text stringlengths 213 24.6k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 1
value | url stringlengths 14 499 | file_path stringlengths 138 138 | language stringclasses 1
value | language_score float64 0.9 1 | token_count int64 51 4.1k | score float64 1.5 5.06 | int_score int64 2 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Silence ≠ 'yes', watchdog tells lustful ad-biz bakers
You can't just force cookies down people
An independent EU advisory body is worried about what it describes as an "illusory" method employed by online behavioural advertising (OBA) when seeking consent to track individual users on the interwebs.
The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party outlined its concerns in a letter to the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the European Advertising Standards Alliance written earlier this month but only published today.
A meeting is taking place in September to discuss the self-regulatory Framework for OBA.
"The mechanisms proposed by the EASA/IAB code enable people to object to being tracked for the purposes of serving behavourial advertising ... However, tracking and serving ads takes place unless people exercise the objection," noted the Article 29 group.
"While this mechanism is welcome and constitutes an improvement to the current situation, it does not meet the requirement to obtain ... informed consent."
The group added the method offered no clear indication of a web surfer's wishes, especially when individuals have failed to object to being tracked.
"[S]uch absence of action cannot be presumed to indicate consent," the data protection body argued.
That's a concern that has been raised previously by groups that are worried about how the OBA industry will implement its own regulations.
The group called on browser-makers to set up a default setting that rejects third-party cookies. It advised "affirmative action" could then be required if an individual wanted to provide such consent.
"The Working Party realised that in the last year, browser providers have made important efforts. However, all the solutions so far continue relying on default options that accept cookies," it said.
The body went on to lambast the icon to be used under the EASA/IAB code, which it considered to "mean very little to users".
It said much clearer information should be displayed online to alert individuals when their browsing habits are being tracked.
The Working Party also labelled a website created by the industry bodies as "ambiguous" and said the site lacked "detailed information on the procedure of profiling".
In April the IAB said the self-regulatory framework backed by the likes of Microsoft, Google and Yahoo! "outlines good practice aimed at enhancing transparency and consumer control".
At the time, the IAB bigged up its icon, which will appear in or around display adverts to give netizens the option of stopping advertisers from tracking their moves online.
However, it also admitted that it only covers the "activities of website operators that are limited to their own sites or sites controlled by them" and "contextual advertising, which is advertising based on the content of the web page being visited, a consumer's current visit to a web page, or a search query."
Which was the IAB's way of confessing that all areas of online advertising wouldn't be subject to the new framework.
In May this year almost the entire EU missed a deadline for the implementation of a European law on cookies, as part of a set of measures laid out in the revised legislation for the e-Privacy Directive.
Here in the UK the David Cameron-led Coalition has been in talks with browser vendors to work out a "technical solution" via a browser setting. ® | <urn:uuid:34da6f06-22db-4689-bf1c-1f11e309847f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/26/online_behavouiral_advertising_article_29_worries/print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951494 | 685 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Not logged in
Log in now
Create an account
Subscribe to LWN
LWN.net Weekly Edition for May 16, 2013
A look at the PyPy 2.0 release
PostgreSQL 9.3 beta: Federated databases and more
LWN.net Weekly Edition for May 9, 2013
(Nearly) full tickless operation in 3.10
Security quotes of the week
Posted Jun 5, 2012 19:55 UTC (Tue) by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523)
It's not a simple task. And exploiting the kernel is only the first part of it. Next you need to somehow isolate antivirus-installed hooks without tripping them and leave the system working.
Most malware actually doesn't try to do this. Instead it tries to stay quiet and do not trip any antivirus detection heuristics.
Posted Jun 5, 2012 20:30 UTC (Tue) by hummassa (subscriber, #307)
Posted Jun 5, 2012 22:32 UTC (Tue) by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523)
It also sets a lot of hooks and tries to monitor self-integrity, so even if you try to kill it by patching kernel process table or in any other obvious way - you'll simply trigger these hooks and either initiate a self-healing attempt or create a BSOD. It's possible to work around them, of course, but decidedly non-trivial. Even Flame malware doesn't try to do it - it simply stays under the radar.
Copyright © 2013, Eklektix, Inc.
Comments and public postings are copyrighted by their creators.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds | <urn:uuid:928884a0-ef4e-4b27-8a99-c011039b5e6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lwn.net/Articles/500366/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900322 | 362 | 1.757813 | 2 |
In June of 2008, Congress declared June National Aphasia Awareness Month! According to the National Aphasia Association, about 1 million Americans are affected by Aphasia; it is more common than Parkinson's Disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. More than 100,000 Americans acquire the disorder each year. However, most people have never heard of aphasia. Aphasia as an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others, and most people with aphasia experience difficulty reading and writing.
Join the Royal Oak High School students of PushPLAY as they "Scoop Up Literacy." Support your local libraries while enjoying your favorite ice cream at Treat Dreams in Ferndale at 22965 Woodward on May 19 from 12:00 noon - 10:00 PM. Donate a gently used book or bring in the flyer below, and Treat Dreams will donate 50% of your purchase to the libraries. Donations will be used to purchase new books and media to support literacy in our communities.
In honor of the Battle of the Books, Treat Dreams will feature custom-designed ice creams for each of our competitors: Royal Oak Public Li-Berry and Ferndale Public Library Reading Rainbow. The library with the best-selling flavor (first to sell out) will receive an additional $50.00 donation from Treat Dreams.
The Royal Oak Public Library’s hours will be changing beginning the first week of June. The new library hours will be: Monday and Wednesday 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM; Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 noon – 9:00 PM; Friday and Saturday 10 AM:00 – 6:00 PM. This is a reduction of four hours - from the current 60 hours a week to 56. Additionally, in June library overdue fines will increase from 15 cents to 25 cents per day. Overdue fines can be avoided by renewing materials online, dropping them off 24/7 at the outside drop boxes, or renewing by phone during library hours at (248) 246-3700. The threshold for a library card being blocked because of outstanding fines will be changed from the current $10 to $5. The Royal Oak Public Library Board of Trustees voted to make these changes now to avoid the potential for more drastic cost saving measures in the future.
Announcing the ELF™ Browser, a child-safe tool that allows children to explore educational and fun websites on the internet. The ELF™ Browser maintains high quality resources on a secured network provided by AWE Digital Learning Solutions. The ELF™ Browser provides added security for parents and a safe way for children to navigate their online environment. This new feature is available on all twelve computers in the Children’s department and can be downloaded and installed on your personal computer.
Page 4 of 24 | <urn:uuid:62c73c43-e1ee-435d-b384-51cdf641a18e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ropl.org/index.php?start=15&re_mcal_month=11&re_mcal_year=2012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926782 | 595 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Anxiety can be both a blessing and a curse. A little bit of anxiety can give us a nudge, elbowing us forward to accomplish our goals. Too much anxiety can be debilitating, paralyzing progress, inciting panic and forcing individuals to focus on a flurry of negative, doom-filled thoughts. And it becomes a cycle of thoughts, panic and anxiety.
Such severe anxiety affects about 19 percent of Americans. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common of psychological disorders. But, whether you suffer from a diagnosable disorder or experience anxiety occasionally, anxiety can still wreak havoc on your self-image and daily life. Here are 10 not-so obvious strategies that can help.
- Consider how anxiety affects your life. “Three of the most common characteristics of someone with an anxiety disorder are perfectionism, relying on others for approval and need for control,” according to John Tsilimparis, MFT, director of the Anxiety and Panic Disorder Center of Los Angeles and one of the therapists on A&E’s Obsessed, a show about severe anxiety disorders. Tsilimparis helps his clients explore how these three things affect their lives and what areas of their lives they apply to.
- Set up some structure. Idle time often leads to overthinking and overmagnifying, Tsilimparis said. In other words, if you aren’t stimulated or busy, you’re apt to zero in on trivial things and obsess over them. So he helps his clients develop daily logs to plan out their days and include healthy activities.
- Tackle distorted thoughts. You might not realize just how much thoughts can feed anxiety. Black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking is one example: You see yourself as being successful at 100 percent – and a total failure at 98. Your level of perfectionism defines your self-worth, Tsilimparis said.
Also, people who struggle with anxiety tend to talk in absolutes, using words such as always, never, should, must, no one and everyone, Tsilimparis said. “’Should’ implies that there’s a right way to do things, a manual on how to do life. It doesn’t exist,” he said. With the exception of obeying the law and not willfully harming another person, everything in life is negotiable, Tsilimparis said.
So those rigid thoughts are unrealistic. So are insecure thoughts that constantly raise questions such as “what if?” Fortunately, you can change these thoughts.
“You cannot be anxious if you don’t allow insecurity-driven thinking to steer your life,” said Joseph Luciani, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and author of Self-Coaching: The Powerful Program to Beat Anxiety and Depression.
Think of your thoughts as a wheel, Luciani said. “If you turn this wheel, you generate sparks – sparks of anxiety, ‘What if I fail?’ ‘What if I get sick?’ If you stop turning the wheel…the insecurity-driven thoughts stop.”
Identify these distorted thoughts and consider how much stress they cause you, Tsilimparis said. Then, try to replace the thoughts with something more balanced. Keep practicing; over time, the balanced thoughts become automatic.
- Relinquish control. Many of us try to control life in an attempt to feel less vulnerable and insecure, according to Luciani. We’re insecure about our own abilities to “handle life now, as it unfolds, moment to moment,” he said. But trying to control life isn’t natural, and bracing yourself for potential danger creates both psychological and physiological stress, which only depletes us and leads to anxiety, Luciani said. So the key is to realize and accept that you can’t control life.
- Revise your reactions. While we can’t control the world, we can control our reaction to it, Tsilimparis said. “It’s empowering to realize that you don’t have to be a victim of life, the world and the 405 highway (in California).” Realize that you’re responsible for your happiness and your life. You can change yourself.
- Trust yourself. “Self-trust is the ability to believe that you can handle what life throws at you,” Luciani said. Trusting yourself means dismantling insecurity – which Luciani views as a habit we can change – and taking the risk of trusting ourselves. According to Luciani, self-trust is a muscle: “If you’re anxious, your trust muscle has atrophied, and your insecurity has become muscle bound.” Strengthen your muscle by taking small risks.
For worriers, a minor risk might be to say, “I’m going to risk believing that I can do a good job,” Luciani said. He gave another example of perfectionists accepting that they are good enough. As you practice this acceptance, your trust muscle will grow, and “you’ll begin to recognize that life can be handled more spontaneously, as it unfolds, rather than abstractly, in your mind, before anything ever takes place,” he said.
- Practice yoga. Anxiety usually involves racing thoughts, recurrent worries and a revved-up body. Yoga can help manage all these symptoms by calming both your mind and body, according to Mary NurrieStearns, a licensed clinical social worker, yoga instructor and co-author of Yoga for Anxiety: Meditations and Practices for Calming the Body and Mind. Just the acts of focusing on your breath, mediating and saying a mantra have a soothing effect.
One yoga practice isn’t superior over another. Studies show that it depends on the anxiety, NurrieStearns said. If there’s significant trauma, research shows that gentle, restorative, feel-good poses are best. If there’s tension in the body, practicing strong poses or poses that take longer can dig into the deep pockets of tension in the body. If there’s trembling and an increase in heart rate, a flow yoga practice helps to release the revved-up anxiety.
Start off your practice by taking a class from a professional yoga teacher. You can also practice yoga at home. NurrieStearns suggested the following routine: Every day, sit down on your yoga mat with your favorite beverage; take a few minutes to focus on breathing; read a line from something inspirational, whether that’s a phrase from a poem, sacred text or a mantra; and commit to doing at least one yoga pose. In Yoga for Anxiety, you’ll find a list of five easy yoga poses that most people can do. NurrieStearns also recommended Googling poses or getting a DVD.
- “Wink at” your thoughts. NurrieStearns talked about this in relation to yoga – while you’re sitting quietly and breathing – but you can use this technique at any time. Witnessing our thoughts helps us not get ensnared by them. “By winking at a thought, you notice the mental chatter, say ‘I see you,’ and put your attention back to the breath.” Put another way, “We acknowledge the thought, we allow it and we let it go.” As NurrieStearns pointed out, our mind is constantly generating thoughts, so why not repeat ones that “nourish and soothe us”?
- Distinguish fact from fiction. Worrying is fiction. It’s “an anticipation of things going wrong in the future. Since the future doesn’t exist, except as a mental construct, then worry about a future event is a fiction,” Luciani said. He gave an example of a fiction: “I have high blood pressure, I’m going to get a heart attack.” And a fact that brings concern: “I have high blood pressure and if I want to avoid getting a heart attack, I’ll need to change my eating habits and get some exercise.” While worrying involves fictions, concern is fact-based and addresses today.
- Stop people-pleasing. As Tsilimparis said, relying on others for approval can also lead to anxiety. To stop this over time, pay attention to how you interact with others and the times you people-please. For instance, when do you say yes to someone when you really want to say no? Heighten your awareness and then slowly start to change your behavior. Before attending a function where you’ll likely people-please, think about how you’re going to react, and do what you’re comfortable with. As another therapist once told Tsilimparis, “Here’s the problem with people-pleasing: There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that people don’t really give a damn; and the bad news is that people don’t really give a damn.”
Tartakovsky, M. (2010). Top 10 Lesser-Known Self-Help Strategies for Anxiety. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 19, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2010/top-10-lesser-known-self-help-strategies-for-anxiety/
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 30 Jan 2013
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:14a4ecb5-78b8-4f5e-96cc-658729f250ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://psychcentral.com/lib/2010/top-10-lesser-known-self-help-strategies-for-anxiety/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941916 | 2,024 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. (Ezekiel 11:16)
anished from the public means of grace, we are not removed from the grace of the means. The Lord who places His people where they feel as exiles will Himself be with them and be to them all that they could have had at home, in the place of their solemn assemblies. Take this to yourselves, O ye who are called to wander!
God is to His people a place of refuge. They find sanctuary with Him from every adversary, He is their place of worship, too. He is with them as with Jacob when he slept in the open field, and rising, said, "Surely God was in this place," To them also He will be a sanctuary of quite, like the Holy of Holies, which was the noiseless abode of the Eternal. They shall be quiet from fear of evil.
God Himself, in Christ Jesus, is the sanctuary of mercy. The Ark of the Covenant is the Lord Jesus, and Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, the tables of the law, all are in Christ our sanctuary. In God we find the shrine of holiness and of communion. What more do we need? O Lord, fulfill this promise and be ever to us as a little sanctuary! | <urn:uuid:583d64cf-2107-4db0-86d6-0cf69a51b013> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bible.christiansunite.com/Faiths_Checkbook/faith0315.shtml | 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 | 0.987986 | 310 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Ancient capital of Syria, situated in the northern part of that country, fifty-seven miles west of Aleppo, on the left bank of the river Orontes, about fifteen miles above its mouth. Antioch was founded in 300
When war broke out in 66, and Greeks and Jews were everywhere engaged in bloody strife, the Antiochians did no harm to their Jewish fellow-citizens ("B. J." ii. 18, § 5). Perhaps they considered themselves under obligations to the Jews, because Herod the Great had adorned their city with a street twenty stadia in length and paved with marble ("B. J." i. 21, § 11). After the fall of Jerusalem and the subjugation of the Jews, however, bitter hatred arose between the Antiochians and the Jews. The chief of the Jewish community, a certain Antiochus, became the accuser of his own brethren, and the legate Cæsennius Petus was hardly able to protect them against the wrath of the people ("B. J." vii. 3, § 3). The victorious Titus was received by the Antiochians with enthusiasm, but they could not induce him to expel the Jews from their city, nor even to destroy the brazen tablets upon which the franchises of the Jews were inscribed.
Vespasian maintained a powerful garrison in Antioch, and the city served henceforth as the stronghold over Judea ("claustrum quoddam Judææ," the expression of Hegesippus, iii. 5, 23, who is on this point independent of Josephus). The Jews in Antioch, as everywhere else in the Diaspora, made many converts, so that Christianity gained foothold there quickly. A Christian congregation, composed of Jews and Gentiles, was early organized (Acts, xi. 19), and the name "Christian" first came into use in this city (Acts, xi. 26). There was also a synagogue in Antiochia Pisidæ (Acts, xiii. 14).In Rabbinic Literature.
Antioch now became a chief center of Christianity; but it also long retained its importance for the Jews. The Biblical "Hamath" is considered by the Jerusalem Targum (Gen. x. 18, Num. xiii. 21) to be Antioch. In the Babylonian Talmud (Sanh. 96b) the Biblical Riblah is explained as Antioch, or, rather, Daphne near Antioch. The latter is also mentioned in other connections in the Midrash, the Targum, and the Talmud, both in the Haggadah and the Halakah. In the Halakah (Giṭ. 44b) the Antiochians are quoted as a type of non-Palestinians. Several teachers of the Law lived in Antioch or had occasion to be there; among others was Isaac Nappaḥa (Ket. 88a). Here R. Tanḥuma had a discussion on religion, probably with Christians (Gen. R. xix. 4). Here, too, R. Aḥa, "the prince of the citadel" (see Aḥa Sar ha-Birah), and R. Tanḥuma effected the ransom of Jewish captives taken by the Romans (Yeb. 45a; see the correct readings in Rashi) in the campaign of Gallus in 351. Judaism still attracted Christians to its rites in Antioch. In consequence, the first synod in Antioch (341) declared in its first canon that Easter should not be celebrated at the same time as the Jewish Passover (Mansi, "Synopsis," i. 51). The attachment of the Christian to Jewish customs may be particularly inferred from six sermons, delivered against the Jews in Antioch (about 366-387) by John Chrysostom, later patriarch of Constantinople. On Sabbaths and holidays, Christians, especially women, visited the synagogue in preference to the church. They also preferred to bring their disputes to Jewish judges and took their oaths in the synagogue.
The Jews felt so secure in their position that, in Inmestar, a small town situated between Chalcis and Antioch, they scoffed at Jesus and the Christians, but were severely punished (Socrates, "Historia Ecclesiastica," vii. 16; compare "Codex Theodosianus," xvi. 8, 18). The Antiochians revenged the wrong of Inmestar by depriving the Jews of their synagogue (423). The emperor Theodosius II. restored the synagogue to them; but on the protestations of the fanatical monk Simeon Stylites, he ceased to defend the cause of the Jews (Evagrius, "Hist. Eccl." i. 13). During the reign of the emperor Zeno, in brawls between the factions of the blue and the green, many Jews were murdered by the greens (Malalas, "Chron. Pasch." Bonn, p. 389). When Persia threatened the Eastern Empire, the emperor Phocas vainly endeavored to force the Jews to be baptized, and those of Antioch were driven to rebellion, in the course of which many Christians were killed and the patriarch Anastasius was condemned to a shameful death (610).
The newly appointed governor, Bonosus, suppressed the rebellion only by dint of great efforts. Heslew many Jews and banished the rest from the city (Malalas, "Theophanes" and "Chronicon Paschale" for the year 610). Antioch suffered much from earthquakes, and from incursions of the Persians, the Arabs, and the Crusaders. When Benjamin of Tudela visited it in the twelfth century, it contained only ten Jewish families, who supported themselves by the manufacture of glass. There are said to have been twenty-five families in 1839, all following the Sephardic ritual ("Isr. Annalen," i. 218). The British consul here in 1888 was a Jew (Pal. Explor. Fund, Statement, 1888, p. 67). In 1894 it contained between 300 and 400 Jews (Baedeker, "Palestine and Syria," 2d ed., p. 415). The modern name of the city is Antakieh.
- Neubauer, Géographic du Talmud, p. 311;
- Böttger, Topographisch-historisches Lexicon zu . . . Josephus, index. s.v. Antioch:
- Schürer, Gesch, 3d ed., iii. 8;
- J. B. Bury, A History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene, ii. 200, London, 1889;
- Weil, Gesch. der Chalifen, iii. 165 et seq.;
- Le Strange, Pal. Explor. Fund, Quarterly Statement, 1888, pp.266 et seq. | <urn:uuid:9f73db4b-c04f-4a9a-a025-daec2182c22d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1586-antioch | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952565 | 1,431 | 3.140625 | 3 |
San Francisco politicians and the ACLU ask the city to rethink its Wi-Fi deal with Google and Earthlink.
A member of San Franciscos board of supervisors said he has some objections to the citys tentative plans to let Google and Earthlink jointly build a citywide wireless network.
San Francisco Supervisor Jake McGoldrick is concerned about how much actual public input there will be with the deal, and how quickly its gaining the favor of key city figures.
Its unclear just what impact McGoldricks opposition will have. Terms of the contract between the city and partners Google, of Mountain View, Calif., and Earthlink, of Atlanta, are being finalized now. Its also far in advance of any possible board of supervisors vote.
Read more here about how Google/Earthlink won San Franciscos heart.
McGoldricks is the most powerful of the voices raised so far against a plan by Google and Earthlink to build a wireless network based on Wi-Fi, a wireless technology contained in most laptops.
The two companies would offer free but ad-supported Internet access, plus a $20-per-month plan that is faster, and ad-free.
The supervisors view was made clear about a week after the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Northern California, and two other San Francisco-based groups, asked the city
to structure the final contract to appease their concerns about user privacy.
The economic and social benefits of free wireless Internet access are beyond reproach, and even the harshest critics laud Google and Earthlink for their intentions. But in practice, there is a number of possible privacy concerns, the three groups told the city.
For instance, the free service forces users to provide information that would let Google track their whereabouts, plus other details like an e-mail address.
Read more here about how the premium version may also contain ads.
Google/Earthlink defenders say the argument is overblown. And, the tracking is just to serve up better, more focused ads that will make advertisers happy, thus keeping the free service up and running.
The city tapped the Google/Earthlink proposal over others from Cisco Systems of San Jose, Calif., IBM of Armonk, N.Y., and other high-profile competitors.
McGoldricks contentions were reported by ComputerWorld, and later confirmed via a McGoldrick spokesman.
In response to an inquiry about the opposition, a Google representative wrote about how early it is in the planning stages, but that privacy remains "of utmost importance."
Some of the practices proposed, and the subject of the objections, are there "to prevent network abuse such as spamming," the representative wrote.
Editors Note: This story was updated to add comments from a Google representative.
Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis on mobile and wireless computing. | <urn:uuid:7e317d11-e39f-4196-a93e-59d5c308710a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-WiFi-Deal-Gains-Powerful-Critics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942714 | 587 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Related BLS programs | Related articles
April 2003, Vol. 126, No.4
Distribution of retirement income benefitsAllan P. Blostin
Benefits under the two kinds of retirement plans offered by U.S. private industry—defined benefit and defined contribution plans—may be distributed to an individual in a variety of ways. Quite often, the individual will have a choice of payment options at retirement. According to a 2000 BLS survey of employee benefits in private industry,1 virtually all employees under defined benefit plans had a joint and survivor annuity available at retirement, a feature that provides a portion of the retiree’s annuity to the spouse after the retiree dies.2 (See table 1.) Approximately three-fourths of the participants with such a benefit were given a choice of various options; for example, 50 percent, 67 percent, or 100 percent of the retiree’s benefit could be provided to the spouse. Although traditionally, defined benefit plans have paid out benefits to the employee and spouse in the form of an annuity, more and more plans in recent years have been offering some type of lump-sum benefit as a payment option. The survey indicated that 44 percent of all workers in defined benefit plans were offered some type of lump-sum benefit option.
Defined contribution plans come in several varieties, and, as with defined benefit plans, their benefits may be distributed in a number of ways. The most prevalent type of defined contribution plan is the savings and thrift plan, followed by the profit-sharing plan and money purchase plan.3 In 1978, section 401(k) was added to the Internal Revenue Code, allowing employees to make pretax contributions into an employer-sponsored defined contribution plan through salary reduction agreements. These types of arrangements are called 401(k) plans.4 Virtually all savings and thrift plans include a 401(k) feature; certain other types of defined contribution plans may include such a feature as well.
This excerpt is from an article published in the April 2003 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. The full text of the article is available in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format (PDF). See How to view a PDF file for more information.
Read abstract Download full article in PDF (42K)
1 This survey, part of the National Compensation Survey, includes data on both full-time and part-time workers in private-sector establishments, regardless of their employment. Prior to 1999, surveys of different employment size classes were conducted in alternating years; medium and large private establishments—with 100 or more workers—were studied during odd years, small private establishments—with fewer than 100 workers—during even years. The 2000 benefits survey provides data on the incidence and characteristics of medical, dental, and vision care, private retirement plans, and other benefits. (For more details, visit the website http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/home.htm.)
2 Under the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, defined benefit plans must make a qualified joint and survivor annuity the normal form of benefit payment for married participants. This method of payment provides the surviving spouse at least one-half of the amount of the employee benefit during the course of the spouse’s lifetime.
3 Under a savings and thrift plan, an employee contributes to a fund, generally on a pretax basis. All or a portion of the employee’s contribution, usually a percentage of the employee’s earnings, is matched by the employer, most commonly on a fixed-percentage basis. In a deferred profit-sharing plan, the employer credits a portion of company profits to the individual’s account. Some deferred profit-sharing plans allow employee contributions, but employees are usually not required to make contributions. Under a money purchase plan, the employer makes fixed contributions to an employee’s account. The fixed contributions are usually based on a percentage of the employee’s earnings. Money purchase plans generally do not allow employees to make contributions.
4 For a more detailed description of 401(k) plans, see Marc Kronson, "Employee Costs and Risks in 401(k) Plans," Compensation and Working Conditions, summer 2000, pp. 12–15.
National Compensation Survey - Benefits
Related Monthly Labor Review articles
Within Monthly Labor Review Online:
Welcome | Current Issue | Index | Subscribe | Archives
Exit Monthly Labor Review Online:
BLS Home | Publications & Research Papers | <urn:uuid:8771149f-3c29-4048-8f9b-b1f8cb9b79a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stats.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2003/04/art1exc.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938188 | 920 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Norse expanded on his presentation for Business Insider and gave seven changes the shipping industry should make to "save the ecosystem that sustains us and provides for our needs." These changes, Norse said, would be good both for "ecology and economy," a "double win" that allows for the shipping industry to continue to be profitable while helping to save our oceans.
Right now, Norse said that shippers "think their profits are more important than our own real estate." Here are the seven changes he mapped out that would help save the real estate that makes up the majority of the Earth:
- End the practice of ballast water: "Moving species from one place to the next without great intention or understanding is a big mistake," Norse said. Transferring water and creatures from one place to another could create species that disrupt ecosystems.
- Stop underwater noise: The incredibly loud honking of ships in the high seas is especially damaging to blue whales who rely on their hearing to get around, Norse said. It also reduces fuel efficiency. He recommends building quieter ships.
- Become an ardent champion for the protection of the Arctic: The Arctic Ocean is currently going from "a positive ocean to an industrialized ocean," Norse said. "Shippers need to minimize impact. What they do when the ice melts will decide the ocean's health."
- Lower the biological footprint: Ships are now larger than ever and are colliding with whales and other endangered wildlife. There are places with a large concentration of these endangered species that are easy to avoid, Norse said. Some bodies of water, including the Panama Canal, have good policies that other places should adopt, he said.
- Use their authority to establish more marine protected areas: The industry could use its vast resources to create areas around the world where wildlife could be protected from ships interfering with its ecological real estate. It would also help sustain human life, Norse said.
- Integrity and accountability in flagging: The shipping industry needs to allow some nations to attract commerce so that other nations don't engage in "a race to the bottom." Flags of convenience have been used by ships to reduce operating costs and some nations' more harsh regulations.
- An electronic/audio ID system: Some of the largest ships aren't required to have UME or FIS identification systems that tell other ships where they are. This, and speeds that are too high, results in more crowded ocean spaces and, sometimes, crashes. "Where we are is a crucial question of how we will sustain ourselves environmentally," Norse said. | <urn:uuid:6f889323-8ed7-49e0-b8ea-60283dd988ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessinsider.com/the-7-changes-the-shipping-industry-should-make-to-help-save-our-oceans-2012-7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95755 | 514 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Water is needed for various tasks in a company. Our experts monitor not only water supply facilities, including air conditioners, but also create concepts for a water supply or treatment based on meeting needs. There are also economical aspects and environmental aspects involved, e.g. in the treatment of feed water for water-steam cycles, of additional water for heating and cooling circuits, and in drinking water treatment and sanitation.
Water can also threaten a business - we advise on the prevention of and protection against floods and provide assistance in the event of damage.
We are working in the KLIMZUG project. There, strategic governance approaches on climate change approaches are developed in the metropolitan area of Hamburg.
Against the backdrop of the changes that are expected in the region due to the climate change, the KLIMZUG-NORD institutions of higher education are uniting non-university research institutions, authorities, company, and administrative bodies.
The project pursues an alliance of natural scientific, economic, and technical expertise. Political, administrative, scientific, and private financing players have joined together to form a climate association to intensify the dialogue between the scientific, economic, business, and political community with the objective of mutually demonstrating the consequences of climate changes and concrete focal points of carrying out actions for the metropolitan area up up until time frame of 2050. | <urn:uuid:5eecdbb2-0785-4041-883c-97b007d82f94> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tuev-nord.de/en/environment/WATER_3416.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940501 | 269 | 1.828125 | 2 |
NEW YORK (LowCards.com) -- The start of a year is typically when consumers take a close look at their finances, making resolutions on saving money and cutting expenses. So it's good to know there are steps households can take to save a little extra and protect their finances in 2013, including getting the right credit card.
Changing credit cards can save substantial money on interest payments or earn some extra cash via rewards programs. But the choices can be overwhelming; there are more than 1,000 credit cards offered in the United States, and they are not "one-size-fits-all," making it important to thoroughly research and compare cards to find the right one for your needs.
Before shopping for a credit card, it is important to have a plan for how you will use the "loan." Are you a disciplined person that charges what you can afford and pays off the balance in full on time every month? If so, a rewards card is a good option. If you carry a balance from month to month, getting a card with the lowest possible interest rate is the most important consideration.
The ads you see on television and in print can make every card look good, but ignore the pictures of happy faces and the promises in the headlines. Read the terms and conditions of the offer before applying for any credit card. The offer you get today is determined by your credit score and how you have handled finances in the past. The lowest interest rate is given only to applicants with good or excellent credit scores, not to everyone who applies. If you don't have a good credit score, you could get an offer with a higher interest rate or a declined application. And don't assume you know what your credit score is. Before you apply for a credit card, check your credit score so you know what offer you can expect. This also gives you a chance to find and correct any errors that may be pulling down your score. A FICO score in the mid-700s is considered good, and you can expect to get a relatively low interest rate with it. A FICO score less than 640 may be too low to be approved for a card, so you may have to look at other options, such as a secured card.Low Interest Rates
If you carry a balance on your credit card from one month to the next, get a credit card with a low interest rate. The average advertised APR last week was 14.35% according to the LowCards Complete Credit Card Index. The advertised rate is usually the lowest rate issuers charge, so don't stop here. Look in the terms and conditions for the range of rates, because most cards have three tiers. The higher your credit score, the lower your APR will be. If your FICO score is in the mid-600s, you will probably get the highest rate.
Here are some of the most attractive low-interest credit cards: Capital One Platinum Prestige (COF)
The lowest rate is 10.9% (the highest is 18.9%). The card offers 0% through March 2014 on purchases as well as balance transfers with a 3% balance transfer fee. There is no fee for international transactions.
Select the service that is right for you!COMPARE ALL SERVICES
- $2.5+ million portfolio
- Large-cap and dividend focus
- Intraday trade alerts from Cramer
- Weekly roundups
- Diversified model portfolio of dividend stocks
- Alerts when market news affect the portfolio
- Bi-weekly updates with exact steps to take - BUY, HOLD, SELL
- Jim Cramer + 20 Wall Street pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Real-time trading forum
- Actionable trade ideas
- Real Money + Doug Kass + 15 more Wall Street Pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Ultra-actionable trading ideas
- 100+ monthly options trading ideas
- Actionable options commentary & news
- Real-time trading community
- Options TV | <urn:uuid:d4d02814-9640-43f5-b56a-ef7690310c48> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thestreet.com/story/11811439/1/how-to-choose-your-best-credit-card-for-2013.html?cm_ven_int=morefrombox | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941993 | 821 | 1.703125 | 2 |
An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2013
Where did the Italian Panchera family come from? What is the Italian Panchera family crest and coat of arms? When did the Panchera family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Panchera family history?
Spelling variations of this family name include: Panciera, Panchera, Pancera, Panquera and others.
First found in Friuli or Friouli in northern Italy, which was originally a Roman colony, and later held by Leopold III of Habsburg, Duke of Austria in 1382. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Panchera research. Another 347 words(25 lines of text) covering the years 1399, 1402, and 1820 are included under the topic Early Panchera History in all our PDF Extended History products.
More information is included under the topic Early Panchera Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Anton Pancera, who came to America in 1849; Antonio Pancheri, who arrived in Indiana sometime between 1856 and 1904; and John Pancera, who arrived in California in 1887..
The Panchera Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Panchera Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 2 October 2003 at 16:09.
houseofnames.com is an internet property owned by Swyrich Corporation. | <urn:uuid:773817cc-fde2-4885-a1e6-0d6156a10d40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.houseofnames.com/panchera-family-crest?a=54323-224 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957487 | 420 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Just a quick posting to let you all know about the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, near Springfield, Missouri that occurred August 10, 1861. The battle is considered the Bull Run of the West, as it was the first major engagement of the war in the West and, like its Eastern counterpart, was a Confederate victory. In addition, Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon was killed in the battle and it paved the way for German immigrants to participate in large numbers for the Union cause, as they made up a portion of Lyon’s army. This is a short posting, as I am heading down to take part in the weekend events to commemorate the battle, including the reenactment. I will post on this early next week, but will be away from the blog for a few days. Until then, happy reading and researching. | <urn:uuid:825a9c77-0c41-4fd1-8c3d-0e213cbd5b66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://civilwarhistory.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/the-bull-run-of-the-west-150-years-ago/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=ea0388e61b | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980329 | 175 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Breakfast at Bailston Subject: A discussion at Breakfast, some days after the Hunt Where: Bailston Abbey Who: Lord Tobias Hurst Warnings: none Open to: Charles Hurst
"The play was very good." Lord Hurst said at breakfast, as one of the servants poured the tea, and Lord Hurst picked up the cup and added sugar and milk. "Very good. I was very proud of you." He added. In truth, it had taken him this last few days to appreciate the play as a piece of Theatre, rather than be too uncomfortable, too aware that some of those actors he knew on a more than intimate basis. He had worried that Charles has deliberately picked Mr Fisher's troupe, trying to embarrass and shame his father in front of his society friends. At first Lord Hurst was sure, sure that Charles' avoidance of him, sure that his son's silence proved he knew about his father's secret acquiescences, but know he knew that wasn't the case. There were not all that many theatre troupes in London that would come all the way to Devon for a single evening, and Mr. Fisher's troupe must have been the only one that agreed. It was as simple as all that.
Now, therefore, he had the courage to discuss the play with Charles, and perhaps another important matter as well. "I didn't believe that you would complete your duties as well as you did. And Miss Abigail was pleased with her poem, I am told. Perhaps it is about time I gave you more responsibilities, Charles." | <urn:uuid:eb05c4d7-ade4-46e3-8855-338bccd55970> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://asylums.insanejournal.com/toujoursliberer/38828.html?thread=1294764 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.994698 | 325 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Careers and Graduate Preparation
Careers with a B.A. in Psychology
Psychology is a very diverse field, which means that there are many possible career paths for someone with a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree in psychology provides you with skills that are desirable to employers in numerous fields, not just in psychology.
By studying psychology, you gain:
- Scientifically-based knowledge about human behavior
- Skills for designing, analyzing, and interpreting experimental research
- Critical thinking skills, so that you can be an informed consumer
- Research and writing skills
- Organization and clarity of presentation
- Communication skills
- Group interaction skills
- Ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information
- Problem-solving abilities
All of these skills are sought by potential employers. Some students find work within the field of psychology, such as assisting in a rehabilitation center. Many others find work in fields such as education, business, health, and computer programming. They work as employment counselors, correction counselor trainees, interviewers, personnel analysts, probation officers, and writers [source: APA Careers in Psychology].
Preparing for Graduate School
Many psychology students plan to pursue a graduate degree. The undergraduate pscyhology degree prepares students for graduate programs such as counselling, clinical psychology, school psychology, school counselling, social work, education, business, law, and research in psychology.
- Master's Degree
People with a master's degree in pschology may work in a research setting (data collection and analysis for a university, the government, or in industry), or in health or education areas. Many work in a counseling or school environment, where they are typically supervised by a person with a doctoral degree.
- Doctoral Degree
According to the APA (June, 2002), 28% of recent doctoral graduates work in higher education, such as colleges and universities, while 44% work in human service settings, such as hospitals and counseling centers. A doctoral degree is usually required of anyone wishing to do clinical psychology.
More Information About Careers and Graduate School
Where Do I Begin?
One place to start is Plattsburgh State's Career Development Center.
The staff can help you prepare for your career after Plattsburgh State. Some of the resources you will find here include:
- Graduate school directories, entrance exams, writing a statement of purpose
- Job search sites for psychology, human/social services, and social work
- Resumes and cover letters
Tips & Guidelines
If you would like more information about the psychology program at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact
Dr. Katherine Dunham (firstname.lastname@example.org)
Dr. Michael Morales (email@example.com)
Ms. Pam LeClair (firstname.lastname@example.org)
Ms. Donna Vanderhoff (email@example.com)
Phone: (518) 564-3076
Toll-free Phone: (800) 441-7215
Fax: (518) 564-3397 | <urn:uuid:65892475-33a0-4d0d-9d59-9aa9acbfdb6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://plattsburgh.edu/academics/psychology/careers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915528 | 644 | 2.671875 | 3 |
The Rehab Quilt
The Rehab Quilt
By Emily J.
My mom did drugs. She became an addict and went to rehab. I didn't want her to go away. I felt sad.
I never lived without my Mom before. I didn't know if I could live without her. I was afraid I would never see her again. My grandma and grandpa were going to take care of me.
We thought of a way to show Mom what I did while she was gone. Every day I drew a picture and put it on a quilt square. On Day One I drew
On Day Eleven, I drew
At school I asked my teacher for a calendar every month until Mom got back. I kept the calendar in my desk and marked off every day that passed. I didn't tell any of my friends that my Mom was in rehab, I only told my teacher. I didn't want my friends asking me a lot of questions because I didn't want them to tell people in their family about what happened. If my friends would have told their parents, I would have been embarrassed and so would Mom. I didn't want Mom to be embarrassed.
While I was at school, Mom was learning how to not take any more drugs. She learned how to get her feelings back and to change the way she feels. On Day 21 she sent me some paper airplanes.
On Day 43 Mom came home. She was better. This month Mom will have her one-year anniversary for not taking drugs. Now mom is patient and we do a lot of crafts together. Mom and I feel happy and we spend more fun time together like at parks and roller skating.
If your parents do drugs, just remember one thing - it is not your fault. They choose to do drugs and they can learn to get better. I'm not embarrassed anymore and neither is Mom. When I look at my quilt I feel happy. I know I can make it through the hard parts in life. | <urn:uuid:32deba60-6cc7-4618-9f38-f55a4ea2f6a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kcts9.org/education/pbs-kids-go-writers-contest/rehab-quilt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991645 | 406 | 1.820313 | 2 |
(ROSSLYN, Va.)—The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published two ANSI C136 series standards for roadway and area lighting equipment:
ANSI C136.15-2011 American National Standard for Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment—Luminaire Field Identification
ANSI C136.36A-2010 American National Standard for Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment—Aluminum Lighting Poles
Both standards were produced by the ANSI Committee 136 for Roadway and Area Lighting.
ANSI C136.15, last revised in 2009, provides marking guidance for outdoor luminaires using a variety of light sources. This revision incorporates labeling and marking guidance for solid state, fluorescent, plasma, and induction lighting. The standard is intended to be used by utilities and area lighting planners that install and maintain roadway and area lighting systems.
ANSI C136.36A, a new standard, details construction and performance specifications for aluminum lighting poles as used in roadway and area lighting applications. Other standards in the ANSI C136 series cover similar information for concrete (C136.36B) and steel (C136.36C) poles.
The contents and scope of ANSI C136.15 may be viewed, or a hardcopy or electronic copy purchased for $33, by visiting www.nema.org/stds/c136-15.cfm. For ANSI C136.36A, $53, go to www.nema.org/stds/c136-36a.cfm.
Both standards may also be purchased by contacting IHS at 800-854-7179 (within the U.S.), 303-397-7956 (international), 303-397-2740 (fax), or global.ihs.com.
The ANSI C136 series of standards covers a range of topics related to roadway and area lighting, including filament lamps, vertical tenons, and vandal shields. To view a comprehensive list of standards in the ANSI C136 series, go to www.nema.org/stds/C136.cfm.
NEMA is the association of electrical and medical imaging equipment manufacturers. Founded in 1926 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., its approximately 450 member companies manufacture products used in the generation, transmission and distribution, control, and end use of electricity. These products are used in utility, industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential applications. The association’s Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) Division represents manufacturers of cutting-edge medical diagnostic imaging equipment including MRI, CT, x-ray, and ultrasound products. Worldwide sales of NEMA-scope products exceed $120 billion. In addition to its headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia, NEMA also has offices in Beijing and Mexico City.
Press/Public Relations Contacts:
NEMA Communications Department
Email: Contact Form | <urn:uuid:0b7d92f9-f55d-4711-83d8-0eaff0999833> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nema.org/News/Pages/NEMA-Publishes-Two-Standards-for-Roadway-and-Area-Lighting-Equipment.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903333 | 595 | 1.75 | 2 |
Red Pepper Can Curb Appetite
A recent study has shown that consuming red pepper can burn more calories and control appetite after a meal. Research from Purdue University has found that adding some red pepper to your diet, especially if you are not used to eating it, can possibly help in the fight against obesity.
Richard Mattes, a Professor of Foods and Nutrition, who was involved in the study said, “This finding should be considered a piece of the puzzle because the idea that one small change will reverse the obesity epidemic is simply not true. However, if a number of small changes are added together, they may be meaningful in terms of weight management. Dietary changes that don’t require great effort to implement, like sprinkling red pepper on your meal, may be sustainable and beneficial in the long run, especially when paired with exercise and healthy eating.”
The study used about half a tablespoon of red pepper which is a reasonable amount. Past studies have shown the effectiveness of chili peppers for burning more calories but at much larger amounts (unrealistic) then this study. Other studies have looked at taking pepper in the form of a capsule but this showed that tasting the pepper might be part of what made the pepper work so well. Mattes said, “That burn in your mouth is responsible for that effect,” he said. “It turns out you get a more robust effect if you include the sensory part because the burn contributes to a rise in body temperature, energy expenditure and appetite control”
The study used ordinary dried, ground cayenne red pepper, that can be found anywhere.
I personally love spicy food and with the possible added benefit of burning some extra calories and not being hungry after a meal, it sounds good to me. In addition, I like to limit the amount of salt in my diet to fewer than 1,000 mg per day so I am always looking for alternatives to salt when I’m cooking. This study gives me more of a reason to ditch the salt and use the peppershaker.
Best – Mike Cola
Red Pepper Can Curb Appetite and burn More Calories
Get My Free "Forever 27" Workout !
Enter your email to get immediate access to "Forever 27" Workout | <urn:uuid:f3de7f45-8303-4b2d-85a8-6b8bd9e92cda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fitnesscontrarian.com/red-pepper-can-curb-appetite/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93682 | 466 | 2.109375 | 2 |
FCC Says Dish Plan Would Hurt Public Asset Worth Billions
Dish Network Corp. (DISH)’s proposal for a mobile telephone network would destroy the value of airwaves the government plans to auction for commercial use, the Federal Communications Commission said today.
Dish has said its ability to add mobile-phone service to satellite television offerings could be crippled by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s Nov. 20 proposal to limit power for the planned network. Dish wants to loosen the limits, which are intended to prevent interference with nearby frequencies, known as the H block, that are to be auctioned.
“In arguing that the commission should destroy the value of the H block, Dish is seeking to take a public asset potentially worth billions of dollars and turn it into a private windfall,” Justin Cole, an FCC spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.
Genachowski’s proposal awaits a vote by the five-member FCC, and Dish Executive Vice President R. Stanton Dodge said in a Nov. 20 statement that the Englewood, Colorado-based company was ready to “work with the full commission” to produce final rules.
Today’s FCC statement shows Dish may not succeed in changing the order, Paul Gallant, Washington-based managing director at Guggenheim Securities, said in an interview.
“This certainly suggests the chairman is dug in and not likely to alter his proposal for how Dish can use its spectrum,” Gallant said.
Congress directed the FCC to auction the H block, and by limiting Dish the FCC can generate more revenue to help pay for a planned nationwide radio network for emergency workers, Gallant said.
Bob Toevs, a Dish spokesman, didn’t immediately respond to today’s FCC statement.
To contact the reporter on this story: Todd Shields in Washington at firstname.lastname@example.org;
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bernard Kohn at email@example.com | <urn:uuid:55378246-c926-4cf5-a754-b6ec6cc3724a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-26/fcc-says-dish-plan-would-hurt-public-asset-worth-billions.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932284 | 425 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Blossom-End Rot of Tomatoes Likely This Season
Eager tomato-growers having lovingly nurtured seed to fruit have anxiously awaiting their first ripe gem. But, alas, a black leathery spot appears at the base of the fruit.
Blossom-end rot is thankfully not an infectious disease but a frustrating disorder of the fruit. The black scar tissue thought to be caused by a deficiency of calcium in the developing fruit is usually brought on by extreme fluctuations in soil moisture. This year we sure had extremes of rainfall, so blossom-end rot is likely to be prevalent.
The spot develops on the blossom end of the fruit opposite the point of stem attachment, thus the name blossom-end rot. The scar is usually firm and leathery, although secondary rot organisms may enter through the damaged tissue, causing a soft rot to develop.
Tomatoes are the species most frequently affected by blossom-end rot, but peppers, summer squash and other cucurbit plants can also be afflicted.
There is no spray that will control blossom-end rot except maybe from the irrigation hose. Some folks recommend spraying the plants with calcium, but by the time you see the scar on the fruit, it is too late. Most Indiana soils have plenty of calcium, although some sandy soils may be deficient.
Although the fruits that have already developed the scar cannot be helped, the new developing fruits can be. Watering during dry spells and mulching to conserve soil moisture will help reduce the fluctuations in soil moisture and thus encourage steady growth and calcium supply in the fruits. | <urn:uuid:82c0c39d-a4cb-49d2-a8eb-f4776adc4f8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agcomm/newscolumns/archives/YGnews/2009/August/090820YG.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931959 | 323 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Staff Picks: Movies
Staff-recommended viewing from the KPL catalog.
Winter is a trying time for sailors in Michigan. It’s too cold to even tinker with the hardware on your boat unless you have heated storage – so most Michigan sailors “make do”. This week’s “make do” in our house was a viewing of a movie called Morning Light. The movie is thoroughly enjoyable from my viewpoint, and you can read that to mean they did NOT end up fighting a hurricane, no one went overboard and drown, and the boat did NOT sink. In other words, this crew member did not have visions of tying herself to the mast or going down with the ship in similar conditions.
Morning Light is an inspiring true-life adventure of fifteen young rookie sailors who train for months and then race in the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaii. There is plenty of adventure, excitement and thrills with a happy ending, no less. Published by Walt Disney Studios, this is entertainment for the entire family and is rated PG. | <urn:uuid:cea56ef2-92a0-495e-8f29-11fc7a597894> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kpl.gov/movies/blog/default.aspx?id=25112&blogid=732 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95518 | 224 | 1.703125 | 2 |
|Antiques Digest||Browse Auctions||Appraisal||Antiques And Arts News||Home|
South Padre Island - Look For Sea Shells
( Article orginally published January 1963 )
When you see the sign Padre Island (in the photograph on this page) you will be visiting a part of the Texas Coast until recently out of reach of most Americans.
Now it is the nearest bit of seacoast for shell collectors who live in the Southeast, or in such distant states as Minnesota and North Dakota.
Little known to most of us, this long, narrow island stretches parallel to the mainland shore-line along almost half of the southern coast of Texas.
On the shore side it forms the bay called Laguna Madre. On the other side, toward the Gulf of Mexico, is its seemingly interminable sandy beach.
A glance at a map will show that it is continuous, from a point on the coast near Victoria, all the way down to Brownsville on the Mexican Border.
But most of the southern part of this narrow strip is relatively inaccessible, so that on AAA maps the road is described in a box as "Not advisable, dependent on low tide."
There is little doubt that, in coming years, Padre Island will be increasingly visited by more and more holiday adventurers. This is insured by the fact that it has recently become the third of the new National Sea-shores.
Each of these three is very distant and different from the others. Point Reyes in California, and Cape Cod in Massachusetts, lie close to large cities. Padre Island is relatively remote.
It is the longest undeveloped segment of sea-shore in the United States, 117 miles in length. It is about three miles wide at its widest point, but only one-eighth of a mile where it is narrowest, a short, if pointless, walk from coast to coast.
The island is subtropical, being hot in summer, and mild in winter. And it is close to a part of the country that is growing rapidly as a winter resort.
The waters of the Gulf abound in fish and water-fowl. The land consists of grass-covered dunes between the two shore lines, the chief vegetation being sea-oats, croton, and morning glory.
Native birds include the redwinged blackbird, the Wilson plover, egrets, little blue and great herons, pelicans, the laughing gull, and the black skimmer.
Eighty miles of shoreline are included in the new National Seashore. Secretary Udall has pointed out that this (with the other National Sea-shores) gives the people of the United States "285 miles of new shoreline for their enjoyment, safeguarded for perpetuity."
Other shell collectors need considerably more guidance than I had when I visited Padre Island late last August.
A careful inspection of a map will make it clear that the would-be visitor must choose with care his point of approach, since the island can only be reached by bridge or ferry.
It is possible to cross to it far south, near Brownsville, at Port Isabel; or way up the coast near Corpus Christi; or where I entered by ferry at Port Aransas.
The most accessible part of the coast of the long island is that paralleling the paved road that connects the two entry points which lie between Aransas Pass and Corpus Christi.
But this road itself is a deception, for it must be left by a side road if you are to get to the actual shore. Turning off at one of these exits, I was able to take a swim and collect a few tiny Coquinas before my time ran out.
There are a number of shell enthusiasts in some of the towns near the island, and they are very knowledgeable about the local sea-shells. Collectors may find it helpful to visit the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, at 1201 N. Water Street, where some advice on shelling may be offered.
A collection of the local shells may be seen at the Junior Museum at 1202 N. Water Street. It gives the collector some notion of what he might be able to find. Most of these local species may be collected at relatively accessible points.
The well-known favorite, becoming scarcer of late, the Horse Conch (Fasciolaria gigantea Kiener) is sometimes taken in the vicinity of t h e lighthouse on South Padre. Shrimpers bring in deep-water shells to Port Aransas, but that is a story for a later article. | <urn:uuid:c5eb6080-7ab7-4d6e-ae51-9bc520ed28d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oldandsold.com/articles01/article863.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950062 | 948 | 2.40625 | 2 |
News Dolce & Gabbana Explains Controversial Jewellery 27 September 2012 Ella Alexander Picture credit: GoRunway DOLCE & GABBANA has clarified that the earrings used in its spring/summer 2013 show are a reference to Sicily's traditional Moorish-inspired artefacts. The Italian fashion house has faced allegations of racism this morning after reports emerged online comparing the label's statement earrings to decorative Blackamoor artworks, which have previously caused offence for romanticising slavery. The show jewellery is reminiscent of ornate ceramics that often appear in Sicilian homes, restaurants and hotels. The head is inspired by traditional Moorish people, a term used to describe the Medieval Muslim inhabitants of Sicily - a place that consistently inspires Dolce & Gabbana designs and the native country of Domenico Dolce. Traditionally, the heads are then covered with an Italian tin glaze that gives a shiny finish and painted in vibrant colours to symbolise stories and legends from Sicilian towns, reports the label's online magazine SWIDE.COM.As well as serving as a starting point for many Dolce & Gabbana collections, Sicily was also chosen as the destination for the label's debut couture show - whch took place in July this year. | <urn:uuid:772283c6-0b0c-4773-b907-552920da4568> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2012/09/27/dolce-and-gabbana-clarifies-moorish-jewellery-inspiration | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959641 | 260 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Most healthy babies who have plenty of love and attention develop new skills in a completely natural and continually surprising way. So much development takes place in the first 12 months that this is an amazing process for parents to watch.
Babies grow and develop at tremendously different rates – and often with blissful disregard for what parenting textbooks say they’ll be doing!
Your instincts, plus knowing that your baby eats and sleeps well and doesn’t grizzle whenever she’s awake, tell you far more than a growth or development chart can.
Enjoy the variations. These variations are what make development so exciting and memorable.
Developmental achievements are called ‘milestones’. Growth and development milestones are a useful guide, but they aren’t something to get too worried about. Developmental milestones are grouped under headings according to the parts of the body they refer to:
Large body movements involve the coordination and control of large muscles and skills like walking, sitting and running.
Small body movements (or manipulation) involve the coordination and control of small muscles, and skills like holding a rattle, picking up crumbs and scribbling with a pencil.
Vision is the ability to see near and far, and to interpret what’s seen.
Hearing is the ability to hear, listen to and interpret sounds, whereas speech is the ability to produce sounds that form words.
Social behaviour and understanding is your child’s ability to learn and interact with others, including skills for play and connecting and communicating.
Developmental progress can be affected by delays. These delays might be temporary or, less often, permanent. Premature birth and illness are two things that might cause temporary delays. Some disabilities can cause permanent delay. A baby’s development can also suffer because of her environment.
Things to watch out for
Milestones are only a guide. Unless you’re seeing delays in a few different areas over several months, it’s unlikely there’s anything wrong if your baby seems slow to do some things compared to other babies. Try to resist the temptation to compare your baby with others, because this can lead you to worry when you don’t need to.
As a general guide, though, seek help if you notice your baby:
- doesn’t consistently respond to sounds
- doesn’t seem to see things, has white or cloudy pupils, or there’s something about his eyes that bothers you
- doesn’t look at you
- isn’t interested in what’s going on around her
- doesn’t move or use both arms and/or legs
- has an unusual cry (for example, a high-pitched squeal)
- is persistently crying for more than about three hours every day (babies cry on average for about two hours a day, peaking between 6-8 weeks), especially after 3-4 months
- can’t hold his head up by the time he’s reached 3-4 months
- isn’t sitting well by 10 months
- doesn’t want to bear her own weight by 12 months.
Development issues to watch out for
Babies do things at their own pace, particularly when it comes to walking and crawling. They develop in the same order, but at different rates.
There are still some key indicators that a baby might be experiencing a delay in development, as this video explains.
If you’re ever concerned about your baby’s development, or if you notice any of the signs explained in this video, talk to a professional. You know your baby better than anyone, and you’ll have a good feel for what’s happening. | <urn:uuid:9524223e-92e4-4698-9fc6-c3081d9521af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/how_babies_develop_what_to_expect.html/context/250 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94667 | 775 | 3.453125 | 3 |
In September, I wrote about the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ [USCCB] endorsement of an ‘interfaith letter‘ that was co-signed by radical Wahhabists from the Islamic Society of North America [ISNA] and various representatives of the radical Religious Left. Real Muslim reformers like Dr. Zuhdi Jasser did not sign the statement addressing ‘anti-Muslim prejudice’. Cardinal McCarrick now acknowledges public criticism of the particular Muslims that the bishops have sought to make relationships with–and he is defending that relationship.
Have the bishops been duped? Or is the leftist political agenda really more important to them than protecting America from terrorism?
On Tuesday, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., testified before Democratic Senator Dick Durbin‘s committee hearing on the civil rights of Muslims. Though he acknowledged the existence of extremist ideology within Islam, he opted to characterize this ideology as being something different from “authentic Islam.”
Even more troubling, however, particularly for a Catholic like myself, was his insistence that criticisms of the radical Wahhabist theology of ISNA, the group selected for dialogue by the USCCB, are misplaced. He further mentioned the “common good,” a legitimate term in worldwide Catholicism but co-opted by the radical Left in America, in the context of dialogue with these particular Muslims.
In our pluralistic society, religious values and commitments are assets for the common good, not sources of division and conflict. Today we note with particular sadness that Muslim Americans with whom we have had a positive dialogue for over the decades have had their loyalty and beliefs questioned publicly in sweeping and uninformed ways. This compels us to reach out in solidarity and support of their dignity and rights as Americans and believers. We worry about the rhetoric and actions that target our Muslim neighbors and friends. Like our own historical experience, their very loyalty as Americans and traditions and values are being threatened.
According to terrorism expert Steven Emerson, ISNA “is a radical group hiding under a false veneer of moderation”; “convenes annual conferences where Islamist militants have been given a platform to incite violence and promote hatred” (for instance, al Qaeda supporter and PLO official Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi was invited to speak at an ISNA conference); has held fundraisers for terrorists (after Hamas leader Mousa Marzook was arrested and eventually deported in 1997, ISNA raised money for his defense); has condemned the U.S. government’s post-9/11 seizure of Hamas’ and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s financial assets; and publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Islamic Horizons, that “often champions militant Islamist doctrine.”
That is really just the tip of the iceberg. ISNA is the largest Muslim Brotherhood front group on the North American continent. Has Cardinal McCarrick read the Team B II Report, Sharia: The Threat to America?
Other, more contemporary affirmations of the Brotherhood’s commitment to stealth jihad can be found in the words of some of the Ikhwan’s most prominent operatives in America today. For example, Louay Safi, a leader of two Brotherhood fronts – the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), has declared that, “The principle of jihad obligates the Muslims to maintain and achieve these objectives [i.e., the triumph of Islam and the institution of the caliphate]. The best way to achieve these objectives and most appropriate method upholding the principle of jihad is, however, a question of leadership and strategy.”
ISNA‘s strategy of stealth jihad has found willing accomplices at the USCCB. Why not have dialogue with the American Islamic Forum for Democracy instead? Could it be because Dr. Jasser, the head of AIFD, is a conservative? Are the bishops really more concerned about the so-called “common good” policy agendas of the radical Left mentioned by Cardinal McCarrick in his testimony than they are about terrorism and stealth jihad?
As a faithful Catholic, it is difficult for me personally to imagine that our bishops would intentionally facilitate the stealth jihad of ISNA, but considering that I made their Wahhabist ideology clear way back in September, it is becoming more and more difficult for me to believe that the bishops have their heads on straight or their hearts in the right place.
I am very troubled by this, to say the least. This particular intention will be in my daily prayers until the bishops get their heads out of the sand. | <urn:uuid:a77245f9-91c1-4c7d-90b4-998dea7f09ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-graas/catholic-bishops%E2%80%99-heads-still-in-sand-with-radical-islamists/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954556 | 960 | 1.5625 | 2 |
I am woman; hear me roar. Girl power. Rosy The Riveter. Elizabeth Katy Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth, Joan Didion and Dorothy Parker, Rosa Parks and Betsy Ross, Marie Curie and Maria Mitchell, and so on. There have been some really amazing women throughout history, but for every one I can name–politicians, philosophers, artists, writers, musicians, scientists, public perception influencers–I can name at least half a dozen men from the same field in the same era. It’s just the way it is.
I read a news story over the weekend about how two female legislators were banned from speaking on the Michigan House floor because they said the words vagina and vasectomy respectively. Specifically, one said, “I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no.”
From that same article:
Just 20.9 percent of the lawmakers in the state Legislature are female, down from 24.3 percent in 2000. Michigan’s percentage of female state lawmakers is slightly lower than the national average of 23.6 percent for 2012, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
I find that data and the silencing of female House members distressing in a number of ways. First, Michigan is my home state. I like to think highly of it even though, deep down, I know it’s very schizophrenic. There are pockets of true blue amid swaths of red. As a female who was born, raised, educated and worked in Michigan for over 20 years, I can’t say that I noticed any sort of discrepancy as regards my gender, but perhaps I just wasn’t aware of it. Articles like this make me wonder if I really did get a fair shake in that state. It points a severe light on a double standard.
Second, the Michigan legislature is preventing elected officials from doing their jobs. Those women were elected fair and square. The voters in their districts gave them license to speak in their stead. Not only are two women being silenced, but all of their constituents are as well. They have a right to express their opinions, whatever “offensive” words their viewpoints might contain. I believe there is still a little thing called The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that allows us all to say whatever we want to say, regardless of whether or not you agree.
Third, when did the word “vagina” become offensive? It’s a medical term. It’s used in textbooks. Roughly half the population of the world has one. Children learn it as part of Health class (or at least, they used to). It is just about the least offensive term you could use to describe female sex organs besides maybe lady parts. Would the legislators’ delicate man-ears have been less or more offended had she referred to her vagina as a vajayjay, beaver, cha-cha, hoo-ha, poonany, quim or vagoo? The word vagina is no more vulgar than the word penis, which is also a medical term. Vagina is not an offensive word. If you find it to be, you’ve got problems.
Finally, is the Michigan legislature comprised of five-year-olds? It’s not like she was in an elementary school auditorium speaking about nutrition and randomly screamed VAGINA! at the top of her lungs at a bunch of children while pointing both index fingers at her crotch and gyrating like the lamest rock star ever or the creepiest clown. She was addressing a group of adults, her peers, and the word “vagina” (and “vasectomy” for that matter) was as germane to the conversation as it is ever likely to get outside of a gynecologist’s office. In or out of context, there is nothing in her statement that should be found offensive to any adult. Instead, the male-dominated Michigan legislators decided to ban both females from speaking. Go to your room and think about what you’ve done! You’re going to be in big trouble when your father gets home.
Michigan, I am so disappointed in you. You are my home state. You are where I am from, where I will always be from. You are where my family lives. My mother and father are there right now. Don’t you have bigger problems to deal with, like a crumbling economy, than vaginas? How dare you. Make it right. Don’t make me move back there and run for public office. | <urn:uuid:d94824f6-265f-4505-9fb7-8169c60def86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fishofgold.net/2012/06/19/vagina-vagina-vagina/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971066 | 969 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Along with the lives it takes, war destroys culuture and history. In the case of Syria, in can wipe a few millennia's worth of tradition of the map in one deadly shelling.
A few miles from Aleppo are the hills where human beings first domesticated wild grasses. All the wheat we eat originates from those plants and the first farmers. Once those hunter gatherers settled, they set in motion developments that led to towns and then markets. Aleppo was one such place and its souk lay on the first great trade routes, becoming part of an economic engine that made astonishing new products available to more and more people. The warehouses filled up with soaps, silks, spices, precious metals, ceramics and textiles, especially the colourful and diaphanous type favoured by harem-dwellers. Eventually all this mercantile activity focussed into one particular area and a fabulous bazaar was built, mostly in the Ottoman heyday of the 15th and 16th centuries. It was a honeycomb of surprises and flavours, a tribute to the best aspects of human society, but now it has run smack into the opposite tendency: war.
Of course, the human suffering is far more important and pressing, but I also mourn the loss of a place that so effortlessly encapsulated everything that was light, vivacious, sociable and friendly, everything that war is not. Architecturally the bazaar was not unique. What it had was tradition, heritage and incredible diversity. Five hundred years after Shakespeare made Aleppo souk the epitome of a distant cornucopia, you could still buy almost anything here, eat and drink a vast range of dishes, and even bathe in the traditional Hammam Nahasin. There were eight miles of lanes linking a range of khans or caravanserai – the British Consul held court in one of them well into the 20th century. When I first wandered in via the gate near the citadel, I discovered that there was only one thing I could not find in there: the desire to leave. It was just too diverting and fascinating. Every shopkeeper seemed to want to have a chat over a glass of red tea.
“Let me tell you about scarves. You buy antelope hair for the woman you want and silk for the mistress.’
“What about wives?”
He shrugs. “We have polyester. It comes with divorce papers.”
It was clear that this was not a place that ever stood still. Neither was it a museum, and certainly not a pastiche preserved for tourists. One vendor explained that his shop had not been in the family very long: “We got it when the Jews left.”
I checked later and discovered that many Jews, having come to Aleppo from Spain in the 15th century, then left for America at the turn of the 20th century to avoid conscription into the Ottoman army. Other communities had come when they lost out elsewhere. Many of Aleppo’s Christians had come from Turkish cities like Urfa in 1923, bringing with them priceless collections of ancient documents, now also threatened. Ringed around the souk were the churches and mosques of a baffling array of sects and ethnicities, but they all shopped together in apparent harmony.
In great trading cities filled with communal diversity, the inhabitants usually learn to get along and trust each other. It is outsiders who bring danger and suspicion. In fact Aleppo has been sacked, destroyed and left in ruins many times over. When Tamerlane visited in 1400, he left a pile of severed heads outside – reportedly 20,000 of them. The Byzantines had previously done their worst, as had the Mongols, more than once. But it was politics that did for the city’s pre-eminence as a market. Slowly and inexorably it was cut off from its hinterlands. The Silk Road died, the Suez Canal was dug, the northern territories were taken by Turkey as were the ports of the Levant. The machinations of the Great Powers turned a vibrant trading city into a divided backwater.
In some ways that decline helped preserve the medieval nature of the place, but now it is gone. When Syria rises out of the chaos, there can be some idea of restoration. But any future attempt to rebuild will always be a re-creation, probably with the tourist buck in mind. That will be better than nothing, of course, but it cannot hide the fact that one of the world’s greatest treasures has been lost.
10 cultural treasures lost in the last decade
The Citadel of Aleppo, Syria
As well as Souk al-Medina, the city’s citadel was shelled by government artillery. A medieval fortress built on top of several previous structures, it contains a 5,000-year-old temple that was only discovered in 2009. Fighting is said to have destroyed the medieval iron gates.
The ruins of Apamea city, Syria
Built by the inheritors of Alexander the Great’s empire, Apamea in north-west Syria has suffered badly with damage from fighting followed by looting. Thieves reportedly drilled two metres to strip priceless mosaics out of the floor and walls.
Krak des Chevaliers, Syria
This supreme example of Crusader military architecture is one of Syria’s big visitor attractions. Artillery fire and fighting has apparently been followed by looting. The church with its unique 12th-century Crusader graffiti has reportedly been damaged.
The Dead Cities, Syria
Scattered around Aleppo are up to 700 ruined cities dating from the first to eighth centuries AD. Evocative and abandoned they are a unique record of life in ancient times. They have also become a battlefield and heavy damage has been reported.
National Museum and Library, Baghdad, Iraq
Home to more than 40,000 ancient documents, the National Library was burned down in April 2003. The National Museum was looted and destroyed a few days earlier while American soldiers looked on. Statues and artefacts, many of them enormous, were lost. About 5,000 documented lost pieces have since been returned or recovered, including the 5,000-year-old alabaster Warka Vase. The priceless collection of 4,800 seals is still missing.
Mosul Museum, Iraq
In the north of Iraq, Mosul’s great collection of art and antiquities was also looted. Assyrian, Sumerian and Parthian treasures were taken, and many objects were broken and destroyed in the process.
The minaret of Malwiya, Samarra
One of Iraq’s great architectural treasures, the 9th-century spiral minaret was allegedly used by US forces as a sniper post resulting in a bomb blast by insurgents during 2005 which damaged the top of the minaret.
Islamic shrines, Timbuktu, Mali
In actions reminiscent of Cromwell’s troops’ attacks on decoration in churches, hardline Islamists have reduced some of Timbuktu’s medieval Sufi shrines to rubble. Recent efforts to catalogue and preserve the city’s treasury of documents are in jeopardy.
Antiquities continue to be lost with important inscriptions and carvings disappearing. A Buddhist monastery outside Kabul is the latest to be threatened with destruction, this time not by war but by a copper mining company.
Encouragingly, Libya seems to have got off lightly during its recent conflict though reports of damage to Islamic shrines are now appearing as hardliners try to stamp out “idolatry”. A cache of 8,000 antique coins and jewelery was looted from a Banghazi bank and later sold in the city’s souks.
Also seen at: The Guardian | <urn:uuid:dbfab2eb-dae7-41f5-9d38-d158330faca8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://skift.com/2012/10/06/whats-been-lost-in-syria-remembering-aleppos-historic-silk-road-souk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974316 | 1,605 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Why Clicker Training Works for Horses
I’ve been using clicker training to train horses (training young horses, old horses, problem horses all horses) for a number of years now, with stunning results. It’s such a fun way to train and has really shown how fast horses can learn, and what great problem solvers they are. As with any training that starts to catch on, it comes with myths and misconceptions. I have encountered many of these along the way and hope that as I take you through what clicker training is for me that I can help to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions.
What is this new fangled horse clicker training method?
It no longer phases me when people look at me oddly with my treat pouches, carrying a mat for my horses to stand on, or setting out my cones as marker points (for the horse, not – yes they do use markers). What’s that clicking noise? is a routine question for me to answer, but the looks change and the questions become; ‘how did you do that?’, when my horse works in collection at liberty for me, or he picks up a hula hoop and swings it up and over his head to sit around his neck, stands squarely on his mat and poses, or presents the saddle to me as I stand on the mounting block.
Although I train specific behaviours using clicker training, clicker training is not really a horse training method; rather it’s an approach to horse training. Hmm, what does that mean? What I mean by that is; it’s not a method that you have to follow, instead it’s just about telling your horse when they got the right answer. It’s rewards-based training.
The nice thing is, the vast majority of our horses are highly motivated by food and so we can use food as a reward to guide behaviours. Horses are meant to graze for about 70% of the time (approximately 17 hours per day), so trickle feeding them for clicker training is a perfect way to use food that is suitable for how their guts were designed. It’s a win-win situation!
In learning theory food is known as a primary reinforcer, but lets not get bogged down in the learning theory terminology just yet, we can cover that another time.
There are no expensive start-up costs. All you need to clicker train are; a clicker, some treats and a horse!
So how does clicker training work?
Clicker training is called ‘clicker training’ simply because we use a little plastic box that makes a clicking sound to tell the horse the moment they got something right. Then we give the horse a treat (a reward). What we are doing is rewards based training.
Rewards-based training works by saying ‘yes’ to the right answer, behaviour or movement from the horse. The click means ‘yes’ and the treats reward the behaviour. When we say yes, the horse is motivated to try again. With each try we can guide the movement and with each click we tell the horse that that attempt was correct.
Why Train with ‘yes’?
We hear ‘no’ so often that we just accept it as being normal. We then go on to use this less than ideal way of communicating our wishes to others. When you only hear ‘no’ in response to what you do, does it make you feel good or do you start to feel like there is ‘no point in trying because everything I do is wrong anyway’? With horse training, we generally add pressure (e.g. to reins or put the leg on) then release that pressure when the horse does what we asked. By doing that, are you saying ‘yes you got it’, or are you just training with ‘no’, releasing ‘no’ when the horse complies?
With clicker training we train with ‘yes’. As soon as we see or feel an approximation towards the right answer we tell the horse they got it right. Hold on, if we are training in approximations how much food will I need? You would be surprised how little food you have to use for each reward to keep the horse motivated. Coupled with rewarding bigger and better approximations (e.g. asking for more behaviour or longer duration) you would be surprised how little food you actually need.
What is more effective; the carrot or the stick?
Studies in a French University have tested this theory. Unsurprisingly to clicker trainers, the answer is that horses learn better and faster with the carrot (treats). Food for thought!
Mutual respect and Trust
The results of clicker training are incredible; fixing problem behaviours, teaching new behaviours, breaking the glass ceiling on performance, teaching liberty work. For me, one of the most powerful of the results in a wonderful relationship with the horse that has it’s foundations in mutual respect and trust. The connection with the horses is just incredible and just continues to evolve.
What can I teach with clicker training ?
Anything you want to ! No matter your discipline, happy hacker to competition rider, dressage to western, no matter the age of your horse or it’s physical capabilities, every horse and handler can clicker train and build that wonderful relationship that I see emerge out of this ever so simple training approach.
Great, this sounds like a good training approach, how do I get started?
There are a number of resources (clicker training books, clicker training DVDs, treat equipment and more ) that you can obtain to get you started.
Or you can contact the S.M.A.A.R.T. Horse Company Ltd if you would like to find out more.
Do you have a horse with a problem behaviour ?
Positive reinforcement training is a wonderful training approach and is producing amazing results in horses the world over. SMAART Horses have taken positive reinforcement training (clicker training) to a number of horses; old, young, for backing, unwell and healthy alike and to teach simple behaviours or complex behaviours. We have also taken it to horses who have emotional or behavioural issues, and those who don´t, with great success.
We are now embarking on a new project and are currently seeking horses with who are presenting one or more problem behaviours (such as not wanting the bridle on, or to be caught) and you just don´t know how to get started in changing that behaviour.
Do you have a horse that has issues with:
- being caught
- trimming / shoeing
- ….or another problem (let us know anyway)
Do you live in the South Lanarkshire area of Scotland ?
Do you have a few hours each week to spend with your horse for training both on your own and/or with a SMAART Horses trainer ?
If you answered yes to one or more of the above and would like help in turning your horse in to the ´horse of your dreams´, contact SMAART Horses for more details.
We will teach you how to re-train your horse. Contact us to tell us about your horse. Our aim is to work along side the owners to re-train the horse to create the ´horse of your dreams´.
SMAART Horses adhere to the Data Protection Act and so your contact with us and contact details will be confidential. | <urn:uuid:a5f14c60-ea6f-4e2b-924e-b3bdd10ba2f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://smaarthorsesblog.com/2011/11/22/why-clicker-training-works-for-horses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960137 | 1,561 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Is There an Edge to Evolution? Part 6: The Cathedral of Life
An Evaluation of Behe’s Edge of Evolution, Chapter 9 – The Cathedral and The Spandrels
This series of posts has been going through Michael Behe’s book, The Edge of Evolution, chapter by chapter. This penultimate chapter focuses on the findings of one of the most fascinating new topics in biology today, evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). In essence this is a field that couples two sub-disciplines, evolutionary biology and developmental biology using the tools of molecular biology. Chapter 9 is moving on to "higher levels of biological organization", and Behe readily admits that things are now a bit less well-defined, and "the arguments in this chapter will necessarily be more tentative and speculative than for previous chapters" because now the subject will be dealing with more complicated things - plants and animals, and "much less is known about what it takes to build an animal than to build a protein machine" (pages 172-173).
As often happens in science when one examines a phenomenon through a different window, many new and often surprising insights come into view. In 1940, for example, few people studying genetics imagined that DNA would be the genetic material; most everyone thought it would be proteins. However, soon afterwards the tools of microbiology began to reshape how biologists viewed the genetic material, and that in turn opened the window for Watson and Crick to see the gene’s true molecular nature. With that, the now-famous double helix came into view for the first time.
Examining the surprises that appear when one looks at a phenomenon from a new vantage point is what makes science so engaging. Scientists love surprises. In this chapter, Behe focuses on one of the most exciting scientific discoveries of the past thirty years, and implies that because evolutionary biologists were surprised, that evolutionary theory had reached the edge of its scientific limits. Let’s examine the basis of the surprise and then explore whether Behe is justified in concluding that the scientific surprises discussed in Chapter Nine correspond to a cliff-edge. Is Behe correct in concluding that going beyond that edge, one enters into territory that can only be explored by inserting a [supernatural] Intelligent Designer into the scientific “equations?” Is Behe’s edge simply a window of opportunity to see where mainstream biological tools will take us, or is it a blank wall? Behe believes it is a blank wall. Why?
In an earlier post our colleague, David Kerk, described the tinman gene, the gene required for making a heart. It is one of the many conserved “master” genes whose functions are now understood, through the new perspectives afforded by evo-devo. These genes serve as genetic switches that have the capability of activating particular developmental programs. A given switch (i.e. a master gene) is often structured quite similarly throughout the animal world even when comparing widely disparate species like flies and frogs. This high degree of conservation shocked evolutionary biologists. It was startling, for example, to realize that the same gene that served as a switch to turn on eye development in flies was found in humans, because if you think about it, the eyes of flies are a lot different than human eyes! Indeed, the mouse master gene for making eyes has been transplanted into fruit flies where it still works. Fly cells respond to the mouse switch by making eyes—fly eyes, not mouse-like eyes—but eye tissue nonetheless. Biologists didn’t expect genes to be conserved through the greater than 550 million years since mice and flies had a common ancestor. However, even though it was a surprise, it is extremely consistent with evolutionary theory. Despite the surprise, the finding is completely consistent with natural selection and common descent. Master genes are conserved through the parade of life. Like the hour hand on a ticking clock, they change, but only at a crawl.
Actually, the surprise comes from just how beautifully consistent the view is from this vantage point. Scientists were expecting consistency, but certainly not in such an eye-popping, mind-boggling manner.
Behe chooses to view things differently. This is evidence, he says on page 190, that:
... the best minds in science have been misled. They justifiably expected randomness and simplicity…
These scientists were NOT expecting randomness and they were most certainly NOT expecting simplicity. What they were expecting was greater complexity—not the degree of simplicity they found. The same genes are being used to build insects as what are used to build mammals. What could be simpler than that? So from this perspective, it is difficult to even begin to grasp Behe’s point about expected simplicity.
Let’s go back though to his statement regarding the notion that the scientists’ “expected randomness.” Why would he tell a general audience that? Natural selection is the very converse of a random process with an unanticipated outcome. They knew it would be non-random—natural selection is by definition non-random. What surprised them—what shocked them actually—was just how foundationally simple and non-random evolutionary mechanisms turn out to be. Evo-devo is not inconsistent with the core of evolutionary theory. Quite the opposite actually—natural selection is by definition a non-random process.
It is important to be fair to Behe here. He has stated clearly that the data as a whole are consistent with common descent. This is not in question for him. Indeed, it would probably have been good for him to emphasize in this chapter that these data are beautifully consistent with his own premise—common descent. One can track the lineage of the “genetic toolkits.” The toolkits get modified slightly and one can trace their modifications as one examines the tree of life. But there is a tree—one tree—Mike agrees with this! Indeed his entire approach to intelligent design is grounded in common descent. So in that regard Behe is in total alignment with mainstream biology. In that regard BioLogos and Behe are truly at one. We wish he would say that more often. There is a sense in which Mike Behe is more closely aligned with BioLogos than with many of his colleagues at the Discovery Institute including Bill Dembski and Stephen Meyer, who, although they waffle on occasion, have come out against common descent. Neither Bill nor Steve are biologists. It would be great if they would listen to their own biochemist. If they would, then perhaps Mike Behe’s statement on page 191 would take us to a whole new day:
Let’s acknowledge that genetics has yielded yet more terrific (and totally unanticipated) evidence for common descent.
Do you hear that, members of the ID Movement? Perhaps the single most important figure in the ID movement over the past fifteen years has called for an acknowledgement that common descent has occurred. Implied in this statement is evidence for common descent all the way from single cells to human beings. If the leaders and followers who do not have credentials in biology and biochemistry would get on board with their expert who does, then half of the concerns with the ID movement would be over.
Behe goes on from there to demonstrate the complexity of the genetic circuitry needed to build various cell types. Vertebrates, for example have B lymphocytes to help fight off infections; invertebrates, he says, do not. The genetic circuitry to build any cell type is exceedingly complex. Organisms are placed into classification groupings, based on somewhat subjective human ideas. Vertebrates are member of the phylum, Chordata. Invertebrates are members of other phyla. Behe proposes that the differences between phyla are so large, that they require the invention of whole new cell types. Since new cell types require new protein interactions and since he believes he has already shown that new substantive protein interactions won’t occur without intervention, new phyla as he sees it cannot arise without intelligence.
Let’s be clear, there is an Intelligence behind all of life. So, even here we don’t disagree. The question is why Behe wants to draw a line (an edge) between presence of God and absence of God in life’s history—presence of intelligence and absence of intelligence. Perhaps it is because of the necessary “absence of intelligence” to serve as an experimental control for “presence of intelligence?” If so, this sounds as though his theology is flying free. It is not grounded in Scripture. The Bible asserts that “by him all things were created…He is before all things and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16, 17). It also says, “Through him all things were made, without him nothing has been made that has been made” (John 1:3).
Further, one could build a case that he has now floated free of his scientific roots as well. Based on the data available so far, Behe may be correct that we cannot successfully trace the step-by-step lineage of new particular cell types in certain phyla. Behe’s assertion that for scientific reasons, however, we must now insert an Outside Architect is deeply flawed. The only scientific evidence he lays out to support the scientific hypothesis of the need for this architect harbors back to the same sort of calculations on the probability of new protein/protein interactions. We have already demonstrated that those calculations are off by many orders of magnitude.
What are those calculations that show no new protein/protein interactions have occurred? What is the data he analyzes? On page 200 Behe suggests that out of a billion rats subjected to warfarin in the past 50 years, we might have expected “many new regulatory regions; none seemed to have helped against warfarin.” Did anyone check these billion rats to see if some had undergone changes in regulatory regions? It seems that this is really a premature conclusion to put forward to the public without vetting it before the scientific community first. From there he goes on to fruit flies that have been studied in the lab for 100 years. During this time “no new, helpful, developmental-control programs have appeared.” Is there some reason why we might have expected some new “helpful” program in flies? What sort of “new help” would Behe have envisaged for fruit fly development? How would it have been detected? Was anyone actually looking for such a thing?
In the chapter, Behe then goes on to report that the malaria parasite has evolved no new reported “cell forms or regulatory systems” in a hundred billion billion chances. How does he know this? It is true that no one reported new regulatory systems. But was anyone looking for them? For all we know the parasite might have been evolving and even changing elements of its regulatory system. A careful analysis might even have been able to show this.
Based on analyses like these, Behe ends his chapter by discussing spandrels, the space between the arches that hold up a great cathedral. The arches, he says are clearly designed by a great architect. The artwork that decorates the spandrels were added after the fact—after the architect had left the scene. Now moving towards a metaphor, he states that science, his science, has now shown that the major classification groups of animals are like the arches of a great cathedral—they have been designed by God, the Greatest Architect. Darwinian evolution comes in and decorates the spandrels with all sorts of species and maybe genera and families--but the existence of phyla requires an Architect. This is Professor Behe’s cathedral and although one has to give him credit for being creative, this is based on his claim that rats that don’t evolve new systems (for which no one was carefully looking, to be honest). It is based upon fruit flies that don’t seem to be developing new and better body plans than they already have, and it is based on billions of billions of malaria parasites that are not being analyzed for changes at the molecular level. Surely ID is now floating free of scientific data. A theology based on a God whose Presence in creation comes and goes is equally problematic. Is not ID also floating free of Scripture?
It doesn’t have to be this way. Professor Behe, since he accepts common descent, is already half way home towards accommodating the scientific community. As imperfect human beings, we are all wrong on occasion. As mentioned early on in the chapter, "the arguments are more tentative and speculative" here. But there's also a danger that perhaps the arguments have strayed far from solid science as well as sound theology. It doesn’t have to be this way.
David Ussery is an associate professor of comparative microbial genomics at the Center for Biological Sequence Analysis at the Technical University of Denmark and on the faculty at the University in Oslo, Norway. Ussery is the co-author of Computing for Comparative Microbial Genomics and has authored or co-authored 130 articles for science and professional journals. He is also a frequent public speaker on the topic of bacterial genomics.
Darrel Falk is former president of The BioLogos Foundation. He transitioned into Christian higher education 25 years ago and has given numerous talks about the relationship between science and faith at many universities and seminaries. He is the author of Coming to Peace with Science. | <urn:uuid:2c5a30e3-0553-4918-a7a9-13ab7e16d3ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://biologos.org/blog/the-skeptical-biochemist-part-vi-the-cathedral-of-life/P40 | 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 | 0.969468 | 2,795 | 2.96875 | 3 |
In this tutorial, I will share with you some guidelines that will help you create a more "Coherent" looking LCARS interface.
By coherent, I mean how stable/together/part of each other/consistent your LCARS interface looks.
Most of what you are about to read applies not only to the LCARS interface but also to interface design in general.
LCARS was designed by Michael Okuda as the computer interface aboard federation vessels in the Star Trek Universe.
In honor of him, LCARS was often referred to as okudagrams.
I claim no authority over the standardization of LCARS nor do I desire it to be restricted.
This tutorial was written as an entry level guide for the LCARS enthusiast.
LCARS inherently has a very clean "vector" look to it without all the gradient and emboss effects.
One would suggest using the pen tool exclusively for the creation of the elementary LCARS frames though this might not apply to its main data displays.
The nature of LCARS is such that it can bend here or there to frame whatever content it is displaying.
The LCARS Frame
Here are the common fame structures, notice I did not segment it but kept it continuous for the number of
segments in a frame is up to the number of options you want your application to display upfront.
The LCARS "Frame" always goes from thick to thin and vice-versa; it is NEVER the same in thickness by the next turn.
The LCARS Swept is a very important element of the LCARS interface; do not disfigure it.
Creating the LCARS Swept:
It doesn't matter whether you are using Flash, Illustrator or Photoshop, the almighty LCARS Swept only need to have 8 points in pen tool mode.
|Flash's workflow||Photoshop's workflow|
|Above are videos illustrating how to create the LCARS Swept in Flash and Photoshop.|
The LCARS Cap
If LCARS where to be described as a form of grammar, its rounded cap would most certainly be its period [fullstop for the Brits].
The rounded cap marks the termination point of an LCARS bar.
Its “unconnected” nature also very naturally lead itself to be used as a button; it all makes complete coherent sense.
The following are some examples of the LCARS Cap in use.
The following however, is pure nonsense; LCARS created with these caps most certainly marks the amateurish level of its creator.
It is a well known fact throughout the field of Design that if you want to introduce order to chaos,
align the elements up with some sort of invisible grid.
There are two main spacing constants in a typical LCARS interface, the Main Frame Spacing and the Spacing of the Frame itself.
The only two elements that don't inhere to the spacing standards are the four main buttons on top of the frame and
the spacing of the text as they have their own type face spacing.
Try to make sure your other elements inherent to one of the two established spacing for a consistent look,
else you will inherent the disjoined look that is a staple of the amateur LCARS designer.
I always use the LCARS Font for LCARS interfaces but it doesn't matter, whatever font you use, just make sure you stick with it.
Consistency is very important in interface design.
Fortunately I have not seen an LCARS interface littered with font varieties the way it had been with colors.
There should only be three different font sizes for your LCARS interface.
1: The Main Title Size – For the main title of your application or what it's currently doing.
2: The Sub Header Size – For the top four main buttons and any Sub Header in the main content area.
3: The Normal Data Size – For the scrolling numbers on the top frame and content details.
If you want to break the overall consistency of your interface by playing with different font sizes all the time,
you had better know what you're doing.
Unless there is a valid reason to do so, your text should only possess two colors, one for normal display and one for highlight
to signify whichever data currently highlighted are being processed.
One of the most easily committed crime when designing the LCARS interface is the use of color with a vengeance.
You can spot it a mile away, Multi-Color LCARS...
Let me be blunt here, either get your color theory straight or don’t use it at all.
I would rather see a monotone LCARS interface than one that looks like it had just came out from some sort of horrific color vortex.
It's a cheap trick used by cannot-make-it photographers, usually bimbos and people that really have nothing much in them,
take a totally ordinary photograph and remove all its colors, the bimbos would then find it easier to lie to themselves about how deep or amazing their photography skills are, how they have a different perspective in life and all that crap that only people not in the field would believe them.
I don't care if there is a rule out there that says that there are more than XXX colors in the overall LCARS color scheme.
There is nothing worst in the world of interface designs than to have an interface filled with colors totally unrelated to each other.
I'm not telling you to be afraid of colors, I'm telling you to understand the usage of it.
Read up on color theory; understand the different color schemes from Complimentary to Tetradic and why
it is appropriate to use a certain scheme and not others in certain situations.
Once you understand colors, you will never tolerate amateurish LCARS color schemes again.
With true color understanding, you will never again be trap by the so called "LCARS Color Scheme".
You will be able to pick your own color scheme that is of your favorite hue and know that the color combinations you pick will work.
This is real freedom derived from true understanding.
The cannot-make-it-but-want-to-act-important people will say things like "But one must think out of the box...must break away from color theory bla bla bla".
A master would "Break" the color theory because he knew what effect the "new" color would have against its harmonious counterpart and
it would be carefully controlled and deployed to reach the desire effect and no more.
Here are the rules of thumb for LCARS color usages:
One Color: You can never go wrong with using just one color though it might look boring and also convey the idea that you are too fearful of the usage of colors.
Try to use different Tints and Shades [5 of it at most, that's the limit] of that single color to get variety.
Two Colors: Same as with the usage of one color, just make sure all the hue and color combinations do not exceed 5.
Three Colors: Good, you can stop right here, maybe two more tint and shade values if you absolutely have to.
Four Colors: OK you're reaching the danger zone; make sure you assign meaning to the four different colors,
example: a color for idle, a color for normal operations, a color for real-time operations & a color for text. No more.
Five Colors: You had better know what you are doing with all those colors and there had better be a good reason why you have another color.
What is the symbolic meaning of the fifth color ? When a button is flashing in that color what does it mean ?
Six Colors: I have not seen any LCARS interface with more than five colors and looked right.
I don't care if it's a shade of a shade of a tint of a shade of etc; use it at your own peril.
I'm not saying you can't; just don't make a fool of yourself if you do.
Color is a very big part of LCARS, go ahead and multi-color your LCARS...after...you've learned your color theory.
For those of you who use LCARS merely as decorative ornaments, I would like to enforce two points that most animators overlook.
The very first LCARS Animation available for download is from LCARSCOM.net as video form.
The usage of video comes along with it several limitations, from the inability to display black as true black to
easily detectable animation loops, meaning you know when the animation had restarted.
Modern LCARS sites allow for the downloading of the *.swf file itself and for those that wish to protect their work, in Flash projector form.
However, many new LCARS animations still suffer from one problem associated with its video counterpart - obvious repetition.
There are a number of ways to solve this, from just a slight improvement to total eradication of the problem depending
on the programming capability of the designer.
Put the scrolling number animations in their own timeline [movieclip], better yet, split the scrolling number animations up and
give them different animation time lengths. Put the content animation in a time line of their own.
What one is trying to achieve here is to prevent all the animations from ending at the same time so that it will not
loop so obviously as a single entity, the more independent timelines, the better, split split split !
Use code to generate random numbers instead of key framing it, in all honestly, I personally find key framing random numbers to be illogical.
Use code to do animations, from scrolling numbers and highlights to the motion of all the content displayed if one is capable of doing so.
This tip alone will eradicate all repetitive problems but minimal intellect is required.
Another reason to use code is because in the long run, it's just so much less work, key framing everything is pretty low brow.
After you have had enough experience with LCARS, here is your "right in the face" smack down:
To hell with all the rules, yes you heard that right, from the very person that creates this tutorial.
You can do this not because you desperately hope that people may at least pay some notice to your existence for your rebellion
else you have nothing to show for but because you know WHY the rules are there and hence you are no longer a drone follower
spending the rest of your time telling people what not to do like you are some sort of nothing better to do incompetent.
Now that you know why the rules are there, you can "add" to its perfection or purpose and improve upon the existing concept.
The finest example is the System 47 LCARS Screen Saver by "MeWho.com" with its gradient LCARS,
the look delivers, which is the prime purpose of the screen saver.
LCARS cannot be multi-color ? To hell with it, if you can make a rainbow color LCARS that doesn’t make a professional
turn his head and moan at your ignorance in color theory then you’re the Boss !
LCARS cannot be 3D ? To hell with it, if you can make it work, you’re the Boss.
As a matter of fact, I had been investigating on pushing LCARS into the holographic realm using real time augmented reality technologies with what I feel to be promising results.
You can see a video demo here:
If you wish to experience this LCARS augmented reality for yourself, download the Photoshop marker file here and
print it out using its default settings, meaning don't adjust the scale of the final output print.
If everything checks out, you should have a square print out measuring 8cm by 8cm.
Allow the following app access to your web cam and you will see the Holographic LCARS appearing right in
front of your screen when you show the marker in all its entirety in front of your web cam.
PS: If it doesn't work, adjust the exposure/gain level of your web cam accordingly,
most often then not you will need to lower your camera’s exposure.
Also, please note that unless you have a fast computer, the refresh rate will be inferior, for now we will just
have to live with it, computer speed will improve in time.
All your rule breaking power will never work in your favor without you understanding why the rules are there in the first place.
Remember this: Stupid people follow; the wise improve upon existing principles.
That sums up the basics of LCARS implementation from real world applications to decorative ornaments.
If you have any further enquires, feel free to contact me at firstname.lastname@example.org.
I wrote an even more involved LCARS Manifesto when I was high...you can read it here but be warned, it is SUPER Detailed into CRAZINESS !
Please feel free to skip this link. | <urn:uuid:fb87dd7c-dc11-4eaf-8101-737c7be0ee2f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bracercom.com/tutorial/content/CoherentLCARSInterface/maincontent.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935929 | 2,718 | 2.0625 | 2 |
AUSTIN, Texas -- Six months since the late-summer wildfires in Bastrop and 22 other Texas counties, the Federal Emergency Management Agency wants survivors to know they can still contact FEMA or the state of Texas to get questions answered or to get referrals for help with any unmet needs.
The FEMA toll-free Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585 is open seven days a week for wildfire survivors who want to talk to knowledgeable FEMA recovery specialists. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 1-800-621-3362. Assistants are available by phone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
Survivors can also go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov and click “Check Your Status” to get an update on their application for state and federal assistance.
“Recovery is well under way in Texas, but we want wildfire survivors to know FEMA is still here to help,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Kevin L. Hannes of FEMA.
Another important recovery resource is the 2-1-1 Texas Information & Referral Network. Specialists on the 2-1-1 line can put survivors in touch with crisis counseling services or long-term recovery groups to help them with needs that go beyond the scope of state and federal assistance. Those who wish to donate time or money to wildfire recovery efforts can also dial 2-1-1 for assistance. | <urn:uuid:2ab36593-b670-4ee2-9ffb-c8931c18ebac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2012/03/08/helplines-are-still-open-wildfire-survivors | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911935 | 319 | 1.515625 | 2 |
After 91 years in a shady grove at the National Trust’s Northern Ireland headquarters at Rowallane, Saintfield, a rare tree is flowering for the first time in its life.
The unusual plant — known as the Goat Horn Tree in its native China — has finally started to put out buds for the first time in nearly a century.
Staff at Rowallane have been waiting with bated breath for the unprecedented event and were finally rewarded when the earliest bud unfurled its petals to release a delicious scent.
Head gardener Averil Milligan said: “We had noticed in June that this tree was making flower bud growth which has slowly developed over the past week or so.
“We were intrigued to see what they were going to look like when they eventually opened and have been keeping a careful eye on it.
“Last weekend saw the first buds opening into a pale white flower which also has a scent, so we think it’s time to celebrate with our garden visitors and supporters.
“It has a lovely light scent and the tree has hundreds still waiting. After flowering it produces long, curved spindle-shaped fruits which resemble a goat’s horn, after which the tree is named,” she added.
The tree, which botanically is known as Carrierea calycina, was brought to the UK from Sichuan in Western China by plant collector Ernest H Wilson in 1908.
Garden diary records show the plant was purchased in March 1919 for three shillings and six pence (17p today) from the Donard Nursery in Newcastle, Co Down, after being propagated from original seed via the Veitch Nursery of Chelsea.
The tree has grown happily in a sheltered glade for many years, but had never produced buds.
Only two specimens from the original Wilson seed introduction still survive, the second at Birr Castle in Co Offaly, which has produced flowers as it was growing in a more open aspect than the Rowallane plant.
All others appear to have died out in the middle of the 20th century.
For details of forthcoming events at Rowallane, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/rowallane. | <urn:uuid:0d547b5a-a3ae-4d4c-bee6-20bac9d51781> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/environment/tree-flowers-after-91-years-28546126.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982646 | 465 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Coming Out Week will celebrate LGBTQ students on campus
10/9/2012 2:08 PM
This week, the USC community plans to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population on campus by observing National Coming Out Week, which includes National Coming Out Day on Thursday.
National Coming Out Day was founded in 1988 by psychologist Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary, then the head of the National Gay Rights Advocates. Because the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was held on Oct. 11 the preceding year, the 11th was chosen as a day to raise awareness for, and celebrate, LGBT communities.
The celebration was initially a single civil awareness day, but has now grown to include the entire week. In some places, such as at USC, the full month of October is celebrated as LGBT Heritage Month.
The USC LGBT Resource Center offers various events, assemblies and speakers for students to learn more about the LGBT community throughout October. The events will highlight the history of the community while providing a safe campus environment for anyone who is struggling with their sexuality.
“At any university, it’s significant and important for people to be able to be expressive of who they are,” said Karen Tongson, associate professor of English and gender studies. “To explicitly make a gesture toward acceptance, visibility and pride is an important thing.”
Tongson said it is not the act of coming out, but the creation of a welcoming environment, that is important during National Coming Out Week.
“Not everyone feels it’s necessary to come out or make a statement of coming out,” she said. “I think it’s important to create a nurturing environment for those that feel it’s important to come out, but also to be respectful of people who don’t want to participate in labeling whatever is important to them and who they love and how they feel.”
In addition to helping people feel more acceptance, the week will draw attention to the political struggles of LGBT individuals. According to Professor Larry Gross, an expert in LGBT studies and politics, National Coming Out Week will serve to attract attention to LGBT individuals’ lack of rights.
“The point of this event is to bring attention to an often invisible minority by identifying oneself as LGBT, often to folks who wouldn’t otherwise have known this,” Gross said. “Despite enormous changes in the situation of LGBT people in this country, we remain a readily available political target and this is due in part to general lack of visibility. Also, the lack of basic civil rights suffered by gay people … is due in part to pervasive invisibility. ‘Coming out’ has long been a central tactic of LGBT liberation for this reason.”
USC’s Queer and Ally Student Assembly will decorate Trousdale Parkway and other busy walkways with colored banners to symbolize acceptance and respect for USC’s LGBT community. Jaime Westendarp, a sophomore majoring in business of cinematic arts, is supportive of the display.
“As an ally of the LGBT community myself, it’s really refreshing to see that our school is such a supportive and accepting community,” Westendarp said. “It’s just a nice reminder that people care.”
Other students, though not personally involved in the LGBT cause, feel that having a national day to celebrate the LGBT community is important.
“Designated days show what’s important in a society,” said Lila Scott, a senior majoring in film production. “Although it’s been a somewhat tumultous time in society for gay people, it’s great that there is a day set aside for celebrating their identity.”
Coming out week events include seminars and speaker series, including Models of Pride, an all-day youth conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center’s LifeWorks Mentoring. QuASA will take an active role in the week’s events, sponsoring the Empowerment Series, which consists of four seminars for each segment of the LGBT community.
This year, social media will play a crucial role in the promotion of respect and acceptance of LGBT individuals. The LGBT Resource Center has formed the Ally Project, which asks people to do something very simple — update their profile pictures on Facebook to demonstrate acceptance. Participants will take pictures of themselves holding a sign reading, “I am an ally,” and display it as their Facebook profile picture.
Vincent Vigil, the director of the LGBT Student Resource Center, stresses how such a simple action truly can make a difference in someone’s struggle to accept their sexuality.
“Little things like this can go a long way,” Vigil said. “Imagine if you have 800 Facebook friends, and one of those friends is struggling with their sexuality or questioning themselves. They might feel like they’ll be able to talk to the person who put that picture up, and then they won’t feel so alone.” | <urn:uuid:48cd0458-8f8b-4413-a796-d9139b3bc683> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/news/coming-out-week-will-celebrate-lgbtq-students-on-campus.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960653 | 1,052 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Hallo, eco-minded viewers,welcome to Planet Earth: Our Loving Home. Today on part two of our program we once again talk with Dr. Rebecca Lee, the founder of the Polar Museum Foundation.
The Foundation has the goal of conserving our environment by highlighting the importance of polar scientific exploration to the general public. Dr. Lee is renowned as the first woman to have explored the “Four Poles” of our planet – the North Pole, the South Pole Mount Everest and the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon in Eastern Tibet
which features the deepest canyon in the world.
In 1970, carrying her backpack, sleeping bag and camera, Dr. Lee started her dream journey of traveling every corner of the globe. After nearly 40 years of exploration, she has seen the world’s five oceans and touched the seven continents.
Dr. Lee joined the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition team in 1985 to conduct polar research. Since then, she has traveled six times to the Antarctic, 10 times to Arctic, four times to Mount Everest, twice to Taklamakan, a large Central Asian desert, and once to Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon. Based on her wealth of experience and knowledge, Dr. Lee has written “The Poles Declaration” about her explorations of the poles and “Polar Power” regarding the energy of the poles and their influence on global climatic conditions.
Our Supreme Master Television correspondent in Hong Kong visited recently visited with with Dr. Rebecca Lee. In their our conversations with Dr. Lee, she shared her experiences of conducting research at the poles as well as her insights to spreading the message on the dangers of global warming. | <urn:uuid:401b5085-a9be-42b2-bcb9-f742a6ef522c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://suprememastertv.com/per/bbs/board.php?bo_table=sos_per&wr_id=2192&goto_url=&sca=sos_11&sfl=wr_9&stx=T&url=link1_0&eps_no=1063&show=aw&flag=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939213 | 342 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Post about Gluten, Fad Diets, Symptoms and Lyme Disease
There are many reasons to avoid gluten.
Many people are gluten sensitive and do not even know it. The most severe form of gluten intolerance is Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is the small tip of a VERY large iceberg. Just because you might test negative on a Celiac panel does NOT rule out gluten sensitivity.
"Some" of the Symptoms, (there are over 200 symptoms )
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Nutritional deficiencies due to mal-absorption (e.g. low iron levels)
- Gastro-intestinal problems (bloating, pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea)
- Fat in the stools (due to poor digestion)
- Aching joints
- Head aches
- Irritability and behavioral changes
- Infertility, irregular menstrual cycle and miscarriage
- Cramps, tingling and numbness
- Slow infant and child growth
- Decline in dental health
Many of these symptoms are also Lyme Disease symptoms, and can indicate inflammation in the body.
Wheat is a pro-inflammatory agent. A pro-inflammatory agent is rapidly converted to sugar, causing a rise in the body’s insulin levels, causing a burst of inflammation at the cellular level.
Wheat is a relatively new food for the human race. Ancient man, the hunter-gatherers, lived on meat from the animals they hunted, fish and wild vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds that they gathered. It was not until the agricultural period that began about 12,000 years ago that wheat and other grains were introduced. This is not a long enough time for the human body to adapt.
Your digestive system provides a barrier between the foods you eat and your blood stream. If this barrier breaks down gliadin/gluten gets into the blood stream. The immune system reacts to the gliadin/gluten and they become a toxin. Any immune response releases chemical mediators that cause inflammation and leads to symptoms such as pain, edema, and headaches and so on.
Those suffering with Lyme disease can benefit from a Gluten free diet. Lyme Disease is a multi system disease. Gluten sensitivity can also make your symptoms worse and prevent you from healing from Lyme Disease.
Burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, promotes inflammation
Gluten-free "should" have more than one meaning. I'm sure it can be a fad diet for some, but it is really serious for others. Gluten sensitivity is a really large gray area we simply can NOT over look. Gluten sensitivity is REAL and is a serious issue for many. It should not be frowned on. Gluten sensitivity isn't any less serious because a person might not have a "Celiac disease” label.
We have come along way however, mainstream medicine is often slow to change and doesn't always offer alternative testing methods.
Click here for information about Testing
Do I believe those who are diagnosed with Lyme Disease should be tested for Gluten sensitivity? My answer to that question is YES...... Do I believe those with Lyme Disease should try a gluten free diet, I will give you the same answer, YES................ Testing
If you have Lyme Disease, you might not realize gluten is an issue. You have to give your body enough time to heal before you notice a change.
Also to note:
- Refined wheat has little nutritional value.
- Humans don’t fully digest wheat.
We would love your thoughts and comments. | <urn:uuid:8772af5a-5958-449e-ba87-ffdfa9ca8a31> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://glutenfreefoodsrock.blogspot.com/2010/11/lyme-more.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938681 | 737 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Siemens first established a presence in the Middle East 150 years ago, and since then has been closely involved in the construction of almost every key piece of infrastructure in the region. Active in fossil power generation, solar and hydro, wind power, oil and gas, energy service and power transmission, the firm’s Energy Sector last year posted a profit of more than $5.3 billion. Working across 16 countries and six separate divisions Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO of the Energy Sector’s Middle East operations, is confident that the region is developing a serious ambition towards renewable power, but that traditional generation will be needed to finance the growth of green technology.
“When you look into the Middle East, while it has traditionally been an oil and gas region, it is now growing into renewables. But at the moment energy does not have a high price tag here, and this means that new technologies – which at the beginning are more cost-intensive – are not getting the emphasis they deserve. The governments and legislators in the region have to play a more active role to promote this, not only through words but also by putting the legal framework for it in place, and maybe looking at incentives.”
Siersdorfer points to Germany, which in 2011 constructed huge additional solar capacity, proving that the implementation of renewables can be swift and scalable.
“Solar will get cheaper, in terms of cost, when you implement more scale,” says Siersdorfer. “One thing to remember is that the traditional energy sources have to subsidise the new technologies. It’s like every innovation and technology – you have to earn the money to do the innovation, and its similar here in the region.”
Siersdorfer argues that with the cost of gas a deciding factor in the construction of new thermal power plants, prices need to be higher so that the surplus funds may be used to implement new technology.
“Implementing these technologies on a broader scale will then see them come down in price; for solar, this region is in the sun belt and has all the ingredients to be the world leader – I think it will be in the future.”
In the solar sector, Siemens is currently supplying both PV and CSP technology to the Middle Eastern market – the two key technologies in the race for solar dominance – and has also recently signed a one-year deal with renewable pioneers Masdar. The deal will see Siemens and Masdar cooperating in solar energy technology research and development in order to enhance the use of PV panels in the Middle East region, with joint testing and research activities investigating the properties of solar panel coatings.
“This is essential for the Middle East region,” Siersdorfer explains, “because we have a lot of dust and humidity and we need to develop better coating technology to clean the panels, otherwise the efficiency will decrease and you won’t get the yield you need from them.”
“We believe that in the next few years, 80 per cent of the Middle East’s power generation will be fossil dominated, dropping to 75 per cent in the next five to ten years. The demand on these plants is very high – if you look at Qurayyah in Saudi Arabia, which we were awarded recently, we’re talking about a 2,500 megawatt power plant. The biggest solar plant in the region at the moment is the Noor facility in Al Ain, which is 100MW, so you’d need 25 of those for the same generation. But this is possible with PV – it is scalable, and it’s really a matter of logistics and maintenance. You’d need a huge plot of land to do it, and there is land available here, and you need to have the right coatings on the panels, but it is possible.”
Article continued on next page | <urn:uuid:4d7a81c6-fcc2-4061-82f7-25090a382d61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.arabianbusiness.com/dietmar-siersdorfer--power-of-ambition-445329.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940751 | 804 | 1.945313 | 2 |
(520 ILCS 5/3.27)
(from Ch. 61, par. 3.27)
Any person owning, holding or controlling, by lease, which
possession must be for a term of 5 or more years, any contiguous tract
of land having an area of not less than 200 acres, and not more
than 1280 acres, with at least 100 acres of suitable wildlife habitat,
who desires to establish a game breeding and hunting
preserve area, to propagate, preserve and hunt game birds shall make
application to the Department for a license as herein provided. Such
application shall be made under oath of the applicant or under oath of
one of its principal officers if the applicant is an association, club
or corporation. In the case of releasing and harvesting hand reared
mallards, the tract of land, with the approval of the Department, may be
smaller than that required in this Section but in all other respects the
applicant shall conform to the provisions of this Act. The application
shall be accompanied by a license fee of not to exceed $100 for a Class A
license or a license fee not to exceed $200 for a Class B license.
Every licensee under this Section shall release not less than 250
Bobwhite quail or pheasants each season.
Upon receipt of such application, the Department shall inspect the
proposed licensed area described in such application and the premises
and facilities where game birds are to be propagated and the cover for
game birds and the ability of the applicant to operate a property of
this character. If the Department finds that the area meets the
requirements of all applicable laws and administrative rules and that
the game birds are reasonably healthy and disease free; and that the
issuing of the license will otherwise be in the public interest; the
Department shall approve the application and issue the license for the
operation of the property described in the application with the rights
and subject to the limitations in this Act prescribed.
All game breeding and hunting preserve area licenses expire on April
30 of each year.
Upon receipt of such license, the licensee shall promptly post such
licensed areas at intervals of not more than 500 feet with signs to be
prescribed by the Department. The boundaries of such licensed game
breeding and hunting preserve areas shall also be clearly defined by
natural or artificial boundaries and by signs.
(Source: P.A. 93-554, eff. 8-20-03.) | <urn:uuid:102a1928-d166-4da2-b893-4c8acc0e4d0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/052000050K3.27.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925568 | 514 | 1.515625 | 2 |
With US housing slump, Canadian lumber industry has faced serious challenges since more than 80% of its output were sent south of the broader. Recent Media has presented an optimistic future solution to Canadian lumber industry. China turned to be the hope. The question is whether China will replace US to be the major importer of Canadian lumber products.
China's lumber import has been steadily growing during the last decades from demand of both re-export of processed products and domestic consumption. Most of imports are from South Asia and Russia while Canada has only very limited share of the market.
According to latest data release from China Custom, for the first half year of 2009, the total volume of importing logs is 133 million cubic meter which is 18.7% less than the same period last year. The total price has been decreased to US$136 per cubic meter which is 20.6% less. The total amount is 35.5% less. The results of the data shows:
First, The total amount of import has been decreased dramatically while price has fluctuated a little. In January, import log is 1,271,000 cubic meter which is the lowest since 2008. In April, the amount reached 2,920,000 cubic meter. However, the amount started to decrease after that till June. Price in April is 126.5 per cubic meter. After that price starts to increase a little each month till $136.8 per cubic meter.
Second, small trades near boarders dominate half of all trades. Boarder trade imports 64 million cubic meter which is 30.7% less than the same period last year. General import channel imports 63 million cubic meter which is 0.6% more than last year. In addition, importing log which is used for re-export is 4 million cubic meter which is 35.9% less than the same period last year.
Third, private companies export 70% of final wood products. Total import from private sector is 90 million cubic meter which is 23.2% less than the same period last year. State-owned companies imported 35 million cubic meter logs which is 0.7% more. Foreign companies in China imported 4 million cubic meter which is 41.5% less.
Fourth,the majority of import is from Russia and imports from New Zealand has been increased. Total log from Russia for the first half year is 77 million cubic meter which is 27.6% less than the same period last year. It is 57.7% of total importing log. Imports from New Zealand is 19 million cubic meter which is 14.1% more.
The majority of importing logs are used for re-export. The slowing demand for furniture and building materials, floors etc. has been the main reason for the slowdown of import. Many Chinese wood processing factories has been closed. 70% to 80% of engineered wood processing factories are in the state of running half capacity or stopped production completely.
While on the other hand, major suppliers to Chinese market has implemented policies that limit export of logs. Russia has increased tax to 25% and European union has implemented policies to stop illegal logging. All these efforts has increased the cost of raw material and discouraged Chinese wood processors from accumulating inventories.
The major demand from this period came from the domestic consumption. The internal demand has been boosted with the help of stimulus package both for Infrastructure building and individual consumption. However, the structure of the whole wood processing industry is still more than 70% export oriented. It takes time for Chinese companies to restructure its focus and reduce its capacity.
China's real estate has been started to bounce back during the recent months thanks to the large amount of stimulus efforts from both the central and local governments. Huge stimulus spending has been successful in stabilizing downward spiral of demand. The question is whether the real estate sector can keep its momentum to recovery or the new recovery shoots will sunk in the near future. For my view, the stimulus money has inflationary impact on the housing sector. China's stimulus efforts has been mainly focused on consumption side from both individual and state level. From individual level, consumption coupon, long holidays, tougher labor laws, employment assistance, re-education etc. have boosted demand. From state level, social security, infrastructure investment, and financial assistance to new technology and plants and inflow of oversea Chinese professionals have created new picture of future development for China. In general, most of money has been spend to strength internal demand while most troubled exported-oriented firms are encouraged to close or merge with other healthier firms. The output capacity of lumber export products has been dramatically reduced for the first half of the year.
As Chinese leaders repeatedly stressed to the rest of the world, China's stimulus efforts can't save the world out of the recession. China can only do that much to save itself. It did so. The puzzle for Canadian lumber industry is how large will be the domestic demand for lumber and logs comparing to the export sector if the export sector does not recover that soon. Not much, perhaps 20% to 30%. It will be a tough market to compete for the domestic pie. Will it be worth to pursue it? Yes! China has relatively healthy and strong financial sector and the balance sheet of the government, companies and individuals are much healthier than some of the most affluent countries. While US has been borrowing money to spend, China spent modestly in the past to keep its house in order. The potential of this domestic market for lumber and logs are worthwhile to pursue.
We are the very early state of structural global recession. To fight deflation, global leaders has poured trillions of dollars into the system. Detailed analysis of stimulus plan is shown by Brooking Institute. Despite the huge amount of money spent by each government, the efforts are still far less than needed to combat the severity of the crisis comparing to the total amount of GDP. Lumber demand from US will not recover to the previous level any time soon due to heavy indebtedness from both individual, company and state level.
The total demand of lumber will not increase anytime soon while price will increase slowly thanks to the reduced capacity in the long run. It will be good news for the few survival lumber and forestry firms, not for those who don't have the financial resources to weather the difficult times.
Doing business as usual may not work at this global recession. Bold actions and courage are needed. For most small lumber and forest firms, one of the solution is to form strategic partnership with reputable and financially healthy Chinese firms and developers. Through this partnership, small Canadian firms can have access to existing sales and distribution channel of the wood industry in China while obtaining financial support from the one of the few cash rich Chinese firms. The reward is that your firm and employees will go through the difficult time and wait for the next economic boom to reap all the profits.
For more information, please email Ying Dwyer at email@example.com
About Ying Dwyer Chinese Services
Ying Dwyer Chinese Services ( www.chineseservices.ca ) comprises China market and
business consulting, research and Chinese translation services for Canadian companies and government clients.
Please Use Zerohedge.org
2 years ago | <urn:uuid:f94170fe-8972-4253-97ed-4e5048869d78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bambooeconomist.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957348 | 1,458 | 1.515625 | 2 |
By James Ellis
A website can be and do just about anything. It can be a brochure, a greeting card, a catalog, a conversation space, an announcement, a research tool, a library, a photo gallery, a way to spark ideas, build connections, engage people and speak about your corner of the world.
But it can’t really do all those things (unless you are Google or maybe Facebook, in which case, “hi!”). It can do one or two of those things well. It can do three or four of those things well with an exponential increase in resources, but that’s it.
So instead of spending millions on a legion of developers, creative directors, content managers and the staff to populate their respective armies, maybe you should focus your intention down to one thing.
What is your website supposed to be or do? Boil it down to a phrase a five-year-old could understand.
Amazon was a bookstore. Now it is an everything store. Google is a search engine. Those are easy, mostly because they have smart marketers and leadership who knows that you need to excel at one thing before you expand to something else.
But what about the website for your favorite coffee shop? It could be a brochure: hours and location with a pic of a cute barista. It could be a branding peice: pictures and animations that are warm and inviting about the idea of coffee and scones. It could be a business development peice: Get you excited about the idea of hand-roasted select gourmet coffee and how it will make your life better. It could be a store: place your coffee order and schedule a pick-up time or delivery. It could be a research tool: Everything you could want to know about coffee from different regions of the world, how it should be roasted, what the types of roasting levels mean and how they affect taste.
One coffee shop, four intentions. Each intention shapes the nature of the website, who uses it and why. Intention therefore determines the site’s success
For example, will more people come to your coffee shop because they know more about all the different coffee varieties? If your goal is to sell more coffee, then maybe that intention doesn’t align with that objective. If you spend 3,000 words talking about thirty different coffee varieties, and you only sell two, what was the good in that? You may have just gotten them excited to go to another coffee shop.
Nailing down the intention of your site, especially in relation to your total marketing strategy and your business strategy, increases your likelihood of success. Now I’m going to go drink some coffee.
By Elaine Love
The media is buzzing about the “newest kid on the printing block.” What marvelous potential exists for this new technology! Just think what 3D printing can accomplish for the medical community, the automobile industry, architecture and even the toy industry. Will 3D printing ever reach the widespread popularity of the print industry as we know and use it currently?
Pause and hit Rewind
How does 3D Printing Work?
Three-dimensional printing is a process by which layers of material are stacked creating a physical object. Materials such as plastics, fabric fibers and even human tissue are fed into the machine to create the designs. Depending upon the machine, those layers could be created through stacking layers of light (FTI- film transfer imaging), fusing heated plastic filament or metal wire (FDM – fused deposition modeling) or laser technology with at least seven different types of metals (SLS – Selective laser sintering).
Sound complicated? Relax. I don’t pretend to understand exactly how the technology works. Do you know all of the exact technology behind how your smart phone works? Neither do I, but we still use our phones constantly.
What Benefit does 3D Provide?
Imagine being able to create an intricate architectural design to visualize exactly how your building or sculpture will look prior to construction. Imagine being able to create artificial limbs for accident victims or to correct birth defects. Imagine being able to create a spare part for a machine long after the model had been discontinued.
Through contour crafting it is possible to build an entire home: concrete foundation, plumbing, electrical wiring and all of the furnishings. A 2500 square foot house could be built in 20 hours. Imagine the benefit in restoring homes for victims of natural disasters.
Artificial limbs, prosthesis, can be created to assist accident victims and correct birth defects. 3D printing can produce medical devices such as those used in my spinal fusions. It is scary to think what could be created from human tissue as this technology advances.
Prototypes of automobiles, planes, boats and other mobile devices can be created and tested; design adjustments can be made prior to the expensive final production stage.
Can you imagine giving a child a 3D computer to create their own toys? At least it would be more engaging and positive for their mind than watching violence on TV. A few decades ago a child was given an erector set; next came Legos. Imagine telling a child to go to their room and create their own toy. At this point the complexity of programming the machine prevents this scenario, but will that change in the future?
How would a blogger utilize the services of a 3D printer? Imagine bringing your concept to life? The familiar quotation is “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Adding an image to your text enhances the visual appeal and engages the reader. Granted, becoming an excellent photographer to capture the 3D image to include in your post could present a challenge, but then you are up for a challenge. Tap your incredible imagination. Let me hear from you.
The possibilities are endless
What’s the Catch?
Three-dimensional printing is not new; 3D has existed for three decades. 3D printing has been too expensive, non-accessible, inefficient and too slow. Times are changing. According to Lisa Harouni of Digital Forming, detail and quality are improving; the price has been reduced to about $300 and the machine will now fit on a desktop.
What’s the problem?
The programming complexity makes the machine very difficult to use. At this point 3D Printing machines are not user friendly; however with rapidly advancing technology, this could change in the next few years. Three-dimensional printing has the potential to create a manufacturing revolution. Some are touting 3D printing as the answer to ending “made in China.” When manufacturing is cost effective, time efficient to produce, inexpensive to ship and accurate (machines eliminate the human error factor), 3D has the potential to bring the manufacturing industry back to America.
Will 3D Printing Replace Traditional Printing Companies?
No. 3D and traditional printing as we know it now serve two totally different purposes. It’s like asking if an exotic alcoholic drink will replace green tea. Both have their value, but they fill entirely different purposes.
The current fiercely competitive printing industry is expanding. A new online printing company will be challenged to the max to go head to head with the printing giants like Vista Print, PrintPlace.com, or PsPrint. The printing industry is not declining but thriving. Competition in the printing industry is intensifying. UPS and FedEx are trying to capture their own piece of the printing industry market.
A business card created with 3D printing shaped as an exact replica of an entire set of golf clubs may be fun and unique, but imagine attempting to place 20 of them in your wallet.
3D Printer in Every Home?
Does the possibility exist for 3D printers to be in most homes and offices? It’s possible. Is it probable? It was only a few decades ago when Ken Olsen, founder of the legendary minicomputer company DEC said, “there is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.” Now we all have at least one computer and probably several when you include our smart phones.
As the volume of information increases and more and more records must be created and retained, does it really make logical sense to create three-dimensional contracts, three-dimensional business cards, three-dimensional letters or postcards and three dimensional grocery lists? No. Will the marketplace still need business cards, legal documents, restaurant guest checks, and printed marketing materials? Yes. The majority of printed materials as we know them will continue to be of significance.
There is a greater likelihood of electronic media replacing some paper documents than 3D printing replacing traditional printed materials. Three-dimensional printing serves an entirely different function in the marketplace than traditional printed materials.
So did we spark your creative juices? How could you potentially take advantage of 3D printing in your online business?
By Rob James
If you own an online business and want to optimise your website, it’s important to consider the many benefits of using images to encourage interaction from users. Images can add an emotional connection to websites, and when combined with excellent layout, typography, and animation, can help to build a compelling website for your business. How do images engage users, then, and what are some of the more specific actions you can take to use images as part of your own site?
The building blocks of images on a site can range from anything from an effective logo to icons and animation, as well as images in side bars and articles – in most cases, these graphics and images serve a functional purpose – they grab the attention, and they provide a complement to the copy on your site. A basic page layout can consequently use images as sparingly as possible, and can rely on stock pictures tailored to your business, or ones that you’ve taken yourself.
However, images on a site should be more than just functional – they should be able to provoke an emotional response from users in the shortest period of time. One way in which this becomes more effective comes when images are animated, or when they can be navigated like a game, and broken down to include click throughs and pop ups that produce videos – some examples of where images can become more animated can be found here. Producing interactive image maps, where information for a business is spread across a whole image with different clickable sections – a map of an office or a city with separate sections activated by clicking on different parts of the screen represent examples – can also make a site more engaging.
Chuck Longanecker has emphasised the importance of ‘emotionally intelligent interactions’ for encouraging conversions on sites; this involves using professionally created graphic design and high quality photographs to make a site look more like a glossy magazine lay out than a traditional web page. Longanecker cites examples from error message screens that use rich graphics and images as good examples of how even the most mundane parts of a site can be made more effective.
Remember User Experience
What this adds up to are sites that are tailored to your business, but that take the process of web design further by using HMTL5 and Flash coding to make a site rely on intuitive graphics, where drop down menus, sliding bars, and videos embedded into the site, rather than loading separately, promote a clean user experience. One good example of this in practice are sites that use full size backgrounds, and the minimum of copy, on their landing pages – fashion and car brands are particularly effective at this approach.
What can you do, then, to boost your own site? The first step to take is to either find or commission high definition images to use on your site, which can ideally be blown up to act as a full screen background – sites that take this approach look particularly great on HD tablets. Alternatively, look to a web design company that can take your existing site and rethink its graphic design – so much of what’s important now about a site is looking less and less like a simply laid out set of information, and more like an interactive puzzle that users can navigate.
Going forward, it’s also important to remember not to overload your site with different images, and to always make sure that you have the rights to use an image or graphic; Creative Commons images are available through sites like Flickr, while you can also license images from the Getty and other collections for a small amount of money. In addition, you can test out the success of new images and image layouts for your site through Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) – this involves running tests where users see different versions of the same site, and then checking to see which had the highest rate of conversions or click throughs.
Are you integrating compelling images in your site design? What’s your favorite resource?keep looking » | <urn:uuid:94d96af4-cb28-4c6a-b981-70eab9193a42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.successful-blog.com/1/category/design/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946692 | 2,620 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The dandelion root is one of nature’s most ubiquitous herbal treatments. It has been proven to have medicinal value in the treatment and relief from liver disorders, diabetes, urinary disorders, acne, jaundice, cancer and anemia. It also helps maintaining bone health, skin care and weight loss. Gallbladder inflammation, liver problems (Jaundice) and providing a detoxification of our blood are all positive effects from the continual use of the dandelion in one’s diet.
Research has shown that the dandelion is very rich in vitamins and minerals and promotes healthy blood circulation while stimulating liver function by increasing the flow of bile. Dandelion, which means “lion’s tooth” in French, is rich in vitamin A, C, iron and calcium and contains detoxifiers which help to explain its use in medicines. People that have liver problems are often seen as having yellowing skin or eyes, and a general look of being ill, tired, and lethargic. This is a symptom known as Jaundice; it is a disorder of the liver, caused by the over production of bile.
This condition ultimately causes the bile to be secreted into the blood stream damaging the body’s metabolism. Excess bile in the blood stream is demonstrated by the skin and eyes having a pale yellow color. Treating jaundice generally includes three (3) main courses: First, check the amount of and rate of production of bile; second, remove excess bile from the body; and third, eliminating the viral infection that accompanies Jaundice. Dandelion is very helpful in all three of these procedures. First, it promotes improved liver health as well as regulating the output of the bile. Being a natural diuretic, the dandelion chemistry promotes urination through which the excessive bile is eliminated and removed rapidly. Third, being a strong anti-oxidant as well as a disinfectant, due to high concentrations of both Vitamin C and Luteolin, the dandelion actually fights viral infections.
Sometimes people that have wanted to ingest the dandelion find it difficult to do so without the aid of something sweet. We have found that it is more beneficial if taken with a sugarcane juice, since it will help to replaces the natural sugars in the body. Once the patient has taken the dandelion, the excessive bile in the blood stream will begin to be passed through the increased urination, causing a reversal to the effects of extreme fatigue and weakness which accompanies Jaundice. It is very important to increase the intake of fluids during this time. The increased amount of clear fluids will add and improve the ready discharge of the toxic infection as well as the bile that has been built up within the liver.
Dandelion is very popular for its general detoxifying effects by eliminating the poisons inside our body. Dandelion is highly diuretic properties help clean the internal deposits of toxic substances in the kidneys and the urinary system. Its disinfectant properties inhibit microbial growth in the urinary system. Dandelion promotes the reduction of toxins, wastes and pollutants in the liver and kidneys, thus cleansing the blood and vital organ at the cellular level and tissues. Our vital organs are well protected within the main body cavity for a reason: these are the organs that produce lifesaving functions. Among these vital organs is the small but important Gallbladder. It is basically a small bag filled with bile that is produced in the liver. The Gallbladder concentrates this bile and improves the function of both the liver and Gallbladder. Taking dandelion helps protect them both from the ill effects of free radicals and oxidants, thereby reducing infections while regulating the secretions from both organs.
Since we tend to eat too much fatty food, having dandelion as part of our diet will aid in the digestion of these fatty foods and reduce the stress put on both the liver and the Gallbladder. An inflamed Gallbladder is an extremely painful condition which causes unbearable abdominal pain and discomfort just under the ribs on the right hand side and sometimes into the upper central part of the abdomen. Food intolerance has been found to be related to inflammation of the Gallbladder, which can cause extreme discomfort and often feelings of an impending heart attack! Taking dandelion can ease this pain and if done regularly, eliminate it from happening. Because of dietary allergies, as well as increased fat consumption, there is a growing number of people that are unable to consume fat rich foods, including dairy products (milk, ice cream, butter, cream), animal fats, certain oils, and unfortunately, even the beloved chocolate. It seems the world is on a binge for more sweets, fats, alcohol, caffeinated beverages, while few people are able to maintain healthy diets. Perhaps the dandelion will aid your quest for a better dietary mixture and healthier life style.
We’ve heard of people having “Gall stone” which results from urinary problems. Gallstones are hard, pebble-like deposits that form inside the gallbladder. They may be as small as a grain of sand, or as large as a golf ball. When you have one, you think that they are all the size of an orange. There are generally two types of Gallstones: Gall stones generally made of cholesterol, which are by far the most common type. Cholesterol gallstones have nothing to do with cholesterol levels in the blood. And those made of bilirubin, which can occur when red blood cells are being destroyed (hemolysis). This condition leads to too much bilirubin in the bile; these stones are called pigment stones. Our urine contains up to 4% of fats, so the more we urinate, the more water and fats are expelled from the body. Remember to increase clear liquids while dealing with these types of physical medical conditions. Dandelion, being a natural diuretic, promotes urinating and helps weight loss without side effects.
The liver is affected by the intake of too many fats. The liver regulates the production of cholesterol and acts as the body’s “filter system”. When we eat the wrong foods, we tend to cause the production of too many toxic byproducts, especially with a diet that contains insufficient fiber, not enough water (daily intake of 48 oz. minimum) and too many fatty and processed foods. Cholesterol is an important component for the manufacture of liver bile acids, steroid hormones, and vitamin D. Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals; in vertebrates it is formed predominantly in the liver. It is therefore very important that we keep our liver clean and functioning like it is intended. Dandelion juice can help diabetic patients by stimulating production of insulin from the pancreas and thus help keeping blood sugar level under control. Since it diuretic in nature, it makes the diabetic patients urinate frequently which helps remove the extra sugars from the blood and body. Medical evidence indicates that diabetics are prone to renal (kidney) problems. The diuretic properties of the dandelion can help removing the sugar deposits in the kidneys through increased urination.
- Dandelion Tea Bag
- How To Make Dandelion Tea
- Dandelion Root Tea Gallbladder
- Dandelion Root Tea Acne
- Dandelion Root Tea Pregnancy
- Dandelion Root Tea Diet
- Benefits Of Dandelion Root Tea | <urn:uuid:37d382d1-7971-4a16-993f-e29b77c5a321> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dandelionroottea.net/category/gall-bladder/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951369 | 1,542 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Antibodies isolated from infected mothers' breast milk can inhibit
the virus that causes AIDS, says a new discovery.
HIV-1 can be transmitted from mother to child via breastfeeding,
posing a challenge for safe infant feeding practices in areas of
high HIV-1 prevalence. But only one in 10 HIV-infected nursing
mothers is known to pass the virus to their infants.
"That is remarkable, because nursing children are exposed multiple
times each day during their first year of life," said senior
author Sallie Permar, assistant professor of paediatrics and
infectious diseases at Duke University Medical Centre (DUMC).
"We are asking if there is an immune response that protects 90
percent of infants, and could we harness that response to develop
immune system prophylaxis (protection) during breastfeeding for
mothers infected with HIV-1," Permar, who led the study, was
quoted as saying in the journal Public library of Science.
"Our work helped establish that these B-cells in breast milk can
produce HIV-neutralizing antibodies, so enhancing the response or
getting more mucosal B-cells to produce those helpful antibodies
would be useful, and this is a possible route to explore for HIV-1
vaccine development," Permar said, according to a university
"This is important work that seeks to understand what a vaccine
must do to protect babies from mucosal transmission during
breastfeeding," said Barton Haynes, M.D., study co-author and a
national leader in AIDS/HIV research who is also director of the
Intre for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI), as well as director
of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI).
"The antibodies isolated are the first HIV antibodies isolated
from breast milk that react with the HIV-1 envelope, and it
important to understand how they work to attack HIV-1," added | <urn:uuid:91ef1bcd-bee4-4c69-937d-8eedbb7ad23d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ummid.com/news/2012/May/24.05.2012/breast_milk_help_net_hiv.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955391 | 408 | 2.875 | 3 |
College of Nursing faculty and students presented their multidisciplinary work at Villanova to an even larger multidisciplinary group in Denver at the fall APHA meeting. It was an “energizing experience” says Dr. Elizabeth Keech, right, joined by Dr. Ruth McDermott-Levy and senior nursing students Katie Weatherbie and Caitlin Krenek.
Elizabeth Keech, PhD, RN and Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN, assistant professors at Villanova University College of Nursing, were joined by their students, seniors Caitlin Krenek and Katie Weatherbie, respectively, for paper presentations at a recent national conference. Each pair presented their aspect of study for the multidisciplinary Villanova project “Improved Rural Health Care Through Low-cost Telecommunication in Waslala, Nicaragua” at the 138th American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting on November 10 in Denver. The theme of the meeting was Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative.
The nursing group has been working on the Nicaragua project with faculty and students from the College of Engineering and the Villanova School of Business. “Having the opportunity to collaborate here at Villanova with students of other disciplines broadens our students’ perspectives,” explains Dr. Keech.
Both nursing and engineering faculty and students have been promoting health and a clean accessible water supply in Waslala for years. With this project, the nurses are assessing the learning needs of community health workers (CHWs) and their understanding of health issues in the area, and will be aiding them in the use of cell phone technology to assess and treat their fellow community members with health concerns but who are at a distance from trained medical professionals. They are also working with local officials to gain support and collect more background information. Since health-related statistics such as births or deaths are either unreliable or not reported at all, the nurses are assisting the community with capturing data consistently and building a foundation of health records that can be used for evaluation of interventions.
Dr. Keech and Krenek presented “Assessing health outcomes using telehealth in remote areas of Nicaragua.” Krenek enjoyed meeting other members of APHA with similar goals and collaborating with them. “It really opened my eyes to possible professional paths I can pursue in the future,” she says of the large, multidisciplinary conference. Weatherbie agrees, “It showed the impact research can have on a population. Speaking to people interested in our project after we presented was encouraging as well.” She presented "Self-indentified learning needs of lay health workers in rural Nicaragua" with Dr. McDermott-Levy. | <urn:uuid:07489965-9953-44e4-ace6-831c91aa26c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://villanovanursing.blogspot.com/2010/12/nursing-students-and-faculty-co-present.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964813 | 550 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Stephen Mills initially balked at the suggestion that he create a Holocaust ballet. The artistic director of the Ballet Austin company recalled saying: “I’m not Jewish. I don’t really have much Holocaust education. I’ve never even met a survivor.” That’s when his friend, Mary Lee Webeck, a University of Texas education professor, connected Mills with Naomi Warren, a Holocaust survivor and longtime Houstonian who founded the Warren Fellowship at the Holocaust Museum Houston. “It’s hallowed ground,” Mills said. “You can’t wrap your mind around that much destruction and pain. And to distill it down to a theatrical experience felt like it would be insulting.”
But Warren, 91, believed otherwise. “I told Stephen he must make this ballet,” she told the Forward, “because he has the stage, the platform, to do it.” If nothing else, the ballet, “Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project,” which runs March 23 to 25 at the Long Center for Performing Arts in Austin, would introduce the Holocaust to a new generation through dance.
The impetus for “Light” grew from Mills’s self-examination following 9/11. Looking beyond the studio, he questioned the significance of his work in ballet to a nation on the brink of war. His subsequent journey through the history and legacy of the Holocaust has left an indelible mark on him as well as on the Austin community. In 2005, “Light” premiered in conjunction with an extensive series of public events, among them a public pledge by community leaders to support citizens in not remaining bystanders when confronted by bigotry and hate. Elie Wiesel came to town to speak; the school district offered seminars on Holocaust education to teachers; galleries and public parks displayed art on themes of tolerance, and a televised town hall meeting debated issues of bigotry and intolerance. And all because of a ballet.
Now, Mills and Ballet Austin are returning to “Light,” revisiting the values and principles inspired by the ballet. Since January, community partners, including the local Anti-Defamation League chapter, the Jewish Community Center of Austin and many others, have been programming art shows, book groups, plays, films and speakers. These ancillary events culminate on April 19, at a communitywide Yom HaShoah commemoration. By then, “Light” will have closed, the sets and costumes returned to storage. But, as Mills emphasized, the project has always been more than a ballet.
Before Mills moved into the studio to choreograph a single step, he committed himself to a year of study about the Holocaust, its effects on survivors and their children as well as its contemporary ramifications. As a result of his research, he realized that the story of the Holocaust was “too vast” to tell and instead he chose a single narrative: Naomi Warren’s. “To tell Naomi’s story,” he said, “is to tell a story that many people experienced: She had a family that she loved. They went through life like everyone else: having bar mitzvahs, weddings, funerals. And then, she found herself being looked at as something less than [others], then segregated, then imprisoned, then transported. She spent time in the ghetto. She and her family were transported to Auschwitz: everyone in her family, save for her, was killed.” | <urn:uuid:152a9b8b-42ee-47f8-b151-a4c90e166dd0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forward.com/articles/153413/telling-the-holocaust-through-dance/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968813 | 730 | 2.328125 | 2 |
The border city of Reynosa is Mexico's new front on the war on drugs.
A growing turf battle between drug cartels has terrorised locals and the situation has deteriorated to the extent that residents are afraid to go outside, even during the day.
Journalists are also fearing for their lives after some reporters were targeted by gangs.
The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists is now calling on the Mexican government to investigate a series of kidnappings of reporters covering the drug war in the area.
Franc Contreras reports.
Content on this website is for general information purposes only.
Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect
liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to
use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community
Rules & Guidelines and Terms and | <urn:uuid:cdc873d9-486a-4ea7-8551-7083ce8be8c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2010/03/201031121914512182.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955879 | 183 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Spawning uninfected oysters in hatcheries may be one way to manage around disease
Is it possible to plant disease-free oysters in low salinity waters -- where disease may be present but is generally less virulent than higher and bring them harvest before Dermo or MSX kills them?
In principle, says Don Meritt of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), the answer is yes. "The problem," he says, "is in knowing for sure that we are beginning with disease-free seed."
Because most productive grounds in the Bay are infected with Dermo and are subject to getting MSX early in their growth, the best way to produce oysters that are without disease, says Meritt, is in hatcheries from stocks that are themselves free of disease.
Meritt is doing just that at the UMCES Horn Point Laboratory hatchery, working together with researcher Ken Paynter of the University of Maryland at College Park, the state Department of Natural Resources, and the Oyster Recovery Partnership.
The Partnership, which grew out of a unique consensus agreement in Maryland among watermen, aquaculturists, resource managers, legislators, scientists and environmentalists, has developed a long-range plan for restoring oyster populations and thus improving Chesapeake Bay habitat. The agreement calls for the use of disease-free hatchery seed in the reconstruction of oyster bars in the Bay system, and also sets limitations on transporting, planting and harvesting oysters.
In 1998, Meritt and colleagues produced more than 20 million oyster spat at the Horn Point hatchery – while this is a major achievement for a research hatchery, it is still only enough to plant some 20-30 acres of bottom ground. Considering that Maryland alone has some 270,000 acres of designated public oyster grounds (though most no longer produce harvestable oysters), long-term repletion efforts face an enormous task.
Nevertheless, important inroads are being made: hatchery-reared seed planted in the Choptank and Severn rivers have been assisted by low salinities these past two years, the result of high precipitation which has helped moderate the intensity of disease. Meritt is working with Paynter to measure the success of this project, which also employs hundreds of volunteer students each summer season whose efforts include unloading thousands of bags of oyster seed from setting tanks and transporting them to boats where they are off-loaded into the river.
After a month or so, when oysters have grown hardier, students transport the bagged oysters upriver, where they release the spat-laden shells for planting on oyster bars.
"We've been tracking the oysters planted in the Choptank for three years now," says Paynter. "They haven't grown very fast, which is due to the low salinity; the up side, though, is that they've been essentially disease free for that time." So far, so good, he says. "The oysters are about two inches long now on average and mortality has been quite low, even though the salinity dipped to one part per thousand in 1996."
While commercial culture of oysters has been a risky proposition in the mid-Atlantic region, Meritt is finding commercial growers in the Bay interested in the potential for managing around Dermo with disease-free seed. Economics is the key – if growers have leased grounds to grow their oysters and can get a high enough price for their labors, new ventures will be getting underway.
This page was last modified June 24, 2003
Restoring Oysters To U.S. Coastal Waters:
Contents • Introduction • Breeding Disease Resistance
Prospects • Modeling Around Disease • Oyster Foes
Combatting Disease• Juvenile Oyster Disease • Tools for Diagnosis
Glossary • For More Information
Learn more about Oysters
Maryland Sea Grant, University of Maryland
4321 Hartwick Road, Suite 300, College Park, Maryland 20740
(301) 405-7500 • Fax (301) 314-5780
Email email@example.com • Web http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/
For more information, report problems or provide comments,
please contact firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:9e07f031-85f6-41a6-bcd1-6076b86c2c20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/issues/chesapeake/oysters/disease/prospects/index.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932199 | 895 | 3.3125 | 3 |
raising intelligent, creative and empowered tots
Mar 10, 2013 by kvalenti
You’re the parent, right? You get to call the shots. After all, you are the boss. So why doesn’t anyone act like it?...
Oct 15, 2012 by kvalenti
Flexibility is the third of the Negotiation Ground Rules for effectively negotiating with children. The other two are Respect and...
Oct 8, 2012 by kvalenti
Fairness is the second of three Negotiation Ground Rules for effectively negotiating with children. The other two are Respect and...
Oct 1, 2012 by kvalenti
Respect is the first of three Negotiation Ground Rules for effectively negotiating with children. The other two are Fairness and...
Sep 25, 2012 by kvalenti
You’ve read those articles telling you that you should never negotiate with children, it undermines your authority....
Apr 2, 2012 by kvalenti
Spring Break is here and if you are looking for a great way to continue developing your children’s multiple intelligences and...
Jan 9, 2012 by kvalenti
Following on our discussion on parenting in the digital era, this week’s post addresses empathy and collaboration. To recap The...
Sep 26, 2011 by kvalenti
Critical thinking is a skill that few children are inherently born with. However, it is a skill that all children should develop....
Jun 17, 2011 by kvalenti
This post covers a brief introduction to the concept of ZPD and instructional scaffolding as techniques to help children expand their...
Jun 9, 2011 by kvalenti
This post discusses collaborative learning and how it can be used to enhance knowledge-acquisition. Collaborative learning is an...
Intelligence in babies
Posted on Oct 22, 2012
Posted on Mar 12, 2012
Posted on Jun 10, 2011
Posted on Feb 14, 2011
Posted on Feb 13, 2012
Posted on Aug 12, 2011
Posted on Jan 18, 2011
Posted on Feb 12, 2011
Posted on Aug 16, 2011
Posted on Jul 19, 2011
Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress | <urn:uuid:b38cfa72-af0d-4b86-ab4d-b53577287ef1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.totthoughts.com/tag/collaboration/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920256 | 463 | 2.8125 | 3 |
How to Use the Six Laws of Persuasion during a Negotiation
Click here to download now
Overview: In order to be successful, you must master the persuasion process, which will enable you to deliberately create the attitude change and subsequent actions necessary for persuading others to your way of thinking. In other words, you have to be able to "sell" your ideas in order to make changes in your favor and, in a win-win situation, provide the other side with a fair deal. This entails a process that can appeal to the intellect using logical and objective criteria, as well as a methodology that positively engages the emotions of the negotiators. The result of a successful negotiation is that all parties should believe they got a good deal.
This paper will introduce you to the Six Laws of Persuasion and teach you how to use them during a negotiation. | <urn:uuid:9933d87c-925b-4902-b914-a7dcaa027a8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.informationweek.com/whitepaper/Management/Career-Development/how-to-use-the-six-laws-of-persuasion-during-a-ne-wp1217428653832?articleID=29000006 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953669 | 174 | 2.15625 | 2 |
The Obama administration announced in June that certain young illegal immigrants may apply to avoid being deported for two years and get work permits. The government started receiving applications last month.
Those who qualify
Entered U.S. before they turned 16.
Are 15 or older, and not older than 30.
Lived in the U.S. for at least five years prior to June 15, 2012, and are living in the U.S. now.
Attend school or have a GED or were honorably discharged from the U.S. military.
Have never been convicted of a felony or significant misdemeanors, such as DUIs; also must not have more than two misdemeanors.
Must not pose a threat to national security or public safety.
Must pass a background check and prove the above requirements with documents.
How to seek help
The application process can be done only with an immigration attorney or a licensed staff member of a qualified nonprofit organization (a Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representative). Don't go to a notary or a visa consultant.
For more information
Alliance for Immigrants Rights & Reform Michigan. Go to http://bit.ly/midreamrelief or call 313-451-2768.
Latino Family Services, Detroit. Call 313-841-7380 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or go to www.latinofamilyservices.com.
Mexican Consulate in Detroit. Call 313-964-4515 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. or go to www.sre.gob.mx/detroit . | <urn:uuid:d74ae5ee-c262-4a4b-9155-f12b58d4ed13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freep.com/article/20120915/NEWS05/309150124/1001/news | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929092 | 338 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Lilongwe, March 7: President Dr. Joyce Banda will on Friday, March 8, 2013, attend the International Women’s Day (IWD) activities to be held at COMESA Hall in Blantyre.
According to communication from State House, the President will arrive at the venue at 09:30hours.
The IWD, also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, is annually held on March 8 to celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations.
Thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.
The day is celebrated not only by women’s groups but also by organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, corporations and the media.
The UN declares an International Women's Day theme and for 2013 it is “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women”, according to information sourced from the internet.
In 2012 the theme was "Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty".
However, many countries and organizations develop International Women's Day themes relevant to their local contexts. | <urn:uuid:11a546f1-ded6-4cb4-88d1-b392a3c3471e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.manaonline.gov.mw/index.php/component/k2/item/2574-president-banda-to-attend-international-womens-day-in-blantyre-friday | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964885 | 247 | 1.859375 | 2 |
The tragic spectacle of a seven-year-old boy sent flying alone back to Russia, returned by an adoptive mother in the United States, has caught the attention of the watching world. Torry Hansen put the boy on a plane and sent him back to Russia with a note explaining that she could not handle him. Later, her own mother told the press that Torry Hansen had wanted a child she could love, but did not find that love in this boy she had adopted from Russia and promised to love for life.
The horror of the situation was captured in language by Patricia Cogen, who told CNN that this American mother has returned her own son to Russia “like a pair of pants that didn’t fit.”
Understandably, outrage has marked the Russian response. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that all adoptions to parents in the United States would be put on immediate hold. The United States Department of State promised to make a resolution of this issue an urgent priority. At present, at least 3,000 American families are at some point in the formal process of adopting a Russian child.
Indeed, Russia now ranks third among the source nations for American international adoptions. Russian pride is deeply wounded by this fact, and the outrage toward the return of this one boy has become a lighted fuse on Russian anger.
Clearly, this sad situation has become a focus of international outrage. Even in these morally confused times, most people have responded to this news with outrage and deep sadness. The picture of that tiny boy, sent back to a Russian orphanage, simply breaks the human heart.
Of course, far more is at stake here, for Christians understand that adoption is a central metaphor of our salvation in Christ. As the Apostle Paul writes:
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. [Romans 8:14-17]
We who through the redemption accomplished by Christ have “received the Spirit of adoption as sons” are now “children of God, and if children, then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” Central to this adoption we have received in Christ is its irreversibility. We are not adopted for a term, but for eternity. We are no longer orphans, but are now and forever by the mercy of Christ the children of God and heirs with Christ. The adoption we have received in Christ is not reversible or conditional - it is eternal and unconditional.
We are told that Torry Hansen wanted a child to love, but found that the boy she adopted from Russia was not that child. She claims that the boy has serious psychiatric issues and that she could not handle him. She sent him back to Russia as a boy rejected by his adoptive mother.
This is not only a rejection of a boy, unspeakably tragic and ugly as that act is - it is a refutation of adoption itself. The bottom line is that this mother did not want her son anymore. The Gospel points us to a very different reality. As Russell Moore expresses this great truth, “The New Testament continually points to our adoption in Christ in order to show us that we’re really, really wanted here in the Father’s house.”
The wonder of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is this - not one of us is worthy of adoption. In our sinfulness, not one of us has any claim on the Father’s love, much less a right to adoption. But, the infinitely rich mercy of God is shown us in Christ, in whom believers are adopted by the Father. And this adoption, thanks be to God, is eternal and irreversible.
We have been given adoption as a gift and as a sign of the Gospel. The adoption of any child is a portrait of God’s grace. Just as every earthly marriage points in some way to the marriage supper of the Lamb, every adopted child is a pointer to the Gospel. Thus, any failure in adoption is a slander to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When adoption fails - whatever the reason - the Gospel is denied.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. For more articles and resources by Dr. Mohler, and for information on The Albert Mohler Program, a daily national radio program broadcast on the Salem Radio Network, go to www.albertmohler.com. For information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to www.sbts.edu. Send feedback to email@example.com. Original Source: www.albertmohler.com. | <urn:uuid:2659afec-fa76-4776-abbe-9408dbba9e71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christianpost.com/news/when-adoption-fails-the-gospel-is-denied-44772/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967976 | 1,038 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Perhaps, in an unguarded moment, an atheist will look up this Thanksgiving and say, “Thank you” to the One who has made their life possible. Otherwise, the thing about atheism is that you have no One to thank.
It’s apparently a popular meme, on Twitter anyway, for theists, usually Christians, to say that atheists have no one to thank for the good in their lives. Apparently, this cliché was made popular by a blogger Joey Nelson on his Spiritual Questions Blog, or so I learned from About. He wrote:
When I see this cliché, I laugh. On Thanksgiving, my family always has turkey dinner. It takes days to prepare, and of course we have to buy all of the food with our own money that we worked to earn. We make the food ourselves. Why should I tank anyone but ourselves? (to be fair, being a child, I didn’t contribute financially, and most of the work preparing the meal was done by my mother. So when I say “we”… ) And if I’m with my family, I need not look up, but across the table to thank the people who made my life possible.
Meanwhile, around the world, people continue to starve to death, and suffer in numerous other ways. Why the hell would I thank a god?
I remember, when attending my brother’s Marine Corps boot camp graduation, listening to the Chaplain speak over the microphone. He told everyone to bow their heads is prayer. I remember feeling so angry as I listened to him thank his god for the work of others. I was there that day because I was proud of my brother for HIS accomplishment, because it was his. Yet here there was a chaplain giving thanks and praise, not the new marines for their accomplishment, not the drill instructors for their training and leadership, but to his own god, his imaginary friend.
For me, this was a repeat episode. Different characters, different setting, same story. The same exact thing happened had two years earlier at my own graduation from Army Basic Training and again at our redeployment ceremony when we returned from Iraq. Each time, someone else was thanked for our own achievements, someone we were instructed to thank as well.
As if that itself wasn’t outrageous enough, this someone isn’t even real. I was, on each of these occasions, feeling very much insulted.
I, as an atheist was not left with no one to thank. I had my leadership, the soldiers to my left and right, my family and friends, and myself. Without religion, I was still able to thank someone, I just thanked the right people. I was able and willing to give credit where it was due. If you’re a believer and you’re happy about an occurrence other than a natural phenomenon (like weather, which requires no thanks) and you want to thank someone, ask yourself, is there really no human being responsible who it would be appropriate to thank?
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving.
As I write this, I have a lot on my mind. I realize that my life is about to undergo massive changes, and will never be the same. I joined the Army almost four years ago, with the intent of eventually moving back home while I went to school. Since I’ve fallen in love with my BF and Colorado, that plan has changed drastically. Not moving home means that I’ll be away from my support system of family and friends permanently, not just while I serve. It also means that I’ll be mostly on my own for finding a place to live, and for paying all of my bills. Well, not totally on my own, I’ll have my BF to help me here. But that’s actually a problem. What if it doesn’t work out? I realize that by staying here I’m taking a much bigger risk than I would be at home. The pressure is on to find a job that can pay my bills and still have the time and energy for school. As my BF reaches his ETS date, and as I go though the medboard process, I’m made very aware that we’re running out of time.
Still, I have reason to be optimistic. BF and I just got approved for a lovely townhome, and our job searches aren’t without prospect. But the thing that give me the most hope for my future is knowing that I can at least be certain that I will never have children. If you haven’t been following my blog, you might not know this, but I’m sterile. Oh, don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t. TRICARE paid good money to ensure my infertility. I had my tubal ligation earlier just this week. I have two small cuts in my body, I have some residual air in my abdomen, and I’m still bleeding somewhat, but I’m happy. I’m very happy.
Knowing that I’m sterile means knowing that for whatever other curves life throws at me, I have one thing I can count on. I will never have kids. I will never be burdened with the expense and sheer work that goes into raising a functional human being. I will never know the guilt of contributing to overpopulation. I can pursue the education and career of my choosing, without pregnancy or motherhood threatening it. I will save money as I won’t need to spend it on birth control, and I won’t have to worry about contraceptive failure. I can give my BF and future dog(s) the attention and peaceful home life that they deserve. Most of all, I get to keep my identity. I will never be re-named “Mommy.” I’m Julie. I get to stay that way and keep my life.
I’m looking forward to my life now. I’m planning to move in with my BF soon, and I’m hoping that we can be happy together for a long time. I’m looking forward to getting a dog and training it well, and taking it on adventures. I’m looking forward to camping, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, offroading. I’m looking forward to climbing each the Colorado 14-ers. I’m looking forward to visiting Japan some day. Some day I want to buy a house in the middle of nowhere with lots of land. Or maybe I’ll get an RV and travel instead. There are a lot of things that I want to do with my life, but mostly I just want my life to be my own. I want to be able to do what I want, when I want. Not having children protects my freedom to do so.
Some people have felt the need to tell me how I’ll regret not having children. Oh, don’t be jealous of me! The truth is, I’d regret having children.
4 days left before my tubal ligation!
I never liked Life as a kid. No, no, not the characteristic that distinguished me from non-life, signaling and self-sustaining processes. I mean the board game, Life. I didn’t like that game. It was a good concept. People’s career success has a lot to do with their education, and much of life is chance. That much is pretty accurate, for the most part anyway. But I think too much of the game was chance, and too little had to do with personal decisions. Some things, like getting married, if I remember correctly, were just plain mandatory. Having children was just a matter of chance, something players just collected along the way.
Well, I can’t ask for too much from what is just a board game. But I can be astonished about how many people live their lives EXACTLY like it was the board game, getting married at convenience and letting children “just happen,” doing these things because they think they’re just supposed to. Of course this isn’t the case for everyone who chooses to marry or parent, but it is something I’ve observed.
This phenomenon becomes disturbing when others turn it against me, expecting me to conform to their life-script. When I was a kid, I was expected by adults to form cute, lofty career goals, like becoming an astronaut or president. I hated the question “what are you going to be when you grow up?” I’d either say “I don’t know,” or, if I was feeling sarcastic “I want to be a bum and live under a bridge.” I was expected to play with Barbie dolls and fuss over my appearance, presumably to prepare myself to attract men and then mother their children. At the same time, I was expected to be insanely studious so I could get into a good college, get a nice degree, get a good job, and then trow it away to play mommy. As I grew older, I was expected to date. Specifically, I was supposed to date boys. Imagine everyone’s dismay when I went on being an apathetic slacker who wasn’t interested in boys or kids.
I haven’t escaped the life-script. I’m still expected to marry, and people are just so eager to talk to me about it. My BF and I are of the opinion that marriage isn’t really necessary for a meaningful, long-term relationship. We see marriage as nothing more than a legal contract, a piece of paper, and a wedding as a ridiculous and expensive party and neither of us like that kind of attention. I don’t plan on getting married at any time in my life, but I might be inclined to do so if there is some kind of material benefit to doing so (BAH, healthcare, etc,) but only if I was already committed to staying with that person anyway. I have received some mild criticism for premarital sex and co-habitation, but those people can shove it. Marriage is not some magical barrier, on opposite sides of which the same things can or can’t be OK.
I’m also expected to have kids. I have been all my life. Motherhood is something I’ve always been absolutely certain that I don’t want, despite people telling me that I’ll change my mind. Imagine the surprise from the “it’s just what people do” crowd when I told them that not only am I never having kids, but I’m getting a tubal ligation to ensure it. I’ve made it no secret that I never want kids, and challenge the assumption that all people, or even just all women do.
In my life, I’ve departed wildy from the life-script society has tried to impose upon me. It wasn’t some backlash thing where I do the opposite of what I’m told just to be a rebel. I rejected the life-script because I have imagination. I write my own script as I go along, and change it as needed. I have the power to determine my own life by my own terms. If it sometimes happens to coincide with society’s norms, so be it. I will put no effort to conform to the cultural life script and none to depart from it. I simply take it upon myself to live my own life as I see fit.
I was born. I didn’t play with baby-dolls. I never believed in Santa Clause. I didn’t wear pink. I didn’t wear dresses. I wasn’t interested in fashion. I played in the mud. I caught frogs and spiders. I played with snakes. I raced my bike. I didn’t do my homework. I didn’t do my chores. I wore long jeans almost every day. I didn’t listen to crappy pop music. I didn’t gossip with the girls. I didn’t like other kids. I ate alone. I played video games. I didn’t obsess over boys. I realized I was asexual. I didn’t care about celebrities. I didn’t date. I didn’t care about school dances. I challenged authority. I wasn’t set on a career. I took art and industrial classes. I joined the Army. I freed myself of religion. I do research and write essays for fun. I don’t fawn over kids. I found a guy worth dating. We’ve decided to move in together. We have no plans to marry. I’m getting a tubal ligation in a few days. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
Last week my company went up to North Cheyenne Canon Park for a nice change of scenery. Those of us who were able (many of us weren’t because of disabilities) went on a nice group hike up the mountain a piece. I had quite a lot of fun and met some other hikers from other platoons.
A few people laughed at me for bringing my backpack. “Mountain lions won’t attack you if they think you’re a turtle!” They weren’t laughing anymore when they needed somewhere to stow their sweaters and jackets as they warmed up.
Apart from my first aid kit and shed clothing layers, my backpack was mostly empty. I wanted to get used to hiking with it, since I haven’t been on a ruck march since AIT.
I really missed camelback. I had a side puch attached to the side of my pack where I kept my Gatorade, but it wasn’t as easy to reach as I had hoped it would be. At least I brought something though. Not everyone did.
Afterwards, we drove through the mountain (yes, through. Supposedly, those tunnels are haunted,) to the local dog park where we had a nice cookout (and I made a few canine friends.) I also learned, while there, that one of the legs to my brand new charcoal (because charcoal tastes better) grill is broken.
I also discovered that, to open a bear-proof garbage can, I should read the printed instructions lest I be laughed at. I must have been a bear in a former life. Lol.
There have been a few bear sightings in the area since I went by other people in the company. One was just a couple bears crossing the road. Not a big deal. The other story was more disturbing. Apparently, there were a couple of cubs hanging out near the trail I used, which is bad enough considering how mama bear would have reacted if she knew, but it get’s worse. People were dumb enough to feed them. If that doesn’t worry you, it should.
And I’m not much concerned about grizzlies as they don’t seem to inhabit this state anymore. And normally, I wouldn’t worry much about a black bear encounter either. They’re usually pretty skittish animals and would try to avoid people. However, even black bears can be dangerous, especially if they learn to associate people with food. I’m considering picking up some bear mace.
In any case, I’m looking forward to going again soon.
- Start small with hikes and light with gear.
- Going up with make you out of breath, but it’s going down that will hurt.
- Dress in layers and have a pack to keep any closed to remove.
- Bring a drink, make sure it’s accessible.
- Don’t count on others to bring a first-aid kit, bring your own. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
- Watch your step because not everyone cleans up after their dogs.
- CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOGS!
- Elk, at least the way it was grilled there, is impossible to eat. Oh, it tasted fine, but it was so tough no one could chew it.
- DON’T FEED THE BEARS!
In case anyone has missed it, I’m currently still a solider. Because of condition I developed in Iraq, I’m not able to do my job, which was TUAS Operator. Having started the medical board process, I’ve been moved to another unit so that my old unit, which is getting ready to deploy, can replace me. I’m now awaiting to see if I will be medically discharged, and whether or not I will receive medical retirement so that I may keep my health insurance.
In the mean time though, we’re far from idle. My new commander is a cheerful captain who I think strongly resembles and even sounds like a childhood friend of mine from back home (only taller, and in the Army.) He’s been giving us opportunities to volunteer withing the community, and I’m having a lot of fun.
This April, our company participated in an Easter egg hunt for underprivileged kids. I hear it was a lot of fun. Sadly, I could not attend myself as on the day of the event, I was just getting off a 24-hour staff duty shift at battalion. However, I did at least get to help stuff plastic eggs with treats.
Real meaning of Easter = candy.
Yesterday, our company helped with another event. We met with local school kids and their teachers at a park here on post. The children were separated into several groups, cycling through several station, not all of which I got to check out myself.
At one station, the children were introduced to large things that go boom (no live demonstrations, I’m afraid.) At another, military vehicles were on display for the kids to happily climb on. At each, the soldiers droned on about what the piece of equipment did and how it worked, blah, blah. MY company’s station was much better. We were, as I’ve said, a company of broken soldiers, mostly. People pending medical board. We didn’t have equipment pieces to blather on about, and all the better I think.
Ours, in my humble opinion, was the best station, and the ones the visiting students will remember the best. Tug-of-war!
There were several matches with each group, including the obligatory girls vs. boys matches, which sometimes the boys won and sometimes the girls won, depending on the group. There are the free for all matches, in which kids randomly pick what side to be in and soldiers capriciously join in as needed. But my favorite by far was kids vs. soldiers. The reason? Simple. The kids always WON. There is strength in numbers.
Oh, and one thing I found incredibly lulz worthy…
Kid: “Can those drive in volcanoes?” | <urn:uuid:4cd22bd1-0f94-42f8-84d6-3cfbeff1ee75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hikinghumanist.com/tag/army-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97953 | 4,008 | 1.632813 | 2 |
East African technology entrepreneurs to watch
“Across Africa, we have seen countless examples of people taking control of their destiny, and making change from the bottom up.” – President Barack Obama
Like elsewhere, Africa is full of innovators.
However, innovation is often the easier part. There are two very difficult things in the techology business. One is making money; a lot of money. There have been a few cash-rich digital innovations in East Africa, where the most successful mobile application (it is also among the most successful in the world) is Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom’s money transfer service, M-Pesa.
The second difficult thing in innovation is to stay the course; not to give up and keep trying, trying, and trying again until you succeed. Many have despaired, but East Africa has a core of young and dedicated innovators who won’t give up.
We have compiled a list of mobile app developers from East Africa who are highly like to make headlines in the months and years to come.
Kariuki Gathitu, Kenya – Founder, Zege Technologies
As a young boy Kariuki Gathitu wanted to invent a telepathic device. He now develops applications that can transfer money from Turkana (Northern Kenya) to Lamu (at the Coast) with the click of a button. Gathitu is one of the brains behind Equity Bank’s M-Kesho, an app that enables clients to transfer money from their bank accounts to M-Pesa. His latest development M-Payer, helps small businesses manage their payments. “The difference between small businesses and large businesses is not the product but the payment systems,” he says. Gathitu thinks techies are the game changers in Africa’s development “they will overturn the very basis of reason, and challenge the status quo, pushing the boundaries of innovation for the benefit of society.”
Pages: 1 2 | <urn:uuid:60d53966-529c-4871-a445-e7422289e87d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehabarinetwork.com/east-african-technology-entrepreneurs-to-watch | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950331 | 411 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Twilight ToursThursdays, May 23rd and 30th
Join us for our annual Twilight Tours Thursdays May 23rd and 30th, 2013. Use your ears, not just your eyes, on these special nighttime tours of Seney National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is closed from dusk to dawn, so this tour is a rare opportunity to experience the refuge in the twilight and early evening hours when many animals are active. We will be searching for secretive marshbirds like the yellow rail, Virginia rail and sora. This is also an excellent chance to hear spring peepers, gray treefrogs, green frogs, and American toads. During this tour, it is unlikely that we will see these animals but chances are very good we will hear their calls.
The tour involves several stops where we will get out of the bus,
stand and listen for any types of wildlife that may be calling. Tours will start
at 9:00 p.m. and end between around 12 a.m. Meet at the visitor center, which will
reopen at 8:30 p.m., and come prepared to do battle with mosquitoes and black flies.
Head nets, pants, long sleeves, and closed shoes are recommended. Dress in
layers as some nights can be quite chilly. We will go even if there is a light
rain, so plan accordingly.
Here are some highlights from past tours. We heard sora, Virginia
rails, spring peepers, gray treefrogs, American toads, American woodcock,
Wilson's snipe, and green frogs. Saw trumpeter swans, common loons, sandhill
cranes, ring-necked ducks, and many other species. The refuge truly is different
Space is Limited
Pre-registration is required & space is limited so contact Sara Giles at Sara_Giles@fws.gov or call 906.586.9851 ext 10. | <urn:uuid:f6a16e15-0b34-4e95-9c25-edd18eeb15c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fws.gov/refuge/seney/events/twilight_tours.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944802 | 402 | 1.804688 | 2 |
What happens in a kidney biopsy?
If your doctor suspects you might have kidney disease or damage, he or she may perform a biopsy of your kidney.
During a biopsy a doctor removes a small sample of your kidney tissue to examine under a microscope, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Mayo Clinic states that biopsies are typically conducted by inserting a thin needle into the patient’s skin to obtain the tissue sample. According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors usually use an imaging device to help guide the needle.
Once the tissue sample is obtained, doctors will carefully examine it under a microscope to look for signs of damage or disease.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:2690673a-4fb1-4e07-8a20-33b606855fd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clickondetroit.com/lifestyle/good-4-you/What-happens-in-a-kidney-biopsy/-/4036872/17853862/-/format/rsss_2.0/view/print/-/qk3wpc/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949427 | 153 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Like what you’re reading? Check out the archive of past reflections.
Scripture Reflection by Livy Traczyk, '08
In each of the readings today we get a stark contrast between what and how humans and God humans see and judge. In the first reading, Samuel looks at Eliab and assumes by his outward appearance that God must have anointed him. And the Lord reprimands Samuel, saying that a person cannot be judged by what they exhibit on the outside. Indeed, Eliab was rejected by the Lord chooses David instead.
Once again in the Gospel reading we see how Jesus grants the blind man his sight, though the townsmen consider him to be a sinner. Their disbelief in his new sight reflect their inability to see beyond assumptions of who this man was, or what sin his parents had committed, and subsequently they were unable to see Jesus.
I think that often in our daily lives we judge people such like manners. Regardless of whether our thoughts are positive or negative, we are all guilty of prejudgments and misperceptions of the people around us. What the readings for today demonstrate however, is how limiting and self-damaging such judgments truly are because they distract us from focusing on who God is in our lives. When this happens we end up missing out on what the Lord is trying to show us—which really only results in a further disconnect between us and our God. | <urn:uuid:ad63af0f-0cfe-47cb-bfab-babbd5c26d90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.snc.edu/ministry/spiritualresources/scripturereflections/20080302.html | 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 | 0.979202 | 288 | 2.734375 | 3 |
This totally safe working woodshop is a great way for kids to craft, create, build, and otherwise discover skills that can provide a lifelong source of enjoyment. Young carpenters can turn out real wood works with this Cool 4-in-1 Woodshop Tool that's a combination of jigsaw, lathe, drill press, and sander. It differs from real carpentry equipment mainly in the number of built-in safety features that protect kids from the possibility of injury. For ages 8 and up. For double the fun, order Extra Lathe Dowels (12) and Wood Set and the Service Set that includes extra blades, sanding disks, and tool parts (not shown). For extra protection, choose plastic Safety Goggles that fit up to age 12.
Combination of jigsaw, lathe, drill press, and sander
Has built-in safety features to protect kids
Helps kids develop woodshop skills
Includes: practice wooden dowels, 4 wood samples, power supply, and deluxe project book
(based on 12 reviews)
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Most Liked Positive Review
MY SON LOVES THIS !!!
My 8 yr. old loves power tools but naturally I was reluctant to get him any-till I saw this toy. I figured he could have some fun with it but was not expecting much-but ...Read complete review
My 8 yr. old loves power tools but naturally I was reluctant to get him any-till I saw this toy. I figured he could have some fun with it but was not expecting much-but this thing really works and is safe too. My son has made all sorts of things and dad thinks it's pretty cool too. AND it is indeed full of safety features. Only con I can think of is that it doesn't come with too much wood. I recommend buyng the extra wood option and extra parts as they grew dull within a short period of time (after much use). Also, the lathe is rather small so nothing too big can be made with it. If your kid likes tools he will like this.
Most Liked Negative Review
This playset is really cool, especially the lathe. However, it is made of fragile plastic. The first time I tightened the clamping screws on one of the tools it broke through the plastic....Read complete review
This playset is really cool, especially the lathe. However, it is made of fragile plastic. The first time I tightened the clamping screws on one of the tools it broke through the plastic. Next, the V-track snapped off. The I sent it back.One plus: HearthSong stands behind their products, issued me a shipping label and took it right back.
Reviewed by 12 customers
Displaying reviews 1-12
Back to top
Worked for 5 mins
from New Jersey
About Me Parent
Comments about HearthSong Cool 4-in-1 Tool:
My son was so excited for this tool. He used the lathe for 5 mins then the motor stopped working. Not worth the money.
Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
- You may also flag this review
Useful Training Tool
By Travelin John
About Me Value Oriented
It was a gift for my grandson.
from Black Creek, Ga
About Me Educator
This gift was for my Autistic 15 year old nephew who is always wanting power tools. He likes to build things. He spent all Christmas Day making columns for a bird house of mine. He could not hurt himself and had a blast! Thank you. Lucretia
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
(2 of 4 customers found this review helpful)
Piece of junk
from New York
About Me Quality Oriented
I bought this as a gift. We discovered Christmas day when he went to set it up that it's a piece of junk. The saw can't even cut through the wood the kit came with. The only part that works even partially is the drill - which you do yourself. I find it hard to believe the all the previous positive reviews are real. The only thing I can give any kudos for is the safety issue - a saw that won't cut at all clearly won't cut a child.
(4 of 5 customers found this review helpful)
By Dr. Steve
from Hartford, CT
(3 of 4 customers found this review helpful)
cool 4-in 1 tool
grandson loves making things of his own creation and ideas, He loved it
(5 of 7 customers found this review helpful)
Better than expected
By Mom in Seattle
from Seattle, WA
My 10-yr old son played with this a ton and loved using it to make different shaped spindles out of the dowel rods. However, it is difficult to purchase your own dowel rods at a hardware store because they need to have an exactly-centered indentation on each end. I ended up buying another accessory pack from Hearthsong.
from Mountain View, CA
Very cool. In line with my philosophy of providing kids with tools and raw materials, and letting them create. The one negative in this set is the turning chisel is very weak and limiting. I purchased a beginner's wood carving set and included a few of those tools in the gift to use for turning.
(7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)
a must have woth the 4 in 1
By woodworker mommy
from toledo, OH
A must have with the 4 in 1 tool! Once your child gets started creating, he won't want to stop!
(8 of 8 customers found this review helpful)
By woodworker Mommy
My son had always enjoyed his workbench. When I saw this product I knew he would love it but wondered if it could really do all it said and be safe! It really lives up to what it says! This product really expanded the possiblities of projects he could make! It is safe and child friendly to use!
(11 of 11 customers found this review helpful)
from Worcester, MA
(11 of 12 customers found this review helpful)
Great for little toolman
Product fun for my 8 year old.. needs direct supervision though. Also..I accidentally did not loosen a piece and it broke and Hearthsong sent a new piece within 2 weeks (the product is under warranty for 3 years... who offers 3 years anymore?)
Click to Play
Copyright © 2013 HearthSong | <urn:uuid:d9b08f37-0ee5-4402-92e4-2516032e4a7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hearthsong.com/cool-4-in-1-woodshop-tool_p1888_s2003_d1101_c2102.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959871 | 1,360 | 1.625 | 2 |
Hammad Khan, Contributing writer
Research has shown that sexual activity often decreases after a heart attack due to the fear of having another one, which could cause a person's death. But research has proved that this common perception among the masses today is quite wrong.
Experts say the belief that sexual activities can lead to a second heart attack consists of a little bit of truth, but research suggests that it is largely exaggerated. People can have sex after their heart attacks. In fact, the more you exercise -- including having sex -- the better your odds.
As a safety precaution, "You sort of have to test yourself on the sidewalk before you test yourself in the bedroom," says Dr. Gerald W. Neuberg, cardiologist and director of the intensive care unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. "Sex is physically therapeutic. Like other regular physical activity, it's heart-healthy -- good for your circulation, metabolism, and reducing future heart-disease risk."
In 1996, a team of scientists at Harvard University conducted a study of more than 800 heart attack survivors. Their results, published in the JAMA, showed that the chances of having a heart attack while having sex were about two in a million in the subjects who already had and survived one attack. The study also found that the people who exercise have lesser chances of having a heart attack than those who do not.
"While there is some truth to the mythology," said Murray Mittleman, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and an author of the 1996 study, "the absolute increase in risk is so small that for the vast majority of people it should be one less thing to worry about."
After having a cardiac arrest once, there must be several changes in a person's lifestyle to lead a better and normal life and to prevent another one from happening. Those people who were sedentary sluggards certainly can't afford to continue their lives like that. They need to start regular exercise. Exercise strengthens the heart, burns calories and raises stamina. It also improves the mental health of the patients, who may be in a state of depression and anxiety.
Light workouts are also permitted for these patients.
"While it is generally accepted that exercise training for people with coronary artery disease improves vascular function, controversy still exists regarding the right level and right format of exercise," said Dr. Margherita Vona, lead author of a study.
Heart patients should also cut back on food that is bad for their heart and arteries. Food that contains excessive fats are not supposed to be consumed. Mostly, the heart-healthy foods are vegetables. Salt is also supposed to be used as little as possible in their diets.
Those patients who smoke also have to break that habit, which is extremely dangerous for them, in order to prevent a second heart attack. The patients also have to consume different kinds of medicines and tablets to keep the cholesterol level of their bodies low and also to keep the density of their blood low. This prevents the blood from clotting in any part of the body. | <urn:uuid:e264d110-5e4f-4104-84c9-9cd96ea9f0ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.channel3000.com/health/healthy-heart/Is-sex-safe-after-heart-attack/-/16092758/7219974/-/bmu452/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97411 | 619 | 2.484375 | 2 |
(1) Short for Information and Content Exchange.
(2) Short for in-circuit emulator.
(3) Short for Incase of Emergency, in mobile phone terminology ICE refers to a concept conceived by Cambridge paramedic Bob Brotchie, and it refers to using the acronym ICE in front of your designated emergency contact in your cell phone address book. It is also recommended that if your ICE contact is deaf, the acronym ICETEXT should be used to identify your ICE contact in your cellphone contact list.
See also "The Difference Between a Cell Phone, Smartphone and PDA" in the "Did You Know..." section of Webopedia. | <urn:uuid:5ddc3daf-82c3-430d-acf2-d84f613bc52c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/ICE.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907686 | 135 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Daughter of the Portuguese Marano Gaspar Lopez Homem and Mayor Rodriguez; lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In order to escape the Inquisition, Maria, with her brother Manuel Lopez and her uncle Miguel Lopez, determined to emigrate (about 1590-1593). They accordingly sailed for Holland, but their vessel was captured by an English ship, the captain of which, an English nobleman, was so enamored of Maria's beauty that he proposed marriage.
In London the comment upon her unusual beauty excited the curiosity even of Queen Elizabeth, who summoned Maria to her presence and drove with her through the streets of the capital.
Maria persistently rejected all proposals of marriage, even from persons of rank, and asked only that she and her companions be allowed to continue their journey to Holland. Finally she arrived safely in Amsterdam, where she was soon joined by her mother, and by her brother and sister, Antonio and Justa. Maria and her sister married their cousins Manuel Lopez Homem and Francisco Nuñez Pereyra; the latter (d. Feb. 14, 1625, in Amsterdam) afterward adopted the name of David Abendana. Their mother, Mayor Rodriguez, otherwise known as Sara Abendana, died Sept. 16, 1624.
- Barrios, Casa d. Jacob, p. 5;
- Koenen, Geschiedenis der Joden en Nederland, p. 142;
- De Castro, Keur van Grafsteenen op de Nederlandsch-Portugeesch-Israel. Begraafplaats te Oudekerk aan den Amstel, pp. 50 et seq.;
- Kayserling, Sephardim, p. 167;
- Grätz, Gesch. ix. 479. | <urn:uuid:eb0c154f-d5d3-456a-9c01-653e41f031ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11628-nunez-maria | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913701 | 379 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Parenting: How to argue in front of your child
November 17, 2010 (WPVI) -- If you've raised children, you don't need researchers to tell you this: young children can be rough on a marriage. Separation and divorce is rife among couples stressed out and argumentative, not to mention sleep deprived.
I recently read a story on this topic in a local magazine. One man, estranged from his wife after cheating on her, lamented that he wished he had more access to social research. If only I had known it would get better when my daughter got to three, he said.
So these early years can be a handful, and there's often no way around that. Which leads to the next parental dilemma: how do you fight when there are kids involved? Do you sit there in angry silence until the little ones are in bed? Pop off in front of them? Is it worse to fight in front of them, or for them to be in their beds, hearing pitched sounds coming through the walls?
Obviously, children should never witness violence between their parents. As for what to say and how loudly, that is a decision every couple has to make on their own. But recently I talked to John Medina, a brain researcher who recently put out a new book, "Brain Rules for Baby," and he added an interesting coda to this debate.
A main tenant of Medina's book is that the happiest and most successful children are empathetic. He discusses a number of ways parents can make that a goal. Turns out, even your arguments can help. Medina notes that people often start or conduct an argument in front of their kids. Kids hear your yelling, see the angry look on your face, or notice your tense body, even if they are too young to actually understand what you are saying.
"Infants younger than 6 months can usually detect when something is wrong. They can experience physiological changes - such as increase in blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones - just like adults," writes Medina. "Some researchers claim they can assess the amount of fighting in a marriage simply by taking a 24-hour urine sample of the baby."
But rare is the couple who won't have some obvious dust-ups in the home. And that's okay, says Medina. "Fortunately, research shows that amount of fighting couples do in front of their children is less damaging than the lack of reconciliation the kids observe. Many couples will fight in front of their children, but reconcile in private," he says. "This skews a child's perceptions, even at early ages, for the child always see the wounding, but never the bandaging. Parents who practice bandaging each other deliberately - and explicitly - after a fight allow their children to model how to fight fair and how to make up."
So the next time you have cross words with your spouse in front of baby, don't just leave the make up for later. Try to say an "I'm sorry", and accept one, in front of the child. Like we make our kids do on the playground, hug it out a little. The benefits extend not only to the person on baby duty with you, but the little one at the center of your world.
tamala edwards parenting reports, parenting, tamala edwards
- AG: 29 New Jersey bars swapped top-shelf liquor
- Warm and humid, 80s again today
- WATCH: Action News Online
- WATCH ABC is available in Philadelphia!
- Faith-healing couple charged in son's death 17 min ago
- Names of 16 Okla. tornado victims released 43 min ago
- Video shows assault rifle shooting at strip club
- Skippack student may have 'voluntarily' vanished
- Philadelphia cop accused of ripping off drug dealers 36 min ago
- 1 dead, 2 injured in 'barbaric' London attack
- SEPTA police chief using Twitter to fight crime 32 min ago
- Police ID victim in water ice stand homicide
- Hats get women ejected from KoP Mall
- Rob Jennings to retire after 36 Years at 6abc
- The 10-minute nose job
3 min ago
- Names of 16 Okla. tornado victims released
43 min ago
- Philadelphia cop accused of ripping off...
36 min ago | <urn:uuid:f14c8381-5953-49dc-939f-934c9759b20c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/parenting&id=7794287 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958104 | 880 | 2.765625 | 3 |
U.S. military opens combat roles to women, battling long-held beliefs
Explore This Story
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Defense Department is ending its ban on women serving in direct combat roles, opening hundreds of thousands of military jobs to female troops in the biggest move yet toward equal opportunity in the armed services.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made the decision to rescind a rule that limits women’s service on the recommendation of the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Women have shown great courage and sacrifice on and off the battlefield, contributed in unprecedented ways to the military’s mission and proven their ability to serve in an expanding number of roles,” Panetta said Thursday in a statement. “The department’s goal in rescinding the rule is to ensure that the mission is met with the best-qualified and most capable people, regardless of gender.”
Panetta’s move reflects the themes of inclusiveness and equality that President Barack Obama laid out in his inaugural address this week as guiding principles for his second term. Opening ground-combat units will provide more opportunities for women to serve and to advance their military careers.
“This change is a huge step toward maximizing their potential and honoring the tremendous sacrifices that our military women have made throughout history,” said Representative Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii Democrat who served in the Iraq war and one of the first female combat veterans in Congress.
The change won’t be immediate. Ending the U.S. ban will open as many as 200,000 positions to women by January 2016, the date set for final implementation, according to a defense official who asked not to be identified. The military services have been directed to have plans completed by May 15, the official said.
More than 280,000 women have deployed over the past decade in support of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to the Pentagon. At least 144 female troops have been killed in those wars, out of more than 6,600 U.S. dead, and more than 860 women have been wounded, according to the Pentagon.
“This is a tremendous victory for equality and justice in our military,” Bhagwati said in a statement. “Women’s service in Iraq and Afghanistan set the stage for this. The policy on the books simply did not reflect the reality of women’s service.”
The move is drawing criticism as well.
Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, said the decision could lead to more injuries for female soldiers and lowered standards for male troops.
“For the same reason that professional football does not seek diversity on the gridiron, this is not a good idea,” Donnelly said. “It’s very irresponsible on the part of the secretary of defense on his way out the door. There’s no good reason to do this. It will do great harm to the majority of women in the military.”
“The time has come to rescind the direct combat exclusion rule for women and to eliminate all unnecessary gender-based barriers to service,” according to the memo.
Dempsey said that the military would need time to execute the change to ensure combat readiness and that gender-neutral “performance standards, both physical and mental” must be set for occupations that remain closed to women. In a statement today, Dempsey said the Joint Chiefs “are committed to a purposeful and principled approach.”
Women have long served alongside men in Israel, whose universal conscription laws gives them the choice of military duty or some form of national service. About 1,500 Israeli women are annually drafted into combat units, according to the army’s website. Last September a female army sniper serving in a co-ed patrol unit shot dead an armed infiltrator along Israel’s border with Egypt.
The new policy will change a 1994 measure that barred women from being assigned to ground-combat units below the brigade level. A brigade typically has several thousand troops, and women have been restricted to serving in support roles for ground-combat forces.
Panetta is the second Pentagon chief in recent years to push a major social policy change as he leaves office. His predecessor, Robert Gates, ended the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that had prevented openly gay troops from serving.
By law, the Defense Department must submit a report to Congress justifying the change. The policy must be reviewed for 30 days before it can take effect.
Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who heads the Armed Services panel, said he supports Panetta’s decision.
“It reflects the reality of 21st century military operations,” Levin said in a statement.
Some Republican lawmakers have opposed opening combat roles to women in the past. Yesterday, they emphasized their support for women as warriors even as they called for care in making changes.
Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said he didn’t think Panetta’s action would lead to a broad opening of combat roles for women because “there are practical barriers which must be resolved so that the department can maximize the safety and privacy of all military members while maintaining military readiness.”
“Women have demonstrated their abilities to serve with distinction, in some cases making the ultimate sacrifice for their country,” Inhofe said in a statement.
More than 280,000 female troops have been deployed in support of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since those conflicts began, according to the Pentagon.
“There has always been some level of opposition to increasing the diversity in our military, whether it has been minorities or women,” Duckworth, a Democrat, said in a statement.
“The inclusion of groups like African-Americans and Asians has made our military stronger,” she said. “I know the inclusion of women in combat roles will make America safer and provide inspiration to women throughout our country.”
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Service Women’s Action Network sued Panetta last month, challenging the combat- exclusion policy for women.
The decision to end it means “qualified women will have the same chance to distinguish themselves in combat as their brothers in arms, which they actually already have been doing with valor and distinction,” Ariela Migdal, senior staff attorney for the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, said in a statement.
- Updated Rob Ford video scandal: Executive committee drafting letter to the mayor
- Pamela Wallin expense investigation widens
- NEW McDonalds CEO gets nutrition lecture from 9-year-old Canadian girl
- Second London hacking attack suspect named as graphic new video surfaces
- I-5 bridge collapse: Bridge vanished in ‘big puff of dust’ after truck struck span
- Updated Jays fan ejected from Rogers Centre after beer can tossed
- Grandmother, 87, loses to Donald Trump in bait-and-switch condo trial
- DiManno: Rob Ford-fuelled explosions at city hall need to end | <urn:uuid:8a51fbf4-2a23-4f0b-a7d4-31a0d089b126> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/01/24/us_military_opens_combat_roles_to_women_battling_longheld_beliefs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958496 | 1,476 | 2.375 | 2 |
Welcome to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Regional Health Office (RHO) web pages. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) uses a regional structure to administer programs and services. There are six EOHHS geographic regions which include the 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth.
For Maps and List of Cities and Towns by EOHHS Region please visit the Regional Health Office webpages.
The Office of Healthy Communities is an integral part of the Commissioner John Auerbach's five strategic priorities.
- Promote quality and cost containment in health care reform;
- Eliminate racial and ethnic disparities;
- Manage chronic disease and promote wellness in the workplace, school, community, and home;
- Reduce and prevent youth violence;
- Build public health capacity at the local and state levels.
An important component in meeting these priorities is to strengthen partnerships and coordination at the local and regional level. DPH staff from several programs including substance abuse services, health promotion and maternal and child health work in the six DPH Regional Health Offices. These staff serve as liaisons between the Department's central office programs and resources, programs and services at the local level. Program staff at the Regional Health Offices maintain partnerships with a wide range of community-based health and human services organizations that form the regional public health system.
An important component in meeting that priority is to strengthen coordination at the local and regional level. DPH staff from a variety of content areas work in the six DPH Regional Offices. They often serve as liaisons between the state and local communities. Program staff at the regional level partner with many community based organizations. Staff may live and work in the community and are critical links in communicating local needs.
DPH Regional Health Office Priorities
- Help implement DPH strategic priorities at the local and regional levels;
- Improve communication with and support for municipal health officials;
- Improve coordination among various DPH programs operating at the regional level;
- Improve regional integration of other DPH systems and providers, including Community Health Networks and Regional Centers for Healthy Communities;
- Help people navigate the complex array of DPH services and resources;
- Help coordinate response to local public health emergencies in concert with appropriate bureaus; and
- Strengthen the organized constituency for public health through improved education, marketing, advocacy, and cooperation with multiple stakeholders.
Each Regional Office is staffed by a Regional Director who provides leadership in connecting the programs, initiatives and services within the Department as well as external programs when appropriate. Working within the Office of Healthy Communities, the Regional Directors assist communities, coalitions, and organizations within their region in identifying, communicating and addressing existing and emerging public health needs and trends. They participate in the CHNAs within their regions. As senior managers for the Department, they work with public health professionals at a wide range of levels as well as with EOHHS area and Regional Directors.
The Regional Directors report through the Office of Healthy Communities to the Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Commissioner. In order to promote the administration's public health goals, Regional Directors are responsible for planning and coordinating:
- regional office activities to support MDPH priorities;
- staff communication across Bureaus at the regional level;
- regional administrative operations; and
- communications involving municipal health authorities and MDPH programs and systems operating at the regional level. | <urn:uuid:9ba094cf-f425-406a-92c5-0f32a5637af9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/admin/regional-health-offices/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94051 | 693 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Garbage fee bad idea
Bangor’s “pay as you throw” (PAYT) garbage plan that is slowing being presented to us seems to me a bad idea. I am a proponent of recycling and reducing garbage. I believe that the city can pay for my garbage with my current property taxes!
The problem is, our recycling rates in Bangor are abysmal. Yes, recycling rates will improve if PAYT is enacted; look at Brewer. However, more can be done with our current system. Education on what to recycle is very limited. Look at the bangormaine.gov website and you will see there are recycling limitations on plastic (only #2), mixed paper and batteries. I have yet to see any sort of outreach to promote recycling in this city.
Why not limit each household to one garbage can at the curb and pay for the second can or bag with a tag? This step alone will raise recycling rates and revenues.
I have witnessed my garbage man (not recycling) take my corrugated cardboard and throw it with the garbage. Garbage is illegally dumped with increasing regularity in my neighborhood, and this will surely increase with an imposed collection fee. People don’t live or vacation here wanting to see our trash along the roadside.
I don’t hear or read about anyone promoting composting in Bangor. According to the EPA, on average 26 percent of landfill trash can be composted. Will we really have to put this to another referendum vote for the city? Those are expensive too.
• • •
Career ed works
I was impressed that the BDN endorses career and technical education in a recent editorial (“Push Skills Education,” March 11). Career and technical education (CTE) serves nearly 8,000 students in Maine high schools. Twenty-seven regional schools across the state prepare students to continue their education beyond high school or to advance directly to work.
Students not only learn by doing but also can earn college credit or valuable technical certifications or licenses recognized by business and industry. CTE has kept pace with the interests of their students and industry. Since students seek relevant rigorous educational options, CTE began to offer certifications such as the A+ Computer Diagnostics (recognized worldwide) or the Registered Medical Assistant.
These and many more credentials available through CTE had previously been earned at the college level. CTE students now can earn 6-12 college credits at Maine’s community colleges and other universities while still in high school.
As the editorial suggested, these students need other opportunities to prepare them for the world in which they will be working. Decades ago, there might have been a place for those who “rely more on skills than critical thinking” in a vocational program. Today, our students are learning to work in teams, solve complex problems and use critical thinking skills that will give them job security and provide profits for our ever-changing businesses.
A recent Harvard Graduate School of Education paper, Pathways to Prosperity, aligns with your editorial position nicely. Creating powerful options for students in high school is in everyone’s best interest. Thank you for your editorial.
Northern Penobscot Tech Region III
• • •
Planned Parenthood vital
Planned Parenthood, a.k.a. Family Planning in Maine, in my opinion, is absolutely worthy of my tax dollars. There has been recent controversy over Planned Parenthood supposedly aiding child prostitution, and now Mrs. Welch-Johnson (BDN Letters, March 28) argues they are “obliged” to provide abortions. Planned Parenthood has been a vital part of helping me with decisions I’ve made concerning my sexual and reproductive health, and I am grateful I’ve had them as a resource while growing and developing as a woman.
Planned Parenthood’s goal is not to see how many abortions they can perform. Their goal is to avoid abortion by providing women with education, tools and low-cost reproductive health care so women do not get pregnant and do not seek abortions.
I have been going to Family Planning since I was 16 years old. I am currently 25 years old and have no children. I am grateful for their services so that I can remain childless while I work and go to school full-time, shaping my future so that when I do have children I will be able to support them financially and emotionally.
Would I have an abortion if I had an unplanned pregnancy? I don’t know, but I am thankful I have the right to choose, and I am thankful that Planned Parenthood will be available to help me with that decision.
• • •
Overdue thank-you letter
It has taken me 20 years to write a this letter of gratitude. Your citizens had welcomed strangers at your airport as we came back from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I have cried every March 29 since 1991, and I swore every year that I would write, no matter how much I bawled.
This year, I did.
We had flown in on our way to Fort Benning, Ga. I knew my sons would not be there to greet me. I was going through a divorce before we deployed. I was waiting in the plane when a stewardess had to about wrestle me from my seat, saying, “You really ought to go out.”
“Why?” I said.
And she said, “It’s America, and it’s home.”
Needless to say, that corridor of Bangor-area citizens made me more proud than anything I have ever experienced or ever could!
I say thank-you, from an aged and a humbled former artilleryman.
With the conditions in the Katahdin area, isn’t it time for the two school administrations to combine? Both communities are struggling for numbers in enrollment. Stearns High School is a class A school facility with a class C, D enrollment. Schenck is in the same situation but with a dilapidated high school. East Millinocket has a great junior high.
I was born in Millinocket, went to school in Millinocket, lived in Medway and graduated from Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln. I love the area and root for the Wolverines, Minutemen and Lynx. I don’t care about the mascots, but I would like to see all of them succeed. I think combining Stearns and Schenck would only make them stronger, academically and in sports, and I will cheer for you no matter what color your jersey is. | <urn:uuid:222ad2c3-33c3-4983-a1f7-3e2a27ee6f6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bangordailynews.com/2011/03/31/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-for-april-1-2011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965233 | 1,376 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Thu Dec 06 19:48:49 GMT 2012 by Eric Kvaalen
David, you oblige me to repeat the objections I stated the last time you said all that!
Sexual orientation is rather labile (see (long URL - click here) ). There are many people who were formerly homosexual or bisexual but have become hetero. There are apparently other causes of homosexuality besides hormones in utero. The American Psychiatric Association (which we all know to be right about everything!) says, "Currently, there is no scientific consensus about the specific factors that cause an individual to become heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual—including possible biological, psychological, or social effects of the parents' sexual orientation."
We do not know what percentage of people in different societies are homosexual. See (long URL - click here)
Your stories about homosexual behavior in animals don't jive with your explanation of homosexuality in terms of hormones, except in the case of sheep. According to Simon Levay, "Although homosexual behavior is very common in the animal world, it seems to be very uncommon that individual animals have a long-lasting predisposition to engage in such behavior to the exclusion of heterosexual activities. Thus, a homosexual orientation, if one can speak of such thing in animals, seems to be a rarity."
There is only one small part of the brain that is female-like in practicing homosexuals ((long URL - click here) ) whereas there are a number of differences between male brains and female brains ((long URL - click here) ).
Fri Dec 07 04:20:49 GMT 2012 by Jamie W.
Eric, I think you mean 'jibe', not 'jive'
Fri Dec 07 06:34:41 GMT 2012 by Eric Kvaalen
You're right. We Americans just don't know the Queen's English:
"jive" and "jibe" are frequently used interchangeably in the U.S. to indicate the concept "to agree or accord". However, while one recent dictionary accepts this usage, most sources consider this an error. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jibe )
Fri Dec 07 07:49:43 GMT 2012 by Jamie W.
It's an interesting one. Often the US usage of 'jive' seems to imply disagreement or contention - "don't give me that jive" or "he's just jive-talkin' "
Here's a 1928 dictionary definition of jive:
(n) "to deceive playfully," also "empty, misleading talk"
Weirdly enough, 'jibe' seems to have some conflicting meanings. In our context here, we're using it as a verb, meaning 'agree', but there's also the noun version which means 'barb' or 'insult'. Both uses seem to stem from the nautical term referring to the swinging of a boom, from the Dutch 'gijben'.
I can kind of see how both might make sense - the act of 'jibing' corrects the attitude of a sail, but the word is also called out prior to the act as a warning to prevent people getting walloped in the noggin by a swinging boom. Negative and positive connotations in one word, both correct.
Tue Dec 11 04:46:25 GMT 2012 by ullrich fischer
Since you love anecdotes so much Eric, how do you explain all the viciously anti-gay republican politicians caught with their pants down in the company of gay men and/or police pretending to be gay? Surely such gay men would be the most highly motivated of all to get themselves "cured" if that were possible. Talking to people and pushing religious bullshit and shame on them for how their brain turned out due to a perinatal hormone imbalance is not going to change their brains. It just increases the likelihood that the victims of this "treatment" will commit suicide or become the next GOP candidate to be caught tapping his toes suggestively in the men's can at an airport
All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.
If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support. | <urn:uuid:a3eb01f1-108a-4ec0-8a9f-a07552573450> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newscientist.com/commenting/thread?id=mg21628943.400-19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945145 | 879 | 2.421875 | 2 |
9. The Schwarzschild Radius
Einstein put forth his theory in the form of a system of equations. These equations were extremely difficult to solve, but Schwarzschild managed to find a solution to them in the midst of the carnage of a war. Not only that, but he also showed that for any given quantity of matter, there was a sphere so small that if all that matter were packed inside it, it would become a black hole. The radius of the sphere is known as the Schwarzschild radius. (There is no single Schwarzschild radius; it's a different size for every possible mass.)
Popular treatments leave us with the impression that black holes are ominously small, dense and black. For example, the Schwarzschild radius for a mass the size of the earth is only about 1 centimeter. But surprisingly, much larger black holes can be diffuse. If an entire galaxy's mass were distributed evenly within its Schwarzschild radius to create a black hole, the black hole's density would be about 0.0002 the density of the earth's atmosphere. | <urn:uuid:d7650e52-c04c-46d6-b505-e8cabe76a744> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/13-most-important-numbers-in-the-universe-schwarzschild-radius | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963945 | 214 | 3.953125 | 4 |
I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. I want to hack into the headphone and microphone leads to be able to contrive a hands free set up via my car audio. The phone is normally in a cradle and out-putting music to the head unit via a lead between the 3.5mm sockets on the phone and head unit. I noticed when I get a call, the phone stops playing music.
I would ideally wire the headphone leads to a 3.5mm stereo plug, which will plug into the head unit and connect the micro phone lead to a micro-phone for a defunct Motorola hands-free kit, that is still installed in the car. I would have to connect a 3.5mm plug or socket to the microphone lead, but I can do this bit myself.
I am a little worried the Motorola microphone will have more impedance or whatever than the tiny unit built into the GS2 headphone set.
This may seem like a roundabout route, but I have tried a few alternatives already ...
I started off trying to use the phone's handsfree function and inbuilt microphone. This doesn't work, no-one can hear me.
I tried a mate's bluetooth kit that clips onto to the visor. Ths worked well but Bluetooth drains the phone battery very quickly, and the cradle doesn't allow me to connect a charger .... hence the idea I am seeking advice on.
Has any one seen a set of leads that will allow this or can anyone tell me of an outfit that could wire this up for me? I am not good enough to do the soldering myself. | <urn:uuid:fe3e257c-965a-4f7d-8b6f-6a3865673b58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=73&TopicId=114513 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965944 | 328 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Non-Alzheimer's Causes of Dementia
How to tell the difference
Alzheimer's isn't the only explanation for dementia. Other causes include vascular dementia caused by strokes, Lewy body disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and other disorders. Proper diagnosis can influence treatment.
Is it Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia?
Dementia isn't a disease; it's a symptom. The term refers to a loss of brain function, as evidenced by memory loss, impaired judgment, behavior changes, learning difficulties, and communication problems. One in seven Americans over age 70 has some form of dementia, according to 2007 data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study -- but not all dementia is alike. It's caused by a variety of illnesses, some of which can be treated.
The number-one thing to do when someone exhibits memory loss or other mental or behavioral changes is to make sure the person gets a thorough medical evaluation.
Alzheimer's disease accounts for most cases of dementia -- 69.9 percent. In fact, the older the person, the more likely that the problem is due to Alzheimer's disease: Alzheimer's accounts for almost 80 percent of dementia in people age 90 or older, compared with just 46.7 percent among people in their 70s.
But other diseases, disorders, and medical conditions share similar symptoms and may be managed in different ways. Unlike Alzheimer's, some of these other dementias can be reversible.
Note: Early memory problems aren't always considered dementia. When they show up on memory tests but don't significantly affect daily living, mental impairments may reflect a lesser condition known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). | <urn:uuid:27ca0ed8-8cde-442a-babc-fd185a33c4f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.caring.com/articles/non-alzheimers-dementia | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93777 | 347 | 3.125 | 3 |
New policy considered after bear bites kid
Game and fish officials are considering a policy change after a bear bit a 12-year-old child after being captured in Rio Rancho neighborhood.
"I guess I should've backed up a little bit and not be as close as I was" said 12 year-old Jesus Pena, who was bitten.
Not much is left of the tip of Pena's middle finger. He said the bear stuck it's snout between the bars and nipped him as he took a photo.
Action 7 News asked if the state Department of Game and Fish made any mistakes in the incident.
"I don't know. We are going to review everything that's happened - find out what happened, and go from there and see if we need to re-evaluate things," Martin Frentzel said.
The department said there should have been two trained employees on the scene. But when Action 7 News arrived, there was only one person
Witnesses said the employee told people to keep a safe distance, but not everyone listened.
"The department has used these bears for teaching moments in the past, and we've allowed people to get pretty close and have their pictures taken, and that will be re-evaluated and we'll see if that continues" said Frentzel.
Copyright 2012 by KOAT.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:35024114-e4b9-45d6-994f-889bebd7db51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico/albuquerque/New-policy-considered-after-bear-bites-kid/-/9153728/13387856/-/view/print/-/15guvv8/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984027 | 294 | 1.929688 | 2 |
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
tTwo instances of something may not constitute a trend, but they can at least suggest a strategy. This morning an apparent Vatican strategy on turning popes into saints came into view: When you’re going to move a pope along the path whose cause is sure to cause friction in Catholic/Jewish relations, bundle it with a popular pope also seen as a friend to the Jews.
tCall it a “two-for-one” strategy with regard to pope-saints.
tThis morning, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI has approved decrees of heroic virtue for several figures, including two of his 20th century predecessors: Pope John Paul II, and Pope Pius XII.
tA decree of heroic virtue is an official finding that someone lived a saintly life. It allows the candidate to be referred to as “venerable,” and means that the only hurdle left for beatification is a documented miracle, with one more miracle necessary for canonization, the formal act of declaring someone a saint.
tThe obvious parallel is to September 2000, when Popes Pius IX and John XXIII were beatified in the same ceremony. Among other things, Pius IX was known for corralling the Jews of Rome back into their ghetto and for the famous case of a Jewish child forcibly removed from his family and raised in the Vatican. John XXIII, on the other hand, was the popular “Good Pope John” of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Among other gestures of outreach to the Jewish community, John XXIII had removed a reference to the “perfidious Jews” from the church’s Good Friday liturgy.
The similarity with today's announcement is striking.
tPius XII, of course, was the pontiff during the Second World War, whose alleged “silence” on the Holocaust has long been the subject of fierce historical debate. Whether one regards Pius as a hero or a villain, the progress of his cause will produce new tensions in Jewish/Catholic relations – even if the result has seemed a foregone conclusion for some time, since Benedict XVI has repeatedly insisted that Pius XII did everything possible under the dramatic circumstances of the war to save Jews and other victims of the Nazi regime.
Those tensions were not long in surfacing. Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League told the Associated Press, "We are saddened and disappointed that the pontiff would feel compelled to fast-track Pope Pius at a point where the issue of the record — the history and the coming to a judgment — is still wide open."
tHence the logic of moving Pius XII along at the same time as John Paul II, since John Paul is credited with revolutionizing ties between Catholic and Jews. John Paul II is the pope who visited the Great Synagogue in Rome in 1986, the first time any modern pontiff had entered a Jewish place of worship; he’s the pope who visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 2000, leaving behind a note apologizing for centuries of Christian anti-Semitism; and in a thousand other ways large and small, he signaled a new sensitivity to the Jewish world.
Among other things, the timing suggests that bundling John Paul II and Pius XII wasn't entirely an accident. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved a decree of heroic virtue for Pius XII in May 2007, more than two years ago. News reports at the time indicated that Benedict XVI had decided to slow things down, not out of doubt about Pius XII's worthiness, but concern for the wider implications of declaring him a saint.
tTo be sure, John Paul II's outreach to the Jews is hardly the only aspect of his resume that merits consideration, and the same thing was true with John XXIII. Arguably, even if neither pope had ever done anything with regard to Judaism, they both still would have been compelling candidates for sainthood.
tYet putting each man into the same sainthood “class,” so to speak, with a fellow pontiff whose public image on Judaism is more mixed is, at least in part, a way of trying to soften the sting. Substantively, it sends a signal that the Catholic church is not honoring those pontiffs in order to promote hostility to Jews; in terms of PR, it tries to ensure that whatever negative publicity may surround the controversial popes will be balanced (and, perhaps, outweighed) by positive reaction to the popular ones.
tIt remains to be seen whether John Paul II and Pius XII, having been declared venerable together, will also be beatified together. Sources say the beatification of John Paul II could come as early as October 2010, while it’s not clear that Pius’ cause will move quite that swiftly.
tYet the two pontiffs are, for the moment, linked, as was the case for Pius IX and John XXIII almost a decade ago. How well that strategy may play out is anyone's guess, especially since Pius IX’s history with Judaism was a sore point only in Italy and among experts, while the debates over Pius XII have a more global resonance.
It is a strategy nonetheless, and for an institution sometimes accused of being tone-deaf with regard to communications, perhaps that alone is worthy of note. | <urn:uuid:1677a555-f435-4a2b-9984-0212cb7550ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/two-one-strategy-declaring-popes-saints | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965102 | 1,115 | 2.109375 | 2 |
My research group has two main thrusts. First, my group focuses on the design of future computing architectures and software systems for data centers and cloud computers. Second, my research group investigates the broad area of green computing including how to minimize the impact of computing systems on the environment and how to design computer systems to be serviced and ultimately decommissioned in a sustainable manner.
The ever shrinking transistor and continuation of Moore’s Law has afforded the computer architect a wealth of transistor resources. Using these transistors to increase the performance of single processor systems is now at the point of diminishing returns. As humanity still desires higher performance computers, my research group and industry has turned to allocating additional transistors for parallel computing resources (more processor cores). A separate, but equally important trend is the growth of cloud computing systems, which has been fueled by the economies of scale derived from centrally managing computers. The ability for a user to leverage computing in an on-demand fashion and treat computation as a true commoditized utility enables new classes of computation and opens the door for the average programmer to solve problems unthinkable without the ability to easily harness huge amounts of computation. We are investigating the intersection of manycore computers and cloud systems. Many challenging problems need to be solved in order to build the cloud computer of twenty years in the future. My group is investigating how to build the chips, interconnect, system design, heating, cooling, power distribution, and software to fuel the 5000 core chip integrated into a million core data center of the future.
The environment is one of humanities most important resources. It sustains life and without a suitable environment, humanity may cease to exist. Unfortunately, advances in computing systems have largely come at the expense of the environment. The never ending computer upgrade cycle has created large amounts of e-waste. In my research group, we are investigating how to create computing systems which are sustainable across the entire life-cycle of the system. This work not only aims to reduce the power and environmental operational impact of computer systems, but also the impact of computing systems after they have become obsolete. We are focusing on how to design computing systems such that they can be recycled easier, they can be serviced and upgraded easier to increase their usable lifetime, and how to design computer chips and systems such that they can be dismantled in the most environmentally friendly manner. | <urn:uuid:4a04aeb9-bfd0-4055-a7bb-c2bfa9112693> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.princeton.edu/ee/people/display_person/?netid=wentzlaf | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946775 | 474 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Several years ago I saw a film at a church function that was not only hilarious and entertaining but left me with a feeling of awe at God for creating the dumb animals with wisdom, intelligence, human-like motives and attributes, and built-in instinct for survival as they go about their lives. They protect their young just like humans do. And they give us so much joy and happiness and appreciation of the beauty around us. The name of the film was Animals Are Beautiful People!
One of the things that I remembered distinctly was a mother duck who, in the presence of danger, feigned injury to attract the predator to her instead of to the ducklings who were hiding in the thickets nearby. I thought: What self-sacrificing love manifested by a 'dumb' animal!
I see some of these human attributes in animals on my morning walks through the neighborhood. Sometimes I bring a bag of cubed whole wheat bread to feed the ducks. In this neighborhood we have ducks galore. At one time I counted 15 ducks congregating in front of someone's yard. There must be over a hundred of them walking around in little groups here and there. I didn't want to feed them in people's yard so I waited to feed the ducks at the pond about a mile away.
When I got to the pond, however, there were no ducks there except for one lone duck about five or six houses away. I was surprised that he even saw me. Those little beady eyes were sure sharp and vigilant. The duck started waddling as fast as he could toward me. He was on the other side of the busy street and would need to cross the street to get to me. School busses, utility vans, and cars were passing by fast. I was afraid he would cross the street at the wrong time and be crushed to death. But he didn't. Like a person, he stood there and waited for all the cars and busses to pass. Then he crossed the street.
Soon, other ducks started to come out from nowhere. They were also on the other side of the street. As always, the street was busy, and they couldn't cross it. I was sure the temptation to cross the street was great because the ducks were hungry after a long night of sleep, and they could smell breakfast clear across the street. Did they know that crossing the busy street would bring on their demise? Yet, waiting forever for traffic to clear would cause them to starve to death. This was a dilemma for the poor ducks. I could almost see little wheels turning in their little duck brains. Then, as if on cue, they all flew above the vehicles and danger and landed safely near me all ready for their morning meal.
One morning I went walking, but I didn't bring any bread with me. The ducks recognized me as the bread lady and came waddling fast to me. I felt badly not having any bread to give them. But I marveled at their intelligence for recognizing me. Maybe you're saying: Ducks would come up to anybody. Not true, because they did not waddle to the lady who was walking ahead of me.
Animals are precious. We can learn some lessons from them. The other day, I saw a mama duck with 14 cute little duckies following her, some were running to catch up with the troop. The moment the mama caught sight of me and my German Shepherd, she stopped dead in her tracks. Immediately, the 14 duckies froze in their tracks. No one darted hither and thither in play or in search of food. Mama duck stood there accessing if we were friends or foe. The duckies waited for a signal from mama to see if all was okay. I marveled. If human kids, created in the image of God, are as obedient as these little duckies, what a wonderful world this would be, wouldn't it?
I remember years ago when my son Michael was little. We were feeding the ducks at a large pond in Bonita, a town near San Diego. There was a myriad of ducks there, and a lot of loud quacking and squawking going on for all the ducks were congregated in one place, not spread out like the ducks are here in our neighborhood.
Mike and I were throwing out pieces of bread as fast as we could. Feeding this loud, raucous hungry multitude was something else. They were all scrambling on top of each other to get to their meals. Except one duck. He was tugging, pulling, and shaking my long dress with its beak, trying to get my attention. It was as if he was saying: Look at me; give me something to eat right here near you. It's a mad house out there.
One day my son and I were walking and took a shortcut toward the Paradise Valley Hospital in National City. There was a grassy and wooded area just before we reached the hospital. We were startled by two birds screeching loudly in distress as they flew from the trees to the ground and back up to the trees. They did this repeatedly. It didn't take long to figure out what was going on. An orange tabby cat, frightened by the screeching birds and our presence, was running away from the scene.
We suspected that a baby bird had fallen off the nest. Sure enough, when we came to the scene, we found a badly injured baby bird. The cat had gotten the poor thing. We felt badly that we didn't come upon the scene sooner. The mommy and daddy birds had been trying desperately in their own bird-way to chase away that tabby cat and keep it from inflicting further injury or possibly killing their precious baby.
I gingerly picked up the baby bird, and looking up at the now quiet parent birds in the trees, told them that we would take their baby home with us and take care of it the best we could. Did they understand? They must have for their loud cry of distress had ceased. Sad to say the baby bird did not make it through the night.
Talking about our feathered friends, at one time we had a beautiful green and yellow parakeet that we allowed to come out of its cage occasionally. He would light on the piano, bookcase, furniture, refrigerator, etc., but never on our shoulders or hands or fingers like we wanted it to do.
On the days following my Father's funeral, I wondered how my Mother would handle not having my Father around after being married to him for 42 years. She had lots of friends who could encourage and support her in these sad and difficult times, but they were all in Guam. I feared that she would give in to feelings of loneliness and discouragement, etc.
I was wrong. Not counting the Lord Jesus Christ, her most intimate friend, her new friend was the parakeet. That parakeet took to my Mother like you wouldn't believe it. He would flit about and light on her shoulder. When she was washing dishes, the parakeet would fly out of the cage and land on top on her head, gently pecking it. He would go up and down her arms, then perch on her shoulder. This parakeet never did this to any of us in the house. And he never did it to Mother before the death of my Father.
Her parakeet friend was so entertaining. It brought out a lot of laughter from her and from us as well. To a great degree the parakeet had brought comfort and joy to Mother and kept her occupied and distracted over the loss of my Father.
There are beautiful natural and man-made ponds in our neighborhood. These are stocked with fishes for I see people fishing every now and then. This reminds me of a fish (the big one that got away) story I would like to share.
We had an aquarium stocked with at least two dozens or so gold fishes and other colorful fishes, with various sizes. One day I cleaned the aquarium not realizing that one of my biggest fishes, about four to five inches long, had fallen out of the aquarium unto the floor behind the entertainment center where the aquarium was sitting on. Later on at 11 o'clock that night, something made me look behind the entertainment center. There I saw the fish on the floor.
Since I had cleaned the aquarium at least five or six hours before, I knew the fish was dead. However, when I picked it up, the tail moved ever so slightly. I threw it back into the water just to see what would happen. Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, the poor thing started to swim, feebly at first, staggering like a drunken man, but fully recovered by the time I went to bed.
I watched it closely several days after that. He didn't manifest any abnormal behavior that I could see. I marveled at the fish's will and determination to survive!
Except for the ducks and horses, we don't have farm animals in our neighborhood, but they tell us that this area used to be a big farm. In fact we have large silos gracing the entrance of our subdivision. I tried to visualize this area when it was teeming with farm animals and the people who took care of them. I've wondered if the people bonded with their charges. These next stories are just about people and animals bonding.
This story is about a crying cow. You say: Cows don't cry. They most certainly do! A cow was a pet to this family's young son. One day the parents decided to sell it to the butcher. With all the commotion getting her ready to transport to the butcher, the cow seemed to sense that something was terribly wrong--that there was a betrayal of trust here. Tears were streaming down her face.
The young son saw this and was devastated. But he couldn't do a thing about it. After all, he was only a son, obedient to his father. But, oh, he couldn't get the image of his crying cow out of his mind. Obviously, it was an emotionally traumatizing experience both for him and his pet. After going through that experience and surviving it, he was determined never in his life would he eat a morsel of beef, or any meat for that matter, ever again!
My neighbor Sue is a vegetarian for the same reason. She had a pet pig when she was a little girl. While she was in school, her parents slaughtered it and put most of its carcass in the freezer. Supper that evening consisted of roast chunk of her beloved pet. Sue told me she cried and cried and vowed never to touch meat ever again as long as she has breath left in her body.
I could empathize with Sue after reading someone's story in the Internet about a pet pig. It never dawn on me that pigs could be household pets. I've always pictured them as unclean and wallowing in mud and filth.
This pig that I read about is one smart pig; it plays hide and seek with its owner and does other things that are almost human-like in nature. The owner's account of the hide-and-seek game they play is hilarious. I'm reminded of Tigger, our Persian cat. Grooming time is a time to hide. He would hide under the furniture not realizing that all its tail is sticking out for the whole world to see. Anyway, this Charlotte-Web-type piglet takes a nap by putting its head on the owner's lap and sometimes sleeps on the owner's tummy.
In the book Animal Wisdom from the Listening to the Animals series, I found out that pigs are affectionate creatures and are easier to train than horses or dogs. They are so intelligent, it's scary as one man puts it. Pigs are ten times cleaner than dogs. Like dogs, they love their tummies scratched. They are quick-witted and alert as foxes and as attentive and vigilant as guard dogs. Despite a reputation for being filthy type of animals, they are unbelievably fastidious about keeping neat and clean as household pets. Pigs are not only so human in intelligence, but in appetite, in personality, in motivation, and in desires. In many ways, the pigs are psychologically human.
I found that account of pigs rather interesting. I doubt seriously that I would ever want to have a pet pig, but hats off to those who do. I highly endorse the bumper sticker that says: Animals are for loving, not eating!
When we were younger, we had a pet baby chick which we named Tick Tick. My sister Esther and I used to polish its 'toe nails' with a red polish. When she was inside the house and we couldn't find her anywhere, all we had to do was call out her name Tick Tick! and she would come running to us.
They say cats sleep at least 16 hours a days, and I believe it. Half the time we couldn't see where our five cats are for they would be sleeping under furniture, under tables, in the bathrooms, in the garage, etc. They are not allowed to go in the bedrooms; however, they sometimes sneak in there to sleep on the bed, under the bed, under the dresser, etc.
If we leave the house to go anywhere for any period of time, we have to do a cat roll-call. We don't want them inadvertently locked in the bedrooms while their cat litter boxes are in the garage (accessed through a cat door).
We find that the easiest way to round up the cats is simply call out: Chow! and they would come running from all directions to the garage for chow time. If it's not feeding time, we would put some cat food out anyway so as not to confuse them.
My dog Sasha cries with me. It doesn't happen often in our household, but one time she bawled like a baby with me. Here's what happened.
The appointment to see a Pain Management Specialist that's covered by our Insurance would be at least three or four months down the road. My husband John was in total pain with sciatica problems and couldn't wait that long. So I scheduled another appointment with a Pain Management Specialist not in our Insurance's network. This meant that I would pay out of my own pocket. I felt I had no choice.
John and I checked the calendar closely so as not to miss the appointment with our Insurance-sponsored Pain Management Specialist. The day before the appointment, the office called to make sure we did not forget. How could we forget it? We would save a bunch of money going this route.
However, as we were talking on the phone, the mere mention that I had been taking John to see a Pain Management Specialist outside of our insurance network, she told me that she had to cancel our appointment with them. I asked Why? She said I couldn't breach the pain management contract of the one we were already going to. In other words, we were stuck with the Pain Management Specialist that we had to pay out of our own pocket.
I told her, she couldn't do this to us. We had waited four long months to get this appointment. I had to do what I did only as a temporary measure to alleviate my husband's pain until we could see our Insurance-sponsored Pain Management Specialist. She said she was sorry, but she couldn't do anything about it because the rules are the rules. I asked her if I could talk with her supervisor. She said she was the supervisor.
After I hung up the phone, I bawled like a baby and so did Sasha.
My dog has so many child-like attributes, it's unreal. She follows me everywhere I go even to the bathroom and waits there. If I soak in the tub for an hour, she would wait for an hour. If I go in the sauna for half an hour, she would wait outside for half an hour. If she is eating or drinking, I'd better stay put otherwise she would quit to follow me. We find that the best time for her to eat and drink is at night when I'm in bed. The last sound we hear is her crunching away.
Looking back in time, my son was the same way. He followed me everywhere I went. One morning while he was still asleep I went outside to water the grass. He woke up frightened that I wasn't there. He was not even three years old. He looked all over the house crying, then he saw me outside. He pounded on the window to get my attention and broke it accidentally. That's the way Sasha is, upset when I'm not there. She'd tear the vinyl windows to get inside the house to be with me.
If I take her to the Vet, she would try to hide under my skirt and wouldn't go with the vet technicians unless I'm with her. If forced to go without me, she would put all four brakes on and wouldn't budge. She would tremble like a leaf. I think I was like that as a child--timid and scared of my shadow. They told me I was a mama's girl and cried a lot.
When Mike or my husband asks: Where's the dog? I simply reply: She's not a dog; she's Baby Girl.
We had another German Shepherd twenty years ago that had so much human-ness about her, too. You can read about JJ here. Here's her picture with Tim, my ex-husband Gary's son. JJ was so much like a person--so much like a woman. She was so beautiful and vain. And, horror or horrors, she sometimes wore funny clothes and unmatched socks!
Animals are beautiful people, aren't they? Click here for a related topic: All Things Bright and Beautiful.
Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers Midi | <urn:uuid:283ce89d-9399-40e0-9765-06854e444293> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jlfoundation.net/animals-are-beautiful-people.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990487 | 3,676 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The campaign to replace the country's paper medical files with interoperable electronic records is backed by the full force of the federal government, including tens of billions of dollars. The basic strategy is to entice and/or coerce the country's 800,000 or so doctors to go electronic.
Meanwhile, the campaign to sell 300 million or so patients on the benefits of electronic medical records is ... pretty much nonexistent. There is no organized effort to win over the hearts and minds of a constituency that has the most to gain or lose--people whose health care will be affected directly.
So it's no surprise that almost half of all Americans don't know if their doctor uses electronic records or if they, the consumer, have the option of using e-mail to communicate with health care providers. Fewer than one in 10 patients see doctors who have those capabilities.
The findings come from a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll conducted June 8 through June 10. The online poll surveyed 2,035 adults in the United States. Harris released the results on Thursday.
"The general public only has a vague idea, only a very limited understanding, of what all this is about," said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll, in the company's news release.
The lack of public understanding may come as a shock to policy and IT industry types who deal with this stuff all the time. It is unclear what effect, if any, the public's ignorance might have as the country's health care sector lurches toward an electronic future.
"The policy wonks talk very persuasively about all of the improvements in quality that come from having a complete electronic medial record," said Taylor, but "that case has not really been made effectively to the public."
Despite their lack of awareness, most of the people surveyed said they like the idea of doctors having easy access to their electronic medical records. | <urn:uuid:71b56608-6e91-41ce-9e63-80cdc86dcc23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nextgov.com/health/health-it/2010/06/the-public-on-health-it-huh/53458/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97002 | 383 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Jack Poole, Brighton University Socialist Students
The government and their friends in the media will always try, as they did in June, to spread division between workers and service users during strike action. It is important to cut across these lies with solidarity action and unity between young people and workers on strike.
Three quarters of a million teachers and civil servants took coordinated strike action in June against the government's decimation of public sector pension schemes.
This unity between students, young people and workers was shown last year in France, in the struggle against the pension reforms. With the Con-Dem coalition likely to face more strike action over pensions this autumn, it is important to analyse and draw lessons from struggles such as this.
Last October, President Sarkozy's plans to raise the retirement age saw a furious and enormous reaction from the French working class, with massive strikes and demonstrations - at the height of the movement, 3.5 million people demonstrated across the country.
A crucial turning point for the dispute was when young people and students began to take part in the struggle in a large and organised way. Ignoring the lies of Sarkozy's supporters and the right wing media who tried to re-assure young people that pension reform did not concern them, student strikes in solidarity with the workers helped shut hundreds of schools.
The idea that raising the retirement age does not affect young people is a downright lie used to divide the movement. For example, with one million young people unemployed in Britain, it is madness for the government to be forcing older workers to work for longer while these young people waste their talents on the dole queue.
Sarkozy revealed a lot when he was quoted as saying about the strikes, "school and college students...must be watched closely like milk on a stove."
Politicians like Sarkozy and Cameron are right to be frightened of a mass movement of youth and workers opposing their austerity measures! Such a movement would stand a real chance of stopping them and their cuts in their tracks.
Young people and students on their own do not carry the social weight to defeat governments, even weak ones such as the coalition in Britain. However, as last year's student movement in Britain showed, the energy and anger of a movement of young people can give confidence and inspire others in society to fight back. Three months after the last major student demonstration, half a million trade unionists marched through the streets of London.
Combined with the organised working class, which holds the power to make society grind to a halt, this kind of action would stand firmly in the way of the brutal austerity cuts of governments across Europe and beyond.
If more workers take coordinated strike action to defend their pensions, young people and students need to unite with them. We should take our solidarity to the picket lines but also organise walkouts at our schools, colleges and universities and join the protests and demonstrations taking place. Any blow against this government is a step towards a decent future for young people. | <urn:uuid:4d888637-8e9b-41f3-b3c9-aafe925a772e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.socialisthastings.blogspot.com/2011/09/youth-must-join-pensions-struggle.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969911 | 602 | 1.976563 | 2 |
If you are dying or are caring for
a dying loved one, you may have questions and concerns about what will happen
physically and emotionally as death approaches. The following information may
help answer some of these questions.
Signs of approaching death
The dying process is as
variable as the birthing process. The exact time of death cannot be predicted,
nor can the exact manner in which a person will die. But people in advanced
stages of a terminal illness experience many similar symptoms as they approach
the end of life, regardless of their illness.
Several physical and
emotional changes occur as death approaches, including:
- Excessive sleepiness and weakness as
periods of wakefulness become shorter and overall energy
- Breathing changes, such as periods of rapid breathing
alternating with short episodes when breathing stops.
- Visual and hearing changes, such as seeing people or scenes that others do not
- Decreased appetite as your metabolism
slows and you no longer have the same interest in food.
- Urinary and bowel changes, such as dark or red urine and hard stools that are
difficult to pass (constipation).
- Temperature changes,
such as running a high temperature or feeling very cold.
- Emotional changes, such as becoming less interested in the outside world and being
less socially involved with others.
Dying people may also experience symptoms specific to
their illness. Talk to your doctor about what to expect. Also, if you have
chosen to receive
hospice care, the hospice team is available to answer
any questions you may have about the dying process. The more you and your loved
ones know, the better prepared you will be to cope with what is
Palliative care can help you to feel
relief from physical symptoms related to your illness, such as nausea or
Pain control and symptom control are important parts of managing your illness
and improving the quality of your life.
Whether a person suffers
from physical pain in the days before death often depends on the illness. Some
terminal illnesses, such as bone or pancreatic cancer, are more likely to be
accompanied by physical pain than others.
Pain and other symptoms
can be so feared that a person considers
physician-assisted death. But pain associated with the
dying process can be managed effectively.
Any pain should be reported to your family and your
doctor. Many medicines and alternative methods (such as massage) are available
to treat the pain associated with dying. Do not hesitate to ask for help. Have
a loved one report your pain if your illness prevents you from communicating
with your doctor.
You may want to protect your family from your
suffering. But it is important to tell them if your pain level is not tolerable
so they can tell your doctor right away.
If you and your doctor are not able to control your pain, ask about seeing a pain management specialist. This is a doctor who finds ways to treat pain that won't go away.
Spirituality refers to a person's
sense of meaning and purpose in life. It also refers to a person's relationship
to a higher power or an energy that gives life meaning.
people do not think of spiritual matters often. For others, spirituality is a
part of daily life. Facing the end of your life may cause you to confront your
own spiritual questions and issues. Organized religion provides comfort to many
people as they face death. Others may find solace in exploring nature, through
community involvement, by strengthening existing relationships, or by
developing new relationships. Think about what provides comfort and support to
you. What questions and concerns do you have? Don't hesitate to ask for support
from friends, family, hospice, or spiritual advisors.
Caring for a dying loved one
The dying process can
be a time for growth. It offers the dying person and his or her family and
friends a time to mend relationships, share memories, and say their good-byes.
If you are a
caregiver, it is important to communicate openly with
your dying loved one. Also, seek support from others and
take care of yourself so you don't become physically and mentally | <urn:uuid:24d294fa-4511-4477-889d-87280982a0d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-center/care-at-the-end-of-life-the-dying-process.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948206 | 883 | 2.671875 | 3 |
HILO — About 200 Hawaii inmates will be closer to home for the holidays as early as next year if the proposed reactivation of Kulani prison comes to fruition.
The project moved a step forward Friday with publication of a proposed finding of no significant environmental impact. The publication in the state’s Environmental Notice opens the comment period on the project.
Kulani Correctional Facility, located on 614 acres on the slopes of Mauna Kea about 20 miles southwest of Hilo, was closed in 2009 by former Gov. Linda Lingle because of a budget crisis. In November 2010, the property was put under state Department of Defense control for use as a training camp for at-risk teens, called the Hawaii National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe Academy-Kulani.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie has made a priority of returning Hawaii’s inmates to the state. In August, he released $250,000 to plan the Kulani reopening.
“From my first day as governor, I said we will bring our inmates housed in mainland facilities back home and keep our taxpayer dollars in the state,” Abercrombie said when introducing the Justice Reinvestment Act, a comprehensive measure addressing inefficiencies in the current system.
State Sen. Josh Green, D-Kona, Kohala, has been a proponent of reactivating Kulani and told Stephens Media at the time that he hopes it could happen.
“People should serve their time, but it’s also good that families can remain intact and visit their family members. That contributes to people getting better,” Green said. “Also, it’s jobs here, and anything we can do these days to keep jobs here is good.”
Currently, about 1,700 inmates, about 30 percent of the 6,000 incarcerated, are located in private mainland facilities.
A minimum security prison housing mainly sex offenders, Kulani began in 1946 as a work camp.
Once reopened, it will employ 96 staff to support the 200 inmates who are two to four years from finishing their sentences. The facility would cost $5.6 million annually to operate, according to a state report. The state anticipates using inmate labor to repair the facility, lowering the renovation costs to $600,000.
The complete 53-page report can be found at hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html. Comments are being accepted until Feb. 7. | <urn:uuid:46551a58-88fc-4ad6-a58b-02495f5f9405> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://westhawaiitoday.com/sections/news/local-news/kulani-prison-takes-step-toward-reopening.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958007 | 516 | 1.960938 | 2 |
A 10th Mountain Division soldier who became a political activist during his court-martial has been honorably discharged from the Army after refusing to take the flu and anthrax vaccines.
Sean P. Niemi, a medic stationed at Fort Drum with two tours of duty overseas, said he was merely exercising his religious rights.
I didnt see much of a point of injecting a bunch of poison into myself or my soldiers for no guaranteed effect, said Mr. Niemi, who is home in Tennessee after receiving his discharge notice in March from the upper echelons of the Defense Department.
Mr. Niemis yearlong court-martial process was punctuated by offers and counteroffers from prosecutors and also featured political protests from Mr. Niemi and his family. Mr. Niemi demonstrated in front of the Watertown office of Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, earlier this year, because of Mr. Owenss vote for a defense authorization act that Mr. Niemi thought would infringe upon civil liberties. Mr. Niemi also protested the presence of President Barack Obama when the commander in chief came to Fort Drum last year.
His refusal to take the shots reflects unease among some Americans about vaccines, even as health professionals say that not taking vaccines puts the unvaccinated people and the rest of the population at risk.
The Armys policy is clear, according to a statement from a Pentagon spokeswoman: All soldiers must be immunized against influenza, and soldiers who are going to dangerous areas must be immunized against anthrax. Doing otherwise is considered disobeying a lawful order and can result in punishment, including dishonorable discharge, which would strip soldiers of post-service benefits.
Our commanders are concerned with protecting their personnel and keeping them mission effective, read a statement from the Office of the Army Surgeon General. The intent of this immunization program is to protect the health and overall effectiveness of the command.
And despite concerns among some Americans about vaccines, most health professionals and government officials discount concerns over the safety of vaccines, strongly recommending the protection that they offer. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions immunization website features anecdotes from influenza pandemics that could have been prevented by vaccinations.
Mr. Niemi, a specialist who had seven years in the Army when he got out, had a twofold objection to vaccines: religious and medical.
He said that when he got married, his wife introduced him to a New Jersey church called Abunda Life, a nondenominational sect that is against vaccines.
The churchs pastor, Mr. Niemi said, firmly believes that only through Gods natural healing and through the things God gives us in nature can we truly be healed.
In 2008 or 2009, in the midst of the swine-flu epidemic and while on a deployment to Afghanistan, Mr. Niemi started declining the flu vaccine. A combat medic, he also declined to administer the vaccine for fellow soldiers. He said the literature about the injections was insufficient. He persuaded other soldiers to decline the vaccine, too.
We caught a little bit of hell about that from upper echelons of the command group, Mr. Niemi said.
His disciplinary proceedings began in 2010, when he was preparing for a third deployment. Before the deployment, he had to take the flu vaccine and the anthrax vaccine, which he declined.
He sought a religious exemption from the medical platoon leader, then-1st Lt. David W. Draper, who turned it down.
Based on a conversation that Mr. Niemi had had with him, Mr. Draper concluded that his religious beliefs are fickle or a matter of convenience. Mr. Draper also said that Mr. Niemis church had been denied tax-exempt status though Mr. Niemi contends that only the churchs building, and not the church, was denied that status.
Instead of submitting to punishments for refusing a superiors order which could have meant loss of rank and extra work Mr. Niemi started court-martial proceedings. He was represented by a judge advocate general attorney and Patricia Finn, a Piermont attorney who specializes in anti-vaccination cases.
They offered Sean a really crummy deal. He refused, Ms. Finn said. It was extraordinary.
Eventually, a top deputy to the secretary of the Army, Thomas R. Lamont, signed paperwork that released Mr. Niemi from the Army before his contract was up because Mr. Niemi has no conditions for service under conditions of full mobilization. The discharge was deemed honorable. | <urn:uuid:a54a2864-bc6a-4f26-9ce3-34971c1994be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wdt.net/article/20120801/NEWS03/708019872/0/news05 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97605 | 925 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Water skiingLake City, Minnesota in 1922 and is popular in many countries around the world where appropriate conditions exist - an expanse of water unaffected by wave motion. Rivers, lakes, and sheltered bays are all popular for water skiing.
Standard water skis, originally made of wood but now usually constructed out of fibreglass-based composites, are of similar length to downhill snow skis but are somewhat wider. Instead of a rigid binding, they have rubber mouldings in which the feet are placed. Skiers are pulled along by a rope with a handle fitted at one end and attached to a powerboat at the other.
Recreational skiers usually learn to ski with a ski on each foot, but as they improve usually progress to using a single ski, placing the other foot into another binding behind the main one. Beginners on two skis are usually pulled along at around 25-35 kilometres per hour, whereas more advanced social skiers travel at between 40 and 55 kilometres per hour - once confidence is gained it is actually easier to travel faster than at slower speeds because of the greater lift and stability.
Within the confines of being pulled along by the boat, skiers can control their direction by balancing their weight on different sides of their ski. This is used to zip back and forth behind the boat.
There are several forms of competition performed on waterskis. Slalom most resembles recreational water skiing. In it, a set of buoys are set up. The boat drives through the middle of the buoys, and the skiier must pass to the outside of each buoy. The winner of the contest is the individual who can complete going round the buoys with the shortest rope. Elite skiers can perform this feat with a rope shorter than the distance between the boat center (the origin of the rope) and each buoy!
Trick skiing is performed using two very short skis rather than the conventional gear. In it, skiiers try to perform tricks somewhat similar to those of gymnasts while being pulled along by the boat. Trick skiing is judged by the difficulty of the tricks performed and the accuracy of execution.
The ski jump is performed on two long skis similar to those a beginner uses (but with no tail fin). Skiers towed behind a boat at fixed speed manoever to achieve maximum speed when hitting a ramp floating in the water, launching themselves into the air with the goal of travelling as far as possible before touching the water. Good ski jumpers can travel up to 60 metres.
Ski races simply involve a powerboat race with a skier attached. These events are usually conducted on rivers to make the course more interesting. One such event held at Echuca on the Murray River, Australia is the Southern 80. Skiers and boats typically average 160 km/h over the 80 kilometre course.
A variation of the sport, barefoot skiing, as the name suggests involves water skiing without the aid of skis. | <urn:uuid:48df550f-8d5d-4960-87ec-9e58bdcdc809> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fixedreference.org/en/20040424/wikipedia/Water_skiing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968874 | 605 | 3.0625 | 3 |
The Centers for Disease Control released a new study on sexuality education yesterday, conducted by face-to-face interviews with nearly 2,700 teenagers. The study reveals that 97% of teens report having some sort of formal sex education, but only two-thirds report learning about birth control methods. Which raises the question, is it sex ed if you aren’t learning about contraception? From Salon:
Except, only two-thirds have actually been schooled in birth control methods. Which is to say: Ignore the headlines about the total triumph of sex education, because the one-third of teens being left in the dark about contraceptives are not getting true sex education.
And how does the Washington Times report the story? With the headline: “Teens report high exposure to sex education.” As if it’s a contagion, not the facts of life.
But The Washington Post highlights one of the most interesting parts of the study:
The analysis also found some notable differences between girls and boys. Boys and girls are about equally as likely to have been taught about sexually transmitted diseases and how to prevent getting the AIDS virus. Female teenagers, however, are more likely than male teenagers to report first receiving instruction on birth control methods in high school — 47 percent versus 38 percent, the researchers found.
A significant proportion of both males and females also reported having talked to their parents about sex. More than two out of three male teens and four out of five female teens had talked to their parents about at least one of six sex education topics. But female teens were more likely than males to talk to their parents about “how to say no to sex”–nearly two-thirds of females had had that conversation–compared to about two out of five males. Males, meanwhile, were more likely than females to talk to their parents about how to use a condom– 38 percent versus 29 percent.
And after one survives high school sexuality education classes, it might be a good time for advanced sex ed – notably, education about pornography and highly sexual media:
The more we understand how to “decode” porn media, the better situated we are to know the difference. The more willing we are to teach age-appropriate media literacy to children and young adults, the better able they are to navigate the sexually mediated world we live in.
The answer is not to eradicate porn: “Just say no” just doesn’t work. This slogan did not erase drug addiction, it is ineffective in terms of sexual abstinence and it does not work for pornography, either. The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that abstinence-only education is a waste of time especially “when the media have become such an important source of information” about sexual activity. Since pornography is one aspect of media, it holds that promoting porn abstinence is also an unwise strategy.
Yet groups such as Stop Porn Culture would like to obliterate porn. With Reefer Madness-style hysteria, these total-ban arguments lack nuance and stomp on free will. The anti-porn pledge available for signing at the Stop Porn Culture Web site echoes virginity-until-marriage vows promoted by the Christian Right. Neither pledge works and both create a dangerous conundrum. “Just say no” does not provide skills for knowing how to make choices when we “just say yes” one time and discover that it feels good. This is the case whether inhaling that first hit of weed or taking a first look at an XXX-rated click-through.
Rather than fostering silence and further taboo, it is crucial to provide critical media literacy, increased access to sexual information, and greater conversation about gender, race, consent, and power.
Mini-Roundup: Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation to require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop standards for collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Abortion Is A Dirty Word – Sandusky Register (blog)
- Christine O’Donnell’s Sexual Evolution – TPMMuckraker
- US Doctors Develop First Artificial Ovary – FOXNews
- Malawi rules out circumcision for AIDS prevention – The Associated Press
- Christine O’Donnell’s Jesus Squad – Mother Jones (blog)
- HIV/AIDS Activists: ‘Let’s Talk About Sex, It’s Killing Us’ – Black Voice News
- Christine O’Donnell Masturbation Video, Sex Education and Rachel Maddow – Right Pundits
- Study aims at root of teen births – Pueblo Chieftain
- Santorum gauges support for 2012 presidential run in SC – Daily Caller
- US study finds LGBTs harassed on campus – The Daily Tar Heel
- Trans services excluded in Healthy SF – Bay Area Reporter
- PM: Helena Changes Sex Ed Policy – The Spokesman Review
- Campus newspaper pulls BYU student’s editorial on prop 8 – ABC 4
- Rep Baldwin Introduces Legislation To Mandate LGBT Health Data – Lez Get Real
- Board gets sex-ed curriculum changes – Queen City News
- Rapes in Congo – New York Times
- Teens report high exposure to sex education – Washington Times
- HIV virus used to cure a genetic blood disorder – Los Angeles Times
- British Catholics Raise Their Profile – Wall Street Journal
- Couple assaults boy under guise of sex education – Fort Worth Star Telegram (blog)
- Duggars expecting 20th child – Inside NoVA (blog)
- Australia to Allow Transgender Soldiers – EDGE Boston
- Let us focus on youth sexual reproductive health – New Vision
- Church claims evangelizing students punished for ‘kindness’ – USA Today
- “Oprah” Revisits a Painful Story of AIDS and Homophobia – AfterElton.com
- Virginal Powers: Zulu Tradition Fuels Sexual Myths in South Africa – Huffington Post (blog)
- Sex ed (minus birth control) for all! – Salon
- ‘Emily’s Run’ will stay with you – Mille Lacs County Times
- CDC: Kids Aren’t Learning About Contraceptives in Sex Ed – AOL News
- LGBT Students Harassed At Colleges Nationwide, New Report Says – Huffington Post (blog)
- Is your child a “prehomosexual”? Forecasting adult sexual orientation – Scientific American (blog)
- Maldonado Defends Not Filing Appeal of Proposition 8 Ruling – Metropolitan News-Enterprise
- Come Support the New York Abortion Access Fund – Feministe (blog)
- NBJC CONVENES OUT ON THE HILL – A GATHERING OF BLACK LGBT ACTIVISTS IN THE … – Out In America
- New sex education data released – Washington Post (blog)
- African women bring AIDS reality to Sherbrooke – Sherbrooke Record
- Ass’n offers reproductive health, family planning services to 677000 people – Walta Information Center
- Sweden spawns egg and sperm donor website – The Local.se
- A Matter of Life and Death: The Preventable Crisis of Maternal Mortality – Huffington Post (blog)
- Reason to rejoice over drop in maternal deaths – The Guardian
- Malawi gets credit in family planning – Nation Online | <urn:uuid:d9256ec3-fdb4-4688-bef3-228630cdfd02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2010/09/16/roundup-what-teens-really-learning-education-classes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91282 | 1,510 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Zagreb – Archaeologists in the Adriatic town of Rijeka have discovered mosaic floors dating from the 5th century, Croatian daily Novi list reported on Tuesday.
The floor mosaic, around 40 square metres large, is a part of an old basilica that was built on top of ancient Roman therms.
The mosaics have motifs including crosses, diamonds and other geometric forms and were found at the entrance of the basilica as well as in the nave, where they are richly decorated, head of the excavations, archaeologist Josip Visnjic said.
Rijeka was founded by the Celts and was rebuilt in the 1st century by the Romans. From the 5th century the town was ruled by the Ostrogoths, the Byzantines, the Lombards, the Franks, the Hungarians and eventually the Croats. (dpa) | <urn:uuid:cd52c494-c8ad-41db-8e3b-052226aa4c04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://silverscorpio.com/tag/visnjic/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986663 | 184 | 2.5 | 2 |
Welcome to About Bookbinding your resource
for FREE bookbinding information.
|The Art of Bookbinding
by Joseph W. Zaehnsdorf
3rd Edition Published in London 1897
The cover is to be prepared and sprinkled in the same manner
as stated in marbling; the boards, however, must be bent a
little and a little water applied by a sponge in the centre of each
board to give the necessary flow of water; when the water is
thrown on, it will flow towards the centre or lowest part of the
boards, and when the sprinkle is thrown on, a tree, as it were,
will be formed. The centre being white forms the stem, and
from it branches will be formed by the gradual flow of the
streams of water as they run down.
For marbling, every thing must be ready at hand before any
water is thrown on, so that the water may not have time to run
off before the colour is applied. The water must run at the
same time that the spray is falling, or a failure will be the result.
It has been said that the marbling has discovered by an
accident; that a country bookbinder was sprinkling some books,
|when a bird, which was hung up in the shop, threw or splashed some water down on his books; the water running, took
some of the colour with it and formed veins. Liking the form it gave, the workman improved upon it and thus invented
marbling. There is, however, no doubt that it had its origin in Germany.
Tree calf seems to be coming into general use again, and to meet the demand for cheapness, a word block has been
cut resembling as closely as possible one done by the water process, and blocked in black on the calf; but, as might
have been expected, it has not found much favour.
This is a process with a sponge, charged with the black or the brown liquid, dabbed on the calf either all over the cover
or in successive order. Give the proper preparation to the calf, and be very careful that the ground tint of brown be
very even. Take a sponge of an open nature, so that the grain is pleasant to the eye; fill it with black and squeeze out
again, now dab it carefully over the calf. Repeat the operation with another sponge charged with brown. Cat’s paw,
French dab, and other various named operations all emanate from the sponge. When done properly this has a very
good effect, and give great relief to the eye when placed with a number of other books.
All these marbles and sprinkles require practice, so that a first failure must not be regarded with discouragement.
When one’s hand has got into the method with these two or three colours it is astonishing how many different styles
may be produced. In all this manipulation a better effect is obtained if a yellow tint be washed over the leather after
the sprinkle or marble has been produced. Again, by taking coloured calf and treating it the same manner as white,
some very pleasant effects are brought out; and when the colours are well chosen the result is very good. Take for
instance a green calf and marble a tree upon it, or take a light slate colour and dab it all over the black and brown.
In all operations with the copperas care must be taken that it does not get on the clothes, as it leaves an iron stain
that cannot be easily got rid of. Keep a basin for each colour, and when done with wash it out with clean water. The
same with the sponges: keep them as clean as possible; have a sponge for each colour, and use it only for that
colour. A piece of glass to put the sponges on will be of great use, and prevent the work-table or board from catching
any of the colour. A damp book or damp paper laid on a board that has been so stained will most probably be
damaged, even though it has waste paper between the work-board and book. No amount of washing will ever take
away such a stain.
When the book has been coloured, the edges and inside are to be blacked or browned according to taste, or in
keeping with the outside. The book is then ready for finishing.
Some very good results may be obtained if the binder, using coloured calf of a light brown, treats it as if it were white
calf, marbling with the usual colours; or a yellow calf, splashing it all over the salts of tartar only, the boards being
placed in a slanting direction to allow the colour to gently run down.
Or the whole of a cover may be blacked with tartar and copperas, then with a diluted solution of acid it may be
sprinkled this will give grey-white spots on black or slate ground: if, after, washing the cover be sponged over with the
same colouring liquid, such as aniline dyes, the spot will be of the colour used.
I do not give many methods or receipts for producing colours for calf, because, as before stated, the introduction of
fancy calf has rendered obsolete the old-fashioned way of boiling and preparing the different woods for making
colours, and the above will be found useful for colouring calf in many different ways.
|< Previous Page
|Next Page >
|Copyright © 2005 - 2006 aboutbookbinding.com | <urn:uuid:3e55b7ff-b994-4294-8866-22cb8d3b2678> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aboutbookbinding.com/binding12E.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957808 | 1,153 | 2.609375 | 3 |
As part of its legislative process, the United States Congress considers thousands of bills each session. Yet, only a small percentage of them will ever reach the top of the president's desk for final approval or veto. Along their way to the White House, bills traverse a maze of committees and subcommittees, debates, and amendments in both chambers of Congress.
The following is a simple explanation of the process required for a bill to become a law. For a complete explanation, see... "How Our Laws Are Made" (Library of Congress) Revised and Updated by Charles W. Johnson, Parliamentarian, United States House of Representatives.
Step 1: Introduction
Only a member of Congress (House or Senate) can introduce the bill for consideration. The Representative or Senator who introduces the bill becomes its "sponsor." Other legislators who support the bill or work on its preparation can ask to be listed as "co-sponsors." Important bills usually have several co-sponsors.
A bill or resolution has officially been introduced when it has been assigned a number (H.R. # for House Bills or S. # for Senate Bills), and printed in the Congressional Record by the Government Printing Office.
Step 2: Committee Consideration
All bills and resolutions are "referred" to one or more House or Senate committees according their specific rules.
Step 3: Committee Action
The committee considers the bill in detail. For example, the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee will consider a bill's potential impact on the Federal Budget.
If the committee approves the bill, it moves on in the legislative process. Committees reject bills by simply not acting on them. Bills that fail to get committee action are said to have "died in committee," as many do.
Step 4: Subcommittee Review
The committee sends some bills to a subcommittee for further study and public hearings. Just about anyone can present testimony at these hearings. Government officials, industry experts, the public, anyone with an interest in the bill can give testimony either in person or in writing. Notice of these hearings, as well as instructions for presenting testimony is officially published in the Federal Register.
Step 5: Mark Up
If the subcommittee decides to report (recommend) a bill back to the full committee for approval, they may first make changes and amendments to it. This process is called "Mark Up." If the subcommittee votes not to report a bill to the full committee, the bill dies right there.
Step 6: Committee Action -- Reporting a Bill
The full committee now reviews the deliberations and recommendations of the subcommittee. The committee may now conduct further review, hold more public hearings, or simply vote on the report from the subcommittee. If the bill is to go forward, the full committee prepares and votes on its final recommendations to the House or Senate. Once a bill has successfully passed this stage it is said to have been "ordered reported" or simply "reported."
Step 7: Publication of Committee Report
Once a bill has been reported (See Step 6:) a report about the bill is written and published. The report will include the purpose of the bill, its impact on existing laws, budgetary considerations, and any new taxes or tax increases that will be required by the bill. The report also typically contains transcripts from public hearings on the bill, as well as the opinions of the committee for and against the proposed bill.
Step 8: Floor Action -- Legislative Calendar
The bill will now be placed on the legislative calendar of the House or Senate and scheduled (in chronological order) for "floor action" or debate before the full membership. The House has several legislative calendars. The Speaker of the House and House Majority Leader decide the order in which reported bills will be debated. The Senate, having only 100 members and considering fewer bills, has only one legislative calendar.
Step 9: Debate
Debate for and against the bill proceeds before the full House and Senate according to strict rules of consideration and debate.
Step 10: Voting
Once debate has ended and any amendments to the bill have been approved, the full membership will vote for or against the bill. Methods of voting allow for a voice vote or a roll-call vote.
Step 11: Bill Referred to Other Chamber
Bills approved by one chamber of Congress (House or Senate) are now sent to the other chamber where they will follow pretty much the same track of committee to debate to vote. The other chamber may approve, reject, ignore, or amend the bill.
Step12: Conference Committee
If the second chamber to consider a bill changes it significantly, a "conference committee" made up of members of both chambers will be formed. The conference committee works to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. If the committee cannot agree, the bill simply dies. If the committee does agree on a compromise version of the bill, they prepare a report detailing the changes they have proposed. Both the House and Senate must approve the report of the conference committee or the bill will be sent back to them for further work.
Step 13: Final Action - Enrollment
Once both the House and Senate have approved the bill in identical form, it becomes "Enrolled" and sent to the President of the United States. The President may sign the bill into law. The President can also take no action on the bill for ten days while Congress is in session and the bill will automatically become law. If the President is opposed to the bill, he can "veto" it. If he takes no action on the bill for ten days after Congress has adjourned their second session, the bill dies. This action is called a "pocket veto."
Step 14: Overriding the Veto
Congress can attempt to "override" a presidential veto of a bill and force it into law, but doing so requires a 2/3 vote by a quorum of members in both the House and Senate. | <urn:uuid:c0cd3e36-39e2-4245-a9e6-da2c99dd9bd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/legprocess.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95554 | 1,206 | 3.765625 | 4 |
Black Skimmer [at Jones Beach, 2004]
Photo by Cal Vornberger
Last night was Midsummer's Night, the shortest night of the year. A few of us got together in the park around sunset to mark the occasion, entering through the Hunter's Gate at 81st Street and Central Park West.
Few people call the park entrances by their official names. In fact, all the original entrances to Central Park have names. My favorite is the Naturalist's Gate, at Central Park West and 77 St, across the street from the south end of the American Museum of Natural History.
The Hunter's Gate is also across the street from the natural history museum, at its north end; it was probably named for Theodore Roosevelt, a famous game hunter and the museum's founder. But I prefer to think that the Hunter's Gate refers to hunting in the form of seeking, as in mushroom hunting or fossil hunting. The American Museum certainly derives a lot of its fame and glory from its fossil collection, one of the greatest in the world.
The Solstice celebrants were in a hunting mood that evening, looking for night wildlife, and, perhaps, a few errant spirits said to be abroad on Midsummer's Night. Indeed, we were not disappointed.
First we saw two Black Skimmers arriving at Turtle Pond. That was at about 8:45. The mysterious birds [Where do they come from? Where do they go?] swooped and sailed around the pond, gliding back and forth, skimming the water's surface for little fish with their long lower mandibles open. Every year at least since the year 2000 Black Skimmers have been showing up at Turtle Pond at some point in June. This year their first arrival was noted by Bob Levy on June 11. We watched then on Midsummer's Night until it was too dark to see much more than a faint ghostly shape over the water.
While there we saw the Canada Goose parents and kids preening directly in front of our water-side vantage point. A Black-crowned Night-heron arrived from the direction of Belvedere Castle and promptly departed -- perhaps deterred by the Skimmers. They definitely look predatory. And prehistoric, like pteradactyls. An Eastern Kingbird twittered overhead, getting ready to roost for the night somewhere in the vicinity of his nearby nest.
Then straight for the Moth Tree, where not a single moth nor any other earthly or unearthly spirit chose to reveal itself to us. Only one medium-sized spider starting to spin a web at the base of the English Oak.
So we joined hands and danced around the tree, emitting mild yells and hollers and one loud screech-owl whinny. I've heard that there is a group of Wiccans [latter day witches and warlocks] who celebrate Midsummer's Night in the park every year with wild singing and dancing at the Ramble end of Bow Bridge. It would be nice to think that some of the people passing by the Moth Tree that night as we whooped it up and shook and shimmied thought we were the real thing. I kind of doubt it. | <urn:uuid:cf946899-4f90-4e04-b6f6-b84bace51e7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/2006_06_18_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968271 | 657 | 1.867188 | 2 |
This podcast offers positive ways to help the development of your preschooler. Created: 8/6/2008 by National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disability, Child Development Studies Team.
Date Released: 8/15/2008. Series Name: CDC Featured Podcasts.
This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC – safer, healthier people.
Between the ages of 3 and 5, your child's world will begin to open up. She will become more independent and begin to focus on adults and children outside of the family. She will want to explore and ask about her surroundings even more.
Interactions with family and those around her will help shape her personality and individual ways of thinking and moving. As a preschooler, your child will be able to ride a tricycle, use safety scissors, show awareness of gender identity, help to dress and undress herself, play with other children, recall part of a story, and sing a song.
Here are some positive ways to help the development of your 3 to 5 year old:
• Read to your child. Nurture her love for books by taking her to the library or bookstore.
• Let your child help with simple chores.
• Encourage your child to play with other children. This helps him learn the value of sharing and friendship.
• Help your child's language by speaking to her in complete sentences and in "adult" language. Help her to use the correct words and phrases.
• Be clear and consistent when disciplining your child. Model the behavior that you expect from him.
Proper nutrition, exercise, and rest are very important for children's health and development. Providing a safe and loving home and spending time with your child – playing, singing, reading, and even just talking – can make a big difference in his or her development. To learn more about child development, visit www.cdc.gov.
For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO, 24/7. | <urn:uuid:79b3b87b-1668-4790-bf62-8d18334c38cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=9963 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948987 | 433 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Records indicate this house was built by Daniel Webster Blair, a prominent Marietta politician and landowner, around the turn of the 20th century. Blair, who had served as mayor and later as a judge, was listed as the owner of the house when he sold it for $400 in 1902. J. Frank Lumpkin, a local stonecutter with a family of four, is listed as living there in the 1900 census; apparently renting from Blair. Lumpkin later bought the home and sold it in 1904. The house then changed hands once more before being sold to I.A. Runyon in 1920, and the property remained in his family for the next 58 years. The carriage house was added during this period, most likely in the 1940s. The house suffered a major fire in 1939 and needed extensive repairs.
Later owners enclosed a screened back porch, added the sunroom and converted the attic into living space. It has four fireplaces (converted from coal to gas) and evidence of the wood-burning stove once located in the kitchen is apparent in the ceiling. Charles and Jennifer Gay purchased the home in 2006 and have steadily been updating it while furnishing it with an assortment of English and American antiques, including many inherited from Mr. Gay's ancestral home in Starkville, Miss. Interesting pieces include the 1850s walnut plantation desk originally created for Black Jack, Mr. Gay's family's plantation in Oktibbeha County, Miss.; an English grandfather clock dating to approximately 1815; an 1850s louvered silver condiment caddy (likely a technological marvel in its day): a mahogany chest of drawers dating to the 1790s and the early 1900s primitive American pump organ Mrs. Gay's grandmother and great-grandmother both played in church in their small eastern North Carolina town.
Tickets can be purchased at the Marietta Visitors Bureau and at any of the participating tour homes. Tickets can be purchased for day tours, candlelight tours, or a combination ticket including both.
Day Tour: $25.00
Candlelight Tour: $20.00
Volunteer your time for the Marietta event of the season. It takes over 300 volunteers to make the Tour a success!
During the Tour,
warm up with
The Bistro at
Click here for Special Packages at the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center | <urn:uuid:93d49434-8b06-4c91-9426-8d5ef8e419a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mariettapilgrimage.com/tour-homes-3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968271 | 493 | 1.851563 | 2 |
GUWAHATI: Students pursuing research in classical languages like Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Persian and Sanskrit from Gauhati University have to submit their theses in English. This is the only university in the country where theses on languages have to be submitted in English.
However, the university allows theses on the Assamese language to be submitted in Assamese. This difference in rules under the aegis of the university led to criticism from many quarters, especially from astute scholars and academicians of the university.
This "language chauvinism" makes it difficult for the researchers with no background in English to submit their theses on classical languages. They are forced to redo their entire work in English and they have to hire a translator for that, burning a hole in their pockets. It also renders their hard work inferior as their original work in their respective languages is usually better.
"In the fifties and sixties, even Assamese theses were submitted in English. Later, the rule was changed only Assamese language. It can be said that this is the only university in the country where theses in one particular language have to be submitted in English," said a scholar. "This rule doesn't make ant sense and is detrimental for reseachers. After completion of their work, they have to find a translator to do their work and they cannot even be sure whether it will live up to their original work. It is sheer language chauvinism; if theses can be submitted in one particular language, they have to allow it in other languages too," added the scholar.
Even litterateur Mamoni Raisom Goswami was against the practice of submitting theses of classical languages in English. "We had submitted a memorandum in 2007 and 2008 and an academic council meeting was held, in which it was decided that a national seminar will be held, but till now no such initiative has been taken," said the head of a department.
However, Okhil Kumar Medhi, vice chancellor of Gauhati University said, "These rules have been in place for about twenty years. Theses are submitted in English so that everyone can read it and take cues from the theses. If we allow the theses to be submitted in the respective languages then we will also not be able to send it outside." | <urn:uuid:b747cfb7-1b3a-45bb-8d4f-6eed00b0293d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-15/guwahati/33215750_1_theses-language-english | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973286 | 480 | 1.53125 | 2 |
By Mariella Moon, Tecca
The island territory Tokelau of New Zealand might not have its own Star Wars coins like fellow island Niue, but it’s also getting a dose of global attention, although for an entirely different reason. The island’s leader, Foua Toloa, just announced a new energy policy that will power the island completely with sunlight and coconuts. And like many island nations, Tokelau has an abundance of both.
Right now, solar energy already powers a few houses and buildings on the three atolls of Tokelau. But most of the island nation still relies on fossil fuel, with each atoll needing up to 200 liters a day. Tokelau plans to transition to pure renewable energy by mid-2012. That entails installing approximately 200 square meters of solar cells on each atoll in order to meet its goal of relying on sunlight for 93% of its energy needs.
Tokelau plans to get the remaining 7% of its energy needs from coconut biofuel, which is reserved for use during overcast days. According to a feasibility study, 200 coconuts are needed to make the 20 to 30 liters of fuel each atoll requires — that number shouldn’t be a problem considering the island nation is rich on coconut trees. Gasoline and kerosene will still be allowed but only for minimal cooking and transportation needs.
Tokelau is a low-lying island under threat by increasing sea levels believed to be caused by climate change. The transition to renewable energy is brought about by the government’ desire to set an example when it comes to energy use. | <urn:uuid:880ed1e9-4bce-4840-9155-4576e827fce7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/09/island-to-get-its-energy-purely-from-coconuts-and-sunlight/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951172 | 338 | 2.96875 | 3 |
If you don't like my politics this might be a good post to avoid. If you scroll down past it, there are lots of cute baby pictures. But I just need to say this, and hey... it's my blog! I don't talk about politics a ton, but everyone once in a while I just can't help myself.
Our federal government also seems to have suddenly developed a right to come into your home and tell you whether or not its safe enough for you to live there. At least that's a worry I have after the release of this document, which talks about the potential cost burden of unhealthy living. Basically, from what I gather, the federal government has this new responsibility because household dangers make us sick and let's face it, with the government in charge of health care they have the right to come into our homes and make sure they're okay:
"“It is clear that unhealthy and unsafe housing has an impact on the health of millions of people in the United States, which is why we must do everything we can to ensure that individuals and families have a healthy place to call home,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Today’s announcement will help the federal government unify action to controlling and preventing major housing-related exposures and hazards.”" source
I'm all for people having access to safe housing. I'm less sure that expanding federal powers is the way to do this. I find myself worrying over how they'll tell us if our homes are safe. Are we going to be volunteering for these evaluations? Or are they mandatory because the document does seem to have quite a bit of "for our own good" poured into it. And since the government coffers aren't exactly overflowing at the moment, where is the money for this huge interagency project going to come from?
|Somehow I don't think our first home after we got married|
would have met government standards...
but it was home sweet home!
Oh I know, it will be the money they believe will be saved through lowered health care costs, after the fact, from the changes they've helped those of us who don't have money to pay for these changes ourselves, make. Which, logically, would mean more government expenditures, or the requirement of people who haven't been able to make these changes themselves on their own, to find a way to come up with the money.
Of course, if we're going to make people healthy for their own good, we're probably going to have to follow New York's lead and start telling everyone what they can and can't eat. After all food plays a major part in health too.
As you can tell, this expansion in government powers (and in what they view as their responsibility) has me worried this morning... | <urn:uuid:dfd2f085-a317-4f68-998c-4de53ba1ba5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.awomansplaceis.blogspot.com/2013/02/where-my-thoughts-on-politics-of-moment_14.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981349 | 570 | 1.59375 | 2 |
God's majesty in the heavens, The creation of the sea, and the dry land. (1-9) His provision for all creatures. (10-18) The regular course of day and night, and God's sovereign power over all the creatures. (19-30) A resolution to continue praising God. (31-35)
Verses 1-9 Every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord, who is great. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly shown by the things which he hath made. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. The Lord Jesus, the Son of his love, is the Light of the world.
Verses 10-18 When we reflect upon the provision made for all creatures, we should also notice the natural worship they render to God. Yet man, forgetful ungrateful man, enjoys the largest measure of his Creator's kindness. the earth, varying in different lands. Nor let us forget spiritual blessings; the fruitfulness of the church through grace, the bread of everlasting life, the cup of salvation, and the oil of gladness. Does God provide for the inferior creatures, and will he not be a refuge to his people?
Verses 19-30 We are to praise and magnify God for the constant succession of day and night. And see how those are like to the wild beasts, who wait for the twilight, and have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Does God listen to the language of mere nature, even in ravenous creatures, and shall he not much more interpret favourably the language of grace in his own people, though weak and broken groanings which cannot be uttered? There is the work of every day, which is to be done in its day, which man must apply to every morning, and which he must continue in till evening; it will be time enough to rest when the night comes, in which no man can work. The psalmist wonders at the works of God. The works of art, the more closely they are looked upon, the more rough they appear; the works of nature appear more fine and exact. They are all made in wisdom, for they all answer the end they were designed to serve. Every spring is an emblem of the resurrection, when a new world rises, as it were, out of the ruins of the old one. But man alone lives beyond death. When the Lord takes away his breath, his soul enters on another state, and his body will be raised, either to glory or to misery. May the Lord send forth his Spirit, and new-create our souls to holiness.
Verses 31-35 Man's glory is fading; God's glory is everlasting: creatures change, but with the Creator there is no variableness. And if mediation on the glories of creation be so sweet to the soul, what greater glory appears to the enlightened mind, when contemplating the great work of redemption! There alone can a sinner perceive ground of confidence and joy in God. While he with pleasure upholds all, governs all, and rejoices in all his works, let our souls, touched by his grace, meditate on and praise him.
Psalms 104:1-35 . The Psalmist celebrates God's glory in His works of creation and providence, teaching the dependence of all living creatures; and contrasting the happiness of those who praise Him with the awful end of the wicked.
1. God's essential glory, and also that displayed by His mighty works, afford ground for praise.
2. light--is a figurative representation of the glory of the invisible God ( Matthew 17:2 , 1 Timothy 6:16 ). Its use in this connection may refer to the first work of creation ( Genesis 1:3 ).
stretchest out the heavens--the visible heavens or sky which cover the earth as a curtain ( Isaiah 40:12 ).
3. in the waters--or, it may be "with"; using this fluid for the beams, or frames, of His residence accords with the figure of clouds for chariots, and wind as a means of conveyance.
walketh--or, "moveth" (compare Psalms 18:10 Psalms 18:11 , Amos 9:6 ).
4. This is quoted by Paul ( Hebrews 1:7 ) to denote the subordinate position of angels; that is, they are only messengers as other and material agencies.
flaming fire--( Psalms 105:32 ) being here so called.
5. The earth is firmly fixed by His power.
6-9. These verses rather describe the wonders of the flood than the creation ( Genesis 7:19 Genesis 7:20 , 2 Peter 3:5 2 Peter 3:6 ). God's method of arresting the flood and making its waters subside is poetically called a "rebuke" ( Psalms 76:6 , Isaiah 50:2 ), and the process of the flood's subsiding by undulations among the hills and valleys is vividly described.
10-13. Once destructive, these waters are subjected to the service of God's creatures. In rain and dew from His chambers (compare Psalms 104:3 ), and fountains and streams, they give drink to thirsting animals and fertilize the soil. Trees thus nourished supply homes to singing birds, and the earth teems with the productions of God's wise agencies,
14, 15. so that men and beasts are abundantly provided with food.
for the service--literally, "for the culture," &c., by which he secures the results.
oil . . . shine--literally, "makes his face to shine more than oil," that is, so cheers and invigorates him, that outwardly he appears better than if anointed.
strengtheneth . . . heart--gives vigor to man (compare Judges 19:5 ).
16-19. God's care of even wild animals and uncultivated parts of the earth.
20-23. He provides and adapts to man's wants the appointed times and seasons.
24-26. From a view of the earth thus full of God's blessings, the writer passes to the sea, which, in its immensity, and as a scene and means of man's activity in commerce, and the home of countless multitudes of creatures, also displays divine power and beneficence. The mention of
26. leviathan--( Job 40:20 ) heightens the estimate of the sea's greatness, and of His power who gives such a place for sport to one of His creatures.
27-30. The entire dependence of this immense family on God is set forth. With Him, to kill or make alive is equally easy. To hide His face is to withdraw favor ( Psalms 13:1 ). By His spirit, or breath, or mere word, He gives life. It is His constant providence which repairs the wastes of time and disease.
31-34. While God could equally glorify His power in destruction, that He does it in preservation is of His rich goodness and mercy, so that we may well spend our lives in grateful praise, honoring to Him, and delightful to pious hearts ( Psalms 147:1 ).
35. Those who refuse such a protector and withhold such a service mar the beauty of His works, and must perish from His presence.
Praise ye the Lord--The Psalm closes with an invocation of praise, the translation of a Hebrew phrase, which is used as an English word, "Hallelujah," and may have served the purpose of a chorus, as often in our psalmody, or to give fuller expression to the writer's emotions. It is peculiar to Psalms composed after the captivity, as "Selah" is to those of an earlier date. | <urn:uuid:3cbdb713-4c3d-43b9-b92d-f0e32a385cd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/104-19-compare.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947225 | 1,626 | 1.984375 | 2 |
SILVER-MIRRORING EDGE PATTERNS: DIFFUSION-REACTION MODELS FOR THE FORMATION OF SILVER MIRRORING ON SILVER GELATIN GLASS PLATES
GIOVANNA DI PIETRO, & FRANK LIGTERINK
2 PRESENT KNOWLEDGE OF SILVER MIRRORING
Since the first accounts of silver mirroring on bromide negatives and prints, the origin of this type of degradation was proposed to be connected with the reaction of atmospheric gases such as hydrogen sulfide with silver compounds in the emulsion (British Journal of Photography 1901). Deeper investigations into the nature of the gases and into the mechanism leading to silver mirroring were carried out in the 1960s (Henn and Wiest 1963). These studies were spurred by the discovery of red spots on negative microfilms correlated to the presence of silver mirroring. Peroxides or atmospheric oxygen in combination with hydrogen sulfide were indicated as gases responsible for silver mirroring. Later, in the 1980s, Hendriks (1989) collected their results, together with the model proposed by research studies at Fuji Laboratories (Torigoe et al. 1984) and the evidence provided by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of mirrored emulsions taken in his laboratory, and proposed a three-step mechanism for the formation of silver mirroring:
- oxidation of developed metallic silver grains by oxidizing gases and production of silver ions
- diffusion of silver ions away from the original grain
- reduction of the silver ions to small colloidal silver particles at the emulsion surface and formation of silver mirroring
Evidence for this model was provided by the experimental studies of Nielsen and Lavedrine (1993), who investigated with TEM cross sections of historical and artificially reproduced silver-mirrored emulsions. On a microscopic scale, silver mirroring consists of a layer of particles with dimensions on the order of a hundred nanometers (1 nm = 10-9 m) located at the top surface of the emulsion.
The three-step model proposed by Hendriks fails to explain the detailed mechanism of ion migration and reduction at the emulsion surface and therefore does not provide the possibility of predicting the rate of silver-mirroring formation. Nevertheless, it is widely accepted in the community of photographic conservation, and we believe the model to be substantially correct. | <urn:uuid:a32f33bf-fae3-443a-968d-3e05bbd608dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic41-02-002_2.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 | 0.934911 | 487 | 2.8125 | 3 |
August 09, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince Rupert, Museums
Find more information about Prince Rupert - Museums
View a larger image on flickr.com
While on a recent visit to Prince Rupert, I made my way to the Museum of Northern BC and had a look around. My first reaction to the place is - Cedar! As soon as you walk in the front doors of an old rustic building, which has been many things since it was first built, the first thing that you notice is an incredible cedar smell. The employees had said that they don't quite notice it anymore from working there so long, but for myself, I couldn't get over how incredible of a smell the wood creates.
Located right on the waterfront in downtown Prince Rupert, this museum is a sight not to miss. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit here and would recommend it to absolutely anyone and everyone, no matter if you are a regular museum type or not. When entering the museum, you experience not only the feeling of being in a First Nations Longhouse, but experience an incredible variety of First Nations history with specific focus on those inhabiting the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. While a large portion of the current collection on display is showing First Nations history, the museum also includes many great exhibits years and years of history covering the inhabitants of Prince Rupert and their history, the expansion of the region through the railway and river systems, but also current pieces and collections of art.
I have nothing but good things to say about the Museum of Northern BC and could easily tell people about so many great positives to visiting the museum for quite some time. Please visit the Museum of Northern BC when you visit Prince Rupert because you will surely not be disappointed; unless of course you don't visit the museum and then you will be disappointed that you missed out. | <urn:uuid:6adaf5d1-5c8f-4250-80d4-4cdf955eb5c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hellobc.com/british-columbia/blog/august-2011.aspx?LOCID=482&CATID=53&BLGCATID=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970504 | 372 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Earlier this year, the European Commission announced a comprehensive review of the EU’s 1995 data protection rules to strengthen online privacy rights in a bid to boost Europe’s digital economy. Whether this goal will be achieved remains to be seen but, regardless of what it eventually decrees, increased privacy rights will be a given. While we wait to find out what the actual changes will be, organizations must act now to stay ahead of the game.
As you’d expect, the EU’s 1995 data protection rules govern how personal data is collected, what it is used for and dictates that organizations have an obligation to protect it from misuse.
The key changes to the reform that will make organizations sit up and take notice are:
- Serious data breaches will have to be notified as soon as possible (if feasible within 24 hours)
- Penalties will be increased. For example, in the UK at present, the ICO can penalize organizations up to £500K. Under the revised legislation this would increase to €1 million or up to 2% of the global annual turnover of a company
The need for Change
The rulings date back to 1995 when the internet was virtually unheard of by many. While this technological advancement has revolutionized the way many businesses operate – in fact some wouldn’t even exist without it, it has also introduced a number of challenges.
For instance an organization’s perimeter is no longer restricted to physical or even geographical boundaries. While good for trade in allowing practically any business to operate internationally, it can also allow hackers in to, and facilitate the easy transfer of corporate data out of, the safe confines of the network.
Unlike the physically connected desktops of 1995, , today data can be transmitted wirelessly between a myriad of devices – Laptops, Smartphones, Tablets, USB sticks and the list goes on. The challenge for organizations is to prevent this multitude of endpoints facilitating data seepage.
Unfortunately, short of locking data away and never allowing anyone to access it, there is no one thing that can be done to minimize the risk of data breaches. Equally true, doing nothing is unacceptable and leaves the enterprise exposed to risk.
Organizations need to mesh together appropriate procedures and policies to wrap the network in a security blanket that controls how data is accessed and what can be done with it.
The use of domains introduces control for specified groups of users and/or servers through a central security database. Once authenticated to a central server (or domain controller) users’ access to specific services, applications and directories can be restricted according to their job function or security clearance.
Taking this further, introducing GPO (Group Policy Object) organizations can define what a system will look like and how it will behave for specific user groups. For example, you can define registry-based policies, security options, software installation and maintenance options, and even folder redirection. In this way, GPO can be used to deploy anti-virus solutions, making sure every workstation in a certain domain is running the program and ensuring each is regularly updated and patched.
A typical barrier organizations encounter, especially when locking down workstations, is an increase in calls to the help desk from users trying to do something that they’re not ‘authorized’ to do. Depending on the controls introduced, this could be accessing a particular directory, installing a printer driver, or even allowing a piece of software to run. In an effort to circumvent this, UAC (User Access Control) was introduced, and is arguably still one of the most controversial technologies.
UAC allows users with local admin rights to authorize applications to run – more often than not with the user unaware of the security implications this can have. On the other hand, if the user is not given admin rights, he is prompted by UAC and has to call the help desk every time he wishes to run an application. In an effort to limit these prompts, a UAC slider was introduced in Windows 7 which effectively allowed users with admin rights to turn off UAC – leaving organizations vulnerable to the devastation that can go on in the background undetected.
A defense-in-depth approach is another practice few employ but is exceptionally effective when it comes to increasing security and ultimately data protection by removing means of attack. It refers to installing a layered security approach – such as anti-virus software, anti-spyware protection, combined with routine patching and maintenance of existing solutions plus disabling applications and software that isn’t needed.
Application whitelisting is an effective way to ensure only applications that you want to run within your environment are allowed to do so. Similar to a security guard, if the name’s not down it’s not coming in.
The threat from within
While each of the practices listed above will ensure a good strong enterprise, the one vulnerability that can’t be prohibited is the users. All too often it is the humans that introduce vulnerabilities.
We touched on this briefly when looking at UAC, but it is the routine practice of allowing users admin rights that can destroy an organizations security position. For example, once logged in as an administrator and with a little technical knowledge, a user can override controls, ignore patch requests or even switch off applications – such as anti-spyware protection, install unlicensed programs, access restricted directories, change settings, etc.
Key risks include the following:
- A user with excessive privileges can either deliberately or accidentally cause system configuration problems, resulting in downtime and increased desktop support.
- Many malware writers have designed programs to actively seek admin accounts. As an administrator has full control over the system, so too will the malicious software as it will not need to find a security flaw to gain privileged access to the system. Malware can use this privileged status to install drivers, intercept logon passwords, create user accounts, install root kits, replace system files and disable security software. In fact many viruses fail to infect a computer where a user has standard rights, and there is strong evidence that running users with minimal rights greatly reduces the risk of virus infection.
- Users with administrator rights are also free to install programs, which leads to unlicensed software installed on corporate systems and system stability problems.
A least privilege, and therefore least risk, strategy covers all other security measures like an umbrella, strengthening overall security even further. As we await the finer details of the reform one thing is a given – the more an organization does to secure their data and comply with legislation, the less likely they are to fall victim and the lower the fine if they do suffer a breach.
Paul Kenyon, COO of Avecto, www.avecto.com
No related posts. | <urn:uuid:6e0d7037-f701-4cdb-9856-dbc3468c7c2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techbubbles.co.uk/blog/get-ahead-of-the-eu-privacy-legislation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92459 | 1,380 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Importance of Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking is an online method of storing, organizing, sharing and searching bookmarks of selected web pages. A bookmarking site allows members to save links they have an interest in, as well as sharing them with others web users. It is a method to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks on the web with the help of metadatas. It is actually the process of saving bookmarks to a public website and tagging them with "keywords" for sharing with others. Let us help you to setup your social bookmarking campaign.
Apart from providing SEO benefits, social book marking can be a very good marketing tool in itself. Viral marketing campaigns can be very successful using these kinds of web services since the ranking of the bookmarked links depends on the ratings by the users. SEO firms tend to count on the well known users in order to get their assertions for the web pages/services included in book marking sites. Sometimes, this might pose some risk if the service/product receives negative reviews from the authoritative users. Moreover, there is a risk of getting branded as a spammer if the users find the submitted links to be irrelevant. All this makes optimization a tricky business!
The benefits of social bookmarking are:
Instant Indexing – You will be indexed by various Search Engines within hours of getting your site bookmarked on various sites.
Natural links – If you have a really intriguing website or blog, then chances are that others will want to include a link to your site from their own site. So this will ensure plenty of one way links that have been obtained naturally.
Social Network Exposure – If your blog or site has been mentioned on various social networks by thousands of users in their profiles, then the search engines will give your blog/ site more importance while ranking it.
What you should do to be on top:
- Write interesting and useful content on your webpages.
- Use attractive, funny, interesting pictures in your blog.
- Bookmark other people's site and invite them to do the same for you.
- Have a big network of friends on these sites and request them to bookmark your pages while you do the same for them.
Just like keywords tags and the links they are attached to are indexed simultaneously by search engines. As a result, content supplied by you adds the links with the appended keywords. Thus, along with getting links from websites with heavy traffic frequency, you also get links from websites that are relevant. Once you start getting links from big book marking websites, your website will automatically get indexed by the web spiders of all major search engines.
In spite of some risks, the importance and benefits of online marketing through social book marking has proven to be phenomenal over the years. | <urn:uuid:904259cc-c342-4008-a9e3-3cc0347041e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.skyinternet.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60:joomla-facts&catid=38:search-engine-optimisation&Itemid=37 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94531 | 567 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Black Panther Terrorist May Finally Be Extradited
Time is apparently running out for a Black Panther terrorist and fugitive who shot Chicago police officer, Terrence Knox and partially paralyzed him for life. Parnell may yet be returned to face justice in a Cook County Criminal courtroom.
The fugitive, Joseph Parnell was also a wanted deserter from the Army when he shot Officer Knox during a routine street stop in 1969. After his arrest Pannell posted bail and fled to Canada where he stayed underground until his arrest in 2004.
Pannel has been in a Canadian jail fighting his return to Chicago and a well earned stretch in an Illinois penitentiary.
Many readers here know that I’m somewhat benevolent about people located and arrested decades after their crimes. What makes this case different is that the Black Panthers were created and dedicated for the mission of killing White cops.
I can’t wait to see his old Black Panther pal, now Chicago Congressman Bobby Rush working for Pannel’s freedom.
Read about it in the Chicago Sun Times | <urn:uuid:2626b138-f757-473f-8446-5139d2744971> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crimefilenews.com/2006/11/black-panther-terrorist-may-finally-be.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972129 | 224 | 1.6875 | 2 |
UW Health endocrine surgeons in Madison, Wisconsin specialize in treating conditions of the parathyroid.
Parathyroid surgery has traditionally been performed using a bilateral neck exploration.
This technique has been proven over time to be very safe and effective when performed by an experienced surgeon.
This operation involves identifying all four parathyroid glands but removing only those that are abnormal.
Since 80-85 percent of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism have only one gland that is abnormal, many surgeons have shifted to doing a more limited or focused exploration in patients thought to have a high likelihood of having a single abnormal gland.
This more focused approach, which is performed in more than 80 percent of our patients at UW Health, is often referred to as a "minimally invasive parathyroidectomy," or MIP.
Types of Parathyroid Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy
- Intraoperative PTH testing
- Radioguided Parathyroidectomy
- Bilateral Exploration
Parathyroid Cancer and Cryopreservation
Most enlarged parathyroid glands are benign (non-cancerous) growths. In less than 1 percent of cases the abnormal parathyroid gland is actually a cancer. While occasionally a biopsy may be performed in the operating room to confirm the presence of cancer, this is rarely done. In most cases, the diagnosis of cancer is based on the outside appearance of the tumor, not its microscopic findings. When parathyroid tissue is removed during surgery it is usually sent to the pathologist for a diagnosis.
Occasionally your surgeon may decide to cryopreserve your parathyroid glands instead of sending them to the pathologist for a diagnosis. Cryopreservation involves freezing the tissue in liquid nitrogen. These cryopreserved glands can then be defrosted in the future and autotransplanted if needed. | <urn:uuid:13a88e91-6fe3-423b-9e63-a4708078bb56> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwhealth.org/endocrine-surgery/parathyroid-surgery/25427 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940287 | 387 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Older Women Don't Need Mammograms Every Year
For older women, having a mammogram every two years to look for breast cancer is as beneficial as getting screened annually, reports a new study.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that screening women between the ages of 66 and 74 every other year instead of every year does not increase the likelihood that the women will be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer.
What's more, biennial mammography screening leads to fewer false-positive results in these women. The researchers found that 48 percent of women between the ages 66 and 74 who underwent annual mammograms had false-positive results. Just 29 percent of women in that age group who were screened every two years had such results.
A false-positive result occurs when the radiologist detects a suspicious lesion in the breast that isn’t malignant. But follow-up testing, such as ultrasound or a biopsy, must be done to rule out cancer.
Having other illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease did not affect the ratio of benefit to harm in screening older women, according to the researchers.
For this study, scientists analyzed screening data for 2,993 women between the ages of 66 and 89 who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and 137,949 women in the same age group who didn't have breast cancer.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women ages 50 to 74 get a mammogram every two years, noting that "the current evidence is insufficient to assess the additional benefits and harms of screening mammography in women 75 years or older." The American Cancer Society recommends that women 40 and older have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 and continuing as long as they are in good health.
The study "fills an important information gap, since accountable care organizations do not address screening intervals or screening cessation in women of advanced age or with a significant burden of illness," study co-author Dejana Braithwaite, Ph.D., said in a statement.
Older women who have mammograms every two years can now breathe a little easier. "They get no added benefit from annual screening, and face almost twice the false-positives and biopsy recommendations, which may cause anxiety and inconvenience," senior study author Karla Kerlikowske, M.D., said in a statement.
The study appears online Feb. 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Pass it on: Getting a mammogram every two years is fine for older women.
MORE FROM LiveScience.com | <urn:uuid:74a19ac5-4be1-4c8e-9357-c1753516c77b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.livescience.com/26880-mammograms-every-two-years-is-fine-for-older-women.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953938 | 525 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Observe4success, a leading provider of easy-to-use, classroom observation and walkthrough software is pleased to announce the adoption and implementation of its newest platform in Petersburg City Schools. Dr. Robert Thomason, Superintendent of Petersburg City School District in Petersburg, Alaska believes that complexity is not the answer when it comes to classroom observations and walkthroughs. They have always believed that simple is best, but finding a simple tool that allows for robust and comprehensive data collection is not as easy as it sounds. That was until they found observe4success.
Petersburg City Schools began with a 4-month pilot of the observe4success software and moved to implement it district wide for the 2012-2013 school year. “observe4success is not a complex program” says Dr. Thomason “in fact, some may call it a simplistic vehicle; a statement with which we have always humbly disagreed.” After reading a number of recent articles disputing the necessity of cumbersome, complex evaluations and observations and offering immense support for simplifying the process, Dr. Thomason is confident that Petersburg City School District is on the right track. “This really feels like validation of the path we are taking and we believe that our use of observe4success is central to not only the data collection process but also our success in utilizing the data to more effectively help our teachers.”
Considered one of the best classroom walkthrough software packages available today, observe4success melds the benefits of technology, research-based content, fully customizable observation forms, and graphic reports. This offers educators and administrators the clearest means of supporting and improving the teaching process.
Abby Sterensis, Vice President at observe4success remarks,“ We are thrilled to have such a forward thinking district expand upon its initial pilot to full district wide implementation of observe4success’ system.” She continues, “During our many conversations, it was clear that Dr. Thomason’s team puts a high priority on supporting their faculty and students. Observe4success is very excited to be a part of their vision of what the future holds for their schools!” Dr. Thomason credits observe4success for a change in the quality and frequency of classroom observation data collected. “The simplicity of the system means that principals can be in the classroom more often. We are finally collecting data that is meaningful to both our district and our teachers!”
Developed by educators for educators, observe4success started as a grassroots effort to capture and systemically report the essence of classroom culture and instructional practice so that administrators and peer observers could easily grasp classroom characteristics. With observation data collected, stored, and sorted, administrators and teacher work together to identify strengths to be highlighted and weaknesses to support. Current research encourages continuous improvement to support instructional practices while implementing exemplary teaching practices, observe4success offers the tools to make these efforts seamless.
To learn more or to schedule a demonstration please visit: http://www.observe4success.com
observe4success is the best classroom walkthrough software on the market today and truly is a collaborative tool for administrators and teachers in the 21st century.
observe4success is a practical, real-world, simple, web-based tool that educators can use to observe, encourage, enhance, and sustain effective instructional practice and classroom cultures in school communities. observe4success uniquely combines the newest technology, content that is easily understood (and now completely customizable!), and meaningful graphic reports to support and assist teachers as both administrators and teachers study and improve the craft of teaching. | <urn:uuid:76fdb95f-77e2-4f4b-8843-da2d246588db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.districtadministration.com/news/complex-observation-out-ak-district-opts-simple-robust-solution | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939167 | 741 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Motorola suffered a setback in Germany this morning, after a Mannheim Regional Court struck down one of the company's several patent lawsuits against Apple. The patent in question, EP1053613, is considered essential to the 3G/UMTS wireless standard and, more specifically, pertains to a "method and system for generating a complex pseudonoise sequence for processing a code division multiple access [CDMA] signal." Motorola Mobility had argued that Apple's products infringed upon this patent, but Judge Andreas Voss today dismissed these claims, on the basis that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate Cupertino's violation. It's undoubtedly a welcomed victory for Apple, which had been suffering through something of a losing streak against Motorola, but their ongoing tug-of-war is far from over. Neither Motorola nor Apple have commented on the decision. | <urn:uuid:476632e4-0022-4c6d-b5df-7954fe2e91da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/10/apple-motorola-germany-patent-lawsuit/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949127 | 169 | 1.507813 | 2 |
We filled a glass with water and added a lot of liquid food coloring. We put the celery in the glass and waited over night.
By the next morning, we had evidence that the colored water had moved all the way to the top of the celery stalk through osmosis. The leaves were splotched with blue.
When we cut a cross-section, the main channels were also distinctly blue.
It was even more dramatic to pull the celery apart and see those same channels along their length.
We also noted that the celery was much stiffer, and crisper, and could hold its shape better. I explained that this was why we had a high-humidity drawer in the refrigerator, why the supermarket uses misters in the produce area, why there is water in pre-cut vegetable packages, and why I sometimes soak my older lettuce in water before making a salad.
There's an explanation here: http://www.biologycorner.com/bio1/diffusion.html
-- Post From My iPhone | <urn:uuid:54dd55fe-314a-4f38-bf59-f340bacbcf44> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kimsplayplace.blogspot.jp/2010/04/super-simple-science-biology-and.html | 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 | 0.986356 | 216 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Getting help with Linux
Since Linux is an independent happening - no company or sole entity owns what is essentially a continually growing resource, free for all humanity - this tangle of information can be confusing. But don't fret and don't be discouraged. First, understand that no matter what your skill level, you're not alone. And remember, help is always available. In fact, one of the strengths of the free software movement is that you don't have to wait on a tech support line, or rely on anyone business (and local business hours) for help - individuals and companies all over the world can provide all levels of support.
There are four basic routes to getting help with Linux; the one you choose for any particular problem will depend on what that problem is. These routes, almost always, overlap, and eventually you'll probably have dealt with all four in varying degrees. They are:
* Books and media
* Regional user groups
If you already have a computer you want to run Linux on, and you're ready to begin fiddling with the hardware settings, then this is a good place to begin. Books are also the best desktop reference to keep handy when you need quick information (and you can take them along when you're away from a computer). For beginners, a good book is quite a deal because it often comes bundled with a Linux CD-ROM.
Note, however, that like any other popular subject, the mileage of any given Linux book will vary. They range from excellent ones of which a shopworn copy is an absolute must for every Linux guru's lair, to those that contain inaccuracies and typos. This same warning also applies to the many Linux CD-ROMs available. | <urn:uuid:5fb5b61b-441e-419d-b192-cd221902839c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freeos.com/articles/4348 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957368 | 348 | 2.15625 | 2 |
News tagged with therapy
Discovery of circadian clock in mice hair reveals period of time when damage from radiotherapy can be quickly repaired
Discovering that mouse hair has a circadian clock - a 24-hour cycle of growth followed by restorative repair - researchers suspect that hair loss in humans from toxic cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy ...
Medical research May 20, 2013 | 5 / 5 (2) | 1 |
For the first time, physicists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), biologists and physicians demonstrated the synergistic effect of cold atmospheric plasma - a partly ionized ...
Cancer 5 hours ago | 5 / 5 (2) | 0 |
(HealthDay)—Injections of a sugar solution appear to help relieve knee pain and stiffness related to osteoarthritis, a new study suggests.
Arthritis & Rheumatism May 21, 2013 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 0 |
(Medical Xpress)—An aspirin a day may not always keep heart disease away, say two University of Florida cardiologists. But a new algorithm they have developed outlines factors physicians should weigh as ...
Medications May 16, 2013 | 3.5 / 5 (2) | 0 |
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a promising target for treating glioblastoma, one that appears to avoid many of the obstacles that typically frustrate efforts ...
Cancer 6 hours ago | 3.5 / 5 (2) | 0 |
Scientists from Flinders University are trying to develop a new treatment for a highly aggressive, asbestos-related lung cancer that is set to become more prevalent in the future.
Cancer May 16, 2013 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
(Medical Xpress)—In a recent subgroup analysis of the largest blood pressure treatment trial in history, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers found that women and men react the same to ...
Cardiology May 21, 2013 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
Italian lawmakers on Wednesday gave their final approval to a law that allows limited use of a controversial type of stem cell therapy which has been condemned by many scientists but has given hope to families of terminally-ill ...
Medical research May 22, 2013 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1
A Japanese cancer specialist said Wednesday she has started the world's first clinical trial of a powerful, non-surgical, short-term radiation therapy for breast cancer.
Cancer May 22, 2013 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
New research shows that craving drugs such as nicotine can be visualized in specific regions of the brain that are implicated in determining the value of actions, in planning actions and in motivation. Dr. Alain Dagher, from ...
Neuroscience May 22, 2013 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
Therapy (in Greek: θεραπεία), or treatment, is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a diagnosis. In the medical field, it is synonymous with the word "treatment".
For more information about Therapy, read the full article at
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. | <urn:uuid:601ec9f4-e7f8-43d2-af95-2de1a1f474bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://medicalxpress.com/tags/therapy/sort/popular/1w/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929578 | 675 | 1.601563 | 2 |