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by Carmia Borek, PhD
Neurodegenerative diseases are on the rise. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention now lists Alzheimerís disease (AD) as the sixth-leading cause of death in America. After Alzheimerís, Parkinsonís disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and affects roughly one million Americans. Any easy and natural measures we can take to protect our brain health is certainly worth exploring. Surprisingly, aged garlic extract (AGE) is showing promise as a neuro-protective supplement whose protective properties are also closely linked to heart health.The damaging molecules that play a critical role in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases are reactive oxygen species (ROS), including free radicals. They are byproducts of normal metabolism and increase during infection and inflammation, high plasma homocysteine and during exposure to exogenous sources, including pollutants, smoking, certain drugs (e.g., acetaminophen) and radiation, including UV radiation from sunlight or other sources.
High LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), especially when modified by peroxidation, promotes a build-up of atherosclerotic plaques that can dislodge and block coronary arteries, causing a heart attack, or, block arteries to the brain, resulting in a stroke. In the latter case a state of ischemia (deprivation of blood supply) triggers neuronal death, with possible consequences of developing dementia, and its most common form, Alzheimerís disease. Hypertension contributes to cognitive decline by increasing the number of fibrillar tangles and Abeta plaques which promote the atrophy of the hypothalamus (a center for memory) as seen in AD. In addition,high blood pressure causes cerebral small-vessel pathology which also promotes brain atrophy. High blood homocysteine is another risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and dementia,including AD. Studies on people 65 years and older and on young people ages 4 to 18 show that plasma levels of homocysteine increase progressively with age. Excess levels of homocysteine result largely from deficiencies in vitamins B6, B12, and folate. Furthermore, as shown in research conducted by Dr. N. Ide, homocysteine, damages the endothelial cells that line blood vessels and reduces the availability of a blood pressure regulator, nitric oxide (NO).
AGED GARLIC EXTRACT
Garlic is a rich source of antioxidants but may be shunned by many because of the odor that lingers on the breath and skin and its potential to cause digestive disorders when eaten in amounts needed for its health benefits.Many of the health benefits of AGE have been proven to be more effective than those of the fresh bulb. AGE is made by a long process of extraction and aging of organic fresh garlic at room temperature to produce high levels of water-soluble organosulfur compounds including S-allyl cysteine (SAC) and S-allylmercaptocysteineóboth powerful and highly bioavailable antioxidants. Standardized by the stable SAC, AGE has been the choice form of garlic in medical research. Other compounds in AGE with antioxidant activity are some oil-soluble organosulfur compounds, flavonoids, allixin, selenium and saponins.
Antioxidant Effects of AGE The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of AGE lower the risk the doctorsí prescription for healthy living 35 for both neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular disease. AGE prevents oxidative damage,lowers LDL cholesterol and elevates the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), inhibits the platelet aggregation and adhesion that play a role in atherosclerosis, prevents the progression of plaque formation in arteries and reduces prostaglandins (hormone-like substances involved in inflammation).AGE lowers homocysteine levels, protecting the endothelia lining of blood vessels from oxidative stress. AGE also increases the production and bioavailability of NO. A single dose of AGE was found to increase NO production by 30 to 40 percent, acting as an anti-athrogenic anti-inflammatory agent as well as increasing vasodilatation, helping to lower blood pressure.
Neuroprotective Effects of AGE AGE and its major component, SAC, have potential to prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as AD and Parkinsonís disease by their antioxidative actions that prevent neuronal death by apoptosis. AGE protects against the neurotoxic and apoptotic effects of free radical-producing beta amyloid peptides that form senile plaques in the brain of AD patients. In addition, AGE and SAC save neurons from apoptosis by blocking the action of the apoptotic enzyme, caspase 3. The effect of AGE in reducing homocysteine is another important protective factor against dementia; studies show that adults with intact cognition, whose homocysteine levels increased over time, had an increased incidence of dementia, including AD. Preclinical research on the effects of AGE in reducing neurodegenerative diseases has used models that are genetically prone to early aging and brain senescence. The experiments sought to find out whether AGE can prevent early steps in mental aging, such as memory loss. In a number of studies, these preclinical models received AGE or its component SAC. The results showed that both AGE and SAC prevented the degeneration of the brainís frontal lobe. Treatment improved learning and memory retention and extended life span. To investigate possible mechanisms that are involved in the observed increased cognition, investigators isolated neurons from the hippocampus area of the brain and grew them in the presence of AGE, SAC, or allixin that is present in AGE. The brain cells showed an unusual ability to grow and branch, which may be linked to the findings that AGE increases learning and cognition.
AGE ImprovesSerotonin Levels Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter that is released from a variety of sites in the body, including the central nervous system, where it has an effect on cognitive functions. Learning and memory are strongly influenced by serotonin, as some brain regions strongly involved in cognition, such as the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus, are densely innervated by serotonergic neurons.A study from the Pasteur Institute in France reported that AGE might modulate receptors that bind to serotonin and inhibit its release, thus making more serotonin available and helping alleviate some pathological conditions that result from its deficiency, including depression.
AGE and Parkinsonís Disease Parkinsonís disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the United States, is characterized by a loss of voluntary movement as a result of the death of neurons in an area of the midbrain known as the substantia nigra. The neurons in that area of the brain contain the neurotransmitter dopamine. In Parkinsonís disease, dopamine-transmitting neurons in this area die by apoptosis, triggered by free radicals, that are generated in dopamine metabolism. Recent evidence indicates that the substantia nigra of patients with PD contains increased iron,which enhances oxidation, and decreased glutathione, which protects against the formation of free radicals. Further, the end products of peroxidized lipids are increased in the substantia nigra of patients with PD, supporting the notion that free radicals contribute to dopamine neuronal death. Thus antioxidant therapies may slow the rate of progression of PD. Aged garlic extract, with its high antioxidant capacity, its ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation of membranes, and increase glutathione and antioxidant enzymes in cells, shows promise as a potential preventive and treatment agent in PD. A recent preclinical study found that the SAC component in AGE prevents the effects of the neurotoxic agent MPP (+), that depletes dopamine in the brain and impairs movement, mimicking the pathological state of PD. Pre-treatment with SAC, prior to treating with MPP (+), resulted in decreased oxidant stress. SAC blocked MPP (+)-induced lipid peroxidation, prevented superoxide radical production and increased the activity of the internal antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Behavioral analyses showed that SAC improved MPP (+)-impaired movement by 35 percent. While clinical studies are needed to confirm the action of SAC in humans, the present study suggests a potential for SAC to help in the prevention and treatment of PD.
Carmia Borek, Ph.D., is the Professor of Public Health and Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, and a nutrition and health consultant. Her research specialties include the area of antioxidants and health.
|Printable Version||E-mail a Friend| | <urn:uuid:8923d965-4e9f-4399-bc61-35fa28a7789c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rocketmarket.com/promog/featuredarticle.asp?storeID=50E4B903DAF243539BFAB2EB2F8743C4&ID=23 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924179 | 1,776 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Without smart, quick action by the private sector and government alike, surging Chinese and Indian demand for premium foods will lead to commodity volatility, runaway food prices, and worldwide water shortages as the "boomerang effect" brings the unexpected impact of Asian growth to U.S. shores.
That's the conclusion of research by The Boston Consulting Group. The main findings are presented in The Boomerang Effect, a BCG perspective, and The $10 Trillion Prize: Capturing the Newly Affluent in China and India (Harvard Business Review Press, October 2012), a book by BCG consultants Michael J. Silverstein, Abheek Singhi, Carol Liao, and David C. Michael.
"Chinese and Indian consumers are celebrating their newfound wealth by eating like Americans: they're shifting their diets from grain to meat," Silverstein said. "Their wealth is a good thing. It creates new markets and new opportunities. But it can also lead to global traumas: highly inflated food prices across the U.S., as well as dangerous worldwide shortages of key natural resources, especially water.
The Boomerang Effect Brings Surprising Outcomes from Asia to the U.S.
"This is an example of what we call the boomerang effect -- a set of hard-to-foresee outcomes that come home to roost as a result of developments far away," Silverstein said. "We have seen it before. In the early 1990s, direct investment in China led to a flood of cheap goods and permanent shifts in the U.S. labor market. This time, it's different. The Chinese and Indian middle-class consumers have developed new food preferences that will lead to hypercompetition for commodities such as feed, corn and water. Climate change is already creating droughts worldwide and bringing the threat of famine, food riots and water wars in Asia. This new surge in consumer demand will worsen the strain in Asia and the U.S. as well."
But the boomerang effect doesn't necessarily lead to chaos, Silverstein added. "Crisis can always lead to opportunity. Smart investments and policies can limit the impact of inflation and shortages."
Step by Step: How Changing Food Tastes in China and India Could Spark Crisis
According to BCG, there are only a few steps between booming wealth and changing tastes in China and India and global crisis:
• Wealth -- and consumption -- is skyrocketing in both India and China. By 2020, there will be 2 billion economically able Chinese and Indian consumers -- 1 billion of them new to the middle class. In both nations, lifetime consumption patterns are changing radically. Chinese born in 2009 will consume 38 times more than those born in 1960. Indians born in 2009 will consume 13 times more than those born in 1960.
• Doing well means eating well, and that means eating meat. Consumers in China are celebrating their wealth by abandoning their traditional diets, shifting from grain toward chicken and pork. Chicken and pork accounted for 4 percent of daily calories in China in 1960; by 2020 they could account for as much as 28 percent. The surge in demand is forcing China to become a net importer of chicken and pork.
• For meat, you need livestock. For livestock, you need feed. Feed is in short supply. Demand for chicken and pork means demand for feed grain -- lots of it. It takes 2 kilograms of feed to produce 1 kilogram of chicken and 6 kilograms of feed to produce 1 kilogram of pork. In 2010, 99 percent of China's corn production went for feed -- a figure that also represents 20 percent of global corn production for that year. The result is that China is no longer self-sufficient when it comes to corn. China's corn imports will increase from 1.7 million tons in 2010 to 15 million tons in 2015 -- the equivalent of U.S. exports of 600 million bushels.
• Put a strain on the global feed supply? You're going to pay for it. All the figures above mean that China's corn consumption will have significant global impact, and prices will surge well beyond current levels. Global corn consumption is projected to rise 3.2 percent per year from now through 2020. That means a 40-percent increase in overall consumption. And that means corn prices could increase as much as 57 percent from 2010 through 2020.
• Expensive corn means expensive food -- including here at home. Demand for corn in China drives up beef prices in the U.S. Feed is 55 percent of the cost of raising cattle. And grain is 60 percent of the total cost of feed. So a 57-percent increase in the cost of feed by 2020 could lead to a 20-percent increase in beef prices. That hits home. A Big Mac, which cost about $3 in 2003 and goes for just over $4 today, could, by 2015, easily cost $5 -- or even more.
• There's no meat without feed and no feed without water. To grow feed grain, you need large quantities of water. China's shift to meat consumption leads to a tenfold increase in the need for water. And the water supply is already in crisis. Worldwide, water consumption is already ahead of sustainable supply and is growing at 2.2 percent a year. In China and India (which depends on China for much of its water), water supplies are strained by drought. India could have 600 million people without water in 25 years.
• The water crisis brings it all back home. Water is a problem in the U.S., too. It is becoming difficult to irrigate land there, and a new dust bowl is a real possibility. Water restrictions are already in place in Western states, and the price of water in some U.S. cities is already equivalent to those in Israel. U.S. water riots aren't out of the question. But short of that, scarce water means costlier food. The last dust bowl -- from 1931 through 1936 -- killed off 30 percent of corn production and drove corn prices up 115 percent. Right now, U.S. food exports to China require an 18-percent annual increase in water consumption. Higher corn prices, the result of drought alone -- leaving out other factors -- could double the price of chicken by 2018.
Getting Ahead of the Crisis: Policies Can Help, and Companies Can Prosper
Is the worst-case scenario inevitable? Not necessarily, Silverstein said. "Famine and food riots are a reality in India, and water wars between China and India are a genuine risk. But innovation can help. Smart policy decisions can mitigate the worst effects and create opportunities for companies that are sharp and nimble."
A copy of the report can be downloaded click here.
Source: Boston Consulting Group | <urn:uuid:c5f00942-fbcd-44d2-9c6a-8d22848bf03f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/single-article-page/article/could-consumer-boom-in-china-india-spark-food-shortages-in-us-other-regions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957936 | 1,378 | 2.3125 | 2 |
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Lolita fashion (ロリータ・ファッション Rorīta fasshon?) is a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is based on Victorian-era clothing as well as costumes from the Rococo period, but the style has expanded greatly beyond Japan. Companies such as Milk and Pretty (currently known as Angelic Pretty) sell various Lolita fashions. The Lolita look began primarily as one of modesty with a focus on quality in both material and manufacture of garments. The original silhouette is of a knee length skirt or dress with a "cupcake" shape assisted by petticoats, but has expanded into various types of garments including corsets and floor length skirts. Blouses, knee high socks or stockings and headdresses are also worn. Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has a subculture that is present in many parts of the world.
In the Lolita Fashion photo essay.
Also by Michele Wambaugh
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Hearing Aid Choices and Styles
Style, Choice and Technology of Hearing Aids
All hearing aids consist of the same basic components: a microphone, the receiver, a processor, and the battery. Digital chip technology allows sophisticated programming techniques which enable the most advanced hearing aids to sample sound input at up to 1 million times per second. The sampling and programming techniques allow a hearing aid to be extremely customized to each individual person’s hearing loss. While the size of hearing aids is being reduced to an almost invisible level, the digital processing contained within is more powerful than ever.
Individual factors can influence the type of hearing instrument you select. The degree of hearing loss, physical features of the ear and an individual’s lifestyle are all important in the decision process.
EPIC ear physicians and audiologists will provide the needed tests and evaluations to verify the degree and extent of hearing loss and the best therapy.
The vast majority of patients (90-95%) are helped by prescription hearing aids.
Today’s advanced technology ensures that individuals have a broad range of choice in selecting a hearing aid that meets their specific requirements and offers the greatest hearing resolution.
Available hearing aid styles include:
Smallest and most discreet style. Fits deep within the ear canal. Offers solutions for mild to severe hearing loss.
A popular style. Precise and discreet appearance. A solution for a broad range of hearing needs, it improves a mild to severe hearing loss.
Attractive, easy-to-use and affordable. Extremely flexible operation. Offers solutions for mild to severe hearing loss.
Rests behind the ear and attaches to a custom-made earmold. Extremely durable and powerful. Compatible with wireless FM systems. Provides a solution for the full range of hearing needs from mild to profound.
This hearing aid style is cosmetically appealing as it incorporates a very small unit that fits behind the external ear. It is lightweight and features a thin tube that connects to a receiver in the ear or a specific earmold. | <urn:uuid:84ec319c-3710-42f5-8895-ce87b241ed24> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.epichearing.com/hearing-aids-products/hearing-aid-choices-and-styles | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920672 | 418 | 2.015625 | 2 |
As an organization dedicated to ending our failed prohibition on cannabis, it was a difficult decision to come out in opposition to Initiative 502. However, it was after a deep cost-benefit analysis – deciphering and examining the legal implications of each page of the initiative – that we came to our conclusion.
We concluded that it’s not legalization, and it’s not a positive step forward. We encourage you to read the initiative yourself, examine both sides and come to your own conclusion. It’s a difficult decision.
With that state, we encourage you to read our multi-part analysis of I-502:
- Part 1, It’s not legalization. - Summary: Initiative 502 would not legalize cannabis. It doesn’t remove or alter a single criminal penalty that makes cannabis illegal – it only creates small exceptions for certain activity. Cannabis would be retained as a schedule 1 controlled substance next to heroin under state law. Activities such as passing a joint or possessing 50% more than the “legal” amount, would remain felony charges. Home-growing would remain entirely illegal.
- Part 2, No storefronts. – Summary: Initiative 502 is not written to withstand a federal challenge, meaning that the entire distribution and taxation system will be rendered invalid in court. It forces the state to collect taxes from a federal illegal substance – money laundering – putting it in direct conflict with our Federal Controlled Substances Act. Initiative 502′s Campaign Director, Alison Holcomb, is quoted as agreeing that such a system would be preemptable under federal law.
If the distribution system is to take effect, it’s a ridiculous system that hands control over to the Liquor Control Board: they would be empowered with things such as setting the maximum amount of THC in the marijuana sold, setting the maximum number of retail outlets per county, etc.. All business applicants – whether for growing or selling – would be required to submit their fingerprints to the FBI.
- Part 3, Impaired science. - Summary: We are firmly against impaired driving - however, the policies in Initiative 502 have nothing to do with impaired driving. It would mandate a strict liability (per se) DUID limit that would find individuals instantly guilty simply for having a certain amount of THC in their blood – creating new criminal penalties for cannabis (with no legal exclusion if you’re a patient). Science has consistently shown that this is not the proper way to measure impairment, and reform groups such as NORML and MPP have fought against such limits for decades. Colorado has twice attempted to implement the same exact limit – they denied it both times after deep public backlash, a lack of scientific consensus and after a working group setup by Colorado’s Legislature voted to not recommend a change – stating mostly that there’s no science to support it, and that it may cause prosecution of the innocent.
- Part 4, Stop, smell, convict. – Summary: The above-mentioned DUID limit that Initiative 502 would mandate is a per se policy. This means that if you’re above the designated limit, you literally lose your right to defend yourself in court against the allegation that you were impaired. This is reversing the current system, which forces officers to prove impairment in court in order for a prosecution to take place. Beyond this, initiative 502 does nothing to change probably cause laws, so possessing your “legal” ounce will give them the right to test your blood and prosecute you for a DUID.
- Part 5, Drug Czar’s #1 priority. – [We encourage people to pay special attention to the points in this article, which were vital in our conclusion to oppose this initiative]: Summary: Per se DUID limits are one of our Drug Czar’s top national policies. Rather than educating the public, Initiative 502 panders to the fears of the mainstream by implementing an unnecessary new policy that has nothing to do with public safety, and will lead to the prosecution of innocent individuals. Our Drug Czar supports such policies because they make it easy for the prosecution of unimpaired individuals, simply for having consumed a substance days or even weeks ago. Unfortunately this new limit is one of the only provisions in Initiative 502 likely to remain after a federal challenge. Altering this limit anytime in the near future could turn out to be a political impossibility, as “drugged driving” laws are essentially never decreased.
- Part 6, Zero tolerance breeds injustice. - Summary: Initiative 502, refusing to acknowledge that individuals can possess medical cannabis in our state under 21, mandates a zero tolerance driving policy for those under the age of 21. Meaning: if a driver aged 16-21 is pulled over and tested, and they have any detectable amount of THC in their system (even active THC can remain in a person’s body for several weeks), they’re guilty of a life-altering DUID. As the Marijuana Policy Project puts it, “zero-tolerance laws aren’t about making roadways safer; they’re a disingenuous attempt to create a powerful, intrusive tool to root out those who use controlled substances such as marijuana, regardless of whether they operate an automobile under its influence. This type of justice is cruel, unusual, and bad public policy.”
- Part 7, Hemp halfway home. - Summary: Initiative 502 approaches hemp in the wrong way. It setups a legal exception to grow hemp – with the caveat that it must contain 0.3% THC or less. The North American Industrial Hemp Council states that hemp often has THC up to 1%, and ofttimes slightly higher. Initiative 502 recreates arbitrary restrictions that, even if the federal government ended their blockade, would put farmers at risk of state-level prosecution (felony charges if enough plants are involved) if their hemp is 0.4% THC or higher. We disagree that this was the appropriate way to approach hemp legalization.
- Part 8, Opposition In Summary. - Summary: A list of the key reasons we oppose this initiative.
We recommend supporting these worthwhile efforts: | <urn:uuid:4e7b1205-e119-4678-9ff3-6c178140a727> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sensiblewashington.org/blog/i502/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946778 | 1,246 | 1.59375 | 2 |
May 17, 2013
The Afghanistan Speech Obama Should Give (but Won’t)
Posted on Nov 19, 2009
Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on TomDispatch.
‘This Administration Ended, Rather Than Extended, Two Wars’
Sure, it’s only my fantasy. No one in Washington—no less President Obama—ever said, “This administration ended, rather than extended, two wars,” and right now, it looks as if no one in an official capacity is likely to do so any time soon. It’s common knowledge that a president—but above all a Democratic president—who tried to de-escalate a war like the one now expanding in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, and withdraw American troops, would be so much domestic political dead meat.
This everyday bit of engrained Washington wisdom is, in fact, based on not a shred of evidence in the historical record. We do, however, know something about what could happen to a president who escalated a counterinsurgency war: Lyndon Johnson comes to mind for expanding his inherited war in Vietnam out of fear that he would be labeled the president who “lost” that country to the communists (as Harry Truman had supposedly “lost” China). And then there was Vice President Hubert Humphrey who—incapable of rejecting Johnson’s war policy—lost the 1968 election to Richard Nixon, a candidate pushing a fraudulent “peace with honor” formula for downsizing the war.
Still, we have no evidence about how American voters would deal with a president who didn’t take the Johnson approach to a losing war. The only example might be John F. Kennedy, who reputedly pushed back against escalatory advice over Vietnam, and certainly did so against his military high command during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In both cases, however, he acted in private, offering quite a different face to the world.
We know that there would be those on the right, and quite a few war-fightin’ liberals as well, who would go nuclear over any presidential minus option in Afghanistan. Many of them will, in fact, do so over anything less than the McChrystal plan anyway. And we know that a media storm would certainly follow. But when it comes to how voters would react, especially at a moment when unhappiness with the Afghan War (as well as the president’s handling of it) is on the rise, there is no historical evidence.
Sometime in the reasonably near future, President Obama will undoubtedly address the American people on whatever decision he makes about the war in Afghanistan. Every sign indicates that he will hew to Washington’s political wisdom about what a war president can do in this country.
Ever since late September when someone leaked Afghan War commander General Stanley McChrystal’s report to the president on the disastrous situation in Afghanistan and the counterinsurgency war he wants to wage there, we’ve been all but living inside Obama’s endless comprehensive review of war strategy. After all, we get daily reports from “the front,” largely in the form of a flood of leaks to the media, on just what’s being considered—from General McChrystal’s estimated troop escalation numbers, to Ambassador Karl Eikenberry’s private cables to the president suggesting no more troops be sent, to recent outbursts by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the president decrying all the leaks and rumors.
This, of course, is what happens when your deliberations drag out over months while the key players, military and civilian, jostle, jockey, and elbow each other for advantage. In these last weeks, we’ve grown accustomed to previously esoteric terms like the “hybrid option” and “counterterrorism-plus.” While we don’t know what exactly is going through Obama’s mind, or just when or in what form he will address us, we do know something about what his conclusions are likely to be.
While there may be “off-ramps” and an “end game” for the Afghan War lurking somewhere in the distance in his plan, we know, as a start, that he’s not going to recommend a minus option. We have long been assured that any proposals for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan were never “on the table.” And despite Ambassador Eikenberry’s near zero-option position, we also know that the president is likely to choose some form of military escalation (even if these days, unlike in the Vietnam era, the word used is usually “surge”). We don’t know how many U.S. troops will be involved or whether they will be weighted toward trainers and advisors or combat forces, but it seems clear that some will be sent. It’s not for nothing that the Pentagon is ramping up new Afghan bases and reinforcing old ones.
Undoubtedly, the President’s speechwriters are already preparing the text for his Afghan ... well, we don’t really know whether it will be “remarks,” an announcement as part of a press conference, or a more formal address to the American people. In any case, we—the rest of us—have had all the disadvantages of essentially being in on the president’s councils, and none of the advantages of offering our own advice. But I don’t see why we shouldn’t weigh in. Personally, I prefer not to leave the process to his speechwriters and advisors.
What follows, then, is my version of the president’s Afghan announcement. I’ve imagined it as a challenging prime-time address to the American people. Certainly, the subject is important enough for such an address, even if the last time Obama did this, in March, it was via an unannounced appearance on a Friday morning. So here’s my President Obama—in, I hope, something like his voice—doing what no American president has yet done. Sit down, turn on your TV, and see what you think. Tom | <urn:uuid:92d5f3fa-6296-4a92-8634-dc0a8c969c8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_afghan_speech_obama_should_give_but_wont_20091119/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958486 | 1,291 | 1.757813 | 2 |
December 12, 1957
Transcribed by Mary Knight
Genealogists Invited To Write
Family History In Cal's Column
Readers of the Times interested in genealogy are invited to participate in a forum to be published periodically in the newspaper under the heading of "Cal's Column."
During the past decade, Elder Calvin Gregory, late publisher of the Times built up a large readership among persons interested in the study of family history through his writings in "Cal's Column."
We feel that these genealogists might desire to use this newspaper to correspond with each other in furthering their studies on particular family lines, this the reason for our decision to continue this popular feature.
Persons wishing to present question concerning family lines are asked to submit carefully edited, typewritten copy. We must ask that the answers to questions presented also be typewritten and corrected for any misspelling of names. Original material that any genealogist feels might be of interest to persons in this area is also acceptable.
Mail your material to:
c/o Macon County Times
Whenever material is submitted, we'll print it and will continue to publish this material so long as interest in the feature warrants. | <urn:uuid:7eee425a-7885-4d35-b6b6-fea1af998e18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnsmith/ccarticles/Dec12-A-1957.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951019 | 242 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Why Did God Create Us?
by John D. Morris, Ph.D.
Some things cannot be fully comprehended. Infinite things, eternal things, matters of God's sovereignty—these transcend our finite and temporal minds. For example, why did He create us? Certainly He doesn't need us, for He existed in perfect love and unity before He even created time. Furthermore, He even knew beforehand that His image, recreated in man, would reject Him and His Kingship over their lives, resulting in unthinkable pain and suffering and death of all things placed in man's dominion. He foresaw ruinous mutations, debilitating injuries, devastating cancer, etc., as consequences. We can only approach an answer to this unanswerable question by following the hints given in Scripture.
In a more ultimate sense, God knew that man's sin would force His only begotten Son to die an unthinkably horrid death in sacrificial payment for man's sin, and that ungrateful man would even carry out the execution, for Scripture identifies His Son as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). In order to accomplish this fully sufficient sacrifice, the Son willingly set aside aspects of His deity, and "took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7), forever limiting Himself to bodily form. Why would He do this? If we had not been created, it would not have been necessary. Why did He create us?
While we can never fully answer the question, it helps to recognize that the answer will come only as we recognize the character and attributes of God. First and foremost, God is a God of love, and love must be demonstrated by showering it upon the object of that love. His grace comes only to those who deserve punishment, and the demonstration of His love and grace and mercy stands without parallel among humans.
But in His love He desired reciprocal love, so He created man in His own image. Man was given the ability to respond to God's love or reject it. In the beginning man enjoyed full fellowship with God, but soon rejected Him, bringing the ruination of all creation. This wasn't God's intention, so He implemented His plan for creation to fulfill its intended purpose.
Perhaps the grandest statement of His purpose can be found in Revelation 4:11, where we see heavenly beings gather in His praise, saying, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." And there we have it! God created us for His pleasure, for His ultimate good will, because it is best in His estimation.
Unfortunately, the present world with sin and its penalty permeating all things and processes, temporarily experiences postponement of His ultimate plan, but it will not be forever thwarted. There will be the "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:13) once again. This is His plan, purpose, and pleasure.
Thus, it makes sense that He would have created things as stated in Scripture, in an orderly, rapid fashion. He would not have used billions of years to create in His image, and He certainly would not have used death, pain, extinction, and survival of the fittest. These are the results of sin and bring Him no pleasure at all. | <urn:uuid:33824067-34ef-4926-99e7-2693dba70986> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icr.org/article/537/209/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960537 | 709 | 2.296875 | 2 |
At noon today, the 223rd anniversary of when James Madison first introduced the Bill of Rights to the First Congress, more than 75,000 Americans throughout the country gathered to protect, defend and exercise those rights at the nationwide Stand Up for Religious Freedom rallies.
This round of rallies served as a follow-up to the inaugural rally on March 23, where 63,000-plus citizens in 145 locations took to the streets to protest the federal Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring religious employers to cover contraception and other abortion-inducing drugs as a part of their health-care coverage.
The rallies, coordinated by the Pro-Life Action League and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, provided an opportunity for citizens to add their voices to the current legislation efforts and judicial reviews that are already underway.
According to Eric Scheidler, head of Pro-Life Action League, a public response from the citizens is a necessary component to convincing the federal government to rescind the current mandate or to provide broader exemptions for religious institutions.
“After we heard about the mandate in January,” noted Scheidler, “we knew there had to be a public response. That’s what the Pro-Life Action League is all about: putting convictions into action in the public square.”
Birthplace of Religious Freedom
While rallies took place in 164 locations throughout the United States on Friday, the rally at New York’s Federal Hall on Wall Street had special historical significance. More than 400 New Yorkers braved the heat and humidity to crowd the steps of Federal Hall, the very location where Madison introduced the Bill of Rights and where George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.
The speakers at the New York rally included Alveda King of Priests for Life, Dr. Anne Nolte of the Gianna Healthcare Center for Women, Christopher Bell of Good Counsel Homes, Edward Mechmann of the Archdiocese of New York, and Maria McFadden Maffucci of the Human Life Foundation.
After leading the crowd in the Our Father, King encouraged attendees to see the link between the pro-life movement’s opposition to the HHS mandate and the civil-rights movement of the 1960s that was led by her late uncle, Martin Luther King Jr.
“Abortion and contraception are not health care,” she warned. “This is not the time to go home. This is not the time to give up. We are obligated to tell the truth.”
Nolte, who runs the only full-time Catholic health center for women in New York, used the opportunity to educate the crowd on the facts about birth control. According to Nolte, prior to the widespread use of birth control, one out of 12 women was diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, that number is one in eight.
“I’m here to dispel the myth that opposition to this mandate is an attack on women,” Nolte proclaimed. “Significant health risks occur from the use of the pill, and bad science is being used to take away our fundamental right to religious freedom.”
For Maffucci, her opposition to the mandate is motivated by her love for her two young daughters. “I don’t want my daughters to think that their fertility is a disease,” she told the crowd. “I want them to enjoy that they are women and could be potential mothers one day.”
While the attendance in New York was heavily Catholic, there were also Orthodox Jews in attendance, alongside Protestants of a variety of Christian traditions. Henry Bleattler, a professor at The King’s College, a nondenominational school in Manhattan, reflected on his own attendance and commented, “I am not a Catholic, and I am not against birth control. But this is an assault on religious freedom for all. For too long I’ve sat at home angry, but I decided today it was time to take a public stand.”
Rallying for Real Reform
Participants and organizers alike are hopeful that the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law on March 23, 2010, will be overturned when the U.S. Supreme Court makes its ruling later this month. If the law is deemed unconstitutional, the HHS mandate will also be struck down, as it rests on the legislation.
If the health-care act is overturned, many citizens and politicians alike still see a need for health-care reform.
Scheidler, who participated in the Chicago rally, hopes that the rallies provide an opportunity for a renewed debate on health care and an opportunity for reform that includes the Catholic Church.
“We’re looking for something more than begrudging toleration for our conscience concerns,” lamented Scheidler. “We’re going beyond that and calling for faith institutions to be given their rightful place at the table when health-care reform is being discussed. Health care comes out of faith traditions and the call to care for one another, the stranger, the sick and the dying. The Catholic network in particular has been serving those needs for centuries.”
Register correspondent Christopher White writes from New York. | <urn:uuid:a7f16668-42c2-4bf4-b025-308a2aa65673> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/americans-stand-up-for-religious-freedom-on-bill-of-rights-anniversary | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960741 | 1,076 | 2.125 | 2 |
In Denmark there is an old castle named Kronborg. It lies on the coast of the Öresund, where hundreds of great ships pass through every day-English, Russian, German, and many others. And they salute the old castle with their cannons-"Boom!" And the castle returns their salute with cannons-"Boom!" For that's the way cannons say "Good day" and "Many thanks." In the wintertime no ships sail there, for then the sea is frozen over right to the Swedish coast, and it appears exactly like a regular highway. There wave the flags of Denmark and the flags of Sweden, and Danish and Swedish people meet on the ice and say "Good day" and "Many thanks," but not with cannons; no, with a firm shake of the hand, and each one comes to buy white bread and cakes from the other-for strange food always tastes best.
But the most beautiful sight of all is old Kronborg, and in a deep, dark cellar beneath it, where no one ever goes, sleeps Holger Danske. He is clad in iron and steel and rests his head on his strange arms; his long beard hangs down over the marble table and has grown through it. He sleeps and dreams, and in his dreams he sees all that happens here in Denmark. Every Christmas Eve one of God's angels comes to him and tells him that what he had dreamed is true; he may sleep again, for no real peril threatens Denmark. But should real danger come, old Holger Danske will rise in his fury, and the table itself will burst as he wrenches his beard from it, and the mighty blows he strikes for Denmark will be heard throughout the world.
An old grandfather was telling his little grandson all this about Holger Danske, and the little boy knew that what his grandfather said was true. And while the old man told his tale, he sat carving a large wooden figure, intended to represent Holger Danske and to be used as the figurehead of a ship. For the old grandfather was a wood carver. You see, a wood carver is a man who carves the figures that are to be fastened to the front of every ship, and from which the ship is named. Here he had fastened Holger Danske, standing erect and proud with his long beard; in one hand he held his broad battle sword, while the other rested on a shield with the arms of Denmark.
And the old man told many stories about the strange Danish men and women, until the little boy felt he must know as much about them as Holger Danske himself, who could only dream. And when the youngster went to bed, he thought so much about all he had heard that he pressed his chin hard against the quilt, until he fancied that he had a long beard which had grown through it.
The old man sat at his work until he had finished the last carving, the Danish coat of arms on the shield. Then, as he looked at his carving, he thought of all he had read and heard and of what he had told the little boy that night. He nodded and wiped his spectacles, put them on again, and said, "Well, I don't suppose Holger Danske will ever come in my day, but the little boy there in bed may see him and may help to defend Denmark when there is really need."
And the grandfather nodded again, and the more he looked at his figurehead, the better he knew that his work was good. It almost seemed to him that color came into it; the armor seemed to gleam like steel and iron; in the coat of arms the hearts became redder, and the lions with the golden crowns on their heads were leaping.
"It's the most beautiful coat of arms in the world!" he said proudly. "The lions mean strength, and the hearts mean gentleness and love."
He looked at the uppermost lion, and thought of the old King Canute, who had bound mighty England to the throne of Denmark; he looked at the second lion and thought of Valdemar, who had conquered the Wendish lands and united Denmark; he looked at the third lion and thought of Margaret, who had joined together Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. But when he looked at the red hearts, they seemed to shine even more than before; they became leaping flames of fire, and in his own thoughts he followed each of them.
The first flame led him into a dark, narrow dungeon cell, and there he could see the prisoner, a beautiful woman-Eleonora Ulfeld, daughter of King Christian IV. The flame became a rose that blossomed on her breast, and became one with the heart of that noblest and best of all Danish women. "Yes, that is indeed a heart in Denmark's arms!" said the old grandfather.
And his thoughts followed the second flame far out to sea, where cannons thundered and the ships were shrouded in smoke, and the flame like a ribbon of honor fastened itself to the breast of Hvitfeldt, who blew up himself and his ship to save the fleet.
The third flame led him to the miserable huts of Greenland, where the preacher, Hans Egede, labored with loving words and deeds; that flame became a star on his breast, another heart in the arms of Denmark.
And the thoughts of the old grandfather hastened on before the leaping flame, for he knew where it wanted to go. In the humble little room of the peasant woman stood Frederick VI, and wrote his name with chalk on the beam. The flame trembled on his breast and in his heart, and in the peasant's room that kingly heart became a heart in the arms of Denmark. The old grandfather wiped a tear from his eyes, for he had known and lived for King Frederick of the silvery locks and the honest blue eyes, and he sat in silence with folded hands.
Just then his daughter-in-law came and said it was late, and that he ought to rest; besides, the supper table was spread.
"But what a beautiful figure you have made, grandfather!" she cried. "Holger Danske and our old coat of arms! But wait! It is almost as if I've seen that face before!"
"No, I'm sure you haven't," said the old grandfather. "But I've seen it, and I've tried to carve it in wood just as I remembered it. It was long ago, when the English fleet lay in front of Copenhagen, on that Danish second of April, when we proved we were all good old Danes. On board the Denmark, where I fought in Steen Bile's squadron, there was a man beside me - why, the bullets themselves seemed to be afraid of him! Joyfully he sang the grand old ballads as he fought and struggled, and it seemed as if he was something more than a man like me! I can remember his face still, but where he came from, or what became of him, I don't know. Nobody knows. I have often wondered if it could have been old Holger Danske himself who had swum out from the Kronborg to help us in that terrible hour. That was in my mind, and there stands his portrait!"
The great shadow of the figurehead spread up the wall, and even over the ceiling, and it looked as if the real Holger Danske was standing there. As they watched it the shadow seemed to move, but perhaps that was just because the candle flame was flickering.
Then the daughter-in-law kissed the old man and led him to the great armchair at the head of the table, and she and her husband, who was the old grandfather's son, and father to the little boy in bed, ate their supper with him. And the old grandfather told them of the Danish lions and Danish hearts, of strength and gentleness.
Then he very plainly explained to them that there is another strength beside the strength of the sword. He pointed to his bookshelf filled with old books. There stood the comedies of Holberg, which we so often read, for they are so very amusing that in them one seems to recognize those people of bygone days. "He knew how to strike, too. For in his plays he ridiculed the foolishness and prejudice around him as much as he dared."
The old grandfather nodded towards the mirror, where hung the calendar with a picture of the Round Tower. "Tycho Brahe was another who could use the sword, not to cut at men's flesh and bones, but to carve a plainer path among the stars of heaven. And then there was Bertel Thorvaldsen, whose father was a wood carver like me. We have seen him ourselves, with his silvery locks falling to his broad shoulders. His name is known throughout the world; he was a sculptor-I am only a carver. Yes, Holger Danske can appear in many shapes, so that every country in the world knows of Denmark's strength! Less drink now to the health of Bertel Thorvaldsen!"
But the little boy in bed saw plainly the ancient Kronborg by the Öresund and the real Holger Danske who was sitting deep below, with his beard growing through the marble table, dreaming of all that happens above. Holger Danske dreamed, too, of the humble little room where the wood carver sat at supper, and in his sleep he nodded and said, "Aye, remember me, you people of Denmark! Remember me! In your hour of darkest need I shall come!"
And outside Kronborg it was bright daylight, and the wind bore the notes of the huntsman's horn from the opposite shore of the neighboring country. The ships sailed past and saluted, "Boom! Boom!" and Kronborg spoke back, "Boom! Boom!" But Holger Danske did not awaken, however loudly the cannons roared, for they were only saying "Good day" and "Many thanks." There must be a very different kind of shooting to awaken him; but he will awake, for there is still strength and courage in Holger Danske. | <urn:uuid:38a98b00-0dba-4ac0-8c5d-813ccc6328bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/HolgerDanske.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988606 | 2,125 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Sunday, November 4
Spc. Brett Hyde, Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), takes his twenty-one steps across a water soaked mat while guarding the Tomb during Hurricane Sandy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Oct. 29, 2012. The Tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Snow, rain, wind or heat has never stopped the Tomb Sentinels from guarding the tomb for over 64 years.
Credit: U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr
Photograph, one of 34 showing the effects of Sandy, collected by the staff at Live Science. | <urn:uuid:98753e03-ed26-477b-918b-feaee05cd936> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pundita.blogspot.com/2012/11/twenty-one-steps.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937807 | 141 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Thirteen percent of Iowa children face hunger - survey
Monday, August 27, 2012 2:58 PM
Results of a statewide survey released recently found that 97 percent of Iowa children have health insurance coverage, but that 13 percent go hungry at least some of the time. The University of Iowa Public Policy Center polled nearly 2,400 Iowa parents for the 2010 Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey, which it conducts every five years. The 2010 study looked at hunger for the first time. "Perhaps due to the recession, 13 percent of children go hungry at least some of the time, in line with national statistics," the report said. That figure rises to 40 percent for low-income children in Iowa. A majority of Iowa children feel safe in their neighborhoods and in their schools. Ninety-two percent reported they feel safe in their communities, though the percentage drops to 81 percent for low-income children. To view the complete report, click here. | <urn:uuid:41eb5562-d9aa-4a48-bfab-ca0d3f4f8655> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://businessrecord.com/Content/Health---Wellness/Health---Wellness/Article/Thirteen-percent-of-Iowa-children-face-hunger---survey/174/836/47244 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971365 | 191 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Introduction to Probability and Statistics
Series:De Gruyter Textbook
- Lots of examples of real life problems
- Problem sets with solution hints
Suitable for a two semester course or self-study
Aims and Scope
This textbook, now in its second revised and extended edition, presents the fundamental ideas and results of both probability theory and statistics. It comprises the material of a one-year course, which is addressed to students of mathematics and to scientists with an interest in the mathematical side of stochastics.
The stochastic concepts, models and methods are motivated by examples and then developed and analysed systematically. Some measure theory is included, but this is done at an elementary level that is in accordance with the introductory character of the book. A large number of problems, now in part with solutions, offer applications and supplements to the text.
- ix, 407 pages
- Type of Publication:
- Stochastics; Statistics; Probability Theory; Normal Distribution; Regression Analysis, Maximum-Likelihood; Law of Large Numbers; Central Limit Theorem; Markov Chains; Confidence Intervals
MARC recordMARC record for eBook
"The textbook is based on a series of lectures taught by the author for many years at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Munich. The material of the book covers two one-semester courses in probability and mathematical statistics, respectively. All chapters are equipped with exercises of varying degrees of difficulty that help to clarify the concepts.
The first part of the book is an introduction to probability theory. The material is presented using little of the measure-theoretical background but rather application-oriented examples that preserve its introductory character. Topics range from classical probability distributions to conditional distributions and limit theorems. A short introduction to Markov chains is also given.
The second part of the book gives an introduction to mathematical statistics and describes main statistical procedures: parameter and interval estimation, hypothesis testing, linear regression and basics of the analysis of variance approach.
The book can be used by undergraduate mathematics majors but also by science and engineering students who wish not only to apply probability and statistics but also to understand how the methods work."
Vladimir P. Kurenok, MathSciNet | <urn:uuid:37995a17-78ad-4851-b234-cb08deb07df3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/184322?result=8&rskey=71JadO&q= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914994 | 459 | 2.625 | 3 |
Multiplex and megaplex theater chain shows mainstream movies in a plush setting.. In Short In 1920, Edward Durwood opened a single-screen picture house in Kansas City, Mo. Over the next 40 years, his company went on to pioneer the use of four- and six-screen theaters. In 1969, the company incorporated as American Multi-Cinema Inc. in honor of its signature multiplexes. Now, the company is known for theaters with 14 or more screens, as well as innovations such as armrests with built-in cup holders, stadium seating with LoveSeats, ATM-style ticketing and online ticket purchasing. | <urn:uuid:c6930490-381c-4705-adfb-59c5f9c586f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/11277117/bronx_ny/amc_theatres.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964506 | 130 | 1.804688 | 2 |
India, the export prize ripe for business and investors
The mood was upbeat when more than 50 parliamentarians, diplomats, government officials, academics and business figures met in New Delhi this month to talk about relations between Australia and India.
Foreign policy experts at the Australia-India Roundtable, as the annual meeting is known, said ties between the two Indian Ocean powers were ''poised at an historic moment'' amid new levels of mutual trust. A top Indian strategic analyst said there was real momentum in India-Australia relationship for ''the first time since the independence of India'' more than 60 years ago.
The Labor government's decision to drop its ban on uranium exports to India has made a big difference. The broad response to violence and other problems facing Indian students in Australia has also gone down well in Delhi.
But if political ties are on the up, the economic relationship between Australia and India seems to have lost some of its zing. A few years ago our trade with India was growing even more quickly than trade with China. But things have changed. New government figures show Australia's merchandise exports to India fell by 17 per cent last financial year. Two-way merchandise trade was down 12.5 per cent. Back in 2008-09 India surged ahead of South Korea as Australia's third biggest export market but has now dropped back to a distant fourth.
The details of Australian trade with India expose some considerable shortcomings in the economic relationship. Firstly, there is a huge trade imbalance - last year Australia exported $15 billion worth of goods and services to India but imported just $3.2 billion from India. Australia accounts for just 0.7 per cent of India's exports making us its 33rd most important export market.
In other words, when it comes to trade dollars, India is far more important to us than we are to them. Secondly, the trade relationship is very narrowly based. Just two Australian commodities - coal and gold - made up half of all trade between the two nations last financial year.
The trade imbalance is reversed when it comes to investment. The involvement of Indian firms in several big mining projects, especially in Queensland, lifted total Indian investment in Australia to $11 billion last financial year, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. There is recognition in India that Australia has a major role to play in meeting its enormous demand for energy. A recent report by Melbourne University's Australia-India Institute, Beyond the Lost Decade, said: ''Queensland has emerged as a key location for India's energy security needs.''
However, Australian investments in India are puny by comparison, totalling just $4.3 billion last year. That's a fraction of Australian investments in its other big Asian trading partners - China (total investments of $17 billion), Japan ($35 billion) and South Korea ($13 billion). One reason for this is restrictions on investments in many sectors of the Indian economy. The Energy Minister, Martin Ferguson, addressing the Australia-India Roundtable this month, was blunt - there are ''frustrations in the relationship'' and the plans of some Australian companies to make big investments in the Indian mining sector are being thwarted. ''This is a new phase in our engagement and energy security has jumped up as one of the priority issues,'' he said.
''Australia is a strong economy because we've welcomed foreign investment. We've got companies that are frustrated in their desire to invest in India so we've all got our challenges.''
Big mining companies such as Rio Tinto (which has a diamond and an iron ore project in India) and BHP Billiton have been waiting more than a decade for the mining sector to be opened up.
Even so, the story of Australia's investments in India is far from impressive. Some of our biggest companies have made promising investments in India only to retreat at great cost to them, and to Australia's reputation as an investor. Telstra was among the first telecom companies to win mobile service licences in India in collaboration with a local company. Modi-Telstra, as the joint venture was known, was the first company in India to provide mobile telephony services. But Telstra sold its stake and left India not long before reforms freed up the mobile market. That decision meant Telstra missed out on India's mobile phone boom - the country now has more than 800 million mobile phone subscribers, having added more than 500 million in the past five years alone.
ANZ has a similar story. It purchased India's iconic Grindlays Bank in 1984 and with it a valuable stake in the Indian financial sector. But in 2000 ANZ sold its Grindlays subsidiary to Standard Chartered in a move that was interpreted by many Indians as a vote of no-confidence in the country's economic prospects. The Indian banking sector has subsequently experienced strong growth and Standard Chartered is now considered one of India's most successful foreign banks.
The Beyond the Lost Decade report says the ''departure of Telstra and ANZ in quick succession left many business analysts in India with the impression Australian companies were only in it for the short haul''.
Patterns of foreign investment can be a telling indicator. While trade is a relatively simple relationship that does not require a lot from either party, investment is a much more enduring relationship that requires a high level of trust.
Australians are still much more comfortable investing in the US and Europe than Asia. Even though India is a bigger export market for Australia than the US, the value of Australian investments in America is 100 times the value of investments in India.
The Australian government has managed to put political relations on a much firmer footing. Now businesses and investors need to step up. | <urn:uuid:97f8362d-95a2-47b4-a86c-fe6dc9ecde64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.canberratimes.com.au/business/india-the-export-prize-ripe-for-business-and-investors-20121220-2bpd4.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967692 | 1,150 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Meet Magic-1, the homemade CPU
- — 20 February, 2010 12:01
Have you ever wanted to build your own minicomputer, but felt restricted by the available selection of microprocessors? You may remember Magic-1, the awesome homebrew CPU from the 2007 Maker Faire Bay Area, but were perhaps a little disappointed at the amount of available documentation at the time. Magic-1 creator (and Google engineer) Bill Buzbee has recently updated his Web site to include detailed information on schematics, architecture, as well as his build diaries if you're interested in constructing a similar machine on your own.
Magic-1 is composed of 74 Series TTL (transistor-transistor logic) integrated circuits, the chips that were used to build early minicomputers and mainframes. By wrapping thousands of wires by hand, Buzbee connected hundreds of these low-level logic chips to make a functioning minicomputer running at a blistering speed of 4.09 MHz with 4 MB of memory.
How about an operating system and software? Would any OS run on this custom architecture? Buzbee's CPU runs the Minix 2 operating system; Minix didn't work on Magic-1 out-of-the-box, so Buzbee dedicated several years to porting Minix to his homebrew CPU. In addition, Buzbee also had to write an assembler and linker from scratch, and port C libraries to Magic-1.
This proved to be quite the programming challenge: as Buzbee put it, "when the bug you're trying to track down could involve one or more of: hardware design flaw, loose or broken wire, loose or bad TTL chip, assembler bug, linker bug, compiler bug, C runtime library bug, or finally a bug in the program in question there's lot of opportunity for fun."
What do you do with a Minix-running microprocessor made out of logic gates and handwrapped wire? Serve webpages and play games on it, of course! Magic-1 acts as a webserver as well as a host for a variety of games. Telnet into Magic-1 via telnet://magic-1.org with the username "guest" and the password "magic", then bask in the retro glory of The Colossal Cave Adventure, Eliza, Conway's Life, or Hunt the Wumpus. | <urn:uuid:937cff73-0308-44b7-99b2-ae66d629e40e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/336933/meet_magic-1_homemade_cpu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953673 | 497 | 2.1875 | 2 |
by ANDREW J HICKS and ERTEL GRAY
The first Thanksgiving took place 490 years ago. Miles Standish deep fried a turkey, Pocahontas brought over a crapload of Boone’s Farm, and Squanto provided the blunts. Everyone ate, drank, smoked and listened to the music of the Thompson Twins*. Thus, a tradition was born.
The ins and outs of Thanksgiving remained relatively unchanged until 1887, when canned fruits and meats were introduced to the market. Suddenly, Thanksgiving was a time for turkey, Boone’s Farm, blunts and a bowl of jellied cranberry sauce, wiggling and still in the shape of the can. In the century-plus since, no one has ever actually eaten the cranberry sauce. It just sits there. It’s the Ringo Starr of the Turkey Day feast. | <urn:uuid:ffd00f23-fc53-4acb-a136-c1fc4bef124f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://werenotfunny.com/tag/canned-cranberry-sauce/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948773 | 181 | 2.3125 | 2 |
Your teenage daughter and/or son aren't kidding around when they say you just don't get it. You really don't. You're not a teenager. You don't know everything like they do. And one of the things they know is that video games are the bomb
. The kids still say that, right?
Anyway, according to a recent Pew Internet & American Life Project study
), 80 percent of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 own a gaming console and that around 51 percent of those in the same age group own a portable gaming device. "While younger and older teens are equally likely to have a game console, boys are more likely than girls to have one," the study reads, pointing out that 89 percent of boys have a gaming console compared to 70 percent of girls.
The study itself focuses mostly on the internet and how the young are connecting (hint: they like laptops and -- wait, MySpace?), but it's a good read if you're looking to get in touch with the youngsters. | <urn:uuid:f87642c7-dff7-4426-a353-3dacf6f28655> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/05/teens-like-video-games-and-other-stuff-you-dont-get/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972511 | 208 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Commitment with NatureBahia adheres to the highest standards of sustainability and conservation
The Resort is set within a community committed to the preservation and enhancement of the environment. It adheres to the highest standards of sustainability and conservation of nature. The Resort has been designated as a Certified Gold Audubon International Signature Sanctuary; the first and only resort in the Caribbean to earn this distinction. Over 65% of the property has been preserved as green areas, sanctuaries and nature trails.
As an environmental sustainable development, we work together with the following collaborating entities:
- Audubon International
- El Yunque Rainforest
- Caribbean Stranding Network
- Puerto Rico Natural Resources Department
- Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín (Parque Doña Inés)
- Public Schools in the surrounding area
- University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez
- University of Puerto Rico Humacao
Environmental Outreach Program
“Soul of Bahia” is a comprehensive program focused on environmental education and outreach for residents, guest, staff, contractors, and particularly the surrounding community.
- Save a Sato Foundation
- Puerto Rico Conservation Trust Fund
- Hogar Teresa Toda
Our state-of-art Plant Nursery is dedicated to the propagation of native and naturalized plants. A section of this Greenhouse is focused on the development of fruits, vegetables and herbs processed in a hydroponic system. Guests and residents are able to buy fresh products. Most of the herbs used at our restaurants are a product of this venue.
Tree Planting Program
We have transplanted more than 5,000 trees with an 80% success.
The area offers a wide variety of natural species including marshes, lakes, a coconut plantation, fresh water swamps, mangroves, sandy beach, coral reef and secondary forests. Our zone is a natural environment of great value for wildlife. Protecting and enhancing habitat are the main tools for wildlife conservation. Endangered species like the leatherback turtle and the Caribbean Manatee are protected in coordination with public and private organizations .
The nature center is located at the Boathouse and it serves as a laboratory for environmental education. | <urn:uuid:af73d9d5-bdd8-4401-802c-e894d41ffe90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bahiabeachpuertorico.com/about-bahia/commitment-with-nature/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909771 | 448 | 1.90625 | 2 |
The U.S. Botanic Garden - across the street from the Capitol - is displaying a titan arum. It is also known as a corpse flower because of its putrid smelling, which resembles rotting flesh. The smell functions to attract carrion beetles that spread the flower's pollen. Apparently it also attracts crowds of people, who lined up to see it yesterday. A webcam of the flower and its visitors is available on the U.S. Botanic Garden's homepage. | <urn:uuid:33643c15-1d4b-41ee-a408-2383afe4ab9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2005/11/corpse-flower-in-dc.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963237 | 97 | 1.882813 | 2 |
TASMANIA'S welfare sector is disappointed the state's poorest residents will not receive a boost in their regular income-support payments.
Instead, those on the Youth Allowance, the Parenting Payment and Newstart will get a very modest, one-off payment to help them pay their regular bills.
Single recipients of the Youth Allowance, the Parenting Payment and Newstart will receive a new Supplement Allowance of $210 a year, while couples will be given a $350 annual boost.
A third of Tasmania's population relies on income-support payments.
The only good news was that Tasmanians who lose their jobs no longer have to spend all their savings before they can access income support. TasCoss president Noel Mundy said the meagre new annual supplement payments would not mean the difference between survival and hardship.
"It might take the heat off for a week or two, put some extra petrol in the car or allow people to pay more off their power bill but that is about it," Mr Mundy said.
TasCoss and other welfare groups had been lobbying for the Federal Government to increase the Newstart Allowance to somewhere nearer the minimum wage.
But newly unemployed people will now be able to access income support while still having liquid assets of less than $5000 for singles without children and $10,000 for all others.
In the past, those who found themselves suddenly out of work had to wait up to 13 weeks before they could receive income support.
The Federal Budget showed the spend on the provision of concessions for pensioners in Tasmania will jump from $8.1 million this year to $8.6 million in 2012-2013.
The outlay on home and community care services for veterans in Tasmania will fall by $500,000, which is in line with a national cut of more than $8 million.
Low-income taxpayers have had a major win, with the tax-free threshold tripled from $6000 to $18,2000.
The threshold will increase again in 2015 to $19,400 and more than a million Australians will no longer have to lodge a tax return. | <urn:uuid:84522701-d01c-4ddb-b7a4-dadcfc028c3c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/05/09/326621_tasmania-news.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967428 | 437 | 1.609375 | 2 |
I found a website (http://starcasm.net/archives/145898) that featured teens who used Bethany Christian Services. Teens are not educated about Birth Psychology or the life-long health effects of trauma on the infant who is given up for adoption. What bothers me? How the adoption industry plants propaganda to influence teens and we can see their profits are their priority, not keeping young families intact.
Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra Appear in Adoption Agency Commercial (VIDEO)
At first, we were both really nervous," Catelynn says. But, "Bethany cares a lot about the birth parents ... they'll help the birth parents through anything."
"When you walk into that office and talk to one of the counselors, the feeling you get is warmth and care," Tyler adds.
To see the commercial go to : http://starcasm.net/archives/145898
In Indian Country, young children are raised by aunties and grandmas if mothers cannot - that practice has been going on for centuries - Everyone is your relative in your tribe so kinship adoption was not destructive or disruptive to the child.
America's Adoption Industry cannot grasp the importance of keeping families intact....Trace | <urn:uuid:39922735-81b3-4f2a-8d07-580aca897c75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://splitfeathers.blogspot.com/2012_02_03_archive.html | 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 | 0.956057 | 259 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The Strangle, A Killer Trade: Part Two
...continued from Part One
If you remember the graph of the long straddle, it looks like a V, with the point at the strike price. That would be the worst place for the stock to be at expiration because it would result in the loss of the entire premium. Movement in either direction away from the strike would be beneficial to the position.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL-SIZED CHART
However, with the strangle, the maximum loss at expiration occurs over the full range from the low strike price to the high strike. In the above example and graph, the entire premium would be lost if the stock closed between $45 and $55 at expiration.
In fact, you might feel more comfortable with the other side of the trade, the short strangle, since it makes the maximum profit (which is $2,150) over the same range, $45-$55. The problem with this trade is that there is significant risk on the downside, and unlimited risk on the upside. (In a future article I’ll discuss ways of mitigating that risk.)
Like we did for the straddle, let’s examine the characteristics of this spread in terms of the greeks. I’ll talk about the long straddle, but you know that the short side will be just the opposite. Some of the comments relating to the greeks are the same or very similar for the straddle and the strangle.
DELTA and GAMMA: Assuming that the strangle was put on with the stock price close to the middle of the range of the strike prices, the delta will be close to 0, approximately +30 for the Call and -30 for the Put. That means that the position doesn’t have a bias to either the upside or the downside.
However, since the position is long the call and the put, and since both calls and puts have positive gamma, the strangle is long gamma. (Not as long as the straddle would be since both options are OTM and we know that the ATM options have the maximum amount of gamma.)
This gamma position will cause the strangle to get shorter on the downside and longer on the upside. That will be useful if we are trying to keep the delta of the position close to 0 because it will require the purchase of stock when the price is low and the sale of stock when the price is high.
Like I said above, the worst case scenario is for the stock at expiration to finish in between the range of the strike prices since that would result in the loss of the entire premium. But like the Straddle, in reality, we would have either exited the position prior to expiration or made adjustments along the way, and most probably would not have lost the entire amount. That process will be discussed in a future article.
to be concluded in Part Three...
posted by: Online Trading Academy
View Stan Freifeld's post archive > | <urn:uuid:f0bf1566-b40a-4b92-94cc-eb9b0c2358b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theoptionsinsider.com/mnt/target02/345713/www.theoptionsinsider.com/web/content/forum?p=833 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955181 | 617 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Green vegetables useful for breast cancer patients
A recent study has suggested that women suffering from breast cancer have a better chance of survival if they consume green vegetables.
According to a study made in China there is a link between the consumption of cruciferous vegetables like greens, cabbage and broccoli, and reduced death rates from breast cancer.
The researchers observed a total of approx. 5,000 women for around five years who were diagnosed with breast cancer, Daily Mail reported.
It was found during the study that the women eating more cruciferous vegetables during the first three years of diagnosis had reduced the chances of death.
With the increasing consumption of the vegetables, the chances of death reduced by between 22 percent and 62 percent and from all causes by between 27 percent and 62 percent.
During the entire study period, a total of 587 women died out of which 496 died from breast cancer, the Mail said.
Moreover, the researchers said the consumption pattern were quite different in China and west.
"Commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables in China include turnips, Chinese cabbage/bok choy and greens, while broccoli and brussels sprouts are the more commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables in the US and other
Western countries," said study leader Sara Nechuta, from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, US.
-With inputs from IANS.
Read More: China | Green Park Market | Mail | Sara | Tara Sara | Sara Bo | Santacruz(west) | Vileparle(west) | China Nandigama | China Garlapadu | K.p.west Po | Madras University Po | World University Centre | Anna Nagar Western Extn | Pondicherry University | Annamalai University | Shyambazar Mail Delivery Po | Golf Green | Mail Bazar | Daily | More | China Dhab
HARBHAJAN THANKS ITBP FOR SAVING HIS LIFE
June 18, 2013 at 7:51 PM
DELHI CM LAUDS UPGRADATION OF CONSUMER REDRESSAL FORUM
June 18, 2013 at 7:26 PM
4th Generation Intel Core Processors
June 18, 2013 at 7:19 PM | <urn:uuid:f33c1039-2571-408b-9ce6-7cb1242fbeeb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/4/5/58-Green-vegetables-useful-for-breast-cancer-patients.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938396 | 458 | 2.5 | 2 |
Great project for kids.
My friend Ellen came over last weekend and as usual, we baked too much. She just started her own food blog Orange and Cardamom which you should definitely check out. She and I made several things including some bundt cakes which I will save for a later day. We had some extra batter and I thought of this great idea to make miniature colored cakes for Valentine's Day.
Like I said, this is really more of an idea than a recipe, but definitely worth sharing. I think we can all agree that anything mini is cute after all. For a while I have wanted to make mini-cakes as opposed to cupcakes. I happen to have a molten chocolate cake plan that we used to make these mini-cakes, but any small sized pan would work including individual ramekins. Ellen and I decorated all of these, but I think this would be a really fun project to share with kids. Just give each one a baby cake and let them go wild.
All you have to do is:
- Make your favorite vanilla/yellow/white cake recipe (or use a boxed mix)
- Divide the batter into separate bowls, a bowl for each color you want on your cake and mix with food coloring. We selected to leave part of the batter un-colored, part pink, and part red.
- Your favorite frosting and sprinkles.
- Layer the different colors of your cake batter into greased and floured pans and bake according to your recipe (you may have to reduce the time depending on what you bake these in so keep an eye on them)
- Decorate as desired.
Happy Valentine's Day! | <urn:uuid:1822c8c9-213d-4070-bffe-35829572b756> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bakedperfection.com/2011/02/valentines-day-baby-cakes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976528 | 342 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Welcome to the library webpage for HSTAA 208 The City. This page brings together many of the sources that you will need to use for your site reports along with some explanatory information on various types of primary sources.
Most of the material dealing with PNW locales will be in Special Collections (basement Allen Library South). Many of the sources listed in this guide are located there. Keep in mind that they are closed on the weekend and have shorter opening hours during the week. Librarians there will be able to help you find additional material on local places including buildings on the UW campus.
Some of the databases on this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. These are marked with a lock . To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access button in the upper-right hand corner and login with your UWnetid.
Have questions or need research help? Please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian, via email at firstname.lastname@example.org
Logging in from off-campus (from the UW Libraries Website)
Historian's generally use the Chicago style format for footnotes/endnotes and bibliography. This one page guide provides examples for the most common type of sources. See the Citations and Writing page for more guides and information. | <urn:uuid:07df06a9-602f-4edc-8690-143f0fa2d3c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://guides.lib.washington.edu/city | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929749 | 272 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Late summer or early fall is the best time for planting trees in many areas. The still-warm soil of the season gives the tree a chance to establish new roots prior to the winter freeze. And, when spring arrives, the tree comes out of dormancy and is ready to grow.
There are many benefits to planting a tree, including the added beauty and shade to your garden and providing a habitat to wildlife, not to mention the energy and cost savings that it can provide.
§ When selecting a tree, consider the following:
§ What is the tree’s purpose? To provide shade, a habitat, beauty to your yard, etc.
§ How tall do you want the tree to get?
§ What is its life expectancy?
§ Is it appropriate to your area/climate?
§ Is it an evergreen or deciduous?
Find out more about how to properly plant a tree from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
For inexpensive trees that are appropriate for your growing climate, check out the Arbor Day Foundation website.
Photo by Rodrigo Roveri | <urn:uuid:fb15de01-7b58-497c-a2bc-f0fae7389809> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/plant-a-tree-budget-gardening-tip/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924552 | 220 | 2.921875 | 3 |
When you first step into the kitchen and prepare a dish you love for the first time, things can be a little overwhelming; often the last thing you want to do is translate what a technique actually means as you're knee deep in the kitchen. I get it: there are some French cooking methods and terms that scared me so much when I started cooking that I let go of the dream of creating a certain recipe and moved on to something that felt more accessible.
Truth is, fancy words aside, you'll be surprised how many of these techniques are actually fairly simple concepts once you get a little confidence in the kitchen. Like most things we're afraid of, it's never as bad when you tackle the problem head on and figure out what you need to succeed.
So don't sweat the technique right away; once you get into the swing of these, you'll feel like a kitchen queen. Get acquainted with these French terms and techniques, and they'll soon seem like no kitchen biggie.
- Julienne. To julienne (pronounced "joo-lee-en") is to cut food into long, skinny, pretty strips. The item is sliced to length and trimmed on four sides to create a thick rectangular stick; that stick is cut lengthwise into slices, stacked, and then cut lengthwise again. The outcome is super-thin, uniform matchstick-sized strips. Typically, the method of julienne applies to common veggies like carrots, celery, and potatoes, but it can also be used to prepare meat or fish, especially in stir-fry techniques.
- Chiffonade. Here's another doozy that sometimes throws people off. The oh-so-fancy term chiffonade (say it: "shif-uh-nahd") refers to shredding the leaves of herbs and vegetables into skinny ribbons. This is accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, like a cigar, then slicing the rolled leaves thinly and evenly with a sharp knife, producing long, rag-like strips. If you like working with basil and other fresh herbs as much as I do, it's a must-have, super-simple skill. See our tutorial here.
- En papillote. En papillote (which sounds like "ahn pah-pee-yoht") is a technique that produces elegant, healthy results. Literally translated, it means "in parchment." The process is that simple; food is put into a folded pouch and baked. The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material such as a paper bag or aluminum foil may be used. Try cooking en papillote over an open fire.
- Tournée. Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips are all ideal and suitable for the French technique of tournée (pronounced "tour-nay"), or "turning" vegetables into elegant elliptical shapes that will braise evenly. Check out our full tournée tutorial.
Are there any other cooking techniques that have scared you off in the past? Any that you've mastered? Share them below! | <urn:uuid:ce0f1d63-ccb4-4fd2-844d-e1953d45c473> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yumsugar.com/French-Cooking-Techniques-Beginners-19087305 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94165 | 648 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Police are still investigating a security breach at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. The security breach has left a unknown number of victims open to identity theft according to the attorney general’s office.
The Hospital has already sent out letters to the affected former patience of the hospital. The letters expressed that a former employee had accessed patient records for the purpose of applying for credit cards and loans.
The spokesman for the attorney general didn’t know how many people had been sent letters. However, Hugh Williams, who is the coordinator of the identity theft office of the state attorney general’s office, said that the number of people that could have been affected could be significant. He is also not sure when the data breach was discovered, but encouraged people who receive letters to take them serious.
The data breach is still under under investigation. This is a situation that falls under the state law passed last year where businesses are required to inform people promptly of any data breach that could effect them.
Laws like the one past last year in maryland are getting passed all over the US and I think it’s a very good idea. Businesses handle data breaches very differently. Some tend to try and cover it up until the last minute while others do the right thing and informed people early. Laws that force businesses to inform people of data breaches promptly are a step in the right direction. | <urn:uuid:d7998f02-e14f-46d0-af0e-e98e847cba2a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thecreditprotector.com/blog/tag/data-breach-notification-law/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972727 | 281 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Youth And Teen Program
Tots & Folks (18 mos - 3yrs) - 12 week sessions
This program is specifically designed for children and the folks who accompany them to class. Highly interactive, all students will experience the joy of movement through the exploration of sound, props, music and story telling, stimulating and nurturing their creativity.
Creative Dance (3-5 yrs)
Developed especially for the younger child, this program is designed to nurture, develop, and encourage inner creativity and individual expression in a spontaneous and joyful atmosphere. These classes promote positive social interaction with peers, freedom of movement, coordination, and natural movement vocabulary. They teach, guide, and encourage creative thinking, creative movement, and creative expression though a series of playful exercises, inspirational activities, and fun games.
This season the school is introducing a New Ballet Program, that is non- syllabus. As this programming is new to the studio, come grow with us and enjoy smaller classes that will give careful attention to the individual needs and development of the younger dancer, while encouraging creative thinking, artistic expression, self-motivation, and musicality.
A rich, diverse, and unique movement form that supports individual expression while developing a solid technical base. Classes focus on alignment, kinetic awareness and placement of the body, encouraging freedom of movement, coordination, and inner creativity. Skills of improvisation, partnering work, and creative process are developed in these classes. These liberating classes will let your joyful dancer shine!
Hip Hop/ Jazz
Influenced by the techniques of Luigi and Horton, students will explore a variety of styles while developing a solid technical base. Everything from the quick, sharp, isolated movements of traditional jazz to modern street dance and hip hop culture, these highly energetic classes allow students to explore movement, rhythm and self-expression through fast-paced choreography. Perfect for increasing dancers’ ability to pick up choreography, or for those looking for a fun cardiovascular workout.
Youth & Teens | Professional | Adults
This programme is designed for the serious student, age 12 and up. Careful attention is given to develop dancers who are self-directed, versatile, open-minded, physically confident, and who have a solid understanding of functional anatomy and creative expression.
Individual Programming is created for each student; classes include modern technique, contemporary ballet, improvisation, repertoire, and conditioning. All Professional Students perform with one of our resident companies.
Dancers will develop a solid technical base to support individual expression. Classes focus on healthy body imagery and alignment while encouraging freedom of movement, authenticity, and qualitative movement choices. All classes include release work, core conditioning and technique. Movement honed in these classes.
All Pre-Professional Dancers also perform with one of our resident companies.
These classes focus on training dancers for today’s professional standards, ballet for the 21 Century. Dancers are encouraged to maintain a strong, clean, classical ballet technique while enriching and grounding their technique and artistic sensibility with the fusion of modern dance principles. This creates dancers who are who are versatile, self-disciplined, self-confident and challenges them to move beyond their own preconceived ideas of what ballet has been.
Developed especially to strengthen dancers bodies, prevent injuries, this unique class will enhance the dancers ability to move safely and provide greater muscle control, core strength and range of motion.
Dancers will explore exercises designed to generate new and innovative movement choices. Get ready to move, surprise yourself, break familiar movement patterns and be inspired. Partnering, contact improvisation, voice work and site specific improvisation will also be explored.
VSC Dance is home to three Performing Repertory Companies
. Acceptance into the companies is by invitation or audition. All companies work with a variety of renowned guest choreographers and VSC Dance faculty throughout the year. Guest choreographers have included Shay Kuebler, Ron Stewart Clinton Draper, Josh Beamish & Robert Halley and Resident choreographer Jung-Ah Chung. While the focus of these companies is on repertoire and performance opportunities, all members will also participate in dance for camera projects, dance history seminars, performance laboratories, dance funding, grant writing seminars, and more. Company members will also be encouraged to create their own work for KINECT our annual student choreographic performance. The Companies have their own show every year at the lovely Metro Theatre
Youth & Teens | Professional | Adults
These classes focus on wholesome body imagery, good alignment and artistic expression. They encourage freedom of movement, and overall body awareness. All classes include a general warm-up, release work, core conditioning, technique, movement combinations and choreography. A great way to stay in shape and express yourself at the same time. Classes for beginners to advanced dancers. Come prepared to sweat, laugh, and experience the joy and delight of being in your body!
Whether you are a seasoned dancer or just looking for an effective way to condition your entire body this is an ideal class for you. It fuses together fitness and dance-based techniques to create an hour-long class focused on core strength, flexibility and endurance. This is a guaranteed effective way to lengthen muscles and increase overall flexibility and range of motion in the joints, strengthen your entire body and improve your overall endurance! Come give it a try. All levels welcome.
Movers will explore exercises designed to generate new and innovative movement choices. Get ready to move, surprise yourself, break familiar movement patterns and be inspired. Drop-in or sign up for the full year.
These classes are designed for dancers who are looking for something different than the traditional ballet class. Each class will include barre, centre practice and across the floor that is infused with modern. If you are looking to find your grace and be a bit innovation then this is the class for you.
VSC Dance is pleased to offer two weekly day contemporary technique classes for the past 2 seasons. These classes are also open to pre-professionals and dancers at an advanced level in their training. There is a discounted rate for working professionals. These classes are lead by dance professionals in the community and guests from out of town, province and country.
Dance For The Camera
For Dancers, Videographers and Choreographers, this programme offers a new way to see, stimulate, device and engage with movement, as it exists in the frame.
Learn how to compose new vocabulary specific to the frame and explore scale, time, the moving camera vs. the still camera, location and more. Participants need their own camera.
Kinect-Student Choreographic Lab & Performances
We are all inspired, creative beings – and given support, opportunity and tools, we are all innovators. Kinect is VSC Dance’s annual student choreographic showcase. Working with mentors from our Faculty, students are given the opportunity to create their own pieces and to have that work performed. Kinect generates unforgettable dance that celebrates creative process, performance, and the art of making dance.
Youth & Teens | Professional | Adults | <urn:uuid:de74e6cc-e239-428f-aa59-6ee41b105c06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vscdance.com/classes.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926216 | 1,445 | 1.679688 | 2 |
What have the British National Party, David Irving, 'equality watchdog chief' Trevor Philips, Dr Julian Lewis (not to mention a large number of other MPs) and groups such as Unite Against Fascism in common? It is not simply that all are would-be dictators; they uphold capitalism, each aiming to run in a particular way. A safeguard against them is needed, but it cannot come from force. The only safeguard is Socialist understanding. So, against the wishes of Lewis, Philips et al., let odious characters such as Nick Griffin and David Irving appear at at tomorrow's planned Oxford Union's Free Speech Forum, state their case, and have its worthless stupidity publicly demolished.
That is what these 'defenders of freedom' fear. The Socialist Party has a long tradition of offering the platform of debate to everyone. We have on occasion, for example, debated the National Front only to find members of the International Socialists (now known as the Socialist Workers Party) attempting to shout down both speakers. Why? They simply did not want the fascist claptrap exposed - because it would have exposed theirs too. To them, a brawl in the street is preferable to argument, and the support of hooligans acceptable because they cannot get that of enlightened men and women. One further example should help clarify the Socialist position. On the 8th May 1973 a Professor Eysenck, infamous for his views about the 'intellectual abilities of American negroes', was forcibly prevented from expressing his views at the London School of Economics. The World Socialist Society at LSE made the following statement on the importance of free speech.
"As members of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, we are opposed to all censorship, whether it be through the legalized violence as enforced by the courts of the capitalist state or by the violence of self-appointed moral or political guardians. Let there be no misunderstanding of the meaning of what happened last week. A body of people decided that the rest of us should not be allowed to hear certain views they considered objectionable; they took it upon themselves to use physical violence to achieve this end - and succeeded. In other words, they successfully censored what we should hear. But will they stop here? Will they now proceed to prevent Eysenck expressing his views in writing? And, after that, will they burn the books he has already written? And what are the prospects for those of us who disagree with them if ever they win control of political power? Will we be shot or just put into concentration camps? These are serious questions since they are the logical extensions of the policy pursued by last week's political censors.
There is a further point: all censorship - especially censorship of this kind, allegedly exercised for the benefit of the working class - is an insult to the intelligence of ordinary working men and women since it implies that they cannot be trusted to hear or read certain ideas and are incapable of making rational judgements on the merits of rival ideas. Those who favour censorship always assume that they are somehow superior to ordinary people and have the right to decide what ordinary people should or should not hear. Censorship is an elitist policy - but those who favour it here at the LSE such as the Maoists and Trotskyists have nothing but contempt for the ability of the working class to understand Socialist ideas and to establish Socialism by and for themselves.
The classic case for allowing unpopular minority views to be expressed - including those with openly anti-democratic ones like fascism AND Maoism - has never been refuted: if they are wrong then their case will perish in the course of free, rational discussion; if they are right then censorship delays discovering this. As our resolution passed by the Union last Thursday puts: "only in the healthy atmosphere of free expression can ideas be debated, false ideas debunked and sound ideas developed". We are always prepared at all our meetings to give opponents of Socialism a chance to express their views. For we are convinced that our views are right and this will be shown in any free debate - and if we are wrong we wish to know so that we can stop wasting our time. WE STATE unambiguously that ALL censorship is anti-Socialist and anti-working class.
Last week's incident has done one thing, if nothing else. It has brought into the open those who favour censorship of political ideas: the Maoists and Trotskyists. They have placed themselves in the same camp as the fascists themselves and stand exposed as the dangerous enemies of the working class prostituting the good name of Socialism.
We stand for the common ownership of the means of production, without distinction of race or sex, organised democratically." (Socialist Standard, June 1973) | <urn:uuid:273d9efe-441f-4dbc-b2a7-e8dc3abf8fd0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967409 | 948 | 1.578125 | 2 |
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North Lantau development
Hei Ling Chau:
Shorelines: Hong Kong’s Hidden Heritage
To order your own copy of "Shorelines: Hong Kong's Hidden Heritage" (HK$100) - please write to us at firstname.lastname@example.org
Hong Kong’s shorelines form a critical part of our social, cultural and economic heritage but neglect and misuse are putting our shorelines in jeopardy. We need a single, coherent and comprehensive policy to optimise shoreline use and a Shoreline Authority to manage and apply the policy.
Hong Kong’s shoreline waterscape is at the core of the community’s culture and heritage. The shorescape is critical to the community’s psychological wellbeing. There is no coherent government strategy, nor cross-bureau coordination on shoreline use. Piecemeal development has inflicted significant damage. Environmentally insensitive development has inflicted damage. Reclamation policies have alienated many shorelines from the community. However, no “one size fits all” approachcan work
The Price of Neglect. In the past there has been insensitive development: scale is inappropriate; materials are inappropriate. Reclamation has separated communities from the water. Low value and sub-optimal waterfront use is widespread – motor repair workshops, Public Cargo Working areas, etc.. Sensitive areas have been polluted. Natural coastlines have been damaged. Dynamic community uses of the shoreline have been lost. Hong Kong’s marine environment has beendegraded
Access is key. It is not just damage and pollution that has caused harm: the shoreline has been “sterilised”. Access to and access along the shoreline is needed. We need nodes, pathways, and water-taxis. We must stimulate vitality by commercial as well as recreational access. E.g. A Sunset Coast: a continuous pedestrian route from Aberdeen to Central
The nature of shoreline use. Scale must be appropriate. Needs to be “people-friendly” where possible. Should combine activity and tranquility
A Shoreline Authority? At present, no coordination or consistency – and no single point of responsibility. We need comprehensive policy guidelines. It is not just a matter of Victoria harbour. Policy should apply to inter-tidal and marine shore. Community input and consultation is essential. Only an empowered Shoreline Authority could achieve this: Sydney; Baltimore; Boston; Singapore; Zhuhai all have lovely, well managed shorelines.
Shorelines are a key part of our social, cultural and economic heritage. But neglect and misuse are putting our shorelines in jeopardy. We need a single, coherent and comprehensive policy to optimise shoreline use. And a Shoreline Authority to manage and apply the policy. Shorelines are intrinsically local – local communities need to feel they own their shoreline. | <urn:uuid:0e03dfc7-25a4-4b22-89ab-e16f5d32132a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saveourshorelines.bizland.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904743 | 605 | 1.828125 | 2 |
WASHINGTON -- To help reduce healthcare costs, health plans should institute policies that encourage consumers to choose high-performing health systems based on comparative quality and cost information, researchers here said.
For example, a deductible could be waved for Medicare beneficiaries who register with a practice that is a medical home, or for care teams with the capacity to care for high-cost, high-risk patients, Stuart Guterman, executive director of the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, said at a briefing here Monday on bending the healthcare cost curve.
Other out-of-pocket costs could be reduced for patients who receive care from networks that participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program or accountable care organizations.
The Commonwealth Fund released the proposal as one of several in its list to cut $2 trillion in healthcare spending in the next decade. Others included revising the physician fee structure to reward value and strengthening primary care and support teams for high-cost, complex patients.
Providing consumers with information to make more cost-effective choices is estimated to save $189 million in the next decade, the think tank said.
"Even though that accounts for a relatively small portion of the total savings estimate, it's necessary to make the system work better," Guterman said at the briefing, which was sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform. "You need to engage consumers, but engage them with positive incentives."
Providers have been bludgeoned with efforts to improve costs and efficiency in their practices, whether it's through shared savings programs or a number of other quality incentives. But private and public plans have been slower to push such plans to consumers, panelists here said.
However, the issue of how to define "high-performing health system" remains difficult.
"If you look at a lot of health plans that have tiered benefits, you've got to question the degree to which they emphasize cost as opposed to quality," Guterman said. "It's easier to measure cost, and it's harder to measure quality. There's a lot of different measures of quality."
To address that problem, panelist Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, called for greater harmonization of quality standards between public and private health plans so providers, consumers, and payers could all look for the same factors and hopefully make better choices.
"This concept of value-based benefits could begin to be looked at very productively from a very pro-patient point of view, which is to support the kinds of high-quality choices that all of us want," she said.
Greater use of electronic health records should spur the dissemination of information to encourage more informed consumer choices, according to the Commonwealth proposal. "Having all-payer information on prices, quality, patient experiences, and outcomes of care, at both the state and community levels, would inform consumer choice," the proposal stated.
Another Commonwealth Fund proposal aimed at reducing cost and improving quality involves combining the different elements of Medicare coverage under a consolidated "Medicare Essential" plan. By consolidating Medicare Parts A, B, and D, spending would be lowered from reduced administrative costs, according to the authors.
"You have a more cohesive system and ... one that's easier to manage because it's all under the same umbrella," Guterman said. | <urn:uuid:2455cd7c-b717-4b5f-9268-a04e79dd7f32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/HealthPolicy/37068 | 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 | 0.964813 | 670 | 1.9375 | 2 |
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Stephen Harper’s foreign policy documents the sordid story of the Canadian government’s sabotage of international environmental efforts, a government totally committed to tar sands producers and a mining industry widely criticized for abuses.
Yves Engler's sweeping critique details Harper’s opposition to the “Arab Spring” democracy movement and his backing of repressive Middle East monarchies, as well as his support for a military coup in Honduras and indifference to suffering of Haitians following the earthquake that devastated their country. The book explores Canada’s extensive military campaign in Libya, opposition to social transformation in Latin America and support for a right-wing Israeli government.
With an eye to Canada’s growing international isolation, The Ugly Canadian is a must read for those who would like to see Canada adopt a more just foreign policy.
More here: http://www.fernwoodpublishing.ca/The-U/
Thursday, Oct. 4
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Octopus Books Centretown
251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor
Free. All welcome. | <urn:uuid:0776227a-8069-43d6-8ca5-22953640be62> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://octopusbooks.ca/node/14965 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93602 | 236 | 1.734375 | 2 |
When studying inverse-semigroups, idempotent elements play an important role, and semilattices occur naturally as sets of idempotent elements that commute with each other. I have the impression that semilattices are closely related to lattices, but the following remark on wikipedia makes me wonder how well this relation is really understood (or taught):
Regrettably, it is often the case that standard treatments of lattice theory define a semilattice, if that, and then say no more.
I also wonder how the following statement from a similar question should be interpreted:
any meet semilattice of finite height is also a join semilattice
The following two Hasse diagrams show that this statement is only valid if the semilattice is bounded (i.e. if the underlying semigroup has an identity element):
In the left diagram, the meet of $a$ and $b$ is $0$, but their join doesn't exist. Now adjoining an identity element to a semigroup is easy (and canonical), and we can see in the right diagram that this fixes the problem.
However, what really interests me is how to canonically "invent" all missing joins in the infinite case, similar to the way we can adjoin an identity element to fix the finite case. Would it help if we were given a (compatible) topology or a (compatible) topological uniform structure?
Can the Dedekind–MacNeille completion (which is the smallest complete lattice that contains the given partial order) help to clarify the relation between lattice and semilattice theory? | <urn:uuid:6867729a-30da-48ab-8666-6667113f7c17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/216908/relation-between-lattice-theory-and-semilattice-theory/227003 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936782 | 341 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Red-breasted nuthatches abundant this year
Published: Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 11, 2013 at 10:56 a.m.
As the fall and winter progress, birds from colder climes up North begin to move further south. These include white-throated sparrows, dark-eyed juncos and a host of winter sparrows and finches. Many of these species are regular in their southbound movements, while others are known as irruptive migrants.
In our area of Western North Carolina, the most well-known of these have to be pine siskins and purple finches. Both of these species are unreliable in their flights and can be common or absent, depending on the year. This southbound push of birds is mostly dependent on the food supply in the North.
Another species that reacts to the seasonal change and the shortening food supply is the red-breasted nuthatch. This smaller and more colorful cousin of our familiar white-breasted nuthatch breeds at higher elevations throughout the Blue Ridge at the junction of the Northern hardwoods and spruce-fir ecosystems. As you take a walk at this elevation during the appropriate season, you can often hear the slow "beep, beep, beep" of the red-breasted nuthatch, a sound I liken to the slow reversal notes of a very small forklift truck.
This year has seen a very large push of these coniferous-loving birds down into the Southern states from across their huge Canadian and Northern forest range.
Many will spend the winter in the lowlands of the mid-Atlantic states, but others will move even further south into Florida. There is even a well-documented record of a red-breasted nuthatch in a Norfolk woodland in the east of England. How it got that far is open to discussion, but this demonstrates the migratory ability of this small bird.
Red-breasted nuthatches are easily distinguished from the larger white-breasted nuthatch by their smaller size, reddish-brown underparts and a white supercilium that stretches above the eye. They also have a black eye-line and cap, and gray upper parts.
Their distinctive call notes are also very different from both the white-breasted and brown-headed nuthatches. The latter species is a very rare bird here in Henderson County, with, as far as we are aware of, just one report in our area of the Southern Foothills, where it prefers stands of Virginia and white pines. One has to head down the mountain into Polk County to find these nuthatches fairly common. Brown-headed nuthatches are smaller than both of the other nuthatches, have brown heads and have a very distinctive "squeaky toy" vocalization.
All three nuthatches regularly visit bird feeders to feed on sunflower seeds, and this winter, depending on where you live, it might be possible to see all three species at the same time — always an enjoyable sighting of these charismatic birds.
Simon Thompson has lived in Western North Carolina for 16 years. He owns and operates Ventures Birding Tours, www.birdventures.com. He is also co-owner of the Asheville Wild Birds Unlimited Store. For more information on birding activities in the area, drop by the store or check his website at www.asheville.wbu.com. | <urn:uuid:7394c9f5-83c4-4ada-acc6-37fad9b53b23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20130113/ARTICLES/130119958/0/FRONTPAGE | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961394 | 721 | 3.28125 | 3 |
I am so glad to welcome Ms. Buchanan today. She has written a guest post (along with some photos) that includes facts about Niagara Falls. I hope you enjoy learning about it as much as I did. Of course, you should still read the book because there is so much more to this beautiful novel than just the historical information about the Falls.
10 Things You Never Knew About Niagara Falls
(unless you’ve read The Day the Falls Stood Still)
(unless you’ve read The Day the Falls Stood Still)
1. The amount of water tourists see flowing over Niagara Falls is usually only twenty-five percent of the natural flow. Seventy-five percent of the water is diverted for hydroelectricity.
The Queenston powerhouse, built during the book’s timeframe, was the largest hydroelectric development in the world when it opened in 1922. Eight thousand men toiled day and night to build the canal diverting water from the Niagara River to the Queenston powerhouse.
2. The book’s inspiration, legendary riverman William “Red” Hill (1888-1942), hauled 177 bodies from the river, rescued 29 people, and was awarded four lifesaving medals—the first at age seven. He also shot the lower rapids in a barrel. Three times.
3. Created in 1885, Niagara Falls State Park is America’s oldest state park.
The park was the result of a sixteen-year, hard-fought battle by a group of prominent men led by Frederick Law Olmsted, most widely known for designing New York City’s Central Park.
4. In 1901, Annie Taylor became the first person to survive a trip over the falls in a barrel.
5. Niagara Falls has long been a source of inspiration:
“I have seen the falls and I am all rapture and amazement.” —Henry James
“Niagara was at once stamped upon my heart, an Image of Beauty.” —Charles Dickens
“Oh, it is lovelier than it is great; it is like the Mind that made it: great, but so veiled in beauty that we gaze without terror.” —Harriet Beecher Stowe
6. The term “the day the falls stood still” was coined back in 1848 to describe the day the Niagara River became jammed up with ice and ceased to flow over the falls.
With the falls standing still, the locals of Niagara Falls woke to quiet rather than the thunder of the river plummeting from the brink. With the cliff face of their falls and the riverbed bone dry, some ducked into churches, praying for their salvation with Armageddon so close at hand, and others headed out onto the riverbed, salvaging lost timbers and collecting relics from the War of 1812.
7. Toronto’s Archbishop saw a picture of the falls as a boy and conjured up prayers floating heavenward with the mist, a notion that years later led to the establishment of Loretto Academy at Niagara Falls and the tradition of perpetual adoration.
The Loretto Sisters came to Canada in 1861 and transformed a rundown country inn into a convent and school. The community struggled under severe conditions of deprivation and extreme temperatures until the archbishop deeded the sisters six acres of land overlooking Niagara Falls for a new convent and school for female boarders and day students. Afterward, for almost a century, a sister was always on bended knee in the academy chapel offering up prayers to rise with the mist.
8. A barge with two men aboard became lodged in the rapids just above the falls in 1918.
A barge dredging the entrance of a hydroelectric canal on the American side of the river had broken free of its tug and drifted toward the Horseshoe Falls. After becoming snagged on a rock shoal, William “Red” Hill rescued the two deckhands. The scow still remains at the same spot where it became stuck in 1918.
9. A trolley route, described as the most scenic trolley ride in the world, used to run along the rim of the Niagara Gorge on the Canadian side of the river and then along the teeming rapids at the base of the gorge on the American side if the river.
The Great Gorge Route ceased operation in 1935 after decades of accidents and landslides made the route too deadly and too costly to operate.
10. Niagara Falls was once felt to be at least as terrifying as it was beautiful.
In the mid-1800s many people believed Niagara Falls possessed the power to lure those who gazed at it too long into throwing themselves from the brink. Phrases like “awful grandeur” and “frightful beauty” were commonly used to describe the falls. In fact, in the oration delivered at the opening on the Niagara Falls State Park in 1885, the words “awful symbol of Infinite Power, in whose dread presence we stand” was used to invoke Niagara Falls.
Picture captions and credits:
• William “Red” Hill (right) – Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library
• Annie Taylor and her barrel – Niagara Falls Pubic Library, Niagara Falls, NY
• Great Gorge Route − Niagara, copyright 1902 by A. Wittemann, Brooklyn, N.Y.
I'd like to thank Ms. Buchanan for writing the very informative guest post. I just happen to have received an extra copy of THE DAYS THE FALLS STOOD STILL, and I'd like to pass it on to one of you. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment with your e-mail address telling me something you learned about Niagara Falls. To double or triple your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest will be open until Tuesday, October 6th at 11:59 p.m. EST; and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only. Good luck! | <urn:uuid:71cd96d0-45d6-43d2-bf02-6661cf45cb8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookingmama.net/2009/09/guest-blogger-cathy-marie-buchanan.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957442 | 1,270 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Spring Theology Lecture by Fr Austin -updated May 9, 2013What Is Christian Ethics? Is Christian ethics something different from simple ethics? What is the importance of the Bible to ethics? Are virtues different for Christians than for other people? The lecture took place at 6:30pm on Wednesday, May 1, following the Festal Eucharist for Saint Philip and Saint James. A webcast of the lecture is now available.
Father Austin’s book, Christian Ethics: A Guide for the Perplexed, published by T&T Clark/Bloomsbury in the U.K., is presently available in our bookstore and elsewhere, and also in electronic formats.
Ascension Day with Nancy Mead -posted April 25, 2013On Ascension Day, Thursday, May 9, Nancy Mead will give an illustrated talk in the Church on her latest walk in Italy, from Rome to the Adriatic shore to the “heel of the boot”. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with Festal Eucharist, and ends with a reception after the talk. All are welcome.
Many Thanks! March Concert Raises Thousands -posted April 25, 2013
On March 11, 2013 Bach Collegium Japan (Masaaki Suzuki, conductor) joined with John Scott to hold a benefit concert, Music of J.S Bach, to raise funds for the victims who continue to suffer in the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan and Hurricane Sandy in New York. In addition to enjoying Bach’s glorious music which was beautifully performed, the audience heard moving remarks by Japan’s Consul General in New York, Ambassador Shugeyuki Hiroki, and by Alan Gilbert, Music Director of the New York Philharmonic.
The concert raised $13,864--proceeds were distributed evenly to two charities. Tohoku Help in Miyagi, Japan, received $6,932 to aid local organizations serving individuals in the regions hardest hit by the tsunami. In New York, Episcopal Charities received the same amount. To quote from the April 22, 2013 letter of thanks from their Executive Director, Mary Beth Sasso: “Your thoughtful contribution will help support programs that are helping those working to recover and rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. We continue to fulfill requests from parishes whose communities require disaster-related assistance. Our Director of Programs, The Rev. Sam Smith is working closely with others in the Diocese and beyond to ensure that longer-range impacts are also considered as affected areas continue the process of recovery….Our thanks go out to everyone involved with the benefit concert.”
George Shearing CD to Support Organ Fund-posted April 15, 2013Recorded in the Shearings’ living room in 1983, the music found in George Shearing at Home was unearthed in 2012 by the bassist who gave it to George’s wife, Ellie. She shepherded it through sound engineers and other musicians who said, “This has got to be heard.”
And now it can be heard. The world-wide release of the CD occured on April 15, 2013. You may purchase it here. Half of the proceeds will be a gift to the Organ Fund from Sir George and Lady Shearing.
From Don Thompson's description in the CD jacket: This is George in the most relaxed recording situation imaginable...playing his own piano in his own apartment. No red light, no producer, no engineer making the piano too bright or too loud and most importantly, he wasn't playing a show. No audience to please, no reason to play except to make beautiful music.
Latest Music List Now Available-posted March 25, 2013The new music list, covering choral services from the Second Sunday of Easter (April 7) through the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (September 1) can be found here.
Choirmaster's Conference-posted March 25, 2013Join us for this year's Choirmaster's Conference on May 5-7, featuring Dr. Christopher Robinson. Complete details as well as a registration form can be found here.
Latest Rector's Chronicle Now Available-posted March 14, 2013In this Lenten Chronicle, the Rector writes about Holy Week, Fr Fletcher, Jon Meacham, Fr Austin, two new assistant organists, the Eton Choirbook, Kierkegaard, Dr Stires and Dr Noble. He does all of this before he answers, at long last, a $77,000 parish history question.
Easter Outreach-posted March 10, 2013
Our parish is providing Easter baskets and clothes to children in need. Please help us to provide Easter baskets filled with treats and also Easter outfits for children staying with their mothers at a shelter for victims of domestic abuse.
There are three ways you can help:
1. You may purchase items of clothing, or provide foil covered chocolate egges, wrapped chocolate bunnies, wrapped Easter candy and other small treats for the baskets. Please see Susan Clearwater, Mae Eversely or Anne Daniels for specific information, or simply email Linda Morfi.
2. Donate money by sending a check made payable to Saint Thomas Church, earmarked for the Easter Drive, to Saint Thomas Church, ATTN: Linda Morfi, Easter Drive, 1 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
Two New Assistant Organists-posted March 3, 2013We are pleased to announce that Stephen Buzard and Benjamin Sheen will soon join the staff of Saint Thomas Church and Choir School as Assistant Organists. Both Stephen and Ben are of a similar generation. Stephen is currently Organ Scholar of Trinity Church-on-the-Green in New Haven, CT and is just finishing his MMus at Yale. Ben has been our Acting Assistant Organist since November and finishes his MMus at Juilliard School in May. We are delighted that they both have accepted the invitation to join the staff, full-time, after the completion of their studies.
Holy Week and Easter-posted March 2, 2013In depth details are now being added to the website calendar regarding Holy Week and Easter, which begins with Palm Sunday on March 24. Service leaflets will be added to each service listing on the calendar as each leaflet is completed. All choral worship services during Holy Week will be webcast live and then available on-demand. Please join us every day of Holy Week. You will not regret it.
- 4-page Printable Guide to Holy Week & Easter
- Palm Sunday
- Holy Monday, including a musical meditation
- Holy Tuesday, including a musical meditation
- Holy Wednesday, including Tenebrae
- Maundy Thursday, including the Mandatum, the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, the Stripping of the Altar, and the Watch
- Good Friday, including the Three Hours Devotion
- Holy Saturday, including the Great Vigil & First Eucharist of Easter
- Easter Day
Lent Begins-posted February 13, 2013Join us as we begin the holy season of Lent. Ash Wednesday services on February 13 are at 8am (said), 12:10pm (full choir) and 5:30pm (full choir). Ashes are imposed throughout the day. The First Sunday in Lent is February 17, with a said service at 8am, a sung service at 9am, the Litany and Choral Eucharist at 11am, and Choral Evensong at 4pm.
Rector's weekly audio message: lenten discipline
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who initiated the prize in 2005, commented, "As in previous years, we have a broad variety of books submitted for the prize, all of them displaying the creative qualities we are looking for. Once again, the Michael Ramsey Prize shows that accessible theological writing of high quality is in good supply, and I and the other judges look forward greatly to tackling these works, and to bringing them to the wider public in the context of the Hay Festival next year."
The shortlisted titles are:
Victor Austin, Up with Authority
Luke Bretherton, Christianity and Contemporary Politics
John Gillibrand, Disabled Church
Paula Gooder, Heaven
Michael Lodahl, Claiming Abraham
Thomas Yoder Neufeld, Jesus and the Subversion of Violence
The shortlisted books will now be read by the seven judges who will come together in Hay-on-Wye on 28th May 2013 to choose the winning title.
The judges are:
The outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury,Dr Rowan Williams;
his wife, theologian and teacher Jane Williams;
Prof Sarah Coakley, Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge;
Bishop Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford;
Dr Denise Inge, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Worcester;
Fr Alban McCoy, Catholic Chaplain to the University of Cambridge;
and Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum.
The Michael Ramsey Prize for 2013 will be awarded to the author of a theological work that is judged to contribute most towards advancing theology and making a lasting contribution to the faith and life of the Church.
Congratulations, Fr Austin!
(click on each CD to purchase)
See all CDs in the shop.
Webcast of the Fall 2012 Theology Lecture
On Thursday, October 18, 2012
of Fordham University
An Introduction to the Philosphy of Religion
Aquinas on God and Evil.
You'll love our concert series. | <urn:uuid:24ad117c-87fa-4698-ab23-b72682968ca3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saintthomaschurch.org/about/news | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947065 | 1,968 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The Role of Neuroligins in Cognitive Function: Implications for Autism
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
Genetic studies have suggested an association between autism and mutation in a gene which codes for a protein called neuroligin. Neuroligins have been shown to mediate the formation of connections between brain cells and control the balance of activity between them. Preliminary studies in Dr. Powell's lab have suggested that one form of neuroligin plays a role in social learning and other autism-related behaviors in mice. These studies will be expanded to examine multiple mutations of different forms of neuroligins in an animal model, as well as investigate the functional effects of a mutation of a previously unstudied form of neuroligin (neuroligin 3). In parallel with studies which examine the behavioral function, collaborators on this project will be directly examining the molecular function of neuroligins in the brain using electrophysiology, biochemistry, and imaging techniques. These studies will provide a better understanding of how neuroligin mutations might lead to autism-like behavioral abnormalities, and lead to a better understanding of the basic neurobiological underpinnings of autism. Significance: It is anticipated that these studies will lead to one or more novel animal models of autism. Once autism-related behavioral abnormalities have been fully characterized, there will be a unique opportunity to use our knowledge of neuroligin function to test potential treatments in neuroligin-based mouse models of autism. | <urn:uuid:7df1bdcd-6b77-454c-ac09-024e07e8e37e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.autismspeaks.org/neuroscience/grants/role-neuroligins-cognitive-function-implications-autism | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923575 | 301 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Topics for learning “emerge” from children’s interests, teachers’ observations and events in the lives of the children.
Children use invention and imagination to extend their learning; and are curious and engaged in acquiring and applying new knowledge.
Children foster positive relationships, a caring community and practice living in a democracy.
Problem solving is suggested more by materials rather than by teachers’ prescriptions.
In their play, children hypothesize, test and repeat activities. | <urn:uuid:0218c279-d113-4e1c-b0e1-f7c4c3b4ce58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www4.uwm.edu/children/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952776 | 98 | 3.671875 | 4 |
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Mercedes have received 533 complaints from owners about a strong odor of gasoline, mainly after refueling. The agency says fuel may be leaking from the upper part of the gas tank.
No fires or injuries have been reported.
The investigation affects vehicles from the 2003 to 2008 model years. The agency is looking into whether the leaks were caused by a 2008 pollution control recall.
The problem surfaced last year with complaints about 2003 to 2006 E55 AMG cars.
On Friday the safety agency expanded the probe to other E-Class vehicles. Investigators will determine if a recall is needed. E-Class cars start around $51,000.
Mercedes said it's cooperating with NHTSA in the probe. Anyone who smells gasoline in their car should contact a dealer, the company said. | <urn:uuid:dcdc93f8-75e3-4bb5-a0e2-ea04a9dd890e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mercurynews.com/business-headlines/ci_22822288/us-safety-officials-probe-mercedes-fuel-leaks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956741 | 167 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Maximizing the Effectiveness of E-Learning: Research-Based Insights, Practical Solutions
Presenter: Will Thalheimer, Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Coordinator: Brigitte Steinheider, University of Oklahoma–Tulsa
Today’s e-learning technologies offer powerful mechanisms for improving learning engagement and workplace results. Although having great potential, many e-learning interventions fail to maximize learning outcomes because they stray from fundamental principles of human learning. This workshop will help participants recalibrate their perspective on e-learning by providing a practical research-based approach. In particular, participants will learn how to design e-learning to minimize forgetting and maximize long-term remembering. The workshop will include (a) an overview of situation-based learning design; (b) a research review of the power of learning context, retrieval, feedback, and spacing; (c) examples of key concepts as they are found in real e-learning programs; (d) a discussion of evaluation metrics; and (e) a review of emerging technologies for e-learning. This workshop should be of interest to those who are responsible for training, development, talent management, or learning technologies.
This workshop is designed to help participants:
• Design e-learning interventions that improve remembering and workplace performance
• Make research-based instructional-design decisions
• Effectively utilize a situation-based learning design approach
• Identify key failures in current e-learning interventions
• Design more effective e-learning evaluations
Will Thalheimer is a learning expert, consultant, researcher, instructional designer, business leader, speaker, and writer. Dr. Thalheimer has worked in the learning-and-performance field since 1985. He founded Work-Learning Research in 1998 to bridge the gap between research and practice, compile research on learning, and disseminate research findings to help instructional designers, e-learning developers, trainers, and performance consultants build more effective learning-and-performance interventions and environments. His clients have included giant multinationals, e-learning companies, government agencies, and institutions of higher learning. His research and writings have led the field in providing practical research-based recommendations through his online publications (www.work-learning.com/catalog), published articles, and his industry-leading blog (www.willatworklearning.com). Dr. Thalheimer speaks regularly at national and international conferences. His conference presentations always receive numerous evaluation sheet comments like the following: “This was one of the best presentations I attended—solid information delivered in a style that helped me learn.” Will holds a BA from the Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from Drexel University, and a PhD in Educational Psychology: Human Learning and Cognition from Columbia University. | <urn:uuid:de7101af-e8d4-4065-9c3a-5d2352dad4a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.siop.org/Conferences/10Con/Regbk/workshops/ws12.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911358 | 563 | 1.859375 | 2 |
68 U.S. 269
17 L.Ed. 580
1 Wall. 269
December Term, 1863
ERROR to the Circuit Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York, the case being thus:
The steamer Mabey had injured the steamer Hector in a collision, and had been libelled for damages. It being referred by the court to a commissioner to assess these damages, the owners of the Hector claimed the whole cost of the repairs, and also damages for fourteen days' demurrage, during which the repairs were getting done. The commissioner awarded,
For repairs, being the full cost of them, $2162 80
For demurrage, fourteen days, as claimed, _1099 50
The Hector was an old vessel,—twenty years old, it was testified,—her guards and deck, which were now repaired, having been in a very decayed condition, and her whole hull, comparatively, worthless. Still she was a navigating vessel, and was engaged, at the time of the collision, in towing vessels to and from sea, about the harbor of New York. Several witnesses were brought, who testified that there was a great demand for labor at that time, and who gave their opinions as to what the vessel might have made per day, if engaged. But the owner did not exhibit, nor offer to exhibit, his books, to show what she actually had made previously; and some of the testimony was of a general, rather than of a special kind. The court below, in deciding the case, said as follows:
'We are not satisfied that the proofs bring the case upon the question of damages within the rule laid down by the Supreme Court, in Williamson v. Barrett.* A good deal of the testimony was general, and turned upon mere opinion as to the probability of employment in the towing business, and the amount of the earnings, if employed. This kind of proof is too speculative and contingent to be the foundation of any rule of damages: it is, at best, but conjecture. The true question within the case of Williamson v. Barrett was, what could the tug have been chartered for per day in the business of towing, regard being had to the market price in the city of New York? This would have brought the question down to some degree of certainty, and afforded ground for an intelligible allowance or not, of the loss which the libellant had actually sustained by the delay during the repairs. We shall, therefore, strike out the item for demurrage, $1099 50, and confirm the decree for $2162 80.' Application was afterwards made to the court to reconsider this decision, which it did; and after advisement said as follows:
'In passing upon the question of demurrage, and in refusing the taking of further testimony in respect to it, I was influenced, as to the latter result, from a conviction that the repairs allowed were greater than justified upon the proofs. These have to be watched, as in cases of collision there is an opportunity, and not unfrequently a disposition, by the successful party, to aggravate them. I should have been obliged, therefore, to set aside the whole report; and the withholding of the reference in the demurrage satisfied me the result would be about just between the parties on the whole case.'
The refusal in the decree below to allow anything for the detention of the vessel for the time she was detained, was the error assigned by the libellant.
Mr. Jones, for the libellant, contended that the language of the decree showed specifically that demurrage was rejected. The court here had to do with nothing but the decree. The course of thought passing through the judicial mind was hardly to be considered against a judicial record. There was no doubt as to what the decree was, and the exact sum awarded by the commissioner for damages was the exact sum total of the final decree. Demurrage was exactly and specifically rejected; yet there was no doubt that there ought to have been some demurrage. It is impossible to deny that the libellant did sustain a loss by reason of the detention of the vessel for the period of fourteen days. If the commissioner erred in awarding too large a sum for demurrage, or if any error was committed by him in the rule which he adopted in determining the amount on the evidence, or if there was any error in the manner in which such loss was attempted to be proved, an opportunity have been given to correct the error.
Mr. Justice GRIER delivered the opinion of the court:
From the manner in which this decree was drawn, it might be inferred that the court had refused to allow anything for demurrage. But on reference to the record, it appears that this sum was allowed by the judge, because he thought that 'the result would be about just between the parties on the whole case.' The sum reported by the commissioner has not the effect of a verdict. The court may not concur in his conclusions upon the facts reported, and may modify or wholly reject it. The court did not decide that demurrage was not a proper item to be allowed in the computation of damages, but that the amount of his decree was a just allowance for all damages sustained by libellant. On reviewing the evidence, we are satisfied that the sum allowed in the decree was 'just between the parties.' The report of the commissioner, allowing the whole bill for repairs, was not just, because the repairs necessarily made were chargeable not wholly to the collision, but to the age and previous condition of the boat. The charge for demurrage allowed by him was not justified by the evidence, although there was testimony to support it, such as can always be obtained when friendly experts are called to give opinions. Besides, the libellant withheld the best evidence of the profits made by his boat, which would be found in his own books, showing his receipts and expenditures before the collision.
We believe the decree gave the libellant ample reparation for all damages, as well for demurrage as repairs.
13 Howard, 101. | <urn:uuid:14cc89f3-fa72-4bf4-bd4c-3a317829f6bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://openjurist.org/68/us/269 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985877 | 1,257 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Trademarks - Trademark Lawyers
A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods. In short, a trademark is a brand name.
Use of the TM and SM symbols may be governed by local, state, or foreign laws and the laws of a pertinent jurisdiction to identify the marks that a party claims rights to. The federal registration symbol, the R enclosed within a circle, may be used once the mark is actually registered in the USPTO. Even though an application is pending, the registration symbol may not be used before the mark has actually become registered.
The federal registration symbol should only be used on goods or services that are the subject of the federal trademark registration.
A trademark is a type of intellectual property, and typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image, or a combination of these elements. There is also a range of non-conventional trademarks comprising marks which do not fall into these standard categories.
The owner of a registered trademark may commence legal proceedings for trademark infringement to prevent unauthorized use of that trademark. However, registration is not required. The owner of a common law trademark may also file suit, but an unregistered mark may be protectable only within the geographical area within which it has been used or in geographical areas into which it may be reasonably expected to expand.
The term trademark is also used informally to refer to any distinguishing attribute by which an individual is readily identified, such as the well known characteristics of celebrities. When a trademark is used in relation to services rather than products, it may sometimes be called a service mark, particularly in the United States.
The essential function of a trademark is to exclusively identify the commercial source or origin of products or services, such that a trademark, properly called, indicates source or serves as a badge of origin. The use of a trademark in this way is known as trademark use. Certain exclusive rights attach to a registered mark, which can be enforced by way of an action for trademark infringement, while unregistered trademark rights may be enforced pursuant to the common law tort of passing off.
USPTO Trademark | USPTO Trademark Application | USPTO Trademark Fees | USPTO Trademark Search | Trademarks.gov | <urn:uuid:d7fee679-5e42-40b7-856a-01549a8aa7dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uspto.ca/trademark.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903889 | 498 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Memo to the developers of superfast quantum computers: give up on the familiar 1s-and-0s binary system used in conventional computers. By switching to a novel five-state system, you will find it easier to build the staggeringly powerful machines.
So claim Matthew Neeley and colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
So far, the development of quantum computers has followed the traditional binary computing model. This encodes all information using components that can be in two states, either 1 or 0.
But other possibilities exist, Neeley explains. "We could use a 'trinary' system with three digits – 0, 1 and 2 – and then the fundamental units would be trinary digits, or trits, that would essentially be three-position switches." A single "trit" would contain more information a conventional "bit".
Neeley's team have now built a quantum computer whose building blocks have five basic states.
Until now, quantum computers' basic components have been binary quantum bits – qubits – which encode two states in the quantum spin of atoms, electrons or photons. The ability of such particles to defy everyday logic, and exist in multiple quantum states at once, should one day enable quantum computers to perform vast numbers of calculations simultaneously.
Neeley's group used a superconducting aluminium and silicon circuit on a sapphire wafer to make five-state qubits, or "qudits", that operate at 0.025 kelvin.
"There's more information stored in a qudit than a qubit, so a given computation can be done with fewer qudits," Neeley told New Scientist.
By firing microwave photons of five different frequencies into the circuit, they were able to encourage it to jump between five discrete energy levels. "We also developed a quantum measuring technique that can distinguish between all of these levels," says Neeley.
Because, in probabilistic terms, the qudit's five quantum states are able to exist simultaneously, the team had a working qudit on their hands.
One qudit alone is of little use, however.
Jonathan Home at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, says Neeley's team needs to extend its basic system in such a way that two or more qudits can transport information between them, which would allow more complex computational operations to be undertaken.
"Designing the sort of system where two qudits interact, but still retain the interesting properties of a five-level system, will be a major challenge," Home says.
The potential power of quantum computers means has attracted the interest of the US Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA), which hopes to use them to break codes.
Home's team has received funding from the agency to work on a room-temperature quantum computer that allows binary qubits to interact and swap information.
Their latest results show that magnesium ions can be used to stop the qubits destabilising one another by transferring heat as well as their quantum states.
The trick, reported in this week's Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.1177077) is to use serried ranks of trapped beryllium ions as the qubits, while using neighbouring magnesium ions to absorb any heat. The heat would normally destroy quantum information as it is transported between them.
"This will pave the way to large-scale quantum computing, because it addresses the major task: information transport," says Home.
Journal reference: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1173440
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Mon Aug 10 17:00:57 BST 2009 by Dave A
I'm guessing that the arithmetic unit that works with qudits will be a lot more complex than a binary one - addition alone will be comparatively tricky - binary only carries if both bits are 1, qubit addition must require more logic than that. Just a thought..
Wed Aug 12 03:34:02 BST 2009 by ralph propst
If this research results in dumping digital in favor of another system,I hope it makes the computers eventually understand human languages instead of having a special one of their own. Then maybe I can write a simple sentence that a child would understand instead of ten pages of code.
If this is what becomes of it fine. But if all we get out of the research is an ever more complex process to program computers then they may as well forget it.
Wed Aug 12 09:22:40 BST 2009 by void
if(time > 9pm)
would work with my kids... Even if the gotobed routine was quite complicated at least I would only have to deal with it once...
I would be sceptical about useing natural language to define the actions of somthing mechanical as it is often open to many meanings and inflections... Mathematical methods are generally much safer and easier in the long run.
Isnt That Why. . .
Mon Aug 10 17:19:53 BST 2009 by Bernie
We have five digits on each of our limbs?
Isnt That Why. . .
Mon Aug 10 18:52:42 BST 2009 by Duncan McKenzie
That's the old digital technology. This is quintum quantum computing
Isnt That Why. . .
Tue Aug 11 08:34:48 BST 2009 by Oliver
I don't know about that but Humans counting in base ten can be explained by having ten fingers
... although the Mayans counted in base 20
Mon Aug 10 17:28:11 BST 2009 by Huh Huh
I wonder what the upper limit of the number of possible states is. Does it depend on the number of electrons or on something else? Can we get 10 or 16 states instead of 5? If I follow the logic of the article well, the closer we approach an ideal "analog" quantum computer, the smaller it needs to be.
All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.
If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support. | <urn:uuid:5dbd9be9-6926-4a0f-b62e-99d6f6cc1e05> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17575-ditching-binary-will-make-quantum-computers-more-powerful.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93001 | 1,357 | 3.75 | 4 |
Following surgical removal of rectal cancer, the cancer is referred to as Stage III rectal cancer if the final pathology reportshows that the cancer has invaded any of the local lymph nodes, but cannot be detected in other locations in the body.
A variety of factors ultimately influence a patient’s decision to receive treatment of cancer. The purpose of receiving cancer treatment may be to improve symptoms through local control of the cancer, increase a patient’s chance of cure, or prolong a patient’s survival. The potential benefits of receiving cancer treatment must be carefully balanced with the potential risks of receiving cancer treatment.
The following is a general overview of the treatment of Stage III rectal cancer. Circumstances unique to your situation and prognostic factors of your cancer may ultimately influence how these general treatment principles are applied. The information on this Web site is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to facilitate a mutual or shared decision-making process with your treating cancer physician.
Most new treatments are developed in clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs or treatment strategies. The development of more effective cancer treatments requires that new and innovative therapies be evaluated with cancer patients. Participation in a clinical trial may offer access to better treatments and advance the existing knowledge about treatment of this cancer. Clinical trials are available for most stages of cancer. Patients who are interested in participating in a clinical trial should discuss the risks and benefits of clinical trials with their physician. To ensure that you are receiving the optimal treatment of your cancer, it is important to stay informed and follow the cancer news in order to learn about new treatments and the results of clinical trials.
Neoadjuvant therapy refers to treatment given prior to surgery. Many patients with Stage III rectal cancer receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy; the goals are to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and to shrink the cancer prior to surgery. If patients are in poor health and unable to tolerate chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, surgery may be the initial treatment.
The standard surgical procedures used to remove Stage III rectal cancer include low anterior resection (LAR) or abdominoperineal resection (APR). The choice of operation depends on the location of the rectal cancer.
An LAR involves an incision across the abdomen and removal of the cancerous part of the rectum along with some surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. This is often done for cancers that are in the upper part of the rectum. Lower cancers may be treated with removal of the rectum along with extensive removal of surrounding tissues (total mesorectal excision). Depending on where the cancer was and how much of the rectum was removed, the colon may be reconnected to the remaining part of the rectum or to the anus. When possible, the surgery will allow a patient to continue to pass waste through the anus. Some patients, however, may require a temporary or permanent colostomy (an artificial opening that allows waste to pass from the colon to the outside of the body).
If the cancer is very low in the rectum (near the anus), a patient may need to have an abdominoperineal resection (APR). This involves an incision in the abdomen and an incision around the anus. Because both the rectum and the anus are removed, an APR requires a permanent colostomy.
The goal of providing additional treatment after surgery (adjuvant therapy) is to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence by eliminating any remaining cancer. For patients who received neoadjuvant (before-surgery) chemotherapy and radiation therapy, additional chemotherapy is often given after surgery. If patients did not receive neoadjuvant therapy, they may be treated with both chemotherapy and radiation therapy after surgery.
The progress that has been made in the treatment of rectal cancer has resulted from improved surgical techniques, the development of adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments and participation in clinical trials. Future progress in the treatment of rectal cancer will result from continued participation in appropriate clinical trials. Currently, there are several areas of active exploration aimed at improving the treatment of stage III rectal cancer.
New Adjuvant Chemotherapy Regimens: Several new chemotherapy drugs show promising activity for the treatment of advanced or recurrent rectal cancer. Development of new multi-drug chemotherapy treatment regimens that incorporate new or additional anti-cancer therapies for use as neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant treatment is an active area of clinical research.
Laparoscopic surgery: Laparoscopic surgery is used for many types of surgery with the short-term advantages of less pain, fewer wound complications, quicker post-operative recovery, and shorter hospital stays. Instead of making one long incision in the abdomen, the surgeon makes several smaller incisions. Special long instruments are inserted through these incisions to remove part of the rectum and lymph nodes. One of the instruments has a small video camera on the end, which allows the surgeon to see inside the abdomen. Once the diseased part of the rectum has been freed, one of the incisions is made larger to allow for its removal.
Laparoscopic-assisted surgery appears to be about as likely to be curative as the standard approach for earlier-stage cancers.1 However, there is still limited information from randomized trials about the approach. In addition, laparoscopic surgery requires special expertise and patients need to be treated by a skilled surgeon who has done a lot of these operations.
Improved Approaches to Radiation Therapy: As the technology for radiation therapy has evolved, important advances have been made in the ability of physicians to precisely target the area of the cancer. The goal is to deliver effective doses of radiation to the cancer while sparing healthy tissue to the extent possible. One newer approach to delivering radiation therapy is intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT starts with a three-dimensional image of the cancer, and allows physicians to deliver different doses of radiation to different areas. The potential advantages for patients include both better tumor control and fewer side effects.
Targeted Therapies: Targeted therapies are anticancer drugs that interfere with specific pathways involved in cancer cell growth or survival. Some targeted therapies block growth signals from reaching cancer cells; others reduce the blood supply to cancer cells; and still others stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack the cancer cell. Depending on the specific “target”, targeted therapies may slow cancer cell growth or increase cancer cell death. Targeted therapies may be used in combination with other cancer treatments such as conventional chemotherapy. Targeted therapies that have shown a benefit for selected patients with advanced rectal cancer include Avastin® (bevacizumab), Erbitux® (cetuximab), and Vectibix® (panitumumab).
Managing Side Effects: Techniques designed to prevent or control the side effects of cancer and its treatments are called supportive care. Side effects not only cause patients discomfort, but also may prevent the delivery of therapy at its planned dose and schedule. In order to achieve optimal outcomes from treatment and improve quality of life, it is imperative that treatment is delivered as planned and that side effects resulting from cancer and its treatment are appropriately managed. For more information, go to Managing Side Effects.
Copyright © 2013 Omni Health Media Rectal Cancer Information Center. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:bee11c5b-1fd6-4d8c-9837-4c9b017c8b89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yourcancercare.com/types-of-cancer/rectal-cancer/stage-iii-rectal-cancer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941101 | 1,510 | 2.375 | 2 |
216650 - Keith G. Calkins
Haplogroup:Haplogroup I - Not Yet Assigned to a Lineage
- From an email dated, Sep 28, 2011 from Keith Calkins to Darlene Anderson - My father's mother's maternal grandfather was born 40 "miles" Swedish?) from Stockholm in 1815 and ran away to sea where he sailed the seven seas for 25 years. He became a US citizen by fighting for the US Navy during the Mexican War. He dog sledded across Penn., etc. to Michigan where he settled and married a women half his age (he was older than his mother-in-law) and then had 14 children---12 of whom have descendants. He used the name Charles Anderson but may have been born Bargdahl or his father was Johannes Pather Bargdahl. I am hoping this Y-DNA might give me further clues as to his origins. Only time will tell. | <urn:uuid:1fc20259-f8b9-460b-88a1-45de45c2e36f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~andersondna/groups/216650.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987051 | 195 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Allen West sums it up best:
Women in combat billets? Another misconceived lib vision of fairness and equality.
— Allen West (@AllenWest) January 24, 2013
White House press secretary Jay Carney said President Obama has believed for some time that women should be allowed to fight on the front lines and he supports the decision by military commanders to allow them in combat units.
“The president fully supports this effort to expand opportunities for women to serve in our armed forces,” Carney said. “As you know women are already serving in critical roles throughout our military. The president believes strongly that we should remove these unnecessary gender-based barriers to service.
“Despite the existence of these barriers, heretofore, as you know, women have fought and bled and died in Iraq and Afghanistan in uniform, and the president believes this is a very appropriate policy change.” | <urn:uuid:d0f5ccfa-3be9-4213-80a5-aa4d90d6356e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weaselzippers.us/2013/01/24/shocker-obama-backs-panettas-decision-to-lift-ban-on-women-serving-in-front-line-combat-units/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961794 | 183 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Reinventing Yourself For
Personal Success and Business Success
September 29, 2006
Your Comfort Zone Will Kill Your Passion:
Moving Into Uncharted Terrain
We all love to be comfortable. Don't we?
Comfort conjures in our minds an idyllic life replete with all the trappings of the good life. When we are in our comfort zones, we feel completely secure and are not afraid of challenges - for they don't exist.
Here at the apex of familiar surroundings, we are the rulers. Everyone and anything bow before us in humble servitude and awe. We want and get what we want without much effort. We can predict what tomorrow portends by just cutting and pasting today.
In our comfort zones, nothing moves, nothing shakes. All is quite and seemingly peaceful. No competition, no challenge, no need to exert ourselves! In a word, everything is 'cool', 'calm' and 'collected' - just the way we like it!
But we all know that life, especially in the business world, is far from being 'cool', 'calm' and 'collected'. With the fast-changing technologies and the rat race that characterize businesses today, it would be suicidal for a businessperson to sit on their laurels as though without a care in the world. To think, even for a moment, that we can sustain successful businesses by just 'sitting there' is, to say the least, a fallacy.
As business techniques continue to evolve with speed, businesspersons must likewise evolve by adapting new technologies, techniques, styles, etc.
What worked yesterday may not necessarily work today. The fact that your company has in the past employed certain strategies with tremendous success does not guarantee that the same strategies will yield similar results in the future. You should never be 'satisfied' with your achievements to the extent that you stop seeking ways to achieve an even better performance.
And this applies to our personal life too. The moment we become 'comfortable' and 'satisfied' with who we are and what we have, we kill the desire for improvement. However good you may be, you will always find that there are certain things you can do better.
Let us learn to embrace uncharted terrain, even when we feel like we don't measure up. When you venture into areas that others have given a wide berth, you become unique, a pioneer! Bill Gates could have opted to get a prime job with a blue chip firm anywhere in the world. This was the comfortable and rational thing to do. Instead, he opted to pursue a dream. Today he is living that dream! He decided to venture away from the mainstream thinking and way of doing things and instead started a company that has today made him the richest man on earth. Is he now 'cool', 'calm', and 'collected'? Not by a billion dollars! He is still reinventing himself and the multi-billion-dollar-company he put together from scratch. In that we can all agree that he is really cool - and damn rich too!
Do you want to live a full life? Extend your boundaries a little further from the 'comfortable'. And when you reach there, stretch them a little further still. In so doing, you will not only reinvent yourself and your business (whatever it is), but you will also contribute to making the world a better place for all!
You will also realize that you've got much more stuff in you than you thought you had. With this realization, you can now venture beyond the outer limits of 'convenience' and 'easy-go-lucky', and the God in you will arise and help you to move yet another mountain!
--- Written by Innocent Mwangi Gathungu
About the author: Innocent Mwangi is a motivational and inspirational writer and speaker. For more information and other articles like this one, visit his websites at http://www.realopportunity.org and at http://www.ssmk.net
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We invite you to submit a story/article/poem. | <urn:uuid:738dac24-1889-4a81-adde-2a860c9d013f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://motivateus.com/stories/business-success.htm | 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 | 0.943518 | 859 | 1.515625 | 2 |
SIGGRAPH Selects Renowned Artists For Live Los Angeles Program
Created 07/02/2008 - 00:00
SIGGRAPH announces the return of the Artists in Residence program to SIGGARPH 2008, taking place August 11-15 in Los Angeles, California. This program was first introduced in 2007 and will feature six established resident artists -- with backgrounds ranging from art and computer design to architecture and engineering -- collaborating together and with conference attendees in real time.
The Artists in Residence will have workspace integrated into the SIGGRAPH Studio, an open melting pot of scientists, researchers, artists, animators, and designers all collaborating using high-end workstations and cutting edge input/output computer technologies.
"Each of these artists comes from a different background that brings something unique to this live collaboration," said Phillip Carrizzi, SIGGRAPH Studio Chair from Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University. "When people think of 'art' they think of the finished product. This program provides a glimpse into the 'creation' of art through the eyes of six very talented individuals who are also interacting with the public during the creation process."
The high-caliber collection of artists was assembled by Richard Nelipovich, a designer, metalsmith, and educator who is an assistant professor of design at Indiana-Purdue University in Fort Wayne. Nelipovich recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship to study the history of craft and design at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.
This year's Artists in Residence are:
Ryan Buyssens -- An impending polymath working and teaching in the Bay Area, Ryan Buyssens is a sculptor and video artist. Buyssens is a graduate of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and currently teaches in Industrial Design and Architecture at the Academy of Art University. Recontextualizing what is common knowledge, his creations take a step in a direction that progress considers a dead end. He likes to explore the "what if" in the evolution of technology. Buyssens seeks out a departure from the logical path of invention and uses it as a branch that sprouts new possibilities. His work becomes a comment on logic and progress.
Dennis Dollens -- Dennis Dollens lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Barcelona, Spain where he teaches in the Biodigital Master Program at the school of architecture, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. He is the author of seven books, including DBA: Digital Botanic Architecture and the architectural comic book, A Pangolin's Guide to Biomimetics & Digital Architecture.
Myra Mimlitsch-Gray -- Myra Mimlitsch-Gray is Professor of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She received her MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1986, and her BFA from Philadelphia College of Art in 1984. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Individual Artist Fellowships from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation (1995), the National Endowment for the Arts (1994), and the New York Foundation for the Arts (1997, 2005).
Jenny E. Sabin -- Before completing her Master of Architecture degree at the University of Pennsylvania, Jenny E. Sabin was a practicing visual artist based in Seattle, Washington. Sabin currently teaches design studios and elective seminars within the graduate Department of Architecture at PennDesign, and is Director of CabinStudio, a research and design studio based in Philadelphia. Sabin is this year's recipient of the prestigious Upjohn research grant administered by the American Institute of Architects. She was an American Association of University Women Selected Professions Fellow from 2004-2005, and has exhibited at numerous galleries in Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, and Sydney.
Matt Shlian -- As a paper engineer Matt Shlian's work is rooted in print media, book arts, and commercial design. Shilian uses his engineering skills to create kinetic sculptures which have lead to collaborations with scientists at the University of Michigan. Shilian received his BFA from Alfred University in 2002, and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2006. He is currently working with scientists as a visiting research scholar at the University of Michigan and teaching at the School of Art and Design in Ann Arbor.
Peter Schmitt -- A graduate student in the Smart Cities research group at the MIT Media Lab, Peter Schmitt's work focuses on pushing the limits of digital fabrication techniques for applications ranging from car design to artistic production. Schmitt's interest in fabrication is based on his work at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Dusseldorf, Germany, where he earned a Diploma in Fine Arts in 2005. During this time he gathered various experiences building kinetic sculptures, computer controlled installations and he even automated his own art production by building a CNC milling machine from scratch. | <urn:uuid:7975413e-1f31-400a-b0e0-b8713bf151d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.awn.com/print/news/visual-effects/siggraph-selects-renowned-artists-live-los-angeles-program | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947088 | 994 | 1.6875 | 2 |
In a new opera, Damon Albarn explores the life of Dr John Dee, 16th-century mathematician and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I
Palace Theatre, Manchester International Festival, until 9 July
JOHN DEE, the 16th-century mathematician and occultist at the centre of Queen Elizabeth I's court, has inspired some of the world's greatest minds. Shakespeare evoked him as the enigmatic conjuror Prospero in The Tempest, while Christopher Marlowe created the power-hungry Doctor Faustus, who sold his soul to the devil for greater knowledge.
"Those are rather fantastical fictions," says Rufus Norris, who is directing a new opera about Dee written by Damon Albarn. "But sometimes the truth is far more interesting."
The opera, Dr Dee, which premieres at the Manchester International Festival in the UK this week, was conceived when festival organisers approached graphic novelist Alan Moore - who created V for Vendetta and From Hell - to work on ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content. | <urn:uuid:8451dcf9-e1e5-4165-8773-6f28ad5970ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128196.000-musical-life-of-elizabethan-mathematician-and-magician.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946746 | 228 | 2.4375 | 2 |
It's not what you know for sure that'll f### you up. It's what you know for sure that you're dead wrong about that'll f### you up every time.
Paraphrasing Ben Franklin late in life
A little story. When I was in my early twenties, I was listening to NPR, an interview. The interviewer asked a question, the interviewee said: "I have to be perfected candid with you," then went on in painful detail. I said "What a moron."
Stay with me here.
Two days later, a friend asked me a question I didn't wish to answer, so I said: "I think I'll be candid here." She leaned toward me, expecting more. I asked: "What?"
"You said you'd be candid. So be candid."
A heated argument ensued until finally I got the dictionary out to prove I was right, that candid meant 'hidden or withheld.'
I was dead, dead wrong. Yet, I was sure, dead sure, I was right. I even sought out a second dictionary, thinking somehow the dictionary was wrong.
Everything, that is everything I thought came into question. I was afraid to make a statement about anything. I got to using qualifiers for every statement I made.
"It appears to be..."
"Allow me to suggest..."
"At this moment, I believe..."
A few weeks later, I was watching out the window, snow dancing in the evening dark. A TV show from my childhood paraded in my mind. I recalled the opening credit, shot of a movie camera hidden in the bushes, the theme playing.."You're on candid camera..." ...the camera was hidden.
"f### me," I said to the snow and the wind pushing against the house. | <urn:uuid:6719e819-19a7-42e1-a230-746f45b68183> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981323498 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986971 | 371 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Sewing classes for the beginner to the advanced stitcher!
Saturday, March 16, 10 am-1 pm, $48
Instructor: Eden Dawn, fashion editor for Portland Monthly
Get the LINE on how to get coverage from bloggers, and the news media while learning the four basic tips for visibility. Eden will guide you though how to make contact with media and when they would like to hear from you. Then she’ll talk about how to get ready for your conversation through:
– L: Give your information a Local angle
– I: Think about how it will Impact the readers. In other words, why would they care?
– N: News means it is New. What is different about what you’re offering?
– E: Tell a story. Make your information Entertaining.
By the end of the class, you’ll learn who (and how) to contact in the media. You’ll know how to look at stories from the press’ point of view, how to recognize a news peg and put it first in your e-mail to your contacts, plus find out the things fashion writers don’t want. Most importantly, you’ll know how to see media as friends and colleagues.
We are sorry but registration for this class is now closed.
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See a list of all Portland Sewing classes
Learn to Sew - June 17, 2013
Kids & Teens Sewing - June 17, 2013
Apparel Construction - July 22, 2013
Summer Camps: Kids & Teens - July 23, 2013
Draping-Advanced - May 28, 2013
Pattern 4 (Knits & Stretch) - May 31, 2013
Patternmaking-Intro - June 5, 2013
Pattern Magic Patternmaking - June 11, 2013
Pattern grading & marking - June 29, 2013
2111 NE 43rd Ave.,
Phone: (503) 927-5457
1 block north of NE 43rd & Sandy
BUS: #12 bus,
MAX: 7 blocks from the Hollywood MAX station
Flats & Technical Packages - May 30, 2013
Fashion Design: Sketching & Illustration - June 15, 2013
Intermediate Sewing: Perfect Shirt - May 28, 2013
Petticoats - May 30, 2013
Sewing Activewear - May 31, 2013
Mad for Plaid - June 20, 2013
Swimwear - July 15, 2013 | <urn:uuid:d9a9e320-5f74-4fdb-b6f1-fd3e4638f3f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.portlandsewing.com/sewing/event-registration/?ee=93 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90661 | 529 | 1.703125 | 2 |
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Photo Credits: (Top Left) The Inscription Hill Site, part of Los Robles Archeological District, was documented as part of the multiple property submission, Hohokam Platform Mound Communities of the Lower Santa Cruz River Basin, ca AD 1050-1450 in Arizona. Photo by Helga Teiwes, courtesy of the Arizona State Museum.
(Top Right) Constructed 1889-1891, the Washington County Courthouse was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the County Courthouses of Nebraska multiple property submission. Photo by Barbara Beving Long.
(Bottom Left) The John Peace, Jr. House in Wilton, North Carolina, was documented as part of the multiple property submission, Historic and Architectural Resources of Granville County. Constructed ca. 1801, the house is significant as one of Granville County's "oldest and most unusually fashioned properties." Photo by Marvin A. Brown
(Bottom Right) The 1940 rustic kitchen shelter was included in the National Register of Historic Places nomination of Flandrau State Park as part of the multiple property submission, Minnesota State Park/CCC/WPA/Rustic Historic Resources. Located near New Ulm, Brown County, Minnesota, the Flandrau State Park is significant for its development during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. Photo by Rolf T. Anderson.
|National Register Home | Publications Home | | Next Page| | <urn:uuid:484cd2ec-0e73-4d6f-b63c-da40faac367b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb16b/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934134 | 314 | 2.265625 | 2 |
October is National Fire Prevention Month, a time when people all should be aware of ways to help learn fire safety and prevention, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fire and rescue departments in two Northeast Georgia counties are holding open houses the weekend of Oct. 11 and 12.
In Hart County, all eight fire stations will be open Sunday afternoon, so the public can stop by and meet local firefighters.
“We’re opening all of our fire houses to give citizens a chance to come by and see the trucks and equipment and meet their local firefighters,” said Hart County fire chief Jerry Byrum. “It’s important people meet the men and women who protect their community. We also have fire safety materials for people to pick up. It’s just a good way for the fire department to interact with the community.”
For one Hart County fire station, Station 3, the Goldmine Firehouse, Sunday is a special day.
Firefighters there are celebrating the station’s 30th anniversary.
The Carnesville emergency medical services in Franklin County will conduct an open house on Sunday at its new location on Lavonia Street.
The EMS operations once shared space with the Franklin County 911Center on Ga. 145 in Carnesville, but now EMS recently moved to its own, new facility. Franklin County EMS Director Terry Harris said officials are looking forward to showing it off to the public.
“We’ve just constructed a new headquarters in Carnesville, which we call Station 4,” Harris said. “We’re just opening it up for the public to come and see the new facility. We’ll also have free blood pressure and glucose checks as well.”
Both the Hart County fire station open houses and the Carnesville EMS open house will take place Sunday from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. | <urn:uuid:7af53e90-af71-4763-980b-b13ef3a843c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.independentmail.com/news/2008/oct/10/fire-and-rescue-departments-two-northeast-georgia-/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952218 | 389 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Obama Wants Debt Collection Calls To Cellphones
Aligning himself with the debt-collection industry prior to an election year could be dangerous say critics, but President Obama has now floated the idea of allowing debt-collection calls to be made to cellphones.
The plan is tucked inside the 3 trillion dollar debt reduction plan Obama presented to Congress. As soon as the plan was found inside the bill, howls is dismay came from numerous consumer advocate groups, and even major Democratic leaders are scurrying away from the President on this one. For some time, what are called “robo-calls” or computer generated calls to landlines to the purposes of debt collection. These calls pepper a number until someone answers, at which time the operator quickly jumps on the line. The Administration claims the robo calls to cellphones would only be used to collect money owed the Federal Government, especially in the form of student loans. But as Lauren Sanders of the National Consumer Law Center points out, a significant number of people are not paying back students loans because they cannot find a job. This also applies to those who have lost their jobs, and with consumer confidence down, unemployment flirting with double digit numbers, even Senior Democrats say they cannot support Obama on this one. Aides for Senators Schumer and Reid, who have been long time consumer advocates, will NOT confirm if they will support the president. Other anonymous sources say most Dems cannot support such a measure. the Federal Trade Commission already investigates tens of thousands of complaints from the debt collection industry already, and this would add more. Critics also doubt whether such a practice would result in more Federal money actually coming in; rather, it will result in a political backlash for a president already viewed by many as being insensitive to the plight of the average American. Critics also view the heavily penalized debt collection industry as playing the President for their own purposes. | <urn:uuid:032038ab-cc76-44f7-948f-7480a1b4fc42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newstalk870.am/obama-wants-debt-collection-calls-to-cellphones/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960084 | 381 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Have you ever been on a group ride or organized event and felt like a salmon swimming up stream? All overlapping wheels, riders passing on the right, pressure to roll the light so as not to be left behind or otherwise be in a messy, unorganized school of bikes piled up at the stop light?
You’ve probably seen this behavior in action and it doesn’t feel right or safe. The Cascade Bicycle Club continually strives to remedy this situation by providing ride leaders and new riders with training that addresses these issues in order to create a safer environment for our daily rides and event participants.
Enter the Group Riding Skills clinic or GeaRs. This clinic teaches cyclists the skills to do group rides and big events more safely. Riders will learn techniques such as: how to rank up at traffic lights, how to re-group and practice good group communications in addition to some Ride Smart Tips and practical on-bike skills practice.
This Saturday, Cascade Ride Leaders and Ride Refs will take the GeaRS clinic to prepare for Chilly Hilly and the upcoming riding season. Ride Leaders and Ride Refs model courteous behavior (as well as keeping an eye on the whole school), in addition to honing skills such as shepherding a group through intersections in an orderly way, moving cyclists safely down the road in large or small groups and hazard avoidance maneuvers — all of which create a safer environment for event riders and other road users we encounter.
Then, on Saturday, March 6, we’ll host a specially priced GeaRS – Group Riding Skills clinic for cyclists who want to participate in the upcoming CTS-Cascade Training Series. There is still plenty of time to sign up, and for just $35 $15. GeaR up and have a great – and safer – ride! | <urn:uuid:49d6b282-bdc5-4611-b6fc-9cb4b8b6a561> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.cascade.org/2010/02/riding-big-events-this-year-time-to-switch-gears/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941959 | 370 | 1.617188 | 2 |
I remember the crisp fall day of September 11th, 2001 like it was yesterday. I was sitting in my photography class learning about Sandy Skoglund. A teacher came casually walking into our room to notify us of the news that he had heard just 10 minutes earlier. Not thinking anything of it, it just seemed like any other day in the life of America. Little did I know, it would be the first time I ever felt threatened in the powerhouse that is the good ol’ US of A.
I walked home, since I couldn’t drive, yet. I lived a brisk 30 minute walk away from where I went to high school, so it was no big deal. I was particularly excited about going home since it meant I didn’t have to sit through the rest of the day in boring classes. What was even more exciting was that my dad who normally works a 9-5 job, had taken the day off. I had every expectation of finding him in the yard with a shovel in one hand and mulch in the other. However, when I reached my house, I didn’t see any signs of him. Thinking it was odd that he’d be inside on a 65 degree day (his ideal temperature), I walked in the door and plopped my bags down. As I headed toward the fridge for a snack, I noticed something odd. I saw a note that read:
I’ve headed to work. I packed my backs, don’t know when I’ll be back.
With my father being an Active Duty Military Officer, I started to panic. Maybe this news bit that I heard about earlier in the day really was a big deal? I would slowly realize that our nation was under attack. I flipped through the television channels to find every major network featuring the same story: “America Under Attack.”
It turned out to be one of the most horrific attacks on our nation, but we didn’t let that stop us from persevering. Never had I seen such patriotism from individuals in our country until the days following the attacks. Virtually every car in America had a bumper sticker commemorating 9/11 in some way or another. It was a very chilling time in America’s history.
Seven years later, we commemorate September 11th as Patriot Day.
Where were you on September 11th, 2001? | <urn:uuid:98b7863d-ca15-4a47-894e-79b3dd61e182> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://refineddesigner.wordpress.com/tag/patriotism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988291 | 492 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Boris Yeltsin's Life in Politics
1961 -- Joins Communist Party of the Soviet Union at relatively late age of 30, attracted by reforms of Nikita Khrushchev.
1976 -- Named top party official of his native Sverdlovsk region east of the Ural Mountains.
1985 -- Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev brings Yeltsin to Moscow, puts him in charge of construction for the nation and names him party chief for Moscow (in effect, the city's mayor).
October 1987 -- Gorbachev, behind closed doors at Communist Party Central Committee meeting, accuses Yeltsin of acting out of personal ambition for complaining about slow pace of economic reforms.
November 1987 -- Yeltsin fired as Moscow party chief and hospitalized with heart condition.
February 1988 -- Dropped from Politburo.
March 1989 -- In stunning comeback, Yeltsin elected to Moscow's at-large seat in the Congress of People's Deputies, the new Soviet parliament.
September 1989 -- Newspapers report Yeltsin drinks heavily during first U.S. visit. Aides blame jet lag and sleeping pills for his unsteadiness.
May 1990 -- Federation parliament elects Yeltsin president of the Russian republic.
July 1990 -- Yeltsin quits Communist Party.
June 1991 -- Yeltsin is elected president of the Soviet Republic of Russia in the republic's first direct, popular presidential election.
August 18-21, 1991 -- Hard-liners attempt a coup against Gorbachev, the Soviet president, putting him under house arrest. Standing on tank outside the Russian parliament, Yeltsin denounces "traitors" and rallies crowds against them. Coup collapses, and Yeltsin emerges as the country's most powerful and popular politician.
December 8, 1991 -- Yeltsin and Gorbachev agree to dissolve the Soviet Union. Yeltsin and leaders of Belarus and Ukraine declare new Commonwealth of Independent States.
December 25, 1991 -- Gorbachev resigns in televised address, turns over nuclear codes to Yeltsin.
January 1992 -- Yeltsin begins to dismantle 75 years of Communism, wiping out state subsidies on all but basic goods. Later he privatizes numerous industries, drops honor guard at Lenin's Tomb in Red Square and closes Lenin Museum.
January 1993 -- Yeltsin and U.S. President George Bush sign START II (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) that commits each country to cut nuclear arsenals by one-third within 10 years and to eliminate all land-based multiple-warhead missiles.
September 1993 -- Yeltsin dissolves parliament and declares new elections. Parliamentary leaders resist the decree and name Vice President Alexander Rutskoi as the acting head of state.
October 1993 -- Hard-line Communists and right-wing nationalists attempt a coup, but Russian army units loyal to Yeltsin overthrow the rebellious legislators and arrest its main leaders, Rutskoi and Rusian Khasbulatov, parliament speaker.
December 1993 -- Yeltsin is given sweeping powers in a new constitution approved by Russian voters. The constitution also guarantees private property, free enterprise and individual rights.
August 1994 -- After a champagne lunch in Germany, Yeltsin appears in public. He stumbles, blows kisses to a crowd, sings boisterously and leads a band, bringing attention to his drinking again.
December 1994 -- Yeltsin sends troops into Chechnya to quash independence bid.
July 1995 -- Yeltsin hospitalized with heart disease; sets parliamentary elections for December 1995.
October 1995 -- Yeltsin again hospitalized with heart disease.
December 1995 -- Communists win big in parliamentary elections.
July 1996 -- Yeltsin wins re-election as president of the Russian Federation, despite disappearing from public view in the final weeks of campaigning. After the election, he cancels a meeting with U.S. Vice President Al Gore and remains out of public view. Aides cite a sore throat.
August 1996 -- Yeltsin looks tired while taking oath of office. Aides say he will take long vacation.
September 1996 -- Yeltsin's doctor says the president suffered a heart attack in June or July.
November 1996 -- Yeltsin undergoes quintuple heart surgery after temporarily transferring power to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.
January 1997 -- Yeltsin is hospitalized with double pneumonia shortly after returning to work. He remains away for several weeks.
March 1998 -- Yeltsin sacks the government of Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and appoints Sergei Kiriyenko -- a 35-year-old banker relatively unknown to the West -- as new prime minister. The lower house of parliament, the State Duma, approves him one month later, but only after it is threatened with dissolution.
August 1998 -- Yeltsin ousts Kiriyenko days after his Cabinet defaulted on some debts and devalued the national currency, setting off an economic crisis. Yeltsin proposes reinstating Chernomyrdin.
September 1998 -- With the country's economic crisis worsening and the ruble nearly in collapse, Yeltsin sacks the entire Kiriyenko government. He nominates Viktor Chernomyrdin as prime minister, but the Duma rejects him. Finally, former Soviet spymaster and veteran foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov is named premier as a compromise choice.
October 1998 -- Yeltsin says little about the economic crisis and rarely appears in public. He cancels, or cuts short, several trips abroad and enters a rest home to recuperate from what is described as high blood pressure and exhaustion.
February 1999 -- Parliamentary panel sends five impeachment charges against Yeltsin to full house for debate.
May 1999 -- Eight months after his appointment as prime minister, Primakov is fired. Yeltsin wants close ally Sergei Stepashin to replace Primakov. Bid fails in the Duma to begin impeachment hearings.
August 1999 -- Yeltsin suddenly fires Stepashin without citing reason. He names Vladimir Putin prime minister. Yeltsin says Putin, who was head of the Federal Security Service and a former KGB officer, is his preferred successor in the presidential election set for March 2000.
September 30, 1999 -- Russia again sends ground troops into Chechnya.
December 31, 1999 -- Asking forgiveness for his mistakes, Yeltsin announces his resignation, six months before the end of his term, and says elections will be held in 90 days for a new president. Moments after assuming the post of acting president, in addition to prime minister, Putin signs a decree offering Yeltsin immunity from prosecution, a lifetime pension, a government country home and bodyguards and medical care for him and his family.
Back to the top | <urn:uuid:f5d8f532-db2f-425b-8d88-14ba9ac3116f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/yeltsin/stories/timeline/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92323 | 1,378 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Linda Lucas, Ph.D., dean of UAB’s School of Engineering since 2000, has been named interim provost.
“Linda is an energetic and innovative leader,” said UAB President Carol Garrison. “She has been a driving force for the growth and excellence of our engineering programs; she has the respect of her colleagues and a heart for student success; and she has deep institutional knowledge of UAB and our community. I know she will do a great job.”
Garrison said a national search for a permanent provost will begin soon. Lucas’ appointment is effective May 18.
Lucas joined the UAB faculty in 1982 as an assistant professor. She was named department chair of biomedical engineering in 1995. She holds joint appointments in several UAB university-wide Centers, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and departments within the School of Dentistry.
She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and chemistry from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from UAB. She has master’s degrees in mathematics, education and materials engineering from UAB. She earned her doctorate from UAB in biomedical engineering with an emphasis in biomaterials.
Lucas is a past-president of the Society for Biomaterials and the Biomedical Engineering Society. She is a Fellow in the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineers and an International Fellow of the Society for Biomaterials. | <urn:uuid:3d293880-a9a0-4d2e-981c-1c43b60e56d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uab.edu/news/reporter/people/item/1246-linda-lucas-named-interim-provost-of-uab | 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 | 0.967922 | 302 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Yesterday I got a good question from a reader. His email was too long to paste in full, but the gist of the question was that he was trying to do a lot of self improvement stuff at once, and his attention seemed to be too spread to really made a big impact in any one area. How do I manage to make a lot of progress, he asked?
Over the past dozen years or more I've tackled a huge number of self improvement projects. Not all of them have been complete successes, of course, but generally I've been satisfied with my progress. Through that time I've come to classify these projects into three different categories, which helps me coordinate them all.
The first category of self improvement projects are instant changes, which I wrote about here. These are mainly habits that binary, meaning that whether or not you're doing them is very easily measured. Either you're waking up early in the morning or you're not, either you're smoking or you're not, either you're eating healthy or you're not. The process of tackling these sorts of improvements is easy-- you come up with a compelling reason why you MUST switch ("If I don't quit smoking, I will die ten years early and miss seeing my grandchildren") and then you just do it. We have a natural inclination to draw these things out and make them into big deals, tapering them and scheduling them, but I find it much easier to just start now and do it completely. The biggest changes I've made in this category are waking up early, always being on time, and not eating unhealthy food.
When attempting instant changes, do one at a time unless two are complementary. For example, you could quit soda AND sugary food since they're related, but I wouldn't try qutting sugary food and waking up early at the same time. Will power is a strong force and can be harnessed for really impactful permanent change, but it works best with its attention undivided. So make a big instant change, wait 20-30 days or so until it's effortless (possibly more for some habits) and then move on to the next one.
The second category is long term gradual change. Here I'm talking about lifelong bodies of knowledge that you accumulate which end up shaping you, or personality characteristics that you develop over a lifetime. The distinguishing feature of these changes isn't that they MUST be done over a lifetime, but simply that they can be. A great example might be financial habits.
While you could tackle small subsets of the problem as instant changes ("I will save and invest $500 every month!"), the real benefit comes from a lifetime of learning and gradual improvement. Other examples would be conversation skills, optimism, or physical fitness. Multiple long term changes can be done concurrently because they don't require too much focus. If you read one book a month about conversation skills and related topics, and keep some of what you learn in mind while you go through your everyday life, you'll become a better conversationalist as you age.
Despite long term gradual changes being the least glamorous of the changes, I think that they might be the most important. Although all three categories are applicable, the post I wrote about always getting better is mainly about these sorts of changes.
The last category is focused change. In my life these tend to be short or medium term projects. Focused change projects are things like learning a language, learning to program, and learning pickup. You can tell that something is a focused change project and not a gradual change project when you realize that you won't get anywhere unless you go really hard on it for some period of time. One Italian tape a week for three years will leave you never speaking Italian, but doing ninety tapes in ninety days will leave you with a lifetime of SOME understanding and speaking Italian.
Most people, especially those who are really into self improvement, will try to do many focused change projects at once. I've tried this too, but it doesn't really work. In my experience, the best strategy is to have one and only one focused change project at a time. Always be working on something, but never work on more than one. From February to March this year, mine was pickup. Then I quit that and started taking violin lessons. Once I got to where I wanted to be in violin, I stopped that and started working on learning Chinese. If I had tried to do all three of these things at once, I doubt I would have gotten anywhere. Instead I focus on one at a time, switch it to gradual improvement once I've developed a base competency, and then focus on the next one.
When you use this three-tiered system, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time. In the past five months, while I brushed up on my pickup skills, learned to play the violin, and started to redevelop my Chinese, I also made several instant changes. I began waking up early (7:20am with no alarm today), being on time to everything, using a todo list, drinking tea every morning, flossing every night, taking vitamins every day, reaching out to one person every day, tracking my time, reading every day, and analyzing my day every night. For long term gradual changes, I've read several books on conversation, continued to practice poker, begun to read some fiction to train my mind to write fiction, become a better programmer, learned to cook a few new things, learned a few handyman skills, and become a better motorcycle rider.
Humans have an incredible capacity for self improvement, but unless it's coordinated properly and kept on pace, we risk overloading ourselves or slacking off completely. By understanding the three speeds of self improvement we can tackle a lot at once and lock in permanent changes as we move along.
Photo is a Chinese flash card. I've actually switched to Japanese since writing this, since I'll be going there in a few months.
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Uganda’s new anti-homosexuality law currently on the table,
before Parliament, is an especially vicious piece of legislation that seeks to
impose life imprisonment and the death penalty upon those who are involved
in “homosexual crimes.”. In this
era of growing rights, in the United States, for LGBT individuals, one may be
excused for thinking that laws like the one in Uganda are completely unrelated
to the Christian, religious right in the U.S., responsible in large part for the
onslaught of attacks against LGBT equal rights in this country. However,
according to “Globalizing the Culture
Wars”, a new report produced by Political Research Associates and released
today, laws like the one in Uganda can be seen as the direct result of a campaign by United States neoconservative
religious groups to use Africa as another player in the culture wars they have
fomented on American soil for many years.
After a rigorous 16-month research and on-the-ground
investigative period, Zambian Anglican priest Kapya Kaoma, author of the PRA
report, found that U.S. conservatives are working in collusion with African
clerics (specifically, the report focuses on Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya.), in
three denominations (The Episcopal Church, The United Methodist Church and The
Presbyterian Church), to counter any progress mainline U.S. churches are
working towards, around LGBT issues, as well as to stir increased homophobia in Africa.
What “LGBT issues” are we talking about?
According to the report, American conservatives, by
involving African clerics in these three countries, have managed to almost
completely halt recognition by these churches of the full equality of LGBT
individuals in the U.S. including the ordination of LGBT clergy. But, of course,
this crusade by U.S. conservatives is having even more dire consequences on
African soil, leading to a growing and increasingly violent homophobia
throughout Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya; violence that is typified in the Ugandan
bill before Parliament.
The campaign uses many tactics to engage African clerics to
help carry out their anti-gay agenda including presenting churches’ commitments
to human rights as “imperialistic” and reminiscent of colonialism, ie,
homosexuality is purely a Western-imposed phenomenon. One of the leaders in
this fight is the arch-conservative Institute for Religion and Democracy (IRD).
The IRD, maybe unsurprisingly, opposed African liberation struggles, says the
report, and works ceaselessly against
civil rights for LGBT individuals in the United States. They, along with
other U.S. based religious institutions, have provided financial incentives to
African clergy in return for strong support of their anti-gay agenda.
Of course, the IRD is by far the only player in these global
culture wars. From the report:
Conservative U.S. evangelicals play a strong role in
promoting homophobia in Africa by spreading their views and underwriting the
widespread conservative educational, social service, and financial
infrastructure. Right-wing groups have enticed African religious leaders to
reject funding from mainline denominations – which require documentation of how
the money is spent – and instead to accept funds form conservatives. This money
usually goes to individual bishops without accountability or oversight for how
it is used.
The truth is that Conservative leaders in this country, like
Pastor Rick Warren, have put tremendous effort into cultivating relationships
with African clerics who can help further their strong anti-gay agenda, while
simultaneously contributing to the vicious homophobia in African nations.
Pastor Warren has strong ties to Pastor Martin Ssempa, a conservative, religious
leader in Uganda who has been the recipient of PEPFAR funds (the U.S. AIDS plan
which distributes funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment) and is
extremely vocal and active about his homophobic beliefs. There are many
churches in Uganda, and other African nations, that are the direct recipients
of U.S. federal funding via PEPFAR, used to implement clear religious agendas
(vocally supported by Pastor Warren) such as requirements for spending a share of funding on
According to the blog Box Car Bulletin, Pastor Ssempa
played a “prominent role” in the (false) accusations that a Ugandan megachurch
pastor named Robert Kayanja was gay. These accusations led to the kidnap and
torture of one of Kayanja’s personal aides.
In Jeff Sharlet’s book, “The
Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power” (named for a clandestine organization of hard-core U.S.
fundamentalist leaders Sharlet uncovers and infiltrates), this highly secretive
organization calls Ugandan President Museveni, the man under whose watch the
insidious, horrific anti-gay Ugandan legislation has been offered, “their man in Uganda” and “a good
friend” of The Family.
The blog Truth Wins Out reports
that, “In March [of 2009], American anti-gay activists traveled to Uganda for a
conference that pledged to “wipe out” homosexuality. Seven months later, a draconian bill has
been introduced that pledges to make good on this threat.”
Kaoma implores readers to take action knowing now the clear
connection between American religious leaders and the hateful on-the-ground
results in Africa:
We need to stand up against the U.S. Christian Right
peddling homophobia in Africa," said Kaoma, who in recent weeks asked U.S.
evangelist Rick Warren to denounce the bill and distance himself from its
supporters. "I heard church people in Uganda say they would go door to
door to root out LGBT people and now our brothers and sisters are being
further targeted by proposed legislation criminalizing them and threatening
them with death. The scapegoating must stop.
There is a web of entanglement between U.S. evangelicals,
fundamentalists, conservatives and African clergy that exists to maintain a
power structure and a severe homophobic agenda that serves these hard-core
religious groups. The report ends with a list of recommendations that includes
exposing and confronting U.S. religious conservatives (like Pastor Rick Warren)
who foment homophobia in Africa, exposing the financial ties between African
conservatives and various American institutions (like our very own federal
government), and maybe most importantly supporting African activists and
scholars to lead the struggle for LGBT rights and the study of sexuality in
The U.S. neo-conservative movement is working tirelessly to
push a religious agenda in Africa that serves their own purposes. As we
continue the fight for LGBT rights in our own country, the report reminds us
that it is critical we use our peripheral vision to see the bigger picture if
we are to truly win the war against religious evangelicalism’s homophobia, and
not just individual battles. | <urn:uuid:564187b4-57c9-41e5-9b25-ba1141709aad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2009/11/18/globalizing-the-culture-wars/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939346 | 1,491 | 1.710938 | 2 |
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Resembling or characteristic of rushes; rushlike.
- adj. Abounding in rushes: a rushy marsh.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Abounding with rushes.
- Made of rushes.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Abounding with rushes.
- adj. Made of rushes.
- adj. abounding in rushes
- rush + -y (Wiktionary)
“The eldest had drained a small field, which used to be called the rushy field, from its having been quite covered with rushes.”
“There was no "rushy" side effects, just a little bit of energy.”
“Suddenly half a dozen cows burst out of the ruin where they had been sheltering from the sun; heads forward and tails held high, they galloped off across the rushy ground, shocked at my appearance.”
“Low ground, protected from high tides by an embankment, is rushy, waterlogged and puddled with rainwater and runoff.”
“All this relaxes the first-time wanderer on these slopes, ill-prepared for the horror of what is to come further north – the ill-drained, rushy moor between Hayes farm and Spout farm, a hellish concoction of tussock-islands surrounded by standing, peaty water.”
“I thinky Ricpic has a little crushy rushy on the titustutudancearabasque.”
“And the town being pretty well all wall, guard-house, gateway, sentry-box, drawbridge, reedy ditch, and rushy dike, the town was pretty well all soldiers.”
“All the livelong day the search went on; upon the river, with barge and pole, and drag and net; upon the muddy and rushy shore, with jack – boots, hatchet, spade, rope, dogs, and all imaginable appliances.”
“From velveteens to dimities is barely a fivefinger span and hence these camelback excesses are thought to have been instigated by one or either of the causing causes of all, those rushy hollow heroines in their skirtsleeves, be she ma-gretta be she the posque.”
“‘Then turn to-night, and freely share Whate’er my cell bestows; My rushy couch, and frugal fare, My blessing and repose.”
‘rushy’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
Looking for tweets for rushy. | <urn:uuid:95bc7eb9-e0bc-4d25-86ac-ab16f58df31a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wordnik.com/words/rushy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922348 | 580 | 2.96875 | 3 |
- Tokyo; 35,327,000
- 377,887 square kilometers (145,902 square miles)
- Shinto, Buddhist
- Life Expectancy:
- GDP per Capita:
- U.S. $28,700
- Literacy Percent:
Japan Facts Flag
Japan, a country of islands, extends along the Pacific coast of Asia. The main island is Honshu, and the country has three other large islands—Hokkaido to the north and Shikoku and Kyushu to the south. More than 4,000 smaller islands surround the four largest. A modern transportation system connects the main islands, including the Seikan Tunnel linking Honshu to Hokkaido—the world's longest railroad tunnel at 54 kilometers (33 miles). Japan's high-speed trains (known as shinkansen, or bullet trains) connect major urban areas.
About 73 percent of Japan is mountainous, and all its major cities, except the ancient capital of Kyoto, cling to narrow coastal plains. Only an estimated 18 percent of Japan's territory is suitable for settlement—so Japan's cities are large and densely populated. Tokyo, the capital, is the planet's largest urbanized area at 36 million. However, Tokyo has a worrisome environmental history of destructive earthquakes and tsunamis (seismic sea waves). A major earthquake in 1923 killed an estimated 143,000 people.
One of the most traditional and isolated societies on Earth when Commodore Matthew C. Perry sailed an American fleet into Tokyo Bay in 1853, Japan is democratic and outward-looking today. Among the top three exporters of manufactured goods, the nation has the second largest economy after that of the U.S.
Aggressive expansion across the Pacific led to war with the U.S. in 1941. Defeat ended Japan's dream of ruling Asia, and the U.S. occupation imposed a parliamentary constitution, free labor unions, and stringent land reform. Despite a lack of raw materials, the economy was revived with the help of U.S. grants, high rates of labor productivity, personal savings, and capital investment.
Emperor Hirohito's death in 1989 marked the start of an era in which Japan faces the challenges of an aging population, rising inequality of wealth, the changing role of women in society, and growing concern about security and the environment. However, Japan's economy has been experiencing continued growth after the financial crisis of the 1990s. A global powerhouse, Japan takes its place as the world's second largest economy.
Relations with North Korea are tense because of that country's nuclear weapons program and its abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. Japan's ties with Russia are hampered because of some small islands east of Hokkaido known as the Northern Territories—the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunishiri, and Etorofu (called Iturup by Russia). Japan still claims these Russian-held islands that were taken at the end of World War II.
- Industry: Motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals
- Agriculture: Rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork; fish
- Exports: Motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals
—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition
From Kyoto to Uganda, Raja Ampat to Memphis, 20 wildly diverse places make our wanderlust list for the new year.
Worlds away from fast-forward Tokyo, the island of Shikoku preserves time-honored traditions and country hospitality.
In a nation as culturally rich as Japan, it can be hard to know how to spend your time there. Here are ten of our favorite things to do.
Shop National Geographic | <urn:uuid:b5d30d10-fb79-4aa3-a8c3-8c64bed2cf79> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/japan-facts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924363 | 771 | 3.25 | 3 |
02 Jan 2013, BioSpectrum Bureau , BioSpectrum
New Delhi: India's Himachal Pradesh High Court has asked the state government to establish a committee of experts in order to formulate uniform guidelines for regulating minimum retail prices of essential drugs. The court also asked the medicine retailers to display a comparative list of the medicines with prices for the benefit of the patients.
A division bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjay Karol passed the order, stating that, "We direct the principal health secretary, health, government of Himachal Pradesh, to constitute a committee for this by January 31, 2013. We hope that such committee can give its recommendations by March 15, 2013."
The decision was made by the bench on a petition filed by Mr Amandeep Chauhan, a local citizen seeking to make essential drugs available to the patients at reasonable prices. A 13-member committee of experts including doctors of the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, and the Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, Kangra district, was established for seeking guidance on availability and identification of cheap medicines, which could be sold at the retail shops including those run by Roji Kalyana Samitis.
The court also issued notices to the state government and Baddi-based pharma companies to file a reply stating what steps they were taking to ensure that drugs were available at the minimum costs. | <urn:uuid:e0ebddf5-4e64-465f-9acf-410b506fe724> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biospectrumasia.com/print_article/biospectrum/news/155106/indian-court-hp-govt-regulate-drug-prices | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964167 | 288 | 1.609375 | 2 |
common name for a variety of small game birds related to the partridge, pheasant, and more distantly to the grouse. There are three subfamilies in the quail family: the New World quails; the Old World quails and partridges; and the true pheasants and seafowls. No species of New World quail is migratory, but some Old World quail represent the only migratory species of the order. The migratory quail of Eurasia has been known for its phenomenal migrations since biblical times. Quails have high reproductive potentials, with 12 to 15 eggs laid per clutch. The nests are built on the ground in vegetation. The female does the major portion of incubation and rearing. Quails are extremely popular game birds. The Old World quail has never been naturalized in America; in the central and S United States the bobwhite
, Colinus virginianus,
is commonly called quail (or partridge). The helmet and plumed quails, named for their crests, the Gambel's quail, and the valley and scaled quails are all western birds. They eat harmful insects and seeds and travel in flocks called coveys. Quails are classified in the phylum Chordata
, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Galliformes, family Phasianidae.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press | <urn:uuid:6342d33a-8180-4d17-8535-45b575e2e693> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reference.com/browse/quail | 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 | 0.950212 | 304 | 3.40625 | 3 |
Bronchitis is caused by inflammation of the mucus membrane, which lines the bronchial tubes inside the lungs. Bronchitis narrows the airways and causes coughing. It can be caused by bacterial or viral infections. Bronchitis can be influenced by factors such as toxin accumulation, diet, digestion, and stress and exercise levels.
Designing a healthy diet for bronchitis includes increasing your intake of organic fruits and vegetables. This will provide the essential nutrients required by the body and help you avoid chronic bronchitis.Strawberries should be a key component of a diet plan for bronchitis patients. Strawberries are rich in potassium and sodium and contain calcium, iron, copper, manganese, sodium, and phosphorus. The vitamin C content of strawberries is higher than that of citrus fruits. They also contain vitamin B6, vitamin E, and A.
Increasing your intake of fatty acids may help reduce the inflammation of bronchitis. Walnuts and cold water fish are rich in fatty acids. Fatty acid supplements can be added to a diet plan for bronchitis. Consult a physician if you suspect a deficiency in your diet.
You may be at risk of dehydration if you have bronchitis. Drink lots of water to help the body flush out accumulated toxins. Juicy fruits like grapes, oranges, apples, and strawberries should be part of a healthy diet for bronchitis. A healthy, nutritious diet will keep the body’s defense mechanisms strong.
Minimizing oxidants from burnt or fried food and maximizing the intake of antioxidants like vitamins E and C is considered the best diet for bronchitis. Smoking acts as a source of oxidants and those with bronchitis should quit smoking. Smoking irritates the bronchial tubes and lowers their resistance to infection. A bronchitis diet high in antioxidants can help prevent bronchitis in the future. Berries, broccoli, spinach, and carrots are rich in antioxidants and should be included in a diet for bronchitis.
Not all home remedies work for everyone with bronchitis. You may need to try different things and find out what works the best for you. An all fruit diet for five to seven days, followed by a balanced diet is recommended for those with chronic bronchitis. Include seeds, nuts, grains, and raw vegetables in your diet plan. An emulsion of almonds is said to be beneficial. Spinach and onions can also be included in a diet for bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis hinders the proper digestion of food. Older patients with bronchitis should have small meals at frequent intervals.
© Newsmax. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:0142c020-1a1a-4fdd-945c-a32f8de4a834> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/bronchitis-dietdiet-for-bronchitisbest-diet-for-bronchitisdiet-plan-for-bronchitis/2010/09/22/id/371199 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909715 | 544 | 3.53125 | 4 |
10442_000_006A Tongan teenager talks about good reasons for guardrails.
The beauty and power of the Mapu ‘a Vaea blowholes in Tonga is amazing. As the surf crashes into this three-mile (4.8 km) stretch of coastline on the island of Tongatapu, it enters hundreds of openings in the volcanic rock that shoot the water up as high as 60 feet (18 m) into the air.
Saane F., age 16, loves the beauty of the place—the way the sun and the spray dance together with every wave.
But nature’s power can be dangerous as well as beautiful. Visitors who wander too close, whether out of curiosity or because of the thrill, have been caught off guard by the power of the waves and, unable to escape the current, pulled out to sea.
The dangerous side of Mapu ‘a Vaea offers a spiritual warning about the power of temptation—particularly with regard to sexual purity. The power to create life is beautiful when the proper boundaries are observed, but if we allow temptation to lure us from safe ground, we can be swept away.
Understanding Why Chastity Matters
On the day her sister was married in the Nuku‘alofa Tonga Temple, Saane could see her happiness. “It made me want to be worthy to be married there someday,” Saane says.
However, Satan will try to keep that from happening for any of us. He has already convinced many that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is acceptable and without consequences. But misusing the power God has provided to create life is a serious sin that can cause spiritual, emotional, and physical harm.1
“Satan is trying so hard to stop us from returning home to our Heavenly Father,” Saane says. “If I’m not careful to keep the law of chastity, I may lose the opportunity to be married in the temple.”
Honoring God’s Guardrails
To help visitors enjoy the beauty of Mapu ‘a Vaea safely, the Tongan government has placed guardrails in certain areas.
Saane believes Heavenly Father has provided guardrails—or standards—to keep us from falling to temptation. Church leaders, the scriptures, and For the Strength of Youth all set clear boundaries that, if observed, will help keep us safe. Above all, following the promptings of the Holy Ghost will keep us on safe ground.
“Some people ignore the Lord’s guardrails,” she says. “They don’t understand the consequences, or they think they can avoid them. Leaping from the cliff may feel like flying, but the ground is always there.”
Setting Our Own Guardrails
In matters of sexual purity, seeing how far we can lean over the guardrail is a sure way to fall. The closer we allow ourselves to get to inappropriate sexual intimacy, the more difficult it becomes to resist its enticement.
Because the Church can’t spell out how to act in every situation, Saane has created her own guardrails by deciding ahead of time how to apply gospel standards to the circumstances she is likely to face.
She has created a poster that lists nine promises to herself and to her Heavenly Father that act as her personal guardrails, including the kind of people she will date, clothing she will wear, and language she will use. Other personal guardrails could include deciding how to avoid viewing, reading, or listening to anything that can arouse sexual feelings.2
“Setting my standards high will help keep me safe,” Saane says.
Returning to Safe Ground
Like those who get caught in the rushing waters at Mapu ‘a Vaea, those who give in to temptation are in a dangerous place. The powerful grasp of sexual sin can be difficult to escape—but it is possible with the help of the Savior and His servants.
In the end, whether one has never left safe ground or has made the difficult way back to it, staying there is the goal. Honoring the Lord’s guardrails and understanding how to apply them to our personal circumstances will prepare us to enjoy the beautiful power God has granted us—at the appropriate time and in the appropriate way.
“Above all else, I am looking forward to being married in the temple,” Saane says. “I know that if I keep the commandments, including the law of chastity, I will be worthy to receive the blessings I’m dreaming of.”
Watch a related video, “Chastity: What Are the Limits?” at lds.org/go/22C
To view a video and additional photos of Mapu ‘a Vaea, visit lds.org/go/22D.
A Glimpse of Celestial Joy
“Let there be a temple marriage in your future. There is no scene so sweet, no time so sacred. … Then and there you glimpse celestial joy. Be alert; do not permit temptation to rob you of this blessing.”
President Thomas S. Monson, “Be Thou an Example,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2005, 113. | <urn:uuid:d4735384-c2b8-4961-95eb-4b93e8a549a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lds.org/new-era/2012/02/dont-be-swept-away?lang=eng | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946232 | 1,107 | 2.1875 | 2 |
A best before date (BBD) is only required by law on all food products with a shelf life of less than 90 days. Products with a shelf life of over 90 days will most likely have a production code. A production code would be typically found on shelf stable or frozen products. Production code formats may vary between products, plants and/or manufacturing lines. To locate the production code, look for any series of numbers or letters on the outside package. They can take on many different forms, such as ink jetted, stickered, embossed, etc. Some products may carry both a best before date and a production code.
The following chart outlines how to read different formats of production codes on various products we produce:
How to Read a Production Code
How to Interpret a Julian Code | <urn:uuid:531245f2-02ee-4dc9-94ff-bc9aa9ada722> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mapleleaffoods.com/en/corporate/contact-us/faqs/all/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915608 | 163 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Troops Exposed to Hidden Caffeine in Supplements, Study Says
Credit: Elena Elisseeva | Dreamstime
Soldiers who take dietary supplements in hopes of enhancing their performance may unknowingly expose themselves to high levels of caffeine that could cause more harm than good, a new study says.
Researchers tested caffeine levels in some popular supplements sold on military bases, including sports supplements and multivitamins, and found that many product labels inaccurately listed the amount of caffeine in the supplement. What’s more, some labels listed caffeine as an ingredient, but did not specify the amount contained, and when tested, were found to have levels of caffeine equivalent to three cups of coffee, or 300 milligrams.
While moderate doses of caffeine (around two to three cups of coffee a day) are safe and even beneficial for soldiers who need to remain alert in high-risk situations, too high a dose can backfire, said study researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a general internist at Cambridge Health Alliance. Such high doses can cause side effects, including a racing heart and slower reaction times
The caffeine found in dietary supplements may not by itself cause problems. However, when combined with other sources of caffeine, such as coffee, soda or energy drinks, which troops commonly consume, the supplements may contribute to an unhealthy total caffeine dose, Cohen said. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 45 percent of service members say they consume energy drinks every day.
"As soon as you start going up to the high doses, [the equivalent of six or seven cups of coffee a day], that mental sharpness you can gain from a little bit of caffeine starts to decline," Cohen said. Such an unhealthy dose would be possible with just one serving of a high-caffeine dietary supplement combined with one energy drink, Cohen said. [See 5 Health Problems Linked to Energy Drinks.]
Inaccurate labels mean troops don't know how much caffeine they're consuming and cannot judge whether or not they need to scale back their intake, Cohen said. Manufacturers of any dietary supplement containing caffeine should be required to accurately list the dose on the label, Cohen said. Currently, manufacturers don’t need to list the amount of caffeine if the ingredient is part of a proprietary formula, he said.
The study identified the 31 top-selling dietary supplements on military bases that listed caffeine, or an ingredient known to contain caffeine, on their labels. All products were purchased from GNC, and are available to the public.
Of the 20 products that listed caffeine on their labels, six failed to specify the amount, because the ingredient was part of a proprietary formula. All the products contained high doses of caffeine per serving, between 210 and 310 mg, the equivalent of two to three cups of coffee. By comparison, the energy "shot" 5 Hour Energy contains about 215 mg of caffeine per serving.
Five of the 20 products were incorrectly labeled; they contained a dose of caffeine that was at least 10 percent more or less than the labeled amount. Most of these actually contained less caffeine than the labeled amount.
The study was limited in that it only tested one sample of each supplement, so more research is needed to verify that this is a pervasive problem. Due to this need for further studies, the researchers would not share the list of products they tested.
"It would be unfair to throw any individual brand or manufacturer under the bus after only one test. It’s the pattern … that really stands out. It’s not just one bad apple, it's the whole bushel that's rotten," Cohen said.
A 2007 study that tested caffeine levels in dietary supplements turned up similar findings: 89 percent of caffeine-containing products had levels that were 16 percent higher or lower than the labeled amount.
Cohen said manufacturers lean heavily on caffeine because it is one of the most effective ingredients they can put in their products to help people feel better.
Remove from stores?
"Given the many sources of caffeine, it would be easy to unknowingly consume too much caffeine in a short period of time," which could lead to sleep problems and other health concerns, said Robin Toblin, a psychologist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, who was not involved in this study, but has conducted research on energy drink consumption in the military.
"Service members should be educated about caffeine consumption and caffeine amounts in different products and should moderate their use of caffeinated products," Toblin said.
Cohen said the findings raise the question of whether caffeinated dietary supplements should be sold on military bases.
The Department of Defense (DOD), which funded the study, determines which products can and cannot be sold on military bases, and would need to review the evidence before making such a decision.
Until then, Cohen said, people should assume any dietary supplement that lists caffeine contains a significant dose.
Early last year, the DOD removed supplements containing the stimulant dimethylamylamine (DMAA) from stores on military bases while it investigates whether or not the ingredient was involved in the deaths of two soldiers.
The new study is published today in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. One of the study's authors, John Travis, is an employee of NSF International, a nonprofit organization that certifies and develops standards for dietary supplements. Some of the organization's clients are dietary supplement manufacturers.
Pass it on: Dietary supplements can contain hidden amounts of caffeine, which may pose health risks for troops.
MORE FROM LiveScience.com | <urn:uuid:96eb5f4b-2993-4155-9d53-10d497fc68ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.livescience.com/26059-dietary-supplements-caffeine-troops-health.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952668 | 1,141 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Hear music the way it was intended to be reproduced - part 1
by, 10-13-2011 at 07:18 PM (1438 Views)
I love music, any kind of music really. As a former recording/mixing engineer/producer for 8 years, and lifetime audio freak, I had the privilege to record, mix, and master a wide variety of music. In this introductory post, we will look at the most important quality of reproducing music called, "timbre". Over a series of posts, the goal is to calibrate your sound system to be the most accurate reproducer of music for your ultimate listening pleasure :-)
In Wikipedia’s definition of timbre, you will see, aside from the technical definition, “In psychoacoustics, timbre is also called tone quality and tone color.” Tone quality is critically important in the reproduction of recorded music.
If you have ever heard live music, (e.g. piano, acoustic guitar, horns, strings, drums, etc.) then you may remember how it sounded. You may also remember when you went home and listened to something similar on your stereo that it did not have the same “tone quality”. Why?
Well, it so happens that another group of folks were also wondering this and produced this outstanding short article on, “Relevant loudspeaker tests in studios in Hi-Fi dealers' demo rooms in the home etc.” Of very particular importance is the frequency response curve in Figure 5. We will come back to that a bit later.
From the article abstract, “The "sound" of a Hi-Fi set is to a great extent room dependent. Very often, the final result is determined by the room rather than by the actual equipment. Fortunately, these influences may readily be measured.”
What the article is describing is musical timbre or tone quality. Unfortunately, the reality is that the tone quality reproduced by your sound system is highly dependent on your listening room. Before becoming a recording engineer, I was in electronics engineering world and as a hobby, built a great deal of speakers, amplifiers and preamps (still do). I also got into room acoustics and managed to get my hands on this wonderful device that revolutionized audio measurement techniques.
The TEF stands for time, energy and frequency. Very quickly you could analyze a room in 3D and determine the rooms “tonal quality” for sound reproduction. Based on that, you could treat the room with “Tube Traps” for bass frequency tuning, absorption materials for dampening overly live rooms, and “diffuser panels” to prevent slap echoes, but not overly dampen the room. I bought every possible book on recording and control room design and room tuning. I will provide a resource list later for those interested.
I had the privilege to observe Chips Davis design and build two multi-million dollar recording studios and control rooms from scratch using his infamous Live End Dead End (LEDE) room design. I then went on to “treat” several recording studios, controls rooms, critical listening rooms at audio dealers, and several private critical listening rooms using the TEF computer and lessons I learned from Chips plus the reference books.
My point in saying all of this is to pass on to you my learning’s to benefit you in your quest for the most tonally accurate sound reproduction system you can achieve with your existing equipment. No, I am not going to suggest you rip up your room or spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on acoustical measurement equipment and room treatments. What I am suggesting is that with a few key considerations, and a few bucks, you can make dramatic improvements to the tonal quality of your existing sound system.
Let’s get back to timbre and that B&K article, specifically Figure 5, “Optimum curve for hi fi equipment measured in the actual listening room.” Figure 5 is the key to tonal quality. That curve is the frequency response measured at the listening position. If your sound system measures close to this curve, especially the roll-off, then congratulations, you have achieved tonal perfection! Once you have heard a sound system that is calibrated to this curve, then you will understand exactly what I mean. Everything sounds “right” and all of a sudden the depth soundstage magically appears.
There is good reason for this curve, affectionately called the B&K house curve. In the recording studio world, in the control room, there will most always be a set of speakers that are tuned or calibrated to the B&K house curve. Why? Because it most accurately reproduces instruments that sound tonally correct. I.e. it has the best timbre. Additionally, when mixing engineers move from one studio to the next and listen to their mix downs, with this curve, it will have the same tone quality it had in the previous studio. Consistency is the key.
My wife, who is not an audiophile and puts ups with my tape measures and swept sine waves once commented, “I was in the garage and even there it sounded like someone is playing the piano in our living room.” That is near perfect timbre.
So the first step in understanding whether your sound system is tonally correct or at least as best as it can be, is to measure the frequency response at the listening position in your listening room and compare it to the B&K house curve. In my next post, I will show you how to do that without breaking the bank. | <urn:uuid:ffe6c80f-2dd8-4d22-abd8-49554d53adeb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.computeraudiophile.com/blogs/mitchco/hear-music-way-it-was-intended-be-reproduced-part-1-6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957308 | 1,155 | 2.546875 | 3 |
November 17, 2009
Professor of Economics Ann Owen was interviewed
by American Public Media Marketplace
reporter Jeremy Hobson about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s Nov. 16 speech. Owen, a former Federal Reserve Board of Governors economist, said that the chairman's words are part of the Fed's strategy to deal with inflation. More ...
Students Prepare for National Competition
October 7, 2009
On Oct. 2, students in Professor of Economics Ann Owen's monetary policy class visited New York City to attend a seminar presented by New York Federal Reserve economists. The students attended sessions on the current economic situation, the labor market and the financial crisis. The seminar served as an orientation to a national competition, the Fed Challenge, sponsored by the Federal Reserve and the Eastern Economic Association. More ...
July 21, 2009
Professor of Economics Ann Owen was quoted in a July 9 article about possible effects of the federal government's infusion of cash into the economy. In “Worried About Inflation?,” an article that will appear in the August issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance
magazine, Owen responded to questions about declining wealth - the result of falling home prices and the stock-market crash. More ... | <urn:uuid:58d45fe5-c0a0-4bd7-b92e-00d6f2b6af34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hamilton.edu/news/tags/Federal%20Reserve/21 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944065 | 248 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Drupal How-To: Find great beginner tutorials on Drupal 7
In my first blog post, I outlined the main sources for fresh news and info about Drupal. In this post, I’ll round up the best blog sources for tutorials in the Drupal community.
Great Beginner Blogs Round-up
There’s such a large volume of great content coming out for Drupal lately for both new and experienced Drupal developers.
Great standby sources such as LevelTen , Isovera, Drupal Easy , PreviousNext, MediaCurrent and Lullabot continue to consistently publish excellent Drupal-related posts. But I noticed a number of really good new blog sources particularly for beginners. There seems to be a mix of tutorials and spotlights on specific modules, both as articles and video/screencasts.
Beginner Drupal Tutorials
This is a round up and hat-tip to some great new blogs specifically focused on beginner content.
Web Wash videos
Ivan posts a couple of times a week. He writes tutorials and records videos on “Using X module”. Very straightforward!
Danny blogs a few times a week. Keep an eye out for his "Cool modules" posts.
Toronto Website Developer.
Pete posts video tutorials good for beginners. He’s in the middle of a 10 part series on Views right now.
Shane Thomas posts a "Daily dose of Drupal” includes introductions to specific modules. There are well over a hundred such doses already!
There are also some more detailed tutorials such as these:
John Hannah posts beginner-friendly tutorials on his site: http://friendlymachine.net/tags/tutorials
- Essential Modules for New Site Builders
- Five Tips for the Drupal Beginner
- How to Learn Drupal (without losing your mind)
- The Formula for an Amazing Drupal Website
OStraining have a busy calendar of blog posts as well http://www.ostraining.com/blog/drupal/
- Creating a Photo Gallery in Drupal 7
- Using Drupal's Advanced Forum Module
- Creating a Drupal Slideshow with Views Slideshow
- Control Who Can View Drupal Nodes: Content Access
The format of an interview on podcasts works well, since you can learn a little more about people in the community, and hear about new tools being used. It makes it easier as well to spark conversation when you meet them in person, for example at a sprint.
Drupal Easy Podcast
They just published their 99th podcast! http://drupaleasy.com/podcast (Funny enough, I was looking through the recent archive and noticed how many of the folks have been involved in our Acquia Training program :D)
- Owen Lansbury, of Previous Next (one of our busiest training partners)
- Cindy McCourt, author (she has trained with us too!)
- Kendall Totten from Media Current (she also trains with us too!)
Jam at Acquia
Brian posts interviews in his podcast about once a week with busy contributors who give insights into Drupal.
He also posts free and premium video series such as this one on the views slideshow module.
I hope the links above give you some leads on great sources for tutorials, but I wanted to also cover how to discover tutorials for yourself as well.
if you’re trying to learn something new in Drupal (or anything) my guess is you turn to your favorite search engine, and hope for the best. In an ideal world we'd publish our tutorials on Drupal.org documentation, thereby making it MUCH easier to search for good quality content. (I know the docs team is working on a major re-jig of documentation.)
So - I stop short of using “lmgtfy.com” when I get asked questions. What I’ve learned is that many folks don’t know to make the most of these great search indexes we have. And of course, the Drupal.org faceted search is very good as well, but it doesn't capture ALL the content.
Bing and Google are my favorites. Each have their own benefits and even source-specific indexes.
- Google’s blog search does include Drupal.org in the sources. Using that as a starting point can find some great original content. See: http://www.google.com/blogsearch
- Bing’s video search is very good. You can filter by length and source. See: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=drupal+tutorial
Improving Search Queries
1. Improve your search query.
- For example a search for: drupal jquery tutorial yields a poor results.
- Whereas if I limit to "drupal 7" jquery tutorial I get rid of some cruft in the search results.
2. Use advanced operators such as site:drupal.org allow you to refine searches better. Turns out each search engine has its special tricks.
In Bing you can specify content with a specific page title.
"drupal 7" jquery intitle:tutorial
In Google you can search a year range separated by two dots 2012..2013
"drupal 7" AND jquery AND video tutorial 2012..2013
- More tips on operators in Google search http://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=136861
- More tips on Bing’s Advanced Operator Reference http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff795620.aspx
I hope that gives you some ideas of new sources for tutorials and ways you can search better as well. Trust me, if you're having a problem, it's likely that someone else has too!
In the next post I'll be writing about ways to get answers to your specific questions through the various help and support channels available.
Acquia Training Newsletter
Each month we post our tips to the newsletter as well as notifications about upcoming training in your area. You can also check out our Drupal 7 training events calendar too. | <urn:uuid:c51f0102-bf3f-4e77-9b2c-b18cad907f5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.acquia.com/nl/blog/drupal-how-find-great-beginner-tutorials-drupal-7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9046 | 1,265 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Locus Focus on 11/14/11
The Coal Hard Truth
In the past year the Northwest made major strides towards being coal-free, as deadlines were set to shut down the regions' last coal-fired power plants. But while the Northwest is moving away from relying on coal to generate its own electricity, there is a movement afoot to transform Washington State ports into a major infrastructure for shipping coal to Asia. Trainloads of coal from Wyoming would make their way across the Pacific Northwest, spewing toxic coal dust and diesel pollution, putting safety at risk, clogging the railroads, and contributing to climate change the whole way.
On this episode of Locus Focus we talk with Laura Stevens with the Sierra Club about their campaign to stop the Northwest from becoming a large-scale coal export center. We'll talk about how to put the brakes on Big Coal's dirty and dangerous plans for the Northwest. | <urn:uuid:bdbd9c57-7933-493d-a725-b01aedca990d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kboo.org/node/32034 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964752 | 184 | 1.992188 | 2 |
Over 8,000 websites created by students around the world who have participated in a ThinkQuest Competition.
Compete | FAQ | Contact Us
Fort Ross: A Piece Right Out Of History
Our site is all about a little-known place called Fort Ross, It was the farthest southern outpost of the Russian Empire, and it was in present-day California. We want to tell you about the people who lived there and about what they did there. Some of the things they did were: making baskets, pottery, marching,and hunting sea otters. We hope that other students will learn a lot about this unusual part of California's history.
19 & under
Geography & Travel > North & Central America > United States
History & Government > United States | <urn:uuid:3514824d-4e62-434b-9cd6-dac94e79519f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkquest.org/pls/html/f?p=52300:100:1607595585269480::::P100_TEAM_ID:501574115 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939952 | 156 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Wednesday 28th May/...New research released by ISFE today has revealed a fascinating insight into the lives of video game players across Europe.
The research,‘Videogamers in Europe– 2008’, compiled by analysts Nielsen Games, unveils the latest findings across the continent– with results illustrating the massive popularity of the medium.
In a document which revels in shattering stereotypes, there’s some incredible news for the industry’s money men: the European Union is now the second-largest videogaming territory in the world, generating€7.3bn during 2007, compared with€7.4bn in Asia and€6.9bn in the US. This also reflects in the year on figures with UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia enjoying an average 25% growth in software sales.
Videogamers are growing up, too, with the UK boasting the most mature players. The average age of an gamer in the UK is now 33– the highest out of the territories surveyed. In Finland they are, on average 30 while in Spain they are 26.
British parents are also regularly grabbing controllers to play games. Some 42 per cent of games players have children compared to 31 per cent in Finland and 23 per cent in Spain. Across Europe 81 per cent of parents say they enjoy playing games with their children. More than half of Europe’s gaming parents monitor what their children are playing and 59 per cent keep a close eye on what games their children are playing.
Video games lead the way when it comes to other forms of entertainment. Of those polled a staggering 72 per cent see gaming as“a fun way to spend time”, compared to cinema’s and tv’s 68 per cent. Some 57 per cent revealed that gaming“stimulates your imagination” (compared with 48 per cent for movies and 35 per cent for watching television) and 42 per cent of respondents stated that gaming keeps you fit mentally, compared with 25 per cent for movies, and 26 per cent for watching TV.
The research also revealed that 93 per cent of Europeans recognise the PEGI age rating labels, illustrating the success of the industry’s self-regulating classification system.
“This research confirms what the industry has realised for a long time: gaming is now enjoyed by an incredibly diverse audience,” says Michael Rawlinson of the UK#s games publishers’ body ELSPA.“And the UK is a particularly mature market– we have the oldest, most passionate gamers across Europe. The fact that gamers are growing up and enjoying gaming with their children illustrates the enduring nature of the medium. It’s fair to say that, compared to other forms of entertainment, games are doing well.”
In conducting its Video Gamers In Europe 2008 report Nielsen surveyed 6000 active gamers, aged 16-49, across 15 countries– the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Czech Republic, Poland and Latvia.
About ELSPA - http://www.elspa.com
ELSPA (The Entertainment&Leisure Software Publishers Association) was founded in 1989 to establish a specific and collective identity for the computer and video games industry. Membership includes almost all companies concerned with the publishing and distribution of interactive leisure software in the UK.
For further information, please contact:
Laura West ( email@example.com)
Tel: +44 (0)1462 456780
BHPR Troopers Yard, Bancroft, Hitchin, Herts. SG5 1JW
Fax: +44 (0)1462 456781 | <urn:uuid:f790e5ac-da98-4de7-9f95-b95ba494f5cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcvuk.com/press-releases/read/video-gamers-in-europe-2008-research-revealed/061899 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927434 | 773 | 1.632813 | 2 |
LST-316 was laid down on 15 October 1942 at the New York Navy Yard; launched on 28 January 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Pearl Magdalene Frick; and commissioned on 3 February 1943.
During World War II, LST-316 was assigned to the European theater and participated in the following operations:
Sicilian occupation—July 1943
Salerno landings—September 1943
Invasion of Normandy—June 1944
Upon her return to the United States, she was decommissioned on 24 May 1945 and struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1946. On 23 December 1946, she was sold to James Hughes, Inc., New York, N.Y., for conversion to marchant service.
LST-316 earned three battle stars for World War II | <urn:uuid:01e0611f-6c90-4681-9447-63beaf78f755> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/l15/lst-316.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968429 | 159 | 1.664063 | 2 |
It seems that Americans will continue to debate and fight over health care reform in our country no matter what the outcome will be on Capitol Hill. In reality, we need to take the health care fight to our own home and not to congress. What I mean by saying this is we need to start at home making healthy choices for ourselves and our children.
There is an epidemic that is not only taking over our country but the entire world population. It is the disease called obesity. The amount of obese people in the world is on the rise and here in America over one-third of adults are categorized as being obese.
Being obese brings many severe health concerns. Some major health issues obesity brings include:
- Type II Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Sleep Apnea
- Coronary Artery Disease
The list goes on and on but these are just to name a few….
Can you believe that for the first time in history the number of obese people in the world now outweighs the number of malnourished? Today more children are so overweight, it is causing the medical field concern over health issues developing in these young children.. And in the United States alone, obesity is the number two factor of the leading cause of death taking more lives than Cancer, Accidents, and AIDS combined.
There are several factors that cause obesity and add to these statistics. People are less active now more than ever living in this new electronic age. Think about everyday life and how we use our cell phones to talk and text, lap tops, home PC, and of course video games. We are basically encouraging today’s youth in our society to be inactive.
All this leading to the point of why are we treat our pets better than we treat our own children. It is fair to say that we love our children more than our pets yet day in and day out we treat them much better then our children.
Think about this, we exercise our dog two times a day by walking them between a half hour to and hour once in the morning and once in the evening. That is an hour to two hours of exercise per day seven day a week and we can’t even get our children off the couch to just go outside and play for 30 minutes a day for three days a week! I am not suggesting you to put your children on a leash and drag them around the block but we must encourage them to get involved in some sort of fun activity to get them moving and burn some calories. We spend more time playing fetch with our dogs but are too lazy to play catch with our kids. Or how about this, we will take our dogs jogging with us but we are too busy to sign our kids up to play sports because it cuts into an adult’s busy schedule!
Now let’s talk about nutrition and what is being put in our children’s bodies compared to your pets. If I asked you why you don’t feed your pet french fries, ice cream, pizza, potato chips and wash it down with a bottle of soda you would look at me as if I had three heads! And what would response to me would be? “ I would never feed my pet that because he would get fat, sick, and it would not be healthy for them”
Hello………did you just hear what you said???? Yet you have no problem feeding these items to your child. Just look at a few list of things we put in our children’s bodies that you would never feed your pet. Nachos and cheese, cup cakes, Twinkies, chocolate, gummy bears, cookies, crackers, and stick margarine! And has anyone ever microwave your cat’s food? But let’s throw a hot pocket in for 60 seconds and serve. We are well versed in exactly what the proper healthy foods to feed our pets but do not take the time to become more knowledgeable on what is healthy or not healthy to feed our children. And do you Super-Size the portions you give your pets when you feed them? No right? Yet we are quick to pull up to the nearest fast food restaurant and when asked if we would like to super-size the meal today we jump all over it. Are you kidding me?
Listen, we need to take the time to actively put an effort in the health of our children they way we do our own pets. Can you imagine if our children ate the proper foods with proper potion sizes and exercised an hour a day seven days a week? Then maybe, just maybe the issues of health care reform would not be having such hot debates among politicians like it is at our nation’s capitol because less people would need the medical care that so many Americans are looking for. | <urn:uuid:465fb003-3544-43f1-ade1-5d88b896ea16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://danbury.patch.com/groups/dean-greccos-blog/p/bp--why-do-we-treat-our-pets-better-than-our-own-children | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967641 | 979 | 2.34375 | 2 |
This week we feature a post by Steve Bishop who is involved in full-time Christian ministry as a husband, father and in teaching mathematics and forensic science to post-16s. He blogs at www.stevebishop.blogspot.com and maintains the neo-Calvinist/Kuyperian website www.allofliferedeemed.co.uk Follow him on twitter @stevebishopuk
Mind maps have in recent years been associated with Tony Buzan. However, they go back as far as the third century and were – or so it is alleged – first used by Porphyry of Tyros. Mind maps are great tools for creating visual displays of information. I find them helpful in aiding close reading of a text and it was for that reason I decided to mindmap Kuyper’s recently translated Wisdom and Wonder.
To do so I read through the book several times—each time making rough drafts of the maps and then revising if necessary in light of a second or third read.
What struck me as I was reading and mindmapping—in no particular order—are the following.
1. The pivotal role of the education chapter. It acts like a hinge joining the chapters on science with those on art. The key focus in that chapter is the need for and the role of a Christian university. Kuyper was writing this series between 1895 and 1901. Uppermost in his mind would have been the education issue and the events that led to the founding of the VU in 1880. Here he is underlining the need for Christian education, an education that would prevent a public/private divide which leads to a schizophrenic Christianity. Read more on Mindmaps and Kuyper’s Wisdom and Wonder… | <urn:uuid:0ffe40fa-5a57-4790-81c2-90198c88ccfc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.acton.org/archives/tag/steve-bishop | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969563 | 357 | 2.25 | 2 |
Four fun-filled days in Union County with ISU Extension — that’s what 25 kids of Latino and African American heritage from inner city New York experienced in February. The group from Fresh Youth Initiatives, an afterschool program, explored rural culture during its Trip USA. The youth were being rewarded for their positive leadership in community service projects with the homeless.
“Our connections with a private foundation led the youth to us,” said Sharon Wasteney, ISU Extension education director for Union County.
The New York youth visited area farms and ranches, business and industry, the Three Mile Lake Recreation Area and the Iowa State campus. The New York youth also demonstrated their service project — sewing light sleeping bags for homeless people — to Union County 4-H’ers.
“There is diversity here in Iowa, but it is a different type of diversity,” Wasteney said, a diversity that the inner city youth were glad to explore and sad to leave. “They learned that Iowa is a friendly place with a lot of things to do.”
For more information, contact Wasteney at email@example.com.
See the rest of the Message from the Vice President on the Web. | <urn:uuid:8ed0fb79-ae11-49ff-bb62-17589746fac9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2007/mar/122003.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952194 | 257 | 1.664063 | 2 |
286 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. oup north,” Sir William Alexander, afterwards Earl of Stirling. His tragedies, however, are dramatic only in title, and not at all adapted for the stage. James VI. endeavoured to mediate between the clergy and the encouragers of the drama, and, by his royal authority, stayed for a time their censure of theatrical representations. In the year 1592, a company of English players was licenced by the King to perform in Edinburgh, against which an act of the Kirk-sessions was forthwith published, prohibiting the people to resort to such profane amusements.2 The King appears to have heartily espoused the cause of the players a few years later, as various entries in the treasury accounts attest, e.g. :- “ Oct. 1599.-Item, Delyuerit to his hienes selff to be gevin to ye Inglis commeidianis X;i crownes of ye sone, at iijli. ijs. viijd. ye pece. Nov.-Item. Be his lUabes directioun gevin to Sr George Elphingstoun, to be delyuerit to ye Inglis commedians, to by timber for ye preparatioun of ane hous to thair pastyme, as the said S‘ George ticket beiris, xl. l i ; ” and again a sum is paid to a royal messenger for notifying at the Cross, with sound of trumpet, “his Mat‘= plesour to all his lieges, that ye saidis commedianis mycht vse thair playis in E@,” &c. In the year 1601, an English company of players visited Scotland, and appeared publicly at Aberdeen, headed by “ Laurence Fletcher, comediane to his Majestie.” The freedom of that burgh was conferred on him at the same time that it was bestowed on sundry French knights and other distinguished strangers, in whose train the players had arrived. Mr Charles Knight, in his ingenious life of Shakspeare, rshows that this is the same player whose name occurs along with that of the great English dramatist, in the patent granted by James VI,, immediately after his arrival in the southern capital in 1603, in favour of the company at the Globe ; and from thence he draws the conclusion that Shakspeare himself visited Scotland at this period, and sketched out the plan of his great Scottish tragedy amid the scenes of its historic events. By the same course of iuference, Shakspeare’s name is associated with the ancient Tennis Court at the Water Gate, as it cannot be doubted that his Majesty’s players made their appearance at the capital, and before the Court of Holyrood, either in going to or returning from the northern burgh, whither they had proceeded by the King’s special orders ; but it must be confessed the argument is a very slender one to form the sole basis for such a conclusion. The civil wars in the reign of Charles I., and the striking changes that they led to, obliterated all traces of theatrical representations, until their reappearance soon after the Restoration. One curious exhibition, however, is mentioned in the interval, which may be considered as a substitute for these forbidden displays. “ At this tyme,” says Nicoll, in 1659, ‘ I thair wes brocht to this natioun ane heigh great beast, callit ane Drummodrary, quhilk being keipit clos in the Cannogate, nane haid a sight of it without thrie pence the persone, quhilk producit much gape to the keipar, in respect of the great numberis of pepill that resoirtit to it, for the sight thairof. It wes very big, and of great height, and clovin futted lyke unto a kow, and on the bak ane saitt, as it were a sadill, to sit on. Thair wes brocht in with it ane liytill baboun, faced lyke unto a naip.” Drummond of Hawthornden’a Letters, Archzeol. Scot. vol. iv. p. 83. ’ ‘‘ Nov. 1599.-Item, to Wm. Forsf, measenger, paasand with lettrea to the mercat crow of Eam, chairging ye elderia and deacouna of the haill four aeasionia of Ed“. to annull thair act maid for ye diacharge of certane Iuglis commedianis, L a., viiij. d.”-Treasurers’ accounts. 8 Nicoll’a Diary, p. 226.
THE CANONGA TE AND ABBEY SANCTUAR Y. 287 During the government of the Earl of Rothes as High Commissioner for Scotland, a play called " Marciano, or the Discovery," by Sir Thomas Sydserff, was acted on the festival of St John, before his Grace and his Court at Holyrood,' and at the Court of the ~ Duke of York, at a somewhat later period, a regular company of actors were maintained, and the Tennis Court fitted up for their performances, in defiance of the scandal created by such innovations.s Lord Fountainhall notes among his " Historical Observes," 3- U 15th Novembris 1681, being the Quean of Brittain's birthday, it was keeped by our Court at Halirudhouse with great solemnitie, such as bonfyres, shooting of canons, and the acting of a comedy, called Mithridutes King of Pontus, before ther Royal1 Hynesses, &c., wheirin Ladie Anne, the Duke's daughter, and the Ladies of Honor ware the onlie actors." Not only the canonists, both Protestant and Popish-adds my Lord Fountainhall, in indignant comment-" but the very heathen roman lawyers, declared all scenicks and stage players infamous, and will scarce admit them to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper "-a somewhat singular mark of disapprobation from heathen lawyers I The Revolution again banished the drama from Scotland, and we hear no more of it' till the year 1714, when the play of Macbeth was performed at the Tennis Court, in presence of a number of the Scottish nobility and gentry assembled in Edinburgh for a grand archery meeting. Party politics ran high at the time, some of the company present called for the favourite song, May the King enjoy his ain again," ' while others as stoutly opposed it, and the entertainments wound up in a regular mdlke, anticipatory of the rebellion which speedily followed. But the scene of his successful patronage of the drama appears to have been first chosen by Signora Violante, an Italian dancer and tumbler, who afterwards took the legitimate drama under her protection and management. This virago, as Arnot styles her,5 returned to Edinburgh, " where she fitted up that house in the foot of Carrubber's Close, which has since been occupied as a meeting-house by successive tribes of sectaries." Driven from this quarter, as we have seen, the players betook themselves to the Taylor's Hall, in the Cowgate, and though mere strolling bands, they were persecuted into popularity by their opponents, until this large hall proved insufficient for their accommodation. A rival establishment was accordingly set "going, and in the year 1746, the foundation-stone of the first regular theatre in Edinburgh was laid within the Play-house Close, Canongate, by Mr John Ryan, then a London actor of considerable repute. Here the drama had mainly to contend with the commoner impediments incidental to the proverbial lack of prudence and thrift in the management of actors, until the year 1756, when, on the night of the 14th December, the tragedy of Douglas, the work of a clergyman of the Kirk, was f i s t presented to an Edinburgh audience. The clergy anew returned to the assault with redoubled zeal, and although they were no longer able to chase the players from the stage, John Home, the author of the obnoxious tragedy, Allan Ramsay's unfortunate theatrical speculation has already been referred to. Campbell's Journey, vol. ii. p. 163. Fountainhall's Hiatorical Observes, p. 51. * Tide, vol. i. p. 103. Tytler concludes his account of the Duke's theatrical entertainment with the following inference, which would have done credit to s history of the Irish stage c" Private balla and concerts of music, it would aeem, were now the only species of public entertainmente amongst us ! "-Archsol. Scot. vol. i p. 504. ' Campbell's History of Poetry in Scotland, p. 353. Arnot, p. 366. | <urn:uuid:5f0b4c70-c57c-4873-96b3-81b66419a015> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://edinburghbookshelf.org.uk/volume10/page328.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96595 | 1,899 | 1.851563 | 2 |
I have had bladder polyps first removed around 6 months ago. The biopsy turned out as there was not enough material. Doctor tald me that as soon as it is a polyp it is always malignant. (Is that true?). Couple of months later they found some "cancerous?" cells in the urine, but they were not so sure and specific about it. And on my 3 months after surgery cytoscopy they did not see anything. But now after 6 months they found the polyps again, so they scheduled me for another surgery. How may I be sure about definite diagnosis? ( if the would not have anough this time also?) Is there some other diagnostic tests available? Could the new growth be prevented? What is the prognosis? Thank you.
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Freedom and Terror
Reason and Unreason in Politics
Published January 7th 2011 by Routledge – 208 pages
Series: Contemporary Terrorism Studies
This book examines reason and unreason in the legal and political responses to terrorism.
Terrorism is often perceived as sheer madness, unreasonable use of extreme violence and senseless, futile political action. These assertions are challenged by this book. Combining ‘traditional’ thought (by Kaplan) on reason and unreason in terrorism with empirical explorations of post-modern terrorism and its use of communication platforms (by Weimann) the work uses interdisciplinary and cross disciplinary dimensions to provide a multidimensional picture of critical issues in current politics and a deeper examination of their implications than previously available.
The book looks at various aspects of modern politics, from terrorism to protest, from decision-making to political discourse, applying the perspective of philosophical thought. To do so, political issues and actions are examined by using concepts such as reason, emotions, madness, magic, morality, absolutism, extremism, psychopathology, rationality and others. The analysis is rooted in theories and concepts derived from history, philosophy, religion, art, sociology, psychology, and political science.
This book, which was mostly written by the late Abraham Kaplan, an American philosopher, and edited and updated by Gabriel Weimann, will be of much interest to students of political violence/terrorism, philosophy, war and conflict studies and political science in general.
Introduction. Foreword Carl Cohen 1. The Age of Madness 2. Knowledge and Political Action 3.Politics, Law and Behavioral Sciences 4. Historical Interpretation 5. The Politics of Protest 6. The Ethics of Terror 7. The Psychodynamics of Terror 8. The Theater of Terror: Modern Terrorism and the Mass Media 9. Moral Responsibilities and Political Realities 10. The Ethics of Power 11. The Politics of Prejudice 12. In Defense of Freedom 13. The Limits of Reason
Abraham Kaplan (1918-1993) was a leading American philosopher and author of six books.
Gabriel Weimann is a Professor of Communication at the Department of Communication at Haifa University, Israel, and the School of International Service (SIS) at the American University, Washington, DC. | <urn:uuid:b2f39d2f-8824-4e92-ba23-630640fac216> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.psypress.com/books/details/9780415605984/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91708 | 459 | 2.296875 | 2 |
In a week where Google has celebrated St Andrews Day, revealed 2009's Zeitgeist, made paywall concessions, started a town modelling competition, confronted Mandelson, faded in its homepage, buddied up with Twitter and launched DNS servers, the company has yet another new project. It's called Google Dictionary.
It does definitions, translations and synonyms, but there's a few extra little bits of functionality that your dog-eared copy of the OED can't do. It can pull in content from external sources like Wikipedia and Princton University's Wordnet and you can "star" particular words to come back to later.
Some of this functionality was available with the prefix "Define:" before on the search engine, but this will make it a little more accessible to users. Dictionary companies claim they're not worried, though, saying that the service is fine for consumers but not enough for students and academics.
Oh, and if you're wondering, according to Google, "to google" means: "search the internet (for information) using the Google search engine, 'He googled the woman he had met at the party', 'My children are googling all day'". | <urn:uuid:7781f830-1178-4cec-a66e-9918237528aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/100899-google-rolls-out-dictionary-functionality | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949609 | 244 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Follow the adventures of Spirit and Opportunity on Mars at marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html (Jet Propulsion Lab/NASA).
Additional information about Mars and the Mars rovers can be found at athena.cornell.edu/kids/(Cornell University).
Cowen, Ron. 2004. A new flight plan. Science News 165(March 13):170-172. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040313/bob9.asp.
McDonagh, Sorcha. 2004. Roving the Red Planet. Science News for Kids (Jan. 28). Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040128/Note2.asp.
Sohn, Emily. 2004. Rover makes splash on Mars. Science News for Kids (March 10). Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040310/Note2.asp.
______. 2003. Dreams of floating in space. Science News for Kids (Sept. 10). Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20030910/Feature1.asp.
Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:
|The Mystery of Mars— Sally Ride
Published by Crown Publishers/Random House, 1999.
For many years, Mars was the mysterious red planet. But with the help of unmanned spacecraft, scientists have learned a lot about our “next door neighbor.” Find out what scientists have figured out about its past. See what astronauts would discover if they were to visit there now. Learn about plans for future exploration.
|Life on Other Worlds— Ray Spangenburg, Kit Moser
Published by Franklin Watts/Scholastic, 2002.
While “no serious scientist” is pursuing the idea that UFOs could travel to Earth from other planets, “a growing group of scientists is seriously investigating the possibility that life exists on other worlds.” This in-depth look at astrobiology—the study of extraterrestrial life—begins by discussing how people throughout history thought about extraterrestrial life and goes on to explain the beginnings of both our solar system and life on our planet. Then, the book discusses the possibility of life within our solar system, mentioning Jupiter’s moons, and the search for life outside of our solar system, including Project Ozma and SETI.
|The Adventures of Sojourner: The Mission to Mars that Thrilled the World— Susi Trautmann Wunsch
Published by Mikaya Press, 1998.
Martians or not, here we come. On July 4, 1997, after a 7-month flight from Earth, a spacecraft crashed down onto the rocky ground of Mars. Why was this mission attempted and what was the outcome? This book details the history of the ideas and observations people have had about Mars, concluding with this special groundbreaking mission to unlock its secrets. It’s a suspenseful story of an extraterrestrial nature, full of color photos supplied by NASA. Take this 119-million-mile trip and see for yourself.
zero gravity A condition in which an object appears to have no weight because it is moving in such a way that it balances out the pull of gravity.
Astronauts in orbit around the Earth experience zero gravity and float around inside their spacecraft. This happens not because the astronauts no longer have any weight, but because the spacecraft undergoes just enough acceleration as it moves around the Earth to counterbalance the pull of gravity. If the spacecraft and its astronauts actually had no weight, they would drift away from Earth into space.
Copyright © 2002, 2003 Houghton-Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Used with permission. | <urn:uuid:8817349a-d2a1-4605-a45b-bbcc44ca8b50> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/destination-mars-additional-information/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901531 | 785 | 3.375 | 3 |
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AIDSail staff and volunteers, like many individuals and organizations in the United States, responded immediately to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina who needed medical care.
AIDSail staff and volunteers initially worked with volunteers with Veterans for Peace who had set up a temporary volunteer camp in Covington, Louisiana and who had responded to a call from long time community organizer Malik Rahim, the founder of the Common Ground Collective. Street medics and Covington volunteers set up a temporary clinic in a mosque in the poor community of Algiers in New Orleans Parish, an area that had been spared the major flood damage that most of New Orleans endured. Daily dispatch meetings were held to organize teams of physicians, nurses, EMT's, pharmacists and other volunteers to work in the clinic, to set up day clinics in communities without resources to travel, and to knock on doors and attend to a variety of calls to provide treatment for home bound folks unable to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers came with their tents and sleeping bags, vans and cars filled with medical supplies, while others organized truckloads of medical supplies, food and other necessities to be donated and distributed.
Common Ground Health Clinic was providing medical care to hundreds of people per day, coordinating with the Common Ground Collective who distributed food and supplies. When many of the doctors had not returned to New Orleans, and Charity Hospital, the primary care provider for the underserved in New Orleans, was not reopening, it was clear that ongoing medical services were needed and AIDSail acted as the fiscal sponsor for the Common Ground Health Clinic while the clinic waited for its permanent status as a 501c3 non-profit organization. The clinic is now a permanent fixture in the community, providing medical services from its clinic in Algiers to hundreds of residents per week, providing care through the Latino Health Outreach project and during the initial months following Hurricane Katrina hosted mobile clinics in the 9th Ward, and in Houma and southern Bayous of Louisiana.
The National Cristina Foundation donations provided computers and equipment for clinic administration, but more importantly provided computers which were used for the Patient Assistance program to link patients with social services and drug assistance. Laptops were especially useful for mobile operations in the Latino Health Outreach program and 9th Ward and mobile clinics, and given the limited clinic space allowed physicians, nurses and coordinators to work wherever space was available. Common Ground Health Clinic purchased wireless cards for laptops that did not have them which provided the opportunity for volunteers to use equipment at the auxiliary sites, volunteer housing and even the local internet café when space inside the clinic was filled with patients and providers. Scott Weinstein, RN and a long-term volunteer that undertook clinic administration said "these days, there is no denying the value of computers for medical work, but it has been essential for us with disaster relief as well as coordination for the clinic. We have to be mobile, flexible and efficient - which the laptops assisted us with."
You can visit the website of Common Ground Health Clinic at www.cghc.org and AIDSail at www.aidsail.org. | <urn:uuid:15518b90-519d-49f1-875e-817b2d42db7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cristina.org/connections/art5e.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9688 | 629 | 2.078125 | 2 |
School Districts select candidates for Reading Recovery teacher training. Teachers in training participate in a weekly clinical course for an academic year which includes daily teaching of Reading Recovery children in a school, earning a total of 9 semester hours of graduate credit. The instructor for this course is a nationally registered Reading Recovery teacher leader.
Careful selection of appropriate teachers is critical to the effectiveness and success of Reading Recovery or Descubriendo la Lectura. Use of an interview and selection committee including the site coordinator and teacher leaders is strongly recommended to assure selection of the strongest candidates.
The adoption of Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura represents an investment in the development of teacher expertise to supply high-quality one-to-one tutoring, which will be dependent upon the quality and commitment of the teachers recruited and selected for the program. From 2008 RRCNA Standards and Guidelines for teacher selection.
For training site and information in your area contact a local teacher leader or site coordinator. See directory below for contact info for site near you. | <urn:uuid:cff483fb-172d-4804-89d2-7d85c04b6efd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nl.edu/t4/readingrecoverycenter/whatisreadingrecovery/teachertraining/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915608 | 208 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Manufacturers Pay More Taxes than Service Industry
May 19, 2003
Manufacturers are paying more in taxes than the service sector, according to the Manufacturers Alliance. "Manufacturers still pay 36.8% of all private business income in taxes, compared to 31.8% for the services sector," said Thomas Duesterberg, president of the Manufacturers Alliance. "The marginal rate for manufacturers too is higher, 52% for manufacturing compared to 43% for services. One reason for that gap is that manufacturing is still more capital intensive that services. At least since World War II the capital has been more highly taxed than labor, and this difference helps to explain the growth of services sector compared to manufacturing." | <urn:uuid:c8385698-cd2d-4956-9427-6e29d56c5423> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.qualitymag.com/articles/print/84479-manufacturers-pay-more-taxes-than-service-industry | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972959 | 143 | 1.5 | 2 |
RECENTLY ON TOL:
- A tumblr site dedicated to the people and places that make up Oregon and Southwest Washington.
I am a mother of three (2 born in the hospital, one born at home) and childbirth educator in Portland, and what stands out for me in this discussion is the need for informed choice and personal responsibility for the choices we make.
When I decided on the birth place for my babies, it was I who made the call (with help and support from my husband). Though influenced by books, community and culture, no one forced me to have my baby in the hospital or at home. I did what I believed was right for me, and take therefore full responsibility for the consequences of my action, for better or worse (including the epidural, vacuum extraction and severe tearing during my first birth). If women don't take this responsibility, i.e. fully commit to and own their choices, it is only natural that they would blame others for unwanted outcomes.
Women need to educate themselves, and they need to have the right to choose where to give birth. They need to ask questions, look around, meet practioners, read and research. They also need to look within, do thorough soul-searching and self-inquiry to find out what is right and true for them, and then they need to embrace the autonomy of their decision, 100%. That's a lot of work, and it's not easy either, but the only lasting way, in my experience, to put an end to accusing other's of failing them.
posted 2 years, 10 months ago
view in context | <urn:uuid:c422859a-a0e3-420c-9626-90d25fccd270> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kmhd.fm/thinkoutloud/users/tinalilly/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976477 | 333 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Welcome to Friday Charm School! Today's lesson is part 1 of how to sit like a lady. We'll look at how to sit down and get up from a chair like a lady with feminine grace and ease.
1. Approach the chair holding your best posture. Turn so your back leg brushes against the chair seat.
2. Slide one foot back 2-3 inches under the chair seat.
3. Lower yourself into the seat keeping your head erect and your back straight. Most of your weight should be carried by the thigh of your back leg.
4. Ease down into the seat gracefully...don't flop.
5. For deeper seats or upholstered chairs where you can't slip your foot under, sit as above but on the edge of the seat. When seated, lift your weight slightly and slide back.
To rise from a sitting position, simply reverse the above steps. Lift yourself gracefully in one easy motion letting your back leg muscle do the work. Don't push up using the chair arms.
Practice makes perfect with this method of sitting down. Make your practice fun by lining up three chairs of varying heights. Put on some music and practice sitting in each chair in succession. Then do the same reversing the foot you slide back. Repeat until the motion becomes second nature.
Today, notice how you sit down and get up. Try the above rules. This method will probably feel alien and strange at first. Now move a chair in front of a mirror and compare how you look when sitting down normally and how you look sitting with the rules. Is there a difference? Which do you prefer? | <urn:uuid:7ce2ab9d-d453-4e60-9351-66612d10ee03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://coutureallure.blogspot.com/2010/08/friday-charm-school-how-to-sit-like.html?showComment=1282921302993 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936597 | 335 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Maj. Scott Southworth
Soldier who adopted a handicapped orphan in Iraq
BY: Kimberly Winston
While on duty in Iraq in 2003, Maj. Scott Southworth of the Wisconsin National Guard decided to volunteer at a Baghdad orphanage.
But a few hours at the orphanage soon turned into a lifetime of change when Southworth met nine-year-old Ala'a, one of the orphanage's most severely handicapped children, and decided to adopt him.
"It was the right thing to do," Southworth told Beliefnet of the decision he remembers making in an instant. "I knew that God was calling me, period, to go get him and take him to America." Now, three years after adopting Ala'a, Southworth is working to bring more than 20 other physically and mentally handicapped Iraqi boys found neglected and abused in another Baghdad orphanage to the United States for medical treatment.
Southworth is nominated as one of Beliefnet's Most Inspiring Persons of the Year for his determination to make better lives for boys who were once forgotten in a war zone.
Ala'a, who has cerebral palsy, singled out Southworth from the start, calling him "baba," Arabic for father. He was brought to the orphanage after being abandoned on the Baghdad streets at the age of three or four.
Southworth decided to adopt Ala'a when a doctor said the boy would soon be placed in a government-run home. Without thinking, Southworth blurted out, "Then I'll have to adopt him." Immediately he started thinking of all the reasons he shouldn't adopt the boy--he was single, had no job at home, no house, little money, and no medical expertise.
But when Southworth, a lifelong evangelical Christian, envisioned meeting Ala'a in heaven, he thought of how he would answer the boy's question--"Why didn't you come and get me?"
Today, Ala'a and Southworth live in central Wisconsin. He was allowed to pick up the boy in early 2005, and the adoption moved speedily, aided by Iraqi and American government officials and numerous people who wanted to help. Ala'a is now 13, attends the fifth grade, and speaks fluent English. He will become an American citizen, perhaps as soon as the New Year.
"I got the privilege to be a part of something and watch God work through me and other people to make something, in this case a miracle," Southworth told Beliefnet. "By any human standard this never should have happened--a soldier in a war zone in a country that doesn’t allow for adoption to adopt a handicapped boy. There were walls. We didn't hurdle over them, we walked through them."
And Southworth says that Ala'a has made his father's life richer. "Ala'a knew from the very first day that I was going to be his father," Southworth said. "So this little poor orphan boy from Iraq taught his dad what absolute faith really means, and that just leaves me speechless."
Now Southworth would like to help other Iraqi orphans. Last June, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers discovered 24 severely handicapped orphaned boys naked and hungry in a government-run home. When pictures of the boys--some of them tied into cribs--reached the U.S., Southworth recognized some from Ala'a's orphanage.
He now works with two other National Guardsmen--First Lt. Sheree Gunderson and Sgt. Kerry Otwaska--to bring the boys to the U.S. for medical treatment. They have managed to line up host families, but still await Iraqi permission for the boys to travel. Adopting the boys will be brought up later, Southworth said.
And all the reasons Southworth had to not adopt Ala'a never actually came to pass. "Everything I didn't have to care for this boy, I have now," he says--a house, a job, medical care, and a girlfriend he expects will become his wife. "I am happier than I have ever been." | <urn:uuid:b134f279-11a4-4353-937e-db284601ac5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Most-Inspiring-Person-Of-The-Year/2007/Maj-Scott-Southworth.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977238 | 847 | 2.09375 | 2 |
The Survey of Data Mining Applications and Feature Scope
In this paper, the authors have focused a variety of techniques, approaches and different areas of the research which are helpful and marked as the important field of data mining Technologies. As they are aware that many MNC's and large organizations are operated in different places of the different countries. Each place of operation may generate large volumes of data. Corporate decision makers require access from all such sources and take strategic decisions .The data warehouse is used in the significant business value by improving the effectiveness of managerial decision-making. In an uncertain and highly competitive business environment, the value of strategic information systems such as these are easily recognized however in today's business environment, efficiency or speed is not the only key for competitiveness. | <urn:uuid:7a1e9dbe-d09a-4f05-9c3e-011f635821ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techrepublic.com/whitepapers/the-survey-of-data-mining-applications-and-feature-scope/32539388?scname=business-intelligence-data-warehousing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953567 | 150 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Between discussions of pathways, particles, and personalized medicine, some of the “tea time” conversation turned to policy and how uninsured patients with cancer in the U.S. get care. We talked about quality, access, cost, and politics. Surrounded by brilliant minds who were working diligently on figuring out the complexities of cancer where there are no simple answers, it became clear to me that there may be no simple answers to the health care debate as well.
It is, as Atul Gawande calls it in a recent article in the New Yorker, a “wicked problem … Wicked problems are messy, ill-defined, more complex than we fully grasp, and open to multiple interpretations based on one’s point of view.”
No sooner than I got back to the States, the Supreme Court ruling came out largely upholding the Affordable Care Act that, for the first time, has the potential to extend health care insurance to millions of currently uninsured Americans. Is it perfect? Of course not.
“No solution to a wicked problem is ever permanent or wholly satisfying, which leaves every solution open to easy polemical attack.”
Some argue that the Act goes too far, may cost too much, and may be too restrictive to individual liberties. Others argue that it doesn’t go far enough and still leaves people without coverage.
As I thought about our current system, a potential “Obamacare” system, the Canadian system with which I grew up, and the U.K. system that I had just visited, I realized that no system is “perfect” (if such a thing even exists). Perhaps, as one of my surgical mentors used to say, “perfection is the enemy of good.”
Rather than searching for an elusive silver bullet, maybe what we need (much like our work in cancer research) is constant progress in the right direction, or as Jim Collins would put it, concerted efforts to turn the flywheel. One thing is for certain, though. If we do nothing, we implicitly either profess our system to be perfect or deny our ability to make any progress, and such arrogance or apathy would be perhaps the most tragic problem of all.
Anees Chagpar is an oncologist who blogs at ASCO Connection, where this article originally appeared. | <urn:uuid:ce1bcffa-8d15-482c-8c6c-6e1ab3d13720> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/07/stop-searching-health-reform-silver-bullet.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963497 | 483 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The Goliath, a brand-new roller coaster at Six Flags New England, stands 200 feet high, reaches speeds of 65 miles per hour, and pulls 4 G's of force – half the max felt by fighter pilots. Riders dangle beneath its 1,204 feet of track as it plunges and twists in corkscrew cobra rolls. It is a marvel of coaster engineering.
As Goliath's first-ever white-knuckled riders whiz by on a sunny spring day, its creator stands back, arms folded, taking in the screams and looking pretty pleased with himself. "We could actually knock you out if we wanted to," says Larry Chickola. "The science is bringing you to that edge." As Six Flags' chief engineer, Chickola presides over the nation's largest fleet of coasters (120) and 680 other thrill rides in 19 amusement parks throughout North America. His expertise is in finding that sweet spot between terror and exhilaration.
"Some rides are about height, some speed," he says. "And on some, we're gonna mush you, fling you, really work you over. Goliath is that action ride – we're letting you know we're putting some forces on you."
A former mechanical engineer at Hughes Aircraft, where he designed hinges and gears for spacesatellites – "things that could fit in a bread basket and cost $1 million" – Chickola says he'd always wanted to make "something huge." The Detroit native got his chance in 1995, when Six Flags asked him to overhaul a 21-year-old coaster, Runaway Mine Train, at a park in New Jersey. He rejiggered everything, from its cars, brakes, and motor to its computer operating system. Six years later, he was one of the top coaster engineers in the country.
In his button-down, belted khakis, and worn-to-a-shine loafers, 48-year-old Chickola looks equal parts giddy kid and geeky genius. He sometimes sketches coaster ideas on napkins. Some of these concepts are more ambitious than practical, such as one to build a coaster with seats that spin, as if somersaulting. (When he tested it on a 3D computer program, now an industry staple, "the riders went upside down at the wrong time," he says. "It would not have been fun.")
Chickola usually spends 12 to 14 months taking a coaster from napkin to reality, working with a team of 10 engineers and an army of outside construction firms, electricians, carpenters, and ironworkers. "I love how we can mimic the sensation of flying," he says. "But we want you to be scared, not crippled."
Chickola earned cult celebrity last year after he redesigned Six Flags' beloved Texas Giant at its park in Arlington, Texas. After 20 years, the 143-foot-tall wooden coaster needed constant track and bolt replacements. But fans worried that improvements would ruin its rough-hewn look and the nail-biting appeal of its rickety climb to the peak.
Chickola decided on a new steel-rail fabricating technique that would not only make the ride smoother but also allow for steeper hills and more treacherous turns. At the same time, it would allow him to keep the ride's wood exterior. It was voted Best New Ride of 2011 by Amusement Today magazine.
"Larry has had an amazing impact on this industry," says David Lipnicky of American Coaster Enthusiasts, the nation's largest roller-coaster preservation group. "No one has ever turned an old wooden coaster into a hybrid coaster. It was a big risk."
Roller-coaster physics haven't changed much since the ride was invented in France more than 200 years ago. Basically, you ratchet a train up a track and let it go. But computers have advanced the design process considerably over the past 15 years. Chickola works with systems that brake cars at points along the ride – meaning they can go much faster in certain parts because you can slow them down in others; this helps him take rides ever closer to those maximum G-forces. For Chickola, figuring out how to push those limits while keeping rides fun – not sickening – is the next frontier of coaster design.
You'll rarely find Chickola hurtling through the sky for thrills, though. Based at Six Flags' New Jersey park, he spends his mornings kayaking and fishing on its 70-acre lake. When the park is closed, you may see him rappelling off the steel struts of coasters to perform maintenance and safety checks – a skill he picked up after he took the Six Flags job. "I've actually rappelled off the world's tallest coaster," he says. That would be the park's 456-foot Kingda Ka. "But I don't climb rocks. I only like to do coasters." | <urn:uuid:3797dce9-adf6-4148-b22d-625cce7cee34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/engineer-of-fear-20120815 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970939 | 1,017 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative
The Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI) is a comprehensive, long-term, and international program of the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI). The goal of the CMAI is to advance the practice of conserving twentieth-century heritage, with a focus on modern architecture, through research and investigation, the development of practical conservation solutions, and the creation and distribution of information through training programs and publications. The CMAI will work with international and local partners, including professional and organizational networks focused on modern architecture conservation, to expand the existing knowledge base.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, new conservation challenges emerged as the seminal works of the Modern Movement reached fifty years of age and became eligible for heritage protection. Many of these buildings have not aged well. The new and innovative construction methods and materials that typify the era challenge traditional conservation approaches and raise new methodological and philosophical issues. Despite increased recognition of modern architecture's cultural significance, there is a lack of practical conservation knowledge that addresses the many complex challenges. Effectively tackling these issues demands leadership, strategic research, and brokering with industry to develop appropriate repair techniques that translate research into practice and achieve conservation aims. A concerted effort to bring together and distribute existing information as well as identify and fill information gaps is also needed.
Complementing the GCI's international role in advancing the conservation of modern and contemporary art, the CMAI aims to build on the GCI's scientific research capacity and practical conservation expertise in modern materials. The initiative also provides the potential to further explore the relationship between modern art and architecture so characteristic of the era. The Getty Research Institute's rich collections related to modern architecture, along with the Getty's iconic building, our location in Los Angeles—a laboratory for architecture of this period—and the network of experienced local professionals, means the GCI is well positioned to address these issues.
As a first step in this new initiative, the GCI has undertaken the compilation of Conserving Twentieth-Century Built Heritage: A Bibliography an extensive subject bibliography on the conservation of modern architectural materials. The GCI seeks input from professionals working in the field to assess the bibliography's content and the usefulness of its structure. By August 2012, the bibliography will be reassessed and updated according to the comments received; subsequently it will be periodically updated. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this bibliography, please email us at CMAI@getty.edu.
GoalsThe CMAI will identify and address conservation challenges particular to modern architecture through a comprehensive research and implementation program. Its activities will include:
- Defining Scope: Identify key research questions and issues including technical, methodological, and implementation problems relevant to the conservation of modern architecture across a wide range of building types and geographic areas.
- Scientific Research: Develop and implement a research project related to materials-based conservation challenges in order to advance applicable conservation techniques.
- Model Field Projects: Identify and develop model field projects that draw upon methodological and technical research outcomes and demonstrate improved approaches and methods.
- Education and Training: Develop training programs and materials for practitioners targeted to specific needs in the field.
- Key Resources: Create new literature and widely disseminate existing resources including philosophical and technical materials, guidance on the application of conservation methods, and lessons learned from GCI field projects.
- Public Programming: Host lectures and workshops on topics related to the conservation of modern architecture with relevance to a wide professional audience.
Last updated: March 2012 | <urn:uuid:bb0f34a4-8b9b-4f5f-b3c0-abd3ddb63e57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/field_projects/cmai/cmai_overview.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91357 | 720 | 2.796875 | 3 |
'Deserve to Die' Posters Part of Lung Cancer Alliance Campaign
Last week a mysterious teaser campaign began to appear on outdoor media across the nation. The campaign made statements such as "The Genetically Privileged Deserve to Die, "Cat Lovers Deserve to Die, "Crazy Old Aunts Deserve to Die, "Hipsters Deserve to Die, "The Tattooed Deserve to Die" and others.
Many were not pleased with the campaign's sentiment with some ripping down the posters and one man telling CBS Chicago, "Nobody deserves to die; come on, that's a hell of a statement."
The campaign, which this week was revealed to be from the Lung Cancer Alliance, includes a website on which copy reads, "Every year over 160,000 lives are lost to a deadly disease. They didn't ask for it, but many people seem to think they deserved it. This disease doesn't discriminate. It affects almost all of us and it's showing no signs of slowing down. So what is the killer? You'll find out soon enough."
A clock counted down the days until the campaign would be revealed. Does this campaign offend? Or is it just another pointed attempt at achieving attention, notoriety and press? | <urn:uuid:03094fc1-9add-4960-b836-758bbe393912> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adrants.com/2013/01/deserve-to-die-posters-part-of-lung.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979044 | 256 | 1.523438 | 2 |
|Walter Sickert, Mornington Crescent Nude, 1907|
|David Bomberg, The Mud Bath, 1914|
|Stanley Spencer, The Resurrection of the Soldiers, Sandham Memorial Chapel, 1920s|
By coincidence, I was watching 'Ways of Seeing' on Youtube last week and couldn't help but notice the contrast between James Fox's approach and John Berger's. You could probably watch them side by side in different windows if your computer's fast enough. In the first episode of his fabulous series - which was made in response to Kenneth Clark's equally great but rather less confrontational series 'Civilisation' - Berger sought to expose the ways paintings are exploited by all and sundry for their own ends. The essential qualities of a painting, he told us, are stillness and silence. Anything added, such as music, or the movement of a camera to pick out details, is added, whether by advertiser or art historian, for a reason.
Dr Fox spent an hour last night using every trick in the TV presenter's book to catch our attention, to make us look and to share his passion for British art. Good for him. | <urn:uuid:f8516c87-1cd2-4ea0-b277-724c84cad2e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jamesrussellontheweb.blogspot.com/2011/07/british-masters-pure-genius.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96436 | 238 | 1.898438 | 2 |
After remaining fifteen days in Java, being weary of the barbarous manners of the inhabitants, and of the coldness of the country at that season of the year, we determined to prosecute our voyage back to India, as there were no other regions in these eastern parts worth seeing. Wherefore, hiring a light bark, we departed from thence, and having sailed fifteen days to the north-west, we came to the city of Malacca, where we remained three days. At this place we took our leave of the Christian merchants, with sorrowful minds and many friendly embraces. Of this separation I was sore grieved, and had I been a single man without wife and children, I certainly would never have separated from such dear friends. Leaving them therefore at Malacca, they remained at that place, whence they said they meant shortly to return to the city of Sana. My Persian companion and I went on board a foist, in which we returned to Coromandel. While on this voyage the pilot informed us that there were about seven thousand small islands in the eastern sea, beyond Sumatra and Java. While at Malacca my companion bought as much spices, perfumes of various kinds, and silk, as cost him 5000 pieces of gold. We were fifteen days on our voyage to Coromandel, and remained there twenty days. Hiring another foist we sailed thence to the city of Coulan, where we found twenty-two Portuguese Christians. Fearing they might seize me as a spy, I began to contrive how I might make my escape from thence; but as there were many Mahometans there who knew that I had been on the pilgrimage to Mecca, I changed my purpose, and we soon afterwards went to Calicut by way of the river, which took us twelve days.
[Footnote 104: This oblique insinuation of having a wife and children, is rather contradictory to several circumstances in the early part of the itinerary of Verthema.—E.]
[Footnote 105: This is probably a mistake for Sarnau, whence the Christians are said to have come.—E.]
Continuation of the Author’s Adventures, after his Return to Calicut. | <urn:uuid:83c1ef9c-21aa-4f74-afb2-52b1bea8d3c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/13287/104.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982741 | 445 | 1.90625 | 2 |
The downfall of extreme metal is the overemphasis on the word 'extreme'. So often, bands become obsess with making sure their music is extreme, which ends up taking it so far away from the core of songwriting that little is left but a shell of noise. Listening to those kinds of records can be exhilarating, if in the right frame of mind, but for people who don't fall into the category of angry young men, extreme metal comes off as a parody.
There was a time when extreme metal bands were able to push the envelope while maintaining a core to their sound that let people who hadn't yet journeyed that far from the mainstream still accept what they were hearing. That seems like it was worlds away from now, even if I wasn't old enough at the time to appreciate what was happening. The metal scene I've come to know is not one that embraces all comers, it's one that adheres rigidly to genre. Black metal fans are black metal fans, death metal fans are death metal fans, and few want to hear the similarities that bind all natures of extreme music together.
What makes “RIITIIR” an interesting album is that it does not allow itself to be pigeon-holed, and doesn't dedicate itself to alienating anyone who was foolish enough to hit the play button. It's undoubtedly an extreme metal record, but it retains a core of musicality that makes it more than a one-note affair.
“Thoughts Like Hammers” lays out the blueprint, matching harsh croaks and cold guitars to sections of almost progressive musicianship and somber clean voices rising from the background. Rather than spend the entire running time bludgeoning riff after riff over the top of relentless percussion, the song ebbs and flows as it tries to encompass a journey, revealing more aspects as it passes along. The point in the middle of the track where the song falls away into a lone guitar, only to build itself back up again to a propulsive riff is the sort of writing that not only captures the listener's attention, but emphasizes the extreme elements by placing them in proximity to more standard fare.
These bits of alternative songwriting, like the subtle acoustic guitars underlying the opening riffs of “Death In The Eyes Of Dawn”, are what make “RIITIIR” a record worth listening to. Others can be categorized as noise-mongers, but Enslaved puts together a brand of extreme metal that still has appeal to people who aren't usually fans of that kind of music. Purists will hate that sentiment, but it's an important point for the music to achieve what it wants to. The plaintive melodies sung by clean vocals in the aforementioned track don't take away from the power of the music, nor do they somehow make it less metal. Noise may be the purest form, but it's still only noise.
The tremolo riffs and bitter croaked vocals leading off “Veilburner” are unmistakeable as anything but extreme metal, and are also less interesting than many of the other aspects the song brings to the table. The almost tribal beat underneath the choral vocals, as well as the jagged guitar riffs that belie the tradition of black metal, are far more gratifying expressions.
“RIITIIR” is at its best when it breaks away from the conventional approach to extremity and embraces all inspirations. There are sections of the record that transcend expectations, and in these moments, it's clear why this kind of music is being made. They're too infrequent in the overlong running time, but they are there, and show that there might just be some hope for extreme metal after all. At least if the purists don't have their way. | <urn:uuid:b38ff172-c52f-4058-8b8c-6910cd9dcbbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bloodygoodhorror.com/bgh/blogs/10/01/2012/album-review-enslaved-riitiir | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968919 | 780 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
An order of magnitude cheaper
Computers in general are of not much use without software. And as few of us are able to program everything ourselves, we often need to buy that software. So since I bought the iPad earlier this week, I've been buying a lot of apps (games and utilities) in the App Store. And it struck me how there is an order of magnitude in difference in prices between the App Store and buying software for a PC: An expensive game costs 6€ instead of 60€, a useful "shareware" utility where you pay for the full version after having tried the free one cost 1 to 3€ instead of 10 to 30€, and so on.
Of course an iPad game isn't equivalent to a PC game in terms of polygon count and production cost. But that isn't necessarily a disadvantage for the iPad: Being lower cost, developers can take bigger risks, and create more different games. While the triple-A games on the PC these days are nearly exclusively sequels or games that play a lot like already existing games, you can find a huge variety of all sorts of weird new game concepts on the iPad. I especially like the iPad adaptations of board games, a category which by itself opens up a whole new universe of game concepts.
The price difference is even more striking for utility software, because there is often little or no difference in quality. And that with a smaller market: Apple sold 55 million iPads up to March 2012, and is expecting to sell the 100 millionth iPad by the end of this year; but there are over 1 billion PCs in use. So with a bigger market, why is software for a PC ten times more expensive than for an iPad. The iOS being a far more closed system, requiring less attention to potential differences in hardware might explain a part of it, but does that make software development really 10 times as expensive? | <urn:uuid:a82e07b2-1575-48f5-97cc-647c2d6b5220> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2012/08/an-order-of-magnitude-cheaper.html?showComment=1344462361910 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965397 | 389 | 1.835938 | 2 |