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Japan’s 78-year-old Emperor Akihito underwent successful heart bypass surgery yesterday at the University of Tokyo Hospital. The procedure, which lasted less than six hours, was not an emergency; the Emperor’s team of doctors decided the angina patient should have the coronary artery bypass now to enjoy a better quality of life as he gets older.
The revered ceremonial head of state has not been in good health for nearly a decade. In 2003 he had surgery for prostate cancer, and in 2008 he suffered stress-related health problems. In 2009 the Imperial Household Agency said it would relax his duties, but in November 2011, he entered the hospital for fever and bronchitis for several weeks.
Emperor Akihito’s ongoing health problems have raised questions about succession law in the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world. Currently, Japan’s Imperial House Law states that a new Emperor will only take the throne when his father dies. Women are ineligible and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon: in 2005, when former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi raised the idea that birth order, not gender, be the determining factor for succession, his own Liberal Democratic Party heartily objected and the idea was shelved.
That leaves the small imperial family with a serious shortage of male heirs. After Crown Prince Naruhito, 51, and Prince Akishino, 46, 5-year-old Hisahito, Prince Akishino’s son, is the only male currently in the family who will be eligible to take over the throne for the next generation. “By the time [Hisahito] assumes the throne, he will be the imperial family,” Colin Jones, a law professor at Doshisha University, told Bloomberg.
In November talks began between the government and the Imperial Household Agency on whether princesses who marry commoners should be allowed to keep their status, thus increasing the number of children who are eligible for the Chrysanthemum Throne. The same month, after Emperor Akihito left the hospital, Prince Akishino called for a national conversation about whether the succession law should be changed to allow his father to retire before death and enjoy his old age free of official duty.
Emperor Akihito is held in high regard in Japan, having brought a more down-to-earth touch to a monarchy in which the Emperor had been thought of as a living god. After last year’s 9.0 earthquake and tsunami, Emperor Akihito made an unprecedented televised speech expressing his concern. He and his wife Empress Michiko visited temporary shelters on the devastated coast in April and opened the hot springs at one of their villas to disaster victims. | <urn:uuid:88fe8a05-e886-4893-b29b-d2787a1f0339> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://world.time.com/2012/02/19/emperor-akihitos-heart-surgery-a-success-but-concerns-for-monarchy-linger/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968274 | 556 | 2.03125 | 2 |
National symposium: Sons of Utah Pioneers
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Speaking from the perspective of a fairly new member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, "I suppose anybody receiving this calling would wonder why."
Elder Christofferson was the keynote speaker for the annual Pioneer Symposium of the National Society of the Sons of Utah Pioneers held May 7, in Salt Lake City.
"I've said as I go around the Church I see many who in my estimation are equally or far better qualified," he said. "And so I say, 'Why?' And I haven't received a full answer yet, but that hasn't stopped me, and I hope it doesn't stop you, that in whatever calling or assignment or opportunity comes to you, unanticipated perhaps, you would go forward in the meantime, not waiting until you have an answer."
But he told his audience, members of a legacy organization honoring the Mormon Pioneers who settled Utah from 1847 on, that much of the reason for his call to the apostleship "may be the Lord honoring some of my ancestors who have gone before for being so faithful."
"I stand here representing them, in a way," he said. He expressed hope that his listeners would be honored by their descendants for their own faithfulness, just as they honor their ancestors by what they do.
"Our overall desire, of course, is to honor our Heavenly Father and to magnify Him in whatever we do."
Elder Christofferson said he had been asked to address the question of what challenges are confronting the leaders of the Church.
"One of them ties into the theme of this seminar," he said, referring to the topic of Brigham Young and the pioneers leaving Nauvoo, Ill., in 1846-47 in search of religious freedom.
"The threats to religious freedom are among the things that concern us at this present time," Elder Christofferson said. Noting that the Church has enjoyed a season, at least in North America, of acceptance of religious expression and activity, such acceptance is beginning to recede, he said.
"We see it, around the world," Elder Christofferson said. "We're a worldwide church; we're not concerned only with what the situation might be in the United States, but of course in every country. But even here, there's a diminished stature for the First Amendment, for the freedom of religion."
Since the 1970s or so, the exalted status given to freedom of religion has been eroded by court decisions, said Elder Christofferson, whose professional background is in the law. "It used to have a very highly protected status in the law in this country; it no longer does," he said, explaining that freedom of religion now must compete with lesser rights, such as employment anti-discrimination rules.
"We see it elsewhere," he said. "We narrowly avoided in the United Kingdom just last year legislation that would have made it illegal to discriminate on religious standards for any kind of employment, including in our temples. We could not have made the temple recommend a prerequisite for someone to work in the temple, if you can imagine."
In U.S. government some are beginning to use the phrase "freedom of worship" instead of "freedom of religion," Elder Christofferson said.
"Freedom of worship is a much smaller concept," he explained, saying it pertains to religious rites and ceremonies. "Religious freedom is so much broader than that. As you know this freedom is not simply worship, but the practice of religion in all of its aspects: to organize, to meet, to proselytize, the freedom of people to change their religion if they choose, all of those rights are increasingly under attack.
"And just the ability to speak, to have a part in the national debate on issues is under tremendous pressure by movements from groups who say any religiously based opinion or position is not legitimate, cannot be heard, cannot be received or considered in the public square."
Nevertheless, Latter-day Saints ought to live with faith rather than fear, Elder Christofferson said, quoting the words of Brigham Young.
"The Lord has sent us to be strong, to honor Him, to do His work and to call upon Him," he said. "And I guess if there's any one thing that I have learned in these last three years serving in the Quorum of the Twelve, it is that He indeed does His work."
It is a privilege, Elder Christofferson said, to be allowed by the Lord to assist in that work. In doing so, "our faith can be unbounded, and we really don't need to fear," he said.
Calling President Young "the quintessential man of action and faith," Elder Christofferson said that as long as he knew what he was trying to accomplish was the will of God, "he had implicit faith that it would succeed, even if he couldn't see how it was going to come out, didn't have all of the resources to make it happen yet."
One element of President Young's faith was that God will do only what men and women cannot do for themselves, Elder Christofferson noted.
He quoted this statement from President Young: "My faith does not lead me to think that the Lord will provide us with roast pigs and bread already buttered, etc.; He will give us the ability to raise the grain, to obtain the fruits of the earth, to make habitations, to procure a few boards to make a box, and when harvest comes giving us the grain; it is for us to preserve it" (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 291).
Elder Christofferson noted that President Young said the root of his faith was not in miracles or blessings provided but in "the Lord Jesus Christ and my knowledge I have received from Him" (see Journal of Discourses 3:155).
"I believe that's something required of all of us," Elder Christofferson said. "For our faith to truly be rooted and lasting, it has to be in Him, and it has to come from our knowledge of Him, more than observations or even experience." | <urn:uuid:915ac4f5-1a2c-44b6-8622-42faf6a8aad8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/60905/National-symposium-Sons-of-Utah-Pioneers.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981408 | 1,302 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Updated 19 May, 2013, 5:16 pm IST
The Gmail effect: Mozilla backs off Thunderbird development
| by Rossi Fernandes |
Although Mozilla is most prominently known as the developer of Firefox - one of the world’s most popular and widely-used browsers - the company has also worked on another product: Thunderbird, an e-mail client with a bundle of other features. It’s an open-source product available for a number of platforms such as Windows, Linux and Mac OSX. The product has been under development since 2003, but according to a blog post by Mitchell Baker, the Chair of the Mozilla Foundation, Mozilla might be easing off on Thunderbird's development. The focus on Thunderbird seems to be more about stability and less on innovation from here on. Mozilla plans to give out security updates for the process using an Extended Support Release, which is basically for organizations that use Thunderbird as an e-mail client on their PCs.
Now left to the Thunderbird community
Thunderbird's development would left to the community, the blog says, and welcomes developers who would be part of the movement. Mozilla has tried to push Thunderbird as a product of the future by trying to innovate, but has not met any significant success. Thunderbird was started off a project when developers working on Firefox were also working on Thunderbird, but now those developers would be moving back to the main Mozilla group. The announcement has resulted in all kinds of feedback. Some agreed that the move was a good strategy by Mozilla to focus their efforts on more lucrative and high priority areas, while others said they preferred desktop e-mail clients to web-based ones and that this was a big mistake by Mozilla.
Mozilla also has a separate project called Seamonkey that is a complete suite of a web browser, e-mail and messaging client bundled with an HTML editor. If Mozilla has decided to turn down the development on Thunderbird a notch, it could also do the same with Seamonkey, which is even less popular and has a lower number of users than Thunderbird.
Mozilla has a lot going on of late; Firefox and Thunderbird were recently switched to rapid release cycles, where quick updates are sent across to clients every month or so. Mozilla has been releasing updates in quick succession, which means that only a few but distinct changes are made. The latest stable versions of both products is version 13.
The shift in resources and priority is likely to be due to Firefox OS, a mobile operating system that’s slated to arrive on devices sometime in 2013. Mozilla had been working on the "Boot to Gecko" project, which is basically a mobile operating system that is based on the web and HTML5. Mozilla recently announced that the mobile operating system would be a part of the Firefox brand and will be titled Firefox OS.
Tags: Mozilla Thunderbird , Mozilla , thunderbird future , thunderbird features , thunderbird features calendar , mozilla thunderbird download , mozilla thunderbird development , mozilla thunderbird extension development
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By Francis D'sa
Sun May 19, 23:54:10
Sun May 19, 21:37:54
Nidhish FalcOn Dave
Sun May 19, 21:36:30 | <urn:uuid:9947f716-87a3-4fec-a3ad-9b7e56be550d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tech2.in.com/news/software/the-gmail-effect-mozilla-backs-off-thunderbird-development/323012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948824 | 751 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The IRS offers this page to assist unemployed taxpayers.
This is information from the IRS on two new tax benefits available to employers hiring workers who were previously employed or only working part-time.
“The 2010 Census is the 23rd headcount of the population in our nation’s history. To highlight the grand tradition of the decennial census, we [U. S. Census Bureau] present a profile of each census starting with the first one in 1790.”–From the Website.
“Search the NCDC Storm Event database to find various types of storms recorded in your county or use other selection criteria as desired”–From the Web site.
Thanks to Kay Due in Administration for telling about this website from the American Public Health Association (APHA.)
The following information is from the site:
“When it’s time to change your clocks because of daylight saving time, remember to check your preparedness kit to make sure your emergency stockpile isn’t missing any items and that the food hasn’t expired. APHA’s Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks campaign is reminding people to refresh their emergency supplies before a disaster occurs.”
The University of Arizona Center For Creative Photography offers this collection of 2665 items relating to Ansel Adams, which include many of his photographs, correspondence, memorabilia, interviews, and more.
USA Today offers these salaries databases for NFL football player, MLB baseball players, NBA basketball players, and NHL hockey players.
“The collections described in this Directory database provide research, reference, and interlibrary loan services to scholars interested in the history of the health sciences. Some of the subjects include: dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, military medicine, and pharmacy. While the Directory is by no means exhaustive, it serves to draw attention to the depth and variety of history of medicine collections available to researchers.”–From the Web site. | <urn:uuid:521f1b19-ba9d-4522-a02b-1a2f6420a6d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mplic.wordpress.com/2010/03/ | 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 | 0.934123 | 402 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Chicory Root and Powder Profile
Also known as
Cichorium intybus, Blue Sailors, Common Chicory, Wild Chicory, Succory, and Wild Succory.
Chicory is a larger relative of the dandelion. Its large taproot has been used as a coffee substitute for generations, especially when coffee was unavailable. Chicory's leaves are used in salads and spring tonics in the same way as dandelion greens. It has been cultivated along the Nile in Egypt for thousands of years. Charlemagne listed it as one of the herbs he required be grown in his garden. It was brought to North America from Europe in the 18th century, and is now established quite well here. Chicory can also be eaten as a food, and consumes as a beverage making it the number one coffee substitute. It is high in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, and has the highest concentration of inulin of any other plant that contains inulin.
Up to one-third inulin (not to be confused with insulin)
Root and leaves, dried. The root is usually granulated and roasted for a near precise coffee like flavor.
Teas, and heated beverages. Rarely used in capsule form.
Chicory contains a special class of carbohydrates known as fructans; a group containing inulin (not to be confused with insulin) and oligofructoses.
Avoid excessive consumption if you have gallstones.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. | <urn:uuid:f2dc2369-b9d2-45d6-871a-e6b165787c79> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/chicory_root.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944887 | 320 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Here is one of my favorite rhyming activities:
All the students get into a circle. I throw the leaves (or snowballs) into the air. The students each get to pick up one leaf and try to find their rhyming partner. Then they lock arms together until everyone has found a partner that rhymes.
You can do this activity with letters, numbers, shapes, sight words, etc. THEY LOVE IT!
Please comment your favorite rhyming activity! | <urn:uuid:c41c792e-8944-4a87-874a-754da42f84c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mrsosterman.blogspot.com/2011/10/falling-for-rhyming-activities.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947747 | 96 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Your child has a runny nose, a cough, a sore throat, and a fever, so you go to the pediatrician. The doctor knows a virus caused this infection, which will just run its course. You're worried, so you push the doctor to give your child an antibiotic. The doctor gives in.
Who's wrong? Both you and the doctor, experts say. Children have the highest rates of antibiotic use and they also have the highest rate of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens, but antibiotics are not necessary for the majority of infections seen in the pediatrician's office. Parent pressure can influence a doctor's decision about using antibiotics. Doctors prescribe antibiotics much more often for children if they think parents expect them, but less often if they feel parents do not expect them.
Overuse of an antibiotic can help breed strains of bacteria that the drug won't kill. This antibiotic resistance can make a powerful drug useless. If your child becomes ill with bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic prescribed, it's likely the illness will last longer than it should. You may end up having to get a different prescription to fight the illness. More serious infections might lead to a stay in the hospital to combat the illness. Some infections may be fatal. Also, your child may pass on resistant bacteria to other family members and friends, spreading the problem.
When an illness does require antibiotic treatment, it's important that your child take the medication exactly as prescribed by your pediatrician. Don't stop having your child take the medication because he or she starts to feel better. Just as overuse of antibiotics leads to resistant bacteria, so does using only a partial dose. Each time antibiotics are taken, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant ones may be left to grow and multiply, according to the CDC.
Most infections are viral
Most of the infections pediatricians see in the office are viral. Viruses cause colds, for instance, and symptoms can last five to 10 days.
Antibiotics also can cause various side effects, such as stomach upset, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.
So how do you know when your child needs an antibiotic? Leave that to the doctor, but don't bite your tongue—ask if it's needed, and if not, why? If you have questions or you're not sure, call the pediatrician or make an appointment.
Your child's doctor uses a physical examination and evaluation of symptoms to determine whether to prescribe an antibiotic. For an illness such as sore throat, the doctor can take a throat culture to see if strep bacteria are present and then treat appropriately. If the doctor suspects that an infection is caused by bacteria, he or she may prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic that can fight a range of bacteria.
Which illnesses need antibiotics?
The CDC offers this list of common illnesses and whether they can be treated with antibiotics:
Ear infections. These come in several types. Many ear infections need antibiotics, but some do not.
Sinus infections. Most children with thick or green mucus do not have a sinus infection, but they may have a secondary infection of the nasal passages. For long-lasting or severe cases, antibiotics may be needed.
Cough or bronchitis. Children rarely need antibiotics for bronchitis.
Sore throat. Most sore throats are caused by viruses. Strep throat is the only common throat infection that requires antibiotics. This illness must be diagnosed by a laboratory test.
Colds. Colds are caused by viruses and sometimes may last for two or more weeks. Antibiotics have no effect on colds. It is normal for mucus to thicken and change color during the course of a cold. This change does not mean the child has a bacterial infection. | <urn:uuid:ae68a613-fa60-47b9-9f7b-16414f78d8a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lehighregional.com/health-education/1,2165 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94827 | 764 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Welcome to the Indiana Jewish Historical Society!
The Indiana Jewish Historical Society was founded in 1972. The organization is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, however holds events throughout the state. IJHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and publish information on the 250 years of Jewish Life in Indiana. IJHS is the only organization in the state which focuses exclusively on the entire Hoosier Jewish experience.
The Indiana Jewish Historical Society's archive collection at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis contains more than 7,000 items of Jewish interest and the society continues to seek materials for the collection. As such, all of the collections have been academically cataloged and are listed on the internet. The Indiana Jewish Historical Society continues to actively collect articles and information with the communities assistance. To see the listings of the IJHS collections at the Indiana Historical Society click here.
The IJHS is engaged in creating an inventory of every community in Indiana where there has been and is a Jewish presence. We encourage your participation with the assembly of this important database.
We are listing the institutions that flourished and sometimes faded; the locations and architects of communal structures built as well as listing the prominent members of these localities: Those who have become public officials and/or who have been recognized for outstanding achievements. Our search for the who's who encompasses a broad base of creative individuals, and the exhibition locations of their creations. Hence this is a call for artists, architects, writers, activists, Sagamores of the Wabash, musicians, inventors, nationally renown Jewish persons with connections or roots to your Indiana community.
We are also collecting information about Indiana's Jewish cemeteries (or Jewish gardens elsewhere), prominent homes or institutions influenced or designed by Jews.
The Trent D. Pendley Mapping Project gives a bird's eye view of the Jewish experience in Indiana. The results hereto are astounding and will result in tours and areas of study. Is your community or town listed? If not, please contact us to have your community listed. | <urn:uuid:833b3918-ba95-4aa6-85d3-0ff0c804b65f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ijhs.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938465 | 413 | 2.15625 | 2 |
With apologies for continuing to harp upon Blake Gopnik but his essay on why the art market must fail on The Daily Beast seems an object lesson in the envy critics show toward the art market and the confusion about what a market is. Like many of his peers, Gopnik finds the art market repugnant because he feels it valorizes the wrong art.
Indeed, in this essay he feels vindicated when art dealer Marc Glimcher happily tells him about the artists who were once famous and market leaders who are now forgotten relics:
We’ll make the bubble pop in the normal course of things, as all of us—critics, curators, and art lovers of all kinds—decide that today’s market darlings are tomorrow’s also-rans. We’ll prick the market’s bubble by deciding that a Richard Prince nurse is about as central to our culture as Ernie Trova’s sculptures turned out to be.
Well, yes. And one might add: obviously. The central problem with Gopnik’s approach is that in his envy of the attention people pay to the market, he gives it far too much credit. The art market isn’t a measure of art historical value or worth. The nominal monetary values assigned to objects at auction are measures of distribution. Those prices are indicators of demand but not worth. And demand is evanescent.
What’s interesting about the art market is not which artists it validates but what it tells us about the demand for certain objects. Wrong-headed demand (would somebody please explain the market for Tamara de Lempicka?!) is often more interesting.
After a record setting price is achieved, you often hear griping that the work in question isn’t the artist’s “best” work. But what the head-scratchers miss is that the “best” work may not be available for purchase … ever. Or what makes a work valuable to a very rich person is not what makes a work meaningful art historically, one does not negate the other.
Another complaint is that auctions are not about the art. This was captured perfectly by Gopnik in an essay on the November sales:
Actual pleasure in significant works seems to play a pretty small role in auction-room calculations: I couldn’t help noticing that, when the big Kline came up for sale, all eyes stayed glued to the auctioneer and to a huge monitor displaying the work. The “masterpiece” itself, filling most of one wall of the room, seemed utterly forlorn and neglected.
Well, duh. Of course it’s not about the art. An auction is an event about the buyers, not the art. The art comes and goes, literally, on a turntable for the ease and expedience of the buyers. An auction isn’t an event where works of art are weighed for their worth, it’s a place where buyers vote—sometimes raising their hands.
Just as a conference of art historians is about the ideas and scholarship being presented, an auction is organized for the convenience and enlightenment of buyers. The sale room gathers in one place all of the interested parties physically or virtually. It also happens to gather a group of objects together randomly just as they are gathered randomly at storage facility.
It would be silly to go down to Crozier and stand in the street shouting, “the art in this storage facility is utterly forlorn!” (The complaint is probably more relevant but still silly.) When art is hanging in a collector’s home or on display in a gallery or museum talking about its price is mere gossip. But for the rare and brief moment that it may be on an auction house turntable, that’s the one time its price really matters. All that price tells us is how much demand exists for that work.
Demand, as Gopnik has just discovered, is a fickle thing. One year it’s this artist; the next, it’s another artist. Prices falling for individual artists can and does happen during a boom. It’s happening now. For Gopnik that leads to this extraordinary feat of tortured logic:
The hundreds of polka-dotted paintings turned out by Damien Hirst’s assistants are likely to be important, in the long run, because they undermine the clichéd values of uniqueness and “authenticity” that the market feeds on. The less Hirst’s spots turn out to be worth on the market—and they seem to be dropping like stones—the more they may matter as art.
Gopnik need not have bothered. It’s okay for artist’s work to go down in value. And falling prices don’t mean the work is less important or not as good. Great collections were built upon works being out of favor. Albert Barnes bought a substantial number of Impressionist works from Gustave Caillebotte’s collection because the French government refused most of it … twice … for free.
Blake Gopnik: Pop Goes the Art Bubble (Newsweek) | <urn:uuid:a0fdee7e-cc66-49d4-8cd0-2948276c0753> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://artmarketmonitor.com/2012/12/11/blake-gopniks-utterly-forlorn-art-market/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949683 | 1,084 | 1.570313 | 2 |
As we visit various Web sites we find that some sites are better organized, much easier to navigate, more pleasing to the eye, and better at facilitating our activities--helping us to find information, make online purchases, or simply enjoy ourselves.
For this exercise select a Web site that you feel is well-designed. Then perform a short analysis as to what makes your selected site a good Web site. Be as specific as possible. For example, if you find the site easy to navigate, what elements of the site facilitate this? Are there tabs at the top of each page that allow you to jump from module to module without having to go step-by-step through the hierarchy? Is there a site map? Do the navigation bars give you sufficient information to easily find your way to the desired material? What are the clues that help you to find your way through the site?
Post your analysis in the "What makes a good Web page" discussion section of the LIS 670 Laulima site. Be sure to include the URL of the Web site you selected so the rest of us can visit the site.
The analysis need only be several paragraphs long.
Click here to get back to the Exercises Web page.
Click here to get back to the main LIS 670 Web page. | <urn:uuid:022d87a9-09b4-47f3-8424-ba4c3e3d62dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donnab/lis670/exercise1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912717 | 265 | 3.03125 | 3 |
The Latest Information from Weldon Barber Spokane About Male Pattern Baldness
Are you noticing that your hair is beginning to thin along your hairline or at the top of your head? Then you may very well be suffering from a common condition in men called Androgenetic alopecia, known more commonly as male pattern baldness or male pattern hair loss. Incredible as it sounds, approximately 95% of all hair loss in men is attributed to male pattern baldness. And because myths about this condition abound, Weldon Barber Spokane wants to make sure you have the most up-to-date information on hair loss in men, what causes it, and what you can do about it.
Weldon Barber Spokane Helps You Distinguish Between Male Pattern Baldness and Normal Hair Loss
A Weldon barber will tell you that both men and women lose about 100 hairs every day, due to the fact that hair has a growth phase, a resting phase, and a shedding phase. It’s not unusual, then, to see strands of hair, that are probably in the resting or shedding phase of hair growth, in your comb or brush during your daily hair grooming. On the other hand, if you see a gradual recession of your hairline that looks like an “M,” as well as thinning at the crown of your head, then you may very well be in the beginning stages of male pattern baldness. Continue reading “Consult with Weldon Barber Spokane” » | <urn:uuid:fab2fcff-b8b9-482d-9218-a093cf48afcd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weldonbarberspokane.com/blog/tag/androgenetic-alopecia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96603 | 305 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Baruch's Weissman Center for International Business Creates CSR-Sustainability Monitor
CSR Reports of 560 Companies Are Scored
NEW YORK, NY- November 28, 2012 – Baruch College’s Weissman Center for International Business has created the CSR-Sustainability MonitorTM that examines 560 CSR reports from national and international corporations. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a leading non-financial evaluator of corporate performance by shareholders. Scores for the Top CSR reports will be released during a launch event in January 2013.
CSR has become an important part of corporate communications efforts regarding the non-financial aspects of a company’s performance. These non-financial aspects have significant implications for a company’s internal and external stakeholders including institutional investors, public pension funds, civil society organizations, regulators, and news media. Financial analysts often view adverse public opinion on corporate social performance as a measure of long-term reputational risk to a company’s market value. CSR reports have largely been a response to the public’s interest in both corporate accountability and sustainability issues. Furthermore, these reports have become a competitive tool in reaching the company’s intended audiences when compared with its peers and competitors.
During the last decade, there has been growing global, public concern about the impact of corporate strategies and operations on the physical, economic, and socio-political environments. To address this concern, researchers at the Weissman Center for International Business, under the direction of University Distinguished Professor S. Prakash Sethi, have developed the CSR-Sustainability MonitorTM which is an analytic framework for the systematic and objective evaluation of CSR reports. In their research, the team reviewed and scored each report based on relevant topics in corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Reports were collected in 2011 and were reviewed in 2012. The scores were applied to 11 individual sections and weighted to provide a total score of 100.
The CSR-Sustainability Monitor:
- offers a range of objective measures for comparing reports in terms of their comprehensiveness, specificity of detail, quality, and accuracy of reporting;
- provides internal corporate accountability officers with an external and independent evaluation tool, and provides guidance for companies initiating their own CSR reporting;
- enables companies to compare their reports across their industry, region, and market capitalization;
- minimizes the “free rider” problem; the facilitated comparison of report quality will induce all companies--both those currently publishing CSR-S reports and those planning to do so in the future--to create high quality reports;
- creates a market-driven incentive for companies to improve their CSR reporting to gain competitive advantage, as an alternative to greater regulation in this area.
About the Weissman Center for International Business:
Founded in 1994, the Weissman Center for International Business is designed to enable Baruch College to respond to the global economy with programs appropriate to a preeminent school of business. Guided by an advisory council of distinguished executives, the Center’s activities enrich Baruch students’ preparation for careers in the global work-place by building bridges between the worlds of academia and international business.
About Baruch College:
Baruch College is a senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY) with a total enrollment of more than 17,000 students, who represent 160 countries and speak more than 100 languages. Ranked among the top 15% of U.S. colleges and the No. 5 public regional university, Baruch College is regularly recognized as among the most ethnically diverse colleges in the country. As a public institution with a tradition of academic excellence, Baruch College offers accessibility and opportunity for students from every corner of New York City and from around the world. For more about Baruch College, go to http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/.
Manny Romero, (646) 660-6141, email@example.com | <urn:uuid:a1085257-0e79-41af-b033-163296ab91f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/news/CSRSustainabilityMonitorRELEASE.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942999 | 825 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Radical ideas from a fusty old island
FOR all its pomp and tradition, Britain has played an outsized role in promoting radical thought about the state. In the 19th century it championed modernisation, with the same liberal Victorians who campaigned for free trade (and set up this newspaper) also dismantling the courtly system under which posts in government were sold off or given to political allies. The Northcote-Trevelyan report of 1854 led to the creation of a politically neutral civil service, with appointments made on merit. Liberals prided themselves on the leanness of a state that ruled India with a few thousand bureaucrats. John Stuart Mill, himself a civil servant, famously defined this minimalism: “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant.”
Yet as the 19th century wore on, “New Liberals”, including Mill himself, began to question the morality of the “night-watchman state”. How could liberty flourish when so many people lived in misery and ignorance? Reforming governments introduced compulsory education, laws to regulate safety at work, tax-funded libraries and welfare—all robustly condemned by Herbert Spencer in his libertarian bible, “The Man versus the State” (1884). But the intellectual traffic was mainly towards more intervention, with socialists (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were based in London) and then Fabians taking New Liberal arguments to the extreme. A more active state became the answer.
Britain continued in that vein for most of the 20th century, with the Depression only increasing anti-market sentiment. In 1938 an ambitious young right-wing MP surveyed the British economy: “The weakness of partial planning seems to me to arise from the incomplete and limited application of the principles of planning. The lesson of these errors, which I regard as errors of limitation, is not that we should retreat. On the contrary, we must advance, more rapidly and still further, upon the road of conscious regulation.” Harold Macmillan went on to become a post-war Conservative prime minister, which shows how far the centre had shifted.
Gradually, however, an anti-state right began to emerge. In 1960 Friedrich Hayek wrote “The Constitution of Liberty”, partly in response to what he saw in Britain. In 1978 another young Tory with a Macmillanish pedigree, William Waldegrave, took a very different line in “The Binding of Leviathan”: “No one knows how to run bureaucracies. Bureaucracies are increasing. No wonder the public thinks something is wrong.” In 1979 Margaret Thatcher hurled herself at these bureaucracies—and a new creed, very different from Fabianism, rippled out across the world.
Now the promise of renewed radicalism is in the air. David Cameron's coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats is pursuing the most daring course in the rich world. That judgment is based on two things: the severity of its spending cuts (many departments are being slimmed by a fifth) and the fact that it is trying to change the structure of the state.
The spending cuts currently dominate the British media. Manchester is in turmoil because it will be reduced to only one public lavatory. The Tories are plainly taking an economic gamble by tightening fiscal policy so fast, but seem less fixated on the overall size of the state than Mrs Thatcher was. For political reasons they left health care, perhaps the most wasteful part of the British state, out of the cuts. One senior Tory thinks you cannot reduce state spending below around 40% of GDP, or the politics will turn against you.
The bolder reforms, championed by Mr Cameron's main domestic adviser, Steve Hilton, are centred on structure. They are hidden behind a confusing slogan that the Tories adopted to make themselves sound cuddlier: “The Big Society”. It brings together three things: pluralism, localism and voluntarism.
To promote pluralism, the Tories aim to build the “post-bureaucratic state” that Tony Blair wanted (they even use the same phrase). Haunted by the idea that Mr Blair did not move fast enough, they are rushing to hand over many more state services to outside providers. They have opened the doors to Swedish-style free schools set up by parents, and they want more parts of welfare to be delivered by outsiders, paid by results. They have also announced the biggest shake-up in the history of the health service by shifting spending power to groups of general practitioners, who will buy in services from both public and private hospitals.
Haste has caused problems. Whereas the education reforms follow on neatly from the academies that Mr Blair set up, the changes in the health service, introduced with little prior warning, come just as the system is adapting to the previous round of reforms. Oddly for a party that believes in the free market, the Tories have rejected for-profit providers for some services, notably education.
Even so, pluralism could lead to a much smaller civil service than anyone thinks. “Once you start letting people compete, it is incredible how few people you need in the centre,” says one of Britain's most senior mandarins. And, since the change is technocratic not political (the state, after all, is still paying), it will be difficult for a future Labour government to reverse.
Handing over control of schools to parents and medicine to local doctors also fits in with localism. The Tories want more cities to have elected police chiefs and, eventually, elected mayors, like London's Boris Johnson. They are providing reams of information to make government more transparent; a new crime map of Britain's streets crashed on its launch day because so many people wanted to see it. Combined with pluralism, this amounts to a substantial attack on the centralised state. For instance, Suffolk County Council hopes to knock a third off its budget of £500m by becoming a “virtual” authority that outsources all but a handful of its services to social enterprises or companies.
This localism is somewhat marred by the Tories' deep distrust of local government. Handing over schools to local associations risks creating bodies that can be taken over by teachers' unions, as in America. Lord Adonis, a Blairite who now heads the Institute for Government, a think-tank, argues that the Tories should also have given more power to elected local mayors, especially in the 14 big cities where one in three Britons live. Apparently Tory and Liberal-Democrat local councillors took against this.
Volunteerism, the idea of Burkean small platoons taking on the functions of the state, is the trickiest part. On paper, this is a big idea. The people around Mr Cameron argue that just reducing the supply of government won't wean people off the state; you also have to reduce the demand for it. That persistent demand, after all, has been the main reason for sprawling government from California to Cardiff.
In practice, however, the idea has flaws. Running your local library sounds attractive, but most people lack the time and expertise required, and there is not a lot of money around to help them (thanks to the spending cuts). Britons seem to band together of their own accord only when they want to oppose something—such as the government's plans to sell off the nation's forests, which they halted.
To be fair to the Tories, the Big Society is not their only scheme to reduce demand for government. Their welfare reforms are based on moving poorer Britons away from dependence on the state. A lot of state spending is “avoidable”, argues one insider: if you can get people into jobs, strengthen families, stop teenagers getting pregnant and teach children early, you will save a fortune a decade hence. Just two particularly troublesome families have cost British taxpayers £37m over three generations.
The Cameroonians are also trying to do something about the tangle of regulation that costs the British economy around 10-12% of GDP. A neat scheme whereby any new rule would have to show a net decrease in regulation was shelved after civil servants gamed the system. One of Mr Cameron's advisers, Oliver Letwin, is now working on another plan. But not all the regulation is domestic. A British Chambers of Commerce study of 144 new rules in 1998-2010 put the total cost at £88 billion, of which two-thirds was attributable to European Union legislation.
Implementation is crucial: unless reform of the state is seen to be equitable and effective, citizens will not accept it. But with that huge caveat, two things stand out. First, the government's breadth of ambition is impressive—even set against that of Mrs Thatcher, who did far less in her first year. And second, most other rich-world governments will have to do something similar soon. That is partly because of their fiscal situation: even America will have to start reconciling its revenues and its spending in the near future. And once you start to cut, you need to decide what should go and what should remain. Mr Cameron, for all his haste, is at the front of a great wave. In that, he resembles Mrs Thatcher—and those great reformers of the 19th century. | <urn:uuid:6bb4a104-2c02-4503-94af-df3ac8428146> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economist.com/node/18359920 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969712 | 1,934 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Could algae that feast on wastewater produce clean bio-fuels and a healthful supply of fish food? Can impoverished African community gardeners learn to use and maintain a simple centuries-old, non-electric water pump to grow more vegetables? Two Johns Hopkins student teams are working hard to move these “green” ideas off the drawing board and into the real world. Both teams will showcase their progress at the 2013 National Sustainable Design Expo, scheduled April 18 and 19, in Washington, D.C. The event, which will be open to the public on the National Mall, is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Recent news from The Johns Hopkins University
This section contains regularly updated highlights of the news from around The Johns Hopkins University. Links to the complete news reports from the nine schools, the Applied Physics Laboratory and other centers and institutes are to the left, as are links to help news media contact the Johns Hopkins communications offices.
A microbe commonly found in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways emits a poison not just to protect itself but to stun and immobilize the prey it plans to eat, a team of researchers from four universities, including Johns Hopkins, has discovered. The findings about algae linked to massive fish kills could lead to new ways to slow the growth of these tiny but toxic marine creatures. | <urn:uuid:86f28a09-0349-4d7b-b1d3-4a1da5ed532a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://releases.jhu.edu/tag/algae/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929111 | 269 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Digital Literacy Project
Digital Literacy Project (DigiLit) is a Harvard student organization and nonprofit that promotes one-to-one computing by initiating laptop pilot programs in elementary and middle schools around the globe. By developing training materials and curricula for teachers and students, DigiLit supports sustainable technology practices. The overall goal is to seamlessly integrate the XO into the classroom, so that it becomes a powerful tool for realizing creative potential.
The Cambridge Friends School is a small Quaker school in Cambridge, MA. The school has an extremely dedicated head of school and staff and an open-minded approach to education that often lends itself to experiments (like the one we are about to describe). CFS was founded in 1961 as a Pre-K to 8 co-educational institution, chartered by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Cambridge. CFS stresses their commitment to social justice, both to challenge oppression and to foster a diverse student and faculty population. The friendly, egalitarian culture is evident from the way students interact with teachers. In the classroom, students and teachers are on a first name basis.
At first glance, CFS doesn’t look like a school that would deserve an XO laptop pilot program. The school already has a laptop cart filled with PowerMacs, and most of the students have access to computers at home. But a laptop cart at school and computers at home do not constitute a 1-to-1 computing program that results in ownership of a laptop. CFS’s laptop cart made only guest appearances in the classroom and was primarily employed for internet research and word processing, rather than more creative endeavors.
When we began considering a pilot at an American school, we knew that a major barrier to entry would be teacher skepticism. Would we throw off standardized test scores and distract students with video games disguised as educational activities? After the head of CFS expressed enthusiasm about an XO pilot, we presented a project outline to all of the teachers at the school in order to dispel myths about 1-to-1 computing. The three sixth grade teachers enthusiastically agreed to begin training, so that their students could spend the spring semester with “the little green laptops.”
Over the course of the fall, we hosted training workshops with teachers, reviewed sixth grade syllabi, and brainstormed ideas for integrating the XO into the existing curriculum. In January, we worked with Olin College of Engineering and Illinois Math and Science Academy to continue teacher training and to offer laptop-based after-school activities for students during a pre-pilot week. We launched the pilot in mid-February with an XOXO Valentine’s themed party for CFS faculty, students, and families.
During the eight-week pilot, our team dually functioned as teaching assistants, helping to run lessons in the classroom, and ethnographic anthropologists, observing the changing student dynamic through video. Students picked up the XO’s unique operating system and software on the first day we introduced them to their new laptops. Eager spirits prompted most sixth graders to master the Record and Memorize activities, soon venturing to learn more obscure programs during free class periods.
Despite the positive momentum behind the pilot, it became clear that we had not adequately trained the three sixth grade teachers before bringing the XO into the classroom. Faced with planning an entirely new sixth grade curriculum as well as lessons that fully integrated XO activities into class time, the teachers felt uncomfortable using the XO for much more than internet research and word processing during their classes. We tried to alleviate these pressures by developing potential lesson plans and acting as in-class technical support, but we had not anticipated how difficult it would be to add a completely new tool to the classroom.
In many ways, the XOs replaced the laptop cart of PowerMacs—they were stored on a cart and kept at school overnight. Even though CFS’ open-mindedness towards new pedagogies was a major support for the pilot, the school’s strong emphasis on personal responsibility prevented students from taking ownership of the XOs. Recent irresponsible behavior with textbooks convinced teachers that students were unready to handle laptops, so the XOs were kept under lock and key at night.
After the initial honeymoon phase, students began to show frustration with any and all technical difficulties. During a collaborative biology activity, one student traded her XO for the shiny new MacBook she had in her backpack. Inherent in doing an XO laptop pilot at an American school is the idea that this is a waste, that privileged kids won’t get anything out of the XO. Midway through the pilot, we couldn’t help but wonder if we had proven this point.
But as the pilot continued into May, we started to see that students were more patient with technical glitches and more excited about mastering this new technology. During group activities, the XOs reinvented the concept of collaborative work, as students used the mesh network to chat and share links. Our interviews and qualitative studies indicate that the XOs facilitated a class-wide atmosphere of shared learning and communication.
Looking back, the dedicated sixth grade teachers wisely chose a slower but less artificial integration path for the XO. By using the XOs in the same way as the laptop cart, the teachers supported a more organic model for CFS. Although we would rather have sacrificed a laptop than stored all of them safely at school, we realize that any hesitancy on the part of CFS was not unwillingness to embrace a new learning tool. Rather, the school chose the less glamorous route: grow the nascent program slowly in order to build sustainable technology practices. In the future, we intend to continue to expand the comfort levels of teachers and students, as well as our own perceptions of learning. But we will always remember that even the most well-intentioned revolutions can lead to instability and defeat.
We are still finding ways to seamlessly incorporate the XO as a tool—like a pencil—instead of an afterthought. Can one ever truly bridge this gap? We’d like to think so. As we move forward with this project during the fall semester, we will continue to support one-to-one computing at CFS while simultaneously laying the foundation for a technology-based after-school program and homework clinic at a needier, inner-city school. Already, we have seen how schools’ reaction to our work has changed since we completed our spring study. Even though our program is not yet the key to breaking the MCAS code, we are still gaining a strong foothold in the Boston learning community. | <urn:uuid:02cdd61d-25f6-4584-b7c3-5b7291f68a4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.flossmanuals.net/class-acts/ch028_digilitcfspilot/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96725 | 1,356 | 2.828125 | 3 |
An environment that simulates a protractor carrying a right- angled
triangle of unit hypotenuse.
Can you explain what is happening and account for the values being
On a nine-point pegboard a band is stretched over 4 pegs in a
"figure of 8" arrangement. How many different "figure of 8"
arrangements can be made ?
Three squares are drawn on the sides of a triangle ABC. Their areas
are respectively 18 000, 20 000 and 26 000 square centimetres. If
the outer vertices of the squares are joined, three more. . . .
How can you represent the curvature of a cylinder on a flat piece of paper?
The sine of an angle is equal to the cosine of its complement. Can
you explain why and does this rule extend beyond angles of 90
The Earth is further from the Sun than Venus, but how much further?
Twice as far? Ten times?
The length AM can be calculated using trigonometry in two different
ways. Create this pair of equivalent calculations for different peg
boards, notice a general result, and account for it.
A dot starts at the point (1,0) and turns anticlockwise. Can you
estimate the height of the dot after it has turned through 45
degrees? Can you calculate its height?
This problem in geometry has been solved in no less than EIGHT ways
by a pair of students. How would you solve it? How many of their
solutions can you follow? How are they the same or different?. . . . | <urn:uuid:62a51bfb-1a95-49fb-a428-baed2d801c86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nrich.maths.org/public/leg.php?code=126&cl=3&cldcmpid=5601 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922827 | 334 | 3.828125 | 4 |
CPPIB may be leaving significant profits on the table by failing to invest in greening their buildings.
British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is mining gold from green buildings.
The fund manager includes B.C.’s seven public sector pension funds and takes principles for responsible investment (PRI) further than simply considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk factors when reviewing potential investments. Their commercial real estate group is looking to generate greater returns by seeking out energy-efficient commercial buildings that provide lower operating costs and higher rent.
It’s a strategy of investing in “energy productive” real estate that other Canadian pension managers, including the giant Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), have not pursued as aggressively.
Even with its $9-billion real estate portfolio, CPPIB may be leaving significant profits on the table by failing to invest in greening their buildings.
“We expect in the next three or four or five years, [green buildings] will become a bigger part of their real estate portfolio,” says Eugene Ellmen, executive director of Social Investment Organization, a non-profit group that represents ethical investors.
Despite several international studies done for the UN pointing to the attractive return on investments in building efficiency, there is a common impression among institutional investors that green buildings involve greater upfront costs and potential liability issues.
“The bigger risk with green buildings is not getting involved,” according to Washington consultant David Gardner. The number of green certified buildings in Canada leapt from 86 in 2005 to 1,100 in mid-2008, he notes, with a similar trend in the U.S. and around the world. In a report to a UN investors’ conference last year, he noted conventional buildings might be perceived as inefficient or even obsolete. As a result, they would attract lower rents, and fewer tenants than high-efficiency buildings.
CPPIB is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, and has appointed an executive team to implement that policy. But much of that activity still revolves around the research and inclusion of ESG factors in due diligence work prior to investing in publicly traded companies, as opposed to direct investments in the profit generating potential of green buildings.
Unlike other public pension funds, such as Québec’s Caisse de Dépôt et Placement, CPPIB has no mandate to pursue social or environmental objectives for their own sake.
In contrast, British Columbia Investment Management Corp.’s (BCIMC) chief executive Doug Pearce has highlighted his fund’s direct investments in green buildings. When assessing mortgage applications, BCIMC favours projects with environmentally-sound design principles that match clients’ risk-return requirements. As of March 2010, 35 per cent of the B.C. funds’ income-producing, domestic real estate portfolio was certified under LEED or BOMA BEST, with a target of getting that level above 50 per cent.
But there are a number of barriers in the way of more aggressive investment in green buildings by pension funds and other asset managers. Most leases now have split incentives—tenants rather than owners are responsible for utility bills leaving little incentive for owners to spend money to lower those bills in existing buildings.
At the same time, there is little unbiased information available that clearly defines the value of certified green buildings. Most research comes from ethical investing groups or the UN—organizations interested in the environmental impact of the investments over profitability.
Another hurdle to overcome is the short-term horizon of most investment managers. Most building owners demand payback from their energy efficiency investment within three years at most, says David Helliwell, chief executive officer of Pulse Energy, which installs energy-efficiency software systems in buildings.
Any investment needs to balance quick returns and steady returns. It’s not just about maximizing short-term returns, but balancing the needs of future beneficiaries against those of current retirees. Pension funds should be thinking long-term, making environmental and social issues more relevant because the future health of markets depends on them, says former Ontario Securities Commission head Ed Waitzer.
While senior managers at CPPIB and other financial institutions recognize the need for responsible investing—including in the real estate sector—commitment is harder. “You have to redefine the mission from what is currently the case— avoid under-performing quarterly benchmarks—to what the real mission should be which is how do we provide for long-term retirement income security,” Waitzer says. Canada Pension Plan auditors project 50 years into the future. Asset managers need to follow suit. | <urn:uuid:babece37-d213-4dcc-827e-c1b84ec8114d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://corporateknights.com/report/2011-responsible-investing-guide/profits-left-table-could-build-green | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946892 | 947 | 2.015625 | 2 |
IUCN Marine Programme in Oceania Ramps Up
13 November 2008 | News story
The recruitment of a marine programme officer at IUCN’s Oceania Regional Office in Suva, promises to boost the organisation’s input to marine conservation activities in the region. Kelvin Passfield, who commenced work at the Suva-based office in August this year, brings with him extensive experience in the management of fisheries from throughout the Asia and Pacific region.
Kelvin’s past work has included aquaculture development and management; fisheries and environmental policy development; and coastal ecosystem management. His interest in fisheries management issues was kindled during his years as a commercial fisherman in the Torres Straits Islands (located between Australia and Papua New Guinea) in the 1980s. He has also worked in Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Maldives and in various countries bordering the South China Sea.
Kelvin’s initial work at IUCN involves conducting an assessment of the impact of longline fisheries on seamounts in the Pacific. This assessment will inform the activities of the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP), a 5 year initiative designed to improve the management and conservation of oceanic fishery resources in the Pacific islands region. The OFMP is being conducted jointly by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and IUCN.
In addition to contributing to the OFMP, Kelvin will focus his work on developing a broader and longer-term programme for IUCN’s activities in marine conservation in the Pacific Ocean.
The IUCN Oceania Regional Office was established in Suva, Fiji in 2006 with the objective of enhancing access by Pacific island countries to technical and scientific expertise in conservation-related issues. | <urn:uuid:247239d3-6aa1-4fa3-959b-ad13acf0aedb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iucn.org/news_homepage/news_by_date/2008_news/november_2008/?2243/IUCN-Marine-Programme-in-Oceania-Ramps-Up | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937999 | 381 | 1.742188 | 2 |
| Quote #7
Very likely some Mrs. Grundy will observe, "I don't believe it, boys will be boys, young men must sow their wild oats, and women must not expect miracles." I dare say you don't, Mrs. Grundy, but it's true nevertheless. Women work a good many miracles, and I have a persuasion that they may perform even that of raising the standard of manhood by refusing to echo such sayings. Let the boys be boys, the longer the better, and let the young men sow their wild oats if they must. But mothers, sisters, and friends may help to make the crop a small one, and keep many tares from spoiling the harvest, by believing, and showing that they believe, in the possibility of loyalty to the virtues which make men manliest in good women's eyes. If it is a feminine delusion, leave us to enjoy it while we may, for without it half the beauty and the romance of life is lost, and sorrowful forebodings would embitter all our hopes of the brave, tenderhearted little lads, who still love their mothers better than themselves and are not ashamed to own it. (41.9)
In this long digression, Alcott is responding to a nineteenth-century belief that men can't fully control their sexual desires – they have to "sow their wild oats," seducing women when they're young and randy. In other words, they get to be exceptions from regular moral rules, although women have to remain proper. Alcott finds this idea frustrating and counters by supporting another common nineteenth-century perspective – that women can influence the men in their families to behave more ethically.
| Quote #8
Gentlemen, which means boys, be courteous to the old maids, no matter how poor and plain and prim, for the only chivalry worth having is that which is the readiest to pay deference to the old, protect the feeble, and serve womankind, regardless of rank, age, or color. Just recollect the good aunts who have not only lectured and fussed, but nursed and petted, too often without thanks, the scrapes they have helped you out of, the tips they have given you from their small store, the stitches the patient old fingers have set for you, the steps the willing old feet have taken, and gratefully pay the dear old ladies the little attentions that women love to receive as long as they live. The bright-eyed girls are quick to see such traits, and will like you all the better for them, and if death, almost the only power that can part mother and son, should rob you of yours, you will be sure to find a tender welcome and maternal cherishing from some Aunt Priscilla, who has kept the warmest corner of her lonely old heart for 'the best nevvy in the world'. (43.4)
Alcott, who was an old maid herself, writes with particular feeling when defending the rights of spinster to a respected and respectable place in society.
| Quote #9
Mr. Bhaer could read several languages, but he had not learned to read women yet. He flattered himself that he knew Jo pretty well, and was, therefore, much amazed by the contradictions of voice, face, and manner, which she showed him in rapid succession that day, for she was in half a dozen different moods in the course of half an hour. (46.38)
Although Jo is an unusual woman in many ways, Alcott also depicts her behaving like a stereotypical moody, fickle girl. | <urn:uuid:777f5b17-4813-4d9f-b395-ce0af79d0aef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shmoop.com/little-women/women-femininity-quotes-3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971068 | 753 | 2.28125 | 2 |
|Huffman coding||computing dictionary|
A data compression technique which varies the length of the encoded symbol in proportion to its information content, that is the more often a symbol or token is used, the shorter the binary string used to represent it in the compressed stream. Huffman codes can be properly decoded because they obey the prefix property, which means that no code can be a prefix of another code, and so the complete set of codes can be represented as a binary tree, known as a Huffman tree. Huffman coding was first described in a seminal paper by D.A. Huffman in 1952.
(01 Mar 1994)
|Bookmark with:||word visualiser||Go and visit our forums| | <urn:uuid:e483b9ee-180a-4372-ab07-bd1266b13cea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mondofacto.com/facts/dictionary?Huffman+coding | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92589 | 149 | 3.484375 | 3 |
This stone is in pretty good condition. Much of the inscription is still visible. MacAlister read it as 'LUGUDI MAQI L...D...QA MOCOI DOMM(A)' in 1945.
The stone is now kept in the garden of Comeragh Lodge under a large shrub, which seems to be providing some protection from the elements. This does make it almost impossible to see the inscription properly though. The stone originated somewhere in the Knockalafalla-Rathgormuck area.
The people who live in the Lodge are very friendly and I enjoyed a long chat. The lady of the house told me that the stone came to be where it is because a previous owner of the house was travelling in the Rathgormuck area when he saw some workmen about to use it as a gatepost. He recognised it for what it is and offered them a new gatepost in exchange for the stone.
This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide.
Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate.
Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies.
The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out.
UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system.
ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. | <urn:uuid:e833b169-755a-44b7-a408-19ac12ac9d8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/1597/kilcomeragh_ogham_stone.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958303 | 413 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Yet Another Source of Human Genetic Variability
The latest type of genetic variation to be acknowledged comes as a startling revelation that roughly half of the human genome is made up of "transposons", or jumping genes.
Transposons, or "jumping genes," make up roughly half of the human genome. Geneticists previously estimated that they replicate and insert themselves into new locations roughly one in every 20 live births.
New results suggest that every newborn is likely to have a new transposon somewhere in his or her genome.
...Transposons resemble e-mail spam: short repeated sequences that have no obvious function other than making more of themselves. The full name for the type of transposon that is most abundant in the human genome is retrotransposon.
The "retro" term comes from how they replicate: first, the DNA is transcribed into RNA, and the RNA is reverse-transcribed into DNA again. This process normally only happens during very early in development, when the cells that will become eggs and sperm have not turned down a separate path of differentiation.
...While working in Devine's lab as a graduate student, first author Rebecca Iskow, Ph.D. devised a technique for "amplifying" the stretches of individual genomes that border transposons and reading thousands of the junctions with advanced sequencing techniques, then comparing them to the reference human genome.
"The basic problem was that a new insertion can be anywhere within three billion base pairs – how do you find it compared to all the other ones?" Devine says.
Ninety-seven percent of genomes the team surveyed had at least one rare insertion of the L1 variety of transposon that was present in only a single human in the study, and some genomes had several. Since the study surveyed 76 genomes, "rare" insertions could still be shared by large groups consisting of thousands of people. Rare insertions corresponded to the most recent transposons, which are less likely to have their jumping abilities impaired by other types of mutations.
Devine's team also showed that transposons frequently jump to new locations during the process of tumor formation. Surveying 20 lung tumors and comparing their genomes against the normal tissues they came from, the team found that six tumors had new transposons insertions that were not present in the normal adjacent tissues.
"This indicates that transposons are jumping in tumors and are generating a new kind of genomic instability," Devine says.
Transposons can inactivate tumor suppressor genes and can facilitate rearrangements that involve large stretches of chromosomes. Geneticists have already identified many transposons that interrupt genes and cause human diseases, including neurofibromatosis, hemophilia and breast cancer.
...The research was initiated at Emory University School of Medicine, where Devine was in the Department of Biochemistry. Iskow, (now a postdoctoral fellow at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston) was a graduate student at Emory. The findings were published in the June 25, 2010 issue of Cell. Two other papers on human transposons appear in the same issue of Cell. _ScientificComputing
More at Eurekalert.
Wikipedia lists these forms of human genetic variation:
- 2.1 Single nucleotide polymorphisms
- 2.2 Copy number variation
- 2.3 Epigenetics
- 2.4 Genetic variability
- 2.5 Clines
- 2.6 Haplogroups
- 2.7 Variable number tandem repeats
There is a reason why clans and tribes spring up so easily, and can maintain their identities for such long periods of time. Behaviour arises to a large extent from the genes. It is easier to understand -- and therefore trust -- someone who may tend to act and react in similar ways to oneself. Such tribal societies tend to marry and keep the wealth within the tribe.
Multicultural countries such as the US are attempting to accomplish on a national scale what has generally only been successful in large polyglot trading centers and imperial capitals, in the past. The low-trust interfaces found within ethnic, cultural, and religious heterogeneity can lead to higher rates of crime and vandalism.
Leftist postmodern multiculturalists tend to take exactly the wrong approach in this situation, by accentuating the differences in cultures and religions -- and trying to mould the law around these differences. In fact the opposite should be done. Each culture and / or religion must be forced to adhere to the same set of laws if a multicultural society is to be successful. That is one reason that Kagan and Sotomayor were such abysmally bad choices -- reflecting badly upon Obama's judgment. Both Kagan and Sotomayor are likely to pursue the leftist postmodern multiculturalist approach, which will result in deeper societal schisms, reduced trust, and increased violence.
Labels: gene variation | <urn:uuid:ea0b33f3-409a-44ce-8200-59c5ffc81eac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://alfin2100.blogspot.com/2010/06/yet-another-source-of-human-genetic.html | 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 | 0.958164 | 1,007 | 3.5 | 4 |
Verizon and Google: The Deal of the Titans
August 5, 2010
The world's biggest media companies want to define how people will get content over the Internet. Money talks; independent content creators: take a walk. A mega-deal is reportedly in the works in which Verizon will favor Internet content from Google because Google has the spare cash to pay for preferred access. And this is being touted as the model for how content providers and Internet service providers will do business. We have seen the future, and it is exactly like the past.
The Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO represents people who write, edit, produce, and create graphics for television, film, radio, and digital media. Our members write television drama, comedy, news, and public interest programs; they write movies for major studios and for independents; they create original content for the web, for mobile applications, and for other digital platforms. Our members know first-hand how an open Internet permits them to create more innovative, informative content and to distribute it directly to the public.
The Internet and other digital media offer an unprecedented opportunity for creators to reach consumers and for people to watch and read what they want, when they want. This is very different from traditional media in which major studios, distributors, and television networks control the flow of movies and programs. Digital technology presents a vast range of possibilities to content creators and consumers alike, and it would be a tragedy to squeeze all of that into a narrow commercial band. But that is exactly what will happen if the Federal Communications Commission and Congress permit the Verizon-Google deal to become the blueprint for the digital future.
If one of our members had written the Verizon-Google deal into a script, it would have been rejected as too obvious, too heavy-handed. At the height of the nation's debate about net neutrality, two of the biggest players in the industry blow the entire concept to smithereens by discriminating against certain content providers in favor of those with the deepest pockets. Now the Internet will resemble television and the movies: completely dominated by a handful of multinational conglomerates that decide what the public will watch based, not on the quality of the programming, but on the margin of profit. Verizon falls easily into the role of villain; Google becomes the feckless sell-out. We could have written it ourselves, but no one would have bought the story.
And this movie has a prequel: The proposed merger of Comcast (the other mega-ISP) and NBC Universal (quintessential television network and studio). Comcast the content distributor will have a huge economic incentive to discriminate in favor of the content it creates as a studio and television network.
Let's write a different ending to this story. The FCC and Congress can ensure that the American people have access to a wide array of independently-produced programs that entertain and enlighten, that present the whole spectrum of our diverse opinions and experiences and cultures. We do not have to allow Verizon, Comcast, Google, and NBCU to divide up the digital pie amongst themselves. | <urn:uuid:3454e635-dce5-4f14-96ee-9527d34f8de3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wgaeast.org/index.php?id=207&no_cache=1&L=daihmfegzn&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=3&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2385&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=107 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94407 | 622 | 1.59375 | 2 |
All manufacturers have inventory—in the warehouse, in the plant, and in the supply chain. And they want to reduce inventory while avoiding shortages. The key is knowing which inventory is needed and where. The “what” and “where” are as important
Posted in Inventory, Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Tagged inventory, inventory decoupling points, inventory deployment, inventory management, lead times, Manufacturing, Productivity, supply chain, warehouse
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
In many ways, Labor Day marks the beginning of a new year. Of course school starts up again after summer recess, but September can also be a time to initiate or re-start improvement activities at work.
Posted in Best Practices, Education, Inventory, Management, Manufacturing, Operations Management Tagged APICS, APICS International Conference, certification, education, inventory management, performance improvement, production control, Productivity, supply chain management, training
While there are considerable regulatory, special-interest, and market-driven pressures to go green, companies are unlikely to do much more than the bare minimum unless there also are good business reasons to do so. That is especially true in these times of economic
Posted in Lean, Marketing, Sustainability Tagged APICS, consumer goods, cost reduction, green initiatives, Lean, marketing, production, Productivity, recyclables, renewables, return on investment, ROI, sustainability
As the United States struggles to climb out of the recession, the manufacturing sector has been particularly strong, leading the way with increased output and solid sales and profits.
One of the principles of lean operations is to keep the work area clean and organized — and it’s not just for aesthetics.
Posted in Best Practices, Inventory, Lean, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Process Improvement Tagged 5S, continuous improvement, customer, efficiency, empowered team, Kaizen, Lean, lean operations, production line, Productivity, sales, Seiketsu, Seiri, Seiso, Seiton, self-discipline, setting in order, shining, Shitsuki, Sorting, Standardizing, Straightening, Sustaining, Sweeping, warehouse, workers, workspace
Several years ago, it was almost fashionable to outsource to low-wage areas of the world to reduce costs. Business leaders developed the mind-set of “off shoring is always cheaper:’ and they scarcely looked beyond unit cost plus transportation.
Posted in Inventory, Lean, Logistics, Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Sustainability Tagged back-shoring, buyers, capability, capacity, communication, cost-of-goods, costs, demand, exchange rates, expenses, forecast, Green, import, labor, lead time, Lean, logistics, lot size, management, Manufacturing, MFG.com, near-shoring, off shoring, on-shoring, outsource, production, Productivity, quality, re-shoring, safety stock, shipping and handling, sourcing, suppliers, supply chain, trade exchange, transportation, unit cost
Reprinted from Portsmouth Herald / Seacoastonline.com –10 February 21, 2011.
Recent reports from the U.N. and several industry associations indicate that China may have overtaken the United States as the world’s top producer. For as long as anyone can remember, the United States has led the world in industrial output — by a large margin. Over the last few years, however, Chinese production has been soaring while United States output has increased at a relatively modest pace.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers
News reports this week are highlighting the relative good health of the manufacturing segment. Most prominently, the Institute for Supply Management index for January came in at 60.8, the 18th straight month that this measure has indicated expansion (above 50).
Posted in Education, Logistics, Management, Manufacturing, Process Improvement, Supply Chain Tagged capital equipment, commodities, competitive, cost-of-goods, forecast, global, Institute for Supply Management, Manufacturing, market share, process improvement, Productivity, profitability, raw-material, recession, resources, training
The 2010 APICS International Conference & Expo is being held this week, October 18-20 at the Wynn in Las Vegas, NV. The General Session on Monday featured LT. General Russel L. Honoré who spoke about leadership in an uncertain time.
Posted in Best Practices, Education, ERP/MRP, Inventory, Lean, Logistics, Management, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Planning, Process Improvement, Risk, Supply Chain, Sustainability Tagged best practice, capacity, collaboration, continuous improvement, education, enterprise resources planning, ERP, Global Supply Chain, inventory management, Lean, logistics, operations management, operations planning, planning, Productivity, risk, S&OP, scheduling, suppliers, supply chain, supply chain management, sustainability
When a company needs parts and materials, a purchasing or sourcing function will find an appropriate source, negotiate cost and terms, and administer the transactions to complete the procurement. In recent years, a lot of that purchasing activity has gone
Posted in Inventory, Logistics, Procurement, Risk Tagged demand, import, inventory, labor rates, lead time, logistics, materials, per-unit cost, procurement, Productivity, purchasing, quality, risk, sourcing, transportation | <urn:uuid:9aca0366-bad3-476d-9d76-9e19c6ea59d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.daveturbide.com/tag/productivity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920613 | 1,106 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Connections 23010. Black Aesthetics
Black Aesthetics examines African American contributions to the visual arts, music and literature of the United States. Placing African American creativity within historical, sociological and political contexts, students may explore how black artists forged a creative culture that both illustrated their unique experience and identity and transformed the arts of the dominant culture within which they worked.
This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. A two-course connection* must link courses from at least two different areas; a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.
*A two-course connection requires one course from creative arts or humanities with one course from history or social sciences. | <urn:uuid:be04a411-1250-42f5-a976-69e1d829bb6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wheatoncollege.edu/catalog/conx_23010/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931968 | 143 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Click on any phrase to play the video at that point.Close
Our face is hugely important because it's the external, visual part that everybody else sees. Let's not forget it's a functional entity. We have strong skull bones that protect the most important organ in our body: the brain. It's where our senses are located, our special senses -- our vision, our speech, our hearing, our smell, our taste. And this bone is peppered, as you can see, with the light shining through the skull with cavities, the sinuses, which warm and moisten the air we breathe. But also imagine if they were filled with solid bone -- our head would be dead weight, we wouldn't be able to hold it erect, we wouldn't be able to look at the world around us. This woman is slowly dying because the benign tumors in her facial bones have completely obliterated her mouth and her nose so she can't breathe and eat.
Attached to the facial bones that define our face's structure are the muscles that deliver our facial expression, our universal language of expression, our social-signaling system. And overlying this is the skin drape, which is a hugely complex three-dimensional structure -- taking right-angled bends here and there, having thin areas like the eyelids, thick areas like the cheek, different colors. And then we have the sensual factor of the face. Where do we like to kiss people? On the lips. Nibble the ears maybe. It's the face where we're attracted to with that.
But let's not forget the hair. You're looking at the image on your left-hand side -- that's my son with his eyebrows present. Look how odd he looks with the eyebrows missing. There's a definite difference. And imagine if he had hair sprouting from the middle of his nose, he'd look even odder still.
Dysmorphophobia is an extreme version of the fact that we don't see ourselves as others see us. It's a shocking truth that we only see mirror images of ourselves, and we only see ourselves in freeze-frame photographic images that capture a mere fraction of the time that we live. Dysmorphophobia is a perversion of this where people who may be very good looking regard themselves as hideously ugly and are constantly seeking surgery to correct their facial appearance. They don't need this. They need psychiatric help. Max has kindly donated his photograph to me. He doesn't have dysmorphophobia, but I'm using his photograph to illustrate the fact that he looks exactly like a dysmorphophobic. In other words, he looks entirely normal.
Age is another thing when our attitude toward our appearance changes. So children judge themselves, learn to judge themselves, by the behavior of adults around them. Here's a classic example: Rebecca has a benign blood vessel tumor that's growing out through her skull, has obliterated her nose, and she's having difficulty seeing. As you can see, it's blocking her vision. She's also in danger, when she damages this, of bleeding profusely. Our research has shown that the parents and close loved ones of these children adore them. They've grown used to their face; they think they're special. Actually, sometimes the parents argue about whether these children should have the lesion removed. And occasionally they suffer intense grief reactions because the child they've grown to love has changed so dramatically and they don't recognize them. But other adults say incredibly painful things. They say, "How dare you take this child out of the house and terrify other people. Shouldn't you be doing something about this? Why haven't you had it removed?" And other children in curiosity come up and poke the lesion, because -- a natural curiosity. And that obviously alerts the child to their unusual nature. After surgery, everything normalizes. The adults behave more naturally, and the children play more readily with other children.
As teenagers -- just think back to your teenage years -- we're going through a dramatic and often disproportionate change in our facial appearance. We're trying to struggle to find our identity. We crave the approval of our peers. So our facial appearance is vital to us as we're trying to project ourselves to the world. Just remember that single acne spot that crippled you for several days. How long did you spend looking in the mirror every day, practicing your sardonic look, practicing your serious look, trying to look like Sean Connery, as I did, trying to raise one eyebrow? It's a crippling time.
I've chosen to show this profile view of Sue because what it shows is her lower jaw jutting forward and her lower lip jutting forward. I'd like you all in the audience now to push your lower jaw forward. Turn to the person next to you, push your lower jaws forward. Turn to the person next to you and look at them -- they look miserable. That's exactly what people used to say to Sue. She wasn't miserable at all. But people used to say to her, "Why are you so miserable?" People were making misjudgments all the time on her mood. Teachers and peers were underestimating her; she was teased at school. So she chose to have facial surgery. After the facial surgery, she said, "My face now reflects my personality. People know now that I'm enthusiastic, that I'm a happy person." And that's the change that can be achieved for teenagers.
Is this change, though, a real change, or is it a figment of the imagination of the patient themselves? Well we studied teenagers' attitudes to photographs of patients having this corrective facial surgery. And what we found was -- we jumbled up the photographs so they couldn't recognize the before and after -- what we found was that the patients were regarded as being more attractive after the surgery. Well that's not surprising, but we also asked them to judge them on honesty, intelligence, friendliness, violence. They were all perceived as being less than normal in all those characteristics -- more violent, etc. -- before the surgery. After the surgery, they were perceived as being more intelligent, more friendly, more honest, less violent -- and yet we hadn't operated on their intellect or their character.
When people get older, they don't necessarily choose to follow this kind of surgery. Their presence in the consultation suite is a result of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. What happens to them is that they may have suffered cancer or trauma. So this is a photograph of Henry, two weeks after he had a malignant cancer removed from the left side of his face -- his cheekbone, his upper jaw, his eye-socket. He looks pretty good at this stage. But over the course of the next 15 years he had 14 more operations, as the disease ravaged his face and destroyed my reconstruction regularly. I learned a huge amount from Henry. Henry taught me that you can carry on working. He worked as an advocate. He continued to play cricket. He enjoyed life to the full, and this was probably because he had a successful, fulfilling job and a caring family and was able to participate socially. He maintained a calm insouciance. I don't say he overcame this; he didn't overcome it. This was something more than that. He ignored it. He ignored the disfigurement that was happening in his life and carried on oblivious to it. And that's what these people can do.
Henriapi illustrates this phenomenon as well. This is a man in his 20s whose first visit out of Nigeria was with this malignant cancer that he came to the United Kingdom to have operated on. It was my longest operation. It took 23 hours. I did it with my neurosurgeon. We removed all the bones at the right side of his face -- his eye, his nose, the skull bones, the facial skin -- and reconstructed him with tissue from the back. He continued to work as a psychiatric nurse. He got married. He had a son called Jeremiah. And again, he said, "This painting of me with my son Jeremiah shows me as the successful man that I feel that I am." His facial disfigurement did not affect him because he had the support of a family; he had a successful, fulfilling job.
So we've seen that we can change people's faces. But when we change people's faces, are we changing their identity -- for better or for worse? For instance, there are two different types of facial surgery. We can categorize it like that. We can say there are patients who choose to have facial surgery -- like Sue. When they have facial surgery, they feel their lives have changed because other people perceive them as better people. They don't feel different. They feel that they've actually gained what they never had, that their face now reflects their personality. And actually that's probably the difference between cosmetic surgery and this kind of surgery. Because you might say, "Well, this type of surgery might be regarded as cosmetic." If you do cosmetic surgery, patients are often less happy. They're trying to achieve difference in their lives. Sue wasn't trying to achieve difference in her life. She was just trying to achieve the face that matched her personality.
But then we have other people who don't choose to have facial surgery. They're people who have their face shot off. I'll move it off, and we'll have a blank slide for those who are squeamish amongst you. They have it forced upon them. And again, as I told you, if they have a caring family and good work life, then they can lead normal and fulfilled lives. Their identity doesn't change.
Is this business about appearance and preoccupation with it a Western phenomenon? Muzetta's family give the lie to this. This is a little Bangladeshi girl from the east end of London who's got a huge malignant tumor on the right side of her face, which has already made her blind and which is rapidly growing and is going to kill her shortly. After she had surgery to remove the tumor, her parents dressed her in this beautiful green velvet dress, a pink ribbon in her hair, and they wanted the painting to be shown around the world, despite the fact that they were orthodox Muslims and the mother wore a full burqa. So it's not simply a Western phenomenon.
We make judgments on people's faces all the time. It's been going on since we can think of Lombroso and the way he would define criminal faces. He said you could see criminal faces, judging them just on the photographs that were showed. Good-looking people are always judged as being more friendly. We look at O.J. -- he's a good-looking guy. We'd like to spend time with him. He looks friendly. Now we know that he's a convicted wife-batterer, and actually he's not the good guy. And beauty doesn't equate to goodness, and certainly doesn't equate to contentment.
So we've talked about the static face and judging the static face, but actually, we're more comfortable with judging the moving face. We think we can judge people on their expressions. U.K. jurors in the U.K. justice system like to see a live witness to see whether they can pick up the telltale signs of mendacity -- the blink, the hesitation. And so they want to see live witnesses. Todorov tells us that, in a tenth of a second, we can make a judgment on somebody's face. Are we uncomfortable with this image? Yes, we are. Would we be happy if our doctor's face, our lawyer's face, our financial adviser's face was covered? We'd be pretty uncomfortable. But are we good at making the judgments on facial appearance and movement? The truth is that there's a five-minute rule, not the tenth-of-a-second rule like Todorov, but a five-minute rule. If you spend five minutes with somebody, you start looking beyond their facial appearance, and the people who you're initially attracted to may seem boring and you lose interest in them, and the people who you didn't immediately seek out, because you didn't find them particularly attractive, become attractive people because of their personality.
So we've talked a lot about facial appearance. I now want to share a little bit of the surgery that we do -- where we're at and where we're going. This is an image of Ann who's had her right jaw removed and the base of her skull removed. And you can see in the images afterward, we've managed to reconstruct her successfully. But that's not good enough. This is what Ann wants. She wants to be out kayaking, she wants to be out climbing mountains. And that's what she achieved, and that's what we have to get to.
This is a horrific image, so I'm putting my hand up now. This is a photograph of Adi, a Nigerian bank manager who had his face shot off in an armed robbery. And he lost his lower jaw, his lip, his chin and his upper jaw and teeth. This is the bar that he set for us. "I want to look like this. This is how I looked before." So with modern technology, we used computers to make models. We made a model of the jaw without bone in it. We then bent a plate up to it. We put it in place so we knew it was an accurate position. We then put bone and tissue from the back. Here you can see the plate holding it, and you can see the implants being put in -- so that in one operation we achieve this and this. So the patient's life is restored. That's the good news. However, his chin skin doesn't look the same as it did before. It's skin from his back. It's thicker, it's darker, it's coarser, it doesn't have the contours. And that's where we're failing, and that's where we need the face transplant.
The face transplant has a role probably in burns patients to replace the skin. We can replace the underlying skeletal structure, but we're still not good at replacing the facial skin. So it's very valuable to have that tool in our armamentarium. But the patients are going to have to take drugs that suppress their immune system for the rest of their lives. What does that mean? They have an increased risk of infection, an increased risk of malignancy. This is not a life-saving transplant -- like a heart, or liver, or lung transplant -- it is a quality-of-life transplant, and as a result, are the patients going to say, if they get a malignant cancer 10 or 15 years on, "I wish I'd had conventional reconstructive techniques rather than this because I'm now dying of a malignant cancer"? We don't know yet. We also don't know what they feel about recognition and identity. Bernard Devauchelle and Sylvie Testelin, who did the first operation, are studying that. Donors are going to be short on the ground, because how many people want to have their loved one's face removed at the point of death? So there are going to be problems with face transplantation.
So the better news is the future's almost here -- and the future is tissue engineering. Just imagine, I can make a biologically-degradable template. I can put it in place where it's meant to be. I can sprinkle a few cells, stem cells from the patient's own hip, a little bit of genetically engineered protein, and lo and behold, leave it for four months and the face is grown. This is a bit like a Julia Child recipe.
But we've still got problems. We've got mouth cancer to solve. We're still not curing enough patients -- it's the most disfiguring cancer. We're still not reconstructing them well enough. In the U.K. we have an epidemic of facial injuries among young people. We still can't get rid of scars. We need to do research. And the best news of all is that surgeons know that we need to do research. And we've set up charities that will help us fund the clinical research to determine the best treatment practice now and better treatment into the future, so we don't just sit on our laurels and say, "Okay, we're doing okay. Let's leave it as it is."
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Facial surgeon Iain Hutchison works with people whose faces have been severely disfigured. By pushing to improve surgical techniques, he helps to improve their lives; and by commissioning their portraits, he celebrates their humanity. NOTE: This talk contains images of disfigured and badly injured faces that may be disturbing -- and Hutchison provides thoughtful answers as to why a disfigured face can shock us so deeply. Squeamish? Hide your screen from 12:10 - 13:19, but do keep listening. Portraits shown in this talk come from Mark Gilbert.
Iain Hutchison is a pioneering oral and facial surgeon; his foundation, Saving Faces, explores the nature of our expressions. Full bio » | <urn:uuid:684969d2-f3e7-4dbb-8559-a857a4411f7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ted.com/talks/iain_hutchison_saving_faces.html?quote=915 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983682 | 3,583 | 2.203125 | 2 |
How do you entice someone to buy a certain product or service? Of all the information surrounding a product, what do you put in front of the user? How do you prioritize the information? Is price more or less important than a product picture?
Marketers have studied this for a long, long time. Today, I offer my take on what information is the most enticing, based on several years of my own research.
When I create a Web and/or email strategy, I classify data into three major groups: identification data, contextual data, and desire data. Understand the groups and how data in these groups work together. You'll optimize screen real estate and maximize selling potential.
Identification data is objective, atomic data that helps a user identify a product or a service. In music, identification data includes artist name, album name, record label, and cover art. In a service business, it includes the name of the service ("E-mail Strategy and Design Workshop") and a list of deliverables. This data addresses one question: Does this product meet the most basic criteria of what I am looking for?
Contextual data is objective information to help identify a product as the "correct" one, beyond the atomic name/artist. Contextual data addresses, "Between two seemingly identical products, which is the correct one?" Examples include table of contents, track list, book excerpts, format (hardcover, audio cassette, DVD), instruction manual, and a description of a company's methodology around a given service.
A search for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" would return at least six items: DVD and VHS formats of the theatrical, extended, and extended collector's releases. All are identical, in that they share the most basic identification data and fill the same basic need. Contextual data shows which contains extra scenes or includes collector's items.
There may be 15 books with titles that are a variation on "Learn C++." Contextual data (a table of contents or an excerpt) reveals what's actually inside the book.
The final, most important group is desire data. Unlike identification and contextual data, desire data is generally nonobjective. Desire data contains primarily subjective information about a product or service. It includes published reviews, user reviews or testimonials, or collections the product fits into. Collection examples include Web sites' "People who bought [x] also bought" listings, or Amazon's "Listmania." All these data points lend desirability to a product or service.
If I can't decide between three different books called "Learn C++," I'll be heavily swayed if one has several reviews saying, "This book is terrible!" Even if I decided to buy that book before looking at desire data, I'd likely be swayed by customer reviews.
If a toy's review reads "breaks easily," I won't buy it. Price and availability are generally the only objective data in this category.
Now, the challenge: How much data from each group is required for a given product or service, and in what combination?
My theories stem from my own research. Feel free to agree or disagree. Test them yourself to see if they work for your products or services before accepting anything as dogma. Here are my findings.
Every product or service must display at least two units of identification data. More than three units is a waste of real estate and won't help the sale. In addition, every product requires at least one unit of contextual data. I don't believe a product needs more than that. Following this, the real estate is better served with desire data.
Desire data is better when varied. Different personality types respond to different desire data. I've covered various testimonial types. Some people, to whom peer community is important, respond to user reviews. Others care only what an expert, such as a newspaper critic, thinks. It's important to vary desire data to address all user types. It's a better use of space to have two expert reviews and two user reviews than to employ four user reviews, which half your visitors will ignore.
To complicate matters slightly, contextual and desire data overlap. Some information fits into both groups. The important distinction is a single unit of data (like a table of contents) may have one effectiveness rank in the contextual group but a different one in the desire group. The table of contents might rank third as a book's most effective contextual information but much lower as desire data. Pick the best contextual data first. Then, the remaining data points can be moved to the desire group. There, it's sorted with the rest of the entries.
Sound confusing? It isn't if you understand the relative weight of each data point and whether that weight differs depending on group. This is where much of my own research time has been spent.
This was only an overview of identification, contextual, and desire data. I've touched the tip of the iceberg, but hopefully enough for you to start your own research. Correctly combining the data points maximizes real estate (you can't make room for everything known about a product on one page) and selling potential.
Understand the data combinations for your products. You'll enable customers to answer the three basics: Do you have the product I'm looking for? Is it the right product variation for my needs? Am I convinced I'll like the product?
Thoughts? Agree, disagree? Let me know!
Until next time...
Know your Ambiguous Customer: Effective Multi-Channel Tracking
Wednesday, June 5 at 1pm ET - Learn why a move from the "batch and blast" email approach enables better conversations with your customers.
Register today - don't miss this free webinar!
Jack Aaronson, CEO of The Aaronson Group and corporate lecturer, is a sought-after expert on enhanced user experiences, customer conversion, retention, and loyalty. If only a small percentage of people who arrive at your home page transact with your company (and even fewer return to transact again), Jack and his company can help. He also publishes a newsletter about multichannel marketing, personalization, user experience, and other related issues. He has keynoted most major marketing conferences around the world and regularly speaks at Shop.org and other major industry shows. You can learn more about Jack through his LinkedIn profile.
June 5, 2013
1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT
June 20, 2013
1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT | <urn:uuid:03ea92d0-b8a7-4d11-bec6-84fb440001ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1699236/desire-data | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94193 | 1,333 | 1.5 | 2 |
The FY2010 Budget Request
The FY2010 budget request (i.e. the Appendix) is finally out. Here are some details about the President’s allocations for science and technology and small businesses.
The Budget provides a 16-percent increase over 2008 funding levels for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and similarly large increases for the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Commerce (which oversees the National Institute of Standards and Technology -NIST). These agencies will receive 7 billion, 26.4 billion and 13.8 billion respectively in discretionary funding.
In terms of innovation, here are a few interesting highlights:
- The NIST Technology Innovation Program will receive $70 million
- The budget provides to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) $50 million for regional planning and matching grants to support the creation of regional innovation clusters that leverage regions' existing competitive strengths to boost job creation and economic growth.
- The budget launches a $50 million EDA initiative that will create a nationwide network of public-private business incubators to encourage entrepreneurial activity in economically distressed areas.
- The budget provides the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office full access to its fee collections, which “will provide resources to strengthen the Office’s ability to encourage innovation and safeguard the value of intellectual property through more efficient and higher quality patent and trademark examinations.”
- It allocates $10 million for carrying out activities authorized in section 5012 of the America COMPETES Act (Energy Transformation Acceleration Fund).
The President also requests $779 million in funding for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Excluding disaster loan funding, the FY2010 request is a 40 percent increase above President Bush’s budget request last year. The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair highlighted the following budget details among others:
- $80 million for the 7(a) program, the largest SBA loan program.
- $3 million for the microloan program to support a level of $25 million in loans, and an additional $10 million for technical assistance to complement the $24 million for technical assistance in the Recovery Act and $6 million to support a level of $50 million in microloans. The microloan program allows intermediaries to provide small loans to entrepreneurs and start-ups, helping to create or retain close to 10,000 jobs last year.
- $97 million for Small Business Development Centers, which provide counseling
- $13 million for Women Business Centers. The additional funding would make it possible to provide funding for at least seven more centers.
To date, unless we have missed something, there do not appear to be any major investments in high growth new businesses –or at least they are not detailed yet.
Stay tuned to see how the investments are allocated into more specific programs and priorities. | <urn:uuid:5ef442ce-87fa-4456-a0db-264eafcefe87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Blogs/Policy-Forum-Blog/2009/May/The-FY2010-Budget-Request.aspx | 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 | 0.90584 | 587 | 1.625 | 2 |
Statutory body, established by the Minister of Labour, to support and grow the level of current and future skills needed in the banking sector.
Parliament of South Africa
Provides information on developments at the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa for the purpose of facilitating public participation in parliamentary legislative processes. Also contains information about the parliamentary process in South Afr
SA Government Online
One of the objectives of the South African Government is to operate as an integrated entity with a single corporate identity. The aim is to eliminate duplication and confusion. By developing a comprehensive government Home page, government has create
Secretariat for Safety and Security
The need for a Civilian Secretariat for Safety and Security was identified by the Minister for Safety and Security in 1994. The key objectives : to provide government with civilian policy management capacity, independent of the vested and occupationa | <urn:uuid:783bed05-d5e7-4d2b-9330-241f27f9f4e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cooltoad.com/links/show.php?n=Regional/Africa/South_Africa/Government | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905062 | 171 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Guest Author - D. J. Herda
There are few more valuable plants around the water garden than the marginals. These are the plants that make their homes in the transitional area between water and land. Most enjoy having “wet feet” without being too deeply submerged in water. Think of them as shallow-water plants.
Here are a few of our favorites for you to consider adding to your water garden.
PARROT'S FEATHER (Myriophyllum aquaticum) This plant's pink stems rise above silvery blue or lime-green foliage. Leaves are sparse underwater. However, about 6 inches above the surface, they grow into feathery whorls. Parrot's feather is good for trailing over the side of a container garden or alongside a waterfall. It is a fast-growing marginal plant and may need to be thinned occasionally to keep it in check. To survive cold winters, roots must be under ice. Plant their crowns 4 - 10 inches below the water surface. Parrot's feather likes full sun but tolerates partial shade. It is hardy in zones 3 - 11.
IRIS The marginal species of this popular garden plant include blue or wild flag iris (I. versicolor, with attractive blue, bearded flowers); rabbitear iris (I. laevigata, usually white with broad-petaled, beardless flowers); Louisiana iris (I. fulva, red to orange beardless blossoms); and Japanese water iris (I. ensata, with white, blue, purple, reddish-purple, and lavender-pink beardless blooms). Another, variety, yellow flag iris (I. pseudacorus, beardless), is especially easy to grow. I. laevigata 'Variegata' is popular for its striped leaves. All of these iris varieties make excellent marginal growers. Plant iris rhizomes (the fleshy, root-like portion) from 2 - 4 inches below the water surface in full sun to light shade. Iris are hardy perennials in zones 2 - 10, depending upon the species.
ARROWHEAD (Sagittaria spp.) This marginal is named for its arrowhead-shaped leaves that rise up 1 - 2 feet above the surface of the water on slender stems. Because of their leginess, the plant may tend to lean some. Three species are popular as garden-pool marginals: S. sagittifolia, S. latifolia, and S. japonica. Arrowhead blooms later than most other marginals, with white flowers emerging in summer. It is a North American native plant, an easy grower that does not transplant well. It prefers bog-like conditions. Plant its roots 1 - 5 inches beneath the water surface in full sun to partial shade. Plants are hardy in zones 4 - 10.
MARSH MARIGOLD (Caltha palustris) One of the most popular of marginals, marsh marigolds feature bright golden spring flowers that bloom above heart-shaped, shiny, dark green leaves for a month or more. The plants rise about 1 foot above the water and spread about 1 foot across. They go dormant by midsummer. Grow them near other marginals to ensure that the bare spots they leave during dormancy are hidden by neighboring foliage. Marsh marigolds are a good choice to plant in damp spots near a stream, and they grow well in bog gardens. They are native to North America. Plant them in full sun with the crowns no deeper than 2 inches below the surface of the water. Plants are hardy in zones 4 - 10.
CATTAIL (Typha spp.) The familiar brown flower heads of cattails are borne in late summer through early fall. Many species are too invasive to grow in garden pools except in pots, but there are some that can be planted without fear. For large water gardens, there's T. latifolia. T. laxmannii is suitable for gardens of medium size. The miniature cattail, T. minima, does fine in small garden ponds. Cattail plants can grow up to 6 feet tall or taller, depending on the species and growing conditions. Plant them so that their crowns are up to 6 inches below the water surface. The plants grow best in full sun to partial shade. Cattails are hardy in zones 2 - 10, depending upon the species.
CANNA (Canna) These magnificent bloomers send up stalks with brilliantly colored, electric flowers from 5 – 6 inches across. They grow in up to 4 inches of water and reach a height of 4 – 6 feet, making them ideal for strong backdrop plants or a splash of color mixed in with your cattails. Bulbs are readily available and inexpensive and can be treated as an annual in most locales. Plants are hardy in zones 9 – 11, although we have overwintered our pond cannas in zone 8.
PICKEREL (Pontederia cordata) The spade-shaped leaves of this plant reach 24 – 30 inches in height and are punctuated with spikes of vivid purple flowers, resembling the flower heads of grape hyacinth. The flower heads grow to 5 inches in length, providing a splashy show of color throughout late spring and early summer. The plants grow happily in up to 10 inches of water and hard hardy in zones 5 – 11. | <urn:uuid:c517890b-b511-4bcc-8367-a6c74e87d3b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art39724.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925666 | 1,126 | 3 | 3 |
One word can say so much about an area. When we use words to describe a place as “blighted,” we certainly don’t expect to see shops like those along Fifth Avenue South in Naples, nor when we describe neighborhoods as “affordable,” do we expect the style of homes found in Port Royal.
Neither blighted nor affordable are usually associated with Collier County, but last week, our area was tagged with a word in a minor news story that was nonetheless printed in papers coast to coast. That word was “opulence,” and it was used to describe the reason why a meeting was canceled by a Washington, D.C.-based group of bankers, partying under the name of the Financial Services Roundtable. After it was pointed out that their meeting, slated to be held the Ritz Carlton, in Collier County, was not a good location to discuss their position on labor matters during these economic times, they rescheduled to meet in Washington to avoid the “opulence” of our location.
If we listen to the whining of the many government agencies in this county, you would have to wonder how anyone would think we could possibly be perceived as opulent. Could it perhaps be that we have somehow put forth the wrong impression to those living elsewhere? Has the rest of the country misconstrued our bare necessities as extravagances? They must not be seeing or hearing from the real Collier County, for in these troubled times, certainly we will step up to the plate, becoming more frugal in the way we expeditiously spend taxpayers’ money. And when government is not frugal, all that needs to be done is to threaten the taxpayers with reduced services instead of reduced spending and more tax dollars will surely flow from the endless spigots known as our wallets.
Opulence is wealth, affluence and abundance. There are plenty of natural amenities in our area that include beautiful beaches, nature preserves and great backwater recreation. What nature provided we cannot be faulted for; they are elements that made this area popular and continue to attract the tourists that so many local businesses rely upon.
Of course, we have a few bare necessities beyond what nature has provided, which may unfortunately foster the wild conclusion that we have more money than brains; another possible definition of opulence.
Our beautiful gateway to the City of Naples is an excellent example. The overpass at Airport Road and Golden Gate Parkway may give the impression that we have a bit of excess money to waste. It is functional and does give drivers a few less minutes of traffic getting to and from the city, but at $34 million, it cost twice what a similar overpass would have cost anywhere in the country except Collier County. No doubt the properties within shouting distance of this artistic and color-coordinated sculpture enjoy the costly improvements over what a typical overpass would look like, and therein lays its necessity. If only the rest of the country would give us the chance to explain these things.
Look at the beautiful water park we created in North Naples, with water slides and amenities to rival Orlando. Does anyone think we spent $54 million to construct this water resource facility and pay out millions per year to maintain it just for the selfish interests of only our residents? Of course not. It is for all who can afford it, like the outside ball clubs that monopolize the playing fields and the Ritz Carlton and other local hotels who like to lease it for private parties. What would happen if this obvious necessity had not been created? If only the rest of the country would give us the chance to explain these things.
Even as recently as last month, in these difficult times, the taxpayers of this county again dug deep into their current and future wallets to purchase the Pepper Ranch for $33 million dollars. It was absolutely necessary to purchase this great piece of nearly natural and mostly undevelopable property near Immokalee, at nearly triple the purchase price paid a couple of years ago, in order to make sure the voters and taxpayers protected plenty of the open space within the urban area – or so they were told – when they voted to create a tax for these land purchases. The fact that the ranch is not within any current or future urban area is not really important, because rules change and some developer might apply for a land change decades in the future. How terrible it would have been not to save this Ranch, no matter the extravagant price. If only the rest of the country would give us the chance to explain these things.
It is really unfair for the Financial Services Roundtable to refer to our area as “opulent” when, in fact, we constantly battle to collect more taxes to afford our bare necessities. After this group donated more than $7.7 million to campaigns last year and after the banking industry, as a whole, donated more than $55 million in 2008 to campaigns, you would think they could spend a few days relaxing in the rustic environs of our area without the perception of opulent overindulgence. | <urn:uuid:1d160bd7-378e-4577-a683-a04c50e7bf07> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/feb/18/mark-opulence-collier-county-let-us-explain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97107 | 1,038 | 1.5 | 2 |
See more from this Session: Graduate Student Poster Competition
Spartina alterniflora is a dominant salt marsh species along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, and its establishment is important in reducing coastal erosion in Louisiana. However, long-term preservation of S. alterniflora is challenging because the seeds are recalcitrant, losing viability when dried below 45% water content.
Comparative proteomics between S. alterniflora and orthodox, desiccation tolerant S. pectinata seeds was performed to identify heat-stable (soluble after 40 min at 950C) proteins that may be associated with desiccation tolerance. The heat-stable proteomes of S. alterniflora and S. pectinata contain 174 and 312 spots, respectively, as resolved by two dimensional gel electrophoresis and detected by in silico software analysis (Nonlinear Progenesis). Eighty-five unique spots were present in orthodox S. pectinata but were missing in recalcitrant S. alterniflora. Some have been sequenced so far, and several proteins share homologies to known sequences for group-3 late embryogenesis abundant proteins (LEAs), dehydrin (group-2 LEA), cystatin (cysteine protease inhibitor), superoxide dismutase, peroxiredoxin, stress-responsive protein, nascent peptide associated complex (NAC), abscisic stress ripening protein, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and ubiquitin; these proteins are associated with the desiccation-tolerant state in other organisms.
Gels stained with PRO-Q Diamond revealed phosphorylated cystatins (ca. 27 kDa) that were highly expressed in S. pectinata but not in S. alterniflora. Differentially expressed glycosylated proteins (ca. 20 kDa and 60 kDa, detected with PRO-Q Emerald 300 stain) were uniquely expressed in S. pectinata. These data suggest that a modestly-sized suite of proteins and post-translational modifications confer desiccation tolerance to S. pectinata seeds, and demonstrate the utility of the comparing related species to understand physiological processes. | <urn:uuid:17d263b5-d449-4fc0-87c0-c31fce0fe4e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2011am/webprogram/Paper65894.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918919 | 468 | 1.9375 | 2 |
Others flop and end up forgotten or, perhaps even more ignominiously, sequestered in the “Archives of Useless Research,” a collection of books and pamphlets stored in the gold mine of knowledge that is the MIT Archives.
As its name implies, the Archives of Useless Research is, in and of itself, a curiosity. Assembled by Albert Ingalls, the associate editor of Scientific American from 1923-1955, and given to the MIT Libraries in 1940, they consist of materials that rejected contemporary theories of physical sciences or explored hypotheses not yet accepted. The Archives has since been added to, and now contains writings and publications from 1900-1965.
Sorting through the six boxes that make up the collection, one finds books, manuscripts, and papers from the early twentieth century with titillating titles such as “Heat is the Ether of the Universe,” “The Coming Age: Presaged by an Era of a Profounder Research,” and perhaps most intriguing of all, “Why Life Exists and Allied Subjects.” While a small handful of the theories contained in the boxes have borne out—some in important ways, such as early warnings that smoking could cause cancer—most turned out to be, well, largely useless.
Although called a “nut collection” by some, the Useless Archives could more aptly be described as a series of intriguing snapshots into the history of invention and inquiry. One such tidbit, a five-by-three-inch, drab-gray booklet, provides a glimpse into the story of a man—Richard A. Engler, his vision and his failed dream.
Titled Aircraft, Present and Future; or Truth About Mechanical Flight and published by Engler in 1926, this inconspicuous book draws the reader in with Engler’s promise that his conclusions about flight and its advancement “may surprise, even if it does not please you, and may even interest you, because of additions which are not generally known.”
He explains: “There are four types of aircraft possible, namely the Dirigible, Airplane, Helicopter, and Ornithopter.” The first three, he contends, are inherently limited by “grave inherent faults.” By contrast, the ornithopter “has none of these inherent faults nor any inherent defects of its own, which is obvious, because it follows Nature’s own method of flight.”
Engler therefore announces that the ornithopter, built in accordance with Nature’s design, ”solves the problem of flight completely, which no other type does or can do.” Based upon this conclusion, which was made a little more than twenty years after the Wright Brothers first successfully flew a manned airplane, our main mode of air travel in the twenty-first century should be the ornithopter.
But wait a sec…what is an ornithopter?
An ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings: hence, its name, taken from the Greek works ornithos for “bird” and pteron for “wing.” It turns out the ornithopter has a long history of research and innovation dating back at least to Leonardo da Vinci, who sketched a design for the flight machine, but never actually built one.
In his fourteen-page booklet, Engler proceeds to develop the case for the ornithopter through explaining the many shortcomings of dirigibles (i.e., Zeppelins and blimp-like flight machines), airplanes, and helicopters. “No aircraft with body and wings rigidly connected together, and which requires long runs on the ground at starting and landing; and which skims over the air like a flat stone over the water only to plunge, like a stone, when its speed decreases beyond a fixed minimum [i.e., the airplane]…can ever succeed in practice,” he boldly pronounces. He had absolutely convinced himself (despite the many airplanes by then flying around). “The Creator Himself,” he practically shouts at us, “could not change these defects (without upsetting the whole universal mechanism). Why does man try to?”
More provocative and telling, however, is his conclusion: “The empire of the air has not yet been conquered, never can be with the present means available, and never will be till the Ornithopter arrives….Now I invite your attention to my U.S. patents No. 1,394,814 and No. 1,394,816.”
The answer at last arrives. Reading through his booklet and patents, which are stored at the U.S. Patent Office, it quickly becomes clear that Engler was on a mission. The inventor from Evanston, Illinois, was certain that his ornithopter would revolutionize mechanized flight. He filled the pages of his patents with beautifully and carefully drawn depictions of his flight machine’s components, explaining his unique, nature-inspired ornithopter design. He wrote paragraph upon paragraph of praise for the ornithopter and meticulously—and repeatedly—explained its benefits over airplanes or other modes of air travel.
As is probably true for most unrecognized inventors trying to make their creations known, Engler’s publicity efforts were flavored with a pinch of desperation. “History abounds with great inventions turned down till the right type of mind came along, and this mind usually belonged to a man that was unknown to newspapers…Do not let my newspaper obscurity foolishly blind you to my efforts,” he writes in his booklet, a plea for acknowledgement.
Sadly for Engler, close to a century later we’re apparently still waiting for that “right type of mind” to come along and manifest a bird-like machine that can solve the problem of flight. In the meantime, Engler remains largely unknown and his idea, like many others in the MIT Archives of Useless Research, has yet to be fully realized.
However, his dream lives on. In 2010, a Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto made news by flying 475 feet in a modern ornithopter. And, Engler would surely be proud to know that recent ornithopter inventions—of the toy sort, at least—have actually cited his patent. | <urn:uuid:3c5f7860-bb5e-4780-8ec8-b0e8cffbe18f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scopeweb.mit.edu/?p=2364 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966818 | 1,316 | 2.53125 | 3 |
David Seah asked people how they process books. Here’s what I commented:
I read a _lot_ of books, and I frequently refer other people to books that match their interests. When I do so, I love being able to point people to the exact page or quote they should check out, or to send them a summary of the key points in each book. I also enjoy giving books away.
Detailed book notes and a good workflow make this easy and convenient.
ACQUISITION: I often go on reading sprints, checking out lots of books on one topic from the library. Reading many books on one area allows me to read them faster, because many books contain fluff and things I’ve already read in other books. All I’m doing when I’m scanning a non-fiction book is looking for the nuggets of information or insight that are unique to that book.
READING: I keep track of pages with interesting passages on them. Sometimes, if I’m diligent, I use slips of paper as bookmarks. Most of the times, I dogear the lower corner of the page, folding the small dogear towards the side of the page I want to remember, or double-folding the corner if I like both sides of the page. Again, I’m just scanning for “the good stuff.”
CAPTURE: After I finish a stack of books, I scan relevant passages into my computer. I usually do this on Sundays or on days before my books are due. I review each page to see whether I still want to capture the information on it, and then I place the book face-down on a flatbed scanner and scan passages with the 600 dpi line-art setting required by OCR. All of the images get saved into a directory. Sometimes I’ll dictate passages to my computer instead, using Dragon NaturallySpeaking to transcribe.
TRANSCRIPTION: I use the free and open source Tesseract optical character recognition program. It’s pretty darn good. I’ve written a batch file that processes all of my pending images, filing finished images in one directory and text in the other.
ORGANIZATION: When I find free time, I review the transcribed text, narrowing it down to just the passages I wanted, and organizing items into more of an outline. I make any TODO items for follow-up actions, too. I also take that time to think of who else might be interested in a book or excerpts from it, and I recommend the book to those people. (I picked up this tip from Love is the Killer App – handy!) All of these notes go into a somewhat structured text file on my hard disk, where quotes are indexed by books and page numbers, and tagged by topic. When I remember, I write down the ISBN and other edition information as well.
REVIEW: Every so often, I flip through random book notes. Handy way to refresh my memory and think of other connections the books remind me to make.
I’ve started copying my book notes into a custom book-notes management system I’m building. That book-notes management system also automatically builds my reading history based on the books I’ve checked out (handy because I’m too lazy to update sites like LibraryThing ;) ), and eventually it’ll help me see which books are in which stage of processing.
One thing that would make this even better would be for me to figure out what to do during book-scanning so that I don’t get distracted but I still use that time productively. ;) My hands are occupied because I’m scanning books, and I find that if I’m reading something else (either online or offline), I get distracted and I forget to finish scanning my books. Maybe listening to great music or to a podcast will do the trick. =)
Another thing that would make this process even better would be to hook it into a web-based book review system, which I may build into that system I’m putting together. That way, I can easily share my book recommendations.
The book “How to Read a Book” has many tips on choosing the appropriate approach for books and processing them effectively.
OCR works really well for me. Try it out!Short URL: http://sachachua.com/blog/p/5733 | <urn:uuid:56a8b9b2-ca9c-4e32-8c52-4e5213f9d1be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sachachua.com/blog/p/5733/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940308 | 927 | 1.695313 | 2 |
|Posted by R P on November 02, 19100 at 01:41:26:|
I am thinking of installing a floor safe in my house. I have a slab foundation and was wondering if cutting a square of 14 inches by 14 inches installing the safe and re-pouring concrete around the safe, would cause any structural problems with the strength of the foundation. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance! | <urn:uuid:26428502-cbf9-4f50-bce0-fe76c8c6341e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://terrylove.com/wwwboard/messages/13693.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960014 | 87 | 1.585938 | 2 |
The Tao of Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett's Words of Wisdom: Quotations and Interpretations to Help Guide You to Billionaire Wealth and Enlightened Business Management
A collection of pithy and inspiring sayings from America's favorite businessman that reveal his secrets of success Like the sayings of the ancient ... Show synopsis A collection of pithy and inspiring sayings from America's favorite businessman that reveal his secrets of success Like the sayings of the ancient Chinese philospher Lao-tzu, Warren Buffett's worldly wisdom is deceptively simple and enormously powerful in application. In "The Tao of Warren Buffett, " Mary Buffett -- author of three books on Warren Buffett's investment methods -- joins noted Buffettologist and international lecturer David Clark to bring you Warren Buffett's smartest, funniest, and most memorable sayings with an eye toward revealing the life philosophy and the investment strategies that have made Warren Buffett, and the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, so enormously wealthy. Warren Buffett's investment achievements are unparalleled. He owes his success to hard work, integrity, and that most elusive commodity of all, common sense. The quotations in this book exemplify Warren's practical strategies and provide useful illustrations for every investor -- large or small -- and models everyone can follow. The quotes are culled from a variety of sources, including personal conversations, corporate reports, profiles, and interviews. The authors provide short explanations for each quote and use examples from Buffett's own business transactions whenever possible to illustrate his words at work. As Warren says: "You should invest in a business that even a fool can run, because someday a fool will." "With enough inside information and a million dollars, you can go broke in a year." "No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time: You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant." "Our method is very simple. We just try to buy businesses with good-to-superb underlying economics run by honest and able people and buy them at sensible prices. That's all I'm trying to do." "The Tao of Warren Buffett" inspires, amuses, sharpens the mind, and offers priceless investment savvy that anyone can take to the bank. This irresistibly browsable and entertaining book is destined to become a classic. | <urn:uuid:eaf9f967-cdcd-49e1-932d-74a9cd9fa7db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=22663785&matches=48&qsort=p&cm_sp=3rec-_-RHS-_-p1-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949084 | 466 | 1.703125 | 2 |
MANATEE -- Manatee County will host a conference that will explore ways that can help post-recession Florida continue to attract investors, innovative newcomers and visitors.
A conference on Sustainable & Authentic Florida will look at how places that resist grow-at-all-cost strategies can attract investors, entrepreneurs and visitors, the Manatee Chamber announced Monday.
The conference will take place Oct. 17-19 at the Anna Maria Island Players Theater. It will be presented by the Anna Maria Island Preservation Trust in association with the East Coast Greenway Alliance and Florida Journeys Communications. Area businesses are providing in-kind services.
"The conference will take place in coastal Manatee County because residents here largely resist grow-at-all-cost policy in favor of themselves determining how their places develop," says Associate Conference Director Caroline McKeon of Sarasota. "Cortez insists on its fishing ways; Anna Maria Island welcomes visitors for its informality; north Longboat Key keeps its historical character, and Bradenton is re-positioning its waterfront for further renewal of downtown."
Four Florida places will indicate how: Wakulla and mainland Franklin counties in the near Panhandle, DeLand and northwest Volusia County an hour northeast of Orlando, Miami Beach and coastal Manatee County.
The conference will provide a look at sustainability "not governed by science and technology; instead, by civics and values," organizers say.
Speakers include Peggy Bulger, retired director of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center; Duane De Freese, educator/scientist on coastal adaptation to climate change; Clay Henderson, iconic environmental leader; Bob McNulty, president of Partners for Livable Communities, Washington, DC; Gary Mormino, co-director of Florida Studies Program USF and social historian; Bruce Stephenson, director of Rollins College masters program in Urban Studies; and Florida photojournalist-interpreter John Moran.
For details and registration, log onto www.sustainableandauthenticflorida.com. | <urn:uuid:c633d7bf-343c-46fa-a38b-1875fb9c94c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bradenton.com/2012/07/24/4125420/manatee-county-to-host-sustainable.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903527 | 417 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The Wright Brothers' Dayton
By the late nineteenth century, the American frontier had long since pushed west of Dayton, Ohio. As the twentieth century dawned, Dayton became a gateway to another frontier: the future. The people who lived here began sharing a different kind of manifest destiny - the belief that man was meant to change the world for the better through ingenuity and hard work. It was a heady time, a time of entrepreneurial determinism. It was a time when a man could fly.
The achievements of the Wright Brothers are a spectacular example of how seemingly insurmountable circumstances can be overcome through scientific methodology. “The Wright Brothers’ Dayton,” highlights an extraordinary period in Dayton’s history, the 1890’s through the early 1920’s, when inventors, entrepreneurs and visionaries called Dayton home. It was a time when men like John Patterson, Charles Kettering, Paul Laurence Dunbar and James Cox walked along the same city streets.
The advent of the railroad and telegraph in the early nineteenth century helped Dayton evolve from an active agricultural community into an industrial powerhouse. The city became a hotbed of invention and manufacturing. In fact, Dayton was referred to as “the city of a thousand factories.” As the need for a large work force grew, so did the population. In 1880 Dayton boasted a population of 36,678; by 1907 it had expanded to 140,000, an increase of almost 400 percent.
“In addition to celebrating the spirit of invention that distinguished the city during these years, ‘The Wright Brothers’ Dayton’ illustrates the changing face of the city as it grew from a small town into a sophisticated urban center,” notes ThinkTV Production Manager and program writer/producer Shawn Brady. “The program chronicles the “can do” spirit of those who recognized the problems inherent in rapid expansion, envisioned solutions and applied technology to create one of the first examples of an industrialized city that strived to increase the quality of life for its citizens.”
Increased industrial productivity brought prosperity, more residents owned homes in Dayton than in any other city of equal size in the world. The city’s phenomenal growth brought with it increased crime, poverty and disease. In response, urban reformers challenged the city to take steps to safeguard the public’s health and welfare. Parks and recreation centers began to appear for the first time - while public education and the library system were greatly expanded. Companies like NCR pioneered a form of employee welfare. Business leaders like John Patterson believed that providing a quality environment for his workers was a moral imperative as well as good business.
Even the devastating 1913 flood couldn’t stop the momentum of progressive initiatives. When the flood and its aftermath brought to light corruption in local government, businessmen pushed city residents to adopt a commission/city manager form of government. The business community also took steps to prevent future flooding. This led to the creation of the Miami Conservancy District, a system of dry dams that became the second largest building project ever attempted in the United States - and the first conservancy of its kind.
“As Dayton continues to meet the challenges of a modern urban environment, ‘The Wright Brothers’ Dayton’ reminds us of the grand tradition of invention and innovation that belongs to this city. And, it will help viewers appreciate the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers in the context of a community that was itself geared toward inventiveness and success,” says Brady.
“The Wright Brothers’ Dayton” was produced by ThinkTV in partnership with the Montgomery County Historical Society. | <urn:uuid:93fe1dc3-c2bf-4f90-9625-5df297a5450e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thinktv.org/onair/localproduction/wright-brothers-dayton | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956264 | 743 | 3.71875 | 4 |
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, General Recommendation 4, Information on the demographic composition of the population (Eighth session, 1973), U.N. Doc. A/9018 at 106 (1973), reprinted in Compilation of General Comments and General Recommendations Adopted by Human Rights Treaty Bodies, U.N. Doc. HRI\GEN\1\Rev.6 at 197 (2003).
Having considered reports submitted by States parties under article 9 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination at its seventh and eighth sessions,
Bearing in mind the need for the reports sent by States parties to the Committee to be as informative as possible,
Invites States parties to endeavour to include in their reports under article 9 relevant information on the demographic composition of the population referred to in the provisions of article 1 of the Convention. | <urn:uuid:9dbdae1e-e7c2-42c3-a587-4d40226ae7f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/gencomm/genreiv.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904478 | 178 | 2.046875 | 2 |
For years, both political parties have made empty promises to the American people. Unfortunately, the President refuses to take responsibility for avoiding the debt-fueled crisis before us. Instead, his policies have put us on the path to debt and decline.
The President and his party’s leaders refuse to take action in the face of the most predictable economic crisis in our nation’s history. The President’s budget calls for more spending and more debt, while Senate Democrats – for over 1,000 days – have refused to pass a budget. This unserious approach to budgeting has serious consequences for American families, seniors, and the next generation.
We reject the broken politics of the past. The American people deserve real solutions and honest leadership. That’s what we’re delivering with our budget, The Path to Prosperity. House Republicans are advancing a plan of action for American renewal.
Cuts government spending to protect hardworking taxpayers;
Tackles the drivers of our debt, so our troops don’t pay the price for Washington’s failure to take action;
Restores economic freedom and ensures a level playing field for all by putting an end to special-interest favoritism and corporate welfare
Reverses the President’s policies that drive up gas prices, and instead promotes an all-of the-above strategy for unlocking American energy production to help lower costs, create jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Strengthens health and retirement security by taking power away from government bureaucrats and empowering patients instead with control over their own care;
Reforms our broken tax code to spur job creation and economic opportunity by lowering rates, closing loopholes, and putting hardworking taxpayers ahead of special interests.
At its core, this plan of action is about putting an end to empty promises from a bankrupt government and restoring the fundamental American promise: ensuring our children have more opportunity and inherit a stronger America than our parents gave us. | <urn:uuid:0881a917-92c1-4f12-9996-4e68fb301ec5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://budget.house.gov/fy2013prosperity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92429 | 401 | 1.875 | 2 |
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The night succeeding the day of the encounter with Death, Don Quixote and his squire passed under some tall shady trees, and Don Quixote at Sancho's persuasion ate a little from the store carried by Dapple, and over their supper Sancho said to his master, "Senor, what a fool I should have looked if I had chosen for my reward the spoils of the first adventure your worship achieved, instead of the foals of the three mares. After all, 'a sparrow in the hand is better than a vulture on the wing.'"
"At the same time, Sancho," replied Don Quixote, "if thou hadst let me attack them as I wanted, at the very least the emperor's gold crown and Cupid's painted wings would have fallen to thee as spoils, for I should have taken them by force and given them into thy hands."
"The sceptres and crowns of those play-actor emperors," said Sancho, "were never yet pure gold, but only brass foil or tin."
"That is true," said Don Quixote, "for it would not be right that the accessories of the drama should be real, instead of being mere fictions and semblances, like the drama itself; towards which, Sancho—and, as a necessary consequence, towards those who represent and produce it—I would that thou wert favourably disposed, for they are all instruments of great good to the State, placing before us at every step a mirror in which we may see vividly displayed what goes on in human life; nor is there any similitude that shows us more faithfully what we are and ought to be than the play and the players. Come, tell me, hast thou not seen a play acted in which kings, emperors, pontiffs, knights, ladies, and divers other personages were introduced? One plays the villain, another the knave, this one the merchant, that the soldier, one the sharp-witted fool, another the foolish lover; and when the play is over, and they have put off the dresses they wore in it, all the actors become equal."
"Yes, I have seen that," said Sancho.
"Well then," said Don Quixote, "the same thing happens in the comedy and life of this world, where some play emperors, others popes, and, in short, all the characters that can be brought into a play; but when it is over, that is to say when life ends, death strips them all of the garments that distinguish one from the other, and all are equal in the grave."
"A fine comparison!" said Sancho; "though not so new but that I have heard it many and many a time, as well as that other one of the game of chess; how, so long as the game lasts, each piece has its own particular office, and when the game is finished they are all mixed, jumbled up and shaken together, and stowed away in the bag, which is much like ending life in the grave."
"Thou art growing less doltish and more shrewd every day, Sancho," said Don Quixote.
"Ay," said Sancho; "it must be that some of your worship's shrewdness sticks to me; land that, of itself, is barren and dry, will come to yield good fruit if you dung it and till it; what I mean is that your worship's conversation has been the dung that has fallen on the barren soil of my dry wit, and the time I have been in your service and society has been the tillage; and with the help of this I hope to yield fruit in abundance that will not fall away or slide from those paths of good breeding that your worship has made in my parched understanding."
Don Quixote laughed at Sancho's affected phraseology, and perceived that what he said about his improvement was true, for now and then he spoke in a way that surprised him; though always, or mostly, when Sancho tried to talk fine and attempted polite language, he wound up by toppling over from the summit of his simplicity into the abyss of his ignorance; and where he showed his culture and his memory to the greatest advantage was in dragging in proverbs, no matter whether they had any bearing or not upon the subject in hand, as may have been seen already and will be noticed in the course of this history.
In conversation of this kind they passed a good part of the night, but Sancho felt a desire to let down the curtains of his eyes, as he used to say when he wanted to go to sleep; and stripping Dapple he left him at liberty to graze his fill. He did not remove Rocinante's saddle, as his master's express orders were, that so long as they were in the field or not sleeping under a roof Rocinante was not to be stripped—the ancient usage established and observed by knights-errant being to take off the bridle and hang it on the saddle-bow, but to remove the saddle from the horse—never! Sancho acted accordingly, and gave him the same liberty he had given Dapple, between whom and Rocinante there was a friendship so unequalled and so strong, that it is handed down by tradition from father to son, that the author of this veracious history devoted some special chapters to it, which, in order to preserve the propriety and decorum due to a history so heroic, he did not insert therein; although at times he forgets this resolution of his and describes how eagerly the two beasts would scratch one another when they were together and how, when they were tired or full, Rocinante would lay his neck across Dapple's, stretching half a yard or more on the other side, and the pair would stand thus, gazing thoughtfully on the ground, for three days, or at least so long as they were left alone, or hunger did not drive them to go and look for food. I may add that they say the author left it on record that he likened their friendship to that of Nisus and Euryalus, and Pylades and Orestes; and if that be so, it may be perceived, to the admiration of mankind, how firm the friendship must have been between these two peaceful animals, shaming men, who preserve friendships with one another so badly. This was why it was said-
For friend no longer is there friend; The reeds turn lances now.
And some one else has sung—
Friend to friend the bug, etc.
And let no one fancy that the author was at all astray when he compared the friendship of these animals to that of men; for men have received many lessons from beasts, and learned many important things, as, for example, the clyster from the stork, vomit and gratitude from the dog, watchfulness from the crane, foresight from the ant, modesty from the elephant, and loyalty from the horse.
Sancho at last fell asleep at the foot of a cork tree, while Don Quixote dozed at that of a sturdy oak; but a short time only had elapsed when a noise he heard behind him awoke him, and rising up startled, he listened and looked in the direction the noise came from, and perceived two men on horseback, one of whom, letting himself drop from the saddle, said to the other, "Dismount, my friend, and take the bridles off the horses, for, so far as I can see, this place will furnish grass for them, and the solitude and silence my love-sick thoughts need of." As he said this he stretched himself upon the ground, and as he flung himself down, the armour in which he was clad rattled, whereby Don Quixote perceived that he must be a knight-errant; and going over to Sancho, who was asleep, he shook him by the arm and with no small difficulty brought him back to his senses, and said in a low voice to him, "Brother Sancho, we have got an adventure."
"God send us a good one," said Sancho; "and where may her ladyship the adventure be?"
"Where, Sancho?" replied Don Quixote; "turn thine eyes and look, and thou wilt see stretched there a knight-errant, who, it strikes me, is not over and above happy, for I saw him fling himself off his horse and throw himself on the ground with a certain air of dejection, and his armour rattled as he fell."
"Well," said Sancho, "how does your worship make out that to be an adventure?"
"I do not mean to say," returned Don Quixote, "that it is a complete adventure, but that it is the beginning of one, for it is in this way adventures begin. But listen, for it seems he is tuning a lute or guitar, and from the way he is spitting and clearing his chest he must be getting ready to sing something."
"Faith, you are right," said Sancho, "and no doubt he is some enamoured knight."
"There is no knight-errant that is not," said Don Quixote; "but let us listen to him, for, if he sings, by that thread we shall extract the ball of his thoughts; because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
Sancho was about to reply to his master, but the Knight of the Grove's voice, which was neither very bad nor very good, stopped him, and listening attentively the pair heard him sing this
SONNET Your pleasure, prithee, lady mine, unfold; Declare the terms that I am to obey; My will to yours submissively I mould, And from your law my feet shall never stray. Would you I die, to silent grief a prey? Then count me even now as dead and cold; Would you I tell my woes in some new way? Then shall my tale by Love itself be told. The unison of opposites to prove, Of the soft wax and diamond hard am I; But still, obedient to the laws of love, Here, hard or soft, I offer you my breast, Whate'er you grave or stamp thereon shall rest Indelible for all eternity.
With an "Ah me!" that seemed to be drawn from the inmost recesses of his heart, the Knight of the Grove brought his lay to an end, and shortly afterwards exclaimed in a melancholy and piteous voice, "O fairest and most ungrateful woman on earth! What! can it be, most serene Casildea de Vandalia, that thou wilt suffer this thy captive knight to waste away and perish in ceaseless wanderings and rude and arduous toils? It is not enough that I have compelled all the knights of Navarre, all the Leonese, all the Tartesians, all the Castilians, and finally all the knights of La Mancha, to confess thee the most beautiful in the world?"
"Not so," said Don Quixote at this, "for I am of La Mancha, and I have never confessed anything of the sort, nor could I nor should I confess a thing so much to the prejudice of my lady's beauty; thou seest how this knight is raving, Sancho. But let us listen, perhaps he will tell us more about himself."
"That he will," returned Sancho, "for he seems in a mood to bewail himself for a month at a stretch."
But this was not the case, for the Knight of the Grove, hearing voices near him, instead of continuing his lamentation, stood up and exclaimed in a distinct but courteous tone, "Who goes there? What are you? Do you belong to the number of the happy or of the miserable?"
"Of the miserable," answered Don Quixote.
"Then come to me," said he of the Grove, "and rest assured that it is to woe itself and affliction itself you come."
Don Quixote, finding himself answered in such a soft and courteous manner, went over to him, and so did Sancho.
The doleful knight took Don Quixote by the arm, saying, "Sit down here, sir knight; for, that you are one, and of those that profess knight-errantry, it is to me a sufficient proof to have found you in this place, where solitude and night, the natural couch and proper retreat of knights-errant, keep you company." To which Don made answer, "A knight I am of the profession you mention, and though sorrows, misfortunes, and calamities have made my heart their abode, the compassion I feel for the misfortunes of others has not been thereby banished from it. From what you have just now sung I gather that yours spring from love, I mean from the love you bear that fair ingrate you named in your lament."
In the meantime, they had seated themselves together on the hard ground peaceably and sociably, just as if, as soon as day broke, they were not going to break one another's heads.
"Are you, sir knight, in love perchance?" asked he of the Grove of Don Quixote.
"By mischance I am," replied Don Quixote; "though the ills arising from well-bestowed affections should be esteemed favours rather than misfortunes."
"That is true," returned he of the Grove, "if scorn did not unsettle our reason and understanding, for if it be excessive it looks like revenge."
"I was never scorned by my lady," said Don Quixote.
"Certainly not," said Sancho, who stood close by, "for my lady is as a lamb, and softer than a roll of butter."
"Is this your squire?" asked he of the Grove.
"He is," said Don Quixote.
"I never yet saw a squire," said he of the Grove, "who ventured to speak when his master was speaking; at least, there is mine, who is as big as his father, and it cannot be proved that he has ever opened his lips when I am speaking."
"By my faith then," said Sancho, "I have spoken, and am fit to speak, in the presence of one as much, or even—but never mind—it only makes it worse to stir it."
The squire of the Grove took Sancho by the arm, saying to him, "Let us two go where we can talk in squire style as much as we please, and leave these gentlemen our masters to fight it out over the story of their loves; and, depend upon it, daybreak will find them at it without having made an end of it."
"So be it by all means," said Sancho; "and I will tell your worship who I am, that you may see whether I am to be reckoned among the number of the most talkative squires."
With this the two squires withdrew to one side, and between them there passed a conversation as droll as that which passed between their masters was serious.
|Art of Worldly Wisdom Daily|
In the 1600s, Balthasar Gracian, a jesuit priest wrote 300 aphorisms on living life called "The Art of Worldly Wisdom." Join our newsletter below and read them all, one at a time.
Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets! Join our Sonnet-A-Day Newsletter and read them all, one at a time. | <urn:uuid:ef988906-4867-4cf1-b0c1-ea7653169e5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.online-literature.com/cervantes/don_quixote/70/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980902 | 3,319 | 2.046875 | 2 |
The tagline of this blog, "Your wallet is a mouth," is aimed at individuals. You know, actual people made of flesh and blood. The idea being that we can use the power of our purses to encourage corporations to behave well and discourage them from behaving badly.
Unfortunately, for the past two years, that slogan has applied to corporations too. Thanks to the wrongheaded Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC, companies now have the right to spend as much money as they want in order to influence political discourse around elections. Think of it as a tug-of-war game on a very steep hill, with people at the top and corporations at the bottom. Hmm, who's going to win that, I wonder?
To mark this infamous second birthday, today is a nationwide day of action in which protesters will remind the world that in actuality, corporations are not people—and money is not speech.
- The Supreme Court has ruled that money equals speech. The corollary is this: people who have money can speak, and people who don't, can't. This is a plutocracy, not a democracy.
- A corporation has millions of dollars, exists in many places at once; can live forever; and employs thousands to do its work around the clock.... A human being has little expendable income, lives in one place, dies, and must use her small amount of free time to work for causes she believes in.
- A human being needs clean air, clean water, food, and love to survive. A corporation does not.
- A corporation has no mind, no conscience, and no motive but to amass money. A human being thinks, tries to make ethical decisions, and is motivated by obligations to family and community. How could we say that these two dramatically different kinds of “persons” have an equal voice in a democracy?
- A person is a private entity with rights and sovereignty. A corporation is a public entity with obligations and responsibilities.
- Human rights are for humans. A corporation is not a human being. | <urn:uuid:f26f7b02-80d7-420c-828a-48aef916bdce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.walletmouth.com/2012/01/corporate-personhood-hits-terrible-twosits-gonna-take-more-than-conscious-consumerism-to-fight-back.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968396 | 427 | 2.65625 | 3 |
. 48°54' N, 09°11' E. Ludwigsburg is a city about 7.5 mi N of Stuttgart city center near the river Necka and the largest city of the Ludwigsburg urban district within the administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) of Stuttgart. Wikipedia. Jews began living in Ludwigsburg during the 19th century. In 1884, a synagogue was built on Solitudestraße, destroyed by storm troopers during the November 1938 pogrom. Jewish population: 243 (in 1900), 187 (in 1933). In 1988, the perimeter of the structure was marked in plaster on the site. A 1959 memorial and newer memorial plaques commemorate Holocaust victims and extol human rights. In 1940, the Nazi propaganda film, Jud Süß, was filmed in Ludwigsburg, based on the historical figure, Joseph Süß Oppenheimer from Ludwigsburg, who was executed in Stuttgart in 1738; During WWII, the city suffered moderate damage. Prisoner-of-war camp Stalag V-A was here from October 1939 until April 1945. After the war, a large displaced persons camp housed several thousand mainly Polish displaced persons until about 1948. After 1945 until mid-1946, an allied internment camp for war criminals was here. The U.S. Army maintained a barracks on the edge of town, large enough to have its own American high school. The land was returned to Germany in 1994. On 27 September 2008, the first 12 "Stolpersteine" were laid in Ludwigsburg as part of a project by artist Gunter Demnig to memorialize individuals who perished under Nazi persecution. Demnig was back in Ludwigsburg on 7 October 2009 to install more Stolpersteine.
71640 Baden-Wurtemberg (Gerz, Peters).
|Last Updated on Sunday, 17 March 2013 20:02| | <urn:uuid:8a4f1f03-eec3-4e52-b335-790d7372cf6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/baden-wuerttemberg-baden-wuerttemberg/ludwigsburg.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946228 | 410 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Here’s a unique opportunity to own a first edition printing of a magnificent landscape from the celebrated Hudson River School of painters. Their works are considered by many to be the most important artistic movement of the 19th century in American art.
This large-scale print is museum-authorized and is part of the New-York Historical Society Edition, published by Oppenheimer Editions. The edition is limited to 200 of each stunning image.
Each print is hand embossed with the imprints of the Historical Society and Oppenheimer Editions. Every print is numbered, and stamped on the verso with the signature of the president of the Historical Society.
The print is produced on heavyweight acid-free paper; dimensions: 43" x 34.50".
We offer a museum-quality gold frame that is a replica of a Hudson River School frame design.
Ground shipping only.
Click for framing information.
- Printed on heavyweight acid-free paper
- Limited-edition, over-sized print of 200
- Comes with a certificate of authenticity
- President''s seal of the NY Historical Society | <urn:uuid:9313cb5f-75ee-4ca4-b1af-54c2a9fbe034> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nytstore.com/June-Woods-Germantown-1864-by-William-Trost-Richards-_p_911.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913619 | 228 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Animal-World’s Featured Pet of the Week: The Society Finch!
Animal-World’s Featured Pet for this week is: The Society Finch!
Society Finches are another great, easy to care for, all-around great, small bird for beginners! Finches in general, are a great pet bird to just look at, listen to, and keep yourself entertained with. We had so many finches come through the pet store because people just loved them! They would be sold out regularly. I personally think the Society Finch is one of the prettiest finches available. Not only are they pretty, but they are very social and you can keep several of them together!
Finches are really good birds for beginners. The Society Finch Lonchura domestica is a very small, very hardy, very easy to care for, and inexpensive bird. Especially when you compare them to the care required for most larger birds. They are also called “society” finches for a reason – because they LOVE to be social! They do best when kept in groups of many birds and are not aggressive at all! Finches are not generally handled and are primarily just used to look at and listen to. They play and chirp together and are happy when they have several companions. These birds are also very good at breeding; you can easily end up with several babies if you have a large group of finches!
The exact background on these birds is not known. It is thought that the Japanese and Chinese probably developed them by specifically breeding a bird called the White-backed Munia, which is another type of finch. This happened at least 300 years ago and it is not 100% certain this is how they came to be, or the exact reasons of why they were bred. They are, however, completely domesticated birds and are not found in the wild. This makes them great as pets!
Society Finches are very small, reaching less than 5 inches when full grown. They also come in quite a mix of patterns from three basic color varieties. These varieties include white, white and fawn, and white and chocolate. They have also been developed to have crested forms, all solid colors, and tri-colored birds. Quite a variety to choose from!
Caring for these birds couldn’t be easier. Finch Care is easy enough in general. The first rule of thumb is: provide them with fresh food and fresh water every day! Food can consist of a purchased finch seed mix and green vegetables. To mix it up a bit or as a treat feel free to occasionally offer them apples, pears, and egg foods. Society Finches also need to ingest grit to help digest their food and to provide trace elements and minerals. You can purchase grit at a pet store as well and it can be provided in a separate dish or spread over the bottom of their cage where they can readily reach it. Offering cuttle bones is also a good idea. Cuttle bones give them needed calcium to keep their beaks strong and to keep their eggshells healthy during breeding.
Society Finches do enjoy baths so feel free to offer them a dish of water occasionally on the bottom of their cage where they can bathe. Be prepared to trim their nails if they become too long. If you give them rough perches they may need their nails trimmed rarely or never. But do keep an eye on them regardless.
Provide a roomy cage for several society finches. Keep the cage away from drafts and direct sunlight. Make sure to change out the paper and clean out the cage every few days. If you really want to go all out, you can set up an aviary for them. These finches do very well in aviaries! They love the room to fly and having many companion birds.
If you want to try your hand at bird breeding, Society Finches are a great bird to start with. They breed readily and easily. You can choose to breed just one pair, or have at least 3 or more pairs in the same space (to reduce territorial fighting). Make sure there are plenty of nesting spaces which are closed or at least partially closed. As I mentioned before, make sure you are feeding your finches properly and giving them cuttle bones to ensure their eggs and offspring will be healthy. Females will lay 4-6 eggs and will do all the sitting on them. The eggs hatch within 12 to 13 days and both the males and females will help to feed the young.
Society Finches are extremely hardy birds. If you take care of them, they will almost certainly thrive! Keep their cages clean, provide them with a proper diet, and you should have very healthy birds!
Read more on Society Finches if these little birds pique your interest! If you are a breeder or want to become one, then good luck! These are great birds!
Jasmine is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups. | <urn:uuid:bb8cb1ff-3c4d-4620-aa36-84f3deb45b80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://animal-world.com/newsfeed/animal-worlds-featured-pet-of-the-week-the-society-finch/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973703 | 1,029 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Following standard medical procedures, doctors often prescribe medications for those who have CP related seizures, and these drugs are quite effective in preventing seizures. Since no single medication can control all types of seizures drugs must be prescribed based on the individual’s specific medical needs. Thus, different people experiencing the same seizure may respond differently to different drugs, and some may benefit from a combination of drugs.
Spasticity can also be controlled through medication, particularly in the aftermath of surgery. The three medications of choice are:
Diazepam – a brain and body general relaxant;
Baclofen - prevents signals dispatched from the spinal cord to contract the muscles; and
Dantrolene – inhibits muscle contraction.
Taken orally, these medications are effective in reducing spasticity over the short term, but their effect in long-term control of spasticity has not yet been proven. Like many other pharmacological treatments, the patient is at risk for side effects like drowsiness and their effects on the developing nervous system are as yet unknown. One viable solution under investigation to avoid these side effects involves finding new delivery methods for these drugs.
Athetoid CP patients occasionally are prescribed drugs that help minimize uncontrolled movements. These drugs most often belong to a chemical group known as anticholinerics which hampers the activity of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a chemical component in the body that facilitates brain cell communication. It also triggers muscle contraction. The three primary Anticholinergic drugs are: trihexyphenidyl, benztropine, and procyclidine hydrochloride.
Doctors may also use injections of alcohol directly into a muscle—for a short term reduction of spasticity. This technique is called an alcohol wash and is used when they need to correct a developing contracture. The alcohol temporarily weakens the muscle and allows the doctor to lengthen the muscle through braces, therapy, or casts. If the contracture is detected early, this technique can eliminate surgery. Currently, additional experimental drug therapies are being considered. | <urn:uuid:c609a35d-a879-4984-bdb0-d5d213236ae8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cerebralpalsylawdoctor.com/cerebral-palsy/treatments/drug-therapy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940329 | 421 | 2.828125 | 3 |
You can define a variable simply by using the command var followed by the variable name and a semicolon; this instructs Flash to establish a variable of a specific name. In the image above, I create a variable called myvariable, then define it as a particular type (integer). On the next line, I make myvariable equal to the number 42.
Another example of a variable might be a user's name. If you create a Flash script that collects the user's name and then displays it later, you might assign a variable called username to the input field where the user types in their name. The value of username would change every time a new name is typed in. You can also assign variables to things like frame numbers, object / symbol sizes, and numerous other things - all of which might change during the course of the Flash movie, thus changing the value of the variable.
You can think of variables in a fashion similar to the classic x in algebra, which is usually most people's first encounter with the concept of variables. You probably groaned the first time you saw x = y + 1, but the concept is the same when applied to variables in ActionScripting. The variable x is defined to have a specific value, which can be constant or can change depending on the value of another variable, y. | <urn:uuid:193880c8-ebe7-4f04-b837-3eec39b18fa2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://animation.about.com/od/flashanimationtutorials/ss/Getting-To-Know-Flash-Cs5-What-Are-Actionscript-3-0-Variables.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907216 | 269 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Howard Wallace, a longtime organizer who played a key role in bringing the LGBT movement and labor together in San Francisco, died Nov. 14. He was 76 and had been struggling with Alzhiemer’s disease.
Wallace grew up in Denver, and according to a biography by Andrej Koymasky, was forced to drop out of college when his father saw some United World Federalist literatature he’d brought home and told him to drop of of “commie” politics:
"He put a couple of checks on the dining-room table - the checks for next year's tuition - and said, 'Get out [of activism] and you can have those checks.' I tore them up in his face, and that was the end of my college education."
Instead, he began a series of blue-collar jobs that brought him into labor organizing.
By the early 1970s he was in San Francisco, part of a generation of activists that included the late Hank Wilson and Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, who together helped form a group called Bay Area Gay Liberation.
“He made bridges,” Ammiano told me. “He came to BAGL and told us we had to support Cesar Chavez, and some of us were reluctant -- you know, it was the Catholic Church, homophobia, all of that. But he convinced us to go on that march, and we were all glad we did.”
Wallace was a founder of the Lesbian-Gay Labor Alliance and later Pride at Work, and he was instrumental in bringing LGBT workers into the labor movement -- and also bringing labor support to LGBT causes.
In 1974, Wallace worked with members of the Teamsters Union -- not a group always known in those days known for enlightened attitudes towards gay people -- on a boycott of Coors beer. The teamsters were fighting bad labor practices at Coors, including a mandate that all employees take a lie-detector test that incuded the question “are you a homosexual?”
Working with both sides, Wallace got the LGBT community to sign on to the boycott, got Coors out of many of the bars in the Castro -- and made lasting connections between local labor leaders and the LGBT community.
“He’s the one who brought Harvey Milk into the Coors boycott,” Ammiano recalled. “And he was never afraid to call out labor leaders when they were being homophobic.”
Like all great organizers, he could be persistent to the point where he was sometimes infuriating -- but always, always pure of heart. “He was a character,” Ammiano said. “I never knew what color his hair would be, but I always knew what color his politics would be.”
Tommi Avicolli Mecca, a longtime activist and writer on LGBT history, said Wallace was “a giant among us. He was always there, for the rights of union members, the poor and working class, antiwar activists ... you could always count on Howard to be there.”
Mecca noted that Wallace “saw the connections between the LBGT movement and disenfranchised people everywhere. He saw the queer struggle as part of a larger struggle for social and economic justice.”
He will be sorely missed, but as Mecca said, “we will always have his legacy; future generations can look back and understand what our movement was about.”
Said Ammiano: “I hope he and Hank Wilson are up there tipping a few back and talking about Lenin vs. Trotsky.”
A memorial is pending, and I’ll keep you posted as updates are available.
UPDATE NUMBER 1: State Sen. Mark Leno told me that Wallace "was not only a dear friend but a teacher. His values were strongly intact." Leno recalled chairing the fundraising drive for the LGBT Center, a huge undertaking, and accepting a check from Coors for $5,000. "I though I had done due diligence, I knew the boycott was over, but Howard came to our board meeting and convinced us that the LGBT Center had to be above reproach."
(I'm sure Howard Wallace didn't use those exact words).
"It was after that that we became good friends," Leno said.
UPDATE NUMBER 2: From Gabriel Haaland, Pride at Work co-vice-president (SEIU< SF): I don't know if most progressives know how much Howard gave to us all. I know there are so many who considered him a mentor and an inspiration. For those of you who don’t know him, Howard had a way of connecting the dots across so many issues. A legend and a hero for sure. A fearless warrior for justice, Howard was both passionate and gentle in his own way... He gave so much of himself and taught me so much in the rashness of my younger years. Even in death, he continues to inspire me to be better than I was before, more in integrity. I honor those who took such good care of him in the last year, like Kathy Lipscomb, Carl Finamore, Tab Buckner, Eileen Hansen, and Susan
Englander. I will miss him.
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- Thank you for the art work at - May 21, 2013 | <urn:uuid:54a2bd0c-c006-47bb-8113-84d32a21d3a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cgi.sfbg.com/politics/2012/11/15/howard-wallace-lgbt-icon-dies-76 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983923 | 1,226 | 2.03125 | 2 |
We love to wear dresses, the more color they have and the more they “flounce” the better they are. A few weeks ago Elmer’s sponsored a craft camp – my kids had a blast making some giant fabric wall letters, and we had so many leftover supplies we dug the box out again the next time we had guests over. This time, we had four girls and two boys here for a slumber party and while the boys play pirates, the girls made flower skirts.
What you need to create pillowcase skirts:
Elmer’s Permanent Markers
Cardboard Boxes (to protect your surfaces)
Stuff the cardboard inside the pillowcase. This will help prevent the marker from bleeding onto your table and will help provide a sturdy surface for the girls to decorate on. We began our “party” decorating our pillowcases with the markers. Some of the girls drew flowers, others faces, others made butterflies, while the youngest scribbled on all of the masterpieces. We were blessed to have some incredibly patient and indulgent girls who tolerated my 2 year olds participation. Even the boys decided to help.
Once your pillowcase is adequately decorated (are they ever?? I had a hard time dragging one of the girls away from her creation), mix some acrylic paint with water and use this “paint” mixture to fill-in your drawings. The paint helps seal the permanent marker and adds color to your project. You can use an eye-dropper instead of a paintbrush, it works like a straw or paint-pen. Fill it with paint and write with it. This is a less messy way to paint, well, as long as they don’t “spray” the paint everywhere. We loved mixing our colors by painting one color then, as it is wet, brushing another color over it. The colors would bleed together to create a fun effect.
After your pillowcase has dried. It is time to “cure” it. Wash it in hot water with two cups of vinegar. The heat and the vinegar will help “set” the dyes. Be sure to wipe out your washer before re-using it. The colors did bleed a bit the first time, but it added to the “effect”. I did not notice any bleeding after the third wash, but you might want to wash it with mixed colored items for awhile to be sure.
To create your pillowcase into a dress, string elastic through the one end and straight hem the other side. You should have a simple elastic band straight skirt. My preschoolers loved personalizing their clothes! And my youngest preschooler especially loves wearing the skirt “she made with her friends”. Want a more detailed tutorial on how to create a pillowcase skirt, check out Snip and Snail. | <urn:uuid:aff0b59a-c196-4308-9ae5-d7219fb4243a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/6418/pillowcase-skirts-a-slumber-party-activity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945191 | 592 | 1.976563 | 2 |
It's a well-known fact that most Americans eat way too much salty food. But here's a reason to hide the salt shaker — heart health. It's not as hard as it sounds, either. Research shows that cutting just 3 grams — half a teaspoon — of salt from your daily diet can dramatically reduce your risk for heart attack and help lower your blood pressure. Nix the sodium-laden processed foods and snacks and opt for whole, home-cooked goodness and greet the new year with a light (and healthy!) heart.
Get more tips on how to shake the salt habit! | <urn:uuid:80c927e0-b4dc-4399-b90d-5955c4ba93fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medhelp.org/healthy-living/slideshows/31-Days-to-a-Healthier-You/320/5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933957 | 121 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Faced with an inability to reach a deal with congressional Republicans on the “fiscal cliff,” President Obama is downplaying his own comparisons of himself to Abraham Lincoln, a president often credited with holding feuding Washington factions together.
Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if the fiscal negotiations were his “Lincoln moment,” Mr. Obama replied: “Well, no. I never compare myself to Lincoln and … obviously the magnitude of the issues are quite different from the Civil War and slavery.”
Actually, Mr. Obama has evoked deliberately comparisons with Lincoln ever since he announced his candidacy for president on Feb. 10, 2007, at the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Ill. He chose the site because it was the same place where Lincoln gave a famous speech condemning slavery and called for the Northern and Southern states to unite.
“I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness in this, a certain audacity,” Mr. Obama said at the time.
After he won the presidency in 2008, Mr. Obama even decided to retrace the route of Lincoln’s 1861 train trip to Washington for his inauguration. He rode in a vintage rail car on the 137-mile route from Philadelphia to Washington and appealed “not to our easy instincts but to our better angels,” a reference to Lincoln’s first inaugural address.
On “Meet the Press,” Mr. Obama said the lesson he’s learned is that “democracy’s always messy.”
“Eventually we do the right thing,” he said. “So one way or another, we’ll get through this. Do I wish that things were more orderly in Washington and rational and people listened to the best arguments and compromised and operated in a more thoughtful and organized fashion? Absolutely. But when you look at history, that’s been the exception rather than the norm.” | <urn:uuid:b1e02677-8cca-40ed-8c80-d88f1b0a4d9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/dec/30/obama-cites-lincoln-then-downplays-comparison/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970322 | 409 | 2.046875 | 2 |
So, this paper, together with two other papers on Roma, and the one on Maronites, is added to my recent enumeration of cases where the pedigree (or germline, or genealogical) mutation rate gives better results than the "evolutionary" rate. Since both analysis of the Y-STR mutation model and empirical data suggests the superiority of the pedigree rate, it is perplexing why the evolutionary rate continues to persist in the literature.
Age calculations based on evolutionary and pedigreemutation rates gave significantly different date estimates,5.5–8.0 and 2.3–3.4 ky, respectively. In our opinion,the age calculations of the subcluster R1a1-WSLbased on the pedigree mutation rate appear to be moreconsistent with the archeological record, as well as withthe limited distribution of this Y-STR subcluster inEurope.
Getting back to the paper:
Southern parts of present Poland were under Celtic influence. In the second century B.C., the Celts arrived in southern Poland via the Moravia and Bohemia regions, where they prevailed with their La Te`ne culture from the fifth century B.C. Therefore, it is probable that the R1a/R1b proportion varied in those regions according to the degree of influence of one population or another (i.e., Slavic orCeltic).
I recently suggested a possible Celtic or Germanic link with some R1b subclades, and the presence of both R-U106 and R-U152 clades in Western Slavs (from the Myres et al.) paper suggests that both processes may have been important. It will be interesting to see ancient DNA studies confirm/disprove these hypotheses about an ethnic affiliation of particular Y-chromosome lineages.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21253
Similarities and Distinctions in Y Chromosome Gene Pool of Western Slavs
Marcin Wozniak et al.
Analysis of Y chromosome Y-STRs has proven to be a useful tool in the field of population genetics, especially in the case of closely related populations. We collected DNA samples from 169 males of Czech origin, 80 males of Slovakian origin, and 142 males dwelling Northern Poland. We performed Y-STR analysis of 12 loci in the samples collected (PowerPlex Y system from Promega) and compared the Y chromosome haplotype frequencies between the populations investigated. Also, we used Y-STR data available from the literature for comparison purposes. We observed significant differences between Y chromosome pools of Czechs and Slovaks compared to other Slavic and European populations. At the same time we were able to point to a specific group of Y-STR haplotypes belonging to an R1a haplogroup that seems to be shared by Slavic populations dwelling in Central Europe. The observed Y chromosome diversity may be explained by taking into consideration archeological and historical data regarding early Slav migrations. | <urn:uuid:79c9ebf3-2daf-4b16-8ea9-546bf73ac3cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2010/12/y-chromosome-gene-pool-of-western-slavs.html?showComment=1291492640448 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916619 | 620 | 2.359375 | 2 |
At present, there are over 3500 different tunes in print for the Great Highland Bagpipe. Many are popular numbers that nearly everyone can recognize while the greater majority are tunes that are known to few and played infrequently.
There are standard numbers played at nearly every wedding, every funeral and every anniversary. While I have a variety of things prepared at any time, I may not know an individual request, but will make every effort to learn it if asked.
Unless you have specific numbers in mind, I will be happy to suggest things which work well for your type of event.
Remember, Bagpipes are best heard in a large room or from a discreet distance. Bagpipes play at only one volume level, that is, loud.
It may seem like fun to present the Piper as a surprise at the end of a wedding or during some other event. In some locations this may present difficulties. If you plan to do this, please tell me well prior to the event. | <urn:uuid:7fb75bdf-e96d-48cd-87fa-c8cdbf497414> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.islandpiper.com/selections.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974012 | 200 | 1.507813 | 2 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Triple-digit temperatures means Missouri utilities cannot shut off customers’ electricity for unpaid bills.
Missouri regulators said Friday that state law ensures consumers cannot have their electricity turned off during extreme heat. The policy kicks in when forecasts call for temperatures above 95 or a heat index above 105 degrees.
Officials reported scattered complaints Thursday about some utilities seeking to disconnect customers’ power. The Public Service Commission says it is not aware of anyone whose electricity was turned off. | <urn:uuid:e42082dd-1b54-4234-9ed1-eb4048581fe9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kmov.com/news/local/High-heat-means-Missouri-power-cant-be-turned-off-160889365.html | 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 | 0.935748 | 100 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Taronga Zoo is proud to care for some of the oldest chimpanzees in the world, and this year three of our 'old girls' are celebrating168 years between them.
Spitter aged 50, Lulu aged around 58 and Bessie aged 60 are the ‘old dames’ of the group. They are easily identifiable by their light-coloured hair and older-looking skin but they are out every day in the19-strong family group enjoying the winter sunshine. Having led very interesting and colourful lives, and having surpassed the average age expectancy of 45 for their species, they have earnt the right to take it easy and enjoy the expert care and attention lavished on them by our dedicated keepers and vets in their twilight years.
Sharing over 98 percent the same genetics as humans, it is interesting to see similarities between the aging apes and humans. Bessie, the oldest of the three at 60, seems to be 'not quiet with us' at times and we have speculated this could be due to elements of dementia setting in. We sometimes notice when we are moving the group throughout the day that Bessie sometimes takes a little longer or will forget to come inside with he family. After a couple of minutes Bessie realises and makes her way in, much to the delight of the patient keepers.
Lulu at 58 years old is the second eldest and moves around quite tentatively due to arthritis . In her younger years, Lulu performed in a circus so she is quite familiar with humans and when she first came to the Zoo surprised keepers by picking up a broom and sweeping her exhibit. She also has a soft spot for our Senior Vet, Larry who held her hand and comforted her when the chimp group recently moved to their temporary home.
Celebrating her 50th birthday this year Spitter was born at Taronga Zoo and has been a valuable contribution to Taronga’s chimp group and the species. She represents the start of three generations now within the Chimp group at Taronga and her male offspring have gone on to breeding programs in other Australian Zoo’s. She is exceptionally family orientated and a great mother but younger chimps soon learn to tread easy as Spitter can still put others in place.
The milestones of our three females reaching these incredible ages is a tribute to the expert keeping and veterinary care that they receive.
Taronga Zoo, Media Relations
(02) 9978 4606
Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Media Relations
(02) 6881 1400
Note: For all other enquiries please see the Contact Us page. | <urn:uuid:df7cf0ca-24ca-40b0-90bd-998ca5267937> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://taronga.org.au/blog/2010-06-22/old-chimps-get-top-care-at-taronga | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965792 | 536 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Seattle Neighborhoods: Crown Hill — Thumbnail History
The text in this article is originally from the HistoryLink article of the same name. HistoryLink’s primary public service activity is production of HistoryLink.org, the free online encyclopedia of Washington state history and the nation’s first original encyclopedia of community history created expressly for the Internet. The copyright on this article is held by historylink.org
The north Ballard suburb of Crown Hill sits on a gentle rise of land stretching from NW 75th Street to NW 100th Street and is bordered by the Loyal Heights neighborhood to the west and Greenwood to the east. [editorial note, these boundaries do not align with the boundaries of the current Crown Hill Neighborhood Association. Those boundaries are mapped here.] Although the Seattle community has no town center, its commercial crossroads meet at 15th Avenue NW and NW 85th Street and follow northeastward along Holman Road NW, named after realtor Axel Holman, who platted Sunset Hill area in the Loyal Heights neighborhood. When Ballard city residents voted to annex their town to Seattle in 1907, Crown Hill was still blanketed by Western red cedar, Douglas-fir, and Western hemlock conifers. Few settlers had ventured into the area, even though most of the land was now platted for residential development. Over the next nine decades growth in this quiet Ballard suburb was slow at first, then exploded during the World War II era. Today Crown Hill is home to more than 7,000 residents.
Shaped by Fire
In 1855 and 1859 surveyors walked the land that would eventually become the Crown Hill and Loyal Heights neighborhoods. They may have been the first Euro-Americans in the area. Surveying west along the future NW 85th Street, they described conifers up to four feet in diameter, as well as a mile-wide “burnt area” extending 20 blocks from about 12th Avenue NW. The still standing trees in this lightning struck area were “mostly dead,” and their failure to note undergrowth suggests that the fire may have been recent. The presence of large Douglas firs, which grow best in cleared areas, indicates that this lightning caused fire was only the most recent of many lightning fires that may have ravaged the area since the end of the last ice age.
By 1890 when Ballard became a municipality, much of the land above its business district as far north as Schooner Street (NW 80th Street) was platted. However, most of the hinterlands north of W 80th Street were not staked out for development until after the turn of the century.
In 1902, with the population of Ballard well over 10,000, city founder G. W Toop, and 59 other citizens, petitioned the city council for a 10-acre cemetery north of the city limits. The Crown Hill Cemetery was to be developed on a tract located at today’s NW 87th Street and 12th Avenue NW, in the heart of the neighborhood that eventually would take its name. At this time, little if any settlement had taken place in the area, and extension of a road from Ballard’s northern city limits to the entrance was still no more than a promise. Within a year, however, half the grounds of the cemetery had been cleared, and a handful of Ballard citizens interred.
The tombstones currently on the cemetery grounds date from its beginnings down to the present time. Some of the early burials were actually removals from the nearby Greenwood Cemetery, which closed in 1907 after nearly two decades of service. Many infant deaths and an over representation of burials in 1918, the year of the Spanish influenza pandemic, give pause to any romantic notions of returning to simpler times in the Pacific Northwest. Other weathered and almost illegible tombstones of war veterans remind visitors of the country’s bitter Civil War.
Treat and Stimson
As the cemetery plots slowly began to fill over the next decade, much of the still forested land surrounding the well-tended grounds was platted for residential development. At the same time, land speculator Harry W. Treat was promoting lots to the west in Loyal Heights, named after his youngest daughter, Loyal Graef Treat. One exception to land development in the Ballard northlands above W 85th Street was a tract along the cemetery’s western boundary belonging to timber and land mogul Charles W. Stimson (1879-1952). Stimson, president of the Ballard Mill and holder of extensive timber and real estate interests in Washington and Oregon representing a fraction of the vast family wealth in the region, let this tract stand patiently unattended until the 1920s, awaiting the most favorable opportunity for development.
Although population figures for Crown Hill over time are difficult to come by, the gradual addition of schools may be used as a broad measuring stick for the area’s growth. In 1907, with the annexation of Ballard (whose population now exceeded 18,000), West Seattle, and a portion of the Rainier Valley, 6,000 students were brought into the Seattle School District. The contract for construction of the new Whittier school in Crown Hill was awarded just prior to annexation. It was built to replace the North End School, which opened in 1905 in a private residence at 13th Avenue NW and W 75th Street.
When the Whittier school opened in 1908, students from the Salmon Bay school, more than a mile to the southwest, and the entire student body of the North End school moved into a new 12-room brick building. More than 150 students attended classes in the first year. With continued growth in the neighborhood over the next two decades, a neo-gothic brick addition was added in 1928.
Despite the presence of the new Whittier school, children living above W 85th Street had a long daily trek to get an education, creating a demand for yet a new elementary school farther north in that growing area. Thus, in 1919 the six-room Crown Hill elementary school opened at 14th Avenue NW and W 92nd Street, 17 blocks north of Whittier.
Golf Plus Guns
Although growth in Crown Hill was steady, Stimson continued to hold his tract as undeveloped timber land, until the mid-1920s when he leased it to developers of an 18-hole golf course. An avid golfer and member of the Seattle Golf and Country Club, Stimson chose recreational use for this land over residential development. The Olympic Golf Course, which opened in 1927, was an immediate hit, and two years later it grew into country club status. During World War II the War Department sub-leased a triangular piece of ground between the 5th and 6th fairways on which the Army set up a four-gun anti-aircraft battery. With no threat from the skies, only the fairways, themselves, provided action for the gunners.
Seattle’s population boom during World War II and afterward, brought on by the influx of defense workers seeking top wages and by returning soldiers on the GI Bill, forced open to development the lands north of W 80th Street. The golf course fell victim to hammers and nails when it proved more valuable as a residential development than as a golf course. In 1953, club members drove the last tee shot, and before the end of the year surveyors staked out the first of six plats for what soon became Olympic Manor.
Like the upscale Blue Ridge community platted on Puget Mill Company land 25 years earlier, the large tract permitted creative layouts of the lots, allowing the main roads to follow the contours of the land. The 1950 Builder home architecture, popular from the late 1940s until 1960, dominate the community with their Roman brick walls, hipped roofs with composition shingles, decorative, wrought iron railing porch supports, and corner windows. During the Christmas holidays many Seattleites make an annual pilgrimage to Olympic Manor to enjoy the bright lights and extensive Yuletide displays set up by homeowners who share a strong sense of community with their neighbors during this time of year.
Portions of the former golf course were held back from residential development, however. With annexation of eight square miles of the Greenwood District, north of W 85th Street, now extending the city limits to N 145th Street, and with the baby boomers now enrolled in the public schools, the Seattle School District was in need of additional tracts on which to build new schools. In 1949, a seven-classroom addition to the Crown Hill school had met the burden of the increasing population to the area.
But following annexation, enrollment now exceeded 900 students. The District purchased six acres of the golf course acreage to the immediate west of Olympic Manor and erected the North Beach Elementary School in 1958. School officials also purchased 15 acres adjacent to Olympic Manor’s eastern boundary, on 15th Avenue NW, where the Marcus Whitman Junior High School was built in 1959 to accommodate the baby boomers who were beginning their middle-school-age adolescence. Along the school’s southern boundary, also on part of Stimson’s original tract, Soundview Playfield was graded, which continues to exist today (2001). Whitman was immediately overcrowded, a problem alleviated only with construction of the R.H. Thomson Junior High school in 1963.
A Small Town Feel
With rising property values in many parts of Seattle due to the migration back to urban living after decades of “white flight,” and with an influx of high tech migrants with deep financial pockets, the bedroom Ballard communities of Loyal Heights and Crown Hill have undergone gentrification. The razing of aging homes in poor repair and replacement with apartment buildings and “skinny” homes have brought new and younger people to the area. Older homes are being restored and preserved. Crown Hill, once a wilderness suburb of the city of Ballard, whose few inhabitants resided six feet under, retains a small town feeling even as the city around it continues to grow.
Passport to Ballard: The Centennial Story, ed. by Kay F. Reinartz (Seattle: Ballard News Tribune, 1988); Lawrence Kreisman, The Stimson Legacy: Architecture in the Urban West, (Seattle: Willows Press), 1992; Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority, Seattle School Histories, 1869-1974, (Seattle: Seattle Public Schools, 1990); Seattle City Directory (Seattle: Polk’s Seattle Directory Co), 1927, 1953; G.W. Baist, et al. Baist’s Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Washington, (Philadelphia: G.W. Baist), 1905, 1908; Kroll’s Atlas of Seattle, Washington, (Seattle: Kroll Map Company, Inc.),1912, 1920, 1928, 1966, 1987; Kroll’s Atlas of Seattle, Washington, North Supplement, (Seattle: Kroll Map Company, Inc., 1950, 1966); Official Recorded Plat, King County, Washington, (Seattle: Microfilm & Plat Service, Inc., Seattle), 1964; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 13, 1998.
By Louis Fiset, July 20, 2001 | <urn:uuid:8bbe47e7-31b3-499a-8853-d4c63bf548cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://crownhillneighbors.org/wp/neighborhood-information/history-of-crown-hill/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960703 | 2,288 | 2.453125 | 2 |
John Belcher and Christina Stephenson
Posted by mikegen48 on May 15, 2009
John Belcher was born circa 1809 in Hickman County, Tennessee. He died during 1850 in Hickory County, Missouri.
John married Christina Stephenson on 3 Mar 1830 in Tennessee. Christina was born in 1809 in Robertson County, Tennessee. She died on 5 Aug 1880 in Hickory County, Missouri.
They had the following children:
Peter J. Belcher was born circa 1832 in Tennessee. He died in 1907 in Tennessee.
Thomas Belcher was born about 1836 in Tennessee. He died in 1911 in Pike County, Illinois.
Betty I. Belcher was born on 12 Jun 1839 in Tennessee. She died on 11 May 1901 in Tennessee.
Charles G. Belcher was born in 1842 in Robertson County, Tennessee. He died circa 1882 in Madison County, Tennessee.
Henry D. Belcher was born about 1845 in Hickory County, Missouri. He died in 1898 in Tennessee.
Alexander H. Belcher was born in 1848 in Missouri. He died in 1906 in Wapello County, Iowa. | <urn:uuid:838a0645-2e46-4748-862b-c6d23a04ef14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mikegen48.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/john-belcher-and-christina-stephenson/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988534 | 237 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Could the Christian Church Contend with a Living Jesus?
It is hard to imagine any inducement that might draw Jesus—that dangerous Jewish prophet—to affiliate with the Christian Church. For the life of me, I don’t know why Jews don’t take Jesus back. We Christians have made such a mess of it.
The other contributors to this special section on “Christianity Without the Cross?” have focused in great part on how progressive Christians today should make sense of the crucifixion story and its place in Christian theology. I’m interested in a slightly different but related question: if a living Jesus walked among us today, would the Christian Church accept him? And would he accept the Church? It’s a question that becomes increasingly important the more we focus on the lessons of Jesus’s life rather than the story of his death.
The divide between Jesus and the Christian Church is inherently quite severe. After all, he never started a church. He was too busy starting trouble with authority and the temple. Let me explain.
The Jesus of the Gospels is engaged in an ongoing debate with the Pharisees. The root of his concern is not so much that they were an ornery tendentious group who co-opted religious life. Rather, he is issuing a broader challenge to the predicament of being middle management, an assault on the basic attitude of what we might find reflected in our own middle class today—what is left of it. Jesus just wasn’t into money; he preferred the basic ethics of sharing in the desert.
Of course, Christians came from the dregs of the Roman Empire—the slaves, the captives, every poor and disenfranchised subject of Roman Greed and power. And the United States was built the same way. As Christians, we believe that Jesus through Paul delivered us. He presumably still can deliver us from the greed of capitalism, but we are kind of attached to it. We have identified with the oppressor. That early communal meal of sharing resources has been closed off from our everyday life in the form of a safe “very spiritual” Mass. We can receive God’s Grace privately without mixing with the masses.
God set the Jews apart. God parted the Red Sea for them. They had a history in the desert. Their life was austere, with few possessions. They had all the freedom, the autonomy, and the equality that is often present among hunter-gatherers and people of the desert. The Jews have a spiritual reference point to return to, a worldview that is not built on the inequalities of an agricultural society. The desert was the vantage point from which to sober up after bad behavior.
Christians don’t often look back to that desert reference point. Even so, Jesus insists on bringing some of those desert ideals into our world, causing us some misalignment in our purposes as enthusiastic Christian capitalists in a world where rich is good.
Jesus just doesn’t fit into the Christian conception of good embraced by far too many churches. At the Christian Club House, we ask ourselves, doesn’t our loving Father favor good, decent people with families who are successful financially? Doesn’t God want us all to have lots of presents under our Christmas tree? That’s what I heard on TV, and it makes perfect sense. Nothing about a desert. Is that a crime—to be middle class? We are getting punished pretty badly by the God of History. Is something wrong?
That is why I am placing a complaint with some department somewhere. Something is not right, and I want to get to the bottom of it.
The fact is, Jesus knows he doesn’t fit into our capitalistic system. He doesn’t like our Gentile ways. “You know that among the Gentiles,” Jesus warns, “those whom they recognize as rulers lord it over them.” Now this is where the equality of the desert comes in. Jesus says, “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be the servant of all” (Mark 10:42-4). Doesn’t that just make you gasp? That’s what we came to this country to escape. Does the Greek word diakonosreally mean “the help”? What can he be thinking really?
We are stuck with this misanthrope Jesus who is too smart for his own good. He stands outside and criticizes and makes us wrong in our own eyes. Those very qualities, we can all agree—the critical ethical intelligence, the standing outside the predominant culture, the concern for the poor and dispossessed—have remained far more characteristic of Jewish culture than Christianity.
Prophets vs. Churches
Just like how cats and rats are natural enemies, so sanctuaries and prophets are at each other’s throats. There is plenty of biblical history to prove it. Many churches have stood up and made a difference. They have been prophetic. They have lived authentically and courageously, year after year. They have stood for human rights. They have sent money, food and clothes. They have fed on a continuing basis, day by day, the homeless and needy; but still, so often just the few, and sometimes a mere gesture of concern.
But we have been a long time without a prophet—our last great one was Martin Luther King. It could be that in exasperation, God has turned our youth into prophets with the desert winds blowing in their hair, to juxtapose to our Christian capitalism. These contrary youth and other strays have brought their tents and a consensus attitude into the middle of Wall Streets everywhere.
Jesus was tried on the basis of vandalism. He was accused falsely of threatening to destroy private property, to throw down the temple in three days.
Jesus in the writings appears to be a mystic. He hung out with the poor and disenfranchised. As a political strategist, he inspired Marxism. He thought ethics wasn’t just behavior but began with one’s thoughts. As a prophet, he found problems everywhere.
Quite understandably, many Christian churches likes their prophets to be polite and appropriate; but as I say, there is a natural enmity between rats and cats, which are bound together as shadows of each other. Take the Episcopal Church recently. It used to be a rich church, and “the rich” are typically well educated, full of themselves, and basically like to do what they want. In this case, however, the Episcopal Church has become eccentric and stumbled rather purposefully into being prophetic, and what a mess. For some time now they have been ordaining women and gays, one radical behavior that probably led to another which, turns out, to be an extravagant prophetic conflict with those who prefer polite prophets.
This conflict played out memorably in the contestation over the centrally located Trinity Episcopal Church Wall St., which for a time provided meeting spaces, counseling, medical support, and bathrooms to those involved in Occupy. This church fearlessly took on the controversy, spared no expense and tolerated every inconvenience except, as it turned out, one: allowing Occupy Wall Street to take over a vacant property owned by the church.
As previously stated, Jesus is by his nature at odds with Christian cultures. The conflict appears to be unresolvable if we consider Trinity Church typical of the battleground. God knows, that church, with its responsible lawyers, tried very hard in good conscience to do what was right, so much better than most. How can Jesus be happy hanging out in a crowd like us, so different from his family and earlier friends? It’s not fair to him and it’s not his fault.
Why Jesus Is Dangerous to the Status Quo
Jesus was an absolute mystic. He lived as if there were only one moment at the intersection where two worlds, the material and the spiritual, meet. Jesus is all about being completely present in the midst of suffering as much as joy.
Jesus asks, “What profit has a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” Typical mystic thinking here. I have been told in all seriousness that such is the nature of God’s love for us, no matter how lost and stupid our life has been—that our slate is wiped clean, our anguish unnecessary. This linear, earthly, narrative trap has been sprung. We can live a life filled with the Holy Spirit. In the beginning of St. John’s letter, he says that Jesus, in the midst of so much suffering and brutality, stated that there is no darkness, only light.
A second reason why Jesus rattles the status quo is the company he keeps with the poor, the sick, and the humiliated. He tells us he hasn’t come to soothe the comfortable, but to soothe those who steal or beg, the not-us people. He brings God’s love for them, he brings them conversation, he heals them. He seeks out the people who haven’t made it, the workers who have fallen off a scaffold and are out of medical leave and in constant pain, those who are suddenly broke on the street.
Religion, it seems to me, is a therapy for the poor and disenfranchised. The well-to-do can buy justice. They can be relentlessly rational and be secure until the next paradigm shift.
Jesus tells a story about how two people go into the temple to pray—one a scummy tax collector and the other a righteous, middle-class, spiritually correct man. The middle-class man talks to God, saying he is glad he is not like so many others because he tithes generously to support the Temple and he prays and goes to services like a good, dutiful man—following all the rules. The tax collector on the other hand prostrates himself, barely able to enter the temple because of his emotional disarray at even looking up from his tears at the altar of God. So Jesus asks, who does God prefer?
How slick is that? Who does God prefer, he asks us: the self-satisfied Pharisee or the penitent tax collector trembling at the door of the temple? Of course, Jesus might have attacked the rich, but he chose middle management. Instead of wealth, he attacks the “best” hardworking people who try hard to appear attractive in their neighbors’ eyes, who display a pleasing, false self, which is not easy to do. It takes work and concentration every day. Is that fair? Jesus insists on representing God’s love for the despised and the ignored. He tells us he has come to soothe those who tend to be shunned by “decent” folk.
So successfully did this protest movement develop that Constantine in the fourth century, as the empire was falling apart, turned to persecuted Christianity to provide the social glue as a cultural bond. Constantine converted to Christianity and perversely, Christianity converted to Constantine. By some act of grace finally—after centuries of innocent bloodshed and desperate prayer—Christianity has been thrown into the street.
A third characteristic that makes Jesus disagreeable to the status quo is that he was an ethical teacher (think of the Ten Commandments, “lust in your heart,” the good Samaritan, the parables). Jesus attacked the highest attribute of good advertisement, that corporate passion for appearance over content; yes, I’m afraid it’s true—an attack on packaging practices. He compared the religious teachers, the Pharisees, to tombs—white sepulchers with rotting bones within. He questioned a life following rules instead of experiencing the presence of an intimate loving God, a God who loves us as if we were the only one.
The fourth disagreeable characteristic of Jesus was his work as a prophet, as that voice from the desert, calling for an awakening of heart and for a time of austerity, of greater simplicity, of greater ethical clarity, of reckoning, of remembering that God was present as the God of History.
“These things that I do, you will do and greater,” says the prophet Jesus. He doesn’t say, “Look at Me, Look at Me.” Instead, if you had the faith of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to go into the sea and it would happen. We stand at the intersection of the material and the spiritual worlds, and why is it we are lost, and why are we crying?
Building a Communal Life
I have heard of another Episcopal church in New York City in which the church/prophet struggle took another turn. This church, Holy Apostles, at 28th and 9th Ave. on the lower West side, got in the habit of feeding a large number of homeless people. And then the church, to all good people’s horror, burnt down.
That same week, on the smoldering rubble of the fire, the priest met with his congregation to survey the damage. He told them that they had important work to do: that in a few days, there would be a large number of people arriving to be fed and that they needed to be ready; so of course, tents were soon in place. Just down the street, the General Theological Seminary students clear spaces each night for homeless people to sleep, safe from cold and rain.
I am supposing that our nation’s financial downfall has, against our desires, returned us to the desert mind, to living a shared rather than an isolated life. The young with their cell phones and their dangerous disregard for established power and money, with no way to buy them off—they have created the desert in the public park with their tents and sleeping bags, their accusations, their defiance, their Wikileaks, their idealism, their resilience, and their insolent, prophetic voice. They have brought the desert to us like a sandstorm.
So we may as well take a closer look at a real troublemaker, a real prophet, a Jew whose healthy being naturally heals others. I mean we do have some record of Jesus’ life; it is not all myth.
(To read more Fall 2012 online exclusives associated with the “Christianity Without the Cross?” section, click here.) | <urn:uuid:03ca0cf2-476e-48c1-878d-21308adec886> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/could-the-christian-church-contend-with-a-living-jesus | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97231 | 2,973 | 1.976563 | 2 |
With her regal bearing and patrician accent, Jean S. Harris seemed to be the very model of the classic girls’ school headmistress. She was always the proper lady.
In 1977, she was named headmistress of the Madeira School, an exclusive private school for girls set amid rolling hills in McLean, Va..
She sometimes lectured her students on honor and propriety, which made the events of March 10, 1980, that much harder to grasp. On that night, in Purchase, N.Y., the 56-year-old Harris shot and killed her longtime lover, Herman Tarnower, a millionaire cardiologist who was famous as the creator of the Scarsdale Diet.
For the next year, the nation was transfixed as Harris took the stand at her trial and spoke of her self-loathing, jealousy and rage. Overtones of feminism, male entitlement and revenge enlivened the trial, which left some viewing Harris with sympathy, others with contempt.
In the end, Harris was convicted of second-degree murder and spent almost 12 years in prison before her sentence was commuted when she was 69. She was the subject of books and movies, wrote two books in prison and remained a source of fascination until her death Dec. 23 at an assisted living facility in New Haven, Conn. She was 89.
Her son James Harris confirmed her death to news outlets. The cause of death was not disclosed, but Harris had a long history of heart ailments.
She had met Tarnower in 1966, soon after her divorce from her husband. Within a year, Harris testified at the trial, Tarnower had given her a ring and promised to marry her. The marriage never took place — Tarnower never married anyone — but Harris continued to see the doctor as her teaching career took her from Michigan to Pennsylvania to Connecticut.
By the mid-1970s, Tarnower was seeing other women, but Harris remained a part of his life and work. At her trial, she testified that while Tarnower was going out to dinner parties, she stayed at his home, working on the manuscript of the diet book that would make his fortune.
Harris was particularly jealous of Tarnower’s office manager, Lynne Tryforos, who was 20 years younger than she and had become the object of the doctor’s affection. Harris and Tryforos clashed during their occasional meetings at Tarnower’s house. At her trial, Harris freely recalled that “I think I used the word ‘psychotic whore.’ “
Finally, on the fateful night in 1980, Harris made the five-hour drive from McLean to Tarnower’s estate in New York. She testified that she encountered Tarnower in his bedroom and that he “grabbed my waist, as though he was trying to tackle me. I felt the muzzle of the gun in my stomach, or what I thought was the muzzle. . . . I had the gun in my hand, and it exploded again, and it was such a loud shot and my first thought was, ‘My God, that didn’t hurt at all.’ I should have done it a long time ago.”
Her intent, she said, was to kill herself in Tarnower’s presence. Instead, the 69-year-old Tarnower was felled by four bullets, including one in the back.
Harris was arrested in Tarnower’s driveway. A .32-caliber revolver was in her glove compartment.
A letter in which she had complained to Tarnower of his “broken promises” was entered into evidence in court.
“I was very much in love with him,” she said during her trial. “I have been publicly humiliated.”
Harris was sentenced to 15 years to life. She used her time behind bars to mentor other inmates and to set up a prison child-care center. She also wrote two books, in one of which she described prison officials as “such evil little people! I am safer with the inmates.”
Authors Shana Alexander and Diana Trilling wrote books about Harris, and she was portrayed in TV movies by Ellen Burstyn and Annette Bening.
“I have lived a quiet, private life,” Harris said during her trial, “and I wanted to die a quiet, private death. It wasn’t meant to be a grandstand play, though it certainly looks that way now.”
Jean Witte Struven born in Chicago on April 27, 1923, and grew up in the Cleveland suburbs. She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Smith College in 1945 and received a master’s degree in education from Wayne State University in Detroit in 1965.
Her marriage to businessman James Harris ended in divorce. Survivors include two sons; a sister; a brother; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo commuted Harris’s sentence on Dec. 29, 1992, on the same day she was being treated for her second heart attack. She retired to rural New Hampshire and became an advocate for prison reform.
Not long before the Tarnower murder, Harris contemplated leaving Madeira after a critical report called her “the most controversial” prep school leader in the country.
“I didn’t think I was controversial,” she said during her trial. “I can’t make that statement now.” | <urn:uuid:7c2fd531-ee85-4ccf-8f06-0509f39d6170> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://union-bulletin.com/news/2012/dec/29/jean-s-harris-who-gained-fame-for-killing-her/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988439 | 1,156 | 1.679688 | 2 |
USS Independence (LCS-2)
|Awarded:||14 October 2005|
|Laid down:||19 January 2006|
|Launched:||26 April 2008|
|Christened:||4 October 2008|
|Commissioned:||16 January 2010|
|Status:||In active service, as of 2012|
|Class & type:||Independence-class littoral combat ship|
|Displacement:||2,307 metric tons light, 3,104 metric tons full, 797 metric tons deadweight|
|Length:||127.4 m (418 ft)|
|Beam:||31.6 m (104 ft)|
|Draft:||14 ft (4.27 m)|
|Propulsion:||2× MTU Friedrichshafen 20V 8000 Series diesel engines, 2× General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2× American VULKAN light weight multiple-section carbon fiber propulsion shaftlines, 4× Wärtsilä waterjets, retractable bow-mounted azimuth thruster, 4× diesel generators|
|Speed:||44 knots (51 mph; 81 km/h)|
|Range:||4,300 nm at 18 knots|
|Capacity:||210 t (210 long tons; 230 short tons)|
|Complement:||40 core crew (8 officers, 32 enlisted) plus up to 35 mission crew|
USS Independence (LCS-2) is the lead ship of the Independence-class littoral combat ship. She is the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the concept of independence. The design was produced by the General Dynamics consortium for the Navy's LCS program, and competes with the Lockheed Martin-designed Freedom variant.
Independence, delivered to the Navy at the end of 2009, is a modular high speed corvette intended for operation in the littoral zone with a small crew. It is optimized for deploying and tending off-board systems, manned and unmanned; and takes on various capability profiles with the installation of a mission package, missions to include finding and destroying mines, hunting submarines in and near shallow water, and engaging in surface combat against boats, but not against warships. The ship is a trimaran design with a wide beam above the waterline, which provides the space needed for it to have a larger flight deck than is found on any of the much larger destroyers and cruisers in the US Navy, as well as a large hangar and a similarly large mission bay below. The trimaran hull configuration also exhibits low hydrodynamic drag, allowing efficient operation on two diesel powered water jets at speeds up to 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), and high speed operation on two gas turbine powered water jets at speeds up to a sustainable 44 knots (81 km/h; 51 mph), with speed crests exceeding that.
The design for Independence (LCS 2) is based on a high-speed trimaran (Benchijigua Express) hull built by Austal (Henderson, Australia). The 418-foot (127-meter) surface combatant design requires a crew of 40 sailors.
With 11,000 cubic meters of payload volume, it was designed with enough payload and volume to carry out one mission with a separate mission module in reserve, allowing the ship to do multiple missions without having to be refitted. The flight deck, 1,030 m2 (11,100 sq ft), can support the operation of two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, multiple UAVs, or one CH-53 Sea Stallion-class helicopter. The trimaran hull will allow flight operations up to sea state 5.
The Independence carries a default armament for self-defense, and command and control. Unlike traditional combatants with fixed armament such as guns and missiles, tailored mission modules can be configured for one mission package at a time. Modules may consist of manned aircraft, unmanned vehicles, off-board sensors, or mission-manning detachments.
The interior volume and payload is greater than some destroyers and is sufficient to serve as a high-speed transport and maneuver platform. The mission bay is 15,200 square feet (1,410 m2), and takes up most of the deck below the hangar and flight deck.
In addition to cargo or container-sized mission modules, the bay can carry four lanes of multiple Strykers, armored Humvees, and their associated troops. An elevator allows air transport of packages the size of a 20-foot-long (6.1 m) shipping container that can be moved into the mission bay while at sea. A side access ramp allows for vehicle roll-on/roll-off loading to a dock and allows the ship to transport the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.
The habitability area is located under the bridge where bunks for ships personnel are situated. The helm is controlled by joysticks instead of traditional steering wheels.
The Independence also has an integrated LOS Mast, Sea Giraffe 3D Radar and SeaStar Safire FLIR. Side and forward surfaces are angled for reduced radar profile. In addition, H-60 series helicopters provide airlift, rescue, anti-submarine, radar picket and anti-ship capabilities with torpedoes and missiles.
The Raytheon Evolved SeaRAM missile defense system is installed on the hangar roof. The SeaRAM combines the sensors of the Phalanx 1B close-in weapon system with an 11-missile launcher for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), creating an autonomous system.
Northrop Grumman has demonstrated sensor fusion of on and off-board systems in the Integrated Combat Management System (ICMS) used on Independence.
Austal claims that the Independence will use a third less fuel than Freedom, but the Congressional Budget Office found that fuel would account for 18 percent or less of the total lifetime cost of Freedom. While it was unable to judge the fuel usage of Independence, the higher purchase price of Independence would dominate its lifetime costs.
The contract was awarded to General Dynamics in July 2003. The contract to build her was then awarded to Austal USA of Mobile, Alabama, on 14 October 2005 and her keel was laid down on 19 January 2006. Delivery to the United States Navy was scheduled for December 2008.
The originally planned second General Dynamics ship (LCS-4) was canceled on 1 November 2007. On 1 May 2009, a second vessel was reordered by the Navy, the Coronado (LCS-4). The keel was laid on 17 December 2009, with delivery scheduled for May 2012.
The Navy currently plans a new bidding process with the FY2010 budget between Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics for the next three littoral combat ships, with the winner building two ships and the loser only one. USS Independence was christened 5 October 2008 by Doreen Scott, wife of 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott.
Austal has proposed a much smaller and slower trimaran, called the Multi-Role Vessel or Multi-Role Corvette. Though it is only half the size of their LCS design, it would still be useful for border protection and counter piracy operations. Navy leaders said that the fixed price competition offered the Austal design an equal shot, in spite of its excess size and cost and limited service.
The development and construction of Independence as of June 2009 was running at 220% over-budget. The total projected cost for the ship is $704 million. The Navy had originally projected the cost at $220 million. Independence began builder's trials near Mobile, Alabama on 2 July 2009, three days behind schedule because of maintenance issues.
In response to problems with the propulsion plant (the ship experienced a leak in the port gas turbine shaft seal), General Dynamics resequenced the builder's trials to test other systems until this was fixed. The ship completed builder's trials on 21 October 2009 and acceptance trials on 19 November 2009.
On 9 December 2009 the Navy announced that the ship had completed its first INSURV inspection. The inspection found 2,080 discrepancies, including 39 high-priority deficiencies, but concluded that all could be resolved before the Navy accepts the ship as scheduled. The ship was delivered to the Navy on 17 December 2009. On 18 December, the Navy officially accepted custody of the ship. However the ship was found to be incomplete and a second round of acceptance trials was scheduled for 2011.
In 2010 the Navy asked for an additional $5.3 million to correct problems found in the sea trials. Galvanic corrosion caused by an aluminum hull in contact with the stainless steel propulsion system with sea water acting as an electrolyte, and electrical currents not fully isolated, caused "aggresive corrosion." In 2011 the corrosion problem was found to be even worse than expected and repair would require time in a drydock to completely remove the water jets.
In response Austal blamed the US Navy for not properly maintaining the ship. However the Navy replied that the electrical insulation had been improperly installed during construction. Later Austal said it had found a fix for the problem that would be tested on the third Austal LCS ship.
Seven United State Senators have sent a letter to the Department of Defense questioning the management of the corrosion problems of Independence. In July 2011, Navy Public Information Officer Christopher G. Johnson said that a "cathodic protection system" would be installed on the ship. Such systems generally consist of strategically located deposits of "sacrificial metals" which act as an anode to reduce corrosion of the metal being protected.
In popular culture
- The USS Independence inspired the character Tony Trihull in the film Cars 2.
- LCS-2 appears in the 2012 novel Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Choke Point, where the ship serves as the launching point for The Ghosts and a platoon of Marines, who assault a Bedayat jadeda operation on an island.
- In early 2013 the vessel took part in the National Geographic TV show "21st Century Warship" along with USS Freedom. The show premiered in the UK on the 10th of February 2013.
See also
- Absalon-class command and support ship
- Sea Shadow (IX-529), United States
- SS Independence, United States
- Sea Fighter, United States
- RV Triton, a trimaran concept for Britain's Future Surface Combatant program
- Future Surface Combatant, United Kingdom
- La Fayette-class frigate
- Skjold-class patrol boat
- Visby-class corvette
- Houbei -class missile boat
- Braunschweig-class corvette
- F125 class frigate
- F-110 class frigate, a trimaran frigate design by Navantia, Spain
- Buque de Acción Marítima, modular ship with several variants for the Spanish Navy built by Navantia, Spain
- "Independence". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- Andrea Shalal-Esa (16 January 2009). "US Navy commissions newest warship, others coming". Reuters. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- "GE and U.S. Navy Celebrate 40th Operating Anniversary of LM2500 Gas Turbine" (Press release). GE Aviation. 2009-10-27.
- USS Independence LCS-2 – GE LM2500 Gas Turbines
- Navy's newest warships top out at more than 50 mph
- In high-stakes LCS competition, disagreement on how to rank the best deal
- AGM-175 Griffin
- GDLCS Media Center
- "US Navy Fact File: LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP CLASS – LCS". Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- USS Independence LCS 2 – General Info
- General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship brochure
- Cavas, Christopher P., "LCS 2 features large hangar, bigger berths", Military Times, 11 January 2010.
- "Raytheon Delivers SeaRAM to USS Independence". Reuters. 18 March 2008.
- Northrop Grumman-Led Team Demonstrates Means to Effectively Enhance Littoral Warfighting Capabilities
- LCS 2: ‘It’ll blow your mind’
- Navy not using fuel cost data in LCS competition
- "General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Team Wins Preliminary Design Award for U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship". General Dynamics press release, 17 July 2003.
- "U.S.Navy Press Release No. 1269-07" (Press release). 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
- General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Team Delivers Independence (LCS 2) and Lays Keel for Coronado (LCS 4)
- "Navy orders second LCS from Austal".
- Sharp, David (2008-04-03). "Navy Restarting Contest for Halted Shipbuilding Program" (Press release). Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- Wilkinson, Kaija, "Independence's Day: Austal Warship Christened", Mobile Press-Register, 5 October 2008.
- "Multi-Role Vessel". Austal. 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- Navy says the field is level for teams competing for LCS contract
- Ewing, Philip, "LCS 2 delays trials after engine issue", Military Times, 29 June 2009.
- Ewing, Philip, "LCS 2 begins sea trials after 3-day delay", Military Times, 3 July 2009.
- Turbine-seal leak means more tests for LCS 2
- Ewing, Phillip, "After delays, LCS 2 completes builder trials", Military Times, 21 October 2009.
- Cavas, Christopher P., "Trials successful for 2nd LCS hull", Military Times, 21 November 2009.
- "Navy report of LCS status in 2010."
- Navy News Service, "", Navy.mil, 16 January 2010.
- Naval-Technology.com News 19th April 2010 "USS Independence Completes Maiden Voyage"
- Little changing for Corps in funding shift
- Lerman, David; Capaccio, Tom (6/27/11). "Navy Finds ‘Aggressive’ Corrosion on New Ship". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- Axe, Davis (6/23/11). "Builder Blames Navy as Brand-New Warship Disintegrates". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- "Navy Finds ‘Aggressive’ Corrosion on New Ship." Bloomberg News, 17 June 2011.
- Lynch, Jared. "Rust not our fault, insists Austal." The Sydney Morning Herald , 21 June 2011.
- Axe, David (23 June 2011). "Builder Blames Navy as Brand-New Warship Disintegrates". Wired.
- Ashton Carter. "Carter letter to Brown." Department of Defense, 13 July 2011.
- "Austal develops corrosion management solution for LCS." Marine Log, 23 June 2011.
- Cavas, Christopher P. "7 senators question certifications for LCS." Navy Times, 13 July 2011.
- Fanto, Clarence "Navy: Ship rust fixed." Berkshire Eagle, 23 July 2011.
- US Navy News, 2 May 2012
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Choke Point
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to: USS Independence (LCS-2)|
- Ship's website
- LCS-2 receives name
- General Dynamics LCS program
- General Dynamics engineering graphic
- Austal Defence link on LCS
- United States Navy video on USS Independence (LCS-2) | <urn:uuid:86b82b0c-5cd7-4a4b-bd50-2fb981ca4333> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Independence_(LCS-2) | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913452 | 3,286 | 1.726563 | 2 |
- Parks (A - Z)
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- Garden Route (Tsitsikamma, Knysna, Wilderness) National Park
- Golden Gate Highlands National Park
- Karoo National Park
- Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
- Kruger National Park
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- West Coast National Park
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South Africa hosts about one tenth of the world’s bird species. The country’s national parks offer excellent venues to view these birds, and with parks located in all corners of the country, in a variety of habitats, each park has its own unique avi-spectrum.
For up to date information and discussions, as well as birding events please visit out Birding Forum.
You can also page through the camp and park birding accounts listed underneath this overall introduction for a detailed breakdown of birds likely to be found in the individual camps.
Have you seen an African Fish Eagle on a recent visit to Kruger National Park (KNP)? A Bataleur? A Pallid Harrier? If you see these big birds, or a number of others on your next foray into the park, we’d like you to tell us about your sighting! Not sure what they look like? Not to worry - you'll soon find posters dotted around the park to help you out. You can e-mail your sightings to firstname.lastname@example.org or fill in this electronic sightings form.
SANParks, in collaboration with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and the "Stiffnecks" birdclub, are asking the public to help record bird sightings within the KNP. They have produced a number of large posters displaying photos of each bird to look out for, as well details for the submission of sighting reports.
This poster project is an exciting example of how the SANParks forum community is getting involved in conservation efforts. Jackie During, chairperson of the forum birdclub, the Stiffnecks, approached SANParks with the idea for the project as a way to involve the keen online birding community in research in the park.
With the invaluable assistance of Chris Patton and Dr Andrew Deacon from SANParks, the project was approved and soon grew into a collaborative effort with Andre Botha, manager of the Birds of Prey Working Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
These pages feature a spectrum of information about birding in South African National Parks. They include the general descriptions of birding opportunities in most of SANPark's 20 odd national parks and in the grounds of our head office in Pretoria . Click on the park-by-park bird summaries and click on the park you are interested in, and the descriptions for the parks in that area will be shown.
There are also checklists of the birds that may be found in each of the parks (lists derived from park records and SAOS Atlasing records) and additional information on birds and birding in SANParks.
Kruger National Park has over 500 species on its list and is an excellent place to see woodland and savannah birds. Numbers are greatest in summer, when all the Palaearctic and Intra-African migrants are present.
Marakele National Park is another excellent venue for woodland and savannah species and the great altitudinal variance is another dimension. The park is also in the transition zone between dry western species and more growth dependent eastern species.
Mapungubwe National Park has over 400 species in a relatively small area. There is an exciting blend of woodland and grassland species; of arid western and eastern bush species, birds associated with rocky areas, some northern specials (usually associated with Zimbabwe and Botswana), and water birds (particularly when the flood plains are wet).
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is an excellent venue for dry western species and is particularly renowned for birds of prey.
Golden Gate Highlands National Park is an excellent venue for montane and grassland species.
Addo Elephant National Park with its diversity of habitat biomes offers a real diversity of species across the Greater park area. Coastal, Forest , Thicket, Fynbos and Arid species can all be seen.
Garden Route Nationa Park (Knysna & Wilderness) and West Coast National Parks are excellent venues for waders and water birds of lagoon and estuary.
Agulhas and Table Mountain National Parks offer up many vagrant species because of their geographic locations, in addition to the conventional Fynbos and coastal species present.
Each of the remaining parks offer excellent birding too, and each reflects the habitat biomes that they respectively conserve. | <urn:uuid:da321058-e67f-4695-8e52-bdccc74e593f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sanparks.com/groups/birders/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905156 | 1,059 | 2.15625 | 2 |
It’s time to give workers basic skills
That leaves more than 85 million Americans without access to these programs. With immigration reform, the need for federally funded adult basic education will intensify as millions of undocumented immigrants will most likely be required to learn English as part of a path to citizenship.
If Obama is serious about getting people back to work and growing the economy, he will call on Congress to finally deal with this fundamental challenge that prevents millions of workers from getting the credentials they need for the new jobs in our economy. Congress should set goals to significantly and meaningfully increase the number of adults served each year by programs that provide the reading, math and English language skills they need to succeed in vocational training or post-secondary education programs.Continue Reading
Immigration reform provides an opportunity for Congress to begin to address this problem. Some in the Senate are considering doubling or even quintupling the number of work visas issued to high-skilled immigrants. The visa fees generated by raising that ceiling could generate an additional $200 million to $1 billion that could go toward the reading, math and language instruction that would help an entire range of workers get on the pathway toward citizenship or new careers.
America has been a leading power in the world because of the hard work of its people. As our economy and jobs have shifted and require more advanced skills, our investments in workers must adapt. We can and we must provide the resources to overcome the barriers that millions — new citizens, disconnected youth, long-term unemployed workers or anyone who simply wants to do better — face to acquire the skills for the jobs employers are hiring for. That is a critical step in getting our country back to work and keeping our economic engine on track.
Andy Van Kleunen is executive director of the National Skills Coalition; Juan Salgado is president and CEO of Instituto del Progreso Latino; Rob Carmona is co-founder of STRIVE International. | <urn:uuid:32473e7f-6b40-4069-b1ea-c4c0d9651433> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/its-time-to-give-workers-basic-skills-for-jobs-87426_Page2.html | 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 | 0.952657 | 389 | 2.28125 | 2 |
|Bembridge House History||| Print ||
Bembridge Heritage Homesite
The house which was owned by Dorothy Rankin Bembridge for many years was constructed in 1906 in the Queen Anne Victorian style. The original owners were Josephine and Stephen Green; he was a wealthy businessman who had come to Long Beach from Seattle and Los Angeles. Mr. Green was one of the founders of City National Bank.
The house is a magnificent and highly ornate example of late Victorian architecture, and both the exterior and interior exemplify the finest accomplishments of turn-of-the-century architectural designers and craftsmen. It is the single most important example of this style of architecture remaining in the Long Beach today, and is considered by many to be the most significant residential historic landmark structure in the City. Amazingly, the house is in almost pristine original condition, and contains many of the original furnishings dating from the early 1900's which were owned by the Rankin family when they purchased the house in 1919.
Exterior Architectural Features
The Bembridge house is two stories surmounted by a full attic. It has a steep gable roof, a porch gable over the entryway, and a corner hexagonal tower crowned by a conical roof. It is clad in narrow shiplap siding, with a band of fish scale shingles between the two stories and inside the roof gable. A deep, continuous porch wraps around the front of the house, from the entryway around the corner tower. Paired Ionic columns support the porch. An ornate frieze of floral design runs under the porch eave, repeated above the windows of the tower. Decorative floral ornament fills the inside of the porch gable and the top of the roof gable. Plaster floral swags are placed over the porch columns and over the second story sunroom. The second floor eaves are widely flaring, with finely carved bracket supports. A sun porch over the entryway was filled in with glass windows in 1924. Inside the front roof gable are paired windows framed with carved bracket supports. Dormer windows punctuate three sides of the tower roof, which is crowned by a pinnacle. The spacious entry door is quarter-sawn oak and beveled glass with ornate leaded glass sidelights. The windows in the parlor, breakfast room and both tower rooms have decorative leaded glass transoms.
The house has 18 rooms, including four bathrooms original to the house, and high ceilings. All the original woodwork has its original glowing finish and finely carved detailing. There is a large entry hall with a grand staircase at one side. The balusters are intricately shaped, and the newel post is elaborately carved with inset panels and beadwork. It contains its original brass light fixture with a round stained glass globe. A bay window at the first landing of the staircase has paired floral stained glass windows framed in dark wood and, in the center, a tall mirror framed with aired columns set on posts and carrying a lintel. The ceiling of the entry hall, parlor and dining room have wood beams and their original light fixtures. The parlor and dining room fixtures used both electrical and gas illumination. which were dual gas and electrical. There are squared columns on posts framing the entrance to the front parlor, and pocket doors at the entrance to the second parlor. The fireplace in the second parlor is placed at an angle and has an ornate wood mantel with intricate carving, two tiers of columns and a wide mirror. Pictorial glazed tile frames the fireplace glossy brown-and-tan in color, with three classical female figures: one reclining at the top and two standing at the sides. The dining room is extensively paneled in wood, with a built-in buffet. Floral stained glass windows are set above cabinets framing the buffet. The downstairs walls are finished with sponge-textured paint in soft earth colors. The floors are all wood. The master bedroom is located on the second floor in the corner tower. This room has leaded glass transoms and an original gas-electric chandelier.
The house has had few alterations since it was originally constructed. The location of the kitchen was changed from the west side to the east side. A new, smaller kitchen was added at the rear, and an adjacent breakfast room with a bay window was created by enclosing a small portion of the wraparound porch toward the rear of the house. The original kitchen was converted to a sitting room. This alteration, plus the enclosure of the sunroom in the master bedroom, took place in 1924-1926, and have become part of the history of the house, reflecting the lifestyle of the Rankin family.
The significance of the house is due to its extraordinary architectural splendor, its association with the history and development of Long Beach, and its linkage to the history and contributions of Dorothy Rankin Bembridge, whose stewardship preserved the house in its pristine condition.
The architectural magnificence of the house was due to the original owners, Stephen and Josephine Green, who spared no expense at creating Victorian-era opulence in materials and design. While several other large-scale Victorian homes from this era exist today in Long Beach, none have total architectural integrity and the interior richness in design and materials of the Bembridge house. It was a pioneering mansion in the City of Long Beach, built in a location then considered to be the western fringe of residential development in a new subdivision. It overlooked Knoll Park (renamed Drake Park), a small circular park located on a high point with views of the ocean and river, donated to the City by Colonel Charles Rivers Drake in 1904. The land was owned and subdivided by the Seaside Water Company, owned by Colonel Drake; this house was one of the first to be built in the new tract. The original address of the house was 735 West 10th Street. The mansion was constructed during a decade in which the population expanded by 600% and the local economy boomed. Its construction overlapped that of the luxurious Virginia Hotel on Ocean Boulevard and other early mansions, such as the Jotham Bixby residence on Ocean Boulevard and Magnolia, which has not survived. | <urn:uuid:6160ed8e-ff1a-40ab-81a4-8f910ef31eb0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lbheritage.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=45 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962127 | 1,277 | 2.265625 | 2 |
State Police say one holiday tradition they'd like to see broken is the high number of traffic fatalities over the Christmas holidays.
LSP Captain Doug Cain says it's tough on families, and on law officers.
"There's something about knocking on a door during the Christmas season when a trooper has to do a death notification," says Cain. "It just breaks your heart, as a law enforcement officer."
Cain says they'll have no-refusal sobriety checkpoints, where judges will be standing by to issue court orders to collect blood samples from those who refuse a breathalyzer.
He adds they'll also be cracking down on distracted driving.
"There's so much going on. Families are running from this house to that house and kids are excited. So we want people to remember, when they're in their vehicle, when they're driving down the road, let's keep that focus on the road."
He says they're trying to stop a month long trend in the state.
"We're not even at Christmas yet, and we've had over one person killed a day," Cain says. "That's hard to swallow as a law enforcement officer, as public safety official...realizing that fatalities don't only hurt that person and their families...but they hurt extended family. They hurt friends. They hurt communities as a whole." | <urn:uuid:98116a56-2915-444d-bf8a-d023b81dab98> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wwl.com/pages/15112762.php?poll119702ViewResults=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984912 | 276 | 1.53125 | 2 |
‘Malaysia Solution’ illegal says Australian court
The Malaysian Inasder
The hugely controversial arrangement has been popularly referred to as the “Malaysia Solution” in Australia.
The Sydney Morning Herald ran an Australian Associated Press report that quoted Chief Justice Robert French as saying that “the declaration made... was made without power and is invalid.”
The court barred asylum seekers held by Australia from being sent to Malaysia, a ruling which likely scupper the swap deal intending to send 800 boat people to Malaysia in exchange for 4,000 already processed refugees here to Australia.
The move was put on hold earlier this month after Melbourne lawyer David Manne won a High Court injunction to prevent deportations pending a decision on the deal.
He argued that Australian-held asylum seekers had rights to refugee protection assessed in Australia, and that the High Court could review Bowen’s declaration that Malaysia was a suitable destination for offshore processing.
With Canberra agreeing to pick up the RM1 billion bill for the swap, the Gillard administration's popularity has sunk under pressure from opposition leaders and human rights activists in both Pacific nations.
But Australia’s Labor government insists the swap will stem human trafficking despite a Parliament motion condemning it due to concerns over Malaysia’s treatment of refugees.
There has also been concerns that a biometric system used in Malaysia to register migrants is “riddled with problems” and reports of scalps taking advantage of an ongoing amnesty programme for illegal immigrants have raised further questions over its ability to deal with incoming asylum-seekers.
According to the AAP, refugee lawyers asked the High Court to strike down the deal, arguing that Immigration Minister Chris Bowen did not have the power to send asylum seekers to a country that has no legal obligations to protect them.
They also argued that sending unaccompanied minors to Malaysia would breach the minister's duty of care as their legal guardian to act in their best interests.
But the government's Solicitor-General Stephen Gageler had argued the government could lawfully declare Malaysia a safe third country even though it had no domestic or international legal obligations to protect asylum seekers. | <urn:uuid:a6177fc3-9e0f-4b25-b30f-400eb794baf4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ipohbaratvoice.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962332 | 438 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Would a switch of the word 'assistant' and 'manager' cause differences in a universal corporate context?
In my opinion, assistant manager is just a rank below a manager. This seems to apply to manager assistant.
I'm of the opinion that assistant manager is a level below a manager, whereas a manager assistant is an assistant to the manager, and not necessarily just below in level to the manager. Manager assistant seems to be more close to secretary in rank. | <urn:uuid:8f6a68e0-1da8-49ba-8950-f22a711e0715> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/49562/is-there-a-difference-between-assistant-manager-and-manager-assistant?answertab=oldest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940559 | 95 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Audio Recording and Moving Image Media: from Cylinder and Silent Film to Videotape and CDs
- What is the best type or brand of CD or DVD to purchase for long term storage of files?
- How long can I expect my CD and/or DVDs to last?
- I have audio and/or video on tape. Whom can I contact to transfer it to digital media?
- What is the best way to pack vinyl record albums for storage? For shipping?
The Library of Congress cannot recommend specific brands of CDs or DVDs, as we are generally prohibited from voicing preferences for particular manufacturers or vendors. In addition, we do not have conclusive evidence that one manufacturer is superior; there is a tremendous variety in the performance of various brands. That being said, initial evidence points toward the “gold” type of CD-R and DVD-R as being more durable than other types of CDs. Gold compact discs tend to be more stable, as the gold metal reflective layer does not oxidize; however, there is still a dye layer in gold CD-R and DVD-R recordable media that is susceptible to damage from light.
For more information, refer to the CD Longevity Research currently underway at the Library of Congress. Other studies include the article Electronic Media Collections Care for Small Museums and Archives (Canadian Conservation Institute [CCI]) and the article CD and DVD Longevity: How Long Will They Last? by Andy Marken.
CDs and DVDs, like anything else, deteriorate. The compact disc is a laminated system usually involving a reflective layer (where the information is stored in digital format) sandwiched between two polycarbonate layers. Manufactured or “read-only” CDs and DVDs are made from a stamped or molded plastic disc that imparts the information onto the reflective metallic layer. The actual metals used are proprietary information, so little is known about their exact physical composition. Recordable CDs and DVDs (CD-R and DVD-R) use a dye in combination with a reflective metal layer; a certain frequency of light alters the physical structure of the dye during the recording process, while another frequency “reads” the information. Since these dyes are affected by light, long-term light exposure can result in deterioration, as will fluctuations and extremes in both temperature and relative humidity.
The best approach for preserving CDs or DVDs is to keep them in a cool, dry environment in protective jewel cases. During handling, avoid touching the surface of the disc. Copying discs will also work as a preservation strategy; however, the copies should be regularly checked, since a recordable CD is less stable than a manufactured CD. Avoid writing on the surface of the CD or DVD. If marking is necessary, use a non-solvent based ink pen.
For more information, refer to the publication Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs: A Guide for Librarians and Archivists (Council on Library and Information Resources) and the article CD and DVD Longevity: How Long Will They Last? by Andy Marken.
The Library of Congress cannot recommend specific service vendors to digitize your audio and video collections, as we are generally prohibited from voicing preferences for particular manufacturers or vendors. The Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) maintains a directory of members who offer services for audio preservation and restoration, as well as ARSC members and non-members who offer equipment and supplies for audio preservation and restoration.
Vinyl records and other phonographic sound discs are susceptible to heat; therefore, protecting the discs from extreme heat during shipment should be the primary concern. Pack vinyl discs in strong boxes that can bear the weight of the discs, making sure to line packing material (foam, bubble wrap, etc.) on all six interior sides of the box. The discs should be placed in the box vertically with a strong upright support (for example, a few pieces of heavy duty cardboard, cut to the same size as the album cover) every few inches to prevent “slouching” of the discs during transport. Make sure to label the container with easily readable markings indicating the top of the box.
For more information, refer to the Library of Congress webpage Cylinder, Disc and Tape Care in a Nutshell. | <urn:uuid:61e0193d-e834-49a8-bf1b-9ce3034d2e88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://loc.gov/preservation/about/faqs/audio.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932821 | 873 | 2.09375 | 2 |
|Bear in the Big Blue House|
|Air Date||April 25, 2006|
|Written by||P. Kevin Strader|
Bear is in charge of refreshments for the Woodland Valley Firefighter's Ball and Otto and Etta Otter have come to the Big Blue House to help out. As Bear heads to Mouse School to pick up Tutter, they work with Treelo, Pip and Pop to get things ready. At Mouse School, Tutter finds out that the mice kids are planning to do a dance called "The Mumble Mambo" at the ball --- one with which he's not familiar at all. At the movie theater, Ojo watches a classic film with Doc Hogg and gets her own idea of just what a ball should be like. When it comes time for the actual ball, neither have a good time, until Bear helps them to see past their expectations.
- This is one of the set of "leftover" fourth season episodes that aired in 2006, four years after the rest of the season.
- There is no Shadow segment in this episode.
- Harry and Mama Duck attend the Firefighter's Ball, although neither have any lines in this episode.
- "The Firefighter's Cha-Cha-Cha," is a send-up of "The Bear Cha-Cha-Cha" heard in many episodes. It features the same music and many of the same lines, but others are changed to be firefighter-related.
|Previous episode:||Next episode:|
|Let's Hit the Road||Appreciation Day| | <urn:uuid:a589c326-dd28-4c1e-ab39-218cb47db5fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_413:_Great_Ball_of_Firefighters | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948991 | 328 | 1.6875 | 2 |
National organization touts Ball State's reports on manufacturing, logistics
Topic: Miller College of Business
October 31, 2008
A Ball State University electronic report package that analyzed the nation's manufacturing and logistics industries recently received the first Electronic Publication Award given by the Association for University Business and Economic Research (AUBER).
AUBER, a national organization for economic and business research centers in the United States, recognized "2008 State of the Industry Report for Manufacturing and Logistics" and the accompanying "2008 Manufacturing Report Card" for using electronic means to convey diverse economic information to a wide audience.
The reports were created by members of Ball State's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), formerly known as the Bureau of Business Research.
Honored also for outstanding design and usability, the report package exemplifies how PDFs may be used to support online publications, said Mike Hicks, CBER director and study co-author.
"This is a great example of how online media can be used to convey fairly complex economic data into a really usable form," he said. "The competition for this award was very tough, and we are really pleased to be recognized for such an award."
The report package was designed by Ball State graduates Jessica Booth, CBER's publications and Web coordinator, and Victoria Meldrum, project assistant. The report also was co-authored by Thomas Charles, emeritus senior research associate, and Aswin Guntupalli, a computer science graduate student.
"As publication designers, we try to take facts and figures and present them in a meaningful way - adding value with charts, graphs and maps that display dense data in an easily digestible format," Booth said.
The reports were sponsored by Conexus Indiana, a new initiative created to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the state's advanced manufacturing and logistics industries. As a result, Ball State received significant national media attention. The reports also were recently cited by candidates running for governor in Missouri. | <urn:uuid:a2def2e8-72df-4e20-a788-b948a0f378be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cms.bsu.edu/news/articles/2008/10/national-organization-touts-ball-states-reports-on-manufacturing-logistics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962719 | 400 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Art styles & sculpture at Lakewood
Lakewood Cemetery was founded in 1871 during the height of cemetery art in America. Over time, as monuments have been erected and preserved, the cemetery has become an outdoor museum filled with memorial art and symbolism.
Much of the memorial art found at Lakewood was popular during the Victorian era, but Lakewood is also home to non-Christian religious and cultural symbolism, representing the diversity of the Minneapolis community.
Between 1850 and 1930, many prominent architects and sculptors designed funeral monuments. Three styles were popular during the heyday of cemetery art: Classical Revival (a woman draped in flowing Grecian robes is typical) Egyptian Revival (the pyramid and obelisk) and Medieval Revival (hefty, round Romanesque lines or delicate detailed Gothic style).
Another popular motif featured “natural” images that copied the rugged look of rocks and trees. Monuments often imitated the look of a large, uncarved boulder to achieve this style.
Some cemetery sculptures portray the people whose graves they adorn, as exemplified by some sculptures of children found at Lakewood. Other sculptures were created to honor groups or cultures, such as a life-size bronze elk statue by E. L. Harvey, dedicated to the Brotherhood of Paternal Order of Elks and the pagoda-style Chinese Community Memorial. You’ll also find modern sculpture at Lakewood, including Gloria Tew's stainless steel monument erected in 1996 for Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich. | <urn:uuid:ac308179-566c-4244-846e-b5d6d4b87969> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lakewoodcemetery.com/History_art.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957015 | 307 | 3.046875 | 3 |
What Is Lurking in Log Files
A U.S. software programmer made headlines when he outsourced his own job to China. He probably never would have gotten away with it if his employer had been paying attention to its log files.
Early this year news broke of a clever but unnerving security breach at a “critical infrastructure company” in the United States. As originally detailed by the security firm who untangled the ruse, a U.S.-based software developer had outsourced his own coding responsibilities to a subcontractor in China.
Although paying the Chinese worker only a small fraction of his own substantial salary, the U.S. worker apparently spent most of his work hours simply fooling around online. The remote worker in China accessed the U.S. company’s VPN using credentials provided by the U.S. employee.
The enterprisingly lazy employee’s scheme went without notice for two years before it finally came to light. How did he get away with it for so long? It certainly helped that the Chinese subcontractor apparently did great work. The quality of code delivered raised no suspicions.
Beyond that, though, the two-year run can be explained by an even more banal fact: That is how long it took for the company to decide to monitor its log files.
The VPN log files had been recording the connections from China all along. But that’s the thing about log files – they aren’t much use unless you actually look at them.
As described in the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) only 8 percent of compromises were discovered by log file review. Thus most log files sit around unloved while the key security holes they may reveal are hiding in plain sight.
Lonely Log Files
All major platforms can thoroughly log all facets of activity, from local application use to connections to and from local and external networks. In fact, most platforms generate so many logs, with so much data, that maintaining and archiving log files has become a specialization in its own right.
The sheer abundance of logged information actually tends to produce the opposite of the desired results because enterprises are tempted to ignore them. Because he information overload can seem overwhelming, log files accumulate silently, are automatically compressed and archived, and hardly ever pass by anyone’s eyes.
An all-too-common attitude about log files is that they are for post-game analysis. That is, you consult the log files after a problem is discovered. Maybe a hard drive failed. Maybe an application stopped working. Maybe a website was defaced.
In all these cases, the damage is already done. Using log files for investigative forensics is great, but organizations need to embrace a more pro-active attitude toward log files – to catch problems before or while they are happening.
Proactive Log File Analysis
Obviously it is not realistic to dedicate IT staff to literally read log files on a continual basis. This is the market for log analysis software. These applications review logs for known red flags, either specific error messages and warnings or patterns of behavior (known as “signatures”) which can signal malicious activity.
In the realm of security, intrusion detection systems describe software that continually monitors relevant log files and produces alerts when suspect conditions are discovered. IDS suites are typically broken down into two categories:
Host-based IDS: This type of software runs on one or more servers and/or workstations and continually analyzes operating system log files. When pre-determined signatures are detected, alerts are generated for further expert analysis.
Network-based IDS: This software runs at the outer edge of the network, directly analyzing traffic in real time before it reaches destination hosts in the local network. Rather than analyze logs, per se, Network IDS systems can generate their own logs and, of course, produce alerts when certain triggers are tripped.
In the case of the stealth outsourcing, the Chinese subcontractor was connecting to the corporate VPN at regular and routine times every day, just like a “real” employee. Both his origin and schedule would have produced a suspect signature and subsequent alert by either a host or network-based IDS, had the victimized company actually employed either.
The open source software engine Snort is perhaps the most widely used IDS. With support for all major platforms, Snort applies a large set of intelligent and customizable rules to analyzing network traffic. But it is important to clarify that although Snort produces invaluable log files, the software itself is not a log analyzer. Many third-party products exist, both free and commercial, for analyzing Snort log files. For many enterprises, the combination of Snort plus a Snort log analysis package equals a powerful intrusion detection and protection system.
Although many organizations greatly underutilize the value of log files, there is a silver lining. Much like physical exercise, doing anything is a big step up from doing nothing at all. Likewise, a pro-active approach will help keep your network defenses strong before failures occur.
Aaron Weiss is a technology writer and frequent contributor to eSecurity Planet and Wi-Fi Planet.
By Jeff Goldman
February 22, 2013
The research firm says DDoS attacks 'will grow in sophistication and effectiveness' over the coming year. | <urn:uuid:bea520fc-2956-42fe-9dda-4f84cbd72b82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.esecurityplanet.com/network-security/what-is-lurking-in-log-files.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951824 | 1,084 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Soft skills are interpersonal qualities and abilities that everyone possesses. These skills define a person’s ability to successfully interact with those around them. A person can have a PhD in a certain field, but if they lack the necessary soft skills to be successful, then they will have a very difficult time finding rewarding employment. These skills assist people in excelling in all aspects of life, not just business. Oftentimes an employer will hire a person who has excellent soft skills even though they may lack specific job related talents because they see potential in the person. Fortunately, everyone can take advantage of the benefits of improved soft skills at any time through focus and training.
Employers that notice the need for improvement in their employees’ soft skills can benefit by sending them to soft skills seminars. A soft skills seminar can be very useful and effective because it shows those in attendance exactly how to improve and build leadership skills, communication, self-confidence, and public speaking abilities. A professional speaker who hosts a soft skills seminar is usually an expert that has extensively researched and practiced the skills that they teach. These professionals often travel on a regular basis in order to give their soft skills seminar and share their expertise with others. Their services are generally quite costly, but the results are worth every penny.
Employers who are looking to save money may choose to have their employees receive the same soft skills seminar benefits through the use of Seminars on DVD training. These DVDs are nearly identical to attending an actual soft skills seminar.
There are many advantages to choosing the DVD training method for your employees. First of all, many people actually learn better from watching a DVDs. The DVD can be viewed as many times as necessary in order for the employees to retain the information. An actual soft skills seminar lasts only a few hours and those in attendance may have numerous questions. Perhaps a person was momentarily distracted and missed an important part of the speech. There will undoubtedly be several others asking question and there are only so many questions that the speaker can answer without interfering with the quality and delivery of the speech. A soft skills seminar on DVD avoids these issues and is often substantially more convenient. All that a person has to do is re-watch the portion that was missed, whenever the need arises. Besides being cost effective, a soft skills seminar DVD can be a great investment in other ways as well. Employers don’t have to worry about sending employees offsite, saving gas, traveling time and production downtime.
A soft skills seminar can be extremely valuable by assisting business people to reach their full potential as self-confident and self-motivated leaders, excellent communicators and outstanding public speakers. By improving a person’s soft skills, companies not only reap the benefits from a more confident and more productive employee, but the employee also grows personally in ways that are useful outside the workplace. | <urn:uuid:7e7b5871-d5e5-44e4-aef2-b45859315045> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seminarsondvd.com/ourarticles/SoftSkillsSeminars.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970483 | 577 | 2.03125 | 2 |
The City of Beacon, in partnership with the Beacon City School District, is applying for SRTS funding to replace sidewalks and curbs, and install new crosswalks and signage along Liberty Street in the vicinity of the J.V. Forrestal Elementary School. The replacement of these badly deteriorated sidewalks will improve the physical environment to make it safer for children to walk to school. The Forrestal school will provide walking and bicycling safety programs and activities, and survey students and parents to evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives. In addition, the City Police Department will provide additional enforcement activities to ensure that traffic laws are obeyed in the vicinity of the school. Following is a description of the program:
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM
Introduction and Overview
The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program is a Federal-aid transportation reimbursement program administered by NYSDOT that promotes safe, healthy alternatives to riding the bus or being driven to school. The program emphasis is to encourage and enable children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school; make walking and bicycling safe and more appealing; and facilitate the planning, development and implementation of projects which will improve safety and reduce vehicular traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution within a two-mile vicinity of primary and middle schools (K-8). The SRTS Program provides the opportunity to implement projects which reflect a broad spectrum of NYSDOT policies related to promoting livable and walkable communities and increasing community quality of life which has a direct impact on the economic attractiveness of New York State’s communities. SRTS promotes the integration of transportation and land use through the collaborative planning process mandated for the program involving state, regional, and local stakeholders. The SRTS program will also provide diversity of mobility choices through bicycle and pedestrian-friendly design, resulting in projects that enhance urban revitalization efforts.
Coordination between infrastructure and non-infrastructure activities is encouraged to achieve successful outcomes. Research has shown the most successful way to increase bicycling and walking is through a comprehensive approach which includes the 5 Es (Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation). Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop innovative and comprehensive projects that may involve actions which, if implemented, have high potential to promote a healthy environment for school children, to reduce air pollution near schools, reduce excessive travel speeds, reduce traffic volume, or reduce the occurrence and/or severity of (potential) accidents on local streets. The SRTS program highly encourages infrastructure project applicants to include education, encouragement, and enforcement activities as well the required evaluation activities. | <urn:uuid:b1a9d021-bee7-4985-b4cb-cad94239f48a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cityofbeacon.org/news/safe-routes-school-program | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939645 | 523 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Explanation of the logo
The five hearts represent love from five directions, coming together in unity and harmony. The orange light in the centre represents the sun (of hope), with its glow of sunrays gradually growing to become red, the colour of strength and energy. This symbolises a heart full of love that illuminates from self to others, with the thriving selfless energy to extend love in the form of humanitarian activities to those beings in our world. The external circle which is orange in colour symbolises the perfection of the beneficial activities that are carried out with fearless confidence and definite success.
Live to Love
Tibetan Buddhist masters and followers have always been perceived very much as a closed community, not very much involved with the communal happenings. "Live to Love" is an idea which has been in my mind for many years. I feel that both the masters and the followers of our 800-year-old Drukpa Lineage must now get ready to expand and extend the idea of "Live to Love" to everyone in their individual communities, irregardless of faiths, nationalities, cultural backgrounds and other conditions. We do not live in this world independently on our own, and the practice of Bodhicitta essentially requires us to interact with other people and other beings in this universe.
While we continue to engage ourselves in formal spiritual practices, such as group and solitary retreats, mantra recitations, prayers and all other different formal practices, to strengthen our mind and to develop our Bodhicitta, we should also get ourselves ready to face the world we live in with the love that we have developed through these practices, sometimes on our own and sometimes with the support of our gurus and friends. When natural disasters happen in our communities, where are we? When our living environment is increasing facing all kinds of threats, what are we doing to help?
We live to love, and we don't live to hate. It is time to extend this energy of love to everyone in our world and every sentient being that we can imagine. Some people find formal and serious practices very easy to be carried out, but when it comes to interact with others, they are lost and become very frustrated. I hope "Live to Love" will be able to help everyone, at least those connected with me and my lineage, to open up themselves and to share their love and happiness with all others connected with them.
Whether this little vision of mine will come into materialisation, it all depends on you, my colleagues, my friends and students. I cannot do this on my own. Therefore, although Druk Foundation Ltd. introduced this idea of "Live to Love" on my behalf in Hong Kong during my birthday celebration in March, this year, I want to launch this in a big way in Ladakh, where the blessings of our forefathers are still active and where this idea of "Live to Love" is very much needed, because of Ladakh's physical conditions and the insufficient resources that are encountered by many Ladakhi villagers and people.
The five directions
Although we are a very small community right now, we can start bringing to life this idea of "Live to Love" by interacting with the people and beings around us, and by being "Messengers of Love" to any being that comes into contact with us. Sharing with others and expanding our inner love outwardly to others will nourish our own lives.
"Live to Love" is actually not a new idea. Many Mahayana masters are already doing so in their own communities and countries. Catholic and Christian communities are most notable for this.
To me, with our existing resources, we can start with the following categories, in the practical sense. Some of my colleagues may be able to lead our small community to start some of these beneficial activities, first in a small way, and then see what happens:
Education - such as building schools (Druk White Lotus School), and eventually being able to provide scholarships
Medical Facilities - such as the various clinics in the Himalayas, providing the basic medical facilities for the needy and cooperating with other hospitals for relief assistance in other areas of medical expertise
Relief and Aids - such as providing human resources and other resources for relieving those affected by disasters, whether natural or manmade
Heritage - such as providing support to preserve the spiritual and cultural heritage of our 800-year legacy, and gradually, depending on our resources, extending this to include others
Environment - such as educating our communities on environment preservation and waste management
Launching of Live to Love
Live to Love! - I have been thinking about this and practically, we all should be doing it together. Instead of only myself and a few of us practically doing this, I think everyone, starting from my monasteries, nunneries and centres worldwide, can start thinking about how to do this based on the 5 directions I have given. I feel that, all my organisations and those of my colleagues who would like to join us (no obligations, of course), should dedicate the 3rd Sunday of each month to carry out activities in regards to "Live to Love".
For example, some activities such as joining with other humanitarian organisations or doing on our own about helping other human beings, releasing lives, visiting homeless people with genuine and sincere care for their well-being, look around the areas where the centres, monasteries or nunneries are located and see if our own local communities need any kind of help. We can provide this kind of very simple and convenient help, to start with. Some people will ask why the 3rd Sunday, why not 1st Sunday, 2nd Sunday or 4th Sunday? Well, I have a few reasons. One is that the number "3" represents the Three Jewels; second is that most people are very busy in the beginning and at the end of the month, for various reasons. I am not daring to ask everyone to do on every Sunday, because this is just the beginning, to do something good and beneficial to your own local communities, practically, this should not add to your already stressful life. Let's start to do this once a month, 12 times a year, to be living genuinely for others' benefits - Live to Love!
I hope that everyone who follows my simple advice is able to do this happily and willingly. I don't know how this will affect your daily life, but I am sure taking 12 days out of 365 days to do genuine beneficial deeds for the sake of others is not asking too much, I hope. This should be a support to your formal practice, that is to say to put your formal practice into practical use, and you can check then how much Bodhicitta you really have, you should at least be honest to yourself. I would be so happy to get news from all my organisations what they are doing every 3rd Sunday and I would love to have these news posted on my web or the live to love website, which I hope someone is doing up now. I was told that Druk Foundation Ltd. has registered this Live to Love logo and the words for the lineage, so it's good that if we can all use "Live to Love" to represent all the humanitarian and beneficial activities, without boundary of religions, nationalities, etc.
About Live to Love
Several of my people have asked me whether Nyungnay practice, Ngondro practice and retreat of all sorts are considered as part of "Live to Love" activities. As I said several times in my gossips, compassion is a practice needs to be developed and cultivated, love is a practice that is needed to put compassion into action.
To be clearer in this explanation, relating this with the formal practice of Nyungnay, Ngondro, retreat and etc. as well as the "Live to Love" activities that I am encouraging everyone to be doing, it is like this: The orange light in the centre of the logo is your own heart or mind that is supposed to be full of love so that it can share this selfless energy with others. To do that, you need to have foundations or fundamentals that help you to carry out "Live to Love" activities without having any problems and confusion. This is like the story of doctor and patients. If a doctor is not well-trained, how can he or she be saving lives of the sick ones? So theoretically and basically, you need to be trained. I have not been talking much about this topic, maybe I have the impression that people do understand why I am promoting "Live to Love" activities like nobody's business. This does not mean that I am encouraging you to forget about meditation, about doing retreat, about reciting mantra, about Nyungnay, about Ngondro. No! This is not true. I am really sorry to tell you that in fact, "Live to Love" activities are additional things that I am encouraging you all to do for the sake of actualising what you are practising in your visualisation of Bodhicitta, loving kindness, compassion and wisdom.
This is like using a knife to cut something. To do that, you need to sharpen the knife, the sharpening process is the formal practices you are encouraged to do. The actual cutting is the "Live to Love" activities, this means that you are checking how sharp or how blunt is your knife. If it is not sharp enough, reflect and meditate on the reason why it is not so, and go back to sharpen your knife again.
If you don't have the foundations or the understanding of compassion and wisdom, if you don't develop this inner qualities within yourself, you would be banging your head against the wall when you do "Live to Love" activities. Why is it so? There will be a time when you feel very tired, very disappointed, very outraged with "Live to Love", because the essential part that forms the pillars supporting "Live to Love" activities is not there. What is it? It is the inner strength that needs to be developed and cultivated through formal practices. I am sure that you have never heard of a doctor (whether traditional or western) being qualified without having to study in a medical school or without having to be trained in many different ways. If ever you know or hear about this kind of doctors, I don't think you would even have the confidence to consult them, wouldn't you?
So it is the same thing with "Live to Love" activities. You will bang your head against the wall if you don't have the inner strength to deal with the sufferings that you see and observe while doing the "Live to Love" activities. You may end up thinking that you are hopeless to remove sufferings in samsara, or the other extreme is that you may end up thinking yourself as a great hero, thinking that you are doing such a great job saving lives, giving things away to poor people, etc. It's not like this. "Live to Love" activities should be strengthening your understanding of the Four Noble Truth and other wisdom and compassion teachings of the Buddha as well as giving you a great support for your formal practice. At the same time, the formal practice which you should be consistently doing to develop your inner compassion and wisdom should be helping you to deal with many issues that come with "Live to Love" activities. The "Live to Love" activities and the formal practice of Nyungnay, Ngondro, etc. come together as the right and left hands. "Live to Love" activities are like the software and the formal practice is the hardware. So can you imagine a computer without hardware or software? Of course not, both are badly needed. You cannot do only the formal practice and ignore the "Live to Love" activities altogether and you cannot replace formal practice with "Live to Love" activities. In the short run, you may not feel any difference, it seems either way would be okay. But I can tell you that in the long run, if you want to improve your spiritual practice, you would be better off to do both at the same time.
By the way, a thought just came to me: a genuine spiritual lineage or the blessing is the electricity, without that, even if you have the best software and the most extravagant hardware, the computer will not work. Some people do such a good job with formal practice, but when it comes to dealing with others, they cannot succeed. There is a missing link. Some people do such a good job with "Live to Love" activities, but when it comes to formal practice, they can't even sit down for 5 seconds to meditate, their mind is so restless. How can a restless doctor perform a successful operation on a sick person? How can an uneducated or untrained doctor help a sick person?
Although I wouldn't say that formal practices are a part of "Live to Love" activities, because in a way, I cannot fit them in any of the 5 categories. But formal practices are the pillars of "Live to Love" activities. What I am saying is that those who are doing formal practices, obviously should have more confidence to do "Live to Love" activities, once in a while they should come out to join "Live to Love" activities and test how sharp or blunt their knives are. For those who are already doing such a good job in "Live to Love" activities, they must also check themselves whether these activities have increase their wisdom, compassion and loving-kindness. Even a sharp knife needs to be sharpened all the time, so that it can maintain its sharpness.To be clearer in this explanation, relating this with the formal practice of Nyungnay, Ngondro, retreat and etc. as well as the "Live to Love" activities that I am encouraging everyone to be doing, it is like this: The orange light in the centre of the logo is your own heart or mind that is supposed to be full of love so that it can share this selfless energy with others. To do that, you need to have foundations or fundamentals that help you to carry out "Live to Love" activities without having any problems and confusion. This is like the story of doctor and patients. If a doctor is not well-trained, how can he or she be saving lives of the sick ones? So theoretically and basically, you need to be trained. I have not been talking much about this topic, maybe I have the impression that people do understand why I am promoting "Live to Love" activities like nobody's business. This does not mean that I am encouraging you to forget about meditation, about doing retreat, about reciting mantra, about Nyungnay, about Ngondro. No! This is not true. I am really sorry to tell you that in fact, "Live to Love" activities are additional things that I am encouraging you all to do for the sake of actualising what you are practising in your visualisation of Bodhicitta, loving kindness, compassion and wisdom.
For more information information : http://www.l2love.org | <urn:uuid:d9597651-df74-4c4d-9205-ad4f84f70661> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drukpa-paris.org/l2love-en.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966069 | 3,094 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Faced with a complicated task, some initial planning can significantly increase the likelihood of success and increase efficiency, but planning for too long before starting to act can reduce efficiency. This paper explores the question of when to begin acting for a resource bounded agent. Limitations of an idealized algorithm suggested in the literature are presented and illustrated in the context of a robot courier. A revised, idealized algorithm is given and justified. The revised idealized algorithm is used as a basis for developing a new ``step choice'' algorithm for making on-the-fly decisions for a simplified version of the robot courier task. A set of experiments are used to illustrate the relative advantage of the new strategy over always act, always compute and anytime algorithm based strategies for deciding when to begin execution. | <urn:uuid:634e2858-22f3-4f56-a7b4-ef6e998a5871> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aaai.org/Library/AIPS/1994/aips94-015.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928708 | 154 | 1.648438 | 2 |
BORN: Mansoura, Egypt - 1953
Lives and works in Egypt
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Renowned Egyptian artist Mohammed Abla, winner of the 1998 Biennial, is a man of curious character and many faces. He has an intense desire for expressing feeling through his paintings. As a young artist he traveled the world, almost detached from his native ties, reluctant to settle in one place. Abla had to struggle his way through college by painting houses in order to make just enough money for his tuition and bare necessities. Graduating at the top of his class in 1977, he took part in Egypt’s “Young Artists Exhibition,” winning the grand prize. He traveled and painted through Spain and France experiencing firsthand the great museums of Europe. With an enhanced competence in his abilities, Abla moved onto Germany where he once more toured the extensive galleries. Finding one gallery owner, he showed his work and was transported to elation by the owner’s enthusiastic response. “He saw my sketches, loved them, bought them and asked if I would put on an exhibition.” Six more exhibitions followed in the next 2 years. Germany was definitely the turning point in his life and is fast becoming his second home. Abla says that he has an internal feeling that art is the key to bringing cultural and environmental awareness to people.
1953 Born in Mansoura, Egypt
1972 Joined Faculty of fine Arts in Alexandria
1977 Graduated from the painting section with a first class degree
1978 First Exhibition in the Spanish Cultural Centre, Cairo. Won first prize in the El Talaa young Egyptian artists exhibition.
Traveled to Spain, France, and Germany for further study.
1979 Exhibited at the Hohmann Gallery in Germany
1980 Traveled to Eastern Europe and Turkey
1981 Had a further series of exhibitions in Germany. Visited Switzerland to learn sculpture, graphics and painting therapy.
1982 Opened a studio in Zurich for painting therapy.
1983 Returned to Egypt with his first child.
1984 Had further private exhibitions in Germany
1986 Won first prize in the competition entitled “Cairo from the Artist’s Perspective.”
Awarded a scholarship to study in Basel, Switzerland.
1993 Had further private exhibitions in Germany
1994 Private Exhibitions in Switzerland
1998 Exhibited at Hart Gallery, Carmel California and then to Hart Gallery in Palm Desert, California.
2009 Continues exhibiting in Palm Desert, CA at Christian Hohmann Fine Art. | <urn:uuid:559c4227-3766-4920-be11-ff09463800a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christianhohmann.com/bio.php?artistId=7254 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977953 | 518 | 1.53125 | 2 |
From the standpoint of one familiar with our constitutional history, the spectacle of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives making pre-emptive tax concessions to the President is unnerving.
Over a period of centuries, the lower house of the English Parliament, the House of Commons, fought for and won the “power of the purse”—that is, the right to initiate, as well as approve, all revenue measures. Based on English success, we adopted the same system. Until now, apparently.
Fundamental to the rights of Englishman was (and is) the right not to be taxed without consent. That required approval by the House of Commons, as the best representative of the people in the English government.
It also meant that only the House of Commons could initiate tax laws. Such laws could be vetoed by the upper chamber (the House of Lords) or by the King, but they had to originate in the Commons. This rule proved to be a decisive factor in England’s conversion from an aristocratic government into a free country.
But if the leaders of the Commons had made pre-emptive concessions as Boehner is doing now, England might not have become a free country. And if England hadn’t, neither would have the United States.
In America, we copied this aspect of the English system. During the 1787 constitutional convention, the commissioners [delegates] had to wrangle over the composition of the new Congress. A key part of the ensuing “Great Compromise” was the stipulation that only the House of Representatives—the federal institution most closely reflecting the people—could originate revenue bills.
To be sure, a few commissioners tried to dismiss that prerogative as insignificant. But in one of the convention’s most memorable moments, John Dickinson described how experience instructed us in ways that mere reason never could:
“Experience must be our only guide,” told his fellow commissioners. “Reason may mislead us. It was not Reason that discovered the singular & admirable mechanism of the English Constitution. . . . And has not experience verified the utility of restraining money bills to the immediate representatives of the people.. . . the effect was visible & could not be doubted.”
Hence, the final wording of Article I, Section 7, Clause 1: “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.”
Boehner’s job is not to make pre-emptive concessions to the President. It is not to negotiate for presidential permission to pass a budget. His job is to lead the House to adopt a budget in line with the views of those who elected them and the interests of the country.
The initial decision to lower, raise, or maintain tax rates should be made in the House. Any negotiations should take place only after the House adopts a budget, and that budget should serve as the starting point. Not the demands of the President. | <urn:uuid:623de48e-09c8-4f19-8237-7b517b22caae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2012/12/26/constitutionally-speaker-boehner-should-not-be-making-pre-emptive-tax-concessions/ | 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 | 0.961185 | 624 | 2.765625 | 3 |
In 2011, the poster child of digital education was the Khan Academy, Sal Khan’s brainchild of over 3,000 lessons, but a new star is emerging for 2012 that’s taking Khan’s approach to the crowd. It’s a free whiteboard app called ShowMe that will currently play 1.5 million teacher-produced lessons. The first iteration of the app has been downloaded over 400,000 times. Now, with an updated version that empowers users to create, search and share lessons, it’s ready to emerge as a leader in the digital education revolution ushered in by the iPad.
ShowMe, like other whiteboard apps, captures what users draw on the iPad screen but it also records their voice. Creations are then stored and can be shared with others. For users, ShowMe capitalizes on the touch computing of the iPad, which feels more interactive than a mouse and keyboard, but it also provides the “pen on paper” look-and-feel. While glossy educational animations can do a lot to teach concepts, ShowMe captures more intuitive learning by showing handwritten sketches and notes as well as showing them revealed in real time. This lends itself to following along with the reasoning behind explanations that makes certain teachers so successful in helping students learn.
The story behind ShowMe begins with San Kim, a former tutor and classroom instructor who was interested in utilizing technology to better educate students. In 2009, he partnered with Karen Bdoyan, formerly of Lycos Europe, to launch LearnBat, Inc., which won the 2010 Columbia Venture Competition for their iPad whiteboard tool that allowed teachers and students to share notes in real time. This technology was used to develop a few apps focusing on SAT review and tutoring.
Rebranding into Easel Learning, the startup developed a proprietary technology for capturing voice and syncing it with screen strokes in a file format that was very small, more akin to mp3 file sizes than YouTube video lengths. This also meant that lessons could be easily embedded in web sites using a player they developed. This technology was licensed to the Princeton Review and used in its SAT Score Quest app, which allows students to click a button in the middle of a review section to pop up a virtual tutorial that walks students through the trouble spots using the whiteboard. Easel Learning was nominated for the 2010 Crunchies for Best Bootstrapped Startup.
The Easel Learning team wanted to capitalize on table technology they had developed and make it more freely available to teachers. The goal was to make an app that had a low learning curve so that teachers could easily produce lessons without having to be animation producers. in other words, something that feels a lot like a classroom board. After development and beta testing by teachers, the ShowMe app was launched, which is nicely shown in this promotional video:
ShowMe takes what works for the Khan Academy and effectively democratizes lesson production. Anyone, not just teachers, can produce a video lesson on their iPad and share it. Fortunately, it doesn’t require users to be master educators across an enormous array of academic subjects. At its worst, ShowMe allows a teacher, student, or even a layman to capture the one concept that they explain really well and share it with the world. At its best, teachers can replicate lessons from their classrooms and allow students to practice it at their convenience. Furthermore, tutors and other at-large educators can use ShowMe as a platform to advertise their services, as there are currently no plans to allow monetization of lessons within the app. In fact, the platform could be used for any type of learning, not just K-12 or higher ed, including job training, hobbyists, or anyone who wants to get a message across in this way (think RSA animate).
As is true with any service in the social media space, ShowMe’s success depends on users creating content. But the response from teachers has been enormous as 1.5 million lessons have been produced in the app’s short lifetime. Viewers elevate the best lessons by voting, so the community helps to identify the highest quality content and the best teachers. The lessons can be shared and added to websites, adding to its utility and visibility. Equating it to what Flickr has done for photo sharing, Kim says the desire for ShowMe is to “…make knowledge sharing as readily available as sharing pictures.” ShowMe will continue to grow as its fueled by the communities growing around it.
What’s the future for ShowMe? Big plans and ideal positioning as well as nothing short of the Holy Grail of education: personalized instruction. As users continue to fill the database with lessons, the ShowMe developers are trying to find a way to take all that good content and cater it directly to the student, thereby creating a crowdsourced tutor. This would allow any student to log in and save their progress as they move through their custom-fit curriculum while tracking their achievements. In other words, ShowMe would create a personal textbook and journal. Furthermore, ShowMe will allow the Easel Learning team to identify the best teachers and content creators out there, not only to continue to build into the lesson database, but potentially be tapped for future products. That alone is an untapped goldmine.
For more insight into ShowMe, check out this interview from last year with San: | <urn:uuid:01a5dac7-8bd7-4b06-8b03-9deb36c5a242> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://singularityhub.com/2012/03/16/1-5-millions-lessons-and-growing-showme-app-emerges-as-leader-in-ipad-digital-education-revolution/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962995 | 1,099 | 1.992188 | 2 |
NASA Holds A Cookout In Space; REM's Michael Stipe Sings For Shuttle
With Atlantis paying a visit to the International Space Station on the last mission of the space shuttle program, NASA thought it was a good time for a cookout... in space. The 10 astronauts on the two linked spacecraft will enjoy a special "all-American meal" today.
The meal — or, thermostabilized space food items, in NASAspeak — includes grilled chicken and barbecued beef brisket, along with Southwestern corn, baked beans and (unconfirmed) a Hostess apple pie.
And in true cookout spirit, NASA welcomes the general public to share the meal. The agency urged the public to share in the virtual dinner, publishing its recipes ("formulations") online. I have to admit, it's the first time I've seen a recipe that looks like it was generated from an Excel chart.
In new proof of America's finicky nature, shuttle crew members won't eat what the space station guys eat. "The shuttle crew will have the chicken while the station crew will have barbeque brisket," according to NASA.
If you're looking for actual shuttle news, there's a shortage today, as the astronauts are getting most of the day off. I don't know why NASA has essentially decided to observe Bastille Day, but I'm sure the astronauts appreciate it. They'll even have crackers and brie to start their barbecue off, in what may seem like a joke — but isn't.
The astronauts started their day with a serenade in space (!) from R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe. After crooning a few a capella lines of "Man on the Moon," Stipe wished the astronauts and NASA personnel a good morning, and good luck in the shuttle's final mission.
The astronauts then heard a special version of "Man on the Moon," which Stipe recorded for the occasion.
As he explained to the space agency, "I recorded 'Man on The Moon' for NASA in Venice, Italy, where Galileo first presented to the Venetian government his eight-power telescope, and in 1610 wrote 'The Starry Messenger' (Sidereus Nuncius), an account of his early astronomical discoveries that altered forever our view of our place in the universe."
You can hear the song in this NASA video: | <urn:uuid:46de02b0-2d20-433c-b7e0-474887b171f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wyso.org/post/nasa-holds-cookout-space-rems-michael-stipe-sings-shuttle | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956502 | 491 | 1.78125 | 2 |
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- Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States of America and one of the founding fathers of the republic. With the nation still in the process of solidifying its identity, political figures became a popular subject for contemporary artists, much as kings, aristocracy, and religious figures had been in the past. Portrait painters also hoped to earn money by painting politically important individuals, either from the subject himself or from enthusiasts in his entourage. The French artist Charles Balthazar Julien Fevret de Saint-Mémin (1770-1852) did two engravings of Jefferson (although research suggests that he retooled the old portrait for the second engraving). For the accurate depiction of his sitters’ facial proportions, Saint-Mémin relied upon the “physiognotrace,” an invention that he brought with him from his native France. The physiognotrace was a mechanism designed to trace a subject’s profile with great exactitude. This method became quite popular among American engravers for a time, including with Saint-Mémin’s artistic rivals, the Peales.
Type of Item | <urn:uuid:b9342b0f-a173-42bb-9ce1-deebc6fb8961> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wdl.org/en/item/14/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963757 | 244 | 3.484375 | 3 |
The local Botanic Garden is the best place for peaceful and silent rest. Here you can see the widest choice of plants, many of which were brought to England from exotic countries. Magnificent stone gardens, hothouses, lakes and water gardens simply stun by their fascinating look. You should also consider visiting the most multifunctional facility of the town – Wolfson College. A beautiful square is located around this attractive building. Here you can also see students of different nationalities. The very center of the city is the place for Senate House. This is a beautiful ancient building in baroque style, the building of which was finished in 1730. Today the building is used to keep various ceremonies and events. Zoological Museum remains one of the most popular cultural centers of Cambridge. This is a truly unusual building, the entrance of which is decorated with a giant skeleton of a whale. The collection of the exhibits was started by Charles Darwin. After his death the collection was greatly expanded and new items were added. Castle Hill is another attractive place for walking. This is a small village hidden in mountains. Here you can get acquainted with the lifestyle of local people and, of course, buy memorable hand-made souvenirs.
Besides this you can always visit Cambridge Museum of Technology, Little St. Mary’s Church, Antique Archeology Museum, Anthropology and Archeology Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, as well as numerous galleries, exhibition centers and theaters.
: guide to Cambridge with maps, photos and weather conditions
This article about Cambridge is copyrighted by the our editorial team, & can only be reused with a link to www.orangesmile.com | <urn:uuid:2f583921-9b8d-4a64-9b29-2101aa1a8677> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.orangesmile.com/booking/en/great-britain/cambridge-apartments.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967821 | 335 | 1.671875 | 2 |
A Justice Site
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Latest update: September 5, 2000
Over the summer we worked extensively on communicating ways in which we could empathize with each other's confusion, struggle, and satisfaction when we finally "get it, frustration when we don't get it." Fellman tells a wonderfully descriptive story of how the teacher can be so easily distracted from empathy with the student. (Rambo at pp. 158-159
The Journal in my classes is your private journal. I will not collect it; I will not read it. It is a special place for you to keep all your memories of the class. There are many details, such as e-mail exchange, comment submission, classes attended, workshops attended, field trips taken, notes to yourself, that we will ask you to keep. Especially since the adversarial paradigm in which we live at this institution requires that I grade you, we must come to some agreement on how much you have learned, and how integrally you have managed to fit that learning into your life.
I am a lawyer. I tend to seek evidence, though on a broad and generous scope. The reason I ask you to keep a journal is so that when we discuss your learning, you will have your records before you to make sure that you speak most effectively for yourself. I give no points for the journal. So those who choose to ignore the request will not be penalized directly. But I consider it rude to ignore a well-considered request to be heard in good faith. That goes counter to my philosophy of love, care, and respect for all things living, and many that aren't living anymore.
The details of what I ask you to put in the journal will change as we develop community in the class, and as each of us discovers new ways to measure both learning and community. But I know I want you to share vocabulary words, and to keep some rough count of them, and the number of times you find yourself looking them up.
I know that I want you to write down thoughts you have, but don't get a chance to contribute, or don't feel comfortable contributing publicly.
I know that I want you to keep some record of every file you read, every text you consult, so that I and your classmates can also find it if we want to read further.
Everything in me wants to pick up these journals, count them off, see what the average number of pages is, see which of you use color, drawing, which of you scribble, I could learn so much just by poring over them. But all of my training tells me that I must not do this. I am not meant to "know" you, unless you are in crisis, and we need to get you help. I am a teacher, who opens the door to hearing what you are learning within the crazy context of a post-modern world that is changing so rapidly we need courses to keep up with it. I am more comfortable hearing what you want to tell me. But I have learned that you, like me, gloss over much when you have not written records. The journal is there to provide you with enough detail that I can ask questions that will help me understand your learning, and you can thumb through your journal for answers. But the answers won't be in the journal, where I could "just" read them, the answers will come from the mixture of the things you remembered to record, the feelings that come back as you study your records, some of which you may not even have been conscious of. If I read your journal, that great rich depth will not inform my understanding. So it should definitely be your journal. Use it wisely, and use it well.
This aspect of the journal grew out of a scene with an unhappy student. She e-mailed me her outrage that I had given her a lower than reasonable grade. I looked at my records. They showed not very much. But then she replied with a volley of detail a dozen things she had done. I had no record of a single one of them! We were all taught when we were little that we should not blow our own horn. But, if not, who's going to blow it? If you don't tell me what you're doing, I can't possibly be giving you credit for doing it. Talk to me, please.
But don't bring me your journal to read. Bring it along so that it can remind you. So that you can show me that you did record study and praxis and reactions to your reading. But you do the pre-reading. You do the summaries you'll need. The journal is about communication, face-to-face, real time.
Now could you help me with mine? It seemed like such a good idea when I knew that I would keep one, too. But I don't have the foggiest idea what I need to put in it. Since it will be my journal about us, maybe you have some ideas?
On Januray 29, 2001, jeanne added:
I did put lots of things in my journal all through last semester. And then I spent the six weeks of Winter break trying to incorporate them into the way we operate the site. I have a very good idea of what I want to start with in my journal this Spring. I want a three-ring binder in which we'll store all the self-report handouts from this first week in the computer lab. That will give me all your e-mail addresses. Then I'll have a journal I'll keep with me in class and out to scribble all my little notes to myself. Hope it works. Wish me well.
September 5, 2000
January 29, 2001 | <urn:uuid:2f31b00a-60a1-4eb9-8adc-087150238023> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/journallgf01.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975829 | 1,183 | 1.890625 | 2 |
TICONDEROGA - The Ticonderoga Food Pantry is changing.
"When I started working here we served mostly unemployed people," said Emma Williams, who has volunteered 16 years at the pantry. "Now it's a lot of working families who just can't make ends meet."
Margaret Beuerlein, pantry director, agrees.
"When gas prices starting getting near $4 (a gallon) a few years ago we started seeing a lot of new people," she said. "We used to get 35-40 people a month. That's more than doubled."
The Ticonderoga Food Pantry now serves 85-100 families a month.
"That's families," John Williams, a pantry volunteer, pointed out. "We're feeding a lot of people."
Located in the basement of the First United Methodist Church at 1045 Wicker St., the pantry is sponsored by the Ticonderoga Area Clergy Association. It's a non-denominational service open 11 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The pantry is open to Ticonderoga and Putnam residents and follows federal income guidelines. Those guidelines start at $20,000 a year for a single person and go up to $68,000 for a family of eight. All food pantry information is strictly confidential.
People can come to the pantry once a month to get three days - nine meals - food.
Besides helping feed families, the pantry responds to local emergencies such as fires and floods.
The Ti Food Pantry has a wide range of foods, including infant formula and baby food. It also offers personal hygiene items such as soap and laundry detergent.
"Our goal is to meet the needs of the people who use the pantry," Beuerlein said. "We don't have any junk food, no soda or chips. We offer nutritious foods for families."
This summer the pantry has been able to supply families with fresh vegetables donated by local gardeners.
The Ti pantry is supported by community efforts and operated by a group of about 25 volunteers. A member of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the local pantry depends on local food drives and donations. | <urn:uuid:0a68be77-8b86-43d8-ae86-7341e5bf96cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.denpubs.com/news/2010/sep/15/pantry-demand-grows/ | 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 | 0.967856 | 466 | 1.648438 | 2 |
HEALTH OVERHAUL TO FORCE CHANGES IN EMPLOYER PLANS
June 14, 2010
Over and over in the health care debate, President Barack Obama said people who like their current coverage would be able to keep it. But an early draft of an administration regulation estimates that many employers will be forced to make changes to their health plans under the new law. In just three years, a majority of workers -- 51 percent -- will be in plans subject to new federal requirements, according to the draft.
Employers say it's more evidence that the law will drive up costs. Republicans say Obama broke his promise:
- The types of changes that employers would be forced to make include offering preventive care without copayments and instituting an appeals process for disputed claims that follow new federal guidelines.
- The law already requires all health plans to extend coverage to young adult children until they turn 26.
- Such changes also nudge costs up.
"What we are getting here is a clear indication that most plans will have to change," said James Gelfand, health policy director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "From an employer's point of view that's a bad thing. These changes, whether or not they're good for consumers, are most certainly accompanied by a cost."
The main issue in the 83-page regulation is how to deal with what the government calls "grandfathered" health plans, says the Associated Press (AP):
- Those are plans that predated the health care law and are exempt from many, but not all, of its consumer protections.
- Lawmakers created the special category to deliver on Obama's promise that people can keep the coverage they have if they like it.
But health plans change frequently, says the AP:
- Premiums and copayments keep rising.
- Coverage is expanded for some services and restricted for others.
- Lawmakers asked regulators to spell out how much an employer can change a plan and still claim it to be grandfathered, exempting it from closer federal regulation.
Employers say the draft rules are too inflexible: Plans can lose their protected status by increasing copayments and deductibles above certain limits. Gelfand said medical inflation alone would push many employers over the line.
How employers react to the final rules will be critical. If major companies start dropping health care benefits, opting instead to pay the government a penalty, Democrats would face a political backlash, says the AP.
Source: Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Health overhaul to force changes in employer plans," Associated Press/Breitbart, June 11, 2010.
Browse more articles on Health Issues | <urn:uuid:c91ecd21-aa94-4e59-a06c-eca8e8c4f271> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=19452 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96328 | 552 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Giving a lecture today at UNB's MacGlaggan Hall, former Dish, Texas mayor Calvin Tillman discussed how chemicals from hydraulic fracturing can become run off, effecting the water supply of valleys in the path of the chemicals.
Tillman was asked a question on this subject by a Fredericton native concerned about shale gas fracking chemicals seeping into the UNB woodlot area. The city is under license for exploration by shale gas companies, with the woodlot a potential site for fracking. The chemicals used in the fracking process, if the woodlot is played, could become run-off, seeping into the city's acquifer's downhill from the woodlot.
Tillman, best known for his interview with Josh Fox in the documentary Gasland, was in Fredericton as part of a province-wide tour about his experiences with the shale gas industry while mayor of Dish. | <urn:uuid:a7b4ad2e-e04a-4128-b64b-7f3a0326528d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thepurplevioletpressnb.blogspot.com/2011/10/tillman-talks-chemical-run-off.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975374 | 183 | 2.296875 | 2 |
This American Life (TAL) is one of the most successful shows on NPR, it started in 1995, has won numerous awards, and one of my conservative friends even described the show as “single-handedly justifying the existence of NPR.” I’ve heard shows from time to time over the years, but a few months ago I downloaded a torrent of every show in the cannon and have been completely hooked ever since. So when I heard Ira Glass’ was coming to Chrysler Hall in Norfolk I jumped at the chance to see him talk about the show, behind the scenes, and how the show is so effective at communicating and connecting with the audience.
Ira Glass started the show with the lights off, simulating the experience of radio as he spoke to the audience. When the lights came up, he joked, “You don’t look like what I expected either.” Carrying a touchpad filled with audio samples, Ira deftly played music, narrated, and mixed interview clips into his talk, oftentimes improvised.
He played a clip from the opening of a CNN special covering an aircraft carrier taking part in the war on terror. With deadly serious narration and a soundtrack Ira accurately described as “straight out of the opening credits of Battlestar Gallactica,” CNN was working overtime to make the story dramatic, working so hard as to be downright silly when you thought about it. News makes the world “scary, simple and small” Ira noted, and TAL wanted to take a different angle of life on the carrier, which he described as a “giant floating nuclear-powered dormitory.” So they started the story covering the kind of mundane work the majority of soldier on the carrier perform, specifically with a woman tasked with keeping the vending machines stocked and the day-to-day operations of that job.
Ira Glass emphasized the importance of storytelling in keeping the audience’s attention. Something happens, and then something, and then something, and then a universal principle is revealed. I recently heard the same advice from Jane Goodall that the best way to get people to see your side of things was to tell stories.
With this technique of storytelling TAL has made me see from the perspective of and sympathize with idealistic Tea Party members, stressed-out gang members, alleged terrorists, and wide wide world of diverse backgrounds and cultures. One show convinced me of the ideological diversity in the Republican Party by taking a varied perspective on the party at that time. At one point in the talk, Ira Glass described Iraq as Ireland with the Shias being the Catholics and the Sunnis the Protestants, a perfect analogy that explained the cultural conflict there better than any mainstream news story I’ve ever heard on the situation.
With the way the news makes the world so simplistic, caricatured, and tiny, is it any wonder the public getting its information from these sources seems to grow increasingly cynical about the state of things? News sources like NPR and the Economist try to convey the complexity, but their droll, elitist tone really turns people off to them. Ira Glass has spent years trying to convince someone in the media to do a news show in the format of TAL, and the show itself has even tried an episode focused on the events of the previous week.
The episode This Week, covering current events, also happened to be the week Osama Bin Laden was assassinated. So they sent a reporter to Cairo to interview people’s reactions there, but the lives of Egyptians were much too busied with the task of rebuilding their country after the recent revolutions. So the story from Cairo was about the Muslim fundamentalists and the liberals getting together to try and find some way to coexist in a functional Democracy. It’s easy to see how such a weekly portrayal of current events could not just be popular, but could calm people down by giving them a peek into the complex worlds everyone else out there is dealing with as well.
During the question and answer session an audience member asked Ira if there were any other programs that had adopted TAL’s storytelling style, and, to my great pleasure, he mentioned one of my favorite recent discoveries RadioLab, a show about science that uses storytelling to make the factually-fascinating subject matter engaging on a personal level (Ira has a very nice essay about the show).
A funny moment in the talk was when Ira declared “Radio is your most visual media…” which made sense in respect to the way the show must paint a picture in your mind, but then, after a long pause, he said, “That’s not actually true… Turns out having pictures is very very visual.”
Ira invoked Arabian Nights in expressing the importance of storytelling. He described Scheherazade as “very Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 3″ and how she used storytelling to keep the king from killing her for years, after which he could not kill her because the many stories had made him sensitive to the perspective of others, especially Sheherazade’s father, who had spent night after night wondering if this would be the morning he would find his daughter dead. | <urn:uuid:baed06fa-1146-4115-a8a9-c8261194429f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ideonexus.com/2011/10/25/reinventing-radio-an-evening-with-ira-glass/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972858 | 1,077 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Sorry, no definitions found.
“In fact, the generally accepted benchmark for a really big mulie is a 30 buck.”
“As many of you probably already know when a mulie is leaving you another option to waiting for him to stop like Clay said is to whistle loudly.”
“The giant mulie is a 7X8 with a 29” outside spread and an 11” drop tine.”
“Seems like just another "mulie" effort to defuse, distort, and otherwise camouflage the truth.”
“I hit a mulie with my little souped-up Pontiac going about 80 km/h (50 mph), when I was a kid.”
“I shot about a 150 8 point mulie, he isn't nearly tall enough, good call on waiting for 150 is that is your goal.”
“This mulie buck is saving energy to grow those horns.”
“Non-typical mulie, and I know we got ourselves tons of mulies here in Idaho.”
“But if I had to choose, it would be a perfectly symmetrical buck (mulie or whitetail) typical, with nice 5+ 'drop tines on each side.”
“I was able to take a nice Montana buck with the smokepole, but the archery mulie has somehow eluded me.”
These user-created lists contain the word ‘mulie’.
lots and lots of fish, a piscatorial
words not found in other
dictionaries,these are from Macquarie
Dictionary and not playable in
From Cloudstreet by Tim Winton. Expect lots of new-to-me words and/or just pleasing words encountered in this book, perhaps mostly Australian slang.
Looking for tweets for mulie. | <urn:uuid:ad61df2d-f486-404a-b683-a03edc49c9c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wordnik.com/words/mulie | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952897 | 403 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Spokesman Sam Atwood told The Desert Sun ( http://mydesert.co/Wj7b12) monitoring levels of hydrogen sulfide in the area could help officials establish an action plan and notify the public of pending odor problems in the future.
Officials received more than 235 complaints of a foul, powerful odor after a thunderstorm Sept. 9 churned up the lower sulfurous water layers. The smell was detected across Southern California and in Arizona.
Environmental groups urged further action to mitigate the odors, saying federal air quality standards weren't being met in nearby rural communities.
Information from: The Desert Sun, http://www.mydesert.com/ | <urn:uuid:6bfd9ebc-1d6b-464d-b1e1-957e3bb23c8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.times-standard.com/statenews/ci_22313123/powerful-stink-from-salton-sea-could-be-monitored | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906619 | 138 | 2.15625 | 2 |
[He called West Virginia] “one of the rock bottomest of states.”...
Mr. Byrd was the valedictorian of his high school class but was unable to afford college. It was not until he was in his 30s and 40s that he took college courses. But he was profoundly self-educated and well read. His Senate speeches sparkled with citations from Shakespeare, the King James version of the Bible and the histories of England, Greece and Rome....Referring to the Line-Item Veto Act, he said:
“Gaius Julius Caesar did not seize power in Rome,” he said. Rather, he said, “the Roman Senate thrust power on Caesar deliberately, with forethought, with surrender, with intent to escape from responsibility.”The Supreme Court later found the act unconstitutional, a violation of Separation of Powers, though not in the first case it considered on the subject. The first case, which bore Senator Byrd's name — Raines v. Byrd — was rejected for lack of standing. The members of Congress who brought suit were held not to have standing to challenge the constitutionality of the bill Congress had passed because it caused "no injury to themselves as individuals." The obituary doesn't mention this case.
Back to the obituary:
In 2007, at the unveiling of a portrait of Mr. Byrd in the Old Senate Chamber, former Senator Paul S. Sarbanes of Maryland, a colleague of 30 years, recalled that Mr. Byrd had taught him how to answer when a constituent asked, “How many presidents have you served under?”I hope every member of Congress would answer that way.
“None,” was Mr. Byrd’s reply, Mr. Sarbanes said. “I have served with presidents, not under them.”
In the early 1940s, he organized a 150-member klavern, or chapter, of the Klan in Sophia, W.Va., and was chosen its leader at a meeting. After the meeting, Joel L. Baskin, the Klan’s grand dragon for the region, suggested that Mr. Byrd use his “talents for leadership” by going into politics.So old that his mother died in the flu epidemic of 1917.
“Suddenly, lights flashed in my mind!” Mr. Byrd later wrote. “Someone important had recognized my abilities.”...
His opponents used his Klan membership against him during his first run for the House of Representatives in 1952; Democratic leaders urged him to drop out of the race. But he stayed in and won, then spent decades apologizing for what he called a “sad mistake.”
He went on to vote for civil rights legislation in 1957 and 1960, but when the more sweeping Civil Rights Act was before Congress in 1964, he filibustered for an entire night against it, saying the measure was an infringement on states’ rights. He backed civil rights legislation consistently only after becoming a party leader in the Senate....
Mr. Byrd was born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr. on Nov. 20, 1917, in North Wilkesboro, N.C. His mother died the next year in the influenza epidemic, but before she did, she asked his father to give him to a sister and brother-in-law. They adopted him and renamed him Robert Carlyle Byrd, then moved to rural West Virginia.
As a boy, living on a small farm, he helped slaughter hogs, learned to play the fiddle and became a prize-winning Sunday school student after the manager of the local coal company store gave him two pairs of socks so he could attend without embarrassment.I don't think Congress monkeying with the curriculum of public schools is very respectful of the Constitution. Ironically. That's especially bad coming from someone who presented his opposition to the Civil Rights Act as a matter of states rights.
In 1937, Mr. Byrd married Erma Ora James, his high school sweetheart. She died in 2006, after 68 years of marriage....
He was never a particularly partisan Democrat. President Richard M. Nixon briefly considered him for a Supreme Court appointment. Mr. Dole recalled an occasion when Mr. Byrd gave him advice on a difficult parliamentary question; the help enabled Mr. Dole to overcome Mr. Byrd on a particular bill....
Mr. Byrd always carried a copy of the Constitution. He said his second-proudest accomplishment was legislation requiring every educational institution receiving federal aid to observe the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17 by teaching students about it.
When the Senate was struggling to agree on rules for the impeachment trial of Mr. Clinton in 1999, Mr. Byrd warned that the Senate itself was also on trial.A body of toads, hopping up and down and over one another to please the imperious countenance of an all-powerful president.
“The White House has sullied itself,” he said, “and the House has fallen into a black pit of partisanship and self-indulgence. The Senate is teetering on the brink of that same black pit.”
When, in 2005, Republicans considered banning the filibuster on judicial nominations, he warned that such an action would change the “nature of the Senate by destroying the right of free speech it has enjoyed since its creation.”
In “Losing America,” he wrote that the Senate without the filibuster “will no longer be a body of equals.”
“It will, instead, have become a body of toads,” he wrote, “hopping up and down and over one another to please the imperious countenance of an all-powerful president.”
Now, how will his seat be filled? It appears that, under West Virginia law, because the vacancy has occurred before July 3rd, there will be an election this year. If Byrd had survived until this Saturday, the Governor would have appointed his replacement, and that person would have continued in office until 2012. | <urn:uuid:bc1155cd-b548-4eb7-9636-d7b76dd6df1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://althouse.blogspot.jp/2010/06/robert-byrd-has-died.html?showComment=1277749492262 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985001 | 1,260 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Bone - Knife Handle Material
Like Stag, Bone handles are very traditional and represent the prize of the hunt, and are used more often in hunting knives. Many different types of bone are used for bone handles, and are often dyed to acheive a particular color. Some popular types of bone include Cow and Giraffe. Cow bone is easier to source and the cheapest type of bone to use.
Bone is very porous and needs to be stabilized before use in knife handles because otherwise it will absorb the surrounding moisture and anything it touches and also contract and expand with changes in climate, causing the bone to deform and eventually crack. Bone is commonly used on production knives such as multi-blade slipjoints due to it's affordability, however some custom knives also used dyed and stabilized Giraffe bone as it a nice looking material and has lots of character.
Jigged Bone is basically bone that has a jigging pattern applied to it. The jigging machine has a saw blade that cuts into the bone, creating a pattern and allowing for more grip on the handle. This is particularly popular with slipjoint folders such as those from W.R. Case Cutlery. Usually Jigged Bone comes dyed in darker colors.
Some popular jigged bone patterns include Rogers, Corn Cob, Worm Groove, Pine Bark and Standard Jigging. You can see some of the patterns on Case's website. | <urn:uuid:0efdda60-10f0-4172-8894-8dca1c30bb61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://faq.customtacticals.com/materials/bone.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951921 | 289 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Which product would you recommend for getting rid of dark circles?
Cause of Dark Circles
Despite popular belief, a lack of sleep, fatigue, and staying out late aren’t the main causes of dark circles. Rather, dark circles are more commonly caused by genetics, thinning skin, allergies, drinking, smoking, and sun exposure.
Genetics or thinning skin related to age can make undereye skin appear darkened due to blood vessels close to the surface of the skin. Sun exposure boosts melanin production, which discolors skin. Allergies can cause the veins to become enlarged and more visible. A lack of sleep and dehydration can emphasize the situation, but usually they aren’t the primary cause.
How to Prevent Dark Circles
Doctor D. Schwab has created an eyecare line to address concerns specific to the eye area. Puff Away® Eye Gel is a specially formulated eye treatment which was created to address dark, puffy eyes. This age defying gel is packed with powerful natural antioxidants and cooling and strengthening ingredients which address the issue of dark circles caused by genetics including Vitamin K, Spirulina Maxima Extract, and Green Tea Extract; these ingredients naturally help to strengthen capillary walls and reduce the visibility of blood vessels through the undereye skin.
- Vitamin K: Undereye skin discoloration can be caused by a Vitamin K deficiency. Applying it topically directly addresses the deficiency. Eating foods rich in Vitamin K such as broccoli, carrots, spinach and strawberries can also help address the issue. It can also be beneficial to take a Vitamin K supplement or multivitamin; the recommended daily dosage of Vitamin K is 65 mg for adult females and 80 mg for adult males.
- Spirulina Maxima Extract: Spirulina, from Algae, has a high content of beta carotene and superoxide dismutase (SOD) which help to decrease discoloration, strengthen the small capillaries and increase the antioxidant activities.
- Green Tea Extract: Green Tea Extract is another natural extract which helps to strengthen the small capillaries. It contains large amounts of vitamins and tannins, and is high in anti-oxidants which protects against free radicals and slows the signs of aging. The primary antioxidants in Green Tea are Polyphenols, or catechins. The Polyphenols found in Green Tea are higher than those found in Black Tea (25% vs. 4%)
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Reduce Puffiness | Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, found in citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, and powerful Peptides help to reduce puffiness.
Minimize Fine Lines with Apple Stem Cells | Apple Stem Cells from the Swiss Uttwiler Spätlauber Apple have been shown to slow and reverse the signs of aging by ensuring the longevity of healthy skin cells. Epigenetic factors and metabolites activate the skin stem cells to help delay the aging of skin and begin skin’s rejuvenation process. Tested in clinical trials on the crow’s feet area of the eyes, it was found to reduce the depth of wrinkles by 15% in four weeks.
Tips for Seeing the Best Possible Results
- Apply Puff Away Eye Gel twice daily after cleansing and toning skin
- Be patient, as with any topical product, it can take up to a month of diligent application to see a difference
Reviews from the Puff Away Eye Gel. If you have tried Puff Away Eye Gel, write your own review!
Recommended Eyecare Regimen
To keep skin looking its best, your typical routine should consist of a cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, suncare, eyecare, and weekly exfoliant. Your eyecare can be applied at any point after cleansing and toning.
Additional Recommended Products
Eye Intensive Moist | Moisturizes undereyes if Puff Away® Eye Gel does not provide enough moisture. Minimizes fine lines and wrinkles and helps to reverses the signs of aging.
Azulene Eye Makeup Remover| Soothing eye makeup remover that gently dissolves makeup with organic extracts.
Flawless Skin Fluid | A facial moisturizer with light reflecting particles that can be dabbed gently around the eye area to reduce the appearance of dark circles and other imperfections. | <urn:uuid:8b34966d-065a-4d99-aa70-66646aa27a46> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.doctorschwabca.com/blog/tag/spirulina/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909166 | 909 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Concino Concini, marquis d’AncreArticle Free Pass
Concino Concini, marquis d’Ancre, also called Maréchal (Marshal) d’Ancre` (born , Florence [Italy]—died April 24, 1617, Paris, France), Italian adventurer who dominated the French government during the first seven years of the reign of King Louis XIII (reigned 1610–43).
The son of a Florentine notary, Concini joined the entourage of Marie de Médicis shortly before she left Italy to marry the French king Henry IV (reigned 1589–1610). In 1601 he married the queen’s foster sister, Leonora Dori Galigai. Concini exercised such a strong influence over the queen that Henry IV threatened several times to banish him from the court. Upon the assassination of the king, Concini (now Marquis d’Ancre) and his wife acted as chief advisers to Marie, who had become regent for her young son, King Louis XIII. The Concinis treated Louis with contempt and set about enriching themselves at France’s expense.
In 1613 Concini was appointed marshal of France, even though he had never seen combat. Taking advantage of his unpopularity, the great nobles, led by Henri II de Bourbon, prince de Condé, raised two rebellions. In 1616 Concini managed to have Condé arrested. He momentarily strengthened his position by bringing such able administrators as the future Cardinal de Richelieu into the government; but by 1617 the nobles were again threatening to revolt. Louis XIII’s favourite, Charles d’Albert de Luynes, then initiated a plot against the marquis. Concini was shot by the royal guards on the drawbridge of the Louvre, and a mob dismembered his corpse. His widow was condemned to death for sorcery and was beheaded and burned on July 8, 1617.
What made you want to look up "Concino Concini, marquis d'Ancre"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:cd6fff76-1055-4a61-acf3-b7dee2f5a9b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/131188/Concino-Concini-marquis-dAncre | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959719 | 442 | 2.703125 | 3 |
by Carol Windley
ISBN 9781897151037 | eISBN 9781897151587 | 5.5" x 8.5" | TPB with French Flaps | $22.95
Categories:Fiction - Literary, Fiction - Short Stories
Purchase:Local Bookstores | mcnallyrobinson.com | archambault.ca | amazon.ca | chapters.indigo.ca
Purchase ebook:kobo | Kindle
SynopsisShortlisted for the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize
From the acclaimed author of Visible Light comes a collection of seven outstanding stories, each set against the rural landscape of Vancouver Island and the cities of the Pacific Northwest. In these stories the memories and dreams of characters are examined, revealing them to be both cages and keys to the cages.
The life-lessons learned by the characters are often as complicated and painful as they are illuminating. In the title story, two sisters fall in love with their math tutor on one of the Gulf Islands, inhabited equally by the ghosts of the misfits and Hollywood stars who came to live there, and the children of an alternative school, run by the girls' criminally optimistic father. In "Sand and Frost," a young girl drops out of UBC, returns home, and discovers that her domineering grandmother is the sole survivor of a shocking act of family violence. In "What Saffi Knows," a child, unable to explain to her self-involved parents, struggles with the knowledge of the whereabouts of another missing child. In these remarkable seven stories, Carol Windley creates a sense of place and of people that breathe the cool wet air of a spring morning on Gabriola Island.
"Home Schooling ... is as delicate as it is intelligent ... nothing short of an exceptional collection of beautiful words and resonant insights. Every single story is worth reading, and once read, returned to, whether for ambience or intelligence of thought and language. Carol Windley's gift with narrative and images gives truly inspired meaning to the phrase 'creative writing'."
- The Globe and Mail
"Compelling, thought-provoking, emotionally rich work ... a powerful illustration of the story-teller's art."
- National Post
"Home Schooling is a beautiful collection, full of sensitivity and utterly devoid of slick sentimentality. The stories are painstakingly realistic, conveying many facets of the family experience ... Out of the ordinary comes the extraordinary. And Windley's fluid, yet precise style captures the essence of the characters and their situations with immense grace."
- Vancouver Sun
"Radiant with sensual detail, [the stories in Home Schooling] offer strokes of narrative, creating a rich literary landscape. We dwell there, moving slowly; the stories' emotional density lingers."
- Focus Magazine
"[Readers] will find within these slices of life, something quite extraordinary ... The dialogue bites crisply and the visual strength of the settings comes alive in this author's skillful prose."
- The Daily Bulletin
"Her ability to happen upon beautifully conveyed sentiment and clarion imagery is beyond that of many more widely-known authors."
- The Peak, Simon Fraser University
"[The stories] are complex, beautifully written and feature an assortment of complicated yet oddly ordinary characters."
- Coast Reporter
"Carol Windley is a very talented writer ... These stories ... flow beautifully from one to the other, sharing common threads of family struggles, lost love and adolescent angst."
- Harrowsmith Country Life
"With nary a false or clumsy sentence, Windley demonstrates an effortless understanding of complex human nature that invites obvious comparisons to her gifted compatriot Alice Munro. This slim volume gives every indication that they are warranted."
- Kirkus Review
"A provocative collection from a writer in complete sync with her characters."
"There is a quiet wisdom here."
- Canadian Literature
"The families in [this] remarkable story collection are as unsettled and moody as the wind-blasted landscape that shelters and confounds them ... A haunting book that deserves our attention."
- The Miami Herald
"(In Home Schooling), language is wielded like a slender blade ... swiftly piercing a perception and pinning it to the page ... These stories have their own uncanny atmosphere, remote yet familiar, cloaked in fog banks and redolent of deep woods ... (Windley) artfully chills us to the bone."
- The Boston Globe
"Windley's writing is calm and at times hypnotic, and her prose rhythms paint pictures of their own ... Startlingly lovely."
- The Seattle Times
"(Like) Henry James ... Windley pays scrupulous attention to small, consequential gestures, to a sense of the uncanny that marks the proximity of characters to places and things, and as much to what goes unsaid as to what's spken ... The opening lines of the astonishing title store are a high-wire act of narrative prestidigitation, mimicking the fault lines of memory and the compensatory gift of reinvention ... (A) book of pure magic." | <urn:uuid:f7558c6c-122e-4c4c-8f57-c066675f9dcd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cormorantbooks.com/titles/homeschooling.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909641 | 1,048 | 1.828125 | 2 |
(The following study results are provided by http://rwitrans.com/resources/whitepapers.asp)
Capacity issues resulting from the recent recession and ongoing driver shortage, the inability of many carriers to maintain temperature control of a shipment during extreme weather conditions, and increasing costs of conducting business were identified by individuals as the leading concerns they face as a shipper of temperature-controlled freight, according to a September/October 2011 study conducted by RWI Transportation.
All of the respondents had some experience in shipping temperature-controlled cargo, with the top five products being frozen foods, beverages, fresh fruit & vegetables, dairy products, frozen meat, and fish & seafood. 93% of those surveyed relied on trucks as their primary means of transportation.
As you can see from RWI’s graph on the right, 42% of respondents ranked capacity as their number one challenge, with 92% of participants classifying capacity as a concern. In fact, 37% of these consider the issue to rank between significant and extreme.
Let’s look at most recent Morgan Stanley Freight Index which compares incremental supply/demand for truckload reefers vs. truckload dry van.
As you can see from the graphs, the increasing index demonstrates tighter capacity, especially in the reefer business.
And what do you think the reason for this is?
One answer would be the recent recession, which took out 15-20% of capacity in the trucking industry. In fact, according to Transport Capital Partners (TCP)’s 4th Quarter 2011 Business Expectations Survey, carriers are resisting growing their fleets due to factors which include operating margins, low return on investment, and shortage of drivers.
According to the survey, over half of carriers participating in the survey (73%), acknowledged that they would not expand their fleets until their return on investment (ROI) improves, which they believe would be accomplished through better rates.
Low ROIs are a problem many carriers are facing due to the increasing cost of equipment, healthcare, and diesel fuel, as well as the difficulty qualifying for a loan, and despite rate increases, many companies are barely breaking even.
70% of carriers admitted that they do not have enough drivers to fill the trucks they currently do have, let alone invest in purchasing more. And with stricter rules and regulations, including CSA 2010, carriers who are investing in new equipment are doing so to replace old ones.
As RWI’s survey notes, within the past four years, the trucking industry lost 13% of its driver pool, causing a shortage of around 125,000 drivers. And with generation x drivers retiring, the driver shortage is expected to continue.
To fulfill their capacity requirements, shippers are hiring additional carriers. According to the study, 60% of those surveyed admit to having 10 or fewer carriers while 21% operate with less than three.
Shippers are also beginning to work more hand in hand with carriers to arrange loads that consistently ship on certain days of the week/month in order to arrange shipments and efficiently place trucks in those areas to cut back on costs and have the availability.
What steps are you taking to deal with capacity concerns? Have you found your company reaching out to additional carriers for assistance?
Increasing costs were another challenge faced by shippers of temperature controlled products.
Take the price of diesel fuel which has reached new high levels since 2008, currently at a U.S. average of $4.05, which 74% believe greatly impacts their company since it takes more fuel to operate reefers.
Along with fuel, trucks are increasing in price as well, raising about 45% within a 10-year span and will continue to surge.
For these reasons, more shippers are choosing to shy away from purchasing and operating their own trucks and instead outsource. 76% choose this method of shipping for cost efficiency.
At the same time, trucking companies are coping with the increasing costs of doing business through rate increases. In fact, “freight costs could increase by as much as 15 to 20 percent over the next two years” according to the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council.
Shippers are already expecting changes in their transportation budgets with 57% expecting budget increases and 47% planning on increasing their LTL budgets.
And despite rate increases, many trucking companies are barely breaking, if that.
Just last week, Atkinson Freight Lines, a Bensalem, PA trucking company who has been in business for 127 years, was forced to closed stating the inability to compete with national carriers, fuel and toll increases, and other costs (http://bensalem.patch.com/articles/local-trucking-company-closes).
As one member of the transportation industry notes, “The problem is getting back or what’s called the backhaul. When a driver gets to his destination he still has to get back home. If he has no freight in his truck (deadhead) he has to pay for the return fuel. It used to be that they made enough to cover that. In order to stay competitive and in the black, many times they are turning down runs, it’s a no win. If they take it they lose money if they don’t they lose money” (http://www.linkedin.com/answers/business-operations/supply-chain-management/OPS_SCH/241122-471188).
That’s one more reason why shippers are working more closely with carriers to plan and schedule loads ahead of time.
Do you believe backhaul/fuel prices to be a main reason why companies are closing their doors?
The other main challenge shippers of temperature-controlled products are facing is keeping their freight temperatures regulated.
65% of those who responded to RWI’s survey stated that freight that underwent improper temperatures was the main reason why a load was rejected, while 90% stated that “it impacts their organization.”
And not only is the company impacted through the loss of the discarded shipment, but inspection costs, brand equity, and their reputation with the customer.
The problem is happening everywhere…carriers are being caught transporting food products at unsafe temperature conditions. Take last July when MSNBC revealed a series of trucks in Indiana delivering foods that surpassed the state’s law requiring reefers to maintain a temperature of 41 degrees or lower. The trucks were transporting food products at 70 degrees, well above the limit.
If that’s not enough, authorities also caught a truck traveling to Indianapolis from Chicago with cargo that included meat, eggs, and produce, operating at trailer temperatures measured at 94.7 degrees, MSNBC’s TODAY notes.
As one driver explains, “Trucks have been known to set the unit at the recommended temperature, drive 5 miles down the road, and turn the unit off to save on reefer fuel” (http://www.wthr.com/story/15520564/hot-trucks-problem-getting-worse).
And when something goes wrong, it is not just the trucking company held responsible. As one person comments, “The liability should be on the food distributor. They either own the trucks or contract with the trucking company. They should ensure that trucks are refrigerated and that the refrigeration units are in proper working order” (http://www.wthr.com/story/15520564/hot-trucks-problem-getting-worse). It is up to the shipper to make sure that their freight is handled by a qualified carrier.
Take Road Scholar Transport, for example, who utilizes a system known as ReeferTrak, which can provide our customers with the temperature inside the trailer at any given time, even after delivery, as well as a record of any door openings and closures. What do you believe the benefit of having your food inside a truck equipped with this technology is?
Capacity issues and increasing costs continue, not only for those shippers in the temperature-controlled freight business, but all those involved in the supply chain.
Here are some tips on how you can help prevent your business from being affected by the capacity shortage.
*Stop bidding out your business year over year. No one gets used to the “players.” Instead, establish and grow your relationship with a specific carrier(s).
*With that being said, work hand-in-hand with carriers to schedule routine shipments. If a carrier knows that a particular lane will run a specific time each week or month, they can schedule backhaul, cutting back on costs for both the carrier and shipper.
*If you do not have a load that ships on a specific time of week/month, it is best to plan your lanes ahead of time. Giving carriers a day or more notice can help them position their equipment efficiently.
*It is also beneficial to add additional carriers in cases where your primary carriers do not have the availability.
What challenges are you currently facing in the freight business? What solutions do you see for these challenges?
Download a copy of RWI Transportation’s study at http://rwitrans.com/resources/whitepapers.asp. | <urn:uuid:16a88b1a-da53-41a9-8b26-4e9cc7f5cf3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.roadscholar.com/blog/2012/02/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966282 | 1,918 | 1.882813 | 2 |
If your looking and thinking that your pet (insert name here) needs to lose a few pounds, this blog may be just for you. Typically animals (and people) become overweight because we are eating too much, and not exercising enough, so why not loose a few pounds together?
The first thing is to monitor how much your dog is eating, do you feed it a couple of small meals everyday? Leave the food out for it? While your thinking about this, how is your diet? Are you eating large meals full of empty calories, or healthy fruits, vegetables, and lean meats?
Next, is your dog getting enough exercise? If your dog is in a cage all day while you are at work or laying on the couch, chances are that it’s not. Also, letting him/her outside to use the bathroom is not exercise! Try getting up 20-30 minutes earlier and take your dog for a walk in the morning before work, and again at night before you go to bed. This will be a nice time to bond with your pet, but also help the both of you add some exercise to your daily routine. | <urn:uuid:ceffea13-7e11-4772-800b-8c6b580cbe18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chicagofamilyfit.com/wordpress/?p=73 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971276 | 232 | 2.125 | 2 |
The Power of Sport: Celebrating culture through sportSubscribe
UK Sport International 13 August 2012
The celebrations for #OurGreatestTeam go beyond Team GB’s performances on the track, court, field and in the water, as the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad uses the international event as a platform to promote cultural exchanges, from the host nation to international visitors. The world joined International Inspiration in achieving the London 2012 vision of reaching 12 million children through sport, and now congratulations goes to the London 2012 Festival for reaching their 12 million visitors mark!
The use of sport as a platform to showcase cultural events at the Olympic Games dates back to 1908 and continued until the Games were last in London, in 1948, when medal winning disciplines included art, comedy, music and drama.
Colin Jackson, former British Olympian and International Inspiration ambassador says: “London 2012 isn’t just about the competition, it’s about the ethos and the Olympic Values.”
So in the spirit of friendship, excellence and respect, the Great British Garden at the Olympic Park currently hosts local games from International Inspiration countries.
The games are being led by school children from the UK, including Calderglen High School in East Kilbride, Scotland, who are part of the London 2012 international sports legacy programme.
Seb Coe, Chairman of LOCOG, said: "The students running the activities in the Great British Garden in the Olympic Park will not only gain new leaderships skills but will also provide spectators with a fantastic addition to their London 2012 Games experience."
Sport continues to give young sports leaders the opportunity to exchange cultures through the UK Sport IDEALS programme too. Paul Carey, an IDEALS student who returned from Ghana this summer reflects on how cultural exchanges through sport can impact the performance of a coach: “We learned some games off the leaders that could be utilised and felt they could be very beneficial in our teaching. Likewise, we taught some games that were new to our Ghanaian counterparts and they seemed interested in learning new activities.”
For more information about IDEALS visit: http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/ideals/ | <urn:uuid:c2e8a0d3-4a00-460a-a912-0d0b407cdc65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/the-power-of-sport-celebrating-culture-through-sport-130812 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943716 | 448 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Recently I had a conversation about optician skills, knowledge and overall skill level comparison from opticians 30 years ago. The optician 30 years ago had to be more conscience of the frame fit because the lenses and frames were much heavier. Ordering the proper bridge size, bridge style and temple length was more crucial to making a patient comfortable. Aphakic lenses and facet eyewear is a thing of the past which needed a highly knowledgeable Optician to fit and dispense. Repairs, like hidden hinges soldering and custom work was an art that very few opticians do or know about today. Lab work was much more time consuming and difficult, making sure lenses fit properly and was accurate was an art and showed a disparity between different levels of skill, which was clear in the final product. Making patterns, calculating measurements, custom tinting made making a pair of eye glasses take more time and skill then using the automized lab equipment that we generally use today. Tinting and UV coating lenses that was done 30 years ago has primarily been replace with transition and polarized lenses. Dispensing was also a speciality that patients recognized someone that could properly fit and adjusted a pair of eyeglasses. Today, because the styles are generally small and the material are very light are not as uncomfortable, even if not fit properly. Fitting for progressive lenses and digital technology is continually changing, staying updated is much more important for todays opticians. Fitting today, regardless if you are using a digital centration system or not is more important to be accurate than when selling flat tops, kryptoc and executive bifocals. Added measurements such as face form, vertex distance and panto angle are needed today when selling the most advanced personalized lenses, which were not needed before. | <urn:uuid:a1d71c22-e95f-48de-b3db-fe538f5bd020> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php/48754-opticians-today-vs-opticians-in-the-past?p=414790&viewfull=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975365 | 358 | 2.125 | 2 |
Science is awesome, and we have no idea how they come up with half the ideas they get and end up running with.
Like using a retooled version of HIV to fight leukemia. Seriously, who thinks of that? Whoever it is: buy them a beer. It works.
They removed millions of Emma’s white blood cells and used genetically altered HIV to turn Emma’s cells into a kind of immunological “directed missile,” specifically programmed to destroy the leukemia cells. The cells were then returned to Emma’s body.
We're positive at some point someone important told whoever came up with this, "you can't do that."
Here's what the scientist said:
“All of the things that make the HIV virus able to cause disease have been removed from this particular virus whose only purpose is to put a gene into a cell. There is no danger of infection and there is no longer the HIV virus.”
Emma is now eight months past her treatment, is in complete remission.
The scientist continues:
“She has no leukemia in her body for any test that we can do — even the most sensitive tests,. We need to see that the remission goes on for a couple of years before we think about whether she is cured or not. It is too soon to say.”
This makes us sooooo happy! We can only hope the remission continues for her — and it sounds like it will.
Is there anything science can't do?? Amazeballs!!
[Image via Christine Chardo Photography for The Tiny Sparrow Foundation.] | <urn:uuid:359992e5-9bc9-40b1-beb0-ce423739e705> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://perezhilton.com/fitperez/2012-12-11-hiv-leukemia-new-study-treatments?relate= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962926 | 330 | 2.578125 | 3 |
- Rabbinic Voice
- Reform Responsa
- CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly
Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
Adopted by the CCAR at the 98th Annual Convention of
WHEREAS our prophets and rabbis taught that all human beings are created in the image
of God and have an equal claim to equity and justice, and
the Central Conference of American Rabbis
WHEREAS the Jewish religious tradition and historical experience equate racism with ultimate evil. and
WHEREAS Reform Judaism, throughout its history, has spoken with vigor and clarity against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States and the world, and
WHEREAS South Africa is the only country in the modem world that constitutionally establishes white supremacy and racial oppression, and
WHEREAS apartheid is a system that affronts the most profound values of humanity and democracy and violates the teachings of our religion, and the apartheid regime poses a moral challenge to all who cherish liberty and decency, and
WHEREAS in 1976 the Central Conference of American Rabbis protested against racism and police brutality in South Africa and its dealings with Zimbabwe,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the CCAR:
1. Reaffirms its condemnation of apartheid.
2. Calls upon the government of South Africa to release immediately Nelson Mandela and all others imprisoned because of their opposition to apartheid.
3. Calls upon the government of South Africa to enter into negotiations aimed at eliminating apartheid with bona fide representatives of the victims of apartheid.
4. Calls upon the Canadian Parliament and the United States Congress to enact legislation that will ban new business investment and bank loans in South Africa; ban the importation into the United States and Canada of all South African gold coins; ban all sales of U.S. and Canadian equipment with military and police application; ban U.S. and Canadian contributions to South Africa through the International Monetary Fund.
5. Calls upon the governments of the United States and Canada to reduce the level of diplomatic recognition of South Africa.
6. Further calls on the U.S. Congress and the Canadian Parliament, if substantial progress toward the abolition of apartheid does not occur within one year, to enact the following legislation: divestiture of United States and Canadian assets in South Africa and institution of a trade embargo by the United States and Canada against South Africa.
7. Affirms its fraternal support for the Southern African Union for Progressive Judaism, the Southern African Association of Progressive Rabbis, and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in their support for fundamental reform of South African life and institutions, their condemnation of violence, and their complete rejection of apartheid.
8. Directs the Executive Board in a manner it deems appropriate and responsible to boycott firms that engage in business in South Africa and have not accepted the Sullivan Principles.
9. Directs the Executive Board to divest the CCAR of all investments in corporations doing business in South Africa.
10. Further recommends that CCAR members urge their congregations and their individual members to cease the purchase of South African gold coins as an immediate, direct, personal and symbolic protest against South Africa's racist and repressive regime.
11. Calls upon the members of the CCAR and their congregations and constituencies to lend moral and substantive support to those in South Africa actually engaged in the non-violent struggle against apartheid:
A. by continuing messages of support and encouragement to individuals such as Beyers Naude, Allan Boesak, Helen Suzmann, Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert, Winnie Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and others.
B. by establishing a relationship with and contributing to the Legal Resource Center at the University of Wetwatersrand. | <urn:uuid:31b7d2f8-d801-4793-8261-31139531300f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ccarnet.org/rabbis-speak/resolutions/all/south-africa-1986/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923105 | 747 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT): Special Study Summary
MedSun: Newsletter #58, March 2011
Special Study Summary
Survey Topic: Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT)
Year Conducted: 2009-2010
Reference OMB No. 0910-0500
The effort was to learn about device issues faced by professional home care providers, as well as those issues potentially encountered by lay caregivers who use NPWT in the home setting or in other non-hospital environments. While the FDA has received reports of problems with the use of NPWT, feedback from providers can help to promote a better understanding of why these adverse events occur and also inform FDA if other types of events have occurred.
Participants were recruited from the Medical Product Safety Network (MedSun) facilities and from professional organizations that represent home care providers or advocate on behalf of wound care patients. Instruments included: a Web survey questionnaire; a semi-structured questionnaire for telephone interviews; and a self-administration questionnaire (SAQ). Three-hundred and forty two respondents completed the Web survey questionnaire, which ran for two months. Fifteen one-hour telephone interviews were conducted with seventeen participants using the semi-structured questionnaire; five participants completed the SAQ. Questions were based on the following topics: Device Performance and Experience, Prescription and Discharge Planning, Training and Labeling, Issues Associated with Dressings, Patient Outcome.
The most common NPWT systems used by respondents include the KCI Wound V.A.C.1 product line, mainly the ActiV.A.C. and V.A.C. Freedom2. Other commonly used systems were the Smith and Nephew (formerly Blue Sky) models.
A model mentioned often by the phone/SAQ respondents was the ConvaTec Engenex. Phone /SAQ respondents were more likely to indicate complications, notably bleeding, infection, pain, retained foam and tissue adherence, whereas Web respondents primarily cited infection and bleeding issues.
According to phone/SAQ respondents, prescription (patient selection, wound type, length of use), discharge planning and training tend to vary as a function of the facility type (hospital, outpatient clinic, Home Health Agency [HHA])3. These respondents felt that issues arise when there is a poor transition from the hospital to home and when the devices are not initially ordered, prescribed, set up or applied by a certified wound specialist or an experienced professional. Other problems were attributed to the prescriber’s lack of specific education about wound management therapy.
Respondents indicated that lay caregivers and patients are largely trained on the meaning of alarms, how to troubleshoot, how to change drainage canisters, how to identify an emergency and what to do in an emergency situation. Respondents were generally happy with the lay-caregiver/patient educational materials, training and support provided by the manufacturer. Although most Web respondents thought all or some of these device labels and instructions were written for a lay audience, nearly two-thirds indicated they observed challenges with caregivers’ and patients’ ability to follow device instructions. Of those who observed challenges, the majority attributed them to patients’ or caregivers’ distractibility, whether because of their illness, altered consciousness, or other medical situation. A few phone/SAQ respondents suggested condensing the materials for the patient or to write them at a 5th or 6th grade reading level. Some had even written their own instructions to make them more understandable to the patient.
Respondents stated patients or lay caregivers should not be administering the therapy because they aren’t trained to understand the complexities and intricacies of wound care, and also because clinical professionals are needed to monitor and assess the wound in addition to changing the dressing.
Dressings were changed often, 2-3x per week, as indicated in the instructions. However, phone respondents stated that problems can arise when the dressing is changed too often, or not frequently enough.
Overall, respondents felt that there is a definite benefit to NPWT therapy, regardless of the care setting and that it is a safe therapy when prescribed and administered appropriately. Safety and effectiveness in neonatal and pediatric patients has not been determined at this time, necessitating future study – a recommendation provided by phone respondents. Users generally are happy with the systems they use and the company support they and their patients receive.
Respondents said there should be more prescriber education about when therapy can and should be used and, equally important, when it should be stopped. Some expressed the opinion that NPWT is overprescribed mainly because of aggressive marketing tactics. Phone/SAQ respondents, especially directors of wound care centers, said that home care providers need to be more experienced when it comes to administering wound care and changing dressings. Opportunities to gain more experience and expertise should be afforded to those who provide care. They also felt there needs to be more consistent patient and wound monitoring, especially in the home setting.
Special Studies and Surveys are two of many tools the Agency is using to evaluate the public health impact of the potential problems associated with the use of medical devices. Additionally, FDA continues to receive adverse event reports from its Medical Device Reporting program. FDA will also continue to make use of the literature and other published information. FDA scientific, medical, nursing and engineering staff are made aware of the survey results as needed. If FDA believes there is a significant risk of adverse events as noted from the survey, it will combine those results with data gained from the other sources. FDA will work with the manufacturers and health care professional organizations to make important information known to the clinical community. Additionally, FDA continues to work with manufacturers to ensure the development, testing and promulgation of methods for reducing the risk associated with these devices and to minimize the complications from adverse events that may occur in the course of normal usage. If the results of any survey raise serious concerns about the safety of these devices, FDA may convene an Ad Hoc group of clinical and manufacturing representatives to discuss further actions.
1 Vacuum Assisted Closure (V.A.C.)
2 Note: of all the respondents surveyed, KCI was the most common system used and is why majority of the findings refer to this particular manufacturer’s product line.
3 Web respondents were not asked about discharge planning because respondents are primarily home care providers, who provide patient care regardless of how the therapy migrates into the home. | <urn:uuid:73fea0cb-6f62-450e-8e7b-fb61a8eed370> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/medsun/news/printer.cfm?id=1518 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954901 | 1,314 | 1.617188 | 2 |