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When a sixth-grade teacher at Trinity Lutheran School in Delray Beach asked his students to create artwork to celebrate the city's centennial, Brian Aguila was stumped.
So he did what most students would do. He asked his dad for help.
And his dad was able to help more than most. He's an architect in the city's engineering department.
Jose Aguila suggested his son start by studying rare historical texts in the city's archives room.
"It was interesting, looking through those books," said Brian, 10, of Boynton Beach. "I found the perfect picture."
It was a photograph of the original Seacrest Hotel in downtown Delray Beach.
After making his choice, Brian set up a light table, assembled his tracing papers and colored pencils, and set to work.
"My dad helped me decide what [part) to draw [and) helped me get it to scale," Brian said. "It turned out to be the best assignment I had all year. I'm real proud of it."
So were the officials who judged "The Heart Of The City" - the city's Children's Juried Art Exhibit. They awarded Brian first prize for his drawing "The Original Seacrest Hotel: 1923-1982."
Brian won in the sixththrough eighth-grade category. The other winners were Marcus Brown, kindergarten through third grade; Megan Guthrie, fourth and fifth grade; and Matthew McGlynn, high school.
Judges announced the names of the winners during the recent Summer Art and Jazz on the Avenue Festival.
Their works, and those of more than 200 other entrants, are on display in the Cornell Museum of Art and History at the Old School Square Cultural Center, 51 N. Swinton Ave., at Atlantic Avenue, east of Interstate 95, Delray Beach. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The exhibit ends Aug. 28.
Admission is free, but a donation is requested. For information about the exhibit, call 243-7922.
While some students created artwork with contemporary themes such as "A Day At The Beach" or "Silence of the Whales," others focused on people, places or things of historical significance.
For example, Jackie Britton of Sacred Heart School in Lake Worth created a mixed-media entry called "1926 Gymnasium: All Those Years."
Meanwhile, a classmate drew "The Arch in the Theatre at Old School Square."
In addition, Frank Blaise, a seventh-grader at Carver Middle School in Delray Beach, created a pencil-and-ink sketch called "Crest Theatre."
Gloria Adams, director of the Cornell, said she felt "very pleased with this exhibit."
Among her favorite pieces was "The Hurricane," by Tyana Joseph of Calusa Elementary School in Boca Raton. Tyana received an honorable mention for her colorful drawing.
"This is so clever, so dramatic," Adams said. "It is very abstract for such a young child."
Adams was equally impressed with a pencil-and-crayon sketch by Edward Davis, 5, of Delray Beach. Edward drew a little house with a water wheel and water pump, and clothes flapping on a clothesline nearby.
"This is very good," Adams said. "Some of the kids really took their time and thought this out." | <urn:uuid:5c8e4373-fa72-4dab-935e-d1079a9d274d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1995-08-03/news/9508030093_1_exhibit-ends-artwork-juried-art-exhibit | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980595 | 705 | 1.640625 | 2 |
im quiet new to graphic programming,, been programing for quiet some time now.
Im trying to understand some general of how lighting works (not the shader logic behind it), and how it should be structured with in a program.
Lets say i have X objects in my scene, and 3 different types of light sources lets say that all lights sources affects all objects, Point, Spotlight, Diffuse. As i understand it i need 3 different shaders (same shader compiled with different defines or one that is branched). In a more standard approach (I guees its called Forward Rendering) Do I need to render render each object 3 times with a different shader each time seems a bit inefficient in my untrained eyes. and if so will the output be automatically merged or do i need to something?
If i have same scenario but i use a Deferred approach how would that work? | <urn:uuid:3b7a3345-8363-44c8-b2a1-e3ea85898356> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gamedev.net/topic/638146-trying-to-understand-lighting-general/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929153 | 183 | 2.1875 | 2 |
More than two years after the earthquake thrust him into the spotlight, Christchurch's Dr Mark Quigley is still hunting for clues that could unlock the seismic secrets hidden beneath the city.
Since Canterbury's September 4, 2010 quake and the devastating aftershock that killed 185 people on this day two years ago, the Canadian-born, skateboarding University of Canterbury geologist has given dozens of lectures, published major papers, picked up a slew of awards and received tens of thousands of hits on his website.
Dr Quigley is also staying staunch by his city, vowing to remain its calm voice for residents wanting to hear the latest post-quake research.
"There's an immense amount of science going into the rebuild, and my job as a geologist is to focus on what are viewed to be the key problems in that space, and do the best to put the best data forward."
He is exploring the history of the recently-discovered Greendale fault, the local causes of liquefaction and the occurrence of rock falls in the Port Hills.
Trenches are being dug across the Greendale fault to help scientists understand its history of rupturing.
"What we are finding is gravel channels that are 20,000 years old but have only been offset once, so some of those early assertions that this fault hasn't ruptured seem to be right."
Research around liquefaction, which would eventually be calibrated against geological data, would give a deeper perspective on how frequently the phenomenon occurred. And a project would use cosmogenic helium dating to determine what major rockfalls had taken place on the Port Hills.
"The process is like looking at your suntan to work out how long you've been in the sun - we look at the chemistry and skin of rocks to work out how long they've been sitting in position."
Early data indicated there had been a major rockfall event in the hills 3000 to 4000 years ago.
All would help form a slowly-evolving picture of Canterbury's earthquake profile, but much still remained unknown to scientists.
Dr Quigley, who has moved from his old ruined suburb of Bexley to Riccarton, said people were still keen to learn more about the processes happening beneath them.
When aftershocks hit, he usually saw a spike in views to his website.
"At the time of the crisis, people wanted to know why we got the quake, what the surface rupture looked like, why was there liquefaction and what it meant for us.
"But now the story has evolved, where people have said, okay, you've told us about the surface rupture, what do we do about that now?
"And of course, the answer is understanding how earthquakes deform the surface, it gives us an idea about how far we need to set critical infrastructure back from those faults we've identified.
"It gives us an idea about how these sorts of faults behave over time, so in other settings around New Zealand we can learn more about those sorts of faults."
Dr Quigley's sell-out lecture at Christchurch's 2400-seat town hall earned him the title of rockstar scientist but he found the exposure humbling.
And while he felt an obligation to inform the people of Christchurch, he felt the same strong bond that all other hard-hit residents did. "In the end, we like living here - that's the thing."By Jamie Morton @Jamienzherald Email Jamie | <urn:uuid:882a3aac-f2a3-4421-a612-3fee0c5e9164> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurch-earthquake/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502981&objectid=10866929 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969043 | 712 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Special Boat Service: A force never far from the front line of controversy
Formed during the Second World War, the naval fighters have been carrying out covert missions ever since
It was a piece of enterprising insubordination that led to the creation of the Special Boat Service. A commando officer, Roger Courtney, had learnt how quickly and silently he could cross hostile territory while paddling from Lake Victoria to the Nile on big-game hunting expeditions in the 1930s.
When war broke out in Europe he returned to the chillier climes of Scotland in defence of his country. Having failed to convince his superiors with his vision of a folding kayak brigade, he decided to demonstrate its benefits by paddling out to HMS Glengyle, which was lying at anchor in the River Clyde.
Courtney is said to have boarded the vessel undetected, written his initials on the captain's door and stolen a deck-gun cover, which he delivered to his startled superiors as they dined at a nearby hotel. He was promoted to captain and given charge of a dozen men.
The potential of Britain's amphibious special forces became apparent in 1942 when Churchill demanded the closure of the Nazi-occupied port of Bordeaux, home to the German U-Boat and merchant fleet.
Five teams of what later became known as the Cockleshell Heroes paddled their canoes up the mouth of the Gironde, though only two made it into the port. There they attached limpet mines to the moored ships – sinking one and destroying four others.
Despite the loss of life – only two escaped while six were executed and two drowned – Churchill sealed their reputation by claiming the men had hastened the end of the war by six months.
Much of the Special Boat Section's (SBS's) war-time operations took place in the eastern Mediterranean and the Adriatic although it was not always glorious. Its involvement in the ill-fated Operation Anglo, in which eight SBS officers sought to destroy German and Italian bombers on Rhodes, inspired the film They Who Dare but left the force so depleted that it was absorbed into its better-known sister unit, the SAS.
As the tide of war turned in the Allies' favour the new SBS, with its emblem of frog paddles and parachute, helped roll back the Axis powers in Italy and later Asia. After the war, the unit was active in Palestine and Korea. Among those to serve the unit in the Far East in the 1960s was a young officer called Paddy Ashdown.
SBS divers also spied on Soviet shipping and stood in for the Spetznaz, their Soviet counterparts, in training operations with the SAS. One of its most celebrated missions came in 1972, in the wake of the Black September attacks on Jewish targets at the Munich Olympics, when officers were parachuted into the Atlantic to search the QE2 after the captain was told there was a bomb aboard.
The organisation also took responsibility for protecting Britain's offshore oil rigs and nuclear power plants.
The SBS was the first unit to be dispatched to the Falkland Islands in 1982, earning it bragging rights over the SAS. It helped secure South Georgia and played a leading role in the final assault on Port Stanley. A decade later, having been placed on standby to rescue "human shield" hostages held by Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the SBS was once again the first British force on the ground. A 36-strong team dropped by helicopter into the desert outside Baghdad destroyed underground communications for the feared Scud missiles.
In 2000 the SBS also rescued a group of British soldiers kidnapped by Sierra Leone's West Side Boys. But less comfortable times lay ahead as Britain's overseas military role grew after 9/11. In Iraq its officers were accused of having "panicked and fled" in the face of enemy fire during one of the most intense engagements of the conflict.
The row overshadowed successful operations preventing the torching of the Iraqi oil wells. However the unit took the leading special forces role in Afghanistan, helping secure the Bagram air field before joining US colleagues to hunt down al-Qa'ida and Taliban leaders. Today qualified "swimmer canoeists" train at Poole in Dorset under the operational command of the director of special forces. Four squadrons are deployed throughout the British military.
Secret weapon: History of the SBS
1940 Founded in Scotland under the name Folboat Troop
1942 Kayak mission on the harbour at Bordeaux earns the unit the title 'Cockleshell Heroes'
1943 Carries out reconnaissance for Salerno landings in Italy
1950 Operates behind enemy lines in North Korea during Korean War
1972 Parachutes into the Atlantic to find a bomb feared to be aboard the QE2
1982 Helps liberate South Georgia during Falklands conflict
1991 Destroys control systems for Iraqi Scud missiles during Gulf War
2000 Rescues British troops held captive in Sierra Leone
2001 Secures Bagram airfield in Afghanistan. Takes part in battle of Tora Bora
2008 Ambushes Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Matin
2012 Ill-fated bid to rescue British and Italian hostages in Nigeria
That's some guestlist! Stunning images show huge dynastic wedding between Ultra-Orthodox Jewish families which attracted 25,000 guests
Emergency landing at Heathrow sparks further controversy over London airport capacity
Two bailed after arrest over Woolwich attack Twitter comments
Exclusive: Woolwich killings suspect Michael Adebolajo was inspired by cleric banned from UK after urging followers to behead enemies of Islam
Men arrested after RAF jet is scrambled to escort Pakistan Airlines passenger plane to London Stansted Airport
- 1 Liam Gallagher slams Daft Punk: 'I could have written Get Lucky in an hour'
- 2 What, let gays get married? We must be bonkers
- 3 'Something passed underneath us, quite close': Airbus A320 has close encounter with UFO
- 4 Lord of the Sings: Sir Christopher Lee, 91, to release heavy metal album
- 5 Two bailed after arrest over Woolwich attack Twitter comments
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page. | <urn:uuid:e0dc31e8-a8e4-400c-a7f2-90a86c4e7094> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/special-boat-service-a-force-never-far-from-the-front-line-of-controversy-7547451.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963572 | 1,351 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Biofuels hold promise as environmentally friendly sources of renewable energy, but which ones should industry and policy leaders focus their efforts on developing? A new study involving researchers from North Carolina State University offers detailed insights into how biofuel chemicals react when burned. Their data and new computer models pave the way for development of new biofuels and technologies to maximize energy efficiency while minimizing environmental and human health risks.
“Biofuels are a sensible choice as a renewable energy source, but of course there are complications,” says Dr. Phillip Westmoreland, a co-author of the study, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of the Institute for Computational Science and Engineering at NC State. “All of the biofuels have pros and cons, and you can’t manage or plan for use and risks unless you understand them enough.”
The new paper helps define these risks by finding the network of chemical steps that take place when biofuels are burned. An invited overview for Angewandte Chemie, one of the world’s premier chemistry journals, the paper draws on landmark research conducted by Westmoreland and his co-authors from research institutions in the United States, Germany and China.
“By studying individual chemicals that make up biofuels, we were able to explain what emissions result from burning real biofuels,” Westmoreland says. “We can measure the individual intermediates and chemical reactions, helping us craft models that reveal what chemicals are emitted, and in what amounts, by various biofuels. These models can be used to design new engines, new fuels and new policies that foster environmentally sustainable and efficient energy solutions.
“This is important for regulation, where policy makers are weighing the environmental and health costs versus the energy benefits of different biofuels, but it is also essential to decision makers in the business community. Industry does not want to invest in developing biofuels and related technologies that can’t pass policy muster, and this research will help them make educated investment decisions.”
The paper draws on information the researchers have collected about the chemicals produced when biofuels are burned, and how those chemicals change during the combustion process. These insights stem from the use of a novel experimental apparatus the researchers built at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a second system in Hefei, China – which provide unprecedented detail as to exactly what is happening at a molecular level when biofuels are burned.
The paper, “Biofuel combustion chemistry: from ethanol to biodiesel,” is the featured cover article in the May 3 issue of Angewandte Chemie. The paper was co-authored by researchers from NC State, Bielefeld University in Germany, Cornell University, Sandia National Laboratories, the University of Science and Technology of China and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Research Office, and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, among others.
NC State’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is part of the university’s College of Engineering.
Contact and sources:
Dr. Phillip Westmoreland Tel: 919.515.7121
US Department of Energy, US Army Research Office
“Biofuel combustion chemistry: from ethanol to biodiesel”
Authors: Katharina Hohse-Hoinghaus, Patrick Osswald, Bielefeld University (Germany); Terrill A. Cool, Cornell University; Tina Kasper, Nils Hansen, Sandia National Laboratories; Fei Qi, University of Science and Technology of China; Charles K. Westbrook, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Phillip R. Westmoreland, North Carolina State University
Published: May 3, 2010, Angewandte Chemie
Abstract: Biofuels such as bio-ethanol, bio-butanol, and biodiesel are of increasing interest as alternatives to petroleum-based transportation fuels. Liquid fuels are likely to be necessary long into the future because of their portability and high energy density. Biomass-derived liquid fuels offer the long-term promises of fuel-source regenerability and reduced climatic impact. Current discussions emphasize the processes to make such alternative fuels and fuel additives, the compatibility of these substances with current fuel delivery infrastructure and engine performance, and the competition between biofuel and food production. However, the combustion chemistry of the compounds that constitute typical biofuels, including alcohols, ethers, and esters, has not received similar public attention. This review highlights some characteristic aspects of the chemical pathways in the combustion of prototypical representatives of potential biofuels. The discussion focuses on the decomposition and oxidation mechanisms and the formation of undesired, harmful, or toxic emissions, with an emphasis on transportation fuels. New insights into the vastly diverse and complex chemical reaction networks of biofuel combustion – a consequence of the inherent chemical functions of the fuels – are enabled by recent experimental investigations and complementary combustion modeling. Understanding key elements of this chemistry is an important step towards intelligent selection of next-generation alternative fuels. | <urn:uuid:aefc66b2-f0b7-45c1-907b-76554804e640> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com/2010/05/study-paves-way-for-new-biofuels-models.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930265 | 1,055 | 3.484375 | 3 |
The arrival of a financial aid award letter can be a big deal—almost as big a deal as a college decision letter. Here's how colleges put together those anxiously awaited aid packages.
When it comes to choosing a college, "affordable" is an important college quality to just about everyone. The amounts and types of financial aid you get can make a big impact on your ultimate college cost—and upon your ultimate college choice.
Figuring Your Family's Contribution
When colleges start to figure your financial aid, the first number they consider is your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC is what colleges expect you and your parents to pay for college. All colleges use an EFC calculated by the government based on information you provide on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Some private colleges use an additional EFC calculation derived from the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, a separate financial aid form. The PROFILE considers more factors in its formula, such as home equity and income from stepparents and noncustodial parents. Colleges that use the EFC derived from the PROFILE use it to determine aid awards from the college's own resources.
Figuring How Much Aid You Need
The next figure colleges consider is the college's official cost of attendance (COA), which is the cost to attend for one year. The COA should include tuition, fees, books, supplies, housing, meals, local transportation, and miscellaneous personal and educational expenses. The college subtracts your EFC from the COA to calculate the amount of your financial need.
Looking at Aid Based on Your Need
Colleges then consider different types of aid to meet your financial need. The options boil down to gift aid (scholarships and grants) and self-help aid (student loans and work-study earnings). Since you have to repay loans and you have to work to earn work-study awards, gift aid is always more desirable. Only gift aid reduces the "net price" of a college, which is the amount you and your family actually pay out of pocket.
Looking at Aid Based on Your "Merit"
To attract desirable students, many colleges also consider offering "merit aid." Merit aid is primarily based upon the value you bring to the college, not upon your financial need. It is offered as gift aid to students whose grades are at the top of the application pool, or who have a talent or other quality the college seeks. At some schools you will be automatically considered for merit aid and at others you will have to apply for it. If awarded to you, it may appear in your aid package or you may be notified separately. Not all colleges offer merit aid, however. Some of the most selective colleges award only need-based aid.
Building the Aid Package
Colleges combine the different types of gift aid and self-help aid to create aid packages. Each college allocates aid differently, however, according to its policies. Below are a few examples of how such policies can affect your ultimate college net price.
- One common practice, called "gapping," means the college does not fully meet your need. This leaves a "gap" of unmet need that a family has to cover along with its EFC. This practice allows a college to use its limited aid resources to provide aid to a larger group of students and to award more gift aid to students it wants to enroll.
- Colleges can use aid to encourage students to commit. Using a strategy called "preferential packaging," desirable students may get aid offers that fully meet their need, with a high proportion of grants and scholarships. Other students may get loan-heavy packages and less of their need met.
- The order in which aid is allocated affects the quality of the package. For example, some colleges award loans and work-study first, then award gift aid to cover remaining need. Other colleges award grants and scholarships before self-help aid, keeping loans to a minimum.
- Colleges with "deep pockets" from large endowments can be particularly generous. These colleges may be generous with merit aid or they may offer lots of need-based gift aid, even to families with middle-class incomes. Some such colleges have a "no-loan" policy for families making less than a certain income.
- When you file for aid can matter. Many colleges award more gift aid to students who file early in the admission cycle and meet financial aid filing deadlines. They offer more loans to students who file for aid later in the admission cycle, after the gift aid has been used up.
- The outside scholarship policy can affect your package. Colleges are required to reduce your financial need by the amount of any scholarships and grants awarded to you by sponsors outside the college. Aid may be reduced as a result. Some colleges will reduce gift aid first. Others will reduce gift aid only after all self-help aid has been subtracted.
A college's aid packaging policies might seem like a well-kept secret, but you can learn about them by visiting its financial aid web pages or calling the financial aid office.
If an Aid Package Falls Short
If you receive an aid package from a college you want to attend, but you are disappointed with the offer, you and your parents can appeal to the college. For example, you can ask for a recalculation based on information the officers don't have. A parent may have lost a job or entered information incorrectly on the aid application. All colleges have an appeal process—you just need to ask.
It takes some detective work to anticipate what kind of aid package a college might offer you. One resource is College Match, which you can use to look up a college and see its financial aid track record. You'll see the average percentage of need met by a college, the average size of its need-based and merit-based gifts, and much more.
Note: Financial information provided on this site is of a general nature and may not apply to your situation. Contact a financial or tax advisor before acting on such information. | <urn:uuid:a49489a9-1ee9-49a5-ad30-718d53f751c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10094 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962929 | 1,246 | 2.421875 | 2 |
.- The post office of the Isle of Man, a small independently-governed island near the U.K., issued a set of commemorative stamps this month honoring Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman, along with Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope will officially beatify the English cardinal at the end of his visit to England and Scotland from September 16 to 19.
The stamps were part of a miniature sheet issued on August 11, the 120th anniversary of Cardinal Newman's death. Since then, the Isle of Man's department for stamps and coins has been working with the Vatican Post Office to produce additional commemorative materials for the September 19 beatification.
Since Newman's beatification was originally scheduled to take place at Coventry Airport, the stamps give the original location for the announced ceremony rather than the new site at Cofton Park in Birmingham. Stamp collectors, however, often increase the level of an artifacts' value to apparent discrepancies of this kind.
Newman is depicted in two photographs, one taken in his residence at the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in 1883, when the cardinal was 82. The other was taken around 1866, just over two decades after his conversion from Anglicanism and reception into the Catholic Church. The photograph of Pope Benedict XVI was taken during a General Audience in St. Peter's Square on June 10, 2009.
Among the materials to be produced jointly by the Isle of Man Post Office and the Vatican, will be a special welcome message to the Pope from Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Scotland and Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster.
Announcing the stamps in a press conference earlier this summer, Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham said that they “highlight the importance” of the “first time a Pope has been welcomed to the United Kingdom on a State Visit.” A prior visit by Pope John Paul II in 1982, which was the first ever visit by a Pope to the U.K., was a pastoral visit and not undertaken in his capacity as the head of the Vatican City State.
Describing Cardinal Newman as an “example of holiness “ as well as a “figure of international significance,” Archbishop Longley hoped the stamps would “introduce Cardinal Newman and his witness to goodness and truth, to many people throughout the world who may not yet know him." | <urn:uuid:195e9212-1510-43e3-bf61-51486fdd84e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/commemorative-stamps-celebrate-popes-uk-visit-and-newman-beatification/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975295 | 477 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Here is a great article I came across while doing some research online today. It’s written by Glen Stansberry on NetTutsPlus.com blog. This particular blog post is a part of Blog Action Day 2009 Climate Change.
Climate change is greatly affected by our carbon footprint. As web developers, it may not seem that we make huge [...]
About two weeks ago I was invited to a green council meeting at Springfield Technical Community College by Ira Rubenzahl, the college’s president. Tommy Goodrow, the vice president of economic and business development, presented a plan to involve the college in local green initiatives, as well as offer credit and non-credit certification courses to prepare [...] | <urn:uuid:d5cbccf9-6759-46df-b1dc-f86382c96a03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greenspringfield.com/?tag=eco-awareness | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94722 | 144 | 1.617188 | 2 |
The United States and more than 30 other countries have conducted the largest ever minesweeping exercise in the Persian Gulf -- where Iran is threatening to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The moves come as the U.S. and Israel are again warning that force could be used to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapons capability.
The multinational operation, led by the United States in the Gulf, was a very public notice to Iran, which has threatened to mine these waters, the corridor for a fifth of the world’s oil.
At the same time, Israel held its largest military drill in years as tension with Iran over its controversial nuclear program continues to rise.
Israeli officials say Iran is just months away from a nuclear-weapons capability.
"Shockingly some people have begun to peddle the absurd notion that a nuclear-armed Iran would actually stabilize the Middle East. Yea right," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "That is like saying a nuclear-armed al-Qaida would usher in an era of universal peace."
World powers suspect Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, although Tehran insists it wants nuclear technology for peaceful means.
“Fundamentally we do not take seriously the threats of the Zionists vis-à-vis an attack on Iran by them," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during his speech before the U.N. General Assembly. "Even though Iran, at the end of the day, is a great country and let me assure you we do have all defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves.”
The U.S. is moving significant firepower to the Persian Gulf and is increasing the number of fighter planes that could strike deep into Iran. President Barack Obama says he favors diplomacy, but has not ruled out a military option.
“Make no mistake: a nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained. It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations and the stability of the global economy,” Obama said.
Sanctions on Iran’s oil industry are crippling the country’s economy, and its currency is collapsing.
But Iran continues to add centrifuges to its nuclear facilities, increasing its ability to enrich uranium.
Israel is demanding "red lines" be set that would spark military action.
Regional analyst Patrick Clawson disagrees.
“How would we know if Iran crossed any red line that we established? If we have to wait until Iran tests a nuclear weapon to know, well it is too late to take preventive action,” Clawson noted.
Some analysts suggest it is time to offer Iran a comprehensive agreement in an effort to move the stalled negotiations forward. Such a move, they argue, is necessary to demonstrate that the West fully explored diplomatic options before using military force.
“The key to an effective course of diplomacy is offering a way out, " said Dennis Ross, a former top White House adviser on Iran, "but also making it very clear if you don’t take the way out what the consequences are likely to be.”
Those potential consequences can now be seen over the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. | <urn:uuid:99753187-3864-4b23-9c98-d846e93539da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.voanews.com/content/massive-multinational-maneuvers-put-iran-on-notice/1516489.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956153 | 655 | 1.984375 | 2 |
The Rites of Election
In large dioceses, the Rite of Election is usually spread out over several ceremonies given the size of the diocesan-wide convert class, and bishops always enjoy the moment as it's one of the biggest events of the year, and it enables a "hands-on" feeling of welcoming the new intake....
There were more than 1,000 in Washington yesterday.
I'm reminded that, in the midst of the horror of 2002, something incredibly notable was the number of journalists who, in covering the abuse scandal, found something beautiful in things Catholic. Several converted at a notable clip.....
More than 1,000 children, teenagers and adults filled the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Northeast yesterday to prepare to enter the Catholic Church this Easter.-30-
Children and adults and their families and friends joined church officials in the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, a liturgy marking the final period of preparation before the sacraments of initiation at Easter. The liturgy is held each year on the first Sunday of Lent.
As many as 1,233 people are expected to enter the Catholic Church this Easter, the largest number in recent years, officials with the Archdiocese of Washington said yesterday.
"Welcome to full Communion," said Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, after each of the two ceremonies held yesterday afternoon. "You knew you needed something more than you had. ... Somehow, over all the noise of the world, you heard the Lord say, 'I want you to hear I love you, and I want you to come into My family.'?"
As many as 526 persons will be baptized for the first time during Easter Vigil, which this year falls on the weekend of April 16.
About 350 of those who will become Catholics are children and teenagers.
There were 1,037 new Catholics at Easter last year; 1,123, in 2004; and 982 in 2003, officials said.
In 2004, more than 155,000 adults in the U.S. were baptized or confirmed as Catholics. | <urn:uuid:6cd69f06-0031-4f71-94db-3f0f593c5a2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2006/03/rites-of-election.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970386 | 438 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Value Line is regarded as the best independent research available. More than just recommendations, Value Line provides the rationale behind its picks for greater understanding.
- Don D., California
From the Survey: Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole Food Company, Inc. (DOLE) is the world’s largest producer and distributor of fresh fruit and vegetables, including an expanded line of value-added products. The company operates three different business segments, with fresh fruit bringing in the lion’s share of revenues (68% in 2010), as vegetables and packaged foods comprise 15% and 17% of sales, respectively. More than half of Dole’s sales are generated outside the United States, with roughly one-third of revenues derived from the company’s top 10 customers. Its patrons consist primarily of leading global and regional mass merchandisers and supermarkets in Asia, Europe, and North America.
The outlook for Dole Food Company appears solid. This is because the underlying dynamics of the $675 billion fresh produce industry have it poised for long-term growth, since demand for these goods has outpaced overall population expansion. Moreover, the cultural shift toward healthier dietary habits has been accelerating; retailers have increased the square footage dedicated to such items; and a diverse variation of products continues to provide healthy momentum. Medical communities also have furthered their efforts to convince consumers to switch-off less nutritious food sources, and partake in preservative-free items instead. This, too, should augur well for Dole’s top and bottom lines going forward.
Despite the positive long-term trends, Dole Food Company has struggled with recent global turmoil, as have many food distribution businesses. Pricing levels in Asia have been hurt by a difficult operating environment, but should improve as efforts to repair lost infrastructure begin to take hold. Furthermore, continued unrest across sections of the Middle East temporarily closed key Iranian markets, causing supply levels to climb quickly, which disrupted the company’s distribution chain and pricing initiatives. Still, it is likely that as Middle-East tensions begin to ease, order will be restored to central commerce locations. This will likely lead to firmer demand, which ought to help alleviate some of Dole’s recent price troubles in the region.
The company also has been taking steps to reduce overall costs and bolster its margins. In Latin America, for example, it has closed high-cost, company-owned farms, renegotiated several existing labor contracts, and improved the terms of various grower covenants. These maneuvers should bear fruit over the next year, as Dole will need to trim these problematic expenses in order to regain its previous profitability.
Longer term, the fresh produce giant is seeking to expand market share via new product lines, such as fruit bowls in 100% juice and health-focused frozen snack items. Although it faces stiff competition, primarily from produce-kingpin Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (FDP) and Chiquita Brands International (CQB), Dole remains well positioned, with a number 1 or 2 market share rank in core territories of Europe, Japan, Latin America, and the United States.
Although Dole’s shares have long-term appeal, they are not well suited for risk-averse accounts. The company generally faces sharp shifts in short-term demand and supply levels, due to the fresh produce industry’s highly volatile nature. Still, growth opportunities and a foray into new product lines should provide support for solid sales and earnings advances over the long haul, which make this particular stock an intriguing option in the food distribution and production segment.
At the time of this article’s writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned. | <urn:uuid:3fe4f331-7007-4c67-816c-d0311262742e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.valueline.com/Stocks/Highlight.aspx?id=11270 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948787 | 764 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Masada (Hebrew for fortress), is situated atop an isolated rock cliff at the western end of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. It is a place of gaunt and majestic beauty.
On the east the rock falls in a sheer drop of about 450 meters to the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth, some 400 m. below sea level) and in the west it stands about 100 meters above the surrounding terrain. The natural approaches to the cliff top are very difficult.
The only written source about Masada is Josephus Flavius The Jewish War. Born Joseph ben Matityahu of a priestly family, he was a young leader at the outbreak of the Great Jewish Rebellion against Rome (66 CE) when he was appointed governor of Galilee. He managed to survive the suicide pact of the last defenders of Jodfat and surrendered to Vespasian (who shortly thereafter was proclaimed emperor) events he described in detail. Calling himself Josephus Flavius, he became a Roman citizen and a successful historian. Moral judgement aside, his accounts have been proved largely accurate.
According to Josephus Flavius, Herod the Great built the fortress of Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. Herod, an Idumean, had been made King of Judea by his Roman overlords and was hated by his Jewish subjects. Herod, the master builder, furnished this fortress as a refuge for himself. It included a casemate wall around the plateau, storehouses, large cisterns ingeniously filled with rainwater, barracks, palaces and an armory.
Some 75 years after Herods death, at the beginning of the Revolt of the Jews against the Romans in 66 CE, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison of Masada. After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) they were joined by zealots and their families who had fled from Jerusalem. With Masada as their base, they raided and harassed the Romans for two years. Then, in 73 CE, the Roman governor Flavius Silva marched against Masada with the Tenth Legion, auxiliary units and thousands of Jewish prisoners-of-war. The Romans established camps at the base of Masada, laid siege to it and built a circumvallation wall. They then constructed a rampart of thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth against the western approaches of the fortress and in the spring of the year 74 CE moved a battering ram up the ramp and breached the wall of the fortress.
Josephus Flavius dramatically recounts the story told him by two surviving women. The defenders almost one thousand men, women and children led by Eleazar ben Yair, decided to burn the fortress and end their own lives, rather than be taken alive. And so met (the Romans) with the multitude of the slain, but could take no pleasure in the fact, though it were done to their enemies. Nor could they do other than wonder at the courage of their resolution, and at the immovable contempt of death which so great a number of them had shown, when they went through with such an action as that was.
The heroic story of Masada and its dramatic end attracted many explorers to the Judean desert in attempts to locate the remains of the fortress. The site was identified in 1842, but intensive excavations took place only in 1963-65, with the help of hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers from Israel and from many foreign countries, eager to participate in this exciting archeological venture. To them and to Israelis, Masada symbolizes the determination of the Jewish people to be free in its own land.
THE HERODIAN FORTRESS
The rhomboid, flat plateau of Masada measures 600 x 300 m. The casemate wall (two parallel walls with partitions dividing the space between them into rooms), is 1400 m. long and 4 m. wide. It was built along the edge of the plateau, above the steep cliffs, and it had many towers. Three narrow, winding paths led from below to fortified gates. The water supply was guaranteed by a network of large, rock-hewn cisterns on the northwestern side of the hill. They filled during the winter with rainwater flowing in streams from the mountain on this side. Cisterns on the summit supplied the immediate needs of the residents of Masada and could be relied upon in time of siege.
To maintain interior coolness in the hot and dry climate of Masada, the many buildings of various sizes and functions had thick walls constructed of layers of hard dolomite stone, covered with plaster. The higher northern side of Masada was densely built up with structures serving as the administrative center of the fortress and included storehouses, a large bathhouse and comfortable living quarters for officials and their families.
1. Small bathhouse
2. Herod's palace-villa
4. Apartment building
5. Snake-path gate
7. Zealots' living quarters
8. Underground cistern
9. Southern bastion
10. western palace
11. Throne room
12. West gate
14. Large bathhouse | <urn:uuid:b5820363-9955-4f65-b1c9-d4878e399f26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/israelexperience/history/pages/masada%20-%20desert%20fortress%20overlooking%20the%20dead%20sea.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966111 | 1,044 | 3.8125 | 4 |
MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Researchers at the University of Tennessee are investigating whether parasitic wasps can be used to kill the emerald ash borer, a beetle that is threatening millions of trees across the country.
The invasive emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Blount County and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but researchers have unleashed about 4,000 wasps in East Tennessee to try and control the spread of the beetle that has been killing ash trees.
Greg Wiggins, a research assistant professor at the UT Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, told The Daily Times that they've released two species of the parasitic wasps at spots in Blount, Claiborne and Knox counties.
Wiggins said it usually takes three to five years to establish and spread the wasp populations.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) | <urn:uuid:612759ce-fa97-46ac-bbd0-86e7db16b9f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newschannel5.com/story/20003189/wasps-used-in-tennessee-to-attack-invasive-beetle | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939678 | 181 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Have you spotted what the terminate shape does?
The list of shapes in the BizTalk toolbox is not a very long one and so - 4 years after BizTalk 2004 was released I find it strange to discuss the behaviour of a simple shape like the terminate shape; the thing is - that I never quite paid attention to how useful it can be, and so I figured others may have missed it as well.
Now - it is not like I'm talking about anything revolutionary here, just a small oversight on my part.
In essence the terminate shape is as straight forward as anything can be really - you put it in your workflow and behold - your process, upon reaching this shape, would terminate!
The shape takes one "parameter" - a string (or anything that returns a string) which would be the "reason" for termination.
I've known for a while that this string would appear in the HAT query results list as the reason for the termination, and so it is quite useful from operational perspective (why did that process stop again?)
However, I always claimed that terminate is really intended to be used for error scenarios, and not to situations where the process simply reached a point where it should stop processing; I have event, in a previous post, suggested introducing a new "end" shape; in that post I have mentioned a possible alternative - using the Terminate shape - which was also suggested in a comment by an anonymous, but as I believed that the shape is really meant to be used for error scenarios I felt this was not ideal, but at the time this was more a gut feeling thing then anything else.
Today I noticed for the first time the label used for the termination "reason" - it is called "error info", which to me is the "proof" I needed (at least to satisfy myself) that the terminate shape was indeed intended to be used for error scenarios; same error info appears when you view the message flow in HAT of a process that has been terminated , at the top section with all the general details about the process you will find an 'error info' label; any text provided for the terminate shape will be shown there.
I've spotted this only because, being the hard headed guy that I am, I have a few orchestration that have a terminate shape as the last shape in the process. "what is the point in that??" I hear you ask...well - this is why I looked at my decision again.
Well - there are a few possible scenarios - here's one - we have a process that is exposed as a web service. the process initiates several sub-processes (using a mixture of call and start orchestration) and then returns to the caller with a response.
If we have errors in the process we keep track of them in a helper object and return them as a soap header (with or without a response) so that the client is aware of them.
using the terminate shape at the bottom of the orchestration (if my errors collection is not empty) I can report the errors to HAT and make them visible to our operators as well; instead of the orchestration showing just showing as completed, they get a hint through the status that something did not go smoothly and by inspecting the error info field they can find out what it was.
yes - I know I can use the event log - but this way it gets logged with the process in HAT which we can easily find. | <urn:uuid:07b7a82c-c9fd-457d-b4bb-984993e8d015> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.sabratech.co.uk/2008/04/have-you-spotted-what-terminate-shape.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969623 | 712 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Today's businesses are growing and experiencing rapid change due to many factors such as technology and globalization. Diversity is an important part of this change. Many organizations are working on an international level and, as such, need to understand the meaning of diversity when managing an increasingly growing and diverse group of people.
What Is Diversity?
Diversity refers to the mix of qualities that are different from our own and those of the groups to which we belong—both socially and within our work environments. Diversity encompasses (but is not limited to) personality, race, gender, ethnicity, age, physical abilities, sexual orientation, marital status, religious beliefs, organizational function, tenure, and educational background.
In the context of the workplace, valuing diversity means creating a workplace that respects people's differences and recognizes the unique contributions that individuals can make—ultimately creating a work environment that maximizes the potential of all employees.
By understanding diversity—and all its implications—organizations can be better prepared to manage their ever-changing workforce. Let's take a look at how just two of these dimensions of diversity—age and ethnicity—can affect your business.
How Diversity Can Affect Your Business: Some Important Considerations
In terms of age, the current labor force can be divided into three distinct age groups. By defining these age groups, organizations can get a better understanding of their diverse workforce.
- Baby Boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964. This group is often portrayed as having generated optimism and is committed to career and education.
- Generation X (Gen X)—those born between 1965 and 1981. This group grew up in an era of emerging technology and is considered to be very autonomous.
- Generation Y (Gen Y)—also known as "Millennials." Born between 1982 and 1995, this group may turn out to be the most educated and often feels deserving. Gen Y individuals want to work for a company that is socially responsible and do something to make a difference in the world. They have a tendency to switch jobs often, and are the most tech-savvy of the three age groups.
Baby boomers are reaching traditional retirement age and the number of skilled young workers is declining. Statistics show the following:
- Baby boomers represent the largest generation in the workplace.
- Population-wise, Gen X and Gen Y combined already outnumber the baby boomers.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics projections imply that over the next decade, 40 million people will enter the workforce, about 25 million will leave the workforce, and 109 million will remain.
Given these impressive numbers, it's important to understand the impact that these changes in population will have on our future workforce. Here is one such example.
Succession Planning: Succession planning is a critical tool for ensuring lasting organizational improvements. However, the biggest challenge for most organizations is how to effect a well-designed transition of personnel without disrupting organizational continuity. Business leaders need up-to-date information to make vital decisions to meet short- and long-term needs. Identifying planning needs and committing the resources to meet them are some initial challenges of succession planning.
Before organizations can put together a proper succession plan, however, they need to look at the demographics of their workforce. Demographic trends describe the changes in demographics in populations over time and can provide organizations with insight into patterns and warn them of the upcoming configuration of its workforce.
For a few sectors and industries, these changes in workforce demographics are creating unique risk factors. The most evident factor is that people are living longer (greater life expectancies). Why would this pose a risk to organizations? The aging workforce brings with it two very distinct organizational challenges: potential productivity loss (lower productivity of the employee) and retirement risk (loss of the employee).
Age and productivity of course depend on the individual employee and their job functions. Some employees may still be very productive in their golden years, whereas others may show a drop in productivity due to decreased energy levels and increased health issues. How these two possibilities play out will determine the number of workers that companies will need to attract.
So, what do workforce demographics say about how organizations should be designing their succession plans? For one, they present an opportunity for knowledge transfer. Human resources (HR) professionals have the vital responsibility of ensuring their organization has the right tools and information to effectively transfer knowledge to the next generation of employees.
Approaches for knowledge transfer range from simple information-sharing between colleagues, to informal discussions, to networking through social channels, to a more formal approach through developed programs. Mentoring is also an effective way of transferring knowledge. For instance, baby boomers can mentor younger-generation employees by providing them with historical corporate knowledge or tried-and-true best practices. Conversely, Gen Xers can help baby boomers improve their computer skills.
There is a lot of knowledge and information that individuals within a diverse workforce can provide one another. Managers with a variety of backgrounds are pooling their knowledge and training new employees, who bring their own unique experiences and backgrounds.
Local Implications: If you've done any travelling throughout North America in the past decade, one thing you're certain to have noticed is the diversity of the population. According to 2010 US Census Bureau data, more than 40% of the US population is from ethnic or racial minority groups, 12.6% are African American, 16.3% are Hispanic, 4.8% are Asian, and 10.2% represent other groups.
As such, our workplaces are also becoming more diverse. Women (who, according to the US Census Bureau in 2010, account for 50.8% of the population) and minority groups (as discussed above) are recognized as a critical part of the workforce mix.
Interestingly, within our own communities, we (as citizens) are marginally aware of these cultural differences, but often do little to understand them. Conversely, when we travel to different countries on vacation or for business, we tend to be very aware of the cultural behaviors that we must adhere to. So how do we transcend these attitudes in our workplaces?
The more organizations are willing to understand these cultural differences within the workforce, the more proactive they'll be in developing a diversity program. A diversity program goes beyond hiring people of all races, religions, and cultures; it's about understanding the fundamental differences in each and every individual within the organization and striving to ensure those individuals and their contribution to the company (through their cultural upbringing, achieved skills, level of education, etc.) are nurtured. Conversely, involvement at the organizational level ensures that every individual understands their own importance within the company. Keeping a varied workforce actively engaged in the development, implementation, and training process is key to ensuring higher levels of productivity and service. As a result, companies are securing a future that has diversity embedded into the culture.
Global Business: As companies begin recruiting and hiring employees from all over the world, they must be ready—and willing—to understand the diverse cultural differences of their workforce. They must be cognizant of the multicultural interplay in their business environment, as well as understand the stringent local compliance regulations and government labor standards in effect for all their business locations.
As most large companies view the entire world as their marketplace, both from sales and employee recruiting perspectives, competition for these markets is also global. And although most organizations have adapted to the global reality of their operations, many are falling behind in developing HR policies, programs, structures, and services that support global operations. Workforce diversity is one such program that will be certain to boost an organization's international sales.
What Can My Organization Do?
While the rewards of a diverse workforce are real, the process to developing, implementing, and evaluating a diversity program can be a long and arduous process. At a high level, here are the three key steps to developing a truly diverse workforce.
Development: A crucial component of a successful diversity effort is developing a strategy to create a "culture of diversity" that penetrates every department and function of the organization. Before that can happen, however, sponsorship, commitment, and support from organizational leaders are needed.
Because workplace diversity is strategically important to achieving business outcomes, it needs to be viewed as part of an integrated planning and management effort. Attitudes toward diversity originate at the top and cascade downward. Organizational leaders, such as company presidents and chief executive officers (CEOs), need to be involved from the get-go and model the behaviors they themselves wish to see in the organization. Management cooperation and participation is a must for creating a culture conducive to the success of an organization's plan.
Implementation and Training: In order for a diversity program to be effective, organizations must commit to educating their workforce on an ongoing basis. Diversity training is not about a one-time seminar that each employee attends; it's a continuous learning process that involves everyone. A diversity training program is about helping employees understand their roles and responsibilities, allowing employees to voice their opinions and perspectives, learning tolerance, reducing negative elements of intolerance, and about developing leadership skills. Diversity training also inspires employees to become more interested in the company's success because it shows them that the company has made in investment in them (their opinions and their future within the organization).
For organizations that conduct business on a global level, a diverse workforce means that there is a larger pool of experience to draw from when dealing with customer issues around the world.
Evaluation (Measurement and Assessment): In order to be successful, organizations must make evaluation and assessment an integral part of their diversity program. Surveys are an invaluable tool for improving overall organization effectiveness and can help top management determine which challenges and obstacles to diversity exist within the organization and which policies need to be added or eliminated.
A customizable employee satisfaction survey can help organizations accomplish this by examining organizational practices and providing an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within the organization, as well as what employee perceptions are about their roles, the company, and so on. Whether you already have the tools in-house to track and measure this data (e.g., business intelligence, a talent management solution, or analysis and reporting tools) or you hire a consulting firm to conduct these evaluations, the end results will provide invaluable information for making future business decisions.
There are consulting firms and diversity training organizations out there that can help with your diversity initiatives, such as the following (to name a few):
I have only scratched the surface by touching on two areas within the dimensions of workforce diversity; the list of challenges—and opportunities—is endless.
An organization's success (and competitiveness) depends upon its ability to embrace diversity and realize the rewards that such a program can bring. Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace inspire all of their employees to perform to their highest ability. With a company-wide strategy in place, organizations can reap the benefits of higher productivity, profit, and return on investment (ROI). Moreover, a diversity program can enhance an organization's responsiveness to an increasingly diverse world of customers, increase the organization's ability to manage change, as well as expand the creativity of the organization.
For another interesting perspective on cultural diversity, I recommend Glenn Llopis's post, "The Lack of Cultural Intelligence Is Damaging Our Enterprises and Our Economy," on his blog, The Immigrant's Perspective. | <urn:uuid:7dd61ac9-834e-40bd-b2af-19a4b84ef5d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.technologyevaluation.com/research/articles/workforce-diversity-meeting-the-challenges-head-on-22498/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95297 | 2,299 | 3.375 | 3 |
Jeffrey W. McClurken is Associate Professor and Chair of History and American Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. His research areas include the history of veterans, families, gender, the Pinkertons, mental institutions, the 19th-Century American South, and the digital humanities. [These are fields that overlap more than you might think . . . .] He teaches classes on a wide array of US History topics, including American technology and culture, digital history, women's history, and TED.com. His book, Take Care of the Living: Reconstructing the Confederate Veteran Family in Virginia, was released by UVA Press in 2009. His interest in the digital humanities began while programming his Commodore 64 using a cassette tape drive in the 1980s, but really took off when he entered census data and hand-coded HTML for the Valley of the Shadow project in the mid-1990s. He has been involved in digital pedagogy since making his students hand code HTML in the early years of the 2000s. He blogs at Techist, tweets from @jmcclurken, and Zoteros at zotero.org/jmcclurken. Links to his classes and presentations can be found at http://mcclurken.org. | <urn:uuid:b0f8df66-c03e-49ee-934e-3e60de748ba9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chnm.gmu.edu/staff/jmcclurken/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959783 | 268 | 1.820313 | 2 |
It was one of the strangest decisions that Facebook ever made – the total lack of a “share” button on their smartphone apps and mobile website. Ironically, it meant that a site meant to be used for sharing links and posts couldn’t be used for sharing links and posts if you were using a smartphone platform. Whenever I saw a picture or a video on Facebook, via my iPhone, that I wanted to share, I was frustrated because there was simply no way to do it. It was utterly incomprehensible why Facebook would impose these limits on their users.
But yesterday, this wacky state of affairs was finally reversed when a “share” button was finally inserted. Now I could torment my followers at all times of the day and night with cat pictures, bad jokes, and pithy observations about life. I am still totally amazed that it took so long for the penny to drop at Facebook HQ that a share button had to be included. They’re so busy giving us stuff that we don’t want or need (cough….Timeline…cough…) that they’re forgetting the absolute basics of why people use Facebook in the first place. And why did they wait until after the US presidential election to introduce these features? Surely, before the election was the time people wanted to share stuff, when they were rooting for their candidate and all kinds of juicy salacious titbits were coming out?
As well as the share button, another incomprehensible omission was being fixed – in-line tagging. In case you don’t know what that is (I’m pretty sure you do), it’s when you start to type someone’s name in a status message and Facebook auto-completes the name for you and links to that person’s Facebook page. Well, up to now this was only confined to the regular PC site, and again it was utterly frustrating if I wanted to tag someone or credit someone for something. I could only write their name, but as there would be no link to them, it was totally hit-and-miss whether or not they would actually see the message. Now this too has been acknowledged and fixed by Zuckerberg and Co.
Facebook developers seem to be really busy lately adding new features to their mobile apps, as we are seeing a whole slew of new features appearing. You can now send gifts to your contacts, a new look to Facebook Messenger (which seems like a rip-off of Apple iMessage), and a new way to get to your Facebook chat contacts (on iOS). All you have to do is swipe left with your finger to reveal your contact list and see at a glance who is online. What’s more, you can designate anyone you speak to often as a “favorite” and pin their name to the top of the contact list for easy access.
With all of these changes, what still needs to be added to the mobile platforms to make them equal to their PC counterpart? Here’s my wishlist :
1. A way to delete status updates. On my iPhone, I still can’t delete anything.
2. A way to “highlight” posts on my Facebook page.
3. A way to change my profile photo and header.
4. A way to crop and edit newly uploaded photos.
5. For it to do the housework and make me endless cups of tea.
I’m sure I’ll think of more wishes eventually (I’m a pretty picky kind of guy) but if those were implemented, I would be pretty happy. Or maybe it’s already possible to do one or more of these, and I am being a total doofus? If so, please tell me in the comments how to do them on an iPhone / iPad and I will show my gratitude by telling you one of my bad jokes (they don’t call me Fozzie Bear for nothing). | <urn:uuid:9e5d5319-e5f6-4998-95a6-f73a9f062e88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nowsourcing.com/2012/11/18/facebook-finally-adds-a-share-button-to-its-ios-android-apps-mobile-website/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974934 | 820 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Archive for the ‘Childhood Diseases’ Category
When it comes to our children and their immune system, everyone knows that usually it seems that kids have the most likelihood of developing all sorts of illnesses. All of a sudden we may find them with a high fever and surprisingly there is nothing that foretold us about his condition. It may seem that every symptom comes all of a sudden, but actually in many cases the children have been exposed to a viral environment in either their school or kindergarten.
There is no exact way of preventing childhood illnesses. We may try isolating the child but that is not a solution as his body will become frail over time. Actually it is better not to pamper them too much. Some parents refuse to take their children for a walk or to let them leave the house when it is cold outside. This type of isolation may have devastating effects on their immune system. What actually happens is that the children start to get more prone to the viruses they encounter.
This is why it is good to let the children take contact with environments that we see as a normal threat. We should let them roam for a couple of minutes in the snow and even enjoy it ourselves. Also they have to stay fully hydrated and they need to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables during the winter season and not only. The best way to treat is in the end to prevent.
Now that the cholera epidemic has become a loose, this time in Haiti, it is necessary for parents to be alert to any symptoms that may show signs of this disease in our children.
The cholera, usually strikes during the summer. It is at this time when children are more prone to contracting the disease, because heat and moisture causes the bacteria to stay alive longer on food.
Where does the anger? Cholera is caused by the bacterium vibrio cholerae, found in water contaminated with fecal (stool). The developing countries are the ones who suffer most, for lack of drinking water in some of their cities.
If dirty water comes into contact with food, pollution, so it is necessary to wash them thoroughly before eating. We recommend adding a few drops of bleach (chlorine) in the water that washes fruits and vegetables. It is also good to eat cooked food, especially seafood.
Cholera can be prevented by using boiled water for drinking and cooking. Do not forget that the containers where water is stored must be clean, and your whole house dirt brings flies and flies are responsible for transmitting the cholera virus to your family.
Children often suffer from many diseases, so we must be alert to symptoms that to work properly. Mumps is a disease of childhood to which we must pay utmost care and directly attacks the salivary glands.
Mumps (or parotitis) is a disease caused by a virus that is transmitted through saliva and can infect mainly children between 2 and 14 years who are not vaccinated. If it is spread by saliva, so be careful with silverware and other children who are incubating the virus.
The symptoms of mumps are different, so it is necessary to observe the child very well and to see the doctor if we see that:
has swollen lower cheeks,
have a bad stomach and head,
has red eyes,
disturbed swallowing food,
throw up a lot,
pain and swelling in the testicles (if man). | <urn:uuid:4f2d5a56-e57f-40d5-9fde-09930de7be1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://milliondadsmarchnetwork.org/category/childhood-diseases-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97303 | 699 | 2.5625 | 3 |
«Egypt cannot manage without us women»
This interview is discussed by Francesco Aloisi de Larderel, former Italian ambassador to Egypt, in the article "The Muslim Brotherhood's New Challenges".
“Egypt has entered a new phase, one that cannot be managed without us women. All Egyptian women are now asked to work for the good of the country” said Dina Zakaria, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a representative of the Freedom and Justice Party, the newly-created party linked to the conservative Islamic Party. “In my family of origin there were no members of the Muslim Brotherhood. I decided on my own to join this movement while I was at university. I wanted to approach Islam with sincerity. At the time I would never have dreamt that I would become the Freedom and Justice representative in Brussels,” explained Dina in her perfect English. Twenty-seven years old with a degree in Political Science and two children, in July Dina was the spokesperson for the Freedom and Justice conference organised by the European parliament for all Egypt’s new political representatives.
After the fall of Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood has become Egypt’s main political party. And yet, on the eve of the January 25th protests, the movement’s leadership asked members not to take to the streets in the party’s name. Did it not believe in the power of these protests?
The movement asked us not to take to the streets as representing the Ikhwan (the Muslim Brotherhood Editor’s Note) but they did not oblige us to refrain from protesting. No one could have imagined the effects of the January 25th protests; no one used the word revolution at the time. I felt optimistic from the very start, but I understood the Muslim Brotherhood’s motivations. The movement did not want the security forces, which for years had fully controlled all our movements and phone calls, to intercept messages that could have caused the protests to fail. If we had announced that we would attend the protests as the Muslim Brotherhood, the police would have ordered a mass mobilisation and there would have been a massacre.
In this revolution men and women fought side by side. Is this the sign of a less patriarchal society? Of course, but we still have a long way to go. Our culture, and not our religion, leads us to show particular attention and care regards to women. At the same time, within the family unit, women know they must help their husbands when they have problems, and that they are responsible for bringing up and educating their children. These ideas have to a certain extent changed in the past decade, seeing the problems in everyday life that have obliged women to work. Due to financial problems, having a job has become a necessity while it was once a choice. Hence, leaving the home and going to their offices, women started to compare themselves to others, and also to men, beginning to understand society’s problems. Our perspective changed and therefore, when a new generation of young people decided to protest, there was no difference between men and women. This was an evolution for Egyptian society, but for those of us who belong to the Brotherhood things have been different.
Because within this movement we women have always played an important role and have also been active in organizing street protests demanding the fall of the regime. For years we fought for the causes of Egypt’s poorer classes and also for the Palestinian issue. It is our duty to do this. We must be active because our religion asks as to be optimistic and creative, at the service of those in need. In this there is no difference with men. Men and women are equal in the eyes of our God, there is no difference.
And yet, as women, the movement’s leadership asked you not to take part in the January 25th protests. Why?
We were asked, with good cause, not to protest in the streets for two reasons. If as women we had attended the protest event, we would have been instantly recognized as Ikhwan. We are the only ones who wear this kind of hijab (the veil that covers the head leaving the face uncovered, Editor’s Note) which also covers the shoulders. They did not want to provide the regime with an opportunity to say that the protests were led by religious movements. This was the uprising of all Egyptians and not only the Ikhwan. Furthermore, as women, our leaders wanted to protect us and this has always happened in the history of our movement. When we attended protests many of us were arrested and thrown in prison. Our men have always been very careful not to expose us excessively precisely for this reason, but now everything has changed. There is less to fear and our role will become increasingly clear.
Will women have more power in this new Egypt?
Of course, that is obvious, and it will happen in all the various areas in which women are involved. Egypt in 2011 is a very different country compared to 2010. Our people know they can implement change, that they have power, that they can make sacrifices to reconstruct the country destroyed by the old regime. Everyone knows they have a role to play, a social role if not a political one. As a mother I have a new role to play with my children, I must bring them up in this new country to prepare them to be active citizens, to fight for the rights of the more needy, against corruption and for the country’s freedom. Being a mother used to be different, one did not think one had a role in determining the country’s future and many women thought their children’s lives were already mapped out.
And what about unmarried women?
Unmarried women too are preparing to play a leading role. They will be able to actively take part in the country’s political life because they have the time to do this. They should stop being afraid of being women and understand they are equal to men and try and be active on the streets among the people and in the reconstruction of the country. The new period will be very complex and we need to try and be ready and active because, in the coming months, there will be many difficult issues to be addressed. The revolution was only the beginning of a long and difficult transition.
Translated by Francesca Simmons | <urn:uuid:a92424f6-8f41-4957-ab7d-2ab787b93f5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.resetdoc.org/story/00000021699 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982487 | 1,291 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Borders and visas
Access to Europe in a globalised world
The establishment of Frontex in 2004 marked an important step in the development of common management of external borders. Alongside it, the Visa Code has come into force and the Visa Information System is being gradually implemented. It is in this context that the Stockholm programme is endeavouring to reconcile making borders secure and facilitating flows.
■ Integrated management of the external borders
The Union must continue to facilitate legal access to the territory of its Member States while in parallel taking measures to counteract illegal immigration and cross-border crime and maintaining a high level of security.
The Stockholm programme is endeavouring to reconcile making borders secure and facilitating flows.
It is essential that the activities of Frontex and of the European Asylum Support Office are coordinated when it comes to the reception of migrants at the Union's external borders, particularly as regards identifying mixed flows. The Stockholm programme thus initiated a debate on the long-term development of Frontex and the feasibility of the creation of a European system of border guards.
In order to optimise border control, the introduction of the second-generation Schengen Information System and the deployment of the Visa Information System remain priorities. Furthermore, the gradual development of the European Border Surveillance System (Eurosur) at the southern and eastern borders will continue. Eurosur is designed to put in place a system using modern technologies and promoting interoperability and uniform border surveillance standards.
■ Visa policy
The EU and the Member States will be able to take advantage of these developments in order to intensify regional consular cooperation.
Visa policy is part of a broader vision that takes account of relevant internal and external policy concerns. The EU and the Member States will be able to take advantage of these developments in order to intensify regional consular cooperation by means of programmes which could include, in particular, the establishment of common visa application centres.
The EU will keep the list of third countries whose nationals are or are not subject to a visa requirement under regular review in accordance with appropriate criteria relating, for example, to illegal immigration, public policy and security, which take account of the Union's internal and foreign policy objectives. The EU will also guarantee respect for the principle of reciprocity as regards the visa requirement. | <urn:uuid:fab0240a-69a4-4d5f-8209-a9ae4d2cd0df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ue.eu.int/policies/council-configurations/justice-et-affaires-interieures-(jai)/frontieres-et-visas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926879 | 458 | 1.960938 | 2 |
The Impact of Family Status on Healthy Aging: A Life Course Approach
01 / 2011 - unknown
Previous research investigating the role of the family on well-being has focused on the benefits and costs that marriage and parenthood bring to the lives of individuals. However, recent studies have produced mixed results regarding the beneficial role of family relationships on individuals' well-being and they have not been able to capture the impact of family status trajectories due to cross-sectional data and limited measurement of well-being. This project focuses on the relation between life-course histories and the well-being of aging population with aim to understand how changes in family status trajectories affect individuals' well-being. The study will use both cross-sectional and longitudinal data to examine how individuals produce subjective well-being and health. | <urn:uuid:49a2b29b-c0d7-4ccc-a0ef-77fd6a03c112> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.narcis.nl/research/RecordID/OND1347106/Language/en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923597 | 161 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Teaching Your Dog Basic Commands: 101 Dog Care Tips- Tip 67
The key to good doggy behavior is starting with the basics, basic dog commands. The most important ingredient in getting your dog to obey verbal commands is positive reinforcement. Here are a few basic commands all dog owners must know and dogs should learn.
1. Hold a treat in front of your dogs nose and just beyond his reach.
2. Slowly raise the treat above his head so that as his eyes follow the treat, his backside naturally sits.
3. As soon as he begins the sitting motion, say "sit".
4. Once his bottom is firmly placed on the floor, give him the treat and praise him with "good sit!"
*If your dog is jumping for the treat, you may be holding the treat too high above him. If your dog backs up instead of sitting, try training him next to a wall that can limit his movement backwards.
1. Sit your dog in front of you.
2. Hold the treat against the floor and close to your dog's body.
3. Slowly move the treat away from your dog so that a laying down motion enable him to follow the treat.
4. As soon as your dog begins the laying motion, say "down".
5. Once the dog is down, reward him with a treat and praise him.
*If your dog stands up instead of laying down, try again. Like we always say practice makes perfect!
Teaching " Stand"
1. Start with your dog in a sitting in front of you.
2. Slowly move the treat close to your body and take a step backwards. Your dog should stand in order to follow the treat.
3. Once dog begins standing motion, say "stand" or "up".
4. Once your dog is standing, reward with treat and lots of praise.
Teaching "Sit" from "Down"
1. Begin with dog in the down position.
2. Hold the treat in front of your dog's nose and move it slowly above his head.
3. Just in the normal sit command, your dog should naturally sit up while he follows the treat.
4. As dog begins the sitting motion, say "sit".
5. Once sitting, reward with treat and praise.
Remember these essential basic dog commands takes practice, time and patience on your part. Training should be fun for the both of you!
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Become a fan of our facebook page for exclusive coupons and giveaways. http://www.facebook.com/BestBully | <urn:uuid:59aacdc6-cc9d-4d0e-a7e1-3530cbf6e29a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bestbullysticks.com/blog/101-dog-care/teaching-your-dog-basic-commands-101-dog-care-tips-tip-67/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930183 | 1,493 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The tachinid fly Compsilura concinnata is a parasitoid of gypsy moth and other imported pests, such as satin moth and brown-tail moth. It was one of more than 45 species of natural enemies introduced for control of gypsy moth over a period of over 50 years, beginning in 1906. This native European species is highly polyphagous and has been reared from more than 200 host species in the United States. Some are pests such as forest tent caterpillar, but many are non-pest species in the families Nymphalidae (brushfooted butterflies) or Saturniidae (giant silkworms).
The blackish adult fly is 7.5 mm long with four deep black stripes on the thorax and lots of bristles. In the spring the adults emerge to larviposit in caterpillars. The female approaches a host, moving closely around it for a few seconds. She then darts at its middle, pinches the host's body between spines on the underside of her abdomen and her sharp larvipositor, and injects a young maggot into the wound-in a single motion that takes about ½ second. She often examines and attacks the same host a number of times. Each female produces about 100 larvae. The maggot develops within the intestine or body cavity of the caterpillar, and after consuming the contents, leaves the host to pupate in the soil, in the host web, or in crevices in the bark of the tree the host was feeding on. Adult flies emerge in about 10 days. During the summer the cycle from larviposition to adult emergence can be completed in about 20 days. There are up to four generations per year, with one generation developing when gypsy moths are vulnerable to parasitism. The fly overwinters in the immature stage in living caterpillars of various species (but not in gypsy moth since it overwinters in the egg stage).
The abundance of C. concinnata in the spring, and consequently the degree of parasitism of gypsy moth, is influenced by the abundance of its hibernating hosts. Most of these host insects pass the winter in the pupal stage, either above or below ground. Overwintering hosts include Diacrisia virginica, Apatela americana, Ampelophaga myron, Mamestra picta, Sphinx gordius, promethea moth, black swallowtail, spicebush swallowtail and others. In the summer numerous species in widely divergent habitats in 18 families of Lepidoptera are utilized as hosts.
Parasitization of gypsy moth by C. concinnata is generally low (less than 5%) during gypsy moth outbreaks, but tends to be higher when pest populations decline. Parasites contribute significantly to mortality of gypsy moth larvae, but C. concinnata is often less effective than other species of parasitoids. Its effects are diluted because it attacks so many other hosts, and it also prefers to attack hosts on low foliage, so many of the caterpillars higher in the trees escape parasitization.
In the mid-1970's augmentative releases of adult C. concinnata were made against gypsy moth in eastern Pennsylvania. Although there was an increase in parasitism by the fly the year of release, this was not a practical management technique. It was too expensive to culture them and too little was known about their behavior in the field--the flies dispersed much farther than expected. At the time of these experiments parasitization of native species was not of concern. Now this species would be scrutinized more closely because of its potential impact on nontarget hosts.
- Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin - Madison
|Return to Contents Menu Vol. VI No. 9|
Go To Index | <urn:uuid:b5e98b3f-0e5c-407f-8780-140d2b0647f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/kyf609.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957873 | 787 | 3.359375 | 3 |
This codex is a quarto volume written in uncial letters of the fourth century, on folios of fine parchment bound in quinterns. Each page is divided into three columns of forty lines each, with from sixteen to eighteen letters to a line, except in the poetical books, where, owing to the stichometric division of the lines, there are but two columns to a page. There are no capital letters, but at times the first letter of a section extends over the margin. Several hands worked at the manuscript; the first writer inserted neither pauses nor accents, and made use but rarely of a simple punctuation. Unfortunately, the codex is mutilated; at a later date the missing folios were replaced by others. Thus, the first twenty original folios are missing; a part of folio 178, and ten folios after fol. 348; also the final quinterns, whose number it is impossible to establish. There are extant in all 759 original folios.
The Old Testament (Septuagint Version, except Daniel, which is taken from the version of Theodotion) takes up 617 folios. On account of the aforementioned lacunae, the Old Testament text lacks the following passages: Genesis 1-46:28; 2 Samuel 2:5-7, 10-13; Pss. cv,27-cxxxvii, 6. The order of the books of the Old Testament is as follows: Genesis to Second Paralipomenon, First and second Esdras, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticle of Canticles, Job, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Esther, Judith, Tobias, the Minor Prophets from Osee to Malachi, Isaias, Jeremias, Baruch, Lamentations and Epistle of Jeremias, Ezechiel, Daniel; the Vatican Codex does not contain the Prayer of Manasses or the Books of Machabees.The New Testament begins at fol. 618. Owing to the loss of the final quinterns, a portion of the Pauline Epistles is missing: Hebrews 9:14-13:25, the Pastoral Letters, Epistle to Philemon; also the Apocalypse. It is possible that there may also be some extra-canonical writings missing, like the Epistle of Clement. The order of the New Testament books is as follows: Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Catholic Epistles, St. Paul to the Romans, Corinthians (I-II), Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Thessalonians (I-II), Hebrews.
In the Vatican Codex we find neither the Ammonian Sections nor the Eusebian Canons. It is, however, divided into sections, after a manner that is common to it with the Codex Zacynthius (Cod. "Zeta"), an eighth-century Scriptural manuscript of St. Luke. The Acts of the Apostles exhibits a special division into thirty-six chapters. The Catholic Epistles bear traces of a double division, in the first and earlier of which some believe that the Second Epistle of Peter was wanting. The division of the Pauline Epistles is quite peculiar: they are treated as one book, and numbered continuously. It is clear from this enumeration that in the copy of the Scriptures reproduced by the Vatican Codex the Epistle to the Hebrews was placed between the Epistle to the Galatians and the Epistle to the Ephesians.
The Vatican Codex, in spite of the views of Tischendorf, who held for the priority of the Codex Sinaiticus, discovered by him, is rightly considered to be the oldest extant copy of the Bible. Like the Codex Sinaiticus it represents what Westcott and Hort call a "neutral text", i.e. a text that antedates the modifications found in all later manuscripts, not only the modifications found in the less ancient Antiochene recensions, but also those met with in the Eastern and Alexandrine recensions. It may be said that the Vatican Codex, written in the first half of the fourth century, represents the text of one of those recensions of the Bible which were current in the third century, and that it belongs to the family of manuscripts made use of by Origen in the composition of his Hexapla.
The original home of the Vatican Codex is uncertain. Hort thinks it was written at Rome; Rendel Harris, Armitage Robinson, and others attribute it to Asia Minor. A more common opinion maintains that it was written in Egypt. Armitage Robinson believes that both the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus were originally together in some ancient library. His opinion is based on the fact that in the margins of both manuscripts is found the same special system of chapters for the Acts of the Apostles, taken from the division of Euthalius, and found in two other important codices (Amiatinus and Fuldensis) of the Latin Vulgate. Tischendorf believed that three hands had worked at the transcription of the Vatican Codex. He identified (?) the first hand (B1), or transcriber, of the Old Testament with the transcriber of a part of the Old Testament and some folios of the New Testament in the Codex Sinaiticus. This primitive text was revised, shortly after its original transcription, with the aid of a new manuscript, by a corrector (B2 For the Old Testament B2 is quoted by Swete as Ba). Six centuries after (according to some), a third hand (B3,Bb) retraced the faded letters, leaving but very little of the original untouched. According to Fabiani, however, this retracing was done early in the fifteenth century by the monk Clemens (qui saeculo XV ineunte floruisse videtur). In modern times (fifteenth-sixteenth century) the missing folios were added to the codex, in order, as Tregelles conjectures, to prepare it for use in the Vatican Library. Old catalogues show that it was there in the fifteenth century. The addition to the New Testament was listed by Scrivener as Cod. 263 (in Gregory, 293) for the Epistle to the Hebrews, and Cod. 91 for the Apocalypse. Napoleon I had the codex brought to Paris (where Hug was enabled to study it), but it was afterwards returned to the Holy See, with some other remnants of Roman booty, and replaced in the Vatican Library. There are various collations, editions, and studies of the Vatican Codex. The collations are:
As to the editions of this codex, the Roman edition of the Septuagint (1587) was based on the Vaticanus. Similarly, the Cambridge edition of Swete follows it regularly and makes use of the Sinaiticus and the Alexandrinus only for the portions that are lacking in the Vaticanus. The first Roman edition appeared in 1858, under the names of Mai and Vercellone, and, under the same names, a second Roman edition in 1859. Both editions were severely criticized by Tischendorf in the edition he brought out at Leipzig in 1867, "Novum Testamentum Vaticanum, post A. Maii aliorumque imperfectos labores ex ipso codice editum", with an appendix (1869). The third Roman edition (Verc.) appeared under the names of Vercellone (died 1869) and Cozza-Luzi (died 1905) in 1868-81; it was accompanied by a photographic reproduction of the text: "Bibliorum SS. Graecorum Cod. Vat. 1209, Cod. B, denou phototypice expressus, jussu et cura praesidum Bibliothecae Vaticanae" (Milan, 1904-6). This edition contains a masterly anonymous introduction (by Giovanni Mercati), in which the writer corrects many inexact statements made by previous writers. Until recently the privilege of consulting this ancient manuscript quite freely and fully was not granted to all who sought it. The material condition of the Vatican Codex is better, generally speaking, than that of its contemporaries; it is foreseen, however, that within a century it will have fallen to pieces unless an efficacious remedy, which is being earnestly sought for, shall be discovered.
APA citation. (1908). Codex Vaticanus. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04086a.htm
MLA citation. "Codex Vaticanus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04086a.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Sean Hyland.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. | <urn:uuid:6911babb-7dfd-467f-bf4c-1cb840539814> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newadvent.org/cathen/04086a.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937159 | 1,968 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Important Safety Information
YERVOY (ipilimumab) can cause serious side effects in many parts of your body which can lead to death. These serious side effects may include: inflammation of the intestines (colitis) that can cause tears or holes (perforation) in the intestines; inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) that can lead to liver failure; inflammation of the skin that can lead to severe skin reaction (toxic epidermal necrolysis); inflammation of the nerves that can lead to paralysis; inflammation of hormone glands (especially the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands) that may affect how these glands work; and inflammation of the eyes.
These side effects are most likely to begin during treatment; however, side effects can show up months after your last infusion. Your healthcare provider should perform blood tests, such as liver and thyroid function tests, before starting and during treatment with YERVOY. Your oncologist may decide to delay or stop YERVOY.
Call your healthcare provider if you have any signs or symptoms or they get worse. Even seemingly mild symptoms can lead to severe or even life-threatening conditions if not addressed. Do not try to treat symptoms yourself.
Serious side effects may include:
- Inflammation of the intestines (colitis) that can cause tears or holes (perforation) in the intestines. Signs and symptoms of colitis may include:
- diarrhea (loose stools) or more bowel movements than usual
- blood in your stools or dark, tarry, sticky stools
- stomach pain (abdominal pain) or tenderness
- Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) that can lead to liver failure. Signs and symptoms of hepatitis may include:
- yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes
- dark urine (tea colored)
- nausea or vomiting
- pain on the right side of your stomach
- bleeding or bruise more easily than normal
- Inflammation of the skin that can lead to severe skin reaction (toxic epidermal necrolysis). Signs and symptoms of severe skin reactions may include:
- skin rash with or without itching
- sores in your mouth
- your skin blisters and/or peels
- Inflammation of the nerves that can lead to paralysis. Symptoms of nerve problems may include:
- unusual weakness of legs, arms, or face
- numbness or tingling in hands or feet
- Inflammation of hormone glands (especially the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands) that may affect how these glands work. Signs and symptoms that your glands are not working properly may include:
- persistent or unusual headaches
- unusual sluggishness, feeling cold all the time, or weight gain
- changes in mood or behavior such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness
- dizziness or fainting
- Inflammation of the eyes. Symptoms may include:
- blurry vision, double vision, or other vision problems
- eye pain or redness
Pregnancy and Nursing:
- Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. YERVOY may cause stillbirth, premature delivery, and/or death of your unborn baby. Before starting YERVOY, tell your healthcare provider if you are breast-feeding. It is advised that nursing mothers do not breast feed while taking YERVOY.
Tell your healthcare provider about:
- Your health problems if you:
- have an active condition where your immune system attacks your body (autoimmune disease), such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, lupus, or sarcoidosis.
- had an organ transplant, such as a kidney transplant
- have liver damage from diseases or drugs
- have any other medical conditions
Most Common Side Effects:
The most common side effects of YERVOY include: tiredness, diarrhea, itching, and rash.
These are not all of the possible side effects of YERVOY. If you have any questions about your health or medicines, talk to your healthcare provider.
Please see U.S. Full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING regarding immune-mediated side effects, and Medication Guide for YERVOY.
The information provided on this website is not a substitute for talking to your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider is the best source of information about your disease.
Models on this website are used for illustrative purposes only.
Some files on this website require Adobe Reader to be installed. If you do not have Adobe Reader on your computer, you can download it here. | <urn:uuid:a3114556-27c6-4265-a412-13eb2f19f0bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yervoy.com/patient/for-caregivers.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905322 | 980 | 2.140625 | 2 |
One should take care applying the concept too squarely onto our society. In Gramsci’s time hegemony at the level of statecraft meant a particular class leading a multitude of other classes, each with distinct political aims. There are not coinciding revolutions any more, like there were in 1917.
It reminds me, though I’m not sure this is a perfect analogy, of the observation that socialists should be the best fighters for reforms. They should, but I have also seen the times when this has been acknowledged in the sense of “thanks for being the best fighters, don’t let the door hit you on the way out”. Leading in struggle in itself is not enough.
Similarly, there is the idea that theory serves practice, in particular that a good book or pamphlet provides an overview for activists. It is very difficult for most people to be politically active, at least as as they need to be. Tailoring theory to current activists carries the danger of reducing party culture to a narrow section of society. Theory is liable to be degraded and the party becomes in danger of talking only to itself. This is perhaps how we got to the stage where words such as ‘feminism’ and ‘autonomism’ no longer refer to political credos but make do as refined abuse.
Wider society is also left unprepared should, for example, an unexpected section of the population take up struggle. This is less that the section lose because of lack of clarity – people are often very clear about what it is they’re fighting for and how they expect to get it – but more to do with other groups who might have a secondary interest not rallying to the cause. What was the meaning of Occupy? What is the meaning of modern feminism? Why do disability rights matter? Gramsci described revolutionary activity as the critical renovation of consciousness. Questions like these must be explained. | <urn:uuid:82fe0b87-0a6c-479e-8e9f-0110a83919e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://throughthescarydoor.blogspot.com/2013/01/all-hegemony-you-can-eat.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974431 | 389 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Coats disease : classification and current treatment
Acta Ophthalmologica, 08/08/2012
Munier F – There is an increasing interest in anti–VEGF therapy in Coats' disease. This is the largest series of stage 4 and 3B Coats' disease treated by ranibizumab, demonstrating that it is a well–tolerated and safe therapy in young children with advanced disease. Ranibizumab facilitates the management by suppressing rubeosis in stage 4 and decreasing exudation. | <urn:uuid:30a13c33-1034-4008-ab8d-a001ff8b2e7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mdlinx.com/physician-assistant/news-article.cfm/4164811/0/coats-disease/next/134?source=scroller | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937202 | 110 | 1.617188 | 2 |
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Robert Howrigan Junior is a dairy farmer in Fairfax, Vermont. On this windy June morning, he’s taking USDA representatives around his fields, showing them spots where he sees erosion and runoff. "Well, just shows you the different strips of land and the ditches in between," he said, pointing to his land. "This is this field that’s a little steeper, more highly erodible I guess you’d say."
Howrigan is one of 40 farmers who have signed up for a new USDA program this summer. It is intended to help farmers in the Missisquoi Basin in Vermont change their land management practices so that there’s less runoff and phosphorus pollution going into Lake Champlain. This program is unique in that the department of agriculture is picking up the tab; they’re using $1 million to pay 100% of the cost for farmers to make changes.
For Howrigan, that will mean permanently seeding his cornfields. Soon they’ll be hayfields, and the vegetation will help prevent erosion and runoff. Kip Potter is a state resources conservationist with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. He and Howrigan discussed which methods would be best utilized on Howrigan’s land.
“You’d indicated you’d wanted to do some permanent seeding down here on this field," said Potter, looking at his notes. Howrigan agreed; there is a ditch in the field that fills with water during heavy rains in the spring. Howrigan also has another tract where he wants to do some cover cropping and said, "I think it would qualify as highly erodible.”
Part of the reason why USDA officials have high hopes for this effort is because it's based on a study by the International Joint Commission. The study used a new model to map precise fields where risk of erosion and runoff is highest. They're called critical source areas.
Julie Moore is a water resources engineer with Stone Environmental, an environmental consulting firm in Montpelier, Vermont. She explained, "A critical source area of phosphorus is a place on the landscape, maybe it’s because of soil, because of slope, because of the type of land use, that disproportionately contributes to the phosphorus pollution in Missisquoi Bay." Moore worked on the study, and says that the results are allowing the USDA to better target their conservation effort.
"The random approach is what we’re currently taking where there’s no priority given based on the risk of a particular parcel of land," Moore said. "The priority is given to the landowners who express the most interest. So in turning that around and focusing on the areas of the landscape that have the highest risk of phosphorus pollution, it should produce better results."
Phosphorus pollution in Missisquoi Bay has been a problem for decades. Potter cautioned that changes in water quality won’t happen overnight and said, "The question is, are we going to be able to see the effects of this in the bay anytime soon? That’s a much more difficult question. Sometimes it takes a number of years, maybe decades, to see improvements in the receiving waters.”
Others say that an incentive program isn’t enough. Louis Porter does Lake Champlain water quality advocacy with the Vermont Conservation Law Foundation and said, "I think incentive programs are necessary and are good, and they should be targeted as well as they can be. But I also think we need a more stringent regulatory approach in the state and in the watershed."
That approach, he says, should benefit both farmers and lake health. "We have to figure out a way to keep farming going and to keep farming viable without giving up on water quality and without providing what is essentially a pollution subsidy to those farmers who don’t operate with the best practices possible,” said Potter. But he and his colleagues at the USDA remain optimistic. They say that, slowly, water quality will improve as they work to reduce pollution one field at a time. | <urn:uuid:745118a9-474e-422b-8b81-be09a07efbb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/fullstory.php?storyid=20034 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959301 | 1,038 | 1.507813 | 2 |
E. Cobham Brewer 18101897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bag o Nails.
Some hundreds of years ago there stood in the Tyburn Road, Oxford Street, a public-house called The Bacchanals: the sign was Pan and the Satyrs. The jolly god, with his cloven hoof and his horns, was called The devil; and the word Bacchanals soon got corrupted into Bag o Nails. The Devil and the Bag o Nails is a sign not uncommon even now in the midland counties. | <urn:uuid:f8fc6ddc-fbbf-431c-ad93-5c5d8d9bae81> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bartleby.com/81/1223.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962625 | 119 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Remember the old joke that says something like 'no matter how many economists you lay end to end, they will never reach a conclusion'?
Don't believe it. They will all reach a conclusion. Just take your pick.
Freddie Mac's monthly report on the state of the economy was issued yesterday, and was only slightly altered from its predictions last month. The general trend, for the last few months, however, is to make 2005 look increasingly less promising for both home buyers and homeowners.
At the same time, UCLA's Anderson Forecast Group issued a report stating that the U.S. was in a housing bubble that might slowly deflate ' or abruptly burst with some unfortunates on the U.S. economy.
Freddie's report raised the average expected interest rate on a 30 year fixed mortgages to 6.1%, 10 basis points higher than anticipated by the November report. Freddie's economists also decreased projections for 2005 housing starts to 1.80 million dwellings for 2005 from 1.84 million last month.
Home sales, both new and existing, will easily set records this year, and with only one month left, the total projection of 7.8 million units (new and previously owned) will certainly hold up. Total home forecasts for 2005 were decreased to 7.05 million, a decline of 4% from this year. The report attributed this potential decline primarily to rising interest rates.
It appears as though the national appreciation rate for existing houses will finish the year at 10.1% (remember, this is based on different data than the OFHEO figure of 12.7 percent reported yesterday) but Freddie projects it will drop to 7% in 2005. This is a full point below the appreciation projected last month. Perhaps something to keep an eye on.
In the meantime, UCLA's Anderson Forecast was much less positive. News reports stated that the highly respected group, which predicted the 2001 recession and the otherwise unexpected economic slowdown earlier this year, was saying that the U.S. is in a housing bubble.
The UCLA economists reportedly stated that inflation-adjusted mortgages rates are close to those in the 1970s and early 80s and well above the 1960s. These were periods when home prices did not appreciate as they have recently, more than 5% annually (adjusted for inflation) over the last five years. Prices nationwide are now 35% above their historical long-term average.
They also stated that current population growth is being driven by immigrants, a group that, outside the high tech sector, may not have the income to purchase homes at current levels.
Edward Leamer, Director of the Anderson Forecast and author of the national portion of the forecast (which is principally focused on California) stated that the housing sector's high and unusual contribution to economic growth is not going to continue in 2005,' and that a slowdown in housing starts will throttle economic growth to an annualized pace of 2.8% by the second half of next year. This is an even gloomier forecast, by ' percentage point, than the Anderson Forecast projected in September. | <urn:uuid:07f2558c-f9d4-41e5-a585-df3e517dad18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/12102004_Freddie_Issues_Monthly_Economic_Outlook.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974833 | 625 | 2 | 2 |
Though often over-used, the term "founding father" is totally appropriate in describing Doc Pomus' relationship to popular music. "As one of music's most gifted and prolific songwriters, Doc Pomus helped invent rock 'n' roll," pronounced Rolling Stone Magazine in the 1991 year-end issue.
Born Jerome Solon Felder in 1925 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, he became Doc Pomus in part to shield his middle-class family from his nocturnal activities as a rhythm and blues shouter. For it was as a singer, braced on crutches (Pomus contracted polio at age six), that he entered the world of music which was to become his life.
George's Tavern, a small, smokey Greenwich Village music spot, was the setting for the 18-year-old Pomus' singing debut. His rendition of his life-long idol, Big Joe Turner's "Piney Brown Blues," backed by trumpeter Frankie Newton's band, was successful enough to launch a 10-year career. From 1944 to 1955 Pomus performed in clubs throughout the metropolitan area. Leading a band, which included legendary guitarist Mickey Baker and saxophonist King Curtis, Pomus recorded for the Savoy, Atlantic, Coral and Chess labels. At first, penning songs for his own recordings, he soon became a major song source on the New York scene and a regular at the new Atlantic Records' office, creating classics for Laverne Baker, Ruth Brown, Lil Green, Ray Charles and Big Joe Turner. He enjoyed his first rhythm and blues top ten hit with "Lonely Avenue" by Ray Charles. Hooking up with a team of two other young songwriters, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, he hit big with the Coasters' "Young Blood."
Pomus, by coincidence, met a talented teenaged fledgling songwriter Mort Shuman, who was dating Pomus' cousin. He took Shuman under his wing and eventually the two became full partners despite the 15-year age difference between them.
Ultimately, the pair enjoyed a wonderful nine-year association resulting in a major body of work which, collectively, became a dominant force on the record charts and led to sales of well over one hundred million. The songs included, "This Magic Moment," "Save The Last Dance For Me," "Teenager in Love," "Can't Get Used To Losing You," "Turn Me Loose," "Hushabye," "I Count The Tears," "Sweets for My Sweet" and "Seven Day Weekend," among many others. For Elvis Presley, they produced a series of major hit songs, including "Little Sister," "Viva Las Vegas," "His Latest Flame," "Surrender," "Suspicion," "A Mess of Blues" and "Long, Lonely Highway," to mention a very few.
During the mid-60s, Pomus teamed on different projects with Otis Blackwell, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector and Leiber and Stoller. His union with Spector produced the memorable "Ecstasy" and "Youngboy Blues" for Ben E. King, and with Leiber and Stoller "She's Not You" for Elvis. Toward the close of the 60's, the Pomus/Shuman team dissolved, with Shuman leaving for Paris and Pomus entering semi-retirement for almost ten years.
In the years between the Pomus/Shuman break-up and his re-emergence in the mid-70s, Pomus, as Bette Midler's musical advisor, brought her national attention by booking her first Tonight Show appearance, and was instrumental in her signing to Atlantic Records. He also figured significantly in the creation of Belushi and Akroyd's Blues Brothers.
Pomus created some of his most beautiful and adult work during the final decade of his life. His collaboration with Dr. John, Ken Hirsch and Willy DeVille produced tracks for Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Marianne Faithful, Johnny Adams, Irma Thomas, Jose Feliciano and B.B King (whose Pomus/Dr. John penned "There Must Be A Better World Somewhere" album won a Grammy Award). Pomus also wrote original material for such motion pictures as "Dick Tracy" and John Waters' "Cry Baby."
As a crusader for the many forgotten and overlooked, Doc was dedicated in particular to helping R&B artists who had fallen on hard times. Mike Stoller called Doc the "arch angel of rhythm and blues." He was a founder and trustee of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, and was the recipient of their prestigious Pioneer Award (the only white honoree to date). | <urn:uuid:e8030f52-7e98-4078-8713-52ab816823ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://songwritershalloffame.org/index.php/exhibits/bio/C144 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979891 | 969 | 2.296875 | 2 |
If you are an entrepreneur looking to raise your first round of funding ever, you surely must be curious about the different kinds of investors you will pitch. You may be particularly interested in VCs because they have the deepest pockets. There’s something you need to know: it’s very likely that a VC’s investment objectives will not be aligned with your personal goals. I’ll try to explain why.
A VC fund typically has a 10-year investment horizon. In the words of Fred Wilson:
VCs are professional money managers. We are provided capital to invest as long as we can return it to our investors with a strong return in a reasonable amount of time. A strong return is 3x cash on cash. A reasonable amount of time is ten years max.
It is known that for any portfolio of startups, the returns follow a power law. If a VC expects to turn 150M into 450M over ten years, one or maybe two investments must contribute hundreds of millions of dollars. At the time of a big exit the VC will usually own a relatively small stake in a company, so it must be worth billions of dollars. It follows that VCs want every single one of their investments to have that potential. If they believe that an investment will never return more than tens of millions, it’s just not worth their time from a financial perspective.
Now let’s talk about you, because you are more interesting to yourself. You are the founder and CEO of GulpMonger, three years out of college, fresh out of Y Combinator. Typical first-time SV entrepreneurs are not millionaires, so let’s say you have 100k in the bank (maybe you’ve made some money from stock options). For most people the utility of going from a net worth of 100k to a few millions is huge. It many cases it means to not have to work for a living. Paul Graham calls it “solving the money problem.” Also for most people, the difference in utility between 5M and 50M (or 500M) is not as significant.
I’ve spoken with dozens of first-time entrepreneurs in the past year alone. Pretty much all of them admitted that they would party like it’s 1999 if they could get a few million out of their startups. I’ve also seen quite a few of such exits; because of the power law distribution of returns, their odds are disproportionately higher than those of becoming a multi-billion dollar company.
Let’s say you raise money from a VC because you are honestly open to all sorts of outcomes. You don’t know how big and how fast GulpMonger could grow. Given what you know today, you are willing to go as far as possible. The VC believes that GulpMonger has a high enough chance (say 3%) of becoming the next Dropbox or Twitter. The VC also believes that the odds that the company will take an early exit if it’s doing well are relatively low. This is crucial to a VC: if Facebook had sold to Yahoo for one billion dollars in 2006, the 10-year return for Meritech Capital Partners would look very different (and not in a good way).
Now let’s say that GulpMonger starts doing well, and attracts the interest of potential acquirers. Perhaps you get a serious offer, and you do the math: saying yes would make you a multimillionaire with 100% certainty (let’s leave the issue of vesting aside, as it may not change the order of magnitude depending on what you negotiate). You could also choose to go long, and hope to continue growing. Perhaps in two or three years the company would be worth ten times more, and the odds of that could be 30%. You guess that there’s also a 30% chance of being worth diddly-zippo-nil by then.
If you believe what I just stated, it would be irrational not to sell GulpMonger. On the other hand, things look very different for a VC. A 30% chance of 10x (and maybe a 3% chance of 100x) makes much more sense than a 100% chance of x. The rational thing to do is to oppose the sale. Of course, this only makes sense if opposing the sale doesn’t hurt the above chances.
At this point things can get ugly. If the CEO would be very unhappy going long, he/she could get replaced. The VC may use a divide-and-conquer approach on the founders to block the sale and/or oust the CEO. There will be resentment one way or the other. It happens all the time, but in most cases people don’t hear about it.
What can you do to avoid the above scenario? Two things come to mind: one, decide what you want before you start playing the game. E.g. do you want VC money? If so, when? Two, educate yourself. If at all possible, meet with experienced entrepreneurs who are not invested in your outcome. Learn as much as you can from their experiences. You’ll still have to make it up as you go, because experience transfusions have not been invented yet (I’d like to hear that startup pitch). However, knowing is some percentage of the battle. I wouldn’t affirm it’s fifty, though.
If you found this post interesting, I recommend that you invest 90 minutes in watching Something Ventured: a documentary about the history of venture capital in the Silicon Valley (hat tip to Elad Gil). Keep in mind that these guys are trying to look their best, so read between the lines
Final caveat: what I just said does not apply to ALL investors who call themselves VCs, and does apply to investors who prefer other labels. Your mileage may vary. Shop around. Void where prohibited. Offer valid for residents of Silicon Valley mostly. Safe travels. | <urn:uuid:5bfa5b85-8ab7-4516-bda9-2a8217b11a19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://diegobasch.com/traditional-vcs-and-first-time-entrepreneurs-are-not-aligned | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963805 | 1,246 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Two sides, two stories, one church
Church of the Nativity standoff underscores the wider divide
BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK
As Israel's offensive in the West Bank enters its 12th day, an armed standoff at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity conveys anew how desperate the strife is becoming: Even shrines are battlegrounds.Skip to next paragraph
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Each side's understanding of the standoff also reflects the larger ways in which Israelis and Palestinians refuse to consider the validity of each other's claims to the land that is at the heart of their conflict.
In the Israeli version, to use the words of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian "murderers ... have commandeered the church and are holding the clergymen hostage." In the Palestinian version, fighters, clergy, and civilians are defending themselves and their church from an Israeli invasion. Bethlehem is the center of Palestinian Christianity.
Asked if noncombatants inside the church were free to go, Rev. Amjad Sabbara, the Catholic custodian of the church, replies: "Why do we have to leave? We are the custodians of this house, this holy place." One of the most sacred sites in Christendom, the Church of the Nativity is revered by many as the birthplace of Jesus.
"It's horrible what's happening here," said Father Amjad, speaking by telephone yesterday from the church. He described a gunfight early yesterday morning that killed a Palestinian policeman, injured two Israeli border policemen, set a parish building ablaze, and damaged a sixth-century mosaic.
Peter Qumri, director of the general hospital that serves Bethlehem, says the Israeli military would not allow ambulance workers to remove the policeman's body; Amjad says it remains in the church.
In another example of the up-is-down rhetoric of recent days, the Israelis have labelled their ongoing reoccupation of nearly all the urban areas of the West Bank "Operation Defensive Shield." At the same time, Palestinians are using a new name for Israel's military, which is known as the Israel Defense Forces. It is the Israel Offensive Forces.
Israel says it wants to destroy "the infrastructure of terror" by arresting or killing Palestinian militants and seizing their weapons. The Palestinians say the goal is to destroy the Palestinian Authority (PA), the government created following the peace deals of the mid-1990s, and to reassert Israeli control over Palestinian territories.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, seems to buy the second interpretation. In Brussels yesterday, he told reporters Israel's military operation "now is clearly being directed against the Palestinian Authority's infrastructure, and we cannot find an end to this ... without the Palestinian Authority."
Despite demands by President Bush that Israel withdraw "without delay" from Palestinian-ruled areas, Mr. Sharon yesterday told parliament that "the IDF will ... continue to operate, as speedily as possible, until this mission has been accomplished...."
He also asked parliamentary approval for three new Cabinet ministers, including a hawkish former general, Ephraim Eitam. Mr. Eitam argues that Palestinians should never have sovereignty over any part of the "land of Israel," a phrase that is taken to mean Israel plus the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Fighting continued yesterday in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, where Palestinian gunmen in the Old City have been holding off Israel's re-occupation. The Israeli military said some Palestinians were laying down their arms and surrendering.
Some Palestinians also walked out of the Jenin refugee camp, also in the northern West Bank, but reports indicated that Palestinian gunmen there were intent on fighting to the death. The IDF estimates more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the camp since Israel began its current effort to seize control.
Overall, an estimated 200 Palestinians have been killed in nearly two weeks of fighting. The Israeli military says 15 of its soldiers also have been killed.
Israel began its offensive by announcing it would "isolate" PA President Yasser Arafat, but his oft-repeated declarations that he would prefer to be "martyred" by Israel than exiled or imprisoned have again boosted the Palestinian leader's popularity. He may be cut off because of Israel's continuing occupation of his compound in Ramallah, but his connection to his people seems as strong as ever.
Mohammed al-Madani, the PA's governor of the Bethlehem area and one of the people inside the Church of the Nativity, says that an Israeli soldier had contacted him by phone, asking to negotiate the surrender of the fighters in the church. Of the 240 people inside the sanctuary, Mr. Madani says, well more than half are armed, including members of PA security forces.
Like Amjad, the governor said the noncombatants in the church were there of their own volition. "They are forced to stay because they fear death," he said, referring to the threat posed by Israeli forces outside the church, "not because anyone is telling them to stay."
"He said people should surrender," Madani adds, relating his conversation with the Israeli soldier. "I said to him again and again, you negotiate that with Yasser Arafat, you don't negotiate that with me."
The Israeli replied, according to Madani: "If you do not surrender and do not get out of there, there will be a big operation we will storm the church."
Sharon, however, said yesterday that other forces should bring the Palestinians out. "We expect the international community to demand that they lay down their weapons and leave the holy site. Until that time the IDF will remain there to prevent them from escaping justice." | <urn:uuid:8be0250e-437d-4c7f-9c4f-87ce87756ccb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0409/p01s01-wome.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972707 | 1,165 | 2.015625 | 2 |
The food supply of the Sierra Indians was extensive and abundant, consisting of the flesh of deer, antelope, elk and mustang horses, together with fish, water-fowls, birds, acorns, berries, pine nuts, esculent, herbage and the tuberous roots of certain plants, all of which were easily obtained, even with their simple and limited means of securing them. Mushrooms, fungi, grasshoppers, worms and the larvæ of ants and other insects, were also eaten, and some of these articles were considered great delicacies.
Their main effective weapons for hunting large game were their bows and obsidian-pointed arrows. Their manner of hunting was either by the stealthy still hunt, or a general turn-out, surrounding a large area of favorable country and driving to a common center, where at close range the
Click to enlarge
A YOSEMITE HUNTER.
He wears a false deer's head, to deceive the game.
Drawing by Jorgensen.
hunters could sometimes make an extensive slaughter.
When on the still hunt for deer in the brushy, sparsely timbered foothills of the Sierra Range of mountains, or higher up in the extensive forests, some of the hunters wore for a headgear a false deer's head, by which deceptive device they were enabled to get to a closer and more effective range with their bows and arrows. This head-dress was made of the whole skin of a doe's head, with a part of the neck, the head part stuffed with light material, the eyeholes filled in with the green feathered scalp of a duck's head, and the top furnished with light wooden horns, the branching stems of the manzanita (Arctostaphylos) being generally used for this purpose. The neck part was made to fit on the hunter's head and fasten with strings tied under the chin. This unique style of headgear was used by some Indian hunters for many years after they had guns to hunt with.
The high ranges of the mountains as already stated, were considered common hunting ground by the different tribes. The deer, many of them, were in some degree
Click to enlarge
INDIAN SWEAT LODE.
Used by the Yosemite hunters before starting after game.
Drawing by Jorgensen.
migratory in their habits, being driven from the higher ranges to the foothills by the deep winter snows, and in the spring following close to the melting, receding snow, back again to their favorite summer haunts.
Late in the summer, or early in the fall, just before holding some of their grand social or sacred festivals, the Indian hunters would make preparation for a big hunt in the mountains, to get a good supply of venison for the feast. One of the first absolute prerequisites was to go through a thorough course of sweating and personal cleansing. This was done by resorting to their sweat houses, which were similar in construction to the o'-chums, except that the top was rounded and the whole structure was covered thickly with mud and earth to exclude the air. These houses were heated with hot stones and coals of fire, and the hunters would then crawl into them and remain until in a profuse perspiration, when they would come out and plunge into cold water for a wash-off. This was repeated until they thought themselves sufficiently free from all bodily odor so that the deer could not detect their approach by scent, and flee for safety.
After this purification they kept themselves strictly as celibates until the hunt was over, though their women went along to help carry the outfit, keep camp, cook, search for berries and pine nuts, and assist in bringing to camp and taking care of the deer as killed, and in "packing" the meat out to the place of rendezvous appointed for the grand ceremonies and feast.
Their usual manner of cooking fresh meat was by broiling on hot coals, or roasting before the fire or in the embers. Sometimes, however, they made a cavity in the ground, in which they built a fire, which was afterwards cleared away and the cavity lined with very hot stones, on which they placed the meat wrapped in green herbage, and covered it with other hot rocks and earth, to remain until suitably cooked.
When they had a surplus of fresh meat they cut it in strips and hung it in the sunshine to dry. The dried meat was generally cooked by roasting in hot embers, and then beaten to soften it before being eaten.
A young hunter never ate any of the first deer he killed, as he believed that if he did
so he would never succeed in killing another.
They had various methods of catching fish--with hook and line, with a spear, by weir-traps in the stream, and by saturating the water with the juice of the soap-root plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum). Before they could obtain fishhooks of modern make, they made them of bone. Their lines were made of the tough, fibrous, silken bark of the variety of milkweed or silkweed, already mentioned. Their spears were small poles pointed with a single tine of bone, which was so arranged that it became detached by the struggles of the fish, and was then held by a string fastened near its center, which turned it crosswise of the wound and make it act as an effective barb.
Their weir-traps were put in the rapids, and constructed by building wing dams diagonally down to the middle of the stream until the two ends came near together, and in this narrow outlet was placed a sort of wicker basket trap, made of long willow sprouts loosely woven together and closed
at the pointed lower end, which was elevated above the surface of the water below the dam. The fish, in going down stream, ran into this trap, and soon found themselves at the lower end and out of the water.
The soap-root was used at a low stage of water, late in summer. They dug several bushels of the bulbous roots and went to a suitable place on the bank, where the roots were pounded into a pulp, and mixed with soil and water. This mixture, by the handful, was then rubbed on rocks out in the stream, which roiled the water and also made it somewhat foamy. The fish were soon affected by it, became stupid with a sort of strangulation, and rose to the surface, where they were easily captured by the Indians with their scoop baskets. In a stream the size of the South Fork of the Merced River at Wawona, by this one operation every fish in it for a distance of three miles would be taken in a few hours.
The fish were generally cooked by roasting on hot coals from burned oak wood or bark.
Acorns were their main staple article of breadstuff, and they are still used by the
Click to enlarge
Storehouse for nuts and acorns, thatched with pine branches, points downward, to keep out mice and squirrels.
Drawing by Mrs. Jorgensen.
present generation whenever they can be obtained.
They are gathered in the fall when ripe, and are preserved for future use in the old style Indian cache or storehouse. This consists of a structure which they call a chuck'-ah, which is a large basket-shaped receptacle made of long willow sprouts closely woven together. It is usually about six feet high and three feet in diameter. It is set upon stout posts about three feet high, and supported in position by four longer posts on the outside, reaching to the top, and there bound firmly to keep them from spreading. The outside of the basket is thatched with small pine branches, points downward, to shed the rain and snow, and to protect the contents from the depredations of squirrels and woodpeckers. When filled, the top also is securely covered with bark, as a protection from the winter storms. When the acorns are wanted for use, a small hole is made at the bottom of the chuck'-ah, and they are taken out from time to time, as required.
The acorns from the black or Kellogg's oak (Quercus Californica) are considered
much the best and most nutritious by the Indians. This is the oak which is so beautiful and abundant in the Yosemite Valley.
These acorns are quite bitter, and are not eaten in their natural condition, as most fruit and nuts are eaten, but have to be quite elaborately prepared and cooked to make them palatable. First, the hull is cracked and removed, and the kernel pounded or ground into a fine meal. In the Yosemite Valley and at other Indian camps in the mountains, this is done by grinding with their stone pestles or metats (may-tat's) in the ho'yas or mortars, worn by long usage in large flat-top granite rocks, one of which is near every Indian camp. Lower down in the foothills, where there are no suitable large rocks for these permanent mortars, the Indians used single portable stone mortars for this purpose.
After the acorns are ground to a fine meal, the next process is to take out the bitter tannin principle. This is done in the following manner: They make large shallow basins in clean washed sand, in the center of which are laid a few flat, fan-like ends of fir branches. A fire is then made near by,
Click to enlarge
HO'-YAS AND ME-TATS'.
Rude mortars and pestles for grinding acorn meal. The holes have been worn in the granite by constant use.
Photograph by Fiske.
and small stones of four or five pounds in weight are heated, with which they warm water in some of their large cooking baskets, and mix the acorn meal with it to the consistency of thin gruel. This mixture is poured into the sand basins, and as the water leaches out into the sand it takes with it the bitter quality--the warm water being renewed until all the bitter taste is washed out from the meal sediment, or dough.
This is then taken, and, after being cleansed from the adhering sand, is put into cooking baskets, thinned down with hot water to the desired condition, and cooked by means of hot stones which are held in it with two sticks for tongs. The mush, while cooking, is stirred with a peculiar stirring stick, made of a tough oak sprout, doubled so as to form a round, open loop at one end, which is used in lifting out any loose stones. When the dough is well cooked, it is either left en masse in the baskets or scooped out in rolls and put into cold water to cool and harden before being eaten. Sometimes the thick paste is made into cakes and baked on hot rocks. One of these cakes, when rolled in paper, will in a short time saturate it with
oil. This acorn food is probably more nutritious than any of the cereals.
The Indian dogs, of which every family had several, are as fond of the acorn food as their owners. These dogs are made useful in treeing wild-cats, California lions and gray squirrels, and are very expert in catching ground squirrels by intercepting them when away from their burrows, and when the Indians drown them out in the early spring by turning water from the flooded streams into their holes.
As far as can be learned, dogs were about the only domestic animals which the Yosemites, and other adjacent tribes of Indians, kept for use before the country was settled by the white people.
Pine nuts were another important article of food, and were much prized by the Indians. They are very palatable and nutritious, and are also greatly relished by white people whenever they can be obtained. The seeds of the Digger or nut pine (Pinus Sabiniana) were the ones most used on the
western side of the Sierras, although the seeds of the sugar pine (P. Lambertiana) were also sometimes eaten. On account of their soft shell, nuts from the piñon pine (P. monophylla), which grows principally on the eastern side of the mountains, were considered superior to either of the other kinds, and were an important article of barter with the tribes of that region. All of these trees are very prolific, and their crop of nuts in fruitful years has been estimated to be even greater than the enormous wheat crop of California, although of course but a very small portion of it is ever gathered. Many other kinds of nuts and seeds were also eaten.
The principal berries used by the Indians of Yosemite and tribes lower down in the foothills were those of the manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca). They are about the size of huckleberries, of a light brown color, and when ripe have the flavor of dried apples. They are used for eating, and also to make a kind of, cider for drinking, and for mixing with some food preparations. Manzanita is the Spanish for "little apple," and this shrub, with its rich red bark and
pale green foliage, is perhaps the most beautiful and most widely distributed in California. Strawberries, black raspberries, elderberries, wild cherries and the fruit of the Sierra plum (Prunus subcordata) are also used by the Indians, but wild edible berries are not as plentiful in California as they are in the Atlantic States.
In addition to the staple articles of food already mentioned, many other things were eaten when they could be obtained. These included grasshoppers, certain kinds of large tree worms, the white fungi which grows upon the oak, mushrooms, and the larvæ and pupæ of ants and other insects. The pupæ of a certain kind of fly which breeds extensively on the shores of Mono Lake, about forty miles from Yosemite, was an important article of commerce across the mountains, and was made into a kind of paste called ka-cha'-vee, which is still much relished by the Indians, and is a prominent dish at their feasts.
The manner of catching grasshoppers was to dig a large hole, somewhat in the shape
Click to enlarge
A WOOD GATHERER.
As in all Indian tribes, the women do most of the work.
Photograph by Fiske.
of a fly trap, with the bottom larger than the opening at the top, so that the insects could not readily get out of it. This hole was dug in the center of a meadow, which was then surrounded by Indians armed with small boughs, who beat the grasshoppers towards a common center and drove them into the trap. A fire was then kindled on top of them, and after they had been well roasted they were gathered up and stored for future use.
Other articles of food were various kinds of roots, grasses and herbage, some of which were cooked, while others were eaten in their natural condition. The lupine (Lupinus bicolor and other species), whose brilliant flowers are such a beautiful feature of all the mountain meadows in the spring and summer, was a favorite plant for making what white people would call "greens," and when eaten was frequently moistened with some of the manzanita cider already referred to. Among the roots used for food were those of the wild caraway (Carum), wild hyacinth (Brodiæa), sorrel (Oxalis), and camass (Camassia esculenta). | <urn:uuid:6b3f2381-b4bc-48db-800a-1247f329d868> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/ca/ioy/ioy07.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982956 | 3,248 | 3.21875 | 3 |
World War II Forum: paratrooper aircraft
Posted by: Tim (snowskate77@ThisIsToPreventSpam-690-RemoveThis.comcast.net) on 22 Jun 2003 at 8:29:50 PM
In-Reply-To: wwII paratroop transport planes posted by B. Hastings on 4:26:07 PM 31 May 2003
: Hello all, I am doing some research and need to know what were the main types ot wwII paratroop transport planes used by the Americans and British. Also does anyone know any good websites to research these types of aircraft. Thanks for any help available!
: Hey. There were many types of aircraft used in the paratrooper role, but the main one used by the U.S. and Great Britain was the C-47. This plane was produced in huge numbers in the U.S.. This plane was probably the most widely used transport during and after the war. Also, the U.S. and Great Britain used gliders to great effect. These gliders were towed by, of course, the C-47. Hope this helps.
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Tiger Woods certainly does have a vivid imagination. If you are his former kindergarten teacher though, that imagination is also called lying. Apparently Charles Barkley wrote a book and in his book there is a story from Tiger about how on his first day of kindergarten, a group of 6th graders took off his shirt and tied to him a tree. They then painted the N word on his chest and threw rocks at him. Tiger says his teacher didn't do anything about it. Well, according to her, the reason she didn't do anything is because it never happened.
Maureen Decker has hired Gloria Allred to set the record straight. What she says is that "I was shocked, saddened and disappointed ... by his false accusations of racial abuse. I want a public apology and a private apology. Teachers do very hard work. ... It is unfair to get this in return."
In addition, she said it was impossible for the older children to get near the younger kids. Sounds like Tiger has some explaining to do. | <urn:uuid:4ad0ebd1-7e8d-4833-bf3a-e7f9dd28a4e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2010/04/tiger-woods-lied-about-kindergarten.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.996175 | 206 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The best written letter is worthless if no one sees it!
Cover Letter Writing Guide
Your cover letter writing guide
Your cover letter a.k.a. application cover letter or simply an application letter, in particular, is an important marketing tool that highlights your most attractive qualifications to a potential employee. If it is well written, will lead the employer to your resume or CV. Because of that it is also called an introduction letter.
A cover letter is an integral part of your job application. It should refer to your present and future plans, showing your prospective employers what you want to do now and what you will do for them in the future.
Because CVs and resumes refer mainly to the past time with exception of your present job and employers are interested mostly in the future of they companies, often cover letters are more important or convincing to them then the accompanying resume or CV.
Before writing your cover letter, analyze your reader by considering his/her requirements and needs. By putting yourself in the reader's situation, you will better understand his or hers needs.
After this analysis, you can write your cover letter demonstrating how your background, training, work experience and abilities can meet those needs.
Plan your cover letter writing
Plan your cover letter writing accordingly. Place the most important items first, supported by facts. Such an approach will help you persuade the reader that you are a good match for the position and that s/he should interview you. Remember that you are responsible for communicating your value to the employer.
Do not expect employers who typically receive hundreds of CVs and resumes including cover letters for each job to wade through poorly written cover letters to figure out what you can do for them.
Experienced cover letter writers follow these basic principles:
- Most job cover letters consist 3 paragraphs:
- Brief self-introduction including a description of your career objective.
- A short description of your education, skills and other relevant information.
- A closing paragraph indicating your contact address and contact numbers. Ensure that you include your e-mail and fax contacts.
- Take the time to research each employer's organization and personalize each letter. Indicating that you know something about the company shows that you are interested in the employer. However, when you use a distribution service, address your cover letter to the HR Consultant.
- Use keywords in your cover letters, too. Some employers don't scan cover letters or include them in resume databases, but many do. Keywords in cover letters can be important for attracting the "human screeners." If you're answering an ad, tying job specific keywords in your job cover letter as closely as possible to the actual wording of the ad you're responding to can be a huge plus.
- Highlight one or two of your most significant accomplishments or abilities to show that you are an above average candidate. Selecting only one or two special attributes will help your chances of being remembered.
- Use a polite, formal style that strikes a balance between confidence in you and respect for the employer.
- Be clear, objective and persuasive rather then simply describing your background.
- Be positive in tone, content and expectations.
- Do not add details about yourself or your past experience that may call attention to your weaknesses or rise questions about your confidence or ability to do the job.
- Use active voice with power words and action verbs in your writing to hold the reader's interest and convey a sense of energy.
- Group similar items together in a paragraph, then organize paragraphs so that they relate to each other logically. Avoid writing that lumps together unrelated information without a strong topic sentence to tie the information together. Remember, it is your responsibility to organize the information for the reader.
- Do not make any paragraph longer then seven lines, so can be easily understandable.
- Always back up your statements with facts or examples. Documentation creates credibility, reduces uncertainty and abstraction for the reader.
- Generally avoid jargon and cliches. It is tempting to use ready-made phrases such as "self-starter", "proven leadership skills", "excellent interpersonal skills",etc., but using today's buzzwords can suggest parroted formulas rather then original thought. However, some jargon specific to your profession or/and industry in which you are seeking employment can be beneficial.
Check other comments on cover letters writing.
Check the spelling and grammar of your cover letter. Use the word processor's spell and grammar checker. If you are not confident of your ability to detect grammatical, punctuation and English or other language usage errors or if you need help in organizing your job letter, send it to a professional for assistance.
If you have a difficulty with your cover letter writing, instead of staring at a blank piece of paper, use:
Other Cover Letter Writing Info
Now to finalize your Cover Letter Writing topic, if you have visa & work permit and if your cover letter and CV or resume are ready, you may email them through the CV & resume distribution services to employers and job recruiters worldwide. Take a look at international dress code and start preparing for a job interview.
Good luck with your cover letter writing! | <urn:uuid:3ff5187f-da7f-48c0-94d3-a5d53e1339f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jobera.com/letter/Page-4.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928806 | 1,055 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Archived press release
Go to our press releases area for our current press releases.
Climate Change Bill: Friends of the Earth comment
29 October 2007
Responding to Hilary Benn's announcement on the Climate Change Bill today (29 Oct) Friends of the Earth Director Tony Juniper said:
"The Government is getting ever closer to introducing a truly groundbreaking piece of legislation. However the Bill needs to be beefed up if it is going to deliver the cuts which science tells us is needed. This is something hundreds of thousands of people across the UK have been calling for through The Big Ask, Friends of the Earths climate campaign.
"We are pleased the Government is looking again at the overall target for cutting emissions, which it agrees is inadequate, and at whether emissions from shipping and aviation should be included in the Bill. However it's disappointing that we will have to wait two years for these obvious wrongs to be put right.
"It is ludicrous that the Government intends to set the UK's carbon budget for the next 15 years based on targets that it knows are out of date and under review. We need to agree what cuts we are aiming to achieve before we start mapping out how we are going to get there."
Friends of the Earth has led the campaign for the introduction of a strong climate change law through The Big Ask (www.thebigask.com). The campaign, which was launched in May 2005 by Radiohead's Thom Yorke, is calling for the introduction of a law that commits the UK to cutting its emissions by at least 3 percent a year - equivalent to at least 80 percent by 2050 - and which covers emissions from all sectors, including international shipping and aviation. A huge coalition of organisations and MPs has now joined the call for a strong law. A brief history of the campaign for a Climate Change Bill is available .
Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced the following measures:
*The target for cutting emissions remains unchanged at 60 percent by 2050. The Government will ask the newly formed Climate Change Committee to report on whether this target should be strengthened by September 2009.
*The Bill will not cover the UK's share of emissions from international shipping and aviation. The Committee will report on whether these emissions should be included by September 2009.
*The Committee is expected to calculate the UK's carbon budget for the first three budget periods by September 2008 - before it looks at the UK's overall target for cutting emissions or assesses whether emissions from international shipping and aviation should be included in the Bill.
Friends of the Earth's View
Friends of the Earth welcomes the Government's commitment to producing a legal framework for tackling carbon dioxide emissions. This is the central demand of The Big Ask Campaign (www.thebigask.com).
However Friends of the Earth believes that if the UK is to play its part in tackling climate change the Government needs to strengthen the proposed Bill.
A stronger target for cutting emissions
If the Climate Change Bill is to ensure the UK plays its part in keeping global temperatures from rising two degrees above pre industrial levels - the temperature rise recognised by the EU as a `danger level' - it needs to commit the UK to cutting its emissions by at least three percent each year through to 2050 (equivalent to around 80 percent by 2050).
The Government itself has accepted that the 60 percent target is based on out of date science and will ask the new Climate Change Committee to look into whether it should be strengthened. While Friends of the Earth is pleased the Government is willing to reassess the target do not believe the Government should continue to use the inadequate 60 percent target figure in the interim period. This is particularly important as the Climate Change Committee will calculate the UKs carbon budget for the first three budget periods on this figure.
In addition it does not make sense for the Government to ask the Climate Change Committee to calculate the UKs carbon budget through to 2022 before they agree a new overall target for cutting emissions. It is important to know what cuts we are aiming to achieve before we map out how we will get there, not least because it is the total cumulative amount of emissions by 2050 (i.e. every years emissions added together) that will affect how serious climate change is at that time. If the early budgets are based on an inadequate target and are too generous, we will have cut even more drastically by 2050.
Inclusion of aviation and shipping emissions
Up to 10 percent of UK emissions currently come from aviation and shipping and aviation emissions are growing rapidly.
The new Climate Change Committee will be asked to report on whether the UK's share of emissions from international shipping and aviation should be included in the Bill. They are not expected to reach a conclusion until September 2009.
Friends of the Earth is calling for emissions from all sectors - including international shipping and aviation should be included in the Bill from the outset. All three Parliamentary Committees who examined the Governments draft Bill said that failure to include emissions from international aviation from the start was a serious weakness.
The Government has said it cannot include the UKs share of emissions from shipping and aviation because there is no international agreement on how emissions will be allocated between countries. However these emissions are already reported to the UN under the requirements of the Kyoto protocol and are available on the DEFRA website.
The Bill must allow Governments to be held accountable for their role in keeping the UK on track to meet its emission reduction targets.
The Governments Climate Change Bill proposes a five year budget period. As a result responsibility for reducing emissions will span more then one Governments term in office. This means a Government may avoid taking action to cut emissions, knowing that its successor will get the blame for missing targets.
Friends of the Earth has proposed that the 5-year budget should also include annual milestones so that it can be shown every year whether or not the Government is on track meet the budget. This recommendation was backed by all three Parliamentary select committees who were examined the draft Bill.
A more detailed history of the Campaign for a Climate Change Bill is available at: www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefing_notes/history_of_the_big_ask.pdf (PDF† )
If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.
Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008 | <urn:uuid:fd29dfe9-aa89-407f-9028-bec1a433e1ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/climate_change_bill_friend_29102007.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952666 | 1,303 | 2 | 2 |
President Obama submitted a fiscal 2013 federal budget to Congress on February 13, 2012. On the revenue side, the President’s proposals blend several familiar ideas along with a number of new initiatives. If enacted by Congress, these proposals would impact individuals, businesses, exempt organizations, and taxpayers of all types. Below are some of highlights from a dozen of the President’s more significant tax proposals. If you would like to read more about some of the details, click here.
Individual Income Tax Rates:
- End Bush-era tax cuts for higher income taxpayers
- Reinstate 36% and 39.6% tax brackets for higher income taxpayers
- Extend tax brackets of 10%, 15%, 25%, and 28%
- Eliminate the 33% and 35% brackets
- Increase rate on qualified capital gains from 15% to 20%.
- Applies to individuals with $200,000 in income, or joint income of $250,000
- Further, for these taxpayers with income in excess of the above thresholds, qualified dividends would be taxable at ordinary income rates
Limitation on Itemized Deductions/Personal Exemption Phase Out:
- Reinstate the limitation on itemized deductions
- Itemized deductions reduced by 3% of amount by which adjusted gross income exceeds statutory thresholds, but not by more than 80% of the otherwise allowable deductions
- Phase-out personal exemptions for upper-income taxpayers
- Reduced by 2% of the exemption amount for each $2500 or fraction thereof by which adjusted gross income exceeds statutory thresholds ($200,000 for single filer, $250,000 for joint)
- Statutory thresholds for both provisions of $200,000 for single filer, and $250,000 for joint
- The “Buffet Rule” would eventually replace the AMT
- Under the Buffett Rule, taxpayers making more than $1 million a year would be required to pay a minimum effective tax rate of at least 30%
- The “AMT Patch” would be extended by Congress until they can pass measures consistent with the principles of the Buffett Rule
- Reinstate the federal estate tax parameters that were in effect as of calendar year 2009, including a top estate tax rate of 45% and an exemption amount of $3.5 million
Manufacturing Communities Tax Credit:
- Provide targeted federal support for investment in communities that have experienced a major job loss
- Repeal of the LIFO & LCM methods
- The Administration’s proposal would tax as ordinary income a partner’s share of income from “investment services partnership interest” (“ISPI”), regardless of the character of the income at the partnership level. Accordingly, such income would not be eligible for the reduced rates that apply to long-term capital gains.
Repeal of Oil/Gas and Coal Tax Incentives:
- Repeal credits and deductions available to all oil, gas, and coal producers
- Extends the 100% bonus depreciation through the end of 2012.
Tax Credit for New Jobs/Wage Increases:
- Qualified employers would be eligible for a new temporary credit, which would equal 10% of increase in the employer’s eligible 2012 wages over the prior year.
Incentives for Insourcing/Disincentives for Outsourcing:
- Companies bringing operations back the USA would receive tax incentives, while the costs of outsourcing a US trade or business would be nondeductible | <urn:uuid:1950fb6e-0552-4e60-82fb-4e03598e47ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.mcmcpa.com/2012/02/22/tax-proposals-from-the-presidents-2013-federal-budget/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942349 | 712 | 1.898438 | 2 |
I often hear "dann treffen wir uns gegen 8 Uhr irgendwo". How precise is this? Is it ±5 min or ±10 min or does it depend on the situation?
Are there other words which means "approximately at eight", but are either less precise or more precise?
It depends on the persons and situation.
In my opinion it is around ±5 min or ±10 min and it sounds to me if a group is meeting before 8 (maybe somewhere in the city or at an event) and the other person will join them later but without any fixed time
|show 2 more comments|
It means around, about or towards the time. It's a rough time with some minutes tolerance, not important after the mentioned time or before it. (as therealmarv has answered) it depends on the person.
Other words which means "approximately at eight" (less to more precise*):
If you mean the precise time you would say:
* : it's hard for the first five or so entries in the list to determine which one is more precise. At least colloquially, they can all mean the same. | <urn:uuid:dae0ab3b-e965-4a8d-ab20-46839193acb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://german.stackexchange.com/questions/2093/how-precise-is-gegen-8-uhr | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947242 | 242 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Clinical investigations are usually required to gather clinical data that is sufficient to demonstrate conformity of a non-CE marked medical device to the requirements of the Medical Devices Regulations.
When clinical investigations of non-CE marked devices are to be carried out in Ireland, an application is required to the IMB. Typically applications are submitted by commercial sponsors e.g. medical device manufacturers. The IMB encourages pre-submission meetings with potential sponsors of clinical investigations.
Applications to conduct clinical investigations are reviewed by Human Products Authorisation & Registration Department of the IMB prior to the investigation starting. The IMB reviews the regulatory, technical and clinical aspects of the application. The IMB aims to provide an initial response on the application by day 30 of the 60 days allowed.
Applications may be made by completing the Application for clinical investigations on medical devices form.
Clinical investigation applications will receive a unique identification number, CIV ID, (if not previously assigned) for the purposes of notification to the EUDAMED database.
The IMB reviews applications to conduct clinical investigations in Ireland in parallel with Ethics Committee review.
If the IMB review has a satisfactory outcome, the sponsor will be issued with a “Letter of no objection”. In order for any clinical investigation to commence in Ireland, both the IMB and the Ethics Committee must have issued a final positive opinion. The final opinion of the Ethics Committee must be submitted to the IMB prior to commencement of the investigation.
If an amendment to a clinical investigation, which has previously received a 'Letter of no objection', is required, sponsors must complete and submit the Application for amendments to clinical investigations on medical devices form. Please note that this is applicable to both administrative and technical amendments.
Some clinical investigations, such as those using CE marked devices within their intended purpose, may not require review. The IMB is happy to discuss what type of device investigations require notification and review by the IMB with individuals intending to conduct clinical investigations involving devices.
Queries should be sent to firstname.lastname@example.org.
Individuals considering conducting clinical investigation should refer to:
1. IMB Guidance Note 5
2. 93/42/EEC (e.g. Article 15, Annexes I, VIII, Annex X) or 90/385/EEC (e.g. Article 10, Annexes 1, 6, 7)
3. ISO 14155 Parts 1 & 2 – Clinical Investigations involving medical devices in human subjects
4. MEDDEV 2.7-1 Clinical evaluation: Guide for manufacturers and notified bodies (including Appendix 1 Clinical Evaluation of Coronary Stents)
5. MEDDEV 2.7-2 Guide for Competent Authorities in making an assessment of clinical investigation notification
6. NBMED 2.7 rec3 Evaluation of clinical data - clinical investigations, clinical evaluation
7. GHTF SG5(PD)N3R7 Clinical Investigations (draft)
A guidance document for Irish Research Ethics Committees conducting reviews of clinical investigations involving medical devices is available, please see the IMB Guide for Ethics Committees on Clinical Investigation of Medical Devices.
It should be noted that there is no specific legislation relating to clinical investigations involving in-vitro diagnostic medical devices. Rather, in-vitro diagnostic medical devices have to undergo performance evaluation as specified under Annex VIII of the In-vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Directive 98/79/EC.1. | <urn:uuid:893103d2-9e5f-4b45-9b36-73cd462e3cf1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.imb.ie/EN/Medical-Devices/PreMarket-Activities/Clinical-Investigations.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910052 | 704 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Amidst my usual adventure with Android malware analysis, I saw this snippet of code while skimming through a particular sample's class modules.
Late last year, I was looking deeper into the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image format, especially the fields that hold textual information. Upon seeing the code, it immediately triggered my suspicion as to why would the application need to check for the existence of the "tEXt" chunk of a PNG file.
I continued to glance through the code and found out where this particular code gets called to identify the image file of interest.
This part of the code tells that the file of interest uses the resource name "icon.png" and is bundled with the application. The image would then be opened and passed to the method where the code that checks for the PNG chunk (Figure 1) is called.
Inspection of the APK package's resources yields three files with similar name. Since it is only interested in the first occurrence of the tEXt chunk, I quickly pulled out a hex viewer and inspected the first tEXt chunk in every file. They all contain the same binary data for that specific chunk. Here is how the image appears when rendered as well as its internal representation in a hex viewer.
This image is also used as the application's icon, therefore, it would be very visible during and after its installation on a device.
As of this moment, the data in Figure 3 made little sense to me but it is also not normal for the tEXt chunk to have a binary data or unreadable string, so I continued to analyze the rest of the code in Figure 1. Further analysis revealed that it reads the hidden data in Figure 3 and performs XOR bitwise operation against a hardcoded text streams (the "key") for each and every byte read.
I am more of a Python person so I created this small script to decode the hidden information from Figure 3, which algorithm is based on what I understood with the rest of the code in Figure 5. After executing the script (Figure 6.a), and to my surprise, I saw some readable English words and numbers!
While it still doesn't give a clear picture of what those plain text information signify to the application, at this point I figured out that it employs steganography to hide these data (Figure 6.b) from within the tEXt chunk data of the PNG file (Figure 3). Looking at the strict definition of steganography though, it's debatable whether this sample would really be considered steganographic, since it is just a simple embedding of encoded data in one of the chunks of the PNG file.
Continuing with the analysis of the rest of the code in Figure 5, it further strengthens the fact that those hidden information (partial screenshot shown below) are used to support the main motive of the application (i.e., sending SMS to premium numbers).
In addition to discovering the code above, I've also run the application on an Android device emulator to verify that it is indeed using those information for the SMS sending operation. And here it shows that an outgoing SMS event was captured with details similar to the decoded data in Figure 6.b (except for the last four digits of the "Message" below). The event happened as soon as I hit the "Next" button from the main UI of the newly installed application. | <urn:uuid:02872ad5-27ab-407c-ac01-e606b3e4a1f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00002305.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937689 | 690 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Julio Rivera, left, and Enrique Claudio enact the role of Roman guards, persecuting Jesus, here played by Huego Nieto. The re-enactors produced ‘The Way of the Cross’ on South George Street in Easter season, 2004. Such Good Friday processions are common in Hispanic countries – and now around York County. Also of interest: Delma Rivera featured in ‘Legacies,’ a book on achieving York County women.
José D. Colón-Bones is ambassador/past president and current board member of the Centro Hispano José Hernández in York.
He’s also a guest columnist for the York Sunday News and devoted his first column to the namesake of the Spanish center.
José Hernandez, as the columnist explains, was an early leader in York County’s Latino community.
He wrote in his Sunday News column (2/15/13):
There is so much to share about the Hispanic community in this country, and especially here in York County, that it would take more than seven articles to share everything.
I decided to write about two of the very first Hispanic leaders in York County. My first column will be about Mr. José Hernandez (the Hispanic Center of York carries his name), his roots, his life and his contributions to the Hispanic community of York County — and especially here in the city of York.
My second article will cover the very first Hispanic physician in York County, Dr. Edwin Rivera, who happened to be José Hernandez’s cousin.
Jose Hernandez was born on Dec. 14, 1932 in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, a town located on the western side of the island. At age 17, he moved with his family to New York City. There, he met and eventually married Gloria Hernandez. Later on, he moved to Philadelphia to work for a manufacturing company called Cole Steel. In 1958, he moved to York County to transfer to another location of his employer, Cole Steel, and worked there for a total of 17 years. In 1962, his son, Edwin, was born. Today, Edwin is one of York City’s finest. He is one of the first and few Hispanic police officers in the city.
In the 1960s, José Hernandez became very involved with the Hispanic community, specifically with Community Progress Council. He became one of the very first Hispanic leaders in York County in addition to the late and great Dr. Edwin Rivera and wife, Delma.
He was also the first Hispanic to have a radio program on a local radio station. His program could be heard on Sundays, and it was all about Hispanic music. He personally contacted GOYA Foods, which is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States that targets the Hispanic market. He convinced them to come to York County to provide their products to the fast-growing Hispanic community.
He also got involved with the York County court system and the York City Police Department as an interpreter and translator. Back then, there were not bilingual staff members at either department. Therefore, he took the initiative to help the Spanish-speaking people going through the court system. He translated the “Miranda Rights” statement into a carry card.
By the late 1960s, he also got involved with Crispus Attucks Association to start forming a Spanish Center, along with CPC. His efforts paid off three years after his death. In 1974, The “Spanish Council of York, Inc.,” also known as the “York Spanish American Center,” was born thanks in part to Jose Hernandez’s efforts, dedication and commitment to serve the Hispanic community in York city and county.
On Jan. 20, 1971, Mr. Jose Hernandez passed away, leaving us with a great legacy of service and love towards the Hispanic community. In September 2007, the “York Spanish American Center” changed its location from 200 E. Princess St. to across the street at 221-225 E. Princess St. Moreover, its name changed to “Centro Hispano Jose Hernandez of York” in honor of our very first York County Hispanic leader.
Also of interest:
First York City Latino councilman temporarily state’s top appointed Dem
Often forgotten: Achievements of people named on building facades
The Pasos Caribenos were featured performers at the York Hispanic Festival in 2010. Such outdoor festivals, featuring Latin foods, entertainment, games and activities – have become part of city life in York. Also of interest: Latinos keep York above 40,000 population threshold.
*Photos courtesy York Daily Record/Sunday News | <urn:uuid:3bf1ac1e-77a1-4c13-b401-442b00933f9d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yorkblog.com/yorktownsquare/2013/02/19/jose-hernandez-left-great-legacy-of-service-and-love-towards-the-hispanic-community/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975423 | 952 | 1.796875 | 2 |
"In our study we clearly document the need to change the way ephedra products are advertised," says Bimal Ashar, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and senior author of the study. "Since this article was written, there have been new steps taken by the Food and Drug Administration to investigate whether ephedra products should be more tightly regulated."
Ephedra is known to have some serious adverse effects, including hypertension, tachycardia (fast heart rate), palpitations, anxiety, stroke and psychosis. It has been linked to some well-publicized cases, including the death of 23-year-old Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler who died earlier this year after taking an over-the-counter drug that contains ephedra as its primary ingredient.
Despite this and other well-publicized cases about the toxic effects of ephedra, sales have risen in the last five years. And, researchers estimate that approximately 1 percent of the general population in the United States has taken products that contain ephedra to lose weight.
Critics of ephedra's use as a dietary supplement point out that the active ingredient of this Asian herb is ephedrine, a stimulant that acts similarly to amphetamines.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is responsible for regulating product advertising, developed advertising guidelines that include substantiating marketing claims and disclosing potential safety issues. However, of
Contact: John Murphy | <urn:uuid:47bac2be-b409-49b4-9f83-45cc635b7ff3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-2/Study-calls-for-major-reforms-in-marketing-of-ephedra-5918-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957576 | 302 | 2.28125 | 2 |
The Mad Painter was the title character in a series of live-action films on Sesame Street. Produced for the program's third season, the film inserts used comedic slapstick to teach number recognition, emphasizing the symbolic representation of the numeral, and how it is drawn, in contrast to the Baker Films, which stressed counting and quantity.
The painter character is an eccentric whose hobby is painting numbers between 2 and 11 in various public and private places. Armed with a set of numbers, he would begin each skit by announcing the number he intended to paint. Streets, umbrellas, purses, cakes, windows, stools, rubber balls, slices of bread, sailboats, and bald heads were all grist for the painter's mill. The painter's thoughts were heard in voice-over. Sometimes after he painted his number, something would either smudge it or wash it away, and sometimes he painted his number without anything bad happening to it and/or he wouldn't get in trouble.
Occasionally, the numerical graffiti artist would suffer the consequences of his peculiar obsession, and elude irate citizenry in a comic chase. Still, he continued his campaign, gaining notoriety in newspapers (the film for 8 includes the blaring headline "PAINTER STRIKES AGAIN!")
Two recurring targets were a young woman, portrayed by Stockard Channing, and a bald, moustachioed man (Jerome Raphel). The action in the segments was punctuated by a jaunty piano accompaniment, reminiscent of silent film scores, as composed by Robert Dennis. Eliot Noyes Jr. directed the series.
|Picture||Summary||Earliest Known Appearance||Description|
|Number 2|| || The painter paints a number 2 on the sail of a boat, enraging the owner.
|Number 3|| || The painter sees Channing having a picnic. He uses mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup to paint 3s on her sandwich bread.
|Number 4|| ||The painter paints a number 4 on Channing's umbrella.|
|Number 5|| || The painter's quest to paint a 5 leads to a zoo and a gorilla. He finds something to paint his 5 on, and it's a big yellow ball. Even the gorilla helps him out, and they give each other a high five.
|Number 6|| ||The painter paints a 6, with icing, on a birthday cake. The baker finds the cake, offers the painter a slice, and then hits him in the face with the rest of the cake.|
|Number 7|| || The painter, outside an elevator, paints a 7 on a bag held by the bald man riding the elevator, but the elevator closes while the painter isn't looking. The same thing happens when he paints a 7 on a bag carried by Channing. When it opens again, he sees a football player inside, wearing a shirt with the number 7 on it. The painter, happy to see the 7, gets into the elevator with the football player.
|Number 8|| || The painter pops out of a pool, in a scuba suit, to render an 8 on the pool owner's bald head. As soon as the bald man notices the 8, he chases the painter in and around the pool in a fast-motion scene.
|Number 9|| ||The painter paints a 9 on a road, where his precious number falls prey to an industrious street cleaner.|
|Number 10|| ||The painter paints a 10 on a stool, on which the bald man then sits. When he gets up, the 10 is on the seat of his pants!|
|Number 11|| ||The painter gets his comeuppance again. He attempts to paint an 11 on a door in a doctor's office, but the doctor (Channing) keeps appearing to call the waiting patients. Though he finally paints an 11 on the door's glass pane, a janitor washes it off, and the nurse yanks the painter into the office.|
- ↑ Lenburg, Jeff. Who's Who in Animated Cartoons. 2006 | <urn:uuid:1e0833c2-ccbb-4a60-9ad9-ce7777f703f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Mad_Painter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967662 | 848 | 2.515625 | 3 |
, thanks for the explanation,it's so nice to know how to answer a question when asked.
I hate to say this but I am stuck on my pattern, again
I have reach the End of raglan increases with 56sts on the back and 36 on the sleeves .
I have read the next instructions over and over and I just don't understand how to do it.
Then divide off work by working across,binding off the "seam" stitches and putting the sleeves on stitch holders.
Do I divide the sts by putting them on other needles?
how do you bind off the "seam" sts? and still
Continue to work the front pieces and back pieces all in one?
Can someone make sense of this for me?? | <urn:uuid:4f568409-47bc-4974-a63c-046dcf287e87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.knittinghelp.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91599&page=5&nojs=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954475 | 155 | 1.648438 | 2 |
France Travel Tips, Europe
Travel tips > Europe > France travel tips
Browse useful France travel tips using the map (by moving the mouse over a city pin or by clicking it) or simply scroll down on this page. After finding the travel tips for France you are interested in, you may leave a comment or ask the authors of the tips - being experienced travelers but also real users just like you they will gladly answer. Also, we do encourage you to provide your own useful travel tips for your favorite cities in France or anywhere else in the world, so that others can learn from you as well.
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Beaches : Shtrand - Public Beach | <urn:uuid:35149dc0-b1bf-46f3-b76e-8c103df63ca0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.travelgrove.com/travel-tips/France-travel-tips-71/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909027 | 2,249 | 1.617188 | 2 |
At private colleges and universities all across the country, there is a gap between what students pay for their education and what it costs the institution to provide that educational experience.
As a private institution, KCAI receives no federal or state financial assistance. The ways in which we make up for this gap depend largely on the support of corporations, foundations, businesses and individuals who believe in our mission as a leader in art education and higher learning.
At KCAI, tuition generates approximately 60 percent of the income necessary to underwrite our annual operating expenses. The other 40 percent must come from other sources.
In addition, it is important that KCAI have the financial resources to maintain attractive and comfortable campus living, classroom and studio environments, to build an endowment fund that will assure the future of the college, and to build a scholarship fund that ensures students who are seeking financial assistance receive the aid they need to pursue their education at KCAI. About 98 percent of our students receive financial aid through our scholarship fund. Without the assistance of our benefactors, many would not have the chance to attend KCAI and receive a top-quality arts education.
One of the most important sources for the needed additional funding is gifts and grants from individuals, foundations and corporations. These generous donors are investing in the future of art and design in Kansas City and around the world.
The Kansas City Art Institute has an endowment of more than $40 million, up from $20 million only a few years ago, thanks to a $10 million challenge grant the college received in 2005. With a target deadline of 2010, the Art Institute raised the matching $10 million three years ahead of schedule.
Sometimes a simple and elegant gesture can speak volumes. Bequests are among the simplest of planned gifts, but their impact on students at the Kansas City Art Institute is immeasurable.
Simply put, they are gifts of money or personal property handed down or "bequeathed" to another party through an individual's estate plan. Large and small, bequests enable us to build endowments, provide scholarships, erect new buildings and contribute to our community.
Bequests to the Kansas City Art Institute allow donors to leave behind a legacy and play a lasting role in the lives of future generations of young artists. The impact lasts beyond the donor's living years, and when structured correctly, a bequest can have positive tax implications for the donor and his or her family.
For more information about planned giving, contact the KCAI advancement office at firstname.lastname@example.org.
General operating support, also known as the annual fund, secures gifts to bridge the gap between tuition revenues and what it actually costs to provide the highest quality of art and design education for each KCAI student. A significant portion of the annual fund goes to support student scholarships. The rest is spent on technology and equipment, programs and curriculum, faculty development and other important operating needs of the college.
For more information about general support, contact the KCAI advancement office at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:eca3d96d-9d46-4dd2-a73c-ee3edc5be578> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kcai.edu/about-kcai/donate/investment-opportunities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951945 | 632 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is a form of
cardiomyopathy. This is a condition in which the heart muscle thickens due to genetic problems with the muscle’s structure. As the muscle thickens, it must work harder to pump blood, which strains the heart muscle. Sometimes, the thickened muscle gets in the way of the blood leaving the heart and causes a blockage. This blockage can cause the neighboring heart valve, called the mitral valve, to become leaky. HCM can cause uneven muscle growth which can cause the heart to pump in a disorganized way. Rarely, it can cause abnormal heart rhythms that can even be fatal.
There are three main types of cardiomyopathy:
Hypertrophic—can be divided into two types:
- Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM)—the muscle between the two valves of the heart becomes so enlarged that it obstructs the blood flow in the heart
- Non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy—non-obstructive form, the enlarged muscle is not large enough to block blood flow
HCM can occur in people of all ages. But, it is usually most severe when it occurs in younger people. The diagnosis is only made in people who do not have other causes of cardiomyopathy (eg,
or valvular heart disease, etc.)
Those with HCM are at an increased risk of sudden death. However, many individuals with HCM live a normal, healthy life with very few symptoms.
Normal Heart and Heart With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Causes of HCM include:
- A gene that causes the abnormal structure of the heart muscle. It can be inherited or can happen from changes in the genes over time.
- A defective gene that controls growth of the heart muscle
- A viral infection
In people over age 60, HCM is likely to be caused by or related to
high blood pressure.
These factors increase your chance of developing this condition. Tell your doctor if you have any of these risk factors:
- Having a family member with HCM
- Being over age 60 and having hypertension
- Chest pain
- Fainting, particularly during exercise
- Dizziness or lightheadedness, particularly following exercise
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- General fatigue
- Tiring easily during exercise or activity
- Shortness of breath when lying down
These symptoms can be caused by some of the side effects of the condition, including
(abnormal heart beats). The blocked or reduced blood flow is usually the cause of symptoms like dizziness, fainting, and difficulty breathing.
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam.
Tests may include the following:
- Stress test
—tests how the body responds to exercise, which can help in detecting heart and lung problems
—uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to examine the size, shape, and motion of the heart
- Transesophageal echocardiogram
—images of the heart are taken to detect abnormalities
Heart monitor—a portable
records continuous heart activity usually over a 24-72 hour period to determine regularity of the heartbeat
Heart catheter—a catheter is inserted into an artery in the groin area and threaded to the heart chambers
An x-ray machine shows real-time images of your body as a dye is injected through the catheter. This allows
(photos) to be taken of the blood vessels and the heart.
- Blood tests
- Chest x-ray
—uses radiation to take a picture of structures inside the body, especially bones.
Treatment focuses on controlling symptoms and preventing complications. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. Treatment options include:
Medications may be used to help maintain proper and regular heart function. These may include beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers.
If you have an arrhythmia, you may need anti-arrhythmic drugs. You may also need blood-thinning medication.
The thickened portion of the heart muscle is cut and removed. This may be needed if you have a severely blocked blood flow from the heart.
If the mitral valve is leaking, surgery may also be done to repair or replace the mitral valve.
Alcohol is injected into the arteries of the thickened portion of the heart. This helps to reduce the blockage in the heart and improve blood flow out of the heart.
is implanted if you are at heightened risk for sudden death.
To help reduce your chances of getting HCM, take the following steps:
- If you have a family member who has been diagnosed with HCM—you and other family members should be screened for the condition
- If family history puts you at higher risk for HCM—regular echocardiograms may reduce the risk of death or complications from HCM
- If you have high blood pressure—take medications and follow other instructions as directed by your physician.
American Heart Association.
Cardiomyopathy. American Heart Association website. Available at:
. Accessed June 26, 2007.
Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute website. Available at:
. Accessed June 26, 2007.
DynaMed Editorial Team.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
. Updated October 25, 2010. Accessed November 5, 2010.
Erwin JP, Nishimura RA, et al. Dual chamber pacing for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: a clinical perspective in 2000.
Mayo Clin Proc. 2000;75:173-180.
The HCM Program. St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center website. Available at:
. Accessed June 26, 2007.
Maron BJ, Nishimura RA, McKenna WJ, et al. Assessment of permanent dual chamber pacing for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Mayo Clinic. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mayo Clinic website. Available at:
. Updated March 25, 2009. Accessed November 5, 2010.
McCully RB, Nishimura RA, Tajik AJ, Schaff HV, Danielson GK. Extent of clinical improvement after surgical treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Last reviewed September 2012 by Michael J. Fucci, DO
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:19d55333-aeed-4ae9-92dd-00b4be38b582> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abrazohealth.com/education/treatments_proceedures.aspx?chunkiid=235369 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906611 | 1,479 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Immigrants here slower to assimilate, study says
Columbus' rate lags that of other Ohio cities; Latinos say report is biased
The City Blog
Neighbor News Blog
Although recent immigrants nationwide are assimilating into U.S. society as well as they did in 1990, those in Columbus are finding it more difficult than in other Ohio cities, a new study reported.
However, local Latino advocates contend the study is biased and anti-immigrant.
New arrivals to the city are adopting American culture, language and customs and becoming part of the economy at a lower level than other Ohio cities.
Although Mexicans make up the bulk of new immigrants here as in other cities, Columbus has a large number of Somalis, who have an even lower assimilation rate than Mexicans, according to data from the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a freemarket group.
Also, Columbus has a healthier economy than cities such as Cleveland so it attracts more immigrants with lower levels of education and skills looking for work, said the study's author, Jacob Vigdor, associate professor of public studies and economics at Duke University.
Education is one factor the study used to decide assimilation rates, along with earnings, home ownership, Englishspeaking ability and citizenship rates using U.S. Census and survey data, Vigdor said.
So, he said, the makeup of a community's immigrant population is the most important factor in determining assimilation differences between cities. The study looked at assimilation patterns across the country among 100 immigrant groups and compared assimilation rates now with those a century ago.
"It's a good news, bad news kind of story,” said Bridget Sweeney, press officer for the group. Although the immigrant population has doubled since 1990, assimilation rates remained steady overall, she said.
Vigdor created a 100-point index; the higher the number, the more assimilated a group is. Mexicans have an index of 13, Somalis, 18. Meanwhile, those from Vietnam and the Philippines, a country with strong American ties, have indexes of 41 and 49, respectively.
But Joseph L. Mas, board chairman of the Ohio Hispanic Coalition, said he thinks the criteria the study uses are loaded.
"I think they are using a white European model of assimilation,” when some think the United States now reflects more of what the Americas look like, he said.
And Columbus' index might be so low because the immigrant community here is relatively new, said Ezra Escudero, director of the state's Office of Hispanic/Latino Affairs.
"I expect the rate to be low but in 10 years to look very different,” he said, as people put down roots.
The conservative-leaning Manhattan Institute wanted to develop an index because of the national debate over immigration, Vigdor said.
"I think the Manhattan Institute has no particular ax to grind with this,” he said.
Vigdor said some are concerned that a split culture would create some kind of persistent underclass.
Today, it is difficult for Mexican immigrants to assimilate because many are here illegally and can't become citizens, he said.
Mexican immigrants who are here illegally also know they can go home fairly easily if things don't work out here, he said. But the Manhattan Institute isn't advocating policies to force illegal immigrants to return, Sweeney said.
But Mas said many Mexicans aren't assimilating because of the crackdown on illegal immigrants. | <urn:uuid:7eb0f71b-4637-48d4-b23b-7ec316bdb7bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2008/05/15/assimilate.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959882 | 713 | 2.15625 | 2 |
I am with a PowerPoint presentation containing my family members images, with some cool effects and captions. I want to send this to my Grandma, so that she can enjoy it on television set. What should I do? One thing I can do is to buy a PC for her. Really..? No. Other way is to convert that file to video, burn it on a disk, and mail her.
In another scenario, you are willing to share your slides on YouTube, but couldn't find a way to upload the file directly. As you know, YouTube doesn't support PPT/PPTX files for uploading.
The possibilities are endless where you need to turn those files into video. Microsoft has added support for this starting from MS-Office 2010 editions. But it is not known to most of the users. It can be done in two ways.
Quickly Saving Your File- The Shortcut Method
After you have finished editing the file, go to Save as and choose Windows Media Video (*.wmv) from the Save as type option. It will quickly save your file, but will lack customization and your narration. All slides will have an equal duration.
Saving with Narrations
This will kill your few minutes because you have to go through the slides, play them, and narrate in the same fashion you want to record. This method will allow you to set custom duration for individual slides and animations. Also you can use your mouse cursor as a laser pointer.
Start from this screenshot. In the last column, there are two boxes. First one is for selecting the video quality. To create very high quality video choose Computer & HD Displays. Choose Internet & DVD for medium quality, or, Portable Devices for low quality.
In the second box, Choose the second option Use Recorded Timings and Narrations. By doing so, you will be offered to play the slide manually and the session will be recorded in video format. The first option in this box does same thing that we learned in 'shortcut method'.
The value set in seconds is used only for automatic saving of your file without narrations. After this, you are ready to share your video on YouTube or mail it to Grandma to watch it with disk players.
Problems with Older Format (PPT)
Any media file inserted on slides using older versions of PowerPoint (.PPT file extension) will not be included in the video. So, you have to first upgrade them to newer version (.PPTX format). To do so, Go to File ⇒ Info ⇒ Convert. Save the upgraded file, then try to save it as a video. | <urn:uuid:8968df36-11c7-46a6-b307-d439328a01e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techvigil.com/tips-tricks/349/save-powerpoint-slides-in-video-format/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938007 | 540 | 1.820313 | 2 |
From Our 2012 Archives
Young Women Tan, Despite Health Risks
Two-Thirds of Sorority Members Tan Indoors, 6% Do So Weekly
By Charlene Laino
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
March 19, 2012 (San Diego) -- Most young women know that indoor tanning raises the risk of skin cancer, but two-thirds of sorority members at a Midwestern university used tanning beds in the past year, and 6% used them every week, a new survey shows.
Also, 93% intentionally tanned outdoors in the past year, and 20% did it more than 50 times, says researcher Whitney Hovenic, MD, MPH, chief resident in dermatology at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Virtually all the young women (96%) planned to sunbathe the following year, but only 60% planned to use sunscreen or wear protective clothing, Hovenic tells WebMD.
The students spent so much time tanning that most thought their skin color was naturally bronze, while in fact most have fair skin, Hovenic says. One-third reported a family history of skin cancer.
The study was presented here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
Melanoma Rising Among Young Women
The findings come at a time when rates of melanoma, the potentially fatal form of skin cancer, among young women aged 15 to 39 increased 50% from 1980 to 2004, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Studies have shown that exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning raises the risk of melanoma by 75%, according to the AAD. People at high risk for melanoma also include those with a family history of skin cancer, fair skin, and a history of sunburn.
A recent national survey conducted by the AAD showed that 81% of white teenage girls and young women had tanned outdoors in the past year, and 32% had used tanning beds.
Most of the young women in both surveys acknowledged that tanning, particularly indoor tanning, was associated with the development of skin cancer, Hovenic says. So why did they take the risk?
"People still think tanned bodies look sexier, more fit," she says. In the new survey, three-fourths said they find tanned people more attractive.
In the Midwest, where winters can be long and gray, the weather drives young people to indoor tanning salons, Hovenic says.
Adding insult to injury: The indoor recreation center at the university has tanning beds, and most apartment complexes catering to the 30,000 students in town offer free indoor tanning as an incentive, she says.
Hovenic and her colleagues are determined to turn these figures around. "Obviously just getting the message across that constant tanning, particularly indoor tanning, is bad, isn't doing the trick; the young women know that," she says.
So they devised a campaign tailored for young women, quoting Cosmo magazine and supermodels and featuring a video of a mother who lost her teenage daughter to melanoma.
"It seems to be having an impact," Hovenic says. Although the data have yet to be analyzed, it appears the number of young women tanning once a week is down about 50%, she says.
But other studies suggest that their win may be short-lived: Unless the campaign continues, the alarming figures will bounce back, Hovenic says.
Pearl Grimes, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, tells WebMD she is not surprised by the findings.
"Even though the AAD and other organizations attempt to get the message out that tanning is bad and indoor tanning is exceptionally bad, we live in a society driven by aesthetics," she says.
Grimes says that in a recent study, men and women rated faces that were tanned as being more attractive and healthier than fair faces.
She says she would like to see national legislation prohibiting people under 18 from going to tanning parlors.
These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.
SOURCES: American Academy of Dermatology's 70th Annual Meeting, San Diego, March 16-20, 2012. Whitney Hovenic, MD, MPH, chief resident, dermatology, University of Missouri, Columbia.Pearl Grimes, MD, clinical professor, dermatology, University of California, Los Angeles.
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Beauty Schools in Rhode Island
Cosmetology Schools in RI
Cosmetology students at beauty schools in Rhode Island can enjoy studying in the Ocean State, where in classrooms and student salons they prepare to qualify for their Rhode Island beauty and cosmetology licenses. Students training as hairstylists are in an ideal area to practice and master the art of taming frizzy hair inspired by humid environments as well as the art of keeping hair neat in spite of ocean breezes. These experiences can complement their training in hair cutting, coloring and styling. Hairstylist training programs are just one of the offerings at Rhode Island beauty schools. Other popular offerings include esthetician programs covering skin care, and manicurist programs covering nail care. A student with a passion for beauty can attend a Rhode Island beauty school and study hair, skin, nails, makeup, hair removal and a number of other specialties to turn that passion for beauty into a professional career - all in a beautiful location near the ocean.
It may be the smallest state in the U.S., but Rhode Island is big on potential - and concentration of historic landmarks. They were first to declare their independence, the first permanent settlement, and they often lead in other areas, too. Rhode Island is a great place to start finding certification programs in cosmetology institutes and beauty colleges. Whether your interest lies in cosmetology training, skin care, nail technology or managing your own salon, you could get the cosmetology training that leads to a creative, exciting career. Rhode Island beauty colleges cater to people who are creative, enjoy helping people look their best, and like doing artistic designs for hair, nails or makeup. From Providence to Warwick, you could turn your interests into a fulfilling career with training from a Rhode Island beauty school near you. Get started now by contacting some schools near you and start learning about enrollment requirements, tuition, available programs, scheduling and more.
The state of Rhode Island requires 1500 hours of training to sit for the board exams and get your cosmetology license, 300 hours to become a nail technician, or 600 hours to become an esthetician. The average salary range for cosmetologists is $16890 to $53290 per year before tips, with a median RI cosmetologist salary of $23510. The average median salary for nail technicians is $20860 and the median salary for estheticians is $30920 in Rhode Island.
Look through the list below to find Beauty Schools in Rhode Island.
to get more information
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We strive to prepare you to become a highly skilled hair stylist or esthetician. We have an excellent job placement record for our graduates and we do our best to provide lifetime... | <urn:uuid:c8f9fed1-3b89-4d30-a0f8-b94a27c17f26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beautyschoolsdirectory.com/search/RI | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95888 | 646 | 1.640625 | 2 |
NEW DELHI: With an estimated 1.5 lakh new cases every year, chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as the third most common non-communicable disease in the country, thanks to the rising incidence of hypertension, obesity and alcoholism. As the world celebrates World Kidney Day on March 8, Times City takes a look at the problem and its possible solutions.
The kidney, whose functions include maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance of the body is intimately associated functionally with all other vital organs — so much that in international medical parlance, CKD is referred to as a diseases multiplier. It is in fact a part of a vicious circle where on the one hand CKD is a result of multi-systemic problems and on the other, it further aggravates those problems.
Says Dr Sanjeev Bagai, paediatric nephrologist and head of the department of paediatrics, Rockland Hospital: "Internationally available figures for India out the incidence in adults and adolescents at one in every 10-15 people. For newborns, it is 0.1-1% which, given our population, is a huge figure. Rising maternal age has further complicated matters because many more babies now are being born with congenital kidney abnormalities. The critical part here is that awareness levels are still very low and outside major cities, the availability of diagnostic facilities is poor."
The risk factors for kidney diseases are often the same as that for the heart, given that the filtration of blood in the kidney which is its primary modus operandi, depends on the same factors — arterial diameter, blood pressure and rate of blood flow — as the well-being of the heart. Doctors blame the country's rising CKD figures on rising hypertension — that causes the filtration rate to become too fast for effective purification of the blood, smoking — that is known to cause stiffening of arteries and diabetes and hypercholesterolemia which are known to be responsible for atherosclerosis.
Ironically, it is only recently that the country has woken up to the CKD clock ticking away so doctors are still uncertain how much of the bloated figures are a result of better diagnostic facilities and what the real extent of the disease in India may be.
Says Dr Salil Jain, consultant nephrologist, Fortis Hospitals: "It is true that risk factors for CKD like diabetes, hypertension and smoking are on the rise. But it is also true that awareness levels among doctors is much better now and we are picking up many more cases than before. It is precisely to gauge the extent of the problem that the national level committee on chronic kidney disease was recently formed. This is a registry that will give us realistic figures of whether and to what extent kidney disease is on the rise."
The common symptoms of CKD are loss of appetite, frequent vomiting, frequent urination often with discomfort, recurrent fever, face and ankle swelling, weakness and anaemia, headache, nose bleeding and hypertension, rashes, recurrent abdominal pain and recurrent respiratory infections. | <urn:uuid:b806cd7b-94c4-4d79-b595-8ad193693fca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-03-07/delhi/27883142_1_ckd-world-kidney-day-consultant-nephrologist | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959137 | 625 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic exam that evaluates the health of the muscles and the nerves that control them by measuring muscle electrical activity. This test is most commonly performed to determine the cause of muscle weakness and identify cases that are caused by neurologic disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy and others rather than primary muscle conditions.
During the EMG exam, thin needle electrodes are inserted through the skin and into the muscle, where they detect electrical activity while the muscle is at rest and contracting. Patients may experience mild pain when the electrodes are inserted, but this is tolerable for most. This test is usually performed in conjunction with a nerve conduction velocity test.
Normal results of an EMG test indicate muscles that do not produce any electrical activity while at rest and progressively increases with contraction. After the test, patients may experience feelings of tenderness or bruising on the affected muscle.
An evoked response study is a diagnostic procedure that measures electrical activity in the brain as it responds to signals from the sight, sound and touch senses. This allows doctors to assess hearing or sight (especially useful when performed on infants), diagnose optic nerve disorders or detect tumors within the brain or spinal cord.
There are several different types of evoked response studies available that can test for different problems. The three major tests include:
While these tests are effective in detecting abnormalities within the sensory functions, they often cannot determine the cause of the abnormality, so additional testing may be required.
These procedures are considered safe for most patients and are not associated with any serious complications. | <urn:uuid:8027825d-7d12-4e9c-8aa5-2814e94f3ebe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.austinneuro.com/diagnostic_testing.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936507 | 319 | 3.8125 | 4 |
The agency last month sent a letter to Boyd Haley, a popular figure in the autism recovery movement, warning him that sales of his product, OSR#1, violate federal law. Some parents and physicians have embraced OSR#1 as a treatment for children with autism.
He called OSR#1 a combination of naturally occurring substances — benzoate and cystamines — that are found in cranberries and meat. "It might be that the chemical name we placed on the label has confused this issue," he wrote.
The FDA declined to comment, stating: "We await the company's response through proper channels."
Experts interviewed by the Tribune said the argument by Haley, a retired chairman of the University of Kentucky's chemistry department, defies elementary principles of chemistry.
OSR#1 "is indeed a complex chemical entity," said Dr. Arthur Grollman, director of the Laboratory for Chemical Biology at State University of New York at Stony Brook. "He should have stopped there."
Grollman and other experts say any molecule can be broken down to chemical groups found in nature, but that doesn't mean the molecules are natural or they are a sum of their parts.
For example, the illegal drug Ecstasy contains a benzene ring and an amine group, both of which are found in OSR#1, but Ecstasy is not a dietary supplement.
Creating a new molecule out of old ones results in an entirely new substance that will have different effects on the body, experts said.
"Once you connect them together, they have very different properties," said Chuan He, professor of chemistry at University of Chicago. "That is why they are different molecules."
The FDA's June 17 letter detailed several violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Failing to correct such violations can result in fines, seizure of products and even criminal prosecution.
Haley has not responded to the letter, and the FDA has granted him an extension, a spokeswoman said. Haley did not respond to requests for an interview.
The Tribune reported in January that Haley's compound had been developed to treat mining wastewater and it had not undergone rigorous testing to ensure it is safe and effective.
J.B. Handley, a founder of the advocacy group Generation Rescue who has a child with autism, said parents using alternative treatments for the disorder are more likely to listen to one another than to mainstream institutions, which they feel have abandoned or betrayed them. And OSR#1 has not raised concerns, he said.
"We don't trust the FDA or the CDC. We don't trust you. We don't trust most doctors. We only trust each other," he said. | <urn:uuid:c3bd7d65-5eb4-4e74-abbc-1bc66e36a6b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-autism-chemical-update-20100712,0,5383206.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972013 | 550 | 2.109375 | 2 |
The PCB Baby Studies - Part 2
(PCB effects are summarized at the top of each study.)
The Japan and Taiwan Rice-Oil Poisoning Studies ---
Yusho and Yu-Cheng
In Japan in 1968 and in Taiwan in 1979, accidental mass poisoning incidents occurred from cooking oil contaminated by PCBs. The 1,788 Japanese people affected are referred to as "Yusho" (Japanese for "rice oil") disease patients, and the 1,843 Taiwanese people affected are said to suffer from "Yu-Cheng" (Chinese for "oil disease.")
It appears that in both cases, the rice-bran oil was being deodorized by a heating process that involved heat-exchange coils filled with circulating PCB oil. When pinholes developed in the coils, PCBs leaked into the cooking oil, and merchants distributed the contaminated oil in markets over wide areas. The oil contained variable levels of PCBs, plus the heated products of PCB degradation: polychlorinated dibenzofurans [furans] and polychlorinated quaterphenyls. (These degradation products are also found in the Fox River and Green Bay. In general, the PCB and furan exposure levels were higher in Taiwan and Japan than we’ve seen in Northeast Wisconsin, though heavy fish consumers on the Fox River and Bay might approach some of these levels.)
In Taiwan, the rice-oil contaminant concentrations were estimated to range from 4.8 to 204.9 ppm PCBs, with a mean of 52 ppm plus or minus 38.7 ppm. Blood measurements within the first year of the outbreak showed a range from 3 to 1,156 ppb PCBs, with a mean of 89.14 plus or minus 6.9 ppb. Four years later, the mean value of PCB blood levels varied from 39 to 101.7 ppb, which was much higher than that of the Japanese Yusho outbreak [mean of 5.9 plus or minus 4.5 ppb.] (Hsu et al, 1985) The PCBs levels were slow to drop. In 59 patients with Yusho, 52.5% still had PCB levels higher than the range found in the general population 13 years after the accident. (Akagi et al, 1985) This has implications for children born to PCB exposed victims many years later.
Roughly half of the 1,843 Taiwanese affected were between the ages of 11 and 30. (Hsu et al, 1985)
Several studies by several different researchers have been conducted on the PCB-exposed women, their newborns and directly-exposed children, over a period of several years:
Of 36 babies known to be born to Yusho mothers in Japan, all showed dark brown hyperpigmentation (termed "Coca-Cola" or "Cola Babies") though this effect tended to fade over time. Studies of roughly half of these babies found they also suffered from gingival hyperplasia (gum disease), exophthalmic edematous eye (puffy eyes with discharge), dentition (teeth) at birth, abnormal calcification of the skull as demonstrated by X-ray, and rocker bottom heel. There were 2 stillbirths. (Yamashita et al, 1985) Low birth weight was common (Higuchi 1976, Wong et al, 1981, Nicholson et al, 1994, and Yamashita et al, 1995) and premature births, also. (Higuchi 1976 and Wong et al, 1981) The children also suffered retarded growth, and abnormal tooth development (Nicholson et al, 1994). In both the Yusho and Yu-Cheng incidents, slowed nerve conduction, especially of sensory nerves was documented in children born to exposed mothers (Longnecker et al, 1997, and Rogan et al, 1992 and Hsu et al, 1994). In follow up studies, growth deficiencies were evident. Autonomic disturbances were observed; sluggish, clumsy, and jerky movements were exhibited; and the average intelligence quotient was in the low 70s. (An average IQ is 100.)
Effects on the immune system were also reported in the Yusho and Yu-Cheng populations (Tryphonas 1995). These were in the form of a) persistent respiratory distress (e.g., bronchitis and upper respiratory infections) in half of the persons with Yu-Cheng disease, b) significant decreases in IgA and IgM antibody levels 2 years after exposure but normal after 3 years, c) significant decline in the percentage of total T-lymphocytes in persons with Yu-Cheng disease and a slight increase in T-helper cells and a slight decrease in T-suppressor cells in persons with Yusho disease 14 years after exposure, and d) enhanced responses to mitogens (i.e., pokeweed and concavalin) (Guo et al. 1995).
In a study of 39 babies born early in the poisoning episode to Yu-Cheng mothers in Taiwan, all showed hyperpigmentation. The fatality rate was high. Eight babies died of pneumonia, bronchitis, sepsis, prematurity or congenital weakness. (Hsu et al, 1985) Other researchers also found skin pigmentation and low birth weight were common (Nicholson et al, 1994, and Hsu et al, 1994)
Another study examined 128 Yu-Cheng children, their parents and siblings who were directly exposed, and 115 control children. Direct exposure of mothers stopped in 1979 and children were born as late as 1985. At birth, exposed children had increased rates of hyperpigmentation, eyelid swelling and discharge, deformed nails, acne, and swollen gums compared to controls. Some were born with teeth. On examination, they had a much higher rate of dystrophic finger-nails and pigmented or dystrophic toe-nails than controls. They also had an increased rate of acne. In addition they had more generalized itching, localized skin infections and hair loss. The findings seen in babies exposed in the womb differ from those seen in people directly exposed (who have a higher prevalence of acne.) (Gladen et al, 1990)
In both the Yusho and Yu-Cheng incidents, slowed nerve conduction, especially of sensory nerves was documented in children born to exposed mothers (Longnecker et al, 1997, and Rogan et al, 1992 ).
In 1985, NIEHS scientists studied 117 offspring of Yu-Cheng mothers. The children showed cavity-prone teeth, poor nail formation, and short stature. Another study also showed exposed children were shorter and weighed less than normal (Hsu et al, 1984) A 1995 study of children of Yu-Cheng mothers found they were born growth retarded, with dysmorphic physical findings, and delayed cognitive (brain) development compared with unexposed children. (Yueliang et al, 1995)
In 1991, 55 Yu-Cheng children were studied and compared to age- and sex-matched control subjects. The children's growth profiles, bone mineral density and soft tissue composition, joint laxity, and serum parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, calcium, alkaline phosphatase, and phosphate were compared. The Yu-Cheng children were 3.1 cm (p < .05) smaller and had less total lean mass and soft tissue mass as compared to the matched control subjects. All other measure were similar in both groups. The shorter height and decreased total lean mass and soft tissue content were only seen in the Yu-Cheng children who were the first born after the PCB ingestion, but not in subsequent children. This was most likely due to decreased body burdens of the PCBs and related contaminants over time in the mothers. (Guo et al, 1994)
Since environmental chemicals have been shown to alter endocrine function, including sexual maturation, in wildlife and laboratory animals; another study examined whether PCBs and furans might alter sexual maturation in humans. A group of adolescent Yu-Cheng children were compared to a closely matched-control group of adolescents not exposed to PCBs or furans. On periodic physical exam the children's Tanner stage of sexual maturation was assessed. In the boys, size of testes and length of the penis were measured using standard techniques. There was no statistical difference in timing of the Tanner stages in either gender. However in the 55 pairs of boys between the ages of 11 and 15 years old, the penis length was decreased in the boys exposed in utero to PCBs and furans. Testicular size was similar in both groups. Future studies will determine if these effects will persist when the boys are sexually mature, and the mechanism(s) of the observed changes. (Guo et al, 1996)
All prenatally exposed Yu-Cheng boys and appropriate controls were contacted for medical examination in 1998. Sperm of exposed children were found to have increased abnormal morphology, reduced motility, and reduced capacity to penetrate hamster oocytes. (Guo et al, 2000)
In 1993, otolaryngologists examined the middle ear of Yu-Cheng children with a pneumatic otoscope, and measured the middle-ear pressure by tympanometry with a Rion RS20 impedance audiometer. The exposed children had a significantly higher prevalence of middle-ear diseases than their matched controls. The exposed children who had ear disease had higher serum levels of PCBs and furans than the children who did not. (Chao et al, 1997)
In 1995 studies, effects on the immune system were reported in the Yu-Cheng and Yusho populations (Tryphonas 1995). These included a) persistent respiratory distress (e.g., bronchitis and upper respiratory infections) in half of the persons with Yu-Cheng disease, b) significant decreases in IgA and IgM antibody levels 2 years after exposure but normal after 3 years, c) significant decline in the percentage of total T-lymphocytes in persons with Yu-Cheng disease and a slight increase in T-helper cells and a slight decrease in T-suppressor cells in persons with Yusho disease 14 years after exposure, and d) enhanced responses to mitogens (i.e., pokeweed and concavalin) (Guo et al. 1995).
Another immunity study in 1995 had different results: Researchers examined 105 Yucheng children and 101 control children, with a thorough physical examination and blood draw. The Yucheng children were reported by their parents to have higher frequencies of influenza attacks than the control children during the six months prior to the examination. The frequencies of other symptoms were similar between the two groups. The serum levels of various immunoglobulins were similar between the two groups. Fifty-one serum samples, 29 of Yucheng and 22 of control children, were available for cell-mediated immunologic analysis. The percentages of various T cell markers, CD3, CD4, and CD8, and B cell and NK cell markers were not different between the Yucheng and the control children. No dose-response relationship was found between 27 Yucheng children's serum PCB/PCDF levels and any of their immunologic markers. These researchers concluded that 16 years after the Yucheng incident, children exposed to high doses of PCBs/PCDFs in utero did not show, with the serum immunologic marker analyses, suppressed immunity when compared to their controls. To explain the consistent higher frequencies of upper respiratory tract infection in the Yucheng children, immune functional tests such as delayed hypersensitive skin reaction, in vitro lymphocyte proliferation, and antibody synthesis following immunization may be necessary. (Yu et al, 1998)
Neurological Study #1 --- In 1985, NIEHS scientists studied 117 offspring of Yu-Cheng mothers. They displayed behavioral problems and developmental delays that average 5-8 points on standard IQ scales. In addition, researchers discovered that children born up to six years after the exposure exhibit delays as severe as those in children born in 1979.
Neurological Study #2 --- Researchers used data from a project that began in 1985 in Taiwan, in which 117 children (mean age, 2.7 years in 1985) born to mothers in a PCB/PCDF poisoning registry and controls were followed, and they examined whether the developmental delay in the children was related to the severity of exposure to the mother or child. Blood samples from 38 children were analyzed and none had detectable furans. More exposed children (14/21) than control children (6/15) had detectable PCBs; the highest median concentration was among the breast-fed exposed children (4.5 ppb), but bottle-fed exposed controls (0.44) and breast-fed controls (0.53) were about the same. Among the exposed children, those with detectable PCBs had mean IQ scores 15 points lower than those without detectable PCBs when tested in the fall of 1986. A simple count of PCB-associated symptoms among the mothers was weakly related to IQ score (P = 0.01, R2 = 0.05). There were no strong relations between either measure of exposure and signs or symptoms in the children or between symptoms in the mother and level in the child. The authors conclude that there is some evidence for dose-response in the expression of the syndrome in the children, but small numbers and the imprecision in measuring both IQ and exposure make quantification difficult. (Yu et al, 1990)
Neurological Study #3 --- Cognitive testing (Bayley mental and psychomotor developmental indices, Stanford-Binet test, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children [WISC-R]) indicated significantly lower overall age-adjusted developmental scores among the exposed Yu-Cheng children. Developmental delays were seen at all ages and were greater in children who were smaller in size, had neonatal signs of intoxication, and/or had a history of nail deformities. Results of follow-up testing (Stanford-Binet test and WISC-R), when the children were 4–7 years of age, indicated that effects on cognitive development persisted for several years after exposure (Chen et al. 1992).
Neurological Study #4 --- The Rutter Child Scale A, a parent interview questionnaire that detects behavioral disorders, was used in this study. Higher scores represent more behavior disorders. At each year since 1985, combining children of different ages, the Yu-Cheng children scored 9-43% higher (worse) (mean = 22%) on the Rutter scale; differences were significant except for the 2.5-year follow-up. There was no consistent trend toward decreased differences in score with increasing time between the outbreak and year of birth. There were similar results from a Child Activity Checklist. This exposure appears to cause a behavior disorder and perhaps increased activity; the effect is persistent over time and appears to be similar in children born up to 6 years after the mother was exposed. (Chen et al, 1992)
Neurological Study #5 --- 118 children, referred to as 'the early-born Yucheng children', and matched controls were followed with the Chinese version of Rutter's Child Behavior Scale A annually from 1985 to 1991. At any fixed age, the early-born Yucheng children had mean Rutter behavior scores 1.75 to 2.40 points higher (14-38% worse) than that of their controls. The effects were similar in the health, habit, and behavioral subscores and persistent as the children aged. (Yu et al, 1994)
Neurological Study #6 --- Another researcher started a 12-year follow-up study in August 1985, 118 Yucheng children were assigned a non-exposed child matched by sex, age, locality of residence, mother's age, socio-economic status of the family. A consistent tendency indicates that Yucheng children score lower in each kind of measurement tool at each age level. This implies that congenital exposure to PCBs and their contaminants has long-term adverse effects on the cognitive development of human beings. (Lai et al, 1994)
Neurological Study #7 --- Starting in 1985, a group of 117 Yu-Cheng children and 117 controls were assessed annually for neurocognitive functioning. The Yucheng children scored approximately 5 points lower than their matched controls at ages 4-5 by Stanford-Binet test, and at ages 6-7 by Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, revised. In Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM) at ages 6-8, Yucheng girls scored similarly as control girls, but Yucheng boys' scores were lower than those of control boys and were similar to those of the girls. The Yucheng children scored higher than their matched controls on both Rutter Child Behavior Scale and Werry-Weiss-Peters Activity scales from 1985 to 1991, indicating higher frequencies of disordered behavior and higher activity levels. (Guo et al, 1995)
Studies of the Yusho and Yu-Cheng victims contribute to the weight of evidence that man-made chemicals can disrupt normal endocrine (hormone) function and are associated with neurobehavioral deficits. (Harada 1976; Wong and Huang 1981; Hsu et al. 1985)
Conclusions --- Although these neurobehavioral deficits were similar to the findings of the Jacobsons on Lake Michigan, they were much more pronounced and, according to several scientists, could have resulted primarily from the presence of furans as co-contaminants in the rice oil. They believe: "For this reason, and based predominantly on comparisons with Japanese workers who had higher PCB blood levels and few or none of the symptoms present in the rice oil poisonings, furans were generally considered to be the primary causal agent" (Bandiera et al. 1984; Kunita et al. 1984; Masuda and Yoshimura 1984; Ryan et al. 1990; Safe 1990; Takayama et al. 1991; Tanabe et al. 1989; ATSDR 1997).
However, the results of the Japan Occupational Exposure Study below show that PCB-exposed worker’s children suffered the same symptoms, except that no neurological tests were performed on the children to determine whether they suffered the same learning and behavior deficits. In addition, several of the Yu-Cheng neurological studies cited above are based on the same 117 children used in "Neurological Study #2 cited above, where the researchers state that among their selected 38 children "none had detectable PCDFs (furans)" in their blood samples. Even so, the children suffered serious intelligence declines of 15 IQ points (mean).
Furthermore, commercial mixtures of PCBs frequently contain significant furan contamination. And when PCBs degrade over time or are exposed to heat, additional furans are formed. As a result, worldwide human PCB exposures frequently involve furans as well. To say that Yu-Cheng neurological effects are due only to furans (and are therefore irrelevant to PCB risk assessment) isn’t plausible given this information and the results of the numerous studies cited in this report from other parts of the world. | <urn:uuid:ceb042f7-b017-47ee-b20c-aa23cf8b858b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxriverwatch.com/baby_studies_pcbs_2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964299 | 3,956 | 2.5 | 2 |
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|An Interview with Dr. Michael Klaper|
|July 26, 2010|
Trista Cornelius, Contributing Writer
Dr. Michael Klaper earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and after working with patients, he began to realize that many of the diseases they suffered from were caused by the foods they ate. In his video, A Diet for All Reasons, he tells a story about reviewing a blood sample taken from a 290-pound patient. He was startled when he discovered the top of the vial contained thick, white fat. When Dr. Klaper asked the patient what he'd eaten that day, it became apparent that meat, dairy, animal flesh and fats were the cause of the alarming blood sample. As a result, for the past 30 years, Dr. Klaper has studied the links between diet and disease.
TC: In an interview at Abolitionist-online.com you said that when people get a diagnosis of diabetes or chest pain, they become interested in changing their diets and become very teachable. However, many people still resist changing their diet, even if a doctor tells them it will cure their diabetes or heart disease. Why do you think some people resist changing the way they eat? Why do some react defensively to the idea of a plant-based diet?
MK: A person's beliefs about their diet are connected with their most deeply-held beliefs and perceptions about who they are and what the figures of authority in their lives told them was "good food:"
1. The beliefs start with our comfort foods from childhood and become intimately tied up with our memories of what our parents fed us. Rejecting those beliefs in favor of a non-traditional approach like a vegetarian diet would mean that (gasp) "Mother was wrong!" This alone incites tremendous resistance among many people.
2. A change of our eating style to a vegetarian or vegan diet also is a statement that says we believe that what the government tells us about nutrition has been wrong (not an irrational conclusion when we witness the meat industry-influenced USDA "Basic 4" and "Food Pyramid," etc. schemes.)
3. Changing our diet also means freeing ourselves from the powerful taste addictions we have acquired to the fast food and processed foods that are cheap and loaded with salt, sugar, fat and other taste seducers that keep us craving them. Not an easy extrication to effect...
4. Finally, choosing to consume a vegetarian or vegan diet can be socially inconvenient, exposing one, and labeling one as "extreme" or "out of the mainstream."
No wonder there is inertia and resistance to change these tightly held beliefs and preferences. I sometimes feel it would be easier to talk with people about a sex-change operation than a change in their diet.
TC: After spending 16 summers on your uncle’s dairy farm, you must have a deep understanding of farm life in America. What roles do farmers play in the health of Americans?
MK: Farmers are among the ultimate Earth Stewards, almost priests and alchemists of the planet. For it is through their skill, patience, and connection with the Earth that they coax the life from dormant seeds and nurture it into mature fruits, vegetables, grains, and other edible bounties to fill our tables and sustain our bodies.
Veganic food production, agro-forestry, and other techniques that do not require animal inputs can heal the land and waters, while the plant-strong meals we enjoy make us healthier. Whatever any of us can do--in our families and communities, through the media, in the health and food production professions, in child care, and in education--to help expedite the transition to plant-based diets, helps to bring us back into balance with nature. Thus, an evolution to a vegan diet and society will elevate our farmers to truly sustainable stewardship.
TC: In the Abolitionist interview, you said some inspiring things about the power of the individual living vegan values day-to-day to make a big difference in the world, teaching by example over the long term. However, world events often seem overwhelmingly outside the influence of a well-intentioned individual (like the recent oil spill in the Gulf). How does an individual’s influence make a difference?
MK: The tragedy unfolding in the Gulf is dismal and frightening, on many levels. The repercussions will likely be felt throughout society for generations. It will probably place additional stresses--ecologic, for certain, and most likely, economic, social, and political - on us all. It will bring out the best and worst of our society--and it will surely transform us as a nation.
These events herald a time when the limitations and vulnerabilities of our society's supply systems are seen for what they are--vast and vulnerable--and the importance of strengthening your local ties is emphasized. Now is the time to find out where your food and water come from and get to know people that supply them.
In your dealings with your friends, family, business associates, customers, clients, patients--whomever you serve and interact with--your honesty and compassion and respect for all things will speak silently, but eloquently, about who you are and the power of your non-violent beliefs.
A vegan diet and lifestyle makes a statement to all that “killing is not part of my problem-solving kit. I won’t use extermination of any sentient creature--including humans--as a solution to a given problem, even involving my food, water, or other vital matters.” Such a stance of non-violent intent emanates feelings of safety towards those around you and will make any situation better.
The energy that comes from the stance of benevolence--and the people who operate from that stance--will be both a binding agent in the community and a "lubricant" that will allow important transitions to occur and vital work to be done without undue friction. The influence of each individual will make even more of a difference in these rapidly-evolving times. Love, compassion, and clarity--manifesting in many ways, including plant-based food choices--will be even more important with every passing year. An expeditious evolution to a non-violent, non-exploitative vegan diet and lifestyle will benefit all who live on this planet, and, more and more, appears to be a prerequisite for our survival.
Dr. Klaper will be a speaker at VegFest. Visit nwveg.org/vegfest.php for more details on VegFest’s exciting speaker line-up.
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Stillman student competes in Ford Black College Quiz
Published: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 8:12 p.m.
Lawrence Brown was ready. He had been studying and quizzing for months. He knew the real names of certain black celebrities and which nonprofit organizations had been started by others. He could share random tidbits on black pop culture, history, literature and theater.
What the 20-year-old Stillman College junior did not count on was the nerves that took over when the TV cameras came out and began filming the seventh annual Ford Black College Quiz.
“The actual competition wasn't the big stress. I did the best I could and didn't really focus on my competitors,” Brown said. “But knowing I was going to be on TV was really nerve- wracking. I was visibly shaking during the first round, but then I was able to chill out and relax.”
Brown was one of 12 students from historically black colleges and universities selected to participate in the “Jeopardy!” style game show that challenges the students' knowledge of black history and culture. The students were competing for $20,000 in scholarships.
Taped at Spelman College in Atlanta, the show is set to air between January and March. The series will consist of four half-hour quiz shows with three schools competing in each segment. The winners will not be released until after the show has finished airing nationwide.
After learning that he would be competing, Brown received an 87-page study guide that covered a variety of topics, from black Olympic medalists to black theater.
He used the guide to create flash cards and practiced with Stillman's quiz team, of which he is also a member.
“We replicated the quiz format, acted it out like it would be played on television,” he said.
Even though he's an English major, Brown said the literature category was his most challenging. The questions covered both well-known and not so well-known authors and books and included several he had never heard before. The key to the competition, however, was memorization, he added.
“It was a great experience, one I'll keep with me for a long time,” Brown said. “I got to meet a lot of great students, faculty members, and the networking opportunities were great. I really enjoyed it.”
This was the first year Stillman had a student participating in the event.
Brown was selected by Thomas Jennings, an associate professor of history and quiz bowl team coach.
Jennings said he wanted a student who would have the “best chance of doing well in the competition,” but it could not be a senior because the scholarship was for undergraduate work.
“It's fantastic for Lawrence. He's a very intelligent, very capable individual,” Jennings said. “(The competition also) does a really good service to the African-American community, highlighting the contributions made by HBCUs and the population. A huge portion of our students are the first to go to college, and when you see them on a show like this, it sets a positive role model for their community. They see they can achieve higher education.”
The show's airing schedule will be announced by Central City Productions. For information about the show, visit ccptv.com.
Reach Kim Eaton at firstname.lastname@example.org or 205-722-0209
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In 1997, two researchers decided to try their hand at training elite sprinters in a 100m race. They developed a three-stage race plan and assigned a cue to each stage: in other words, at every point, the runners were told to repeat a specific phrase in their heads. For the first phase, acceleration, they were told to say push; for the second, maximum velocity, to say heel; and for the third, speed endurance, to say claw. The result? The runners performed substantially better than they had prior to the intervention, reducing their race time by an average of .26s. And what’s more, they were able to perform more consistently, both in training and in racing, hitting their time more closely and more regularly than before.
What the researchers were doing was training the sprinters in a traditional therapeutic strategy known as self-talk. Since then, a great deal of work has been done on the effectiveness of self-talk on athletic performance, and the results, according to this recent meta-analysis, are striking. Self-talk, it seems, is more than just a gimmick. It actually works.
The type of self-talk matters
But, not all self-talk is created equal. Consider, for instance, the content. What exactly are you saying when you talk to yourself? Go, go go! I can do this! Feeling great! I’m the best! Give it all I’ve got! Or, is it more along the lines of, See the target! Push! Heel! High elbow! Left knee! The distinction is one of the more significant elements of self-talk. The first category of exclamations is known as motivational, the second, as instructional. And they don’t work equally well.
In general, instructional self-talk seems to have an edge, especially in activities that require fine motor skills. Why? The data suggest that instructional talk helps hone concentration and focus attention, two skills that are essential to athletic performance, especially when the pressure is on.
However, motivational self-talk has a place, too. In feats of simple endurance, strength, and other so-called gross skills, it works well. In these areas, specific attention is not as essential. It might just be enough to keep motivated long enough to push through. Presumably, you already have the baseline strength; now, it’s just a matter of not giving up easily.
Don’t worry: you don’t actually have to talk to yourself
Many people balk at the idea of talking out loud to themselves as they engage in anything, be it a sport or another activity entirely. It’s embarrassing. It draws attention. It can make you seem loopy to those who aren’t in the loop.
As it turns out, that’s just fine. Talking to yourself in your head is just as effective as saying the words out loud. As long as you are really saying them, and saying them conscientiously and at the right time, the process is what actually matters. So, just do whatever feels most comfortable and right.
Self-talk helps both novices and experts
And there’s more good news. Novices and experts alike benefit from self-talk. For beginners, it can help overcome learning hurdles. Self-talk is easy to learn and the benefits are immediate – something that can’t be said of many other interventions (and isn’t it better to nag yourself than to have someone else nagging you?). But, training helps. It helps a lot. The more you do it, the more effective it becomes. And there, the experts benefit, too. Even those who have reached the seeming peak of their career might find that self-talk gives them the necessary push to reach just a little higher, or more consistently, or more effectively under stress and pressure.
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that top athletes in all areas, and especially in those that require fine motor skills and concentration, like golf or tennis, use self-talk on a regular basis, perhaps without even realizing they are doing it.
Going beyond sports
But what if you’re not an athlete? The benefits of self-talk are not confined to sports. In fact, the technique originally came from cognitive behavioral therapy, as a tool to help people overcome persistent thought patterns, behaviors, and interpretations of events. You talk to yourself to direct your own attention, instead of letting it be directed by something else, and in so doing, you learn to manage your behavior.
The technique has proven effective in everything from learning to coping with depression. A specific type of self-talk, self-affirmation, has been shown to help in test performance and learning, in overcoming social stress, and in dealing better with negative situations. In fact, whenever you need to enhance your attention or overcome a thought pattern or behavior that you find disruptive, self-talk is one strategy that can come to the rescue.
How do you learn effective self-talk?
Self-talk is not a difficult skill to learn. What you need to understand are two basic and closely-related questions:
(1) What are the features of the task at hand? To maximize the value of self-talk, you need to match it to the situation. Is it something that requires attention, concentration, fine skill? Use an instructional approach (for the specific instructions, see step (2)). Is it something that requires sheer endurance, something you need to get through, something where you find yourself wanting to give up just a little too early? Use a motivational approach.
(2) What do I want to accomplish? Once you understand the task that needs to be done, ask: what is standing in my way? What is it, exactly, that I want to improve? That will inform the actual content of your self-talk message. If you’re an athlete, is there a persistent mistake that you make? If you are studying for a test or learning a new skill, is there something that prevents you from learning? Maybe your mind wanders; maybe you are too easily distracted; maybe you focus too much on the beginning and don’t have time to get to the rest. Whatever it is, focus on that as the main point of your self-talk message. And every time you find yourself doing it, give yourself a gentle reminder. And if you are pursuing a motivational approach, think: what most motivates me? Do I want to be the best? Do I want to not let down someone else? Do I just want the satisfaction of finishing? And again, whatever it is, let it be the center of your message to yourself in those moments when you find yourself tire.
Self-talk is just one tool of many
Now, self-talk is not a cure-all. It is just another strategy to add to your arsenal of techniques for improving your ability to perform to your highest standards. Also important—and, I should note, part of proper self-talk—is goal setting, or setting specific targets for yourself to accomplish. Then, there is relaxation, or the ability to loosen your mind and body even in moments of stress. Imagery, or visualization of whatever goal you have, can also be immensely helpful. And the list goes on.
But the beauty of self-talk is its relative ease. It’s both easy to learn and easy to use. You can build it into almost any task or any routine you already have, without significant disruption. And in my mind, any tool that might improve my ability to perform is a good one to know. You might not always use it. You might find it not always working for you. But unless you give it a fair shot, you’ll have no way of knowing.
[photo credit: Jim Thorpe: "On the Mark." Photo courtesy of Cumberland County Historical Society] | <urn:uuid:b81cc96b-cf13-4730-a49e-682ae956d4f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bigthink.com/artful-choice/how-to-improve-your-athletic-and-other-performance-through-self-talk?page=all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970551 | 1,643 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Considering new roles for technology that isn't ready for prime time in its original form may seem inappropriate. However, for nearly 20 years, researchers worldwide have been striving to develop robotic or powered orthoses for definitive use, and while such devices may not be ready for everyday use, they may be much closer to readiness for practical use and service as diagnostic and rehabilitative tools, suggests Géza F. Kogler, PhD, CO, coordinator of research and instructor of orthotics for the master of science in prosthetics and orthotics (MSPO) program at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Atlanta. As such, Kogler says, these tools offer the potential to dramatically expand the clinical orthotist's scope of practice.
Kogler, who is also the director of Georgia Tech's clinical biomechanics laboratory, became involved in a powered AFO research project six or seven years ago. Driven by the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center, and funded by an NSF grant, the power-assist AFO project is a collaboration between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Tech, and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. The goal of the project was to create a device for everyday use. Such a device would enhance or replace the function of the calf muscle, providing push-off during ambulation. Unfortunately, attempts to achieve this goal have had limited success, says Kogler, who is the lead researcher on the development of the Portable Power-Assist AFO, currently in prototype form. (Editor's note: For more information, read "Beyond Control: The First Untethered Power-Assist AFO," The O&P EDGE, October 2011.)
"It takes quite a high-powered output to be able to duplicate that force, so we developed an AFO that provides assistive power," he says. "We were successful at getting this device to provide some powered assistance that emulates the normal timing events of the walking cycle. The AFO has several sensors that determine when the actuator must provide the power assistance during walking and/or ascending or descending stairs.
"At the moment, the dimensions and weight of the AFO still need to be scaled down, but I'm not sure the AFO will ever be able to compete with the much lighter-weight passive devices that are currently the standard of care."
It was in the process of creating this untethered, power-assist AFO, however, that Kogler and his team realized the rehabilitative potential of the device, which could be much closer to actualization than the end-user function the researchers had originally envisioned.
"The normal restorative care for patients with a pathological inability to move their ankle and foot would be a passive device—an AFO," he explains. "An active device offers power during gait, and from a rehabilitation standpoint, that is where the advantage is."
The rehabilitative process normally includes a physical therapy protocol involving stretching and strengthening exercises designed to restore patients to a comfortable level of mobility in society. That type of therapy typically requires contact time—when therapists work with the patient from three to five days a week in a care center or outpatient setting while the patient receives strengthening and gait training on a treadmill. During this period, one or two therapists provide guided assistance to make sure the patient is able to safely perform those activities. Alternatively, Kogler's untethered, power-assist AFO device can be programmed by a researcher to create, for example, a treadmill-like walking routine for the patient to perform safely in his or her own home environment—without a treadmill, and without a therapist's assistance, Kogler explains. Specific repeatable settings would allow the patient to don the AFO at home, hit a button for his or her programmed walking routine, and begin therapy.
The device offers additional therapeutic possibilities as well. "The patient could lie down in bed, don the AFO, and it can provide a resistive exercise, applying controlled resistance as a strengthening routine," Kogler says. "Or it could provide passive range of movement since the power drive can take the ankle through its full range of motion and hold it for a period of time to stretch the ankle out. It wouldn't be necessary to make a trip to have the therapist do that by hand."
"The cost savings would be tremendous," he continues. "These various rehabilitation routines could actually be programmed remotely and sent to the device user via computer link or by cell phone. The device could record how successful the user is at completing those tasks and maintain a record."
As an AFO with added features and capabilities, the device offers orthotists an opportunity to extend their current scope of practice. As rehabilitative devices, the powered AFOs must be fitted, programmed, and monitored, Kogler points out. "There is a market, I think, for that care."
Contemporary master's degree programs in orthotics and prosthetics expose students to these rehabilitative devices, Kogler adds.
A number of laboratories around the world are also building robotic orthoses, but until now most of the emphasis has been on devices that provide therapy for patients with paraplegia, allowing them to simulate walking in a therapeutic routine under the control of a therapist. The cost of this process is high and serves an extremely limited number of potential users, Kogler says. Comparatively, AFOs are one of the most commonly fit devices orthotists provide, serving a large population of users.
"While the use of robotic devices in rehabilitation is not a new idea, no one has yet targeted the population that would have the greatest need and demand for it. Our current powered AFO system is capable of providing these advantages. For use as a definitive device for everyday wear, the componentry might have to be scaled down, but for rehabilitation purposes, we're actually not that far off. I predict that within five to seven years, this idea will be ubiquitous because of the cost savings."
Steve Fletcher, CPO, LPO, director of clinical resources for the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC), agrees that while it might take 15–20 years to incorporate the powered AFO into a definitive orthosis for an end user, a therapeutic or diagnostic version of the device might reasonably be developed and introduced much sooner.
"The orthotist is the key element here because for this type of device to really function appropriately and optimally, it has to be incorporated to a custom-made orthosis. That's the orthotist's role, obviously."
With the advent of new technology and plastics, many of the devices that previously had to be custom made—especially on the orthotists' side of the profession—have transitioned over the last 20–25 years into prefabricated devices, Fletcher notes.
"So I can anticipate that there will be manufacturers that will want to mass produce this type of device—a pre-made, externally powered AFO that you simply adapt to fit the patient while they're in their rehab setting, and use it as a training tool. I think that would be a mistake because the effectiveness of an externally powered orthosis will be dramatically affected if it's…fit as a 'one-size-fits-all' device. The old adage is that if one size fits all, it means that one size fits none."
Fletcher describes the problems inherent in marrying a premade brace to a motor that forces it to move. "Any power that's forced through the motor into the brace will lose efficiency because the device doesn't fit the person intimately enough, so the orthotist would certainly have to be a big part of utilizing this technology. The therapist will also have to play a role. Because the therapist is in charge of that person's rehabilitation, the orthotist and therapist really need to work together."
Kogler envisions patients visiting an orthotist and walking out with a self-contained "suitcase" to take home, where they could safely, conveniently, and inexpensively perform large elements of their own therapy without assistance or supervision, saving travel time and costs to them and those payers responsible for their rehabilitation costs.
"The benefits and savings are enormous—that's why I'm so confident that this will soon be an enthusiastically accepted reality," Kogler says.
While it could be argued that as a therapeutic device, the Portable Power-Assist AFO would be considered a therapist's tool rather than an orthotic device, Kogler points out that therapists are not trained in the skill set that the growing population of master's-level orthotists currently possess.
"We have people entering the field who also have degrees in biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and electrical engineering," Kogler explains. "These are the people who can design and work with these systems and have the skill set to do it at a much higher level than the traditional therapists. I believe that this is an area where [the orthotist's] scope of practice can be expanded because we have the perfect skill set for it."
Mike Allen, CPO, FAAOP, clinical director of Allen Orthotics & Prosthetics, with locations in Midland and Odessa, Texas, agrees. "In states where licensure exists, the scope of practice of an orthotist is well established. So from a scope standpoint, an orthotist in a state with licensure could certainly provide that level of care. Even with emerging technology, that still falls within the scope of practice of an orthotist, but it's that orthotist's responsibility to be competent with providing that level of care."
From a diagnostic perspective, a powered AFO also has strong appeal, Kogler notes.
"Because this device can be controlled in a very precise way by the clinician, the device could be used as a diagnostic tool to evaluate someone's needs or to determine what the final prescription should be to actually provide a passive device," Kogler says. "Certain control features could be tested with the powered system and then maximized for implementation in a passive device.
"That's why I think that the diversity of these systems can increase their use," he continues. "If it's demonstrated that the ability for that diagnostic test produces more favorable outcomes, it might transition to the point where a diagnostic test using these new types of technology might be used to provide an orthosis."
One of the greatest problems Kogler anticipates with introducing powered-AFO rehabilitative technology to the marketplace lies with reimbursement. He points out that although the stance control orthosis, with its undisputed benefits to wearers, has been around for more than a decade, its prescribed use has been stalled by limited reimbursement. Fletcher notes similar difficulties related to reimbursement for the functional electrical stimulation (FES) devices currently available.
Allen agrees that the utilization of the level of technology Kogler describes also may well be controlled by the payer community. "With emerging technology investigative-type devices used in a diagnostic framework, there may be less likelihood of a payer recognizing it as contemporary practice," he says. "If it's used as an evaluation device, evaluation lends itself to a temporary use and not a permanent use. There may be an opportunity to use it as an evaluation tool to demonstrate favorable outcomes and meeting certain necessary goals, but then something should follow that evaluation, which in my mind would be a definitive orthosis."
The encouraging difference Kogler sees in regard to reimbursement, however, is the cost savings that can be documented through the rehabilitative use of the powered AFO. "As an everyday user device, the medical reimbursement is not going to be there to support it, but the market for its use as a rehab tool is. That's why you're going to see the explosion when it comes to the robotic AFO's acceptance in that role.
"I think the problem is going to be jockeying for position to gain that market share—whether by therapists, orthotists, or even a specialty group of biomedical engineers who conduct the test, provide evidence of its usefulness, and find a way to get reimbursed for it. I'm convinced that the market is going to drive its future role. It's important for orthotists to get on board before someone else does."
Judith Philipps Otto is a freelance writer who has assisted with marketing and public relations for various clients in the O&P profession. She has been a newspaper writer and editor and has won national and international awards as a broadcast writer-producer. | <urn:uuid:1a65c95b-94c1-46db-a7b0-216dc202391b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oandp.com/articles/2012-06_02.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961369 | 2,613 | 2.421875 | 2 |
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A European court on Monday cleared Iceland of wrongdoing over its refusal to repay depositors' money lost in the country's 2008 banking collapse.
The Luxembourg-based European Free Trade Association Court ruled that deposit-guarantee laws did not cover "a systemic bank failure of the magnitude experienced in Iceland."
A tiny North Atlantic nation with a population of just 320,000, Iceland went from economic wunderkind to financial basket case almost overnight when the credit crunch took hold.
Some 340,000 British and Dutch savers lost deposits when Icesave, an online subsidiary of Iceland's Landsbanki, collapsed along with the country's other banks in 2008.
The savers were repaid — to the tune of $5 billion — by the British and Dutch governments, who have been trying ever since to get their money back. Icelandic voters have twice rejected deals brokered by their government to reimburse the two countries.
Iceland's foreign ministry said it was "a considerable satisfaction that Iceland*s defense has won the day" in court.
"Icesave is now no longer a stumbling block to Iceland economic recovery," it said in a statement.
The country says it is nevertheless repaying Britain and the Netherlands from money it is raising by selling off the remaining assets of Landsbanki.
The court case was brought by the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority, which makes sure that Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway comply with European Union regulations. The countries are not EU members but belong to the European Economic Area. | <urn:uuid:f6a1cb39-2292-4968-bc39-4d9367072e60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://washingtonexaminer.com/iceland-wins-case-over-failed-bank-deposits/article/feed/2067232?custom_click=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963616 | 321 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Disaster recovery blurs into high availability (or other way round?)
It's a virtualisation thing
Workshop IT managers use two terms when talking about systems availability. These are: High Availability or “HA”, for keeping systems running without any form of unplanned down time; and Disaster Recovery or “DR”, for ensuring that systems are rapidly returned to operation if they fail.
Some confusion has developed between these terms over the years.
Today, many vendors use HA and DR almost interchangeably. This is especially evident when they talk of applying the expanding range of virtualisation solutions to improve systems availability. It is almost the case today that the terms have become blurred to such a degree that it is worth asking the question, is there any difference between the two?
Following on from early consolidation of servers using virtualisation, organisations are beginning consider what advantages there might be in actively managing virtualised systems.
In addition, there is some interest in creating “private cloud solutions”. This attention, coupled with the hype surrounding external hosted and outsourced services, may help shape thoughts on these capabilities.
Another factor coming into play is the question of how virtualisation might help organisations to extend the systems to which they provide HA / DR capabilities. Until very recent times, the high cost and complexity of providing either HA or rapid DR capabilities has meant that only the most important of business services and applications operated in these fashions.
But now organisations must work out how to assess the cost of availability/continuity for an expanding range of applications, potentially by creating a business service catalogue that prioritises and costs such characteristics in service level agreements.
Before considering if there are any real differences between systems offering HA or DR capabilities today, let us look at the causes of application delivery. The figure below is illuminating in many ways, showing that human generated failures are very well represented as the primary cause of service interruption.
Effective use of change management processes and tools, coupled with higher levels of “automation”, can help reduce the instances of human error considerably.
Genuine system problems, such as network failure, physical component failure or power outages, are much less likely to be at the heart of an interruption to service availability. The days when hardware failure was the usual problem to be fixed are behind us as reliability, availability and serviceability features have migrated into commodity servers.
We can look deeper into the question of whether HA and DR mean different things today than they did even in the recent past. Until recently, the term HA was applied only to systems that needed to function with strict limits on any interruption to service delivery, at least as perceived by the end users or customers of the service.
DR, on the other hand, was the phrase applied to the process of getting a service up and running again with users back working, following any form of systems / network failure or any other form of service interruption. In extreme circumstances, DR was also commonly applied to describe how to respond to the complete loss of a service or an entire system, or potentially recuperating from the loss of a building, computer room or data centre.
Today, it is clear that the accepted usage and understanding of these terms has changed significantly. This is most notable when considering the language commonly used around virtual servers. It is quite common to see the two terms used almost interchangeably with little differentiation. Some vendors are prone to describe the now relatively well established ability to spin up a new virtual machine rapidly following a service degradation or interruption as HA.
Assume the recovery position
This usage is not particularly accurate, as it amounts to just fast, and potentially quite simple to enact, recovery from failure, better known as DR. In fairness it should be mentioned that whilst some vendors use HA in this way, others prefer to describe such scenarios as a natural extension of DR.
As mentioned above, a major use of the term DR has been to describe what happens when something big happens to a system that threatens the ability to run a range of services in that location. Expanding DR to include the recovery capabilities of single virtual machines or VMs running on a physical system is not a big stretch in usage. It is now possible to implement genuine HA with virtual systems, but this needs additional software management tools.
It remains to be seen if the distinction between the two terms will remain meaningful in the coming years, as virtualised systems and associated management tools become ever more widely deployed. In some ways, the distinction between HA and DR may even prove to be helpful to IT managers, as the chart above highlights just how difficult it has been in the recent past to obtain approval to secure funding to protect systems against failure.
In many ways, the reluctance to provide funding for HA mirrors the problem in getting approval to implement better systems management tools generally. It is to be hoped that, as genuine HA systems become more affordable, organisations recognise the value of good management tools to help ensure higher levels of service delivery and the undoubted business benefits delivered by IT as a result.
Some confusion has developed between these terms over the years.
True, and this article isn't helping.
Traditionally High Availability (HA) has meant the same as it does today, ensuring that a localised fault such as a server or network outage, or a disk crash, is automatically handled in such a way that a service remains available, or is restored very rapidly.
Disaster Recovery (DR), as the name implies, is a solution to a more widespread outage, perhaps a fire or a flood, which takes a whole datacentre off-air. It may not be automated, and recovery times are often somewhat longer, especially when it is integrated as part of a general Business Continuity plan which covers more than just the IT aspects of a disaster.
I would say that there is much more confusion between the terms Fault Tolerant (FT) and Highly Available (HA), which may be what this article is really considering.
What about FT and BC?
There's also fault tolerance (FT) which is a very high level of redundancy, such that software is unaware of any failure. I'm thinking especially of Tandem. And then there's business continuity (BC) which is like DR but focuses less on the disastrous aspects. I'm thinking near line storage or data replication. The lines can blur but you really need prudent amounts of both. You don't want to fail over to the bunker just because one disk goes bad. And your RAID6 array doesn't help when it's under water.
Well, I quite liked the article, don't care so much about whether it's HA or DR as long as it's UP...
Having been partially DOWN myself recently, I think this is a very important topic.... I especially like the idea of a "business service catalogue" which details costs/benefits of HA solutions, for a particular input.
I also like the idea of a root cause log, not mentioned in the article but implied by the very nice bar chart. I plan on implementing both as database tables in my BIS.
HA & DR?
From my perspective, it's online (local memory ... fast ... a workstation), nearline (available over the network, without human intervention ... sometimes slowish ... "the web") & offline (tape that isn't physically available to the Memorex robot and needs human intervention ... "the cloud") ... but then I come from a real hardware background.
In other news ... March of 2008? Is freeformdynamics getting further & further behind? Perhaps they should get their heads out of the Clouds and invest in online storage ... | <urn:uuid:962d2846-3cb0-4f6a-a490-e9f97be9bf1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/09/server_strategy_high_availability_or_disaster_recovery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961865 | 1,564 | 2.75 | 3 |
’Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ for Valerie Simpson
Recently when Valerie Simpson decided to do club dates, the question came. Why?
Her husband and partner Nick Ashford had died. The duo Ashford and Simpson who’d been together since the 1960s seemed forever entwined. Why was she going to perform alone? (Ashford died August 22, 2011 at age 70 of complications from throat cancer).
She solos at Scullers Jazz Club for one night only, two shows, 8 and 10 pm, Friday, September 7, 2012. (For more information visit the Scullers website).
String of Motown hits
The duo had been successful as a writing and producing team, what the public did not know was that they were seasoned performers with ambitions to take to the stage. When they worked for Motown in the 1960s they wrote and produced "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough," "Your Precious Love," "Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing," "You’re All I Need to Get By" for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Also, the songs they wrote and produced for the three early 1970s albums for Diana Ross as a solo performer. And on it went.
In 1974 Berry Gordy rejected the idea of the team performing and recording on their own, which led them to leave Motown and sign with Warner Brothers. It proved to be Gordy’s mistake as the hits kept coming: ""Don’t Cost You Nothin’" (1977), "It Seems to Hang On" (1978), "Is It Still Good to Ya" (1978), "Found a Cure" (1979), "Street Corner" (1982), and their biggest hit, "Solid (As a Rock)," released in 1984.
But in the response to why she was performing again, Simpson answered directly:
"Don’t you think everybody should have a Part Two?"
Resolute, Simpson told EDGE in a recent phone conversation, "I meant by that question that in going on you recognize that there are goals in life that you haven’t yet achieved.
"Something happens you never expected, you are not prepared for, you have to find a way to begin again. You have to stand alone now. And that is not easy," she said.
Valerie and Nick met in 1963 at Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Church. "Nick was homeless and had heard that the church fed homeless people," recalls Simpson who was a recent high school grad and active in a gospel group at the church.
"Nick had been homeless for three months. He’d come to New York after college to become a dancer. We needed a gospel singer.
"Later, Nick would tell me that those years when he was homeless were among the most significant in his life. He said he learned so much about himself. That he could exist on almost nothing and still feel joy in life," she said.
Simpson added that when the City was raising money to care for parks, Valerie "bought" that very bench in Bryant Park that Nick had regularly slept on. A plaque was placed on it in Nick’s name.
"When times got rough in our career," said Valerie, "Nick would say. ’we can always go back to the bench, Babe.’ I would scream ’Nooo!’ It was a running joke for us."
An unfinished musical
By the mid 1960s they were writing songs that won success for other artists, such as Ray Charles "Let’s Go Get Stoned," which was a top R&B hit. The music has never stopped.
Simpson’s brothers are in the music business as well. Ray Simpson replaced Victor Willis as the "Cop" in the Village People, early on in that enduring group’s career. Valerie says she and Nick wrote and arranged a couple of songs for the popular disco group, "but nothing that really came out." Jimmy Simpson produced the group GQ and became a noted mixing engineer in the disco era.
However, in 2006, Ashford and Simpson did write the music for a show that was bound for Broadway based on the openly gay, African American writer E. Lynn Harris’ novel "Invisible Life," whose title referred to the invisible life of gay black men. The runaway best seller was the start of many more stories about Raymond Tyler Jr., who after years of questioning his sexual identity finds himself torn between a male married lover and a woman, Nicole, to whom he becomes engaged. (Harris died in 2009).
"We did some of our best writing," says Simpson. "We composed some 30 songs. They are really dramatic songs and dear to me."
Disagreements with the producer stopped the forward motion to getting the show up but Valerie says the question EDGE has asked about this music makes her want to redouble her efforts to have it heard by the public. She said the few times she and Nick performed some of the songs, people were moved by the music. She remembers one woman coming up to her later with tears in her eyes and saying that her son is gay and that hearing these songs gives her a better idea of his emotional life.
"I have to find a way to get this music out," she said.
"Music alone can change people’s lives," she said. "You don’t know who is hearing it."
Varying the song list
At Sculler’s nightclub this Friday, Simpson will sing some of the music that Ashford and Simpson is known for but she is varying that song list as well.
It’s hard to go on without him. "Sometimes I don’t know what to think. (As a performer) I’m a new kid but I carry Nick with me. Death is a transition and when that person is someone dear, they are close to you if you want them to be. They can steer you to the right choice.
"My grandmother was a minister and a spiritualist so these beliefs are in my family. Now I embrace it because I need it," she said.
When Valerie comes on the stage alone, she believes the audience who’s known Ashford and Simpson will see someone who is "raw, unsure but determined, scared but not scared. Struggling.
"I want to be fearless.
"You’ve got to keep living. You’ve got to figure out what for and do it. That’s what this person is trying to be," she said.
Valerie Simpson appears in two shows, one night only, Friday, Sept. 7, at Scullers Jazz Club in the Double Suites by Hilton Hotel, 400 Soldiers Field Rd. Boston. For more info and tickets you can phone 617-562-4111 or go on line to the Scullers website.
To learn more about Valerie Simpson, including how to purchase her latest CD "Dinosaurs Are Coming Back Again" and to learn of upcoming performances, visit her website.
Watch Valerie Simpson sing "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" in tribute to her late husband Nick Ashford with singer Ryan Shaw at Lincoln Center, August 12, 2012:: | <urn:uuid:a5c11712-d00d-44e5-b1c6-2415eddb122b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edgeonthenet.com/entertainment/music/features/136711/%E2%80%99ain%E2%80%99t_no_mountain_high_enough%E2%80%99_for_valerie_simpson | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98614 | 1,520 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Flooding brings chaos to Philippine capital
CNN — Fueled by seasonal monsoon rains and a nearby tropical storm, widespread flooding in the Philippines worsened Tuesday, killing at least 11 people, the national disaster agency reported.
A landslide in the Manila suburb of Quezon City buried two houses, leaving nine people dead and four others injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center.
Three of the dead were children, the state-run Philippines News Agency reported.
The capital city of Manila got 504 millimeters (about 20 inches) of rain Tuesday, PNA reported, with more on the way.
The country's weather service -- the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration -- warned the Manila region's 12 million residents of continued torrential rains and serious flooding through Wednesday.
"It's like a water world," Benito Ramos, head of the disaster agency, said of the city, according to PNA.
The national railroad called off service, and many roads were under water. Some dams were beginning to overflow, putting more communities at risk, the authorities said.
The flooding has already forced more than 780,000 people across the country from their homes, the disaster agency said. About 242,000 were staying in emergency shelters Tuesday night, according to the agency.
Rescue requests continued to come in early Wednesday, including some people who were using Twitter to contact the authorities for help.
"Pregnant woman needs help! Staying on top of a roof," one Twitter user posted, followed by an address. "Please help BORRES FAMILY w/ 2y/o child!!," posted another.
The weather agency warned residents to expect more landslides and flash flooding, and the authorities urged residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.
As well as the deaths in the landslide in Quezon City, two people died from electrocution and drowning outside the Manila region, the disaster agency said early Wednesday.
Those deaths came on top of the 53 people who had already been killed across the Philippines by heavy wind and rain in the past few weeks.
In an effort to save lives and make way for rescue and relief efforts, President Benigno Aquino ordered work suspended at government and private offices around the capital region Tuesday.
Government offices and schools were also to be closed Wednesday, the president's office said.
Deep water in many parts of metropolitan Manila blocked roads, stranded cars and flooded homes. In several areas, the water was waist deep or higher, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said in its Twitter feed.
"Last night it was raining cats and dogs, or even like elephants banging on your roof top," said CNN iReporter Rummel Pinera. "You cannot sleep when it's raining for several hours like this, it was like a deluge."
Another iReporter, Jumar Rejuso, said the downpour was terrifying.
"We had to force ourselves to leave in order to be spared from the wrath of the raging waters," he said. "It was the first time I have witnessed in my entire life a flood as big as that."
Flooding has struck across the Philippines, with high water reported in 46 communities across the country, the disaster agency reported.
The authorities in Marikina City imposed a forced evacuation of areas near the Marikina River, which has risen above critical levels, PNA reported.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the Ambuklao, Binga and San Roque dams were releasing water, putting several cities at a higher risk of flooding. The agency warned residents living near the dams to be on the lookout for rising waters.
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas said Tuesday that the United States would provide $100,000 for disaster relief.
The rain and flooding are the result of the normal summer monsoon enhanced by the effects of Tropical Storm Haikui, the Philippines weather service said. The storm made landfall on the east coast of China on Wednesday morning.
The Philippines had already been lashed by heavy rain and wind in recent weeks resulting from Tropical Storm Saola, which plowed past it before hitting Taiwan and China at the end of last week.
The country is frequently subjected to flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain. In December, Tropical Storm Washi left more than 1,200 people dead after it set off flash floods that swept away entire villages in the southern Philippines.
CNN's Alex Zolbert in Manila, and Jethro Mullen and Anjali Tsui in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
™ & © 2012 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:43da9cd5-1530-4f90-88d5-fff3ed234bcc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ketknbc.com/news/flooding-brings-chaos-to-philippine-capital | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96744 | 969 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The End of Usability Culture
In: Columns > Innovating the Web Experience
Published on November 10, 2004
Strike a match. Close your eyes. Hold the light high up in the air. Sway back and forth. C’mon, pay a proper tribute. The usability paradigm in Web design is about to end.
And sure, it’s hard to let go. After all, we’ve certainly had our fun with Jakob:
- Design Eye for the Usability Guy
- Being Jakob Nielsen
- Spanking Jakob Nielsen
- An Open Letter to Jakob Nielsen (Clay Shirky)
- Jakob Nielsen Declares the Letter “C” Unusable
- An Open Letter to Jakob Nielsen (Andrei Herasimchuk)
Usability culture has unquestionably made the Web a much more usable place. Given the way the Web generally worked just five years ago, the role of usability and related disciplines to the evolution of the Web was vital.
But usability culture has steered the Web development ship long enough. It’s time for a new approach. To understand the urgent nature of making that shift, we need to understand how we got where we are today.
Web History 101
The origins of the Web lie in disciplines like computer science, academic research and human-computer interaction. The initial and ongoing power of the Web, particularly storing and distributing increasingly interconnected data and information, is due in large part to these roots.
But the shortcomings of the Web are also reflected here. We call and think of people as users. We focus on analytical order to the detriment of creative exploration. We adhere to a dogma that insists on quantitative proof and rigor at the expense of common sense. The lineage of the Web reflects the bent and pace of academia far more than that of professional practice.
About 10 years ago, marketers tried to take over the Web. The initial dot-com build, boom and bust was fed by the mainstreaming of the Web and fueled by the vision and fascination of marketers. Like children hypnotized by a shiny new toy, they turned the Web into a quagmire by creating sites that did not work and clumsily applying general principles from the design of other media directly to the Web. Their mistakes were exacerbated by the newness of the media. Since the Web was a new technology, people had no expectations for how the Web should work. It also didn’t help that Web designers were making the same mistakes as the marketers—trying to transfer print design skills to the Web. Despite all the money and media hype being poured into the dot-coms, much of the Web was fundamentally broken.
This proved to be the perfect entrée for academics, deeply rooted in human-computer interaction, to take back control. The space needed to be cleaned up. And as though pressed into action by the Wolf, the cleaners pulled out the hose and got to work. Usability gurus began to stage major events and go on tour. And library science found a prominent place in the sun, formalizing information architecture as an integral part of successful Web experiences. In fact, even when Web practitioners wanted a label that spoke to holistic design and development, they termed it “user experience,” again reflecting a very inhuman and sterile approach to the people we design for.
And aside from that nasty word, “user,” this shift of power has proven an incredibly good thing. The Web actually works! And as we focus on making it even more powerful by taking advantage of XML, the semantic Web and the search revolution (for example), these and other very positive developments are enabled to some degree by the paradigmatic focus on creating a Web that works better. And the tail is truly wagging the dog—much of the planned functionality of Windows Longhorn reflects these Web-centric developments. But that is only part of the story.
On the flip side
The yang to our present yin is a dearth of mainstream creativity, visual differentiation, and sense of active design. For example, the financial services industry spends a tremendous amount of money on Web sites, having moved a large percentage of their overall transactions online for both business and consumer activities. Compared to a few years ago, their Web products are very usable and obviously reflect a great deal of research, feedback and testing. But, looking at their home pages, can anyone tell the difference between three major financial institutions?
Lots of blue and red. Small pictures of smiling people. A dizzying amount of links and drop menus. The top-tab metaphor assiduously preserved. While the relative design quality of each home page is a point for another discussion, the home pages of these financial institutions offer essentially no visual distinction.
A 2002 Stanford University study on Web credibility, which included a special look at the financial services industry, reveals that consumers place more emphasis on “design look” and “information design” than on “content evaluation.” This is the opposite of what those working in the industry think. Further, the study went on to reveal that “design look” received the most comments from consumers in all categories as a sign of Web credibility—46.1%, almost twice as many mentions as the next category. Visual design is every bit as important as usability, findability, and accessibility. It is perhaps even more critical in swaying the perception of today’s more Web-savvy site visitors.
Now, these financial services companies are not failing out of stupidity. Take Citi as an example. Two years ago I watched an extensive presentation on Citi’s brand execution, and they appeared to have a strong vision and the ability to manifest that vision in various marketing tactics. In fact, much of their general identity advertising on television and print is truly inspirational. Yet, despite a sound strategy and effective execution in other media, Citi remains wholly undifferentiated on the Web. Even if we concede that their home page appears slightly better than BankOne’s or Bank of America’s, if you squint your eyes you really can’t tell the difference between the pages. There is no meaningful differentiation. Without differentiation, consumers perceive commoditization. And nothing reduces income for an industry, company or individual quite so much as being perceived as a commodity.
As another example, last year I was consulting for a major software company, and we put printouts of the home page for every major player in their industry on poster boards. From only a modest distance, our team could not make out which site belonged to which company. We had to look hard at the small logos tucked predictably in the upper left corner to figure it out, despite having spent time on all the sites in the past.
What were these companies spending their Web development dollars on? Their sites had good architecture, followed standards, and generally worked well. Like so many companies over the past five years, they invested in the more analytical, scientific, quantitative elements of Web design, those that have risen to the fore through usability culture. And the trend came through loud and clear, with one boring, plain, expressionless site after the other. In industry after industry we can see the same thing. The limited degree of innovation, flair or creativity is numbing. And it is a trend that seeps into consumer companies as well as those in more traditional business spaces. Clearly, something has to change.
So... is usability culture to blame?
Any information artifact—whether a brochure, environmental signage or a Web site—reflects the approach, skills and biases of the project leader directing the process. And the largely stale and uninteresting visual and experiential nature of what is on the Web represents the power that usability culture is exerting over the design process. It is creating design rooted in quantitative analysis, driven by the insights, recommendations and experiences of people who are not trained or experienced in visual design. Certainly, these are people with essential skill sets who invaluably contribute to the design process. But they do not necessarily have the perspective or ability to direct the overall design.
Project leaders can come from any of a variety of backgrounds, including engineering, usability and information architecture; I am not advocating that Web design be led exclusively by marketers or designers. The critical factor is ensuring a balanced view and execution. Thoroughly tested usability and a well-constructed architecture are only part of the story. Business, brand, experience design, programming, hardware and network analysis—among other things—must be incorporated and given appropriate weight. This requires more than knowledge and experience. Leading a successful Web project demands a healthy respect for how these varied disciplines interrelate, and the courage and focus to push for solutions that not only meet the quantitative metrics but also strive to innovate, differentiate and delight.
Design as competitive advantage
Traditional design flies in the face of usability culture. It is largely based on:
- Individual intuition and creativity
- The designer’s natural ability to synthesize data and information
- The designer’s natural ability to produce compelling experiential interfaces and products that provide emotional or informational impact
It comes from the gut, it is rooted in heart, and it has the ability to surprise. The great designers of past generations, from Tibor to the Eameses to Paul Rand, were characterized by styles that were more about the essence of their approach than a repeatable process or look. While research, testing and thoughtful analysis were a part of their process, at the end of the day their spirit and soul were just as evident in the finished product as the analytical components. Style and feeling are the very essence of good design.
Yet so much of the Web is devoid of that soul. This is due in part to technology constraints and in part to the practical need to make the Web a friendly place for new participants. While companies are able to market themselves in innovative and effective ways in many forms of media, their Web sites are without heart. Instead of showing the creative sensibility present in their print or TV ads, their sites exude the heavy influence of a usability culture.
Design is more than just aesthetics. It is a sensibility that is often visionary and is about seeing beyond the surface. Design skills are getting mainstream attention and a current business buzzword is “innovation.” Anticipating the central importance of design as the lever for competitive advantage, Stanford University is investing in the creation of a pioneering design school. A new trend is beginning, away from the analytical bent of the researcher and toward the creative nature of the designer.
Keep the baby, toss the bathwater
The usability culture that has pervaded and defined the last few years needs to go. This is not a criticism of those skills or people. In fact, the reason the Web is healthy in so many ways today is thanks to the gains we’ve made during this time. But the pendulum has swung too far in that direction.
The only way to bring things back into balance is to wrest the focus from that extreme and create a culture that is holistic, balanced and every bit as daring and creative as it is thoughtful and analytical. Only through a balanced approach to the Web will the media enjoy its full potential. This is a trend that will happen on its own, and sweep us along with it whether we want it or not. But we have a chance to take control.
Practically speaking, that means a few things. We need to:
- Find new heroes. Who are the great digital designers practicing today? There are some, but they remain relatively unknown. They need to step forward, take the initiative, assert their skills and abilities, and take center stage from the researchers, analysts, and academics. And the design community needs to support these people, extolling their virtues with the same vigor we show buying the books and pushing content from our current sacred cows.
- Think bigger. With very little innovative work out there, we must push the boundaries of our own minds. Sure, we only have so much screen real estate and resolution to work with. Yes, we are limited by programming and hardware boundaries. We will be awkwardly zagging while most of our peers happily zig in lockstep. That’s how many of the great movements in history got started.
- Be courageous. The easiest thing in the world is to line up statistics and best practices and use those “objective” guides as a war hammer to bludgeon away any attempts of creativity, innovation and experiential design. These are the tools of a usability culture and, while they still have a role in the process, they cannot overshadow that vital spark of originality. Flying in the face of these “proofs” is not easy. But, at certain times and in certain ways, we absolutely must.
- Learn from the past. Not allowing a usability culture to rule does not mean abandoning it altogether. Good architecture is vital. Having usable pages is critical. Adhering to standards and following conventions is important to a degree. We need to pull, push, stretch and sometimes tear those boundaries, balancing the best of where we are now with the inevitability of the change we will lead next.
At the end of the day, the culture that we all inhabit will be a better one—a little more balanced, a lot more fun, and eminently more interesting and successful.
So c’mon. Stand up next to me. Light that match. Close your eyes and raise your arms in the air. Let’s enjoy this new world together.
Thanks to Frances Karandy for her assistance with this article.
Dirk Knemeyer is a Founding Principal of Involution Studios LLC, a digital innovation firm located in Silicon Valley and Boston. Dirk is responsible for managing the business and for providing design strategy, brand innovation, and training services to organizations around the world. Dirk is on the Board of Directors for the International Institute for Information Design (IIID) headquartered in Vienna, Austria, as well as the Board of Directors for the AIGA Center for Brand Experience, based in New York City. He is also a member of the Executive Council of the User Experience Network (UXnet). He has published more than 100 articles—many on the topic of design strategy—and regularly gives presentations all around the world. | <urn:uuid:82bf4bae-e12d-435d-9b13-7cf1583649db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.digital-web.com/articles/end_of_usability_culture/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960144 | 2,949 | 1.890625 | 2 |
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He’s the son of a preacher man
His father, the Rev. Ian Paisley, has been one of the dominant figures in Irish politics over the past 40 years. Now Ian Paisley Jnr is a Junior Minister in the new Northern Ireland administration. So how different is he from his father? And how does he feel about cross border co-operation, education, abortion and homosexuality?
Jason O'Toole, 11 Jun 2007
Ian Paisley Jnr. – sometimes nicknamed “Baby Doc” or “Ian Óg” – is adamant that he is not a political clone of his controversial father. But while Ian Jnr. likes to insist that he is his own man, there is no denying that his political ideology and religious views have been shaped by his father.
In 1971, the founder of the Free Presbyterian Church Ian Paisley Snr. established the Democratic Unionist Party. The party was originally set up to oppose constitutional arrangements for a new assembly and power-sharing between Protestants and Catholics. Ironically, the DUP is now the largest party in the recently elected Assembly, Paisley Snr. is now its First Minister – and he is sharing power with his erstwhile mortal enemies Sinn Féin.
In the late 1970s, Rev. Ian Paisley launched a campaign entitled “Save Ulster From Sodomy” and it appears to be a crusade that his son would be quite happy to champion today.
In 2005, having discovered that David Trimble’s political advisor, Steven King, had married his boyfriend in Canada, Paisley Jnr. was reported as saying: “It is really astounding that David Trimble should have had a man such as this giving him advice... I think these sorts of relationships are immoral, offensive and obnoxious”. In response, the Northern Ireland gay men’s advocacy organisation, ‘The Rainbow Project’, called for Paisley Jnr. to be sacked from his position on the Policing Board.
Born in 1966, Paisley Jnr. studied history and Irish politics at Queen’s University. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly, for the constituency of North Antrim, in 1996. He is his party’s justice spokesperson, as well as a Junior Minister in the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
Paisley Jnr., who is married with four children, was awarded the Royal Humane Society award for bravery in 1999, after helping to rescue a drowning child.
Jason O'Toole: Was it difficult growing up with the Rev. Ian Paisley as your father?
Ian Paisley Jnr: I never really had anything to compare it to. The year I was born my father had just come out of jail. When I was four he was back in jail. He was always controversial. It wasn’t as if, for instance, I was able to live through my teenage years and then suddenly my father became famous. So, I just accepted that was normal life and that everybody’s father was like that! | <urn:uuid:255a11df-0f77-4be4-9703-03dda45a6035> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hotpress.com/archive/3001062.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987658 | 653 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Early modern Atlantic pearl trade
25 Aug 2009
A grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland enabled a final research trip as a graduate student, expanding the study of the early modern Atlantic pearl trade to include Scotland's pearl fishing industry.
In May 2008, a generous grant from the Scottish Society of Antiquaries enabled me to conduct my final research trip as a graduate student, expanding my study of the early modern Atlantic pearl trade to include Scotland's pearl fishing industry. Over the course of the trip, and thanks to the generosity of the many archivists and specialists with whom I met, I discovered fascinating new material about the lucrative and contentious arena of pearl fishing in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In addition, I was introduced to the tremendous wealth of Scottish material culture, and the importance of the Scottish experience in shaping both the character and the composition of the international pearl trade in the early modern period.
The Society's grant enabled me to spend two weeks in Edinburgh, where George Haggarty of the Society of Antiquaries was a tremendous host, introducing me to numerous scholars and providing me with valuable tips for getting around town. Over the course of my stay, I made brief research trips to Glasgow, Perth, and Stirling. In Edinburgh, I worked at a number of record repositories: the National Archives of Scotland, the National Library, and the Edinburgh City Archives, where archivist Richard Hunter helped put me on the trail of pearl records. I also spent time in the National Museum, where George Dalgleish provided me with an eye-opening introduction to Scottish material culture. Alistir Tait of Alistir Wood Tait Antiques and Fine Jewellery shared his awesome knowledge of Scotland's natural gem wealth. Virginia Glenn first brought seventeenth-century pearl baron Robert Buchan to my attention; I continue to investigate his long-ago exploits with great interest. In Perth, I visited the Perth Archives, where Steve Connelly helped steer me in the direction of city's pearl fishing past. At the Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Susan Payne, Mark Hall, and Mark Simmons made available everything from poems about the competitive and dangerous nature of pearl fishing in the seventeenth century, to more recent articles and scholarship on the ups and downs of Scotland's contemporary pearl fishing industry. Martin Young at Cairncross Jewellers allowed me to view firsthand the beauty of Scottish pearls. Following my trip to Perth I visited Glasgow, where pearl expert Fred Woodward shared his unparalleled knowledge of the history and state of Scottish pearl fishing and gave me an extraordinary tour of sites of pearl-fishing relevance. He also introduced me to a number of his associates, all of whom generously shared their pearl knowledge. In Stirling, Dr. Bruce Lenman provided me with valuable advice and expertise on the topic of early modern Scottish trade routes and gem dealing.
Over the course of my visit, I met with and was assisted by more people than I could name in a brief report, and each of them greatly contributed to my understanding of the trajectory of pearl fishing in Scotland over the past several hundred years. I learned that Scottish river pearls were highly sought-after in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but also frequently a source of conflict and contention. I learned that the issues associated with modern-day pearl fishing in Scotland-environmental damage, regulation of access, and the changing profile of the pearl fishers themselves-have a complex and fascinating history. My numerous and varied discussions with experts of all sorts allowed me to develop a more holistic understanding of the significance of the industry for Scottish history and culture.
I just recently completely my doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and am now an assistant professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Over the course of the next few years, I will begin the process of revising my dissertation for publication, and I expect that the role of Scottish pearl fishing will play an important part in the evolving manuscript. I very much hope to return to Scotland to further pursue the many intriguing strands of inquiry that I discovered while in Edinburgh last May. I am deeply grateful to the Society of Antiquaries for allowing me to explore and expand my investigation of the rich intersection of Scottish history and the history of early modern luxury trades.
Dr. Molly A. Warsh, 2008 Grant Recipient | <urn:uuid:3b67db71-1af4-41a7-bfa3-6d0a7bb46f6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mailto:info@socantscot.org/article.asp?aid=578 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943651 | 879 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Operational Changes Took Effect on May 1
The Lighthouse Visitor Center is now only open Fridays through Mondays. The Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center will be closed through late December 2013. More »
2013 Harbor Seal Pupping Season Closures
From March 1 through June 30, the park implements closures of certain Tomales Bay beaches and Drakes Estero to water-based recreation to protect harbor seals during the pupping season. Please avoid disturbing seals to ensure a successful pupping season. More »
Point Reyes National Seashore is home to nearly forty species of land mammals, and at least a dozen species of marine mammals. Nearly half the bird species of North America have been spotted here. The park is home to one of the largest populations of tule elk and a thriving breeding ground for the once nearly extinct elephant seals. Jutting 10 miles into the Pacific Ocean, Point Reyes offers one of the best spots for viewing the migrations of the California gray whale.
Junior Ranger Program
Or you can become a Virtual Junior Ranger by downloading, printing, completing and mailing-in our Junior Ranger page (499 KB PDF)!
Point Reyes Summer Camp
High School Students
Stay tuned for interactive learning opportunities at this site...
Did You Know?
In the mid-1800s, the tule elk was hunted to the brink of extinction. The last surviving tule elk were discovered and protected in the southern San Joaquin Valley in 1874. In 1978, ten tule elk were reintroduced to Point Reyes, which now has one of California's largest populations, numbering ~500. More... | <urn:uuid:bf81b7c3-b773-4e09-8a17-38485ce51838> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nps.gov/pore/forkids/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923493 | 333 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Editor's note: This essay is adapted from a talk that Darryl Paulson, professor emeritus of government at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, gave last week as part of a Florida Humanities Council program in Dunedin.
American politics is in a sorry state. We're confronting some of the most significant issues in our nation's history, and yet the candidates, voters and media concentrate on the trivial.
Even the debates. We hear far more about who was too emotional, who had no energy, who laughed too much, who looked down at their notes, who was rude, who drank too much water, who "won," than who has the best plan for America.
Politics and politicians appear increasingly irrelevant. Gridlock and polarization have led to paralysis. Only one out of 10 Americans think Congress is doing a good job, and I wonder what those people are smoking. Both parties have put personal interest ahead of the needs of the nation.
I use to tell my political science students that politics came from the ancient Greek word "poly" meaning "many" and "tics" meaning "ugly bloodsucking parasites." Thirty-five years ago, most of my students laughed. In recent years, they were busy writing it in their notes because they had no reason to disbelieve it.
What candidates and voters of both parties have done is to stereotype their opponents. In fact, both Republicans and Democrats view the other party as their enemy. And no one negotiates with the enemy. Stereotyping is the tool of the lazy person unwilling to actually talk to those with differing views. It is easier just to dismiss the other side as evil.
The Partisan Polarization Index from the Gallup Organization measures the gap between partisan support of the president. From Eisenhower to Carter, the gap averaged 34 points. (Democrats rated Democratic presidents more highly than Republicans, and Republicans rated Republican presidents more highly than Democrats.) From Reagan to George W. Bush the spread was 55 points. For President Obama, the Polarization Index just released is 82 points. Almost all Democrats rated Obama highly, and almost all Republicans ranked Obama poorly. The Polarization Index has never been greater.
Why? Probably the most important factor is that the rules of the game have changed in Congress. For most of the 20th century the standard operating procedure was to get along, go along. Compromise was the norm.
This all changed in the 1980s when Newt Gingrich was elected Republican House minority leader. Gingrich and other Republicans believed that compromising with Democrats did nothing but make Democrats look good and the Republicans the permanent minority. Gingrich and the Republicans decided to oppose the Democrats on virtually everything. The era of compromise was over.
Compromise was out, replaced by obstruction. Parties became more ideological. Those who did not follow the party line were likely to find themselves facing opposition from their own party. As a result, there are fewer moderates in both parties, and compromise is even more difficult.
When I started teaching in the early 1970s, most Americans complained that there was "not a dime's worth of difference" between the parties. Voters wanted their party to stand on principle. As they say, be careful what you wish for. Now, compromise is now a sign of weakness, and gridlock rules the day.
There is security in listening only to views that reinforce our existing beliefs, but there is no intellectual growth. Are Republicans and Democrats so insecure that they are afraid to have their beliefs challenged? No contact and no communication with our opponents equals no understanding and no progress.
And yet, compromise is the essence of democracy. Maybe the other side really has a better idea or something important to add to the conversation. We should start listening more and talking less. We must end our self-imposed political segregation if we really expect to solve the problems of America.
And if we refuse? As a young Abe Lincoln warned, America's demise would not come at the hand of any foreign power, but from within: "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide."
It is not too late. But dusk is approaching. | <urn:uuid:88e67bb4-68f4-4203-992f-379200a2f6d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/tied-up-in-knots/1257377 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974699 | 860 | 2.28125 | 2 |
I don’t drink milk. It grosses me out. I do care about that fact that we inject hormones and inseminate cows to stimulate their milk production (lactation), but that’s just one of the many reasons why I don’t drink milk. It’s way more than whether it’s organic or not.
In fact, whether it’s cow’s milk, goats or sheep’s, milk just grosses me out.
Imagine women are being milked, and then their milk is used to feed cattle. Does this picture seem weird to you? Why is it okay for us (humans, being a different species), milking other species (cows, for example) and drinking their mammary secretion, but not the other way around? Cows don’t secrete milk for other species’ consumption, do they? Do we really need the antibodies from cows?
I think if we ‘have’ to drink milk, we should drink human’s milk.
Oh, but then again, humans are the only mammals that consume milk after infant stage… why do we drink milk?
Let’s add more this picture: injecting hormones to women, inseminating women to make them constantly produce milk in high quantity, and maybe attaching mechanical pump to their breasts. Do you want to drink some human’s milk, cattle?
For communities or eras that do not have enough food supply, I could understand why they would resort to drinking milk. And I have no problem with that. But for those of us who live with an abundance of food resources and nutrition, do we really need to drink milk?
Picture from wired.com. | <urn:uuid:13a30c83-3b1f-462e-b9a9-f8c55c1aec13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://redtext.littlerabbit.com/?p=378 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964019 | 362 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Posted: Monday, June 2, 2008, 9:27 am
(Length: 3 min, 9 sec)
Watch a librarian bring this traditional song to life by combining two things children love: playing with flannel boards and making animal noises!
Children love to play with flannel boards both with adults and by themselves. Using a flannel board with your child is a wonderful way to help him or her learn, and allowing a child to play by him or herself with a board and a variety of felt pieces encourages inventive story play. And it helps develop early literacy skills!
Kids love this traditional song (sung in this video by librarian Kelsey Coulter) because they can make the sounds for a variety of farm animals. If you create your own flannel board, you can start with Old MacDonald Had a Farm and then introduce more animals by changing it to Old MacDonald Had a Zoo. If you would like to learn how to make a flannel board for your child to use, check out the books listed above.
Periodically, the library has flannel-making workshops for parents and caregivers. Check the library's calendar of events to see when the next one is being held. | <urn:uuid:6b4773db-4436-4955-a8c5-8c04f1ac5b27> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/interact/av/2008-6/old-macdonald-had-farm?theme=wpl | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948393 | 243 | 3.0625 | 3 |
DLynx at Rhodes College >
Academic Affairs, Office of >
Art Department. Syllabi >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
|Title: ||ART 305-01, Intermediate & Advanced Painting, Fall 2005|
|Authors: ||Harmon, Erin|
|Date Issued: ||25-Jan-2008|
|Series/Report no.: ||Syllabi CRN|
|Abstract: ||This class is an opportunity to customize your influences. It’s a chance to ilk out paths and options but also to experiment with making a body of work that stands on your own ideas (an experiment that helps you step outside of your boundaries is the most valuable one.) You’ll have many opportunities for such experiments this semester. I want to see you take risks and dare to make substantive changes in both paintings in progress and in your attitudes, ideas and explorations surrounding the making of art.
Here’s your chance to devote energy to discovering an inner logic for your work. You will attempt to build believability and a sense of necessity into the way it looks. All artists deal with their works’ (or any given works) relationship to the traditions of painting & the contemporaries of art making. What particular lineage are you interested in working in – or will you form a hybrid…or work in opposition to…or expose…or critique…? Where do you locate yourself in the art of others, no matter how different stylistically? Art is complex and endlessly varied. We live in a period of great freedom with no dominant ISM. At the beginning of this new century there is a great deal of reevaluation going on as to how painting can continue to operate as a meaningful form. Questions as to how it functions, how it interacts with its audience and how it embodies content are all around us. The above issues will be deeply involved in our discussions. And while you are delving into all of this – your actual skills in handling materials are growing. You’ll be experimenting with scale, format, and color as well as paint application. Sophistication and precision in the making and hands on aspect of your art grow along with your use of language to critique your own efforts as well as the rest of the art that you see around you. You are finding a voice and honing the skills that allow it to be heard—presenting a vision with the means that allow it to be seen.
A major focus of this class is connecting process & content. Now you have a relationship & working knowledge of paint. You have begun to understand what the medium is capable of. Here’s your chance to connect it with what motivates you both physically and mentally. You will learn ways to research these motivations and research their possible manifestations.
The class will be based on 6 completed assignments including a sketchbook holding 35 paint studies and 4sets of Artist Research & 4 event descriptions. Finished paintings will be due on the day of the critique (see class schedule) Assignments can be interpreted loosely or strictly and executed in a representational, non-objective, abstract, or unconventional mode.|
|Description: ||This syllabus was submitted to the Rhodes College Office of Academic Affairs by the course instructor.|
|Appears in Collections:||Art Department. Syllabi|
Items in DLynx are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. | <urn:uuid:c1e71dda-24a4-46eb-ba58-692ec30c21bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/handle/10267/851 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930276 | 711 | 1.84375 | 2 |
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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says he would have no hesitation ordering women into combat and explained that, as a practical matter, they're already serving that role.
Obama, who spoke with CBS television shortly before Sunday's Super Bowl game, was asked about the recent order ending the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat.
Obama said female troops are already vulnerable to attack and they've been wounded and killed carrying out their jobs. He said they are taking great risks and should not be prevented from advancing in their careers.
The change overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units, and is expected to open up more than 230,000 combat positions that have been off limits to women. | <urn:uuid:1b4d29ce-da05-4cf8-b41e-a523424931ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/02/04/obama-says-he-wont-hesitate-on-women-in-combat.html?comp=7000024213943&rank=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983325 | 160 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Ivey, James W.
The following data is extracted from The Indian Territory, Its Chiefs, Legislators and Leading Men.
James W. Ivey was born April 12, 1832, in Houston, Georgia; son of Barney Ivey and Elsie Davis, daughter of Windell Davis, a North Carolinian. His great-grandfather emigrated from Londonderry, Ireland, at an early day. James W. was instructed in youth at the public schools of Alabama, after which he went for three and one-half years to Princeton College, New Jersey, and there graduated, taking a legal and literary diploma; some years later Mr. Ivey took a medical diploma in New Orleans, La. At twenty-one years of age James, as well as his brothers, received from his father $50,000 as a start, and with this capital he opened a large farm in Rusk County, Texas, having one league and a labor of land. At the close of the war he set free 110 engross, and found himself in possession of $95,000 Confederate money. In 1854 he married Charlotte Bell, daughter of Jack Bell and sister to the well-known Lucien B. (Hooley) Bell. His wife died in 1865, leaving him one son, now living, who is editor and proprietor of the Tahlequah Telephone. At the outbreak of the war Mr. Ivey joined the Confederate service, Twenty-eight Texas Cavalry, under Colonel Horace Randell, and from private rapidly rose to be colonel of this regiment, under General Walker. He was present at Fort De Rousse, Milliken Bend, Perkins' Landing and many other engagements. Mr. Ivey was an old-time Whig till after the war, when he became a Republican, and took an active part in the political campaign in Texas in 1871 and 1873. On the day Hayes was elected Mr. Ivey left Bonham and went to Alabama, where he became engaged in the political struggle of 1875 and 1876, in three districts of Alabama. In 1878 he left Texas and moved to Cherokee Nation, where he has been since residing, most of his time being devoted to teaching, for which he is eminently fitted, as he is undoubtedly one of the best educated men in the nation.
Source: The Indian Territory, Its Chiefs, Legislators and Leading Men | <urn:uuid:55f01c06-d226-43ca-bf08-790f96567f70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.accessgenealogy.com/scripts/data/database.cgi?file=Data&report=SingleArticle&ArticleID=0013914 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984273 | 492 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Webinar is not a substitute term more in the business world. “SEMINAR” The term was reduced (Web seminar +) and thought it was kind of important communication tool with 100% success. The gradual development of web technology has given us several tools that not only reduce the time, however, declined over the differences between the international business communities. Center outsourcing decision could be an important area in which webinars are trying to improve the potential areas that require great care and third class.
Business methods of the air taken in organizing seminars, providing coaching and live call via VoIP, the technology has proven to be a blessing ideal for various industries.
Webinar is a kind of conference space mainly based seminar brought together participants from all over the world with the help of a laptop. The system is integrated so that the messages are often transmitted to all or part of the beneficiaries of the group at a time to access the video. Individuals interact and live act in the remote speakers and valuable knowledge to support the seminar.
A seminar at a decision:
Agenda Argument ·
• Consultation and Answers
It enables the active participation between buyers and communities and even self-identification of problems that are associated with the expansion plans and business development. Participants cannot even talk about VoIP technology with audio communication and disseminate a web-based truth without interruption. Decision center outsourcing most popular implementation of this tool to find sales opportunities. But the advantage of the mall’s decision is that “training”. As an example the internal decision-making centers of the need to promote the immediate supervision of the sales of political operations center will have access to this technology and immediately receive the recommendation of the consultants who stay away from the workplace in particular.
The main advantages of webinars in the industrial center of the decision:
· Price Reduction
· Reach a wide audience
· Record digitally
° Rules for playing future
· Save all important data and conferences
· Savings travel prices
Furthermore, the decision-making seminar is dearer to organize lectures and conferences of the Board between the organizations. Professionals can save valuable time saving travel time. Is a good way to manage time and money? Decision centers that develop interactive training sessions to show the home professionals can even sell specialized programs for different organizations.
What are the requirements for conducting webinars?
* Net sales of access
• A line phone to pay attention to the party conference
Webinar role has been increasing day by day and noticed that the sector of society is to create profits in the beautiful form of saving effort and increasing strength. A business that depends on the performance and speed is the credibility of a webinar is usually completed by the success required in the performance. | <urn:uuid:2ea562b1-9519-431c-978e-e5e6e88ff836> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gerd-institute.org/category/webinar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938663 | 560 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Muslims, it seems, are a problem. No, I should rephrase that. Muslims, it seems, are perhaps the problem of our times. Or at least one might be forgiven for believing that after the last few weeks and months. We've just had Jack Straw, the Leader of the House of Commons, and former Foreign and Home Secretary, tell us that Muslim women who cover the face with a veil or niqab make community relations "more difficult." And this is because, he says, concealing the face is "a visible statement of separation and difference."
So what is Straw saying? He's not just saying that he finds it "uncomfortable" to talk to a Muslim woman whose face he can't see. He's saying that the fact that some Muslim women choose to cover their face is a direct cause of communal tension, and a confirmation from Muslim women themselves that they indeed are different, and do not wish to engage in society.
Straw later went on to elaborate that he'd rather those Muslim women who wear the veil simply don't do so at all.
Straw's little outburst comes hot on the heels of a series of remarks, observations and political maneuverings consistently pointing at the various problems that Muslim pose to British, and western, society. In August, we had the 'liquid bomb' plot which both former and active military and intelligence experts have found to be either impossible or barely existing.
President Bush took the opportunity provided by the scare to declare that: “The recent arrests that our fellow citizens are now learning about are a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.”
The same phrase, a phrase he had never used before, he had also used that month to describe Israel's conflict with Lebanon. A conflict in which the preponderance of casualties was amongst Lebanese Muslims (as well as Christians).
And here in the UK, politicians, police and commentators described how the 'liquid bomb' plot proved that the threat came from British Muslims who, without any clear reason, without any obvious profile, from any social background even including a university education and a handsome employment, spontaneously decided to become suicide killers. By implications, we have a significant British Muslim problem. A problem of British Muslims spontaneously converting into Islamic fascists.
We then had Home Secretary John Reid's admonition to Muslim parents in East London that they ought to watch out for "tell-tale" signs of their childen undergoing this spontaneous profile-devoid, inexplicable process of conversion. What are these "tell-tale" signs? Rather than pointing, for instance, to the dangerous activities of notorious, entrenched, and proscribed extremist networks with terrorist connections like al-Muhajiroun and its successor groups, Saved Sect and al-Ghuraabah (and now al-Sabiqoon al-Awwaloon), Dr. Reid qualified his statements in an article in that most credible of tabloids, the Sun: "I appeal to you (the Muslim community) to look for changes in your teenage sons -- odd hours, dropping out of school or college, strange new friends."
Sorry excuse me, it's just that this sounds a lot like me when I was, erm, busy failing my A-Levels at seventeen years old. Maybe I was spontaneously turning into an Islamic fascist but didn't realise? Maybe I should turn myself in?
Around the same time, the Pope decided to pipe in with a speech in which he quoted a Byzantine Emperor saying: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Some have suggested that angry Muslims took the quotation completely out of context, but an inspection of the rest of his text shows this not to be the case. The Pope, unfortunately, used the citation uncritically, and in support of his wider theological argument (a very questionable one at that) about the fundamental difference in Christian and Islamic views of the rationality of God's actions.
It took the Israeli military veteran and peace activist Uri Avnery, a self-described Jewish atheist, to take the Pope to task as follows:
"Every honest Jew who knows the history of his people cannot but feel a deep sense of gratitude to Islam, which has protected the Jews for fifty generations, while the Christian world persecuted the Jews and tried many times "by the sword" to get them to abandon their faith.
The story about 'spreading the faith by the sword' is an evil legend, one of the myths that grew up in Europe during the great wars against the Muslims--the reconquista of Spain by the Christians, the Crusades and the repulsion of the Turks, who almost conquered Vienna. I suspect that the German Pope, too, honestly believes in these fables. That means that the leader of the Catholic world, who is a Christian theologian in his own right, did not make the effort to study the history of other religions.
Why did he utter these words in public? And why now?
There is no escape from viewing them against the background of the new Crusade of Bush and his evangelist supporters, with his slogans of 'Islamofascism' and the 'Global War on Terrorism'--when 'terrorism' has become a synonym for Muslims."
More recently, Tory Party leader and Prime Minister-wannabe David Cameron declared his brave plans to break up Muslim ghettos in British cities. That's right folks, Muslim ghettos: another big problem that Muslims pose to Britain, encapsulated in the phenomenon of (in Cameron's words): "Immigrant families who only ever meet people with the same country of origin. We need to find ways to avoid this."
Without even attempting to offer serious policy options to deal with the institutional discrimination and massive social deprivation behind the creation of "Muslim ghettos", Cameron suggested instead that "Islamic schools should in future admit a quarter of their pupils from other faiths", as if Islamic schools are actually a significant part of the problem. He didn't pause to wonder whether any Muslim schools in the UK had ever officially banned or prevented non-Muslims from attending (certainly not to my knowledge), or whether indeed non-Muslims might even be vaguely interested in attending a Muslim faith school, enough to fulfil his quota.
So Straw's remarks should not by any means be viewed in isolation. They are part of an inexorably growing western trend of problematizing Muslims, a phenomenon that is conjoined to concerted practices of western-backed imperial violence against largely (though not exclusively) Muslim populations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Occupied Territories, Lebanon and elsewhere, practices which are fast converging on an impending imperial onslaught against Iran. The casualty figures in dead and seriously injured from these extant military interventions is more than several million, mostly Muslim, civilians. Such processes actively facilitated by our governments in the Middle East and Central Asia cannot be compartmentalized away from processes of problematization of Muslim communities at home, where in the UK for example more than a thousand Muslims have been indefinitely detained under the Terrorism Act, out of which only half a dozen have been convicted. These external and internal processes are products of the same system, the same imperial social configurations.
As the 2005 report of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) on ‘Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims in the EU’ has documented, attacks on Muslims in western Europe have increased dramatically. Across western Europe, such attacks have accompanied an unprecedented escalation in
"... widespread negative attitudes toward Muslims; unbalanced and stereotypical media reports portraying Muslims as 'alien' to EU societies and as 'an enemy within'; verbal and physical attacks on Muslims and Muslim institutions and property; discrimination against Muslims in employment and other areas; aggressive political rhetoric used by right-populist parties to target Muslims;and security and immigration measures contributing to public perceptions of Muslims as a 'fifth column'."
One of the most authoritative studies of discrimination against Muslims in Britain was undertaken recently by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) in London, where I used to work as a researcher years ago. The IHRC survey has been described by the leading peer-reviewed Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, as providing “rich information from a large sample [whose research findings] are unparalleled in their focus and detail on a subject that has largely been overlooked and understudied.” The findings are rather shocking: overall, about 80 per cent of respondents reported experiences of discrimination because they were Muslim. In the face of this, the widespread feelings of discontent and victimization amongst Muslims is not only understandable, they are to some extent a perfectly rational reaction to an extremely disturbing national and international trend of hostility towards Muslims, expressed in forms of cultural, political and economic violence.
German social scientist Dr. Wolfram Richter, a professor of economics at the University of Dortmund, expressed his resulting concern as follows: “I am afraid we have not learned from our history. My main fear is that what we did to Jews we may now do to Muslims. The next holocaust would be against Muslims.” What we have been seeing over the past few months is the tail-end of a process that has continued since 9/11; a concerted political and cultural campaign the effect of which has been to portray Muslims as a dangerous, unpredictable group of 'others' who pose a problem to western civilization -- a problem that requires a "solution"; perhaps even a "final solution", if Dr. Richter's well-researched fears might suggest. It would be easy to dismiss Dr. Richter's comment as merely a groundless exaggeration. And while it may indeed be exaggerated, it is, unfortunately, not groundless.
- ► 2012 (17)
- ► 2010 (50)
- ► 2007 (19)
- ▼ October (6) | <urn:uuid:6a93b391-b331-4526-8a0a-a247599a77f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nafeezahmed.com/2006/10/muslim-problem.html?showComment=1160393340000 | 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 | 0.966788 | 2,047 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Bartender: Salary, Duties, Outlook and Requirements
A bartender's job consists of preparing and serving alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages to customers in bars, restaurants, nightclubs and other establishments and venues. Bartenders are responsible for collecting payment, ordering inventory and keeping their bar area clean for customers who want to drink and dine.
Salary for a Bartender
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), salaries for bartenders vary, and much of their earnings can come from tips. Average annual salaries, including tips, were approximately $20,970 in May 2009 (www.bls.gov). The top-paying employers for bartending in that year were elderly community care facilities, museums and historical sites, colleges and universities, hotels and special food service events.
A bartender prepares, pours and usually serves a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to customers at public establishments or venues licensed to serve alcohol; bartenders may also work in private settings. Beverages usually include mixed drinks, bottled wine and beer. Bartenders must be able to prepare drinks quickly and efficiently by hand and by using machines that automatically measure and pour ingredients.
Bartenders accept payment from customers and must know how to operate a cash register. They must check customer identification so that alcoholic beverages aren't served to minors. Bartenders also watch for customers who are intoxicated and stop serving drinks to them. They often will arrange assistance to get an inebriated customer home by calling a cab or the customer's family or friends.
Bartenders may also serve food to customers. They order inventory such as liquor, drink mixes, straws and napkins. They wash glassware and maintain clean conditions in the bar area.
The job outlook for bartending is good, in part because of high job turnover rate. Average job growth was anticipated for bartenders; the BLS estimated employment to escalate at least ten percent between 2008 and 2018.
Bartender jobs at fine hotels, country clubs and restaurants are more coveted because of higher salaries and greater earnings potential from tips. Overall, there are few growth opportunities in the bartending field. A small number of workers may be promoted to head bartenders or restaurant managers, while a handful may open their own establishment, according to the BLS.
Bartender Job Requirements
There are no degree requirements for bartenders, and training generally occurs on the job. Strong customer service skills are essential to a bartender's success. Trainees often work with experienced personnel for up to one year to gain knowledge of bartending procedures.
Students can receive formal training by attending bartending, technical or vocational schools. There they learn about appropriate conduct and attire, different drink recipes and local and state regulations regarding the serving of alcohol. In most areas of the country, bartenders must be at least 18 years of age. A large number of employers prefer applicants who are at least 25.
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- Top School for Business Degree Programs - Columbus, OH | <urn:uuid:f3d5e1da-fde5-4ec4-9b48-f834285987b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://education-portal.com/articles/Bartender_Salary_Duties_Outlook_and_Requirements.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939094 | 863 | 2.703125 | 3 |
CODEPINK Camps Outside Berkeley Recruiting Station, Leading Up to the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War
March 10th, 2008
Camp to Bridge Peace Community and Environmental Movement In Ending Dependence On Oil
As a lead up to the 5th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, members of the women's peace group CODEPINK will launch a 24-hour week-long camp on Monday, March 10, 2008 outside the Berkeley Recruiting Station. The vibrant anti-war group has held a peaceful demonstration outside the station since the fall of 2007. During that time they were given their own parking space and approval by the Berkeley City Council to continue their protest of the recruiting station.
WHAT: Week Long Camp and Demonstration
WHEN: Monday March 10th 12noon - Friday March 14th 12noon
WHERE: Berkeley Recruiting Station, 64 Shattuck Square (Shattuck Ave just south of University where Shattuck runs one-way north)
VISUALS: Flatbed truck with greenery, tents, pink banners, food, lite music
“We will spend the week creating a vision of the world we want to live in, where are resources are put into building a clean, green, sustainable economy instead of waging aggressive wars against countries that never attacked us,” says CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. “What better place to do it than the Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley, which has become a national symbol of two different world views.”
Members of the camp will take part in a week of activities ranging from pink pajama parties, petition drive, green workshops, yoga, guest speakers and a movie screening.
"We're having a 24-hour week long camp to promote safe, healthy and strong, environmentally well communities, as well as our 'pink agenda' for peace," says Nancy Mancias of CODEPINK. "It will be a fun way to bridge the peace community and the growing environmental movement to stop the war in Iraq and end our addiction to oil."
CODEPINK has collected hundreds of signatures on a petition to rezone military and private military contractor offices in the city. Upon gathering 2,000 signatures this initiative will be added to the ballot in November. www.codepinkalert.org/berkeleyr | <urn:uuid:450239fd-8dc2-4e34-b9f4-1962e54c2e52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://codepink4peace.org/article.php?id=4010 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945131 | 484 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Mary Tudor: Old and New Perspectives : According to both popular myth and traditional histories, Mary Tudor was a failure. Known primarily as Bloody Mary, she has usually been contrasted unfavorably with her younger sibling and heir, Elizabeth I. This negative view of Mary has most recently been perpetuated in David Starkey's TV documentaries and biography of the young Elizabeth, which present the new queen as deliberately forging a path that was quite different from that of her half-sister. The time has come for a rethink. Susan Doran and Tom Freeman have gathered an outstanding team of international historians to look at the traditional presentation of Mary and her reign, and why we should question this view. This incisive collection will appeal to students, scholars and general readers.Features: * Challenges the accepted view of Mary as a tyrant, presenting a more balanced and nuanced portrait * Based on the latest cutting-edge and controversial thinking in Early Modern history * Traces the growth and development of the myth of 'Bloody Mary' This text will be essential reading for graduate courses on Tudor history.
|History & Geography||Europe| | <urn:uuid:440b8a6d-60c3-4f40-ae23-7409b20d3cb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ofertondelibros.com/Libreria/Libro/Mary-Tudor-Old-and-New-Perspectives/_/R-9780230004634S | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940057 | 228 | 3.484375 | 3 |
** Originally posted by BrianH **
This (NPF) resource of contact and information is hugely valuable and a great mine of information. As a result of reading and feedback and direct contact with members, I have come to a somewhat more "sophisticated" hypothesis about how Glycerin is functioning normally and therapeutically with respect to psoriasis. (See wildflowerAnn's Glycerin thread http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=29633 for ongoing discussion of individual experiences, and some of the background material and references, such as http://tinyurl.com/4wob2n and http://www.cleaning101.com/oleo/whygly2.cfm )
Normal skin has 4 stages ( http://www.healtheez.com/glycerin.htm , http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031203075525.htm ) : (only) bottom layer dividing and generating new cells, top dying as a drying & waxy barrier against water etc. in the environment. ("... In the endless cycle of skin-cell production, the youngest cells move up from the deepest layer and switch from replicating as their main function to eventually becoming mature surface cells that spit out lipids to help form the skin's protective barrier before they die.")
So these layers are normally separated by glycerin, which keeps them in their proper "sequence" of development, plus lubricates. This is also partly due to the signaling function of g. which "tells" each layer what it is supposed to be doing. Glycerin is normally in ready supply, as it is a (10%) usual breakdown product of fat (in its triglyceride form).
In a p. plaque/spot, the inter-layer glycerin is missing or blocked, or simply unable to keep up with a "burst" of proliferation/inflammation. Layers stick together and get muddled, all continuing to divide and thicken. Lymph and blood supply systems etc. are overwhelmed.
(Exactly how the blood & lymph systems react and cope may determine which "type" of p. one has.)
The undifferentiated "lump" of skin eventually outruns its nutrition supply, etc., and starts to die off at the surface, but in a messy and badly-layered manner. This is "plaque" flaking.
Applying sufficient topical glycerin or using it orally gets the normal layering re-started down at the base of the sequence, and stops the dividing and out-of-control growth of the older piled-up layers.
As the normal 4 layers re-establish from underneath, what I have called the "time-machine rewind" appears on the surface, as the p.-skin is pushed up and dies off. Depending on how long-standing and thick that is, it may be a quick or slower process.
As the normal stage #4 reaches the surface, the last p.-skin falls away, and normal skin is left.
Whatever caused the burst of p.-growth and shortage of normal g. between layers can recur, so quick re-establishment of adequate glycerin supply topically and/or orally is beneficial/necessary.
Other successful treatment modes work primarily by interrupting some other aspect of the above sequence, like inhibiting the inflammation/proliferation response. Some of these have systemic side-effects, as they are dealing with or altering general fundamental cell functions. One of glycerin's advantages seems to be the absence of such complications, and its ready availability at low cost. (Which, come to think of it, should make research and application immensely attractive to insurance companies! :) ?? ) | <urn:uuid:69279728-c6ce-43ee-a84a-068b55e1da06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inspire.com/groups/talk-psoriasis/discussion/glycerin-hypothesis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926838 | 782 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Symposium to explore disability and technology
April 4, 2012
Assistive technology has changed what it means to live with disabilities, and an upcoming symposium at Emory University will explore these changes and the opportunities and challenges they pose to people with disabilities.
Emory's Digital Scholarship Commons (DiSC) will host a Symposium on Disability and Technology Friday, April 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Research Commons, located on Level 3 of the Robert W. Woodruff Library.
The symposium will look at universal access, the construction of spaces, teaching practices and web environments that enable everyone to participate equally. Sessions also will address how culture and technology relate to one another and affect society as a whole.
"Digital humanities scholars talk about access, but rarely do they really question how technology impacts the social and cultural lives of people with disabilities. We've invited people who work with technology to talk with scholars who specialize in disability studies, or the study of the cultural and historical aspects of disability," says Roger Whitson, a Mellon postdoctoral fellow with DiSC who is organizing the event.
The symposium will include discussion on the effects of various innovations in technology on disabled and able-bodied people. For example, curb cuts, originally designed to help facilitate mobility for people with disabilities, have had a great impact on cyclists and all individuals who use the space.
Two keynote addresses and three panels are planned for the symposium schedule. Keynote speakers are Michael Chorost, an award-winning author and technologist, and Emory professor Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, known for her work in the field of humanities and disability studies. Chorost's personal experience using a cochlear implant inspired his research into cybernetic technologies and the impact they have on people.
Panels will focus on real world applications of disability studies to the lived experience of people with physical impairments. The first will include a discussion of how digital technology impacts those with autism and mental disabilities. The second panel concerns disabilities in a classroom setting and will address different methods that every teacher can implement in order to create a classroom environment that is universally accessible. The third panel will focus on assistive technology developed at Georgia Tech and the complexities of developing such technologies. Panelists include Katy Crowther, Margaret Price, Leanne West, George H. Williams and Melanie Yergeau.
The Research Commons, where DiSC is located, is a space where faculty members and Emory students can work on and receive help with various multidisciplinary projects. Digital scholarship is intended to contribute to research and inspire projects that combine humanities with technology. DiSC defines digital humanities, or digital scholarship, as the process of using computation to help identify patterns in humanities materials. After identifying the patterns, researchers continue to draw on their knowledge of the field to provide interpretation of those patterns and why they matter for the field as a whole. | <urn:uuid:63d16e96-88f3-4921-8c5d-e0a75c447dca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.emory.edu/stories/2012/03/upress_disc_symposium_disability_technology/campus.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951704 | 601 | 2.078125 | 2 |
is a lavishly illustrated catalog of artworks from Thailand and Burma, and provides an introduction to one of Asia's richest and least known artistic traditions. Focusing primarily on decorative and religious objects from the nineteenth century, Emerald Cities
brings to light the lively, yet often strained, interchange between the regions of central and northern Thailand (Siam) and Burma.
While representing the latest art historical scholarship, Emerald Cities
is also an accessible entry into the world of Thailand and Burma, and highlights such luxuriant and spectacular artworks as gilded and mirrored ritual vessels, black lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture, and vibrant, colorful paintings. These objects convey an exotic and exuberant ambiance which transports the reader to a lost time and place, one unlike any other.
Forrest McGill is Chief Curator and Wattis Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, where he has organized many exhibitions. | <urn:uuid:9fa3df32-d69b-44c9-b368-2237e48f18d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tuttlepublishing.com/authors/mcgill-forrest/emerald-cities-hardcover-with-jacket | 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 | 0.930727 | 199 | 2.46875 | 2 |
U.S. MAGISTRATE RETIRING WV's First Female U.S. Magistrate To Retire
Reported by: Associated Press
Web Producer: Jeff Morris
Reported: Mar. 4, 2013 9:20 AM EST
Updated: Mar. 4, 2013 3:09 PM EST
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
West Virginia's first female U.S. magistrate judge is retiring after serving for two decades.
Magistrate Judge Mary E. Stanley's last day on the bench is March 31.
She was appointed to the position in 1992 after serving as a federal prosecutor for more than 15 years.
Stanley graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and moved to West Virginia in the early 1970s. She told the Charleston Gazette that employers at the time were unwilling to hire her for legal positions because she was a woman.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Company pleads guilty in Ohio fish deaths case May 23, 2013 8:02 PM EDT A Strongsville company and the owner's wife have pleaded guilty for their roles in the dumping of liquid cyanide into a storm drain, resulting in the death of almost 31,000 fish in an Ohio river last year. | <urn:uuid:a8cacf20-3b5e-4434-a515-91f5ad7dadee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/130304_14302.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952038 | 289 | 1.601563 | 2 |
With negotiations between Mexican tomato growers and the U.S. Commerce Department ongoing and apparently seeing some progress, the rhetoric about the consequences of dropping a regulated price floor on imported tomatoes shows no signs of letting up.
Consumers could face sharply higher prices and reduced supplies if the U.S. government terminates a price agreement with Mexican tomato growers and then imposes antidumping duties, according to a new pricing study funded by Mexican tomato interests.
In September, in response to requests from the Florida tomato industry, the Commerce Department announced a tentative plan to terminate a minimum price suspension agreement with Mexican tomato growers that has been in place since 1996.
Since then, a variety of U.S. business, retail and food-producing organizations, including Wal-Mart Stores, National Restaurant Association and Food Marketing Institute, expressed support for retaining the U.S.-Mexico tomato trade pact. The Commerce Department has yet to take final action on terminating the suspension agreement but could do so by spring.
Study shows threat
Adding to the threat of a trade war is a new economic analysis from the Nielsen Perishables Group, paid for by Nogales, Ariz.-based Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, which represents importers of Mexican produce.
The study — at http://savemytomato.com — presents a sobering scenario based on the total or partial withdrawal of Mexican tomatoes from the U.S. market.
The study also looks at the potential market effect if U.S. tomatoes were removed from the market by a weather event at the same time Mexico was excluded.
The study is based, in part, on what happened in a wake of a February 2011 freeze, which greatly reduced Mexican tomato production.
“We found that if Mexican imports are excluded from the U.S. market, retail prices during the December-May timeframe can be expected to rise by 97.9% for hothouse round, 96.9% for hothouse vine, 61.3% for grape tomatoes, 217.2% for roma, and 52.1% for field tomatoes,” Tim Richards, Morrison Chair professor of Agribusiness at Arizona State University, wrote in the report.
A teleconference about the new research Jan. 24 featured several speakers supporting the current tomato agreement, including Lance Jungmeyer, president of the FPAA; Rick Van Schoick, director of the North American Center for Transborder Studies at Arizona State University; Patrick Kilbride, senior director of the Americas for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Jaime Chamberlain, president of JC-Distributing, Nogales. | <urn:uuid:2c3b1026-ef0d-41d0-be6b-9b4810216a1e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-enewsletter/Week_In_Review/Florida-FPAA-exchange-salvos-in-tomato-dispute-188291251.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941972 | 537 | 1.757813 | 2 |
I am a Louisiana schoolteacher. For years I have watched as government policies have slowly, steadily strangled public education with incomprehensible curriculums, overemphasis on standardized tests, demoralizing teacher evaluations and policies that have turned school discipline into a joke.
I know most teachers and many principals feel the same way. When I protest to my superiors, I am told that there is nothing they can do about it because “it comes down from the state.” These state policies are established by politicians, bureaucrats and bean-counters who are known for being shortsighted and getting it wrong. Since, they don’t know anything about education, they hire high-priced “experts” eager to sell their agendas and programs. It’s not surprising that things are so fouled up.
However, I don’t blame the state, I blame us — the education professionals who go along and don’t push back. We, the teachers and administrators, are the experts. We’re the soldiers in the trenches fighting the war against ignorance and mediocrity. Why are we so willing to abdicate our responsibility to our students, schools and communities and accept policies that we know are bad for education? Why are we so afraid to stand up for what is right?
What would happen if one teacher, principal or superintendent refused to go along with state policies that they know are hurting our schools and students? They would probably be quickly replaced. However, what if all the teachers, all the principals, all the superintendents politely refused to go along with those state policies and gave as their reason that they know those policies are hurting our schools and students? What politician, bureaucrat or bean-counter is going to stand up to that? Furthermore, I guarantee that if you asked experienced teachers and principals which state policies are hurting education there would be an amazing consensus.
Since civilizations began, oppressive government policies have always depended on good people “following orders” and going along. Educators are generally “good team players” and perhaps too eager to bend to those in authority. Plus, no one wants to be the first one to be fired. Nevertheless, I want to make an appeal to my fellow educators: Aren’t you tired knuckling under to mandates that harm our schools and students and don’t make sense? Don’t you long for the days when you felt proud to be an educator?
A quote attributed to Edmund Burke states, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Mohandas Gandhi observed, “Noncooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.”
Fellow educators, it’s time to stand up for what we know is right.
Copyright © 2011, Capital City Press LLC • 7290 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70810 • All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:9bdcd99e-c851-488e-8b95-3e77d9e12aad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theadvocate.com/csp/mediapool/sites/Advocate/assets/templates/FullStoryPrint.csp?cid=4999772&preview=y | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96678 | 610 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Doctors use several tools to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and rule out other conditions. Generally, your doctor will first ask you to describe your symptoms, when and how they started, and how they've changed. Your doctor will also ask about other medical problems you or members of your family have had. Next, she or he will perform a thorough physical exam and do various lab tests to measure substances in your blood that are associated with RA. Your doctor may also order X-rays or other imaging studies to rule out other causes of joint pain. | <urn:uuid:89644433-3f16-4ca7-ae45-68798b34fb18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthmonitor.com/print/152 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963142 | 112 | 2.03125 | 2 |
The non-profit network Tibettruth has launched an online campaign to make Facebook specify Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, as a part of Tibet — rather than China.
Tibettruth calls itself an advocate for justice, human rights and independence for the people of Tibet. On its website, which details how to file the online petition, Tibettruth says:
We are asking that Facebook kindly review its current profile format to enable Tibetans to select, as their hometown Lhasa, TIBET. Currently when Tibetans open an account they are denied that choice and can only select 'Lhasa, Xizang, China,' as option that endorses the bogus claim that Tibet is part of China.
Here's an example of the drop-down menu that appears when trying to select Lhasa as a hometown:
"Xizang" is the Mandarin name for the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Lhasa is the capital of that region. China claims it as Chinese territory, while supporters of a free Tibet argue that it's Tibetan land. The dispute between China and supporters of a free Tibet has been an ongoing battle since Chinese troops occupied the region in 1950.
In the last year, more than two dozen Tibetans have set fire to themselves in protest at China's occupation. The most recent self-immolation, by a teenage Tibetan monk in China, took place March 10. The day marked the 53rd anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising that took place in Lhasa in 1959.
For Tibetans who have been struggling for their land's freedom, Facebook's naming of the area is another reminder of Chinese dominion. But as one user who commented on Tibettruth's website pointed out, the naming of "Xizang" for the Tibetan Autonomous Region is incongruous with how Facebook names other areas.
"'Xizang' is the Chinese translation of 'Tibet,' using the pronunciation in Mandarin," a user by the name of Roller writes. "But that is not English. Nobody other than the Chinese knows what it is. I wonder if Facebook would do the same with Hong Kong, calling it 'Xianggang,' as the Chinese do."
Hong Kong is identified on Facebook as "Hong Kong," with users able to choose from cities within the region as a hometown.
Though Hong Kong is considered a "special administrative region" by the Chinese. Tibet is not. Like Tibet, it too has longstanding cultural and political disputes with China.
What do you think of the way Facebook names Lhasa? Do you think this online petition to get Facebook to indicate Lhasa as a part of Tibet will make a difference? Let us know in the comments. | <urn:uuid:f720c8af-3729-483c-9b4f-cd09aa684d51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mashable.com/2012/03/13/lhasa-tibet-facebook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952381 | 552 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Ta-mei Fa-chang (752-839) was a Chinese Ch'an master. After he got awakened under the Great master Ma-tsu Tao-i (709-788), he went to the Ta-mei mountain and resided there.
One day there was a traveling monk who got lost in the Ta-mei...
二十五 三座説法 | hide chinese .
show chinese | 仰山和尚、夢見往彌勒所、安第三座。
In a dream Kyozan Osho went to Maitreya's place and was led in to sit in the third seat. 有一尊者、白槌云、今日當第三座説法。
A senior monk struck with a gavel and said, "Today the one in the third seat will speak." 山乃起白槌云、摩訶衍法離四句、絶百非。
Kyozan rose and, striking with the gavel, said, "The truth of Mahayana is beyond the four propositions and transcends the hundred negations. 諦聽、諦聽。
Taicho! Taicho!" [Hear the truth!]
Mumon's Comment 無門曰、且道、是説法不説法、開口即失、閉口又喪。
Now tell me, did Kyozan preach or did he not not? If he opens his mouth, he is lost; if he seals his mouth, he is lost. 不開不閉、十万八千。
Even if he neither opens nor shuts his mouth, he is a hundred and eight thousand [miles away from the truth].
In broad daylight, under the blue sky,
He forges a dream in a dream;
He makes up a monstrous story
And tries to deceive the whole crowd. | <urn:uuid:cf7d1f4a-4117-42e3-aebc-32bda493b18d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zenguide.com/zenmedia/books/content.cfm?t=the_gateless_gate&chapter=25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929188 | 485 | 2.40625 | 2 |
When we think of a feast, we usually hope that rodents are nowhere in site, especially not on the table. Artist Laura Ginn disagrees. This past Wednesday at Allegra LaViola Gallery, Ginn brought New Yorkers together to display a hunter-gatherer themed presentation that concluded with eating cooked rats.
The event, titled “Tomorrow We Will Feast Again On What We Catch” was priced at $100 per person. To raise funds for the occasion, Ginn created a Kickstarter page on which she shockingly, but successfully raised the $2,000 she had requested.
A 33 year-old Brooklyn man who attended the event told DNAinfo that he was told that 75 rats were used to make the meal, and “there were very few plates with something left on it.”
In a video she posted on Kickstarter, Ginn explained, “What I’m hoping to achieve with that is to give people an experience of pushing their boundaries and overcoming fear.”
All we will say on the matter is no thank you! Yuck. | <urn:uuid:800f7563-6b04-4673-95cd-33e1eacf4de0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://joonbug.com/national/firstcourse/Ew-Creepy-NYC-Rat-Feast-Turns-Heads-and-Stomachs/tUdjXLbZjTw | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979172 | 220 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Born Oct. 26, 1871
Died Nov. 5, 1907
Located in Mulberry United Methodist Church Cemetery in Macon County, North Carolina, just across the Georgia-North Carolina state line from Dillard, GA. Take Hwy. 441 north across the state line into NC. Turn left onto Mulberry Road (well south of Otto). The church and cemetery are on the right just past Newman’s Chapel, which is visible from the highway.
When I originally surveyed Mulberry United Methodist Church Cemetery in June 2000, Albert’s stone was buried and I could not read the inscription. A recent visit resulted in the above photograph.
I suspect Albert may have been the illegitimate son of Sallie Hemphill, a daughter of Joseph and Caroline (Hopper) Hemphill, and a granddaughter of Samuel Hopper, an early settler whose Rabun County, Georgia, property adjoined the state line with North Carolina. The Hopper family associated and intermarried with many of the more prominent families who lived along this stretch of the border, including the Nortons and Bradleys. Sallie’s known daughter, also illegitimate, was Nancy Hemphill who married George Howard, a member of another prominent area family.
I’m a bit puzzled by Albert’s marker, however. He was thirty-six when he died, most definitely not a baby, contrary to the stone’s inscription. Perhaps the family wished to have a marker and this one was the most convenient stone, for some unknown reason, or perhaps it was the only one available or affordable to the family. Something we may never know the reason behind, but a puzzler nonetheless. | <urn:uuid:6b1e195b-ff02-4bd7-808d-43c1b326958f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://genealogical.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/tombstone-tuesday-albert-hemphill-1871-1907-macon-co-nc/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=9916d21231 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965618 | 350 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Filed under: Education
OVERVIEW : As the business world is witnessing more and more new openings, the need of skilled individuals to maintain all the financial records is also in a great demand. People often misunderstand book as another name of accounting. Even a deep knowledge in accounting is necessary for this job.
JOB DESCRIPTION : Bookkeeping professionals calculate insurance benefits and other compensation wages of employees. They have to maintain the up-to-date financial records in agreement with the local, state and federal tax laws. They keep financial information confidential and as management of money is a crucial factor in growth of the organization.
JOB OUTLOOK : Since the job growth is expected to be higher with many openings, job prospects are good for the candidates who wish to start a career in bookkeeping. Job prospects are good for the entry-level professionals with sound knowledge in the computerized systems and new trends in the bookkeeping. Certified professionals in bookkeeping (CBs) and the experienced ones may find the best opportunities.
For More Information ON Bookkeeping, | <urn:uuid:3a362a3a-bfec-45f2-87a4-f9155d22caca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://schoolanduniversity.edublogs.org/2012/10/25/bookkeeping/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940975 | 214 | 2.78125 | 3 |
"The Indian Hunter" marks a pivotal moment in Ward's career and in the history of American sculpture in its rejection of neoclassical tenets in favor of an unbridled naturalism. A lithe, young Native American leans forward in stealthy stride, eyes focused on his prey. He restrains an eager, wolfish-looking dog with his right hand while grasping a bow and arrow in his left. In selecting this American theme, Ward was answering a widespread call in the 1850s and 1860s for American subjects produced by American artists. In The Indian Hunter, Ward successfully imparted directness and naturalism by relying on the tactile and expressive qualities of bronze. The variation in texture speaks volumes for the quick progress of the American bronze casting industry from its infancy in the early 1850s. The polish of the figure's skin is in marked contrast to the roughness of the dog's coat and the animal pelt. The Metropolitan's bronze is one of some fourteen statuettes that Ward cast after the original model over the course of his career. Ward also enlarged his model, making compositional refinements based on a trip to the Dakotas to observe Native American life. The over life-size bronze was dedicated in New York's Central Park in 1869, the first American sculpture—and the first of four pieces by Ward—to be erected there. | <urn:uuid:70e02f8d-0ea3-4e0f-add5-60d380c92738> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/20013512?high=on&rpp=15&pg=2&rndkey=20130201&ft=*&what=Bronze&pos=18 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97041 | 276 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Dealing with the heat of summer w/no A.C.
Does raw help others to deal with 110 + degrees summer heat? Today I am fining it is tolerable, but still uncomfortable.
What are your ideas to survive the summer heat that is a part of your healthy living plan? We just recently moved to a much hotter place and I am attempting to not use the A.C. at all this summer, but today is tempting me to do otherwise! Arizona is not a place for the sun/heat sensitive older person, is it?:) Oh, well. Ideas, please? Thanks in advance, all!
I read in a book once that greens are cooling, maybe up the greens.
dealing with the heat of summer with no A/C
Since it's an unusually hot day with it being 94 right now in San Francisco, I can relate. Been guzzling cold water this afternoon with lemon juice added to it - it really does help cool one down, plus it is alkalizing, a great bonus anytime. Lime water helps too. As well as drinking plenty of water, and eating high-water containing foods, easing up on fatty stuff can help, as this tends to be too warming for some folks in hot weather. Pump the greens too. Now's the time for those big salads, and so easy to throw together in this weather - added bonus of the raw food lifestyle - no hot kitchen - LOL! But the importance of staying well-hydrated cannot be overemphasized, especially for older folks who are more sensitive to temperature extremes and tend to be in a chronic state of dehydration anyway. This is where the raw food way of eating along with plenty of water comes in.
Some non-food ways of keeping one's place reasonably comfortable are the traditional customs of opening the windows at night when it is cooler, closing most of them in the morning, and pulling down shades, especially on sides of your place that have sun exposure - this does really make a difference! Wearing a cool water-soaked bandanna around your neck is surprisingly helpful, as running cold water over one's wrists. Planning activities for either quite early in the am. and near sunset make a lot of sense as well - in AZ you DON'T want to have to be out in the mid-day sun.And since you just got there, you are acclimating, so be easy on yourself - it's a harsh climate! I lived in New Mexico for 12 years, higher up, but still hot in the summer. But depending on what kind of housing you have, an A/C alternative that is used throughout the southwest is an evaporative aka swamp cooler - much cheaper to run than A/C. When it gets in the high 90s and above, simple fans don't do much other than blow hot air around.
Hope this helps - stay cool if you can!
I've found that a nice cool bath with a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil (do NOT be heavy-handed with the peppermint oil! You've been warned!) is a nice way of staying cool.
It may not last for a long time, but I've found relief with it. Either that or some Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castle Soap...again, just a little bit.
Thanks for the replies!;)
The peppermint idea sounds cool~ and upping the greens is a very good idea, lots of minerals!!
When I moved to Texas, I learned a few helpful things...one, have a warm shower, then end it with cool, cool, COLD for as long as you can stand! I'd do that throughout the day, & then a little while before bed, it keeps ya cool for a few hours...
...dress light! I'm pretty abundantly endowed, so I also put a COLD hand towel, stretched out in my bra under my breasts! Works great!
Cucumbers & celery & watermelon also cool you off. In fact I heard of people doing marathons in the heat with no problems (while others were quitting or passing out!) because of drinking cucumber celery juice!!!
Also, keep your hair wet if you can't go have a shower, just get a thick brush & wet it with cold water repeatedly until your hair is soaked...then just do it again when it gets warm...if you have to go out, just cover with a bandana...even a COLD WET one! *grin*
That's all I can think of for now! We're having record-breaking heat today, 33 degrees! But my new basement suite is nice & cool, didn't even have to pull out the fan!!! Woohoo! Thank-you God, I barely survived last summer's heat! It's almost as hot here as Texas!!!
Raw Food Talk is a friendly forum brought to you by Alissa Cohen. You can find various living & raw food diet
merchandise such as her new book or CD on her website at www.alissacohen.com
. The Raw Food Talk forum is a great place to meet friends, share raw recipes, find advice and more. The forum is broken into different categories. The "Raw & Living Foods Discussion"
is for general chat about the raw diet. The Recipes and Food Preparation
is where you can discuss and exchange vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, & other raw recipes. "Exercise and Fitness While Raw"
is for advice, tips, training and more while you are on a raw diet. "Juicing, Sprouting, and Organic Gardening"
is for discussion related to juicing & juicers, sprouting, organic gardening & wild edible foods. "Raw Events and Classifieds"
is for posting events, products, and advertisements. These are just some of the different topics you will find being discussed in the Raw Food Talk forum. Come on in and meet some new friends. | <urn:uuid:d02f7741-70f7-4efb-8786-8c1152ab3012> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?41124-Dealing-with-the-heat-of-summer-w-no-A.C.&p=430491 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9583 | 1,228 | 1.5 | 2 |
Educate Your Emergency Responders
Pulmonary hypertension and PH-specific treatments are complex and rare, so they may be unfamiliar to your local emergency medical technicians (EMTs). That's why it's so important to be proactive about sharing information and resources with your local emergency response teams — so they have all the information they need in the event of a PH-related emergency.
Train Emergency Personnel in Advance
Because of the complexity of administering some PH medications, specialty pharmacies recommend that patients reach out to local emergency personnel and alert them to your special needs prior to an emergency situation. According to one PH Support Group leader, "EMTs are our life-line. We have a very specialized disease that's not common and any information that we can make available in advance to those treating us is going to make the outcome much brighter." Here are a few suggestions to get started:
- Put yourself on your EMT's radar. Call your EMT or ambulance provider’s non-emergency phone number, which in many areas is 311. Ask your EMT to tag your number in their system so that if you ever call 911, they'll be automatically alerted that you have special needs. Share information about PH, any associated conditions, your medications, oxygen needs, and specific instructions regarding your central line IV medication, if applicable.
- Request check-ins during blackouts or inclement weather. Ask your EMT to put you on the BOLO, or "Be on the lookout" list, which is a list of people who should be the first to receive attention, a check-in, electricity or specific needs in the event of a blackout, inclement weather or disaster.
- Introduce yourself to the local fire department. Let them know if you are on special medical treatments or life sustaining oxygen, and whether you have liquid oxygen in your home.
- Speak at a local EMT meeting. Contact your local EMT association to ask for a few minutes at an upcoming meeting to discuss the special emergency needs of pulmonary hypertension patients. If you're not comfortable doing your own training, contact your specialty pharmacy to organize and conduct the training for you. Bring handouts so audience members can do some additional research on their own. PHA and your specialty pharmacy can provide you with materials that explain PH and PH medications. Order free materials
Educate EMTs in Emergency Situations
You and your caregiver should both be prepared to educate EMTs and advocate for your special needs on the spot in the event of an emergency. Talk to your PH doctor about what details you need to convey to emergency personnel given your condition(s) and treatment plan. Here are some general guidelines:
- Keep critical health information on your refrigerator. Take advantage of stickers you can put on your window that alert EMTs to your condition and direct them to an "EMT file" detailing your specific needs, which you can keep on your refrigerator. PHA provides a free, magnetic brochure for this purpose. It includes critical information about the emergency care of PH patients and can be customized with patients' individual information. Order this brochure
- If you are on IV medication, be prepared to provide detailed instructions. Alert the EMTs of your condition. If your catheter is leaking or has fallen out, advise them that they must start an IV in your arm. If they are reluctant to place the IV, remind them that this is a life-sustaining medication with a half-life of just a few minutes. Show them the warning sticker on the pump and offer to sign a waiver of responsibility if they need one to start the IV. You can also call the emergency number on the pump. Do not take "no" for an answer. When the IV line is in place, screw the pump tubing directly to the IV. (You or your caregiver may need to do this if the emergency personnel refuse or decline to do so.) Make sure the pump is running.
- If you are on IV medication, be prepared to enforce the following emergency guidelines:
- DO NOT turn off the pump or allow the emergency personnel to turn off the pump. It could be fatal.
- DO NOT prime the IV line or allow emergency personnel to prime the line. A bolus of medicine (too much) is as dangerous as too little and can be fatal.
- DO NOT switch pumps or allow emergency personnel to switch pumps. The calibration (infusion rate) is not correct on a "standard" pump.
- DO NOT allow emergency personnel to take a blood draw from the IV. Your medicine must be continuously infused.
- Ask emergency personnel to notify your PH doctor. Once you get to the hospital, have the ER physician call your PH doctor or clinic and ask how they should proceed.
Resources for Emergency Personnel | <urn:uuid:c3692bcd-5545-4fe1-8942-e331a8ddf10f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.phassociation.org/page.aspx?pid=3856&chid=52 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930705 | 980 | 2.625 | 3 |
St. Kitts, West Indies (PRWEB) November 29, 2012
The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) has received full St. Kitts Accreditation, signifying major progress for a school determined to be a leading medical institution.
Caribbean medical schools are a popular alternative for American and Canadian students who are unable to gain admission to overwhelmingly competitive domestic schools. Earning full accreditation in its host country is an important achievement for a Caribbean medical school. UMHS receiving full accreditation from St. Kitts and Nevis signals continued, rapid progress toward the University's mission of educating tomorrow's physicians.
The Accreditation Board of St. Kitts/Nevis uses clearly defined standards for accreditation to evaluate medical education programs, including:
The Accreditation Board recognizes UMHS as meeting or exceeding all of the standards required for educating physicians. These comprehensive standards are in place to ensure that UMHS students receive the training needed to protect and preserve human health. The site visit team examined all aspects of the University that relate to medical student instruction. They conducted extensive interviews of faculty, staff and students, and in their final analysis concluded that students are receiving the best professional medical training possible.
The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS) is a Caribbean medical school, founded in 2007, offering a Doctor of Medicine degree program. Students begin their basic science studies in St. Kitts, West Indies, and complete their clinical training in teaching hospitals throughout the United States. UMHS prides itself on its state-of-the-art campus, small class sizes, high student retention, and near perfect USMLE passing rates.
For more information about UMHS, visit us online or inquire/apply here. Prospective students, advisors and faculty can reach us as 212-868-0855. | <urn:uuid:63d51d9b-0ddb-4ef2-bee2-15f80f6e11a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/11/prweb10176909.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954127 | 373 | 1.734375 | 2 |
By measuring your growing abdomen, your baby's rate of growth is assessed and any concerns are addressed. See a sample growth chart.
Folic acid and other vitamins are essential to the healthy growth and development of your baby. Here's why.
The placenta is the life support system for your baby. Find out how it works.
Chances are great that you have a perfectly healthy baby, but worrying about problems is normal. Here's how to assess your risk.
© 2000-2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:32ec82dd-48d7-45d7-88ae-4c3bbbb0cf4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pregnancy.familyeducation.com/prenatal-health-and-nutrition/fetal-growth-and-development/66354.html?for_printing=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951657 | 111 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Staging the first-ever Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi River, Lewis and Clark fire the expedition cannon and order an extra ration of whiskey for the men.
Six weeks earlier, Lewis and Clark left American civilization to depart on their famous journey. Since their departure, the party of 29 men--called the Corps of Discovery--had made good progress, traveling up the Missouri River in a 55-foot keelboat and two dugout canoes. When the wind was behind them, Lewis and Clark raised the keelboat sail, and on a few occasions, managed to travel 20 miles in a single day.
By early July, the expedition had reached the northeastern corner of the present-day state of Kansas. The fertility of the land astonished the two leaders of the expedition. Clark wrote of the many deer, "as plenty as Hogs about a farm," and with his usual creative spelling, praised the tasty "rasberreis perple, ripe and abundant."
On this day in 1804, the expedition stopped near the mouth of a creek flowing out of the western prairie. The men asked the captains if they knew if the creek had a name. Knowing none, they decided to call it Independence Creek in honor of the day.
The expedition continued upstream, making camp that evening at an abandoned Indian village. To celebrate the Fourth of July, Lewis and Clark commanded that the keelboat cannon be fired at sunset. They distributed an extra ration of whiskey to the men, and the explorers settled back to enjoy the peaceful Kansas night. In his final journal entry of the day, Clark wondered at the existence of, "So magnificent a Senerey in a Contry thus Situated far removed from the Sivilised world to be enjoyed by nothing but the Buffalo Elk Deer & Bear in which it abounds & Savage Indians."
The next day, the travelers resumed their journey up the Missouri River toward the distant Pacific Coast. They would not pass by their pleasant camping spot in Kansas again until their return journey, two years and many adventures later. | <urn:uuid:14bcb5f7-9f83-41bd-93c8-1e5f4de0803f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lewis-and-clark-celebrate-july-4?catId=11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961388 | 418 | 3.46875 | 3 |
The roads of the Old World are all too often small, primitive and unprotected being commonly plagued by bandits and goblins. Therefore a considerable part of the traffic of cargo and people is handled by boats sailing upon large rivers, who connect cities and markets. The river boats pay tools to the local authorities and a part of the tolls is expended in the maintenance of river locks.
Rivers often double as political borders, being relatively easy to defend. An invading army is forced to use bridges and/or fords when an river is too wide to cross on foot. The control of such strategic chocking points is a high priority of any approaching army. Due such reasons all large rivers possess tremendous military importance. | <urn:uuid:9eee8ede-1b77-4871-a732-efc5e2babd2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Lynsk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961307 | 141 | 2.5 | 2 |
Let the Mountains Talk,
Let the Rivers Run
A compelling account of Brower's vision, activism, and extraordinary record of accomplishment.
The book appears to be based on a series of tape-recorded and edited conversations with the co-author, Steve Chapple. Though tantalizing hints of Brower's life occur throughout - a childhood that included time in the Sierras, mountaineering firsts, service in the Second World War, and his long history with the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and Earth Island Institute - this isn't really a biography.
Instead, it's broken into a series of thematic chapters, each packed with quotable material and good solid ideas. Many describe a particular vision of Brower's, whether related to transportation, forests, ecological restoration, or having fun while saving the Earth.
Given his reputation as a vigorous defender of the environment, I was somewhat surprised to note the generous tone he adopts when describing those he's faced off against during his career. A marvelous testament to a life well-lived.
Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run
by David Brower, with Steve Chapple
Sierra Club Books
198pp. Foreword by Amory Lovins. | <urn:uuid:d7f1f318-b9d2-4397-bf6c-8d79ac0ef5ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eco-usa.net/other/reviews/brower.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952767 | 253 | 1.679688 | 2 |