saw them.” | <urn:uuid:54a66496-619a-4a42-b67f-ef57bbe8892a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-10877-a-quiet-voice-that-rang-with-the-power-of-justice.html | 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 | 0.981738 | 1,170 | 2.4375 | 2 |
: Who We Are
: Origin Founder
Rippan Kapur - Origin and Founder of CRY
Rippan Kapur, the airline purser who founded CRY, was an ordinary person driven by an extraordinary dream - the dream that no Indian child would be deprived of rights as basic as survival, participation, protection and development.
Like all of us, Rippan got upset to see the disparities that exist between privileged and underprivileged children. He hated to see children begging and working as servants. Unlike most of us, though, he did something about it. In his case, the action started young.
He joined his school's social service club and read to the blind, visited children in hospitals, held reading and writing classes for street children, and started a free dispensary at a slum the Club adopted. To raise funds for these activities, the Club sold milk. It even won a shield for the best Interact club!
These qualities of resourcefulness and determination were to come in handy when Rippan and 6 of his friends started CRY with Rs. 50/- around Rippan's mother's dining table. That was 29 years ago, in 1979. They felt that something needed to be done to improve the situation of the underprivileged Indian child.
Uncharacteristically, given their backgrounds and motivations, they chose not to found a grassroots-level implementing organisation working directly with and for underprivileged children. They opted instead to make CRY a link between the millions of Indians who could provide resources and thousands of dedicated people and organisations at the grassroots-level who are struggling to function for lack of them. This "link" or enabling position has determined CRY's strategic choices at every juncture - from the fundraising methods it employs, to the nature of its relationship with the NGOs it partners.
All through the early, difficult years, it was Rippan's passion and conviction that drove CRY. He was firmly convinced that each of us can, in our own small way, be agents of change, and when enough of us are moved to this, the impact is a lasting change for the better. All he asked of people was that they help CRY by doing what they were good at. As he put it, "What I can do, I must do."
Rippan died in 1994, at 40. CRY continues to grow.
Rippan's Interview - Excerpts from Rippan's last interview (1994), in which he discussed CRY, its past and its future with Shivani Maheshwari. | <urn:uuid:6f8e5b95-8939-4551-aa64-83044c075741> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cry.org/whoweare/originfounder.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979388 | 527 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Gym junkies proceed with caution! While hitting the gym can have numerous beneficial physiological effects, it can pose it’s own set of risks from a musculo-skeletal perspective.
The ‘core strength’ phenomenon has swept the health and fitness industry over the previous decade. “Suck your core in” is a phrase that echoes from gyms to pilates studios and physiotherapy clinics alike.
I'm confident we've all experienced the effects of an unaccustomed, high intensity exercise bout. Summer is here and so is our urge to shape up into our buff beach bodies. Although you haven't trained all Winter, the enthusiasm takes over and a light introductory gym session turns into a 90 minute blitz session.
With the arrival of the technology generation every adult will spend some percentage of their existence plugging away on a keyboard. Some will delve into the world of gigabytes more than others, from your average punter updating their facebook status, to your fulltime business workers who may spend in excess of 8 hrs per day glued to their LCD screen.
If only we had unlimited access to a fountain of youth. Take a sip every year and we reverse the inevitable effects of the dreaded ageing process. Our muscles stay strong, bones dense and our neurological synapses abundant. We hold our good looks and maintain the energy that we had as a 21 year old, deep into our 80's & 90's, maybe even see out the century.
The ability to prevent an injury before it happens requires a solid fitness base and a sound pre-activity routine involving various movement patterns.
‘Use it or lose it’. A common phrase emanating from the world of health and fitness, is not only a cliché. It holds actual clinical significance when it comes to the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems.
The human body has a remarkable capacity for repair. When we injure ourselves, a cascade of events occur that is initiated with an inflammatory response.
A big part of keeping a healthy heart is how you manage your lifestyle, here are some great tips for men and women.
As training techniques evolve we are immersed in many different training techniques such as functional training. So what exactly is functional training and how can we incorporate this technique for shoulder stability verses the more traditional mobility approach.
Participating in sport or physical activity should be fun, a chance to improve your skills, develop friendships and to increase your fitness. Although, many people push themselves too hard too fast, and do not take adequate rest breaks. This is often a recipe for burn-out.
Every year hundreds of people suffer sporting injuries – sprains, strains, fractures and broken bones. More often than not most of these injuries could have been prevented had the correct preparation been undertaken.
Getting sore sitting at the desk all day?
Many people interact with a computer workstation at some point in the working day, whether at the office, school or home. Subsequently workstation health and ergonomics are essential in ensuring a safe and healthy working environment. | <urn:uuid:1b72421a-5a9c-4180-9a57-31e363e01581> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fitstyler.com.au/Health_Nutrition/Health-Articles/body/injury-prevention-rehabilitation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937775 | 622 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Role of the Assistant Dean as Academic Adviser:
offers advice on course selection, assists with registration and facilitates entry in a major
establishes and evaluates academic goals
assists in understanding and navigating college policies and procedures
connects students with other college programs and resources
provides two types of advising: one-on-one and group advising
- prior to each registration cycle: review schedule, course load, update Four Year Sequence Planner/ Summary Sheets, and Academic Advising Report/What If Report
- throughout the semester: explore career goals, provide most updated brochures and fliers from prospective departments
- recommend that they meet with department chairs and/or pre-major advisers in their prospective department
- recommend that they meet with staff members in the Career Center to discuss and review career possibilities and goals
Group advising occurs during the 10 week Open Option Orientation class. Each orientation class has an instructor and a Peer Adviser. The course instructor is the Assistant Dean, who typically teaches all sections. The Assistant Dean coordinates all sections and prepares all course material for the Peer Advisers.
Role of Peer Advisers
In addition to an instructor, each class section also has a peer adviser. The peer adviser, an upper-level fellow student, provides an additional source of knowledge and the experience of being a student who entered TCNJ as Open Option in Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) and successfully made the transition to a Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) major or majors. In class, the instructor and peer adviser serve as facilitators, guiding students through the readings, class discussions, group activities, and assignments. Peer advisers also serve as mentors and assist students in selecting courses prior or during a registration cycle. | <urn:uuid:9d098a0a-dc43-432d-ba9e-d63807012f27> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hss.pages.tcnj.edu/interdisciplinary-programs/open-option-2/advisement-for-open-option-students/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946556 | 353 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The first ever criminal conviction in Hungary for doubting the “Holocaust” was handed down yesterday. The court of appeals affirmed the lower court decision and sentenced software developer György Nagy to one and a half years probation for questioning Jewish historians.
In addition, the court ordered Nagy to visit a “Holocaust Memorial Center” for purposes of indoctrination at least three times and describe his thoughts on the degrading visits in an essay.
Nagy and his lawyer have questioned the legal basis of the sentence claiming that criminalizing doubts about the “Holocaust” is contrary to the Basic Law. The court however stated that in certain cases to protect “human dignity”* the freedom of expression law can be overruled.
* This is beyond ridiculous, as Jews have no concept of dignity and view themselves as separate from humankind. | <urn:uuid:6e074dda-e018-48b0-a637-a3c0f65fab03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.destroyzionism.com/2013/02/01/hungarian-software-developer-sentenced-for-doubting-the-holocaust/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955768 | 176 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Few countries have a more conflicted relationship with the United Nations than Israel. On one hand, Israelis often perceive the UN as perennially biased against the Jewish state via myriad resolutions and admonishments. Yet Israel also depends on UN peace-keeping forces to help maintain security along its tension-prone northern and southern borders.
Now Israel is entering a new era of UN engagement as 14 Israeli police officers serve in the nation’s first-ever UN peace-keeping mission currently taking place in Haiti. Selected from conventional police departments across the country, the Israeli officers are helping restore and maintain order in the wake of Haiti’s massive January earthquake. As Monocle reported in March this year (issue 31), Israel’s disaster relief team emerged as the unexpected bright stars of the earthquake rescue operation. Buoyed by that effort’s goodwill, Israeli forces are back on the island for a three-month deployment – today wearing those iconic UN “blue hats” for the first time in the nation’s history (apart from a lone Israeli officer who served under the UN during the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia).
“We’re working with fellow officers from 48 nations – Europeans, Jordanians even some members of the NYPD,” says delegation deputy director Ron Krig, who commands the anti-crime SWAT unit back in Tel Aviv. “We feel we have a lot to offer this operation, and we have a lot to learn.”
Owing to both its small size and relative newness, the Israeli contingent is serving as part of the official Italian delegation, which is providing logistical and technical support such as shelter and transport. Nonetheless, the mere presence of Israeli forces sends a clear message that despite unpopular domestic security policies, Israel intends to take a higher-profile role in security operations abroad.
“We want to be part of the global agenda, to work with the UN in identifying worthy projects and participating in capacity building efforts around the world,” says Meirav Eilon-Shahar, director of the UN political affairs division at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. “There are so many peace keepers around us, so Israel clearly understands the value of these missions.”
As its first UN peace-keeping operation begins winding down next month, Eilon-Shahar’s office is already preparing for the next. In early 2011, a second team of officers is scheduled to arrive in Haiti, this time working with the UN to train Haitian police to effectively patrol themselves. Once again, the cops will volunteer from Israel’s civilian police force – meaning fewer officers in a country where the police play an essential role in maintaining national security.
Nonetheless, Eilon-Shahar feels it’s precisely these kinds of outsized duties that make Israeli forces so qualified for peace keeping schemes like the operation underway in Haiti. “Israeli police deal with far more than just crime, so they can offer (UN missions) unique expertise,” Eilon-Shahar says. “This is where we can contribute the most,” she adds, “finding ways for our expertise to benefit others.” | <urn:uuid:40170f4d-21e9-4c6f-a5fb-0d437dcd95fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://monocle.com/monocolumn/affairs/israeli-police-on-a-mission-to-haiti/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943436 | 652 | 2.015625 | 2 |
CONGREGATION FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS
Everything is directed towards "holiness'
Throughout her history, the Church has always celebrated holiness as an expression of the "wonderful things" the Lord works in the life of his People. In response to sensibilities and historical contexts, the Church has paid special attention to the liturgical forms and procedures in which praise to the Most High is expressed and new life given to the faith and piety of the faithful.
These procedures and the significant wealth of such rites have also been carefully studied by the Church in light of the most recent ecclesial knowledge for a more incisive understanding and a more cogent effect of the very nature of holiness, which the Church celebrates with the rites of Beatification and Canonization.
To this end, the Holy Father Benedict XVI has introduced important new procedures for Beatifications.
I. Historical-juridical premise
1. In the first millennium of the Church's existence, the cult of Martyrs and later of Confessors of the Faith was regulated by the various particular Churches. On the occasion of a Synod, the Bishops, individually or collegially, would authorize new particular cults that began with the elevatio or translatio corporis [the body was exhumed and transferred]. These acts subsequently became known as "episcopal canonizations" or "particular canonizations" because they involved directly only the local Church (Benedict XIV, "Magister" of the Causes of Saints, will make episcopal canonization equivalent to beatification, which consists in the concession [permissio] of a cult "pro aliquibus determinatis locis" [De Servorum Dei beatificatione et beatorum canonizatione, Prato, 1839, L.I, ch. 31, 4, p. 196]).
In the 11th century, the principle that as universal Pastor of the Church the Roman Pontiff alone has the authority to prescribe a public devotion began to gain ground, both in the particular Churches and the universal Church. With a Letter to the King and Bishops of Sweden, Alexander III asserted the Pope's authority to confer the title of Saint and the relevant public cult. This norm became a universal law with Gregory IX in 1234.
In the 14th century, the Holy See began to authorize cults limited to specific places and to certain Servants of God whose canonization cause had not yet been initiated or had not yet reached its conclusion. This concession, with a view to future Canonization, is at the origin of Beatification.
After Sixtus IV (1483), Servants of God to whom a limited cult was granted were known as Blesseds. A definitive juridical distinction was thereby made between the titles of Saint and Blessed, which in the Middle Ages had been used loosely.
The concession of a local devotion was rendered official and communicated to those concerned in an Apostolic Letter in the form of a Brief, which the local Bishop implemented auctoritate apostolica.
After the establishment of the Congregation for Rites (1588) by Sixtus V, the Pope continued to permit limited cults (Missa et Officium) to culminate in Canonization. Procedures were gradually clarified and refined until they developed into the norms in force today, which were promulgated in 1983.
2. The teaching on the institution of Beatification ("Doctores... tradunt Beatificationem esse actum, quo Summus Romanus Pontifex indulgendo permittit aliquem Dei Servum coli posse in aliqua Provincia, Dioecesi Civitate, aut Religiosa Familia Cultu quodam determinato, ac Beatorum proprio, usquequo ad solemnem eius Canonizationem deveniatur" [Benedictus XIV, L.I, ch. 39, 5, p. 262]), and Canonization (ibid., p. 263) has remained substantially unchanged down the centuries. The distinction between them (I. Noval, Commentarium Codicis Juris Canonici, Lib. IV De Processibus, pars II, Augustae Taurinorum-Romae, 1932, p. 7), which is adequately expressed in the respective proclamatory or constitutive formulas, is clear and essential.
Canonization is the supreme glorification by the Church of a Servant of God raised to the honours of the altar with a decree declared definitive and preceptive for the whole Church, involving the solemn Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff.
This is expressed unequivocally in the formula: "Ad honorem Sanctae et Individuae Trnitatis... auctoritate Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, beatorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli ac Nostra... Beatum N. N. Sanctum esse decernimus ac definimus, ac Sanctorum Catalogo adscribimus, statuentes eum in universa Ecclesia inter Sanctos pia devotione recoli debere".
Beatification, on the other hand, consists in the concession of a public cult in the form of an indult and limited to a Servant of God whose virtues to a heroic degree, or Martyrdom, have been duly recognized, as is pointed out by the respective formula: "...facultatem facimus ut Venerabilis Servus Dei N. N. Beati nomine in posterum appelletur, eiusque festum... in locis ac modis iure statutis quotannis celebrari possit".
II. The rites of Beatification down the centuries
The rites and ceremonies for Beatification and Canonization, as well as the formulas to be pronounced and other minor details, have been expressed in different ways, although they have essentially remained in doctrinal continuity. Here we point out four stages that solely concern the institution of Beatification:
a) Before 1662: The Pope, conceding a local cult (beatification), normally left to those concerned (Promoters of the Cause, the Local Ordinary) the possibility of choosing the day, venue and form in which to solemnize the event of the Beatification that had occurred and to inaugurate the new cult (Missa et Officium).
It could also happen in certain monasteries that no external solemnity was celebrated on the occasion of the Beatification, but the feast of the new Blessed was commemorated on the day of the year established by the liturgical calendar.
b) From 1662 to 1968: The first Beatification in solemn form was that of St Francis de Sales, desired by Alexander VII. The rite took place in St Peter's Basilica in two separate phases.
The first was in the morning of 8 January 1662 when the actual rite of Beatification was celebrated. The Apostolic Brief, dated 28 December 1661, was read out, with which the Pope conferred upon him the title of Blessed and the relative liturgical honours; the celebration of solemn Mass followed, at which the Bishop of Soissons presided. It was subsequently usual for a Canonical Bishop of the Vatican Chapter to preside at the Eucharistic celebration.
The main role in this morning rite was played by the Sacred Congregation for Rites and the Vatican Chapter; the second phase took place in the afternoon of the same day when the Pope entered the Basilica to venerate the new Blessed and to receive the plenary indulgence which he himself had bestowed upon the faithful who visited the Basilica that day.
The practice begun by Alexander VII remained virtually unchanged until 1968, when the last Beatification in accordance with that rite was celebrated (cf. F. Veraja, La Beatificazione. Storia, problemi, prospettive, Rome, ed. Congregation for the Causes of Saints, 1983, pp. 7-111).
c) From 1971 to 2004: With the Beatification of St Maximilian Kolbe (d. 1941), celebrated on the morning of 17 October 1971, Paul VI introduced the important innovation of presiding personally at the rite of Beatification. Thus, the afternoon ceremony, during which the Holy Father visited the Basilica to venerate the new Blessed and receive the plenary indulgence, was abolished.
For the first time, a "beatification formula" was drafted that was read by the Pope himself. Until then, the Congregation for Rites had been of the opinion that "even if the Pope intervened, there must be a clear distinction in solemnity between canonization and beatification" (wrote Bishop Antonelli, Secretary of the Dicastery: Archives of the Congregation, V AR 107/966 in G. Stano, Il rito della Beatificazione da Alessandro VII ai nostri giorni, in Miscellanea per il quarto Centenario della Congregazione della Cause dei Santi [1588-1988], Vatican City, 1988, p. 401).
In successive Beatifications (1972, 1974, 1975), the Pope, present at the celebration, received the peroratio and spoke the formula of beatification but did not celebrate Mass. At most, it was the Bishop of the new Blessed's Diocese who presided at the Eucharistic celebration. The peroratio was drafted by the Prefect of the Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints or also by the diocesan Bishop who presided at the Eucharistic celebration.
With the Beatification on 19 October 1975, the Pope resumed the practice of presiding at the Mass and continued to do so until 2004.
d) As from 2005: Pope Benedict XVI has established that Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, should preside at the rites of Beatification on 14 May 2005. "De mandato Summi Pontificis", the Cardinal read the Apostolic Letter with which the Pope conceded the title of Blessed to two Venerable Servants of God. Prior to this, the Bishops of the new Blesseds' Dioceses briefly summed up their lives. Cardinal Józef Glemp, diocesan Archbishop, Primate of Poland, presided at the Beatification rites in Warsaw, Poland, on 19 June 2005
III. Criteria for the rite of future Beatifications
The Holy Father Benedict XVI's recent decision not to preside personally at Beatification rites is a response to the widely felt need to:
i) give greater emphasis in the celebration to the substantial difference between Beatification and Canonization; and
ii) to involve the particular Churches more visibly in the Beatification rites of their respective Servants of God.
It became clear in the many Beatifications celebrated by John Paul lI in every part of the world that it is more pastorally suitable that Beatifications take place preferably in the particular Churches, while allowing for the possible choice of Rome for special reasons to be assessed, case by case, by the Secretariat of State.
Wherever Beatifications take place, in Rome or elsewhere, it is necessary to show clearly that every Beatification is an act of the Roman Pontiff, who thus permits ("facultatem facimus" in the current beatification formula) the local cult of a Servant of God, making his decision public in an Apostolic Letter.
Rites of Beatification and Canonization are already in themselves quite different; nonetheless, the fact that from 1971 onwards the Holy Father generally presided at them has almost blinded people to the substantial difference between the two institutions.
IV. Practical guidelines for the rite of Beatification
The directives that follow, therefore, concern rites of Beatification celebrated either in Rome or outside it, at which the Holy Father does not normally preside but at which he can always choose to preside in the circumstances and ways he may deem appropriate.
a) Rites of Beatification in particular Churches:
It is opportune from now on that rites of Beatification should take place in the Diocese that has promoted the new Blessed's cause, or in any other more suitable place in the same Ecclesiastical Province or Region.
The date and time of the Beatification as well as the possible grouping together of Servants of God from different Dioceses will be decided by the diocesan Bishop (or diocesan Bishops) and the Promoters of the Cause (or Causes) with the Secretariat of State, as has been done until now.
The Beatification rite that will take place during a liturgical celebration will begin with the presentation to the Assembly of the essential biographical traits of the future Blessed. This presentation will normally be made by the diocesan Bishop, or should there be several Servants of God, by the respective diocesan Bishops, as was done at the Beatification on 14 May in St Peter's Basilica.
The Holy Father will appoint a Representative who will officially read the Apostolic Letter with which the Roman Pontiff himself concedes the title and honours of a Blessed to the Servant of God in question. The Pope's Representative will normally be the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
In accordance with the most recent practices, the rite of Beatification will take place during the Eucharistic celebration, precisely after the penitential rite and before the singing of the "Gloria".
It is preferable that the Papal Representative or Diocesan Bishop (or one of the Diocesan Bishops when Blesseds come from different Dioceses) preside at the liturgical celebration in honour of the new Blessed. The Secretariat of State will decide on this, after hearing the opinion of all parties concerned.
The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff will coordinate with the particular Churches everything concerning the rite of Beatification.
b) Rites of Beatification in Rome
The parties concerned (Bishops and Promoters of the Cause) may ask the Secretariat of State for the rite of Beatification of a "non-Roman" Servant of God to take place in Rome rather than in the particular Church to which he or she belonged. The Secretariat of State will assess the reasons for this request. The same criteria which regulate the rites of Beatification that take place in Rome are applicable to rites taking place outside Rome.
The use of "booklets" is recommended. They should continue to be prepared by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff in order to enable the faithful to participate better in the celebration.
Lastly, it seems fitting that the rite of Beatification be substantially the same wherever it is celebrated. It is therefore to be hoped that an "Ordo Beatificationis et Canonizationis" may be drafted as soon as possible, edited by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff in agreement with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, C.M.F. | <urn:uuid:8aa8934a-0a04-426a-a448-68765215c1b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/csaints/documents/rc_con_csaints_doc_20050929_saraiva-martins-beatif_en.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939458 | 3,130 | 2.5625 | 3 |
April 23, 2012
The wave of the future would be computers. Kids at the city schools already had them and were crouching with their Apple II skills, poised to pounce upon our jobs some day. We would fall behind without these machines. Luckily, Hickory House, Inc. had some opportunities to give us. Luckier yet, the Jackson, Missouri 10,000-unit market hungered for the cheese and sausage product offered by Hickory House, Inc. By meeting our neighbors’ needs (we must first show them the catalog), we would help our school some day acquire new computers. We would prevent ourselves from falling abysmally behind and ending up stuck where we lived: in nowhere Missouri, in the hundred-mile downriver shadow cast off the St. Louis Arch, the Gateway to the West.
The campaign for new computers was launched in the gymnasium. It felt like the anti-drug rallies from back in the fourth grade. An energetic thirty-something—Craig or Scott or some other monosyllabic Anglo—smacked of Just-Say-No zeal, but his was not a message of resistance. He pushed a different substance as he zigzagged across the stage like a sidewinder. “You see, Justin from Franklin School got a bike!” Zig. “Mandy from North Elementary got Six Flags tickets!” Zag. He narrowed his eyes. “Some kids missed out.” Zig. “I don’t want you to miss out!” Zag. He thrust out his tongue, a display of disgust for any kid who would miss out.
On behalf of Hickory House, Inc., Craig encouraged us to just say “yes” to peddling tubs of cheese, links of sausage, and canisters of crackers. The more we sold, the bigger our prize-earning potential. Once we tasted the fruit of success, like Justin and Mandy who must’ve sold truckloads of sausage, our elementary eyes would open and we would know the gift of selling goods, for good. I stuffed the catalog and order form into my book bag next to my other homework assignments.
My parents forbade me from indiscriminate selling—no door-to-door sales pitches. Perhaps they knew what I could not: my classmates and I at West Lane Elementary were laying the bricks at the base of this pyramid for the pharaohs at Hickory House, Inc. in Indianapolis (or somewhere else we’d never been). This firm was filling their storehouses with the profits brought by foot armies of fifth-graders who meted out processed cheese in the streets of sub-suburbia. But, more likely, my folks balked at paying—or worse yet, having someone else pay—twenty dollars for spreadable cheese. Embarrassed as I was to exploit my grade-school innocence by hocking artificially-flavored hickory-smoked pig guts, more horrifying to me was the idea of bringing a blank order form back to class. My good-kid guilt eclipsed any sneaking inclination of my own instrumentality in this unhealthy triangle: an outside corporation brokering the needs of my rural school—where a thin wire fence separated the playground from an adjacent field of dairy cows—through using its own students to push overpriced product. Ultimately, I could not disappoint my teachers, my school, my community, or Craig. I sold a few items to low-hanging fruit—grandparents, the retired school teacher up the road, a longtime babysitter.
The lone Apple II computer our classroom cluster earned last year with the help of Hickory House, Inc. and reams of Campbell Soup labels (another school-wide drive) sat idle most of the day in the communal pod area. Good students won the privilege to play a learning game on it, usually the tragic Oregon Trail. Our task as elementary pioneers was to get from Independence, Missouri to the Oregon coast in a Conestoga wagon. Although a player could choose to be a banker, carpenter, or farmer, my classmates and I always chose the banker because he started out with the most money. We knew the farmer didn’t have a prayer of making it to Oregon. Along the way, various family members died of cholera or typhoid or simply drowned. We left them in graves marked by juvenile humor; the green letters on the tombstone read, “Here Lies Butthead.” We laughed and inched westward in our pixilated wagon. One inch equaled something like 200 miles; to say we inched along would be, in fact, an exaggeration. Because we were sunk if we didn’t arrive in Oregon before winter, we had no time to wait for a ferry. Instead, we forded rivers and sometimes didn’t make it. We tried to shoot rabbits and, if we were lucky, a bison—but usually ran out of ammunition and food long before the next outpost. Most of the time everyone died by Ft. Laramie, Wyoming—except possibly Tommy Miller, who was rumored to have made it all the way to Oregon in an afterschool marathon on the glowing hot Apple. He is a congressional lawyer in D.C., last I heard.
These were the games we played as the silt-stained hands of our farmers turned over the fields of the Mississippi River’s fertile crescent to subdivision developers and casino companies. These were the games we played in a county soused by floods and bled out by droughts. These were the games we played in this gateway borderland ripped through by tornadoes and cracked open by earthquakes. These were the games we played, made possible by Hickory House, Inc.
Delivery day came well into the fall, four to six weeks after we submitted our order sheets. Opaque white bags, filled with sausages the size of baby legs to deal out to our customers, sagged heavy from our arms. I rooted through my bag to retrieve my prize. Visions of Justin peddling his new bike with noisemakers on the wheels and Mandy riding the Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags flashed in my eleven-year-old brain. But I was like most kids. I tore the thin plastic bag to my Made-in-Taiwan prize and vacantly tinkered with it on the bus ride home. Maybe next year I would try harder to get something bigger. At home, I tossed my plastic whistle key chain in a drawer atop a graveyard of dried up markers and raced outside to play in the yard before sunset.
Originally from southeastern Missouri, Lynn Casteel Harper is a Baptist minister serving as an interfaith chaplain at a retirement community on the New Jersey Shore. She writes for the religion section of The Huffington Post. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in CALYX, A Journal of Literature and Art by Women, shady side review, Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley, and the Journal of Religion and Abuse. | <urn:uuid:26ea69e6-e310-4a49-a0a1-719805cd0484> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freerangenonfiction.com/?page_id=3784 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966468 | 1,456 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Ford Motor Co. said
it will bring its EcoBoost engine technology to mid-level vehicles as a way of
boosting fuel efficiency in a wider variety of its products.
Consumer Reports' "Future of the Car" event here in East Haddam, CT Ford
engineers said the new technology will eventually trickle down to the Ford Flex crossover, Ford Taurus and Ford F-150 truck. The
technology is also scheduled to hit the streets in the spring of 2009 in the
Lincoln MKS luxury car.
EcoBoost family of 4- and 6-cylinder engines is said to deliver 20-percent better fuel
efficiency and 15-percent fewer CO2 emissions by combining direct injection
technology with turbocharging to produce better performance in a smaller block.
application, the idea isn't to give consumers a bunch of performance from the
turbocharger, but to give parity in performance and give superior fuel
economy," said Brett Hinds, advanced engine design manager for Ford.
the Lincoln MKS at Consumer Reports' Auto Test Facility, Hinds said
EcoBoost could save about $400 per year for a consumer who drives 15,000 miles
per year and pays $3.75/gal. Doing so, he said, it would take several
years for a car owner to recoup the extra cost of the engine, but the
payback would occur faster than if the consumer had purchased a hybrid vehicle instead.
offering an environmental choice and an improvement in fuel economy, and we're
not compromising the vehicle's performance," Hinds said.
Hinds said by adding EcoBoost to a 3.5-liter engine, Ford produced a six-cylinder
engine that peaks at 340 ft-lb of torque and 340 HP.
much power, we can replace V8 engines in many applications," Hinds said. | <urn:uuid:a2d680b4-e784-487a-b68a-bed855ca88b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=228110 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945634 | 386 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Reports & Exams
Reports / Formal Parent-Teacher Meetings
Pupils are sent home with two formal reports each academic year: one at the start of the Spring Term and another at the end of the academic year.
Formal parent meetings with class teachers are held in the Spring Term, the times being arranged directly between teacher and parent. These meetings provide an opportunity for parents to ask any questions about their son or daughter’s progress. Parents are also welcome to make contact with the staff at any time should they wish to discuss anything problematic with their child. Parents are advised to make a special arrangement for such a meeting if only to ensure that the member of staff is free and available.
Throughout the year children will be set various different tests and examinations. Generally speaking these take place just before Christmas in the Autumn Term and the week before half term in the Summer Term. However, pupils in KS1, tend to do a wide variety of modular tests which will take place at the end of a unit of study. The entrance examinations for local Senior Schools usually take place during the beginning of the Spring Term; consequently there are special meetings for Year 6 parents concerning these examinations during the Autumn Term. Parents of Year 6 pupils are responsible for ensuring they have entered their child for the senior school of their choice. | <urn:uuid:6a9ebb14-e8e4-4b24-9aa6-450a56efc9d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stellamarisschool.co.uk/school-life/reports-and-exams | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965555 | 267 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Same-sex marriage and religious liberty
The following piece for our same-sex marriage symposium is written by Thomas C. Berg, James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota). He has written numerous articles on religion, law, and constitutional law; four books, including Religion and the Constitution (Aspen, with McConnell and Garvey) and The State and Religion in a Nutshell (ThomsonReuters); and many briefs in the Supreme Court and appellate courts.
Civil recognition of same-sex marriage is spreading. Four state legislatures, plus the District of Columbia, and one state court have successfully taken the step, with more likely to follow. Arguments against gay marriage have declined in public appeal in recent years; warnings that it will undermine marriage seem abstract to more and more people in the face of same-sex couples pursuing committed relationships and raising children.
The question in Perry v. Schwarzenegger and Windsor v. United States is whether this emerging situation should lead the courts "“ ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court "“ to declare opposite-sex-only marriage unconstitutional. To say that same-sex civil marriage should be recognized does not mean, of course, that judges should require it under the Constitution.
In making that distinction, one could raise arguments about proper methods of constitutional interpretation, or warn about political blowback that aggressive judicial decisions can trigger (as even some pro-choice observers have remarked about Roe v. Wade). I focus, however, on a different reason for the Court to tread gently in Perry: the religious liberty of traditionalist objectors to gay marriage, and how legislative recognition of marriage may be a better vehicle than judicial rulings for balancing religious liberty and gay rights. (I belong to a group of scholars, including symposium participant Robin Wilson, who have proposed model religious- accommodation provisions to legislatures considering same-sex marriage; my opinions here should not be attributed to those colleagues.)
For all of Judge Walker's lengthy fact-finding in Perry, he utterly fails to take religious-liberty issues seriously. He notes that "[p]rior to Proposition 8, no religious group was required to recognize marriage for same-sex couples." That is true about the church wedding, but there are many other potential conflicts (detailed, for example, here). Antidiscrimination and public-accommodation laws in California and other states could force many religious non-profits to give direct assistance to marriages or ceremonies that violate their tenets. Catholic Charities ceased providing adoptions in Massachusetts and, to a large extent, San Francisco because it faced being compelled to place children in same-sex households. A religious college that provides married-student housing might violate state law if it refused to house same-sex married couples. These groups can face civil liability or the loss of generally available government benefits such as tax exemptions or licenses.
Marriage ceremonies also affect small businesses "“ wedding planners, caterers "“ in which individuals directly lend their personal skills to facilitate marriages. An Albuquerque, New Mexico, wedding photographer had to pay more than $6600 in legal fees for declining to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony. In short, religious liberty is a context where gay marriage may affect others directly.
The adoption and photographer cases arose before same-sex marriage, under preexisting laws against sexual-orientation discrimination. (As Judge Walker notes, California already recognizes domestic partnerships and prohibits discrimination against them.) But recognizing same-sex marriage without significant religious accommodations will multiply the conflicts, since some traditionalists have particular objections to marriages because of the term's religious significance. Affirmative recognition of marriage, without accommodation, may also intensify the idea that opposition to homosexuality is so far beyond the pale that it deserves almost no accommodation. Consider the race context: in Bob Jones University (1983) the Supreme Court held that the long list of laws against race discrimination, covering mainstream education and employment markets, showed the existence of a "firm national policy" that justified extending penalties against an insular fundamentalist college that surely had no effect in such markets. There is plenty of reason to think that religious dissenters, organizations, and individuals will more frequently face the Hobson’s choice between directly facilitating same-sex marriages and giving up their charitable activities or livelihoods.
It is possible to minimize these conflicts: to protect religious liberty for many traditionalist dissenters while ensuring that gay couples have full ability in practice to marry and build families. The Albuquerque couple presented no evidence they incurred costs in finding another wedding photographer in the phone book. In Massachusetts, as Dale Carpenter has noted, "[g]ay couples could still adopt through dozens of other private agencies or through the state child-welfare services department itself."
As Robin Wilson's symposium contribution will detail, state legislatures that have enacted gay marriage have all acknowledged and accommodated religious-liberty concerns to some extent. Some states have protected religious organizations beyond the immediate context of celebrating or hosting a marriage ceremony. Others have protected fraternal societies, like the Knights of Columbus, that might object to hosting a wedding or reception. New York protected, among other things, against depriving an organization of generally available government benefits such as tax exemptions or licenses.
Although some of these accommodations could have gone further, they still serve the purpose of reducing social conflict by letting both sides in the culture war "live and let live." But before I turn to the relative roles of legislatures and courts in striking such balances, let me briefly add why recognizing gay marriage with significant religious-liberty protections is not just politically expedient but morally principled. Even though gay marriage and religious liberty clash in particular disputes, the arguments for the two have important common features. As I've argued elsewhere, the strongest arguments for recognizing same-sex civil marriage also support giving significant protection to religious dissenters.
Among the parallels, both same-sex couples and religious believers claim that their conduct stems from commitments central to their identity: love and fidelity to a life partner, faithfulness to the moral norms of God. Gay couples claim that it is insensitive, even cruel, to tell them their conduct is separate from their orientation "“ but so too, religious believers claim it is insensitive to tell them they can keep their beliefs but can't act on them. Both groups also claim that they should be able to live their commitments in a public way, touching all aspects of their lives. Gay couples claim a right beyond private behavior "“ participation in the social institution of civil marriage "“ but so too do religious believers who seek to follow their faith not just in houses of worship, but in charitable efforts and in their daily work lives.
These arguments suggest that religious accommodation ought to protect not just churches and clergy, but also religious nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities, in contexts beyond the ceremony itself such as adoption or marriage counseling. Accommodation in the commercial sphere is typically more limited, but it can extend to small, personal businesses like the wedding photographer, with an exception in cases "“ for example, small rural markets "“ where one religious objector’s refusal of services would cause a concrete hardship on the ability of the same-sex couple to marry.
Unfortunately, courts that have found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage have been blind to the range of religious-liberty issues. Like Judge Walker, the California Supreme Court in In re Marriage Cases (2008) found that same-sex civil marriage "will not impinge upon the religious freedom of" anyone, for two reasons: "no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs." The first reason overlooks the reach of antidiscrimination and public-accommodations laws; the second indefensibly limits religious-freedom concerns to the church ceremony and the clergyperson.
It's understandable that judges ruling on gay marriage would avoid opining on the whole range of possible conflicts with religious liberty. Courts by nature discuss only the precise issues before them. But the narrow judicial references also reflect that constitutional doctrine on the free exercise of religion has become quite weak. Both the U.S. Supreme Court, in Employment Division v. Smith (1990), and the California Supreme Court, under the state constitution, have held that courts should not order an accommodation from "laws of general applicability" that are formally neutral toward religion. Presumably, this includes laws prohibiting discrimination against same-sex couples.
Therefore, once the California Supreme Court ordered same-sex marriage, voters could understandably lack any confidence that religious-liberty concerns would ultimately be addressed and given weight. In that context, I believe, voters had a rational basis for rejecting same-sex marriage. As the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty argued in an amicus brief in Perry, "Since the California Supreme Court left Californians with an all-or-nothing choice between same-sex marriage and full protection for the rights of conscience, Proposition 8 was an entirely rational response to the threat to religious liberty." Concern for religious liberty in no way amounts to irrational bigotry or prejudice; it stems from a fundamental value in our constitutional and political system. That courts are unwilling to protect religious exercise vigorously in constitutional cases is a reason for "“ not against "“ protection of that right through political decisions (the U.S. Supreme Court in Smith expressly invited the political branches to accommodate religion).
Although I think Proposition 8 was therefore rational, it would be fairer to all to recognize gay marriage and accommodate religious liberty. The record shows that legislatures have done better than courts in striking this balance. That makes sense for institutional reasons: while a court focuses on the case before it, a legislature can take evidence on the range of situations that might be affected by its action. One by one in recent years, legislatures have acted as "laboratories of experimentation" and provided data, however imperfect, on how best to balance religious liberty with access to marriage. I believe that legislative superiority in striking such balances is one reason why legislation recognizing same-sex marriage is preferable to constitutional decision-making "“ preferable especially to a single decision by the U.S. Supreme Court requiring equal marriage in all fifty states.
If courts declare gay-marriage rights, however "“ whether state courts or the U.S. Supreme Court "“ they must do a better job on religious liberty than they have so far. They should expressly acknowledge the broad range of potential conflicts. And if they are not going to order religious accommodations as constitutional mandates, they should expressly encourage state legislatures to consider them as wise policy.
Recommended Citation: Thomas C. Berg, Same-sex marriage and religious liberty, SCOTUSblog (Aug. 16, 2011, 9:08 AM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2011/08/same-sex-marriage-and-religious-liberty/ | <urn:uuid:b8b4a941-857f-4baf-a487-bb8788c7f2fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scotusblog.com/2011/08/same-sex-marriage-and-religious-liberty/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949192 | 2,242 | 1.898438 | 2 |
The discount rate is the interest rate charged to commercial banks and other depository institutions on loans they receive from their regional Federal Reserve Bank's lending facility--the discount window. The Federal Reserve Banks offer three discount window programs to depository institutions: primary credit, secondary credit, and seasonal credit, each with its own interest rate. All discount window loans are fully secured.
Under the primary credit program, loans are extended for a very short term (usually overnight) to depository institutions in generally sound financial condition. Depository institutions that are not eligible for primary credit may apply for secondary credit to meet short-term liquidity needs or to resolve severe financial difficulties. Seasonal credit is extended to relatively small depository institutions that have recurring intra-year fluctuations in funding needs, such as banks in agricultural or seasonal resort communities.
The discount rate charged for primary credit (the primary credit rate) is set above the usual level of short-term market interest rates. (Because primary credit is the Federal Reserve's main discount window program, the Federal Reserve at times uses the term "discount rate" to mean the primary credit rate.) The discount rate on secondary credit is above the rate on primary credit. The discount rate for seasonal credit is an average of selected market rates. Discount rates are established by each Reserve Bank's board of directors, subject to the review and determination of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The discount rates for the three lending programs are the same across all Reserve Banks except on days around a change in the rate. | <urn:uuid:17bce79d-ffdf-481e-a27d-afa875c501d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chennaizoom.com/bank/reporate.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953307 | 308 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Background: I've been using what I would call LaTex for ~4 yrs to typeset assignments, reports, essays and tutorial notes. I have been using "TexShop" (for Macs) - mostly because it was simple when I was first starting.
Situation: I was recently prompted to search out the possibility of using Tex/Latex/[Appropriate name here] to typeset Arabic, but have found that I am completely unable to understand any of the jargon or technical language, and so can't make any use of the documentation found here and elsewhere on the web. While I'm not exactly brimming with excitement at the prospect of reading hundreds of pages of technical details about the typesetting program I use, I really would like to be able to start to get a more sophisticated grasp of the topic.
Question(s): 1) where can I find an accessible, well-structured and accurate introduction to Tex/LaTex/ConTex etc. that would serve as a solid foundation for learning about more advanced features (e.g. typesetting in Arabic; adding La/Tex capabilities to a program, forum or website; generating technical images w/ Texs of all sorts; etc.)?
Clarification: I am very familiar with typesetting in LaTex (I've typed 100s of pages of math, with all the fixings), but I couldn't tell you what the difference between Tex and LaTex is or what ConTex is or any of the "Tex" story and how it fits together. So, as far as I can tell, the linked thread on "what intro book for LaTex would you recommend" (sry for imprecise quote, I can't view the title while writing this), for example, doesn't really address the question. This is meant as clarification, not criticism - thanks to all who have responded so far.
While it is a subjective question, I'd also be interested to know from those who answer the above:
2) if they would actually recommend heading down this road.
3) I also wondered if there was a community similar to this one that had assembled instructional videos or even problem sets on the topic?
Ps. I tried to add useful tags to this, but was not allowed; perhaps someone else with correct permissions could do so? e.g. "readings" "intro" "basics" "beginner" etc. | <urn:uuid:f8ab704b-509f-4790-bcd9-ccb08a05f82e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/54670/starting-point-for-getting-more-familiar-with-tex-latex-etc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969359 | 498 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Yesterday afternoon the Southern Province of the Moravian Church in the United States joined its sister Northern Province in voting to affirm the full communion agreement with the Episcopal Church. The Synod defeated resolutions criticizing the Episcopal Church and an effort to table the agreement indefinitely.
If the agreement is approved by the full Unitas Fratrum of the Moravian world-wide communion, this agreement, when added to what the Lutherans have already achieved will be the first trilateral agreement that any of these churches have entered into.
The ENS report is here:
The 121-74 vote came after two hours of debate during an afternoon session on the second day of the church's Sept. 9-12 quadrennial Provincial Synod at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
[…]During the ensuing debate, members voted 129-65 against an amendment to table the issue indefinitely. Earlier in the synod, a legislative committee rejected as out of order a substitute resolution that was critical of what it called the Episcopal Church's "rejection of the authority of the scriptures" and other theological standards, and noted the tension between parts of the church and the Anglican Communion. The substitute resolution would have postponed any decision until the 2014 synod.
The resolution passed by the synod noted that "the purpose from the beginning of our dialogue with the Episcopalians was clearly stated and remains that together we might work to further the witness and mission of Christ's Church." | <urn:uuid:81211c7d-5e18-41b3-ba4c-76ae83bbb1c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/ecumenism/both_us_moravian_provinces_vot.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96619 | 298 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Teacher uses Haitian childhood to connect with John Tyler students
Jean-Max Dorval doesn't tolerate laziness especially when it comes to getting an education. He expects his students to bring their books to class. And when they don't, he asks why.
"I left it in the locker," or "I left it at home because it's too heavy," are some occasional excuses.
To which Dorval replies, "How did you get here this morning?" And when they say by bus or a parent's ride, he goes for the zinger.
"I would walk about 10 or 15 miles every day to school," Dorval said of his childhood. "I didn't have money to take a bus. I didn't even have money to eat. I had a heavy backpack on my back, and I would carry that all the way, no help. For you to tell me that one book is heavy, that's sad. I say that, not criticizing them, but making them understand my cultural background, how we take education seriously."
If the story sounds like the proverbial "I hiked 10 miles in the snow ..." it might be, but in Dorval's case, he has the real-life experience to back it up.
The 29-year-old grew up in poverty in Haiti. He called a one-room house in which he could see the outside through holes in the walls and ceiling home until he was 16. That's when he, and the seven or so other people living in it, were kicked out because they couldn't afford it. It cost the equivalent of $60 a year.
Dorval often went to school without adequate food and to an environment that would make any teacher cringe. Fifty students could fill a classroom with no chairs or tables for any of them.
Dorval said he even carried his own chair from home one time.
Although the students he teaches at John Tyler High School don't live the way Dorval did, Dorval said he still uses those experiences to better relate to them and motivate them for the future.
"I teach them if I can do it, they can do it," he said.
Looking back at his life, Dorval said something was guiding him even though he didn't always know what he was doing.
An example of this would be his drive to learn English. His father bought him a grammar book and someone else gave him a French-English dictionary. So, he challenged himself to learn 10 English words a day.
"When I was learning English, I always thought that that was my (way) to go out of Haiti," he said.
And, in part, it was.
At 17, he got connected with a Haitian Christian Mission and started serving as an interpreter for doctors and nurses who came to do volunteer work.
It was there he met Cindy Booker, a registered nurse, who along with Tyler gynecologist Dr. William E. Brown, had come to work at the clinic in 2005. Dorval served as Ms. Booker's interpreter and his story touched her so much she told Brown about him.
"My nurse approached me and said that Max was absolutely exceptional, and that if there's any way, (we) could help Max, that would be absolutely wonderful," Brown said.
Dorval said he always was praying for God to use someone to help him so he could go to the U.S. to get an education. A lot of people he met said they would help, but then they left and nothing happened. It was different with Brown.
After hearing from his nurse about Dorval, Brown asked someone at the mission hospital about him.
"I asked (her) what she thought of me trying to get Max to the U.S. to study," he said. "She said, 'I always hesitate to make those kinds of recommendations, but I don't think you can go wrong with Max.'"
So with those two recommendations and prayer, Brown decided to invest in Dorval.
Brown registered him at Tyler Junior College and Dorval obtained the necessary student visa to come to the United States. He arrived in August 2005.
Brown said he believes God used that trip to connect him with Dorval.
"I think I did the right thing," Brown said. "There's no way I could have absolutely known that. I think that was the purpose for me to go to Haiti was to do this for him. Yeah, I made a difference in one person's life, but there's no doubt knowing him that he's making a difference in lots of people's lives."
Upon arriving in the U.S., Dorval planned to study to become a nurse, but after taking a couple of courses such as medical technology and anatomy and physiology, he realized he didn't enjoy the field.
So he earned an associate's degree in general studies from TJC. Then he went to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches where he majored in French and minored in Spanish.
The decision to get a foreign language degree was a bit strange for Dorval. He said in Haiti people don't value languages. They want to see someone become a doctor, engineer or lawyer. But he had a gift and he decided to use it.
Today, as a high school Spanish teacher and assistant soccer coach, Dorval said his past enables him to better relate to students and have high expectations for them.
He said at the first district he worked in, many people had a negative attitude toward the school and the students because of their poverty. But he didn't.
"These kids have more than I used to have," he said of his thoughts at the time. "That helps me to relate to them better. Though they're acting out, you know, I try to create a relationship, understanding their resources, how they grow up."
He said his students think it's strange and interesting that he can speak so many languages. He said students have come up to him who are not even in his class and asked about what it's like for him to speak multiple languages and if he gets confused.
"I think that inspires a lot of them to understand that, 'Hey, you can do it,'" he said.
Jessica Horn, a John Tyler sophomore and one of Dorval's Spanish students, said he is a good teacher who helps his students and shows them how Spanish can be useful in their lives.
Although Dorval takes his teaching position seriously, he does not plan to stay in the field forever. He already has a master's degree in theology, and plans to pursue a doctorate in theology or ministry.
Dorval is married to Daphnee, who also is from Haiti. The couple has a 16-month-old son, Jean-Quincy, and a daughter on the way.
Dorval said his desire is to return to Haiti and help his people.
"It seems like every time, every day I spend in America, it's like a burden in a sense," he said. "It's comfortable. I'm good. I have my family here. I'm happy. When I think about what's happening (at) home, when I think about how many people are going through what I went through (in) Haiti, that makes me still sad. It's like a burden in my heart to go, to go help." | <urn:uuid:443422c4-ac1c-46c2-866a-e2da8e22d72a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20130114/NEWS08/301149993/0/FEATURES11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.993676 | 1,524 | 2.15625 | 2 |
George E. Brown Jr.Age: 79
oldest member of the House of Representatives. The senior Democrat on the House Science Committee, Rep. Brown had a fascination with science and space exploration. He was serving his 18th term in Congress for California's 42nd District.Died: Washington, D.C., July 16, 1999
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:70cadfa6-b085-487f-a831-c047ad98e843> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0778744.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965454 | 86 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Hollywood filming in Jordan hinders local filmmakers
Hollywood's decision to film several major movies in Jordan has made it harder for native filmmakers to afford making movies in the country.
• A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.Skip to next paragraph
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What do “The Hurt Locker,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” have in common? All were films shot in Jordan. A steady stream of foreign productions has utilized Jordan for its desert landscapes and ancient ruins.
Foreign productions are a boon to the Jordanian economy, saddled with a huge refugee population and few natural resources, but reception by local filmmakers is mixed. Foreign productions have larger budgets, which some filmmakers say has boosted prices for hiring local film crews and equipment.
Local director and screenwriter Annemarie Jacir, who, despite limited funding is now shooting a new feature here, says, “the local crew members have to decide whether they want to make the sacrifice necessary to work on local productions. It means less money [but] more work.”
She and other filmmakers say the sacrifice is essential to nurture the nascent local film industry. But there is no regularity to foreign productions shooting in Jordan, so crews justify their higher Hollywood-style prices as a cushion for when work slows.
Tamir Naber, who has worked as an assistant director on foreign films, says, “If there is a local film that I believe in, and I was comfortable financially, I would definitely choose the local film.” | <urn:uuid:c22c82c5-dd02-43a6-980b-36e54369210b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2011/0525/Hollywood-filming-in-Jordan-hinders-local-filmmakers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941199 | 400 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Report: Driver Error, Alcohol Played Major Role in Fatal I-75 Crash
A 31-page report from the Florida Department Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Florida Highway Patrol released Friday concluded driver error and alcohol consumption played significant roles in the deaths of 11 people and the injuries to many more during a series of crashes on a smoke-shrouded stretch of I-75 south of Gainesville in January.
The crash, which took place near Paynes Prairie shortly after 4 a.m., was prompted by smoky conditions from a nearby wildfire that led to poor visibility. That said, drivers’ reactions to those conditions contributed to the disaster, the report noted.
Some drivers stopped in the middle of travel lanes while other drivers didn’t slow down enough to be able to travel safely through the thick haze.
While additional training may help, the report’s authors said the tragedy could happen again despite the best training and protocol.
“No amount of planning or policy will take the place of driver reaction to low visibility and unpredictable conditions,” the report said.
The state is facing multiple lawsuits from drivers and their survivors following the Jan. 29 crash which took place shortly after that stretch of road was reopened for traffic. | <urn:uuid:c6d81242-942a-47b9-9204-2aa161b75d6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://westorlandonews.com/2012/08/10/report-driver-error-alcohol-played-major-role-in-fatal-i-75-crash/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972544 | 252 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Will Obama and Clinton work as a team?
They’ve had differences, but Obama is expected to name her as secretary of State.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is likely to be watched by foreign leaders and domestic observers alike for signs of adhering to – or straying from – the daylight rule.Skip to next paragraph
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No, not the time-honored rule of school dances, where chaperones want to see daylight between dancing partners. Rather, it’s the diplomatic rule that says there should be no daylight between the president and his secretary of State.
President-elect Obama was expected to announce Monday that Senator Clinton – his top rival in the Democratic primaries – was his choice for secretary of State. It presages a period of intense scrutiny for the two strong leaders’ relationship.
“People, and it goes for both friends and foes, are always questioning, ‘Is there any light between the two?’ ” says George Shultz, who was secretary of State to President Reagan. “People used to ask me, ‘What’s your foreign policy?’ and I’d say, ‘I don’t have one: The president has one. My job is to formulate that foreign policy and help him carry it out.’ ”
Few foreign-policy experts and policymakers question Clinton’s fitness for the job. They point to the stamina and intellectual capacity she demonstrated over a grueling presidential campaign, plus her years of experience dealing with foreign leaders and addressing international issues as first lady.
But where question marks do arise is over how Mr. Obama and Clinton will overcome the foreign-policy differences that arose over the course of a long, heated primary campaign. Those differences – sometimes sharp – ranged from the decision to go to war in Iraq to the wisdom of speaking to America’s enemies without preconditions.
Clinton’s doubts about Obama’s preparedness to take on the job of commander in chief were captured in the so-called 3 a.m. ad, in which a grave male voice asked who Americans wanted to answer the White House telephone while their children and the nation slept.
Differences magnified by rhetoric?
Yet as stark as those differences may have been portrayed by both camps during the primaries, they were never really that pronounced, many foreign-policy experts say.
“I do think the differences between them on some of these foreign-policy issues were magnified by the heat of campaign rhetoric,” says George Herring, a historian and professor emeritus at the University of Kentucky. “I don’t buy into the whole idea that Obama is, more than anything else, viewing Clinton as a rival.”
Perhaps more important for Obama was how Clinton emerged in the general campaign as one of Obama’s more tireless advocates.
She proved particularly effective at articulating her former competitor’s foreign-policy goals and his vision of America’s role in the world, and her work caught the candidate’s eye, Obama advisers say. That led to Obama’s growing sense of wanting that strength on his team.
Some students of US foreign policy add that Clinton is intelligent enough to know that as secretary of State, she will be implementing the president’s foreign policy. | <urn:uuid:d9005e4c-f04f-4a8d-9f98-eb04cbe7bf13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2008/1130/will-obama-and-clinton-work-as-a-team | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975531 | 694 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Managed in cooperation with
Suwannee River Water Management District
Suwannee River WMD
Devil's Hammock WMA is comprised of more than 7,000 acres in north central Levy County along the Waccasassa River and Otter Creek. The land cover consists of bottomland hardwoods and cutover pine and cypress forests. There are two canoe launches on the area. Other recreational opportunities include hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing, and hunting. Wildlife species on this area include kingfisher, wood stork, river otter, and black racer. Camping is prohibited during periods open to hunting, and is restricted to designated sites by group camping permit only from the Levy County Commission during periods closed to hunting. For information, please call (352) 486-5218. White-tailed deer, feral hogs, small game, and turkey are plentiful.
Rules Regarding Dogs
- For purposes other than hunting, dogs are allowed, but must be kept under physical restraint at all times. Dogs are prohibited in areas posted as "Closed to Public Access" by FWC administrative action. No person shall allow any dog to pursue or molest any wildlife during any period in which the taking of wildlife by the use of dogs is prohibited.
- Hunting dogs may be taken onto the WMA after 8 a.m. the day before the opening of a season and shall be removed by 6 p.m. one day after the end of the season. Hunting deer with dogs is prohibited. Hunting with dogs other than bird dogs or waterfowl retrievers is prohibited, except by persons hunting raccoon or opossum at night during the small game season, who are in possession of a Special Use Permit from the Suwannee River Water Management District. Dogs are prohibited in areas posted as "Closed to Public Access" by FWC administrative action. No person shall allow any dog to pursue or molest any wildlife during any period in which the taking of wildlife by the use of dogs is prohibited. Dogs on leashes may be used for trailing wounded game.
View FWC's Regulations Summary for Devil's Hammock for an area map, hunting seasons, permits, fees, and area regulations. | <urn:uuid:086c9598-9924-43b7-9658-c67e0be7fc43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://myfwc.com/viewing/recreation/wmas/cooperative/devils-hammock/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955746 | 453 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Here is a little book I recently wrote for Wiley, on Sustainable Business, published in 2010. The idea was to ‘map’ the emerging sustainable business space, and to connect it where possible to Australian business practice. Wiley is distributing it in the Australasian market alongside its academic business textbooks.
Here is the back cover summary:
“Sustainability is moving from the margins of business to the centre. Key factors and major global events transforming the business environment include climate change, renewable energy, oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and the Timor Sea, Asian sweatshops, patterns of global poverty, and indigenous rights. A new paradigm of business – sustainable business – is emerging: firms are accepting a wider responsibility for environmental and social wellbeing. At the same time, sustainable business offers enhanced business value: better management of risk and new market opportunities. Firms that actively engage with it are positioning themselves for globalmarket leadership.
This work presents a map of the new principles of business and a guide to their application in core disciplines: accounting, finance, marketing, operations and organisation. It presents a challenging and stimulating view of contemporary business for undergraduate university studies. It is a guide to business in the sustainability age.”
Here is an article I recently co-authored with CSIRO researchers, entitled “A conservation industry for sustaining natural capital and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes’, which appear in the February 2010 issue of ‘Ecological Economics’. It is a broad survey of the literature pertaining the the conditions needed for a conservation industry to evolve. The abstract reads:
“Conservation investment in agricultural landscapes has evolved to take a more market-based or business approach. However, current levels of conservation investment are not likely to mitigate degradation to natural capital and ecosystem services. We propose the further evolution of a conservation industry to generate substantially increased investment in conservation in agricultural landscapes, particularly from the private sector. A mature conservation industry is envisaged as comprising of investors, producers, and service providers who produce conservation products and services, exchanged via market transactions. A number of requirements for a viable and effective conservation industry are identified including institutional infrastructure (conservation market institutions and regulatory systems), information provision (quantifying benefits, business models, and accounting and auditing standards), and facilitation (entrepreneurship incubation and capacity building). A conservation industry requires careful design and planning in order to operate effectively. While it is not without risk, a conservation industry has the potential to increase participation and investment in conservation actions and enhance the sustainability of agricultural landscapes.”
This research was conducted for SA Water over 2008-2009, out of the International Graduate School of Business, and the Sustainable Communities Innovation & Research Cluster of the University of South Australia.
Its aim was to develop a framework for valuing catchments as assets. This becomes important in evaluating proposals for capital budgeting in water utilities. Investments in dam building, for example, or dam removal are relatively straightforward to value, since most of the benefits and costs associated them are priced in markets. Catchments, however, are much more complex entities. They have hydrological, geomorphological and ecological attributes, and are drawn upon by a variety of uses, including those deriving from indigenous communities, agriculture, industry, power utilities, and so on, as well as from municipal uses, such as the demand for potable (drinking and bathing) water. Catchments are directly impacted by climate change. Valuation of catchments therefore includes approaches to both use values and non-use values, drawn from the suite of financial and economic methods and from probabilistic analysis.
Download policy briefings of the project:
The objective of this research project was to develop a better understanding of landholder attitudes and values in the on-farm management of native vegetation. It was carried out for the SA Native Vegetation Council.
Previous studies have used quantitative survey techniques, which I have criticised as providing only a superficial understanding of what landholders think and value. I proposed a qualitative methodology, which focuses on unstructured interviews and participant observation, and draws centrally on active listening.
The pilot project area is the Tatiara District Council in the south-east of South Australia. The results of this fieldwork will then be used as a basis for modelling economic incentives and the development of policy which will be more soundly based in landholder values, attitudes and management priorities. It is intended to widen the scope of this pilot research study to a regional study in subsequent research.
Download the research report: | <urn:uuid:7f9f10d7-da74-4765-a3f3-981e832474e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geoffwells.com/category/research-projects/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939757 | 923 | 1.875 | 2 |
Posted by: Carol
After reading my colleague’s blog on everyday phrases which are part of the history of the English language, I simply had to add my two pennies’ worth!
When we speak a language, we often don’t consciously reflect on what we say. Speech comes naturally to us. It has been learnt and we instinctively select appropriate terms and phrases in a manner which results in a grammatically coherent utterance. It is often not until we embark on the experience of learning a new language that we begin to look more closely at our own language. Using one to aid the understanding of the other. How is something said in German or Spanish, or whichever language it is that you are learning? Is it said in the same way? Can I say something verbatim? Obviously between, for example, Germanic or Romance languages there are many similarities, however the wonderful nature of languages never makes learning it a dull journey!
When thinking of why we say what we do, I always find phrases and idioms so interesting to consider. Under normal circumstances I would never advocate translating literally from one language into another, especially in the case of idioms! However to not, would be to deny yourself such linguistic enjoyment! If I consider German idiomatic phrases, there are certain ones, which immediately jump out at me and these often appear in my family’s Denglish-speak!
If you wish ...Continue Reading →
I spend quite a lot of time on the internet, and on my virtual travels have come across a few articles about the use and abuse of the English language online, and varying opinions about it. I began to consider the way I use English and my reactions to what I encounter on my virtual travels, and thought today I’d write a bit about my thoughts and findings.
On the one hand, it seems I’m a stickler for correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Some people use text speak online, but I don’t understand the point of using ‘2’, ‘u/ur’,‘gr8’ instead of ‘to/too’, ‘you/you’re/your’, ‘great’ in online posts, because even if someone is on the internet on their phone, they are most definitely using a phone which has a proper keyboard, so why not use real words? What you write online and how you write it is a presentation of yourself to everyone who can read it, and by reducing the English language to a hurried mishmash of letters and numbers, I get the impression that someone writing in text speak doesn’t care about their message or its intended audience. So I tend to skip things that I come across if they’re written in text speak, because I like reading whole words in proper sentences.
On the other hand, there also exists a variation of online English called LOLSpeak, which I quite like. LOLSpeak takes conventional spelling and grammar, chews it up a bit and spits it back out into a new set ...Continue Reading →
As mentioned in my first blog, my father was Welsh and my mother is Argentinian. Seemingly worlds apart, these two countries nevertheless share a common bond – the Welsh language. This is often hard to believe even for people living in Wales. However, true it is. For those unaware of how a Welsh colony came to be in Patagonia, Argentina, here is a quick history lesson. Very quick, I promise! In 1865 a group of 153 Welsh settlers left their home country destined for the southern part of Argentina for what they hoped would be their new Welsh promised land. Travelling on the Mimosa, they crossed the Atlantic and arrived on the shores of Puerto Mardyn. The land which first greeted them was not the fertile country they had so hoped for and further travel was needed. Many continued the journey until they reached the more fertile land in the Chubut valley in the shadows of the Andes. Here, most settled.
After visited my mother’s home town of Trevelin, at the very foot of the Andes, I loved the thought of this ‘little Wales’ so far from its home country. Welsh Tea Houses are a favourite amongst the locals, chapels stand proudly in the Argentinian sunshine, peoples’ names are a wonderful medley of Welsh and Spanish – Jorge Williams, Eduardo Hughes, … My Argentinian relatives, whose first language is Welsh were ...Continue Reading →
A couple of blogs ago I wrote a short history of translation, and mentioned Bible translation and its role in Western translation history. Today I am going to write a bit about the history of Bible translations into English, and also the future of Bible translation.
The Bible in its entirety has been translated into over 475 languages, with individual sections numbering thousands of languages (I feel sorry for the project manager, I bet the deadline was really tight as well!). It was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic (Old Testament) and Koine Greek (New Testament). The original scriptures were translated into hundreds of languages, including Latin, but by 600AD Latin was the only language the Church permitted for copies of scripture.
The history of Bible translation is long, bloody and violent. The Roman Catholic Church was completely opposed to the notion of people being able to read the Bible for themselves, as that would negate a lot of their power over the population. They did everything they could to thwart translators and punish them for their efforts, hunting them down and even burning some at the stake. Can you imagine? ‘Hello, Veritas, it’s William Tynedale’ ‘Hi William, how are you?’ ‘Well, I’m in exile in Germany, the inquisitorial squad is after me so I’m staying with Martin Luther for a bit. The translation might be a bit delayed, I’m ...Continue Reading →
I’m Katie and I am the newest member of the Veritas team! I am delighted to have been offered a job here at Veritas, taking over from Michela whilst she is on maternity leave, as Sales Administrator.
In the past I have worked in a variety of sectors including; events management, retail, and education, but I am most pleased to finally be in an environment which is in my interests and which I have worked towards. I like to bring everything I have experienced to each new role I undertake and am looking forward to my time at Veritas, within a team with such passion for all things language related. As soon as I began my time here, it was obvious that all members of the Veritas team are so devoted and fanatical about the world of languages, I am truly impressed and cannot wait to get to know you all!
I am a graduate in BA Linguistics and Spanish and have been looking to join the language services for the past year. I spent a year abroad teaching English in my third year at university in Teruel, Spain, a very small city in the region of Aragón. This improved my Spanish language skills enormously, as there were only a handful of English speakers in the town. During this time I was employed through the British Council, like many language students, to a bilingual secondary school and learnt a huge amount about myself, mainly ...Continue Reading → | <urn:uuid:a159080b-75fc-4afa-afa5-1b6a8cf0e774> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.veritaslanguagesolutions.com/uncategorized/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970678 | 1,522 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Weather on Tamborine Mountain
Weather forecasts are not an exact science, especially up on the mountain, but it will give you a guide on what to pack to be comfortable. Being about 580m above sea level, temperatures on Mount Tamborine are usually about 4-5 degrees cooler than at the coast and when you venture under the cool canopy of the rain forest it will be cooler still. This can be especially advantages on those hot and sticky summer days. In winter the extra coolness invites to snuggle up in front of a log fire. | <urn:uuid:7d6122fb-afea-46e2-8e8e-daa3bdc5eb23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://villadellarosa.com.au/tamborine-mountain/weather-on-tamborine-mountain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903777 | 111 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Mary: Image of What We Can Be (Mt 19:16-26; Lk 10:38-42; 11:27-28)
August 15, 2010 Length: 15:33
The readings presented by the Church on this day remind us of the most fundamental teachings about what we believe and who we are called to be as Christians. As we celebrate the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, Fr Tom tells us that the Virgin Mary is the one who embodies hearing and keeping those most basic teachings. (Dormition of the Mother of God, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost)
"First of all I'd like to tell you how much I love AFR!!! I recommend it as often as I can. Thanks for the wonderful and enlightening broadcasts!!" | <urn:uuid:0eecf758-0090-4d20-a3f1-cb7e9c8b52f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/sermonsatstnicholas/mary_image_of_what_we_can_be_mt_1916-26_lk_1038-42_1127-28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958899 | 160 | 1.570313 | 2 |
KidsArt Summer Adventures
June - August
Children ages 5 through 7 and 8
through 12 are invited to visit the Art Museum to explore the exciting world of
Animation B.C. (Before Computers). Following the Art Museum's successful summer
program format, KidsArt workshops are designed for community group visits and
for individual participants.
Images of Golf in Art
September 15, 2013
Approximately 45 works of art
celebrating the game of golf will be on display at the Museum throughout the
spring and summer. Golfers and art lovers alike will find themselves engaged
with this exhibition.
Girl Scout KidsArt
Register your Girl Scout for a class specifically made for Scouts of all ages to work towards earning their patches. Reservations required, 843-238-2510. $5 class fee.
Mommy and Me (or Daddies).
Hands-on classes that engage parents, caregivers and 3-4 year olds in unique learning experiences. Reservations required, 238-2510.Free with family membership; $5 for non-members.
Second or Fourth Saturdays
Children will tour and explore the exhibitions and then enjoy a hands-on art project in the studio. Reservations required, 238-2510. Free with family membership; $5 for non-members.
Activities for school groups and homeschooled children:
Contact our Children's Education Coordinator, Arielle Fatuova at the Museum to arrange activities tailored to the ages, needs and interests of your children or group.
Activities for adults
Free KidsArt classes for students 5-7 and 8-12 years old. These classes are planned in conjunction with the Museum's summer exhibition. | <urn:uuid:ac4808ba-5f63-4fee-a664-816e7956681e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.myrtlebeachartmuseum.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903523 | 349 | 1.632813 | 2 |
A cyclist himself, the veteran industrial designer could relate to the vulnerability of sharing the road with bigger, imposing cars and trucks. It got him thinking about safety. Horns and lighting devices existed but not, that he knew of, as a single product -- one that could possibly make a difference on a loud, busy street filled with cars, buses, trucks and other riders.
"When you're on a bike, you think you're in this private capsule that allows you to fly down the street," he said. "But you're not."
Today, some six years of off-and-on work later, Orzeck is close to unveiling Orp, a two-in-one light and horn for cyclists that he believes will make them safer. He's invested $55,000 of his own money in the device and hopes to get another $90,000 through Kickstarter, an online funding platform.
The device is still months away from appearing in retail outlets but has already generated good buzz within cycling circles.
"This isn't a design student doing another Kickstarter campaign," says Jonathan Maus, publisher and editor of the blog BikePortland.org. "Orzeck has a lot of experience, and he's put a lot of mental and financial resources into going after this. And the actual product makes sense. It's gotten good feedback on my site."Weighing in at 3.89 ounces, the Orp has a silicone outer layer -- or skin, as Orzeck calls it -- that will come in various colors. The sound -- it currently approximates a high-pitched alarm but will be changed to a loud horn in the final design -- operates at two levels: a "friendly" tone that hits 76 decibels and a more urgent sound that reaches 96 decibels as well as activating the light at a fast strobe. Car horns, by comparison, are around 110 decibels.
Under normal operation, the light, which measures 87 lumens, will radiate both a slow and fast strobe light, as well as operate at a constant setting.
The device will retail for $49.95, he said.
Orzeck, who also works full-time running his Southeast Portland industrial design company, FUSE, began working on the project after the death of Tracey Sparling. The Pacific Northwest College of Art student had been riding through the intersection of Northwest 14th Avenue and Burnside Street in Portland when she was fatally struck by a cement truck.
Orzeck initially wanted to create an app that would allow cyclists to alert cars of their approach via Bluetooth technology. He devoted time and his own money to the idea, and while he felt it was "doable," he also felt the project was prohibitive cost-wise given his time and personal resources.
So in mid-2011, he switched gears to work on the two-in-one device that he's close to finishing now.
Born in Woodland Hills, Calif., Orzeck, 49, graduated from California State University at Long Beach with a degree in industrial design. For four years in the early- to mid-1990s, he worked as an industrial designer at Nike before leaving for FUSE, which was owned by a friend at the time. In 2006, Orzeck became sole owner of the company.
Over the years, Orzeck and the companies he's worked for have realized a fair number of projects, including tools for Gerber Legendary Blades, footwear for Nike and KEEN, board games, furniture and keyboxes for various other companies, among others.
The technology and experience to create the device is easily within his reach, Orzeck said. But he's also regarded Orp as a personal, part-time project, though some staff at FUSE have worked on it as well as outside contractors paid by Orzeck. That's why, he says, it's taken him so long to develop the product and why he's wanted to use his own money.
Still, after penciling out costs to complete and produce a final product, Orzeck couldn't make it happen on his own. That's why he started a Kickstarter campaign in December.
The $90,000 would allow him to make final product developments and cover travel to China, where the product will be manufactured. Orzeck said he's aiming to start with an initial run of about 2,000 units, then sign with a major distributor such as Cyclone Bicycle Supply to reach local bike stores, REI and Fred Meyer.
If the Kickstarter campaign isn't successful, Orzeck said he'll think about seeking funds through friends and family and personal investors.
Eventually, Orzeck said, he'd still like to develop the smartphone app. "This is not rocket science," he said. "It's just that no one's done it yet. That's all"
D.K. Row: 503-294-7654; email@example.com | <urn:uuid:d5c278a5-c544-4c61-ab7f-2437179e49d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oregonlive.com/small-business/index.ssf/2013/01/orp_aims_to_make_biking_safer.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982376 | 1,023 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Deputy Commander of IRGC Ground Forces Brigadier General Abdollah Araghi said his organization is ready to face with soft and hard wars.
“Cyber war is more dangerous than the physical war. Therefore Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is fully ready to face with these wars.” General Araghi said.
“Wars and threats were always existed since the beginning of human life. Soft and cyber wars are the modern types of wars so IRGC equipped itself with the new and necessary tools to be the winner in these wars.” Brigadier General Abdollah Araghi added.
Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has asked military forces to increase their readiness for today’s soft war.
Recently Israel has threatened Iran for performing military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities because of the controversial nuclear programs. Iranian government’s ideology is fading Israel from map and Israelis believe Iran is developing nuclear weapons and bombs to target this country. However United States is opposed to any military action against Iran. At this moment, Israeli officials are trying to convince their American counterparts to cooperate with Israel in this mission. | <urn:uuid:16aa8b35-7db8-4346-8a09-52d73ddc1f61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kabirnews.com/general-araghi-irgc-is-ready-for-any-hard-and-soft-wars/3287/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960815 | 239 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Integrating Movement With Learning: Sensory Processing and Neuro-Do Martial Arts
Thursday, Feb 7, 2013, 7:00pm
125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT
Norwalk SPED Partners, SPED*NET Wilton, and the Wilton YMCA Present...
INTEGRATING MOVEMENT WITH LEARNING: SENSORY PROCESSING AND NEURON-DO® MARTIAL ARTS
How and why can movement improve learning? Terri R. Epstein, an occupational therapist with a specialty in sensory integration, will explain sensory processing and the importance of sensory regulation for learning. She will discuss and demonstrate techniques that help regulate a child physically. She will explain ways to incorporate the concept of a “sensory diet” throughout the day, at home and at school, to allow children to be more present and available for learning. Dr. Douglas DeMassa will discuss how his brain-based martial art, Neuron-Do®, integrates physical movement with learning to help his students improve attention, endurance, short-term memory skills, impulse control, time-on-task, visual tracking, balance, coordination, and self-confidence.
Ms. Epstein, OTR/L, is the founder and owner of OT Works for Kids. She has 20 years of experience as an occupational therapist and was a clinical specialist in pediatrics at Norwalk Hospital. She is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests and is trained in the Listening Program and Handwriting Without Tears™. Ms. Epstein received her Bachelor Degree from the University of Hartford and a Post-Baccalaureate Degree in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac College. She has also received the Honorary Title of Clinical Associate from Boston University for her training as a Fieldwork Coordinator for many occupational therapy college interns.
Dr. DeMassa is a Doctor of Chiropractic, with a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Biology, a Master's Degree in Human Nutrition, and a post-doctoral qualification in the treatment of AD/HD, Learning Disabilities, and Behavioral Disorders. He is a Fourth Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and is the creator of Neuron-Do®, a brain-based martial art. Dr. DeMassa has been teaching martial arts for over 16 years. Dr. DeMassa is also an adjunct professor at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic for Maternal and Child Health as well as a post-graduate instructor for the International Chiropractic Association Council on Pediatrics. | <urn:uuid:c5525cfd-2956-4e8b-9655-7b3869640e36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newcanaan.dailyvoice.com/events/classes-lectures/461590/integrating-movement-learning-sensory-processing-and-neuro-do-martial | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946813 | 527 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Aiken Technical College is the largest criminal justice school in Graniteville, based on student population. In 2010, approximately 6 students graduated from the Criminal Justice program at Aiken Technical College.
A reported 6 students graduated with credentials in criminal justice in Graniteville in 2010. In 2009 tuition at criminal justice schools in Graniteville was $3,626 per year, on average.
You should also anticipate spending about $900 for criminal justice related books and supplies every year.
After graduating with your credentials in criminal justice, if you decide to work as a criminal justice professional in Graniteville, your job prospects are average. In 2010, of the 12,940 criminal justice professionals in South Carolina, 2,180 were working in the greater Graniteville area. The number of criminal justice professionals in Graniteville is expected to increase by 10% by the year 2018. This anticipated change is slower than the projected nationwide trend for criminal justice professionals.
As a criminal justice professional in Graniteville, you can expect to make an average salary of $21,050 per year. This is lower than the average salary for criminal justice professionals in the state. | <urn:uuid:40be7732-3d1b-453a-98ee-b4840c677d24> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hackcollege.com/school-finder/schools/south-carolina/graniteville/criminal-justice/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947286 | 235 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Book Description: The text of this Norton Critical Edition is that of the 1818 first edition, published in three volumes by Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, and Jones, in which only obvious typographical errors have been corrected. This text represents what Frankenstein's first readers encountered and is the text favored by scholars. A special critical section, Composition and Revision, includes essays by M. K. Joseph and Anne Mellor that address the issues surrounding teachers' choice of text.Contemporary perspectives of the text are provided in two sections: Contexts helps place the novel in relation to the mind of its creator through writings by Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and John William Polidori; Nineteenth-Century Responses collects six reactions to the book from the years 1818 to 1886. Criticism brings together twelve seminal essays. The emphasis is on range—both critical (psychoanalytic, mythic, new historicist, and feminist essays are included) and chronological (essays span the last thirty years). Christopher Small, George Lebine, Ellen Moers, Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, Barbara Johnson, Mary Poovey, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, William Veeder, Anne K. Mellor, Susan Winnett, Marilyn Butler, and Lawrence Lipking provide diverse perspectives. A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included. | <urn:uuid:53e39c09-db71-4e6b-b4e5-059b67466f59> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.campusbooks.com/books/literature-fiction/contemporary/9780393964585_Mary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley-Shelley-Mary_Frankenstein-Norton-Critical-Editi.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909198 | 291 | 2.875 | 3 |
February 25, 2011 Leave a comment
After the successful launch of Rexus 10 we still have a lot of things to do. There is a lot of data stored on the FFU which will have to be analyzed in order to fully understand how the system has behaved and recover the scientific data gathered by the experiment. This data is stored in the memory inside the e-box and has not yet been extracted as the FFU was wet after landing in the snow, and as water and electronics dont like each other we decided to leave it drying.
But probably you have already seen the video we posted yesterday. The images are impressive, but the main objective of mounting the camera was to film the FFU in order to be able to check how the spheres were deployed. Unfortunately the experiment module was coning (it had a quite high precession angle) and the FFU was lost from the field of view of the camera after a few seconds. However, if one analyzes the movie carefully can extract some useful information. On the pictures you can see some snapshots taken from the camera shortly after ejection, when the FFU was still in the field of view. Of one checks the pictures from 2 to 7 can see the doors of the SCALE systems popping out gradually (all four of them) which means that the SCALE systems were in fact working, as the doors can only be released if the motor of the wire boom systems are working.
The FFU also appears later on in the video. It was however very far from the experiment module and details can hardly be identified. One can see it in the last pictures, on the bottom half of the photos close to the edge of the ejection spring (dont get confused by the brilliant thing appearing on the top of the photos, which is the nose cone of the rocket). We were unlucky enough to have the sun very close to the area on which the FFU was flying, so on the photos it usually appears as a shiny thing close to the spring. There is however a very interesting photo. If one checks the very last picture, one can see the FFU body very close to the edge of the spring and what seems to be two of the spheres close to it.
We do know that at least two of the spheres were deployed, as when we recovered the FFU two of the cables had been damaged during reentry, probably because the motors driving the wire boom systems could not overcome the centrifugal force during retraction and stalled, leaving the spheres on the free airstream, which ripped them off the cable. We will not know surely how they worked until we really process the data, specially from the sensor wheels on the SCALE systems and of the gyros and accelerometers of the FFU, but so far so good. | <urn:uuid:89a49be7-b935-4713-8d65-f81109e2f970> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://squidkth.wordpress.com/author/dabergma/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982047 | 565 | 2.046875 | 2 |
According to those opinions that only one who flies over an ocean has to say hagomel, why does one not say hagomel when flying within the USA (where one often takes off over an ocean)?
The Shulchan Aruch in 219:1 (based on Brachot 54b, which is based on Tehillim 107) lays out 4 categories of individuals who are required to make Birchat Ha'Gomel, one category is "יורדי ים" - literally: 'descender to the sea', colloquially: 'seafarers'.
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in 61:1 explains that this halacha includes
Opinions differ regarding whether one should say this blessing on all flights or just those crossing the ocean/desert (see here for a litany of opinions) and one should certainly consult with his/her local Rabbi to establish the local custom/halachic ruling.
It seems that the debate surrounds 2 issues, the first being halachic in nature and the second practical:
Accordingly, according to an opinion that states that one should say Birchat Ha'Gomel when crossing a sea on an airplane, the danger threshold of that situation may be limited to only crossing over entirely and not just passing over briefly (see US Airways 1549).
|show 1 more comment|
Those who say that you say hagomel when flying over the ocean, mean that you cross an ocean. (That is actually the language used in your reference question) If you leave JFK but head to Florida, you aren't 'crossing the ocean' in the way that it is meant. However, if you fly to Mexico,(over the gulf of mexico) you would be.
The question is, is the flight a substitute for traveling over land, or a substitute for taking a boat?
(One should also bench gomel when crossing a desert, not just an ocean) | <urn:uuid:98bd7464-c610-420b-95f6-9b31db4124a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/9209/why-doesnt-one-say-hagomel-when-flying-within-the-usa/9211 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920883 | 414 | 2.40625 | 2 |
D. Graham, Ph.D., Administrator
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Office of Management and Budget
Executive Office of the President of the United States
Prepared for The International Society of Regulatory Toxicology
and Pharmacology Precautionary Principle Workshop, Crystal City,
VA, June 20, 2002.
seems that each new year brings new concerns about risks to human
welfare, quality of life, and environmental protection. Most public
concern in the United States relates now to the war against terrorism
and the economic hardship that many citizens continue to face.
There are also continuing concerns about the health and safety
risks that people face from the consumer products, production
methods, and wastes that support the high standard of living we
now enjoy. And there are some broader concerns about what economic
development is doing to the global environment and the welfare
of future generations. Given the explosion of information about
possible risks in life, it is difficult for the public to know
which of the many possible risks justify attention by policy makers.
Bush Administration believes that science should have a strong
role in setting risk-management priorities. Even in the relatively
simple case of health risks, sound science is critical. First,
there is the basic hazard question: What is the degree of certainty
that any hazard exists? For example, how confident are we that
the magnetic fields emitted from electric powerlines cause an
elevation in cancer rates among people living near those powerlines?
Second, if the hazard exists, a probability assessment is required
to distinguish a significant risk from a negligible one. For example,
if magnetic fields do cause cancer, how much is the probability
of cancer increased by a lifetime of exposure to a nearby powerline?
Third, the number of people exposed to a hazard needs to be considered
because population exposures contribute to the public health significance
of the hazard. Fourth, the severity of the health effect is relevant.
Even in the case of a dreaded disease such as leukemia, we need
to be sensitive to the distinctions between those forms of leukemia
that are untreatable and rapidly fatal versus those forms that
can be treated effectively by the tools of modern medicine. In
other words, the number and quality of life years lost from disease
need to be considered. Although these basic scientific questions
have been framed for health risks, it is feasible to frame a related
set of questions for other types of risks, such as threats to
natural resources and global ecology.
of how much scientific knowledge there is, public officials need
to consider the degree of public concern about possible risks
and how that compares with expert assessments. The emerging science
of risk perception and communication is exploring these issues.
How much does the public understand and care about a hazard? How
volatile is public opinion likely to be in the face of new evidence
or dramatic portrayals of danger? Does the hazard have characteristics
that elevate public concern, such as an unfair distribution of
risks and benefits? These social science questions remind us that
the challenge of risk management will not be resolved by hard
science alone. We need to consider the type and degree of public
participation that is appropriate for decisions about risks.
these sweeping questions about risk, what can we possibly hope
to accomplish in this brief conference? I would frame our task
as follows: There is a subset of possible risks in daily life
that are subject to substantial scientific uncertainty - often
on all four of the scientific questions that I mentioned - but
that, for one reason or another, trigger significant public concern.
Under these circumstances, what is the appropriate role for precaution
in the responses of risk managers? I have in mind risk managers
in both the public and private sectors.
do I mean by precaution? I can assure you that I do not intend
to define any universal precautionary principle. As you know,
the US government supports precautionary approaches to risk management,
but we do not recognize any universal precautionary principle.
We consider it to be a mythical concept, perhaps like a unicorn.
do believe that a dictionary definition of "precaution" is a useful
starting point for the conference. WEBSTER'S Second College Edition
of the NEW WORLD DICTIONARY defines precaution as "care taken
beforehand", or more precisely, as "a measure taken beforehand
against possible danger". I presume that the word "beforehand"
means before science has resolved all the key technical questions
about the hazard of interest or at least before the actual occurrence
of the event. Precaution is a well-respected concept: people practice
it regularly in the stock market and in hospitals to cope with
the uncertain risks of life.
Americans have experienced the pain and suffering that can result
from insufficient precaution in risk management. The health risks
of smoking, the neurotoxic effects of low doses of lead, once
used as an additive to gasoline, and the respiratory diseases
from exposure to asbestos in the workplace: each became major
public health problems in the United States. Public health historians
teach us that these problems could have been reduced or even prevented
altogether if early signals of danger had stimulated precautionary
measures by risk managers.
should not belittle the scientific challenges in each of these
examples. Consider tobacco. Although the causal link between smoking
and lung cancer now seems obvious, in the middle of the previous
century it did not seem obvious to many well-trained and thoughtful
physicians. They argued that they had treated many smokers for
a lifetime who never developed a significant lung ailment. Likewise,
they had treated patients with lung cancer who were not smokers.
The science of toxicology did not resolve this dilemma because
it proved difficult to produce tumors in laboratory animals with
tobacco exposures. The field of science that proved to be most
decisive is the one that some people now trust the least: epidemiology.
There was in fact a large statistical study of the health of British
physicians that played an important role in building the medical
consensus against smoking. Interestingly, epidemiology also played
a pivotal role in uncovering the neurotoxic effects of lead at
low doses and the diseases associated with exposure to asbestos
on the job.
we knew that scientific progress would always verify early signals
of danger or show that hazards are worse than predicted, then
the challenge of precaution would be much easier. A recent report
from the European commission makes the point that uncertain environmental
hazards often prove to be worse than anticipated. Yet the dynamics
of science are not so easily predicted. There are in fact many
cases of postulated or claimed hazards that have not been confirmed.
indications that drinking coffee might cause bladder cancer were
not confirmed. In the 1970's, the US Food and Drug Administration
declared a virtual war against the artificial sweetener saccharin,
after animal tests revealed bladder cancers following administration
of huge doses to rodents. The American people resisted the FDA's
conclusion and possibly for good reason. After thirty years of
biological experiments and large-scale statistical studies of
the consumers of saccharin, it now appears that the prediction
of a human cancer risk may have been incorrect. Indeed, the US
government recently took steps to remove saccharin from its official
list of carcinogens. More recently, scientific findings were publicized
claiming that low doses of chemicals now in widespread use may
be doing harm to the endocrine systems of the human body. Yet
further science has revealed that some of these early findings
about so-called "endocrine disruptors" cannot be replicated by
predictions of risk are also fallible. When I was a college student
in the 1970's, there were scholarly predictions of a Malthusian
global catastrophe, in part stimulated by reports of the Club
of Rome. There were also economists predicting that the world
price of oil would rise so high, due to limited petroleum reserves,
that the price of gasoline at the pump in the United States would
increase dramatically. Looking back, some of these predictions
may have been erroneous. As an academic, I contributed to the
erroneous predictions when I forecasted that front-seat airbags
would save 9,000 lives per year in the United States. It now appears
that the correct number will be somewhere around 3,000 lives saved
we contemplate the role of precaution in risk management, we must
remember that sometimes possible risks prove far worse than expected;
other times predictions of doom simply do not materialize.
is therefore useful to draw a distinction between the role of
precaution in the scientific assessment of risk and the role of
precaution in risk management. When analysts assess risks, they
may introduce conservative assumptions or safety factors into
the analysis to account for unknowns. These protective practices
may be intended to establish an upper bound on the true yet unknown
risk. In the United States, the technical community is now trying
to bring more valid data into the risk assessment process. When
considering the role of precaution in risk management, it is appropriate
for policy-makers and the public to inquire about the degree of
precaution embedded in the risk assessment.
use of precaution in risk management is sensible but susceptible
to misuse. If precaution is taken to an extreme, it can be very
harmful to technological innovation. Consider the following thought
experiment: Imagine it is 1850 and a decision is made that any
technological innovation cannot be adopted unless and until it
is proven to be completely safe by the proponents of the innovation.
Under this scenario, what would have happened to electricity,
the internal combustion engine, plastics, pharmaceuticals, the
computer, the Internet, the cellular phone and so forth?
the United States we have also learned the hard way that the urge
for precaution can lead to unfortunate outcomes. In energy policy,
for example, some of us regret our historical decisions regarding
nuclear energy. The possible risks of nuclear power generation,
coupled with the desire for precaution and rising costs of construction,
caused a virtual halt in the construction of new nuclear plants
in the United States. Thirty years later, we now find ourselves
even more deeply dependent on fossil fuels, which are a major
source of environmental concerns and calls for precaution. Part
of the answer lies in cleaner coal technologies, renewables and
energy conservation, but it also may be very unwise to foreclose
the advanced nuclear option.
people can disagree about what is precautionary and what is dangerous.
Consider whether the diesel engine should be used in passenger
cars and light trucks. Regulators in the State of California have
set the tailpipe emission standards for particles and nitrogen
dioxide so stringently that it may not be feasible to offer diesel-powered
cars for sale in the future. California's regulators see this
rule as a measure to protect public health from the known or possible
health risks of smog and soot in the air. Meanwhile, European
regulators and finance authorities have facilitated the growth
of the diesel-engine market in Europe to the point that a substantial
share of new cars in Europe are equipped with diesel engines.
From a global climate perspective, the pro-diesel policy in Europe
looks precautionary since the diesel offers significant fuel efficiency
advantages over gasoline-powered vehicles. Yet we should also
not forget that the price of gasoline at the pump is three to
four times larger in Europe than it is in the United States, reflecting
European tax policies.
diesel example reminds us that a zero-risk policy is rarely feasible.
More often, policy makers are engaged in an exercise of risk selection
and we should not permit any rhetoric about complete safety to
obscure this truth.
preparing for this conference, I re-read the European Commission's
February 2000 Communication on precaution and related comments
from committees in the European Parliament. I was encouraged by
these documents, even though we have many differences of opinion
about specific risk-management issues and even though the documents
do not provide a definition of the precautionary "principle" while
asserting its existence. Based on these documents, I detected
the following points of possible conceptual agreement.
precaution is a necessary and useful concept but it is also subjective
and susceptible to abuse by policy-makers for trade purposes and
other reasons. I was encouraged by a recent decision from the
European Court of Justice. The Court sided with the EC over France
on a BSE matter, suggesting that France may have overinterpreted
the precautionary principle. Second, scientific and procedural
safeguards need to be built into risk management decisions that
are based in part on precaution. Third, adoption of precautionary
measures should be preceded by a scientific evaluation of the
hazard and, where feasible, a formal analysis of the benefits,
risks, and costs of alternative precautionary measures. Fourth,
concerns for fairness, equity and public participation need to
be reflected in risk management. Finally, the set of possible
precautionary measures is large, ranging from bans or product
restrictions to education or warnings to market-based reforms.
Even the initiation of a targeted research program to better understand
a possible risk is a precautionary measure. As we consider the
case studies in this conference, we might consider what mix of
measures are appropriate in various circumstances.
conclude on notes of both optimism and caution. Precaution is
a perfectly sensible concept that is built into many health, safety,
and environmental laws in the United States. At the same time,
it may be wise to apply a precautionary approach to any attempt
to enact a universal precautionary principle into American law.
you very much for the opportunity to deliver these opening remarks.
I look forward to questions and comments. | <urn:uuid:51c54d1b-53b3-47f7-a71f-a96e8d0f53b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/omb/inforeg/risk_mgmt_speech062002.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929607 | 2,902 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Doing business on the web can be critical to the success of your company. Web-based business typically includes a portfolio of online properties including a website, social media properties and sometimes landing pages. The creation of a successful web-based business includes various areas of knowledge, including the building of a website, the configuration of a content management system, as well as the implementation of web analytics.
In setting up your web-based business, you should consider the best structure for your website, optimization of your site, integration with social media, ecommerce solutions, as well as promotion. You'll also need to consider security, backup and retrieval, as well as scalability. | <urn:uuid:58cc7ff3-100d-465f-b8dc-f353b1d89785> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.startupnation.com/Web-Based-Business/7/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961484 | 135 | 1.65625 | 2 |
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Photo: Owen Egan
McGill's newest teaching award aims to be its most prestigious. The first three winners certainly can't fail to impress.
Conflict expert honoured
Political scientist Michael Brecher, one of the world's top authorities on the nature of conflicts, has won the Prix du Québec, the province's most illustrious prize.
Lt-guv with a mission
Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault believes that life is a matter of destiny and will.
Exploding the genome miracle
Is the genetics revolution overrated? Harvard evolutionary geneticist Richard Lewontin sure thinks so.
A chair is born
A new endowed chair in reproductive medicine will burnish a McGill centre that has been making history in its field.
What constitutes a francophone?
Just how French does Quebec need to be? Political philosopher Charles Taylor and author Jean-François Lisée recently offered their thoughts on the subject.
Making new heart muscles
A remarkable discovery by Ray Chiu and his team has given hope to the possibility of a revolutionary new method for treating heart ailments.
Matters of life and death
A recent book chronicles the lives and deaths of palliative care patients, examining the tensions that can emerge between heathcare professionals and patients and their families.
Senate: The shape of things to come
Senators hear about McGill's building priorities, while some worry about the effect that high salaries for new professors might have on professors who are already here.
Slice of life: Sharing the lectern
Team teaching is becoming a more popular approach for courses. What are its strengths and pitfalls?
Also in this issue | <urn:uuid:2adb55c9-c2bb-4375-a8fe-fc80ca23988b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/33/06/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923955 | 345 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The Australian, South Australian and Victorian Governments today announced a $275 million co-investment in the future of GM Holden’s car making operations in Australia.
In return for this investment, Holden has agreed to inject over $1 billion into car manufacturing in Australia, and to make two next generation vehicles here that will be cheaper to run and better for the environment.
This partnership will see GM Holden continue making cars in Australia until at least 2022.
The high Australian dollar and strong competition from other countries in our region are putting strain on our automotive industry, and GM Holden had considered closing its entire design and manufacturing operations in Australia.
Through hard work and extensive negotiations we have struck an agreement that will see the company maintain a strong manufacturing presence in Australia for at least 10 more years.
The Prime Minister said the Australian Government’s contribution would be $215 million, funded under the existing $5.4 billion New Car Plan for a Greener Future.
This funding is not a hand-out – it is a strategic investment that will boost our economy, foster innovation, build new business opportunities and promote adoption of new fuel-saving and safety technologies.
Holden has estimated that the new investment package will return around $4 billion to the Australian economy.
Most importantly, this co-investment will support thousands of jobs at Holden that would have been lost if the company had stopped making cars in Australia.
It will also support thousands of secondary jobs in key automotive component manufacturers who supply parts to GM Holden, many of which are in regional Australia.
The automotive industry employs 55,500 people across every State and the ACT and supports around 200,000 additional jobs nationally.
With a shift to global car platforms there will be increased pressure on Australian component manufacturers – but there will also be opportunities for these firms to win new business in global supply chains if they are competitive.
As part of the agreement, Holden will create a new Suppliers’ Working Group to help Australian suppliers sell into its world-wide supply chains.
Additionally, the Australian and Victorian Governments will provide an extra $35 million for the Automotive New Markets Initiative, a new program to help firms in the automotive supply chain move into export markets and supply their products to other industries, with a Federal contribution of $25 million.
The pressures on the automotive sector are likely to see restructuring in the coming period which is why the Government will also provide $15.6 million to extend the labour market element of the Automotive Industry Structural Adjustment Program to provide training and employment services for workers leaving the auto sector. | <urn:uuid:4a404193-1c1f-44d1-b452-a9a940d9b181> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anthonybyrnemp.com/investing-in-automotive-jobs-and-skills-gm-holden | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948635 | 527 | 1.6875 | 2 |
By Shauna Blackmon, Sabrina Liedtke
October 5, 2009
In the past few years, being an eco-friendly hippie has changed from
a lifestyle accepted by few to a widely marketed trend accepted
nationwide. Though it is possible to spot a genuine hippie from the
'60s and '70s on Massachusetts Street, for the most part, the
references in our generation can be seen solely in peace sign-covered
graphic tees telling one to recycle or go green.
This year's homecoming theme is "Peace. Love. Jayhawks.", a theme
very much tied to Lawrence's hip, liberal community. Despite the
popularity of it all, however, much of the energy of the 1960s and
1970s gets forgotten. These decades were about a lot more than just
fashion and drugs; they were about a revolution and finding, or
creating, a place in society for those who didn't fit into the
standard box. Similar to areas like the Haight-Ashbury district in
San Francisco, Lawrence was a place for young people to come and
voice their opinions.
The Vietnam era is frequently associated with nationwide drug
experimentation, especially the spread of marijuana usage. Along the
Kansas River, miles of marijuana were grown, protected and harvested
by a group that came to be known as the Kaw Valley Hemp Pickers.
Dan Bentley was in his early 20s when the Kaw Valley Hemp Pickers got
started. He remembered them as a small group with a large social presence.
"It seemed more like a theatrical thing used by people for whatever
ends they had, or just to raise hell," Bentley said.
Maps were conveniently sold to these hemp havens in many of the
town's most popular hangouts and head shops, including the Rock Chalk
and the Gaslight.
"The ditches were full of hemp," Bentley said. "But most of it was
worthless. They were growing a lot of hemp to make rope for the war.
I'm sure some people sold it, but it wasn't worth anything."
Though marijuana usage was prominent in Lawrence, students were not
distracted from standing up against what they perceived as the
injustices of the University and the United States. In March of 1965,
hundreds of students participated in a "sit-in" in front of
then-Chancellor W. Clarke's Wescoe office protesting racial exclusion
as well as The University Daily Kansan's use of racist
advertisements. Around the same time, women's rights issues were
surfacing and becoming a cause for protest on campus. Back then, KU
women endured strict regulations, including a mandatory three years
in the residence halls, restrictions in parking privileges and a
required course in lady's etiquette and manners.
In the early 1970s, things went from heated to a full-on war between
the students and the establishment. Between April and June of 1970,
approximately 50 bombs and acts of arson occurred in Lawrence.
Bentley recalled one night when the violence was particularly bad.
"It was a really foggy night and you could just see the glow of all
of the burning buildings and hear the gunshots," he said.
The largest of these bombings occurred in the spring of 1970, when a
bomb was placed in the elevator of the Kansas Union and set to
detonate in the ballroom during the middle of the night. Dave
Meredith, 1973 graduate, was at a friend's apartment just off campus
when the bomb exploded.
"We heard sirens, not just one siren, but many fire engines and
police vehicles. We went up to campus to see what was happening and
as we walked up to the Union, we saw flames and smoke," Meredith said.
Seeing fires and violence was nothing new around Lawrence, but this
"I think the only thing that people generally felt and still feel was
that it was not a student that had started the fire; it was
definitely somebody that knew what they were doing and were
responsible for that," Meredith said.
Though no one was killed in the union bombing, after a year filled
with revolution and violence, the University had finally had enough.
"I think the administration at the University thought the best way to
handle the situation was to send everybody home," Meredith said.
"They spread the word that all students and faculty members were to
convene at the football stadium and Chalmers came out and explained
that they were thinking of ending the semester early and were going
to give students the option of either taking a final or going home.
Well obviously not many students wanted to take their finals."
The vote was taken by a vocal yay-nay system. The yays won by a landslide.
"Literally within a few days everybody had left and that did the
trick. It temporarily ended what was going on at that time." Meredith said.
A few months later in July, however, the violence returned. Rick
"Tiger" Dowdell, a 19-year-old African-American student, was shot by
a police officer after police were called to investigate gunshots
heard from what was known as the Afro-House. Dowdell and Frankie Cole
were seen leaving the premises in a Volkswagen when the police
started to follow the car. Dowdell and Cole ran two stop signs and
refused to pull over after the police turned on their sirens. Dowdell
then got out of the car and started to run while the exchange of
gunfire occurred; it was then that he received a fatal shot to the
back of his skull.
Only a few days later, Harry Nicholas Rice, a white 19-year-old
student, was shot and killed while participating in a protest of
Dowdell's murder. These frequent acts of violence between youth and
authorities only increased the tension and widened the division
between the two generations.
Things got so heated in Lawrence, that in August 1970 President
Richard Nixon was forced to send some of his men to evaluate the
sources of violence in Lawrence, as well as ordering National Guard
troops to help reinforce the local police.
Arguably one of the most defining moments in Vietnam-era Lawrence
history occurred in 1972, when 30 women took over the East Asian
Studies building, located a bit south of Corbin Hall at the time,
barricaded the doors and demanded equal rights for female students.
The demands of the women's affirmative action negotiation team
included a women's studies program, female staff on the financial aid
committee, women's health care, free childcare and basic equality,
all of which were met 13 hours later. This group of women came to be
known as the February Sisters.
According to Ryan Weaver, recipient of the graduate certificate in
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the whole event was very spur of
the moment. The day before the takeover, Robin Morgan, an
internationally known radical feminist, spoke on campus and helped
students decide how to face the injustice they were dealing with.
"It is amazing to me that the event, which was organized in less than
24 hours, was carried out successfully. I sometimes wonder if the
organizers were themselves surprised with how successful they were on
that day," Weaver said.
Homecoming is about having fun and enjoying our youth, but the past
should not be forgotten. What the men and women of the 1960s and
1970s did greatly affects our day-to-day existence.
"I think Lawrence is still a socially conscious place to go to
school," Meredith said. "I know my son graduated from KU and he was
involved in a lot of political organizations. I think some of that
might have begun back in 1969." | <urn:uuid:9ffa5785-b07a-43fa-ba2f-cf93b7f26a4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sixties-l.blogspot.com/2009/11/lessons-from-lawrences-past.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98537 | 1,648 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Bring your own device (BYOD) is the big trend affecting how businesses operate online, with 72% of companies expecting to use the concept extensively in the near future, according to a recent survey by B2B International on behalf of Kaspersky Lab.
50% of these companies plan to actively support BYOD, encouraging staff to use their own computers and devices for work. The other half sees BYOD as inevitable, whether encouraged or not.
July 2012’s Global IT Risks survey canvassed 3,300 senior IT professionals in 22 countries, chosen from experts who are actively involved in IT security decision-making processes. The study gathered their views on the major issues facing the industry.
Companies of all sizes took part in the survey. Interestingly, BYOD is banned more frequently by larger organizations. While 12% of companies overall do not intend to allow personal devices into the workplace in the immediate future, that number drops to only 7% for smaller businesses. A further 19% of respondents plan to restrict the level and nature of personal device usage.
Alexander Erofeev, Chief Marketing Officer at Kaspersky Lab, points out that the growth of BYOD makes ever-increasing demands on organizations’ IT security: “It’s inevitable that in any company, small or large, many employees will use personal devices to connect to the corporate network and access confidential data. For employees, it’s natural to use their smartphones and tablets – without even considering the possible dangers. That’s why companies need to implement security policies that safeguard both corporate and personal mobile devices. Our corporate solutions are designed to cover all the security needs of both SMB and big enterprises, even in companies with a strong BYOD culture.”
To download the full report on the B2B International survey, click here.
To learn more about the ground-breaking features of Kaspersky Lab’s corporate IT security solutions, please visit www.kaspersky.com/beready/.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its 15-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for consumers, SMBs and enterprises. The company currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
* The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2011. The rating was published in the IDC report "Worldwide Endpoint Security 2012–2016 Forecast and 2011 Vendor Shares (IDC #235930, July 2012). The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2011. | <urn:uuid:9da204a2-045c-4dd0-bc1d-72b12526229e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kaspersky.com/about/news/business/2012/For_72_of_companies_BYOD_is_the_future | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932024 | 597 | 1.734375 | 2 |
It is important to be educated on sexual assault, ways to support survivors of sexual assault, and the dynamics of victim-blaming attitudes. Sexual assault crosses all genders and ages.
Learn more about sexual assault:
Sexual assault facts
A California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) study surveying more than 6,000 students at 32 colleges and universities in the U.S. indicates that:
- 1 in 4 women had been victims of rape or attempted rape.
- 84% of those raped knew their attacker, and 57% of the rapes happened on dates.
- Only 27% of the women whose sexual assault met the legal definition of rape thought of themselves as rape victims.
- 42% of the rape victims told no one about the assault, and only 5% reported it to the police
- About 75% of the men and at least 55% of the women involved in acquaintance rapes had been drinking or taking drugs just before the attack.
- According to the National Institute of Justice, rape is the costliest crime in the U.S., exacting $86,500 in tangible and intangible costs per victim.
- Results of a 1997 study of sexual coercion within gay and lesbian relationships indicated that 52% of the total sample reported having experienced at least one incident of sexual coercion. 55% of the gay men and 50% of the lesbians in this study reported unwanted penetration. 33% of the gay men and 32% of the lesbians in this study reported unwanted fondling.
- In 1992, the National Victim Center reported that 9 out of 10 rapes go unreported. | <urn:uuid:e629a22f-0de9-4631-bc2a-2609514d1f5d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.northwestern.edu/womenscenter/issues-information/sexual-assault/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938575 | 328 | 3 | 3 |
Grammy Award-winning British artist Amy Winehouse
was found dead in her north London home on July 23
, CNN.com reports.
It's speculated that she died of an overdose of ecstasy
and alcohol, but police cite the cause of her death as "unexplained" for now, saying they will issue a statement after the results of the post-mortem examination have been released.
Winehouse, who first rose to fame with her hit song “Rehab”
in 2007, has been battling drug and alcohol addiction for years. According to CNN.com
, she was released from her latest rehabilitation program two months ago. In June, during her last performance for her European comeback tour in Belgrade, Serbia
, she was booed for staggering on stage and struggling through her own songs.
She subsequently canceled her other performances to take a break. “Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best, and she will be given as long as it takes for this to happen,” one of her management representatives, Chris Goodman, is quoted as saying in May.
She joins the list of other music artists who died at 27, which includes Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain
, the first three from drug overdoses and the last having committed suicide after being released from rehab.
Unfortunately, Amy Winehouse isn’t the only celebrity who died at an early age and lost the chance to fully realize his or her career potential. Visit this gallery on FN to learn about some of them:
Are you worried that your loved one might be suffering from drug addiction? Here's an article to help you out: (Photo by Rama courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) | <urn:uuid:198bb92e-91b4-4d74-b988-334096f18e53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.femalenetwork.com/celebrities/british-singer-amy-winehouse-dies-at-27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981288 | 364 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Pipeline proposal is a 'realistic' option, expert says2/4/2013
A pipeline bringing crude oil from Alberta to New Brunswick could be more realistic than building a pipeline to the west coast, according to an energy expert.
Premier David Alward is in Alberta for three days to meet with Alberta Premier Alison Redford, oil executives and tour the oil sands in an attempt to drum up support for a pipeline to New Brunswick.
Warren Mabee, director of the Institute of Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen's University, said TransCanada Corporation’s proposal to convert an existing natural gas pipeline might be more realistic than other plans to move Alberta oil to the west coast.
“It's caught a little bit of the public imagination,” he said.
“This is something that really would bring together a lot of Canada. The real question is, will it bring us together? Or will it open up more wounds and more divisiveness?”
The energy expert said the terrain is relatively flat between Alberta and New Brunswick, making the idea feasible.
If the west-to-east pipeline were to be approved, it would still take several years before western crude would be flowing into Saint John's Irving Oil Ltd., the largest refinery in Canada.
Mabee said it would take five years if the project started now. But he said TransCanada is the proponent behind the Keystone XL project, which is the company’s main focus.
“We are still waiting to hear whether that will be approved and go ahead,” Mabee said.
“I’m thinking this will be their next big job.”
The $7-billion Keystone XL project, which would deliver oil from Alberta to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast, has run into considerable opposition in both countries.
Mabee said even if the Keystone XL project moves forward, a west-to-east pipeline would still be needed.
TransCanada Corporation has said it wants to convert an existing, underused natural gas line to do the job, but it would be up to the National Energy Board to approve the projects.
TransCanada has not yet formally submitted the proposal.
Northern Gateway controversy
The debate about bringing Alberta crude oil to the east coast is just starting as the controversy about taking the oil to the west coast is continuing to fester.
The National Energy Board is holding hearings in British Columbia over the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline.
Enbridge is proposing to build a 1,200-kilometre-long twin pipeline that would carry about 525,000 barrels of bitumen per day from Alberta to the B.C. coast for shipment by tankers.
That proposal has also sparked intense criticism and protests.
Mabee said many Canadians are uncomfortable with pipelines and oil sands products for many reasons, such as their environmental impact.
There is broad support, however, for the idea of sending crude oil to the east coast on the political level.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver has already given tentative support to the proposal.
Alward touted the pipeline project during his state-of-the-province speech last week and he is talking about the benefits of the project in Alberta.
“As a province on the east coast of Canada, we are open for business. We have a long history of refining petroleum products,” he said on Sunday.
“We've been importing it from all parts of the world. And for us it makes so much sense to be able to use our own natural resources to do that.”
Mabee said the pipeline project could create thousands of jobs during the construction phase, but it would likely be only a few hundred jobs over the long term.
He said the project would likely be financed privately.
“Most of the pipeline projects that are on the table today in North America are private projects and there isn't a huge amount of public money on the table,” he said.
“There may be incentives on the table, I don't know, I haven't heard any in this case, in terms of a reduced tax burden or in terms of maybe a waiver on property taxes or something like that.” | <urn:uuid:7386994e-fbaf-4138-8d95-d0cc37d141d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ocean-resources.com/industry-news.asp?newsid=12555 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963409 | 870 | 2.375 | 2 |
Bobolink Dairy is about 50 miles northwest of New York City in rural Vernon, New Jersey. Owned by Jonathan and Nina White, it produces artisanal grass-fed cheese and wood-fired bread, plus whey-fed pork and suckled veal -- terms of art that make foodies drool. The Whites sell their products at their farm, through a Web site, and at greenmarkets. But like many savvy farmers these days, they also invite the public to visit the dairy. Agritourists can take an hour-long tour for $5, a five-hour cheese-making workshop for $50, or they can just stop by to pick up a few things for dinner. To my husband and me, cheese-making sounded like an excellent family outing. To our 8-year-old daughter, wary of anything that smells of lessons, it sounded like another sort of opportunity: "I want to milk a cow," Lucy said.
That we were visiting a farm for any reason was evidence of the growing movement to support local agriculture. Local is the new organic, goes the current dogma; buying local will save the family farm and benefit the environment too. But there are wrinkles in this movement. Recent studies show that how much energy is spent on the farm (heating greenhouses, for example), and how food travels (by truck or ship or train), can be just as important as how far it travels. And the pressures on small farmers are now so acute that simply buying their products may not be enough to keep them afloat.
Lucy didn't care about any of this, of course. She just liked scratching the poll of Brunhilda, a big brown Ayrshire, while three dirt-streaked women milked cows with vacuum hoses nearby. I looked around the dilapidated barn, and the lack of trim and polish seemed like a good sign. The Whites were too busy caring for cows to paint windowsills, or to get children set up to help with the milking. If they spent their time fussing over aesthetics, there might not be much to sell: Making cheese from grass is hard work. So far, Lucy seemed to be taking everything in stride.
In his tall rubber boots, Jonathan White leaned against a stanchion and offered a primer on the natural history of Bos taurus . The farm, he said, was breeding a short-legged black bull from Kerry, Ireland, with Guernseys, Jerseys, and Ayrshires to produce the Bobolink Black Grazer, "a new breed of cattle for the post-petroleum age." Tough and calm, the cows eat grass and, in the winter, hay. They live outside, which cuts down on illness; they don't know from growth hormone and antibiotics; and, most important, they've never tasted corn.
Cows didn't evolve to digest corn. The grain ferments in their gut, allowing dangerous strains of E. coli to thrive and causing illness that needs to be treated with drugs. Grass-fed cows are happier, and cutting corn from the equation means the Whites don't have to buy something grown and delivered using fossil fuel.
White himself is representative of a new breed, crossing the natural conservatism of those who work the land with the political ideals of a progressive activist. Except that White, 50, wasn't born to either bloodline. His father was a math teacher, his mother an editor. "I was an electrical and mechanical engineer," he said. Food was a hobby until 1993, when the children on a friend's farm decided they didn't like to drink goat's milk; suddenly there was a surplus. "I took the milk and started making cheese," he said. That same year, he gave up his day job. In 2001, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, White formed the Grasslands Cheese Consortium to share his experiences with other small dairy farmers. In 2002 he and his wife began leasing the Bobolink property.
After milking, the cows ambled outside to a creekside pasture, and Lucy and 11 adults -- the sort of people you'd expect to see on a wine tour -- stepped into the creamery. White donned a cap and let the morning's milk flow into a stainless steel vat. "Guess how much this cost?" he asked, referring to the white plastic shovel he was using to stir the milk. "A hundred and fifty dollars," he answered himself. Even Lucy knew that wasn't right, but this shovel was what the health department required. While he stirred, White talked.
Making cheese takes a lot of time, time that can be used to educate visitors about federal farm policy, which has historically subsidized commodity growers but done little for operations like his; about "nouvelle conventional" (White's term for watered-down organic standards); and about the avarice of middlemen who steal from producers and consumers alike. I can't say I didn't expect, or appreciate, this. Thanks to rising environmental awareness, eating has never been more political than it is now. A farmer without an opinion on government regulations and the power of the agricultural lobby is a farmer without a pulse. | <urn:uuid:6290f4fb-a5d8-4c4a-9062-ac312834df20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/07fal/livgreen.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978662 | 1,068 | 1.921875 | 2 |