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The quote, “Trust everybody, but cut the cards,” is attributed to Finley Peter Dunne, a Chicago-based writer, author, and humorist. Dunne was a friend of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. The anti-fraud provisions of the Investment Advisers Act were passed to ensure that investors do not get a raw deal from a trusted advisor.
Section 206 of the Investment Advisers Act is the general anti-fraud provision governing RIAs. Even investment advisors who are exempt from registration are still subject to certain anti-fraud provisions found in Section 206. As we will explore further in Scope of the Fiduciary Duty Owed by Investment Advisors, Section 206 also creates a fiduciary duty that is owed by RIAs to their clients, whether they are state or SEC-registered.
Section 206 Statutory Language
Section 206 of the Investment Advisers Act prohibits RIAs from engaging in fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative activities. To avoid violating Section 206, RIAs must not engage in direct or indirect transactions that act as a fraud upon any client or prospective client. Section 206 prohibits misstatements, as well as omissions of material facts. According to the case of Steadman v. SEC, 603 F. 2d 1126, 1134 (5th Cir. 1979), aff’d 450 U.S. 91 (1981), a fact is deemed material if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it to be important.
Sections 206(1) and (2) state that it is unlawful for any RIA to utilize any device, scheme, or artifice, in order to defraud any client or prospective client. RIAs must also refrain from engaging in any transaction, practice, or course of business that operates as a fraud or deceit upon any client or prospective client. These sections of the Investment Advisers Act are the foundation of the fiduciary duty owed by RIAs to their clients. For example, it would be deceptive for an RIA to solicit clients with promises of a guaranteed return from certain investments or false statements about the firm’s track record. It would also be fraudulent or deceptive for an RIA to assure prospective clients that an investment is risk-free.
Introduction to Fiduciary Duty
Many IARs were in the financial services profession long before they became associated with an RIA. Perhaps, they sold insurance or worked as a registered representative for a broker-dealer. Many decided to work for an RIA or start an advisory firm, so they could focus on giving advice and not selling a particular policy or investment product.
Making the shift from a sales orientation to a fiduciary relationship is not always easy. RIAs owe a fiduciary duty to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own and to disclose all material conflicts of interest. For example, an RIA that is still affiliated with a broker-dealer must disclose to clients the potential conflicts of interest that arise from that relationship. When an RIA is dually-registered, clients’ transactions must be executed through that broker-dealer, which means that brokerage fees may be higher.
RIAs must also treat their clients impartially and avoid favoring one client over another. For instance, an RIA may not favor one client by giving that person access to potentially lucrative initial public offerings (IPOs). RIAs also owe an affirmative duty to their clients of full and fair disclosure of all material facts. These disclosures are made in the firm’s Form ADV, which we will discuss in The New and Improved Form ADV.
As fiduciaries, RIAs must refrain from engaging in prohibited transactions. For example, an RIA may not assign an advisory contract to another firm without the client’s consent. Furthermore, RIAs may not use advisory contracts containing contractual language that seeks to limit or avoid their civil liability for mistakes made in managing the client’s money. In addition, RIAs must make full disclosure of their fees, investment strategies, and business practices.
Other financial services professionals are not held to this same high standard. For example, registered representatives for a broker-dealer are not usually held to this standard, unless there are special circumstances or state court decisions impose a fiduciary obligation on them. The Dodd-Frank Act ordered the SEC to study whether RIAs and broker-dealers should be subject to a uniform fiduciary standard. That study was released in January, 2011, and recommended that broker-dealers be subject to the same fiduciary standard as RIAs. It remains to be seen if there will be a harmonization of the fiduciary standard applied to RIAs and broker-dealers. AdvisorOne reported in a posting on December 1, 2011, that industry and consumer officials are unsure if and when the fiduciary mandate will come to pass. The SEC is being pressured by Capitol Hill to conduct a more robust economic analysis of the fiduciary standard’s impact. There is also concern that the fiduciary standard will be challenged in court.
It is not always clear-cut as to whether an IAR owes a fiduciary obligation to clients. For example, IARs of an advisory firm may hold a license to sell insurance. When IARs stop giving investment advice and begin selling insurance to clients, they do not necessarily owe a fiduciary duty to them. Much depends upon the facts and circumstances of the situation. Nevertheless, the fact that an IAR may earn commissions from the sale of insurance policies must be disclosed to clients in the RIA’s Form ADV, which is the firm’s disclosure brochure.
As we move forward in this book, we will pay special attention to the rules implemented by the SEC to flesh out the obligations owed by virtue of Sections 206(1) and (2). These rules help clarify the act, passed by Congress. For example, restrictions on advertising are found in Rule 206(4)-1 under the Act. State-registered RIAs are governed by similar state regulations that are often modeled after SEC rules. Some states incorporate—by reference—SEC rules in lieu of creating their own regulations.
The Big Picture
In response to an article I wrote for RIABIZ.com, an IAR took issue with my statement that advisors should act like fiduciaries in their dealings with prospective clients. The IAR stated that there is no duty to act like a fiduciary until the parties enter into a legally-binding relationship.
RIAs and IARs should view themselves as fiduciaries at all times, whether they meet the legal definition or not. If they deviate from the fiduciary standard of full disclosure while courting clients, they will cause themselves significant problems down the road. I would hate to think that IARs tell themselves they are not a fiduciary yet, so they can be less than forthcoming in their marketing efforts and interactions with prospective clients. They are still bound by the requirement in Sections 206(1) and (2) that requires them to avoid fraud and deceit in their dealings with prospective clients.
Policies and procedures can help to ensure that RIAs and IARs avoid fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative conduct. They can also improve the odds that the firm and its employees fulfill their fiduciary obligations. | <urn:uuid:ac1b3904-66d7-48de-ae28-dcaf9acfe2f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.advisorone.com/2012/01/01/anti-fraud-provisions-of-the-investment-advisers-a | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956923 | 1,515 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Florida does not need the
Federal Government to create jobs.
Florida politicians missed a chance to
capture this opportunity.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC (HMMA), Hyundai's
first assembly and manufacturing plant in the United States.
This $1.4 billion automotive plant is one of the most advanced
assembly plants in North America.
HMMA currently provides employment for
more than 2,700 people.
Florida politicians missed a chance
to capture this opportunity.
Toyota Technical Center (TTC), a division of TEMA, is located
in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Recent expansion in York Township has
increased investment by $187 million and will add 400 new jobs
by 2010. Toyota's total direct investment in the U.S. has now
grown to more than $17 billion, and our annual spending on
parts, goods and services from hundreds of U.S. suppliers
totals more than $29 billion.**
Natural Recourse development would
provide at least 350,000 new jobs with an average annual
salary of $64,000 dollars.
I have experience in capturing jobs
and actual job growth.
There is no excuse for Florida
Politicians to have missed these job creation opportunities,
which would have resulted in approximately four billion
dollars in new employment income for Floridians. | <urn:uuid:9c5c8fcd-4ba2-4a08-9971-a877edefa739> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mikelameyer.com/Jobs_Economy.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91469 | 282 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Barack Obama has removed all mention of Islam from the National Security Strategy document, which during the Bush Administration said: “The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict of the early years of the 21st century.” Obama apparently agrees with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Monday: “Islam and terrorism cannot be mentioned together, because they are contradictory to each other.”
Erdogan, incidentally, also famously said this about “moderate Islam”: “These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.” And that statement itself demonstrates one of the key fallacies of the Obama Administration’s stance that Islam has nothing to do with, uh, Islamic terrorism.
Now that the idea that Islam and terrorism have anything to do with one another has been relegated to the dustbin of history, it’s worth asking why anyone got this idea in the first place. Was it sheer bigotry? Racism? Let’s see. Could it have been from Osama bin Laden, who once praised Allah for the Qur’an’s “Verse of the Sword” (9:5), which instructs Muslims to “slay the unbelievers wherever you find them”? Or maybe it was from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, who once thundered: “Islam says: Kill in the service of Allah those who may want to kill you!…There are hundreds of other [Koranic] psalms and hadiths [sayings of the prophet] urging Muslims to value war and to fight. Does all that mean that Islam is a religion that prevents men from waging war? I spit upon those foolish souls who make such a claim.”
Maybe it was from the British Muslim Omar Brooks, who said in 2005 that it was imperative for Muslims to “instill terror into the hearts of the kuffar” and added: “I am a terrorist. As a Muslim of course I am a terrorist.” Or maybe it was from the Qur’an itself, which tells Muslims to “strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah” (8:60). Maybe it was from the perpetrators of the 15,000-plus terror attacks committed in the name of Islam since 9/11.
But a recent conference of Islamic scholars in Mardin, Turkey, has given apparent intellectual heft to the Obama/Erdogan contention. Discussing a fourteenth-century fatwa by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya, a favorite of contemporary Islamic jihadists, the scholars declared: “anyone who seeks support from this fatwa for killing Muslims or non-Muslims has erred in his interpretation and has misapplied the revealed texts.”
That sounds great. It is unequivocal. But what it is unequivocal about is the use of Ibn Taymiyya’s fatwa to justify killing Muslims or non-Muslims. It unequivocally declares that illegitimate. It does not declare illegitimate the killing of Muslims or non-Muslims itself.
I am not saying that these scholars did not mean to condemn the killing of Muslims and non-Muslims in the name of Islam. Maybe they did. But they did not do so by condemning the use of Ibn Taymiyya’s fatwa, for there are plenty of other Islamic sources that justify the killing of unbelievers.
The scholars issued what they called the “New Mardin Declaration,” saying: “Ibn Taymiyya’s fatwa concerning Mardin can under no circumstances be appropriated and used as evidence for leveling the charge of kufr (unbelief) against fellow Muslims, waging revolt against rulers, deeming their lives and property freely accessible to Muslims, terrorizing those who enjoy safety and security, acting treacherously towards those who live (in harmony) with fellow Muslims or with whom fellow Muslims live (in harmony) via the bond of citizenship and peace.”
Here again, the focus is very narrow: the New Mardin Declaration seems to discuss only Ibn Taymiyya’s fatwa, not the larger question of the Islamic justification for these things outside of that fatwa. But in any case, the part of the Declaration quoted above offers no comfort to unbelievers concerned about being targeted by jihadists. It is only concerned that Muslims do not declare other Muslims to be unbelievers — which is indeed a favorite practice of Salafis in general — and that they do not revolt against rulers (which is probably a slap to Al-Qaeda for waging jihad against the House of Saud, etc.).
It does also rule out “acting treacherously towards those who live (in harmony) with fellow Muslims or with whom fellow Muslims live (in harmony) via the bond of citizenship and peace,” but leaves unclear what exactly might constitute this treachery. This may forbid Muslims in West to commit violent jihad attacks against non-Muslims in their adoptive countries, but it remains unclear whether Muslims in Western countries would be “acting treacherously” by working in non-violent ways to impose elements of Sharia. Would CAIR’s efforts to smear and defame anti-jihadists, and intimidate Americans into being afraid to report suspicious activity by Muslims, constitute “acting treacherously”? Would efforts to secure special privileges for Muslims in workplaces, schools, and public places like airports constitute “acting treacherously”?
The New Declaration said that the distinction in Islamic theology between the dar al-harb, the house of war, and the dar al-Islam, house of Islam, as outmoded, “based on ijtihad (juristic reasoning) that was necessitated by the circumstances of the Muslim world, then and the nature of the international relations prevalent at that time.” The Declaration said that in the modern age, circumstances “had changed with international treaties and nation states.”
That’s reasonable, but it raises another question: if circumstances change again, might all this “reform” be out the window? Is the New Mardin Declaration a matter of an evolved understanding of core principles — i.e., a genuine reform — or is it simply a temporary expedient?
On jihad, the New Declaration stated: “Muslim scholars, throughout the ages, have always stressed and emphasized that the jihad that is considered the pinnacle of the religion of Islam, is not of one type, but of many, and actually fighting in the Path of God is only one type. The validation, authorization, and implementation of this particular type of Jihad is sanctioned by the Shariah to only those who lead the community (actual heads of states).
Great. There are many types of jihad. But there is no rejection of the supremacist character of jihad — i.e., its goal to impose Sharia upon non-Muslims polities. All this is saying is that there are many ways to do that. And that “this particular type of Jihad” — i.e., not all types — is the province of the state to sanction. Thus Osama bin Laden, who couches his jihad as defensive, which he must do since he recognizes that the office of caliph, the only person authorized in Sunni Islam to declare offensive jihad, is vacant, would find nothing in the New Mardin Declaration that would stop him. Defensive jihad in traditional Islamic theology does not need the sanction of the state, but becomes the obligation of every individual Muslim as soon as an Islamic land is attacked.
And the New Mardin Declaration goes on to say just that:
This is because such a decision of war is a political decision with major repercussions and consequences. Hence, it is not for a Muslim individual or Muslim group to announce and declare war, or engage in combative jihad, whimsically and on their own. This restriction is vital for preventing much evil from occurring, and for truly upholding Islamic religious texts relevant to this matter.
The basis of the legitimacy of jihad is that it is either to repel/resist aggression: “Fight in the Way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah likes not the transgressors.” (Qur’an, 2:190), or to aid those who are weak and oppressed: “And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?” (Qur’an, 4:75), or in defense of the freedom of worshiping: “To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; – and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid.” (Qur’an, 22:39). It is not legitimate to declare war because of differences in religion, or in search of spoils of war.”
Osama has quoted Qur’an 22:39 in his communiques. He is waging defensive jihad, not “war because of differences in religion, or in search of spoils of war.” The problem is that with unbelief itself constituting aggression for some Islamic authorities, and given the Qur’anic command to fight unbelievers until “religion is all for Allah” (8:39), it is cold comfort to unbelievers, and no restraint for jihadists, to remind them that they should only be fighting aggression.
There is here no simple and straightforward declaration that Muslims should not fight non-Muslims and attempt to subjugate them under Sharia. And that is still the problem. Obama and Erdogan and the rest are demanding that Islam be separated from terrorism, and yet the conceptual apparatus establishing a peaceful Islam has never been presented. We are all supposed to take it on faith. But the stakes are too high for that. | <urn:uuid:03e114a6-45d2-49b1-867f-16e41cfb6226> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://frontpagemag.com/2010/robert-spencer/separating-islam-from-terrorism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954701 | 2,071 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Lychee is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to China an now cultivated in various parts of the world. Lychee fruit is botanically called as Litchi chinensis and commonly called as leechi, litchi, laichi, lichu or lizhi. It’s a fresh delicate fruit whitish pulp with an excellent perfume flavor usually lost during canning hence the fruit is mostly eaten fresh.
Lychee fruit is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. Native to China, the Philippines and India, the lychee fruit are a delicious fruit which will add flavor to fruit salads. They are eaten fresh or dried but canned ones have become very popular. They don’t have a remarkably long shelf life and are usually easily damaged during transport and handling. Hence the lychees are considered a luxury fruit. Sun or fire dried lychees are known as lychee-nuts and taste a bit like a raisin.
Lychee is cultivated in China and in a narrow belt through Thailand, northern Vietnam and northern India particularly Bihar which accounts for about 75% of total production. South Africa and the United States (Hawaii and Florida) also have commercial lychee production. According to records in China going back as far as 2000 BC, Lychee has a history of cultivation which began in the area of southern China, Malaysia and northern Vietnam. Wild trees still grow in parts of southern China and on Hainan Island. There are many stories of the use of this fruit as a delicacy in the Chinese Imperial Court. It was first described and introduced to the west in 1782.
The Lychee was first described in the West by Pierre Sonnerat (1748–1814) on a return from his travel to China and Southeast Asia. It was then introduced to the Réunion Island in 1764 by Joseph-François Charpentier de Cossigny de Palma. It was later introduced to Madagascar which has become a major producer. They require a warm subtropical to tropical climate that is cool but also frost-free or with only very slight winter frosts not below -4°C, and with high summer heat, rainfall, and humidity. Growth is best on well-drained, slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter. A wide range of cultivars is available, with early and late maturing forms suited to warmer and cooler climates respectively. They are also grown as an ornamental tree as well as for their fruit.
It is an evergreen tree, reaching to 10–20 m tall, bearing fleshy fruits that are up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide. The outside of the fruit is covered by a pink-red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh. Lychees are eaten in many different dessert dishes, and are especially popular in China, throughout South-East Asia, along with South Asia. This fruit is primarily found in the countries namely: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Southern Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Lychees can be eaten on their own, sprinkled with lemon or lime juice, or combined with berries and other fruit in a salad. Lychees are often stuffed with low-fat cream cheese, topped with crushed nuts, and served as an appetizer in Hawaii. Used in cooking, the natural sweetness, aromatic flavor of the fruit complements entrees made with ham, chicken, fish, or beef. Aside from this antioxidant fruit being excellent to be eaten as it is, and being naturally added in chicken salads, desserts and fruit salads, lychees are also being used in making ice cream, syrups and delicious jams with lychee being the main element. Lychee Martini is a famous drink.
Lychee fruit has enormous health benefits as it contains different types of nutrition. It is a rich source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C degrees to 71.5 mg per 100 grams of pulp and is the natural antioxidants that are very useful for attacks against free radicals, causes early old process, and various cancer diseases. Lychees are a good source of riboflavin, potassium, copper and also contain iron, zinc, selenium and other minerals. Lychees treat coughs and can be trusted to have any effect cure gastralgia, tumor, and gland swell.
Fat content in the lychee fruit is very low and is very good to be consumed by all age groups, including those who are on diet to maintain or lose weight. Therefore, there is no limit how many lychee that should be consumed each day. Lychees are low in saturated fat and sodium and are cholesterol free. Most of the energy in a lychee is in the form of carbohydrate (sugar). Consume fresh lychee fruit every day to refine the skin. The fruit is also believed to enrich the blood and improve physical strength.
The nutritional values per 100 g of the edible parts of Lychees are:
Energy: 276 kJ (66 kcal)
Carbohydrates: 16.5 g
Dietary fiber: 1.3 g
Fat: 0.4 g
Protein: 0.8 g
Vitamin C: 72 MG
Calcium: 5 mg
Magnesium: 10 mg
Phosphorus: 31 mg | <urn:uuid:5f69be17-ec0e-4e0f-a6ed-e6fb64ac57f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vahrehvah.com/indianfood/lychee/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958337 | 1,148 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Engeye Teen Connection (ETC) Has Raised over $10,000 through the Bucks For Books Fundraising Campaign and Plans to Raise More in 2012
The Engeye Teen Connection Board Members recently led a fundraising effort to help purchase textbooks and school supplies for children in rural Uganda. The program was inspired by 16 year old Sara Weinman’s visit to Ddegeya village in February. While in Ddegeya Village, Sara had the opportunity to assist with teaching responsibilities at a local village school, St. Gertrude's Primary School. At one point, Sara was called upon to step in and teach an English class at St. Gertrude's when the teacher was called away. Sara was struck by how the teachers and students at these schools are able to accomplish so much without even the basic resources such as books, text books and chalk. Sara had the opportunity to spend time with all of the Engeye Scholars and meet with administrators and teachers at each school. Her experience at Sydney Paul, reminded her again of how much is done for the students without the benefit of basic textbooks. Sara realized how much more could be done at this school if the teachers and students, simply had access to a complete set of textbooks. To learn more about Sara's trip, please go to: http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=705419
To respond to the incredible need, ETC board members Sara Weinman, Brian Hickey and Greg Hickey launched a fundraising effort to provide textbooks for the students at these rural schools. 100% of the donations received support educational initiatives and the purchase of textbooks and school supplies for these students. The teens set a goal of $10,000 and they were able to reach that goal in a few short months, through small events and a large scale online campaign which Brian expanded through a running website that he had created for his high school. To find out more, please visit: http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=726820&cat=15
In July, Brian traveled to Uganda to meet with rural school administrators, and deliver hundreds of new textbooks purchased in Uganda to the rural schools. Brian's blog of his experience is still available on the Engeye Scholars website (engeyescholars.org). Through his blog he was able to share his experience with donors, family members, friends and classmates. The school and educational improvements continue and a community day is planned at St. Gertrude's school in January where community members and parents will come together to repair, update and paint their school with resources provided through ETC’s efforts.
Education is the key to the future for students of all ages. Bright children in and around Ddegeya with great promise lack the basic school supplies and textbooks to help them learn and succeed. You can make a dramatic difference in a rural Ugandan village, and help us extend educational opportunities to needy children. We have launched a new program “ETC Bucks for Books” through which we are working to purchase textbooks and other school supplies for neighboring schools. The teachers at these schools are trying to educate children without textbooks and the most basic supplies. Please consider making a donation. Any amount is appreciated and can do so much. For example: a donation of $50.00 can buy 4 classroom text books. 100% of the donations to this program will be used to purchase text books and school supplies. For more information, please visit: www.etcbucksforbooks.org
ETC continues to work on several projects and programs with the Engeye Scholars Program, school administrators and the villagers of Ddegeya to continue their mission to make a difference in the lives of children and families in rural Uganda. The continued projects include, website initiatives, classroom sponsorship programs, facebook updates, pen pal arrangements between students in the US and rural Uganda, presentations at local schools in the US, and fundraising events. Next summer, ETC Board member Greg Hickey plans on traveling to Uganda for the first time and Board member Sara Weinman is making plans to return for a second time. These teens are committed to continue the work they have started.
About the Engeye Health Clinic and Engeye Scholars
Engeye, a U.S. and Ugandan NGO based in Uganda, was created in 2006 by a dedicated group of medical students to address the disparity in basic health, education and environmental needs of rural Ugandan villagers. Since its inception, the Engeye team has grown to include lawyers, architects, physicians, public health enthusiasts, engineers and more. The Engeye Health Clinic provides care for a region in Uganda that is voiceless, despite its substantial need, and that otherwise would not have access to healthcare. Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke, Dr. Carlos Elguero, Stephen Po-Chedley, Misty Richards, James Walker, Keith DesRochers and John Leisure make up the Board of Directors. The Engeye Scholars program was born to assist the schools in Ddegeya Village. Education is highly valued in Uganda and many experts believe education is the key to raising poor countries out of poverty. Through scholarships, the children of Ddegeya Village have the opportunity to attend boarding school, which delays child bearing, empowers women and provides newfound hope for a child to fulfill his or her dreams. Elaine Pers Hickey and Theresa Weinman are Co-directors of the program. | <urn:uuid:39ed9fb1-fe44-47f2-8c14-c40706a67ca7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.transworldnews.com/991049/a46012/engeye-teen-connection-raises-funds-to-help-educate-ugandan-children-in-ddegeya-village | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971852 | 1,125 | 1.671875 | 2 |
U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Federal Energy Management Program
Army Announces $7 Billion Action to Support Renewable Energy
August 15, 2012
The U.S. Army announced on August 7 that it has issued a $7 billion Request for Proposal to procure renewable and alternative energy on federal property through power purchase agreements. The $7 billion capacity would be expended for the purchase of energy over 30 years or less from renewable energy plants that are constructed and operated by contractors using private sector financing. Contracts will be awarded to both large and small businesses among four different renewable energy technologies: solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass.
Project locations may be on any federal property located within the United States, U.S. territories, or other property under the control of the U.S. government. The solicitation will be available for 60 days, with responses due by October 5. These contracts are part of a U.S. Department of Defense goal to get 25% of its total energy from renewable sources by 2025. See the Army press release. | <urn:uuid:16761bb1-5fac-40ca-9028-1aa0b46b49c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/news/printable_versions/news_detail.html?news_id=18552 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952767 | 220 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Scheherezade’s Bequest is now an annual print journal of fiction and poetry in the fairy tale tradition. We publish both original fairy tales and revisions of old favorites, and are particularly interested in the more obscure fairy tales that are often overlooked in our Disney-saturated culture.
It was in the 19th century in Western Europe that the fairy tale was normalized into the form in which we best know it today, but that doesn’t mean we limit ourselves to that time or place, to the stories of the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, or Andrew Lang in our retellings. We refuse to overlook the wealth of stories that have their origins elsewhere, and are proud to follow in the footsteps of collectors and anthologists like Angela Carter, Jane Yolen, and Terri Windling in publishing tales inspired by far-flung cultures and diverse sources.
If you are interested in submitting fiction to Scheherezade’s Bequest, you can find our guidelines here.
As You Wish: The Loathly Lady Issue
Scheherezade’s Bequest Vol. 1 Issue 1
Eds. Donna Quattrone & Virginia M. Mohlere
Published by Papaveria Press
ISBN 978 1 907881 34 3 (Paperback)
ISBN 978 1 907881 36 7 (Digital)
128 pages, full colour.
Thanks to the generosity of our authors, previous online issues of Scheherezade’s Bequest are archived here:
Issue 15 (September 2012)
Issue 14 (December 2011)
Issue 13 (May 2011)
Issue 12 (January 2011)
Issue 11 (Sept 2010)
Issue 10 (May 2010)
Issue 9 (January 2010)
Issue 8 (September 2009)
Issue 7 (March 2009)
Issue 6 (Sept 2008)
Issue 5 (March 2008)
Issue 4 (July 2006)
Issue 3 (March 2006)
Issue 2 (Nov 2005)
Issue 1 (July 2005) | <urn:uuid:9db64f61-2cb7-4d2b-8d39-ef822716ddb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cabinetdesfees.com/scheherezades-bequest/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938856 | 420 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Last week’s impeachment process in Paraguay – which many congressmen and analysts in the country have supported as part of a legal process enshrined in the Constitution to tackle a president “performing poorly" – was widely condemned across political spectrum, from Bolivia's Evo Morales to Chile's right-leaning Sebastián Piñera. Many commentators referred to it as an institutional coup.
But it has been the left-leaning leaders of South America, headed by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, that have most vociferously condemned the events in Paraguay, rankling Paraguayan leaders. Now Venezuela, which had been agitating to join Mercosur - the trade grouping that comprises Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and, until yesterday, Paraguay – has been invited in. The proposal had been repeatedly blocked by Paraguay's right-leaning parliament. Paraguay’s suspension from the group cleared the way for the oil-rich nation’s fast-track membership by the end of next month.
Lugo, a former priest and Paraguay’s first leftist leader who came to power in 2008, was removed from office last Friday within 24 hours after an impeachment trial was brought against him. The opposition-led Chamber of Deputies and Senate overwhelmingly approved the nine charges for his “poor performance of duties” as president.
The catalyst for the impeachment, attempted on previous occasions, was the standoff between police and landless peasants in Curuguaty, eastern Paraguay, two weeks ago that left 17 people dead – both peasants and police. Lugo, who maintains close links to the landless movement, was accused of inciting the protesters. | <urn:uuid:5d375501-305e-4ade-ac9b-38ad0f3153be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2012/0630/Paraguay-isolated-over-president-s-ouster/(page)/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971459 | 338 | 1.710938 | 2 |
On 11 January 2010, the United Nations inaugurated the International Year of Biodiversity in Berlin. This initiative is timely, because the environmental movement suffers from an imbalance between its sense of urgency and its intensity of activity. Center stage is now occupied by concerns for the physical environment – in particular, climate change, pollution, and depletion of nonrenewable resources.
However, if the living world is to be kept in anything approaching a sustainable condition that can adapt to changes, then politicians, government officials, scientists, and the public will need to give biodiversity the urgent attention that they are starting to give to the physical environment.
Read the full article on Science. S.N. Stuart, et al. (2010) The Barometer of Life. Science, 328(5975), 177. | <urn:uuid:ddafbdd5-ad0e-4712-bf8e-4fa70a624974> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.conservation.org/publications/Pages/Barometer_of_Life.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93526 | 161 | 2.890625 | 3 |
When will the city of Memphis add sexual orientation and gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy?
God willing, on Tuesday.
The Memphis City Council could choose then to leap into the 21st century, right next to public opinion and the policies of America's most successful corporations.
At its next meeting, the council will vote on a proposed nondiscrimination ordinance that should include lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) citizens.
City policy already bans employment discrimination based on the usual categories — race, age, religion, among others — but leaves gay people vulnerable and without recourse if they encountered a biased boss or co-worker.
An ordinance has more heft than a policy, and one with LGBT protections is overdue.
A similar effort failed in 2010, but since then, the country has signaled its growing support of the LGBT community.
In just two years, the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was repealed; President Barack Obama said gay couples should have the right to marry; he told the Justice Department to stop defending the (unconstitutional) Defense of (heterosexual) Marriage Act; and the Democratic National Convention included marriage equality in its platform.
Jonathan Cole, vice president of the Tennessee Equality Project, which advocates for the civil rights of gays, lesbians and transgender people, pointed out that Knoxville and Nashville have LGBT protections in city hiring and employment.
So do 86 percent of Fortune 500 companies, including FedEx, AutoZone and International Paper.
"We feel like Memphis has some catching up to do," Cole said.
That's putting it mildly.
The NAACP, the local IBEW and AFSCME unions and the Memphis Police Association support a nondiscrimination ordinance that specifically protects LGBT residents.
So much for the notion that the push for gay rights is a fringe effort of the super-liberal.
It doesn't get more mainstream than the NFL, and just this month, a Baltimore Ravens linebacker and a Minnesota Vikings punter made headlines for their vocal backing of gay marriage.
These days, it's basically a no-brainer that gay men and women are among the "all" promised of liberty and justice in our pledge. Recent polls show that majority of Americans support gay marriage and even more younger Americans do.
If public opinion were a church usher, she'd show councilman Bill Boyd, who is in his 70s, to the back pew.
Boyd, who with Reid Hedgepeth and Kemp Conrad voted against the 2010 ordinance, claims his religion keeps him from agreeing that everyone, including gays and lesbians, should be treated equally by the city.
Well, he didn't use those words, but he did say last week that being gay is "contradictory to God's word" and the ordinance would bring "legitimacy to that lifestyle."
Bellevue Baptist pastor Steve Gaines worried that if the 2010 measure passed, he'd be forced to put a transvestite in charge of the day care center.
Of course, that's ridiculous, irrational and absolutely unfounded. (And ignorant, because transvestites are more appropriately referred to as cross dressers and cross dressing is occasional, often for entertainment and has no bearing on sexual orientation.)
"This ordinance only applies to city of Memphis employment. It's not going to force any church to hire or not hire anybody," Cole said.
In their opposition, Boyd and Gaines overlook the 20-plus local faith leaders and thousands of Christians, Catholics, Muslims and Jews here whose faith says that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves equal treatment.
Even younger conservative Christians are pulling away from their elders; a 2011 poll found 44 percent of young white evangelicals favor marriage equality, compared to 12 percent of those over 65.
And 70 percent of young Christians surveyed said churches that harp on gay issues are driving them away.
Pollsters define young people as those between 18-29. On the council, youth is a bit older and relative, but it would include council members Shea Flinn, Edmund Ford Jr., Wanda Halbert and Lee Harris. All but Harris, who wasn't on the council in 2010, voted in favor of the ordinance.
For this younger breed of politicians, now is the time to extend job protections to all citizens.
Contact Wendi C. Thomas at firstname.lastname@example.org or 901-529-5896. | <urn:uuid:964ad49f-bb4c-4ad0-9258-2bac2076ba75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/sep/16/wendi-c-thomas-memphis-city-council-should-add/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955273 | 903 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Attucks Theatre History
The Attucks Theatre was the brainchild of the Twin Cities Amusement Corporation, an enterprise of black businessmen from Norfolk and Portsmouth who developed the Attucks as a regional mecca for entertainment and commerce. Their vision was to develop a cultural center in the heart of the minority community where the citizens would be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserved. The theatre was named in honor of Crispus Attucks, an African-American who the first to die in the Revolutionary War. Harvey N. Johnson, a noted African-American architect, was selected to design this facility. When it opened in grand fashion in 1919, the Attucks showcased legitimate theatre (or plays), vaudeville and movies at a price the community could afford. During its heyday a host of legendary performers graced the stage of the Attucks including Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Redd Foxx and many, many more.
Though heralded for its cultural contributions, the Attucks provided many other valued services to the community. It was a great platform for advocating social and political reform. Educationally, it served as an adjunct facility for Norfolk Public Schools, hosting poetry reading, music recitals, writing contests, graduation exercises and Black History Week exhibits. For the religious community it provided accommodations for church services and concerts. Enterprise was a major function of the complex, accommodating the offices of leading doctors, dentists, attorneys, Realtor and other professionals. During its heyday the Attucks was well utilized and loved by the community. It ceased to function as a theatre in the mid 1950′s. Today, as a state and national landmark, it is distinguished as the oldest remaining legitimate theatre in the nation that was completely financed, designed, constructed and operated by African-Americans. | <urn:uuid:c58d4812-996c-483d-bd6d-bd025a80c0e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cacc-inc.org/?page_id=219 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977718 | 368 | 3.140625 | 3 |
ST. LOUIS--()--Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri members could gain convenience and potentially save money and time by testing for obstructive sleep apnea at home while sleeping in their own bed.
“For members who have high-deductible plans or consumer-driven health plans, this program can be useful in helping them control the portion of their health care costs they pay directly”
In-home tests generally cost $200-$400, which is significantly less than facility tests in Missouri that range from $789 in an independent freestanding center to more than $1,555 in a hospital outpatient department.
“For members who have high-deductible plans or consumer-driven health plans, this program can be useful in helping them control the portion of their health care costs they pay directly,” said Steve Martenet, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri. “The sleep management program is one of several programs we are putting in place to help members and employers reduce or maintain costs while still offering the same quality of services. We are hopeful that these kinds of programs can also help us in controlling the rise of insurance premiums.”
More than 12 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and many are undiagnosed, according to the National Institutes of Health. It’s a condition caused by the obstruction of the upper airway that causes repetitive pauses in breathing during sleep that can lead to daytime sleepiness or fatigue. Sleep apnea also increases health risks, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, depression, weight gain and obesity.
The Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine estimated in 2010 that the total annual economic cost of sleep apnea was $65-$165 billion – greater than asthma, heart failure, stroke and hypertensive disease. The numbers included costs to diagnose and treat the condition, with a much larger percentage of the costs derived from hidden health care costs related to its impact on other diseases and its role in motor vehicle accidents.
While a home-based test is likely appropriate for 70-80 percent of patients with suspected sleep apnea, Anthem claims data show only about 1-2 percent of all sleep apnea testing takes place at home, according to a 2010 analysis by AIM Specialty Health, which is operating the sleep management program. Physicians enter information about their patient into an AIM web service tool to determine whether an at-home test is appropriate for their patient.
The June 2012 edition of SLEEP published a research study indicating that home-based diagnosis and therapy for obstructive sleep apnea in patients who meet criteria similar to those established in AIM’s program are clinically appropriate in properly selected patients, and achieves better long-term patient compliance.
For those whose condition is more appropriate for facility testing, Anthem will contact members and inform them of options for sleep testing sites that have met accreditation and certification guidelines and provide competitive prices.
Members can easily set up home sleep tests and sleep in their own beds. Data is collected by the device and analyzed by technicians and physicians. Once a member receives a machine used to treat sleep apnea, equipment vendors can monitor to see how regularly the patient is wearing the device and follow up with calls to help resolve issues.
“If members are struggling, we want to get them help as soon as possible so they can get back on track, improve their chances of benefiting from therapy, and ultimately produce overall better outcomes,” said Wayne Meyer, M.D., medical director at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri.
The program is available now to fully insured and many self-insured members. Anthem has plans to expand the offering to self-insured groups in 2013.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri
In Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area) Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name for RightCHOICE® Managed Care, Inc. (RIT), Healthy Alliance® Life Insurance Company (HALIC), and HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates administer non-HMO benefits underwritten by HALIC and HMO benefits underwritten by HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates only provide administrative services for self-funded plans and do not underwrite benefits. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin.
About AIM Specialty Health
AIM Specialty Health or “AIM” is a leading specialty benefit management company with more than 20 years of experience and a growing presence in the management of radiology, cardiology, oncology, sleep medicine, and specialty pharmacy benefits. AIM's mission is to make health care services more clinically appropriate, safer and more affordable. As such, it promotes the most appropriate use of specialty care services through the application of widely accepted clinical guidelines delivered via an innovative platform of technologies and services. AIM is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP; www.wellpoint.com). For more information on AIM, please visit www.aimspecialtyhealth.com. | <urn:uuid:35980a89-eebf-4d6d-96bd-28160a7a0f95> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121211006299/en/Anthem-Blue-Cross-Blue-Shield-Missouri-Members | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943896 | 1,148 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Friday is the 30th anniversary of the launch of the IBM PC. While it wasn't the first personal computer ever built, its basic design was the foundation for nearly all PCs that are made today. While IBM no longer makes personal computers (it sold off that business to Lenovo years ago), Microsoft decided to celebrate the launch of the IBM PC a little early with an article on its official blog site today.
Written by Frank Shaw, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President for Corporate Communications, the blog points out that the IBM PC also launched with Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system which started Microsoft's rapid rise to the top of the technology world. Shaw writes, "Thirty years ago, Microsoft believed that making technology less expensive and more widely available would open up amazing opportunities for people and organizations to achieve their dreams. Our fundamental belief that democratizing technology can change the world continues to drive everything we do, and as technology and society have changed over the last 30 years, our vision for how technology can change the world has evolved as well."
While MS-DOS is gone, Microsoft is still releasing PC operating systems under its Windows division. Shaw writes, "As we look ahead to the next 30 years, we’ll continue to lead the industry forward in bringing technology to the next billion (or 2 billion or 6 billion) people on our planet. We’ll do that as we always have, by working with our partners to deliver amazing experiences to individuals and businesses."
The next part of that future is Windows 8 which is currently believed to be scheduled to launch sometime in 2012. Shaw points out that Microsoft's Build conference in September will be the place "where developers will hear more about how we’ve re-imagined Windows, from the chip set to the user experience, for this new world." Microsoft is rumored to launch the beta version of Windows 8 to developers at the Build conference.
Image Credit: Maximum PC | <urn:uuid:8cce7cb9-2d67-4e17-9414-b06cba41d3be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-celebrates-30-years-of-the-ibm-pc | 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 | 0.955122 | 388 | 2.0625 | 2 |
The design inference uncovers intelligent causes by isolating their key trademark: specified events of small probability. Just about anything that happens is highly improbable, but when a highly improbable event is also specified (i.e. conforms to an independently given pattern) undirected natural causes lose their explanatory power.
Design inferences can be found in a range of scientific pursuits from forensic science to research into the origins of life to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. This challenging and provocative book shows how incomplete undirected causes are for science and breathes new life into classical design arguments. It will be read with particular interest by philosophers of science and religion, other philosophers concerned with epistemology and logic, probability and complexity theorists, and statisticians. | <urn:uuid:509abe75-0867-47e4-900d-b244ff13b139> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=0521678676 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928033 | 151 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Current School Year: 2012-2013 Calendar | 2012-2013 Calendario
Board Adopts 2013-2014 Calendar
The calendar for the 2013-2014 school year (Español) has been adopted. It includes the start date and end date for school and breaks for major holidays. Other dates such as Back-to-School Nights, parent teacher conferences, testing dates and work days will be added as they become available. | <urn:uuid:20029ace-2a1b-41c1-983b-d7cbdcc7fda4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.d91.k12.id.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=71&Itemid=424 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909318 | 89 | 2.203125 | 2 |
An innovative effort to import institutions of the rule of law into
The idea of charter cities has been developed by economist Paul Romer as a way of getting around the endemic political corruption that deters investment and economic growth in many underdeveloped countries. Short version: Transplant
In a related report, the New York Times identifies the difficulty here: “To set up a
Sidebar: Every single article about this project that we’ve read from a mainstream news source uses the adjective “privately run” to describe these planned cities while also reporting that the cities would have their own system of government. That’s a contradiction in terms. A museum can be privately run; an ice-skating rink can be privately run; a trash-collection service can be privately run; but a jurisdiction that has a government is by definition not privately run. It’s as if the media can’t conceive of political authority and accountability existing outside of a centralized national government. Nah, they couldn’t think that, could they? | <urn:uuid:e037edcc-bd99-44cb-9825-6ffc4f1cc81c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://insideronline.org/blogarchive.cfm?month=10&year=2012&blogid=5654EA7C-5056-B712-665D2926F2BBDE81 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960127 | 215 | 2.078125 | 2 |
What Usually Anchors My Astral Body to My Physical Body?
Astral Projection aside for a moment, generally speaking, it seems obvious to me the answer is... Oxygen. free car insurance quotes online first started to think about this when I noticed through repeat observation (of both myself and others) that during waking there is often a deep intake Mister Ed breath. The more suddenly the waking, the sharper the breath. This got me thinking on bodily processes.
To be physically alive, two of the main processes needed are respiration and circulation. Thinking about emergency paramedics will make that clear, as the first lifesaving techniques are resuscitation and palpitation. Other bodily systems are needed too of course, Romanian Cuisine in this sense they are secondary. You need oxygen to your cells! Why? Because it acts as the 'link' between your physical and etheric and astral bodies, allowing your consciousness to 'anchor' physically, and the energy of your soul to come through. (Conversely, you need to exhale to get carbon dioxide out of your cells as it is a 'blockage' to this.)
Perhaps oxygen is more like a 'dimensional gateway' for energy in that sense. It is after all a pure gaseous element, having a high physical vibration (unlike carbon dioxide which is 'weighed down' by carbon.) And it makes sense of why yogic exercises concentrate so much on breath to influence energy flow. For example, concentrating on 'breathing in' to a particular area will energize it, and breathing out conversely.
After all, when you don't get enough oxygen, you 'pass out' (of your physical body!) You get 'pins-and-needles' or numb sensations when you cut off blood supply to a limb (you don't think those pins and needles are the sensation of your energy body trying to re-anchor or something? Hmmm...) Those who have had Near Death Experiences are drawn back when their heart starts pumping the good old O2 through their bodies...
I'm sure there are numerous other Alabama Lemon Laws but I hope this point is clear enough for anyone to see the truth in it. I've heard it hinted at by various sources, but strangely enough haven't heard anyone actually spelling it out. It is certainly more than implied in many Eastern practices, but far less commonly in mentioned in Western philosophies.
So what about during Astral Projection? Obviously we are still breathing when projecting, but the shallow and slower breathing make a big difference in enabling the majority of our consciousness to leave the physical body and 'go off and do other things'. In refinance lowest rates our physical bodies use a minimal energy requirement to keep us alive. To that extent only a small portion of our consciousness remains with the body, so it only needs a little oxygen.
I wanted to mention the oxygen aspect to this because I think it can explain a few uncertainties to do with projection phenomena. For example, fear and excitement mobilize the biological mechanisms, often increasing the heartbeat and pumping more blood into your veins and cells. Projectors frequently report that becoming afraid or over-excited, especially toward the start of any experience, can 'shock' one back into the physical body or otherwise end the experience.
I suggest the reason this happens is due to the phenomena of 'repercussion', where what is felt in one body can be felt in the other. This usually has a stronger effect with close proximity to the physical body. So excitement or fear increase your heart rate and thus blood flow and oxygen levels, 'drawing' you back. It's also worth mentioning that using breathing effectively can be very helpful in obtaining the relaxation required for the projection process.
William Ember is an self-trained explorer of Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection experiences and has recently authored the most comprehensive and in-depth training guide to these experiences available anywhere. It is available at: ultimateastralexperiencehttp://ultimateastralexperience | <urn:uuid:c1e9be0e-dc04-459d-9492-7121abd09760> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://joohrwsus.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-usually-anchors-my-astral-body-to.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948942 | 817 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) has announced that they will stop printing pennies. The RCM have unveiled a digital RFID-chip based currency that can be loaded up, stored and spent in-store and online.
The RCM calls this currency MintChip; which will be a virtual payment method accessible through microchips, microSD cards and USB sticks.
This RFID-chip currency is collaboration with the US corporations and research and development outfits. Ian Bennett, president and CEO of the Mint explains:
As part of its research and development efforts, the Mint has developed MintChip, which could be characterized as an evolution of physical money, with the added benefits of being electronic.The MintChip is still under development, with patents pending and prototypes being studied. The creation and perfection of the technology must be useable with American markets.
Paul Solman, correspondent for the PBS NewsHour purveys the positive propaganda of one world currency by asserting that:
Ah, the dream: one world, one economy, one currency - and, of course, one global political system . . . a common currency means a common economic policy . . .The United Future World Currency is a foundation nearly 2 decades old that seeks to "bring to life the project for a common currency" once defined as the Euro. They are committed to bringing awareness to the necessity of global currency.
Organizations like this serve to make the idea of a global currency more palatable to the general public. Simultaneously, nations like China are pushing against the US dollar being the global reserve currency as the Federal Reserve continues to inflate the US dollar which debases its worth.
The Institute of International Finance (IIF), a group of technocrats that represent 420 banking cartels and financing houses have joined the cry for a one world currency.
Charles Dallara, managing director of the IIF, said:
A core group of the world's leading economies need to come together and hammer out an understanding. The narrowly focused unilateral and bilateral policy actions seen in recent months - including many proposed and actual measures on trade, currency intervention and monetary policy - have contributed to worsening underlying macroeconomic imbalances. They have also led to growing protectionist pressures as countries scramble for export markets as a source of growth.The UN's call for one world currency is contained in their report entitled, United Nations: Economic and Social Survey 2010. The UN asserted that the US dollar must be replaced by a new one-world currency issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In response to the Global Market Crash of 2008, Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, revived the ideal of the Bancor by demanding that the IMF have special drawing rights (SDRs).
Xiaochuan contented that national currencies were counter-productive to the global markets and that domestic monetary policy must not override international necessities.
The UN published a report following the financial crisis in 2008 entitled, The Commission of Experts of the President of the UN General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System wherein they created a commission to "restore global economic stability".
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed that a one-world currency would "bridge the old North-South divide" and that the UN's "monetary vision" if properly implemented would be a "path out of our current predicament."
In a report published in 2010, the IMF stated that the Bancor should be established and administered as the one-world currency. To go along with the one-world currency, the IMF advises the establishment of a one-world bank; which would also have issuance rights as the Federal Reserve Bank does within the US.
The IMF report states:
The global central bank could serve as a lender of last resort, providing neededsystemic liquidity in the event of adverse shocks and more automatically than at present. Such liquidity was provided in the most recent crisis mainly by the U.S. Federal Reserve, which however may not always provide such liquidity.The advent of a global currency, if allowed to happen will be controlled by the UN, as the IMF is an arm of the globalist Elite front.
Simply put, this demand is a call for economic control by the international community for the express purpose of ensuring that the future of all sovereign nations eventually fall victim to the coming global governance.
Susanne Posel is the Chief Editor of Occupy Corporatism. Our alternative news site is dedicated to reporting the news as it actually happens; not as it is spun by the corporately funded mainstream media. | <urn:uuid:3be221d1-cc5d-462a-a48b-94c0f22d981f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sott.net/article/247160-Globalists-Blame-Financial-Crisis-of-2008-to-Usher-in-One-World-Currency | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947415 | 936 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Kitchen Boot Camp
Though your kitchen may appear to be the portrait of healthy perfection, you may want to take a closer look. Studies have shown that kitchen sinks, refrigerators, cutting boards and even dish towels contain germs that can lead to colds, flu and even food poisoning. So what's a busy mom to do? The cleaning experts at professional cleaning company Merry Maids weigh in on how you can win the battle against kitchen grime.
Go for the fridge
- Daily: Before placing containers in the refrigerator, wipe their exteriors and securely cover them. This will help avoid spills and reduce odors.
- Weekly: Dispose of leftover items that haven't been eaten or have expired. This allows room for new items. Ideally, make an effort not to refrigerate leftovers that your family isn't likely to eat.
- Monthly: Remove all items and clean each shelf and bin one at a time, moving from top to bottom. Don't forget to also wash the walls of the fridge. Use warm, soapy water for this monthly process, and be sure to dry thoroughly.
Rid your sink of dirt and grime
For stainless steel or ceramic sinks, rinse the sink after each use and wipe with a clean, dry cloth. Drying the sink will prevent mineral deposits from building up on the surface.
- Each week, scour the sink, rubbing with the grain of the sink. When scouring, use a non-abrasive cleaner, such as an all-purpose cleanser or glass and surface cleaner. Do not use steel wool, wire brushes or abrasive sponges.
- Use a stainless steel cleaner or a small amount of olive oil to add shine to a stainless steel sink.
Don't forget your small appliances
- To freshen your disposal, fill it with ice cubes and slices of lime or lemon. Then, run cold water while the disposal is on for about 30 seconds. The ice will sharpen and clean the blades, and the citrus will release a fresh scent -- yum!
- If you have stuck-on foods in the microwave, fill a two-cup glass measuring cup with one cup of water and the juice from one lemon. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the water boils. This should create steam in the microwave that will loosen stuck-on foods so you can wipe the microwave clean. The lemon juice will also provide a fresh scent.
Before you get started on your kitchen cleaning spree, check out these helpful hints from nationally syndicated home columnist and author Marni Jameson:
- Harmful bacteria and viruses can live on a sponge up to 24 hours -- gross! Clean sponges after each use by rinsing them with clean water and microwaving them for a couple minutes, running them through the dishwasher, or saturating them with dishwashing liquid. Toss them when they start to break down or smell. You also can use a dish cloth or cleaning cloth instead.
- Open the windows. Fresh air (and clean air-vent filters) can move germs on. Believe it or not, sunshine is also a great disinfectant; the sun's ultraviolet rays kill many micro-organisms.
More Kitchen cleaning Tips | <urn:uuid:8eeb37df-c7fd-4599-9868-26fa5da43416> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/815101/3-important-kitchen-cleaning-tips-you-often-forget-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921599 | 664 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Elementary school students receive dance instruction as part
of the Physical Education Curriculum. The curriculum includes
skills in the Basic Movement Unit and rhythmic experiences to allow
students to express thoughts, feeling, and ideas through movement.
Students participate in partner and group dances, create their own
dances, and experience historical and cultural dance forms.
Students also participate in theme and prop dances.
To see a presentation about the AACPS Dance Program, please click here.
students receive dance instruction as part of the Physical Education
Curriculum. In grade 6, students experience an Improvisation unit.
In grade 7, students experience Dance for Athletes. In grade 8,
students experience Jazz Dance. Each of the units includes a
creative group project, performance, and assessment by self, peers,
and instructor. New for 2009-2010 are year-long elective
Fine Arts dance classes. The curriculum includes ballet,
modern, jazz, tap, choreography, production, dance history,
aesthetic criticism, dance careers, and dancer health. Students in
dance classes will perform in a spring concert, and selected
students will perform in the AACPS Dance Festivals. These dance
courses prepare the middle school dancer for high school dance
courses and for the high school Dance Company. Middle school students also are enrolled in the Performing and Visual Arts Magnets at Bates Middle School and at Brooklyn Park Middle School. The PVA program is by audition.
middle school students have the opportunity to perform in the
Anne Arundel County Public Schools Dance Festivals if their school
participates. There is a Dance Company Director position available
for the purpose of sponsoring an after-school dance performance
group and taking the group to the Dance Festivals. Guest
choreographers are available for schools as requested. See the
Dance Calendar and
Dance Festival links for information and dates.
students may take academic courses in Dance I-IV, Dance for Athletes
I-IV and Dance Company I-IV. Dance Company class is by audition.
There is no pre-requisite for other dance courses. Dance Company
rehearses after school in addition to taking company class during
the academic day. The high school curriculum includes ballet,
modern, jazz, tap and other dance forms. Dance history,
performance, critique and many other aspects of dance are included
as well. Dance classes and Dance Company present a concert each
semester. These concerts are open to the public.
New for 2012-2013 is the high school Performing and Visual Arts Magnet. The Dance PVA will be at Annapolis High School. The PVA program is by audition.
High School dance
companies audition for the
Maryland High School Dance Showcase and the Regional or National High School Dance Festivals
www.nhsdf.org). Other opportunities for Dance Company
students may include travel to a variety of dance festivals, master
classes locally and in New York, and professional dance
performances. Dance Company students also perform at community
events, provide outreach and perform for feeder schools, and perform
in other school events.
The Anne Arundel
County Dance Ensemble is another opportunity for Dance
Company students. Students who are members of
their high school Dance Company may audition for Ensemble. Ensemble
performs throughout the county all year. | <urn:uuid:9f24eb55-22db-4254-8286-768a6c0b1c2d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aacps.org/Dance/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923255 | 716 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
In the Pokémon video games, there are two primary ways to "clone" Pokémon, both of them involving exploiting in-game glitches without special hardware aside from the standard link cable. One method, effective in the Pokémon Red and Blue versions, involves trading Pokémon and turning off the game during the process. However, instead of duplication the trick may sometimes delete the Pokémon if improper timing is used.
Another method, which works only in the Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions, can be used to clone both Pokémon and items. However, it does require more exact timing in the Crystal version than in the Gold/Silver versions.
Alternatively, use of cheat devices such as a GameShark, Action Replay, CodeBreaker , Xploder , or Monster Brain allows duplication to be quickly performed in all versions of the Pokémon games. This is typically done by applying a patch code which exploits in-game facilities, such as the daycare center, for the purpose of cloning.
Lastly, other safe techniques for cloning involve external storage devices. After transferring a Pokémon through some standard mechanism such as the link cable or transfer pak, the original saved game can be restored to effectively clone the transferred Pokémon. Such external storage devices include a Mega Memory Card , Monster Brain, GameShark (later versions which allow saved games to be copied and restored from a PC), or DexDrive (for the Stadium series). A variation on this method allows users of gameboy emulators that support link-cable emulation to copy their saved games, trading, and then restoring the saved game.
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details | <urn:uuid:414280a5-21ea-489c-8891-3642e54a0d97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/science_fair_projects_encyclopedia/Pok%E9mon_cloning | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902532 | 352 | 3.234375 | 3 |
The North Fork Valley constitutes one of only 189 American Viticultural Areas (AVA) in the United States. Napa, in California, is another.
It is bad management to lease lands with the intent to industrialize an AVA. This is a rare and unique designation that promises multi-generational, sustainable economic development. To industrialize the region by leasing parcels in close association with the vineyards, and, by extension, the organic and artisanal food producers that always develop hand in hand with an AVA, is without question to destroy what would otherwise become an economic asset and point of pride for the State of Colorado.
Lease these parcels and the BLM proves it is incapable of planning past five years. That's when the wells run dry, the agricultural opportunities are ruined, tourism becomes a thing of the past, and the tax base has moved to a state with the gumption and foresight to plan for the next generation. | <urn:uuid:86c28074-3da6-40d9-ab6f-da4f18b15350> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://deltacountyindependent.com/index.php/opinion/soapbox/3618-ava-must-be-protected | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93687 | 191 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Boost to power supply in former LTTE areas of Sri Lanka
Colombo: The power situation in the former LTTE held Northern Sri Lanka is expected to improve, with the government deciding to rebuild the damaged Kilinochchi power project by next year.
A three-billion-rupee project (USD 2.65 million) to revive the Northern power sector within one year would receive support from Japan, Minister for Mass Media and Communication Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters yesterday.
The power house had been destroyed by the LTTE in 1983, he said.
This will be an accelerated project to complete before May 2011 and would provide power to the national grid, Rambukwella said after the cabinet meeting.
"This would address the power issue in the North and East after we complete this project," he said.
Hailing the assistance of Japan in the development of the country, the minister said of the total foreign aid received last year Japan's share was 65 percent.
"The 132kv Kilinochchi power house project is part of the development programmes carried out by the government to sustain peace," Rambukwella pointed out.
Work would commence immediately and the plant would be connected to the national power grid by May 2011, he said in reply to a question.
The Cabinet had approved the Power and Energy Minister's proposal to complete this project on a priority basis in two phases, he said.
Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) was funding the project by way of grants and soft loans, Rambukwella said. | <urn:uuid:d36cc74d-61b2-4561-84fa-db61153e0b4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zeenews.india.com/print.aspx?nid=626684 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971197 | 324 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Barack Obama is fighting for his political life, embroiled in three scandals: the criminal use of the IRS, using the Justice Department to spy on reporters and the cover-up of the attack in Benghazi.
There is a fourth scandal that is equally serious but is not being addressed because this cover-up involves both the administration and Congress, Democrats and Republicans.
There is a reason that the Boy Scouts of America have not partnered with the Girl Scouts USA. The two organizations would appear to be natural affiliates but at their core, they are now miles apart. That may be about to change.
The issue that has divided them are the principles on which the two organizations were founded: A belief in God and a pledge to abide by the moral truths that are revealed in His Word.
- In the 70’s, the Girl Scouts put feminist icon Betty Friedan on its national governing board. It wasn’t long before the Girl Scouts began purging its materials of all positive references to homemakers.
- In 1980, the organizations changed its policy on homosexuality and welcomed lesbians as scouts and troop leaders.
- In 1993, the Girl Scouts took aim at the Creator himself, making God an option by inserting an asterisk by the word “God” in the Promise.
Due to public outrage and loss of enrollment, that asterisk was removed from the latest Girl Scout Handbook. Don’t be fooled. Instead, girls are simply being instructed that when reciting the Promise they are “free to substitute their own wording for God’” http://www.girlscoutshs.org/sensitiveissuesfaqs. In other words, a girl is free to pledge to do her duty to herself as any good atheist would. Read the rest of this entry »
“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” Mark Twain
Dealing with a sticky issue and want to pass the buck? The timeworn established practice is to conduct a study. That is how the Executive Committee responsible for governing the Boy Scouts of America decided to deal with the issue of opening its ranks to homosexuals.
The results of this “study” led to a proposal that will be presented to roughly 1400 voting members of its National Council on May 24. It is a compromise that will please no one: admit homosexual youth but keep the ban in place that prevents openly gay adults from becoming Scout leaders.
A closer look at the Executive Summary released to the media reveals the twisted logic and the true agenda of those charged with running this prestigious youth organization. Read the rest of this entry »
King Solomon was considered one of the wisest men in the world. According to the Bible, when two women came before him fighting over a baby, both claiming to be its mother, Solomon ordered that the child be cut in half with a sword. One woman was perfectly satisfied with his decision, but when the other offered to give up the child in order to save him, Solomon knew who the real mother was and gave the child to her.
The leadership of the Boy Scouts of America has proposed a similar arrangement in the effort to satisfy its members, volunteers and donors over the issue of admitting open homosexuals to its ranks.
The proposal, which will be voted on May 24, is to admit homosexual young people into scouting, while keeping the ban in place that prevents homosexuals from serving as staff or adult leaders. This proposal satisfies no one and, if it goes through, will mean the death of scouting as we know it. Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday, April 18, is Tax Freedom Day this year. That is the day when the nation as a whole as earned enough to pay its local, state and federal taxes. It’s five days later than it was last year, primarily due to the fiscal cliff deal that raised federal taxes on individual income and payroll. Additionally, Obamacare’s investment tax and excise tax went into effect.
That means that the average taxpayer will work 29.4 percent of the year, just to pay his or her tax bill. But not so fast, the Tax Foundation which runs these numbers does not include the amount of annual federal borrowing, which represents future taxes owned.
So you see, celebrating Tax Freedom Day would be like paying your family’s bills that come due each month while ignoring the amount you run up on those credit cards in order to meet all of your obligations.
This year, the federal government plans to borrow another $833 billion, but remember, that is best case. The year isn’t over yet.
If we add in the cost of all this borrowed money, Tax Freedom day will not come until May 9, which is well over a third of the year. Under the old feudal system which was practiced in medial Europe, the lords, who owned all the property, taxed the serfs 1/3 of what they produced and we called them slaves! Read the rest of this entry » | <urn:uuid:5fa3a57e-7332-4be0-8ceb-d940782ca6d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://janechastain.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972603 | 1,019 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Dept. of Homeland Security grants thermal imager equipment, training to Helper Police
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the first round of awards under the new Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) on May 19.
Among 214 police jurisdictions across the country, Helper City received a grant for a thermal imager and training in a contract valued at $12,500.
The thermal imager senses heat, not light, and conveys relative temperature levels when encountering objects. A change in contrast and brightness is indicative of relative temperature level.
The next thermal imaging training session is scheduled for June 16 in Washington, D.C. The program includes eight hours of hands-on instruction. Transportation, lodging and three meals are covered by DHS. Helper Police Chief George Zamantakis will go to Washington for the training.
The awards by DHS provide equipment for communications interoperability, information sharing, chemical detection, sensor devices, and personal protective equipment to 214 jurisdictions throughout the nation. Equipment awarded totals $2,044,680.
The FY 2005 Appropriations Act directed DHS to assist selected smaller jurisdictions by providing antiterrorism equipment and technology. Awards are being made to law enforcement and emergency responder agencies not currently funded through the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).
"CEDAP provides equipment and training to jurisdictions across the country as part of a unified effort- from urban to rural areas - to build sustainable capabilities in the fight against terrorism," said Matt A. Mayer, Acting Executive Director of the Office for State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness. | <urn:uuid:f8782c66-ca70-49f3-8f8e-69a6297d0651> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sunadvocate.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=7031 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927986 | 325 | 1.757813 | 2 |
News createt: 09-04-2012 14:00:00
Back In Time: April 09, 1953
The Humes High School band presented its "Annual Minstrel Show" at 8:00 p.m. in the auditorium, with Elvis the 16th listed act on the bill, as "Guitarist.....Elvis Presley". He performed a blues version of "Keep them Icy Fingers Off Of Me", and received an encore. Both Elvis and his class mates dated this as the beginning of his rise of fame. According to Elvis: "I wasn't popular in school. I wasn't dating anybody. And then they entered me in this talent show, and I came out and did my "Till I Waltz Again With You" by Teresa Brewer. It was amazing how popular I became after that". | <urn:uuid:d9ff51cd-7169-47ea-9c7f-545f96558339> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gracelandranders.dk/news.asp?page_id=79&news_id=4969&cmd= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982964 | 174 | 1.648438 | 2 |
| || |
Southern Scotland is renowned for its roe deer with mixed and varied countryside providing excellent habitat.
A recent survey has shown that Scotland, famed for its red deer, has over the last few years developed a greater number of roe deer benefiting from the enormous upsurge in forest investment, particularly through the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, and thus as a result of this extra habitat created, their population has exploded. In fact, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true numbers as the breed is very secretive, but best guesses indicate over 400,000 and growing.
There are many opportunities to experience the art of roe deer stalking from some of the finest country estates to sporting hotels providing excellent sport for novices as well as the more experienced deer stalker.
| || ‘Hunting Experiences’ offers a comprehensive guide to the countryside and wildlife providing hunting, shooting and wildlife conservation throughout the UK.Specialising in deer stalking... |
| || The Rigg Estate nestles in the south west of Scotland in the beautiful county of Dumfries Galloway. It is set in approximately 3000 acre, comprising of two flight ponds, mature woodland and a melee... || | | <urn:uuid:7dc723a7-05a3-4cec-9707-b0e066e44471> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scottishsportingholidays.com/roe-deer-c15.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953665 | 252 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Originally destined for a career in the diplomatic service, Sigismund Thalberg began his music studies in Vienna. At the age of 14 Thalberg already established himself as a pianist of amazing talent. At 16, Thalberg published his first compositions. Thalberg later became a student of Moscheles in London and of Pixis and Kalkbrenner in Paris. In 1836, Thalberg premiered his Piano concerto with phenomenal success that made him an international keyboard star. Admired by major composers of the period, Mendelssohn, Donizetti and Schumann, Thalberg toured all over Europe, United States and Latin America with unprecedented success. | <urn:uuid:b8152865-0d16-4204-9092-6f902394a024> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://everynote.com/piano.choose/1/539/1/19.note | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95505 | 142 | 2.265625 | 2 |
How do you think that the humans will become extinct?
Humans are very widespread on the Earth, and live in communities which (whilst interconnected) are capable of some kind of basic survival in isolation. Therefore, pandemic and deliberate killing aside, to achieve human extinction, the entire planet would have to be rendered uninhabitable. This would typically be during a mass extinction event, a precedent of which exists in the PermianTriassic extinction event among other examples.
In the near future, one anthropogenic extinction scenario exists: global nuclear annihilation; and three possible natural ones: bolide impact, catastrophic climate change and large-scale volcanism. Both natural causes have occurred repeatedly in the geologic past and there is no reason to consider them unlikely in the future. As technology develops ...more
Sure most of this is Alarmist type stuff, but remember, even the United Nations themselves has been saying for many years that the biggest threat to continued human existence is ourselves. In the 1990s they placed nuclear threat as the number one concern, human overpopulation as the second concern. Warning that our population of over 6.7 Billion people is already causing world problems, and that a more sustainable level would be 5 Billion people.
According to previous extinction patterns humans have a few million more years on the planet, if we do not manage to destroy it or ourselves first. Unfortunately we have been responsible for the extinction of thousands (if not millio ...more
God has given us future as in the Bible.
Those who belong to God will be with Jesus forever.
future events that are to happen definitely as foretold in the Bible:
a) The rapture -- Jesus taking away Gods people from the earth to be with Him forever.
b) The wicked world ruler, the Antichrist, will deceive many and they will worship him for a few years. He will kill people who dont worship him.
c) Jesus will come with His angels and punish the Antichrist. Tthe Devil will be put in the Abyss. ...more | <urn:uuid:315e5ac7-f06a-47f4-a596-4cd258f93787> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://qna.rediff.com/questions-and-answers/will-2012-film-ever-be-true-on-our-earth/16854970/answers/16794669 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956481 | 418 | 1.78125 | 2 |
What are the Internet's dependencies?
In my last post, I looked at the Internet's energy use, broadly construed, and contended that we might offload other societal functions onto the Internet. In this post I'd like to consider in what ways that might be an unwise approach given the dependencies of the Internet.
A couple of months ago, Greer argued that complexity limits might make otherwise sustainable-looking systems falter. That is, suppose a system uses very little energy, but requires a set of social arrangements, manufacturing and mining systems, and engineering knowledge to make it work at all. Those complex dependencies might be the system's undoing even if it doesn't run out of energy.
The Internet is composed of a complex array of hardware and software assembled around the world with materials, energy, skills, and designs also from a global resource base. With this complexity comes vulnerability to threats: disruptions in global supply chains, energy shortages, societal instability, and government intervention into its operation. The last two decades have been relatively placid compared with the previous eight or previous eighty, and have provided an environment in which the Internet has been able to grow at a phenomenal pace.
In the spirit of appropriate technology, a colleague of mine, Shaddi, and I decided to analyze the dependencies of the Internet, down to their roots. Our goal was to understand where we might intervene in the system to make pieces of it more locally-reproducible, and thus more resilient. The result was a bit overwhelming, but perhaps a wake-up call.
We looked at a use case of two people communicating over the Internet over a long distance - the dependencies of that scenario are shown in the diagram below (click to zoom). Each box denotes an abstract or concrete component, resource, or function of the Internet or one of its dependencies. Arrows denote dependency; dashed arrows denote optional dependency (a "one of these" relationship). At the top is the use case. We quickly move through the higher layers which represent mostly functional and abstract pieces that we recognize as pieces of the Internet and on to the lower layers which reside in the realm of hardware. Once we move beyond hardware manufacturing we enter the realm of chemical compounds and natural resources that are required for many of the relevant manufacturing processes, from making fiber optics to printing circuit boards. We end with ores or otherwise naturally occurring resources. We decided not to depict operational or deployment dependencies since they tend to involve a small number of processes like power generation and transportation.
Where the dependencies come from is just as important as what they are - the map below shows the origins of some of the many resources from the dependency diagram above. The idea of global commodities and international trade are so firmly entrenched in our thinking today that we take for granted that a resource in another country can be tapped if the price or force is right. However, this is a modern notion, one whose history is scarcely four decades old; higher energy costs and increased resource competition might complicate the picture in the decades to come.
We considered a number of ways of eliminating these dependencies, though I'll have to go into that another time. Suffice it to say that we didn't find particularly elegant ways of replacing the complex and global dependencies the Internet has today. | <urn:uuid:6c601ca9-7a7c-4c41-8606-b0aa3af90ba2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.resilience.org/stories/2011-08-05/what-are-internets-dependencies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944124 | 660 | 2.328125 | 2 |
President Carter Peanut Man
I don't want to be a Peanut Man Make me PRESIDENT CARTER Peanuts for sale
White text on red and blue borders. Image/photograph of Jimmy Carter pulling a peanut cart. Black text on yellow cloud near Carter's head.
This light-hearted caricature of Jimmy Carter pokes fun at the ex-president's humble beginnings as a son to a peanut farmer in rural Georgia. Produced in support of his 1976 campaign for presidency, the button helped reinforce the Washington 'outsider' image Carter sought to cultivate amongst voters. And it appealed to the majority of Americans--many of whom felt disillusioned and skeptical about national politics amidst the aftermath of Watergate.
Carter's opponent, Gerald Ford, assumed the presidency upon Nixon's resignation in 1974. Although Ford partially succeeded in distancing himself from Nixon and the Watergate controversy, he could could not overcome voters' lingering mistrust--as well as the steady stream of campaign gaffes seen on television screens across the nation.
Carter narrowly won the election. His relative anonymity before the campaign, untainted political image, and humble beginnings helped catapult him to the White House in 1976. | <urn:uuid:8213f879-d3d3-4ad6-a9db-612251b54e43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buttonmuseum.org/buttons/president-carter-peanut-man | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9181 | 236 | 2.078125 | 2 |
The first picture shows a hoof with long, overgrown and contracted heels. The frog is also very narrow with a deep central sulcus. This type of heel contraction can be very uncomfortable for the horse and results in a lack of proper hoof mechanism. Decontraction was well underway one month after the first trim. By seven weeks after the first trim, the hoof showed marked improvement in decontracting. Click on each of the pictures below for larger images and additional details. | <urn:uuid:60e27d0e-5b17-4acc-9c01-401e3efeb1fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.holistichoofsolutions.com/contracted-heels/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949794 | 99 | 2.015625 | 2 |
I have collected this 3.8 cm long millipede in the spoil heaps of the coal mines in Manebach in Thüringia (Germany). It was the first millipede that has been found there and it is now in the museum Schloss Bertholdsburg in Schleusingen. It was described in 1998 by Prof. J.W. Schneider and Dr. R.Werneburg in the article: Arthropleura und Diplopoda (Arthropoda) aus dem Unter-Rotliegend des Thüringer Waldes (Veröffentl. Naturhist. Mus. Schleusingen, Band 13: 19-36). The drawing and reconstruction in this section are from this article.
Millipedes eat decaying plants and they are not predators like the
centipedes. Often they are provided with defence glands with which they can
secrete a biting liquid. At this fossil they are still visible. Attached
to the rings of the exoskeleton are so-called pleurites, more or less triangular
projections. This is where the name Pleurojulus comes from. These
pleurites are also visible at the fossil.
Furthermore the fossils show remains of the legs, which were relatively long. A difference between centipedes and millipedes is the one pair of legs per body segment for centipedes whereas the millipedes have two pairs. That is why the class of the millipedes is called Diplopoda.
Pleurojulus steuri is characterized by the pleurites which are clearly separated from the rest of the skeleton and by the ridges on the skeleton rings. Look at the detail photos to see them.
The millipede Pleurojulus steuri probably appeared rather often out of the soil. Indications are the long legs, with which he could run, and the strong defence glands.
Defence glands and ridges
Defence glands and pleurites
Drawing of the complete fossil
Restoration of the environment | <urn:uuid:afa4495e-501d-461b-9426-16ea024ecf44> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://steurh.home.xs4all.nl/engdier/epleuro.html | 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 | 0.900709 | 428 | 3.6875 | 4 |
Relations With Britain Hit a Low Point in 1811
Download MP3 (Right-click or option-click the link.)
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.
James Madison of Virginia was elected president of the United States in 1808. He followed Thomas Jefferson and served two terms.
Madison's first four years were not easy. He had to deal with a foreign policy problem that Jefferson was not able to solve: increasingly tense relations with Britain. His second four years were worse. There was war. Larry West and Leo Scully have our story.
James Madison was inaugurated in Washington on March fourth, 1809. The people of the city were happy with the new president. But the nation was not yet sure what kind of leader he would be.
The French minister to the United States did not think much of him. He said: "Mr. Madison is an intelligent man, but weak. He will always see what should be done, but will not do it."
Like the first three American presidents, Madison had a small cabinet. There would be a secretary of state and a secretary of the treasury.
Madison decided to keep Albert Gallatin in the position of treasury secretary. Gallatin probably knew more about the nation's finances than anyone else. The choice for secretary of state was political. Madison named Robert Smith, the brother of a senator. The new president was not too concerned about Mr. Smith's abilities, because he planned to make foreign policy himself.
Jefferson's biggest foreign policy problem arose from a war between Britain and France. The two nations refused to honor America's neutrality. Each tried to prevent the United States from trading with the other. Both interfered with American shipping. And the British navy sometimes seized American sailors.
President Jefferson ordered a ban on trade with Europe. But it failed to end the hostile acts against the United States.
Britain and France were still at war when Madison was elected president. In place of the trade ban, Congress had approved a new law. It was called the Non-Intercourse Act. The law prevented trade with Britain and France. But it gave President Madison the power to re-open trade if either nation stopped interfering with American ships.
Madison hoped the law would force Britain and France to honor American neutrality. He did not want war. But neither did he want to surrender America's rights as an independent nation.
A month after Madison took office, the British minister in Washington, David Erskine, received new orders from his government. He said he had been given the power to settle all differences between the United States and Britain.
Erskine said Britain would stop seizing American ships if the United States would end the Non-Intercourse Law. He did not make clear that the British government demanded several conditions before an agreement could be reached.
One condition was that the United States continue the law against trade with France. Another was that Britain be permitted to capture American ships that violated the law. Erskine called the conditions, "proposals." He did not force the United States to accept them.
On April nineteenth, President Madison announced that an agreement had been reached. He said the United States would re-open trade with Britain. The American people welcomed the agreement. It appeared that -- after less than two months as president -- Madison had been able to remove the threat of war.
The United States began trading again with Britain on June tenth, as agreed. Hundreds of ships left American ports. Relations with Britain seemed to have returned to normal.
President Madison decided to spend the summer of 1809 at his home in the hills of Virginia. Soon after he arrived, he received surprising news. The British government had rejected the agreement he had reached with Erskine.
A British newspaper said the agreement was not what Britain wanted. It said Erskine had violated his orders and was being called back to London. A new minister, Francis James Jackson, would take his place.
Madison returned to Washington in the autumn, about a month after the new British minister arrived. He learned that Secretary of State Smith had made no progress in talks with him. So the president decided to deal with him directly. He wanted to know exactly why Britain had rejected the agreement. Madison ordered that all communications between the two sides be written. There would be no more talks.
Letters were exchanged. But the British minister failed to explain satisfactorily what had happened. And his letters seemed to charge that the United States had not negotiated honestly. Madison finally broke off all communications, and the British minister left Washington.
America's policy of trade with Britain and France continued to be a serious issue. In the early days of 1810, Congress began to consider a new law to control such trade. After several weeks of debate, the two houses of Congress approved a compromise bill.
The bill ended the Non-Intercourse Act against Britain and France. It permitted trade with any nation. But it gave the president the power to declare non-intercourse again with either Britain or France separately. President Madison signed the bill into law.
Relations between the United States and Britain did not improve during the year. And President Madison once again declared non-intercourse against Britain. Trade between the two countries was stopped at the beginning of March, 1811.
Trade was not the only problem, however. A growing number of Americans believed that the British were helping some Native American Indians to fight the United States.
As the people of the United States began to move to the northern and western territories, the government made treaties with the different Indian tribes. The treaties explained which land belonged to the Indians...and which land could be settled by the white men. The settlers did not always honor the treaties.
A leader of the Shawnee Indian tribe, Tecumseh, decided to take action. He started a campaign to unite all Indians and to help them defend against the white men.
Throughout the west, many Americans believed that the British in Canada were responsible for Tecumseh's efforts to unite the Indians. They demanded war with Britain to destroy the power of the tribes.
In Washington, a new Congress was meeting. Some of the new members were very different from the men who had controlled Congress before. They were less willing to compromise -- and more willing to go to war to defend America's interests. They soon got the name "War Hawks."
The new Congress quickly approved several measures to prepare the United States for war. One bill increased the size of the army by twenty-five thousand regular soldiers and fifty thousand volunteers.
At the same time, America had a new secretary of state. President Madison had not been pleased with the work of Robert Smith. Nor did he trust Smith. The president could not be sure of Smith's support for administration proposals.
Madison wanted his close friend, James Monroe, to be secretary of state. Monroe was then governor of Virginia. He agreed to take the new job.
What the United States did not have at that troubled time was a representative in Britain. When Madison broke off communications with British minister Jackson in Washington, Jackson returned to London. And the American minister in London, William Pinkney, sailed home.
There was no official in either capital to report what was happening. And the two countries were moving closer to war. That will be our story next week.
Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. The narrators were Larry West and Leo Scully. Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION – an American history series in VOA Special English. | <urn:uuid:c97c9b17-2042-4496-8faf-ba923d11269e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.manythings.org/voa/history/44.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983385 | 1,554 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
SMT: What I Use To Shoot Videos
Shooting video has been been a passion of mine for quite awhile. I remember using a Super 8 camera to shoot movies with the neighbor kids when I was in the 8th grade. (sometime I need to get those uploaded and let the world see my work :) ) I used to have a small editing machine that had a light in the middle and two take-up reels on the left and right. And the I would slice the film with a razor blade and tape the splice back together. If I had then what we have now as far as shooting equipment and editing software, there's not telling where I would have ended up.
But no sour grapes here. My love affair with the film/video camera continues and in this video, I hope to help those of you who are wanting to start using video, but don't know how to get started. Special thanks to Chuck Wheelock for asking the question that got this post started. Chuck's Twitter handle is @chuckwheelock. Sorry for goofing up your Twitter handle in the video.
Reference links to products I mentioned in the video:
Canon Powershot A630
Steve Garfield's GET SEEN
Daisy Whitney's New Media Minute
Audio-Technica Pro 88W Wireless Microphone System
What do you use to shoot your videos with? This blog continues to be written by you...
Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed! | <urn:uuid:6543fcc4-a578-4d1d-91cb-5676934e5917> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://creatingcontent.blogspot.com/2010/09/like-this-article-subscribe-to-rss-feed.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959138 | 308 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Arctic Ice Shows no Sign of Returning
Old, "multiyear" ice -- the glue that holds the polar ice cap together and forms the Arctic's defense against encroaching warming -- is slowly disintegrating, a process that is plain to see from the air.
Thick ice floes used to be kilometers (miles) wide just over a decade ago, said Jim Overland, a sea-ice expert with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who has been surveying the site since the 1990s.
Now the narrow floes -- with bright-white tops and a blue underwater glow -- are just meters (yards) wide, observed Overland as he studied the patterns from the window of a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 aircraft.
The dense, high-quality ice is not coming back, Overland said.
"That's a one-way street," he said "We have the same amount of multiyear ice this year as last year, even though we have a little more ice overall." | <urn:uuid:5ced54c2-2447-48de-8b9f-911d8aadaaca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/40549/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952969 | 214 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Sri Lanka’s best known icon in the doldrums
By Quintus Perera
More than a year ago one of the largest go-downs of the CWE, converted
into a major retail outlet at Welisara, was bustling with activity
with hundreds of shoppers. Today, it’s like a haunted area
with no buyers and rows of empty shelves.
The Sunday Times FT visited the Sathosa model supermarket at Welisara
last week, around 72 workers were present, some reading books others
chatting while another group played cards but all wondered about
of them said they were disillusioned about their future, due to
the current political uncertainty in the country. Others said the
government was partly to blame for the debacle at Sathosa.
paid on the 25th of every month, these workers have not received
their June salary as yet. Across Sathosa supermarkets there exists
a total of 3,150 workers now idling as private sector managers pulled
out from the organization last month. Meanwhile the government said
last week that part of their salaries would be paid as workers demonstrated
in Colombo over the payment issue.
Welisara, there are huge refrigerators, cooling boxes used to display
vegetable, fruit and meats and giant air-conditioned plants worth
more than Rs. 100 million, now carelessly dumped in the backyard
of the outlet. The workers said that these refrigerators and air-conditioners
were removed from other large defunct CWE super markets to avoid
paying rents if they were still stationed in those outlets.
workers said that from the beginning of this outlet, daily sales
were in the range of Rs 1.5 million while on weekends this amount
topped the Rs 2 million mark.
Welisara outlet has been operating under different conditions from
other outlets with the independence to make purchases and payments
in an atmosphere conducive to run the outlet successfully. At the
time of privatisation the funds at its bank account showed a balance
of around Rs 17 million, these workers pointed out.
to a large capital being tied down in various luxury items that
were not moving, these funds have been siphoned to make further
purchases and when there was a scarcity of essential items no buyers
were visiting and within four months after privatisation the sales
the privatization all purchases and payments made through the Welisara
outlet was stopped while everything was centrally operated from
the head office. Workers said that the oversupply of luxury goods
compared to essential items was one of the causes for the downfall
of the CWE outlets.
had repeatedly pointed out these daring shortcomings to the management
but their advice was ignored. Some Rs. 8 million worth of perfumes
alone have been returned to the suppliers and yet another Rs 8.5
million worth of perfumes are in the stores. Likewise they said
that there are various other luxury items that are now stocked in
the stores.Sales have slumped to just Rs. 400 to 500 per day from
what was once the best CWE outlet in the country.
workers said that when the administration of the outlet was led
by the CWE head office, the security was the CWE itself and they
were held responsible for checking the customer items, any shortages
were charged from them. After privatisation the existing CWE security
was done away with and in place the responsibility was handed over
to a private security firm sans the responsibility of checking the
goods of customers.
this huge retail sales outlet is left alone with no manager, no
security guards with electricity, water and telephone lines cut
off owing to non-payment of bills. | <urn:uuid:ab86a1a6-451b-47c2-9bc1-58c965f27836> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sundaytimes.lk/050717/ft/13.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967561 | 767 | 1.5 | 2 |
CODE, EDWARD PERCIVAL (1888-1953), musician, was born on 3 July 1888 at South
Melbourne, son of Edward Thomas Code, picture-frame maker and bandmaster, and his
wife Mary Ann, née Payne, both from Bendigo. His father, a trumpeter, conducted
Code's Melbourne Brass Band from 1892; it was a frequent winner of competitions
and won the championship of Australia in 1898-1900. The family included other
bandsmen. Taught to play violin and cornet by his father, Percy won numerous
cornet competitions while attending school at Faraday Street, Carlton. Following
his win at the South Street competition, Ballarat, in 1910, he was invited to join
the visiting English Besses o' th' Barn Band. Leaving Australia early in 1911 he
studied with bandmaster Alec Owen, won the gold medal of the London College of
Music and played as a soloist with the band on a world tour. Returning to
Australia, he settled in Ballarat as a choir and band conductor and music teacher.
On 23 March 1915 at Lydiard Street Methodist Church, he married Elsie Maude
Miller; they had no children and lived apart from about 1930.
View the full record at
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Percy Code grew up in a family of bandsmen. He learnt cornet and violin from his father, E.T. Code, who was the conductor of Code's Melbourne Brass Band from 1892. This band was a frequent winner of competitions and were Australian champions from 1898-1900. Percy Code competed successfully in numerous contests in his youth, and in 1910 he won the distinguished Royal South Street competition at Ballarat. He was subsequently invited to join the visiting Besses o' th' Barn Band from England as its principal cornetist, with which he toured the world after some study in England. He settled in Ballarat on his return to Australia in 1912 and worked as a conductor, teacher, and adjudicator of competitions. In 1921 he went to the USA and joined the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, playing under Alfred Hertz. He also worked as a theatre musician and arranger of film music.
Code returned to Melbourne in 1924, moving into radio work with 3AR and continuing his theatre playing. In 1929 he became the principal conductor for the Australian Broadcasting Company, and continued as senior conductor for the Melbourne 'core' orchestra when the Company became the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. He maintained a long association with the ABC, transferring to Sydney in 1936 and training the orchestra for the series of celebrity seasons. He conducted operas for broadcast and travelled extensively within Australia. In 1947 he returned to Melbourne, retiring four years later. He was a popular figure in the band world and highly regarded among professional players as both a conductor and soloist.
Code mostly composed for brass; many of his works are still well known and remain in contest and concert repertoire. His music includes numerous works for band, teaching pieces (including Allan's Modern Method for Cornet or Trumpet (1936)), and many virtuosic solo pieces. | <urn:uuid:a624531f-830f-487b-8a6f-107b7683ab32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://trove.nla.gov.au/people/627992 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982038 | 644 | 1.703125 | 2 |
France faces long fight as it takes on Mali Islamists
NEW YORK: France's vow to battle Islamist militants in Mali ''as long as necessary'' risks plunging the former colonial power into a prolonged campaign.
''It is getting nasty and there will be a chaotic few weeks ahead,'' a senior United Nations Security Council envoy said after Paris officially informed the 15-member body of its decision to act in the African country.
Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda forced France into the conflict on Thursday by moving out of their bastion in northern Mali into government-held areas.
The militants seized northern Mali last March following a military coup a month earlier, before presidential elections, and have since imposed a brutal Islamic law on the people, raising fears in the West that the region could become a terrorist haven.
France has strongly backed a proposed 3300 African intervention force that the UN Security Council has authorised to help Mali's army reconquer its territory. But political turmoil in government-controlled areas, doubts about the capability of Mali's army and the African force, as well as disputes about international funding for the operation, have all cast a shadow over the efforts.
The French President, Francois Hollande, said his country would take on the Islamists ''as long as necessary'', portraying the conflict as a showdown with terrorism.
''France may now need to take an even stronger hand in the effort against the Islamists and press the rest of Europe and the US to get more involved,'' the UN envoy said.
Britain has already announced it will help transport troops to Mali, while the US provides military training in the country.
Mr Hollande evoked France's national security alert system which requires tighter security for public buildings and the transport network following action in Africa.
His move was the result of a botched French raid in Somalia to free an intelligence agent during which at least 19 people were killed, including two French soldiers. The operation, involving about 50 troops and at least five helicopters, was launched by elite forces of the French DGSE secret service.
France and its allies had planned to spend the first few months of this year rebuilding the Malian army torn apart by the coup. Officials predicted that no offensive could start before September, even though France has urged a faster deployment of the Economic Community of West African States troops.
Mali's coup leaders have retained a strong influence over the interim government that took over last year.
But the country's weak army has proved no match for the Islamists and melted away when the rebels launched their new advance last week, causing serious concern for countries in the region and overseas.
The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, raised fears about Mali's army at an emergency Security Council meeting on Thursday. ''One of the things we discussed is the extent to which the Malians are ready and willing to defend their own country,'' Dr Rice said afterwards.
Agence France-Presse, AAP | <urn:uuid:670509a2-2123-4e39-97e5-7868a4a81169> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theage.com.au/world/france-faces-long-fight-as-it-takes-on-mali-islamists-20130113-2cnk7.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967475 | 589 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The Alpha-52 starfighter was a starfighter model.
The Alpha-52 Starfighter, while never openly produced, was noted for its unique design. Very few starfighters had the "Kickstand" Engines. This made starfighters such as the Shrike stand out among others. This was also the most likely reason it was never widely produced. It had a generally wide chassis, and when landed, was extremely tall. A fighter that was taller than most freighters when landed would have trouble coming out of most hangar bays, and therefore made this model undesirable for most pilots.
Katrassii spaceport was one of the few examples of how large the hangar had to be in order to land such a ship. The takeoff of the engines could also cause a good amount of collateral damage during fast getaways with high powered take-offs; it would take some time to repair the floor of the hangar after such a blastoff.
In later years however, during the brief prosperity of some in the reign of the New Republic, some corporations were looking into releasing limited numbers of the prototype fighter for wealthy collectors and rare-starships aficionados. | <urn:uuid:5801c779-1053-48a3-aa3a-92116864300a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Alpha-52_starfighter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969601 | 235 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Reading Rainbow, the longtime PBS reading show now relaunched as an interactive digital book app, is partnering with National Geographic Kids to offer a line of branded digital picture books and easy readers. The Reading Rainbow book app will debut the National Geographic Kids’ digital content beginning in March 2013 with 30 titles.
Relaunched in 2011 by its longtime PBS host LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow has become RRKidz, the Reading Rainbow parent company, and a Reading Rainbow interactive digital reading app that offers access to more than 200 digital titles and video content. While the Reading Rainbow app is based on the award-winning PBS TV show, it has been revamped and reimagined for the digital age. The service offers an unlimited monthly subscription to the Reading Rainbow app for $9.99 and $29.99 for six months of unlimited access. Under the new partnership, National Geographic will offer content from its children's periodicals (National Geographic Kids, published 10 times a year, and Little Kids, published six times a year) as well as National Geographic Kids Books.
The partnership will offer NatGeo Kids’ line of digital Picture-the-Seasons books, easy readers, and its Look & Learn picture books for pre-readers through a branded section of Reading Rainbow's “Awesome People Island,” a featured category offering books and videos about heroes and important historical figures. The section will also feature biographies such as Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Helen Keller,and Harriet Tubman, and will include video field trips to places like the White House, as well as a new video series called "I Love My Job Because,” hosted and narrated by LeVar Burton.
RRKidz/Reading Rainbow president of publishing Sangita Patel called National Geographic “one of the most admired educational publishers in the world,” and said, “We are thrilled that children will soon be able to explore their world through the exceptional books offered by National Geographic Kids within the Reading Rainbow app.”
Melina Bellows, executive v-p and chief creative officer of National Geographic Books, Kids and Family, said, “Reading Rainbow and LeVar Burton have inspired generations of young readers to become passionate about books and reading. With this new app, the next generation of kids will take that passion to the digital world.”
RRKidz co-founder LeVar Burton said, “I promised parents and children that the Reading Rainbow app would continually evolve, and with this major partnership with National Geographic Kids, we deliver on that promise. With hundreds of books and video field trips in our library, and more being added every week, our app continues to be the best resource for children to develop the love of reading that is so important to their futures.” | <urn:uuid:9d47c0c9-3741-4fe2-947f-3015afa7588d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/Apps/article/55406-reading-rainbow-adds-digital-titles-from-national-geographic-kids.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943594 | 565 | 1.820313 | 2 |
LOS ANGELES — The pen may not be as mighty as the keyboard these days, but California and a handful of states are not giving up on handwriting entirely.
Bucking a growing trend of eliminating cursive from elementary school curriculums or making it optional, California is among the states keeping longhand as a third-grade staple.
The state’s posture on penmanship is not likely to undercut its place at the leading edge of technology, but it has teachers and students divided over the value of learning flowing script in an age of touchpads and mobile devices.
Some see it as a waste of time, an anachronism in a digitized society where even signatures are electronic, but others see it as necessary so youths can hone fine motor skills, reinforce literacy, and develop their own unique stamp of identity.
The debate comes as 45 states move toward adopting national curriculum guidelines in 2014 for English and math that don’t include cursive writing but require computer keyboarding proficiency by the time pupils exit elementary school.
Several states, including California, Massachusetts, and Georgia have added a cursive writing requirement to the national standards, while most others, such as Indiana, Illinois, and Hawaii have left it as optional for school districts. Some states, like Utah, are still studying the issue.
Whether it is required or not, cursive is fast becoming a lost art as schools increasingly replace pen and paper with classroom computers and instruction is increasingly geared to academic subjects that are tested on standardized exams. Even the standardized tests are on track to be administered via computer within three years.
Some educators say writing in block letters may be sufficient when it comes to handwriting in the future.
‘‘Do you really need to learn two different scripts?’’ said Steve Graham, education professor at Arizona State University who has studied handwriting instruction. ‘‘There will be plenty of kids who don’t learn cursive. The more important skill now is typing.’’
Cursive still has many proponents who say it benefits youngsters’ brains, coordination, and motor skills, as well as connects them to the past, whether to handwritten historical documents like the Constitution or to their parents’ and grandparents’ letters.
Longhand is also a symbol of personality, even more so in an era of uniform e-mails and texting, they say.
For many teachers, having children spend hours copying flowing letters isn’t practical in an era of high-stakes standardized testing. | <urn:uuid:04b6b62c-fdc1-435d-9d5b-57e6d36b8e38> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/12/02/some-states-preserve-penmanship-despite-tech-gains/4fcQsdOGwb3R3eRdijvqvO/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957058 | 517 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Baltimore School District Faces $35M Deficit
Room For Cuts In School System Tight
The Baltimore City Public School System faces a $35 million deficit and few options.
History shows this is the same school system that ran a $58 million deficit at one time. This year's shortfall concerns some people, who wonder whether the district will try to balance the budget on the backs of employees.
The shortfall results from a possibility of Baltimore City, as well as Maryland's 23 counties, having to pick up a share of covering teacher pensions, as proposed by the governor. Additionally, an increase in employee fringe benefits has also increased costs.
"Usually, we budget around $9 million for every single year for people who retire and cash in their sick time and personal (time). We put it on the fringe benefit. It's something we plan for every year," said Andres Alonso, the district's CEO.
That plan could change over the next few months as school officials look at the bottom line. In recent years, the district has made deep cuts at the top. There are fewer than 1,000 employees at School Board headquarters, which represents a 34 percent decrease since 2008.
Last year, the school system offered more than 300 teachers an early out. That may no longer be an option, but Alonso said the city will still have to do more with less.
"Roughly 80 percent of the district's budget is in teachers, is in personnel, is in our custodians, is in our ground crews. So, it's all about how we are going to pay people and be competitive, and at the same time, manage a budget where we don't get more dollars every single year," Alonso said.
School officials -- both in and out of the classroom -- have been the first to say there are no easy answers.
"Every day is a challenge, but we look forward to each and every challenge, and, quite frankly, if the challenges speak to inefficiency, then we use those opportunities to perfect our system," School Board President Neil Duke said.
The school system will likely count on volunteers, like Wanda Gee, who is more than willing to pitch in and help out through her church.
"It's very important. The kids, they need it in this day and age. They need help with reading and math," Gee said.
The school system has scheduled a number of public hearings on the budget: Click here for the complete budget presentation schedule.
» See Breaking News? Send Pictures, Video: email@example.com | WBAL MobileCity | Anne Arundel | Baltimore County | Carroll | Harford | Howard | More© 2012 by WBALTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Contact Us | <urn:uuid:7185b860-95d7-470a-a686-36627bea2cc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wbaltv.com/Baltimore-School-District-Faces-35M-Deficit/-/9380084/11030356/-/format/rsss_2.0/view/print/-/9rsima/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967107 | 578 | 1.554688 | 2 |
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome of the bonobo, a primate that, along with chimpanzees, is the closest living relative of humans. Unlike chimpanzees, which have an aggressive nature, bonobos tend to be peaceful, playful and highly sexual.
The study, published online in the journal Nature, compares the bonobo genome to the genomes of chimpanzees and humans.
As part of the study, scientists at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) analyzed and compared movable pieces of DNA called transposons in the three genomes.
"The findings will help scientists understand the evolutionary relationships between humans, chimpanzees and bonobos, and should help us learn more about the genetic basis for traits that humans share with these close relatives," says Dr. David E. Symer, assistant professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics and leader of the Ohio State team. Symer worked closely with Dr. Keiko Akagi, a bioinformatics expert at Ohio State, and Saneyuki Higashino, a graduate student visiting from Japan.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, led the study. They worked in collaboration with investigators at Aarhus University in Denmark, the University of Washington in Seattle, the National Human Genome Research Institute, The Ohio State University and other centers.
The team sequenced and assembled the genome of a female bonobo named Ulindi that lives in the Leipzig zoo.
They found that more than 3 percent of the human genome is more closely related to either the bonobo or the chimpanzee than the two apes are to each other, which indicates that the three species share a complex evolutionary relationship.
Transposons are popularly called "jumping genes" because they can move from one chromosomal location to another. They have accumulated in the genomes over evolutionary time and make up about half the genomic DNA of all three primates.
The Ohio State investigators identified the presence of more than 2.5 million transposons at identical locations in the chromosomes of all three species. They also found roughly 1,500 transposon insertions that are unique to the bonobo genome; that is, they are not present at the same genomic positions in the human or chimpanzee genomes, Symer says.
"These particular transposons inserted into the bonobo genome after they diverged from chimpanzees about a million years ago. They may be responsible for some of the key differences between bonobos, chimpanzees and humans, so we are continuing to study them," Symer says.
Researchers at these centers also participated in this study: J. Craig Venter Institute; University of Maryland; 454 Life Sciences; National Institutes of Health; University of Oxford, UK; The Wellcome Trust; Tokyo Institute of Technology; University of Washington; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; University of Bari, Italy; Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Spain; Lola Ya Bonobo Bonobo Sanctuary, Democratic Republic of Congo; Re´serve Naturelle Sanctuaire a` Chimpanze´s de Tchimpounga, Jane Goodall Institute, Republic of Congo; Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Uganda; Harvard Medical School; University of Montana; and the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology, Kenya.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute strives to create a cancer-free world by integrating scientific research with excellence in education and patient-centered care, a strategy that leads to better methods of prevention, detection and treatment. Ohio State is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of only seven centers funded by the NCI to conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials. The NCI recently rated Ohio State's cancer program as "exceptional," the highest rating given by NCI survey teams. As the cancer program's 210-bed adult patient-care component, The James is a "Top Hospital" as named by the Leapfrog Group and one of the top 20 cancer hospitals in the nation as ranked by U.S.News & World Report.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system. | <urn:uuid:c21ff9c2-b6d6-41ca-b44f-ec329803901e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/osum-ssg061412.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914634 | 931 | 2.90625 | 3 |
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Tennis - Nintendo Wii Sports
Tennis, part of the Wii sports game, is a game that works rather well with the Wii remote control. You just swing your arm, and your character swings the racquet. It works great for up to four players! The nunchuck isn't used at all for this game.
The graphics are very straightforward - your screen always looks like the above image. If you are playing alone, then you control both players "near you". If the ball is near the player in front and you swing, that is the player who will swing at the ball. The same goes for the person in back.
To serve, you first move your hand upwards quickly to toss the ball into the air. Then you swing at the "ball" to serve it. The opponent will lob it back to you, and on you go. Backhand and forehand are done by moving the controller to the appropriate site of your body, exactly as you would do with a racquet.
There aren't any button presses or odd movements involved. It's all a matter of timing. Hit the ball well, and it goes to the appropriate spot. It it early or late and the ball goes awry.
I wish the tennis game came with difficulty settings. You can get into a situation where you just volley eternally because you keep hitting the ball and your opponent keeps hitting it back. This is fine for an adult, but can get tricky for a younger player. If they make just one mistake, they lose, because the opponent isn't making any.
There isn't any "audience" - only colored blocks around you. You do still hear cheers if you do well, though. On the down side, if you make a mistake, you get grumpy anger clouds over your two players. I'm not sure that is really necessary. If I'm just starting out in tennis, I can make mistakes without getting furious at myself. It's part of the learning process. We don't have to be the John McEnroe of tennis ...
So, out of the sports games, tennis isn't my favorite. For future versions I would like to see levels of difficulty and a bit of anger management :)
Nintendo Wii Sports Game Main Listing
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Content copyright © 2013 by Lisa Shea. All rights reserved.
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Website copyright © 2013 Minerva WebWorks LLC. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:53346caf-0a67-463f-85bc-739ebe8e639b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8281.asp | 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 | 0.940246 | 578 | 1.539063 | 2 |
In previous blog posts we at the Big Shop have begun a series explaining how to start your first ever indoor grow room. We’ve already covered the basics and what entry level equipment you’ll need. Of course, your plants should flourish given the correct air flow and lighting, as well as a good environmental control system, but they won’t be growing at all if they aren’t provided with the necessary nutrients and chemicals – that’s the subject of today’s blog entry!
The mineral nutrients necessary for plant growth can be subdivided into two groups – macronutrients and micronutrients. Greater amounts of macronutrients are needed than of micronutrients, hence the names (‘macro’ meaning ‘large’, and ‘micro’ meaning ‘small’). These nutrients dissolve into water and are absorbed into the plant through its roots. After all, in soil, the nutrients need to chemically travel to reach a plant’s roots, whilst a hydroponic solution – being liquid – can bring all the necessary nutrients straight to the roots.
Fortunately we can skip the science lesson here as new growers don’t necessarily need to understand the exact chemistry of plant growth – at the Big Shop we have a wide selection of nutrient solutions and supplements, so take off that lab coat as you don’t need to make your own from scratch! For example, take a look at the Flora series from General Hydroponics as a good quality and good value first step.
Of course the right level and ratio of nutrients is important, but be careful not to neglect other similarly important grow room ingredients. It’s of paramount importance, for instance, to maintain a steady pH level. The pH scale is how acidic or alkaline a substance is – read more about this in one of our previous blogs. The correct pH will maximise the potential nutrient uptake for your crops – while an incorrect pH could starve them of their sustenance and prove fatal to your plants if allowed to get too out of hand.
Different varieties of plant have adapted to require different levels of pH, but almost all of these sit within the range of between 5.5 and 6.5 pH; it is therefore advisable to aim for a steady 6 in your hydroponic system. Being a liquid-based process, maintaining the pH in a hydroponic setup is simple – merely keep regular track of the pH levels and add pH+ or pH- solution if your measurements head towards one end of the scale or the other.
It’s generally a good idea to test the pH of your solution a couple of hours after you do anything with it – after adding supplements or replacing the liquid for example. Once adjusted, leave it an hour and test again, repeating the process until the correct pH level is settled. Testing your solution twice a week is a beneficial routine to get into. And don’t worry – the Big Shop has plenty of equipment for testing and maintaining pH levels in your grow room. | <urn:uuid:c7af4427-afc2-40cc-b52e-8a9e0b7c2258> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.thebigshop.com/2012/04/18/building-your-1st-indoor-grow-room-part-3-%E2%80%93-getting-chemicals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919206 | 628 | 2.453125 | 2 |
State-of-the-art integrated IR-UWB enabling global high-quality low-power mobile applications
Leuven, Belgium – October 11, 2011 – Imec and Holst Centre present a fully chip-integrated ultralow-power IR-UWB (impulse-radio ultra-wideband) solution for use in the worldwide available 6-10GHz band. The radio delivers high-quality communication for battery-operated mobile and sensing applications. It operates fade-resilient and interference-free.
With its first ultralow-power integrated solution for the 6-10GHz band, imec and Holst Centre now make UWB communication available for battery-operated applications in the area of personal area networks and positioning sensors worldwide. Examples are short-range video streaming or around-the-body audio streaming (e.g. between a headset and a smartphone). When using the UWB radio for the wireless streaming of audio between for example a smartphone and an earpiece, the battery lifetime of the smartphone will increase by over 3x compared to a conventional Bluetooth-based solution, and the earpiece will have a battery lifetime increase of over 5x. In contrast to the Bluetooth communication, the UWB radio will not suffer from interference from other wireless technologies that operate in the same location and in the same frequency band.
Impulse ultra-wideband communication is especially suited for short-range (20m) communication and positioning sensors. The large bandwidth improves the resilience against fades, resulting in a superior communication reliability. This is especially so compared to narrowband solutions, which tend to lose signals in surroundings with reflective surfaces and multi-path propagation. Also, spreading information over a wide bandwidth decreases the power spectral density, thus reducing the interference with other systems and lowering the probability of interception. IR-UWB is also suitable for positioning sensors; the reflection of the wide-band signal allows for centimeter-ranging positioning accuracy.
Imec and Holst Centre’s solution consists of a transmitter, receiver front-end, and receiver digital baseband. The transmitter delivers 13dBm peak power, with an average power consumption of 3.3mW. The receiver front-end shows -88dBm sensitivity at 1Mbps. A digital synchronization algorithm enables real-time duty cycling, resulting in a mean power consumption of 3mW. A DCO with 100ppm frequency accuracy and a baseband frequency tracking algorithm ensure the coherent reception. A 75dB link budget with a data rate of 1Mbps is achieved.
Companies can have access to this technology by joining imec and Holst Centre’s R&D program on ultra-low power wireless systems.
Imec’s and Holst Centre’s fully chip-integrated ultralow-power IR-UWB (impulse-radio ultra-wideband) solution.
Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Imec leverages its scientific knowledge with the innovative power of its global partnerships in ICT, healthcare and energy. Imec delivers industry-relevant technology solutions. In a unique high-tech environment, its international top talent is committed to providing the building blocks for a better life in a sustainable society. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, US, China, India and Japan. Its staff of about 1,900 people includes more than 500 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2010, imec's revenue (P&L) was 285 million euro.
Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of IMEC International (a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut”), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland, part of Holst Centre which is supported by the Dutch Government), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.) and imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shangai) Co. Ltd.) and imec India (Imec India Private Limited).
About Holst Centre
Holst Centre is an independent open-innovation R&D centre that develops generic technologies for Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions and for Systems-in-Foil. A key feature of Holst Centre is its partnership model with industry and academia around shared roadmaps and programs. It is this kind of cross-fertilization that enables Holst Centre to tune its scientific strategy to industrial needs.
Holst Centre was set up in 2005 by imec (Flanders, Belgium) and TNO (The Netherlands) with support from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Government of Flanders. It is named after Gilles Holst, a Dutch pioneer in Research and Development and first director of Philips Research.
Located on High Tech Campus Eindhoven, Holst Centre benefits from the state-of-the-art on-site facilities. Holst Centre has over 150 employees from around 25 nationalities and a commitment from more than 30 industrial partners. | <urn:uuid:0ea0a044-d718-476c-b2a5-2953084765d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fpgacentral.com/news/2011/state-art-integrated-ir-uwb-enabling-glo?quicktabs_7=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901416 | 1,057 | 1.875 | 2 |
Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a comprehensive exhibit into the David Bowie archive to explore his creative process. He may primarily be known as a musician, but his influence in style reaches far beyond that.
In the 1970's and 1980's he was known for his androgynous, futuristic and avant-garde aesthetic. His Ziggy Stardust bodysuits were designed by Freddie Buretti and gave direction to activewear. Dramatic makeup looks were imitated by both men and women. All are on display in the exhibit. The rockstar's personal sketches, artwork for his albums, storyboards and intimate diary entries offer insight into his artistic process.
Yves Saint-Laurent, Jonathan Saunders Spring 2013 and Alexander McQueen's Resort 2013 collection were all clearly influenced by the Bowie's style. My first memory of his style was his role in 1986's Labyrinth. His spiked hair, tights and ruffled shirt as the "Goblin King" was my first encounter with his Rock n' Roll style and the 11 year old me found it incredibly sexy.
The exhibit runs until August 11, 2013.
Photos by Frank W Ockenfels,Duffy Archive,John Robert Rowlands and V&A Museum | <urn:uuid:4bff80ed-9fe1-4169-901e-16e8c227468a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.msfabulous.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987286 | 254 | 1.695313 | 2 |
At 60 years old, the last thing Barbara Stillwell wanted to do was to look for a new job. But when the economy tanked and the housing bubble burst in 2008, the Bellingham, Wash., resident had no choice but to hit the job market again after being laid off from her real estate position [source: Heeringa].
With no money coming in and the bills piling up, Stillwell decided to undergo a career makeover. She walked into the office of WorkSource Northwest, which provides unemployed workers with new job skills, and asked for help. WorkSource helped Stillwell obtain a scholarship to the local community college where she embarked on a new career in the medical billing field. She graduated in 2009 [source: Heeringa].
Then reality set in. No one wanted to hire an older woman since there were many younger, more qualified people around. Undaunted, Stillwell went back to WorkSource and updated her computer skills, which ultimately landed her a part-time job at the local American Red Cross chapter. Stillwell hopes a full-time position will open up [source: Heeringa].
With the country slowly recovering from the greatest economic upheaval since the Great Depression, job retraining programs, such as those provided by WorkSource, have become an economic lifeline for millions of Americans. Jobs are so tight that some experts say retraining is the only option that people have, for both white and blue collar workers, who were hard hit equally hard during the Great Recession [source: Semuels].
Yet, training for a new career is extremely daunting and downright scary, especially for those who have spent years, sometimes decades, working in one industry. Job training programs are designed to give workers the skills they need to become more competitive in the job market. Some of those skills are generic, such as learning new computer programs, while other programs provide more detailed instruction.
Before you sign up for job retraining and change careers, we'll tell you what to consider. | <urn:uuid:0ea34e69-3a68-4d5a-9141-4ea38e300473> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.howstuffworks.com/second-career-ideas/career-change-programs.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971897 | 406 | 2.25 | 2 |
A civil statue and a surplus cannon once graced the lawn in front of Central School.
On September 30, 1904 the Joe Hooker Post of Grand Army of the Republic (a local branch of a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army) dedicated a monument consisting of a civil war soldier statue and a surplus cannon. These were placed at Central School, the forerunner to Washington High School at the same location.
The statue was constructed of white bronze (not bronze, but copper, tin and zinc), the cannon was made for normal cannon use, though likely never fired. It was made the usual cannon material; steel, bronze or iron, depending on what was most available at the time.
The American Volunteer, as this statue was often called (more often people called it Joe Hooker), stood at Central School until 1933, when they were moved to Lyon Park, six blocks to the south to make way for the expansion of Washington High School, which was built in four sections over the course of several years. When they were ready to build the last section, Central School was torn down and the statue and cannon were moved.
Here we see Sid Epstein (of Sid's Liquor fame) posing next to the statue in Lyon Park. This was a WWII era photo and Sid may have felt some camaraderie with the American Volunteer, both looking snappy in their uniforms.
The head is all that now remains of the statue. Apparently, an over-zealous parks employee de-dedicated the statue, perhaps fearing that children would damage it or hurt themselves playing on it. The statue was unceremoniously pulled down via rope and pickup truck in June of 1964. The head was grabbed and saved by a park employee who wishes to remain anonymous. Anon kept company with Hooker for the 42 years since his dethroning, living with Anon in at least a dozen different locations.
Anon returned the head to Sioux Falls via Tom Griffith of Deadwood Magazine. Hooker returned to Sioux Falls in April of 2007 and he calls a climate controlled box in The Courthouse Museum his home.
Page Updated: 08/21/2011
Original Postcard by Sorenson-Binger | <urn:uuid:1a038ea2-b65e-442a-adde-8b3833bc6302> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greetingsfromsiouxfalls.com/CivilWarStatue/civilwarstatue.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98485 | 451 | 2.234375 | 2 |
How is Drug Addiction and Depresson Related
The connection between drug addiction and depression is a close one, and it’s often difficult to tell where one stops and the other begins. Depression is a very common factor in drug addiction, so common, in fact, that a large percentage of those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol also exhibit symptoms of depression, whether in its mild form or to the extreme as bipolar disorder or manic depression.
Few drug addiction treatment facilities treat co-occurring disorders like depression. At The Canyon, however, we treat both concurrently with medical professionals and therapists who specialize in substance abuse and co-occurring psychological disorders.
It’s not uncommon, but for those who suffer from chronic depression, any day-even every day-can create a reason to drink if you’re looking for it and, of course, regular drinking soon turns into dependence and, eventually, alcoholism.
In the same way, what may begin with a couple of hits of marijuana or a few drinks can soon grow to include other drugs: cocaine to maintain the drinking longer or heroin to increase the euphoria and sense of separation from the haunting depression. In treatment and medical circles, it’s called “self-medicating.” Rather than seeking treatment through anti-depressants and therapy, it’s easier emotionally and physically to reach for a drink, a pipe or a needle.
Even those who are brave enough to seek medical treatment for their depression find that the emotional subjects broached during therapy spark the urge to use. Others who begin medical treatment with anti-depressants feel that the medication is acting quickly enough and augment it with drugs and alcohol.
The Unending Cycle
One thing is for certain: depression is only made worse but substance abuse. The immediate feeling of euphoria or relaxation is replaced as soon as the drugs and alcohol wears off with an even deeper depression combined with fatigue and, in some cases, guilt and anxiety. Continued use leads to addiction and fundamental changes in the brain that make existing psychological conditions even worse and sometimes create new forms of psychosis depending upon the drug, dose and length of addiction. It’s a never ending cycle. The only way to break it is to undergo treatment for both disorders simultaneously in a program like the one available at The Canyon.
Too often, addicts are told by professionals that they must seek treatment for their drug addiction before they get help with their depression. Unfortunately, the body doesn’t work that way. The disorders are not separate and neither should be their treatments. To treat drug addiction without also treating depression is like using duct tape to fix a leak. It may work for a little while but soon enough it will need to be dealt with again and this time, it will be much more serious.
Treatment at The Canyon
At The Canyon, we don’t believe it is possible to treat drug addiction without treating symptoms of depression at the same time. Through our treatment program, we provide a number of multi-faceted therapies chosen based on their abilities to speak to both disorders at the same time. One-on-one therapy sessions as well as support groups and healing life nutrition join these therapeutic options to create a comprehensive treatment program designed specifically for those who suffer from both depression and drug and alcohol addiction.
If you would like more information on the connection between drug addiction and depression or would like to find out more about the treatment available at The Canyon, contact us today at | <urn:uuid:b0de01e3-f1b8-40e2-b55f-66d515efc624> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thecyn.com/drug-addiction/how-is-drug-addiction-and-depression-related/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955711 | 712 | 2.40625 | 2 |
U.S. Treasury prices are lower as investors become more comfortable shifting money back into the stock market.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.77 percent late Tuesday from 1.74 percent Monday. Its price fell 28 cents for every $100 invested.
The yield rises when the government has to pay more to encourage investors to buy the bonds. That's a sign that investors are buying stocks instead, something they tend to do when they're more optimistic about the economy.
Stocks rose for most of the day Tuesday following an encouraging report about the U.S. housing market. A late headline about Greece preparing to leave the euro left the market ending mixed.
In other trading, the yield on the 30-year bond rose to 2.87 percent from 2.81 percent. Its price fell $1.16. The yield on the two-year note inched up to 0.3 percent from 0.29 percent.
The three-month T-bill paid a yield of 0.08 percent, up slightly from 0.07 percent.
BREAKING: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Gang of Eight Immigration Reform Bill | Daniel Doherty
Whoa: US Hasn't Detained Five Benghazi Terrorists Due to Trial-Related Evidentiary Concerns | Guy Benson
Baucus & Hatch Grill IRS Commissioners Who Don't Know Anything: "That's A Lie By Omission" | Greg Hengler | <urn:uuid:2a81b19b-8f3e-4734-8290-3af6d1aa0d8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://townhall.com/news/business/2012/05/22/us_treasury_prices_fall_as_stocks_stabilize | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91646 | 295 | 1.695313 | 2 |
How to wallpaper: top tips
How do I make sure I’ve got enough wallpaper?
Our easy-to-use Wallpaper Calculator takes the guesswork out of how many rolls to buy.
Can I use all types of paper in all rooms?
How do I know if I need lining paper?
If yours is a new-build with perfectly symmetrical walls you won’t need lining paper. If you live in a Victorian semi with walls that have been knocked, filled, papered and stripped over the years, you probably do.
Lining paper smoothes imperfections and improves surface porosity, giving your walls a flawless finish. Available in grades of 400-1400, we recommend you don’t go below 1000, which becomes too thin and stretchy.
Just remember to hang lining paper horizontal to the floor, using a spirit level for accuracy, so that the top layer of wallpaper's joints don't line up with the lining paper. (If you’re planning to paint the lining paper, hang it vertically).
How do I match the patterns?
If you’ve fallen in love with a paper that has a repeating pattern you need some careful planning to get it right first time, and you should anticipate a fair amount of waste to get the perfect match!
How do I hang paper in a stair well?
The first rule is to get someone in to help you. Now, you’ll need to either hire a temporary scaffold or make your own. Depending on the layout of your staircase you can either use one ladder with a scaffold board resting on a stair or stepladders at either end with the scaffold resting on different steps.
Once you’ve measured the height of the head wall (the wall at your back when climbing the stairs) and cut your paper accordingly, paste the wallpaper and fold the bottom half back on itself. Get your helper to support the scaffold while you do the high work.
When you come to paper the well wall (the highest wall up the stair side) you’ll be working with longer drops; this is where your helper will need to support the weight of the pasted and concertina-folded paper, which can be quite heavy.
Be prepared for lots of climbing up and down, repositioning the scaffold and board in place. Don’t be tempted to reach out to hang paper – this is usually where it all goes horribly wrong.
The HSE has produced a great leaflet on using ladders safely.
How do I paper around light sockets and switches?
We've a great guide, How to wallpaper around doors, windows and switches, which gives you all the information you need.
How do I wallpaper behind a radiator?
Either remove the whole unit (having turned off the valves and positioned a bowl and plastic sheeting beneath) or simply paste and hang the paper to about one inch above the radiator so it flaps over the front. Using scissors cut the paper at least 50mm (2”) below the top and smooth it behind using a radiator roller.
How do I deal with bubbles and creases?
It pains us to say it but bubbles usually mean the paper has been poorly applied. If there are lots of bubbles you might be better just replacing the whole length of paper. Tiny bubbles can be pierced with a pin and pressed flat. Larger bubbles can be removed using a craft knife and making two tiny cuts forming a cross over the bubble. Peel back the four flaps, apply wallpaper paste and smooth back down with a sponge, wiping away the excess.
How do I deal with lifted seams?
Carefully slide the blade of a craft knife under the paper and peel it back enough to apply adhesive to the wall beneath it. Take care not to get paste on the surrounding paper, and, using a seam roller, flatten the edges together. Wipe away any excess paste with a damp sponge and dry the seam with a clean, dry cloth, remembering to always work in one direction.
How do I repair damaged sections of wallpaper?
Torn paper isn’t the end of the world. Simply peel back the torn section and using a slim paintbrush apply paste to the section of exposed wall. Smooth back the torn flap and position with a damp sponge, wiping clean with a dry cloth.
How do I conceal gaps between wallpaper joins?
If the wallpaper paste has dried beyond the ‘butting up’ point and you notice a small gap between sections, use this handy trick. Simply buy a tester pot of paint that matches the wallpaper colour and carefully, very carefully, paint in between the gaps. We’re confident no one will notice! | <urn:uuid:ac66a638-54d3-4850-896c-b6d643a24fe2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uktv.co.uk/home/item/aid/652327 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917812 | 976 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Farmers in the Midwest may want to pray for more balmy water temperatures off Peru’s equatorial coast. Colder-than-normal seas in this region indicate that a La Niña weather event is still stewing that could negatively alter rainfall and temperature patterns elsewhere, including the U.S. Corn Belt – similar to what occurred during summer 2011.
“The dry-weather bias across the Midwest from August through September last year was, in part, a function of La Niña,” says Drew Lerner, meteorologist and owner, World Weather Inc. “La Niña wasn’t solely responsible for the drought in Indiana and Illinois during early summer last year. However, late in summer, during August and September, La Niña reasserted itself and the drought in Indiana and Illinois spread to other, immediately neighboring states.”
In 2011, spring started out cool and wet in Indiana, with planting delays occurring during April and May, says Shaun Casteel, Purdue University Extension agronomist. “Then, during summer, we experienced drought conditions and a lot of heat stress,” says Casteel. “How the crop performed really came down to how much rain your farm received and when it occurred. In northeastern and southern Indiana, it was fairly common for soybean yields to be only 15, 20 or 30 bu./acre.”
Midwestern crop production could again suffer drought-related yield losses in 2012, depending on what happens with La Niña over the next several months. “The current La Niña is still a weak one, but it is showing some intensification,” says Lerner. “In the Upper Midwest, if La Niña lasts through summer, we’ll likely see good early spring moisture, a decline in precipitation for late spring, heat and dryness beginning to prevail early in summer and then heat and dryness really kicking in during late summer.”
The lingering affects from a devastating drought in Texas last year could also expand any La Niña-related dryness that might occur in the Corn Belt. “The worst case scenario would occur if winter and spring rains are insufficient to break down the Texas drought while dryness remains in the upper Midwest and La Niña remains a significant event through summer,” says Lerner. “In that scenario, dryness would likely extend from Texas to the northern Plains during the corn and soybean growing seasons.”
Extreme weather predictions like this one don’t play out very often, however, he adds. “Frequent rains from Texas into the Midwest (like we’ve seen in December) this winter and spring would help reduce the potential for a worst case of La Niña-induced dryness this summer,” says Lerner. “Easing the dryness in Texas would also help reduce the potential for a significant high pressure ridge to build up in late spring and summer.”
Still, the severity of a La Niña, and how long they last, is hard to predict. Nor do any two La Niña events affect U.S. crop production exactly the same way, due to a complex number of relating factors.
“La Niña’s impact will always be varied, depending on what the prevailing weather pattern is and the intensity of the event itself,” says Lerner. “It’s still too far out to predict how La Niña conditions might impact the 2012 cropping year with any accuracy.”
On occasion, La Niña can actually be good for crop production, he points out. “If the prevailing weather pattern is wet, La Niña will have a positive impact by taking the excess moisture out of the pattern and provide timely rainfall,” says Lerner. “If, however, the prevailing weather pattern is a dry one, La Niña’s influence will be to take away more moisture and the drier-biased pattern will suddenly become too dry – raising concern for crops.”
In just a couple months, meteorologists will be able to more accurately predict La Niña’s impact on Corn Belt agriculture. “We’ll know a whole lot more about the fate of La Niña in February and March,” says Lerner. “Right now, I expect it to peak in late January or early February, and then to taper off. If that occurs, the bottom line is that crop-growing conditions for corn and soybeans will still be favorable.” | <urn:uuid:e3991041-fd2d-4be6-8888-87bff6467bf7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/issues/lingering-la-ni-threatens-2012-corn-soybean-production | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951706 | 934 | 2.859375 | 3 |
This blog is part of a series I'm writing while I'm updating the fifteen year old "My Gender Workbook" for Routledge Press. I'm asking for your voice to be included in the spiffy new version, because you are so much more than the first version of the book could have predicted. Every couple of days, I'll be posting a new question for you to ponder. If the question tickles your fancy, by all means please speak to it. For more about this update, check out the original blog. Thanks for your help.
The designation LGBT is problematic for many reasons, but primarily:
- LGBT conflates identities based on sexualities with identities based on gender. That's not problematic, because both sexuality and gender have roots in desire and desireability—so we fit together just fine, even though we are two spaces of categorization.
- LGBT—the four letters, and even a few more—doesn't begin to cover the number of people who claim identities that hinge on sexuality and gender. This is a problem, because people get left out or they're actively barred from membership and that's just not right. It's way past the time when we can exclude people based on shades of meaning.
Over the past few years, I've been putting together a list of claimed identities who hinge on gender anarchy and sex positivity. These are the people I want to hang out with. These are the people whose activism I would support, and whose rights I would stand up for. With your help, I've increased the list from 141 identities to 185!! I know that I'm far from done. I need your help, please, to finish this list. Kindly let me know what identities I've missed, and what identities I may have erroneously added to the list.
I'm particularly interested in regional slang, and names of identities from countries other than North America. I'm not looking for names that other people may call us in order to shame or degrade us—but if we use one or more of those words for ourselves with pride and dignity, then it goes on the list. In some cases, I've made words up—I've indicated these with an asterisk, and I'll be defining them in the list that ends up going into the workbook.
Here are the requirements for membership
- The identity is based in outlawed or marginalized sexuality or gender. I sum that up as gender anarchy and sex positivity.
- Those who've got more privilege than others use their privilege to uplift, support and encourage others.
- No members can be mean to others.
So, here's the updated PDF of people I'd like to have in my clubhouse: Download GASP 2
See if you can spot yourself on the list thus far. Let me know who I've missed, or anyone I've added by mistake. I'll try to update the list daily, so keep checking back so you don't miss out on any of the fun.
Thank you so much.
PS — if there's a word or identity on this list you don't know, give it a google!
Reminder: You can answer in the comments section of this blog, but Twitter is the very best way to respond. Response length, wherever you do it, is maximum 280 characters, two tweels. Your tweets do NOT have to be addressed to me, but DO remember to put the hashtag #MNGW on ALL your tweets about this or any other gender-y thing that might pop into your adorable li'l head. | <urn:uuid:9adb8ff5-01b1-4a93-afe4-9028e8783078> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://katebornstein.typepad.com/kate_bornsteins_blog/2012/02/beyond-lgbtqqia-etc-whos-a-member-of-our-club.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957041 | 730 | 1.875 | 2 |
Some of the symptoms include swelling usually in your extremities, burning/electric sensations, increased sweating at the site, muscle spasms, hot/cold sensations, a reddish color to the limb, joint stiffness. These symptoms usually occur near some sort of injury; in fact RSD is believed to be an over-reaction to an injury involving the autonomic nervous system and the immune system.
Here's a non-profit organization devoted to solving RSD/CRPS - that you might get more information from http://www.rsds.org/1/organization/index.html. Good luck!
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of Remedy Health Media. Remedy Health Media does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate. | <urn:uuid:e49c7002-2133-4803-ab8b-1c07cca0db91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/question/413161/143989 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932543 | 231 | 1.578125 | 2 |
On the cover: Since its discovery as a second ligand for the colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) receptor (CSF-1R), interleukin-34 (IL-34) has emerged as a partial functional homolog of CSF-1, which is surprising given that IL-34, a secreted factor, and membrane-tethered CSF-1 share meager sequence identity and appear unrelated. To resolve this mystery, Ma et al. (pp. 676–687) characterize structures of human IL-34 alone, in complex with the N-terminal three Ig domains of CSF-1R, and in complex with an anti-IL-34 Fab fragment. The cover illustrates cartoon models of CSF-1R (with extracellular Ig repeats rendered as ovals and colored as dark brown, brown, white, and teal for D1, D2, D3, and D4-D5 modules, respectively; intracellular tyrosine kinase is drawn as rods and colored in light teal) comparatively bound to IL-34 (purple) and CSF-1 (green) homodimers. The interdomain flexibility between D2 and D3 is a key feature that allows CSF-1R to engage these two distantly related helical cytokines. Cover design by Allison Bruce. | <urn:uuid:ad972ea1-992d-4e1d-97e4-2eb6460b37ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cell.com/structure/issue?pii=S0969-2126(12)X0004-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935575 | 283 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Illinois Institute of Technology
critic: John RONAN
suckerPUNCH: Describe your project.
Mircea ENI: Atmosphere in architecture is the overall presence and impact of the building onto its inhabitants. Atmosphere can be influenced by form, material, light, temperature, and texture. Its presence affects our senses to a point where we can no longer doubt the existence and intentions of the building. Atmosphere can also be influenced by the craft and assembly of the building. The presence of modern technologies and fabrication methods creates an opportunity for designing new atmospheres.
The materials used in the architecture of today, are almost the same as the ones used one hundred years ago. However, with the use of modern machines these are transformed to a point where they are able to create new, never before seen atmospheres. This process is done only through the intricate manipulation of old materials.
My interest is to explore how new technologies can create new atmosphere. As a starting point I decided to explore the qualities of lace. A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads. Lace is created by a string of the same thickness that is manipulated and layered creating a variety of thicknesses, porosities densities and patterns. Thus one simple material achieves intricate and delicate qualities.
Similar to lace, this project explores how atmospheres can be achieved through the manipulation of one single material: lumber. The formed structure acts as a connecting tissue for the Columbia College buildings within a block. The structure stretches through the back alley, attaching itself to the neighboring buildings and inhabits spaces within the college buildings.
sP: What or who influenced this project?:
ME: Lace and the modern urban setting.
sP: What were you reading/listening to/watching while developing this project?:
ME: Reading Franz Kafka’s The Trial; listening to Animal Collective and Glitch Mob; watching The Orphanage.
sP: Whose work is currently on your radar?:
ME: OMA, Snohetta, Sara Shafiei, Reiser + Umemoto.
Additional credits and links: | <urn:uuid:7d31a583-8cdb-440b-b3f2-66162d7edeed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/2012/12/04/stretch-urban-campus-connector/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927341 | 445 | 2.421875 | 2 |
HL20: Rebecca Lynn—Investing in Innovation, from the Outside
Patients have proven they are capable of tending to their own health issues: Diabetics manage to measure their insulin levels and women take pregnancy tests at home all the time.
"Pregnancy tests used to only be administered in the doctor's office. And there was a huge uproar by doctors when they wanted to do over-the-counter pregnancy tests because they didn't think women could handle it on their own."
That trend of passing to patients some of the responsibility for their own care will continue—from ordering lab tests without a permission slip from the doctor to at-home medical devices and technologies such as blood pressure cuffs, glucose meters, and smart scales.
"Why do you need to go through the whole doctor system?" she says.
Although some docs might bristle at the thought of being seen as middle-men to be avoided, Lynn says a more patient-driven healthcare system will ultimately make their lives easier. "The benefit to doctors is that they can practice medicine. Right now there are so many arcane things that happen that they can get closer to the patient, they can practice medicine, and they can do it based on data and results. And that's incredibly powerful."
So why should it fall to outsiders to reinvent healthcare? Because they "don't know where the walls are," she says. They have a clearer vision of what works in other industries and tend to be more consumer-focused than providers, she adds.
- Patient Harm Data to Remain on Medicare's Hospital Compare Site
- Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores 'Depressing'
- Quiet ORs Better for Patient Safety
- Tavenner Confirmed as CMS Administrator
- Building a Better Healthcare Board
- CMS Seeks to 'Rapidly Reduce' Medicare Spending with $1B in Grants
- Rural Healthcare Can Entice the Best and Brightest
- Hard-Nosed About Physician Teamwork
- How Medical Debt Forgiveness Benefits Hospitals
- Healthcare Leaders Sound Off on Organized Labor | <urn:uuid:46af12db-6f8f-4113-b530-36dfa1b10a64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-3/PHY-274158/HL20-Rebecca-LynnmdashInvesting-in-Innovation-from-the-Outside | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960861 | 422 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers!
About this Guide
The following author biography and list of questions about In the Shadow of
the Law are intended as resources to aid individual readers and book groups
who would like to learn more about the author and this book. We hope that this
guide will provide you a starting place for discussion, and suggest a variety of
perspectives from which you might approach In the Shadow of the Law.
About the Book
Morgan Siler is one of Washington, D.C.'s most powerful K Street law firms, its
roster of clients stocked with multibillion-dollar corporations. Through the
obsessive efforts of its founder's son, Peter Morgan, his father's old-fashioned
business has been transformed into a veritable goliath, embracing bankruptcy and
merger divisions that Archibald Morgan had deemed ungentlemanly. As Peter
reaches the pinnacle of his career, his firm is embroiled in two difficult
cases: a pro bono death-penalty case in Virginia, and a class-action lawsuit
brought against Hubble Chemical Corporation after an on-site explosion killed
dozens of workers.
Assigned to these cases is a group of young associates and seasoned partners
struggling to make their way in the firm. Mark Clayton, fresh out of law school,
is beginning to loathe his dull workload, and to be frightened by the
downgrading of his personal life, when he is assigned to the pro bono case.
Assisting him is the mercurial Walker Eliot, a brilliant third-year associate
whose passion for the law is as great as his skill at unraveling its
intricacies. The aggressive, profane, and wildly successful litigator Harold
Fineman is leading the Hubble defense, assisted by first-year Katja Phillips,
whose twin devotion to productivity and idealism intrigue him, and Ryan Grady,
another first-year, whose quest to pick up girls is starting to interfere with
In this complex, ambitious, and gripping first novel, Kermit Roosevelt vividly
illustrates the subtle and stark effects of the law on the lives not only of a
group of lawyers, but also on communities and private citizens. In the Shadow
of the Law is a meditation about the life of the law, the organism that is a
law firm, and its impact on those who come within its powerful orbit.
Why do you think Kermit Roosevelt ends each part of the prologue with
outside characters' approach to the law?
The tone of each characters'
introduction is one of examination. Why do you believe the author chooses to
being their stories this way?
What role does the history of the Morgan
Siler firm play in the lives of the lawyers who now work for the company? Is
the transformation of the firm representative of other changes?
question of capital-C character: Aside from narrative action, how do
characters reveal their true "characters"? Consider their physical, material
worlds, the way they speak to others, the way they regard their personal
The "shadow" of the title implies critique, yet
paradoxically, the responsibility that comes with the law's practice and
interpretation. Is the book about interpretation in its many forms?
Discuss the author's choice to create/include court documents.
writes on page 129, "What's the matter with law?" How and why is her
Harold Fineman says, "Act and it will produce belief.
That's what litigation is all about." Do you agree with this statement? How
might it be altered or elaborated upon?
How is the firm Morgan Siler like
Think about the characters: Mark, Katja, Harold, Walker,
etc. What toll does their profession take on them? How might they be
rewarded or revitalized by the practice of law?
What are your thoughts
on the outcomes of the two cases?
For more information on Picador Reading Group Guides: Call: 646-307-5629 Fax:
E-mail: email@example.com For a complete listing of
reading group guides visit: www.picadorusa.com
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Picador.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate... | <urn:uuid:f0d337b7-a5f9-48d2-9c34-ad7f74276129> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookbrowse.com/reading_guides/detail/index.cfm/book_number/1612/in-the-shadow-of-the-law | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938215 | 990 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Evidence Based Policy
John F. Pfaff
Fordham University School of Law
Christopher P. Guzelian
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
March 26, 2007
Fordham Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 976376
The American legal system has traditionally established facts through adversarial proceedings, tempered by judicial evidentiary screening. Legal observers, however, have grown increasingly discontented with this approach when dealing with scientific facts. Focusing on public law, we argue here that judges confronting empirical questions should look beyond the claims of dueling, adversarial experts to derive the answers. Scientists themselves do not use such adversarial proceedings, but rather evidence based logic (EBL), an objective method of reviewing existing empirical evidence to determine what science knows and does not know. We propose that judges should incorporate EBL into their gatekeeping functions. EBL leads to scientifically sounder judicial resolutions, discourages the misuse of scientific data, and draws more clearly the line between policy disputes that can and cannot be helped by scientific inquiry. Furthermore, judicial use of EBL respects adversarialism while providing neutral, objective assessments of scientific validity.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 66working papers series
Date posted: March 28, 2007
© 2013 Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This page was processed by apollo5 in 0.328 seconds | <urn:uuid:4b136a80-ff16-41e7-9a52-3eaf9c0caf3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=976376 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909784 | 275 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Kate Winslet is known for lashing out against magazines that Photoshop her body, and now another British beauty’s retouchings have people feeling uncomfortable.
The images of Twiggy’s smooth face in recent Olay Definity (an anti-aging cream) advertisements have moved members of the Parliament to call for action, which we learned about thanks to our friends over at Jezebel.
The Liberal Democrats in Parliament want to ban Photoshopping completely on advertisements aimed at children (those under sixteen), and place disclaimers stating how much Photoshopping was used on all other ads. The politicians who suggested these changes are hoping that this could boost young adults’—specifically girls’—self-esteem, or more accurately, lessen the negative comparison a young girl could make between her body and the perfectly sleek and slim body of a model in a magazine.
In a recent LA Times article on the subject, Professor Montana Miller cut right to the point: if advertisers make us feel bad about our bodies, we are more likely to buy their product that will allegedly make our bodies or faces look better.
Advertising is about making money, not making us feel better. We can get behind disclaimers, but bans seem to infringe somewhat on the company’s rights. Should it be the government’s job to protect us from feeling bad about ourselves?
Another suggestion the British politicians made is to implement “media literarcy” lessons that would teach kids about the behind-the-scenes hijinks of the magazine world. If people were educated and aware of the visual tricks, they would be less likely to buy an anti-aging cream for which the spokeswomen had her wrinkles removed by something other than the product for sale. Money talks: if sales were driven lower, then maybe a company would reconsider their imaging techniques, instead of simply having it forced on them.
–AMANDA JEAN BOYLE | <urn:uuid:83ca6c37-dcc6-434f-aa9d-63419e81a3de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fashionista.com/2009/08/regulating-retouching/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96757 | 400 | 1.9375 | 2 |
- Provides excellent continuous power sources to your device by this Alkaline Button Cell Battery
- This Alkaline Cell Battery is suitable for use with toys, calculators, cameras, watches, games and other electronic appliances
- Good Button Cell Battery in low and high temperature operations
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- Voltage: 1.5V
- This Alkaline Button Cell Battery can be used in small electronic devices like cameras and calculators and watches
- The Alkaline Cell Battery is a necessity in small electronics such as television remote controls, toys or flash lights and they produce about 1.5 volts per cell
- 10 pieces of LR1130 cell battery in a package. Excellent continuous power sources to your device by these cell battery
- This Button Cell Battery provides extensive long power life and work effectively in both low and high temperature. They are safe for the environment
- Excellent continuous power sources to your device by these cell battery. For use with toys, calculators, watches, games and other electronic appliances
Button Battery Types:
- Button batteries, also known as button cell batteries, are small, flat, round batteries designed for use in wristwatches, pocket calculators, hearing aids, cameras, TV remote controls and other electronic devices. Most button batteries have an anode (the negative part of the battery through which electrical current flows) a separator (the material that contains electrolyte, which is an electrical conductor) and a cathode (the positive part of the battery).
- Alkaline Batteries: Alkaline batteries, or alkaline cells, are mainly used because they are inexpensive. They are similar to lithium cells but are used in devices that are inexpensive, such as a cheap watch as compared to an expensive one. They are inexpensive to manufacture and are safe for the environment. However, alkaline batteries only have about half the energy capacity of silver oxide batteries, voltage that is not constant and a short shelf life. They are best used in devices such as in quartz watches, miniature flashlights and laser pointers.
- Mercury Batteries: Mercury batteries, also known as mercury cells, are no longer used in many countries because they are known to contaminate water and food sources when they are disposed of. The mercury that leaks from these batteries is highly toxic to living organisms, including humans. These batteries have a long life and can be stored, unused, for up to three years. Mercury batteries were used in almost all devices that required small, constant voltage such as watches, hearing aids and calculators.
- Silver Oxide Batteries: Silver oxide batteries, or silver oxide cells, are constructed similarly to mercury cells and are the successor of mercury batteries. They are better than mercury batteries because they have a higher energy capacity and do not contain any chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Like mercury batteries, silver oxide batteries have a long life. The only disadvantage is that silver oxide batteries have about half the shelf life as mercury batteries. This type of battery is mainly used for watches.
- Lithium Batteries: Lithium batteries, or lithium cells, are also called coin cells because of their shape. Lithium-manganese dioxide and lithium-thionyl chloride are the two types of lithium batteries. Lithium-manganese dioxide cells are used in watches while lithium-thionyl chloride cells are not intended for use in watches. They both have a constant voltage and, like silver oxide batteries, don't contain any chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Lithium batteries have an especially long shelf life of up to 10 years and are suitable for devices such as quartz watches, digital cameras and remote controls.
- Zinc-air Batteries: Zinc-air batteries, or zinc-air cells, have the highest energy capacity of all button batteries. They are activated when a seal is pulled off, which allows air to enter the battery through small holes, thereby allowing oxidation of zinc. They are inexpensive, have a constant voltage output and are environmentally safe. Zinc-air batteries have a considerably shorter shelf life than mercury batteries but a longer shelf life than alkaline and silver oxide batteries. This type of battery is not meant to be used in watches but rather in hearing aids.
How to Recycle an Alkaline Battery:
- Alkaline batteries are a necessity in small electronics such as television remote controls, toys or flash lights and they produce about 1.5 volts per cell. The larger cell batteries such as C and D batteries can deliver more currents. The recharging of alkaline batteries is possible but very uncommon creating the need for recycling of these alkaline batteries. Many areas have started or put into effect safe recycling projects.
- Determine if there are rules for recycling alkaline batteries. In some states and counties alkaline batteries can be disposed of in your regular trash. In the state of California this would be illegal.
- Contact your local grocery store and ask if they have a drop off area for alkaline batteries. Some grocery food chains collect batteries in large bins right outside the store door. Ask the manager if there are any special rules or if you can just toss your used batteries in the bin.
- Recycle alkaline batteries at your local dump. Most local dumps will accept alkaline batteries.
- Purchase a recycle container for your used batteries. There are many local companies that sell these containers in several sizes. You fill the container with your used batteries and return the container to the company for recycling.
Tips & Warnings:
- Avoid exposure to high temperatures and do not dispose of alkaline batteries in fire.
- Do not misuse your battery; it can result in the battery leakage.
- 10 x Button Cell Batteries
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2.Take measurements while wearing undergarments similar to what you’ll wear with the dress
3.Provide a bust measurement from the fullest part of your chest, not your bra size!
Q:Can I order this dress in a different style/fabric/length?
A: Of course you can. You can click" Custom Size" and then leave your request in "Item Remarks". We will make your dress by your request.
PS: Some dresses do not have “Item Remarks” Tag.
Q: If I buy 2 or more dresses at the same time, do I need to pay postage for twice or more?
A: If you order 2 or more dresses including accessories from our website and we can send them together to same address, you just need to pay for postage once.
Q: How will my item (s) be shipped?
A: All shipping information is outlined in our shipping page.
Q: How long is the delivery time?
A: Usually it takes 7-15 days to make wedding dresses and 1-2 days to check your dresses. The shipping time also differs in shipping methods. The fastest shipping - expedited shipping takes 5-6 days for the shipment. The standard shipping takes 5-9 days. The super saver shipping takes 15-20 days for the shipment. The sooner you place an order, the sooner we start preparing your dress. Thank you.
Q: Will my dress exactly match the color I see on your website?
A: There might be a slight difference between the actual dress’s color and what you see in the photo depending on your computer monitor’s display settings.
Q:Can I make changes to my order after I have paid for my order?
A:You can change your order within 48 hours after you have paid your order, by contacting DinoDirect Live Support and send an email to us at firstname.lastname@example.org, if more than 48 hours, we could not change your order any more.
Ensuring your order number is included.
Q: What should I do if the size doesn’t fit me perfectly?
A:If your size fluctuates or you want to modify the dress slightly, we always leave a few inches in the seams so that your local tailor can easily make alterations as needed. Dresses generally have a margin of 1 inches on either side of a seam. Flower detailing, beading or belts/ribbons may limit ability to let a dress out.
Q:How do I upgrade my shipping?
A: Simply respond to your confirmation email with the method you would like to change it to.
Q:How to Preserve my Dress?
A: In order to prevent the dress distorting and yellowing, you can choose professional dust bag to restore.
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A: In our register page, please click “forgot my password”, you will receive an email. There will be a link in the email, click that link and reset your password. If you don’t receive the email, please check it again in your spam mail. Please contact with our Customer Service online if you don’t receive it indeed.
Bought this item on04-29-2011
- Other Thoughts: Yes, the useful life of these batteries is shorter than the brand names but they are still a great buy since you get 10 for less than it cost to purchase a 2pk of the big name brands.
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Bought this item on05-24-2011
- Other Thoughts: The Button Cell Battery was fine, but the seller sent them postage due! <br/> <br/>As for the quality of the batteries they are excellent and exactly as pictured. I'm a happy buyer.
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Bought this item on04-12-2011
- Other Thoughts: The batteries I ordered were inexpensive, delivered quickly, and there was no charge for shipping.
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Bought this item on04-20-2011
- Other Thoughts: You can beat the value for the cost. The batteries look brand new and work fine. Saved a bundle by buying online.
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Bought this item on05-22-2011
- Other Thoughts: I also bought this Alkaline Button Cell Battery from the seller, snowvoice. You will not find a better deal. Thanks
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- Can alkaline button cell batteries leak if they aren't used for a long time?
They can be stored for a year.
- Can you use a button cell battery like a normal AA battery?
Yes you can. A button cell also has a + and - side. However the voltage of a button cell is much less than an AA cell, meaning you would need much more button cells in series to light the bulb. You can go to an electronics store to find casings in which you can stack these cells tightly in series. Each casing then has connectors for your wires. The casing can the be screwed or glued to the circuit board. You need to know the voltage requirement of whatever you build. This will determine how many of those button cells you need.
- What would make a L1154 Button Cell battery explode?
If the battery is discharging so fast that that it overheats internally, the salts and solvents inside can boil, popping the casing open and "exploding."
- What button cells batteries are equivalent to the LR1130? I heard that LR54 and AG10 are both compatible?
True. The LR1130 is a 1.5V battery. Compatible with:
1. Silver Oxide: 389 / D389 / SR54 / TR54 / SR1130W
2. Alkaline: / L1131 / 189 / RW89 / D189A / LR54 / AG10 / 89A | <urn:uuid:c49bd0fb-a95e-49bb-a739-ab6fe30dc405> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dinodirect.com/Maxell-LR1130-Alkaline-Button-Cell-Battery-10-Pcs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928545 | 3,400 | 2.796875 | 3 |
First published in Japanese in 1962; first published in English by Vintage in 1964
Sand takes on a life of its own in Kobo Abé's disturbing novel, The Woman in the Dunes. An entomologist spends his vacation scouring remote sand dunes in the hope that he will find a previously unknown beetle. As night falls, he accepts an invitation to stay in a villager's home. Since each village home is built at the bottom of a bowl that has been dug from the sand, the man must climb down a rope ladder to meet the woman who will be his host. The woman spends the night (as she does every night) shoveling sand from the home's perimeter; if she does not, the home will become engulfed in falling sand. In the morning, the rope ladder is gone, and the man realizes he has been trapped, forced to join the woman in her endless labor.
Notably, the man's absence is not quickly noticed. Given his lonely and judgmental nature, he has no friends. "He longs so much for freedom and action that he can only hate people." In the hole, he has exchanged one empty existence for another. Although the man plots (and attempts) various schemes to escape, we learn in the first pages that the man is declared missing after a seven year absence from his home and job.
The Woman in the Dunes is strange but compelling fiction. The man (we never learn his name) experiences the range of emotions associated with death, from denial through acceptance, as he endures his years in the hole. The woman explains that the sand never stops falling. Each night brings the Sisyphean task of shoveling sand into buckets that village employees will lift from the bowl on ropes. The next night the shoveling must start anew. "But this means you exist only for the purpose of clearing away the sand," the man observes. If ever there was a pointless existence, the man has stumbled into it.
Yet his new life may not be as bad as it might seem. Interestingly, the man comes to value pointless work; it is a tool that makes self-denial possible. The man's relationship with the woman changes over the years, from revulsion (he initially sees her as "an old tube that has been squeezed dry of all sex") to -- if not love -- at least understanding and empathy. Perhaps this is a manifestation of the Stockholm Syndrome, although the novel predates that term. The psychological and philosophical implications of the novel are fascinating.
The story has a surrealistic quality. Abé makes no attempt to explain why this village exists, yet I found it easy to accept the premise. While I am not usually a fan of the existential novel (like many people, I suspect existence is pointless but I find it comforting to pretend otherwise), The Woman in the Dunes is more than a commentary upon the futility of life. Yet as the man comes to terms with his plight -- as he ponders whether his enemies are the villagers who keep him captive, the woman who meekly shares his fate, or the sand itself -- the man is forced to reinvent himself. Much of the novel consists of his internal monologue, the moment-by-moment evolution of the man's reaction to his predicament and his constantly vacillating response (sometimes anger, sometimes desire, sometimes both at once) to the woman whose home (and body) he shares. The novel's ending is foreshadowed but, in the context of the story, it is perfect; no other resolution (if one could call it that) would be true to the events that preceded it.
In short, The Woman in the Dunes is a remarkable piece of fiction. It combines the qualities of a myth with the gritty realism of a suspense novel, all the while challenging the reader to make sense of the story's broader implications. | <urn:uuid:5b7df697-c217-4bcf-b80e-22ff221a1d97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2012/3/12/the-woman-in-the-dunes-by-kobo-abe.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969614 | 793 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Figure 5.2 shows the chopper and its system of adjustment. The position of the chopper is adjusted with a screw connected to the adjustment knob. When it is rotated the chopper moves in (counter- clockwise) or out (clockwise). The screw is kept in its position by a springloaded steel ball in the groove on the shaft. The chopper can be moved rapidly out (visual wide field viewing, diaphragm 3, empty) by pulling the knob out. When pushed in the chopper position remains unchanged if the knob has not been rotated.
Figure: The chopper and its system of adjustment. m1 and m2 are Mirror 1 and Mirror 2 respectively in the instrument.
The chopper has concentric slits on two radia (see drawing). When using double diaphragms the chopper must be adjusted so that the common border of the slits is in between the diaphragms. This can be done most easily by switching the chopper on and off with the dome illuminated. The more experienced can also do it in the dark by using the field illumination (adjustment knob on TurPol). Double diaphragms can be used for single channel photometry by switching chopper off. Be sure that the chopper stops so that the diaphragm (usually lower) is completely open. It may be nacessary to do chopper on-off a few times. | <urn:uuid:e34fe229-9f5e-4bac-bf92-c42346f0e872> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.not.iac.es/instruments/turpol/Turpolmanual/node31.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92533 | 294 | 2.734375 | 3 |
MayDay IS coming, as surely as the Earth turns, no matter what they steal.
RiseUp Collective Server Seizure, April 2012On Wednesday, April 18, at approximately 16:00 Eastern Time, U.S. Federal authorities removed a server from a colocation facility shared by Riseup Networks and May First/People Link in New York City. The seized server was operated by the European Counter Network (“ECN”), the oldest independent internet service provider in Europe, who, among many other things, provided an anonymous remailer service, Mixmaster, that was the target of an FBI investigation into the bomb threats against the University of Pittsburgh.
On Wednesday, April 18, at approximately 16:00 Eastern Time, U.S. Federal authorities removed a server from a colocation facility shared by Riseup Networks and May First/People Link in New York City. The seized server was operated by the European Counter Network (“ECN”), the oldest independent internet service provider in Europe,
Anonymous remailers are used to send email anonymously, or pseudonymously. Like other anonymizing services such as the Tor network, these remailers are widely used to protect the identity of human rights activists who place themselves and their families in grave danger by reporting information about abuses. Remailers are also important for corporate whistle blowers, democracy activists working under repressive regimes, and others to communicate vital information that would otherwise go un-reported.
“The company running the facility has confirmed that the server was removed in conjunction with a search warrant issued at the request of the FBI,” said May First/People Link director Jamie McClelland. “The server seizure is not only an attack against us, but an attack against all users of the Internet who depend on anonymous communication.”
Disrupted in this seizure were academics, artists, historians, feminist groups, gay rights groups, community centers, documentation and software archives and free speech groups. The server included the mailing list “cyber rights” (the oldest discussion list in Italy to discuss this topic), a Mexican migrant solidarity group, and other groups working to support indigenous groups and workers in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. In total, over 300 email accounts, between 50-80 email lists, and several other websites have been taken off the Internet by this action. None are alleged to be involved in the anonymous bomb threats. The seized machine did not contain any riseup email accounts, lists, or user data. Rather, the data belonged to ECN.
“The FBI is using a sledgehammer approach, shutting down service to hundreds of users due to the actions of one anonymous person,” said Devin Theriot-Orr, a spokesperson for Riseup. “This is particularly misguided because there is unlikely to be any information on the server regarding the source of the threatening emails.”
“We sympathize with the University of Pittsburgh community who have had to deal with this frightening disruption for weeks. We oppose such threatening actions. However, taking this server won’t stop these bomb threats. The only effect it has is to also disrupt e-mail and websites for thousands of unrelated people,” continues Mr. Theriot-Orr. “Furthermore, the network of anonymous remailers that exists is not harmed by taking this machine. So we cannot help but wonder why such drastic action was taken when authorities knew that the server contained no useful information that would help in their investigation.”
The FBI purportedly seized the server because it was hosting an anonymous remailer called Mixmaster… [In full, and in detail] | <urn:uuid:8d5243e0-0d82-4ce8-8f14-98696f99e6ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://auntieimperial.tumblr.com/tagged/Da'-Feds! | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960012 | 750 | 1.734375 | 2 |
If you feel stressed and need some help understanding what stress is and what you can do to minimise its effects, read on. This is the place for stress advice.
Common sense stress advice for coping with stressful situations.
The adverse effects of stress on your health can lead to all sorts of problems, both physical and mental.
Some of these can be minor irritations and others can lead to serious health issues. Our stress advice section covers stressful situations at home and at work.
Virtually any major event can cause stress ... losing a job, ending a close relationship, moving home, discovering a health problem. Stress advice knows our modern world has no shortage of possible causes of stress, and takes a close look at them.
It offers advice on how to relax and beat stress, whether the stress is caused by emotional problems like divorce or problems in your workplace, or physical problems like moving home, or dealing with a pet. | <urn:uuid:7512fbf3-b5e7-4ca0-8b3c-fc63bef34d52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.true-beauty-tips.com/stress-advice.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945255 | 190 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Protecting Your Baby from RSV
What is RSV and how can I protect my child from getting it?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects almost all children at least once before they are 2 years old. Most of the time this virus only causes minor cold-like symptoms. However, for some babies infection can be more dangerous.
For certain infants who are extremely preterm (infants born before 32 weeks of pregnancy) or who are born with severe heart disease or severe lung disease, RSV infection can be especially serious. Preterm infants often have underdeveloped lungs and may have difficulty fighting an RSV infection once they become infected.
There are important steps you can take to prevent exposure to RSV and other viruses, especially in the first few months of your child's life. These precautions include
- Make sure everyone washes their hands before touching your baby.
- Keep your baby away from anyone who has a cold, fever, or runny nose.
- Keep your baby away from crowded areas like shopping malls.
- Keep your baby away from tobacco smoke. Parents should not expose their infants and young children to secondhand tobacco smoke, which increases the risk of and complications from severe viral respiratory infections.
- For high-risk infants, participation in child care should be restricted during RSV season whenever possible.
- All high-risk infants and their contacts should be immunized against influenza beginning at 6 months of age.
There are medications that your pediatrician may prescribe that could reduce the risk of developing serious RSV infection. These medications are used only for the small number of babies who are in the highest risk groups for hospitalization. The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed specific criteria for use of these medications. You should consult with your pediatrician regarding specific details on who is at highest risk and which high-risk infants are most likely to benefit from receipt of these medications.
- Last Updated
- AskthePed: Birth to 5
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances. | <urn:uuid:c8b7a1c8-5d48-4fe9-b14c-12056d446c7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthychildren.org/english/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/pages/protecting-your-baby-from-rsv.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952452 | 451 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Chapter 3: Polynomials
Now we are going to talk more about the calculation of the monomials and polynomials. In previous time, we have discussed the commonly see ways of calculating the monimials and polynomials. They are called the Properties of Exponents. It states that for all real numbers a and b, a ¹ 0, b ¹ 0, and for all integers m and n, am x an= am+n am / an = am-n (a M)n = amn ambm = (ab)m. Most time we have monomials and polynomials with positive exponents. But what about negative exponents? This is where we use the Definition of Negative Exponents. It states that for each real number a, a¹ 0, and for each integer n, a-n=1/an.
As we have seen in previous discussions that monomials and polynomials are complicated. So simplifying them before trying to solve is very important. It will improve both your speed and accuracy. Here are some basic ways to simplify the monomials and polynomials:
For all real numbers a, b, and c, b ¹ 0, cd ¹ 0, ac/bc = a/b
Definition of Multiplication of Fractions: For all real numbers a, b, c, and d, b ¹ 0, d ¹ 0,
a/b x c/d = ac/bd
Definition of Division of Fractions: For all real numbers a, b, c, and d, b ¹ 0, c ¹ 0, d ¹ 0,
a/b ¸ c/d = ad/bc
Definition of Addition of Fractions with Like Denominators: For all real numbers a, b, and c, c ¹ 0,
a/c + b/c = (a+b)/c
Definition of Inverse Variation: Two quantities x and y vary inversely if and only if there is a constant k, k ¹ 0,
such that y = k/x or xy = k
You can also jump to the chapter of your choice by using the drop-down list at below. | <urn:uuid:ff2f5e4e-c6c7-4184-a06d-a2ad72f27f0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://library.thinkquest.org/16284/a_poly_3.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90523 | 474 | 4.21875 | 4 |
Cooking Up Clean Air in Africa
Reducing air pollution and meningitis risk in Ghana
January 3, 2013
The following is part eight in a series on the National Science Foundation's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) investment. Visit parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and nine in this series.
Where there's smoke, there's disease?
They're little more than a pile of burning sticks with a stewpot atop them.
But these open fires or basic cookstoves have been linked to the premature deaths of 4 million people annually, many of them young children.
Three billion people around the world rely on wood, charcoal, agricultural waste, animal dung and coal for household cooking needs. They often burn these fuels inside their homes in poorly ventilated stoves or in open fires.
The resulting miasma exposes families to air pollution levels as much as 50 times greater than World Health Organization guidelines for clean air, setting the stage for heart and lung disease.
Household air pollution can also lead to pneumonia in children and low birth weight in infants.
Now, researchers believe the smoke may be a contributing factor in bacterial meningitis outbreaks in countries such as Ghana, whose northern region is located in Africa's "meningitis belt."
An estimated 300 million people live in the meningitis belt, which includes part or all of The Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Those exposed to indoor air pollution from cooking over open flames are nine times more likely to contract meningitis, studies show.
Meningitis, a potentially deadly disease, is an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Most cases are caused by a viral infection, but bacterial and fungal infections are also culprits. Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous form.
Outbreaks usually happen in the dry, dusty season, and end with the onset of the seasonal rains.
The dust and dryness may irritate sensitive human membranes, making victims vulnerable to infection. Cooking smoke may play a similar role, increasing susceptibility to meningitis.
"Smoke from cooking practices may irritate the lining of the mucosa, allowing bacteria to become invasive," says Christine Wiedinmyer of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.
Links among cookstoves, air pollution and human health
Wiedinmyer and colleagues have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH) Program to study the effects of cookstoves in northern Ghana.
CNH is part of NSF's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) investment, and is supported by NSF's Directorates for Geosciences, Biological Sciences, and Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences.
The study is breaking new ground by bringing together atmospheric scientists, engineers, statisticians and social scientists.
Researchers are analyzing the effects of smoke from traditional cooking methods on households, villages and entire regions--and whether introducing more modern cookstoves will help.
They hope their findings will reach across the African Sahel, the semi-arid zone between the Sahara Desert in the north and the savannas of Sudan in the south.
Integrating the physical, social and health sciences
"The adoption of more efficient cookstoves could lead to significant improvements in public health and environmental quality," says Sarah Ruth, a CNH program director at NSF, "but research has usually focused on the effects on individual households, local air quality, or the weather and climate system.
"By integrating the physical, social and health sciences, these scientists are providing a more complete analysis of the costs and benefits of improved cookstoves."
An overview of the research was presented at NSF in November 2012, as part of a forum featuring NCAR research.
The results will provide critical information to policymakers and health officials in countries where open-fire cooking or inefficient cooking practices are common.
"When you visit remote villages during the dry season," says Wiedinmyer, an atmospheric chemist, "there's a lot of smoke in the air from cooking and other burning practices.
"We need to understand how these pollutants are affecting public health and regional air quality and, in the bigger picture, climate."
To find out, the scientists are using a combination of local and regional air quality measurements; new instruments with specialized smartphone applications that are more mobile than traditional air quality sensors; and computer models of weather, air quality and climate.
"The project involves exploring new technologies to improve human health and well-being while also improving environmental quality," says Tom Baerwald, an NSF program director for CNH.
"By looking at this problem from social, cultural, economic, health and atmospheric science perspectives, these researchers are developing a framework that will help people in many other regions."
Scientists and local communities working together
The scientists are surveying villagers to obtain their views on possible connections between open-fire cooking and disease--and whether community members are willing to adopt different cooking methods.
Cooking fires are a major source of particulates, and of carbon monoxide and other gases that lead to smog.
The fires also emit heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide that, when mixed into the global atmosphere, can affect climate.
Widespread use of more efficient, or "clean," cookstoves--which can produce less smoke than open fires--may lower these toxic emissions.
"Newer, more efficient cookstoves could reduce disease and result in improved regional air quality," Wiedinmyer says.
To find out, the scientists are introducing upgraded cookstoves into randomly selected households across the Kassena-Nankana District of Ghana.
In addition to determining whether the clean cookstoves improve air quality and human health, the researchers are exploring the social and economic factors that encourage or discourage such cookstove use.
It takes a village
They're asking villagers for help.
"Community members will assist with measuring air quality and reporting disease," says social scientist Katie Dickinson of NCAR.
Dickinson, Wiedinmyer and others are working with townspeople to develop scenarios in which realistic changes in cooking practices interact with climate processes to improve air quality and reduce respiratory illness and bacterial meningitis.
"We hope this project will alleviate a major health problem," says Mary Hayden, a medical anthropologist at NCAR, "one that extends across the entire Sahel."
National Science Foundation Awards Grants for Research on Coupled Natural and Human Systems: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=125578
New Understanding of How Humans and the Environment Interact: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=121734
NSF SEES Discovery Articles Publication: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/disco12001/disco12001.pdf
NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Investment: http://www.nsf.gov/sees
Studying Nature's Rhythms: Soundscape Ecologists Spawn New Field: http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123046&org=NSF | <urn:uuid:df490f88-99ec-401a-adbe-b0a51c0e6fce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.plainlanguage@nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=126403&org=NSF&from=news | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927705 | 1,575 | 3 | 3 |
In the twenty-seventh year of Israel's King Jeroboam, Azariaha son of Amaziah became king of Judah.
He was 16 years old when he became king; he reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah; [she was] from Jerusalem.
Azariah did what was right in the Lord's sight just as his father Amaziah had done.
Yet, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.b5
The Lord afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in a separate house,cdwhile Jotham, the king's son, was over the household governing the people of the land.e6
The rest of the events of Azariah's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings.
Azariah rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jotham became king in his place.f | <urn:uuid:fd3e89dc-d672-4d6e-b58e-82e58efdd680> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biblestudytools.com/bible/passage.aspx?q=2%20Kings+15:1-7&t=csb | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.993422 | 232 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Senate Markup – Sodsaver and Conservation Compliance
April 30th, 2012
Note to Readers — This is the third in a series of posts on the 2012 Farm Bill reported out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26.
With much of the rhetoric and substance of the new, in-the-making 2012 Farm Bill revolving around the rapidly growing and expensive crop insurance title, major corresponding attention has been given by the conservation community to the relationship between insurance subsidies and conservation. Two campaigns have been launched, one to restore highly erodible land and wetland conservation requirements in return for the taxpayer paying the majority of farmers’ insurance premiums and one to prevent subsidizing the destruction of prime grasslands.
We are thrilled to report that the Senate Agriculture Committee’s version of the Farm Bill, as passed out of Committee on April 26, includes a nationwide Sodsaver provision to protect native prairie across the country. The Sodsaver provision was originally filed as an amendment on April 23 by Republican Senators John Thune (R-SD), Mike Johanns (R-NE) and Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and subsequently was accepted into the revised draft bill presented by Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS) on April 25. NSAC commends these Senators for their commitment to conserving our most valuable natural resources.
While the Sodsaver provision in the Senate bill does not, as we had proposed, deny all crop insurance subsidies on newly broken out land, it does provide for a 50 percent point reduction in the subsidy. It also includes two important provisions that prevent people from gaming the system to increase their revenue insurance coverage at the expense of taxpayers and the environment. One keeps the newly broken out land isolated from other crop acres the producer may have when calculating insurable yields. The other requires the operator to take a percentage of the county average yield until being able to show a multi-year yield history.
The Thune amendment to the Senate bill also prohibits commodity program benefits from being earned on newly broken out land.
Bringing native lands into production reduces available grazing land, increases long-term costs due to erosion and nutrient loss, and ultimately leads to lower water quality, reduced flood mitigation capacity and lost outdoor recreation activities.
This is not the first time that a national Sodsaver provision was included in the Senate Agriculture Committee’s version of the farm bill. A full-fledged Sodsaver provision to prohibit crop insurance subsidies, disaster assistance, and other farm program payments on land that is broken from native sod was successfully included with broad support in both the House and Senate versions of the 2008 Farm Bill, but was dismantled in conference and became a voluntary project that never got off the ground. NSAC strongly supports the new provision and will work to see it is included in the final 2012 Farm Bill.
Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation
While the Senate bill does reattach attach highly erodible land and wetland conservation requirements to Title 1 commodity payments, conservation program payments, and federal loan programs, we are disappointed to report that it does not do so for the largest of all farm payment categories, federal crop insurance subsidies.
This is an increasingly important piece of the conservation toolbox, as federal crop insurance subsidies continue to grow, soil continues to erode on 100 million acres at unsustainable levels, and wetlands continue to be lost. Federal crop insurance, which incentivizes agricultural production on marginal lands, is perfectly suited for highly erodible land and wetland conservation measures. Reattaching conservation requirements to insurance subsidies is a commonsense move that we intend to pursue on the Senate floor and in the House.
To read more about highly erodible land and wetland conservation compliance, visit our blog posts on three recent letters, one from former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture, one from former Chiefs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and one from 15 national organizations, all delivered to the Senate Agriculture Committee. | <urn:uuid:f61ca870-a61c-410f-96f8-210454e2e444> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/farmbill-sodsaver-compliance/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953921 | 824 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The praying mantis was a symbol of God to the African bushmen. They believed it was a manifestation of God, and when they saw one, they tried to discern its message. The word "mantis" comes from the Greek word for "prophet," and is a reference to mystical or spiritual powers. The praying mantis relates to stillness, quiet, calm, patience and balance.
Artist: Joseph Thomas, painted by Yuekai Tanyara
Made In: Zimbabwe
About the artist:
The Improved Arts Metal Sculpture Project was started in 1986 by five brothers. Having discovered their artistic talents, they founded the group to depict African natural history through metalwork and to make a better living. Old tin cans and other scraps of metal from businesses in the industrial area of Harare are turned into these delightful sculptures by these artists using snips, pliers, and hammers.
Item #: PTI-PM | <urn:uuid:5aa8c167-e722-4515-816d-35897d27854e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mbare.com/material/tin/tin-critters/tin-praying-mantis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950228 | 190 | 1.929688 | 2 |
In response to:
Body, Mind, and Machine from the October 21, 1982 issue
To the Editors:
I have always thought authors foolish who reply hotly to negative reviews of their books; usually they sound like soreheads or excuse-makers, and in any case the reviewer is generally given the last word—which is far less likely to be an admission of error than a redoubled thwacking of the hapless author, Nonetheless, I find myself compelled to object in public to certain misleading aspects of David Joravsky’s review of my book The Universe Within [nyr, October 21], if only so that those readers who know of this book no more than what they read in his review will learn that, at least in my opinion, his review contains certain serious and possibly deliberate falsifications.
Professor Joravsky is certainly within his rights to disagree with my monistic view of the mind-body problem, and to mock my book for its enthusiasm about the methods and findings of cognitive science. But it is either sloppy or unconscionable of him to write that I portray the computer as the chief vehicle of exploration of the human mind; I very clearly show a number of more human avenues—reaction-time studies, protocol analysis, child development research, and psycholinguistics, to name but a few—as being of comparable importance. But in order to portray me as a computer monomaniac, he quotes me as saying that “mind is mind, no matter what its physical embodiment,” though he had to know, or should have recognized, that this was a paraphrase of the position taken by Herbert Simon and various others—but very clearly not by me. Either Professor Joravsky read what I wrote and failed to understand it (an unlikely supposition) or chose to quote out of context and distort my view in order to strengthen his own message (a supposition I find distasteful but unavoidable).
Similarly, he charges me with echoing “the scientistic sneer at consciousness of self as an illusion, founded on the fantasy of some ‘homunculus’ within our brain.” In fact I did quite the opposite: I said that while little is known of the consciousness of self, it is one of the major differences between human and artificial intelligence. If I sneered, it was at the idea of the homunculus, a beguiling (but groundless) explanation of consciousness of self, which I characterized as a most significant phenomenon that may some day be explained by cognitive science—but certainly not through purely imaginary entities of the kind so often engendered by dualism, with all its untestable conjectures about the nature of incorporeal Mind or Spirit.
These two examples will serve, I hope, to make the point that, for reasons of his own, Professor Joravsky chose to attack a straw man (or perhaps a straw book), neatly demolishing its errors and pinpointing its distortions. But it wasn’t my book he thus disposed of; it was one of his own fabrication, which he unfairly identified with mine. The readers of The New York Review, and I, deserved better of him, since his discipline, history, has always been supposed to rank truthfulness as paramount in its scale of values.
Millwood, New York
David Joravsky replies:
“Cheerful eclecticism” was my central characterization of Hunt’s book. Evidently he is not very cheerful when someone calls attention to his superficiality and inconsistency. The ai quote that he objects to—”mind is mind, no matter what its physical embodiment”—was immediately followed in the review by: “Yet Hunt is a sufficiently thorough reporter to retail the subversive views of infidels and heretics.” And the review goes on to quote him quoting rival authorities on the shortcomings of the AI creed. The point was, and is, that Hunt is quite unconvincing in his burbly talk of some new “cognitive science” overcoming the contention of rival creeds, bringing victory to his monistic faith. Similarly with my observation that Hunt “respectfully repeats the scientistic sneer at consciousness of self as an illusion, founded on the fantasy of some ‘homunculus’ within our brain.” He does respectfully repeat that sneer (see pp. 100-101), and he does elsewhere repeat other, inconsistent views of consciousness of self. What he fails to do, in the cheerful book and in the angry letter, is to think seriously. The war of psychological schools cannot be ended by draping a phrase, “cognitive science,” over their opposed metaphysical premises. | <urn:uuid:40baca8b-3130-4cd9-b954-7633f152198b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1983/jan/20/perils-of-cognitive-science/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972887 | 977 | 1.78125 | 2 |
home > archive > 2002 > this article
To drill, or not to drill
By Henry Lamb
The U.S. Senate is poised to decide whether or not to drill for oil under the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge. The House of Representatives has already said yes; polls indicate the people say yes; and a majority of U.S. Senators have indicated they too, would approve production - if they get a chance to vote on the question.
There are enough votes to pass the ANWR measure; there are not the 60 votes required to kill a filibuster, which Tom Daschle and the Senate Democrats have promised.
Daschle-Democrats and environmental extremists contend that drilling will "destroy" the pristine wilderness. What this really means, according to a study just released by the U.S. Geological Survey, is that the range for a herd of 125,000 Porcupine River caribou would be reduced from 19 million acres to 18, 998,000 acres. Should the herd get within earshot, they may also have to endure the sound of trucks and equipment operating on the 2,000-acre footprint of the oil operation.
Caribou that live 100 miles to the West, on the existing Alaska oil fields, have thrived during the years of oil production. There is every reason to believe that the ANWR caribou would benefit from man's presence, as have their western cousins.
For several years now, it has been known, but not publicly admitted by Democrats and environmental extremists, that oil exploration is safe on even environmentally sensitive lands. Bill Clinton's energy department said as much in a 1999 report.
The argument for drilling ANWR is based on the need to increase our self-reliance, and decrease our dependence on foreign oil. More than half of our oil is now imported, most from countries sympathetic to the terrorists responsible for the September 11 tragedy.
At any moment, these oil-rich nations could shut-off the valve, as they did in the 1970s. Gas prices skyrocketed. Long lines of cars awaited the chance to buy gas at any price, on odd or even numbered days that corresponded with their license numbers.
Of course, a repeat of this situation is far more acceptable to Daschle-Democrats and environmental extremists than possibly inconveniencing the caribou in ANWR.
If the Daschle-Democrats block ANWR oil, they are not only saying "we value caribou more than people," they are also saying:
Should the Senate fail to authorize ANWR production, it will, indeed, be a sad day for the Democratic leadership. Every Democratic Senator who faces election this year, will become a target. Should the oil situation worsen as the political situation worsens in the Middle East, a "no" vote on ANWR will be a badge of dishonor, will become a big red bulls-eye in the cross-hairs of every voter.
Our economic engine is fueled by oil, like it or not. It is stupendously stupid to allow that engine to be dependent upon the people who produce dozens of terrorist organizations hell-bent on destroying the United States.
Our national security begins at home. ANWR oil is American oil. We need it. We need all the energy we can muster from non-Arab sources, whether under ANWR, offshore, or under the gazillions of acres now set aside as wilderness. We simply must expand our domestic energy production - from every source possible.
It is not a question of hurting the environment; The Nature Conservancy and the Audubon Society produce oil from their lands. They know oil production can be safe. It is a question of national security. We are at war with terrorism. We cannot afford to lose.
America's war machine cannot be defeated by any nation on earth - unless, of course, it runs out of gas. The Daschle-democrats in the Senate seem content to let our military continue to fill its tanks at Saddam's gas station.
Other related articles: (open in a new window)
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© 1996-2013, Enter Stage Right and/or its creators. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:cc06a2f8-e483-4959-9e8c-a9f9f1d5467c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0402/0402anwr.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960067 | 867 | 2.640625 | 3 |
There seems to be no shortage of problems with our schools and the education they convey to the students. The TV tells me the math knowledge of the U.S. student is pretty far down on the list. Science seems no better. My personal experience has been that few have communication expertise needed for business.
Maybe the problem is not with the students, but with the teachers and administrators. How much noise would we hear if the SAT test would be given to our teachers? How about if they are given a choice. They can either take the SAT test or a urine screen for drugs. That should be a sort of filter for the tests. The drug free teachers would be the ones likely to score highest on the SAT, and the others the same. Do this on a day that the schools are closed for teacher meetings supposedly intended for the purpose of improving the school system. Or better yet, at one of their union meetings.
Daniel Ned Peters | <urn:uuid:ff8e0452-cd1d-4917-9523-786aaf302efd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/569337/Screen-for-better-teachers.html?nav=5059 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975859 | 190 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Bogdan Urdih (2012) Web application testing using Selenium and Windmill tools. EngD thesis.
The objectives of thesis are to test several open source systems for automated testing of web applications. The case study is a real example of web application for the service orders through the website www.domovanje.com. In the first part we describe the teorethical base of testing: methods and levels of testing, test planning, testing of web applications and the automatization of testing. Special emphasis is on black box testing techniques, expecially automated testing of web applicatons. In the second part of the thesis we describe two solutions for automatic testing of web applications: Selenium and Windmill. The first consists of two tools: Selenium IDE and Selenium Remote Control. The first tool is used for fast recording and replaying test cases using the web browser Mozilla Firefox. The second tool performs replaying of test cases in different web browsers (such as Google Chrome or Internet Explorer), which ware previously recorded in Selenium IDE tool. The second solution is Windmill, which is very similar to the Selenium. Using Windmill tool we tried to record and replay the same testing cases as with Selenium. We described the installation, recording and replaying the test cases for both tools. We concluded this section with description of the problems that occured during this procedure. At the end of this thesis we analized both tools by describing the strengths and weaknesses of the two. Our main result is selection of Selenium solution as a better choice for our web application for the service orders.
Actions (login required) | <urn:uuid:3bec3ea8-3fe6-4877-961f-6955e978b7ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eprints.fri.uni-lj.si/1733/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905429 | 332 | 1.875 | 2 |
Johns Hopkins study rids most kids of food allergies
Food allergies affect about two children in every school classroom, according to the Food Allergy Initiative. Egg allergy is the second most common allergy in children and new research shows promising advances for a cure.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, finds the key to a cure that might require children to eat the foods they're allergic to, but researchers warn these are preliminary findings and this method is not safe for parents to try at home.
Until recently, 10-year-old Tad Berkery wouldn't eat, let alone touch, an egg.
"My eyes got puffy, my tongue would probably get itchy and my nose would get stuffy," sad Berkery.
Because of her son's allergy to eggs, Stephanie Kuroda established an egg-free household, scoured ingredient lists and even sent a special egg-free piece of cake with him to birthday parties.
"I think every food allergy parent worries about the health of their child knowing that just a little piece of food could kill their kid," said Kuroda.
But thanks to his participation in a recent study at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Tad can now safely eat eggs.
Researchers studied a treatment called oral immunotherapy, where children with egg allergies ate gradually-increasing doses of egg white powder every day.
"We're taking the same old idea used for allergy shots where you gradually expose someone to what they're allergic to," said Dr. Robert Wood, director of allergy and immunology.
After 22 months, 75-percent of the children could eat 10 grams of egg whites without a reaction. To see if the effect would last, the children didn't eat eggs for six weeks and had another test.
"About a quarter of the kids we felt were fully cured of the allergy," said Dr. Wood.
The rest regained some of their allergic reaction.
"They weren't as bad as at the beginning, but weren't fully protected. That tells us there will be a group of people who will need to keep it in their diet."
Tad now eats eggs twice a week to maintain his protection, a protection he and his mother say has completely changed their lives.
"A lot less stressful," said Kuroda. "It's really nice."
"The only way I could get sick is if I ate so many cupcakes I'd already be sick from eating too much," joked Berkery.
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Only On 7
"Katie" weekdays at 4pm on ABC7 followed by Leon Harris and Alison Starling on ABC7 News at 5. Click here to find out more about "Katie!" | <urn:uuid:80f0b4f3-e099-4cd6-acaf-6c51d0fd3bdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/09/johns-hopkins-study-rids-most-kids-of-food-allergies-80155.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979254 | 565 | 2.875 | 3 |
Oxford University scientists develop iPhone controlled RobotCar
While Google’s self-driving car is in news for a long time, but human aspirations to have one is yet to see the light of the day. There are continuous efforts to bring automated cars from Sci-fi movies to the general masses. However, no one knows who will be the first to produce such a car or how long will it take either. Introducing you here with a latest development on the similar lines and it looks promising and cost effective too.
A team of Oxford University scientists has created a robot car, controlled by an iPad. Hailed as RobotCar, scientists adapt Nissan Leaf electric car for the purpose and added small cameras and lasers in its chassis. When manually driven, the devices act as ‘eyes’ to map a D3 model of its vicinity and send the data to computer placed in the boot. This help the car to remember the routes you usually drive it on like way to office or your kid’s school.
The autopilot system of RobotCar takes control by answering the prompt on the dashboard mounted iPad. Working like a plane on the autopilot mode, the laser at the front bumper scans the travel direction 13 times per second for up to 164-feet in an 85 degree field of view if any of the hurdles like cars, pedestrians, cyclists or others exist. If it finds any, it slows down and brakes within the distance. At any time if driver wants to regain the control, he just needs to tap the brake pedal.
The reason why I called it promising is the fact that the technology involved, as researcher claim, is precise and superior to satellite navigation as it reads within a fraction of an inch than a few yards of sat-nav, thereby reducing the scope of error. Above all, it doesn’t need satellite reference to know the current location of the car.
The cost to build the prototype is £5,000 which makes it far cheaper than others currently under development and the researchers aim to build one for as little as £100 in the near future to make the technology available in cars that everyone could buy. The technology is best suited for people who go on regular routes. Due to insurance reasons, RobotCar is yet to go under testing and researchers hope to see the technology in cars within next 15 years.
Check out the videos to see RobotCar in action. | <urn:uuid:0bfc8b7c-1bef-4086-8b64-50d187f095ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://autochunk.com/7304/2013/02/15/oxford-university-scientists-develop-iphone-controlled-robotcar/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954748 | 487 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature is abnormally low; causing the body to lose heat faster that it can be produced. This can occur quickly or over time through exposure. For example, someone who is outside when the temperature is extremely low can be affected by hypothermia quickly. A person who is exposed to cool temperatures for a long period of time or are stranded in cool water can become affected by hypothermia slowly. Once the body temperature gets too low, vital organs including the brain become affected, making the person unable to think clearly. | <urn:uuid:b8a17f89-b509-4c9c-a0f8-15d509a79b26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.woosterhospital.org/category/keywords/exposure | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960962 | 111 | 3.703125 | 4 |
"The 'midlife crisis' has long been thought of as something that afflicts men and often involves expensive toys and second wives. But the Wall Street Journal's Work & Family columnist, Sue Shellenbarger, says that as gender roles change, women are increasingly experiencing their own version of these upheavals."
I've certainly seen evidence of this in my own work as a personal development and business coach. My practice is comprised primarily of women, but it tends to be my male clients who volunteer the term "mid-life crisis". When describing their current state, however, the women are certainly running a parallel course.
What constitutes a crisis?
For many, it appears to be a realization that life is finite. The older we get, the more we are apt to say, "Wow, this summer FLEW by!" "Where did the month go?!" And then friends start to lose parents. I personally know of 35 deaths this year! Two of my clients have lost parents just this week. At some point the awareness dawns on you. It's not the month or the season that is flying by. It's your LIFE!
What do you do with that realization?
The Chinese symbol for "crisis" combining "danger" and "opportunity" could not be more appropriate. The fact that many people at mid-life have accumulated the skills, financial cushion and talent to make true consideration of career and lifestyle changes possible is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. The trickiest part for both the men and the women that I have spoken with appears to be in making the distinction between a "risk" and a "gamble."
How can you tell the difference?
Simply stated, a risk is calculated. You know you could lose, but you are able to take an educated guess as to what is at stake and how the loss could impact you. Having a "worst case scenario" in mind helps you to know what kind of safety net needs to be in place in order to make a mid-life transition possible. Analysis of the situation with a confidante or coach also helps an individual differentiate between psychological "heebie jeebies" and rational fears that need to be taken into consideration. Very difficult questions are faced directly and no actions are taken until careful consideration of the answers. | <urn:uuid:9825ec62-617c-4532-8e9d-c1e32ccba935> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/mid-life-crisis-its-not-just/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973492 | 474 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Note: the links to these auctions will no longer be active in a few weeks.
Everyone has been using Google to aid their family history research for a long time. But have you considered using eBay as a source for information? Don't laugh. While sometimes tedious, you might get lucky. Just this week a 1920s vintage photo album from a young lady in Tecumseh, Nebraska is being offered for auction. In this example, the seller has provided enough scans that names can be distinguished. What a treasure chest this would be if it happened to be the family you are researching.
While we can't always be that lucky, there are still many ways to use eBay for genealogy.
Postcards and Stereoview cards
If you are not already searching the locales where your ancestors lived, I encourage you to do so. I like to see photographs of the places where my ancestors lived from the period of time when they lived there. eBay is a great place to find old postcards and photographs. For a general search on eBay, I used Nebraska postcard and there were more than 3,000 results. Among the postcards are inscriptions with the names of people or identifying information regarding the people in the cards.
These postcards include photographs of old buildings such as libraries, post offices, schools, banks as well as street scenes.
Here's what downtown Superior, Nebraska looked like when my ancestors lived nearby.
Here's a card of a family standing in front of their windmill sent from Madison, Nebraska and mailed to an aunt in the Bronx, New York.
If you want to narrow your search, add keywords: Lincoln Nebraska postcard.
This reduces my results to about 300 cards to look through. I discovered a post card of Nebraska's 2nd state capitol building as it looked when my family lived about a block away.
You may also have some luck if you search for stereoview cards. Here's an example I found of a roundup in Kansas. I just discovered a lot of vintage postcards from Belleville, Kansas where many of my family lived in the early 1900s.
It may be like searching for a needle in a haystack, but maybe, just maybe, you'll find a relative by searching on their name. Many of the cabinet cards on eBay do not have identifying information, but some do have it. Perhaps you can find a relative with the search terms cabinet card ohio (substitute your location of course). If there is a surname on the card, the seller will usually include this information in the item title.
Everything but the kitchen sink - and sometimes, even that
What else can you find on eBay that might provide a lead to that brick wall?
County histories - Be forewarned! There are many eBay sellers who are grabbing up digital copies of public domain books from sources such as Google Books, compiling them onto a CD and selling as many as 30 or more books on one CD. If this saves you some time, go for it, but many of these resources are already available on the internet. Just don't think you will be receiving bound volumes of the books for sale. The same applies to Plat Books. Read the seller's description thoroughly before bidding.
If you have too many (or not relevant) search results, you can narrow the search by eliminating search terms. For example, I search for a man named "John Fitzgerald" and my results include President Kennedy. I revise my search to:
"John Fitzgerald" -Kennedy
Putting the name in quotes searches on that exact phrase. Putting the minus sign before Kennedy removes any results that include "John Fitzgerald Kennedy." If you are used to using these search principles on Google, the same applies on eBay.
You Say You Don't Have Time to Spend on eBay?
You can set up an alert that will notify you when items are listed that match your search terms. For example, I am looking for an out of print book on one line of my family that was written by a woman named Hartsough. The search results page shows the number of results for your search term(s), and an option to Save Search. With an eBay account, eBay will send you an email every time a new item is listed that matches your search.
Give it a try!
I encourage you to give this a try and see what you find. Please share your experiences in the Comments section below. I'll also be happy to answer any questions or help you refine your search.
Always remember - think outside the box when it comes to genealogy research. | <urn:uuid:ac21ba2b-c37e-4d23-8a4a-8a50a97f28ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://longlostrelatives-smp.blogspot.jp/2011/01/are-you-using-ebay-to-supplement-your.html?showComment=1295810436125 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95524 | 939 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Profile: Whether it refers to a robot's or a human's, Bombshell's credo carries the same awful meaning-once he sinks his stinger into someone's head, it's unlikely that that someone will ever think for himself again. His ability to turn foes into helpless accomplices makes this Insecticon one of Decepticon Leader Megatron's favorites. And Bombshell's interest in his victim doesn't end with mere control of his mind: Given his cruel sense of humor, Bombshell finds nothing more entertaining than to have his unwilling followers perform embarrassing and debasing acts, an amusement he eagerly shares with his evil comrades.
Abilities: In his insect form, Bombshell is particularly adept at using his tiny size to infiltrate human populations. He then uses his stinger to inject a tiny "cerebro-shell" into a human's head. The micro-circuited device travels through the blood until it reaches the brain, wherepon it opens up and releases tens of thousands of connecting wires. The wires coil around nearby neural dendrites until the brain's conscious functions are effectively rerouted through the cerebro-shell, which puts the mind of the victim under the remote control of Bombshell. He has a flying range of 5.7 miles in this form. In his larger robot form, Bombshell's stinger is used in much the same way against other robots' high function mental circuitry. The major difference is that once the stinger is pressed against the metal casing of a victim's head, the small laser torches on the side of the stinger rotate rapidly to carve a small hole in the casing, allowing the stinger to inject a cerebro-shell. He also carries a head-mounted mortar that can throw a 50-pound explosive shell 8 miles with very good accuracy.
Weaknesses: Successful removal of one of Bombshell's cerebro-shells allows its possessor to use it against him by sending false signals back to him. Some tougher metals are impervious to his laser torches. Often, Bombshell will make the mistake of playing with his victim rather than paying more attention to more important matters, such as an Autobot assault.[ Back To Top ] | <urn:uuid:c1566629-6c37-4593-9c03-75a11819adda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seibertron.com/vsd/character/bombshell/22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968115 | 448 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Since bottoming out at an intra-day low of 6,467 on March 6, 2009, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOW) has risen to 15,295 as of May 23, 2013 - a gain of approximately 130% in just over 4 years. The S&P 500 has shown similar results, advancing from an intra-day low of 666 to 1,650 for the same period, a gain of approximately 125%. Stellar returns.
As to why the markets have risen at historic rates during times of austerity economics? The answer is simple, it’s due to quantitative easing (QE) began by centralized banks after the market crash of 2008 – “fundamentally a regressive redistribution program that has been boosting wealth for those already engaged in the financial sector or those who already own homes, but passing little along to the rest of the economy.”
The amount of stimulus used varies depending on your definition of stimulus, so we won’t bother keeping tabs on the trillions that have been dumped into the markets in the last 4 years. We’ll just make note that at present the Federal Reserve is continuing its unlimited quantitative easing program to the tune of $85 billion a month, a last resort, desperate measure that the FOMC began in 2012 to maintain its ‘growth’ targets.
Assault on Wall Street glorifies the revenge killing of Wall Street big wigs by a seemingly decent man who lost everything, including his wife, due to the manipulation and fraud of those he gunned down.
Combat veteran and armored car driver, Jim Baxford reaches a hefty body for this sort of thing. He's got nothing on the last three presidents of the United States who bear responsibility for military actions leading to the deaths of several hundred thousand civilians in the Middle East and North Africa.
Baxford's actions are part of a larger social acceptance of violence as a solution to political and personal challenges. This film is not about class warfare. It narrates in detail the losses and pain that Baxford and his wife suffer, why he holds the Wall Streeters accountable, and how he gets his revenge on his own. (Image)
Written and directed by Uwe Boll and produced by Lynnpark Productions of Canada, the film offers an all-American series of horrors that fell on many ordinary citizens but rarely as hard as those horrors fell on the Baxford's.
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
Ever since the beginning of the financial crisis and quantitative easing, the question has been before us: How can the Federal Reserve maintain zero interest rates for banks and negative real interest rates for savers and bond holders when the US government is adding $1.5 trillion to the national debt every year via its budget deficits? Not long ago the Fed announced that it was going to continue this policy for another 2 or 3 years. Indeed, the Fed is locked into the policy. Without the artificially low interest rates, the debt service on the national debt would be so large that it would raise questions about the US Treasury’s credit rating and the viability of the dollar, and the trillions of dollars in Interest Rate Swaps and other derivatives would come unglued.
On October 23rd of this year, President Cristina Fernandez won re-election receiving 54% of the vote, 37 percentage points higher than her nearest opponent. The President’s coalition also swept the Congressional, Senatorial, Gubernatorial elections as well as 135 of the 136 municipal councils of Greater Buenos Aires. In sharp contrast President Obama, according to recent polls is trailing leading Republican Presidential candidates and is likely to lose control of both houses of Congress in the upcoming 2012 election. What accounts for the monumental difference in voter preferences of incumbent presidents? A comparative historical discussion of socio-economic and foreign policies as well as responses to profound economic crises is at the center of any explanation of the divergent results.
by Stephen Lendman
In 2008, a protracted global depression began, criminally manufactured by Wall Street and Washington scoundrels, complicit with major European partners.
Why? To permit greater financial and other corporate consolidation, more power, and ability to buy favored assets cheap, profiting hugely at the expense of millions of working households.
At the same time, Washington's got it own agenda. As White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel (now Chicago's mayor) told the Wall Street Journal on November 6, 2008:
By Rady Ananda
Plutocrats aimed another weapon at the nation’s poor and at small and midsized farmers, this time thru the 2012 agriculture appropriations bill, H.R. 2112, which the House passed on June 16. The 82-page bill returns some federal spending to 2006 levels and others to 2008 levels.
Now being reviewed by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, the final version of HR 2112 will lay the terrain on which the 2012 Farm Bill will be crafted. The House Agriculture Committee began preparatory hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill this week, reports NSAC.
Key sections provide deep cuts to domestic food programs, threatening food banks, low-income seniors, women and children, and farmers markets supported by WIC vouchers issued thru the Women, Infants and Children program.
HR 2112 also made deep cuts to rural development, conservation and eco-remediation programs, and to local and regional food system development programs. This can be seen as nothing other than a punitive response to the growing local food sovereignty movement.
It's time for Plan B. The White House is about to be sold to the same people who bought it in 2008. The front page of today's New York Times says it all. President Obama is on the hunt for campaign cash and the Wall Street crowd represents his main target. After all, he and his "good friend Tim" (Geithner) delivered in the biggest way possible. Obama must be thinking that it's payback time! Pony up fellas.
This much is clear. There will be no federal prosecutions of Wall Street crooks for the 2008 financial collapse, no day of judgment for massive mortgage fraud before, during and after the housing bubble, and no representation for the people the in the White House, no matter who wins in 2012. Populist rhetoric will guarantee a place on the no-fly list for any who stray from the new party line.
The Times article resorts to irony right out of the gate:
"Mr. Obama, who enraged many financial industry executives a year and a half ago by labeling them “fat cats” and criticizing their bonuses, followed up the meeting with phone calls to those who could not attend." New York Times, June 13
Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times just published one of the few feel good stories in months following the 2008 financial crisis. She describes a possible day of reckoning for the perpetrators of the 2008 crisis and much of the pain that has followed.
The newly elected New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman (D), wants information from Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley. Among other things, the information concerns mortgage pooling and bundling. This may well include information on collateralized debt obligations (CDO's) and mortgage backed securities (MBS). New York state officials told Morgenson:
"The New York attorney general has requested information and documents in recent weeks from three major Wall Street banks about their mortgage securities operations during the credit boom, indicating the existence of a new investigation into practices that contributed to billions in mortgage losses." New York Investigates Banks’ Role in Financial Crisis New York Times, May 16
Veterans For Peace Endorses the April 15th Rally and Protest in Union Square Park
By Kevin Zeese
Veterans For Peace has joined in endorsing “Sounds of Resistance,” a concert and protest against Wall Street banks that draws the connections between militarism, Wall Street, the wealth divide and the downward spiral of the wealth of most Americans. The event, on April 15 at 11:00 a.m. in New York City’s Union Square Park, is part of a democratic awakening that more and more Americans are joining.
Americans are recognizing the link between the military-industrial complex and the Wall Street oligarchs—a connection that goes back to the beginning of the modern U.S. empire. Banks have always profited from war because the debt created by banks results in ongoing war profit for big finance; and because wars have been used to open countries to U.S. corporate and banking interests. Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan wrote: “the large banking interests were deeply interested in the world war because of the wide opportunities for large profits.”
What America really needs is a Commission of Truth, that would outline how Selfishness became triumphant, how it has devastated our country, and what we as a community and as a nation must do about this
What’s it like spending two years doing thankless work that, in the end, is going to be ignored by the very people who asked for your services? The members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission have just found out. Their 662 page report is sinking rapidly into oblivion in official Washington, and is now destined to be of interest only to historians. This was fully predictable. The Commission was given a charter by Congress to tell us who, what, when, and where about the financial crisis, but they were not allowed to explain why. To understand why this crisis occurred would be stepping on way too many powerful toes in Washington, and for this reason the Commission was told not to make any policy recommendations to Congress that would help prevent such a crisis from occurring again.
Walking into any “court” of late one might have a distinct impression that one has walked into a monarch's domain. The rule of law only applies at the discretion of the monarch. And that would be the judge sitting in that particular court.
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|Articles and Writers||Old TPV|
|<< <||> >>| | <urn:uuid:672d29d2-14f1-4094-88fe-2133c93a77c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/wall+street: | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95204 | 2,092 | 1.726563 | 2 |
ranking is based on the Ranking points of the 3 highest ranked players of
each Association, ranked on the current individual World Ranking lists. Even
if an Association has only one or two players ranked on the individual World
Ranking list, the team of that Association is still ranked. Players not
eligible to represent their Association are not taken into consideration.
To set up the team ranking list, each team is opposed to all the other teams in a computer simulated round-robin, using the Swaythling Cup system of 5 singles matches. In each virtual team match the players are placed in ranking order. 2 points are awarded to the winning team of each of these team matches, the losing team getting 0 points. When there is a tie, which may happen when players of opposing teams have the same Ranking, each of these teams receives 1 point.
The final ranking order is determined by the total number of points earned by each of the teams. Where there are tied teams, in the first instance those virtual team matches between the tied teams are considered to resolve the tie. If there is still a tie, then the total individual matches won against all opposing teams is then considered.
These team ranking lists are taken into consideration for seedings at World Team Championships | <urn:uuid:b608ad84-69a0-4acb-8717-a4105f819f99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/team_ranking_details.asp?Gender=B&Month1=2&TEAM_NAME=AUS+++++++++++++++++++&Year1=2012&Formv_team_ranking_Sorting=2&Formv_team_ranking_Sorted= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95873 | 255 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Monday, August 6, 2007
Today we feature a photograph of Ms. Gertrude Ederle. Why would we show her picture you ask? It was on this day (August 6) in the year 1926 that Ms. Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, and she did it faster than ANYBODY had ever done it before. So, we tip our hat to this amazing athlete. | <urn:uuid:247b5b1d-22bb-4ab1-94e6-a29b4375005d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://old-photos.blogspot.com/2007/08/gertrude-ederle.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982277 | 87 | 2.03125 | 2 |
St. Kitts and Nevis, with a population of just over 50,000 and covering a mere 100 sq. mi. — one and a half times the size of Washington, D.C. — is the smallest sovereign nation, by size and population, in the Americas. The two-island federation in the east Caribbean is perhaps best known for welcoming wealthy tourists to its pristine beaches and luxury resorts.
But beneath the surface of Nevis there’s something that could put this palm-fringed paradise on the map in a big way: heat — and plenty of it. The volcanic island, the smaller of the pair, is home to active hot springs and if estimates are correct, a large geothermal reservoir. With steady onshore wind, St. Kitts and Nevis has enough potential energy to become the first nation in the world near self-sufficiency from renewable energy sources — and in the process, potentially reinvent the islands’ small tourist-reliant economies. Only Iceland, with its own abundance of hot springs, currently comes close to anything like that.
But accusations of cronyism and mismanagement — and the global economic crisis — mean that years-old plans to build a geothermal power plant to harness the energy have barely gotten off the ground. And their current prospects remain stalled and uncertain.
(MORE: All Steamed Up)
The incentives, economic and environmental, are clear. Nevis, which consumes a maximum of 10 megawatts (MW) of energy annually, spends $12 million a year on diesel for its power station. Meanwhile it emits 44,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in the process, according to the website of Renova Capital, a Denver-based renewable-energy private investment firm and partner (since 2011) on the geothermal project. St. Kitts, which lies two miles northwest of Nevis, uses 46 MW at most each year, at more than quadruple that cost. Drilling at three sites on Nevis has indicated that the geothermal reservoir is capable of producing up to 500 MW of constant base-load power year-round. That’s led St. Kitts and Nevis to envisage one day exporting all that surplus energy to neighboring islands via high-voltage alternating-current submarine cables. This includes a tentative idea to supply power to Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory around 250 miles to the southeast. A White House task-force report on Puerto Rico’s future, released in March 2011, supported a feasibility study into the subsea cable.
Geothermal energy can only cater to minimum base-load power — the basic requirements of the grid — since output must be constant while demand varies. This means that fossil-fuel generation is still needed during peak generation. Despite this, even an 8-MW geothermal plant catering to most of Nevis’ needs — the current proposal for the first phase of the project — could transform the islands, according to Carlisle Powell, the minister in charge of public works. “It has the ability to completely revolutionize the way we live, do business, use electricity,” he told TIME recently. The minister hopes consumer electricity bills could fall by as much as 30% while Nevis could attract light-manufacturing industry through cheaper rates. All this would bring in additional revenues to the government for development projects, he says, which could include further geothermal plants on Nevis to serve the needs of St. Kitts and beyond.
The first chapter in this grand vision began smoothly enough with the opening of a 1.1-MW wind farm, the first of its kind in the east Caribbean, in July 2010. It already saves 275,000 gal. of diesel use, worth over $1 million a year, says Powell. Yet that’s as far as the success story goes. Trying to build just one geothermal plant has proved an increasingly expensive proposition; so far just three exploratory wells have been dug, while cost estimates have spiraled since the project was first conceived in the early 2000s. The reasons for all this depend on whom you speak to — and proved a contentious issue in elections on the islands last year. According to Powell, the problems were brought on by the global economic slowdown; when the credit crunch hit in 2008, external funding for the plant collapsed. The minister hopes the project will soon get back on track through funding from Ex-Im Bank — the official export credit agency of the U.S. A team from the bank visited Nevis last year and will decide in the first quarter of 2012.
Opposition politician Mark Brantley, deputy leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement — which helped initiate the idea for geothermal energy — has a different take. He claims the government has “mishandled and mismanaged” the project, in particular by awarding West Indies Power (WIP) — a St. Kitts-based start-up company working on a similar project on nearby Dominica — the contract to develop the plant in February 2007 without a publicly disclosed bidding process. “The details of the contracts with WIP have not been made public despite considerable clamor for them by the opposition and the press,” Brantley tells TIME. “Indeed, no information whatsoever about the financial arrangements with WIP made by the government have ever been disclosed. The entire process has been cloaked with secrecy.” WIP did not respond to requests for comment. Powell labeled the opposition criticism partisan and “foolishness.”
But Brantley also has other concerns. He notes the most recent proposals put before the Nevis Island Assembly now cost the project at $55 million, up from initial estimates of $30 million and then $41 million. Moreover, he says the new plans are for an 8-MW “reconditioned” facility, not the new 10-MW plant in earlier outlines. “No explanation whatsoever has been offered for this near 100% increase for a smaller used plant,” he adds. Meanwhile the IMF — a significant lender to the islands — forced the Nevis government to abandon guaranteeing any loan for the project because the island’s budget cannot sustain it, Brantley says. “The issues are myriad, but we as the official opposition in the country support the idea of geothermal development but demand a more sensible approach with a serious and capable developer.”
The current estimates are high based on research in an authoritative 2007 MIT study, “The Future of Geothermal Energy,” even when adjusted for inflation. It puts typical costing at that time for this type of plant in the range of $1,080 to $1,889 per kilowatt of capacity. The Nevis plant would work out at $6,470 per kilowatt of capacity, writes local journalist James Gaskell, who has reported extensively on the subject. He noted on Jan. 13, 2012: “It has been pointed out by others that this sum, in comparison to other projects, seems excessive.” Stephen Connors, of MIT’s Energy Initiative, says Nevis’ isolated location would add significant costs and that the estimates, probably initially too low, are not “inconceivable.” He notes that funding for geothermal plants has been “bad” in the past few years and believes the Nevis project has significant potential — but may never realize its full potential. “The feasibility study will say it’s very expensive,” Connors predicts of the plans for regional export, adding that the project’s principal value is in reducing local diesel consumption. “What they’re planning sounds like a good start.”
If it does get built, the first geothermal power plant alone would still probably make Nevis the greenest place on the planet, which is some accolade. But judging by the project’s tortured history, that’s a big if. | <urn:uuid:a01b09d2-0362-46af-86c3-21c860eb573e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://science.time.com/2012/02/06/island-blues-a-caribbean-countrys-troubled-experiment-with-geothermal-power/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953762 | 1,639 | 2.953125 | 3 |
An eight year-old north Pembrokeshire pupil has won an ICT design competition.
Daniel English of Ysgol Bro Ingli in Newport won an 8g iPod nano for designing a poster promoting safer use of mobile technology.
Organised by the County Council's Be-SMART E-safety group, the competition marked Safer Internet Day, which was held in February.
Pupils across the County were asked to design posters, leaflets, web pages or screensavers illustrating their top 10 tips for safe and responsible use of mobile technology.
The best ideas and designs will be used for a leaflet - both print and electronic - to go out to every school and pupil in the County.
Daniel was presented with his prize by Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, last week.
Runners up were Finn Pierpoint, also of Ysgol Bro Ingli; Sam Benbow of Greenhill School in Tenby and Elen Maycock of Wolfscastle School. They each won a £10 voucher each.
All schools who entered the competition received a £25 voucher.
Safer Internet Day is organised by Insafe to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones among children and young people.
Daniel (centre front) is pictured with his prize. Also pictured is runner up Finn Pierpoint along with (L-R) Councillor Huw George; Alona Jones, Schools Advisor for ICT and Chair of the E-safety group and Ann James, headteacher at Ysgol Bro Ingli.
Designed and Developed by Pembrokeshire County Council
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tomamundsen wrote:The first thing I think of on this topic is Reeves' translation of the Lotus Sura. He uses a lot of new translations for words. I rather liked his version. But I still find it very important to know what the Sanskrit is. If you know the Sanskrit, then understanding parallels between different authors become transparent. I do not think we've reached a point where Dharma has permeated our culture enough to try to create an American Buddhism, be it via translating all terms into English or removing cultural rituals from practice.
Huseng wrote:So how many Indic terms transliterated into roman script do you want in an English language translation of a Buddhist text?
Huseng wrote:How much modern western jargon from psychology and philosophy do we adopt (terms like qualia, ego and ontology)?
Yudron wrote:I can't tell whether you are proposing all Mahayana and Vajrayana schools bring the Sanskrit terms into English usage -- as has happened Mandala, Karma and so forth -- versus trying to standardize translations of key terms.
One or the other has to happen over time. Most of the translators of the Tibetan works -- like Tibetans--don't read Sanskrit, and the Tibetan equivalent has it's own shading. I'm sure the same is true for Chinese, Korean, and other Dharma languages.
Jnana wrote:Huseng wrote:How much modern western jargon from psychology and philosophy do we adopt (terms like qualia, ego and ontology)?
As little as possible.
Huseng wrote:Jnana wrote:Huseng wrote:How much modern western jargon from psychology and philosophy do we adopt (terms like qualia, ego and ontology)?
As little as possible.
In any case it seems to already have currency, even in works by Buddhist authors for Buddhists. Using such distinctions like ontology and epistemology, or even the mind-matter dichotomy of western philosophy, when interpreting Buddhadharma can be problematic and in the context of commentaries simply anachronistic.
I guess it will just take several generations to really hammer out. The Chinese had the same problem when they used functional equivalents from their own philosophy lexicon when translating Buddhism into Chinese. It took some time for a more accurate lexicon to develop and be standardized.
Yudron wrote:I don't think most English speakers know what ontology and epistomology mean. I don't know what qualia means, and I have three university degrees. IMHO If you are targeting regular practitioners as the audience, not graduate students, it's pointless to translate a term into another term that they have to look up in a dictionary.
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LDS film classics available on video tapes
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Twenty-seven film classics produced by the Church and BYU Motion Picture Studio are now available on five videocassette tapes for home and classroom use.
Termed "video classics," the films were selected by the Curriculum and Correlation departments of the Church from more than 100 films produced since the late 1940s. The Audiovisual Department of the Church put the collection together just prior to becoming a separate department from the Curriculum Department in March 1991."Our objective was to provide to families the classic videos," said Josiah Douglas, director of the planning and development division of the Church Curriculum Department.
"There have been videos created over a number of years for families to buy. They originally were on 16-millimeter film and transferred to video," Brother Douglas explained. "These accumulated to 20 or so video tapes. At that time, there was no attempt to pick the very best ones."
But now that task is accomplished.
The classics are organized into five categories: "A Voice from the Dust," dealing with the Book of Mormon; "Come Unto Me," focusing on the Savior and the Plan of Salvation; "Moments from Church History;" "Teach One Another," containing classic teaching films; and "The Worth of Souls," which "emphasizes compassion and the value of human beings who have problems," explained Brother Douglas. (Please see list of films on the videos.)
"We tried to create a balance, hence we have the films grouped by title," Brother Douglas said.
To be included in the collection of classics, films had to meet certain criteria, the most important being "the test of time," Brother Douglas noted. "The films must be relevant for teaching gospel principles today and for a number of years to come."
Robert F. Collins, manager of member support media of the Audiovisual Department, said the films originated in 16-millimeter format, except for "Search the Scriptures," which was produced on video. All the films were duplicated in high-fidelity stereo sound.
The video classics tapes can be purchased at Church distribution centers for $6 each.
`Video classics' in five categories
A Voice from the Dust
"How Rare a Possession: The Book of Mormon"
- "A Marvelous Work Begins"
- "The Three Witnesses"
- "For Us!"
Come Unto Me
- "Man's Search For Happiness"
- "Come, Follow Me"
- "Morality For Youth"
- "Where Jesus Walked"
- "In His Holy House"
- "The Heavens Are Open"
Moments from Church History
- "The First Vision"
- "Restoration of the Priesthood"
- "The Windows of Heaven"
- "Last Day at Carthage"
- "LDS Leaders: Past and Present"
- "Joseph Smith: The Man"
Teach One Another
- "Cipher in the Snow"
- "Teaching - A Renewed Dedication"
- "Elaine Dart, Not Like Other People"
- "Lilies Grow Wild"
- "Teach One Another"
- "Search the Scriptures"
The Worth of Souls
- "Uncle Ben"
- "The Gift"
- "The Mailbox"
- "Pioneers in Petticoats"
- "Johnny Lingo" | <urn:uuid:797e7ae1-fc9b-470c-820d-02409de3577d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/21569/LDS-film-classics-available-on-video-tapes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948681 | 746 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Answer: Toilet Paper (Unused)
The Chinese first used toilet paper made of rice straw more than 1,400 years ago. Finally, in 1857, Joseph Gayetty introduced the first packaged toilet tissue, which proved to be more convenient than the previously common practice of using The Old Farmer’s Almanac. (In the almanac’s defense, it did have a hole in it for easy toilet-side hanging.) Nowadays, a roll made up of all the TP Americans use in a year would stretch about 300 million miles—more than three times the distance between Earth and the sun. | <urn:uuid:360dda25-f541-4eea-9c3c-4d70bca9723f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/18-what-is-this-close-look-at-pocket-lint | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929278 | 126 | 2.71875 | 3 |
29 Years Ago: The Who Announce Breakup
The Who were undoubtedly one of the most innovative and important hard rock bands of all time. Ranging from psychedelic pop rock material like ‘I Can See For Miles‘ and ‘Pinball Wizard‘ all the way through epic arena rock classics like ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again‘ and ‘Who Are You,’ they virtually single-handedly perfected both the concept album and the rock opera. But the latter part of the decade was unkind to the group, who experienced a series of misfortunes leading into the early part of the ’80s. On Dec. 16, 1983, guitarist Pete Townshend announced that he was leaving the Who, effectively ending the group.
Townshend had gone through a particularly rough patch for the previous few years, beginning with the death of drummer Keith Moon in September of 1978. On Dec. 3, 1979 the Who were struck by another unforeseen tragedy when eleven fans were trampled and killed at a Who gig in Cincinnati.
The guitarist’s personal life was also unraveling. His marriage had come apart due to the stress of the Who’s touring schedule, and his longstanding drinking habit had increased and grown to include cocaine and heroin, developing into a serious heroin addiction. Townshend moved to California to clean up, and the group rebounded with two more albums; 1981′s ‘Face Dances,’ and ‘It’s Hard’ in 1982.
But the group’s new sound alienated some fans, and the struggle to find relevance in the changing music scene of the ’80s led Townshend to steer the group into a Farewell Tour, which they undertook in 1982. He intended to turn the Who into a purely studio recording group, but after spending part of 1983 trying to write material for a contractually obligated album, the frustrated guitarist declared that he could no longer generate music appropriate for the Who. On Dec. 16 he announced his decision to leave the group at a press conference, bringing the Who to an end.
Townshend went on to work as an acquisitions editor at Faber & Faber, as well as releasing a long string of solo albums and projects. The Who reunited for Live Aid in 1985 and a full-fledged reunion tour in 1989. The group have subsequently toured together in many different permutations. They even released a new studio album, ‘Endless Wire,’ in 2006, with Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey still using the group name despite the death of bassist John Entwistle in 2002. The pair continue to tour as the Who to the present day – thirty years after their Farewell Tour. | <urn:uuid:ff9b58ff-8558-4fb1-a53c-7137faf00e18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://q1077.com/the-who-announce-breakup/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965299 | 565 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Neither of the top leaders in Congress nor any member of the US Supreme court is a WASP – a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant. And now, for the first time in US history, none of the major party candidates for president or vice president is a WASP.
No matter how it turns out, the 2012 presidential election will have made history.
For the first time since the founding of the Republic, none of the major party candidates for president or vice president is a WASP – a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant – a fact that was confirmed when Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan to be his running mate.
With the candidacies of Mr. Obama and Sarah Palin in 2008, the trend toward greater diversity took a big step. But this year’s election and its lack of the kind of person the Founding Fathers were – ethnically, racially, and religiously, at least – is causing widespread comment.
“For the first time in our country’s history the Republican party is set to nominate a presidential ticket that does not include a Protestant,” writes religion scholar Thomas Whitley on the Associated Baptist Press news blog. “And in a strange turn of events that is sure to have many WASPs scratching their heads, President Obama will be the only Protestant on either party’s ticket.”
Will it make any difference in the election results?
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life recently reported “little evidence to suggest that concerns about the candidates’ respective faiths will have a meaningful impact in the fall elections.” | <urn:uuid:1fc97a7a-b6fe-4254-bf3b-d26b62d92931> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2012/0819/US-government-and-politics-no-longer-run-by-WASPs.-Does-it-matter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957049 | 327 | 2.46875 | 2 |
What is Marine drive?
Asked by Ravinesh Kumar, 19 May '12 11:49 pm
Earn 10 points for answering
Marine Drive is a 3-kilometre-long boulevard in South Mumbai in the city of Mumbai. It is a 'C'-shaped six-lane concrete road along the coast, which is a natural bay. The road links Nariman Point to Babulnath and Malabar Hill. Marine Drive is situated over reclaimed land facing west-south-west. The bay is part of the Arabian SeaAnswered by Prince Deva, 19 May '12 11:55 pm
Marine Drive is a 3-kilometre-long boulevard in South Mumbai in the city of MumbaiAnswered by anantharaman, 20 May '12 09:10 am
A road in mumbai near the sea, at night it looks like a diamond necklace if u watch it from a high riseAnswered by rajan, 20 May '12 06:58 am
The answer given by Prince Deva is right. You can sit on the culvert opposite Oberio Hotel and watch the sea waves crashing into the culvert walls. In between on this road is the Acquarium where you can see beautiful species of various fishes. Chowpatty beach is very crowded in the evening with people eating Bhelpuri. The road goes up to a hill called Malabar Hill where the Maharashtra CMs residence Varsha is located. On Malabar hill there are two parks Kamla Nehru Park and Hanging Gardens. At night the view from Malabar Hill will show you the entire C shoped road with buildings on one side and the Arabian sea on the other. Its an absolutely beautiful view which is famously known as the Queens NecklaceAnswered by Manoj Adwani, 20 May '12 12:08 am
Mumbai kabhi nahi aaye ho bhai saab ? lovely place in Mumbai....also called Mumbai chowpatyAnswered by Vilas Pardhe, 19 May '12 11:54 pm | <urn:uuid:4219a99a-cb85-4635-8199-8c036cd69da0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://qna.rediff.com/questions-and-answers/what-is-marine-drive/22849469/answers/24490966 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953294 | 432 | 1.6875 | 2 |
China should not worry about stalled US talks over the debt limit, an academic adviser to the People's Bank of China said on Monday, predicting that politicians will ultimately reach a deal to avert a crisis.
Xia Bin, a member of the central bank’s monetary policy committee, played down near-term risks to China's economy since Washington has little choice but to continue pursuing loose monetary policy in a bid to spur the world's biggest economy.
“Don’t worry too much about it. The United States will have to issue more debt and issue more currency,” Mr. Xia told Reuters in an interview.
Mr. Xia said the debt talks have gained too much media attention as US politicians try to maneuver on the debt issue to score strategic points before the next presidential election in November 2012.
“They won’t betray the national interest. They are now playing with politics,” Mr. Xia said.
“They will definitely reach a compromise,” he said.
As a central bank adviser, Mr.Xia is an influential economist but is not directly involved in policymaking.
Prospects of a budget breakthrough faded as lawmakers missed a self-imposed deadline to produce a deal by the time Asian markets opened for the new week. They still plan to outline proposals on Monday, but both sides appear further apart than ever. For details, see.
Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch have said they will downgrade the US credit rating if failure to raise the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling leaves the Treasury without cash to service its debt obligations in August.
Mr. Xia reiterated his earlier views that China should speed up diversification of its rapidly accumulating foreign exchange reserves away from dollar assets to hedge against risks from what he predicted would be a long-term decline for the US currency.
China’s reserves, the world’s largest, swelled by $152.8 billion in the second quarter to a record $3.2 trillion, driven by sustained capital inflows and its large trade surplus.
Chinese officials have pledged to diversify the huge reserves − as much as 70 percent of which are now in US dollar assets, according to analyst estimates − but the process has been gradual.
China faces “pressures and challenges” in managing its huge foreign reserves, but the holdings may also present the country with an “unprecedented” opportunity to help its long-term development, Mr. Xia told Reuters in an interview on July 14. | <urn:uuid:c07e71a4-5f26-467f-964c-c52ed55fb170> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/07/26/159356.html | 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 | 0.964408 | 527 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Today’s unemployment report, which shows zero net job creation and 14 million people officially unemployed, shows that the economy is dead in the water, and the focus on deficit reduction and austerity measures is systematically damaging employment and growth.
Cuts to Federal and local budgets are resulting in layoffs in every community in America. This report shows that since employment peaked in September 2008, local government has lost 550,000 jobs. As teachers, construction workers, police and firefighters lose their jobs, the buying power of the middle class is drastically reduced, so businesses, large and small, have fewer customers walking in the door with money to spend – and that means more layoffs and less hiring and fewer jobs everywhere.
President Obama and Congress must reverse this downward spiral by putting people to work—doing work that America needs right now.
The Campaign for America’s Future on Aug. 30 joined with Rebuild the Dream, MoveOn, NOW and more than 80 other groups to send a letter to President Obama. The groups told Obama, “A problem this serious needs a plan to match it in scope. Tax cuts and incentives for corporations have repeatedly failed to put Americans back to work. It is time to move beyond these half measures designed to appeal to a narrow ideological minority who have repeatedly shown their unwillingness to negotiate and their disinterest in real solutions. History—and proven economics—tells us that any plan to solve our job crisis needs to be big, bold, and create jobs directly.”
As we enter this Labor Day weekend, it is time for the President Obama and Congress to act. Everyone knows that Republicans in Congress are demanding policies that are crippling growth – and they are even resisting small measures, such as extending unemployment insurance and continuing the Social Security tax holiday. The president should push Republicans to vote for these small measures, which they used to support routinely but now oppose.
However, President Obama must go beyond what might be able to pass today and present a bold jobs program that is big enough to revive the economy and create jobs. If he does this, he can rally the country and revive hope that the more than 25 million unemployed or underemployed Americans will soon have new opportunities.
If the President does not acknowledge that we are in an unemployment crisis – and advance a serious plan to create growth and jobs – the country will lose hope and our economic crisis will only get worse. | <urn:uuid:ad0c3710-5db1-4c9d-ae19-ee39560ae073> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.ourfuture.org/20110909/Labor_Day_Is_A_Time_To_Act | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96082 | 486 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Cultural Affiliation: Caddo
This report provides an inventory and assessment of the cultural affiliation of the human remains and funerary objects in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) from the Fish Hatchery Site (16NA9), Louisiana. This report documents human remains and funerary objects from a single site in Louisiana in partial response to a request from the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma.
This report documents the human remains of a minimum of two individuals in the collections of the NMNH that are cataloged in a single number, P362447, and ceramic objects that were recovered from the Fish Hatchery Site that were cataloged under six numbers. These remains were excavated by Winslow Walker in 1931 and sent by him to the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE). The remains were transferred from the BAE and accessioned into the collections of the NMNH in October of 1931. During osteological documentation, it was determined that the human remains in P362447 are those of two different individuals.
The Fish Hatchery Site was utilized as a cemetery by people whose material culture has been archaeologically described as the Lawton phase. The Lawton phase has been archaeologically identified as representing the Natchitoches tribe. The Natchitoches were forced to sell their lands and were removed from their homelands in Louisiana to Oklahoma in the nineteenth century. They united with Caddo people from the other confederacies, the Hasinai and the Kadohadacho. The cultural affiliation of the individuals buried at the Fish Hatchery Site is demonstrated to be with the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma. It was recommended that these remains be offered for repatriation to the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma. The ceramic vessels in catalog numbers A367182 and A367183 were been identified as those originally placed in the burial of the individual given catalog number P362447. The remainder of the ceramic objects that were recovered from the Fish Hatchery Site were determined to be unassociated funerary objects. It was recommended that they be offered for repatriation to the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma. The snail shell in catalog number A558541 located during examination of the human remains was not found to be a funerary object. It was recommended that the NMNH retain this snail shell.
The human remains and funerary objects were repatriated to the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma on October 24, 2007.
Back to top | <urn:uuid:c638c87b-da45-429b-a89c-59f6f976f819> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anthropology.si.edu/repatriation/reports/regional/southeast/caddo_fish_hatchery_site.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977509 | 505 | 2.875 | 3 |
Welcome to our e-Journal of
Traditional & Complementary Medicine
To be credible, it is important that statements or claims made about a certain therapy are backed by concrete and reliable evidence. In addition, the outcome and benefits of the therapy must be properly documented. Often practitioners of traditional and complementary therapies are accused of plying their trade based on hearsay or flimsy evidence -they do not publish their work in peer-reviewed journals.
We fully understand that to publish articles in the so-called peer-review journals is extremely difficult. You have to play the game according to their rules – and sometimes, their rules cannot be applied to the practice of non-conventional medicine. Besides, only topics that are within the scope of medical thinking are acceptable! Evidence-based practices falling outside the sphere of medicine don’t get published in medicine-related or doctors-drug companies-controlled publications. We strongly feel that evidence and truth need not necessarily come only from double blind, placebo-controlled trials.
A simple healing story/ case study embodies the same truth as any scientific experiment, if it is told with absolute honesty and those who read the story are willing to seek and see truth with unbiased eyes.
There are more “rules” to the publishing game. Generally, it costs a lot of money to get articles published in journals – it can be anything from a couple of hundred or thousand dollars! The cheapest cost to get an article published in an Internet Journal is US$250.00. Then, just to read or download a certain article from a journal may probably cost US$20 to US$30. We, in the developing countries, would probably not be able to afford such expenses. It appears to us that the playing field of journal publication is not level. Even to read and publish, we need money (or sponsorship), let alone doing the research.
It strikes us that, as an initial modest effort, we need to initiate a journal with a difference.
Let’s have an author-friendly, free-access and open-ended e-Journal of Traditional & Complementary Medicine. It costs “no money” to read or to publish.
You are invited to submit articles anytime and it will be uploaded to this website as soon as it is accepted. However, your submission may need to be edited, if necessary, and must comply with the normally accepted academic format. As much as we would welcome articles, we reserve the right to decline publication of materials that are info-commercial in nature or their contents appear to be an unfair and unwarranted personal attack against certain group of people or practice. Articles are categorised under: Case Study, Personal Experience, Conference / Seminar Presentation, Review Article, and General Article.
This journal is about evidence-based therapies. | <urn:uuid:a7a33e4c-96cc-4ef4-ae54-16d9b3bb1637> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ejtcm.com/about/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954681 | 573 | 1.898438 | 2 |
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About This GigaPanToggle
- Taken by
- Jason Buchheim
- Explore score
- 0.05 Gigapixels
- Date added
- October 13, 2009
- Date taken
- October 13, 2009
- environmental, experimental, travel, underwater
On the inside of a 'bait ball' of salema fish off Isabella Island, Galapagos. This is 9 photos taken with a 15mm lens, stiched with PtGui and a lot of photoshop work post processing to try to have each fish complete. This experience is being completely engulfed and surrounded on all sides and above by millions of fish. It darkens the sky! Looks pretty cool in Googleearth. Taken with a housed Nikon D200 with the new Underwater Gigapan Mount (not)! Actually taken with a monopod underwater, rotating the camera lens through its nodal point underwater is challenging and fun. Salema fish can actually be hallucinogenic to eat! Known as 'dream fish', the herbivorous fish have toxins in their flesh from the algae that they eat that when ingested by humans produce severe auditory and visual hallucinations. No, I did not try it. It was spooky enough inside the baitball.
Definition of 'Bait Ball': Schools of small fish cruise near the ocean's surface, feeding on plankton and other organic foodstuff. This schooling behavior evolved as a means of protection. If a shark or other predator approaches, the group parts in unison - making it difficult for the invader to target any individual. As a result, this type of attack often fails. Group hunting changes the odds. In a baitball feeding frenzy, a hunting party may consist of bottlenose dolphins, silky sharks, yellowfin tuna, rainbow runners, wahoo, marlin, jacks and even booby birds. They work in a cooperative effort to ensure a feast for all. A typical main course features teeming schools of juvenile jacks and chubs. When a lone predator, usually a shark or dolphin, discovers one of these floating smorgasbords and attacks, a number of events are set into action. Frightened fish elicit a unique odor and other sharks in the area rush to the scene. The fleeing fish then intensify their frantic swimming patterns, alerting even more nearby predators. Now, each member of the murderous team begins to execute its role. The silky sharks and bottlenose dolphins, which are usually mortal enemies, start to surround the school. Gradually, they increase speed and narrow their path, trapping the fish in a tight ball against the surface. Next tuna and marlin rip through the center of the ball, further disorientating the confused prey. Many of the injured bait fish quickly tire and are easily eaten. A full-blown baitball feeding frenzy leaves few survivors. As predators become satiated, new enlistees arrive to continue the slaughter. Against the odds, small groups of baitfish may escape. They will continue to cruise pelagic waters, eating as much as they can as quickly as they can. Once again, the rule of the ocean is clear and simple: get as big as you can before you get eaten. | <urn:uuid:79a70e13-a8e3-4fc5-a532-30fbd5fdeb78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gigapan.com/galleries/6797/gigapans/34662 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942863 | 680 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Posted by: Troy Tate
bcp, business continuity, business continuity planning, crisis communication, crisis management, crisis planning, disaster prepareness, disaster recovery, dr, education, enterprise risk management, erm, information security, risk management, standards
If you are involved in IT you should also be involved in the disaster recovery planning and operations for your organization. There are quite a few resources to help with this activity. A very good free one just came across my desk that I wanted to share with you.
It is called the Disaster Resource Guide. It is a free quarterly publication to US mailing addresses. The guide covers six content categories:
- Planning and Management
- Human Concerns
- Information Availability and Security
- Telecom and Satcom
- Facility Issues
- Crisis Communications and Response
The guide has been published since 1995. There are three specialty issues printed each year that go deeper into a single content category. To subscribe visit http://www.disaster-resource.com/renew.
Some topics of the articles in the 2008-2009 edition:
Where Does Business Continuity Planning Belong in an Organization?
NFPA 1600 or BS25999? … Why Not Both?
Using Standards to Get Immediate Value for Your Organization
The Mouse in the Room: “Where’s the Planning for People?”
May your disaster preparations pay off but may the disaster not strike that you have not planned for. Thanks for reading & let’s continue to be good network citizens! | <urn:uuid:c5e468e8-5e3c-4e57-93e7-5498639feec6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/it-trenches/free-disaster-resource-guide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915746 | 311 | 2.078125 | 2 |