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Some people, especially working on the front-line of delivering aid programmes, are uncomfortable with the idea that aid should be more strongly linked to results. Some point out that there is no evidence that government officials and aid workers will respond to incentives (see this article by Ngaire Woods and Paolo de Renzio); indeed, the very idea seems to impugn the character of development professionals. Others are concerned that an increased focus on results will add to the bureaucratic burden of form filling and reporting which plagues the life of front-line staff (see this essay by Andrew Natsios, former USAID Administrator.) On his blog yesterday, Simon Maxwell lists four further concerns which he says give rise to uncomfortable “seat shifting” about results : that the evidence won’t really be used; that linking aid to results relies on a simplistic, deterministic view of development; that it risks focusing too much on results which can be measured, rather than deeper but less observable changes; and that a results-based approach fails to take account of the complexity of how aid transactions actually feed through into activities.
These are serious and important concerns. In particular, if measuring results is simply bolted on to the existing systems for the allocation and management of aid, the danger is that we add to bureaucracy with little real benefit. But if better measurement of results is used instead by aid agencies to simplify the way they manage aid programmes, rather than just adding new reporting, then the results agenda creates the opportunity to reduce bureaucracy, decentralise decision-making, increase country ownership, increase the focus on outcomes that really matter, step away from linear, deterministic thinking about how results are achieved, focus more on relationships and institutions, and really liberate development workers to work on what really motivates them – delivering change on the ground – and less on managing the bureaucracy at home.
This post sets out how a focus on results might unlock changes in the way aid is managed, which could lead to significant improvements in aid effectiveness.
Let’s deal first with the question of motivation. In a recent post I reported Dan Pink’s claim that people are generally not motivated by money to do cognitive and creative tasks. This led Nandini to ask:
How do you reconcile these views with those in Cash on Delivery aid, where incentives are clearly being proposed to motivate government officials to get the job done?
I do not think that most people who work in development are in it for the money. Most of the aid workers could earn much more, and live more comfortable and less stressful lives, if they did something else. Aid workers don’t want to get rich: they want to help make the world a better a place. And though they are often teased for being self-righteous, it is a genuinely noble and admirable motive.
I also know many fine public servants in developing countries who are similarly motivated by service to their country. They often burn with national pride and want their country succeed. They want to address social injustice and poverty. They are hard working and often paid very little. They too would be insulted by any suggestion that they are in it for the money.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t some officials in both developed and developing countries who are corrupt and greedy. In some developing countries where civil service salaries are very low, some people are not fortunate enough to get over Dan Pink’s hurdle of “being paid enough that they don’t have to worry about money”. For these people, money may be a motivator, but for reasons I’ve set out elsewhere, I think aid plays a relatively minor role in changing their behaviour.
If the people making these decisions are not motivated by money, what is the point of linking aid to results? The answer is that incentives still matter. People who work in NGOs spend a big part of their time writing grant applications, and sucking up to donors, not because they enjoy it but because they want to increase the funding for their organisation. Within aid agencies, people spend a lot of time doing things they don’t really value, because that is what they have to do to be allowed to spend money on the programmes they care about. Clearly people working in development are responding to incentives, not related to their own incomes but because they want to expand and sustain the programmes they think are important. So incentives matter, and they do change people’s behaviour.
Incentives to be ineffective
Within the current aid system, donor agencies and their staff face powerful incentives to give less effective aid. For example:
- Some donors give “tied aid”, even though this is estimated to reduce the value of aid by 15-30%. Tied aid is a consequence of domestic political pressure. Some donors allege that tied aid necessary to maintain public support for their aid programme (e.g. US food aid).
- Conditions are often imposed on aid, not because anybody believes the conditions really make a difference to what happens – all the evidence suggests to the contrary – but they enable donor governments to claim that they are “doing something”. Though we know aid works best when we the developing country has real ownership over their policies, in practice the aid system regularly undermines this ownership by setting conditions and imposing its own systems of accountability and control.
- Donors like to retain the flexibility to turn the aid tap on and off at short notice (a practice often disgracefully known as using a “short leash”) so that they can respond to domestic political pressures, even though the lack of predictability is one of the biggest impediments to aid effectiveness.
This behaviour is driven mainly by the proper and important need for aid agencies to show to their taxpayers that their money has achieved something. Because aid agencies have found it hard to show a clear link to results, sometimes for quite respectable reasons, a complicated bureaucratic culture has grown up to trace how inputs are used, to set milestones and benchmarks, to and to encourage very high levels of engagement with recipients about how they propose to go about spending the money. But this behaviour, while a completely understandable and rational response to the need to be accountable, reduces the effectiveness of aid.
If taxpayers (and their representatives: politicians) cannot observe the results of aid, in a far away country about which they know little, they will be inclined to insist on getting whatever second-best information can be assembled to satisfy themselves, and to demonstrate to taxpayers, that the aid has been well used. The consequence is that aid is made less effective. For example:
- There are political costs (and risks) to making long term aid commitments, and to untying aid, but in the absence of measures of results there is no political cost to the invisible loss of effectiveness that unpredictability and tied aid create.
- Donors know that country ownership is essential for aid to be used well, but they nonetheless feel that they have to impose their own systems to determine how aid will be used and to track implementation.
- There are political and strategic benefits to giving aid in every country and every sector; but in the absence of measures of results nobody knows how much inefficiency this proliferation creates, nor is there anything to force donors towards a better division of labour.
It is as though we plant a tree and then dig it up again once a week to see how the roots are doing; and then we wonder why it isn’t growing very fast.
We cannot wish this problem away. It is right and inescapable that donors must be accountable to taxpayers. Donors cannot avoid these pressures simply by making international agreements to do better in future (which is why those agreements are implemented only sketchily and slowly, if at all). Nor will they meet the need for accountability merely by improving their communications or changing the narrative. A stronger link between aid and results looks to be the only sustainable way to solve this problem.
The risk of additional bureaucracy
The audit culture in aid is beginning to create a backlash among development professionals. Earlier this month, the Institute of Development Studies organised a meeting to “take the first step towards resisting the audit culture of philanthropic foundations and government ministries.” And in an important essay which is getting a lot of attention, Andrew Natsios (a former Administrator of USAID) wrote about what he sees as the most disruptive obstacles to development work in agencies such as USAID: layers and layers of bureaucracy. He argues that an emphasis on measurement is at odds with the fact that transformational programs are often the least measurable and involve elements of risk and uncertainty.
And if that is how the staff of donor agencies are feeling, imagine how much worse it must be for hard-pressed officials in developing countries, and NGOs trying to keep their overheads to a minimum.
Some people have a reasonable fear that push for better measurement of results, and a better link between aid and results, is a further and troubling manifestation of this bureaucratic tendency. There is a significant risk of additional bureaucracy if the need to measure results is simply bolted on to the existing systems. But if donors are willing and able to use the stronger link to results to simplify the way they manage aid, this offers the best – perhaps the only – opportunity to step away from “command and control” management of aid.
Will measuring results make the system better or worse?
The argument for greater use of linking aid to results is not based on the simplistic notion that we should motivate aid workers or officials in developing countries with monetary rewards (which I don’t believe). Instead it is based on the idea that if we can tackle the problem of lack of information about results, it becomes possible – and indeed desirable – to allow decentralised decision-making by people on the ground who know much more about what is important and what works; so respecting country ownership, and liberating developing countries and aid agencies from much of the bureaucracy of the aid system.
Cash on Delivery aid is a possible example of this approach. It is a market-like mechanism, in that the donors set a price that they are willing to pay for certain types of result, and they allow governments to decide for themselves whether and how to supply those results. But it is rightly a long way from a pure market solution. I would like to see it tested because I hope that if aid is linked explicitly to an independently-verified measure of the results that we care about, this might enable donors to change the way that they relate to recipient governments and the way they manage aid. There should be no reason to agree milestones and benchmarks, no need to set targets; no need for policy conditions or inspections of public financial management. There does not need to be a simplistic, linear model of how results are achieved, monitored at every milestone and benchmark. Financial commitments linked to results could be long-term and predictable. Developing countries could choose their own priorities, and take responsibility for their own progress. Cash on Delivery might enable donors to respect country ownership, and the diversity of approaches countries will take, while still being able to report to domestic taxpayers what difference aid has made.
Simon Maxwell is right to point out that too much development thinking simplistically assumes that inputs are translated into outputs and outcomes, as implied by the logframe approach. But this is surely a critique of the existing approach in which inputs, activities and outputs are obsessively described and tracked and rather too little attention is paid to the actual outcomes. A results-based approach, by contrast, would enable the development partners to step away from deterministic models, to invest more in relationships and institutions, to be politically savvy and opportunistic, to learn as they go, and to deliver results in ways that are messy, unpredictable and imprecise but which actually work.
Simon Maxwell is also right to highlight the importance of institutions and capacity in developing countries. Many existing approaches to development pay too little attention to this: because of our need to track inputs and activities we tie up partner governments in red tape and try to direct proceedings from the outside or – worse – bypass government systems to deliver services through NGOs and the private sector. This undermines institutions and systems. By contrast, one of the motives behind Cash on Delivery is that it enables developing countries to figure out their own way to deliver results, and so to strengthen their own national institutions and policy making. Because in this model donors are focused only on results, they do not need to intervene intrusively in how countries make progress, so enabling the institutions of developing countries to draw in outside expertise they actually need, want and use; innovate; test ideas; set their own priorities; adopt their own approaches; and learn.
Sceptics are certainly right to ask if a results-based approach will focus on the wrong results: there is a risk that we will link aid to short term, measurable indicators instead of sustained institutional and economic change. That is certainly a shortcoming of today’s aid system, which sets targets for all kinds of short term activities which may or may not be important (“set up an anti-corruption commission” or “reduce double shift working by teachers”) and creates a huge industry of people designing ways to monitor these indicators, while accepting with apparent equanimity that we lack even the most rudimentary information about the things we ought really to care about, such as whether corruption is being reduced or children are learning at school. It is possible that, under the banner of results-based aid, we could simply reinforce this short-term interventionism by linking money to short-term indicators that donors currently believe might matter. But if we resist this bureaucratic temptation and instead link aid to results that really do matter – such as reductions in maternal mortality or improvements in access to clean water – then we reduce, not increase, the risk that the aid system is too focused on the wrong things.
The hypothesis is that by addressing particular information failure – lack of information about results – and if necessary dedicating some resources to it, we might be able to break away from the coping strategies which donors have had to adopt, which create a lot of pressures which make aid far less effective and which waste a lot of time and money on nugatory work. But this will require some imagination on the part of aid agencies to think about how they can simplify their existing systems for managing aid when they link aid more robustly to results. Development professionals are right to worry that if results monitoring is simply added to existing systems, the effect will not be greater simplicity but more complexity and bureaucracy.
In my view, it is disrespectful to aid workers and to officials of developing countries to suggest that they are motivated by money. That is not the logic behind linking aid to results. It also disrespectful to occupy so much of their time on bureaucratic administration, recording information about inputs and processes, milestones and benchmarks, when they would generally make a greater contribution if they were free to deliver development results.
Aid is made less effective by the incentives which aid agencies face, which they in turn transmit to their staff. In large part, these unhelpful incentives are a consequence of lack of information about results. If we can measure results better, and if we can use this to simplify the management of aid (and not simply bolt additional reporting on to existing bureaucratic processes), this will enable more decentralised decision-making, respect country ownership, make the jobs of aid workers and government officials more rewarding, improve the effectiveness of aid, and so reduce poverty faster. | <urn:uuid:5380e01b-fa39-4b80-9d18-295115178f33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.owen.org/blog/3633 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960997 | 3,156 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Teachers as Brain Changers
March 2, 2013 Salem, Oregon
A powerful and groundbreaking course that teaches educators the basics and easy-to-understand fundamentals of brain science and how it applies to the everyday classroom.
True brain-based learning
When educators think of brain-based learning, we immediately remember how to reach the kinesthetic, auditory, visual, and creative needs of our students. But when was the last time you gave a lesson (or had one yourself) that talked about the human brain itself? How often do we sit back and appreciate how our brain is involved in every aspect of behavior, learning, success, our thoughts, and even in our emotions?
The truth is that your brain is the supercomputer that runs everything you do to help your students on their path to success or failure. Your brain, your fellow teachers’ brains, your administrators’ brains, and your students’ brains help you achieve academic goals, identify and implement effective curriculum, devise creative new teaching methods, find creative ways to gain resources, and dream up effective classroom management tools.
In this course, you will learn the simple fundamentals of brain science and how it applies to you, your school, and your students every day. You will learn how each brain is unique, and how we as educators tend to stick to a type of teaching style that fits our brain type best (which can often be different than the way our students’ brains are wired).
Through an understanding of several brain systems, what behaviors they are associated with, what happens when they are working too hard (or not hard enough), conditions associated with them, and common treatments used when there is a struggle, you will be equipped with the knowledge to help you make your brain work better, and you will also leave with a set of strategies that you can utilize when dealing with even the most difficult of students, fellow teachers, or even administrators.
|9:00–10:30||Brain Science Principles|
|11:30–12:30||Anterior Cingulate Gyrus|
|2:00–2:30||Deep Limbic System|
|3:00–4:00||Review & Further Application|
|$179||Full-Day Course with extra materials|
|$249||Best value: Full-Day Course + graduate level college credit from Corban University| | <urn:uuid:f533ef6c-1c4a-454e-bed8-a812f6e81e75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.corban.edu/brainchangers/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934856 | 487 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Sometimes I just love eating fatty, greasy, unquestionably hazardous foods. But I don't like trans fats, that come as a by-product in some processed foods, and have been linked to high cholesterol and heart problems.
However, while I may not like them, does this mean I would want to see them banned along with any other unhealthy product in my food?
Oddly I would not. If we are to all take more responsibility in what we eat, clear labelling and informed decision must be encouraged by health officials instead of blanket bans.
Last month, the New York City Health Department proposed an initiative that would require all restaurants and food service outlets to remove most trans fats from their cooking over an 18 month period.
Though I disagree with their use, I cannot see how a ban in New York, and possibly the wider United States, can be a good thing for public welfare in the long run.
By beginning a pattern of legislating against unhealthy foods, are we not simply just passing the buck onto authorities to decide our diets rather than ourselves?
While trans fats are undoubtedly a major issue for food processors, there are a number of additives that are arguably a potential threat to our health.
After all, where would we go after a ban on trans fats in restaurants?
Could we really see no more salts, sugars, or any other kind of preservatives in the food service sector?To some extent consumer pressure is already helping to phase out these methods and drive the use of healthier alternatives anyway.
It is surely here then, where the real dietary revolutions take place. Not in the form of legislation, but real and informed societal change.
Don't get me wrong I certainly wouldn't miss the use of trans fats in food production. Who after all wants to add cookies, biscuits and eating in general to the growing list of near fatal vices in our lives?
My problem is that we may be in danger of confusing a ban as the same thing as a balanced diet.
The stronger argument surely is across the board labelling for all foodstuffs and restaurants to reveal just what ingredients they are using and when trans fat are present in their premises and products.
If cigarette packets now offer clear indication that smoking is hazardous, than why should consumers not receive a similarly happy reminder with their food?
Otherwise we will surely begin to adopt the rather fallible argument that "if the government says it's alright to eat, than what harm can this restaurant or this product do to me".
It is true, that in these cases, pressure from the courts can work wonders. In 2003 after legal pressure, Kraft Foods took their recipe for their popular Oreo cookies and after a major overhaul of the recipe successfully removed trans fats without affecting taste or apparently sales.
Even so, a diet reliant on Oreo cookies is still hardly contributing to a healthy lifestyle - no matter how many trans fats are removed.
A ban surely only continues to distance the public from making informed decisions about their own diets, and informed decision is ultimately the key to this issue. It is here where clear labelling and warnings could really make a difference to they way people think about their food.
It is true however, particularly in the case of children that not everyone can make an informed decision, and in environments such as schools, restrictions on food available would certainly have a role. Measures I believe are again being considered by health and education officials.
But back in the realms of consulting adults, we should and must be presented with the facts of what we are consuming and accordingly must accept the risks that come with that knowledge.
To loosely paraphrase a wiser man than myself, I may not agree with what you're eating, but I agree with your right to eat it, bon appetit.
Neil Merrett is a staff writer for CEE-Foodindustry.com
If you would like to comment on this article, please contact Neil Merrett . | <urn:uuid:5c02383e-a0fa-44ec-8bb2-100213dacaaf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.confectionerynews.com/Ingredients/Is-a-trans-fat-ban-a-healthy-solution | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964271 | 803 | 2.015625 | 2 |
April 15, 2011
Manish Jung Thapa (Making Lives Better, St. John's College), Aditya Mahara (Class of 2012), Sneha Bhandari (Making Lives Better, Westminster College) and Raghabendra KC (Class of 2013) at the Clinton Global Initiative University conference held at University of California, San Diego.
Rather than spending their Saturday afternoon lounging by the pool or grabbing frozen yogurt with friends, the members of Making Lives Better spent their weekend interacting with influential people, such as former president Bill Clinton, Drew Barrymore, Sean Penn and Qualcomm’s Chief Executive Officer Paul E. Jacobs.
Joining prominent CEOs, celebrities, philanthropists and social activists, Raghabendra KC (Class of 2013), Aditya Mahara (Class of 2012) and Emily Sessoms (Class of 2013) represented Rollins at the annual Clinton Global Initiative conference in San Diego as a part of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), which is a forum to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world in global citizenship.
“This conference was a way for us to present our commitments on a global stage,” said KC. “It was a huge networking opportunity for Making Lives Better. We got to meet a lot of students who were just like us—students doing amazing things. It was inspiring.”
At the conference, the three executive board members of Making Lives Better rolled up their sleeves and got to work, attending workshops ranging from how to fundraise properly to how to effectively use social media to promote their cause/organization.
“One thing I took away from the conference was all of the possibilities,” said KC. “There were so many ideas that were shared at this session that could be used at Rollins. I saw a lot of things that Making Lives Better could improve on. It made me want to do more with what we already have, but it also made me realize that if things go right, this organization can do wonders.”
A branch of the Clinton Global Initiative, CGIU asks student leaders to make concrete commitments to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems, including poverty and lack of education, water, maternal care, technology and medical supplies. Each conference participant is charged with the task of adopting a Commitment to Action, which is a specific plan of action that addresses a pressing challenge on their campus, in their community or in a different part of the world.
“Clinton’s idea is to turn ideas into actions—to give students the platform to network and convert their ideas into meaningful projects,” said Mahara.
Although Sessoms, Mahara and KC attended the conference as members of Making Lives Better, they each developed their own specific Commitment to Action, which target different social problems in various parts of the world.
|Emily Sessoms (center), along with fellow CGIU attendees Peter Naster and Derick D. Dailey, takes a break from the CGIU Exchange Fair, where student groups showcased their commitments to other attendees, by the UCSD mascot, a triton.
“Making Lives Better has been associated with Nepal,” said Sessoms. “But our commitments illustrate that it isn’t just focused on Nepal, but it’s about making lives better everywhere.”
Sessoms plans to promote her personal commitment while studying abroad in Brazil next fall.
"My hope is to work with farmers in sustainably increasing their crop yields through permaculture design implementation, giving communities the opportunity to generate electricity through biodigesters and cleaner cooking stoves while addressing issues of waste management," she said.
Mahara, founder of the Making Lives Better chapter at Rollins, plans to expand the organization’s focus in Nepal. During the 2010 summer trip to Nepal, Making Lives Better focused on setting up water purification filters at the Bal Mandir primary schools in the remote village of Doti, as well as in Shridiwa in the city of Kathmandu, while simultaneously collaborating with Sagarmatha Health Foundation to perform health check-ups and distribute medical supplies.
“Something we thought was lacking was the sustainability factor,” said Mahara. “We talked a lot about it and came up with a general theme of sustainable development.”
This summer, the group will shift their focus from distributing supplies to coordinating a temporary surgical camp in Doti where medical professionals from Sagarmatha Health Foundation will treat 50-70 patients in need eye or ear surgery. Making Lives Better will fund this project using the money that the organization raised during the 2010-2011 school year.
Although Making Lives Better will not be distributing water purification filters during this trip to Nepal, KC plans to continue his work with Mission Aqua in the village of Doti as a part of his Commitment to Action.
“In five years time, I want that village to be free of any waterborne diseases,” said KC. “My dream is for each house in the district to have its own water purification system.”
This summer, KC will return to Nepal with Making Lives Better in order to evaluate how the previously installed systems are doing and to brainstorm future expansion. In the future, KC wants Rollins’ Making Lives Better chapter to expand its commitment to Nepal by collaborating with one of the CGIU’s award winners, The School Fund, which supports children in third world countries.
After participating in the Clinton Global Initiative University conference, the group has a renewed sense of passion and vigor regarding their plans to implement change in the world through global citizenship.
“It was amazing to find people that come up with these ideas and are actually bringing them into fruition,” said Sessoms. “The term ‘networking’ sounds so empty. You connect on such a deeper level with people who share your interest and want to do something for other people.”
“If I had to describe the entire experience in one word, it would be inspiring,” said Mahara. “It was amazing to see how simple ideas can be so effective.”
View more photos from the CGIU conference.
By Brittany Fornof (Class of 2011)
Office of Public Relations & Community Affairs
For more information, contact firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:4395aa5d-a805-4db6-a9cf-aba9e3f17a90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rollins.edu/news/2011/04/students-participate-in-clinton-global-initiative-university,-join-world-leaders-in-san-diego.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960984 | 1,319 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Mtskheta is a paradise for knowledge seekers. The city holds the key to understanding Georgian history and Orthodox Christianity. It is where Georgia first adopted Christianity in 334. Since then, it has been home to the country's most significant churches and has been the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Georgian spirituality and art
For a complete immersion into Georgian spirituality, travelers may visit the Svevtitskhoveli Cathedral. This cathedral is where important ceremonies take place for the Georgian Orthodox Church. It has also played a role in the development of medieval architecture in Caucasus.
Many places here were also the sites of holy legends. One of which is the Samtavro, a small church that was once the home of St. Nino. A larger church was also built in the 11th century and is the burial site of Mirian, the Georgian king who embraced Christianity.
Within the city's outskirts is the Armaztsikhe fortress, where a fragment of a royal palace and the Samtavro Monastery, dating back to the 4th century, remains. There is also a bridge that dates back to 1st century BC and is the supposed remains of a bridge built by Pompey the Great's Roman legionnaires.
Ati-atihan in Kalibo Aklan
Ati-atihand origins ccan be traced to 1210 when refugees from Borneo would smear their faces with soot in affectionalte immitation of the Filipino natives The island of Panay in the Visayas is where this particular detail of Philipine history took place sometime ih the late 12th or early 13th century. For centuries hence, it has been commemoratged in one specific place - in Kalibo, the capital ... Read full Blog post
Palace on Wheels : A Royal Luxury Train Tour in India
Palace on Wheels is one of the most popular luxury trains running in India. It presents a great chance to travelers from across the globe to explore the fabulous destination Rajasthan and Agra sitting in the lap of exquisite luxury of the train. It is a well-known fact that Indian royalty was too fond of luxury trains. The princes of various princely states got their trains customized in England ... Read full Blog post | <urn:uuid:eed92743-28c8-465c-993a-9e6f42514aa5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.communitrip.com/georgia/mtskheta/ | 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 | 0.95354 | 463 | 2.359375 | 2 |
I received this submission from reader sundaeg1rl. Check it out:
Location: Liverpool, England
Beautifully redundant, no?
Just imagine if they’d bothered with hyphens! A friend of mine supplied the options:
Anti-vandal proof paint: paint that works against vandals
Anti vandal-proof paint: paint that is opposed to being resistant to vandals
Anti vandal proof-paint: a paint that can be exploited to prove that vandals are against something
Anti-vandal-proof-paint: paint that any 2-year-old can scribble on
On second thought, maybe that’s why they didn’t use any hyphens at all!
First, why offer a warning. Just let the vandals learn that it’s super paint.
Second, does putting up a sign only tempt vandals to try it out?
There’s billboard on I-90 in the middle of South Dakota that says, “The wages of sin is death.” I’m thinking about organizing a vandal squad. Seasons Greetings to All. Joe.
Joe, that billboard is quoting the King James Version of the Bible (Romans 6:23 to be exact), and in any case it’s not vandal-worthy: “Wages” is one of those odd words that can be used with a singular or plural verb.
You asked: “does putting up a sign only tempt vandals to try it out?” Since this comment thread has already found its way to the book of Romans, I’ll note that the Apostle Paul would answer “yes” to your question (if you’re interested, see chapters 5 and 7 of Romans)…
If you want additional proof, watch any expanse of grass guarded by a “Keep off the grass” sign!
I may fix it “irregardless,” Fur – keeping in mind the salary of vandalism are jail. Joe.
I’m sorry to correct the author of this article, but the sign is not redundant. It’s more like a double negative. Although I agree with furpurrson in that the insertion of hyphens at different permutations changes the meaning, the most obvious meaning is that the paint is resistant to being resistant to vandals. In other words, the sign makers are on the vandals’ side! Yay!
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Arrive in Sin City in style! Book a jet charter Las Vegas for a flight you'll never forget.
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Join 97 other followers | <urn:uuid:39b5e367-175d-4351-b117-581e4a0f7cc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thegrammarvandal.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/212/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=9916d21231 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922587 | 631 | 1.609375 | 2 |
From IWU Magazine, Fall 2010
A Mission of Justice
Air Force Capt. Sarah Carlson ’04 helps Iraqis
put their criminal court system on a path to success.
When asking Air Force Capt. Sarah (Williams) Carlson ’04 about her job as a U.S. military attorney in Iraq, you discover there are some things she simply can’t discuss.
For example, Carlson is not allowed to give specific details about cases assigned to her. “I work extremely interesting cases, many of which involve Iraqis accused of murdering or kidnapping Americans and other Iraqis.”
Fortunately, there’s still much Carlson can freely describe about her eight-month mission in Iraq, which she completed this summer. While still in Iraq, Carlson took time out after one of her hectic, 12-hour workdays to answers questions sent via e-mail by IWU Magazine editor Tim Obermiller about her recent experiences.
What is your specific assignment in Iraq?
I am one of a group of U.S. military attorneys and paralegals deployed to support the U.S. Forces here. As a liaison officer to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq, I assist Iraqi judges and investigators in prosecuting defendants detained by coalition forces for crimes ranging from possession of fake identification to murder to terrorism. We act as a link between the court and the United States. If there is information needed by the court that only the United States or its allies can provide, we attempt to get the court that information.
|Capt. Carlson (above) says, "Being deployed is the closest you'll ever get to doing your mission 100 percent of the time." She was involved in over 500 criminal cases while in Iraq. (Photo by Marc Featherly)|
The U.S. military is turning over detention facilities to the Iraqis and I’m actively involved in that transfer. After we transfer the final detention facility to the government of Iraq in the coming weeks, we will have almost completely worked ourselves out of a job.
How were you chosen for this mission?
The Air Force tasked my home office at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., to deploy a judge advocate to Iraq in December. I told my boss that I wanted to deploy since 2008. This was my magic opportunity!
What kind of training did you have to prepare you?
I went through officer training and the judge advocate staff officer course to become a judge advocate. When I was tasked with this deployment, I completed a two-week combat skills training. I also attended an operational law course by the Army JAG School. For my specific job here, I received only on-the-job-training once I was in Iraq.
How closely do you work with Iraqi authorities on your cases? Are their cultural or language barriers that are hard to deal with?
I work every day with Iraqi judges and investigators. Many judges and investigators speak a little English and I speak a little Arabic, but not enough to get my job done. Fortunately, my team has a number of linguists working with us to help bridge the language barrier. Our judges and investigators have a very positive attitude about us and about our work. We get things done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and the judges and investigators know they can count on us for almost anything.
What is your typical work schedule?
I wake up at 0500 [5 a.m.] and go to the gym. I arrive at work around 0715 [7:15 a.m.] and head out to the court sometime thereafter. After court, I spend the rest of the day answering correspondence from the court and preparing for the next day. I try to leave the office by 2000 [8 p.m.] so I can get a decent amount of sleep at night. In the hour or so I have to myself every day, I read or watch movies on my laptop.
How many cases do you work on at one time?
We go to the court almost every day. Three attorneys actively work approximately 50 cases, but there are approximately 500 cases in the system that require American involvement.
How is Iraq’s penal code similar to or different from Western criminal law?
Basic ideas of fairness and justice apply here as well. One of the more interesting requirements of Iraqi law is if a crime occurs, there must be two eyewitnesses of the crime. There also has to be a complainant —even if two people see a third person kill a fourth person, members of the fourth person’s family must file a complaint. Finding these witnesses can be extraordinarily difficult.
|Carlson (above) discusses a case with the chief judge of the Central Criminal Court of Iraq. Carlson believes the Iraqi justice system “can and will be successful.”|
Is it frustrating to adjust to such differences?
I met some attorneys who have trouble adjusting because they expect Iraq to be like the American system. It’s different here, but it’s easy to adapt. The Air Force has a saying “flexibility is the key to airpower.” That saying is also true of the court system here, but with good communication, we've really made it work, and work very well.
I had an officemate remark recently that being deployed is the closest you'll ever get to doing your mission 100 percent of the time. The bureaucracy tape is unraveled quite quickly. Today my work product is getting briefed to the four-star general in charge of Iraq. Working in a war zone is the closest we get to complete efficiency. It’s awesome.
What did your friends and family think of this assignment? Are they concerned for your safety?
My military friends, especially the lawyers, are excited I have such a great assignment. My husband has a more dangerous job [for the U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan], so I think our family mostly worries about him. My parents have been really great since I’ve been gone. I think they worry quite a bit, but don’t tell me about it. My mom sends me a care package every week. We also get a great deal of support from non-profit organizations. It’s amazing and gratifying to receive so much support from back home.
Have you confronted violence since your arrival?
There have been direct and indirect threats at the court since I arrived, but no actual violence. There’s always a possibility something could happen. Our legal team has a personal security detail that escorts us to and from our base and they do a very good job of protecting us. They are just a few of the many amazing people I have met here.
One of my heroes is my friend and former boss, Capt. Maureen Wood. She signed up for a year over here and just a few months into her tour she and two others were injured when an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) hit her convoy. One Air Force attorney, Capt. Wendy Kosek, was sent home to recover from her injuries. When Capt. Wood recovered in Iraq, she went back to work and is finishing her tour of duty.
She received a Bronze Star for her work in Iraq.
Capt. Wood wrote about her experiences here, saying, “I have learned that seemingly ordinary people who just happen to be standing or sitting right beside you can be extraordinary.”
|Wearing 30 pounds of body armor, Carlson (above) poses in front of an armored fighting vehicle on her way to work.|
That comment also applies to many of the Iraqi people I have met. I had the honor of meeting a group of 50 female Iraqi army basic trainees. This was only the second class of female cadets to graduate. Females in the army are limited to medical, administrative and military police positions. As military police, they are often working at checkpoints searching other females. These women are true heroes. Many are single parents whose husbands have been killed and who are trying to support their families. By joining the army, they can face serious repercussions, including being persecuted. They are doing a very brave thing — more courageous than anything I could ever do.
Perhaps the ultimate test of your mission will be after you and other U.S. military attorneys depart and the Iraqis are left to run their judicial system by themselves. Are you optimistic that they will be able to do that successfully?
The Iraqis are already able to run their own court system. Ninety-nine percent of the people I work with at the court are dedicated to improving Iraq and making it a better and safer place for themselves, their children and their children’s children.
I would anticipate the Iraqi court will still need some kind of link to coalition forces to get information only we possess, such as testimony of soldiers, but I believe the system can and will be successful.
Why did you choose the military as the place to pursue your legal career?
I had always been interested in joining the military and serving our country. I love every day I spend in uniform. It’s hard to describe, but the military and I just fit together.
The Air Force is the perfect service for me. I got the experience to deploy, with the opportunities for more deployments in the future. Back home, I have the opportunity to work in many different fields, including military justice (criminal law), family law, environmental law, and contract law.
While I love being a military attorney, I am an officer first. I strive every day to become a better officer. I always hear stories about people being miserable in their jobs, but that cannot be further from the truth for me. I do not know how long I’ll serve in the military, but I cannot see leaving this life in the near future.
Did your Illinois Wesleyan education help you prepare for challenges you’ve faced in Iraq?
At IWU, I learned to be independent and forward-thinking. This job constantly requires working outside the box, looking at the problem from all angles and anticipating future issues. I believe my liberal arts education contributed to my success.
I think of what former President Myers said every time I leave for court in the mornings: “Go into the world and do well, but more importantly, go into the world and do good.” I hope I can look back on this deployment having “done good.”
Capt. Sarah Carlson completed her tour in Iraq in July 2010, receiving the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for her work there. She now resides outside McChord Air Force Base, Washington. A history major at Illinois Wesleyan University, Carlson joined the U.S. Air Force in 2008. | <urn:uuid:2c7e9c8a-7b6d-45f3-9842-b5138f4d3d59> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iwu.edu/magazine/2010/fall/Carlson_Iraq.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976885 | 2,198 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Marginally accepted: Policies and practices influencing the enrollment of Black students at Syracuse University from 1942 to 1969
Date of Award
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Joan N. Burstyn
Enrollment, Black students, Syracuse University, New York, GI Bill, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Civil rights movement
African American Studies | Higher Education and Teaching
This dissertation explores the evolution of policies and practices that affected the enrollment of black students at Syracuse University between 1942 and 1969. Variables examined include: the G.I. Bills, the implications of Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Movement, admissions criteria at predominantly white and historically black colleges, the relationship between the university and the local black community, and institutional culture.
Historical research methods were used to describe changes in national and local events related to race relations, to investigate the institutional culture at Syracuse University, and to provide examples of how administrative policies and practices evolved in response to changes in attitudes and perceptions. Data sources include administrative communications and policy statements, transcripts of speeches, financial records, administrative reports, city and university newspapers, videotapes, and college catalogues. Personal interviews were used to enrich the archival records, define terms, and to verify archival data.
The study concludes that the university culture was dominated by interscholastic competition and team sports. Increases in enrollment of black students can be linked to the popularity of men's basketball and football and the use of grants-in-aid (athletic scholarships) to recruit black star athletes. The grants-in-aid policy increased the enrollment of black student athletes at the university, but it did not encourage the enrollment of black scholars who were not athletes; these students tended to enroll elsewhere.
The climate for black students at Syracuse University improved under the leadership of Chancellor Tolley. However, I found that black athlete and non-athlete students were discriminated against by members of the campus community. There was also a difference between the perception of white students and black students regarding the presence of black students on campus. Black student athletes enrolled to earn degrees and prepare themselves for careers, using athletic scholarships to pay for colleges costs. However, white students perceived the black students primarily as athletes, not as members of the academic community.
To increase diversity on campus, Syracuse University needs to address these historical issues of perception in embracing black students as an integral part of its academic, social and athletic community.
Surface provides description only. Full text is available to ProQuest subscribers. Ask your Librarian for assistance.
Bennett, Marla Anne, "Marginally accepted: Policies and practices influencing the enrollment of Black students at Syracuse University from 1942 to 1969" (1998). Higher Education - Dissertations. Paper 19. | <urn:uuid:780cdac7-793d-4334-9c98-835d2eb2fef3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://surface.syr.edu/he_etd/19/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930749 | 561 | 2.21875 | 2 |
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Pressure Treatment Info
Our pressure treated wood products are an environmentally responsible choice because they are treated with Copper Azole. Here's what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says about this modern wood preservative:
"Copper Azole is a water-based wood preservative that prevents fungal decay and insect attack; it is a fungicide and insecticide. There are two types of Copper Azole: A (CBA-A) and B (CA-B). The use of CBA-A has been generally supplanted by the newer CA-B product.
"Copper Azole Type B was standardized by the AWPA* in 2002 and is composed of copper (96.1%) and azole as tebuconazole (3.9%). Wood treated with CA-B has a greenish-brown color and little or no odor. CA-B is in widespread use throughout the United States and Canada.
"Water-based preservatives like copper azole leave wood with a clean, paintable surface after they dry. Copper Azole is registered for treatment of millwork, shingles & shakes, siding, plywood, structural lumber, fence posts, building and utility poles, land and freshwater piling, composites, and other wood products that are used in above-ground, ground contact and fresh water as well as in salt water splash (marine) decking applications."
* The American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) is the primary standard-setting body for pressure-treated wood. To become standardized by the AWPA, preservative-treated wood must undergo a series of rigorous tests to ensure its durability. | <urn:uuid:41466529-09f8-4e83-8084-258cfce4024b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vintagewoodworks.com/treated-info.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951836 | 342 | 2.09375 | 2 |
The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is a comprehensive revision of the King James Version, the Revised Version of 1881-1885, and the American Standard Version of 1901, published in stages around the middle of the 20th century. It aims to present a literally accurate translation of the Bible in modern English. The panel of scholars who worked on the translation used the 17th edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek text for the New Testament, and the traditional Hebrew Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. However, they amended the Hebrew in a number of places. In the Book of Isaiah, they sometimes followed readings found in the then newly discovered Dead Sea Scrolls.
The RSV New Testament was published on February 11, 1946. In his presentation speech to the International Council of Religious Education, Luther Weigle, dean of the translation committee, explained that he wanted the RSV to supplement and not supplant the King James and American Standard Versions.
In 1950, the Council merged with the Federal Council of Churches to form the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. The RSV copyright was assigned to the new Council's Division of Christian Education.
After a thorough examination and about eighty changes to the New Testament text, the NCC authorized the RSV Bible for publication in 1951. St. Jerome's Day, September 30, 1952, was selected as the day of publication, and on that day, the NCC sponsored a celebratory rally in Washington D.C., with representatives of the churches affiliated with it present. The very first copy of the RSV Bible to come off the press was presented by Weigle to President Harry S. Truman.Click here for more on the Revised Standard Version | <urn:uuid:d2ad401e-5cc8-4756-88ee-893581d6214a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biblestudytools.com/rsv/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939288 | 350 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Things to Consider About Extreme Sports Travel
Activity and effort
Most of these sports are active and participative pursuits that require considerable effort. If you’re rafting you will get wet, there could be crocodiles and there will be scary rapids; if you’re out on the snow you’re going to get cold and maybe even frostbite and yes, extreme sports are potentially more dangerous than smoking or driving.
Age and experience
You’re never too old to learn an extreme sport. Surfing, skateboarding, skydiving or mountain biking aren’t just for the young and there are plenty of clubs, groups and lessons that cater for the more mature. Although it is possible to be too young for some sports such as diving or rally car driving.
It’s never too late to take lessons no matter what your level of ability or age. Lessons are about taking your skills to the next level, about how to conquer fear, learn the appropriate safety techniques, expand your knowledge and have fun.
Before beginning any new physical activity, you should make sure you can handle any exertion it requires. If you have any conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma, it may rule you out of some activities. For example if you have a condition that might make you susceptible to drowning you may wish to think twice before you dive or surf. Consult a physician first.
Operators often have a variety of tours that cater for people of differing fitness. Mountainbike operators might have serious uphill trails for the fitter athlete and other trails that may only require you to sit on a bike and balance without falling off to get to the end.
The best preparation for extreme sports is to be prepared. It is exciting to try a new activity but one that you can return home from in one piece. If something is going to test you consider getting tips from an instructor or an experienced friend. Never go alone. Few extreme sports involve really serious injuries however it’s good to have some basic knowledge about treating bumps, bruises and abrasions just in case. Always pack a first aid kit and a manual.
Destination and operators
The growing popularity of extreme sports and travel is evident in the number of companies now offering these vacations. The best way to choose an operator is to choose the destination or sport first. Decide what kind of sport you want to do and where you might like to do it. If you would like the ultimate dive challenge there are only a few places you can try ice diving. If you are looking at mountain biking the Alps might be too much for a beginner while the flat coastal trails of the Greek Islands might be better. Similarly consider how hot or cold it might be during your tour and the size of the groups that go. Larger companies might not necessarily be cheaper as they could have more expensive running costs, while smaller companies often give more personal service. Read the online itinerary outlines and comments from past travelers, and if still in doubt ring the company itself. | <urn:uuid:0ea39f75-4163-4c42-b1e1-0a03a33096a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iexplore.com/activity-guides/extreme-sports/things-to-consider | 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 | 0.944268 | 616 | 2 | 2 |
With a population projected to reach nine billion by 2050, it is
obvious we need to find a better way to feed everyone. A diet based on
meat, dairy and eggs is clearly not the answer because it devotes most
of the land, grain and water to raising animals instead to directly
Please visit Diet change would ease food pressure:
Jesus preached, “For I was hungry and you gave me food.… [A]s you did
it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Matt.
25:35, 40 RSV). Yet, while a billion people suffer from malnutrition,
approx. 40 percent of the world’s harvested grain is fed to animals
being raised for slaughter and in the US alone the figure is about 70%.
Transition to a plant-based diet is the most effective way to reduce
hunger in the world and to allow the poor to have access to affordable,
healthy food choices.
Your question and comments are welcome | <urn:uuid:64ddc3b7-97a2-448e-aae7-4af5c5b3ed4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.all-creatures.org/cva/th-20111202-food.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948566 | 214 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Global environmental challenges
Video Q+A with solar entrepreneur Dave Llorens
Solar energy is not a new technology, yet the adoption rate in the United States continues to crawl along. Just one percent of homes have made the switch to solar power and the reason is primarily a lack of understanding of how it all works, says Dave Llorens, founder and CEO of One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), a California solar retrofit company that groups together neighbourhoods to cut costs for consumers.
“The problem is nobody has it, but you should,” Llorens recently told Reuters in San Francisco, adding that it is common for in-home Q&A sessions to go on for hours and hours. “Everybody is so hungry for information, it’s like nobody knows anything.”
We asked Llorens about federal and state subsidies, technological advances, and the challenges of taking on global climate change locally. Here are his answers:
Q: How can the U.S. government improve its policies for the emerging solar market?
Q: What about people who criticize solar and say the only reason it works is because of all these subsidies?
Q: How do you respond to the argument that the solar market is still too new for the masses and that Americans should wait for better, more cost-efficient models to be brought to market?
Q: Climate change is a global issue. How is installing solar panels on a single block in the U.S. going to make a difference? | <urn:uuid:aa516667-213e-424f-b502-ff7ec95b3552> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2010/04/09/video-qa-with-solar-entrepreneur-dave-llorens/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944673 | 312 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Blackface-Wearing New York Politician Says he Won't Dress as an Indian
There's a consensus in the United States of America that the wearing of blackface is a racist act. It's something you just don't do, and if you do it you can expect to be rightly pilloried. For American Indians, it's often frustrating that racism toward Native Americans that feels very overt is somehow harder for the mainstream to detect.
With some ill-advised costume choices, and a thoroughly unapologetic apology, a New York State Assemblyman is doing his part to connect the dots.
Dov Hikind of Brooklyn is being rightly pilloried for hosting a Purim party wearing blackface. Costume parties are a tradition of the Jewish celebration of Purim, and Hikind had decided to host his in the costume of "basketball player," which necessitated an orange jersey-ish garment, an afro wig and dark makeup.
Hikind's getup earned him plenty of press. His initial response was a shrug of acknowledgement in a post to his blog entitled "It's Purim. People Dress Up." "I am intrigued that anyone who understands Purim—or for that matter understands me—would have a problem with this," he wrote. "This is political correctness to the absurd." Hikind was fixated on the idea that the costume only seemed racist because people didn't understand Purim. Also on Monday he held a news conference to address the criticism -- but didn't. He explained again that costumes are part of the Purim celebration. (The "it's not racist, it's a costume" argument is one Natives hear every Halloween.) In addition to explaining what a costume is, he offered a classic first-draft non-apology: "Anyone who was offended -- I'm sorry that they were offended, that was not the intention."
African Americans have plenty of cause to be incensed by Hikind's ignorance -- but so too do American Indians. On Monday, when Hikind was still trying to defend himself with the "political correctness to the absurd" argument, he told a New York Times reporter that the outcry was making him rethink his plans for next year's Purim.
"Next year I was thinking I’d be an Indian," he said. "But you know, I’ve changed my mind about that. I don’t think that’s a good idea. Somebody will be offended."
Of course, it's hard to know whether (or to what extent) he was joking about dressing as an Indian. (It is also hard to know exactly which kind of Indian he had in mind, but that's beside the point.) If he didn't know blackface was a no-no, there is really no telling how unenlightened his thinking may be when it comes to Native stereotypes. Many have seen a unique irony that it is Hikind who would be in this position -- Hikind is well known as a zealous, perhaps overzealous, defender of the Jewish community against anti-Semitism or perceived anti-Semitism.
"Dov Hikind is the first person who will holler about something when he thinks or hears a whisper that it might be anti-Semitic," said Assembly member Annette Robinson, according to the Wall Street Journal, "but does not recognize something is disrespectful to another community." | <urn:uuid:db2ee297-5a4c-4914-a548-5581e5cb8756> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/02/27/blackface-wearing-new-york-politician-says-he-wont-dress-indian-147900 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983688 | 690 | 1.65625 | 2 |
So fear [and respect] Allah as much as you are able to, and listen and obey. (Surat at-Taghabun, 16)
The Evolution Deceit
Fear, Respect, And Love Of Allah Must Be Together
Some people assume that love of Allah is enough for those who seek to live according to religious morals and earn Allah's good pleasure. However, Allah informs us that His servants who possess superior morals and love Him also have a genuine fear and respect for Him. Every person who acknowledges Allah with all of His attributes and appreciates His greatness, as well as those who have intelligence and a conscience, will fear and respect Allah to the utmost degree. Allah enables such servants, who also abide by His will, to distinguish good from evil and to observe the limits that He has set for humanity. Allah informs us of the blessings He gives the believers in the following verse:
O you who believe. If you fear [and respect] Allah, He will give you discrimination, erase your bad actions, and forgive you. Allah's favor is indeed immense. (Surat al-Anfal, 29)
For example, such people do not lie. Even if their self-interests suffer a loss, they will worry about not earning Allah's good pleasure and thereby earning His retribution. Therefore, they will act in an honest manner. If they indulge in even a moment's heedlessness and say something that is not right, they will immediately repent and undertake never to repeat that action in the future. Similarly, despite being in great need, they will not try to earn a living through unlawful means because they fear (and respect) Allah.
Every person who does not appropriately fear and respect Allah has his own private boundaries. Even if he is true and honest up to that boundary, he will act according to his own interests beyond it. Those who fear and respect Allah, on the other hand, will never stray from the straight path, regardless of how difficult their situation is. When confronted with any hardship, they immediately turn to Him in complete trust and ask Him to show them a way out.
Allah loves His servants, wills the good for them, is oft-forgiving and merciful, helps them in every instance, and bestows kindness upon His servants without seeking recompense. The idolaters and unbelievers are far away from Allah's mercy. Our Lord, the possessor of infinite justice, provides for His pious servants who possess a genuine heart and true belief in Allah, and will reward them in this world and the Hereafter. Those who insist on unbelief will suffer the pains of Hell.
Those who comprehend our Lord's infinite strength and ability to punish in the Hereafter hold Allah in complete awe and respect. As a result, they are careful not to adopt an attitude that does not earn our Lord's good pleasure. However, on the other hand, as a result of their genuine and faithful love of Allah, hoping Allah will forgive their sins and accept their repentance, they do their best to earn His good pleasure and be rewarded with Paradise for their striving in His path. The Qur'an mentions the believers' morals, as follows:
Those who fear [and respect] their Lord in the Unseen will have forgiveness and an immense reward. . (Surat al-Mulk, 12)
O you who believe. Fear [and respect] Allah the way He should be feared [and respected], and do not die except as Muslims. (Surah Al 'Imran, 102)
Every believer who genuinely loves Allah will feel a great awe for Allah's punishment and, by trying not to lose His love and consent, will strive to earn His good pleasure. Allah says of those believers, who have these morals:
But as for anyone who desires the Hereafter and strives for it with the striving it deserves, being a believer, their striving will be gratefully acknowledged. (Surat al-Isra', 19)
Fear Of Allah Bestows Beauty Of Faith
ADNAN OKTAR: The fear of Allah is the fear of a crazed lover who refrains from displeasing Allah, who fears to be deprived of Allah's consent. A lover refrains from displeasing the beloved because he fears that this will destroy her love: this is what the fear of Allah is like. There is no other meaning in this. He may go to Hell and burn in its fire but what in fact makes him uncomfortable is his failure to express his love for Allah. So, this is how Allah tells the lover what the lover needs. If a person has a deep fear of Allah, he will be very meticulous to obey His commands; he will love Him and behave very respectfully. For example, he will not be self-centered or selfish, but compassionate and caring. He will not give rein to his lower-self or seek his own ends, but he will be forgiving; he will fear Allah and be forgiving to others. For instance forgiveness is a force that fosters love, compassion is a force that fosters love. For the sake of Allah's approval you take care of your beloved, take pains about what he eats and drinks and about the exercises that person should do. This is all a manifestation of one's love for Allah. But the person who does not fear Allah becomes self-centered and selfish thinking only of himself; he becomes unforgiving and reacts harshly when his own interests are at stake. For instance such person would be skeptical, unaltruistic; he would not be generous and would not be able to put his life for Allah when he should. That is to say, lots of negative attitudes piles up on him. But in the case of fear of Allah, every sort of goodness comes upon him; that is to say every sort of goodness that ensure love and beauty fit perfectly on fear of Allah. (Ekin TV, March 2, 2009)
ADNAN OKTAR: All the beautiful aspects and details of the love for Allah come from fear of Allah. For example, patience comes from the fear of Allah and the roots of self-sacrifice, courage, compassion and all favorable attributes come from fear of Allah. Also fear of Allah is at the root of wisdom. That is to say, the minds of people are opened because of their fear of Allah; otherwise they remain closed and become atrophied. The fear of Allah opens the mind, ignites love for Allah and raises it to the heavens insha'Allah, it opens the love of Allah toward eternity. It is a great blessing and creates a passionate love for Paradise and for Allah. In other words, the more one fears Allah, the more intensively he loves Allah and the more of a spirit of a lover fills his soul. When one does not fear Allah, he loses his foresight, his perception, his benevolence, stability. All of his (positive) attributes begin to corrupt, or, Allah forbid, they corrupt entirely. . (Kackar TV, March 12, 2009) | <urn:uuid:709e39f6-77ac-4145-bd59-f59fd79e53f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.evolutiondeceit.com/en/books/3728/Love-Of-Allah/chapter/4721/Fear-respect-and-love-of-Allah-must-be-together | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959995 | 1,433 | 2.421875 | 2 |
IEEE-SA recently participated at the HIMSS 2013 Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. HIMSS is one of the largest healthcare/IT conferences having a total of 34,696 attendees and 1,158 exhibiting companies.
At the conference, IEEE-SA showcased how the IEEE 11073™ family of standards are used in health device communications.
Dr. Malcolm Clarke, IEEE 11073 PHD Vice Chair, spoke with visitors about the implementation of standards in personal health devices such as pulse-ox meter, glucose meter, blood pressure monitor, weigh scale, room sensors and more.
Bill Ash, IEEE-SA Strategic Program Manager, gave an overview of HIMSS 2013 and discussed the impact of connected homes and the Smart Grid on the future of eHealth.
Some distinguished attendees also shared their thoughts:
Dean Athanassiades, faculty at the University of Phoenix, discussed the importance of standards and Health Care Informatics.
Dr. Kevin Ryan from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, discussed why he loves IEEE. | <urn:uuid:66235d02-10de-4b00-951f-45809d76ac18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://standardsinsight.com/ieee_company_detail/ieeesa_at_himss13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901499 | 215 | 1.554688 | 2 |
|Anita O'Day’s ringtones now available! Search with your cell carrier using your phone to listen and purchase! Or click here.
Born Anita Belle Colton in Chicago, Illinois on October 18, 1919, O’Day got her start as a teen. She eventually changed her name to O’Day and in the late 1930’s began singing in a jazz club called the Off- Beat, a popular hangout for musicians like band leader and drummer Gene Krupa. In 1941 she joined Krupa’s band, and a few weeks later Krupa hired trumpeter Roy Eldridge. O’Day and Eldridge had great chemistry on stage and their duet “Let Me Off Uptown” became a million-dollar-seller, boosting the popularity of the Krupa band. Also that year, “Down Beat” magazine named O’Day “New Star of the Year” and, in 1942, she was selected as one of the top five big band singers.
After her stint with, Krupa , O’Day joined Woody Herman’s band. She left the band after a year and returned to Krupa. Singer Jackie Cain remembers the first time she saw O’Day with the Krupa band. “I was really impressed,” she recalls, “She (O’Day) sang with a jazz feel, and that was kind of fresh and new at the time.” Later, O’Day joined Stan Kenton’s band with whom she cut an album that featured the hit tune “And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine”
In the late’40s, O’Day struck out on her own. She teamed up with drummer John Poole, with whom she played for the next 32 years. Her album “Anita”, which she recorded on producer Norman Granz’s new Verve label, elevated her career to new heights. She began performing in festivals and concerts with such illustrious musicians as Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Georg Shearing and Thelonious Monk. O’Day also appeared in the documentary filmed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 called “Jazz on a Summer Day”, which made her an international star.
Throughout the ‘60s Anita continued to tour and record while addicted to heroin and in 1969 she nearly died from an overdose. O’Day eventually beat her addiction and returned to work. In 1981 she published her autobiography “High Times, Hard Times” which, among other things, talked candidly about her drug addiction. | <urn:uuid:d1086df2-ee0a-47ae-b430-da21b354443e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/anitaoday | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971807 | 547 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Discussion about math, puzzles, games and fun. Useful symbols: ÷ × ½ √ ∞ ≠ ≤ ≥ ≈ ⇒ ± ∈ Δ θ ∴ ∑ ∫ • π ƒ -¹ ² ³ °
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Topic review (newest first)
Very good. gAr likes it a little more than I do but we both like it.
Yes, 2nd edition get your copy while supplies last.
Okay, I just needed to know if that is the one I need to find.
Yes, p345 on.
Do that right now! It is a very good book and you will find it interesting perhaps it will be your favorite.
I will have to look at it.
Yes, "Concrete Mathematics" Knuth, Graham and Patashnik.
Is it in a book?
What is that Knuth idea?
Yes, because the denominator only has one real pole, subtracting it off | <urn:uuid:b86a3189-8ece-410e-9439-2f94533f5210> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mathisfunforum.com/post.php?tid=16137&qid=184800 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93461 | 215 | 1.796875 | 2 |
By STEVEN NALLEY
When Alan Marcus decided to bring together historians from several land-grant universities at Mississippi State University to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Land Grant Act that created them, he wanted them to do more than celebrate.
“We certainly think well of what a lot of land grant colleges did, but land grant colleges are not perfect,” Marcus said. “We want to take a look at what was good, what was not good, and try to make an assessment of the actual totality (of land grant universities’ histories) in its various guises and its various activities.”
So Marcus, a history professor at MSU, decided not to call the event a celebration. He calls it a “Cerebration” — a time to think.
“Thinking Land Grants: A ‘Cerebration’ of the 150th Anniversary of the Morrill Land-Grant Act” began at MSU Wednesday and will continue through Saturday, letting specialists from across the nation evaluate the act’s legacy and chart the future courses of the universities the act created.
Marcus said the program is just the beginning of an extensive process.
The papers presented at the “Cerebration” will be used as data to construct more detailed papers, which Marcus will in turn use for a graduate seminar in history to organize the data into a more meaningful assessment.
“Beyond that, we’re going to publish several volumes of the papers we get with appropriate discursive and expository materials,” Marcus said. “This is going to be a real, physical, permanent monument to this conference. (People will be able) to pick this up and learn what we learned here.”
One of several keynote speakers at the event was Carolyn Brooks, executive director of the Association of Research Directors of 1890 Land Grant Universities. Brooks said her presentation centered on a technique universities use to seek higher rankings in U.S. News and World Report’s standings.
“To do that, you’ve got to be more selective in the students that you admit,” Brooks said. “The main thing that is troubling to me is that land-grant institutions were supposed to be for the common man. So what happens to the common man if he’s coming from school districts that are poorly performing? They could be great students once they get to college, but you’re ignoring them.
“They’re giving scholarships to people that have high incomes, (and) we’re finding that (when) low-income students ... go to institutions, they’re not being able to graduate because of the financial pressures or the psychological pressures,” Brooks said. “I think that as land-grant institutions, we need to have more influence on the ranking system and say that it is worth ranking (a university) high if (it) can take diamonds in the rough in terms of academics and graduate them.”
Jerry Gilbert, MSU provost, said the event has illuminated the impact land grant universities have had on society and the ways those universities have changed over the years.
“Many people outside Mississippi do not realize the value and the quality we have at MSU,” he said, “so it’s really a tremendous benefit to our reputation ... to have people come to our university to interact.”
Gilbert said. “They’ve also learned the local culture. They’ve had a great experience in Starkville and on the campus. They’ve commented on how they love the food every time they come to Mississippi.”
The “Cerebration” features a tour of the Mississippi Delta Friday, with stops at Bowen Flowers Farm, Mattson Gin, Hopson Plantation Commissary, and a blues show at Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero. Marcus said the reason he made a point of showcasing Mississippi when organizing the program was the way his colleagues in other parts of the country reacted when he came to MSU.
“I’m a Northerner; I’ve been a Northerner all my life,” Marcus said. “I grew up in New Jersey and spent 25 years in Iowa, but when I decided to come here in 2005, I couldn’t find anyone who didn’t think I was insane for coming to Mississippi. By doing this (tour) and showing (our guests) various experiences... I hope they can come back to their universities and their colleges with a fuller, more appropriate understanding of Mississippi ... what it has become now versus what it was 50, 60 or 80 years ago.” | <urn:uuid:76f23d64-fe33-4985-9565-ce03319139c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://starkvilledailynews.com/print/11508 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955624 | 993 | 1.96875 | 2 |
On Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, the Young Lords Party will have its 40th reunion at the First Spanish Methodist Church in New York City. This article first appeared in Spanish in El Diaro/La Prensa.
Connie Cruz had been told what to do all her life-by her parents, then her husband. That changed in December of 1969.
Then, a group of young Puerto Rican activists were appealing to a church in El Barrio (East Harlem) for space to house a breakfast program for the poor. The First Spanish Methodist Church had denied their request. Its minister saw the youths as leftist rabble-rousers.
But the group-the Young Lords Party-remained undeterred. They planned to put in another request during the church’s testimonials.
“My brother-in-law Mickey came to visit,” Cruz said. “He explained the reasons for them being there [at the church]-to ask for the community to give up space for a children’s breakfast program. I felt that was a very good cause to become involved in.”
But her willingness to act was not encouraged. “My brother-in-law at that time said this is for men, not for women,” she said. “That stirred something in me.”
She put her timidity to the side and insisted on going to the church. Her brother-in-law, she said, then asked her what she would do about her 5-year-old daughter. “Well, I’m bringing her with me,” Cruz responded.
Cruz and the Young Lords took over the church and fed poor, hungry children for almost two weeks until the police rushed in. That was one of many actions the group would take.
At 25, Cruz became an older member-most of the Lords at the time were in their late teens or early 20’s. But whatever their age, they all had a commitment to challenging the status quo for Puerto Ricans in New York and beyond. The conditions, they believed, required it.
Then, the Puerto Rican community lacked the extent of leadership, organizations and clout that exists today. The city outright neglected neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, East Harlem and the South Bronx, all heavily concentrated with Puerto Ricans. Deplorable housing conditions, police brutality and racial and ethnic discrimination in services were the order of the day. Bilingual education was not mandated in schools. And even basic health services, like tuberculosis testing, were inaccessible.
Across the country, young people were taking to the streets to protest the U.S. war in Vietnam. And throughout the world, liberation struggles against colonialism were inspiring movements for justice and equality.
It was in that context that the Young Lords Party emerged in the summer of 1969.
Initially, the group served as the northeast branch of a gang-turned-political group from Chicago. In New York, the Lords, wearing purple berets, quickly landed on the front pages of major newspapers with their takeovers and face-offs with the police. But on a day-to-day basis, the Lords engaged in community organizing to demonstrate that everyday individuals could stand up to abusive landlords or police officers or a neglectful government.
“Every action we took was for a purpose that would move our community to the next level,” said former Lord Gloria Rodriguez.
Much is documented about the group’s actions but little on how women shaped the party.
For Cruz, her experience with the Young Lords Party helped her assert herself. When she got divorced, she demanded that her ex-husband take equal part in the caring of their children. And she insisted on an equal partnership in her next marriage.
Iris Morales, another former Young Lord, explained the weight of Cruz’s actions at a time when strict cultural definitions of women were ingrained. “These were very revolutionary acts-to stand up to a man and say I am going to be involved.”
Those revolutionary acts came with hard knocks.
The Young Lords were governed by an all-male central committee. Its 13-point platform advocated for “revolutionary machismo.”
The women began to caucus out of the group’s El Barrio office. They talked about personal experiences and studied Puerto Rican women in history, from workers’ advocate Luisa Capetillo to nationalist Blanca Canales. The line on revolutionary machismo became a focus of discussion-and sharp criticism.
“We fought against this idea of revolutionary machismo because we said, ‘What is revolutionary racism?’” Morales said.
“When we started meeting we were told we couldn’t take time to have this ‘silly women’s meeting,’” said Denise Oliver, another former Lord. Most members were Puerto Rican. But there were also Cuban, Dominican and Black American members like Oliver.
The women defied the party leaders and demanded change. Their pressure resulted in the revolutionary machismo line being dropped and in women being added to all levels of leadership. A new point in the program began with: “We want equality for women. Down with machismo and male chauvinism.”
Change, even in an organization committed to challenging oppression, was not easy.
Women like Cruz who joined the defense ministry, for example, were subjected to more rigorous tasks than the men. Oliver said they also had to fight against stereotypical assignments, such as being asked to type.
“The question of machismo was an ongoing issue,” said Rodriguez, who was sent from the party’s office in the Lower East Side to break into the male leadership of the party’s Philadelphia branch.
“Men were told they had to go to classes on sexism, to deal with it,” said David Jacobs, a former Lord who worked out of the group’s Manhattan and Bronx offices. “There were guys who didn’t like the idea.
“It’s like-here you are, turning your head at women, whistling at women, and now you are told that the way you are behaving…that you have to change,” Jacobs said.
Because the party had a military structure, orders from women leaders had to be followed, regardless of the attitude toward them, Jacobs said. And when they weren’t, it was brought up in the party’s practice of open criticism sessions. Insubordinates could also face discipline.
Jacobs said that being raised by a politically progressive mother who was conscious of sexism made it easy for him to adjust. The changes “affected mostly the guys who were involved with women in the party,” he said. They were faced with reconciling their political principles with their treatment of women.
“It’s tough for someone who has been dealing a certain way with women, whose father was dealing with women a certain way…and now they have to change,” he recalled.
Nevertheless, the impact of the women’s caucus was far-reaching and transformative.
Half of the content of the Young Lords newspaper, Pa’lante, had to focus on women’s issues. A men’s caucus was formed to deal with machismo. The party established a women’s union with a publication called La Luchadora. And the party’s overall program and work broadened.
People were defining revolutionary struggle as only militancy, Morales said. But the Young Lords Party, as a result of women organizing within it, took positions against a massive sterilization program directed at Puerto Rican women. The Lords defended a woman’s right to abortion and childcare, for example.
“The Young Lords became known for its positions on women’s issues,” Morales said. “And for recognizing ourselves as Afro Boricuas and of Afro-Taino culture.”
By 1976, major shifts broke the party apart. A change in political direction (the group was renamed Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization and deployed its members to factories), manipulative leaders commissioning violence against dissident members and the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) all undermined the party.
The division and ultimate dissolution of the party was a heart-breaking period for young people who had for years invested their lives into making a difference.
“In the excitement and enthusiasm of our youthfulness, I don’t think we were mature enough to understand what we were up against,” Rodriguez said. “We were taking on the government. We were taking on huge embedded structures.”
Some people walked away from political organizing. Others saw it as a fad of their youth. Many, 40 years after the Young Lords Party was established, have remained active.
“Every career I’ve had since has been affected by that period of time,” said Oliver who worked in public media and who, as a cultural anthropologist, has developed coursework based on the life experiences of Caribbean and Latina women.
Rodriguez, a psychologist, founded the group De Almas to specifically help women of color empower themselves by addressing issues of self esteem.
Morales produced the documentary ¬°Pa’lante Siempre Pa’lante! about the Young Lords.
Whether it’s been in their professional lives or raising families, many of the Young Lords women continue to instill and share the same values-chiefly, a commitment to advancing communities and to the dignity of women.
“It’s really key that women from that period learned lessons not only about raising daughters a certain way but also sons a certain way,” Oliver said.
The party changed the way Puerto Rican women-and men-looked at themselves and this may be its lasting impact. Some of the proof is in the subsequent generation of sons and daughters. Cruz’s daughter Lisa Morales - the one she took to what was renamed the People’s Church-is a former emergency services worker who plans to organize around occupational safety issues. She says she has never been afraid of standing up for herself and questioning worker abuse.
She attributes that to her exposure to the Young Lords. “There were a lot of visions of courage, a lot of visions of hope,” she said.
Erica Gonz√°lez is the opinion page editor for El Diario/la Prensa, the oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the country. | <urn:uuid:56c91605-dc59-4ef5-b8dc-e0dd9f6957c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://colorlines.com/archives/2009/08/mujeres_of_the_young_lords.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982695 | 2,201 | 1.867188 | 2 |
To help explain recent amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill about local Healthwatch, the Department of Health has published a document to clarify and restate the Government’s vision for local Healthwatch.
The document, which also describes the key policy ambitions for Healthwatch, is aimed at all those with an interest in local Healthwatch organisations across the NHS and social care, including local authorities, local involvement networks, emerging health and wellbeing boards and the voluntary and community sectors.
‘Local Healthwatch: A strong voice for people – the policy explained’ places the role of local Healthwatch within the overall context of the White Paper, and sets out functions, responsibilities, roles and relationships within the modernised health and care system.
The intention is for Healthwatch England to be established in October 2012 and for local Healthwatch organisations to start in April 2013.
Following on from this document, David Behan, DH Director General for Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships, has written to local authority chief executives to clarify their statutory duty to commission effective and efficient local Healthwatch organisations.
Find out more about the Health and Social Care Bill amendments about local Healthwatch that were tabled on 1 March. | <urn:uuid:9ea89a12-76e5-4aa9-82ee-5a0ad0f99306> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/healthwatch-policy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937105 | 246 | 1.617188 | 2 |
EMS is a special calling. There are few professions in which people can legitimately and daily make a difference between life and death. EMS is one of those professions. Further, there are few professions where a simple action or mistake can cause injury or death. EMS is one of those professions, too.
We each entered the challenging world of prehospital care for different reasons. However, most of us became EMTs and/or paramedics because we liked helping people. But it s more than that. We entered EMS because we like the good feelings that result from helping people. Today, EMS is one of the most respected professions in the world.
But during an average EMS career, a provider will reach a point when they suffer a significant amount of disillusionment. It s not uncommon. We all encounter it. The causes are usually varied, but a common feature is the realization that the majority of EMS calls are non-emergencies. That means that all of the skills and technology we were trained to use are rarely required. This is the dirty truth of EMS. A similar dirty truth exists in emergency medicine; 90% of most emergency department cases can be handled by a competent family practitioner. The specialized skills of an emergency physician are not needed that often.
How we respond and react to this disillusionment tells a lot about our integrity. Integrity can be defined multiple ways, but the best definition is: Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching. The wise EMT will recognize that a lot of medicine is simply hand-holding and emotional support and that such actions are just as important as IVs, endotracheal tubes and waveform capnography and that basic support is honorable and fulfilling.
However, some people in EMS will respond to this inevitable disillusionment in a different way. They determine, often subconsciously, that they ll continue to use their skills and practices even if the patient does not stand to benefit. As this evolves, they ll find ways to rationalize their behavior. Before they know it, they will have violated medicine s most sacrosanct dictum primum non nocere (first, do no harm).
Why is it that some EMS providers have to do everything to the max? We re not happy ventilating a patient with a BVM; instead, we have to intubate them with an endotracheal tube. Better yet, on a good call, we get to cut somebody s neck open. We start an IV on everybody despite the fact that studies show that less than 50% of prehospital IVs are ever used for anything. Now the trend is to put a needle into everybody s bone. We re not happy simply taking somebody to the hospital. We have to do something, and we buy technology we don t really need to do something. We are now carrying more people by helicopter who don t really need it because we can justify it in the name of the mythical Golden Hour or similar arguments. ET tubes, surgical cricothyrotomies, IO lines and helicopters are all important tools, but they should be applied only when the benefits outweigh the risks and costs.
At some point, a change occurs in some paramedics. They start to do things for their own ego and not to benefit the patient. Some pride themselves on the number of different helicopter pins on their uniform or the number of merit badge course patches that we believe tell others that we re important, save lives and should be revered. Is it insecurity? What would Freud say? There is a guy I see periodically in a community near my home in Texas who s always wearing a badge, an EMT shirt, trauma shears and a radio despite the fact he s toting five kids to Wal-Mart for Cheerios and Coco-Puffs. Who is he trying to impress? The Wal-Mart greeter?
Today, it seems the sign of a good paramedic is one who puts the most needles into bones, frequently calls the helicopter, intubates a child when a BVM will work, immobilizes somebody on a backboard even though most have a less than a 1% chance of a spinal injury, and runs precautionary Code 3 just for jollies. I ve been in nearly every state in this great union and often heard war stories from people proud of the number of crichs they ve done, the number of IOs they ve done, or the numbers if chests they ve needled. I always want to ask (but never do) if the patient got better.
Some of the best EMTs and paramedics I ever met were the humblest. In October of last year, I sat in a hangar in Sydney, Australia, with about 10 flight paramedics from New South Wales and the deputy commissioner of the ambulance service. The purpose of the meeting was to establish protocols to limit helicopter use to certain situations. They were receiving more and more calls for non-critical patients. The people who initiated the meeting were the flight paramedics, because they weren t going to risk their lives like the Yanks by sending their helicopter for non-critical calls. Thus, they put logic and science above ego.
As a textbook author, I m aware that many of us write page after page on how to be a good technician but never teach people how to be good neighbors. Thus, when one becomes disillusioned when they realize that all of the high-tech material in the EMS textbooks is used for only a small percentage of patients, we start playing this mind game. We delude ourselves with the mistaken belief that we re doing things to help the patient when, in fact, we may be placing the patient at risk from those actions. We re approaching this all wrong. We should be satisfied by practicing and using the safest and most effective modality before increasing to more complicated ones.
An old internal medicine professor at Texas Tech once told me two things that I follow to this day:
1. Being a good clinician is more about knowing when not to do something as opposed to knowing when to do something; and
2. Never be the first to use a new drug or procedure nor the last to give up an old one.
These teachings are in my mind and probably explain why I write and speak the way I do. Being a good EMT means that you re first a good human, then a good neighbor, and then a good EMT. Just like 90% of emergency medicine could be handled by a family practitioner, 90% of EMS can be handled with BLS skills. That is not saying that emergency physicians with our specialized skills and paramedics with their specialized skills are not needed. They are very much needed for the right patient at the right time.
American author Henry David Thoreau once wrote, It is characteristic of wisdom to not do desperate things, and essayist and editor Norman Cousins once wrote, Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences. All of us in EMS should heed these statements. | <urn:uuid:0233469f-86bf-4bc9-9312-b24448f5dea6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jems.com/index.php?q=article/patient-management/all-things-moderation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964447 | 1,416 | 2.1875 | 2 |
The ACLU filed a lawsuit agains the Library of Congress for terminating a CRS Assistant Director for writing a letter to the editor for the Washington post and an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal. Colonel Morris D. Davis was, prior to his CRS position, responsible for the prosecution of suspected terrorists held at Guantánamo Bay.
62. Because of his former position as the Chief Prosecutor for the military commissions, Col. Davis is regularly asked to comment on Guantánamo and the military commissions system. Col. Davis believes he has a unique perspective to add to this debate, and he would like to convey his insights and opinions to the public. Since he was informed that he was being terminated by CRS, however, Col. Davis has declined numerous opportunities to speak publicly about military commissions issues out of fear that he could be subject to further retaliation by the Library and [CRS Director Daniel] Mulhollan.
63. The decision to terminate Col. Davis for his speech has intimidated and chilled other CRS employees from speaking and writing in public. CRS employees are confused, uncertain, and fearful about what outside speaking and writing is permissible.
64. As a result of the Library’s and Mr. Mulhollan’s actions, Col. Davis has suffered, and/or will suffer, both economic and non-economic losses, emotional distress, and other compensable damages. | <urn:uuid:610b680c-ab18-4e9b-9095-fd718647623d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.librarian.net/tag/aclu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973017 | 288 | 1.5 | 2 |
There's a certain poetry to the fact that it was economics and not politics that spelled the beginning of the end for Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The flamboyant politician is Italy's richest citizen, the founder and owner of one of the world's largest media company, and for many Italians the man responsible for making their largely peripheral economy synonymous with end-of-empire decadence.
And there he sat, Tuesday afternoon, clench-jawed at the result of a vote that exposed the depth of his political weakness. The 308 parliamentarians who voted in favor of the routine budget bill were enough to ensure its passage. But the real significance was in the 322, including many from his own party, who declined their support. By evening, Berlusconi had met with Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano, agreeing to tender his resignation as soon his government passed a series of planned economic reforms, with a vote perhaps scheduled as early as next week.
And yet it was nothing the opposition did that cost the sex-scandal ridden prime minister his majority. Over the course of the previous week, Berlusconi had watched his coalition crumble under pressure from the bond markets, as the crisis in Greek shone a harsh Mediterranean light on the cracks and strains in the Italian economy, one of the most sluggish in the European Union.
With public debt at roughly 120% GDP, the country has been judged to be in desperate need of reforms, most recently by the European Union which last week insisted that Berlusconi agree to a raft of measures that would raise revenue, cut spending and liberalize the economy. And yet, even as markets increased their pressure, prompting the E.U. and the International Monetary fund to pledge their support for the Italian economy, investors were clearly losing confidence in the prime minister's ability to deliver.
And who could blame them? Berlusconi had promised again and again ever since his first political campaign to pass measures that would boost competitiveness, attract foreign investment and open the job market to the one in four young Italians who, not working or studying, have dropped out of the formal labor force altogether. Yet, though Berlusconi has dominated the nation's political scene since 1994, including as head of government for eight out of the past 10 years, reforms have been few and far between. Over the past decade, the economy has remained nearly flat, trailing the other members of the euro zone by at least a full percentage point.
That was surprisingly acceptable, says Franco Pavoncello, a political scientist at Rome's John Cabot University, when the global economy was relatively healthy. As long as the European Union was seen as the bulwark that propped up its member states, the actions of politicians like Berlusconi didn't make a difference. The crisis in Greece changed all that. Suddenly, Berlusconi's erratic behavior and personal scandals weren't merely occasions for amusement. They were cause for alarm. "He's a liability at this stage for Italy," says Pavoncello. "That's how he's perceived by the markets for sure."
In recent days, analysts had taken to talking about a "Berlusconi premium" in the Italian bond market, with some attributing as much as a full percentage point of the cost of servicing Italy's debt to doubts about his governments stability and commitment to reforms. Perhaps the moment that best encapsulated the world's opinion came during a press conference during crisis talks in Brussels in late October, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy responded to a question about Berlusconi's financial reforms by exchanging smirking glances, causing journalists in the room to burst out laughing.
Many in Italy won't be sad to see him go. Not only has Berlusconi presided over a stagnating economy, he is seen by many as having personally contributed to a coarsening of Italian culture. Never mind his personal life and his sequential series of sex and prostitution scandals including one in which he stands accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old nightclub dancer. Berlusconi brought a brand of personal patronage to the political scene, using an electoral law in which citizens vote for party lists, rather than individual candidates, to sweep into parliament a retinue of private lawyers, executives from his companies and even showgirls from his television stations. "He's at the center of the court, surrounded by courtiers, to whom he dispenses favors," says Maurizio Viroli, an expert of Machievelli, and author of The Liberty of Servants: Berlusconi's Italy, a book that compares the prime minister unfavorably to Machiavelli's Prince. "He was extremely good at understanding that the best way to control citizens is to entertain them, to amuse them, to distract them."
And yet it would be a mistake to count the prime minister out. For Berlusconi, the stakes couldn't be higher. He has more than his political career to think of. Losing office would also leave him exposed to multiple criminal charges, including accusations currently working their way through the court system charges of corruption, abuse of office and prostitution with a minor. According to the author Alexander Stille, Berlusconi entered office at least in part to avoid being swept up in a 1990s corruption investigation that had swept the old guard out of power and opened the door to a new generation of politicians. "I am forced to enter politics, otherwise they will put me in prison," Stille quotes him as saying at the time. And indeed, Berlusconi has spent much of the past 17 years in a slugfest with his country's judicial system, beating some charges after his ruling majority changed the law. Earlier this year, a law his government had passed shortly after taking power in 2008 granting him full immunity was struck down by Italy's constitutional court. An expulsion from government would leave him more vulnerable than ever.
Nor would his economic fortune necessarily remain safe. In Italy's heavily regulated, quasi-statist economy, any business is going to have interaction with the government, and Berlusconi's vast media and publishing holdings are no exception. So it's no surprise that as news of Berlusconi's misfortunes have mounted, the stock price of his family company Mediaset has sunk accordingly, on worries that the new government would introduce previously floated measures to rein in its influence of curtail its acquisition of future digital television rights. "Clearly, this is something that a lot of people might say, ok, maybe with another Italian government, the story would be different," says an analyst covering the company, who asked to remain anonymous citing political concerns.
Berlusconi will still have many chances to cling to power. Even stripped of political office, he will remain the country's richest man and the owner of three of its seven television channels. Meanwhile, the timing of his resignation remains unclear. Though he has in the past said he would introduce the reforms the European Union has asked for as early as next Wednesday, there is no agreement yet on exactly what form those will take, and the date has already begun to slip. One ally even suggested Berlusconi's reforms and his consequent resignation might not be in place until the end of November.And what would a new government be like and how long would it last? Taking to the airwaves shortly after the announcement, Berlusconi said he would favor early elections, rather than a new government carved out of the existing coalitions. And in an interview with La Stampa Berlusconi said he would not be a candidate for office. | <urn:uuid:171c0216-0554-4404-ad6e-a18878f0258e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2098961,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985972 | 1,545 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Biology faculty candidate seminar set for Jan. 27
Tristan Darland, a candidate for the Animal Physiology position in the Biology Department, will present a seminar titled "Using Zebrafish to Model the Physiology, Behavior and Genetics of Addiction" at noon Friday, Jan. 27, in 141 Starcher Hall.
Darland received his Ph.D. from Oregon Health Sciences University in 1998. He started out working on a developmental biology project, immortalizing cells from Hensen's node, and then switched to the lab of David Grandy after his initial advisor left for the NIH. He completed his thesis on the role of a neuropeptide called orphanin FQ, also called nociceptin, in opiate addiction. He did post-doctoral work at Harvard in the lab of John Dowling in order to learn the zebrafish system because of the genetics, accessibility of the embryo, and the fact that they readily regenerated damaged nervous tissue. He began a project using forward genetics and looking for neural stem cell mutants. Along the way he developed a screen for behavioral responsiveness to cocaine. He is currently characterizing some mutant fish with abnormal response to cocaine, and studying acute effects of the drug on cardiovascular physiology, behavior, and gene expression in the brain. He is also studying longitudinal physiological and behavioral effects caused by early exposure to the drug. He hopes to tie these studies to human addiction by looking at polymorphisms in the local North Dakota population.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
-- Jeannie Lewis, office manager, Biology, 777-2622, firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:cedfce8e-1fde-441a-aba5-a077cf3ebf6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.und.edu/our/uletter/?p=22293 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935735 | 334 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The Bombay High Court said last week that the controversial Section 377 of Indian Penal Code that deals with unnatural sex needs revision.
The remarks came in a judgement delivered by Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice Sharad Bobde in the infamous Anchorage paedophilia case last Wednesday.
”There are lots of changes taking place in the social milieu and many people have different sexual preferences, which are even not considered to be unnatural,’’ said the judgement by Justice Nazki.
”Therefore it is high time that the provisions of law which was made more than a century ago, is looked at again.’’
The judge’s remarks are not binding, but the city’s lesbian and gay community welcomed the progressive views of the judge as they are the first time any court in the country has spoken about changing the law.
”It is a significant and forward looking view,’’ said Lesley Esteves, a Delhi-based activist, told The Times of India.
”Across the world countries have decriminalised homosexuality, but the law continues to exist on our statutes.’’
Section 377 was enacted in 1860 under the British Raj in line with the anti-sodomy laws in England at the time.
The law punishes anyone who “voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal” by imprisonment.
Two former Royal British Naval officers, Allan Waters (64) and Duncan Grant (60), who had been convicted on charges of unnatural sex in 2003, were acquitted by the High Court in the paedophilia case along with their Indian manager William D’Souza, saying they were not guilty of sexually abusing boys at the Anchorage shelter home in Colaba.
The men were originally sentenced to six years in jail and fined £20,000.
The High Court agreed with judgements that said that the only ingredients required to prove guilt in such cases is ”if it is against the order of nature.”
This criminalises a whole range of sexual acts from mutual masturbation, to fellatio and anal sex. | <urn:uuid:14e62d2c-6ab5-4ebc-ad16-b7e8db5d14b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2008/07/29/indias-unnatural-sex-law-should-be-revised-says-high-court-judge/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967623 | 444 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Guide to Protein Purification
Volume 182: Guide to Protein PurificationEdited by
- Murray Deutscher, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, U.S.A.
- John Abelson, California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology, Pasadena, U.S.A.
- Melvin Simon, California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology, Pasadena, USA
Guide to Protein Purification, designed to serve the needs of the student, experienced researcher and newcomer to the field, is a comprehensive manual that provides all the up-to-date procedures necessary for purifying, characterizing, and handling proteins and enzymes in one source.
Protein biochemists, enzymologists, analytical biochemists, graduate students, and postdoctorates in these disciplines, cell and molecular biologists, biotechnologists, and industrial researchers working with protein products.
Methods in Enzymology
Hardbound, 894 Pages
Published: February 1990
Imprint: Academic Press
"Packed within this volume is much of the accumulated practical wisdom of a century of biochemistry. When available at the bench, it should become widely used for answering the endless questions that arise in the research laboratory. The information is generous in detail and accompanied by sage advice from sixty-nine contributors who share the lessons of their wide experience. The subject matter is in logical sequence, with early presentation of general information for handling proteins that includes an immensely useful table of fifty-four buffers, a discussion of seven different methods for measuring protein quantity, ten pages on maintenance of protein stability, a large section on solubilization, two contributions on overexpression, and much more. Preparation of extracts from the full spectrum of cell and organelle types used in biochemistry is covered by eight authors. About one-third of the book is devoted directly to purification procedures, from ammonium sulfate precipitation methods of the last century to the most advanced chromatographic and electrophoretic methods of today. A large selection is concerned with the characterization of purified proteins, and includes a computerized interpretation of physical and analytical data. The book has much else to recommend it in its readability and thoughtful commentary. In a discussion on
Setting Up a Laboratory, Deutscher tells us that no laboratory ever has enough columns and fraction collectors (Amen!). And J.M. Wozney observes that cloning can be viewed as the ultimate purification step. The book also offers a bonus in the reminiscent views of a few masters of the art of protein purification: Arthur Kornberg...Earl R. Stadtman, Kivie Moldave, and B.L. Horecker with O. Tsolas.
Praise for the Volume , --Simon Black in ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
"The freshness of Arthur Kornbergs introductory prose... takes the mundane and often frankly tedious business of isolating proteins onto another plane: 'Don't waste clean thinking on dirty enzymes'. In the epilogue, other giants of biochemistry remind us of the inherited wealth (often taken for granted) that we possess through the study of purified proteins. Strong stuff for a practical guide. But then this is more than just a guide. It is a complete work. The strategies described embody both classical and modern thinking. We are told what to do to set up a separation laboratory in classic terms (don't start with wall-to-wall FPLC). New biochemists sometimes neglect their roots in physical chemistry. The chapters on buffers, protein assay, and quantitation will repay study. The editor has recognized that the everyday problems are protein desalting, concentration, recovery and storage. The advice here is comprehensive. In summary, this is possibly the most important, comprehensive and affordable work on protein purification to have appeared in recent years. Librarians who want to retain it as a reference work will have to put it behind glass and turn a page each day. This reviewer is going to keep his copy at home."
"The Methods in Enzymology series represents the gold-standard."
Praise for the Series , --NEUROSCIENCE
"It is a true 'methods' series, including almost every detail from basic theory to sources of equipment and reagents, with timely documentation provided on each page."
"The series has been following the growing, changing and creation of new areas of science. It should be on the shelves of all libraries in the world as a whole collection."
--CHEMISTRY IN INDUSTRY
"The appearance of another volume in that excellent series, Methods in Enzymology, is always a cause for appreciation for those who wish to successfully carry out a particular technique or prepare an enzyme or metabolic intermediate without the tiresome prospect of searching through unfamiliar literature and perhaps selecting an unproven method which is not easily reproduced."
--AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MICROBIOLOGY NEWS
"If we had some way to find the work most often consulted in the laboratory, it could well be the multi-volume series Methods in Enzymology...a great work."
"A series that has established itself as a definitive reference for biochemists."
--JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY
- (Section Headings): Developing Purification Procedures. General Methods for Handling Proteins and Enzymes. Optimization of Starting Materials. Preparation of Extracts and Subcellular Fractionation. Solubilization Procedures. Purification Procedures: Bulk Methods. Purification Procedures: Chromatographic Methods. Purification Procedures: Electrophoretic Methods. Specialized Purification Procedures. Characterization of Purified Proteins. Immunological Procedures. Additional Techniques. Concluding Remarks. Appendix: Personal Perspectives on Enzyme Purification. Author Index. Subject Index. | <urn:uuid:036681fc-b0aa-4432-9902-21bf887b7d5d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.elsevier.com/books/guide-to-protein-purification/deutscher/978-0-12-182083-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914924 | 1,206 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Why Crate Train Your Dog?
My Dog Panics in the Crate
If your dog experiences extreme anxiety when you try to confine her in a
crate, let her out immediately and seek the help of a Certified Applied Animal
Behaviorist (CAAB), a veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB) or a Certified Pet Dog
Trainer (CPDT). Please see our article, Finding Professional
Help, to locate one of these professionals in your area. If you elect to
hire a CPDT because you can’t find a behaviorist in your area, be sure to
determine whether she or he has professional training and experience in
successfully working with anxiety, since this work is beyond what CPDT
My Dog Guards Things or Behaves Aggressively in Her Crate
Dogs who guard their belongings sometimes also guard the area around their
crates. If your dog has guarded objects, food or places in the past, always be
cautious when walking by her open crate or when removing her from the crate.
Avoid reaching into the crate to pull your dog out. Instead, you can entice her
out or lift the crate up from the back to “spill” her out. For more information
about guarding, please see our article, Food Guarding.
Some dogs seem to feel vulnerable and trapped when they’re in crates or
other small spaces. These dogs might react with aggression when approached by
unfamiliar people or dogs while inside their crates. If this sounds like your
dog, please seek guidance from a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), a
veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB) or a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT). If you
elect to hire a CPDT because you can’t find a behaviorist in your area, be sure
to determine whether she or he has professional training and experience in
successfully working with aggression. This work is beyond what CPDT
certification requires, and you need to be sure the trainer is qualified to
Decreasing Confinement, Increasing Freedom
You can begin to give your dog more freedom in your house while you’re gone
once she’s thoroughly house trained, has eliminated consistently outside with
no accidents for at least one month, and chews or destroys only her own
toys-not your house or household items. The right time to give your dog more
freedom will depend on her individual personality. Some dogs can be destructive
when alone until they are about two years old, while others can be trusted at
one year or less.
Here are some suggested steps toward increasing your dog’s freedom outside
- Start with brief absences with your dog free in your house. Be sure to
dog-proof your home before you go. Put your garbage away and pick up items you
don’t want your dog to chew. Leave out several toys that she can chew.
You want to set her up to succeed!
- Don’t give her freedom in the whole house at first. Use baby gates or close
doors to prevent her from getting into rooms you don’t want her in yet. Or try
confining her to just one room, like the kitchen or laundry room.
- Walk out the door and run a short five-minute errand. If you come home to a
mess, try a shorter absence.
- If, after a couple more attempts at short absences, your dog is still
making messes, she might not be mature enough to be left alone in the house
yet. Alternatively, her continued destructiveness might mean she has separation
anxiety. Please see our article, Separation
Anxiety, for more information about this problem. If you think your dog
might have separation anxiety, please see Finding Professional
Help to locate a qualified behaviorist in your area.
- If you return and there are no messes, gradually lengthen your absences.
For example, start with five minutes. Then try a half-hour, then an hour, then
two hours and, finally, four or five hours (the maximum recommended length of | <urn:uuid:1f196033-dea4-422f-b273-0324424d189e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/why-crate-train-dog?page=10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925121 | 876 | 2.125 | 2 |
- Who Pooped in the Woods?
9:00AM to 12:00PM
Animals come in all shapes and sizes and each has its own interesting characteristics and behaviors. Tracks, homes, droppings, feathers, and other tell-tale signs will help us discover the animals that live at camp as we hike through the woods. We will learn the interconnected relationship between predator and prey and who eats whom in a fun-filled simulation game. Dig deep to discover how birds use their beaks to eat different kinds of food in an activity all about birds! Who: Girls in grades 2-3 Date: Saturday, March 16, 2013 Location: Camp Widjiwagan Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Fee: $6 per girls per session Min/Max: 25/75 girls Closing Date: Friday, March 1, 2013 Fun patch included. Counselors in Training and/or Program Aides needed. ...
- Zany Zumba
10:00AM to 12:00PM
Have fun with mom or dad while you zumba your way to a good time! Take a tour of the YMCA and learn about all of the fabulous programs they have to offer. Learn how to properly stretch and warm up before exercise and a few healthy tidbits from the pros. End your fun dance workout with a delicious, healthy snack! Who: Girls in grades 2-3 Date: Saturday, March 16, 2013 Location: Greater Peoria YMCA Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Fee: $4 per girl, $3 per adult Min/Max: 20/40 participants Closing Date: Friday, March 8, 2013 Adult volunteers needed. ...
- Climbing Wall
9:30AM to 11:30AM
Our premiere indoor rock climbing wall offers a real climbing experience in a safe environment. We provide groups access to the sport of rock climbing in a quality facility with a fun atmosphere for climbers ages grade 5 and older and all levels of ability. GSCI provides a safe, welcoming, and encouraging environment where groups can connect with other climbers, develop friendships, and improve their climbing skills by learning from our trained staff. ...
- Horsin' Around
1:00PM to 2:30PM
Show off your balance and skill on horseback by playing fun equestrian games. After a brief arena lesson in proper position, balance, and guiding your horse we we’ll split into teams to have some fun! Maneuvering through obstacle courses, relay races, and flag races--all on horseback--will build confidence and sportsmanship!" ...
- Pony Tails
9:00PM to 10:00PM
This activity is FULL! We now have a waiting list for participants. ... | <urn:uuid:dd6565bc-01b5-4217-aa3a-82ea2e0819c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.girlscouts-gsci.org/calendarmodule/viewday/time/1363424400/src/@random4e023e0c5dc16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926135 | 596 | 1.953125 | 2 |
A rocket with a mass M moves along an x axis at the constant speed vi=40 m/s. A small explosion separates the rocket into a rear section (of mass m1) and a front section; both sections move along the x axis. The relative speed between the rear and front sections is 20 m/s. Wha...
the point of our highest interest and greatest emotional involvement in a narrative
Suppose Fred's Computers advertises that their new computer comes with exactly 1,200 megabytes of RAM in main memory. Why is this unlikely to be true?
solve for x (x-4)(x+2)=40 you need to make it eaqual to 0 and the correct answer is 8 and -6. how do i get this answer
What is the difference in volume (due only to pressure changes, not temperature or other factors) between 1000 kg of water at the surface (assume 4 degrees C) of the ocean and the same mass at the deepest known depth, 8.00 km? (Mariand Trench; assume also 4 degrees C.)
OK. So are these correct?? 1. Thoreau was a teacher (PN) in Concord Mass. 2. In 1845 he left his (IO) and went to the woods near Walden pond. 3. He built a small cabin (DO) for himself and lived there for 2 years. 4. His life at Walden pond was an experiment (PN) in quiet soli...
1. Yes, left is the active verb and what he did was leave his home. 2. Active verb is built and he did it to the cabin.
Thank you!!! Can you help with a couple more? 1. In 1845 he left his home and went to the woods near Walden Pond. 2. He built a small cabin for himself and lived there for 2 years. 3. His life at Walden Pond was an experiment in quiet solitude. 3. For Thoreau, nature seemed a ...
What is the direct object, indirect object, predicate nomnitive or predicate adjective in the following 2 senteces? 1.It is a book about his experiences near Walden Pond in Massachussetts. 2. The book is full of inspiring quotations about his search for peronal freedom.
Honors Social Studies
If you were running for President, how might the Sedition Act impact your campaign? How would YOU answer this question? You might want to refresh your memory of the Sedition Act with this article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918 Thanks for your help, I moved ...
For Further Reading | <urn:uuid:d3d8fe3f-0333-42ab-a652-a4dfb7344b70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jiskha.com/members/profile/posts.cgi?name=kristin&page=15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965604 | 551 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Researchers at King's College London have identified a gene linked to age-related degeneration of the intervertebral discs, a common cause of lower back pain.
Back pain costs the United Kingdom an estimated £7billion ($11 billion in US dollars) a year due to sick leave and treatment costs. Lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) is inherited in 65%-80% of people with the condition, suggesting that genes play a key role. Until now, the genetic cause of lower back pain associated with LDD was unknown, says King's.
For this study, scientists compared MRI images of the spine in 4,600 individuals with genome-wide association data, which mapped the genes of all the volunteers. They identified that the gene PARK2 was implicated in people with degenerate discs and could affect the speed at which they deteriorate.
The researchers say the results show that the gene may be switched off in people with LDD. Although it is still unclear how this might happen, it is thought that environmental factors, such as lifestyle and diet, could trigger this switch by making changes known as epigenetic modifications to the gene.
was published online September 19 in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases. | <urn:uuid:a01a77d4-6bda-4483-b014-17eb691476ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/2012/11/15/MFPTRadioShow/?blogid=10737418615&id=10737428182 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957911 | 247 | 3.171875 | 3 |
News & Events
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New strategies can save farmland
Buckeye Farm News
With policymakers tightening the public purse strings, farmers may have to become more creative in preserving farmland.
“In farmland preservation, we are used to raising money and buying development rights, but it’s not the only way to go about it,” said OFBF Senior Director of Local Affairs Larry Gearhardt, offering the following ways to help without requesting funding:
Gearhardt recommends each county have a solid comprehensive land use plan as a building block of legitimate zoning. “Townships need to be allowed to rely on county comprehensive plans or it will throw zoning into turmoil,” Gearhardt said. A court case in Wayne County threatened to invalidate township zoning because it relied on the county land use plan. He also said preservation efforts should include agritainment operations, because if they fit the state definition of “agricultural,” such operations cannot be zoned.
“Large livestock farms keep farmers in farming and land in production, and ensure that farmers are making enough money to continue in agriculture,” Gearhardt said. He compared two counties in western Ohio that contain more than half of Ohio’s large livestock farms with two southern Ohio counties that have just one large livestock farm. He said farms in the counties with more livestock, although almost 100 acres smaller on average, had significantly higher land values. “To keep people in farming, livestock appears to be the answer,” he said.
Gearhardt said state policies and plans can have an effect on preservation. He used a farm in Scioto County as an example, where if the Ohio Department of Transportation would have moved its proposed highway project just up the hill, it wouldn’t be splitting a Farm Bureau member’s farm in two and ruining his drainage system.
To hear podcasts from Gearhardt and others who spoke at last year's Farmland Preservation Summit visit http://cffpi.osu.edu/summit08_speakers.htm | <urn:uuid:8d5877e1-f3e9-47f1-b2b2-3b356dd1259f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ofbf.org/news-and-events/news/150/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945658 | 491 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Life as We Know It
Whale of a comeback, dancing cockatoos, sticky bees, and waltzing pond scum
- By Amanda Bensen, Joseph Caputo, T.A. Frail, Laura Helmuth and Abigail Tucker
- Smithsonian magazine, July 2009
Bumblebees search for flower petals that offer traction, University of Cambridge-led scientists have shown. Some petals are smooth and slippery, but others have cone-shaped cells that act like Velcro when bees touch down. The reward for sticking the landing? Bees can guzzle nectar more readily. For the flowers' part, more and longer visits by bees increase the chances of pollination. | <urn:uuid:5ffad20d-b7e8-4f41-ba1e-84c0c4f2e5df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Wild-Things-July09.html?c=y&page=3&navigation=previous | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903677 | 142 | 2.890625 | 3 |
In the recent Excise and GST/HST News No. 80 (Spring 2011) (GST/HST News 80) published by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the CRA puts on notice a list of health care professionals that it considers to offer TAXABLE services. Many of these health care professionals are likely not charging goods and services tax (GST) or harmonized sales tax (HST). This means, if these categories of health care professionals are audited by the CRA, it is likely that assessments will be issued. In the HST provinces (Nova Scotia (15%), Ontario, Newfoundland/Labrador, New Brunswick (13%), British Columbia (12%)), the assessments may add up to large amounts.
GST/HST News 80 puts health care professionals on notice.
The CRA's position is:
General Rule: Any basic health care service rendered to an individual by a health care professional that is specifically identified in Part II of Schedule V to the Excise Tax Act are exempt. In other words, you find the category of health care service or health care professional in that Schedule by name or description.
According to the CRA, the following services by the following provincially regulated (licensed or otherwise certified) health care professionals rendered to individuals/patients are specifically identified in Part II of Schedule V to the Excise Tax Act are as a general rule exempt:
- dentists and orthodontists,
- registered nurses, registered nursing assistants, licensed or registered practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses,
- speech-language pathologists,
- occupational therapists,
- social workers, and
- dental hygienists.
Exception to General Rule: Any health care service provided by other therapists and health care workers are TAXABLE. If you cannot find a category of health care professional or health care worker in Part I of Schedule V to the Excise Tax Act, their service re likely taxable.
While these other therapists and workers may be professionals in their fields and they may be certified in their province or territory, they are not identified in the Part II of Schedule V to the Excise Tax Act. Therefore the Act’s exemptions do not apply to their services even where, for example, the service is similar to a service performed by an identified health care provider, such as a nurse or physiotherapist. Some examples of therapists and other health care workers whose
services are generally considered by the CRA to be taxable for GST/HST purposes are (this is not an exhaustive list):
- assistants such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy assistants
- social service workers (this is a separate profession from social workers)
- laboratory technicians;
- nursing care aides;
- polysomnographic technologists;
- massage therapists;
- reiki therapists;
- sports therapists;
- rolfing therapists;
- traditional Chinese medicine providers;
- personal support workers.
Exception to Exception: Certain services provided by an health care professional or health care worker listed above may qualify as exempt when provided to an individual in an exempt health care setting. For example, supplies made by the operator of a nursing home of services rendered by nursing care aides are exempt when they form part of an exempt institutional health care service rendered to a resident of the nursing home. In addition, services similar to those rendered by the providers listed above may be exempt when rendered by an identified exempt health care provider. For instance, if physiotherapists are entitled under the provincial law that regulates physiotherapy services to perform acupuncture on their clients in the course of
providing physiotherapy services, then their physiotherapy services that involve acupuncture would be exempt.
There are many other exceptions to the general rule. For example, health care services provided by the exempt list of professionals to corporations (not rendered to individuals or patients) are taxable. Also, certain services (e.g., cosmetic procedures, teeth whitening, etc.) are taxable even when provided by a licensed professional.
GST/HST News 80 has been provided because the CRA auditors need tools when going to audit health care professionals. There is an increased likelihood that health care professionals will be in the CRA national priority list for audits this year and in the coming years.
If you are not sure whether you are required to charge GST/HST or not, you should contact a GST/HST lawyer or professional. You may also write the CRA for a GST/HST ruling. | <urn:uuid:b83f1d36-7510-4f3f-acd9-999bbad8eedc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehstblog.com/tags/massage-therapists/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938163 | 915 | 1.789063 | 2 |
THE ALAMO (2004)|
U.S. Release Date:
April 9, 2004
Distributor: Buena Vista
Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Leslie Bohem, John Lee Hancock
Producer: Ron Howard, Mark Johnson
Composer: Carter Burwell
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Patrick Wilson
Running Time: 2 hours and 17 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sustained intense battle sequences)
At the climax of writer and director John Lee Hancock's war drama, The Alamo, Lt. Col. William Travis (played by handsome Patrick Wilson) urges his men: "[T]hink of what it is you value so highly that you are willing to fight and possibly die for it. We will call that Texas."
These powerful words assert the ideals that make the Alamo a heroic event in American history. The surrounded men at the Alamo did not seek martyrdom in death; they sought freedom on earth—and they chose to fight for it. Unfortunately, the Alamo's heroism is absent from Hancock's epic.
The Alamo offers fine moments—with a wider scope than John Wayne's picture in 1960—but it does not show why the Alamo ought to be remembered.
The Mexicans' 13-day siege in 1836 was commanded by a thug, General Santa Anna, who had seized Texans' property and sought to establish a totalitarian regime. For militarily powerless Texans, who were part of Mexico and ready to declare Texas an independent republic, the sparsely manned Alamo mission was what stood between freedom and slavery.
Hancock deftly establishes the Alamo's military and geographical context and he quickly casts the beleaguered mission as the central conflict. Dean Semler's inviting images—silhouetted Texans contrasted by big, Western skies and lush landscapes—are often stunning.
The people are not. With thousands of troops led by Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarria with a demonic grin) marching toward them, four characters shape the defense of Texas: Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid), portrayed as part power luster, part pioneer; legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton); blade-wielding Jim Bowie (Jason Patric), who produced the Bowie knife; and the Alamo's idealistic young commander, William Travis (Wilson).
Each man is a conflicted, questionable character. Hancock's trio have ambiguous reasons for staying inside the Alamo's doomed gates. Blustery Crockett is practically an accident of history, apologizing to his men and sympathizing with the enemy. Drunken Bowie is already half-dead. Honorable Travis is humbled before the last siege.
The reverse is also true: Santa Anna is portrayed as evil, yet he delivers a rousing, anti-American speech on the brink of victory, which is like letting Castro, Stalin or Pol Pot explain his side of the story. The script is spoiled by multiculturalism. Hispanic Texans who defended the Alamo—omitted from Wayne's picture—are included only to be supplied with pro-Mexican sympathies. The most memorable woman embraces blood, not liberty, as the only thing worth fighting for. It's as though nobody wants to be a Texan—or an American—not even the Texans.
Patric's Bowie is a self-pitying boor who deserves to be put out of his misery. Thornton as Davy Crockett is Hancock's embodiment of the Alamo's misplaced mythology; a fake who defies authenticity, alternately doubting himself and rising to the occasion. What's lining the walls of this Alamo is a bunch of drunkards, dolts and river rats. Only the aristocratic Travis possesses a sense of purpose and the will to act on his commands but he, too, falters.
If it's true that producer Ron Howard vacated the director's chair because he preferred a more violent motion picture, Hancock proves that war can be powerful without superfluous blood. Battle scenes are gripping. But Howard handed the reins to a moral agnostic. Hancock (screenwriter of A Perfect World and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), dramatizes the Alamo without rendering judgment on those valiant men who defended it, which robs the Alamo of the reason it deserves to be remembered.
REVIEWS OF SIMILAR MOVIES: | <urn:uuid:fe6f7aa1-5519-45bd-b1d5-da32b288055a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boxofficemojo.com/reviews/?id=1313&p=.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93405 | 903 | 1.515625 | 2 |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Found shot in the chest at a Jacksonville gas station, the mastiff mix had little chance of survival, and showed no signs he would ever walk again.
"I thought we were going to end up having to make a decision to euthanize him," said Tammy Scott, a vet tech.
The dog, dubbed Bullet, met his heroes right away. Because he couldn't use his hind legs, Tammy Scott and Animal Care and Protective Services outfitted him with a special wheelchair.
"You don't see the determination very often," Scott explained. "Usually when a dog gets into that situation a lot of them give up, so it's just the strength and the willingness to want to recover, to want to live a normal life."
Soon, Bullet was walking without his wheels, and six months later, he was running like his old self. | <urn:uuid:f6d3c6c8-4bfe-4ed2-ad50-5cd3289efcc1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://avondaleriverside.firstcoastnews.com/news/urban-wildlife | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988668 | 181 | 1.539063 | 2 |
In the process of building a bunk bed for my girls. I am using beadboard for the headboard. The bottom rail is straight 1x4 and the top rail is curved 1x4 with a depth of curve of 2.5 inches.
My issue is how do I run a dado to accept my beadboard in this curved stock? I am guessing I need to fabricate some sort of jig, but some pointers would be greatly appreciated.
go to www.woodcraft.com and check the whiteside 3 wing slotting cutters. you will need the arbor to go with the cutter in the size that your router handles. If it can use a 1/2 " arbor get that one for its sturdiness. you will need the cutters that when stacked equals the thickness of the beadboard, or you can get only one and vary the depth till you get the dado width you need. You dont need a template, the arbor bearing will follow the panels curve. Another option is to get a rabbeting bit and make a rabbet on the rear face as deep as you need for the panel. You will still need the bearing though.
Don't glue the panel in, as it will need to float so as to accomodate thw wood movement as it expands or contracts. Screw it in just snug with oversize holes and washers under the screw head
My best guess is that you're using softwood lumber to build what really should be called "furniture".
You see, lumber warps as it dries. So, companies that produce lumber will dry it in a kiln so that it's moisture content is at or below 19 percent before they ship it out for sale. The typical moisture content of wood indoors is 16 percent, and so drying the wood to a 19 percent moisture content is close enough to avoid problems with warpage once the lumber is installed. Or, at least, that's what they're telling you.
What they're not telling you is that the monkey that checks the moisture content pushes his meter into the END GRAIN of the wood, and moisture evaporates out the end grain of wood 15 times faster than it evaporates out of the wood across it's grain. So the end of a board is ALWAYS going to be much dryer than the middle of that same board. So, when the chimp that measures the moisture content of the lumber in the kiln reads 19 percent on his moisture meter at the end grain, the average moisture content in the wood is probably closer to 30 percent, or not much below the fiber saturation point at which wood cell walls start to shrink in thickness as they dry.
That is, the wood has barely even begun to "dry" for the purposes of avoiding warping of the wood as it dries.
The result is that companies that produce lumber ship out product that starts warping as soon as the straps holding the lift of lumber together are cut.
Hardwoods are different. Hardwoods aren't cut to size until they're fully dried. That means the gentleman that tests the moisture content pushes his moisture meter into the middle of the board to get a maximum moisture content. This is why, when you go to any lumber yard that sells hardwoods to the woodworkers in your area, all the pieces of the different kinds of hardwoods will all be either straight as an arrow or "au natural", being the way they were shipped from their country of origin. (In the local Windsor Plywood store here in Winnipeg, I've seen the entire stump from a Cocobolo tree for sale for $499. The tree musta been cut down for some other reason and some enterprising African then dug up the stump to make a few bucks for himself. (Obviously, wood like that isn't sold in the standard dimensional sizes that lumber comes in.) Cocobolo is darn near as hard as ebony, so I don't know what whomever bought that stump planned to do with it, or how he/she planned to shape it into something worth the $499 selling price of the stump.
I think your best bet would be to change your plans and pay a bit more to make your bunk bed out of "CLEAR FIR", which is the "paint grade" wood most commonly used to make wood moldings (such as door frames and baseboards) for houses. Fir is still a softwood, but clear fir (meaning wood with no knots or splits or other blemishes) will be fully dried before it's cut to size (just like hardwoods) making for a much straighter wood to work with that won't warp on you even if you leave it for years before using it.
Any place that sells hardwoods will also sell clear fir. And, clear fir will be sold in the standard lumber dimensional sizes; the same way as spruce lumber; as 1X1's, 1X2's, 1X3's, 1X4's etc. all the way up to 2X12's. I've never seen clear fir for sale in the really large sizes like 6X6's or 8X8's.
If you make your furniture out of clear fir you won't be paying the high cost of using hardwoods, but you won't have a problem with warping either. And, clear fir can be stained and varnished (insteada painted) to make it look like good quality hardwood (kinda). (The pews in the church I usedta go to were made from clear fir.)
Staining and varnishing construction grade spruce lumber is kinda like painting concrete blocks. No matter how good a job you do with the staining and varnishing, it still looks like he11. Painting spruce lumber doesn't make it look appreciably better, either. It's too rough to do anything with except hide behind drywall.
I'm presuming that this is your first "furniture building" project, and that you opted for spruce lumber because of the low cost and the fact that you weren't aware of the pitfalls of using construction grade lumber to make "furniture".
Hope this helps.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nestor,
Are you putting a dado in the bottom edge of the curved 1X4 ? If so a router w/slot cutter will do it fine. Nona has the right advice on that. If you have a router table it would be really simple touse a slot cutting bit and if your bit isn't "wide" enough just route one pass then raise the bit up and make another pass to equal the beadbord thickness. As Nona stated your bearing on the slot cutter bit allows you to do this with no jig. It's possible to freehand this with a router, but a table makes it very easy and simple.
wood is never dried to 19%, fresh cut trees aren't that high in moisure, if they were, you could probably wring the water out, at 19% the tree would be almost 1/5 water.
When a tree is cut down, hardwood or softwood, the logs are stacked with the ends painted to slow drying and identify the species. they are then shipped to a lumber mill where they are cut to dimension, stickered, and either air dried to about 9% moisture, or kiln dried to about 5%. all lumber is checked for moisture with a meter at the center of the board.
Spruce or fir is a poor choice for furniture, If you don't want to use a furniture grade wood, oak, cherry, maple, etc, then my choice would be poplar that has been conditioned , gel stained then coated with whatever suits your fancy
Why is spruce or fir a poor choice ? You would be hard pressed to find truly clear wood without any knots. Clear spruce or fir can include sound and stable knots If you're lucky, you might be able to find sitka spruce,but the cost will be comparable to the furniture grade woods
Of course, you might opt for knotty pine which is commonly use in cabinets, but that type of pine is also expensive
In fact, the wood in a living tree is typically more than 50 percent water (by weight).
When a tree is alive, all of the wood cells and the wood cell walls are full of a liquid which is mostly water.
That's why freshly cut wood is considerably heavier than the lumber you buy at a home center. Freshly cut wood is waterlogged.
Paul Fisette is an instructor at the University of Massachusettes Building Materials and Wood Technology program. You might find this article he wrote interesting:
especially the section entitled "Kiln Dried (KD) and S-Dry lumber mean Dry Lumber".
I believe what you're describing about painting the end grain of the wood, drying it down to a 5 percent moisture content and checking it's moisture content at the middle of the board applies to hardwoods. If the softwood construction grade lumber at the home center were kiln dried down to a moisture content of 5 percent, it would't warp into a pretzel when you cut the bands on the lift.
Softwood lumber like you buy in a home center or lumber yard is "kiln dried" to a moisture content of 19 percent or less.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nestor,
as the article states when wood is surfaced green (fresh cut )(( pretty lousy lumber mill ))it is at 19% + , air dried lumber will be dried to 19% or lower with 19% being the upper limit, for outside use the moisture content will vary by location (i.e.
new england at 14% vs arizona to 6% ) for inside use it is usually 8% or lower
freshly cut trees are not waterlogged, if they were they wouldn't float. In old days when trees were felled and floated down river to sawmills some trees became waterlogged and sank Those that sank are now mined as very expensive wood because they were old growth timber. they are called, appropiatly, sinkers. most fresh cut trees will float, with the exception of only a few, ebony, ironwood, lignum vitae, to mention three.
quote [/b]" If the softwood construction grade lumber at the home center were kiln dried down to a moisture content of 5 percent, it would't warp into a pretzel when you cut the bands on the lift." unquote .
What happens when the softwood you claim is dried to 19% and used in construction, dries to the the 5% - 8% after the house is built ? If it is as you claim, then everybodies house that uses wood studs would look like a cartoon drawn house
I suggest you buy your wood somewhere else if it warps as you claim
The 28%, 19%, and even the 8% are the upper extreme but usually dried to a much less moisture contentThis message has been edited. Last edited by: nona,
No, and it's only because wood is a soft material that doesn't exert a lot of force as it warps as it dries. If you nail a wet stud in place, it'll stay straight only because of the nails holding it in it's original position. If you let the stud dry on it's own, it'll warp. And the thinner the cross section of the wood that's drying, the more it'll warp cuz of the lack of strength to resist warping.
That's why squeeky floors are associated with the floor joists shrinking as they dry, not because a gap develops between the subfloor and the WARPED floor joists. Since the nails holding the subfloor down also hold the floor joist in position, it shrinks, but doesn't warp. Ditto where shrinking wall studs cause drywall nail or screw heads to pop out. The stud has shrunk, but isn't warped.
5 percent isn't a reasonable equilibrium moisture content indoors unless you live in an air conditioned house in the middle of Arizona or New Mexico. At an average indoor temperature of 75 degrees F, with an average indoor relative humidity
of 65 percent, wood is going to come to an equilibrium moisture content of about 12 percent.
If construction grade lumber was dried in the kiln to a reasonable moisture content of 12 percent, then we'd all be a lot happier because we wouldn't have to sort through a lift of lumber to find a straight board.
Take a look at this PDF File:
Especially the section entitled "How Much Water is in Lumber?" which reads as follows:
How Much Water Is In Lumber?
A lot. In fact, some species of wood are more than half water in terms of their weight when they’re fresh cut. Moisture content in lumber is generally expressed as a percentage of the dry weight. For example, if a fresh cut board weighs five pounds per board foot, then weighs 3 pounds per board foot after it’s been dried in an oven to 0% moisture content, that means it had two pounds of water in every board foot. Two pounds of water per board foot compared to the lumber’s dry weight of three pounds per board foot is a ratio of 2:3—so the lumber has a moisture content of 2/3, or 67%. That’s similar to oak, for example, which is usually about 68% moisture content when fresh cut.
That PDF file is from Nyle Dry Kiln Systems.
They're in the business of catching gorillas in Africa and training them to wring the water out of freshly cut trees in Oregon and Washington state.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nestor,
note: if you cant dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with B.S.---or artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity--
It must be wonderful to never be wrong, and to know everything about anythingThis message has been edited. Last edited by: nona,
This wouldna happened had YOU not pretended to know more than you did.
Your claim that wood could never be dried to a 19 percent moisture content because wood could never be so wet to begin with is what led to this online "discussion".
When I prove you wrong, then you get all defensive and claim I'm a problem for "always being right".
Wanna give me a break too?
you didn't prove me wrong, you proved yourself wrong, but , I'll tell you what, go on ahead and use your crappy lumber, I'll use the better stuff
"THE END "This message has been edited. Last edited by: nona,
For general message board help, click the tab labeled "Tools," and choose "Help" from the dropdown menu. | <urn:uuid:3de9faad-56ae-436f-b391-cb8fa310f283> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boards.diynetwork.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5721916776/m/9123918657?r=4763939857 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956084 | 3,076 | 1.625 | 2 |
Written and oral personal narratives of more and less proficient writers
This study examined metacognitive strategies used to produce written and oral narratives by 2 more-proficient and 2 less-proficient fourth-grade students. Their scores on the Iowa Writing Assessment, writing samples, and teacher evaluations determined their classification as more- or less-proficient writers. Students scoring 2+ on the holistic scoring scale and 8.5+ on the total analytical score were placed in the more-proficient writers group, the rest in the less-proficient writers' category; two students from each group were then randomly selected to participate in the study.^ The participants generated oral and written narratives from neutral story prompts, using a version of the language-elicitation protocol “tell a story to get a story”. While writing, the students engaged in think alouds to record strategy use. Oral and written narratives were analyzed to uncover similarities and differences between more- and less-proficient writers in strategy use during the writing process. Their final written texts were scored using the 6+1 Traits of Writing Assessment.^ Analysis indicated the more-proficient writers used a wider variety of strategies and applied them more often than the less-proficient group. The more-proficient writers achieved higher 6+1 scores on final written product and demonstrated greater strength and frequency in use of strategies, including task environment, planning, translating, revising, editing, writer's motivation, identifying the audience to he addressed, and identifying strategies to generate a topic. Moreover, the strategies at which the more-proficient group excelled tended to be the weakest for the less-proficient group.^ The more-proficient writers also showed higher frequency in use of planning strategies, particularly goal setting and organizing, than the less-proficient group; these skills are shown to have positive correlation with all 6+1 variables, resulting in higher scores on written products for the more-proficient group. In addition, the more-proficient students employed the complex structure of the classic narrative to organize their written texts, reverting to simpler structures in their oral narratives; less-proficient writers used simpler structures in both oral and written narratives.^ Based on the findings of metacognitive strategy use, narrative structure, and scoring of written products between the two groups, the researcher offered possible instructional methods to enhance students' writing performance. ^
Education, Language and Literature|Education, Tests and Measurements|Education, Elementary|Language, Rhetoric and Composition
Renee Sands Tobin,
"Written and oral personal narratives of more and less proficient writers"
(January 1, 2008).
ETD Collection for Fordham University. | <urn:uuid:8c4de2fc-d7b5-4d9e-b539-e1177d9918e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fordham.bepress.com/dissertations/AAI3302120/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905232 | 548 | 3.3125 | 3 |
The Iowa River Water Trail dedication ceremony and paddling event has been postponed from May 7 to August 6, due to fast currents and cold water. The schedule of events will remain the same.
"Safety is always our first concern," said Todd Robertson, rivers program outreach coordinator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "The combination of cold and fast moving water can be dangerous for all paddlers, but especially with inexperienced paddlers and children we often have on these trips."
While the ceremony will be delayed until August 6, information about paddling the Iowa River Trail is available now.
Signs are in place to help paddlers locate accesses in Johnson and Louisa counties. This segment of the Iowa River Water Trail begins in Iowa City and continues to the confluence with the Mississippi River, a total of 72 river miles unobstructed by dams. For more information about the trail, visit http://www.iowariverwatertrail.com/ or call 319-523-8381 to receive a brochure/map by mail.
The Iowa River Water Trail project is a collaborative effort led by Tri-Rivers Conservation Foundation, Louisa County Conservation and Johnson County Conservation boards. Other partners include the cities of Iowa City and Wapello, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Louisa Development Group. Additional sponsors for the dedication float are Iowa Valley RC&D, Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County and Hills Bank & Trust. | <urn:uuid:9b64b05f-cfc2-4f35-8f0d-e057330cfc3e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iowadnr.gov/DesktopModules/AdvancedArticles/ArticleDetail.aspx?ItemId=200&alias=www.iowadnr.gov&ModuleId=2780&TabId=476&PortalId=3 | 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 | 0.931922 | 292 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Kyleigh's Law Cut Crashes by 9%, Study Says
Researchers claim 1,624 crashes prevented as a result of Graduated License Program in first year.
After its first full year as a New Jersey law, the graduated driver’s license program has yielded a 9-percent drop in police-reported crash rates, according to a recent study published by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
The Graduated Driver’s License program, also known as Kyleigh’s Law, named for Long Valley teen Kyleigh D’allesio who, along with peer Tanner Birch was killed in a car crash in 2006 in Washington Township, was signed into law May 1, 2010.
Along with the 9-percent decrease in police-reported crashes among drivers under 21 years of age, the study shows there was a 14-percent increase in the citation rate from May 2010 to May 2011–the one-year time frame analyzed by a group of researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Kyleigh’s Law requires young drivers to affix decals on their license plates. The legislation also enforces the amount of passengers allowed in a vehicle at one time and imposes curfews on probationary motorists.
The study states an “estimated 1,624 young probationary drivers for whom a crash was prevented” as a result of the law.
Researchers concluded that “the law is positively affecting probationary drivers’ safety.”
For related Patch coverage on the topic, see: | <urn:uuid:c674a0c3-103d-4da6-b831-8f3c3bf5742f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://maplewood.patch.com/articles/kyleigh-s-law-cut-crashes-by-9-study-says | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954673 | 317 | 2.28125 | 2 |
On Jan. 28, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates Saint Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century theologian who showed that the Catholic faith is in harmony with philosophy and all other branches of knowledge.
Blessed John Paul II, in his 1998 letter “Fides et Ratio,” said St. Thomas “had the great merit of giving pride of place to the harmony which exists between faith and reason,” knowing that “both the light of reason and the light of faith come from God … Hence there can be no contradiction between them.”
Thomas was born during 1225 into a noble family, having relatives among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. His father Landulph was the Count of Aquino, and his mother Theodora, the Countess of Teano. At age five, Thomas was sent to study at Monte Cassino, the abbey founded by St. Benedict.
The boy's intellectual gifts and serious disposition impressed the monks, who urged his father to place him in a university by the time he was 10. At the University of Naples, he learned philosophy and rhetoric while taking care to preserve his morals against corruption by other students.
It is said that a hermit, before Thomas' birth, told Theodora that she would have a son who would enter the Dominican Order “and so great will be his learning and sanctity that in his day no one will be found to equal him.” In his adolescence, Thomas' friendship with a holy Dominican inspired him to join them.
His family, however, did not envision the brilliant young man as a penniless and celibate preacher. His brothers kidnapped him from the Dominicans, took him to the family's castle, and at one point even sent a woman to seduce him – whom Thomas drove out by brandishing a poker from the fireplace.
Under pressure from both the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, Thomas' brothers allowed him to escape from captivity. He traveled to Rome and received the Pope's blessing upon his vocation, which would soon take him to Paris to study with the theologian later canonized as Saint Albert the Great.
Thomas' silent demeanor caused other students to nickname him “the Dumb Ox.” Albert, however, discovered that the young man was a brilliant thinker, and proclaimed: “We call him the Dumb Ox, but he will give such a bellow in learning as will be heard all over the world.”
By the time he was 23, Thomas was teaching alongside his mentor at the university of Cologne. During 1248, he published his first commentaries on the pre-Christian Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose insights on nature, logic, and metaphysics would inform Thomas' approach to Catholic theology.
Around the middle of the century Thomas was ordained to the priesthood, in which he showed great reverence for the liturgy and skill as a homilist. In keeping with the Dominican order's charism for preaching, he strove to bring his own family to a sincere practice of the faith, and largely succeeded.
St. Thomas' best-known achievements, however, are his works of theology. These include the Summa Contra Gentiles, the Compendium Theologiae, and the great Summa Theologica – which was placed on the altar along with the Bible at the 16th century Council of Trent for easy reference during discussions.
In December 1273, however, the scholar proclaimed that he could write no more, following a mystical experience in which he said he had “seen things that make my writings look like straw.” But he complied with a request to attend the Council of Lyon to help reunite the Latin and Greek churches.
On his way there, however, Thomas became ill and stopped at a Cistercian abbey. The monks treated him with reverence, and it was to them that he dictated a final work of theology: a commentary on the Old Testament's Song of Songs.
The saint did not live to finish this commentary, however. Nearing death, he made a final confession and asked for the Eucharist to be brought to him. In its presence, he declared: “I adore you, my God and my Redeemer … for whose honor I have studied, labored, preached, and taught.”
“I hope I have never advanced any tenet as your word, which I had not learned from you,” he told God, before making his last communion. “If through ignorance I have done otherwise, I revoke everything of that kind, and submit all my writings to the judgment of the holy Roman Church.”
His last words were addressed to one of the Cistercians who asked for a word of spiritual guidance. “Be assured that he who shall always walk faithfully in (God's) presence, always ready to give him an account of all his actions, shall never be separated from him by consenting to sin,” he declared.
St. Thomas Aquinas died on March 7, 1274. He was canonized in 1323, and made a Doctor of the Church in 1568. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council taught that seminarians should learn “under the guidance of St. Thomas,” in order to “illumine the mysteries of salvation as completely as possible.” | <urn:uuid:f4e140b0-18db-42a6-805f-d49503906524> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=130 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985123 | 1,103 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Hannah, Interpretation Manager (no, that’s not me in the photo, it’s the Oviraptor!)
With less than two weeks of Age of the Dinosaur to go we’re starting to reflect on a ‘dinosaur-tastic’ summer.
We’ve been evaluating the exhibitions since day one, and we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has contributed. Your feedback helps us to find out what you like and, just as importantly, what you don’t like. This will help both us and the Natural History Museum to improve what we do for future exhibitions, ensuring that we are responding to our visitors.
So, what do you like best? Unsurprisingly the animatronic dinosaurs are the stars of the show (though we do know that you would have liked explanatory labels beside these). You’ve been thrilled by how lifelike these moving dinosaurs are, and how the realistic sound effects and alarming shaking floor contributed to this. You’ve also given Discover Dinosaurs a big thumbs-up, with the ‘Dino Dig’ being particularly popular, as it gives you the chance to get really hands-on as palaeontologists. Lots of praise for our Dino Demonstrators too, for their enthusiasm, knowledge and skill in making the subject so much fun for visitors of all ages.
It seems you’ve been learning a lot from the exhibitions too. Many of you expressed surprise that scientists now know that some dinosaurs had feathers and the birds that we see around today are their distant relations. You’ve also enjoyed finding out that dinosaur fossils have been found in Northern Ireland and that there are more different types of dinosaur than you once thought, particularly as new dinosaurs are being discovered all the time. And, isn’t it strange that the biggest dinosaur (Argentinosaurus, who weighed in at a massive 100 tons) was a relatively gentle plant-eater rather than a fearsome meat-eater?
Here are just a few of the great comments from our visitors. Thanks again everyone!
The interactive exhibits were really good. I saw as many adults as children playing with them!
I liked the bit about the sand where you had to dig up the fossils because you could learn some new things
I learnt that all dinosaurs lived on the earth, thought they lived in the sea as well
We liked the set-up and movements of the animals. To see the children’s faces light up when viewing the exhibition was a treat.
Dinosaurs have been discovered in Northern Ireland (my son wanted to know if there was a Northern Ireland dinosaur!)
I learned how much food the dinosaurs ate in one day – a lot more than me!
Yes, I learnt the names of some dinosaurs and that dinosaur poo looks very similar to Labrador poo!
I lost count of the names of new dinosaurs I saw
Dinosaurs had feathers! Pigs, goats and horses lived millions of years before man did
Superb exhibition – well laid out, ultra-realistic and informative | <urn:uuid:743d5c15-bc97-4a02-9f16-fc324f4d538a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ageofthedinosaur.tumblr.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970702 | 640 | 1.804688 | 2 |
- April is the month to . . .
- Preparing to Avoid Late Blight
- Lily Leaf Beetles: Spring is the best time to manage them!
- Early Season Vegetables
- Finish pruning apples and other fruit trees. For information on the care of fruit trees plan to purchase Growing Fruit Trees in Maine for $9.50 from your local Extension office or from our online bookstore. It contains information on how to grow fruit trees under Maine conditions, including cultural practices for apple, pear, peach, cherry, plum, and apricot trees. It covers varieties adapted to Maine, rootstocks, planting, early care, fertilization, pollination, pruning, lack of fruitfulness, pests and diseases, and preparation for winter.
- Take soil samples and send to the University of Maine Analytical Lab. When you receive the soil test report, plan to amend the garden as recommended. The cost is $15. Get your form online or visit your local Extension office for a form and mailer box. (For more information about testing your soil, see Bulletin #2286, Testing Your Soil, Testing Your Soil, Part 1, and TestingYour Soil, Part 2.)
- Till only when soil is dry enough. Tilling wet soil will ruin the soil structure for the rest of the summer! Once you have tilled your garden, some of the first vegetables that can be planted include peas, lettuce, and spinach.
- Rake the remaining leaves off the lawn. In late April plan to reseed bare spots in the lawn. For help on establishing a new lawn, check out Bulletin # 2367, Establishing a Home Lawn.
- Refresh mulch around landscape trees and shrubs once the ground has thawed and warmed. Beware of “tree volcanoes” that have mulch built up around the trunk of the tree. Mulch in contact with the trunk can trap moisture and encourage disease and insect attack on the tree.
- “Rejuvenate” old, overgrown shrubs by removing 1/3 of the thickest stems. Cut them off right at the ground. Next spring, you can remove another 1/3 and finish the job in 2012.
- Lime/sulfur spray on raspberries before the leaves are at the 1/2-inch green stage to control anthracnose, spur blight, and cane blight.
- Order a copy of Pest Management for the Home Vegetable Garden in Maine, Bulletin #2188 for $6.90.
- Enjoy the fall bulbs that you planted. The daffodils, crocus, hyacinth, and tulips will be showing their colors this month.
- Plan your landscape with summer cooling in mind. Small to medium height deciduous shade trees planted near the east and west facing walls of your house can provide cooling shade to the walls. To shade the roof, plant taller deciduous trees at the southeast and southwest corners of your yard, but keep the true south side of your house tree-free to get all the solar gain in the winter. Place large trees no closer than 20 feet from the house. Three properly placed trees can save an average of $100 to $250 in heating and cooling costs annually.
- Plant a thick line of evergreen trees 40 to 100 feet from the house to block the cold northwesterly winds and evergreen foundation plantings about 5 feet away from the house to create a “dead air” space next to the house will help reduce your winter heating costs.
Much of the winter’s snow has melted and you are already thinking ahead to this year’s growing season. Last year’s garden was a big success except for the LATE BLIGHT that wiped out the tomatoes and potatoes. The substantial presence of late blight in Maine during the 2009 crop year has produced the potential for inoculum to be widespread in 2010. As the growing season draws near, it is time for gardeners to prepare for late blight avoidance.
Late blight (which helped to create the Irish Potato Famine and the “hungry forties” in England and throughout Europe in the 1840’s) is caused by Phytophthora infestans, a fungus that overwinters on living tomato or potato tissue. The disease first appears as irregular, pale to dark green, water-soaked spots. These spots usually appear on the tips or edges of the leaves. In cool, moist weather or under humid conditions, the spots enlarge rapidly and form brown to purplish-black necrotic areas with wavy, indefinite borders, surrounded by a yellowish-green halo. Also under these conditions, a ring or a surface of white fungal growth may appear at the edge of the lesion on the underside of the leaf, which produces spores that move to other plants and continue the infection.
Eliminate inoculum: When the snow has melted, thoroughly examine your garden and surrounding property for any potential sources of inoculum. Destroy cull piles and any other potatoes that were left behind after last year’s harvest. Search the area, including compost piles, and destroy volunteer potatoes and any remaining living tomato plants. The living tissue that has overwintered could be infected with late blight and could potentially infect this year’s crop.
Use disease-free seed and transplants: You should not plant saved tubers from last year’s blighted potato crop. However, if you choose to plant saved tubers, keep them at room temperature for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, examine the tubers, discard any suspect ones, and plant the remainder. Buy and plant certified potato seed to reduce your risk of planting infected tubers. Try to use whole potato seed if possible. Use of whole potato seed reduces the risk of spreading late blight to multiple tubers during the cutting process. Growing your own tomato transplants or purchasing from a reputable grower will ensure a healthy start to the season. Be sure to inspect all transplants for late blight lesions and other potential problems before planting.
Choose resistant varieties: Planting late blight resistant varieties is also an option. Resistance, however, does not mean immunity. Late blight resistant varieties can withstand late blight pressure to a point. However, if there is a great spore load from many infected plants, even resistant plants can get the disease, although not as badly as the susceptible varieties. The other point to remember is that late blight can mutate and the mutation may be able to overcome the resistance. Some of the resistant potato varieties available to the backyard gardener include Kennebec, Sebago, Allegany (foliage only, tubers are very susceptible) and red-skinned varieties, Rosa, and Chieftain. Resistant tomato varieties include Ferline, Fantasio, and Legend. Anecdotal evidence also indicates that the tomato variety Matt’s Wild may also have some resistance.
Rotate planting sites: Tomatoes and potatoes can be planted in the same spot as last year without any late blight problems as long as overwintering plant debris has been disposed of. However, it is certainly good practice to rotate the crops in your garden as much as possible. Try not to plant crops in the same spot in your garden year after year and do not rotate with related crops.
Provide optimal growing conditions: The weather conditions during the 2009 growing season were extremely conducive to the development of potato late blight. During the months of May through August, central Maine received over 20 inches of rain, 7 inches above the average rainfall for that time period. Unfortunately, gardeners have no control over the weather conditions. However, by providing proper drainage, air circulation, good soil fertility, and utilizing the necessary cultural practices late blight susceptibility can be minimized. The use of nitrogen in the garden can also affect late blight susceptibility. Excess nitrogen produces lush foliage that is more susceptible to late blight and for a longer period of time. In order to avoid this increased susceptibility, nitrogen should be applied early in the season and at the recommended dosage.
While these avoidance strategies provide an excellent starting point to a late blight-free growing season, they do not guarantee one. During the growing season, be sure to pay attention to weather conditions and pest alerts to learn about whether late blight has been observed in your area. Most importantly, monitor your garden for any irregularities, especially early stem lesions, and to determine any actions you may need to take in order to protect your crops.
Lily Leaf Beetles: Spring is the best time to manage them!
By Lois Berg Stack, Extension Professor, Ornamental Horticulture, University of Maine (email@example.com);
Eleanor Groden, Professor, Entomology, University of Maine; and
Philip Stack, Research Entomologist, University of Maine
Lily leaf beetles have been in Maine gardens since 1997. By now, we’re all familiar with them: the bright red beetles feed on our lilies in late spring, and lay their egg masses on the undersides of the leaves. By late summer, the larvae that develop from those eggs have turned our lilies into skeletons. After a few years of feeding, the plants decline and die.
But there’s good news. You CAN manage lily leaf beetles. Spring is a great time to address this problem with non-chemical controls. Here’s what you need to get started:
- Learn to recognize lily leaf beetles;
- Understand the most vulnerable stage in this beetle’s life cycle; and
- Dedicate time to scouting and managing the beetles.
1. Learn to recognize lily leaf beetles
Lily leaf beetle adults are bright scarlet, and about 1/4-inch long. Their head, antennae, legs and undersides are black (see photo). When disturbed, they either fall to the ground or fly away. They are strong fliers and can travel quite long distances.
2. Understand the most vulnerable stage in this beetle’s life cycle
Lily leaf beetle adults overwinter in plant debris or soil. You might find them near the lilies they fed on last year, or some distance away. NOW is the time to look for them. They’re most often in places that are cool, moist and shaded. They’re already active – disturb the mulch in your garden, and you’ll likely find them if you saw them last year.
Unlike many other plant pests, lily leaf beetles complete just one generation each year. Each beetle you can kill now means a significant reduction in the population later this summer.
The adults are now living on their fat reserves, and will start to feed when host plants such as lilies and fritillarias emerge later this spring. Soon after that, the beetles will lay their orange eggs in an irregular line on the undersides of lily leaves. By midsummer, the larvae will emerge from these eggs to feed on leaves and flower buds. As the larvae grow, they’ll cover themselves in their own excrement, making their removal an unpleasant task. By late summer, the larvae will metamorphose into pupae, drop to the soil, and emerge later as adults. These adults will overwinter … and the cycle will continue.
3. Dedicate time to scouting and managing the beetles
While you’re checking your garden this spring, disturb the mulch in the area around your lilies. Check moist, shaded, cool spots for best success. When you find a beetle, simply step on it or crush it between your finger and thumb. Repeat this process at least once a week. When your lily plants emerge, check them as well; you’ll see many adults either feeding or mating on lilies. After you see mating beetles, check the undersides of lily leaves for the eggs. They’re easy to crush; simply rub them off the leaves. Stick to your weekly schedule, as you’ll find new egg masses through most of the summer. Your job will be easier if you start early. Remember, every adult you kill now means a reduced population later in the summer.
For more information, see Bulletin #2450, Lily Leaf Beetle.
Wow, what a spring season we have had so far. Rains in the Southern part of Maine have been torrential, while gardeners in the central part of Maine are rototilling their gardens in March and planting early season vegetables.
Many gardeners begin planting in May, sometimes around the traditional last frost date or Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, this leaves them missing out on some of the best growing conditions for cool season vegetables. Not only do they miss out on some of the productivity of the crop, the cool season crops sown late in the spring or early summer often have their season cut short by hot dry conditions in June or early July. Cool season crops sown early in the season tend to be more productive and also are more competitive against weeds, and usually beat out the pesky summer annual weeds that germinate in late May and early June.
So what can be sown in the garden early in the season? First off, your soil must be dry enough before you go rushing out and plant. If you can grasp a fist full of your soil and it stays together in a ball, it is too wet. Don’t go out and till, thinking that will help dry it out quicker. You may end up destroying your soil structure and causing more problems down the road. Secondly, plan your early season crops where you know it will remain somewhat drier if we get those pesky late April or early May rains. This may mean that you might want rake some soil into a raised bed of about 6-8” tall that will keep any seeds or young plants from drowning. Finally, you may consider germinating some plants indoors that you would not traditionally transplant and therefore get a jump on the season while being able to control seeds from rotting if it does get too wet.
So what can be planted that withstand cold nights and germinate in cool soils? Some of the traditional crops that can be sown are greens such as lettuce, spinach and kale. Often carrots are seeded this time of year as well. Since carrots are relatively slow to germinate, some gardeners add in a small amount of radish seeds to mark the rows as the radishes emerge quickly in cool soils and may be some of your first crops to harvest, well before the carrots. Members of the brassica family are also suited for cool season growing. Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage grow best in temperatures between 60 and 70 F. However, exposure to prolonged periods of temperatures below 50 F may cause premature head development or buttoning. These are often transplanted into the garden but can also be direct seeded. Onion seeds, sets or plants are also cold and frost tolerant and can be sown early in the garden season.
Two of my favorite vegetables and a Maine tradition for early season growing are peas and beets. Both of these crops require moist cool soils to germinate. Remember to inoculate your pea seeds with an appropriate nitrogen fixing bacteria! Finally, as I like to have new potatoes with my peas on the 4th of July, plant some early season potatoes.
All of these crops can benefit from the use of row covers or low tunnels early in the season to enhance growing conditions and protect from some extreme cold conditions that may happen—remember we do live in Maine!
University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Maine Home Garden News is designed to equip home gardeners with practical, timely information. Subscribe for free via Really Simple Syndication (RSS), which will automatically alert you when there’s been an update
Subscribing with RSS means you no longer have to visit our site regularly to find out what’s new there. Your RSS Reader will automatically alert you when something new appears on the site. Learn more about feeds at http://extension.umaine.edu/about/feeds/.
Maine Home Garden News was created in response to a continued increase in requests for information on gardening and includes timely and seasonal tips, as well as research-based articles on all aspects of gardening. Articles are written by UMaine Extension specialists, educators, and horticulture professionals, as well as Master Gardener Volunteers from around the state, with Professor Richard Brzozowski serving as editor. | <urn:uuid:0ec3eb6e-09a6-4168-b0a2-1a2b748928e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://umaine.edu/gardening/blog/tag/vegetables/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942095 | 3,399 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Print version ISSN 0213-9111
DOMINGUEZ-BERJON, María Felícitas and BORRELL, Carme. Mortality and socioeconomic deprivation in the census tracts and districts of Barcelona (Spain). Gac Sanit [online]. 2005, vol.19, n.5, pp. 363-369. ISSN 0213-9111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0213-91112005000500004.
Objectives: To analyze the association between socioeconomic deprivation and mortality in the census tracts of Barcelona and the distinct patterns of this association in the districts. Methods: We performed an ecological, cross sectional study based on the 1,812 census tracts and the 10 districts of Barcelona, using socioeconomic variables obtained from the 1991 census and mortality data for 1987-1995. A deprivation index was created through component analysis. Descriptive analyses were performed and multivariate Poisson regression models were adjusted. Results: The greater the socioeconomic deprivation in the census tracts, the higher the mortality. The quartile with the greatest deprivation had a relative risk (RR) of mortality of 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.27) in males and an RR of 1.05 (95% CI, 1.02-1.07) in females (compared with the quartile of census tracts with the lowest deprivation). This association varied according to district: in the old inner-city district (district 1), which had the highest mortality and the greatest deprivation, the RR was 1.57 (95% CI, 1.21-2.05) for males, while in district 8, which also has considerable deprivation, mortality was lower. Conclusions: Analysis of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in census tracts in an urban area highlights special areas of risk not observed in analysis of districts.
Keywords : Social inequalities in health; Mortality; Deprivation; Small areas; Census. | <urn:uuid:bbbcd02c-f097-4a68-9547-2421bb8f090c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0213-91112005000500004&lng=en&nrm=iso | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905164 | 411 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Canadian Standards of Hospice Palliative Nursing Care
Cancer Net is a wide range of accurate, credible cancer information from the National Cancer Institute. The comprehensive cancer database includes summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, and supportive care as well as information on ongoing clinical trials.
Based in Toronto, Canada, the goal of CNI is to be a national single information source to make your life as a caregiver easier.
Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)
Caregiving is becoming a significant issue for many people. This resource provides help to others to cope with the demands of caregiving.
Center to Improve Care of the Dying
CICD is an interdisciplinary team of committed individuals, engaged in research, public advocacy, and education activities to improve the care of the dying and their families.
Department of Health and Human Services, Healthfinder
Healthfinder is a consumer health and human services information web site, which can lead you to selected online publications, web sites, and not-for-profit organizations
Defining wellness through the 'End of Life': Resources for patients and families facing life-limiting illness.
EDELE- Epidemiology of Dying & End-of-Life experience
This online, searchable catalogue helps you quickly find public data about decedents and care at the end of life.
Education for Physicians on End-of-Life Care (EPEC)
Educates physicians, through its core curriculum, on essential clinical competencies required to provide quality end-of-life care.
Eldercare Web is a collection of reviewed links to on-line information about health, financing, housing, and other issues related to the care of the frail elderly.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D.
Author of "On Death and Dying." Interview with Dr. Daniel Redwood.
End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC)
A comprehensive national education program to develop a core of expert nursing educators and to coordinate national nursing efforts in end-of-life care topic areas and educational formats.
End-of-Life Physician Education Resource Center (EPERC)
Assists physician educators and others in locating high-quality, peer-reviewed training materials with educational materials indexed by end-of-life care topic areas and eductional formats. | <urn:uuid:28b75868-7488-433d-9e9e-9be45b0a929d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/departments/medicine/GIM/Popcrn/Pages/Links.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910226 | 481 | 2.234375 | 2 |
As regiments of United States Colored Troops restored order in the former Confederate capital of Richmond, their professionalism surprised ex-rebels. "What hurt the most was to see the Colored troops," a white female Richmonder grudgingly conceded to a white Union soldier in April 1865. "We were surprised to see them so well drilled, and clothed and equipped."
Confederate soldiers and civilians, including women, were required to take oaths of allegiance after the war and formally apply for pardons if they wished to obtain federal assistance, return of captured property (excepting slaves) or restoration of their civil rights. Secretary of State William Seward issued this pardon to Mary E. G. Gilliam of Dinwiddie County, Virginia,on January 19, 1866.
The end of the war not only brought defeat to the Confederacy, but also freedom to the slaves. Eloise Connor of Virginia found it difficult to adjust to this new relationship to her former slaves, complaining that "My future course is still uncertain. The servants are not willing to remain with me on the same terms."
An 1866 broadside, "To His Excellency Andrew Johnson," in which Richmond women appeal for the imprisoned Jefferson Davis: "Woman has ever been the privileged pleader, even for those who have no special claim upon her regard. To the women of Virginia Mr. Davis can never be an object of indifference."
After the war, Southern women remained loyal to the Confederacy. In this 1866 invitation to a benefit supper to raise funds for a Confederate cemetery, this Ladies' Memorial Association of Charlottesville describes its mission as "to embrace the sisterhood of those who once called the Confederate cause their own."
Margaret J. Preston's "Memorial Psalm/For The Tenth of May," 1878, commemorating the unofficial "Confederate Memorial Day."
The Ladies Confederate Memorial Association of Charlottesville, Virginia, issued this 1890 form letter, "Dear Sir, In the cemetery of the University of Virginia are buried 1,091 Confederate soldiers" as part of their fund raising appeal for the erection of a monument to Confederate soldiers buried in a cemetery next to the University of Virginia Cemetery. Their efforts were successful in June 1893; the monument bore the inscription, "Fate denied them victory but crowned them with glorious immortality." | <urn:uuid:ec70a02b-f55e-4455-9ecb-bc0835bdaa14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/hearts/end | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959785 | 473 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Math Mountain is a friendly, fun, interactive mathematics game for all ages, from early learners to curious adults, where you have to climb to the top of a mountain by answering simple math questions faster than your opponent. You can play against the computer or a friend. This charming addition, subtraction, multiplication and division learning game is a magnificent way to test and practice your math skills or begin your love affair with the magic of numbers!
OK, you earn 10 different IQ points for answering a question correctly. You also earn Bonus points for answering a question in less than 10 seconds. When you get an answer right, you move up the mountain in either 1,2 or 3 steps – based on how hard the question was. If you get the answer wrong, you move back the same number of steps. Whoever gets to the red flag at the top of the mountain first is the winner! There are various powerups you can use to help you climb the mountain. Have fun looking out for these and trying out their effects. OK Brainiac, time to get climbing! Use your super-sharp math skills to think your way to the top!
How To Play: Use your computer mouse to choose between (Computer Vs Human) or (Human Vs Human). Select your Game Mode (Normal, Hard or Insane) and your preferred character with the mouse. Once you start the game, use the mouse to click on the correct answer from the options in the game’s grey display screen. You can see your remaining lives and IQ points scored and powerups at the bottom of the game screen. In the top left corner of the game screen, you can see a map of your progress against your opponent. Happy Climbing! | <urn:uuid:412376b4-7d6c-4251-885c-c00145ae6139> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.learn4good.com/games/mathforkids/funfortheclassroom.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922468 | 348 | 1.976563 | 2 |
First, understand I'm not the biggest proponent of bugout bags. I know they're cool and sexy, etc. But the reality is that for most folks, the crises you want to prepare for mostly will be situations where you bunker down, so to speak.
Of course, if you're in hurricane country, then being able to bugout with your necessary preps is a must. Either way, try to keep your preps together as much as possible so you can access them or move them quickly as necessary.
Basically--bug-out bags are real popular with folks who imagine hitting the road or the trails for an adventure of some kind. In a real crisis, that should actually be plan z since being out there away from home and your community, you will be at your most vulnerable.
For starter prepping on a budget ...
First--assess your personal situation. What are the likeliest disasters for your region, or your neighborhood. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, terror attacks, etc.?
Then, look at what you already have on hand to potentially help you deal with power outages, injuries, water and food shortages, transportation challenges, crime, anarchy. You probably already have some things that will be very useful. Don't be afraid to think creatively.
1. Know that your most immediate physical need is good drinking water, so that's a good place to start. Put away some bottled water. On a budget, you can simply use tap water in empty, cleaned two-liter bottles or gallon jugs. A water filter would also be on my initial must-have list. I would also have a steel pot of some kind and a means to start a fire so you can boil water over a campfire if your water supply becomes suspect.
Keep your water bottles and filter together in a box or other container so that if you do need to go mobile, you can easily move those things into your car trunk or even into a wagon if you must leave on foot.
2. Next, you will have to eat. Stock up as you can on some food that doesn't require refrigeration. Ideally, for convenience sake, it would be something precooked and high in calories. Most folks want things with a good long shelf life, but you can also simply rotate the food into your diet so what you have stays fresh. I'd alway try to keep at least some of your food in storage and ready to go if need be, along with your water. If you're going to need can openers, eating utensils, a frying pan, etc., have those set aside in your preps as well.
3. First aid--have at least some basic bandages, antiseptic, and over the counter pain killers in your kit. Important--be sure any prescription meds or other special medical supplies that are necessary are in your preps.
4. At this point, I would address self-defense. If you don't already have a firearm and ammo, see if you can't work one into your budget. My preference would be a .45 if I was limited to just one, but folks here at this forum may have other thoughts on that.
5. Last of the basics--secure shelter. Is your home secure? Do you have someplace to quickly go in a windstorm? If you do need to leave home for some reason, where will you go exactly? Will it be safe and will you be welcomed there? This may or may not be an expensive pursuit--but think these things thru.
6. Nice to have additionally--reliable transporation and extra fuel--auto, bicycles. Back-up power source like a generator. Tent, sleeping bags, backpack, outdoors gear and clothing, boots, fishing gear. And how about a faithful companion of the furry, four-legged variety. I think a good dog can serve many purposes when things go dark.
Last edited by JC Refuge; 04-24-2012 at 20:31.. | <urn:uuid:95520b8a-0b47-4c81-9089-f4e9634253ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1417504 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960755 | 818 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Eddystone is a group of rocks about 14 miles off the coast of England southwest of Plymouth, on which there is an important lighthouse (Eddystone Lighthouse) along with the remnants of previous lighthouses, indicating the approaches to the English Channel.
The major part of one of those previous lighthouses has been reassembled on Plymouth Hoe as Smeaton's Tower.
The Eddystone is the approximate boundary between the cold water fish of northern europe and the warm waters fish of more southerly lattitudes. This boundary, which is of importance to the fishing industry, tends to fluctuate over the years reflecting climatic cycles.
Thomas D'Arcy McGee commented that Canada's foundations were as "strong as the foundations of Eddystone" (The Globe, 31 October 1864, 4).
The term "Foundations of Eddystone" was used as a chapter title in Frederick Vaughan 's The Canadian Federalist Experiment: from Defiant Monarchy to Reluctant Republic (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003).
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:de2e2ca8-d2ea-4e29-b807-777b42862c04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/science_fair_projects_encyclopedia/Eddystone | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926278 | 258 | 3.859375 | 4 |
Story By Susan Koomar
DINGMANS FERRY - Residents on the Milford end of the McDade Trail will be able to take a much longer hike next summer if all goes according to plan.
National Park Service officials expect to open a new section of trail that will extend from Raymondskill Road south to Bushkill - 12 miles one way. The northern end of the trail now runs just three miles from Milford Beach to Raymondskill/Pittman Orchard.
Much of the trail has been constructed. The next step is installing 12 pedestrian bridges that range from 25- to 80-feet long. That work will begin this fall by a private contractor, said Rich Degnan, facility manager of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
"My goal is connectivity," he said.
A new section of trail north of Smithfield Beach will have three timber bridges constructed by park staff. Degnan hopes to keep that part of the project moving through the winter.
"Even when it's 20 or 30 degrees, we can go out and build bridges," he said.
McDade Trail work has been deferred as a result of three major Delaware River floods. Hikers and bikers can view the river from many sections of the trail. Degnan credited his staff with resiliency and determination this summer - a season when rain could have further delayed the project.
"They put extra effort into it despite the weather. They didn't let the weather get them down. Their attitude is ‘Let's get ‘er done,' " he said. "We kept moving to a different location - whatever was highest and driest."
Park employees had help from volunteers of the Student Conservation Association this summer. The students constructed a rock wall along a steep section of trail near Turn Farm along River Road.
After the new sections open next year, the park service will seek volunteers to patrol and help maintain the trail. A volunteer bike patrol already exists.
"It's a lot of trail to cover," he said.
Degnan knows firsthand how popular the trail is. Residents of Sunrise Lake Estates, he and his wife bike the trail about twice a month.
The project dates back about ten years, made possible by federal funds and named for longtime 10th congressional district representative Joseph McDade of Scranton.
In addition to the McDade and other trails, hikers can follow 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. | <urn:uuid:3571fa71-4c30-4bcd-92a7-b28f9cfc07a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesca.org/newsroom/mcdade-trail-getting-longer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962162 | 508 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Dal Office of Sustainability
Ryan McNutt - April 12, 2012
Listen to Rochelle Owen discuss the work of Dalhousie’s Office of Sustainability and you may wonder if she ever sleeps.
This past Wednesday, she hosted a “sustainability celebration” to highlight the extensive work that her office has undertaken over the past school year: lighting projects, Ecolympics, a fridge replacement program, water and energy savings, natural environment reviews, transportation planning…the list went on and on.
She has help, though: more than 50 students worked with the office this year alone, in a variety of different roles. Some projects, like the natural environment plan documenting the campus’ flora and landscaping, are almost entirely student driven. Students also take on leadership roles: seven students, for example, sit on the President’s Advisory Council on Sustainability and its subcommittees.
“We couldn’t do this work without students,” said Ms. Owen. “Their research, their guidance and their leadership are crucial to our ongoing projects.”
Fridge exchanges, bike racks and energy savings
In her presentation, Ms. Owen highlighted some of the office’s results from the past year. Remember the fridge exchange program, for example? With the support of Efficiency Nova Scotia, the Office of Sustainability replaced 491 fridges and freezers on campus, at no cost to individual units. The project will save Dalhousie more than $26,000 each year and reduce the university’s CO2 output by 220 tonnes.
The oldest fridge that was replaced belonged to Dalhousie biologist Ron O’Dor, who received a special prize at the event for the honour. Just how old was the fridge?
“GE doesn’t even know,” he laughed, saying that the model may date back to the 1940s. “It’s older than I am, for sure.”
Other successes highlighted include the addition of 272 new bike rack spots on campus, reaching the planned target for CO2 emission reduction a year ahead of schedule thanks to the move to natural gas, and a research project during the demolition of houses on LeMarchant Street to make way for the new mixed-use residence.
Three of those houses diverted 84 per cent of materials from the landfill, exceeding the LEED gold standard of 75 per cent. For the fourth house, Dal used a unique deconstruction technique that diverted 90 per cent of waste, and will be sharing its results with the provincial government to identify ways that such a method could be made more feasable and cost-effective for other projects.
At the event, Ms. Owen also presented prizes for the winners of the Residence Ecolympics and the ReThink Sustainability Teams’ Challenge. The former went to Gerrard Hall, which conserved both the most energy and water (23,000 litres' worth) during the two-week event. And for the third straight year, the Killam Library won the ReThink award, with initiatives including a waste diversion project with environmental science students and making sustainability kits available for patrons to check out.
Future projects for the Office of Sustainability include a major lighting retrofit getting underway this summer, and sustainability assessments of Dalhousie Food Services’ seven commercial-sized kitchens on campus. The office also hopes to complete final approvals on its Institutional Cycling Master Plan (in cooperation with other universities and local hospitals) and launch employee bus program with Metro Transit.
For the latest on the activities of the Office of Sustainability, or more detail on its programs, visit its website.
comments powered by Disqus | <urn:uuid:3dd36016-d4b0-4cd6-bb2c-c4941642d090> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dal.ca/news/2012/04/12/sustainable-accomplishments.html?newsTabs=Comments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937941 | 769 | 1.804688 | 2 |
In this blog we examine current software quality assurance and software delivery methods and look deeper to understand why software defects occur. Understanding the root causes of why software defects occur is really the only assured way to move to methods of software quality assurance and software delivery that guarantee resulting quality increases with attendant software delivery efficiency. Having identified the root causes we go on to map out how we can revolutionise both our expectations of software quality and software delivery by leveraging automation founded on mathematics and engineering practices.
We are increasingly seeing terms such as "Software Quality Assurance", "Total Quality", "Zero Defects" and "CMMI" in our world of IT. From heads of procurement, quality directors and CIOs the clarion cry for better quality can be heard both in the corridors and the in board rooms with suppliers. We even hear it within the software service industry itself as we all try to deliver faster, cheaper with fewer defects higher quality and lower risk of failure.
Over the past half century our software industry has come up with yet another approach to software delivery, from the standard waterfall, to the V-model to agile delivery. And yet we are not happy. Waterfall projects don't seem to reflect the needs of the business fast enough in an ever-changing world, the V-model is similar and agile delivery is challenging our need for scale, visibility and predictability.
We all want to deliver faster, cheaper without compromising quality and yet we share the view of the great and the good that "quality is the pimple on the arse of progress".
In the IT world we do look at how quality and process efficiency can help manage the tension between velocity of delivery and quality of output in a changing world. The move towards using "lean" execution derives from the automotive industry. The adoption of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and its sister House of Quality (HoQ) into six-sigma, a sign of quality in itself, was a result of that same lean movement from Toyota.
According to a one-time examiner for the institute of quality assurance, applied largely to the aerospace industry. He says "Quality Assurance is essentially about closing the loop between a customer’s requirements and what is delivered.”8, something we often miss. When we test we test against requirements but are they a true reflection of what the customer wants and needs?
In the practice of Software Quality Assurance we often take a leaf out of the standard works on quality engineering, just as we do with lean. But we fail to understand that "both mechanical and electrical/electronic items or systems exhibit variance which does not exist in the digital software arena and much of traditional Quality Control is about that. A piece of code is non-variant. It isn’t right within defined tolerances it is either right or wrong".
We need to truly understand why software defects occur in order to postulate any solution for software quality assurance and software delivery methods that support our desired notion of quality.
The root cause of software defects
This fundamental observation, that cries out to be heard is that software is either right or wrong. This needs to be at the forefront of our desire for software that is delivered faster such that quality is increased and, by extension, customer wants and needs are satisfied. All of the delivery methods and quality methods that get deployed fail to address this fundamental observation and instead rely on people to interpret customer wants and desires in a succession of refinements from customer interviews to wire frames to the written word, the painted screen, into programming languages or configurations into executable software that does stuff.
They say the devil is in the detail and the devil in this detail is always rooted in translations “from one to another”. The more ambiguous they are, the higher the propensity for errors. We say errors rather than defects because “defect” is too softer a word. A defect in metal casting may occur because air bubbles get trapped. In software we only have errors because the software is wrong. In a perfect world, a computer program is just maths and it can be proven right or wrong against a set of axioms. And if it is wrong it can be said to erroneous.
Thus the root cause of software defects is ambiguity that leads to erroneous interpretations, from one level of refinement to another and in doing so has moved away from the customers requirements.
The way forward
If we step back and consider this problem of ambiguity it lies in the fact that the language employed at any level does not have sufficient semantics and structure to support any formal abstraction or indeed refinement.
On the one hand, refinement is the process we enact when we add detail, but in adding detail we want to preserve the semantics. In our complex world the only languages that have rigor and have really precise semantics are mathematically based; Java has an interpreter and a runtime that enforces semantics; UML class diagrams and the translation into Java is based on formal semantics. On the other hand, abstraction is really an ability to pull out some structure from something more detailed; a code review often looks at the structure to see if it matches to some higher-level description. Ideally we want languages to support requirements at different levels so that we can show formally refinement and abstraction. We want the same for design and we already have it for coding.
JT observed, "There are however methods such as mathematical methods that can provide high confidence that the system will be fault free and that is what QA is about". So what mathematical methods can we use? What are the limitations of those methods and will their use give us total confidence or are we missing something?
If we break the SDLC down into the standard phases and examine them one at time, we start to see that the axioms upon which proof relies are themselves statistical in nature.
Those axioms are an expression of a customer’s wants and needs, whereas designs, code and executables have a more formal algebraic relationship that lends itself to proof.
This latter step we take for granted but consider a simple piece of java (or any programming language). The computer on which that code executes does not understand the programming language, it understands only binary configured for it's specific CPU and operating system. We use a compiler to do the translation and we never question its correctness in so doing. Under the covers the compiler is running mini-proof checkers to make type judgments and that ensures the translation is correct.
But such algebraic proofs are not sufficient if the axioms upon which they are based are statistical and not absolute. Thus proving an executable implements some code which implements some design which meets some requirements is all well and good if we can say that the requirements are correct, because then we know through proof, not testing, that the executable is correct. But, alas, we can never prove requirements are correct.
If the fundamental tenant of Software Quality is that the software can be said to meet the wants and needs of the customer who requested it then, we need to look deeper into what sort of requirements need to be met and how we know or have confidence in those requirements. If we can do this, then leveraging an algebraic proof from requirements to executable code can reduce time to deliver and reduce the number of errors because we can get rid of the translation errors and quality as a measure of confidence can rise to the same levels we have for our requirements.
We mentioned HoQ before its adoption with QFD in six-sigma. But few six sigma practitioners, even those that are black belts, use either QFD or HoQ. And yet the seeds of confidence in requirements being correct, lay here. Joining up HoQ and the mathematics of Pi-calculus in such a way provides what is needed. In effect we ensure that the confidence levels are high in the requirements being correct and that means the axioms against which more algebraic proofs are made share the same confidence. This contrasts with how we do things today where the confidence levels that requirements are correct is often not very high and is compounded through design, code and test. This is why testing costs so much and why coding is inefficient with a lot of re-work happening through iterations in test and back to coding.
HoQ works through a simple statistical approach that relates stakeholders to requirements and enables a clear alignment, as requirements are refined back to the stakeholders who are impacted by the change and back to the higher-level requirements, business drivers and goals that necessitate change. Combining both cloud technology and HTML5 enables HoQ to be used on tablets such as iPads and Androids as well as on all other devices. This combination of mobility, low set-up costs provides a way to engage stakeholders in a structured discussion in order to tease on requirements, prioritise them based on the differing views of the stakeholders in a balanced way as well as capturing dependencies along the way. This technique brings well-known, statistical confidence to the process at each stage and through the refinement into actionable requirements. It encourages consensus across the stakeholders that increases the confidence in the actionable requirements.
If our actionable requirements are now deemed to be correct at a high balanced confidence level we have confidence in the axioms against which we can use algebraic proof. If we can then show that a design is correct by proof against the requirements we can assert that the confidence in the design is at the same level of confidence as the requirements. Furthermore we can then generate artefacts to drive coding and structure what is coded from that design and we can check that when the coding comes together in systems integration testing is conformant to that design. This provides us with the same level of confidence that what is coded is also correct against the requirements as it can be algebraically checked against the design itself.
As JT points out “The art of standing in the position of the customer or end user is so often missing. For some reason the independence of thought required to forget the processes that stand between requirement and assurance and to close that loop is often missing in both hardware and software.”. We can of course leverage all of this mathematics, automate things that were not automated before but still deliver something that does not meet the customers expectations. This stems from an inability to put ourselves in the position of the customer. To do this we can leverage HoQ, because one of the stakeholders is the customer or end user of what we produce. So at one level we can ensure that their needs are met and prioritised correctly. At another level, if we ensure alignment both statistically and algebraically of those customer and end-user needs we can drive automation in testing and in conformance checking to ensure that the customer and end user needs are shown to me met.
We have looked at the root cause of software defects (errors) and found it to be based on ambiguous communication and the multiple interpretations that result. We have made clear reference to the customer or end-user and looked at how we can put ourselves in their position and so ensure their needs are met. We have taken the postulation that mathematics, can provide a better solution to ridding or minimizing software defects and we have shown how we might do this using statistical methods for requirements and algebraic proofs thereafter. Thus the use of mathematics, postulated by JT, is a reality not a pipe dream but a practical reality that can help revolutionise both software quality assurance and delivery methods as we use automation techniques based on both statistics and hard-core algebra to reduce ambiguity, speed up delivery and increase the quality of the result.
Last but not least, if you hadn't guessed, the ZDLC Platform does exactly what we have presented. And it's not just is that think this, look at Ovum too.
1. John R. Hauser (1993) How Puritan-Bennet used the house of quality. Sloan Management Review, Spring, 61-70.
2. John R. Hauser & Don Clausing (1988) The house of quality. Harvard Business Review, May–June, 63-73
3. Terninko, John; Step-by-Step QFD Customer Driven Product Design; Second Edition, St. Lucie Press, 1997.
4. Shillito, Larry M.; Advanced QFD Linking Technology to Market and Company Needs; John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 1994.
5. Day, Ronald G.; Quality Function Deployment-Linking a Company with its Customers; ASQC Quality Press; 1993.
6. “House of Quality”, Jennifer Tapke Allyson Muller Greg Johnson Josh Sieck
7. “Strategic Priorities and Lean Manufacturing Practices in Automotive Suppliers. Ten Years After.” Juan A. Marin-Garcia and Tomas Bonavia
8. Private Letter From John Talbot (former examiner for the institute of Quality Assurance”.
9. Private copy of “The Book of Kimbleisms”. Richard Kimble.
10. “The Polyadic pi-Calculus: A Tutorial” Professor Robin Milner, LFCS report ECS-LFCS-91-180, School of Informatics Edinburgh University | <urn:uuid:5276ad99-0e8d-4598-98d2-9ff68d1276b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pi4tech.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947731 | 2,698 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is an architectural style that supports service-orientation.
Service-orientation is a design paradigm that creates self contained and reusable services that are composed to form the overall system.
A service is a logical representation of a repeatable business activity (e.g., order processing, check customer credit, etc.) and:
- Is self-contained and can evolve independently of other services.
- May be composed of other services.
- Is a “black box” to consumers of the service.
- Are not always distributed. Services can exist in the same process.
One of the biggest misconceptions with SOA is that a service is an endpoint communicating to other services using a network protocol. While this is an option, services can also be composed in-process alongside each other and you should only distribute services when the situation calls for it. SOA principles apply equally to in-process and out of process compositions.
Because of these misconceptions, attempts at an SOA approach sometimes result in a system composed of too fine grained of services (Nano Services anti-pattern) and due to excessive network boundaries suffer from increased latency.
SOA Principles include | <urn:uuid:248d21a2-8da6-47a0-b9b0-a89761c8022a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://simon.nureality.ca/service-oriented-architecture/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93667 | 248 | 3.15625 | 3 |
* Eric S. Raymond:
In the last 60 days, the IETF has taken the worst blow to its
credibility that I have observed in the entire history of the
organization. I refer, of course, to the Sender-ID debacle, which
exposed IETF's inability or unwillingness to defend Internet
standards against patent predation even when the existence of
prior art is readily establishable.
Are you familiar with IETF IPR policies? Microsoft's Sender ID
license was a perfectly acceptable RAND patent license. The outcome
of the decision is quite surprising, and underlines that even though
the IETF has policies that can put free software at a disadvantage,
the IETF community makes sure that these policies are not used for
some of the most important protocols.
Regarding the existence of prior art, it's almost inevitable that
Microsoft's patent claims will be narrowed significantly when the
patent is granted in a few years. The exact scope of those claims is
very difficult to predict, though, and so are the costs of
standardizing on an infringing protocol.
Maybe I'm a bit biased because I think SPF and Sender-ID are wrong
from a strategic point of view. IMHO, it's a very bad idea to put DNS
so close to the center of the spam wars because it's so likely that
the resulting collateral damage on DNS as a whole will destabilize the
domain name system as a whole, and a have a devastating side effect on
1. Some core protocols are heavily patent-encumbered, though, or have
become encumbered as implementation strategies evolved. Efficient
packet forwarding is certainly one of the Internet fundamentals,
however it's far from obvious how to implement it without breaking a
couple of patents (similar to the situation with compression
algorithms at the beginning of the 90s).
Ietf mailing list | <urn:uuid:b09749bc-f015-4ffb-83f3-cc28cb51f7e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mhonarc.org/archive/html/ietf/2004-10/msg00113.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910708 | 402 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Take a look at some poignant letters written over 100 years ago. Andrew Bass wrote to his wife from Camp Lee near Richmond Virginia in 1862 "Dear wife, don’t grieve for me it will do no good but let me say to you pray for me with all your heart that if we never meet on earth again that we may meet in heaven where parting will be no more."
John DeCamp wrote to his brother William about coming to Ohio in 1829 "Dear Brother at the last time we saw each other thee expressed a
strong desire to come out here and I have frequently written to thee on
the subject. Yet not withstanding I humbly desire that thee will not
take up with my mind alone in this matter. But use thy own will herein.
As I do not wish to over persuade thee or any of my friends."
Such beautiful writing! It is so expressive and for me it evokes strong emotions. But what would John or Andrew have said, and how would they have said it or sent it, if they were writing now?
Andrew might have sent an email "Hey sweetie, I'm okay. Keep your fingers crossed I make it home safe and sound but please don't worry."
John might have texted his brother William "Bro - r u coming 2 Ohio or not?"
They don't quite evoke the same emotions do they? And would they be saved? Would descendants of John or Andrew be able to read their words 100 years later?
Yes, I fear we've lost the art of letter writing. Don't get me wrong, I love technology. I love email and texting via smartphones. But I also love getting a letter by snail mail and prolonging the opening of the envelope. Anticipation builds while the kettle is put on to boil water for tea. It's almost a ritual.
But I don't get many snail mail letters anymore. In fact the last one I got was several months ago from my 89 year old auntie.
Have we lost letter writing forever? Is it too late to get it back? I often think of how our descendants won't have our words on paper to enjoy. How they may not have our photographs since most of us keep them in digital format.
I'm not sure what, if anything, can be done. But I sure love the sweetness of Andrew's words to his wife and the longing I can hear in John's note to his brother. And I hope we haven't lost that completely. | <urn:uuid:5228bd95-f08e-4e40-a67d-a8edda012eb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/10/have-we-lost-art-of-writing-compelling.html?showComment=1352779073311&m=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971555 | 509 | 2.3125 | 2 |
When Is It OK To Use Your Cellphone? [POLL/AUDIO]
According to a new survey, many people in America feel cellphone use is inappropriate in social settings like meetings or the classroom. However, the younger generation seems to be more tolerant of the practice.
The Center for the Digital Future survey found that half of 18 to 29-year-olds believe texting during a meal is acceptable; 15 percent of those age 30 and older agree. A third of the younger crowd claims texting during a meeting is appropriate, compared with 17 percent of people who are at least 30 years old.
Hilary Brennan, an etiquette expert with Socially Savvy in Moorestown, said she is not surprised by the findings.
“Different generations are colliding,” Brennan said. “Older generations have relied on personal relationships developed by conversation, by looking somebody in the eye. Those factors are very much uncommon in the young peoples’ world today.”
She noted young people have grown up in the digital age, and it’s not rare to see a toddler pick up a smartphone and be able to navigate an app.
Is it Inappropriate to Bring Cellphones to the Table?
The survey focused largely on cellphone use during meals. Overall, 62 percent of Americans said it is inappropriate to have a mobile device on the table. At least three-quarters of respondents said texting or talking on the phone during a meal is not right.
Brennan said meal time should be devoted to speaking directly with those in front of you, your family members.
“Regardless of the urge, that pull to continue to glance at your phone, put it away; have certain guidelines within your family,” Brennan advised.
She said parents can be guilty of inappropriate cellphone use as well. They can set a good example by keeping the mobile devices away in certain social settings.
However, the boundaries of the workplace have shifted greatly with technology. Employees, in many cases, are expected to be reachable at all times.
Brennan said people need to go back to the “old-fashioned ideas” of developing a meaningful conversation with each other.
She asked, “Is (a phone) going to look you in the eye? Is it going to give you a hug at the end of the day? It’s not.” | <urn:uuid:f6817c57-fdc0-456d-8d1f-e2960a5f8671> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wobm.com/when-is-it-ok-to-use-your-cellphone-pollaudio/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970409 | 490 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The World’s First Therapeutic Diet for Dogs
The Hill’s company is one of the best manufacturers of top quality pet foods in the world. It’s the favourite brand of many vets who chose this product to feed their own pets. In 1984 the founding veterinary surgeon made a special diet to help treat kidney disease in a Guide Dog – this event marked the launch of the Hill’s company. This diet, named Hills k/d,was the first “therapeutic diet” that was made commercially available anywhere in the world.
Since that time, Hill's have grown their range enormously, and created a large number of diets designed specifically to help in the treatment of particular medical conditions. These diets are known as “Prescription Diet” to indicate that they are not suitable for all pets, and should be used only if prescribed by a vet. Prescription diets are used for many health conditions, even an over-active thyroid gland (Hills Prescription y/d feline).
Hill’s also manufacture diets for normal, healthy dogs and cats, called Hill’s Science Plan. These are created to maintain life-long optimum health for pets of different ages and needs. Science Plan was a pioneer diet to be made in slightly different proportions to suit animals of different ages. They contain different balances of proteins minerals than food for adult dogs. For instance, Hills Puppy Food is available in different formulations and flavours and all of them provide precisely the right nutrition for a growing puppy.
Your older dog will need a well-balanced diet and Hills Science Plan provides products especially formulated for senior animals. Hill’s uses findings from their scientific research to ensure their dog foods are rightly proportioned, as only a complete and balanced nutrition will help your dog to remain healthy. Getting the balance right is what Hill's brand stands for. This means for example, that the amount of salt is reduced, as opposed to other brands that use salt to make their food tastier.
They make sure the food doesn’t exceed the amount of salt so that the food remains healthy.
Hill’s products provide complete and balanced nutrition and all the ingredients are wholesome and of best quality that pets can enjoy. As a guarantee of their quality, Hill’s offer a 100% refund policy is the pet doesn’t like their food. Their products are available in a dry kibbled form, in pouches or as a wet food in tins. No other company makes such a large range of dog and cat foods. | <urn:uuid:cada5e4d-f330-4c49-8ac7-50581b0b39ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/World-8217-s-Therapeutic-Diet-Dogs/story-15694577-detail/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953722 | 528 | 1.945313 | 2 |
KoudelkaPhotographs by Josef Koudelka
Availability: In stock
Stark, impassioned, and singularly intense, Josef Koudelka's work has received deserved acclaim over the past three decades as a uniquely significant contribution to the language of photography. Koudelka is the first book to present over 150 of his most eloquent images in a single volume, from his earliest—published here for the first time—to the most recent panoramic landscape studies. Whether photographing avant-garde theater, gypsies throughout Eastern Europe, resistance to Soviet guns and tanks advancing on Prague, or the environmental degradation of a postindustrial world, Koudelka has consistently produced transformative images that stand outside time and place. In the words of Robert Delpire, the artist's longtime champion and publisher, "Koudelka brings an intense eye and full heart to each place, object, and person. This work proves once again that he is a photographer with unique personality and power." Each of the contributing essayists explores a different aspect of Koudelka's work, illustrating his constant evolution and intensity.
Josef Koudelka (born in Moravia, Czech Republic, 1938) has received the Prix Nadar, Grand Prix National de la Photographie, Grand Prix Cartier-Bresson, and Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography, New York; Hayward Gallery, London; Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. A member of Magnum Photos, he is based in Paris.
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Jonathan Salem Baskin, Contributor
I dare to uncover the surprising truths that drive successful brands.
After a story in the New York Times last week reported a failed attempt to drive a Tesla electric car from New York to Boston, the company’s founder and CEO Elon Musk yesterday took to social media and TV to claim 1) the results were due to user error, and 2) the newspaper “set up” the company in order to embarrass it.
My advice to Musk and Tesla? Keep your opinions, no matter how valid you believe them to be, to yourself.
Reporters are individuals, not automatons that can be programmed, and as such they give first-hand accounts of their experiences when they review products or services. Musk’s accusation is that his company told the reporter to do some very specific and somewhat limiting things in order to be able to complete the drive, and that the test failure was due to his unwillingness to follow those directions to the letter (confirm full charge before starting, take no detours, drive a so-and-so speed).
Only that’s not how test drives work in the car business. I know this from my days working at Nissan. The point of test drives is to put vehicles in weird, unconventional settings (like salt flats, or roads winding around exotic mountains) so reporters who know something about cars can learn something about your products. You certainly don’t want to set yourself up for failure, so maybe 4-cylinder econobox tests aren’t often scheduled on said mountains, but otherwise it’s up to the driver to decide what’s fair.
Just like in the real world.
If success for the Tesla Model S relied on so many variables being controlled, the very premise of the drive was questionable. Stuff has to succeed despite exceptions or the proclivities of personal use; that’s why Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal gets to test the battery life of consumer electronics devices with his own approach (I think he runs a bunch of programs and media players simultaneously, in deference to no real-world usage pattern or company recommendation). It doesn’t sound like the Times reporter did anything horribly outside a purview that could be considered “normal use” anyway.
But the bigger point is still so what if he did? Again, if a successful test was so tenuous, it should not have been encouraged, or at least the expectations for it should have been properly set. It wouldn’t have been hard to do, and think of how different the review would have turned out (the guy liked the car when it was moving).
Also, by attacking not only the review but the reporter and his employer, Musk is violating just about every principle in the communications playbook. I know it’s fashionable to attack the facts and morals of your opponents in politics or science, but it tends to destroy truth, not enable its discovery. To suggest that the Times had a conscious intent to discredit Tesla is, well, silly, unless Musk’s hope is that it’ll obviate the negative effects of the review (the company’s stock is down). It won’t work. Worse, he’s indirectly challenging the credibility of any and every review that doesn’t please him. Good luck promoting the car going forward.
The thing is, he doesn’t get to judge. We do. By protesting too much, the CEO is daring us to wonder if there’s more to the story.
Imagine if Musk had gone on a true charm offensive and responded to the review with an apology (for setting an unreasonable performance target) and thanking the reporter for testing it. He could have skipped challenging the one-off failure, and talked about past and future successes, using it as a springboard for promoting the immense accomplishments the company has made, pointing out its many strengths, and asking the public to get more involved in learning about recharging stations, battery technology, or whatever. He could have announced more tests in more markets, with goals properly established, and exuded a confidence of conviction and merit…instead of coming across like a defensive conspiracist. It would have gotten the media to focus on the car, not him, which is publicity that might actually do Tesla some good.
There’s an old saying that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. The communications counsel I would have given Mr. Musk after he read the Times review would have been to come out nice or keep quiet.
UPDATE 02.13.13: The Atlantic Wire shares my POV, it seems. Tesla could learn a lot from the reporter’s experience instead of attacking him. I think we’re learning a lot about the brand, in any event.
UPDATE 02.14.13: John Broder at the New York Times refutes Musk’s allegations and begs the question…again…what benefit does any of this have for Tesla’s brand? | <urn:uuid:fd92f467-b336-427d-9afa-64f18edbe836> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathansalembaskin/2013/02/12/marketing-playbook/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964468 | 1,051 | 1.773438 | 2 |
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
Professor Emeritus, Human Development
University of Connecticut
YOU WILL LEARN:
- some activities to help seven and eight-year old children grow and develop.
- what to expect from seven and eight-year old children.
Seven and eight-year-old children are in a stage of development often called middle childhood. They attend school and they enjoy mastering lots
of new physical skills. They learn rapidly in school. The opinions of their classmates matter more than ever before, and they begin to feel the effects of peer pressure.
Review the rules and limits with the children. Let them help set the limits and rules. Change them when necessary. Let them help plan some activities. They can help solve their own problems.
Seven and eight-year-old children need adults who care about them and will talk and play with them. These can be exciting years for the children and you. You can help them prepare to be healthy teens and adults. Remember that two children of the same age may be at different stages of development. Every child is an individual with different strengths and weaknesses. Each child needs to feel special and cared about.
Understanding this stage in a child's development will help you:
- plan activities to help children be more independent and have fun,
- feel good about what you do as a provider, and
- help children be successful and to feel good about themselves.
This fact sheet lists some characteristics of seven and eight-year-old children. These characteristics are listed in three main areas: physical
(body), social (getting along with others) and emotional (feelings), and intellectual (thinking and language) devel-opment.
- Large muscles in arms and legs are more developed than small muscles. Children can bounce a ball and run, but it is difficult to do both at the same time.
- There may be quite a difference in the size and abilities of children. This will affect the way they get along with others, how they feel about
themselves, and what they do. Seven to nine-year-old children are learning to use their small muscle skills (printing with a pencil) and their large muscle skills (catching a fly ball).
- Even though children are tired, they may not want to rest. You will need to plan time for them to rest.
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Children want to do things by and for themselves, yet they need adults who will help when asked or when needed.
- Seven to nine-year-old children of the same age and sex help each other:
- have fun and excitement by playing together,
- learn by watching and talking to each other,
- in time of trouble by banning together,
- by giving support in time of stress, and
- understand how they feel about themselves.
- Children need guidance, rules, and limits.
- They need help in solving problems.
- They are beginning to see things from another child's point of view, but they still have trouble understanding the feelings and needs of other people.
- Many children need help to express their feelings in appropriate ways when they are upset or worried.
- They need more love, attention, and approval from parents and you than criticism.
- With an increased ability to remember and pay attention, their ability to speak and express ideas can grow rapidly.
- Things tend to be black or white, right or wrong, great or disgusting, fun or boring to them. There is very little middle ground.
- They are learning to plan ahead and evaluate what they do.
- With increased ability to think and reason, they enjoy different types of activities, such as clubs, games with rules, and collecting things.
- When you suggest something, they may say, "That's dumb," or, "I don't want to do it."
- They are still very self-centered although they are beginning to think of others.
- They often say, "That's not fair!" Often, they do not accept rules that they did not help make.
ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH CHILDREN
- Children learn best by doing. Try to demonstrate instructions for activities or projects.
- Do projects, games, crafts, or activities in which children use large and small muscles together. Use craft projects that beginners can complete. Do not expect perfection from the children.
- Encourage cooperative rather than competitive games. Children like to play both cooperative and competitive games. They both help children prepare of the adult world. Help all children feel like winners.
- Encourage children to collect things like shells, stamps, or flowers.
- Encourage pretend play because it is still an important learning experience.
- Make time for running, hopping, skipping, jumping, and climbing.
- Encourage children to dance or skip to music.
- Encourage children to talk about their feelings while working or playing together.
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
*The School-Age Child: 4-H After-School Program*, University of California Cooperative Extension, Berkeley, CA 94702.
*School-Age Children*, Michigan Department of Social Services, DDS Publication 91 (10-84).
*Ages and Stages of Child and Youth Development: A Guide for 4-H Leaders*, 4-E I 704, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, West Lafayette, IN 47906.
*School's Out - Now What? Choices for Your Child's Time* by Joan M. Bergstrom, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA 94707 (1984).
*Sticks & Stones & Ice Cream Cones* by Phyllis Fiarotta, Workman Publishing Company, New York, NY (1973).
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension Service Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only(not for profit beyond the cost of reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is included:
Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Nuttall, P. (1991). *Middle childhood development*. (Family Day Care Facts series). Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts.
Any additions or changes to these materials must be preapproved by the autho.
FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Available only on the Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW:: Level 2 - Cooperative Extension Systems: Universities of
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut
ENTRY DATE:: July 1995 | <urn:uuid:29ae2340-0054-471a-975a-7506414416f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/mid.dev.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943219 | 1,381 | 3.875 | 4 |
Geosciences begin with the ground we walk on, delve inward to the center of the Earth and expand outward to other planetary bodies in our solar system. Geoscientists study the composition, structure and history of our surroundings and ultimately provide us with a better sense of ourselves, the universe around us and our connection to everything.
Careers in the geosciences appeal to those with an interest in science who like to travel and to work outdoors. Geology majors are typically employed in the areas of natural resources, assessment of natural hazards, the impact of climate change or environmental management. Jobs with smaller domestic energy and environmental companies are relatively abundant for those holding Bachelor of Science degrees, although many choose to pursue graduate degrees and work for major international energy companies or scientific research laboratories.
Those working in environmental geology are advised to take the Fundamentals of Geology portion of the National Association of State Boards of Geology licensing exam during their senior year. The UT Dallas curriculum specifically addresses areas covered in this exam.
Steady population and economic growth put stresses on water and natural resources, which combined with the impacts of climate change, provide a growing demand for geoscientists. Job opportunities abound in:
The University’s Career Center is an important resource for students pursuing their careers. Licensed counselors are available to provide strategies for mastering job interviews, writing professional cover letters and resumes, and connecting with campus recruiters, among other services.
Differences between BS and BA degrees:
Students in the BS degree program generally will continue their studies in geosciences or closely related programs in graduate schools and attaining a master’s or doctorate degree.
The degree requires 53 hours of geosciences, eight hours of chemistry, and eight hours of math toward a total of 122 credit hours needed to graduate. The requirements for the BA degree are identical to the BS degree for the first two years.
Visit the GeoClub, a registered student organization devoted to promoting geoscience awareness and knowledge within the University and the general community:
The Fast-Track Program enables exceptionally gifted undergraduate students to include master’s level courses in their undergraduate degree plans. When Fast-Track students graduate with a bachelor’s degree, they are automatically admitted to graduate school at UT Dallas. The hours required to complete the master’s degree is reduced by the number of Fast-Track graduate hours completed. A Fast-Track undergraduate who passed 12 hours of graduate coursework would have only 21 hours of graduate coursework left in order to complete a master’s degree.
High school students need an aptitude for science and an interest in the physical world around them, including nature, the environment and the outdoors in general. A background in geography, geology, chemistry and mathematics will help ensure success at the undergraduate level.
UT Dallas’ School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics offers degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students in biology, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics and physics. In addition to regular coursework, undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research alongside the faculty and graduate students. From the world-renowned Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute, headed by Dr. Ray Baughman, to the William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences—where Dr. John Hoffman helped discover water on Mars—the science education at UT Dallas is a hands-on, high quality experience for undergraduates and graduate students alike.
The UTeach Dallas program offers students the possibility of completing the requirements for high school teacher certification along with their regular BS or BA degrees.
Bachelor of Science: Actuarial science, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, molecular biology, physics
Bachelor of Arts: Biology, chemistry, geosciences, physics
Master of Science: Applied physics, bioinformatics and computational biology, biology-molecular and cell, biotechnology, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, physics
Master of Arts: Teaching in mathematics education, teaching in science education
Doctor of Philosophy: Biology-molecular and cell, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, physics
Postbaccalaureate certificate in biomedical science
Department of Geosciences
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
The University of Texas at Dallas
800 West Campbell Road
Richardson, TX 75080-3021
Dr. Dennis L. Miller
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies | <urn:uuid:b91a25e8-e025-4e92-9f24-e5f7bec4a18d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utdallas.edu/academics/fact-sheets/nsm/ba-bs-geosciences.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909858 | 913 | 2.78125 | 3 |
It’s hard to see the upside of a natural—or national—disaster like Hurricane Katrina or 9/11. But might there actually be a benefit from instances of mass destruction? Author Rebecca Solnit thinks so: In her new book, A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster, she travels back in time and around the globe to illustrate how good can actually come from things that go horribly wrong.
Canvassing a handful of well-known disasters—from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake up through Katrina—and taking a few detours along the way, Solnit shows how in the wake of terrible happenings, people tend to find the very best in themselves. Along with the euphoria of survival comes an openness to community and togetherness that we often long for but are unable to find in our day-to-day lives. (Not to mention parties and parades!) It would, of course, be better if there were no loss of life, or if the earth didn’t quake. But Solnit reminds us that when these things do happen, all is not lost. Some things are found.
to a friend | <urn:uuid:8c314302-3e06-4013-80e5-dbb2f8e6b340> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.veryshortlist.com/vsl/daily.cfm/review/1305/Book/paradise-built-hell/?tp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940708 | 239 | 2.21875 | 2 |
- MARKET TRENDS
- WEB EXCLUSIVES
- BUYER'S GUIDE
Seventy percent of Americans report that they are trying to consume less sugar, and 63% are trying to consume less high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), according to a survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation.
Published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the annual survey also finds that awareness of trans-fats increased from 81% to 90% between 2006, reports FoodNavigator.com.
Awareness of Omega 3s has remained about constant, at 74%, and no major push to consume more Omega 3s was noticed. About two-thirds of consumers said they consistently use the Nutrition Facts panel and the expiration date on labels in making buying decisions.
But 70% said they could not correctly identify that "calories in general are what cause weight gain." | <urn:uuid:a3c77eeb-31a1-4d52-bd3e-2725920de59f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/86123-americans-are-trying-to-cut-back-on-sugar-hfcs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933636 | 187 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Thanks to Facilitators for Excellent Minds On Media at ECOO12
We want to thank, and to celebrate, the facilitators at Educational Computing Organization of Ontario’s Minds On Media event held on Wednesday, October 24th.
This year we had a full house of 120 participants and 9 centres! It was a hive of activity and the energy was phenomenal.
We heard many wonderful comments throughout the day, but one we overheard was a teacher saying to her colleague, “I have learned more in the last three hours than I’ve learned in years!”
Another teacher was seen to be leaving the event after an hour, laptop in hand, and we were discouraged! But, she said to us, “Wow! I’ve learned so much I am going to find a quiet spot to put it into practice. I’ll be back!” And she did return – hungry for more!
What is Minds On Media?
Minds On Media (MOM) is a model of professional learning that respects the learner’s ‘desire to know’. Teachers come to learn and we respect their choices in how they wish to do that. We want them to take a ‘minds on’ approach.
Our Core Beliefs
We believe that:
- the locus of control for learning should be in the hands of the learner
- the facilitator must be aware of, and respond to, the learner’s desires, needs and expertise
- the learner should leave empowered to learn further – beyond the MOM event
- there are always experts among us
Facilitators at MOM sessions look forward to, not only teaching but, learning with others. They respect the knowledge and expertise that each person brings to the table.
2012 Facilitators and Their Resources:
- Using iPad for Knowledge Construction in the Learner-Centered Classroom – Tanya Morton, @tanyamorton & Natasha Skerritt, @NSkerritt
- Thinking, Learning, Creating – Melinda Kolk, Owner, Tech4Learning: @melindak
- Making Thinking Transparent and Collaborative with VoiceThread – Royan Lee , Teacher, York Region Board of Education: @royanlee
- Using Audio in the K-12 Classroom – Zoe Branigan-Pipe, Teacher of Gifted Grade Seven Class, HWDSB; @zbpipe
- Social Networking with Edmodo – Peter McAsh, Teacher, St. Marys DCVI: @pmcash
- You’re Never Too Young To Learn: Using Technology To Document Student Achievement In The K-3 Classroom – Aviva Dunsiger, Grade 6 Teacher (Have Taught K-2 For 11 Years Previously), Hamilton-Wentworth DSB: @avivaloca
- The Idea Hive Classroom Community: Students Sharing, Creating and Learning Together in Online Spaces – Heather Durnin, Gr. 8 teacher, Avon Maitland D.S.B @hdurnin
- Connecting and Collaborating with Social Media – Kim Gill, Sp.Ed. Teacher, WRDSB: @Gill_Ville
- Discover how to Create an Inclusive Classroom by Infusing Powerful Equity Messages Throughout your Day – Susan Watt, Technology Support Teacher, Waterloo Region DSB: @susan_watt & Trish Morgan, Gr. 5 Teacher, Waterloo Region DSB: @tmorgan1234 Here is the link to our site, with all of the activities, links and resources used in this session >>> Creating an Inclusive Learning Space
Pedagogistas are there to ensure that we don’t get lost in the mechanics of the tools – but rather remind and support us to think deeply about the role of technology in learning and teaching.
- Jaclyn Calder, ICT Consultant, Simcoe County District School Board: @jaccalder
- Doug Peterson, Educator, @dougpete | <urn:uuid:e0f2df4f-32ba-4c91-a9c7-80299de94d82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bsherry.wordpress.com/category/constructionism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906976 | 838 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Frank Leslie, who was born in England in 1821, came to the United States at age twenty-seven. After working for Gleason’s Pictorial and Illustrated News, in 1854 he launched Frank Leslie’s Ladies’ Gazette of Paris, London, and New York Fashions. One year later he began putting out his own illustrated weekly newspaper, only moderately successful at first. But circulation increased dramatically when it began giving the North a battle-by-battle view of the Civil War.
Made bold by success, “the man who took the war into drawing rooms of the Union” launched numerous new publications. Soon his list included Boys and Girls Weekly Sunday Magazine, Jolly Joker, Comic Almanac, Chatterbox, Ladies Magazine, and Ladies Journal. Perhaps overextended, he was forced into bankruptcy and died as a debtor.
Today each of the more than two hundred 1861-1865 issues of the illustrated newspaper is a collector’s item, and since that time, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly has been a major source of Civil War art. | <urn:uuid:fe8fe1c2-6b2c-4cb0-b99a-c781ed3877f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gusmarsh.blogspot.com/2012/05/civil-war-oddities-41.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96925 | 224 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Breaking Bread--Three Ways
The author of this piece has asked to remain anonymous.
It's Friday night and the warm, moist dough feels familiar as it seeps through my fingers. Jonny is preparing a second batch, skillfully mixing the water, yeast, flour, sugar, salt, oil and egg. If only my parents could see me now--a half-Christian, half-Muslim girl preparing challah bread for Sabbath.
As I place each smaller braid on top of a large braid, Jonny helps me tuck in the ends underneath the bottom layers. Ironically, as we prepare the Sabbath dinner, the music of choice is Munir Bashir, a traditional Iraqi oud player.
Two years ago, I would have never imagined being in a relationship such as this. With a Christian Korean mother and a Muslim Pakistani father, growing up was difficult--and confusing--at times. I abhorred Sundays because Sunday was deemed "religion day" in my household. Every week, my sister and I were forced to first attend a church for Korean/Christianity classes, followed by the mosque for Arabic/Islam classes. Sometimes, we felt ostracized because we didn't look like all of the other kids. Now, I identify with both religions, but as a child I felt torn between two worlds, neither of which I knew anything about.
I never thought I'd date a Jewish boy. After all, why make my life more confusing? When I was younger, I didn't realize (as I often pleaded with my parents not to make me go to Sunday school) that my multicultural background would prepare me to appreciate and accept those unlike me.
Jonny's religious upbringing was not so different from mine. Being half-Christian and half-Jewish, he faced internal conflicts as well. Like me, he identifies with both religions, although it took him time to come to this conclusion. In fourth grade, his parents enrolled him in a Catholic elementary school where he was discouraged from participating in Catholic practices. Because he wasn't baptized, his teacher told him he was guilty of original sin. Because Jewish descent is passed maternally according to traditional Judaism, he also felt unaccepted in his father's Conservative synagogue.
We met in elementary school in our hometown of Toledo, Ohio. After reuniting 14 years later during winter break, we started dating. Two years have since passed. In this time, through exploring our differences, we have found that religious faith actually plays a greater role in our lives. Although no one religion takes precedence, through each other (namely our differences), we learn something new about ourselves--and our faiths--everyday.
Holidays can be stressful, especially for us. Think dreidels and sweet dates (used to break the fast during Ramadan), both neatly wrapped under a brightly lit Christmas tree. In spite of all the hassle, we love to celebrate; in fact, we have found that the different holidays actually complement each other.
During Ramadan, Jonny will often take part in the fasting ritual. During Rosh Hashanah and on the eve of Yom Kippur, I'll devour the matzah ball soup (and I'll even manage to stomach a few bites of gefilte fish). We both go to the mosque and synagogue for services and participate in prayers and hymns. It means a lot to me (likewise for him) that we partake in each other's rituals.
Jonny and I are both in school, so we're very busy. We still try to take the time to prepare special meals once a week. Oftentimes we will do our own version of Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner with tzimis, a traditional stew made with carrots, yayin (wine) and lechem (bread). We also have made Pakistani dishes and Korean dishes, paying tribute to my upbringing. It's not uncommon for us, later in the week, to eat leftovers from all three meals. It's actually quite special; we are repeating our parents' pattern in celebrating and cherishing multiple cultures at the same time.
Besides the Muslim and Jewish feasts, we have also had Christmas dinner twice a year--at each of our parents' homes. This past Christmas was special, as it marked the first holiday feast that had our two families gathered around the same table breaking bread together. Jonny's father articulated the sentiment beautifully when he said grace. If there was any scintilla of discomfort, it was assuaged by his prayer for peace among all of the children of Abraham, the patriarchal figure of all three religions. I think everyone at the table realized that we are not so much different, as we are the same.
Jonny's interest in my background has encouraged me to learn more about Islam and Christianity. Also, we have together learned a great deal more about Judaism. Maybe our relationship works because we don't strictly adhere to our religious doctrines, but I like to think that there's more to it.
Our experiences together have catalyzed a longing to branch out and explore other faiths as well. Just last week, we attended a Catholic mass and witnessed a baptism. We're also reading a book on Zen Buddhism. Next summer we are planning to take a trip to India and learn more about the Hindu tradition. I've found that different cultures have many similar values, common links, and shared principles. Faith is part of the human experience, and the more I learn about religion, the more I am realizing all religions are like similar vehicles that converge on the same path, all in the pursuit of inner peace.
As Jonny takes the bread out of the oven, its aroma fills the household. Warm. Familiar. Comforting. I like to think of the challah as a representation of the role that our faiths have played in our relationship. Like us, the braid is composed of three main strands: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. All the strands are woven together as a whole. Together we braid the bread. Together we break the bread. | <urn:uuid:c28999fd-0fbd-4deb-b225-f7a6cc4feb30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.interfaithfamily.com/holidays/rosh_hashanah_and_yom_kippur/Breaking_Bread--Three_Ways.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975436 | 1,244 | 1.6875 | 2 |
One of the maxims of past nomination campaigns is that a candidate should expect to receive a bounce in the polls after winning a major primary or caucus — particularly if he or she beat the expectations established by the polls and the news media while doing so.
Often, this bounce would persist until the next state voted, allowing the candidate to perform strongly there as well. Potentially, this could create a chain reaction in which the candidate received a fresh dose of momentum every week or two.
So far in 2012, however, the bounces that candidates have received from primary and caucus wins have been minimal or have faded much too quickly to help the candidate in the next state.
Let’s first look at the trajectory of Mitt Romney’s polling in New Hampshire. Mr. Romney, it turns out, did not win the Iowa caucuses, but he was declared the winner by most news organizations and by the Iowa Republican party on caucus night, and the outcome was not reversed until after New Hampshire voted.
Mr. Romney did not receive any sort of bounce at all in New Hampshire after his apparent Iowa win. Instead, his polling was in a slow but steady decline between Iowa and New Hampshire:
Mr. Romney did slightly outperform his polling on primary night in New Hampshire (this is represented by the rightmost data point in the chart). However, that was mostly because he earned his share of undecided voters rather than there being any last-minute rebound toward him. He wound up with 39.3 percent of the vote — worse than the last several polls before Iowa, which had him at 41 percent to 46 percent.
What about Rick Santorum? Even though Mr. Santorum was not believed to have won the Iowa caucuses at the time New Hampshire voted, he did significantly outperform his polls in Iowa, something typically associated with a large bounce.
But Mr. Santorum wound up with 9.4 percent of the vote in New Hampshire. This was slightly better than where the polls had him before Iowa. But it was slightly worse than the polling conducted immediately after Iowa, which had Mr. Santorum between 10 percent and 14 percent. Mr. Santorum did get a bounce, but it was modest, and about half of it had evaporated by election night.
In the next state, South Carolina, Mr. Romney received a bounce of about 7 points after winning New Hampshire.
The bounce peaked about six days after New Hampshire, however — much too early for Mr. Romney. Instead, he lost 10 points in the polls over the next several days and finished with 27.8 percent of the vote in South Carolina — roughly where the polls had pegged him prior to his win in New Hampshire.
Finally, we can look at Newt Gingrich, who has been subject to a similar boom-and-bust pattern in Florida. The difference is that Mr. Gingrich’s bounce was even more fleeting. He held the lead in four surveys conducted within 48 hours of his South Carolina win — and he hasn’t led another one since. Instead, it appears as though Mr. Gingrich will lose Florida by 10 to 20 points — about what would have been predicted before his South Carolina surge.
In this cycle, the primary bounce has been behaving more like the bounce following a party convention — something that fades quickly and predictably and that does a candidate no real good in the end.
In 2008, I had built a “convention bounce adjustment” into the FiveThirtyEight presidential forecasting model but then removed it — most of the regular readers in the FiveThirtyEight community thought it smacked too much of fudging the numbers, and I concurred.
That was a huge mistake. The polls moved in the direction of Barack Obama immediately after the Democratic convention, very quickly reversed themselves and moved toward John McCain after the Republican convention, then settled back to show a slight lead for Mr. Obama — pretty much what the convention bounce adjustment had predicted. The forecasts would have been much more stable and much more accurate had I left the adjustment in — or for that matter, simply ignored the polling conducted during this period entirely.
The convention bounce adjustment will likely be reinstated in some form once we roll out the general election forecasts later this year. In contrast, I am not inclined to tinker with the primary model, which is deliberately designed to apply a “keep it simple” approach and to provide a benchmark that should be considered along with other salient information.
But I’m wondering if the same general principle holds — that it’s best to pretty much ignore any polling conducted in the two or three days after a major primary or caucus. The bounce from winning a primary seems to be fading more and more quickly — to the point that it may throw the forecast off the scent, representing a false dawn rather than real momentum.
It is tempting to say that this has something to do with the peculiarities of the Republican nomination process this year. And perhaps there is something to that: the polling has been extraordinary volatile in the Republican race all year to a degree that is unprecedented in past nomination cycles.
However, there was also some manifestation of this in 2008. Mike Huckabee got almost no bounce out of winning Iowa. Mr. Obama did get a bounce, but it faded so quickly that he lost New Hampshire five days later. Hillary Rodham Clinton won New Hampshire and Nevada — but then lost South Carolina by a margin much greater than the polls had predicted.
With the news cycle progressing as fast as it now does, winning a crucial primary or caucus may only be enough to ensure a day or two of strong headlines.
However, a win in a primary or caucus can produce the burden of higher expectations, one that is compounded when the candidate initially surges in the polls. (It may be significant that pollsters are now turning out surveys almost overnight, which contributes to the acceleration of the political news cycle.)
Then when the bounce evaporates, the candidate is perceived as losing momentum. This may not be entirely right; it may be better to think of this process as reversion to the mean, as in the case of a convention bounce.
Nevertheless, the perception that the candidate is failing to live up to expectations can have real consequences as negative news stories circulate about the candidate. The phantom loss of momentum turns into a real one, and the candidate may wind up in no better a position than where he or she started — or perhaps even be worse off. | <urn:uuid:09a957a1-ed07-47f8-bf7b-fd7d7a839bd1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/the-incredible-shrinking-primary-bounce/?gwh=CD5D902F29FB271B3366A5BB29D723EB | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98077 | 1,306 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The Cost of Async and Await
Asynchronous techniques can offer significant improvements in an application’s overall throughput, but it isn’t free. An asynchronous function is often slower than its synchronous alternative and unless care is taken it can also add significant memory pressure. Stephen Toub of MSDN Magazine has recently covered this topic in an article titled “Async Performance: Understanding the Costs of Async and Await”.
One of the most significant advantages of managed code over native C++ is the ability to inline functions at runtime. The CLR’s JIT compiler can even inline functions across assemblies, significantly reducing the overhead for the fine-grained methods that OOP programmers prefer. Unfortunately the very nature of an asynchronous call means that delegates cannot be inlined. Furthermore, there is quite a bit of boilerplate code involved in setting up an asynchronous call. This leads to Stephen’s first suggestion, “Think Chuncky, Not Chatty”. Just as if you were crossing a COM or p/invoke boundary, you should favor a few large async calls over lots of small ones.
There are numerous ways in which the asynchronous patterns can allocate memory without the developer explicitly using the new operator. If left unchecked, these allocations can lead to excessive memory pressure and unwanted delays as the garbage collector tries to catch up. Consider this signature and return statement from a subclass of Stream:
public override async Task<int> ReadAsync(…)
Not shown is the implicitly created Task object that is used to wrap the integer being returned by the Read method. In his article, Stephen shows how to reduce the memory overhead by caching the last Task<int> object and reusing it.
Another cause of unexpected object allocation and retention is the use of closures. In C# and VB closures are implemented as anonymous classes that contain the anonymous and asynchronous functions declared in the method. Locals variables needed by those functions are said to “closed over” or “lifted” into the anonymous class. An instance of this class has to be created for each time the parent method is called.
However aggravating extra allocations may be, the problems don’t end there. Normally objects referenced by local variables are eagerly claimed, the GC can collect them as soon as it is clear that they won’t be used again in the current function. Since the “locals” used by an asynchronous functions are actually fields on an anonymous class, they must be retained for the duration of the call. If this takes several seconds, which is not uncommon for an asynchronous call, the anonymous class may be inadvertently promoted to the more expensive generation 1 or 2. If this becomes a problem Stephen recommends explicitly nulling out locals as soon as they are no longer needed.
The third issue that Stephen discusses is the concept of contexts, specifically the synchronization context and the execution context. His article shows how library code can obtain a performance boost by intentionally ignoring the synchronization context via the ConfigureAwait method and avoiding things that require capturing the execution context. | <urn:uuid:99f2f88e-0bfe-4538-bfec-a4f1869cb7d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infoq.com/news/2011/10/Async-Cost | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937006 | 628 | 2.4375 | 2 |
What you Need to Know about the South Carolina Statewide Grand Jury
South Carolina Criminal Defense Lawyers
The Statewide Grand Jury (SGJ) was created by the Legislature of South Carolina in 1989 to Prosecute cases on a larger scale.
The Attorney General’s Office assigns Assistant Attorney Generals to handle SGJ cases in its office.
- State Grand Jury Panel
The State Grand Jury Panel is comprised of people from all over the State which come to hear cases usually once a month. The panel meets in secret and is bound by secrecy laws not permitting the Panel to discuss what happens before it with anyone.
- State Grand Jury Subpoenas
The State Grand Jury has the power to issue to subpoenas for documents and for persons. If you receive a subpoena or are called to testify before the SGJ or called to produce documents to the SGJ you should contact a lawyer first. Strom Law Firm, LLC has lawyers experienced in assisting individuals and corporations with SGJ investigations and subpoenas.
- Crimes Covered by the Statewide Grand Jury
The State Grand Jury only has legislative authority to prosecute certain crimes. See this link for a list and explanation of the crimes the SGJ can prosecute.
- Arrest by SLED
Most SGJ cases are investigated by the State Law Enforcement Division. Therefore, usually, a SLED agent will be assigned to the prosecution and investigation of your case.
- Bond Settings
If you are arrested or indicted by the State Grand Jury, your bond hearing will be before the Chief Administrative Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Columbia, South Carolina. More than likely you will be held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia awaiting your bond hearing before a Circuit Court Judge.
- Preliminary Hearings
If you are arrested on an Arrest Warrant by the SGJ, you have 10 days from the date of your arrest to request a preliminary hearing. A preliminary hearing is a hearing held before a Circuit Court Judge who will determine whether or not there is enough probable cause for your case to go to the State Grand Jury. If your case is bound over by the Judge, your case will then be sent to the State Grand Jury for indictment, if your case is dismissed then your case will either remain dismissed or the Prosecutor will have the opportunity to take your case before the State Grand Jury. If at the time of your preliminary hearing your case has already been indicted, you are not entitled to a preliminary hearing per the South Carolina Rules of Criminal Procedure.
- Proffer Agreements
Proffer agreements are contracts between individuals and the State. The purpose of a proffer agreement is for the individual to tell the State the truth about their involvement and the involvement of others in criminal activity, while protecting the individual from self-incrimination. Proffer agreements like Cooperation and Plea agreements are complicated agreements that should always be discussed with a criminal defense attorney before signing.
Individuals charged with crimes by the State Grand Jury, usually have an opportunity to cooperate with the S.C. Attorney General’s Office and SLED. Doing so is a very complicated process and should only be done after consulting with a federal criminal defense attorney. Usually cooperation involves signing a proffer agreement or plea agreement with the government and being 100% truthful with them concerning your involvement and the involvement of others. No person accused of a crime by the State Grand Jury should start cooperating with the Attorney General’s Office or SLED without first consulting with a criminal defense lawyer that handles State Grand Jury cases.
- Judge Assigned
In your State Grand Jury Case, once an indictment has been returned against you, a Judge and County will be assigned. This Judge and County will remain with you throughout your case and all matters will go before this Judge.
- Plea Agreements
Plea agreements like proffer agreements are a contract between an individual accused of a crime and the State. Plea agreements describe what an individual accused of a crime will be pleading guilty to and any stipulations or binding agreements that may be made between the State and the individual. Again, you should not enter into a plea agreement with the government without first seeking the advice of a criminal defense lawyer that handles State Grand Jury cases.
- Jury Trial
In your General Sessions Court case you are entitled to a jury trial. A General Sessions Court Trial would have 12 people from the County where your charge is. During this trial you would be entitled to a lawyer, remain silent and not testify or to testify on your behalf, and to confront your accusers through your attorney.
- Bench Trial
A bench trial can be held in General Sessions Court. This is a trial held before a Judge only and no jury. Usually, the Judge will hear testimony from the officer or affiant of your arrest and testimony from you and/or any witnesses you may have. Of course with a bench trial also, you have the right to remain silent or you may choose to testify and present relevant witnesses on your own behalf.
In State Court, Judges have wide ranges of sentencing possibilities to choose from. Judges can choose from a time-served sentence, to a fine, to probation, to home-detention, to active incarceration. You should know and be aware of what the maximum and minimum sentence is with your specific charges and the collateral consequences of that type of charge. Some criminal offenses in South Carolina, including all drug offenses, will cause a suspension of your privilege to drive in South Carolina. Make sure you know all of the consequences of the crime you are charged with before you make a decision on how to dispose of your case.
An appeal may be taken from any case in State Court within 10 days after the completion of your case. Failure to file within ten days, except in very limited situations, will cause a loss of your appellate rights. An appeal is where you decide to challenge your conviction or something that happened in your case with a higher court. If you are convicted in your Statewide Grand Jury case you would appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court or the South Carolina Court of Appeals, depending on your case.
A Post-Conviction Relief Action is where you can file a case against the State of South Carolina for violating one of your Constitutional Rights, usually your right to effective assistance of Counsel. PCRs, as they are commonly known, must be filed within one year of the date of your conviction, or within one year of the conclusion of your appeal, whichever is later, except in very limited circumstances.
You may apply for a Pardon of your criminal history at any time after your conviction. It usually takes about nine months for a hearing to be scheduled before the Pardon Board. One important idea to remember when considering a Pardon is that it does not expunge your criminal history. The Strom Law Firm, LLC handles Pardon applications and hearings and would be pleased to represent you before the Pardon board.
Have a loved one in custody? At some point, most inmates of the South Carolina Department of Corrections will come up for Parole. During these Parole Hearings your loved ones are allowed to have an attorney represent their interests before the Parole Board. The Strom Law Firm, LLC represents people incarcerated and awaiting parole hearings. Please contact us to discuss your right to a Parole Hearing.
The criminal defense lawyers at the Strom Law Firm, LLC provide an aggressive, well planned defense and will fight to have your charges reduced or even dismissed. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your situation and to hear how we can help. | <urn:uuid:d250fd20-fe07-4fa7-8093-52c335b05bd9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stromlawcriminalattorneys.com/statewide-grand-jury/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946042 | 1,539 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Today, February 9th …
A Spanish bishop and four gentlemen guests sat down to dinner on this day in 1568. The menu has survived:
Bread, wine, and sweet oranges
2 roast hens
6 roast partridges
Pastry of half a kid goat
Roast wild boar
Mutton meatballs with 8 egg yolks
Boiled mutton, 2 pounds
Turnips in bacon
Boiled pork, 2 pounds
Apples, 4 pounds
Olives and cheese, 50 walnuts
It is to be hoped the gentlemen had superb digestive systems.
The menu raises a number of questions: what did the cook do with the remaining 8 egg-whites, considering Australia was not yet discovered, and pavlova did not exist? Why exactly 50 walnuts? And why do we not see cardoons on the menu anymore?
The cardoon is a member of the thistle family, and a relative of the artichoke, which probably originated in North Africa, from whence it went to southern Europe. It was usually referred to as “Spanish” by early English botanists, so it seems particularly appropriate to have been enjoyed by our bishop on this day.
Unlike the artichoke, it is the fleshy stalks of the inner leaves which are cooked and eaten, but as there is a dearth of instructions in modern books, I give you those from William Verral’s “A complete system of cookery …” (1759)
Cardoons, with piquant sauce.
Cardoons are a thistley sort of vegetables, and an exotick plant, and are managed in the garden as celery or endives, by being mouldred up as they grow in height to make them white. The French make use of this in some sort of sauces in the first course dishes instead of celery, &c. But for an entremets , or second-course dish, they generally do it in the following manner: One large one is enough for a small dish; cut the white part only in pieces about two inches long, blanch it in water, and if you have a braize tie it up, and stew it very tender in that; if not take broth, season it high, and stew it in that; take it out upon a cloth, and pull off the skin on both sides, and put it into a sauce piquant, as before mentioned; let it stew softly twenty minutes or half an hour, squeeze in the juice of a lemon or orange, and dish it up. This is very good sauce for roast beef or mutton.
Tomorrow: The elaborate science of the confectioner. | <urn:uuid:063ffeb8-d231-4669-8c8c-cf5a69a603d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2006/02/thorny-problem.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962404 | 558 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Heather offers questions and considerations to ponder as you look back at your dance program and curriculum and as you look forward to improving it and making a difference in the lives of your students next year.
Dance educator, Heather Vaughan-Southard uses exploration, choice, and personal responsibility to get beyond the walls her middle school students sometimes throw up. If you’ve experienced the emotional and academic ‘shut down’ typical of this age group, her findings will interest you. We’d also love to know your approach to reaching your tweens.
Sometimes as educators we get caught up in the act of teaching and forget the people we are mentoring. Unless the children you have in your studio have a reason to connect to your material, the extent of your reach will be limited and your influence fleeting. Heather provides insight to help you structure your class as a guided experience rather than a traditional lesson plan.
In the era of standardized assessment, there is a lot of talk about “teaching to the test”. While this generally refers to classroom teachers catering content and delivery to what may appear on those standardized tests, there is a fair amount of that happening in the dance classroom, too. What should be an exhilarating adventure [...]
The role of warm-up progresses as our understanding of dance changes. This is true whether our role is that of a student or a teacher. For many young dancers, warm-up is something to be endured before set free to really “dance” in the subsequent segments of class. For my students, it is what they are [...]
The dance classroom is more than a studio; it is a laboratory. It is the training ground for an unforeseeable future. In the age of standardized testing, arts environments can provide the safe havens where mistakes are treated as discoveries and expression is celebrated. Higher order thinking is a natural part of the performance and [...]
Every so often, I meet a student who seems older than their years with interests far more sophisticated than those of their peers. Despite their young age- middle school, high school, early college- their understanding of the world and their desire to see the big pictures leaves an impression and sets a tone. For these [...] | <urn:uuid:1f03db0a-aded-455f-8447-fb4559399175> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.danceadvantage.net/category/k-12/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968447 | 454 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Each week the Business section will ask its panel of economists to weigh in on an economic issue of concern to San Diegans. They’ll answer yes or no, up or down or give a neutral response. Sometimes they might be unavailable to participate.
If you have a question you’d like them to address, send it to
The Republicans in Congress late last month released their “Pledge to America,” an alternative to President Obama’s program to generate more jobs and improve the economy.
The plan includes such things as extending the Bush tax cuts, due to expire Jan. 1, granting a 20 percent small-business tax deduction; repealing small-business reporting requirements of items as low as $600; canceling unspent stimulus funds from 2008 and 2009; rolling back federal spending to pre-stimulus levels; and reining in entitlement programs and federal hiring. The entire plan is available online at pledge.gop.gov.
We asked our eight U-T EconoMeter panelists to judge whether the GOP plan was better economically than the president’s.
QUESTION: Is the Republican “Pledge to America” a better approach to boosting the economy than the Obama administration’s plan?
Yes: 3 No: 5
Marney Cox, San Diego Association of Governments
The priorities of the plan are more in line with the challenges America faces today — too little job growth and too much under- and unemployment. The “economic plan” is primarily to unleash capitalism, with incentive-based policies, to generate jobs and lower the unemployment rate. The Obama administration is focused on income redistribution to achieve economic growth. Obama’s advisers delude him: Income redistribution programs are not equivalent or better than incentive-based policies aimed at the private sector.
Alan Gin, University of San Diego
Canceling unspent stimulus funds and rolling back federal spending to pre-stimulus levels threatens an already weak recovery. The deficit is a big concern, but the most pressing problem is the weak economy, particularly job growth. Cutting projects would cost jobs at a time when the private sector is not hiring. A local example is using stimulus funds to build a hospital at Camp Pendleton, which would generate jobs in construction and eventually in health care. I can’t see how canceling that project would help the local economy.
Dan Seiver, San Diego State University
It is fiscally irresponsible. The worst examples: 1. “End federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.” How will this save money? What will it do to the housing market, where almost all loans are now backed by these zombie banks? 2. “Require full accounting of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and prevent expansion of unfunded liabilities.” What will this save? 3. “Cancel unspent stimulus funds.” These funds do create jobs. 4. “Cancel TARP.” This program will end up breaking even, or even showing a profit. This saves nothing.
Lynn Reaser, Point Loma Nazarene University
The overall thrust of the Republican plan represents what many businesses are calling for to increase jobs. Companies need stable or lower, not higher, taxes; a halt to a steady rise in regulation; and a long-range plan to curtail the rise in the federal debt. The specific request for a continuation of current tax rates could remove some of the uncertainty now weighing on confidence.Efforts to control the budget by addressing the spending side, especially for entitlements, rather than on the tax side. would also be constructive. | <urn:uuid:fe4c90f0-b8fc-4aa2-a22d-fc67ed960d33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/02/econometer-gop-plan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91919 | 755 | 2.015625 | 2 |
As soon as you touch down in Barbados you are guaranteed to come across a bus. Whether it's a mini-bus, a transport board bus or a ZR bus, fact remains, you will see one. These methods of transportation provide both locals and visitors with an interesting option to travel around the island as they offer elevated views when compared with a private or hired car. Not to mention the inexpense of it all.
All across Barbados, potential passengers wait on buses at designated areas called bus stops. They are clearly identified with a circular red and white sign with 'To City' and 'Out of City' marked in black lettering, with the former indicating the route into Bridgetown and the latter the route out of Bridgetown. When standing at any of the bus stops across Barbados, be sure to flag down the approaching bus as this indicates to the driver you want to take that particular bus.
The Government run Barbados Transport Board buses are easily identifiable as the large, predominately blue buses with the yellow stripe running along the side, and a large sign with posted destination above the windscreen. They are also used as mobile billboards, with advertisements often posted on the side and rear panels. These buses operate an 'exact fare' system and do not provide change. The bus fare for these and all other public transport vehicles is Barbados $2.00 on a single bus for adults. On the government buses fare is free for school aged children in uniform and senior citizens with a Barbados Identification Card. No foreign currency is accepted. Bus schedules for the Barbados Transport Board buses are posted along most routes and in the Fairchild Street and Princess Alice/Lower Green bus terminals in Bridgetown, the Oistins terminal in Christ Church, and the Speightstown terminal in St. Peter. Schedules are also available on the Barbados Transport Board website.
Mini-buses across Barbados, have a predominately yellow colour scheme with a blue stripe running along the side panels, with the destination posted on a small sign inside the windscreen. These are generally smaller than the government run buses and can be found on all the same routes. Mini-buses often play loud music or use a musical horn. They also, usually, carry a conductor and can make change, so exact fare is not required. They will generally accept American dollars, but not other foreign currency.
Taking a bus and seeing the island of Barbados will certainly add new heights to your stay here. Barbados has a plethora of sights that will tap you into its history and culture all in one trip. Allow yourself to be opened up to the beauty and adventure there is in Barbados by taking a bus | <urn:uuid:a8d9e032-d0de-4d06-b3c6-9c472cf3803d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://barbadospocketguide.com/getting-around-in-barbados/buses.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957064 | 551 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Seek a deeper understanding of the fundamental and enduring questions that have been raised by thoughtful human beings in the rich traditions of the East.
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In our latest Tricycle | BuddhaFest Online Film Festival talk, Ven. Pannavati Bhikkhuni explores what it means to move beyond practice and extend our awareness to take action in the world. Pannavati was raised in the Christian church and has subsequently ordained in several Buddhist traditions. Over the course of her religious journey, she has realized the important role of wakeful service. Watch her talk about how she applies wakefulness to determine what is needed in the world. | <urn:uuid:57a230ad-abd6-4796-97d7-4125b64e1e9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tricycle.com/blog/being-awake-world-ven-pannavati-bhikkhuni | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959901 | 135 | 1.578125 | 2 |
This book on CD-ROM is a practical guide to astrophotography with digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. It explains how digital cameras work and everything you need to know about how to take astrophotos with them. It also tells you how to process the images after you have shot them, with step-by-step directions that will produce beautiful results.
Many people are disappointed when they look through a telescope and see faint deep-sky objects as subtle gray smudges. They don't look anything like the gorgeous pictures they have seen in books and magazines.
These amazing color images are made possible by the magic of long-exposure astrophotography. Besides capturing what you can see visually, astrophotography allows you to take pictures of things that are too faint to be seen, and colors that can not be seen at all. Through digital processing, you can improve the color and contrast, and make these images outstanding!
New DSLR cameras, such as the Nikon D50 and Canon EOS Rebel XT (350D), are now reaching the price point where nearly everyone who has a telescope can afford one. The extremely low-noise properties of this latest generation of DSLR cameras make them ideal for astrophotography.
Beginner astrophotographers often ask how to determine the best ISO and exposure to use for their particular sky conditions at their observing site. This book tells you the answers to these questions plus many others that you haven't even thought to ask yet!
Start out easy with a simple camera on tripod and shoot beautiful scenic shots of the Moon, planets and star trails and constellations. Advance to wide-angle piggyback photography. Master long-exposure deep-sky photography of nebulae and galaxies.
In the image processing chapter, you will learn how to work with simple, easy-to-take JPEG images right out of the camera. You will learn how to remove vignetting, color correct and enhance images, sharpen and reduce noise.
In the advanced image processing section, you will learn how to correctly calibrate raw images with support frames such as dark frames and apply non-linear processing through techniques such as digital development.
These basic and advanced image correction and enhancement techniques can be used with images taken with any DSLR camera.
A Guide to Astrophotography with Digital SLR Cameras is not a traditional paper book. It is a digital book on CD-ROM that you will be able to view on your computer in any internet web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera | <urn:uuid:57a3ca7a-2645-4a07-b338-553d6915ea9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://starizona.com/acb/A-Guide-to-Astrophotography-with-Digital-SLR-Cameras---Book-on-CD-P2645C74.aspx?UserID=21509648 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929808 | 522 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Greenland’s government is to receive a cash injection from the European Union to help support training efforts. The subsidy of 200 million kroner (USD 33 million) will be given to the country every year until 2013 to help boost Greenland’s educational facilities.
Greenland must produce reports explaining how the money is being used and the results of training in exchange for a cut of the cash. The current EU-Greenland partnership is to be evaluated and renegotiated next year, when a new agreement for the period of 2014 to 2020 will be reached.
Last year, the country achieved 97 percent of stated objectives and received almost 100 percent of the 200 million kroner kitty. The money makes a big different to Greenland and its annual budget, according to Siku News.
Along with the fisheries agreement, the EU assistance sees around 320 million kroner (USD 52 million) pumped into to Greenland each year. This amounts to around 5.3 percent of the government’s total revenues for 2010. A spokesperson for the EU said the money was offered “to support Greenland’s exceptional education efforts.” | <urn:uuid:0c832145-c868-4ee3-b9ff-1575a33a9c10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icenews.is/2010/06/21/eu-promises-more-cash-for-greenland-education/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951228 | 232 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Middle East arms sales, such as the massive $67 billion military package for Saudi Arabia, are keeping the U.S. defense industry in business. These days, with the Arab world in turmoil, two presidents booted out and a third fighting for survival of his authoritarian regime, that strategy is being questioned.
The wave of unrest in the region has given new weight to concerns that the vast arsenals of weapons the United States has sold to Arab states over the years could fall into the hands of anti-American forces.
That's what happened in 1979 when Iran's Islamic revolution ousted Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Americans' key ally in the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
The mullahs inherited a U.S.-made armory, including 77 Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighters and 190 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms, then top-of-the-line combat jets. The current political turmoil engulfing the Middle East caught everyone by surprise -- the Americans, the Israelis, the regimes themselves -- underlining the dangers that critics have been warning about for so many years.
So far, no extremist Arab regime has emerged although the way things are going that could happen. | <urn:uuid:57e3e960-2531-4513-be90-4c20ed8eb420> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tvnewslies.org/tvnl/index.php/news/economy/18299-us-defense-industry-depends-on-mideast.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939767 | 243 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Monday, March 22, 2010
Some of my most memorable reading experiences in high school come from short story collections, especially F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tales of the Jazz Age. I've been trying to get into some of the modern masters lately. Here are a few to peruse...
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation offers solace and comfort while exploring deeper themes. The melancholy “Rain” traces a woman's friendship with an old pal, who dropped his successful corporate life to live closer to nature. Rocky terrain is covered: fidelity, brain cancer, and mortality. Other stories are lighter, such as the title story in which the narrator kicks up her heels and skips her Weight Watchers meeting to indulge in her food cravings.
The poignant coming-of-age tales of Amy Bloom's Come to Me: Stories explore the rich, intricate textures of family life. At her mother's funeral, reminiscing about her family's long summers spent with another family, the main character of “Love Is Not a Pie” realizes that her mother shared both a lover and a husband during those long, lazy days.
Unaccustomed Earth, focuses on aspects of dislocation and assimilation. The titular selection features a woman in mourning, relocated from Brooklyn to Seattle, wondering if she should invite her recently widowed father, visiting from Pennsylvania, to share her home. The father has his own worries: he hopes his daughter will remain in the dark about a new relationship he is cultivating. Lahiri's characters' sense of loss is haunting, and her prose is gemlike. Readers will strike gold with this dazzling work, which also highlights Bengali customs and traditional Indian arrangements.
How to Breathe Underwater: Stories, resembles a mininovel. Complex, spellbinding, and illuminating, “Stars of Motown Shining Bright” focuses on two girls retracing their sudden divergent paths. “Note to My Sixth Grade Self” is an acutely rendered study of the pain felt by a socially ostracized girl. Orringer's straightforward compassionate voice exposes the fears, secrets, and cruelties that children and adolescents experience. Her tender tales, overflowing with the turbulent longing and agonies of youth, testify to the enduring promise of the short story.
~ For more themed book lists, check out Listless by One Librarian's Book Reviews and Listed by Once Upon a Bookshelf ~
~ All summaries from Library Journal ~
Who are your favorite contemporary short story authors? | <urn:uuid:4566a06b-f5ca-4ccb-b439-e0ca388dffda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bookshelfmonstrosity.blogspot.com/2010/03/books-by-theme-short-stories.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95442 | 522 | 1.710938 | 2 |
ARTS 615 (AMST)
Survey of Jazz Styles
09/08/2003 - 12/13/2003
Monday 07:00 PM - 09:30 PM
Music Studios 301
What is the difference between "cool jazz" and "hot jazz" or "bebop" and "hard bop?" What does the bass player do in a jazz group? How has that changed over time? Why is Louis Armstrong so important? If you have ever wondered about questions like these, you are not alone. Here in the 21st century, jazz has finally started to earn the respect it deserves, but not everyone understands how it works. The purpose of this course is to build this understanding. Each sub-topic will be examined within the broader context of jazz history
Our working knowledge of jazz will be built through class discussions, selected readings and assignments, and above all, extensive listening. Students will learn the roles of each member of a jazz ensemble and how these roles have evolved. They will learn the distinctions (and similarities) between various sub-categories and chronological periods in jazz. They will learn about great artists including those-like Armstrong, Charlie Parker and Count Basie-who epitomized certain movements in jazz, as well as restless, influential and difficult-to-categorize innovators like Earl Hines, Miles Davis and Charles Mingus. Grades will be based on class participation, listening quizzes, and written assignments including brief research projects (such as examining the career of a noteworthy musician) and analyses of both written and live music.
Noah Baerman (B.Mus., M.M. Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University) is director of the Wesleyan jazz ensemble. He is also a jazz pianist who has recently released his fifth album, "Bliss." His best-known release is "Patch Kit," a trio album with Ben Riley and longtime Miles Davis associate Ron Carter. In March 2005 he was featured as a guest on the public radio program Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz. Alfred Publishing Company has released nine instructional books by Noah, most recently the Versatile Keyboardist, as well as a DVD, Beginning Jazz Keyboard. He is also a recent recipient of the Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation "New Works" grant. Click here for more information about Noah Baerman.
Consent of Instructor Required: No
|Level: GLSP||Credits: 3||Enrollment Limit: 18|
Texts to purchase for this course:
|Register for Courses|
Contact firstname.lastname@example.org to submit comments or suggestions.
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459 | <urn:uuid:5b62002d-a453-4960-b41b-cb1caa2f16cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wesleyan.edu/templates/dept/glsp/courses/skeleton_courses.htt?function=f1&cid=ARTS%20615&term=1039 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942483 | 553 | 2.734375 | 3 |
On 9/11/01, everything changed. Families were broken, friends were gone, our security and peace were threatened. But in those 11 years since that horrific day, we have rebounded. Though we’ll never, ever be the same, and nothing can take the place of those we loved who were lost, I think that we learned many lessons that day.
We learned how important each and every moment is, and how things can change in an instant. We realized with new vigor how our lives are meant to be lived fully, that we must always pursue our dreams and say “I love you” no matter how difficult either of those two actions may seem.
In the months following 9/11, many left jobs, started new endeavors, and acted upon goals they had previously pushed aside… education included. And new paths of pursuit were highlighted, including homeland security, something that has since fascinated me. Who are these professionals who are committing their lives to making sure 9/11 doesn’t happen again? What do their daily jobs entail? Learn more about homeland security degrees in demand.
Many chose to pursue a different road to ensuring our safety — the military. These men and women and their families are making sacrifices everyday via their dedication. Read more about post-9/11 GI Bill resources that enable them to incorporate education into their commitment.
For children of 9/11 victims, life will never be the same, which is why organizations that offer scholarships specifically for those families touched our hearts. Here, we highlight one such group: the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund.
Each year, colleges and universities across the nation set aside time for memorial services to mark the day. Read more about how some of the academic world noted the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.
Today we’ll be paying homage to all the heroes who lost their lives, and looking ahead to ways we can make life better. Learn with us, and remember: Love fully, go after your dreams, and … never forget. | <urn:uuid:e9a009df-b745-43dc-8d29-250bd22c082b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.collegesurfing.com/blog/remembering-911-changed-lives-goals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972238 | 415 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Effect of Sample Size
Study the occurrence of a hereditary trait with simple pattern of dominant and recessive genetic inheritance in a large population.
Students poll at least 100 students in the school (depending on the size of your school, you may decide to poll just your grade, or several classes, or even the whole school). Questions you can ask: A. Are you right or left handed? Or B. Can you roll your tongue?
Figure the percentage of the population which displays each trait. The theoretical percentages would be 75% right handed, 25% left handed; and 75% capable of rolling tongue, 25% incapable.
We will use this in the discussion when we talk about the benefits of using a larger sample when looking at probability of inheriting a trait.
Inheriting genes from your parents involves chance. Students should have some idea of what probability means. For example, there is a fifty-fifty chance of having a girl each time you have a baby. Just because a family already has 5 boys doesn't mean that the next baby has to be a girl ö the chance is still 50-50.
Provide each student with a penny. Have them toss it 10 times and graph the results. How many students have exactly half heads and half tails? Now cumulatively take the results they got and graph them together as a class. Are the results closer to 50-50? Discuss that having a larger population sample is necessary for probability and statistics to be valid. | <urn:uuid:8fc572c6-3afb-4801-8dc6-3144f808942c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://carnegiesciencecenter.org/educators/science-on-the-road-who-are-you/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9384 | 303 | 4.09375 | 4 |
Posts Tagged An approach to Design thesis
An approach to a Design Thesis | Thesis Guidelines
Earlier, we discussed the following:
Now we shall mover on with a discussion on “Topic selection for Final Year Thesis”.
Topic Selection for a Thesis Project
- Selecting a topic is based on many factors.
- Your mind should be geared towards serving your own needs rather than wandering astray with some foreign ideas. To be able to provide better solutions within the existing framework. You have to be practical in your approach, then only you can strive for genuine solutions.
- Select a topic of your choice based on some hard facts like some problems that require immediate attention.
- Architectural fantasies can be pursued provided that your approach is right (The process of Research). It is through the thesis project that students are weaned away towards independent decision making and set up.
- Do not waste too much time in selecting a topic and do not allow any pseudo-intellectual to confuse you. A small project will enable you to get into the details while larger projects have their own limitations of time and procedure. Therefore you have to restrict the scale of your project to enable you to justify detailed design investigations. You must remain within your scale of design continuum. | <urn:uuid:a3fb1717-4037-4393-b162-2889599d5abf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.architecture-student.com/tag/an-approach-to-design-thesis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937744 | 261 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Can I do something to prevent outside cool air being drawn into the house when I turn on the exhaust fan in the bathroom?
In winter if I turn on an exhaust fan in the bathroom, the outside cool air will be drawn into the house (reverse effect in summer) lowering the efficiency of the AC, is this normal? Or can I do something to prevent this?
Yes, any time you operate a bathroom exhaust vent fan you are removing stale (conditioned) air from inside and replacing it with outdoor air.
- The purpose of the bathroom exhaust fan is to remove excess moisture and odors from the bathroom.
- Heat recovery is not a function of the bath fan.
While the energy in the air that is exhaust air is lost it is critical to continue to operate bath fans to remove excess moisture/odors.
The amount of energy lost is insignificant in the overall scope of energy use when compared to the health advantages of using the fan.
As an alternative you could install a heat recovery ventilation system (HRV) that pulls air from the bathrooms, captures a percentage of the energy in the exhaust air and transfers that energy to the fresh air brought in to make up for the exhausted air.
- The problem with an HRV is it removes moisture from the house, when needed (during winter months) and adds moisture into the home when not wanted (hot humid summer).
- An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) would leave outdoor moisture outdoors and interior moisture indoors so it would not help remove unwanted bathroom moisture.
My advice is to continue using bathroom fans to remove moisture/odors and not worry about the loss of energy or introduction of moisture. Since the fans are located in rooms with high concentrations of moisture they will never bring in moisture to levels being exhausted.
If you want to make sure that you are operating your exhaust fans efficiently you should:
- install Energy Star qualified fans and
- have them controlled by humidity levels.
If humidity levels rise in the bathroom the fan activates and continues to run until the humidity levels return to normal. | <urn:uuid:7b73603c-86e8-44ac-972c-f443485f402a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greenhomeguide.com/askapro/question/can-i-do-something-to-prevent-outside-cool-air-being-drawn-into-the-house-when-i-turn-on-the-exhaust-fan-in-the-bathroom | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902836 | 423 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Connect to this Database
Who should use this database?
Those looking for the full text of the writings of the Early Church Fathers from the first 800 years of the Church.
What kinds of materials are referenced in the database?
These files are based on a 38 volume set of writings of the Early Church Fathers. It is divided into three series: Ante-Nicene (ANF), Nicene and Post Nicene Series I (NPNF1) and Nicene and Post Nicene Series II (NPNF2). Greek and Hebrew text is transliterated into the Roman alphabet.
What years does the database cover?
The first 800 years of the church.
Will I find full-text articles in the database? | <urn:uuid:d31b5d34-d456-484b-b5a2-47880eb596e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usfca.edu/Library/databases/Early_Church_Fathers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916903 | 151 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Mysterious Lake Mashu is one of the world's clearest, most transparent lakes. The lake was catapulted to fame in the 1960s with the hit song, "The Mists of Lake Mashu," and in 2001, was designated as a "Hokkaido Heritage" site.
Lake of the Gods
Lake Mashu is a caldera lake lying 315 meters above sea level, born from the fires of a massive volcanic eruption nearly 7,000 years ago, and dominated by Akan-dake (elevation 858 meters), known as "The Mountain of the Gods" to the Ainu people, at the lake's south eastern edge. Slightly larger than Lake Akan, Lake Mashu has a circumference of 20 kilometers, covers an area of 1,966 km2, and has a depth of 212 meters. With no incoming or outgoing river currents, the lake has a deeply serene, mirror-like surface and is surrounded by 300-400 meter high sheer cliffs. The lake is known for the mist and fog that often forms here, and as its name in the Ainu language, “Kamuy-tou” ("Lake of the Gods"), implies, it presents a stately and mysterious atmosphere.
And the World Record for Transparency Goes To...?
A 1931 transparency survey of Lake Mashu recorded an underwater visibility of 41.6 meters, exceeding that of Lake Baikal in Russia, and confirmed the establishment of a new world record at the time. However, with the later introduction of sockeye salmon and rainbow trout into the lake, the transparency has shown a decreasing trend year after year. At the same time, a transparency survey has not been carried out on Lake Baikal in over 70 years, and with increasing development in the surrounding area, underwater visibility is thought to have significantly decreased. As the record is an old one, the truth is that no one really knows which lake is the world's clearest, but there is no doubt that Lake Mashu is at least one of the world's clearest, most transparent lakes.
The Lake Mashu Dimple
The tiny island of Kamyush lies at the center of Lake Mashu. This small spit of land is also known as the "dimple" of the lake, and its name in the Ainu language means, "the old woman who became a god." This island rises as much as 30 meters from the lake surface, but in actuality it is part of the volcanic summit projecting its face from the water at an elevation of 240 meters.
The Jinx of Lake Mashu
Often enveloped in dense fog and mist, Lake Mashu has an image of being "always covered in fog, and only sunny once in a blue moon." Because of this, it's said that those who see the lake when it's sunny and without fog will either not be able to marry until later in life, break up with a loved one if with that person at the time, or be unable to advance their career, and therefore jinxed! Don't say we didn't warn you! | <urn:uuid:006dbcc0-c4e5-4d86-93ae-621d5f861ecd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lake-akan.com/en/eastern/mashu/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972538 | 635 | 2.375 | 2 |
The Turkish government has made a game-changing move on the country’s chronic Kurdish problem by letting two Kurdish-origin members of Parliament visit the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, at his İmralı island prison on Jan. 3 following a number of contacts with him by Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT).
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin told reporters that his ministry had decided to give a positive answer to the applications of the Kurdish problem-focused Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) to talk to Öcalan themselves instead of hearing what he says on the future of the Kurdish problem from government officials, lawyers or his relatives. Ergin justified this move, which is pushing the limits of the law, by saying they hoped it would be a contribution to ongoing efforts; the actual driving force and the decision maker in the process is, of course, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan.
Two members of Parliament were apparently taken to İmralı under the auspices of the Justice Ministry, Ayla Akat Ata and Ahmet Türk. The delegation is a carefully selected one. Türk, a Kurdish-origin veteran of Turkish politics is not a member of the BDP, mainly because of a legal ban on his being a party member. But he is well-respected not only among Kurds in Turkey but in Iraq and Syria as well. Ata, on the other hand, is the age of Türk’s daughter and represents a newer generation of Kurdish politics that grew up in a political atmosphere dominated by the actions of the PKK. Plus she is a member of the Constitution Conciliation Commission in Parliament, which is to write a new and hopefully more-democratic Constitution for Turkey.
There are two more reasons for not being so pessimistic this time, considering the failures of the recent past. The first and the most important one is the BDP’s full engagement in the process. The two co-chairs of the BDP, Gültan Kışanak and Selahattin Demirtaş, have split into two to convince, well, mainly the PKK, which shares the same grassroots with the BDP, according to Türk himself.
Demirtaş focused on Diyarbakır in southeast Turkey as the heartland of Kurdish nationalism. Kışanak flew to Brussels to meet ranking PKK officials there in order to convey the messages of Öcalan and also the government.
This is because the opposing voices from within the PKK system have already started. Zübeyr Aydar, the executive of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), said it would not be enough for the government to talk to Öcalan only. As a former member of the Turkish Parliament, Aydar had taken part in the failed Oslo talks between MİT and the PKK in 2009-2010.
Another uneasy voice came from the Kandil Mountains in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Murat Karayılan, as de facto leader of the PKK, said that laying down arms could not be the aim and constitutional recognition of political rights was needed to end violence. The first step according to both Karayılan and Yalçın Akdoğan, Erdoğan’s adviser on Kurdish and security-related issues could be the withdrawal of all PKK militants from Turkish borders.
But the laying down of arms is the most important aim according to Erdoğan. And there comes the second important reason to be not that pessimistic this time. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has given his blessing for the dialogue between the government and the PKK as long as it serves the laying down of arms and an end to violence.
The fact that the process has accelerated at a time when the parties in Parliament have agreed to accelerate the writing of the new Constitution makes Turkish politics more interesting to watch closely nowadays.
*This article was published in the Hurriyet Daily News on Jan. 5, 2013. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-makes-game-changing-move-on-kurdish-problem-.aspx?pageID=449&nID=38417&NewsCatID=409
Murat Yetkin is the current editor-in-chief of Hurriyet Daily News and a columnist for Radikal, a Turkish publication. He is a political commentator on Turkish and Middle Eastern affairs and has previously worked for BBC World Service and AFP. He can be found on Twitter: @MuratYetkin2. | <urn:uuid:9d57a1ed-dad8-4e15-91e8-d38636194a14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2013/01/07/259026.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96256 | 975 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Landsteiner’s lawOctober 19, 2010 | 11:29 am | Physiology | No Comment
The reciprocal relationship between antigens on the red blood cells and antibodies in the serum is known as Landsteiner’s law. Karl Landsteiner suggested that the phenomenon was not pathology, as was the prevalent thought at the time, but was a physiological phenomenon due to the unique nature of the individual’s blood.
It states that:
- If an agglutinogen is present in the red cells of a blood, the corresponding agglutinin must be absent from the plasma.
- If an agglutinogen is absent in the red cells of a blood, the corresponding agglutinin must be present in the plasma.
Applicability of the law:
- The first law holds true for all types of blood grouping.
- The second law is a fact for ABO blood groups.
- The Rh,M,N and other blood groups do not follow the second part of landsteiner’s law.
Short biography About Karl Landsteiner:
- Karl Landsteiner (1868-1943), the Austrian-born American immunologist was the only child of Leopold Landsteiner, a prominent Austrian journalist and editor, and Fanny Hess Landsteiner.
- Karl Landsteiner, has been titled as the “father of immunology”.
- He discovered the blood groups (ABO) and framed the Landsteiner’s Law by 1904.
- In 1930 he received the Nobel Prize for his discovery.
- Continued to research on Blood groups and types till his death.
Tags: ABO, agglutinin, agglutinogen, Blood Group, Immunity, Karl Landsteiner, Landsteiner law
Last updated: October 19, 2010 | <urn:uuid:ff32cd47-529f-406d-9000-b421581bf298> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://medchrome.com/basic-science/physiology/landsteiners-law/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912552 | 391 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Implementation of the Convention
Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target
Measures have been taken on several fronts in order to achieve the 2010 biodiversity target in Canada. These include the federal Species at Risk Act, proclaimed in 2003, and a number of other provincial legislations protecting endangered species and their habitat. Of the 314 endangered, threatened and extirpated species on the November 2004 COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) list, 180 recovery plans or strategies have been initiated. Canada is also working with the US through the Framework for Cooperation in the Protection and Recovery of Wild Species at Risk to ensure the captive breeding and re-introduction of certain endangered species (ex. whooping cranes, karner blue butterfly, black-footed ferrets, etc.) common to both countries. Another initiative to address species recovery is the RENEW program, which involves federal, provincial and territorial governments in addition to several other groups and organisations. This program has been instrumental in establishing captive breeding and reintroduction programs for endangered species native to Canada, the majority of which are conducted by Canadian zoos. Concerning the conservation of genetic diversity, initiatives include the Plant Germplasm System and the Plant Gene Resources of Canada.
<br><br>In 2000, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) launched an initiative to develop indicators linking economic activity to its long-term effects on the environment. The initiative will attempt to track stocks of key types of capital, including natural capital. The six indicators released in 2003 are: forest cover, freshwater quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, extent of wetlands, and educational attainment. Specific federal and provincial departments are also developing biodiversity indicators related to their mandates. The main tool for the promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity continues to be the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy released in 1995, but emphasis is now being placed on the implementation of the draft Addis Ababa principles and guidelines through their integration and mainstreaming into national legislation, regulations, plans and programmes.
<br><br>In response to growing recognition of the threat of invasive alien species, the Canadian governments adopted the Invasive Alien Species strategy in 2004 to establish a coordinated policy and management framework that minimizes the risk of invasive alien species to the economy, environment, and society. Canada has also adopted other management tools for combating the introduction of non-native species to the aquatic environment, such as the Guidelines for the Control of Ballast Water Discharge from Ships in Waters under Canadian Jurisdiction.
Initiatives in Protected Areas
Canada has several systems of protected areas developed and managed by various levels of government. The status and completion of the various protected area systems varies amongst the different jurisdictions. The Québec government, for example, has set a target of designating 8% of its area under protected status by 2008. In 2002, Quebec adopted a Natural Heritage Conservation Act to facilitate the establishment of a network of protected areas representative of biodiversity and has since created 24 Biodiversity Reserves, 4 Aquatic Reserves, 8 Ecological Reserves, one National Park and 60 Exceptional Forest Ecosystems.<br><br> In total, Canada’s parks agencies have added approximately 24 million hectares to the various systems of protected areas since 1992 – an area the size of the United Kingdom. Interim protection is in place for another 51,300 square kilometres of land that will become four new parks once final agreements are in place. In 2002, the Government of Canada announced a 5-year Action Plan to establish 10 new national parks and 5 new national marine conservation areas, to enlarge selected existing national parks, and to enhance management of existing national parks. Canadian industry, non-government organizations, aboriginal groups, and private citizens have also contributed to the establishment of new protected areas. A national framework for action on protected areas is being developed to facilitate a coordinated approach to protected areas planning amongst Canada’s governments and with other key national non-government interests.
Initiatives for Article 8(j)
Initiatives concerning the conservation and use of traditional knowledge include the Northwest Territories’ Policy on Traditional Knowledge, the Nunavut Inuit Land Use and Ecological Knowledge Database, and the Inuit Knowledge of Bowhead Study. Among other things, traditional knowledge is used to assist in land claims negotiations, to understand and develop conservation measures for species of significance to the aboriginal population (ex. caribou), and to determine the potential impacts of major development projects on the local population and ecosystems (ex. the impact of large scale hydro development in James Bay). The establishment of co-management boards as a result of land claims agreements has played a major role in developing and getting recognition for traditional knowledge. Co-management regimes now relate to wildlife, lands, waters, environmental impact assessment and planning. Under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), aboriginal knowledge is being applied to the species assessment process and to the development of species management plans. <br><br>The Canadian Indigenous Biodiversity Network (CIBN) was established by Canadian Indigenous Peoples as a mechanism to exchange information, experiences and increase collaboration among Indigenous groups working on the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and related issues. The Biodiversity Convention Office (BCO) of Environment Canada hosts an Indigenous Communications Officer, which provides support to the CIBN. In addition, BCO has actively sought the views and participation of Indigenous groups since the early negotiations of the CBD through direct solicitation to national organizations for expert opinions, and support for Indigenous participation on Canadian delegations and as independent delegates to CBD or CBD-related meetings.<br /> | <urn:uuid:8d44396f-cf4e-4052-810c-08d113a6829a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=ca | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928279 | 1,146 | 3.234375 | 3 |
||Program 2 in this series of The Internet
in Action looks at the contributions technology can make to the elementary
school classroom, and at the care that educators have to take to ensure
that technology is used efficiently and effectively. In addition to
showing specialists demonstrating strategies for integrating Internet
resources into social studies projects, this program considers the
impact of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
standards for teachers and students, and introduces online communication
tools developed specifically with teachers in mind.
Learn about some of the theories behind the interdisciplinary approach
to learning, and think about how interdisciplinary projects may work
in your classroom.
Featured Project: The Revolutionary War
Take an in-depth look at the interdisciplinary project featured on The Internet
in Action. This section includes lesson plans.
Creating Lesson Plans
Learn how to plan, prepare, and assess lesson plans that involve the use
of multimedia resources.
ISTE - the International Society for Technology in Education
In this section, you'll find out about ISTE - its missions and goals, and the services it offers
teachers and students, including the National Education in Technology Standards (NETS).
Take a closer look at two online communications tools developed by
Scholastic and featured in The Internet in Action. | <urn:uuid:797653e3-04ef-49d1-b133-17a28d613501> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti/iia/p2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905496 | 268 | 4 | 4 |
A poster at the Butterfield Overland Stage station provided fair warning to anyone interested in purchasing a ticket: "You will be traveling through Indian Country, and the safety of your person cannot be vouchsafed by anyone but God."
To fully understand how the Butterfield Overland Mail Company came to be, step back in time to 1846 when the United States declared war on Mexico. It needed soldiers to push the Mexicans south and to formally take possession of lands that now make up much of the Southwest from Texas to California.
During that same time period, Mormon pioneers based in Iowa were migrating to Utah, but they needed government cooperation for their westward migration. An agreement between President James Polk and the Mormon Church resulted in the formation of the U.S. Mormon Battalion, which was tasked with blazing a wagon road from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Los Angeles, California, and pushing back any Mexican armies that happened to be in that area.
On July 20, 1846, the Mormon Battalion of nearly 550 men left Council Bluffs and marched to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where each soldier was issued personal weapons and supplies. A cash allotment was also provided to purchase uniforms, but soldiers were not required to wear uniforms so many of them used the money for other purposes such as sending it back to their families in Iowa.
During the months of January and December, the Battalion crossed Arizona and arrived in the San Diego area in the last week of January. No Mexican armies had been encountered; however, they had marched across the most hostile lands in the territory being claimed from Mexico. They had been the first to take wagons through that country and had established a wagon route for future use.
Before the Gold Rush of 1849, California was just a place somewhere out West that very few people cared about. Then, someone discovered gold. Some references claim it was discovered by a retired member of the Mormon Battalion. Regardless of who made the discovery, gold fever spread across the country, and all of a sudden, everyone wanted to know where California was. The year of the '49ers put California on the map. In 1850, it officially became a state.
When dust from the Gold Rush began to settle, most of the '49ers discovered the best that they could hope for was a working-man's wage. They began to miss the homefolks. Getting a letter from California to the states back East was nearly impossible. Some of it went around the continent on ships, and other mail went by private companies at inflated rates. Nothing was done to improve the lack of communications between the East Coast and West Coast until 1858.
Government officials in Washington decided to establish a mail route using the wagon route blazed by the Mormon Battalion 12 years earlier. A government contract was awarded to John Butterfield who resided in New York. He would be paid $600,000 a year for six years to carry mail from St. Louis to San Francisco. Stagecoaches left St. Louis and San Francisco twice a week. The journey was completed in 25 days or less. | <urn:uuid:bb31e5f4-06e1-450a-875a-f16fbcf0ca92> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.off-roadweb.com/events/0706or_butterfield_overland_stage_route/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980509 | 626 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Getting to know the woods:Experts weigh in on bringing youngsters outdoors
For longtime hunters, there’s nothing better than getting into the woods. But for youngsters still learning their way in the wild, care must be taken to avoid calamity, seasoned hunters and state wildlife officials agree.
A week ago, 6-year-old Joseph “Jo Jo” McCray was found near the summit of Glastenbury Mountain in Sunderland after a night spent outdoors.
The Arlington youth was with a group of hunters, including his father, who were working together to “push” deer along a roughly mile-long corridor in the Green Mountain National Forest, according to Vermont State Police Lt. Reg Trayah.
Pushing, a technique used by some hunters, involves one or more walkers who drive game towards other hunters sitting in wait.
Trayah said the boy was one of three walkers who entered the wooded area off Route 7 near exit 3 sometime after 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24.
He was supposed to walk along the lowest point of the hill, with an adult 75 yards to his right and the highway an unknown distance to his left, Trayah said.
But the youngster, who was not armed, didn’t rendezvous with the rest of the group and after attempts to find him failed, police and other rescuers were called.
When searchers found Joseph the next morning, he was taken to a local hospital to be treated for hypothermia. Rescuers said part of the reason he survived the cold night was because he was dressed warmly — camouflage overalls, long johns, heavy wool coat and a hat.
Trayah, who was investigating the incident last week, said the youth was also trying to use his wits to find a cabin in the area that he had been to once with his father.
“He did everything right and survived a hard night in the woods,” he said.
While the youth was blameless, Trayah’s investigation was being conducted in part to determine whether any crime had been committed by the adults overseeing the boy.
Whether or not anything criminal occurred last weekend, fish and wildlife experts and hunters emphasized the importance of supervision and preparedness when introducing youngsters to the great outdoors.
Chris Saunders, hunter education coordinator for Vermont Fish & Wildlife, said he has tried to mix fun and safety while introducing his 6-year-old and 9-year-old sons to the woods.
“I try to take moments to teach them things but first and foremost I want them to enjoy themselves,” he said.
He said he also keeps his boys within boundaries when they accompany him on hunts. That includes staying close to him, carrying whistles and having a plan in the event they get separated. That plan, he said, is not to move.
“Don’t go anywhere because it will only get worse,” he said. “You’re more likely to get disoriented moving through the woods. It’s always better to sit and wait for help.”
Of course, anyone in the woods with a compass — or nowadays global positioning systems installed in phones or other devices — can find their way out of even the densest woods.
But David LeCours, Vermont’s chief warden, said much of the state’s wilderness doesn’t receive enough of a cellphone signal to use GPS devices and while compasses always point north, anyone inexperienced with navigation wouldn’t be able to utilize them fully.
“Someone who is six or seven likely doesn’t possess the life skills to utilize these kinds of tools,” he said.
There’s no minimum age for hunting in Vermont — although a person must pass a hunter safety course, including a written test, before they can purchase a license.
Since he wasn’t carrying a bow or firearm while walking with the group last week, Joseph wasn’t hunting and no age limits apply to when a person can begin accompanying hunters.
“My sons have been out with me since they were born,” Saunders of Fish & Wildlife said. “When I would go out scouting for deer my youngest spent a lot of time in a backpack.”
“I don’t think there’s an exact age that’s appropriate or inappropriate to introduce a child to hunting just like their isn’t an age that’s appropriate to introduce them to the outdoors,” he added. “I just think it’s important that an adult stick close to a youngster.”
Tom Moore, president of the Caledonia Forest and Stream Club in St. Johnsbury, said it’s also a good idea to keep expeditions with youngsters limited to smaller wooded areas.
“If you’re in an area that’s surrounded by roads then you know that if someone gets lost they can walk in a straight line and come to a road.”
Of course, walking in a straight line in the woods is easier said than done. More than once, Moore said, he’s walked in circles himself.
But simple tricks, like tying flagging tape to branches while walking through the woods, have guaranteed that he hasn’t walked the same loop twice, he said.
“Mostly, it’s about having a plan ahead of time and knowing what to do if you get lost,” he said.
@rutlandherald.comMORE IN Vermont News
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International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people’s lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research-for-development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization founded in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). | <urn:uuid:a5f54dea-845c-4ca3-aa1f-afd80ccb31a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alphagalileo.org/Organisations/Default.aspx?OrganisationId=7726 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902704 | 139 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Campus, Guglielmo Giuseppe and Lumbau, Aurea Maria Immacolata and Lai, Bachisio Silvio (2000) Caries experience and streptococci and lactobacilli salivary levels in 6-8-year-old Sardinians. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, Vol. 10 (4), p. 306-312. eISSN 1365-263X. Article.
Full text not available from this repository.
Objectives. The aim of this investigation was to compare clinical data regarding oral status (DMFT/DMFS indices) and streptococci or lactobacilli counts in stimulated whole saliva in two groups of children, aged 6 and 8 years. Methods. Seventy-nine boys and 93 girls aged 6 (84 subjects) and 8 (88 subjects) years old were selected. DMFT/dmft, DMFS/dmfs and OHI-S indices were recorded. Mutans streptococci (Sm) and lactobacilli (Lb) salivary levels were assessed using commercially available strip tests and were rated from 0 to 3 and from 0 to 4 in the group as a whole. Results. Mean dmfs was 9·06 ± 10·80, made up of ds = 7·28 ± 9·54, fs = 1·19 ± 3·64 and ms = 0·59 ± 3·47. Mean DMFS was 0·73 ± 1·91, made of DS = 0·54 ± 1·29, FS = 0•08 ± 0·56 and MS = 0·11 ± 0·56. Statistically significant differences were found for both Sm and Lb scores between those with and without caries in the primary teeth (P < 0·05). The different Lb scores were also significant in relation to caries in permanent teeth in older children. Conclusion. A high proportion of children had some caries experience, and were in need of treatment.
I documenti depositati in UnissResearch sono protetti dalle leggi che regolano il diritto d'autore
Repository Staff Only: item control page | <urn:uuid:9426327b-2875-4d44-847a-041c3b7f0e5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eprints.uniss.it/1083/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946767 | 456 | 1.914063 | 2 |
|National Alliance on Mental Illness
page printed from
(800) 950-NAMI; email@example.com
2. Priority and Special Population
2.1 Priority Population
NAMI advocates for the most effective and appropriate care and treatment and provision of services for people who experience a mental illness. NAMI's priority populations are children, youth and adults with serious mental illnesses who need services and support, often throughout their lives. These include children and adults who have diagnoses that are considered major mental illnesses that significantly impair major life activities, interpersonally, vocationally, educationally, and in managing activities of daily living.
Diagnosis of serious mental illness includes schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic and other severe anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism and pervasive developmental disorders, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder as well as co-occurring substance use disorders. These disorders represent those diagnoses that current scientific data and consensus conclude are identifiable, disabling medical illnesses, with significant biological underpinnings, and require treatment.
(2.1.1) Other mental illnesses that result in:
(188.8.131.52) seriously disabling consequences; or
(184.108.40.206) a high risk of co-morbidity or mortality: and
(220.127.116.11) have a long term course.
2.2 Additional Support
NAMI believes that individuals with serious mental illnesses often require additional support to have their specific needs met and to ensure their access to integrated systems of care, education, and rehabilitation.
2.3 Cultural Diversity
(2.3.1) Persons of different ages, and of varying cultures, racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, including person who are deaf and hearing impaired, and those for whom English is not the primary language have unique characteristics that sometimes cause them to be partially or poorly served or excluded from existing treatment, training, and rehabilitation programs, which are not relevant to their needs. These differences must be respected, embraced, and accorded appropriate representation in mental health care policy, administration, diagnosis, treatment, services, and support in provider and governmental organizations, as well as throughout the organization and operation of NAMI.
(2.3.2) NAMI supports expanded efforts toward recruitment and training of professionals from these groups, the development and distribution of culturally and linguistically appropriate materials for use in education, encouragement of their participation in programs and services, and outreach efforts targeted to these underserved and excluded groups.
(2.3.3) NAMI urges the incorporation of ethnic and cultural perspectives and competence into the design and implementation of programs and procedures for persons with mental illnesses so that diagnostic evaluations, consumer and family communications, and the provision of treatment and services will be free from bias and cultural impediments.
(2.3.4) NAMI believes that providers must have training and sensitivity to cultural diversity.
(2.3.5) NAMI deplores the higher rates among minorities of involuntary commitment and incarceration in penal facilities that occurs among minorities with serious mental illnesses versus non-minorities with similar diagnoses.
2.4 Older Adults with Mental Illness
(2.4.1) NAMI recognizes that the proportion of older adults with mental illnesses will increase as the proportion of older adults in the overall population disproportionately increases. Older age presents added challenges for persons with mental illnesses, especially serious mental illnesses. Treatment must be monitored and adjusted with respect to the metabolic changes coming with aging. Treatment and support need to take into consideration limiting physical, social, economic and other conditions associated with aging. Certain circumstances of aging, such as loss of family, social isolation and infirmity can be triggers for the onset of mental illnesses, including alcoholism and serious depression, among older people. Older persons with mental illnesses also face the loss of family and other caregivers as well as the insufficiency of geriatric health practitioners, including mental health practitioners.
(2.4.2) NAMI calls for Medicare, Medicaid and all public and private health care coverage to provide a suitable, non-discriminatory continuum of community-based treatment, housing and support for older adults with mental illnesses integrated with overall wellness. This should always be based on the least restrictive alternative and should only include nursing homes, and skilled nursing facilities if based on medical conditions other than mental illness. NAMI opposes the practice of indiscriminately administering psychotropic medications to older adults for purposes of sedation or behavioral compliance.
(2.4.3) NAMI supports expanded research on mental illness and aging as well as expanded recruitment, education and training for health and mental health care providers, family members and other caregivers with respect to the specialized needs of older adults with mental illnesses.
(2.4.4) NAMI calls for more effective collaboration between advocates for persons with mental illnesses and advocates for older adults at the national, state and local level.
2.5 Adults Who Are Veterans and Active Duty Military
(2.5.1) NAMI believes that persons with mental illnesses who are veterans, on active military duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves, as well as their families, should receive the same full range of integrated diagnosis, treatment services, and supports across a continuum of care as should be available to all people with serious mental illnesses.
(2.5.2) Individuals who are veterans, on active military duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves, as well as their family members must receive the same level of care and treatment regardless of the provider.
(2.5.3) NAMI calls for effective diagnosis, treatment and referral for active military duty personnel with serious mental illnesses, upon induction and throughout the period of military service.
(2.5.4) NAMI recognizes the need to make effective, integrated treatment programs for co-occurring disorders, including medications, available to veterans and active duty military personnel.
(2.5.5) NAMI recognizes that women, who are a more substantial proportion of veterans and active duty military personnel than ever before, may present mental health care needs differently and require treatment appropriate to their special needs.
(2.5.6) NAMI urges action by the Department of Defense, by executive order of the President of the United States or by act of the United States Congress to authorize that the Purple Heart Award for military service resulting in combat related, medically documented related serious mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress and mental illnesses induced by traumatic brain injury.
2.6 Persons Who Are Homeless and/or Missing
NAMI believes appropriate treatment for persons with serious mental illness leading to recovery, resiliency and wellness cannot be realized without appropriate housing. Persons with serious mental illnesses have the right to safe, decent and affordable housing that meets their needs.
(2.6.1) NAMI advocates for the right to treatment for persons with serious mental illnesses who are homeless and for those at risk of becoming homeless. These citizens have the same needs and rights to shelter and treatment as all other persons with serious mental illnesses. NAMI believes that persons with serious mental illnesses who are homeless should have individualized treatment plans that are integrated into existing systems of care and related health and human service systems.
(2.6.2) NAMI urges that service providers, professionals, and others assisting persons with serious mental illnesses who are homeless show them and their families common courtesy, compassion, and respect.
(2.6.3) When helping to reunite families, NAMI appeals to service providers, professionals, and others assisting persons with serious mental illnesses who are homeless to do what is in the best interest of all concerned, consistent with ethical and medical practices and applicable legal guidelines.
(2.6.4) NAMI deplores the commonplace use of jails and prisons to warehouse persons with serious mental illnesses who are homeless.
(2.6.5) NAMI believes that an adult who once served his or her country in uniformed military service should never become homeless. NAMI urges federal, state and municipal governments to make special efforts to address homelessness in the veterans population through better dissemination of information and coordination of programs that provide treatment, support, assistance and housing options.
2.7 Persons Infected with the HIV Virus
(2.7.1) NAMI believes that all persons with serious mental illnesses should be encouraged to be tested for HIV. NAMI believes that persons who test positive should receive appropriate treatment for both their serious mental illnesses and HIV-related illnesses in the least restrictive setting that is safe for all concerned. The results of testing should be shared only on a "need to know" basis and should include families if they are primary caregivers. If families are not primary caregivers, persons with serious mental illnesses should be encouraged to share this information on a voluntary basis.
(2.7.2) Persons with serious mental illnesses living in institutional settings have been identified as high risks for HIV infection. Therefore, NAMI believes that all persons with serious mental illnesses in institutional settings should be offered HIV testing and strongly encouraged to participate in testing.
(2.7.3) NAMI urges that education, counseling, and peer support should be made available to the person with a serious mental illness who tests HIV positive and, whenever possible, should be offered to their family and staff as well.
2.8 Children with Serious Mental Illnesses
(2.8.1) NAMI believes that children and adolescents with serious mental illnesses have the right and must be offered the opportunity to thrive in nurturing environments.
(2.8.2) NAMI believes that, at the earliest possible time in their lives, all children and adolescents with serious mental illnesses deserve to be diagnosed, appropriately treated, and offered the services necessary to achieve and maintain their recovery.
(2.8.3) NAMI believes that children and adolescents with serious mental illnesses should be treated in their homes and in their communities whenever that level of treatment is appropriate to their clinical need and they should be offered a full array of demonstratively effective services at that time.
(2.8.4) NAMI urges parents and caregivers to become well informed about the array of treatments and services that are or should be available in their community. They should be aware of the special education services that are available for the child who may require those services because of a developmental disability (DD) and/or serious mental illness.
(2.8.5) NAMI calls on all school administrators, teachers, and other education professionals to follow the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in order to ensure that students with serious mental illnesses receive an appropriate education and related services as mandated by the law and to ensure that these students have the opportunity to lead independent and productive adult lives.
(2.8.6) NAMI calls on federal, state and local education officials to immediately address the low academic achievement and unacceptably high drop-out and failure rates of students in the “emotional disturbance” category of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Students living with serious mental illnesses are included in that category.
(2.8.7) NAMI calls for strong interagency collaboration between all child- and family-serving agencies, including state and local mental health systems; public and private schools; child welfare systems; and juvenile justice systems.
(2.8.8) When children and adolescents are detained for mental health care or juvenile justice custody due to behavior that might be caused by a serious mental illness, their clinical status must first be evaluated by a qualified mental health professional and must be taken into account before establishing the appropriate conditions for treatment or detention. When detained, children and adolescents with serious mental illnesses must never occupy the same waiting area, living quarters, evaluation and treatment spaces as adults being served in that setting. Girls who are detained should always be supervised by a female attendant.
(2.8.9) When children and adolescents appear to be experiencing a crisis associated with a serious mental illness, qualified mental health professionals should always be among the first responders contacted. Families should not be directed to law enforcement when a child is experiencing a psychiatric crisis at home or in the community. Every community must have access to an effective and appropriate crisis response system for children and adolescents with serious mental illnesses.
(2.8.10) Schools should not call law enforcement as the first responder in a psychiatric crisis. The intervention of law enforcement personnel either in schools or the community should always be a last resort and should only occur when it is the only option to protect the child and/or the public. School personnel should be trained to effectively de-escalate a psychiatric crisis and schools should have appropriate links to crisis services in the community mental health system.
(2.8.11) In the event that a child exhibits or threatens aggression or self-injurious behavior during a crisis and transportation to a treatment facility is necessary, a qualified mental health professional and/or appropriately trained law enforcement officer must first de-escalate the crisis and then arrange for transportation, preferably in a family vehicle if appropriate or in the least threatening and stigmatizing vehicle available. Adult family members, caregivers, persons known to and trusted by the child, or qualified mental health service providers should accompany the child in transit. When being transported for psychiatric evaluation, psychiatric care or juvenile detention related to a mental health issue, children and adolescents should never occupy the same vehicle or detention areas as adults. Girls who are being transported should always be supervised by female attendants. Using the appropriate vehicle and ensuring appropriate conditions for transportation, during psychiatric crisis, can avoid re-traumatizing the child, the adolescent and the family.
(2.8.12) NAMI believes that families should never be coerced to relinquish custody of their dependent children with serious mental illnesses in order to obtain care, treatment, on an education. The health care service system must be restructured to ensure that children and families are never forced to seek mental health services in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
(2.8.13) NAMI recognizes the critical role that families play in the recovery and development of their children. Therefore NAMI supports the right of families of children who have serious mental illnesses to visit and otherwise maintain as normal contact as appropriate with their children when they are being served in hospitals and other residential facilities. These facilities must not impose overly restrictive visitation limits that prohibit families from visiting their child.
(2.8.14) NAMI calls on national, state and local leaders to take immediate action to end the workforce shortage in children’s mental health services.
(2.8.15) NAMI believes that all primary care providers, including pediatricians, family practice physicians, and advanced practice nurses must be trained to recognize the early warning signs of serious mental illnesses in children, to provide effective treatment as necessary and to develop collaborative agreements with child psychiatrists to whom they can refer children and families for specialized services.
2.9 Minor Children of Parents with Serious Mental Illnesses
NAMI recommends that NIMH study the special problems of minor children whose parents have serious mental illnesses. The diagnosis of a serious mental illness alone is not sufficient grounds for losing custody of one's children. | <urn:uuid:a07ea6d7-9386-4fa1-a7d2-6bc4f70d06e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nami.org/PrinterTemplate.cfm?Section=NAMI_Policy_Platform&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=105506 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94795 | 3,155 | 3.28125 | 3 |
At the Beach, by Jose Ramos
- International Award
- By: QP
The Blue Flag Program is an International certification that is awarded to beaches and marinas when they comply with a series of requirements. The four basic yardsticks are: (1) quality of the water, (2) security and services, (3) environmental education and information and (4) environmental management. This program also awards individual flags to boats when they sign an environmental agreement. The Blue Flag Program is voluntary and is designed to raise environmental awareness and increase proper environmental practices among tourists, local population and managers of the beaches and marinas.
The Blue Flag Program began in Europe in 1987 as an initiative of the Foundation toward the environmental education (FEE), a non-profit organization that includes 47 countries. | <urn:uuid:ee9b4d75-d024-40cc-b1af-efcfb5d54bb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://travelandsports.com/blue-flag-beaches-puerto-rico-215-be.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940687 | 160 | 2.53125 | 3 |
What the U.S. Supreme Court Did to Us This Year
Key decisions by the nation's highest court eroded our constitutional protections of free speech and equal justice in ways that could have a great impact on the most vulnerable.
The Role of Justice Clarence Thomas
It's no accident that Justice Clarence Thomas dissented from the Supreme Court's best decisions this term. What was more startling was Thomas' willingness to take an extreme stand, even further to the right than other members of the conservative majority.
One Thomas opinion in particular should get close attention. The most ominous concurrence of the term goes to Justice Thomas in Berghuis v. Smith, a case striking down the Sixth Amendment challenge by a criminal defendant who argued that women and African Americans had been excluded from his jury. The African-American defendant argued that the all-white jury was convened using a process that violated his right to be tried before a jury drawn from a ''fair cross-section of the community.'' The ''fair cross-section'' requirement has been recognized by the Supreme Court since 1975. In Berghuis, a majority of the court found that the procedures for jury selection did not violate the defendants' right in that case. But Justice Thomas -- in a one-paragraph concurrence -- offered a startling take on the case. He contended that the Sixth Amendment does not contain a fair-cross-section guarantee, and had the state raised this argument, Thomas implied that he would have decided the case on that ground. Thomas' willingness to read the guarantee out of the Sixth Amendment goes against a line of decisions that has ensured the inclusion of women and racial minorities in juries throughout this country. It's an astonishing position, one that chillingly foreshadows the willingness of at least one member of the Supreme Court's conservative majority to dismantle wholesale guarantees that have become part of the mainstream of criminal constitutional law.
It's often said that the Supreme Court nominations and confirmations have little to do with the lives of average people. But as the court's decisions showed this past term, the stakes are high indeed for the poor, the marginalized and minorities. As Justice Kagan takes her seat, she joins a court aggressively engaged in a struggle over constitutional interpretation that will shape the lives of average people for decades to come.
Sherrilyn Ifill is a civil rights lawyer and professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. | <urn:uuid:8e61ec32-a127-46ff-a6d5-61ec84e95095> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theroot.com/views/what-us-supreme-court-did-us-year?page=0,2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965792 | 484 | 2.59375 | 3 |
HAMPTON — Property values in Hampton continued to drop in 2012 by an average of 2.8 percent, according to statistics released by the city Assessor's Office.
Residents in some neighborhoods — Fairfield, West Hampton and Aberdeen Gardens East — are finding their properties' values dropped close to 10 percent, while assessments in Fordham, Langley Square and Little England were largely left untouched.
The city did not increase the assessed value of any neighborhoods, according to a map provided by the Assessor's Office.
Hampton has yet to shake itself of the real estate decline that accompanied the national recession. The city's total taxable value has decreased each of the past four years; more than half of all properties will have decreased in assessed valued by at least 10 percent during that period.
The city's total taxable value has decreased 8.9 percent to $10.2 billion in the past three years.
Nearly 25 percent of residential properties did not lose value in the past year, a statistic city officials believe shows the market is stabilizing.
Sales activity during the second half of the year showed improving conditions, said assessor Brian Gordineer.
Property assessments are calculated based on the sale price of similar properties within the city. Assessments are then used to calculate how much each property owner is charged for property taxes.
Hampton City Manager Mary Bunting revealed this week that the city may need to increase the property tax rate by 23 percent to maintain city services.
Property owners wishing to challenge their property assessments can file a review application with the Assessor's Office by March 15.
Notices to property owners with assessment changes were mailed Thursday, Feb. 14.
The valuations are as of Jan. 1, 2013, and will be effective with tax bills due for fiscal year 2014.
Hampton assessed value change
2012: Down 2.3 percent
2011: Down 3.2 percent
2010: Down 1.7 percent
2009: Down 2.7 percent
2008: Up 0.2 percent | <urn:uuid:f7775518-1483-432b-8ab1-38b43ec8b053> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.dailypress.com/2013-02-15/news/dp-nws-hampton-assessment-change-20130215_1_property-assessments-brian-gordineer-property-values | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956979 | 413 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Finding and inspiring talented employees helped Monaghan to build Domino's from a single Ypsilanti pizzeria in 1960 to seventy-six locations around the country by the end of 1973. But his trouble seeing people's faults also led to repeated disasters. In his 1986 autobiography, Pizza Tiger, he described how, as a young Marine, he was swindled out his life's savings by a "happy-go-lucky character driving a shiny '59 Buick." An early partner in Domino's bled the company of cash, then almost destroyed it with his debts.
By 1974, though, Monaghan was having doubts about his ability to run a big company and wanted to get all the help he could. "Our management structure had grown extremely complex," he wrote in Pizza Tiger. "The lines of authority were tangled in overlapping areas of responsibility, and it was getting to be too much for me to continue running single-handed." Looking through the business section of the Ann Arbor News one Sunday, he came upon an advertisement that instantly caught his attention:
An Important Message to All Business People Here is a brief accurate story about a real outstanding man who has just completed his latest project and who wants to go to work for a good group of people in the general area of this city ... This man has been in the capacity of General Manager and President of most every entity he's been involved with directly and he is used to starting over again and again ... He has an outstanding youthful open attitude realistic but full of confidence which he helps others build in themselves ... You should get to know this fellow.Could this be the man he had been looking for to help him run Domino's? Despite the appalling grammar and the obvious red flags like "he is used to starting over again and again," Monaghan felt he had to find out, so he set up a meeting. | <urn:uuid:fc08023c-9bf6-4be3-9878-249f4b5f806a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arborweb.com/articles/tom_and_russ_2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987711 | 379 | 1.617188 | 2 |
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The six masts and towers at Criggion
The secret masts of Criggion
For 60 years the radio masts at Criggion were a part of the scenery of the Shropshire/Wales border until their demolition in 2003. We look into the role of this station, which played an essential part of Britain's communications in World War Two.
Built during World War Two, the set of three masts and three towers were used for communications between the Admiralty and Royal Navy ships all over the world.
But when the war ended their role continued as a vital signal relay station for the Navy's nuclear submarines in the Cold War - as well as for overseas telephone communications.
The station stood in the shadow of Rodney's Pillar, a monument erected in 1782 on the summit of the nearby Breidden Hill to commemorate the defeat of a French fleet in the West Indies by ships built of Powysland oaks - strange considering the the station was to prove equally important in 20th Century naval warfare.
Although it was built during World War II, the station was at its busiest in the 1960s, when about 160 people were employed on site and high fences surrounded it.
One of the three 600 foot tall towers
There were even watchtowers on the hillside and observation posts in the towers in case of attack. But who was going to attack?
Criggion became the target for anti-nuclear protesters opposed to Britain's deployment of missile-launching submarines right up to the end of the 1990s.
The Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament (CND) were convinced the secret station was a prime target for Soviet nuclear weapons. In 2003 CND Cymru's Rod Stellard told the Western Mail newspaper:
"It would have been a target for nuclear strike, although it was unclear whether the local population knew the significance of the site. If you want to prevent an enemy retaliating what is the most sensible thing to do?"
"You take out his communication systems so he is unable to contact his forces. The MOD was very secretive about the site. We did hear that it was used in civil aircraft and air ambulance work. This made it very difficult to plan an objective protest as it was seen to be doing something worthy."
The station used VLF (Very Low Frequency) signals, which allowed the Admiralty to contact a ship anywhere in the world. Aerials were strung between three towers and the peak of the Breidden hills.
Run by the GPO and later British Telecom, the workers at the station apparently had no idea of the content of the messages they were sending, and the whole 300 acre site was top secret.
So secret, in fact, that BT or the GPO has never admitted that it ran Criggion on behalf of the MoD. Even though the Cold War is long gone, BT still won't say what Criggion was used for.
But a BT sign at the entrance to the site said: Criggion Radio and Maritime Radio Services - a bit of a giveaway.
In March 2003 it was closed down, and it was announced that the three 700 foot masts, along with three free-standing towers 600 feet high, were to be brought down in August.
But in the end it took nearly three weeks to bring down all the masts and towers.
Contractors ran into problems from the start. First of all, a large crowd - estimated at several hundred people - had gathered to watch the explosions, but some strayed onto the site and had to be moved back to safety.
Then their efforts were further frustrated with technical problems. Apparently, charges only weakened one of the towers, although the three masts were eventually brought down on the first day of demolition.
The first of the towers came down in the following week, while it took another 10 days for the remaining two to be demolished.
The station's buildings were sold off or demolished, and before long there will be little trace left of this once important site.
BBC Shropshire's local historian Leslie Oppitz takes up the story:
The GPO Telecommunications Centre with its tall masts and wires was built in 1942, as a direct result of the war.
It formed a back-up to another GPO Radio Station at Rugby, Warwickshire, which was vital to the war at sea. Apparently, the Navy was concerned that the Rugby station, although a well-kept secret, could be knocked out by stray bombs intended for Coventry. The Rugby station, incidentally, can still be seen clearly from both the M1 and the M6 motorways.
The Criggion station was established after a considerable search for a suitable site on a large plain flanked by a hill.
But while Criggion was still in its testing stage, a fire put the Rugby station out of service. A frenzy of activity resulted in Criggion being ready to take over within just three days.
The station played a big part in the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst and the capture of the Altmark and letters of thanks were received from the Admiralty.
Being close to the Severn, flooding was a major hazard and often the river 'came calling'.
On one of the occasions during the war the station was cut off by floods, rubber dinghies dropped by the RAF were used to rescue the stranded workers.
Then a DUKW – amphibious vehicle – was used to convey staff during such weather and there were times when even this became bogged down.
On one such occasion an intrepid staff member swam to the nearest stout tree with a tow rope to pull it out!
Post war, the station continued in use, although its exact role was kept secret. However, it's rumoured that the site was so important that the Soviets had it down as a primary target for nuclear attack.
Going about our busy daily lives it’s all too easy to take the hills around us for granted. Maybe the sturdy ones have climbed to reach Rodney’s Pillar at the top of Breidden Hill.
It’s quite a climb if you tackle it from the Crew Green approach.
Of course there’s an easier way to approach by car from the rear, but still quite a walk.
Breidden Hill is one of three peaks with Moel y Golfa the highest at 1324 ft (403 metres). The others are Cefn y Castell, better known as Middletown Hill.
All are relics from volcanic times. The volcanoes never came to the surface but lifted newer rocks into a dome, the three together forming a saddleback.
Rock was first quarried on Breidden Hill in the early 19th century, but work stopped and then began again in 1911.
At one time the quarry provided stone for cobbles which were craftsman-produced and known as setts. Until 1967 Criggion was worked by men hanging on ropes.
With today’s sophisticated equipment they are quarrying 700 ft up, working from the top and removing the south-west flank of Breidden Hill.
Up to 750,000 tons of rock are quarried annually and carried away with great lorries coming and going.
Once the stone was taken by railway but it was considered uneconomical to move stone by rail and in 1959 it took to the road.
There was a time when Rodney's Pillar on Breidden Hill was topped with a 'golden' ball. Built 1781/1782, the pillar suffered badly in a gale and in 1835 the ball was destroyed by lightning.
But the locals who later retrieved it were disappointed to learn it was not gold at all. A new ball was installed made of copper.
When further repairs were necessary in 1967 the pillar was 'shrouded in scaffolding for months'.
There was no ceremony when it was eventually re-opened but the Criggion vicar recorded his gratitude at being spared his predecessor’s ordeal of climbing to the top.
Leslie Oppitz is author of numerous Lost Railway books including The Lost Railways of Shropshire, published in 2004.
last updated: 09/11/07 | <urn:uuid:bc074fdd-b50d-4b1b-bdfd-e029b971a320> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/content/articles/2005/04/09/20th_century_criggion_masts_feature.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985173 | 1,708 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Using the “Senior Superlative” format from high school, this post shares some of the best social media and digital technology Pinterest boards for Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs). Categories include Most Original, Class Clown, and of course Most Popular. We also share related resources and invite everyone to “Come Pin with Us!”
It’s been a joy to watch the SMinOrgs Pinterest presence grow and blossom with pins. With Courtney’s innovation new boards are constantly being added, titles are being revamped and pins are popping up weekly. We love to see our pins being shared on your boards (and will happily follow back any social media or digital technology related board!). Here is a quick recap of some of the “best of the best,” using High School Superlative format. : )
- Marci Stewart, Assistant Community Manager
Most Original – Digital Era Images (30+ pins)
This board is filled with pictures that display realities, oddities and irony. All pins on this board are original photographs that capture digital technology & social media actualities in everyday life. The best part? It’s the easiest to contribute to. With the abundance of smart phones armed with cameras, anyone can snap a quick picture whenever something interesting, odd, or ironic captures their attention!
Most Potential – Stories We Love (6+ pins)
One of our latest boards is already showing huge promise. Not only does this board provide a great picture captured as a pin, but it also links back to an interesting article or story. The title says it all, only stories that we LOVE will get the honor of being pinned to this board. Keep an eye out, as this board is sure to get even more popular!
Reigning Repins – IT Infographics (59+ pins)
What can we say? Apparently everyone wants these informative and beautifully illustrated pins that describe everything from statistics on the 2012 Olympics to what the average Tumblr user’s eating habits are like. While we equally love all our boards, this board sees the most repins by far.
Class Clown – Technology Ticklers (32+ pins)
Who doesn’t love a good laugh? The comics pinned here are funny, true, and generally depict the impact of social media and other digital technologies in a humorous and straight-to-the-point kind of way. With colorful images, quick jokes and a wide variety of topics, it’s no wonder this board is such a fan favorite.
Most Popular Pin – The Cartoonist Group
While we see dozens of repins and likes on a weekly basis, there is one pin that has separated itself from the pack. With 25 likes and 69 repins, this pin has blown the other ones out of the water. Maybe it’s the truthfulness or maybe it’s the funny facial expression of the phone in a museum-style portrait, but either way, this pin wins “Most Popular”, hands down.
Come Pin with Us!
There are many ways for people to engage with us on Pinterest and contribute to the ongoing evolution and success of our presence there:
Also Check Out
Pinterest Resources (yes, we have a board of pins about Pinterest – how very
meta of us!) | <urn:uuid:8fddf70c-7259-4f86-806f-bab606babed1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/social-and-digital-technology-su-pin-latives | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917651 | 677 | 1.59375 | 2 |