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|Home > Technology||Tuesday April 9, 2002|
"The result has been an absence of robust, ubiquitous protections of digital media which has lead to a lack of content on the Internet and over the airwaves. And who has suffered the most? Consumers."
Hollings' move came after a hearing in which Hollywood executives pleaded for efforts to guard against piracy of "creative content", purported to be worth $US450 billion ($A855.68 billion) to the US economy.
Michael Eisner, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, told the hearing that makers of computer equipment are trying to cash in on piracy at the expense of the creators.
"At least one high tech executive has described illegal pirate content as a 'killer application' that will drive consumer demand for broadband," Eisner said. "Obviously, the development of broadband networks is an appropriate national goal only if those networks are conduits for legitimate -- not pirate -- content."
Eisner cited a recent study showing "more than 350,000 illegal pirate movies are downloaded from the Internet every day".
Peter Chernin, president and chief operating officer of News Corporation, which owns Fox Studios and television operations, echoed those remarks.
"American books, movies, television and music are among our most successful products overseas; but if they cannot be protected from unlawful copying, their export value would shrink to nothing," he said.
"The potential of the wholesale disregard of copyrights would be devastating to employment and job creation in the US, and to any chance of making the Internet a boon to us all."
But Silicon Valley says any tough mandates on copy protection would stifle technological innovation and hurt consumers, who already may legally make copies of items they buy for one device for use on another.
Intel vice president Leslie Vadasz said Hollywood became equally upset over the advent of the videocasette recorder decades ago, but ended up finding ways to profit from it.
"For the government to mandate how the IT industry designs and develops chips, or to try and force agreement for design features, would be ludicrous ... irreparable economic damage would result."
Vadasz said that Hollywood studios in many cases are looking for "total control" of the technology to deliver its goods.
The Information Technology Association of America, a high-tech industry group, said it opposes these measures, calling them "a blow to innovation and consumer choice."
"As we move into the 21st century, movie chieftains want to gallop back toward the 19th," ITAA president Harris Miller said.
"Instead of realising that the movie industry and the IT industry have common goals ... Hollywood has decided that the interests of consumers are outweighed by its desire to stop a few bad actors from content pirating."
Other groups have joined the campaign on freedom of speech grounds, claiming it stifles the longstanding ability to share software or make copies of films or music for personal use.
"These profoundly undemocratic proceedings sacrifice consumer rights, free speech and innovation on the altar of Hollywood's hysterical technophobia," says a statement from the Electronic Freedom Foundation.
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In this section
Eyes wired open
Call for rules on wireless
'Hacktivists' rage against the machine
Opening new lines of communication
Softly, softly as telcos dial up for steadier times
The trouble with outsourcing
New satellite produces super-sharp images
Kazaa ready to unleash new network
Space rail to conquer the final frontier
The dangers of spam SMS
Is broadband worth it?
Strange new weapons stink or hurt, but don't kill
Technology buffs adopt the new with attitude
Smart glass gets another schooner sooner
Bluetooth takes a bite of the Apple
Copyright © 2002 The Age Company Ltd
|advertise | contact us| | <urn:uuid:b9d7e343-d6d5-4681-8a82-8d319a496efc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/05/1017206259062.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935678 | 786 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Planned Parenthood logo.
Planned Parenthood is expanding through Southern California. The organization is opening its 19th branch on Thursday in a spot that will save some people a very long drive.
Planned Parenthood’s Palmdale office is the first one to serve the Antelope Valley. Until now, people in the area had to drive up to 50 miles each way to reach the nearest branch in Van Nuys.
The Palmdale center will offer preventive health care and family planning, including screenings for cervical and breast cancers. It also plans on providing contraception counseling and testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
A spokesman for the organization says residents of the Antelope Valley face unplanned pregnancy and STD rates higher than the L.A. County average.
Planned Parenthood accepts both insured and uninsured patients. | <urn:uuid:6261382b-b274-4d10-bb5f-2a40ce1e6d25> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/03/01/31459/planned-parenthood-open-branch-underserved-antelop/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947305 | 167 | 1.554688 | 2 |
This contraption is a Belgian Percussion Eprouvette. Back in the days when blackpowder was of dubious quality, devices like these were used to test the potency of the powder at hand. The barrel plug is attached to a V shaped spring. When fired the spring compresses moving a slider. The strength can then be read off a scale. I am not if the units on the scale correspond to the energy of the powder, or if it is just used for comparative purposes.
This particular Percussion Eprouvette is housed in the National Firearms Museum’s Robert E. Petersen gallery.
[ Many thanks to Nic Jenzen-Jones for emailing us the link. ] | <urn:uuid:a30848eb-d185-4cce-b628-c1254861e1ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/10/15/belgian-percussion-eprouvette/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901783 | 139 | 2.1875 | 2 |
- REAL ESTATE
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- SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
For the past 15 years, the Puntacana Ecological Foundation has developed experimental projects that serve as living, breathing examples of solutions to some of the tourism industry’s greatest social and environmental challenges. Working collaboratively with diverse partners that include businesses, not-for-profit foundations, universities, and government agencies, the Foundation has worked to offer a vision for development in the Caribbean that balances economic growth, environmental protection, community inclusion, and a celebration of local culture. Rather than telling the tourism industry what it shouldn’t be, the Ecological Foundation has used specific projects to inspire a hopeful vision of what tourism should aspire to be.
Puntacana Center for Sustainability is a research and education facility that works with diverse universities such as Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Virginia Tech, University of Miami, and University of South Carolina to develop solutions to the complex social and environmental challenges related to development and tourism.
Partnership for Ecologically Sustainable Coastal Areas (PESCA) is a long‐term collaborative effort with multiple partners spearheaded by the Foundation to balance the continued growth and development of the region, the long‐ term health and sustainability of the coastal zone and coral reef, and the needs of local stakeholders. PESCA seeks to achieve integrated coastal management, including water quality monitoring, coral reef and coastal ecosystem protection and restoration, sustainable fisheries management, conservation of endangered species such as sea turtles, and development of alternative livelihoods for local fishermen, in order to insure the long‐term health of the Punta Cana coastal area.
Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park and Reserve is a 1,500 acre reserve that is owned and maintained by the Ecological Foundation. The Reserve has a network of trails that lead to 12 freshwater lagoons. The Park is an interpretive trail that features distinct attractions related to the natural and cultural history of the island, including an iguana habitat, petting zoo, sugarcane exhibition and a fruit tree garden. You can contact the Ecological Foundation to schedule your visit.
Sustainable Agriculture in Punta Cana takes advantage of organic waste from landscaping, kitchens, and golf courses to create natural composts and fertilizers that can be converted into year-round production of vegetables and fruits. Currently the Ecological Foundations sells arugula, lettuce, chives, peppers, basil, cilantro, and other produce that is sold to local restaurants, residents of the Punta Cana community and hotels.
Zero Waste is an international movement that seeks to eliminate the concept of garbage in cities, residential communities and tourism developments. Forming part of this movement, the Ecological Foundation has designed and supervised the implementation Zero Waste at the Puntacana Resort & Club, leading efforts throughout the resort in classification of waste, recycling, composting, and environmental education. To view an instructional video on household waste separation, click here. | <urn:uuid:2237c86a-fe3d-49d8-8b2e-19b28ab3deec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.puntacana.com/ecological-commitment/ecological-foundation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912511 | 612 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Psychologist Susan Bartell: The truth is that the vast majority of experts recommend no TV or screen time at all for kids who are under 2. But of course there are times in real life where you need to let your child have a little bit of screen time. Maybe you need to take a shower, you need to whip up a quick dinner.
So what you have to do is really decide what's appropriate for your family, but really keeping in mind that for infants and children under 2, that it should be sort of an emergency – TV shouldn't be something you rely on as the way to take care of your child.
That even educational TV and even fabulous DVDs don't take the place of real-life interactions with people and with great toys. So as long as you keep that in mind and you keep it truly at a minimum, it's fine to let your kids have a little bit of screen time.
Now, when they get to be a little older than 2, again you want to be very very careful about making sure that they're only watching age-appropriate TV and DVDs. That's critical, that you don't want to expose them to anything that's too old for them. Cause once it's it their brain, you can't get it out of their brain. But again, limit them to a maximum of two hours a day of all screen time put together – TV, computer, everything – and do your best to only use it when you really have to.
And allow them rather than watching TV to be outside playing or playing a game with you or interacting with a great toy. | <urn:uuid:899b673e-f00c-4678-9a9b-38f5f308002c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.babycenter.com/2_is-it-okay-for-a-baby-or-toddler-to-watch-tv_10367148.bc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981626 | 328 | 2.203125 | 2 |
The Canadian Department of the Environment elected on June 26, 2010, to not ban five rosin-containing substances from all products manufactured and sold in the country, averting a potentially crippling blow to the market for electronic products.
"Restricting rosins would have made it extremely difficult for electronics manufacturers to continue doing business in Canada,‚ÄĚ said Karl Seelig, vice president of technology for AIM Solder, Inc., and the chairman of the IPC Solder Products Value Council.
The department concluded that the five rosins identified under Batch 10 of the Canadian Chemicals Management Plan are not inherently toxic, bioaccumulative, or persistent and therefore do not pose a threat to human health or the environment.
In October 2009, electronics trade association IPC, with its Solder Products Value Council and Environment, Health and Safety Committee, submitted comments to the Canadian Department of the Environment with an in-depth analysis of how banning rosins would negatively affect the reliability, functionality, and safety of all electronic products.
Rosins are key ingredients in soldering materials used in the manufacture of more than 75% of electronics products.
to Daily News | <urn:uuid:d91b3adf-caab-4d9d-bf8c-33c98c1e03ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.appliancemagazine.com/news.php?article=1411214&zone=0&first=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941432 | 242 | 2.5625 | 3 |
In the BIOS there is an option for booting from the network. I've never done this before (with any computer) but I believe the process works like this:
Broadcast a BOOTP/DHCP request for an IP address and where to find boot image
TFTP the boot image and load it
Is that what "network boot" means? I think so.
So, my question is, how to find or create an image the WS can boot from, and how to host it. Ideally, a linux-on-floppy distro to host the servers (bootp/dhcp, tftp, and the image) but I don't care if the servers run on Windows.
(My WS is pretty much disabled and I'm looking for ways to get other files on it. I have MS-DOS on the original DoC and another 72MB DoC that has no bootable image on it. I can't get HD's to be recognized with any HD controller I have. I'd like to be able to format the 72MB DoC and get a decent linux distro on it.) | <urn:uuid:2dabc9a0-b28b-467d-a98a-abfa30b8df2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linux-hacker.net/cgi-bin/UltraBoard/UltraBoard.pl?Action=ShowPost&Board=wsgeneral&Post=271&Idle=0&Sort=0&Order=Descend&Page=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957171 | 231 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The Museum is pleased to offer an innovative Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program that leverages its unique scientific resources and long history of leadership in teacher education and professional development. Funded in part by the New York State Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, this 15-month program addresses a critical shortage of qualified science teachers in New York State, particularly in high-needs schools with diverse populations. The MAT program is a partnership with five schools in New York City and Yonkers. Developed and delivered in the context of a natural history museum, the program integrates academic theory and learning with application in a school setting, with a specialization in Earth Science for grades 7-12.
The program employs intensive mentoring and extensive use of technology to provide degree candidates with a deep understanding of scientific content and of the importance of an inquiry-based approach to learning that demonstrates the relevance of science to students' lives. All coursework, both online and at the Museum, is taught by doctoral-level Museum scientists and educators.
The MAT teacher candidates, called Davis Fellows thanks to the generous founding support of Museum donor Kathryn W. Davis, spend two summers working with scientists and educators at the Museum, one in a youth program and the other in a science practicum residency. During the 10-month classroom residency, partner schools pair Davis Fellows with mentors — exemplary teachers selected by school principals. The residency includes a rotation with teachers of English Language Learners and students with disabilities. These mentored residencies provide critical clinical teaching opportunities to the Fellows, as well as the opportunity to work with and learn from experienced science educators. Course assignments completed during residencies will be major components of a digital portfolio of practice, which will serve as the equivalent of a Master’s thesis.
Candidates who complete the AMNH program will be awarded a New York State Board of Regents–conferred Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, with a Specialization in Earth Science for grades 7–12.
The program will also offer Davis Fellows two years of induction after graduation: formal, early-career professional development and support focused on classroom management and curriculum development. Graduates commit to teaching at high-needs public schools in New York State for four years. By that time they will have deep knowledge of Earth and Space science content and pedagogy, a year of classroom experience, and an ongoing support network, anchored by a renowned research and educational institution.
All coursework is taught by doctoral-level Museum scientists and educators with an inquiry-based approach to learning that demonstrates the relevance of science to students' lives.
At the center of the program is the Host School Residency, which takes place during the academic year in middle and high schools, over two semesters.
During the program's first summer, teacher candidates participate in a Museum-based teaching residency, and during the second summer, a Museum-based science practicum.
The 36-credit program involves three concurrent components: courses, residencies, and mentoring. | <urn:uuid:faaa37f0-f4d0-44dc-8de0-eae18676776c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/master-of-arts-in-teaching/program | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949634 | 616 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Normally, I become very skeptical when any politician introduces a “Jobs Act” bill. To begin with, the term is incredibly loaded. Secondly, what can the government really do to spur job growth? At best, it might hire more people for government jobs. At worst, we’ll encounter more red tape designed to make politicians look good.
Yet, this time around I actually think there is potential to drive job growth through the Jobs Act, specifically via provisions targeted to help small businesses. Programs that help small businesses are the simplest and most cost-effective solutions to job creation. Research shows that adding jobs to the economy is not necessarily about getting IBM or Home Depot to hire more people. Neither are Fortune 1000 companies the real drivers of new job growth for our economy. Rather, studies indicate that new jobs come from small businesses, young companies with less than 500 employees.
The good news? It looks like we’ve finally started valuing small business job creation.
Of Course We Support Small Businesses
You might remain skeptical. After all, everyone says he supports small businesses and entrepreneurs. Well, now is our chance to actually do something about it — and real Congressional legislation can help accomplish it.
The economic uncertainty of the past few years has created a unique opportunity for regulatory reform that directly benefits small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs – the true engines behind job growth. Now is the time to make sure politicians know that they must act, not just talk. Making their way through Congress now, a series of pro-small business bills aim to provide more access to capital, small firm hiring and investment incentives, and a reduction in small regulatory burdens.
As an entrepreneur and former startup lawyer who has advised hundreds of entrepreneurs and small businesses, I strongly support getting small businesses more capital so they can expand and create more jobs. However, there is always the risk that reforms could get bogged down by politics as usual: special interests and egos.
What's At Stake?
The small business regulatory reforms boil down to a few simple goals: Increase access to capital for small businesses; reduce taxes on small businesses (in some cases only for the short-term) to spur hiring; reduce regulatory burdens on small businesses, and; encourage investment by small businesses in equipment and technology. By helping encourage private sector investment in small businesses and startups and reducing the burden for small businesses to hire, more jobs will result. And not just any jobs, but careers that pay well and help drive innovation.
One key initiative would allocate crowdfunding for small businesses and startups. In crowdfunding, many people invest relatively small dollar amounts. That way, a business doesn’t rely on just one or two investors.
Imagine the following scenario: Someone in your neighborhood wants to open a small grocery store. She can’t procure a loan, but must essentially go door-to-door to secure funding from 50 to 200 people in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 each. The entrepreneur can then open a truly community-owned grocery store. Through crowdfunding, tech companies can take advantage of this type of approach too, only transactions are digital and can come from all over the world.
Additional reforms would extend payroll taxes for small businesses that hire previously unemployed individuals. Others would make it easier for small businesses to find investors, help people receiving unemployment benefits start their own businesses, and support entrepreneurs from abroad.
These reforms will provide new opportunities for small business owners and drive local job growth in cities and communities around the country. Look no further than Detroit, a city making huge investments in small business and startup support. The city hopes to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and small business owners to build tomorrow’s great industries.
Overall, the concept is simple: New companies create jobs. And that job creation wouldn’t be possible without forward-thinking investors, a strong community of early adopters and a country that supports new ventures.
As our economy transitions, we need to find more ways to support these small business owners and individuals who are looking for a way to make a living. These reforms are a good start: They can help communities build small grocery stores; they can support a laid-off graphics designer as he starts his own company; they can encourage a university student create his own job; and they will ultimately spur a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Get Involved. Show Your Support.
You’ll hear many politicians talking about job creation – it’s a quick and easy sound bite. However, the opportunity to actually spur job growth is right ahead of us.
Each of us has patronized a small business, worked for a small business, used a product produced by a small business or even been a small business owner ourselves. In order to ensure that the Jobs Act does, in fact, address jobs – and not just politics – make sure you encourage your representatives to push these important small business reforms. | <urn:uuid:db1ce511-9847-4f5e-b425-126425397e85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mashable.com/2011/12/07/jobs-act-startups/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959486 | 1,004 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Physician’s Grant Application
Physicians in the Jeffrey Modell Canadian Immunodeficiency Network are eligible to receive a grant of up to $5,000 Canadian. These funds are specifically restricted to the diagnosis and testing of patients with a suspected Primary Immunodeficiency and/or for physician education and public awareness. Physician symposia expenses such as conference facilities, audio-visual, printed material, coffee breaks, etc. can be funded under this program. Expenses for travel, hotel accommodations, honoraria, and personnel are discouraged.
Applicants will be advised of approval within 60 days from the date of submission through a letter outlining conditions for the grant and requirements of a short final report. Subsequent grants will only be considered after the final report has been received.
Examples of Previous Grants
Drs Ellie Haddad, Aubert Lavoie and Reza Alizadehfar for the Physician’s formation of Primary Immunodeficiency. This symposium intended to build awareness and education on the identification and diagnosis of PI among Quebec physicians. This event was open to every Quebec physician with an interest in treating PI.
The CI Society’s quarterly PID Video Conference series held at hospitals across Canada. It is a highly valuable medium to discuss difficult cases.
Dr. Christine McCusker of Montreal’s Children Hospital for Immunology rounds. This seminar series aided in the education of staff and trainees by discussing specific primarily immunodeficiencies and the genetic basis and management of immune disorders.
Dr. Amin Kanani held Immunodeficiency Rounds to promote new developments in understanding and treating Primary Immunodeficiency. Rounds were targeted to clinical immunologists, allergist and other sub-specialists from across Vancouver lower mainland.
Drs. Adelle Atkinson and Reza Alizadehfar for a 2nd Conference on Host Defense held during the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting in Edmonton, Alberta. Hosted by the CI Society, opening comments, Dr. Chaim Roifman, Plenary lecture: Dr. Richard Stiehm, Moderators Drs. Adelle Atkinson & Reza Alizadehfar. Presentations: Dr. F. Le Deist – CD3 zeta deficiency, Dr. E. Grunebaum – Purine Immunodeficiency- novel treatments, Dr. S. Turvey – the emerging role of innate immunity. Followed by six short case presentations by fellows/network members, Moderators Drs. S Carr and A. Kanani.
Dr. Adelle Atkinson, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada, to provide a series of lectures on primary immunodeficiencies, their diagnosis, work-up and management. These lectures would take place in the community as well as other healthcare institutions both community and university based.
Dr. Amin Kanani, University of British Columbia/St. Paul’s Hospital, Canada to provide two events for Primary Care Practitioners and three events for specialists. Topics included new developments in our understanding, recognizing, investigating and managing primary immune deficiencies. Discussion were also be held on challenging immunodeficiency cases.
Dr. Bruce Mazer, Montreal Children’s Hospital to host a symposium as part of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Montreal, October 2006.
The CI Society’s production and distribution of What is PI booklet aided patients and physicians in understanding how the immune system works, what PI is, and how it is diagnosed and treated in Canada. Distributed to hospitals across Canada.
Drs. Amin Kanani and Stuart Carr for a joint project, Do Bugs Need Drugs, which raised awareness of the 10 warning signs of Primary Immunodeficiency (25,000 copies of pamphlet distributed across British Columbia and Alberta).
Drs. Adelle Atkinson and Reza Alizadehfar, for a national physician awareness project aimed at educating physicians on the 10 warning signs of PI and raising awareness of the Network among physicians for support and consultations. Approximately 10, 500 physicians across Canada, within paediatrics and family practice, were provided resource and referral materials. | <urn:uuid:4d6560a4-8541-408c-a803-bdadafccb176> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cisociety.com/blog/healthcare-providers/mission-and-membership/previous-grants/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930453 | 858 | 1.539063 | 2 |
b12 deficiency is a major differential dx when trying to assess if someone has ms. i had b12 deficiency on my record when i was diagnosed but the docs paid no attention. computer glitch was partially to blame on that one :S
did your wife have a spinal mri too, and was it clear? 'classic' b12 deficiency syndrome involves cervical and thoracic spinal lesions. i had these at dx, but my docs told me that my additional brain lesions and oligoclonal banding etc in CSF were more in line with ms, so they ignored the deficiency back story. not cool. with what i know now, i could have argued back - but hindsight blah blah blah
iima, is your wife vegetarian or vegan? if so i would tend more to suspect insufficient dietary sources. that was my trouble. if not vegetarian/vegan, then b12 absorption could be the problem.
anyway, if your wife is b12 deficient according to the bloodwork, and has no spinal lesions, that sounds atypical. at very least, there should be some more tests done specific to assessing b12 status, such as CBC and PCA. CBC can tell you if hematological measures related to B12 are correct, and PCA tells you if an auto-immune problem is causing intrinsic factor trouble in the stomach, with associated absorption issues.
supplementing is doable regardless of the results of the PCA test and any associated absorption problems, by using biologically active forms of b12 tablets or strips that dissolve under the tongue 'sublingual', and are absorbed straight into the bloodstream.
research has shown a whole list of nutrients that are low in ms patients. i was all 'yes doctor, of course doctor, save my life, doctor' about the ms drugs at first, but before they could even send the nurse out for an appointment i had read enough to have second thoughts. my personal decision was to figure out what optimal nutrition was, get myself there, and then decide about meds later. i am still drug free, but the work i did with nutrition and testing was really effective in my case.
here is my favourite web page about vitamin b12 deficiency. i used to rely heavily on wikipedia until i learned what all the medical terms meant
but it's awesome. http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/nother/vitamin.htm#B12
by the way this line under the Causes heading: 'Antibody vs parietal cells' is the PCA test i was talking about.
welcome to the site, and if there's a silver lining to what you're going through, it's the learning curve - knowledge is power! i'll check back for any more details you care to throw in
ps. 157 pg/mL is 115 in my units (pmol/L) and yep that's pretty bad. my worst level ever was 'undetectable'. i like to be at least 500 pmol/L - based on some research i read a few years ago - which is... 677 pg/mL. i'm not often that high but it's such a non-concern for me lately, that i have not measured in a while. | <urn:uuid:7bf068d8-7fc6-41c5-b6e2-197472794a3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-discussion-f1/topic19653.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970411 | 669 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Eunice Mary Kennedy Shriver
Shriver, Eunice Mary Kennedy, 1921–2009, American philanthropist and advocate for the intellectually disabled, b. Brookline, Mass., grad. Stanford (1943); she was a daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy and a sister of President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy and married (1953) Sargent Shriver. In 1957 she became an officer of a Kennedy foundation focusing on the prevention and treatment of retardation, and thereafter devoted much of her life to improving the status of the mentally challenged. In 1963 she established a day camp for retarded children at her Maryland home, and soon helped create similar facilities throughout the United States and Canada. From these grew her greatest accomplishment, the founding (1968) of the Special Olympics, which has provided opportunities for the developmentally challenged to benefit from active involvement in sports and competition. There are now Special Olympics groups in some 180 countries, and World Special Olympics Games are held every two years.
See study by E. Shorter (2000).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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See more Encyclopedia articles on: Social Reformers | <urn:uuid:6ccff059-00c2-46fb-8ef3-d5d8c0b50b57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/people/shriver-eunice-mary-kennedy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934595 | 263 | 2.421875 | 2 |
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New Orleans guitarist Snooks Eaglin dies at 72
Posted by Keith Spera, Music writer, The Times-Picayune February 18, 2009
Snooks Eaglin, the idiosyncratic New Orleans rhythm & blues guitarist with fleet-fingered dexterity and a boundless repertoire, died Wednesday
afternoon. He was 72.
"He was the most New Orleans of all the New Orleans acts that are still living," said Mid-City Lanes owner John Blancher.
Even in a city and musical community
known for eccentric characters, Mr. Eaglin stood out. Extremely
private, he lived with his family in St. Rose. For many years, he
refused to perform on Friday nights, reportedly because of religious
The digits on Mr. Eaglin's right hand flailed at seemingly
impossible angles as he finger-picked and strummed a guitar's strings.
A set by the so-called "Human Jukebox" could range from Beethoven's
"Fur Elise" to Bad Company's "Ready for Love."
He thrived on feedback from onlookers, gleefully took requests and
challenged his musicians to keep up. Utterly unselfconscious, he would
render fellow guitarists slack-jawed with a blistering run, then
announce from the stage that he needed to use the bathroom.
Photo by Keith I. Marszalek / nola.comSnooks Eaglin's fingers, hard at work during the 2008 Jazz Fest.
Mr. Eaglin was born Fird Eaglin Jr. in 1937. As an infant, glaucoma
robbed him of his sight. He earned his "Snooks" nickname after his
mischievous behavior recalled a radio character named Baby Snooks.
As a toddler, he received his first instrument, a hand-carved
ukulele strung with rubber bands. As a boy, he learned to pick a guitar
to songs on the radio. He attended the Louisiana School for the Blind
in Baton Rouge. By 14, he had dropped out to work full-time as a
His first steady job was with the Flamingos, a popular seven-piece
rhythm & blues band that also included a young Allen Toussaint on
piano. Post-Flamingos, Mr. Eaglin briefly billed himself as Lil' Ray
Charles. In the late 1950s, he performed on street corners and recorded
two acoustic albums for a folk label. His studio work included the
guitar parts on Sugarboy Crawford's "Jockamo."
In the early 1960s, Mr. Eaglin released a handful of singles for
Imperial Records under the name "Ford" Eaglin. He logged three years in
the house band at the Playboy Club off Bourbon Street.
After the British Invasion decimated the market for New Orleans
rhythm & blues, he semi-retired. The launch of the New Orleans Jazz
and Heritage Festival in 1970 brought with it fresh opportunity.
Photo by Keith I. Marszalek / nola.comSnooks Eaglin, foreground, with bassist and frequent collaborator George Porter Jr. during the 2008 Jazz Fest.
Mr. Eaglin performed with Professor Longhair during the pianist's
"comeback" gigs. He also contributed to Longhair's landmark "New
Orleans House Party" album and the Wild Magnolias' early recordings.
In 1987, Mr. Eaglin released "Baby, You Can Get Your Gun!," his
first album on Black Top Records. Several more well-received albums on
Black Top further heightened his profile.
His annual appearances at Jazz Fest were hugely popular. In addition
to legions of local fans, Mr. Eaglin's admirers included prominent
musicians from around the globe.
It was Robert Plant, in fact, who first made Blancher aware of Mr. Eaglin.
In 1990, not long after he took over the Mid-City Lanes, Blancher
received a call from Plant, who wanted to throw an after-party at the
bowling alley. He asked Blancher to book Mr. Eaglin, whom he met years
earlier when the guitarist performed at a party in New Orleans for
Plant's former band, Led Zeppelin.
The after-party didn't happen, but the Mid-City Lanes became Mr.
Eaglin's preferred venue. He played as frequently as once a month.
"He's an irreplaceable guy," Blancher said. "More celebrities came
to see Snooks than anyone. His reputation was as big as anyone's in New
Orleans. And he wouldn't travel, so if you wanted to see Snooks you had
to come to Rock 'n Bowl."
During the 2000 Jazz Fest, Bonnie Raitt showed up at the Mid-City
Lanes to hear Mr. Eaglin. He exclaimed from the stage, "Listen to this,
Bonnie! You gonna learn something tonight, girl!" She later lent a hand
by replacing a broken string on his guitar.
Photo courtesy of John BlancherBonnie Raitt swaps out a broken string on Snooks Eaglin's guitar at the Mid-City Lanes Rock 'n Bowl in 2000.
Blancher would often pick up Mr. Eaglin in St. Rose and drive him to
and from shows at the Rock 'n Bowl. Along the way Mr. Eaglin regaled
him with stories.
Among the most infamous is the time Mr. Eaglin drove the Flamingos
home following a Saturday night gig in Donaldsonville. The musicians
were so intoxicated that they decided their blind guitarist was the
most qualified driver.
Mr. Eaglin claimed he navigated the curves of the road from memory.
The crunch of gravel under the tires warned him when the '49 Studebaker
strayed onto the shoulder. The story concludes with Mr. Eaglin pulling
up to his house early Sunday morning and his mother suggesting the
musicians proceed directly to church.
Mr. Eaglin met his future wife, Dorethea "Dee" Eaglin, at a
Flamingos gig during Mardi Gras 1958. They married in 1961 and she
became his constant companion and confidant. Dee would sit nearby as
her husband performed.
Blancher was among the few music industry figures that Mr. Eaglin
allowed to visit his house. But even he was unaware of the guitarist's
deteriorating health. Blancher learned in January that Mr. Eaglin had
been battling prostate cancer.
Mr. Eaglin last performed at the Mid-City Lanes in July. Blancher
spoke to him recently about booking a show in March. "He said, 'I'm
going to wait until Jazz Fest. I'm not going to do any gigs until
then,'" Blancher said. "I was surprised by that."
Mr. Eaglin checked into Ochsner Medical Center last week. With
regret, he told his step-daughter, Carolyn Gioustover, "I've got to
call Quint Davis and tell him I won't make it to Jazz Fest."
He went into cardiac arrest on Tuesday.
Mr. Eaglin often said his mother took care of him until Dee took over. He died on his mother's birthday.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Stacey Eaglin Hunter; a
step-son, Allen Ancar III; and two step-daughters, Carolyn Gioustover
and Deborah Ancar Randolph. | <urn:uuid:c2eaea8f-beac-412a-929f-e2476e79c017> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jazzonthetube.com/videos/new-orleans/baby-please.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971984 | 1,621 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Today is the day when the residents of 78 countries engage in one big gasp: “Mother’s Day is two days away!” I bet you could hear this from space.
Here’s how a Maker solves this. Go to Thingiverse.
There are a number of things to download and make that your mom would love. Flowers, sculptures, jewelry, things to hold jewelry, phone accessories, organizers, aquarium structures, things for the home.
Did you take a nice trip with your mom? Thingiverse probably has a miniature of one of the buildings or monuments you saw. Or maybe you just want to customize a picture frame for that shot of the kids.
If you have a MakerBot, you can make your mom anything you can think of. Here are a few ideas to get you going. Whatever you make, be sure to tag it Mother’s Day to help fellow citizens of the Thingiverse.
|Tagged with||3d design, 3d printing, arts and crafts, crafts, flowers, gifts, mother's day, personal fabrication, personal manufacturing, things to do with your kids||Leave a comment| | <urn:uuid:b2bb4541-b50a-448d-b9b5-7b519b431d2a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.makerbot.com/blog/tag/arts-and-crafts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929888 | 237 | 1.804688 | 2 |
|Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York|
SECURITY COUNCIL PRESS STATEMENT ON GUINEA-BISSAU
The following Security Council press statement on Guinea-Bissau was read out today by Council President Jorge Ballestero ( Costa Rica):
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the violent attack on the residence of the President of Guinea-Bissau, Joćo Bernardo Vieira, on 23 November by military elements. The members of the Security Council regretted that such a serious incident occurred after the peaceful and orderly elections of 16 November.
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their full support to the democratic process.
The members of the Security Council called on the Government of Guinea-Bissau to bring to justice those responsible for this attack, and urged all parties in Guinea-Bissau to cooperate actively with the authorities in this regard.
The members of the Security Council also urged all parties to resolve any disputes through political and peaceful means within the framework of the rule of law. The members of the Security Council stressed that the international community would not accept a return to violence.
* *** *For information media • not an official record | <urn:uuid:1447ab15-16a8-4b20-b02e-ba15f7f46d41> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9510.doc.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93712 | 252 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The primary function of a creation
scientist is to investigate the nature of our world from the intelligent
We must theorize from our unique point of view if the truth is
to be understood. Given the effect of the theory of evolution on
people's ability to believe in God, evolutionary biology
is probably the most important topic for a creationist to study.
It is only with the absolute truth that we can effectively counter
secular mis-information, and the facts will only be determined
following adequate development of ID evolutionary biology theory.
Creationary evolution may indeed be the field of science requiring the
greatest amount of attention today.
Introduction to Creationary Evolution
is an atheistic theory that attempts to explain the presence of life on
earth without God. Scientists
assert that the earth developed through purely natural processes following a great cosmic explosion
called the big-bang. They believe that living
microbes simply developed following a series of random reactions within a
of molecules. Furthermore, the theory of evolution teaches that all
organisms on earth are related to the same common ancestor. This
perspective is a striking contrast to the Biblical version of creation,
which teaches that God created the universe and many
kinds of plants and animals on earth during a period of time
equivalent to 6 of our days. In addition, the Bible clearly states that
God created humans distinct from the animals during that same period
1 Corinthians 15:39 - For not all
flesh is alike, but there is one kind for men, another for animals,
another for birds, and another for fish.
It is certain that life on earth evolves. However, according
to the Bible life began evolving after the
creation of the many kinds necessary to
support life on earth. God apparently created all organisms on earth with
the ability to evolve through systematic
self genetic engineering.
It is true that plants and animals are constantly changing, and
new species are developing all the time, but there are distinct
animal types alive today and in the fossil record, and few transitional
forms exist to support the claims that all creatures have evolved
from a common ancestor as the evolutionists propose. In addition, the
animals found in the fossil record are typically
identical to those found alive today.
The Bible refers to many kinds of animals. These Biblical
"kinds" are probably most
synonymous with the Family level of scientific classification;
such as canine, feline and bovine. Following their release from
the ark, these various kinds of animals
evolved into all the various species we see alive today.
Although organisms are classified based on similarities and differences
of characteristics, evolutionary perspectives have influenced
the groupings of organisms due to presupposed relationships.
Therefore, the Family level can not be held as an absolute definition
of the "kinds" of animals God created. It would
appear certain that in some instances other groups such as the Genus or
Order may represent the Biblical kinds. Generally speaking
however, all the species within each mammalian Families could have evolved from only a reintroduced pair following the
What's Driving Evolution?
All organisms were created with the ability
to adapt to a wide variety of ecological conditions. However,
we are being taught that random mutations, (such as copying errors
and genomic changes induced by external mutagens), are responsible
for evolution of species on earth today, and this is simply untrue.
Evolution occurs by design through internally
performed cellular reactions. Geneticists have known for
decades that offspring variability was the result of homologous
crossing-over reactions that occur during the division of cells
used for sexual reproduction (meiosis). Prior to dividing, the
DNA within the cell condenses and rearranges itself. These recombination
reactions are still almost completely uncharacterized, nor are
we yet able to subsequently determine what specific changes were
The differences among children from the
same parents, or between various breeds of animals are not due
to mutations. It is a matter of historic fact that the domestic
breeds were created through a succession of genetic recombination
and artificial selection. All the dog
breeds were bred from the wolf and progeny by humans. Physically
unique populations in nature are created in the same way. Evolution
likewise occurs through a history of recombination and natural selection.
Externally induced mutations or copying errors may induce some
genomic change, but they are simply insignificant in comparison
to the rearrangements being performed by the cell during meiosis.
These reactions are specifically produced to introduce offspring
variability and thereby drive evolution. Meiotic
recombination is the principal source of genetic alterations
that creates offspring variability, and yet we are being erroneously
taught that evolution is the result of random mutation.
The Pure Breed or Genetic Homozygote
Recombination events (crossing over and
independent assortment of homologues) are responsible for the
variations of characteristics possessed by offspring from the
same parent. These differences can have advantages or disadvantages
in various regions and therefore provide differing chances of
survival. For selection to be effective in transforming the population
into a more beneficial form, the selected characteristic must
be passed to future offspring at a higher frequency. This occurs
because inbreeding any feature will transform the species into
a pure breed for the selected trait.
for a particular trait creates a genetically
homozygote population or pure breed. A pure breed can be easily
generated by inbreeding a desired feature and testing the offspring for
their ability sire progeny with variability. When a trait is selected or
inbred, alternative genes are eliminated, and the result is a genetically
limited organism. The establishment of pure breeds has been well
documented by breeders of all kinds. It is clear that all sexually
reproducing organisms possess the ability to produce offspring possessing
variable forms, and selection removes genes from the population.
The success of any kind is greatly enhanced
by speciation, or the formation of an isolated subpopulation.
The physical separation enables the new group to become unique
during the adaptation to a different niche or habitat. Evolution
is the process of specializing to specific conditions. Adaptive
specialization greatly improves the immediate survival potential
of the species, but it also makes them more prone to complete
extinction if conditions change. Therefore, speciation allows
subgroups each to specialize independently giving the kind greater
survivability as well.
species is a of naturally occurring breeding group which are
reproductively isolated from other such groups. Many separate
"species" can interbreed in captive situations, but
in nature have developed color distinctions, mating calls or
gestures which allows them to distinguish their group from another
and they remain reproductively isolated. When a group of animals
remains isolated; natural selection and genetic recombination
events alter the genome of the population independent of other
species. If the genomic changes are significant, the homologues
possessed by two related can become unable to pair and crossover
during the first mitotic division following fertilization, and
the groups are thereby reproductively incompatible. If any two
groups are isolated and kept from interbreeding for 40 generations,
they will become second generation sterile. For instance, the
donkey and the horse can interbreed and their offspring, the
mule is sterile. If the two groups are isolated for 100 generations,
they will become first generation sterile and will not be able
to interbreed with each other. Therefore, two animals could be
progeny from the same Biblical "kind" even if they
cannot currently interbreed.
The variations of characteristics isolated
from domesticated animals by professional breeders provides us
with the minimum quantity of evolutionary potential these organisms
possess. These various breeds of animals are not mutants, nor
are the variation of species found in nature such as the finches.
The scientific community is now almost totally
atheistic, and is refusing to accept the intentional
production of genetic variability which is being produced
by the cell through homologous
recombination. They believe that life has originated and
is evolving through random mechanisms, which are not reliant
upon living systems, and mutations are therefore a theoretic
necessity. Geneticists have conclusively proven that the changes
selected during classic breeding are the result of cellular reactions,
but evolutionists are teaching that any variation in nature is
the result of random mutations.
Do not be misled. Evolution
occurs by design, and began following the creation of the
many kinds of organisms required to sustain life on earth.
- Microevolution - Adaptive change that
occurs within a population including speciation.
- Macroevolution - The evolution of higher taxa. The long-term history of an organism's speciations,
adaptations, and extinctions leads to
the formation of taxonomic groups above the species level.
- Species - A natural population, that is
reproductively isolated from other such groups.
- Mutation - A change in genetic material
resulting from errors during replication, recombination, or exposures
to mutagens. Mutations can be beneficial, harmful or neutral.
- Recombination - A intentional change in genetic material
produced by cellular machinery. Recombinants
can be beneficial, harmful, or neutral, and are largely responsible
for offspring variability leading to evolution.
- Glossary of Evolution Terms by PBS
THIS PAGE IS PART OF OUR INTRODUCTION
TO CREATION SCIENCE
USE THE ARROWS TO BROWSE THROUGH A SELECTED SET OF TOPICS. | <urn:uuid:9c2ef879-7b68-46d6-b8ec-417d4d2bbff2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nwcreation.net/evolution.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920837 | 2,029 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Capriccio Espagnol : Work information
- Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov ( Music, Images,)
- Performed by
- Orquesta Filarmónica De La Cuidad México, Enrique Bátiz (Conductor)
- Work name
- Capriccio Espagnol
- Work number
- Op. 34
- 1887-00-00 02:00:00
- Brian B. Culverhouse
- Brian B. Culverhouse
- Recording date
- 1985-01-01 02:00:00
Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov
Rimsky-Korsakov studied piano and composition as a child, and was fascinated with opera orchestras. He trained, however, as a naval officer. In 1861 he met Balakirev, who encouraged his composition and started to perform his works. As a result, Rimsky-Korsakov abandoned his career as a naval cadet to devote himself entirely to music. Balakirev introduced Rimsky-Korsakov to Borodin, Cui and Mussorgsky, and between them they made up the Russian ‘Big Five’ or ‘Mighty Handful’ of composers. Through Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov also met Dargomïzhsky.
Rimsky-Korsakov studied hard, teaching himself harmony and counterpoint. He wrote songs, orchestral works and an opera, The Maid of Pskov (completed in 1872). Then, in 1871 he became Professor of Orchestration and Composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, rapidly becoming a respected teacher. Here, his pupils included Stravinsky, Glazunov, Prokofiev, Arensky and Lyadov. He also conducted at Balakirev’s Free School and was Inspector of Naval Bands from 1873 to 1884. His next opera, May Night (1880), was his first major comic opera, a genre in which he excelled. He collected folk songs which often had an influence on his music.
His composition was frequently interrupted by his official duties at the Imperial Chapel (1883-91) and advising for the publisher Belyayev. He also set himself the task of completing and revising the work of some of his fellow-composers, such as Borodin’s opera Prince Igor and much of the seemingly uneven writing of his friend Mussorgsky. During 1887 and 1888 he wrote three of his best-known orchestral works, Sheherazade, the Spanish Capriccio and the Russian Easter Festival Overture. After that he spent his time composing operas, including Kitezh (1907) and The Golden Cockerel (1909).
Generally known for his colourful orchestral compositions, Rimsky-Korsakov also wrote songs and choral music, chamber music and works for piano. His textbook on orchestration is widely used.
In 1887, Rimsky-Korsakov began work on a Spanish companion piece to the Fantasia on Two Russian Themes for violin and orchestra. This became the popular Capriccio Espagnole, a virtuoso orchestral showpiece that reduced the violin's part to a few solos. Such is the emphasis on orchestral colour that the composer insisted it was 'the very essence of the composition, not its mere dressing up'.
The suite is full of Iberian melodies and rhythms, the use of castanets adding to the Spanish flavour. Listen for the romantic exoticism of the Variazioni or the vivacity of the Alborada. The bravura Fandango rounds off matters with an exuberent flourish of orchestral fireworks, concluding one of Rimsky-Korsakov's best loved works. | <urn:uuid:19f8d963-939b-4caa-aabe-1e762f7ab120> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.classical.com/listen/player4/index.php?token=7RCiGOGMObV~h$0Wr0R3Cb939ZOHGWZdib2&inline=1&type=mini | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964336 | 824 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Google may have started out with cellphones for their Android platform, but that doesn’t mean they’re limiting their future options. The guys over at VentureBeat have loaded the open-source OS onto an Eee PC 1000 netbook, with a display almost five times the size of the T-Mobile G1, and aside from some initial networking and sound issues Android is now running normally on the ASUS machine.
Screen resolution adjusted automatically, and while digging around in the code they came across not only the phone policy but a MID (mobile internet device) policy suggesting that Google are already considering netbooks in these relatively early Android builds. One of Google’s own developers, Dima Zavin, ported the platform onto another Intel CPU-based netbook, proving that there was no real technical issue preventing it.
Getting Android ready for the Eee PC took around four hours. That left VentureBeat with a working netbook capable of media playback, internet access, messaging and, presumably, if the 1000 had a 3G modem, wireless broadband. Since the open-source version of Android doesn’t currently support the Android Market, downloading apps from there wasn’t possible; however, they did find Czech, German, English (Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore, United States), Spanish, Japanese, German and Dutch translation options, suggesting launches of the platform in some those countries may be next. | <urn:uuid:eaa3695c-278c-4840-a3a5-cdcc6f1e8884> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slashgear.com/android-running-on-eee-pc-1000-netbook-0228541/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928216 | 288 | 1.75 | 2 |
Remembering Steve Jobs: How that first putty-colored computer enabled me to become an entrepreneur.
Just over a year ago, Steve Jobs lost his life to cancer and left a gaping hole not just in my heart, but in those of millions of people around the world. Thirty years ago, Steve Jobs and my grandma changed my life.
I was an engineering major at San Jose State when I first saw an Apple computer. At the time, I was enrolled in a FORTRAN computer programming class that required middle-of-the-night trips to the computer lab just to get to an open punch-card machine. Then I stood in line to hand over my rubber-banded stack of cards to a “computer operator.” The DEC computer filled half the sterile room with a loud droning hum and intermittent card-shuffling sounds. Punching in lines of code at 2 am and waiting 20 minutes to find out if I was right or wrong? Seriously?
It was clear: I had chosen the wrong major.
And then the Macintosh came to the college bookstore. It was putty-colored magic and I wanted it more than anything, but it was far more expensive than I could afford.
At our annual New Year’s Day family gathering, I was talking about this newfangled personal computer to my mother and grandmother. My mother shook her head to let me know a purchase was out of the question, but my grandmother heard my passion and got out her checkbook. She said, “I can give you money after I die, or I can give it to you now when you need it. Go buy your computer.” I nearly cried. I was an Early Adopter.
The simplicity and intuitiveness of Apple products sparked creativity in ways I never dreamed, and became an indispensable tool for my career in marketing. I was giddy for every Jobs press conference, like an impatient kid on Christmas, in awe of his showmanship and breathtaking surprises.
Over the years I’ve owned every major model of the Mac: the luggable models, the jewel-toned space pods, the orange clam-shell laptop, the white desk-lamp model, all the way up to my trusty MacBook Air and iPad today.
At one point several years ago, I bought a Dell laptop with Windows. It lasted four days before I shipped it back. I vowed I would never, ever use a Windows PC again. My company remains a Mac-only shop.
We’re a fanatical Apple family. Even my husband, a lifelong PC guy, has been converted. He’s quite protective about his tools of the trade: MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone 5. My three children had no choice, of course, and created their first homework projects on a Mac.
Over the years, not only have I run my business on Mac, I’ve also created priceless family treasures using iPhoto and iMovie. I restored and shared old photos with my father-in-law, whose memory was addled by Alzheimer’s disease, and later created an iMovie video tribute to his life. I’ve created 100th birthday memento books, kid calendars for a grandmother 3,000 miles away, and documented countless family adventures.
So when Steve Jobs died one year ago, I mourned for everything he brought to life for me. The beauty, the power, the freedom, the magic. I suppose this is what it felt like for my parents when John Lennon died. It was far too soon for this much brilliance to flicker out.
Rest in peace, Steve. I am incredibly grateful to you -- and my grandma -- for bringing joy, creativity and independence to my life and others around the world.
More from Inc.com: | <urn:uuid:72dbea2a-48ef-49eb-9d56-0a2691e346a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/steve-jobs-grandmother-entrepreneurship-042213731.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967263 | 786 | 1.945313 | 2 |
While the architecture of a region obviously shapes its surroundings, the opposite is just as true. It is thus little wonder that Styria, which boasts such a richly varied landscape, is incredibly diverse in terms of its buildings as well.Architectural Highlights in Styria...
Everyone knows that wine and food are a marriage made in heaven. At the Sattlerhof, they discovered this a long time ago. For more than 20 years, this happy symbiosis has been lived to the utmost: fine eating, fine living.Lean more about the Inn at the Sattlerhof in Sernau
Gerhard Fuchs numbers among the greatest chefs as far as the eye can see. On the Pössnitzberg, nestled in a cluster of wine estate and tip-top hotel buildings, he has found the ideal backdrop to celebrate his art(s).Learn more about Kreuzwirt on Pössnitzberg in Leutschach
On the Pogusch, where foxes and rabbits used to wave goodnight to each other before retiring, nowadays celebrities and enjoyment-seeking guests from far and near come to enjoy whatever is on the agenda.Gourmet country inn Wirtshaus Steirereck on the Pogusch
Austria possesses an incomparable source of richness which few people are consciously aware of: clear, clean mountain water. At Fish Restaurant Kulmer, with its own fish breeding facilities, guests have benefited from this wealth for decades.Gourmet Fish Restaurant Kulmer in Birkfeld
Once upon the time around 1990 there was a master confectioner who thought that all the existing chocolate creations on the market are simply a little bit too boring. So after business hours he started to explore in the quietness of his company's back room...More on Zotter Chocolates
It’s known as the black gold of Southern Styria: pumpkin seed oil. These days a modest, family-run oil press has become the world’s biggest producer of this delicacy.Pelzmann Pumpkin Seed Oil - the black gold of Styria | <urn:uuid:774596cf-7b5e-413b-bcf6-d9a3db5906ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.austria.info/au/tags/food-wine/styria.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957683 | 425 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Well, how is the satellite record looking lately? I moseyed over to the AMSU-A temperatures site maintained by Roy Spencer of the University of Alabama at Huntsville (a favourite of the denialosphere for his consistently lower warming trend) and Danny Braswell of NASA and did the following, which you can repeat to update the results:
- click Draw graph
- click all the checkboxes and click Redraw
most recent values at time of writing from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology):
lag of about a year between SOI peaks and global temperature peaks. The El Niño in 2004-2005 with a peak early in 2005 resulted in 2005 being an unusually warm year. Do we see a similar pattern for the last 12 months? No. Although we have been in an El Niño phase since the second half of 2009, that effect has been nowhere near strong enough to account for a new record in temperatures, certainly not as early as January 2010.
Could the SOI be amplified by a rising solar cycle? Sunspot numbers are trending up but we are still pretty close to the solar minimum:
PMOD, where you’ll see the energy inputs from the sun are not on a steep upwards trend and should be significantly lower than in 2004-2005:
What next? Is someone already planning to steal Spencer’s emails?
UpdateI’ve plotted the mean daily temperature anomaly versus 2005 (each day minus the same day in 2005) for the year to 25 April. The trend (linear regression) over this period is 6°C per century – making up for lost time from previous slower warming by satellite measurements? Oh, and the correlation coefficient of 0.79 is highly significant even with this small sample size. Enjoy (or not, if you don’t want warming to be real). For missing data (a small fraction of the total), I took the average of the two nearest days that did have data.
and an update on the SOI picture:
SOI is not the whole picture for predicting the effect of ENSO on temperature; a more comprehensive model clearly shows 2010 should be a cooling phase, not a warming phase.
Still lots of time in the year …
Yet Another Update
If you go to the site now, it says Channel 4 failed in 2008. That’s what happens in science: a weird result is more likely to be a consequence of instrument failure than anything else. The major data sets do show 2010 as one of the warmer years though not by a significant margin (despite the other data indicating it should have been a cool year, including the solar cycle starting to exit an unusually deep low and a strong La Niña).
What I find particularly odd about all this is this note (dates in US format, so this is in March)
03/06/2008/1200UTC:NOAA-16 AMSU-A channel 4 has gone bad. As a result, NOAA-16 ATOVS sounding files are no longer being produced by NESDIS, thus they are no longer in the "atovs" dumps in the GDAS and CDAS networks and they (temperature retrievals) are no longer available for assimilation by the CDAS. The "atovs" dumps now contain only NOAA-15 ATOVS soundings and only these temperature retrievals (cloudy only) are assimilated by the CDAS. In addition, the failed channel 4 data has resulted in no NOAA-16 AMSU-A data being assimilated by the NAM/NDAS or GFS/GDAS GSI (even though these files are still being produced by NESDIS and NOAA-16 AMSU-A data continue to be dumped in the "1bamua" files in the CDAS, GDAS, GFS, NDAS and NAM networks).It seems someone knew nearly 2 years before the weird 2010 data went live that there was something wrong with the data. Curiously, we didn’t see wild accusations flung around the blogosphere about this one. I leave it to the reader to explain. | <urn:uuid:440a439e-2d9f-43e0-aee0-cae369afcecf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://opinion-nation.blogspot.com/2010/04/warmest-year.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937669 | 841 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem
Print version ISSN 0034-7167
HIGA, Rosângela and LOPES, Maria Helena Baena de Moraes. Factors associated with urinary incontinence in women. Rev. bras. enferm. [online]. 2005, vol.58, n.4, pp. 422-428. ISSN 0034-7167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-71672005000400008.
The aim of this present study was to assess the urinary incontinence (UI) prevalence, and its associate factors among nurse female staff of a school hospital. Of the 378 questionnaires delivered, 291 (77%) were answered, and 80 (27.5%) employers reported complaint UI. The multivariate analysis had shown that there is a more probability of developing UI after 41 years of age, having changed the weight, having intestinal constipation and having arterial hypertension. It was concluded that preventable educational measures are necessary in order warn same factors that caused UI among nursing female staff.
Keywords : Urinary incontinence; Risk factors; Women's health. | <urn:uuid:1e81adbf-29f8-44f7-9090-8bbecf1d58a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0034-71672005000400008&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915013 | 248 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Magnificent Monday - it is magnificent to make a plan and take action now.
Each Magnificent Monday throughout the month of November will be dedicated to the idea of getting TAN -Take Action Now. On October 20, 2012, I was privileged to attend PowerUp Weekend as a social media ambassador. It was a life changing experience. I wrote about the experience in blog article on Starting the Day Planning to Be Successful. One of the great lessons from the conference came at the end of the day when speaker Jim Smith asked which of us was ready to get a TAN. TAN means, Take Action Now. We all have things we want to accomplish, goals we would like to reach and journeys we would like to make. There is one thing stopping us, a refusal to TAN, take action now.
photo credit: kaneda99 via photopin cc
So, throughout the month of November, each Magnificent Monday will be about TAN. Today will will start with the idea of why you need to TAN now. Future weeks will deal with:
* using Mindmaps to TAN
* using Vision Boards to TAN
* using Accountability groups to TAN
I have never met a person without a dream. Of course we do not all share the same dream, but everyone has a dream. The world is divided into people who TAN and reach their dreams and those who refuse to TAN and don't reach their dreams. If you are a person who does not take action and does not move towards a dream, a goal, a plan, then you have no justification to complain about the action and results of a person who does TAN. Let's look at the following example. People who are basketball fans often talk about the poor foul shot percentage Shaquille O'Neal. I think that only 50% of his foul shot attempts were good. I cannot complain about his percentage, because he TANned. He took action and played in the NBA and thus was around to make foul shots in the NBA. I did not take action towards playing in the NBA so the number of foul shots I have made in NBA games is zero.
Here is a riddle to help explain why you need to TAN: There are five birds sitting on a telephone wire when half of them decide to fly off to Florida. So, how many birds are left on the telephone wire. The answer is five. Why, because deciding to do something is not the same as Taking Action Now and actually doing something.
You must Take Action Now because sitting on your butt will not get done the things that need doing. For those of you who have been planning to go back to college for the past few years. How has the planning and sitting on your butt thing been working out for you? If you are sitting on the couch planning and not Taking Action Now, you will still be planning to go back to college two years from now. If you are serious about actually going back to college rather than just thinking about going back to college then you must Take Action Now. You must get up, get a college application package and look at the requirements for admission. Then start Taking Action Now to meet those requirements for admission. So what it is hard. So what it will take a long time. Time will pass whether you are Taking Action Now or sitting and thinking and planning to take action one day. The difference is if you TAN, you will be closer to reaching your goals.
You must Take Action Now because you should be the driver of your life's train. When you sit back and let happen whatever will happen, you are in the passenger seat of your life. In life, just like in a car, the passenger has very little impact on the road traveled. When you don't Take Action Now, you are sitting down and when you should be standing and walking. When you sit back and just let life happen rather than Taking Action Now, you are like a person who brings a knife to a gun fight. You are ill prepared and out of place. It is incumbent upon you to show up like a grown up and Take Action Now. So, the question for you this Magnificent Monday is what are you going to apply some TAN (Take Action Now) to today?
If you like this article, click here to check out the entire Janeane's World Collection | <urn:uuid:880ccc1e-1141-4418-b6e7-ee0e4aac1867> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ontoplist.com/articles/magnificent-monday-make-a-plan-get-tan_5097ad05145b3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970843 | 890 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Paving Over the Money Pit of Nuclear-Weapons Spending
To conform to the requirements of the congressional supercommittee, the House of Representatives is debating whether to cut hundreds of billions from nuclear weapons programs over the next 10 years.
At the Atlantic, Joseph Cirincione of the Ploughshares Funds writes::
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the 12 members of the supercommittee … signed by 65 lawmakers." Even though the Cold War ended, Markey wrote, "We continue to spend over $50 billion a year on the U.S. nuclear arsenal. … We are robbing the future to pay for the unneeded weapons of the past."
The House Appropriations Committee cut funding for nuclear warheads and weapons material production by almost 7 percent from the President's request, or $498 million. [Meanwhile, the] Senate subcommittee cut just a tad less -- $440 million -- from the same programs. Members are increasingly troubled by rising costs, slipping schedules and questionable need for new weapons production plants. "The Committee is concerned about the escalating costs for two new nuclear facilities to handle plutonium and uranium," the Senate report noted.
One of these two new nuclear facilities is the proposed Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. On the grounds that a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), instead of just a supplemental EIS, was required because of, among other things, seismic issues (such as a 3.8 earthquake nearby on October 16) the Los Alamos Study Group sought to halt the project.
In his latest press release, LASG executive director Greg Mello writes that, on October 13, "the National Nuclear Security Administration … issued an 'amended' 'Record of Decision' to build the [CMRR-NF] expected to cost $4 to $6 billion. … as much as the total constant-dollar [adjusted for inflation] cost of all the buildings and programs in Los Alamos for the first decade and a half, from 1943 to 1957." During the Manhattan Project, that is.
The Record of Decision, Mello explains, "is the formal completion of the most recent environmental review of the project under the National Environmental Policy Act."
But, just as it looked like it was green-lighted, "We do not anticipate that this project will succeed, in the end,” writes Mello. "We are now in a kind of fiscal 'Indian Summer;' the real frosts of deficit reduction have not started to hit. … Many decision makers know there isn't enough money to build CMRR simultaneously with a more important project in Tennessee unless both are slowed and made much more expensive in the process." Ironic as that sounds.
He concludes that the United States can't "afford to maintain such a huge nuclear arsenal in the first place, since the delivery systems are wearing out and very expensive to replace." As usual, Mello not only looks at the costs, but the wider implications for the real-world economy. The CMRR-NF, like nuclear weapons in general for the most part, "also makes no economically useful infrastructure, attracts no private capital, trains nobody in anything useful for our economy, and produces no goods and services for sale (we hope). … At $1,000,000 per job created, it's an economic disaster in waiting."
Remember the movies and Broadway play Little Shop of Horrors? Our nuclear-weapons program is like Audrey II, the carnivorous plant screaming "Feed me." Time to, in the words of conservatives, starve the beast. | <urn:uuid:40c9eb91-a521-4af3-8fda-d203395ce220> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fpif.org/blog/paving_over_the_money_pit_of_nuclear-weapons_spending?q=Tag%3ADeterrence | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938132 | 742 | 1.703125 | 2 |
To limit the number of funds in our tables, we’ve left out funds that are less than a year old and that require a minimum investment of $100,000 or more. The share class we choose is the biggest one that is open to new investors. We also exclude those that are sold only to special groups or institutional investors, or that are available only through IRAs.
Measures the change in value, assuming that dividend and capital-gains distributions were reinvested. Returns for three-, five- and ten-year periods are annualized—that is, stated on an average annual basis. Returns are for periods through December 31. A dash in a three, five- or ten-year column means the fund hasn’t existed that long.
U.S. stock funds are described by the kinds of companies they invest in most heavily. Companies are divided into large (with a stock-market value in the largest 70% of stocks), small (the smallest 10%) and midsize (between large and small), and they are characterized as rapidly growing, undervalued or a blend of the two. Nine styles derive from these elements: LarGro, LarBlnd, LarVal, MidGro, MidBlnd, MidVal, SmlGro, SmlBlnd and SmlVal. Other styles: BearMkt (bear market), Financial, Health, Metals, Natrl Rsc (natural resources), Realty, Tech (technology), Utilities, LngShrt (long-short; funds that use short selling to limit losses), Misc (miscellaneous categories), Special (Merger fund and Arbitrage fund), and Hybrid, (balanced, convertible-bond and asset-allocation funds).
International stock funds have substantial overseas holdings and are divided into eight categories: Divers (diversified) funds invest primarily in stocks of larger companies based outside of the U.S. DivSmMid (diversified small and midsize) funds concentrate on small and midsize foreign companies. DivEM (diversified emerging markets) funds invest in a variety of developing markets and RegEM (regional emerging markets) funds invest in developing markets of one area. Regional funds invest in one area and SngCntry (single country) funds invest in stocks of just one country. SgCtyEm funds invest in stocks of just one developing market country. Realty funds invest in foreign-based real estate companies. Global funds may invest in the U.S. as well as overseas.
Taxable and tax-free bond funds are described by the type of bonds they invest in most heavily. Bonds are divided into corporate, government and municipal, and classified by their average time until maturity. Short-term bonds will mature in less than three years, intermediate-term in three to ten years, and long-term in more than ten years. Nine styles emerge from these elements: ST Corp (short-term corporate), IT Corp (intermediate-term corporate), LT Corp (long-term corporate), ST Govt (short-term government), IT Govt (intermediate-term government), LT Govt (long-term government), ST Muni (short-term municipal), IT Muni (intermediate-term municipal) and LT Muni (long-term municipal). Other styles: BL (bank loan) funds invest in floating-rate loans made by banks to companies that typically carry below-investment-grade quality ratings. Currency funds may track foreign currencies or the performance of the U.S. dollar against other currencies. HY Corp (high-yield corporate) funds own mostly lower-grade bonds. Intl (international) funds have substantial assets in bonds from nations outside the U.S. Misc (miscellaneous) funds invest in a variety.
Exchange-traded funds are described by the style designations listed above and divided into Diversified U.S. Stock ETFs, International and Global ETFs, Sector ETFs, Bond and Currency ETFs, Inverse Market ETFs, Commodity ETFs and Alternative-Strategy and Miscellaneous ETFs.
Shows performance for each of the past five years, compared with other mutual funds using the same investment style. Funds are ranked 1 (top 10%) to 10. A decile rank of 5 or 6 is average. The decile ranking offers a quick gauge of how a fund performed compared with its peers.
Shows performance between April 29 and October 3, 2011, the last down market for stocks. This year we’re showing how bond funds performed during the stock-market cataclysm rather than during a specific down period for bonds. We’re doing this for two reasons. First, we haven’t had a traditional bond bear market—one caused by rising interest rates—for years. Second, many investors are turning to bond funds for stability and want to know how they performed during this severe stock-market decline.
Measures volatility among all stock and bond funds on a scale of 1 (least volatile) to 10. The higher the volatility, the greater the potential for gain or loss.
Shows the amount of money invested in the fund. If a fund has multiple share classes, we report the assets for all of the classes combined.
Shows how long the manager (or if there’s more than one, the lead manager) has been on board.
Tells how much it takes to open an account. For subsequent investments and for IRAs, the minimum is usually lower.
Tells you the highest sales fee for buying shares. A figure without a footnote means the commission is deducted from the money you send to the fund. A figure with an r is the maximum redemption fee charged when you sell shares. Funds that charge both sales and redemption fees have been footnoted with an s by the front-end load.
Represents the percentage of a fund’s assets taken out annually to cover management fees and other expenses. Expenses are included in total-return numbers.
Included with bond funds. To figure your taxable-equivalent yield on tax-free bond funds, divide the number in this column by 1 minus your income-tax bracket.
Included in the table with bond funds only, a bond’s duration rolls bond yield, coupon, final maturity and other features into one number that’s expressed in years. The higher the number, the more volatile a bond’s price when interest rates change. | <urn:uuid:bca50d23-3897-449c-8104-a7abdfb49d1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kiplinger.com/article/investing/T041-C000-S002-how-to-navigate-the-mutual-funds-special-issue-tab.html?topic_id=18 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942201 | 1,333 | 1.78125 | 2 |
I am looking for homework communities, online places where small groups of students of a certain category can exchange ideas about math homework. This is aimed at introductory freshman courses. One of the obstacles is the way students enter math into their answers on a web site. One possibility is using TeX, and hence equation editors come into play. There are many out there and I was wondering if anyone has used them for such a purpose, and how would you rate them. I am looking for one that allows the teacher choose the relevant buttons to reduce the clutter.
And while on the question what web site would support and allow such an activity, in a manner similar to Stack Exchange, with easy support for graphing equations. (I am aware that this is more of an education community question straddling math and TeX.)
To restate: I am after a sub-account on a site somewhat similar to Math.StackExchange.com where a teacher chooses/creates a small set of buttons making it possible for his/her students to click their way to a math formula. The students will use this for communicating with each other over their homework while the teacher plays a moderator. It is important for the palette of buttons to be customizable so as to make the approach appropriate for introductory courses. So in a trigonometry class
\cos could be a button. Some support for creating simple graphs will help a great deal.
Here is a somewhat related question on collaborative documents.
The math on Piazza does not line up with surrounding text, somewhat like math content on old web sites. | <urn:uuid:ee2dbffb-dc31-4e7d-8501-1ba7625e6ae5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/58569/customizable-latex-equation-editors-for-students | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93754 | 322 | 2.078125 | 2 |
THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY is looming, as it always does, as a key issue in the presidential election. The Democrats are hammering President Bush for some 2 million jobs "lost" during his tenure in office, and for the sluggish rate of job growth during the current recovery. These attacks appear to have struck a chord with the public, eroding the president's approval rating and elevating the jobs issue to a central role in the campaign.
President Bush, of course, can make a good case in his own behalf. His policies, he argues, especially his tax cuts, have put the economy on a path to recovery. The economy grew at a 3.2 percent clip in 2003, and independent forecasters are expecting growth of 4.5 percent in 2004. Last week the Labor Department reported that the economy created 308,000 new jobs during the month of March, the most since April 2000. This new report suggests that the expansion which began two years ago is beginning to generate large numbers of new jobs.
If we consult history and long-standing patterns of voter behavior, there is every reason to think that the economy is going to work strongly to the president's advantage (see chart). But will those patterns hold true this year?
Of course the economy is not the only issue that decides presidential elections. War and peace, and foreign policy crises of various kinds, have frequently been decisive as well. In 1952 and 1968, for example, the interventions in Korea and Vietnam were the key issues in the campaigns, and, indeed, forced incumbents Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson into retirement, even though in both years the economy was strong and unemployment very low. This year the war on terrorism, and the intervention in Iraq, may be even more important than the economy in shaping the outcome of the race for the White House.
Still, it is probably safe to say that an incumbent president cannot hope to win reelection in the face of a weak economy, even though he may be able to point to important achievements in foreign policy. In the modern era, three incumbent presidents (Ford, Carter, and Bush) have been defeated for reelection, and in each case a weak economy was the chief reason.
Jimmy Carter's economic record was the weakest of any incumbent since Herbert Hoover. During the first three quarters of 1980 the U.S. economy contracted by nearly 4 percent in real terms; the unemployment rate hovered around 7 percent during the campaign, and inflation that year exceeded 10 percent.
The economic situation in 1980 was far worse than it was in either 1976 or 1992 when Ford and Bush were defeated for reelection. In each of these cases, the economy was growing, albeit too slowly to generate much in the way of job or income growth. The incumbents had to deal with unemployment rates that were well over 7 percent, and with a perception, promoted by their opponents, that they were out of touch with the difficulties of ordinary Americans. Ford faced the additional disadvantage of having been appointed, rather than elected, which diminished the advantage of incumbency. Yet, despite these troubles, Ford lost his reelection bid by a very narrow margin (51 percent to 49 percent), and George Bush lost to Bill Clinton in a race that many felt he should have won.
The fact that Presidents Ford and Bush might have won those races suggests that the unemployment rate is probably overstated as a deciding factor in presidential campaigns. Presidents Nixon and Reagan were re-elected in historic landslides despite fairly high unemployment rates. In Nixon's case, unemployment averaged 5.6 percent during 1972; and in Reagan's case it averaged 7.5 percent in 1984. Clinton won reelection by a comfortable margin with an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent--which is very close to where it is today.
The key factor seems to be not what the unemployment rate happens to be during the election campaign, but the direction of the overall economy. If voters are persuaded that things are improving, they will overlook a high unemployment rate in the belief that it will soon be falling. Voters, that is, appear to be more oriented to the future than to the past. Unemployment, moreover, affects just a small fraction of the electorate, while broader factors such as inflation or income growth affect everyone.
Where, then, does the economy stand as we move into the 2004 campaign? The recent "Blue Chip" forecasts that came up with the 4.5 percent real growth figure for 2004 is a survey of more than 50 independent economic forecasters. They expect slightly over 3 percent growth for the first three quarters. Inflation is expected to hold steady at around 1.9 percent. The prime rate of interest, currently 4 percent, is predicted to increase slightly to 4.5 percent by the end of 2004. The unemployment rate, 5.7 percent as of March, is expected to fall nearer to 5 percent by November. The economy is growing at a healthy clip, and is expected to continue to do so into 2005--at least according to the forecasters.
Will this be good enough for Bush to win? As it happens, Ray C. Fair, a professor of economics at Yale University, has developed a statistical model that employs just a few economic variables to make accurate predictions of the presidential vote. His model, first outlined in 1978 in The Review of Economics and Statistics, was initially tested against all presidential elections since 1916. Fair has adjusted and refined the model over the years, and has offered his own predictions (based on his model) for impending presidential races.
His original model was designed to predict the two-party division of the popular vote based on two variables: the percentage change in real per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the first three quarters of the election year and the annualized change in the rate of inflation (as measured by percentage change in the Consumer Price Index) during the first 15 quarters of the incumbent's term (that is, from the incumbent's inauguration to September 30 of the election year). Though Fair experimented with other variables, such as the unemployment rate, he found that these two provided the greatest predictive power.
In applying his model to successive elections, he observed that while it was accurate in most cases, it was very wide of the mark in predicting the outcome of the Clinton-Bush-Perot three-way race in 1992. The model predicted, prior to the election and based on the economic conditions then prevailing, that Bush would win by a wide margin, with around 54 percent of the two-party vote. The economy during 1992, while not growing rapidly, still expanded at a rate of 2.2 percent (real GDP per capita) with very low inflation. These conditions should have been sufficient to give Bush a comfortable victory. Instead, he lost by about the same margin by which he was expected to win.
Why such a large error for this particular election? Fair noted that, while the economy was expanding during the election year, overall growth had been very slow throughout Bush's four-year term. There were few quarters of robust growth; and there was a mild recession in 1990 and 1991. The lack of good economic news during Bush's term may have generated a sense of gloom or pessimism about the economy that could not be dispelled by modest growth during the reelection campaign. Perhaps voters had formed an assessment of the economy over the entire term and were less influenced by the short-run news than assumed by the original model.
On the basis of such reasoning, Fair added a "good news" factor to his model which he defined as the number of quarters during an incumbent's term in which real GDP expanded by an annual rate of more than 3.2 percent. Such growth would certainly qualify as robust, and would be highlighted to the public by the president and his economic team. On the other hand, in the absence of such good news, an incumbent will be placed on the defensive by a challenger who will link a weak economy to his opponent's ineffective policies. Fair suggests this is what happened to George Bush in 1992, since he could point to only two quarters of good economic news during his entire term (the first quarters of 1989 and 1990), while he presided over several quarters of weak or negative economic reports.
Fair's model thus predicts the incumbent party's share of the two-party vote using three economic variables: (1) growth in real GDP per capita during the first three quarters of the election year; (2) the average increase in the rate of inflation over the 15 quarters of the presidential term up to the election; and (3) the number of quarters during the term in which growth in real GDP per capita exceeded 3.2 percent.
Testing his model against election results from 1916 through 2000 (22 elections), he reports that all of these factors have an effect on the outcome. For every 1 percentage-point gain in real GDP, the incumbent gains .69 percent of the vote, and for every "good news" quarter, he gains .84 percent of the vote. Inflation has the opposite effect: For every 1 percentage-point increase in inflation, the incumbent party loses about .78 percent of the vote.
These factors, significant as they are, are nearly matched in importance by the simple fact of incumbency. According to this model, an incumbent running for reelection starts out with an advantage of about 4 points, other things being equal. Obviously, an incumbent has many advantages: He has already won an election; he carries the trappings and symbolism of the presidential office; and he can control the agenda to a certain degree. Incumbency alone may explain why Clinton won reelection in 1996 with a modest economic record, but Gore lost in 2000 with a stronger economy.
WHAT, THEN, does Fair's model have to say about the outcome of this year's presidential contest?
The news is, in fact, very good for President Bush. In a note posted on his website (fairmodel.econ.yale.edu) on February 5, Fair predicts that President Bush will receive 58.7 percent of the two-party vote in November, more than enough for a comfortable victory. This prediction is based on a forecast of 3.0 percent growth in the first three quarters of this year, an average inflation rate of 1.9 percent over the course of his term, and three quarters of economic "good news" through the first quarter of 2004. Since growth is forecast to be strong during the second and third quarters as well, the president's hand will only be strengthened (in terms of this model, at least) as we move closer to the election.
In this case, the conclusions from the statistical analysis accord with those of basic common sense. Incumbents riding a strong economy are always difficult to unseat, provided that they run aggressive campaigns highlighting those favorable conditions. An incumbent president in wartime has other factors working in his favor. The polls suggest nothing like the margin for President Bush that the model predicts, but it is not out of line to expect a fairly decisive victory for the president in November.
Democrats, of course, will point to weak growth early in his term, along with job losses, but these attacks are likely to lose their force as favorable economic news is reported during the campaign. The president, meanwhile, will be able to point to solid economic growth that began in mid-2003 and is expected to continue at least into next year. "Stay the course," he will argue, much as Ronald Reagan did in 1984, stressing that his policies are working.
Yet we know that economic conditions alone rarely decide presidential elections. There is, obviously, the crucial issue of terrorism and the war in Iraq. It is possible to envision both good news and bad news on these fronts. The handover of sovereignty may help stabilize Iraq; more leaders of al Qaeda may be captured; we may be spared further terrorist attacks on our soil. The public might then reasonably conclude that the president's policies are working--in which case it would become all but impossible to defeat him. Still, one must entertain the possibility that events will move in the other direction, in which case the foreign policy questions may overwhelm the economic factors in electoral importance.
Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that the economy will prove an impediment to George W. Bush's reelection. The flurry of attention focused on the export of information technology jobs is but a diversion from the big economic picture, which looks to be highly positive, particularly in light of the March jobs report. Given current forecasts and assuming a sharply focused campaign that highlights recent economic gains, President Bush should be able to use the economy as an asset in his bid for reelection.
James Piereson is executive director of the John M. Olin Foundation. | <urn:uuid:ca7968e7-3bad-4fcd-b613-3dc1c74ee112> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/Content/Protected/Articles/000/000/003/954xwmuf.asp?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979234 | 2,572 | 2.625 | 3 |
Problem Based Learning
Linking the ACADEMIC and CONSTRUCTION Curriculum
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional approach which requires the student to solve “real-life” problems. The program, developed at the NEL/CPS Construction Career Academy, is a unique and challenging approach to provide higher order thinking skills and hands-on learning to ALL students. Our students not only solve problems in each academic content area but also solve them as they occur across the entire curriculum including Construction Technology, art, computer science, and World of Work. Many of the activities in each PBL module are portfolio worthy and can be included in each student’s “graduation by proficiency” presentation.
It is important to note that cross-curricular problem based learning is only part of our total program. All subjects follow the national standards of their discipline and the Grade Span Expectations (GSE’s) as prescribed by the State of Rhode Island and New England Common Assessment Program.
Vital to the success of this program are the summative activities that have been carefully planned utilizing content area standards, national financial literacy standards, GSE’s, and Construction Technology standards. Our culminating activities are field trips to the sites where each of these modules occur. All problem-based learning modules utilized at the school have real-life applications which are fully explored and analyzed by our students.
As this is the only program of its kind in a structured high school setting, our nationally recognized curriculum has been featured in such magazines as the AFT’s “American Teacher” and at professional conferences across the country. We have been fortunate to share our vision at educational conferences in such places as Anaheim, California, St. Louis, Missouri, Hartford, Connecticut, New Orleans, Louisiana, Boston, Massachusetts and the annual NEL Educational Symposium in Pomfret, Connecticut. Our teacher have also been videotaped for presentations at professional development institutes in Japan.
Grade 9: “Making Choices”
Students entering high school have to make many choices that will impact their education, career, and lives. Our freshman Problem-Based Learning module, “Making Choices”, focuses on the problem solving process by examining five historical problems from the viewpoint of a person living through them. Studies include “rumspringa” and the Amish culture, the Battle of Gettysburg, Immigration and the Ellis Island experience, the emergence of labor unions and unionism, and the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. The culminating activity for this project includes a field trip to Lancaster, PA (Amish Country), Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Gettysburg, PA. Students have the opportunity to meet representatives of LIUNA Local 731 for a personalized walking tour of the bridge. Upon their return, students then make a PowerPoint or other suitable media presentation summarizing their experiences.
Grade 10: “Building on a Dream”
Students in Grade 10 study the process and procedure of building a house. They are given a fictional identity and career and it is up to them to decide where they will build their dream house. English/Language Arts, mathematics, Rhode Island history, geography, and science prepare students to make a simulated move to their ideal community. Students then build their homes in Construction Technology class using materials “purchased” in math class. This module culminates in a trip to Washington, DC and Virginia where students explore the governmental issues that impact construction, visit the headquarters of the Laborer’s International Union of North America, and may participate in building an actual house with charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
Grade 11: “Building Bridges”
In Grade 11, students are challenged with the most intricate of activities. They are given a situation where they have to link a land mass in the middle of Lake Erie with the mainland. There’s a catch! The land mass is home to the only confederate Civil War cemetery in the north. How do you get tourists to visit a cemetery? Our students have to develop ideas/attractions to lure people to visit without destroying or detracting from the sacredness of the property. Then, bridges have to be built that connect the cemetery to each attraction. There is one problem however. During the placement of the bridge footings, students find a human bone! Classes in World of Work, mathematics, social studies, forensic science, computer science, English/Language Arts, and Construction Technology work together to solve what ultimately turns into a real-life CSI episode. At the same time, a scale model of an actual bridge is the Construction Technology Laboratory. Once completed, students visit Sandusky, Ohio, the site of the actual cemetery to compare their solutions. This popular problem caps our three year PBL continuum. | <urn:uuid:0ad109d8-cf1f-4546-bb7c-6dc1539a4c6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://charter.cpsed.net/Curriculum/Problem-Based-Learning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944207 | 993 | 3.109375 | 3 |
The curious case of a Salvador Dalí drawing stolen from the wall of a Madison Avenue gallery—and returned by mail from Greece—was solved with the help of a fingerprint and a persuasive undercover cop, officials said Tuesday.
Phivos Lampros Istavrioglou, a 29-year-old Greek publicist for a fashion label in Italy, stood in New York state Supreme Court Tuesday facing a felony charge of grand larceny after an undercover New York police officer, posing as a gallery manager, convinced him to fly from Milan to New York, officials said.
According to court records and the district attorney's office, Mr. Istavrioglou on June 19 allegedly lifted a $150,000 drawing from a wall in the Venus Over Manhattan gallery, slipped the 11-by-14-inch work into a shopping bag and walked out. The drawing, "Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio," was returned by mail soon after, as mysteriously as it had disappeared, this time tucked inside a cardboard mailing tube.
Mr. Istavrioglou was indicted Tuesday and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Judge Charles Solomon set his bail at $100,000.
"It's an unfortunate situation," Mr. Istavrioglou's attorney, David Cohen, said after the court appearance. "I need to speak with him more about what happened."
The Spanish Surrealist artist's 1949 watercolor and gouache drawing was one of more than a dozen works on display in the first exhibition of the gallery, launched last May by art collector Adam Lindemann. The postwar drawing depicts a skull—a common image in Dalí's work.
According to court records filed by Manhattan prosecutors, Mr. Istavrioglou told investigators he reached out to touch the drawing and, realizing that it was neither secured to the wall nor protected by an alarm, grabbed it.
The following day, he flew to Athens, where, regretting the heist, he sent an anonymous email to the gallery saying it would be returned by mail, according to the court records. It was intercepted at Kennedy International Airport on June 28.
Officials said detectives matched a fingerprint from the mailing tube to a minor shoplifting case in Manhattan last year: a BluePrintJuice, valued at about $10, swiped from Whole Foods. Mr. Istavrioglou was arrested for that theft and received an adjournment in contemplation of being dismissed, meaning the charges would be dismissed if he stayed out of trouble for a period of time.
In court Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Jordan Arnold said the Dalí probe uncovered electronic evidence that included searches from Mr. Istavrioglou's Google account before the incident had hit the news, and a photo posted on his Facebook page showing the drawing on the wall of the gallery. "When he realized the hunt was on, the defendant blinked, and he rolled the Dalí in a manner befitting a college dorm-room poster and mailed it back," Mr. Arnold said.
Most recently, Mr. Istavrioglou lived in Milan, working as a publicist for the French fashion label Moncler, the district attorney's office said. The company couldn't immediately be reached. At the time of the alleged theft, he was working as a freelance journalist, according to court records.
An undercover officer, posing as the business manager of a New York art gallery, drew him from Milan to New York by offering to hire him as a gallery consultant. He played a "convincing role," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a news release.
On Saturday, Mr. Istavrioglou arrived at Kennedy and was taken into custody.
Mr. Lindemann, through a spokeswoman, said: "A Surreal ending to a surreal theft, we are happy this case is now closed."
A version of this article appeared February 20, 2013, on page A19 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Prosecutors: Surreal Mystery Solved. | <urn:uuid:36ba2db1-befa-4395-9c3d-b65cab408e51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://online.barrons.com/article/SB10001424127887323495104578314620608689586.html?mod=BOL_article_full_more | 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 | 0.974094 | 835 | 1.617188 | 2 |
A report says that 38 percent of all stock trading in the United States is now done by firms that have “naked sponsored access” to markets, the controversial trading practice that is facing a regulatory crackdown.
Naked access gives trading firms, using brokers’ licenses, unfettered access to stock markets. The firms, usually high-frequency traders, are then able to shave microseconds from the time it takes to trade, Reuters reported.
Aite Group, a Boston consultancy, found that naked access accounted for just 9 percent in 2005.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is set to make changes to naked access and less risky forms of so-called sponsored access, when it releases a document expected next month.
The document is also expected to look more generally at high-frequency trading — where proprietary trading firms, brokers, and others use algorithms to make markets and profit from narrow market inefficiencies.
Sang Lee, managing partner specializing in market structure at Aite, wrote in the report that the industry now expects the SEC to adopt market-wide standards for monitoring sponsored access, and that it was likely naked access would be banned for non-broker-dealers.
“The idea here is to level the playing field so that no one segment of the market has a clear advantage caused by lack of industry uniformity in risk checks,” Mr. Lee wrote.
Overall sponsored access, including both naked and what Aite called filtered access, which gives the sponsoring broker more monitoring and safety valves, accounts for half of all United States equity volume, the report said.
Filtered access, which is slower and more costly than naked access, has grown only slightly over the last four years, said Aite, citing trading venues, brokers, vendors and trading firms, as well as in-house estimates, for its data.
Naked access is not allowed in Europe. But filtered access is about 12 percent of daily European trading volume, and Aite forecast it would reach 40 percent by the end of 2012.
The report sheds light on one corner of the marketplace as regulators ponder whether some investors enjoy undue advantages over others. The SEC has already proposed banning so-called flash orders and make anonymous venues known as dark pools more transparent.
There is no industry-wide standard for brokers. While firms such as Wedbush Morgan and Pension Financial provide naked access, bigger brokers such as JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs Group only provide filtered access.
Any new rules could redirect the flow of fees and volumes.
Aite said it expected the SEC to adopt uniform pre-trade and real-time risk checks; minimum capital requirements; auditing; stiff fines and penalties; and a long-term plan for the main U.S. clearinghouse to provide post-trade risk checks, as Reuters first reported in October.
Amit Manwani, managing director of Nomura Holdings‘ equities division in New York, told reporters last week the risk of a naked access-inspired foul up was remote, but not impossible.
“Just because…your neighbor is not going to rob your house, you’re not going to leave your door unlocked,” he said, noting Japan-based Nomura does not provide naked access. “You just need a little bit of checks and balances in the system.”
If completed, a transaction would be one of the biggest health care deals of the year. And it could reap a sizable profit for Bausch & Lomb’s current owner, Warburg Pincus.
The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index has more than doubled since Barack Obama took office, an accomplishment achieved by only four other presidents.
Brokerage firms say that options, traditionally used by professional traders, can be profitable for ordinary investors, but this does not square with many investors’ experiences.
The closing of a plant in Paducah, Ky., could pose a problem for the American nuclear weapons arsenal over time but is not likely to affect civilian nuclear electric plants.
An energy company’s plan to drill an exploratory shale gas well in a bucolic area of southern England has galvanized residents.
More than 88 percent of Fortune 500 companies have adopted written policies prohibiting bias on the basis of sexual orientation, but Exxon Mobil has refused.
Mr. Johnson was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, television commentator and author who spent most of his career at The Washington Post and won wide acclaim for his coverage of the capital.
The measure also bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., except in tourist zones, and prohibits alcohol sales near mosques and schools.
Mike Darnell, who has supervised reality programming for Fox since before the term reality show entered the lexicon, oversaw “American Idol,” once the most popular show on American TV.
A federal judge’s ruling could halt the resale of digital music as well as other digital good like e-books.
A world-renowned physicist meets a gorgeous model online. They plan their perfect life together. But first, she asks, would he be so kind as to deliver a special package to her?
The Winklevoss brothers have moved on from their battle with Mark Zuckerberg and are more active than ever.
For millions of people below the poverty line, no assistance for health insurance will be available in states that have refused to expand Medicaid.
Chia seeds aren’t just for terra cotta pets. Adding chia to a smoothie can make an energy-rich breakfast or give you a boost after a morning workout, writes Martha Rose Shulman.
Being depressed is known to increase the risk for stroke. Now a new study suggests that the association is even stronger in younger women.
Procter & Gamble said on Thursday that its chief executive, Robert A. McDonald, had resigned. | Four executives of SAC Capital Advisors have received subpoenas to testify before a grand jury. | In a push to soften financial regulations, bank lobbyists are helping lawmakers draft legislation. | Congressional concern over SoftBank’s bid for Sprint Nextel is growing.
Sign up for the DealBook Newsletter, delivered every morning and afternoon, and receive breaking news alerts throughout the day. | <urn:uuid:840efa9e-b421-4360-9d14-11be329a06a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/38-percent-of-us-trading-now-naked-study-finds/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958287 | 1,293 | 1.554688 | 2 |
SSA has designed a lesson plan to provide organizational representative payees with training that will give the organizations an overview of the duties and responsibilities of a representative payee. In addition, a PowerPoint presentation has been designed to accompany the lesson plan.
The lesson plan can be used by SSA offices to train organizational payees in their area or by organizations for self training.
With the links below, anyone interested can read, print, or download the lesson plan, the guide for organizational payees, as well as the PowerPoint presentation.
There are also two videos available. The first video, “Training for Organizational Representative Payees 2006” is a supplement to the lesson plan and PowerPoint presentation. The second, “Best Record Keeping Practices for Organizational Representative Payees” provides assistance to organizational payees on organizing and maintaining financial records.
The following links will allow you to view the videos.
- Training for Organizational Representative Payees 2006
- Best Record Keeping Practices for Organizational Representative Payees
By working together to serve "our" clients, we can make a difference in their lives. | <urn:uuid:f2494dc9-dfe2-470b-8197-6b6cd274b026> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ssa.gov/payee/training2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934815 | 226 | 1.960938 | 2 |
LEARNING TO SPEAK ENGLISH FLUENTLY takes time, but it doesn’t have to be hard work. As babies, we don’t begin by memorizing grammar and vocabulary. We hear the “rhythm” of our native language from our earliest days, and we begin to recognize and imitate the special “melody” of our language long before we can say words or sentences.
When we do begin to talk, we NEVER have a foreign accent in our native language! Some people think it’s impossible for adults to achieve a natural sound in a second language, but perhaps the problem is not our age, but how we study the language.
In my classes, I begin with the “musical signals” of English (rhythm and melody), which make your speech more “listener-friendly” or familiar to an English speaker. Through “Active Listening” and “Quality Repetition” you can really improve your spoken English, and have fun doing it. | <urn:uuid:03bd0753-090b-4cc0-a80a-28c4b96ff58d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pronunciationinaction.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903875 | 252 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Introduction and Background
Planning for Summer 2011
Supply and Demand of Electricity Capacity 2005-2010
The Outlook for Added Electricity Capacity in New York City 2011-2015
NYISO Forecasts for 2011-2021
Forecasting for the Important Summer Peak Demand
Assessing New York's Economy and the NYISO Forecasts
Looking Ahead to 2030
Two near-term generation projects are expected to add 1,062 MW in New York City by the summers of 2011 and 2012:
U.S. PowerGen's 105 MW South Pier Improvement Project is fully permitted, but the company will only begin construction when market price signals become favorable. The company's proposed Luyster Creek plant in Astoria is in the final stages of permitting for a 400 MW combined cycle repowering project, which would result in 200 MW of additional electric capacity.
NRG Energy's proposed Astoria Repowering Project would replace 600 MW of older combustion turbine units with 1,040 MW of new natural gas-fired combined cycle capacity at its Astoria site. If proposal details are finalized soon, construction of the project's two planned phases could be complete by the summer of 2013.
With these enhancements, New York City could gain about 1,100 MW of additional electrical generating capacity within the next year and the potential of another 700 MW of capacity by 2015.
While New York City's status as a "load pocket" requires that approximately 80 percent of electricity generation be located in-City, restricted transmission capacity into the City has long been a cause of congestion that prevents the import of lower-priced power from upstate or neighboring utilities. Improved and increased transmission capacity not only offers the potential to lower in-City electricity prices, but can also be preferable to investment in generation capacity.
Since 2005, two new transmission facilities have been completed, directly increasing electricity supply in New York City:
Another project that will add electricity capacity is the recently approved 660 MW HVDC transmission link being developed by Hudson Transmission Partners. The line, which will run under the Hudson River between Ridgefield, New Jersey, and Con Edison's 49th Street Substation in Manhattan, will be capable of delivering power directly from the PJM3 system to New York City. The project began construction in May 2011, with completion expected by May of 2013.
New York State's transmission owners, together with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and NYISO, are pursuing longer term planning for transmission needs in New York City and New York State through the State Transmission Assessment and Reliability Study (STARS). In addition, NYISO has proposed a "Broader Regional Market" program to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to improve efficiency in congestion management and pricing between neighboring grid operators in the Northeast and eastern Canada.
Without doubt, substantial improvements to interconnect the electricity grids serving the greater Northeast area could help increase imports of lower-cost power to New York City.
The investments now being made in wind farms in upstate New York offer little likelihood that the wind generation can be delivered to New York City without some upgrade of the transmission system from upstate to the City. Possible breakthroughs in alternative energies, such as locally sited projects for wind, solar power, or for distributed generation, will likely not materialize for several more years. A new solar project based in New Jersey offers the prototype for similar projects in New York City, and several recent proposals for offshore wind farms in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have begun moving through the planning and permitting stage. These could potentially provide significant volumes of electricity in the next decade.
Natural Gas Supply
Supplies of natural gas are vital to New York City's residential and business community for household use, for production of steam, and increasingly, as the primary source for electricity generation. In 2011, natural gas will supply nearly 75 percent of all fuel for in-City power plants.4 In addition to the increased need for fuel for power generation, household demand for natural gas is expected to continue increasing over the next 20 years.
Con Edison estimates that, on average, total gas usage will increase at an annual rate of 1.7 percent per year between 2010 and 2030. If there is stronger economic and population growth than contained in their baseline forecast, the annual growth rate could increase by three percent.5
New York City's April 2011 update to its PlaNYC report states, "New York City has
a critical need for additional natural gas capacity. Despite decades of population and
economic growth, no new major direct transmission pipelines have reached the City
in more than 40 years." 6 The City's plan to "accelerate the phase-out of highly
polluting residual heating oil" will also require additional supplies of natural gas.7
The most recent major addition to pipeline capacity into the downstate New York area was the Millennium Pipeline, a 182-mile long project that terminates in Rockland County. This was brought into service in late December 2008.
Three additional pipeline projects are in the construction or proposal stage.
Considerable quantities of gas trapped in shale rock formations are now capable of recovery through advances in drilling technologies, as well as favored by the current price of natural gas from conventional deposits. One of the largest formations in North America is the Marcellus Shale, located in New York State, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that the 2010 level of 4.9 Tcf of shale oil production, which is now 20 percent of total U.S. natural gas production, could reach 10.6 Tcf in 2030. Shale gas would then account for more than 40 percent of U.S. production.9
However, further improvements in drilling technologies may be needed to address environmental concerns over the potential side effects of chemicals used in the hydro-fracking process, and potential seismic effects from high-pressure water injections to penetrate the rock formations.
In June 2011, Governor Andrew Cuomo expressed support for shale gas exploration in New York State, but reiterated concerns included in the City of New York's April 2011 PlaNYC report that watershed areas for New York City and Syracuse need protecting. As a result, shale gas exploration in New York, which offers the promise of plentiful supply in future decades, will depend on the industry's ability to demonstrate to State officials that the environment and New York City's watershed can be protected.10
Smart Grid Technologies
Increased investments in new "smart grid" technologies are expected to improve customer ability to manage time-of-day usage and improve security of vital transmission systems. Con Edison has received $136 million in federal stimulus funding through the United States Department of Energy for smart grid technologies that are designed to "integrate information and communications technology into electricity generation, delivery and consumption."11 As part of a pilot program in Long Island City, Con Edison is installing approximately 1,500 meters to evaluate benefits for homes and businesses and will review charging profiles for plug-in electric vehicles.
3 — PJM is the regional transmission organization coordinating wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13
states and the District of Columbia. For more information, see www.pjm.com.
4 — Gas Long Range Plan, Con Edison December 2010, p. 28.
5 — Op.cit. Con Ed report, p. 34.
6 — A Greener, Greater New York PlaNYC, issued April 2011, p. 116.
7 — Ibid, p. 106.
8 — Williams Partners L.P. presentation, Northeast LDC Gas Forum, Boston, June 7, 2011.
9 — December 2010 update, from EIA website.
10 — The City of New York, in its April 2011 update to A Greener Greater New York PlaNYC, wrote "We
will work with state officials to protect New York City's watershed from natural gas exploration." p. 116.
11— Con Edison Press Release, June 7, 2010 | <urn:uuid:3d3b9501-2224-46f0-873c-4d8eaf7f4f72> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buildingcongress.com/research/electricity/2011-05.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931727 | 1,623 | 1.757813 | 2 |
New high-tech prototypes offer a window into the future of shopping and cooking. Here are two shopping and cooking innovations that might get you imagining the day when you checkout without scanning a single item or walk into a restaurant and a robot is behind the counter chopping salad.
First up, a scanning software from Brain Corporation that recognizes items on a tray and “checks out” customers without the need for barcodes, scanners or even packaging. It’s currently being tested in at Donq Bakery in Japan and is designed to recognize items by shape and color. The most important feature, perhaps, is the built in feedback loop — if it cannot recognize an item it asks a user (maybe a “cashier,” who’s overseeing several cash registers) to help it match the item against a database and then learns to apply that match going forward, i.e., it “learns.”
Another window into the future of cooking and restaurants comes courtesy of robotics. Yes, robots. Researchers from the Korean Institute of Science and Technology’s Center for Intelligent Robotics have been developing household helper robot named CIROS. The robot uses a 3D IR sensor to recognize common household objects and a 12-piece microphone array for speech recognition. As the technology improves, particularly around fine motor skills, you get demos like this of a robot cutting up food. A restaurant may always have a human chef (we hope) but can you imagine a kitchen full of robots doing the prep work and clean up? Do you want to? | <urn:uuid:5321bc23-f80b-4504-a4f6-26010c342154> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodtechconnect.com/2012/11/01/salad-making-robots-high-tech-bakeries/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940994 | 316 | 2.4375 | 2 |
(March 12, 2009 - Insidermedicine) In this video, Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen, MD, discusses what he would do if he had a racing heartbeat and was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Dr. Ellenbogen is Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Director of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.
At the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, we spoke with Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen. Who is a Professor of Medicine and Director Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.
If I had a racing heartbeat and was diagnosed with SVT...
Dr. Ellenbogen: In a person, patient, or anyone who feels they are having episodes of fast heart beating really the first step in that evaluation is to confirm that they in fact have SVT, or Supraventricular Tachycardia. Which is just a term that means any of a number of different types of fast heart beating coming from the top chamber of the heart. We'll go ahead and assume that it is an SVT but it is worth stating that a lot of people will experience a sensation of a fast heartbeat. And there are lots of ways to record an electrocardiogram without having a patient in the doctor’s office or in the emergency room.
The first thing is to try to make some effort to record an EKG. It can be recorded with a transtelephonic monitor. If the episodes are brief in duration, it can be recorded with a continuous loop monitor that a patient wears. Its sort of like an iPod, its very light weight and it can be activated by the fast heart beating, or the patient can activate it. The device has a retrograde memory, storing all the heart beats from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes before they activated it, and a couple minutes afterwards.
But to diagnose the type of fast heart beating as a Supraventricular Tachycardia ideally the best situation would be to see a cardiac electrophysiologist, and we all want the best for our family and friends. A cardiac electrophysiologist is somebody who is board certified in cardiology and has had one or two additional years of training in the management of patients with cardiac arrhythmias.
What does the history and physical examination consist of?
Dr. Ellenbogen: In the doctor's office the beginning evaluation includes a history and a physical. The history portion of the examination will probably include questions like: "How long have you had episodes of fast heart beating? How long do they last? Are there any particular things that provoke them? Drinking a cold beverage, exercising on the treadmill?” and then the frequency of episodes.
Oftentimes patients will say, "When I take a deep breath and blow out, I can stop my episodes." So anything a patient may have learned or noted that tends to stop their episodes. And then of course we want to know what kind of symptoms a patient has during the arrhythmia. Because that will really influence, to some level, the treatment. Do you pass out? Do you feel like you are going to pass out? Or is it just "well I feel my heart beating faster but that is okay, I can still do what I need to do." So that is part of the history.
The other part of the history that is very important would consist of a family history. Because there are some arrhythmia syndromes that can be inherited. Physical examination will consist of a complete physical examination. Of course sometimes there are certain abnormalities that can be picked up on during the physical examination that may be associated with certain types of fast heart beating. A 12 lead electrocardiogram recording of the heartbeat is absolutely critical, essential part of the evaluation. Lab work is often done. In particular testing of the thyroid because patients who have overactive thyroids can sometimes have rapid heart beats.
What diagnostic tests are ordered?
Dr. Ellenbogen: Addition lab work might be necessary based upon certain findings on the patient’s exam. If a patient has lost a tremendous amount of weight, then one might think of a thyroid problem and there can be a tumor on the adrenal gland that can cause that so blood test to look at adrenal hormones would be useful. Although, in general practice, that is rare. Certainly a part of the exam that is done very frequently is a transthoracic ultrasound or echocardiogram. This performed using a transducer, or a machine that delivers sound waves through the chest wall, which allows us to really carefully look at co-existing conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. And in particular to look for forms of congenital heart disease that may be associated with some forms of rapid heart beating. So an ultrasound exam, which is completely safe, would be the number one non-invasive test that is done to further evaluate patients that have supraventricular tachycardia.
What are the implications of SVT?
Dr. Ellenbogen: SVT can be a very benign disease. And in some cases it can be associated with an increase risk of sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation. So it really is critical to see the appropriate kind of cardiologist, which is a cardiac electrophysiologist, to be able to really stratify. For example take a patient who is young and has supraventricular tachycardia. And on a 12 lead EKG has evidence of what we call an accessory pathway, which is an abnormal connection between the top and bottom chambers of the heart. This patient could be at risk of having cardiac arrest. As opposed to a patient who has a normal EKG, normal echo, and has rare episodes of tachycardia once every two or three years that are associated with minimal symptoms.
How is SVT managed?
Dr. Ellenbogen: There are many ways to treat supraventricular tachycardia. That’s the good news. The second piece of good news is that the vast majority, 85% to over 90%, of patients who have supraventricular tachycardia can have their disease cured by use of radiofrequency, or cryo freezing through a catheter. It can be the type of disease that is very amenable to curing. That being said in some patients no treatment, if the episodes are very infrequent and minimally symptomatic, may be appropriate. Or treatment with drugs that have been around for multiple decades like beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers may be appropriate therapy. There are some patients that will only need to have therapy when they have an episode. And their therapy can consist of taking a pill or it can consist of doing maneuvers such as bearing down or sticking their hand in a bowl of ice, that termination the fast heart beating. For some patients who cant tolerate taking pills, don’t want to take pills, young patients who want to get pregnant, patients who have severely disabling symptoms from their arrhythmias, or patients who have symptoms from their arrhythmias that can't be controlled by medication -- in those patients its preferable to have an invasive procedure, like a heart catheterization, that has a high chance of destroying the abnormal pathway, and curing the tachycardia.
What are the risks of these procedures?
Dr. Ellenbogen: There are some risks associated with catheter ablation procedures. Those risks are somewhat dependent on where the abnormal pathway is located. So in some patients who have a very common form of tachycardia where the abnormal pathway is near the conduction system there is a 1 in 100, or slightly less than that, maybe 1 in 250, risk of damage to the conduction system. Potentially requiring a permanent pacemaker. In patients who have pathways located on the left side of the heart, there is a very small risk associated with that of stroke. In general in many centers where there are experienced people who are doing catheter ablation for many years, or do many cases, the risk of a life threatening or serious adverse complications can be less than 1 in 500, to less that 1 in 1000. So in general it is an extremely safe procedure. And in many cases is much safer than cardiac catheterization or cardiac angiography.
Dr. Ellenbogen: If I had a racing heartbeat and was diagnosed as having supraventricular tachycardia I would want to go to see a cardiac electrophysiologist. I would have a history and physical examination, an electrocardiogram, and an echocardiogram. Then I would sit down with my doctor and based upon the frequency and severity if my symptoms as well as the results of my electrocardiogram would decide what was the best treatment for me. If my symptoms were severe then I would want to have catheter ablation. If my symptoms were extremely infrequent and extremely mild then I might not have anything done, or take a pill when I have an episode, or try to terminate them. For those people who are in between a lot of what they choose will depend upon their lifestyles, or quality of life, or their risk of having a life threatening problem from their tachycardia if the future. | <urn:uuid:295fec85-da91-456d-80b2-76cc2fec3954> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.insidermedicine.com/archives/If_I_Had_Supraventricular_Tachycardia_Dr_Kenneth_Ellenbogen_MD_Virginia_Commonwealth_University_3349.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961526 | 1,923 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Prophecy and Honor
The Sensational Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
by Joe Moore
This performance of PROPHECY AND HONOR, presented by the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor, was recorded live at Hawaii Theatre in Honolulu on August 19, 2007 in celebration of the 6e Birthday of the U.S. Air Force.
The stage play, written by Joe Moore tells the story of General Billy Mitchell's crusade for air power, focusing on his 1925 court-martial for insubordination, following Mitchell's public statement, which criticized senior commanders in the Army and Navy of mismanaging their fledgling air units and unnecessarily jeopardizing the safety of their pilots.
In his script, Moore uses historically accurate dialogue from the actual 3,781 page court-martial transcript, and transcripts of several Congressional hearings where Mitchell testified. Other source material included five Mitchell biographies, and hundreds of newspaper and magazine accounts of incidents during and leading up to the trial.
This play, with full period costumes, lighting, props and dramatic staging is performed in an enhanced "reader's theatre" format in some scenes, in order to utilize outstanding talent who would not otherwise have been available. It allows actors with copious amounts of dialogue to work from pages of the script at
their discretion, rather than commit all dialogue to full memorization.
The Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor was proud to collaborate with Joe Moore on this wonderful production, and thanks him for his contributions to the museum and our community.
Order the DVD by emailing pamstore<at>eventnetwork.com or calling the museum gift shop at 808-271-3188 | <urn:uuid:30a6c512-5173-4021-94e7-246b7b7978b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://b26.com/page/prophecy-and-honor.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937054 | 339 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Climate change on Mars???
At least you can't blame this on the oil industry.
New images of Mars suggest the Red Planet's surface is more active than previously thought, the US space agency (Nasa) reports.Is it coincidence that both Earth and Mars are undergoing climate change?
Photographs from Nasa's orbiting spacecraft Mars Global Surveyor show recently formed craters and gullies.
The agency's scientists also say that deposits of frozen carbon dioxide near the planet's south pole have shrunk for three summers in a row.
They say this is evidence to suggest climate change is in progress. | <urn:uuid:69bf135a-a260-4c58-ae58-ab7fe060efa4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gayandright.blogspot.jp/2006/09/climate-change-on-mars.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95855 | 122 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Electricity profits up $100m, but users switch off
"The wholesale prices are down, down, down but the retail prices are up, up, up" ... the NSW Auditor General, Peter Achterstraat. Photo: Bob Pearce
THE profits of electricity companies increased by $100 million in the past financial year and power bills are rising despite consumers using less electricity, an audit of state-owned energy companies has found.
The NSW Auditor-General, Peter Achterstraat, said wholesale electricity prices had fallen in 2010-11 because NSW consumers were using less electricity, but retail prices were rising because the companies were spending more on maintenance of the distribution systems, especially poles and wires.
''The wholesale prices are down, down, down, but the retail prices are up, up, up,'' Mr Achterstraat said.
However, there was no evidence companies were price-gouging. ''The electricity market is a very, very complex one and the price of electricity can vary from $3 a megawatt hour up to $6000, depending on spikes [in demand],'' he said.
''It's the same electricity you're getting, but it all depends on various components, including if everyone switches it on at the same time.''
Mr Achterstraat has recommended that the power companies be required to demonstrate ''an efficient and prudent capital expenditure program'' in their submissions to the Australian Energy Regulator.
The audit shows that after-tax profits rose from $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion in 2010-11. The dividends and taxes paid to government by electricity companies rose from $1.16 billion in 2011 to $1.43 billion this year.
It found consumer electricity bills were rising sharply, up by 80 per cent over the past five years. The price paid to the generators for electricity had fallen over the same period.
Spending on poles and wires contributed half the cost of residential electricity bills. The next highest cost was generation (25 per cent). The cost of retailing the electricity contributed 10 per cent, the carbon tax added 8 per cent and ''other green schemes'' contributed 7 per cent, the audit found.
Mr Achterstraat said spending on poles and wires was due to companies upgrading networks to cope with demand at peak times. He would like to see the companies innovate to improve their demand management.
''I'd like it if I can get an app, or a text or a tweet, from my electricity company saying, 'Look we're reaching peak demand time, would you mind switching off your dishwasher or power point or power tools until later on'.'' | <urn:uuid:ef593174-a9dc-46f7-b7a7-312ae20b2071> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theage.com.au/environment/energy-smart/electricity-profits-up-100m-but-users-switch-off-20121107-28yi7.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961125 | 540 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Pharmacology is the science of drugs, their chemical and biochemical properties, and their interactions with live cells, tissues and organisms. In the past 60 years, pharmacology has changed biology and medicine dramatically. Diseases are cured, pain is relieved, and formerly fatal illnesses are arrested due to the discoveries made in pharmacology laboratories. Important questions have been answered by basic science, but many remain unsolved.
The Pharmacology PhD program at Weill Cornell Graduate School (WCGS) is unique in that it trains students in the scientific foundations that underlie modern pharmacology including chemistry and chemical biology, molecular biology, receptor biology, neurosciences, and cell and organ physiology. The program's mission, facilitated by the broad scope of research conducted by the program's faculty, is to provide students with the foundation necessary for pursuing research activities in cancer biology, the neurosciences, cardiovascular physiology, toxicology, clinical pharmacology, proteomics, metabolomics, drug design and synthesis, and translational research.
The research activities of the program's faculty are broad and include cancer biology, neurobiology, cardiovascular physiology, drug metabolism, toxicology, proteomics, receptors and signal transduction, and drug design and synthesis. Some of the research focuses on developing and evaluating novel therapies for a variety of diseases, and several faculty have clinical involvements at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) or Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). This allows students in the Pharmacology program to perform research that will result in better or new therapies for serious medical conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious diseases, pain, and heart disease.
Pharmacology students have ample opportunities to improve their scientific communication skills, both by writing research papers and by presenting their research data at laboratory meetings, at the program's annual retreat, and at national scientific meetings. The program provides supportive, spirited colleagues, along with a collegiality that helps prepare students for productive research careers in academia, government or industry.
Additional information is available at the Pharmacology graduate program web site, www.cornellpharmacology.org. | <urn:uuid:d0605563-e4c4-4416-bd2d-80b3d4979a68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weill.cornell.edu/gradschool/program/pharmacology.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937606 | 431 | 2.375 | 2 |
Poverty: Precarious Employment and the Working Poor
The level of social inequality in the EU has been rising for years, both between the employees of different European member states and between the employees in any given country. This had led to the emergence of “social divisions“. There are many different and complex causes for this development. One key driver for this negative trend is the persistently poor situation on the employment market which has, in many European countries, even further deteriorated in the wake of the economic crisis. Other causes include the hardening mass unemployment, the rapid growth of the low-wage sector in many European countries and the increase in the number of atypical employment contracts – which can very quickly turn into precarious employment relationships. The term “atypical employment“ covers temporary, short-term, part-time and infrequent or marginal jobs. Atypical employment bears a high potential for uncertainty and precariousness, and the pay is often inadequate, short of a living wage and much lower than similar work under a different arrangement would fetch. Many of the rights ordinarily claimed by other citizens and employees – such as the rights for protection against unfair dismissal, social insurance cover, maternal leave and co-determination – are totally or largely ignored. Workers in atypical employment relationships can often only dream about establishing a family, purchasing a home of their own or acquiring additional qualifications.
The low-wage sector having grown considerably across the EU for a number of years, being in employment alone is no longer enough to protect workers from slipping underneath the poverty line. In the 1980s, unemployment was still the most common cause for poverty. Since the 1990s, however, poverty has begun to affect even people who do have a job, due in large parts to the emergence of the low-wage sector. The “legal minimum wages” introduced by many EU member states have been exposed as ineffective instruments in the fight to prevent this – particularly shameful – form of poverty. The low-wage sector also threatens to pauperize a large part of our ageing societies: increasing numbers of European citizens will not be able to count on adequate pensions when they retire. | <urn:uuid:adcc8641-c59f-4661-9e1e-11472265c996> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vote-europe.net/en/subjects/povertywealth/precarious-employment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969001 | 439 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Kansas Adjutant General's Report, 1898-1899
The 12th biennial Kansas Adjutant General's Report lists the names of all soldiers who served in the Kansas volunteer troops (the 20th through 23rd Kansas Regiments) during the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (through Oct. 28, 1899). This index to the report includes the company and regiment in which the individual served.
Fill in one or more of the following:
Additional information may be found in Kansas Troops in the Volunteer Service of the United States in the Spanish and Philippine Wars . . . Reprinted from the Twelfth Biennial Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kansas. This volume is located in the research room at the Center for Historical Research. See the correspondence policy for information about obtaining copies from library materials. | <urn:uuid:73c5407c-3f85-4e87-81e1-7f8a71a9e67f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-adjutant-general-s-report-1898-1899/11174 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930801 | 178 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Tedcor offers a domestic waste collection service on behalf of municipalities or their public sector institutions responsible for managing waste. All refuse that is put out on collection days is removed. The service includes a door-to-door collection services, removal of illegal dumping, street cleaning and litter picking.
To provide the service, Tedcor would appoint members of the local community where the service is rendered to become community contractors. To be a contractor, one need to live in the area where the service is being rendered, has a relevant drivers license, being able to read and write as well as having some leadership skills. Tedcor would then assist them in setting up their business and provide them with ongoing support in order for them to provide a quality service.
The service area is then normally divided into an economically viable number of households per community contractor and the areas are normally services once a week. The service provided includes the following:
||All refuse is removed from each household once per week.
||All garden refuse that is placed in bags or tied in bundles is collected weekly with the household refuse.
||Street and all public open spaces are cleaned on a weekly basis.
||Litter bins are cleaned during the collection rounds.
||Is removed weekly. All efforts are undertaken to prevent illegal dumping through educational programmes and interaction with the community.
Tedcor supports campaigns and pilot projects which encourage residents to separate their recyclable waste at source. | <urn:uuid:75da28bf-844a-45f7-8298-bd2e66329427> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tedcor.co.za/services/domestic_waste_collection/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954494 | 289 | 1.796875 | 2 |
city government and school officials were shocked to discover that a city
madrassa had used viciously anti-Semitic materials in its curriculum. They
couldn’t understand why a respected Muslim institution would ever do such a
thing.The school in question has now had its license revoked. Many
thanks to Vlad Tepes for
uploading this discussion by Michael Coren and Clare Lopez about the
an article in the The National Post:
TORONTO — An Islamic school that had been using teaching materials
that disparaged Jews and encouraged boys to keep fit for jihad has lost its
license to use Toronto District School Board property.
suspended a permit issued to the Islamic Shia Study Centre, which operated the
East End Madrassah out of a Toronto high school until an outcry last week over
the content of its curriculum booklets.
“The Islamic Shia Study Centre
will not be able to permit TDSB property until the police investigation is
complete and they are able to demonstrate that they comply with board policies
and procedures,” Ryan Bird, a TDSB spokesman, said Wednesday.
the outcome of the police investigation, we are willing to meet with the permit
holder to discuss TDSB policies and procedures. As soon as we became aware of
this complaint, we started to review the permit and the information that was | <urn:uuid:4bd8ecda-bfb5-463e-9c0a-5f50728ed02f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zionstrumpet.com/2012/05/20/is-canada-waking-up-to-the-tyranny-of-islam/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960516 | 282 | 1.695313 | 2 |
July 5th, 2009
Cross-posted on techPresident
For now, the nascent revolution in Iran seems to have stalled. With its leaders in hiding and the government trumpeting “confessions” from organizers and journalists, I can only imagine how Iranians hoping for change must feel. For sympathetic outsiders, the dominant emotion is helpless frustration, since we can’t DO anything to help, regardless of how many videos we watch or tweets we post. Even if we could act directly, we’d only provide the regime with more fuel for its campaign to pin the protests on outside agitators.
The problem is, of course, that the government in Iran has access to more than just rhetorical ammunition: they have men carrying rifles with real bullets. For all of the potential of the internet to change political communications, it doesn’t change the fundamental nature of power, which a philosopher of note (Chairman Mao) once said comes from the barrel of a gun. As Katrin Verclas asked after one too many techno-utopic presentations at last week’s Personal Democracy Forum, has the speaker been to North Korea lately?
America’s own experience illuminates this truth: on July 4th, we celebrated the anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, but no piece of paper ever fought in a battle — our independence from Great Britain was won by a great many men (and a few women) with guns and the determination to use them. But here’s where it gets interesting: a gun is only as powerful as the will of the person aiming it, and those flimsy pieces of paper and their electronic descendents can make a huge difference on that front. Declarations may not fight a battle, but they can help win a war.
Iran is no stranger to the power of communications technology to create the conditions for radical change, since many observers credit the distribution of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s sermon’s in the late 1970s via easily copied cassette tapes (new technology at the time) with helping to galvanize Iranian society against the Shah. Once in power, Khomeini’s successors have done their best to limit the ability of opponents to similarly undermine their own authority, in part by restricting access to electronic communications. Periodic government shutdowns of cell phones and the internet received a great deal of international attention during the recent post-election protests, but apparently Iranian authorities have long imposed limits on networked information, for instance throttling access to video sites to the extent that YouTube is often unusable in the country.
Since the internet turns out to have an “off” button, most of the actual on-the-street organizing in Iran seems to have been done via word-of-mouth, text messaging, phone calls and other one-to-media, though many announcements have also been posted on websites and online social networks. But as Andy Carvin and Ethan Zuckerman have argued, the main role of the internet in post-election Iran seems to have been to amplify the voices of a relatively few people so that the outside world can hear them: since Twitter posts or YouTube videos can be tagged as being related to Iran, the rest of us can find them, read them, watch them and and copy them faster than any government could delete them.
But amplifying a sound usually distorts it, and Westerners watching from afar can easily get the impression that reformers are the only Iranians active online. In part that’s a natural filter, since most of us tend to seek out and distribute information we agree with. But it also reflects the fact that reform-minded Iranians are more likely to have friends and family who have left the country or to have been abroad themselves, and much of the information spread worldwide has been distributed by members of the Iranian diaspora, whether or not it actually originated in Iran itself. More fundamentally, the outsiders are naturally going to pay attention to messages written in a language we can read, and since most of us don’t read Farsi, those people in the country quite happy with the status quo are functionally shut out of the global conversation.
In fact, as a Morningside Analytics analysis has shown, Iranian online public discourse is actually quite broad, with for instance a strong set of pro-government writers active in the Persian-language blogosphere. And the government itself has used technology skillfully at times, for instance posting videos of protesters and asking citizens to help identify them — crowdsourcing repression! Again, the American experience is illustrative: while we remember pro-independence pamphleteers (proto-bloggers) such as Thomas Paine and the authors of the Federalist papers, they weren’t the only people trying to convince their neighbors to take a stand in 1776 — they just happened to win the war, and those public voices loyal to the British government either moved to Canada or learned to keep their mouths shut.
As the literary/political struggle in pre-Revolutionary America shows, pamphlets alone don’t win wars, but they CAN lead people to take actions that do. The words of America’s Founding Fathers have echoed through revolution after revolution down to the 20th century — even Ho Chi Minh modeled Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence (issued after the Japanese surrender in 1945) on ours. For now, the current government of Iran has the guns and bullets and the men to wield them. But what happens if those soldiers or militiamen refuse to pull the trigger?
As one analyst on an NPR talk show said a couple of weeks ago, the 2009 Iranian elections have revealed the the “Republic” part of Iran’s Islamic Republic to be a sham. In that sense, we’ve been down this road many times before — Iran’s leaders have shown themselves to be just another Mugabe, dictators clothed in righteous revolutionary robes. Though we have no way of knowing whether average Iranian citizens regard state-run media as truthful or just a Persian Pravda, for now the government’s control over television, radio and newspapers has allowed it to portray the protests in the worst possible light. But let the right set of ideas take hold, let the government lose legitimacy in the minds of enough people in the right places, and revolutionary words may turn into decisive action in the real world. For now, the rest of us can only watch, and hope. | <urn:uuid:6f747b7c-5f0b-48af-8bb9-82ffad9feae1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.epolitics.com/2009/07/05/iran-independence-day-and-the-limits-of-online-politics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955269 | 1,320 | 2 | 2 |
The Portland Guardian and Normanby General Advertiser had a regular feature know as “Table Talk” presenting local news. The June 4, 1860 edition demonstrates some of the rivalry which already existed between towns in the Western District.
The writer is bemused that the Ararat newspaper, presumably the Ararat Advertiser, could compare Ararat with the three coastal towns, Belfast, Warrnambool and Portland. Also at the time, money was being spent on the road from Ararat to Warrnambool. The writer made it clear that while the Government described the road as the Ararat to Portland district road, Portland was in no way benefiting from the money which was being spent on the road.
Land sales were also making news. The Government was releasing land in the Merino, Tahara and Digby raising concern that by the time the Land Sales Bill went through there would be little decent land to buy. Further on in the paper several advertisements spruik the land opportunities including this one for acreage at Tahara
A “superior class” of female immigrants were to making their way to Portland in the following week, the paper reports. The women had arrived in Melbourne aboard the “Atalanta” and were considered to be “of timely benefit to this town”.
The mail was late in Mount Gambier on June 2, arriving at 2.40pm. The correspondent surmises that something must have happened to the mailman because when he did arrive, his head was bandaged. | <urn:uuid:656efb2e-7622-4f54-b6df-9c9b690b06ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mywdfamilies.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/in-the-news-june-4-1860/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=f9c0eced4e | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98859 | 317 | 2.078125 | 2 |
In the November 27, 1969 issue of Down Beat, there was a news item which gladdened many a jazz follower. Wrote Down Beat, in part: "One of the giants of the tenor saxophone is finally back on the scene. After serving seven years of a harsh 15-year sentence on a narcotics charge, Gene Ammons was released from Statesville, Ill. penitentiary in mid-October."
Twelve days later, Ammons led a small group for a two-week engagement at the Plugged Nickel, in Chicago where, according to the jazz magazine, he received a standing ovation and "preached some sermons that proved him still the king of soulful tenors." A few days after he had ended his comeback engagement in Chicago Ammons was once again in familiar surroundings, this time a recording studio, celebrating his return to Prestige, the label of many of his past musical accomplishments.
In view of the fact that he has been away from the scene for an extended period, it would seem in order to take a backward glance at the career of Eugene Ammons. He was born in Chicago, April 14, 1925, the son of Albert Ammons, the famous boogie-woogie pianist. In 1943 he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax (Kolax was also a member of Ammons' group during the aforementioned date at the Plugged Nickel) and he joined Billy Eckstine's band the following year. It was during his three years with Eckstine, that Ammons began making a name for himself.
In 1947 he made his first records as a leader, for the Chicago-based Mercury label, the same label that recorded his father. Two years later he took over Stan Getz's chair in Woody Herman's band and, in 1950, he became co-leader of the Gene Ammons/Sonny Stitt band, recording for Prestige. This association lasted until 1952 and has been preserved on a number of fine recordings, many of which feature tenor "battles" between the two leaders, which did much to make the band popular. Although Ammons has been on his own since the break-up of the Ammons/Stitt Band, the two men have frequently been reunited in club appearances and on records.
A disciple of the late Lester Young, Ammons, by the early '50s, was playing in a style which was less restrictive than that of most Young followers, a style that one might place somewhere between that of Stan Getz and the late Wardell Gray. "Jivin'" [mp3] from 1962 with Howard McGhee. He also went through a period of playing in the rhythm and blues vein, as did many of his contemporaries.
The development of rock to its present more sophisticated state and the apparent head-on courses of both jazz and rock have taken place since Ammons' involuntary hiatus. "There have been a lot of changes in this world since I went in," he told Down Beat, "It's like day and night. These changes have struck music too. Dudes are trying new directions and I dig it. But the avant garde wouldn't fit my bag. I might try a free lick here and there, but I'll stick mostly to the Gene Ammons I know."
That Gene Ammons is, of course, the one we know and this, his first set of recordings in seven years, not only demonstrates that the old, familiar "Jug" is back, but also that he hasn't lost his touch. "There's only one thing I can say for sure," he told Down Beat after his recently won freedom. "Put me down as saying I'm here to stay."
--CHRIS ALBERTSON, from the liner notes,
The Boss Is Back, Prestige.
A selected discography of Gene Ammons albums. | <urn:uuid:1f78f286-897a-425f-bbe0-8b5c9ff8ddcb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hardbop.tripod.com/ammons.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98923 | 799 | 1.609375 | 2 |
This year's presidential election offers up two very distinct prizes. One goes to the winner of the general election in November -- the presidency. But to secure that prize, the Republican and Democratic parties are actively courting another prize -- the Hispanic voter.
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund expects at least 12.2 million Hispanics will cast ballots in November. That's an increase of 25.6 percent from 2008. In their winning bids for the presidency, George W. Bush won more than 40 percent of Hispanic voters in 2004 and Barack Obama won 67 percent of Hispanic voters in 2008.
Both major political parties have been aggressively seeking the Hispanic voter. This month, HispanicBusiness magazine looks at the Republican National Committee's (RNC) efforts.
In January, Bettina Inclan, a communications and political strategist, was named director of the RNC's Hispanic Outreach. She had served as press secretary for Steve Poizner in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for California governor in 2010. She then worked as deputy director of communications for Rick Scott, who did win the governorship of Florida in 2010. Ms. Inclan also served as executive director of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly.
HispanicBusiness magazine caught up with her to find out how the RNC hopes to woo Hispanics.
"I will be leading our national strategy," she said, "which will include overseeing staff working directly in local communities in various states with large populations."
Many of those states have been designated as swing states, meaning either party's candidate could win there.
Ms. Inclan did say the RNC will use a national strategy to compete for every vote, but "we also are focusing on some key battleground states such as Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and North Carolina.
Florida is a swing state where the Hispanic voter will have a key role in determining which candidate gets the state's 29 electoral votes. In 2008, Mr. Obama won the state, beating Sen. John McCain by 204,277 votes out of more than 8 million ballots cast. A Jan. 23 fact sheet from the Pew Hispanic Center shows that registered Hispanic voters number more than 1.4 million, roughly 13 percent of all registered Florida voters.
Hispanics registered as Democrats have the edge over Hispanics registered as Republicans, 564,513 to 452,619. However, there are 431,131 Hispanic registered voters who have no party affiliation. If the race in Florida becomes as close as the Obama/ McCain contest was, those Hispanic voters with no party affiliation could be the voting bloc that decides the winner.
Thus, getting the Republican message out becomes a priority task.
"We are building our support within the communities at a grass-roots level by engaging voters where they work and live," Ms. Inclan said.
The RNC has crafted its message to Hispanics around two central themes: One, of Mr. Obama's "failed policies, empty rhetoric and broken promises," Ms. Inclan said; the other, of showing that the Republican Party represents the core values of Hispanics -- family and community.
"We will ensure our message of economic security and conservative principles will reach our diverse Hispanic community across this nation," she said.
Besides coordinating with state and local Republican groups on voter registration and turnout efforts, and working with local community leaders to connect with Hispanic voters, Ms. Inclan said, the RNC would press its efforts via digital means.
"We will also be leveraging the power of social media to engage Hispanic youth and a new generation of Latino voters," she said, noting there is a Twitter account, a tumblr.com account and an rnclatinos. com website.
Two key segments that Republicans have targeted are new Hispanic voters and conservative Hispanics.
"The RNC recognizes a unique opportunity to register and help turn out conservative Hispanic voters to the polls," Ms. Inclan said, "because political ideology doesn't always connect with party registration."
But this might be easier said than done. Many observers see the Republican Party struggling uphill in its effort to attract Hispanics' support, especially as the current group of hopefuls for the GOP presidential nomination talks extremely tough about immigrants.
"Tone and rhetoric absolutely matter," Jennifer Sevilla-Korn, executive director of the Hispanic Leadership Network, a center-right advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., told CNN in late February, "because the use of language that can be perceived as inflammatory turns the Hispanic community off, even if they agree with the candidate on other issues, like how to deal with the economy and fiscal responsibility."
"Turned off" is exactly how the RNC perceives Hispanics—turned off to Mr. Obama. The president's popularity among Hispanics fell 9 percentage points from 2010 to 2011, down from 63 percent to 54 percent, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
It is what the Republicans call Hispanic dissatisfaction with Mr. Obama that drives the Republicans' belief they can strengthen their relationship with Hispanic voters.
"No matter their registration, Hispanics will want a candidate who can turn our economy around," Ms. Inclan said.
Job creation is an important issue for Hispanic voters. Fifty percent of Hispanic registered voters ranked jobs as their top concern, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
But translating the dissatisfaction and the concerns of Hispanics into votes for the Republicans will not be easy.
When the Pew Hispanic Center asked which party has more concern for Hispanics, 45 percent of the respondents said the Democratic Party and only 12 percent said the Republican Party. Even among Republican Hispanics, 20 percent said the Democratic Party is the better party for Hispanics. The Pew Hispanic Center also said 67 percent of Hispanic voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party while just 20 percent say the same about the Republican Party.
The Republican Party is not daunted by the statistics that show strong support for the Democratic Party by a majority of Hispanic voters. For the RNC, the Hispanic vote is up for grabs, Ms. Inclan said, because, "come November, they will be looking for a candidate with a serious jobs plan and who is ready to tackle the issues facing our nation, such as the economy."
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Book Description: Practice makes perfect!Over 1.5 million students graduated from high school in 2010 having taken the SAT at least once. As college acceptances become more competitive, students must set themselves apart from the competition with a high SAT score. There is nothing like practice to help one build the necessary edge and Kaplan 12 Practice Tests for the SAT/PSAT 2013 provides more practice exams than any other guide on the market. This guide is designed to help students increase speed and accuracy with all of the different SAT question types.Kaplan 12 Practice Tests for the SAT/PSAT features: 10 full-length practice SAT exams with full answer explanations 2 full-length practice PSAT exams with full answer explanations More than 600 math grid-ins and multiple-choice questions More than 800 sentence completion and reading comprehension questions More than 500 multiple-choice writing questions 10 essay prompts, complete with model essays and a self-grading guideKaplan guarantees that students will score higher on the SAT or PSAT—or get their money back. Kaplan 12 Practice Tests for the SAT/PSAT 2013 is the must-have preparation tool for every student looking to score higher! | <urn:uuid:b583bb74-44c9-43a4-80d3-320abce8822b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.campusbooks.com/books/books/specialty-boutique/new-used-textbooks/9781609780500__.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922066 | 231 | 2.3125 | 2 |
DIY Gin Kit Reinvents the Home Cocktail Party
Leave it to the ingenious minds of young entrepreneurs Jack Hubbard and Joe Maiellano to package what was once used during the Middle Ages as a useless remedy for the Black Death into a DIY kit for the ultimate home cocktail party.
The longtime friends who spend their days in Washington DC’s bustling circuit of politics and public affairs have concocted The HomeMade Gin Kit, which makes it possible to craft small batch gin from the comfort of your kitchen (or anywhere else for that matter) without the use of costly - and illegal - distilling equipment.
Mix and Mingle
The HomeMade Gin Kit arrives adorned in a sleek white box and includes a unique blend of spices, botanicals and flowers, a tin full of juniper berries, two Italian glass bottles, a double mesh fine strainer, and a funnel.
Maillano, who is an avid home bartender and cook (he appeared on a past season of Gordon Ramsey’s "MasterChef"), says, "It’s really about caring about what you’re consuming. When you use our kit, you’re not only involved in making what you’re about to drink; you’re also gaining a better understanding of what the finished product is, what to look for in commercial gins, and of what you can do better next time."
What the kit doesn’t include is an affordable bottle of vodka. In the spirit of gin’s dark past, there’s no need to spend a fortune on a high-end brand. It’s debatable whether the original spirit was invented by Dutch professor of medicine Franciscus de la Boe in the 16th century or if Italian monks had been crafting the spirit out of crude grain alcohol for centuries before as the key ingredient of juniper berries were plentiful throughout the region.
In either case, this modern day gin kit relies on simple instructions, transforming the vodka into homemade gin with a rich blend of juniper berries followed by an array of carefully selected and hand weighed spices, botanicals, flowers and aromatics.
"I see the HomeMade Gin Kit as a bridge between folks who already have discerning tastes when it comes to commercial gins, and folks who are real cocktail snobs and are already making their own bitters and tonics at home," says Maillano. "We’re a steppingstone that teaches our customers about the process and gives them the tools to start exploring more on their own."
The HomeMade Gin Kit is available for $39.95 + shipping at www.homemadegin.com
(courtesy of the International Bar Association)
1 part gin
1 part sweet red vermouth
1 part Campari
Stir in Old Fashioned glass over ice, garnish with orange peel and serve. | <urn:uuid:762c24a8-76a3-457d-bee1-df5328d44c6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edgeprovidence.com/style/food_drink/140370/diy_gin_kit_reinvents_the_home_cocktail_party | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929313 | 592 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Iraqi Predicts The Hanging Of Hussein By Year's End
By KIRK SEMPLE; John F. Burns contributed reporting.
Published: November 9, 2006
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki predicted in a televised interview on Wednesday that former President Saddam Hussein would be hanged by the end of the year.
Court officials said, however, that the prime minister's prediction was unrealistic, considering the timing of the appeals process and the sheer volume of evidence the appellate judges would have to review. It was far more likely, they said, that the hanging would not take place until January at the earliest, and probably later.
The authorities reported the killing on Wednesday of more than 30 people in various attacks around Iraq. And the American military command described a major attack on an American military base in northeastern Baghdad on Sunday that lasted for an hour and a half and left at least 38 insurgents dead.
Under Iraqi law, a nine-judge appellate court will begin its review of the death sentences against Mr. Hussein and two of his co-defendants 30 days from Sunday, when the sentences were handed down. If the appellate judges uphold the rulings, the executions must be carried out within 30 days.
The appellate judges are not bound by a deadline for their deliberation, but Mr. Maliki and other Shiite leaders have made no secret of their desire to see Mr. Hussein executed as soon as possible. They say that Mr. Hussein's survival could help to rally the Sunni Arab-led insurgency that has been trying to drive American forces out of the country and topple the Shiite-dominated government. He periodically issues written messages from his cell at an American military detention center here exhorting insurgents to continue their resistance.
Mr. Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity for the persecution of the townspeople of Dujail, north of Baghdad, after what was said to be an assassination attempt against him there in 1982. A total of 148 men and youths were killed, and hundreds of others banished for years to a remote desert camp in southern Iraq.
American and Iraqi officials had originally planned to prosecute Mr. Hussein in a series of trials that, they said, would describe his long rule of terror. He is the principal defendant in a second trial involving the so-called Anfal military campaign in the late 1980s in which, prosecutors contend, as many as 180,000 Kurdish civilians were killed.
But with the conflict worsening, senior Iraqi officials, including Mr. Maliki, now say they would rather eliminate Mr. Hussein as a source of inspiration for the Sunni insurgents than use the trials to prove his personal responsibility for atrocities during his 24-year rule. According to Iraqi court officials, nothing in Iraqi law would prevent Mr. Hussein being executed before the Anfal trial ends.
In an interview televised by the BBC on Wednesday, Mr. Maliki said, ''I think the court is determined to pursue this case that they are looking at, but we will not interfere.''
When asked to specify when he expected Mr. Hussein to be executed, Mr. Maliki said, ''I expect it to happen before the end of the year.''
The Constitution mandates that President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents must approve the execution. But Mr. Maliki raised the possibility during the interview that because the decision was rendered by a special tribunal, it might not be subject to that constitutional provision. Mr. Hussein was tried before the Iraqi High Tribunal, the court set up to prosecute the top officials of the ousted government.
President Talabani, a Kurd, has said publicly that he is opposed to the death penalty, suggesting that he would not approve the execution. But according to court officials, the president has said he is prepared to designate Adel Abdul-Mahdi, one of his vice presidents and a Shiite, as his proxy in the vote.
Court officials said they also did not anticipate opposition from Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab. Mr. Hashemi, they contend, accepted his post on the assurance that he would not oppose the court's findings.
The insurgent blitz against the American military base on Sunday began when attackers opened fire from the north and south with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, the military said Wednesday in a statement.
The garrison, called Forward Operating Base Apache, is in Adhamiya, a heavily Sunni Arab neighborhood.
Photo: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, left, with Mahmoud al-Mashadani, the Parliament's speaker, before a session of Parliament yesterday. (Pool photo by Wathiq Khuzaie) | <urn:uuid:211572ca-e2ce-47eb-a596-b4034082727f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20B12F8355B0C7A8CDDA80994DE404482 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978318 | 948 | 1.859375 | 2 |
THE GOSHEN NEWS
Seven Goshen College business students who have created their own businesses have been rewarded with entrepreneurship grants to encourage them to develop their skills further.
The GC Business Department’s grants total $27,500.
Each of the seven businesses that received funding presented the Business Department with a business plan and demonstrated a passion for their business, knowledge and skill in their fields, an understanding of their market, and a likelihood of long-term success, according to Goshen College officials.
GC officials said the funds for the grants were part of a larger external grant that the Business Department received a few years ago and which has now ended. According to Michelle Horning, professor of accounting and chair of the Business Department, the department intends to continue to award entrepreneurship grants annually, though most likely on a smaller scale.
The seven student-owned businesses are:
Studio Ace of Spade is a print and Web design firm owned by Jon Savage, a senior business and information systems major from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and Simon Birky-Hartmann, a 2009 Goshen alumnus. Savage and Birky-Hartmann established their studio in October 2010, combining their talents in art, graphic design, management and technology. Studio Ace of Spade offers services from bottom-up branding to Web development and design.
The company’s website is www.studioaceofspade.com.
Reimagine Cinema is a video production company owned by Jacob Landis-Eigsti, a senior communication and theater major from Lakewood, Colo. Reimagine Cinema is dedicated to creating unique, exciting, professional music videos and short films. The Indiana Association of School Broadcasters named Landis-Eigsti’s videos as the best in the state, and the Broadcast Education Association recently awarded his music video, “Beautiful,” the second best college music video in the nation for 2011. Reimagine Cinema’s videos are on Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo.
ResQ Records is a music production and publishing company specializing in Afrofusion music, owned by Idris Busari, a junior broadcasting and public relations major from Nigeria. The company has recently produced and released Afrofusion, Volume 2. Busari explained Afrofusion to be the expression of the African spiritual substance fused with hip-hop, soul and R&B influences.
Busari’s interest in music making began long before he came to United States, soon after he graduated high school in Nigeria when he started a singing group with his friends. Though the group didn’t stay together for long, Busari’s love for music stayed with him through the years until he came to the United States.
After recording his first album from his bedroom in 2008, he registered his record label in the United States. Now, he is searching for a manager and is promoting his music by establishing an online presence. The company and its studio are based in Goshen.
More information about ResQ Records and its music can be found on its Facebook page, “Omogo & the ResQ Ranjazz Family.”
Cultural Ventures LCC is owned by Niles Graber Miller, a first-year business major from Goshen, and Hans Weaver, a sophomore business major from New Holland, Pa. The business’ latest venture is brewing and bottling Menno Tea, an iced tea recipe that is modeled after a favorite family recipe. The tea is made from all locally grown, organic and fair trade ingredients.
Menno Tea has been sold at Java Junction, Goshen College’s student-run coffee shop, but the owners are looking to expand. The company’s website is at www.mennotea.com.
Ras Photo Studio is owned by Abi Tsigie, a junior art major from Ethiopia. In addition to digital color photography, the studio specializes in black and white photography and also has an experimental laboratory, collecting and experimenting with old, film-based cameras. Ras Photo Studio is available for weddings, portraits, graduations, fashion photography and a variety of other celebrations.
“I didn’t know it then, but Ras Studio started when I was about 13 years old when I discovered my fathers’ old Zenith (a 35mm film camera he bought during the ’70s) stashed in storage,” said Tsigie. “Shortly after the discovery, I was given the chance to play with the camera, and since then, my passion for images grew continuously!”
Although Tsigie has moved on to using up-to-date digital cameras, his experience with his father’s Zenith sparked an interest in experimenting with vintage cameras.
Although Ras Photo Studio is located in Goshen, the studio’s customer database is not limited to the Michiana region. It also has customers in Indianapolis, Chicago, and internationally in Ethiopia (to which the studio made two recent trips for a freelancing project). Internationally, Ras Studio is working on opening a branch in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in April 2012.
To view Tsigie’s photography, go to www.behance.net/AbiTsigie, or visit Ras Studio’s Facebook page.
NGM Designs, owned by Niles Graber Miller, a first-year business major from Goshen, creates advertising space for local businesses on vintage vehicles. Businesses are promised a certain amount of exposure as the van is driven around town and parked in visible locations. Graber Miller began his business a year ago with hand-painted advertisements for 14 local businesses on a 1970 Volkswagen van.
“It’s been generating a lot of excitement when people see it,” said Graber Miller. “It definitely draws looks — people turn their heads while they’re driving or walking down the sidewalk. That’s fun to see, because that’s the purpose, getting people to look and check out these businesses.”
The business recently purchased a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, has converted it to run exclusively on electricity and is now selling advertising space on it as well. For more information, visit NGM Designs’ website at sites.google.com/site/ngmdesigns/
Entertaining Angels is a music business started by William Frisbie, a sophomore accounting major and business minor from Goshen. Entertaining Angels focuses on assisting positive artists with their recording needs, and provides lighting and sound for a range of events, such as concerts and weddings. The company’s studio is located in Goshen. For more information, visit the business’s website at www.3ckonline.com.
Alysha Landis of Goshen College prepared this article. | <urn:uuid:c36f11c2-7e00-4138-a82c-53938f92852b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://goshennews.com/local/x850292660/Student-businesses-rewarded-for-innovation/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960406 | 1,414 | 1.625 | 2 |
December 30, 2008
Eight members of the Levi family adjust to rockets in Ashkelon
ASHKELON, Israel (JTA) -- Another rocket warning siren wails and eight members of the Levi family, including a grandmother and a newborn baby, quickly cram into the small bedroom made of reinforced concrete that serves as the family's bomb shelter.|
"Come on, come on! Get in!" they shout. Just before the heavy metal door slams shut, the family dog, Pick, quickly is whisked inside.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, they listen as the sound of the siren's wail trails off, replaced by the thud of the rocket landing. Returning to the television news a few minutes later, they see it has landed a few blocks away at a local soccer stadium.
Earlier in the day, another rocket landed much closer -- just across the street.
The Grad-type missile hit a construction site, killing Hani el Mahdi, a 27-year old construction worker from a Bedouin town in the Negev, and injured several other workers at the scene, some of them seriously.
"After hearing the boom this morning I'm just not myself,” said Geula Levi, 50, whose house quickly filled up with family members. “I've been trying to make lunch but I simply can't seem to get anything together.”
Since the fighting began over the weekend, two of Levi’s adult children have moved back in, one of them bringing his wife and their 2-month-old daughter. The baby never leaves the reinforced room. Her mother, Vered, ventures out only to get food from the kitchen.
About 60 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Monday. Many landed in Ashkelon, about 10 miles north of the Gaza Strip. Some reached as far as Ashdod, some 20 miles from Gaza, killing one woman as she bolted her car to take cover at a bus stop.
This week marks the first time these two major coastal cities have been subject to ongoing rocket barrages from Gaza. Ashkelon, home to some 120,000 people, had been targeted before, but hit only rarely. Ashdod had been considered out of range of Gaza’s rocket fire, but Hamas’ newly imported missiles -- thought to be smuggled into the strip from Egypt during the six-month cease-fire that officially ended Dec. 19 -- have increased the range of Gaza’s rockets.
Geula Levi said she was fully supportive of the army's operation in Gaza, which by late Monday had killed 350 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them Hamas militiamen, according to reports.
“They learned their lessons from the Second Lebanon War so I think this time things will be conducted more intelligently," she said of Israel’s military leaders.
"We’d rather suffer with the missiles now than become like Kiryat Shemona, which suffered for years," said her eldest son, Avichai, 27.
Outside, the sound of Israeli artillery being fired into Gaza echoed in the streets, which were quiet and mostly empty. Staring out into the eerie emptiness were campaign posters for the upcoming election, including a billboard with a photograph of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni next to the words, "The courage to say the truth.”
Livni’s party, along with those of her main rivals, canceled campaign events scheduled for this week.
At the entrance to Ashkelon, one of those rivals, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the architect of the Israeli strike on Gaza, had his own image up on a billboard with the slogan "Looking truth in the face."
For the people of Ashkelon, who are living their leaders' "truths," there was stoicism mixed with fear.
"It is miserable but it will go on for a while," said Capt. David Biton, the police commander who oversees the southern district that includes half a million people and stretches from Ashdod to Sderot -- all now within range of Gaza’s rockets.
Galit Ben-Asher Yonah, 37, said it was "the shock of my life” to discover that her home in Gan Yavne, a bedroom community near Ashdod, now has come under attack.
Gan Yavne was hit for the first time Sunday, and two more rockets fell Monday. It is the farthest point north that the rockets have reached to date.
Yonah, originally from Los Angeles, is the mother of two young daughters and a newborn son. She says she will be keeping all her children at home for the next few days.
"Never in my life did I think I would have to explain to my 5-year-old that we have to go to the basement because a bomb was falling,” she said. “And there she was guiding me, telling me to cover my head with my hands and stay away from the window as she was taught in nursery school."
Tal, her 5-year-old, also brought down a snack of bananas and cookies for them after the first rocket fell, telling her in a serious but calm voice that they might be sitting in the basement, which is reinforced against rockets, for a while.
In nearby Nitzan, where many of the families who were evicted three years ago from the Gush Katif settlement bloc in Gaza live in temporary homes, there are no protective rooms to which to flee.
"We left the Kasssam rockets to get Katyushas instead," said Yuval Nefesh, 41, referring to the longer-range Katyusha rockets now striking Israel from Gaza. Before, Palestinians relied almost exclusively on the Kassam, a crude rocket with a range of 10 miles and poor accuracy.
He shrugs when asked how the people are coping. "We pray," he said.
Nefesh is still in touch with some of the Palestinians from Gaza he met while living there, and he said he has been talking to them by phone since the Israeli air assault began.
Outside, the Elikum Shwarma and Kebab restaurant was one of the few bustling businesses in Ashkelon on Monday. Delivery people were busy ferrying orders to the thousands of people staying indoors.
Avi Zarad, working the cash register, tried to maintain a cheerful atmosphere.
"We can't send out a message of being stressed out," he said. A few minutes later a siren sounded and, with no shelter to run to, the customers continued eating calmly.
The soccer stadium where a rocket fell an hour earlier is just across the road.
"We are getting used to it, but it's a horrible reality," said Kinneret Cohen, a restaurant worker preparing salads in the kitchen. "We just breathe deeply knowing we have to give the army time to do its work." | <urn:uuid:cd2fb815-4603-490f-a13a-cf415afee0e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/print/eight_members_of_the_levi_family_adjust_to_rockets_in_ashkelon_20081229 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981472 | 1,431 | 1.554688 | 2 |
In an article in the Birmingham News yesterday, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) described a meeting Tuesday with NASA administrator Charles Bolden as “troubling” because he didn’t see any signs of compromise from the administration. “We should not think that the president at the moment has any plans to make significant alterations to what they have stated is their goal,” he told the newspaper. Sessions also said he and a group of other, unidentified senators are interested in an “independent legal opinion” on NASA’s use of the Antideficiency Act to slow down work on Constellation. “We think this is clearly a violation of the congressional intent.”
Despite a NASA directive to withhold nearly $1 billion in Constellation funds in order to comply with the act, money is still flowing to Constellation contractors, the Wall Street Journal reports. The article suggested that the latest releases of funds to contractors ATK and Lockheed Martin were somehow done in contradiction to that directive and without Bolden’s knowledge or approval, claiming that “NASA’s bureaucracy seems to be equivocating” even though monthly Constellation expenditures have dropped by two thirds.
Bolden also faces criticism in an editorial in today’s Orlando Sentinel, this time about his potential conflict of interest regarding an agency biofuels program the newspaper reported over the weekend. That controversy, the editorial argues, “raises doubts about whether he has all the right stuff – including the savvy and sound judgment – to succeed in his position.” The Sentinel wants Bolden to step back from any decisions about this particular project as well as any others where he might have some kind of financial stake. “Mr. Bolden has called into question his ability to lead NASA in this extraordinary time. How quickly, and how firmly, he acts to defuse this controversy will speak volumes about whether he is up to the job.” | <urn:uuid:5f575804-2e7d-4eec-a91f-b5eee95bef07> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/06/24/grumbling-about-bolden/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966177 | 401 | 1.671875 | 2 |
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MonoSol Rx and Strativa Pharmaceuticals Submit New Drug Application for Ondansetron Orally Dissolving Film Strip
...usea resulting from chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical procedures. For patients in need of anti-emetic drugs, such as ondansetron, the burden of ingesting
a tablet or swallowing a liquid medication can be significant because it has a tendency to exacerbate the nausea. Our PharmFilm(R) technology offers ...
Acetaldehyde in alcohol -- no longer just the chemical that causes a hangover
...rmany recently provided the necessary methodology for calculating the risk for the ingestion of alcoholic beverages.
The team found that risk from ingesting
acetaldehyde via alcoholic beverages alone may exceed usual safety limits for heavy drinkers. Their risk assessment study found that the average expo...
Ingesting in Medical Technology
Ingesting in Medical Dictionary
...ently available vaccines. From the CDC Travelers' Health. Fact sheet on the infections caused by bacteria which are principally transmitted by ingesting
unsafe drinking water. More about Typhoid Fever : Causes and symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Prognosis Prevention Resources Typhoid Fever Defi...
...ctims of mushroom poisoning . ... The following are the most common symptoms of mushroom poisoning . ... Mushroom poisoning results from ingesting
toxic substances present in mushrooms. ... Symptoms of mushroom poisoning can differ widely between varieties of mushrooms. ... ...
...stive tract by the... Although the worldwide incidence of infant botulism is rare, the majority of ... An infant can acquire botulism by ingesting
Clostridium botulinum spores, which ... Infant botulism results from germination of swallowed spores of botulinum toxin ... Four cases of ...
...ns. Provides reviews of popular diet plans plus articles on a variety of weight loss topics. User-edited information about the practice of ingesting
food in a regulated fashion to achieve a particular objective. Includes various diet plans and viewpoints. Membership-based dieting tools an...
...or ... The old cure for constipation has also been used as a weapon, and extracts from the ... I have never had the pleasure (or displeasure) of ingesting
castor oil . ... Shopping for cheap or even free castor - oil ? ... Heritage Castor Oil Cold Pressed The Store / 4 Oz 4 fl oz $2.77 ... to...
...h as sheep and goats, but humans who ... About the possibility of anthrax being used in terrorist attacks. ... Intestinal anthrax results from ingesting
foodstuffs (usually meats) that have ... Penn State Hershey Medical Center provides world class care and services to patients. ... Anthrax is a ...
Ingesting in Biological News
Bolivian rainforest study suggests feeding behavior in monkeys and humans have ancient, shared roots
...tion is the same for monkeys and humans: if the diet is poor in protein but rich in carbohydrates and fats (energy dense food) individuals will end up ingesting
a great deal of energy in order to obtain their protein target, which can lead to weight gain. This 'protein leverage effect' is thought to play a sig...
UD research study to shed light on emerging seaborne pathogen
...rrence and prevalence of the organism is likely to continue to expand," Boyd notes.
An oyster filters its food from the seawater in which it lives, ingesting
not only tiny plankton but whatever else may be present in the water, including harmful bacteria such as V. parahaemolyticus . Thus, when a person co...
New bacteria discovered in raw milk
...sks of drinking unpasteurised milk. Some people believe the health benefits resulting from the extra nutrient content of raw milk outweigh the risk of ingesting
potentially dangerous microbes, such as Mycobacterium bovis, which can cause tuberculosis, and Salmonella species. Because of these risks, many countr...
How eating fruit and vegetables can improve cancer patients' response to chemotherapy
..., a form of treatment in which chemicals are used to kill cells.
Now a study by UC Riverside biochemists that focuses on cancer cells reports that ingesting
apigenin a naturally occurring dietary agent found in vegetables and fruit improves cancer cells' response to chemotherapy.
Xuan Liu , a profess...
Meeting to highlight health impacts of smell and taste
...and Ballroom A)
From Bitter to Sweet, It's in Our Genes
Scientists hypothesize that bitter taste receptors evolved to prevent early humans from ingesting
bitter-tasting toxins commonly found in plants. Yet, in scientific taste tests, up to 30 percent of people barely recognize some bitter tastes while o...
A single mechanism for hypertension, insulin resistance and immune suppression
...ace of SHR cells become clipped off as the animals develop hypertension. They used a novel visualization technique to show that after several weeks of ingesting
doxycycline in their drinking water, the SHR rats developed cells that again bristled with normal CD18 and insulin receptors. The animals metabolic co...
Research measures movement of nanomaterials in simple model food chain
...se in concentration of a substance in an organism over time) and biomagnification (the progressive buildup of a substance in a predator organism after ingesting
In their study, the NIST team investigated the dietary accumulation, elimination and toxicity of two types of fluorescent quant...
People with diabetes may have all natural citrus supplement
... a standard oral glucose challenge. The placebo group showed no significant improvements in glucose intolerance. A standard glucose challenge involves ingesting
100 grams of glucose and having blood glucose measurements after 30 minutes and hourly for four hours. Neither the investigators nor the volunteers kn...
MU researcher links hormone replacement therapy to breast cancer
...T formulations, it is hurting the breast.
The Womens Health Initiative estimated a 26 percent jump in the number of breast cancer cases among women ingesting
estrogen and progestin. Hyder believes that a large number of these women might also have a p53 protein that is not active and, therefore, not able to...
Defining gene's role may lead to prevention of dangerous corn toxin
...in levels, the toxin can cause illness in humans and most domestic livestock. Horses and pigs are at particular risk and can develop fatal diseases by ingesting
feed containing one of a group of toxins called fumonisins (few-mahn-ah-sins). About $40 million of the U.S. corn crop is lost annually due to presenc...
Ingesting in Biological Technology
Swine Flu a Reminder: Using Hand Sanitizers Like Remi-D Helps Fight Infection
...Remi-D contains natural moisturizers to make your hands look and feel healthier. Additionally, alcohol content can catch fire. Kids may become sick by ingesting
it. Remi-D is kid-safe.
Remi-D kills 99.99% of germs and is effective against MRSA and Staph. Experts say even a small investment in preventi...
Ingesting in Biological Dictionary
... Phagocytes are the white blood cells that protect the body by ingesting
(phagocytosing) harmful foreign particles, bacteria and dead or dying cells. They are essential for fighting infections, and for subsequent immunity...
... Phagocytes are the white blood cells that protect the body by ingesting
... Then the phagocyte stretches itself around the bacterium and engulfs it. ... Phagocytes are the white blood cells that protect the ...... | <urn:uuid:0747c65d-a992-4c13-a4eb-0416bb81747a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bio-medicine.org/tag/Ingesting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9164 | 2,248 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Premier's moment of truth
John Brumby has been badly burnt by Black Saturday.
John Brumby is being challenged to drive a big shift in the way we live in one of the most bushfire-prone places on Earth.
The royal commission's final report presents epic problems for the Victorian Premier, in terms of politics and policy.
For Brumby, leading a faltering and ageing government that faces a tight election in less than four months, the timing could hardly be more awkward.
The commissioners' conclusions about what went wrong are damning for this 11-year-old government, and their recommendations on what to do amount to a call for cultural change. Brumby is being challenged to drive a big shift in the way we live in one of the most bushfire-prone places on Earth.
The official verdict on Black Saturday is that Victoria's political and emergency services elite performed inadequately - not just on the day itself but in the years before and the months since.
Brumby now concedes this, up to a point. Yesterday, he acknowledged that ''the systems'' designed to protect Victorians had failed them, and he said sorry.
He should be applauded for facing up to this uncomfortable truth - just as he and the agencies charged with keeping Victorians safe should be held to account for the failings.
Those failings are manifest.
The commissioners, for example, criticise the government for having ''maintained a minimalist approach'' to fuel-reduction burning, despite official and independent reports, including one in 2008 and two in 2003, recommending a much bigger prescribed burn-off program.
''The state has allowed the forests to continue accumulating excessive fuel loads . . . adding to the intensity of bushfires that inevitably eventuate and placing firefighters and communities at greater future risk,'' the report says.
This is not an academic argument. The report found there had been no fuel-reduction burning within 5 to 7 kilometres of Kinglake since 1991.
On Black Saturday itself, the state's emergency services chiefs failed Victorians.
Former police chief Christine Nixon's ''error of judgment'' in going to dinner at 6pm - after she had become aware that ''Victoria was facing a disaster'' - has been well canvassed.
But the commissioners have also exposed poor leadership by Department of Sustainability and Environment chief fire officer Ewan Waller - who, unlike Nixon, remains in his job - and they have criticised Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron for not raising with Brumby the possibility of declaring a state of disaster.
In typically understated language, the commissioners note: ''The circumstances on February 7 met the statutory pre-condition for declaring a state of disaster: the emergency constituted a significant and widespread danger to life or property in Victoria.''
This, too, was more than an academic point. Such a declaration, the report says, would have provided ''symbolic recognition of the gravity of a situation - a recognition that on February 7 might have sharpened the focus of emergency services agencies on community safety factors such as warnings''.
The report suggests that since Black Saturday, Brumby has not done enough, quickly enough, to ensure Victorians are as safe as possible.
The commissioners note with evident frustration a lack of progress on implementing recommendations of their interim report, released a year ago, especially on creating fire refuges for the 52 most at-risk towns in the state and enhancing the preparedness of incident control centres.
As he seeks to limit the political damage inflicted by these findings, Brumby is confronted with having to craft a response to culturally and financially difficult policy recommendations.
His dilemma is acute: rejecting any of the recommendations should carry a political price; accepting some of them will impose a financial burden.
The commission envisages a Victoria where people are encouraged to sell their properties in extreme fire-danger areas to the government and resettle elsewhere, where dangerous and ageing power lines are progressively put underground or otherwise made safer (at a cost of many billions of dollars) and where everyone who owns a property pays a new tax to help fund state fire-fighting agencies.
The commissioners' work may be done, but Brumby's is just beginning.
''As Premier, I feel the full weight of responsibility to make sure that we get our response to the commission's report right,'' he said at the weekend.
His legacy will be determined by whether his response to the report is as impressive as the document itself.
Paul Austin is The Age's state political editor.
Poll: Do you support creation of an independent fire commissioner to oversee firefighting operations?
Total votes: 1729.
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Poll closed 3 Aug, 2010
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate. | <urn:uuid:f3c3f63c-9e73-4251-95fd-93192a7efcf3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/politics/premiers-moment-of-truth-20100801-111j3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957618 | 988 | 1.757813 | 2 |
When: This Sunday, August 2, 2009 from 10:00am until 1:00pm
Where: Machine Project, 1200 D North Alvarado, Los Angeles
Slow Food Los Angeles is pleased to be able to help support this year’s event, which invites Los Angeles residents to come together and make jam with fruit harvested and collection from their own yards. From the Machine Project announcement:
The kinds of jam we make will improvise on the fruit that the participants provide. The fruit can be fresh or frozen. Fallen Fruit will bring public fruit. We are looking for radical and experimental jams as well, like basil guava or lemon pepper jelly. We’ll discuss the basics of jam and jelly making, pectin and bindings, the aesthetics of sweetness, as well as the communal power of shared food and the liberation of public fruit.
More information about The Machine Project is available on its website. More information on Fallen Fruit, and about their cooperative project to map public fruit in the Los Angeles area, is available on the Fallen Fruit website.
Tempting photo of jams and jellies from Machine Project. | <urn:uuid:56592a2b-cc54-4aa6-8fb1-7fe5b6d2db27> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://slowfoodla.com/2009/07/event-announcement-fruit-jam-at-machine-project/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921347 | 231 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The New Gulliver
In a London Garden
When I Was King
The Pearls and the Swine
t without the slightest sound. As I was looking at it my host knocked and entered. I was pleased to see that he brought with him a sealed bottle and two aluminium cups that would have held about half a pint apiece.
"We now drink," he said briefly.
"An excellent idea," I began, but he immediately bade me to be quiet, saying that it was not customary to talk while drinking was in progress.
He divided the contents of the bottle (not quite fairly) between the two cups. He gave himself the advantage of the choice and finished his drink at a draught. I followed his example and found that I was drinking distilled water. At this I was somewhat disappointed, but the more disposed to forgive him for the injustice of the division.
"And now, my friend," he said, "we can talk."
"Then," I replied, "you will perhaps tell me what is the reason for the custom which prevents you from taking your drink in a sociable manner. In the country from which I come we like to sit and chat over our glas | <urn:uuid:7e682191-fd80-4c18-a202-bfa604e2c94f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://manybooks.net/titles/painb3354233542-8.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991114 | 247 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The “War Between the States” was relived in the Cumberland Gap, Tenn., this weekend with re-enactors bringing history alive for hundreds of visitors.
“This is where history is coming alive,” said Cumberland Gap Alderman John Ravnum, who took the time to spearhead the event.
Ravnum has participated in re-enactment for 30 years.
“What’s happening is all these little pieces of personal history are being lost,” said Ravnum. “I always tell people, if you don’t study history you’re guaranteed to repeat it. Learn from the past that’s what it’s there for.”
Eight different exhibits or stations greeted school children when they arrived on Friday, providing 15 minutes of educational information on different aspects of the Civil War.
There were first-person re-enactments throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. Re-enactors performed several skits depicting different situations of the period 1862-1864.
There were small battles in the streets of Cumberland Gap. Demonstrations were held throughout the day on Sunday, including musket firing and Calvary artillery.
Supporters of the event include the Cumberland Gap Volunteer Fire Department, DeRoyal, Claiborne County Tourism, Claiborne County Historical Society and several individual donors.
Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-248-1010, ext. 208, email@example.com | <urn:uuid:81ac7d87-55f3-489e-b89c-27dcae0503a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.middlesborodailynews.com/pages/home/push?per_page=5&class=&x_page=22&rel=next | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953519 | 316 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Josiah Henson (June 15, 1789 – May 5, 1883). He escaped to Dresden, Ontario in 1830, and founded a settlement and labourer's school for other fugitive slaves from the United States. He became the main character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. You can visit the Uncle Tom's Cabin website at www.uncletomscabin.org.
It is thought that the first Black person to live in Canada was Mattheu Da Costa in 1605. He had come to Acadia with Samuel de Champlain (commonly referred to as the “Father of Canada”) on the ship, Jonas, from France.
Da Costa was the interpreter for the French with the Mi’kmaq natives of Nova Scotia, having been in Canada on previous occasions.
Here are some of the websites of Blacks in Canada -
Africville: The Spirit Lives On www.africville.ca This was a settlement of people of African descent who were former slaves, escaped slaves, and free people. In the 1960s, the community was destroyed in the theme of “urban renewal", but as the website says, “the community spirit continues to thrive today through annual gatherings and in the stories and photos of an aging generation”.
The Black Loyalist Heritage Society www.blackloyalist.com They are in the process of building a new centre to display the Black Heritage of Birchtown, Nova Scatia. There is also the Old School House Museum on site.
Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia www.bccns.com They just celebrated their 28th Anniversary this year, and they have just completed the 2011 Museum Renovation.
The Ontario Black History Society www.blackhistorysociety.ca. A genealogy webpage, www.blackhistorysociety.ca/genealogy_en_239cms.htm, offers leads in Black genealogy.
The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society www.ckblackhistoricalsociety.org. The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society has a current exhibit called “The Black Mecca in the Heritage Room“.
Tomorrow's Post: French-Canadian Societies | <urn:uuid:f24ed67b-672e-495c-8d0d-1faef505b9ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/african-canadian-societies.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954755 | 465 | 3.5 | 4 |
Homemaker Figures were the figures used to represent people within various Homemaker sets from 1974 through 1982. They are comprised of a head piece and one of several different types of hair pieces, with the rest of the body usually built from basic System bricks.
These figures came before the minifigures. The first minifigure was released four years later in 600 Police Car in 1978. After their introduction, minifigures were used together with Homemaker figures to represent a baby or a doll.
- Some hair parts (man, woman) can be assembled in two configurations because they have two front sides, enabling to change the hair dressing with the same part (turning it). This allows, with the same part, to have both the boy and the man hair dressing, or the girl and woman hair parts. Two examples are given below:
- The arms could be made of several lengths (1 or two) because they are made of several parts. This helps to recognize adults (double length) from kids (single length).
- The arm parts have been used later for other purposes, like for the arms of 6880 Surface Explorer or the 6822 Space Shuttle. In this new usage the arms have been replaced with grippers, for instance. The colors have moved from vivid colours (blue, yellow, red) for clothes to technical colours (grey, white) for arms and technical systems.
- The head has three attachments, two on the side (ears) one on the top. Hair pieces are fixed on the two hears, hats on the top.
|LEGO FiguresSystem Scale:
Minifigure | LEGOLAND Minifigure | Mini-doll figure | Animal DUPLO Scale: DUPLO Figure | Fabuland Figure | QUATRO Figure Doll Scale: Belville Figure | TECHNIC Figure | Scala Figure | Homemaker Figure Other: Microfigure | Micro Mob | 4+ Figure | <urn:uuid:9fac5f23-d35c-4e05-9222-e89308d8a4fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Homemaker_Figure?oldid=1150603 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929476 | 394 | 3.171875 | 3 |
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia
“Who says you can't rape the willing??”
“Does Santa Claus deserve to be sued for home invasion?”
“This land is our land!”
“In Soviet Russia, home invades you!”
A step further than Ding Dong Dash, home invasion, sometimes known as Ding Dong Bash, begins with the same premise but quickly escalates from "ha ha funny" to "the front door is broken down, now its officially a party!"
After many centuries of amaturish interest by soldiers of the Roman Empire, home invasion was perfected in 1480 by the Spanish Inquisition, as translated and retold in this account by persecuted jew- Samuel Abravanel:
“It would be well after midnight, they would break down the door, usually with a long metal stick, or pike, grab you out of bed and dress you in rags. The soldiers would take your whole family and put them on one side of the room, and you on the other. They would force your daughter or wife to kiss a gold cross, and bring the cross over to you, they would demand- ‘Will you accept the will of God into your heart? Kiss the cross, kiss the cross, kiss it!!!’ They would scream, and threaten to cut off your wife or daughters lips if you refused.”
The same incident as recalled by the soldier who was yelling ‘kiss it!!!’:
“This Mr. Abravanel had been up drinking, and was seen urinating outside his dwelling with a circumsized penis at zero three hundred hours. He pissed on my new boots! So I called the captain over and we ransacked his house for a bit. Gave them the old ‘kiss the cross’ routine, put the fear into them, I think the daughter even liked it a little, kissing gold, you know how those people like gold. What? What?! They do! Okay then don’t write that part down then…”
edit Tools of the Trade
edit Portable Ram
We at the Ram-A-Lam Corporation provide police networks all over the world with the finest in door breaking technology. Nothing says love or ‘knock knock’ like a twenty-four pound galvanized steel portable ram battering down your front door. Unless your Andy Dick, then getting rammed is just all in a days work.
edit The Dogs
If you're really lucky, your friendly home invaders will bring a few canine companions to keep you company while all of your possessions are systematically and forcefully dumped into an untidy pile in the middle of the room. (And then possibly pissed upon.) Even though the dogs are thoroughly trained, they are nevertheless quite ill-mannered and will express an unmitigated interest in your crotch. Squirming only makes them bite down harder, but crying is acceptable.
edit See also | <urn:uuid:729a9079-6411-4069-9f89-12c91476c6e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Home_invasion?oldid=4378165 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961847 | 615 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Enterprises from financial institutions to manufacturers are continuing to adopt technology with the same goals in mind.to make operations more efficient, take advantage of opportunities quickly, and make better decisions than their competitors. But while all of them can purchase the same systems and software, the real advantage comes from being able to apply these tools in innovative and productive ways. Creating an application infrastructure that pays dramatic dividends for the enterprise requires skills in determining how to architect applications that make effective use of core services.
The latest in a line of application infrastructures produced by industry analysts and strategic consultants is the service-oriented architecture(SOA). To many, it sounds like a collection of randomly assembled industry buzzwords. But the concept itself is straightforward. An SOA, at its heart, is a collection of services. A service is a software component that is well-defined, both from the standpoint of software and business function, and doesn’t depend on the context or state of any application that calls it.
These services are typically implemented as Web services, accessible by applications through the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), an XML form transmitted over HTTP. The advantage of using Web standards in an SOA is that the services can more easily adapt to different applications. Nothing in particular has to be done programmatically to the service, except to enable it to receive requests and transfer results using SOAP. So, in many cases, Web services are straightforward for an enterprise to build, and existing software can even be adapted to create new Web services.
How does an SOA give an enterprise a competitive advantage, and enable it to respond rapidly to business opportunities? Simply, it enables an enterprise to define the essential services it requires to serve its core business needs efficiently, and to adapt rapidly to changing business conditions. Once these core services are implemented, any application can call upon them to access and analyze data, build new business models, or provide data or features that make that application immediately pay back its investment.
This means that SOA is both a technical and a business strategy. It’s a business strategy in that services deliver core value to the business. The services that comprise the SOA must be designed with an intimate understanding of the business, in order to determine what capabilities can be used across multiple applications. And they must be general enough to support multiple applications with different purposes, yet specific enough to provide real value to individual applications.
From a technology point of view, the challenge is in the architecture of the enterprise Web services. Because an SOA is fundamentally a flow and a relationship of service interfaces, designing the interfaces and their relationships requires an exceptional knowledge of Web technologies, business processes, and the technology platform underlying the services and the applications that employ them. The architect must understand not only how Web services are constructed, but how they are used by both existing applications and applications planned for the future.
- Managing for Security
- Mapping Security to SOA
- Getting the Big Picture on Security
- Special Report on SOA
- Hidden SOA Challenges
- Designing a Better SOA
- Explore the Dark Side of SOAs
- Establish a Service-Oriented Framework
- Debunking 3 SOA Myths
- SOA: The End of Integration
- The Critical Role of Shared Services
- Avoid Dead-End SOAs
- Use a Services-Network Approach
- SOA Report
- Top 10 ESB Myths
- Take the Enterprise Service Bus
- Enterprise Architect Summit 2004 Slide Presentations
- XML and Web Services: Are We Secure Yet
- Extensible ESB
- SOA Design: Meeting in the Middle
- ESB for Distributed Integration
- Take the Enterprise Service Bus
- Chapel Video | <urn:uuid:ba0ca90f-0bcf-41a2-a4fa-de4e10c58380> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weblog.plexobject.com/?m=200601 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919921 | 763 | 2.546875 | 3 |
It is not unusual, even for experienced homeopaths, to have difficulty deciding between several substances, when choosing a mineral remedy. Besides understanding the individual elements, it is helpful to recognize the remedies that are a combination of 2, or even, 3 elements. In addition to the properties of the individual elements, the combination remedy will exhibit its own unique qualities. It is desirable to see several symptoms that can identify the remedy as its own substance, separate from individual components. A fairly common example is the remedy, Calcerea Phosphoricum, which contains well-known aspects of Calcerea Carbonicum (desire for security and protection, structural issues of bones, joints, and teeth, focus on work and responsibility) and Phosphorous (desire for company and communication, fear of the dark and being alone, respiratory symptoms, tendency to anxiety, sympathetic to others, desire for cold drinks, excessive bleeding). While different aspects of each remedy may be present in an individual, there are characteristics that are unique to the combination remedy, Calcerea Phosphoricum (discontent, desire to travel, crave smoked meats, worse when snow is melting, growing pains, headaches and stomachaches). The following case demonstrates an instance where a combination remedy was more successful than one made from a single mineral substance.
FK is a 28 year old female with multiple sclerosis. She is a slim, dark haired young woman, who wears thick glasses and walks into the office with a noticeable limp. She initially appears self-conscious as she describes her struggle with multiple sclerosis and anxiety. FK relaxes slowly as she relates that she is an art teacher who loves to paint abstract pictures. Recently, she moved to teach art at a local community college. This triggered an anxiety disorder that originally began at age 15, when her mother died of breast cancer. Her parents had already been divorced for several years. Her father, who had remarried, told FK that her stepmother did not wish for her to stay with them and FK went to live with her grandparents.
She felt abandoned, very alone, and consoled herself by painting. Expressing a desire to be loved, she started doing drugs and drinking alcohol to overcome her social anxiety and meet people. In her senior year in high school, FK was sent to a treatment program for drug abuse. She mentions that before she received help, she was as close to death as any living person could come. FK began having dizzy spells, blurred vision, and increased anxiety. In addition, there was trouble with her balance, she felt hot, even though her symptoms were worse in the heat, and she desired being outside in fresh air. With the anxiety, there was obsessive thinking, which she could not erase, especially at night. Mostly these thoughts revolved around issues of security, the future, and whether she could trust her new boyfriend. Her fear of abandonment was tremendous and created insecurity that interfered with her ability to trust that anyone would love her. She also had fear that she could not provide for herself. Despite being very thin, FK reported a huge appetite and particularly craved sugar, which she would eat right out of the bowl. She would dream that her boyfriend left her or cheated on her. She also had dreams of floating through the air.
Key points of the case:
- grief from death of mother and abandonment by father
- insecurity in relationship and fear of being alone in life; dreamt boyfriend cheated on her
- fear of providing for self,
- anxiety and insomnia with obsessive thinking
- Multiple Sclerosis; balance and vertigo as main symptoms
- HOT with a ravenous appetite, despite being very thin
- history of relatives surviving the Holocaust
1- MIND, Ailments from death of parent or friend- combined with
2- MIND, Fear of being alone
3- MIND, Delusion/Dream, floating in air
4- GENERALS, Heat, sensation of
5- GENERALS, sclerosis, multiple
6- STOMACH, Appetite, Ravenous, with emaciation
7- EXTREMITIES, Awkwardness- combined with
8- EXTREMITIES, dragging legs while walking
9- GENERALS, weakness, heat or heated, becoming.
10- EYE, Inflammation, optic nerve
I added a new rubric in the Complete 2009 Repertory: MIND, Fear alone, of solitude
Remedies considered from the analysis are Natrum Muriaticum, Phosphorous, Causticum, and Argentum Nitricum. FK had taken Natrum Muriaticum in the past, before she moved, which was initially helpful, but stopped acting. I wanted to choose a remedy that included how hot she is, the ravenous appetite despite being so thin, and obsessive thinking. The remedy Iodatum covers these features and according to Jan Scolten, Natrum Iodatum has the feeling that they are alone in their fight for existence and struggle for life.
Prescription: one dose of Natrium Iodatum 200c, followed by 6c daily, until symptoms improved.
The remedy created a dramatic improvement in FK’s mental and emotional symptoms; the anxiety was much better, she was able to sleep without obsessive thoughts. She and her boyfriend developed a wonderful relationship; they became engaged. She developed the confidence to apply for a job teaching art at a larger university, with tenure. Physically, the ocular symptoms, limp, and balance improved. There was a relapse of all of the symptoms six months later, when she was applying for the new job, which required making herself vulnerable in the application process and moving to a new city. The remedy was repeated two more times in the 200c dose during this time, at one-month intervals. She was accepted at the school of her choice and symptoms once again improved. The last time I heard from her, six months after the move, she was getting married and doing well in her new location.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Human Experiences, depression/loss of loved one; Baker131313
Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, grief from death of mother, anxiety, loneliness, insomnia, obsessive thinking, HOT, ravenous appetite
Remedies: Natrium iodatum | <urn:uuid:de16375b-b460-4777-8ecf-162268111c7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.interhomeopathy.org/prescribing-combination-mineral-remedies-a-case-of-natrum-iodatum | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974416 | 1,296 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Editorial - President can claim a victoryThe overheated political rhetoric aside, the Obama administration – and President Barack Obama personally – won a big one Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court said the “individual mandate” of the Affordable Care Act is constitutional.
Editor’s note: The following editorial appeared in The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
The overheated political rhetoric aside, the Obama administration – and President Barack Obama personally – won a big one Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court said the “individual mandate” of the Affordable Care Act is constitutional.
A divided court (5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion) concluded that the mandate did not meet constitutional muster under the Commerce Clause but does stand up under the tax-writing powers of Congress. The mandate is the foundation on which everything else in “Obamacare” depends. Without the mandate, the costs of the law cannot be spread over a vast pool of Americans, and therefore the economics of the law would collapse. (Critics say the ACA as constituted already is unworkable and a budget-buster.)
While the heart of the act was upheld, a Medicaid extension did not get a clean bill of health, although the court said the provision could proceed if the federal government does not withhold states’ Medicaid allocations if they don’t take part in the extension.
The ruling means the law can go forward to extend health care coverage to some 30 million Americans. Moreover, the ruling has political implications during this presidential election year. The president has a clear victory. He can reject critics’ claims that the government went too far in requiring most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty.
On the other hand, the law as a whole remains deeply unpopular among Americans, which gives the president’s critics in Congress the fuel to power their drive for repeal. That might be a difficult task, because parts of the law already in effect are very popular, among them, keeping children on their parents’ health policy until age 26, and the requirement that insurance companies cannot deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
Politically, each side is claiming to have new ammunition. Republicans and business interests can make the argument the health care law indeed is a new tax on Americans. The ruling could further galvanize Republican opposition to the president.
But spin it as they may, the president’s health care reform is constitutional in its most important and far-reaching provision, and thus the rest of the law will stand unless foes in Congress can deliver on their pledge to repeal it. And that will depend on whether businesses and individuals who will be forced to pay Obamacare’s costs (unsustainable costs by some analyses) can keep the political pressure on.
• • •
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and The Forum’s Editorial Board. | <urn:uuid:55d5eb01-788d-432f-bd05-a90f15ec20d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/95892/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947475 | 593 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Introduction to Modern Journalism
Level 1 (CQFW Level 4), 10 Credits.
- No upcoming courses.
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Designed for people who want to understand what they are being told by the media and why they are being told it, this course offers the opportunity to explore how news is chosen, shaped and presented. It also explores how elections and wars are reported, and considers social media and citizen journalism. Students will then be shown how to structure news and features, how to write them and finally how to establish a simple web platform to create their own blogs and newsletters.
Weeks 1 to 4 cover HOW IT WORKS
- Introduction and Administration housekeeping
- Establishing normative concepts of journalism, what it could be and how it’s viewed.
- Examination of how news is filtered, and what makes news and what doesn’t.
- Examination of political economy and the commercial imperative of news.
- Examination of background and use of PR and news sources
- Examination of how broadsheet concept is threatened
- Examination of how elections and conflict is presented.
- Examination of how health, science and risk is presented
- Examination of how images are used in news - anchoring meaning
- Examination of how language is used – lexical choices
- Examination of how audiences receive news- ranging from models of media power to models of audience power.
- The concept of the public sphere
- Examination of journalism and activism, and e-democracy
- Examination of professionalization of political communication
Weeks 6 to 9 cover HOW TO DO IT
- Examination of citizen journalism and social media
- Examination of the structures that turn information into news.
- Discussion about locally sourced news stories.
- Examination of techniques and formats of features and how to pitch ideas
- Practical writing session/ sub-editing and critique.
- Establishing of web platform.
- Population of web platform
- Continue populating web platform.
- Show and tell of portfolios before they are submitted (optional)
- Reminder of principles of responsible journalism.
Who is this course for?
Anyone with an interest in modern journalism and who would like to know more about how it works and how to do it.
Learning and Teaching
Learning and teaching are undertaken by means of small group work. This is a 10-credit course, so there will be two-hour meetings once a week (20 contact hours in all) which will include discussions and tutor-led activities. The aim is ensure that the classes are enjoyable and stimulating for all.
Coursework and Assessment
To award credits we need to have evidence of the knowledge and skills you have gained or improved. Some of this has to be in a form that can be shown to external examiners so that we can be absolutely sure that standards are met across all courses and subjects.
There will be no formal examinations. The basis of assessment will be a portfolio consisting of a collection of news clippings and justifying explanations totalling 1500 words. Alternative forms of assessment are available, by prior agreement with the tutor.
Your work will be assessed by your tutor, who will offer you written reports which we hope you will find constructive. The most important element of assessment is that it should enhance your learning. Our methods are flexible and are designed to increase your confidence and we try very hard to devise ways of assessing you that are enjoyable and suitable for adults with busy lives.
Allen, S. 2004. News Culture. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Franklin, B et al. 2005. Key concepts in journalism studies. London: Sage.
Hartley, J. 2002. Communication,cultural and media studies: the key concepts. London: Routledge, 2002
Kovach, B and Rosentiel, T. 2001. The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect. New York: Three Rivers Press.
Allen, S. 2006. Online news: journalism and the internet. Maidenhead: Open University Press
Chomsky, N and Herman, E. 2002. Manufacturing consent: the political economy of the mass media. New York: Pantheon Books
Gilmor, D. 2006. We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People for the People. Beijing: Farnham: O’Reilly.
Richardson. J. 2007. Analysingnewspapers : an approach from critical discourse analysis. Basingstoke ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan
Library and Computing Facilities
As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University library and computing facilities. You can find out more about these facilities on our website http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/learn under Student Information, or by ringing the Centre on
(029) 2087 0000.
Accessibility of Courses
Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and Dyslexia screening. Please contact the Centre on (029) 2087 0000 for an information leaflet.
A range of further information can be found on our web site http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/learn or in Choices. This includes the times and dates of courses and an explanation of accreditation and credit levels. | <urn:uuid:2afeaa92-cb24-46a9-9367-1570ccf7e249> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cardiff.ac.uk/learn/choices/fact-sheet/?courseID=1124 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917368 | 1,168 | 2.796875 | 3 |
It has been 13 years since Jamie Oliver first appeared on television screens with his relaxed attitude, egalitarian bish-bash-bosh cooking style and penchant for flowery shirts and the word pukka.
Success quickly followed: in 2000, his television series The Naked Chef won a Bafta award, the accompanying book became a bestseller and the foundations for what has become a global empire were established.
His numerous television shows (Jamie at Home, Jamie’s Kitchen, Jamie’s Great Italian Escape, Jamie’s Ministry of Food, to name a few) have been broadcast in more than 100 countries and his books have been translated into 40 languages. These days, Jamie Oliver is a brand name and it matters not whether you’re a dedicated fan who laps up every bit of merchandise on the market (Jamie Oliver tea towel anyone?) or one of the many who find that mockney accent a little grating, there is little denying that this man is a success.
He is also, crucially, rather different to the average celebrity chef. In recent years, Oliver has embarked on a number of altruistic projects - from helping young, unemployed people to secure jobs in kitchens with The Fifteen Foundation, to setting up a Ministry of Food centre with the intention of teaching people to cook and pass the knowledge on.
As well as being celebrated, he has been heavily criticised for these efforts. In 2004, he launched a campaign to improve the state of the food being served in UK schools (see the television series Jamie’s School Dinners). Although it was deemed a success – as a result of his Feed Me Better petition, the government pledged to spend an extra £280 million (Dh1.6bn) on stepping up the standard of school meals – a number of parents revolted and footage of them attempting to pass banned junk food to their children through the iron bars of the school gates, no less, made headline news.
More recently, his attempts to bring healthy eating to America in Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution were met with serious resistance, as residents of West Virginia (thought to be America’s fattest city) appeared not just uninterested, but hostile to his crusade. “I’m used to the criticism now, because you can never please everyone,” he says. “What motivates me is the knowledge that the world can be a better place and we can have an impact on the growing obesity crisis.” He adds that: “It just takes a bit of joined-up thinking, a bit of clever investment and people in power who really care about what they’re doing, as opposed to just fulfilling a role for a few years until another government comes along.”
From a gourmet standpoint, however, is there not a small part of him that wonders what would have happened if he’d tested his mettle as a chef further, perhaps even perused Michelin stars? It turns out that in that regard, just as with the criticism, Oliver has no regrets. “No, not really. I do admire guys like Heston (Blumenthal) and Ferran (Adria), but that style of cooking has never been my style. I’d rather focus on great food that is accessible to larger numbers of people, than just one restaurant catering to a handful.”
He is quick to point out that his various projects are intended to have a long future – one that some day he hopes will have an international scope. “I do think I’ll still be campaigning well into my old age,” he says. “At the moment, I’m focusing on the UK, Australia and the US, where I have ongoing educational movements like Ministry of Food, but of course I’m aware that we have a global problem. Hopefully we can reach a point where one of those three countries can act as a template for other countries, it would be brilliant if the UAE could embrace some of the inspirational things we’re learning.”
While that may be a while away, the UAE is able to embrace the Jamie Oliver brand, thanks to the opening of Jamie’s Italian in Dubai’s Festival City last year. “Jamie’s Italian fits into pretty much any food scene,” he explains. “We’ve just opened in Sydney and the Australians have really taken it to their hearts, just as the British did. With Dubai, we thought long and hard about where to open but in the end, we found a great location and put a fantastic team together.”
Although the man himself has yet to visit the site – though word is he intends to do so in the near future – the spacious restaurant with its light-wood floors, open kitchen complete with pizza oven, displays featuring fresh produce, homemade pasta and bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar screams his name.
The head chef Abs Patil, who worked at a number of Jamie Oliver restaurants back in the UK before moving to the Dubai outpost, says that Oliver’s influence is felt not only in the way the menu is written, but in the ingredients used in the dishes.
“All the fish we use is sustainable, the meat is free-range and we don’t use any genetically modified products,” he says. “This is obviously something that Jamie is passionate about, but so are we. I don’t think that there are many restaurants over here that adhere to such strict guidelines; it’s a long process, but people need to be educated.”
In keeping with this theme, the following recipe is taken from the Cook with Jamie book, but Patil says that if John Dory proves difficult to get hold over here, faskar (two bar sea bream) would make a good alternative. He also advises using the best quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar available and adding a few cherry tomatoes to the mix, for extra sweetness.
Baked John Dory in the bag with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar
This is such a win-win combo of flavors with so many fish. It works beautifully served with a big bowl of spaghetti with some chopped parsley, olive oil and lemon zest. Serves 2
4 or 5 ripe tomatoes, different colours if possible, sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded and chopped
½ a small onion, peeled and finely sliced
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegara
small bunch of fresh basilolive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large John Dory (or faskar), about 1lb 6oz, scaled cleaned and gutted
1 large free-range or organic egg, beaten
Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Tear off a yard or so of wide aluminium foil or wax paper and fold it in half so you get a double sheet 20 inches long. Fold it in half again and open it out – it should look like an open book. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, chilli, onion, balsamic vinegar and basil with a good glug of olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spoon the mixture on to one side of your foil or paper and place the fish on top.Brush the edges of the foil lightly with the beaten egg and fold the foil over the fish. Seal two of the three edges together by folding them over, a couple of times. Add a splash of water before folding the final edge tightly, making sure the bag is tightly sealed and there are no gaps anywhere.Place the parcel in a flat metal baking tray, pop the tray in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes.Remove the bag from the oven and allow to rest for five minutes before you put it on a clean plate and open at the table. | <urn:uuid:4a41cfe8-b0e0-4d8e-b68f-517fa69085e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/food/jamie-olivers-quest-continues-at-his-new-dubai-restaurant | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963787 | 1,638 | 1.65625 | 2 |
While decorating our spaces, we often find ourselves in a certain dilemma so as to what patterns to employ and where to incorporate them. Most of us choose patterns as per our taste but we fail to understand the impact that any pattern could create in a space if not used to perfection.
Being aware of ‘what to choose and where to install’ will answer most of our décor related queries. So, I thought of writing this post that would not only help you in choosing good patterns for your space but also help you design your interiors with your personal touch.
The very first question that we must answer is- Why do we need any pattern at all? Well, some of us think it would look good and most of us are forced to think they are in vogue. Both the answers are correct and so it is important to answer – where to use them? Some people make a mistake of using patterns in almost everything in order to make their space look beautiful but they end up creating a clutter!
So, here we go….
1. Patterns are an integral element of any décor that have the power to transform any space completely, add life to anything boring and mundane, and bring in an expression of newness.
2. They can be employed in form of beautiful draperies, upholsteries, or even as wall art pieces.
3. They should be used to create a well defined focus in a room and catch everyone’s attention instantly.
4. Patterns could be loud or soft and yet can lend a bend of creativeness to any space.
5. Before selecting any kind of pattern for anything in your décor, it is imperative to evaluate its effect or impact on the other existing elements of décor.
6. Patterns and colors should be used in harmony in order to avoid unnecessary loudness.
7. Using patterns on everything in a room will only create clutter and make them look like negative components of décor.
8. A large pattern in a small space should be strictly avoided and also, a small pattern in a huge space will do nothing to enhance the décor, hence the scale of pattern is a very important thing to understand.
Here are some pictures where patterns have been used very wisely to enhance the decor. | <urn:uuid:07aa792e-e306-4b24-bd55-5114832134b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://patternscolorsdesign.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/patterns-mixed-to-perfection-with-the-other-elements-of-decor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936971 | 466 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Once you have completed the steps in the Career Development Process, take a look at your results. If all went perfectly, you have figured out what your "dream job" is, obtained it, and you are now deliriously happy in your work. Yet as we all know, reality often falls short of our aspirations. That doesn't mean that you have failed! Take a look at the process again to determine if there was a breakdown.
Perhaps you got the job you wanted, but you are not happy. It happens! This presents an excellent opportunity to re-enter the self assessment phase with some concrete information about yourself.
Are you having a difficult time finding opportunities that interest you? Perhaps you need to spend more time in the self assessment portion of the process, or you may need to go more in depth in exploring your career options.
Have you identified key companies and opportunities but are unable to get interviews? You may need to look again at your skills and your résumé. Check the section for developing your tools. Are you getting first interviews and not getting called back? Try taking advantage of the many opportunities offered for honing your interview skills.
If you have some general ideas of what you would like to do, but are having trouble identifying specific opportunities, you may find it helpful to visit the section for conducting your job search again to organize the job search process and use the many resources that we have made available to you there. Is your geographic preference too narrow? Are your expectations realistic for your experience level and skill set?
As you move through your career, this process will help you to put order and logic into your search, as well as to identify extensive resources for helping you with each section. We encourage you to use these resources and the Career Resource Center to help you find your niche. Happy Hunting! | <urn:uuid:e6c66de1-501e-496c-a6ed-3d0da3250aea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mgt.buffalo.edu/career/students/prep/tools/exploration/process/results | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967097 | 370 | 1.632813 | 2 |
For many East Tennesseans, the name Turkey Creek elicits thoughts of retail stores, restaurants, and traffic at the shopping complex in West Knox County.
For most of Farragut native Malcolm Shell's life, the name Turkey Creek was associated with an actual body of water.
"I grew up here. When I was a young boy, I used to do some small game hunting along Turkey Creek," said Shell. "Turkey Creek is a real creek, which is obviously what the shopping complex took its name from. The creek flows into what is now Fort Loudon Lake."
Three different branches of Turkey Creek wind through western portions of Knox County before merging at the Tennessee River: Turkey Creek, North Fork Turkey Creek, and South Fork Turkey Creek.
The South Fork of Turkey Creek is also the most westerly of the three branches. It begins near Everett Road and eventually flows into the main creek at Virtue Road, cutting across the Willow Creek golf course along the way. South Fork Turkey Creek is also known as "Little Turkey Creek."
North Fork Turkey Creek flows along Campbell Station Road. This stream's waters cut a picturesque path through Campbell Station Park. This branch ends where Campbell Station Road ends at Concord Road.
The main Turkey Creek follows Lovell Road, Kingston Pike, and Concord Road until it joins the other branches of the creek.
The entire stream system was known as Turkey Creek centuries before the area housed department stores and movie theaters.
"I guess it goes back to the early settlers who were in this area in 1787. You think about it, that was two years before George Washington was president and settlers were already living here," said Shell. "Colonel David Campbell moved to this property that was given to him with a land grant for service in the Revolutionary War. He chose this place because it was called Grassy Valley and it is a beautiful area."
The creek played a large part in sustaining Campbell and other people along the early frontier.
"This creek and a nearby spring were a source of fresh water. Col. Campbell built the Campbell Station Inn basically at the corner of what is now Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike where there was access to the water," said Shell. "The Campbell Station Inn was the last stop for people going west where they could stay the night, use holding pens for cattle, and have protection. There was nothing else west of here and the Inn was basically a fort."
Decades later during the Civil War, Turkey Creek was a prominent geographical feature in the fight between Union and Confederate forces at the Battle of Campbell Station.
"The battle was fought here on November 18, 1863. It was fought on both sides of the creek. Of course, the creek became a barrier that was difficult to get across under fire," said Shell.
For all the well-documented history that took place in the areas around Turkey Creek, there is not much to explain why these specific streams earned the moniker Turkey Creek.
One obvious guess is the creeks were named for wild birds in the area. However, you can find another plausible theory by examining the history of other places named Turkey Creek in the United States.
In many cases, the name Turkey Creek refers to the shape of the creek on a map. Turkey Creeks typically run in three branches that eventually merge together, thereby resembling the shape of a turkey's foot. That is exactly what happens in West Knox County with Turkey Creek, North Fork Turkey Creek, and South Fork Turkey Creek.
While today Turkey Creek is on the map mostly as a shopping destination, for Shell the actual creeks stand as landmarks in the area he calls home.
"I've worked numerous places in the country, but I always found myself coming back here. It has changed a lot through the years from being very agrarian to its current state of being quite urban. But it is still a beautiful place with a rich history and I love it here," said Shell.
Send your Namesake suggestions
If there is a place or landmark with a name you would like us to
research, send your suggestions to 10News reporter Jim Matheny using the
"Namesake Suggestions" form on this page. Be sure to include your name
and a note on how to pronounce it in case we use your suggestion
on-air. Likewise, please let us know if you do not want us to use your
You can also submit suggestions on Jim Matheny's WBIR Facebook page as well as on Twitter @jimmatheny.
Note: Namesake is the renamed title of the series formerly known as 'Why do they call it that?'
Other Namesake Segments
- November 15, 2012: Holy Butt
- January 6, 2012: Princess Theater
- December 23, 2011: Bethlehem
- November 29, 2011: Turkey Creek
- November 11, 2011: Kinser Bridge & Kinser Park
- November 4, 2011: Shields-Watkins Fields
- October 28, 2011: Punkin Center
- October 21, 2011: Rockford
- September 30, 2011: Kimberlin Heights
- September 23, 2011: Conasauga Falls
- September 16, 2011: Pittman Center
- September 9, 2011: Concord
- August 19, 2011: LaFollette
- August 12, 2011: House Mountain
- July 29, 2011: Mosheim
- July 15, 2011: Place of 1,000 Drips
- July 1, 2011: Tellico Plains
- June 17, 2011: Vestal
- June 4, 2011: Maynardville
- May 27, 2011: Sandy Bonnyman Bridge
- May 14, 2011: Bonny Kate
- May 7, 2011: Ozone Falls
- Apr. 22, 2011: Mechanicsville
- Apr. 15, 2011: Revenue Hill
- Mar. 18, 2011: Irish Cut
- Mar. 11, 2011: Oneida
- Feb. 25, 2011: Dixie Lee Junction
- Feb. 18, 2011: Devil's Breakfast Table
- Feb. 11, 2011: Odd Fellows Cemetery
- Feb. 4, 2011: Inskip
- Jan. 8, 2011: Frost Bottom
- Dec. 31, 2010: Henley (Street) Bridge
- Dec. 10, 2010: Tuckahoe
- Dec. 3, 2010: Sharp's Ridge
- Nov. 26, 2010: Coker Creek
- Nov. 19, 2010: Sugarloaf Mountain
- Nov. 12, 2010: Mitchell W. Stout Memorial Bridge
- Nov. 5, 2010: Tazewell and New Tazewell
- Oct. 29, 2010: Mellinger Death Ridge
- Oct. 22, 2010: Farragut
- Oct. 15, 2010: Mascot
- Oct. 8, 2010: Allardt
- Oct. 1, 2010: Greenback
- Sep. 24, 2010: Boogertown
- Sep. 17, 2010: Chapman Highway
- Sep. 10, 2010: Niota
- Sep. 3, 2010: Neyland Stadium
- Aug. 27, 2010: Ten Mile
- Aug. 20, 2010: Heritage High School
- Aug. 13, 2010: Old Gray Cemetery
- July 29, 2010: Sweetwater
- July 23, 2010: I.C. King Park
- July 16, 2010: Stinking Creek
- July 9, 2010: Bean Station
- July 2, 2010: Loudoun and Loudon
- June 25, 2010: X-10, Y-12, K-25 Oak Ridge Plants
- June 18, 2010: Frozen Head State Park
- June 11, 2010: Buck Karnes Bridge | <urn:uuid:db6f2c2b-30c7-43fe-8541-7a6536069407> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wbir.com/dontmiss/192891/207/Why-do-they-call-it-that-Turkey-Creek | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953723 | 1,594 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Bone cancer is a generic term of malignant bone tumors. Common bone cancers include osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, fibrosarcoma and so on. It may originate from bone cells, hematopoietic ingredients of bones, cartilage, desmoids or synovial ingredients, is a typical general malignant disease.
Clinically bone cancer is divided to primary bone cancer and secondary bone cancer. Secondary bone cancer is mostly occurring in pelvis, vertebral column and femurs, etc. Primary malignant bone cancer is rare, most bone cancers are affected by lesions form other tissues (Such as breast cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer and so on.), which namely is bone metastatic cancer.
The incidence of bone cancer takes away 0.2% cancers in all. Globally, about 2890 cases are firmly diagnosed bone cancer each year and around 1410 people die of it. Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer and takes up 30% bone cancer patients. It gets a higher incidence in teenagers with an age ranges from 10-20, and the ratio between male and female is 2:1.
The causes of bone cancer are still unclear and were thought to be chronic mild hurt or chronic infection in the past. Meanwhile, that may be related to overgrowth of bones, chronic inflammatory irritation, genetic factor, and infection of special virus, problems of blood reflux in bones, exposure to radiation and some other risk factors.
1. Pathological disfiguration of bones.
2. Constant and unintelligible back pain occurs.
3. One or multiple fractures appear in body without obvious inducement.
4. Numbness of distal limbs arousing from tumor depression on nerves and blood vessels.
5. A hard lump occurs in the surface of bone, some cases would present pain while some are none.
6. Fever, weight lose, fatigue and decrease of locomotor activity present.
7. Pain and selling develop in bones and joints, the pain is constant dull pain or tenderness.
1. Bone scan is by injecting slight contrast agent and special camera assembly to detect the lesions. It can show the pictures of bones.
2. Imaging examinations, such as X-ray, CT scans, MRI and so on can help the doctors to evaluate the tumor and other tissues or organs involved.
3. Biopsy is to get a small tissue from tumor for related bone cancer examinations, in which including:
1) Needle biopsy, the doctor uses a thin needle to get a small tissue from tumor.
2) Surgical biopsy. Doctor cuts the skin to get the whole tumor or some tumor tissues for bone cancer examination.
Surgical treatment is still the main method in treating bone cancer, in which includes:
1. Erasion, it is to cut the parietal contains tumor and scrap the tumor tissues in parietal completely.
2. Ectomy is to remove the tumor projecting out of the bone from tumor basilar part.
3. Amputation is to remove the whole segment of bone where the tumor is located.
2. Take more fresh vegetables and fruits.
3. Keep away from smoking, alcohol and irritating foods.
1. Create a harmonious, comfortable and safe environment to offer patient the sense of safety.
2. Introduce bone cancer patient related cancer knowledge at proper time to help the patient fight the cancer confidently.
3. Family members should take care and support the patient, help the patient to eliminate the negative emotions like loneliness and desperation.
A multidisciplinary team composed of surgeons, pathologists, radiation cancer experts, minimally invasive oncologists, nurses for cancer nursing and interpreters carries out expert consultation according to symptoms and conditions of patients with bone cancer and then gives treatment plans that are most applicable to the patient, in order to greatly improve the therapeutic effect of bone cancer patient.
Traditional Chinese medicine can regulate the balance of body and strengthen the resistance to fight against tumor. Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou combines Chinese medicine and other cancer treatments together, while at the same time integrates the advantages of both Chinese medicine and western medicine, which can effectively improve the cure effect of cancer treatments.
Practice proves that the clinic team services composed by multiple disciplines like oncosurgery, oncology, pathology, imageology and anesthesia doctors as well as professional nurses, can provide patients with most effective, most suitable and most economic treatment plan, and also can greatly improve the therapeutic effect of treating cancer patients.
“One station” medical system constructed by Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou combining multiple disciplines, can perform comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for patients under the condition of without adding patients’ burden. Therefore, on one hand, it can provide all-round and heartfelt medical services, and on the other hand, it improves medical efficiency and level. There are many channels can be applied to conduct the communication between patients and doctors, like online consultation, email, telephone conversation, and face-to-face consultation. All these consultation services can effectively help patients to fight the cancer. While the medical team faced by the patients includes doctors, nurses, dietitians, interpreters and so on to meet various demands in different level of different countries. Patients would be more confident under the unobstructed communication environment to cooperate the hospital to diagnose and treat the diseases.
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1、What is ITCWM minimally invasive targeted therapy Modern Hospital Guangzhou applies combined therapy of TCM minimally invasive targeted treatment, which is featuring combined st...more>> | <urn:uuid:87d7a986-a302-4b31-b26c-5a48530169b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.asiancancer.com/cancer-topics/bone-cancer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911326 | 1,574 | 3.5 | 4 |
Sandy Hook panel hears from security experts, who say there's no guarantee of risk-free environment
Charles Krupa, Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. — Bulletproof glass and other security measures can make schools safer, but there's no way to completely eliminate the risk of violence, architects testified Friday before a panel set up by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy after the Newtown school shootings.
The architects told the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission that there are numerous safety actions, both inexpensive and costly, that school officials can take. They include further limiting access to buildings, removing sight-line obstructions outside schools, installing locks on classroom doors, allowing police to access surveillance cameras inside schools from computers in their cruisers and putting up reinforced glass.
Classrooms can even be configured to make it look like they're empty from hallway doors, the architects said.
"The reality is hazards can arise in any one of these locations," said Jim LaPosta, chief architectural officer for JCJ Architecture in Hartford, referring to places inside and outside schools. "There is really nothing we can do to guarantee a risk-free environment."
What security experts can do, LaPosta said, is to assess the safety of schools and recommend changes including ways to slow down attacks. LaPosta said a main question is how to improve security without making schools less welcoming and more intimidating to students and the community.
Showing a picture of a castle on a video screen, LaPosta asked, "How do we fortify our schools without creating fortresses out of them?"
Commission member Ezra Griffith, a psychiatrist and research scientist at Yale University, questioned the need to make wholesale changes in school security.
"It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because it's not a frequent phenomenon," Griffith said about mass shootings.
He added that many schools and colleges declined to make major security changes after the killings at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech because of cost and other factors.
On Dec. 14, 20-year-old Newtown resident Adam Lanza killed 20 first-graders, six educators and himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School, after having shot his mother to death earlier in the day at their home. The motive remains unclear.
The shootings happened after the school's entrances were scheduled to be locked when the school day began. Police said Lanza entered the school by shooting out the front entrance's windows.
Architect Glenn Gollenberg of the S/L/A/M Collaborative in Glastonbury said there are different levels of glass reinforcement all the way up to bulletproofing. But installing reinforced glass in schools can be costly — starting at $3,000 to $4,000 per classroom — and communities need to decide how much they're willing to spend on security measures.
Gollenberg showed the commission a minute-long video of men trying to break reinforced glass with a sledgehammer. They eventually managed to put a hole in the glass.
The architects said one of their most important recommendations was for school officials to work closely with police on incident response plans. While firefighters often are familiar with the layout of schools from inspections and drills, police officers can be less knowledgeable and that can lead to confusion when responding to violence, they said.
That's why, LaPosta said, it would be helpful if officers could access interior surveillance cameras from outside schools so they could see what's going on inside and respond appropriately.
The architects shied away from recommending statewide security mandates, saying safety decisions are best left to cities and towns.
The advisory commission is supposed to give a list of recommendations on school security, mental health issues and gun violence prevention to Malloy by March 15.
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- Supreme Court to weigh in on... 17 | <urn:uuid:47015a8e-4fe5-45d8-a169-66ebc7bd23e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765622692/Sandy-Hook-panel-hears-from-security-experts.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955016 | 932 | 2.3125 | 2 |
When the new Code of Practice from the U.K.’s Direct Marketing Association goes into effect in September, marketers will find themselves facing a new, greener landscape.
For the first time, the Code sets guidelines for not just the environmental message of marketing materials, but also the medium as well as the messenger.
Foremost among the changes in The Code of Practice [PDF] is a requirement for DMA members to adhere to the environmental guidelines of the new British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct (CAP Code). The new CAP Code, which also goes into effect on September 1, states in part that marketers making green claims must provide “a high level of substantiation” for those claims, and that environmental claims must be based “on the full life cycle of the advertised product, unless the marketing communication states otherwise.”
In addition to requiring marketers to make their green messages credible, the DMA’s new Code also addresses corporate practices around marketing. Section 3.35 of the Code requires all paper materials to originate from facilities that have environmental management systems in place, certified either through ISO 14001 or the IEMA’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme.
Furthermore, all printed marketing materials will be required to “display prominently a ‘call to action’ recycle message and/or logo,” such as “Please Recycle After Use.”
In addition to using marketing to shape individual behavior, the new Code from the DMA also seeks to push companies toward greener practices, albeit in softer terms than the Code’s requirements for recycling messages and EMS practices.
Two sections of the Code suggest that companies should engage in business-wide environmental initiatives: “Members should have a documented environmental policy in place,” reads section 3.37, and “Members should seek, whever possible and where appropriate, to attain certification to PAS 2020,” reads section 3.36.
PAS 2020 is the Publicly Available Specification from the British Standards Institute focused on boosting the environmental claims of direct marketing.
The new Code is the culmination of a project launched nearly three years ago to develop green standards for direct marketing in the U.K. as a way to reduce the roughly 475,000 metric tons of direct marketing materials that end up in landfills each year.
In addition to the British DMA, the global Direct Marketing Association has been working to develop green initiatives as well: In 2002, the group published a free book, “The Environmental Resource for Direct Marketers,” that lays out best practices for greening mass mailings.
In the U.S. the Federal Trade Commission has lately begun cracking down on greenwashing, charging a number of companies with making false claims about the environmental benefits or green makeup of their products. | <urn:uuid:b471e966-4ef4-45c7-98fa-af28a2f0e490> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://silverscorpio.com/tag/environmental-initiatives/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921191 | 582 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Belgium, a federal state
Belgium became independent in 1830. Between 1970 and 1993, the country evolved into a more efficient federal structure. This occurred through five state reforms (in 1970, 1980, 1988-89, 1993 and 2001). As a result, the first Article of the Belgian constitution reads today: 'Belgium is a federal state, composed of communities and regions'.
The power to make decisions is no longer the exclusive preserve of the federal government and the federal parliament. The leadership of the country is now in the hands of various partners, who independently exercise their authority within their domains.
The redistribution of power occurred along two lines. The first line relates to language and, in a broader sense, to everything related to culture. The result was several communities. The concept of 'community' refers to persons that make up a community and the bond that unifies them, namely their language and culture. Belgium sits across the fault line that separates German and Latin cultures. This explains why the country has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. As a result, Belgium today, has three communities: the Flemish Community, the French Community and the German-speaking Community. These communities therefore correspond with the population groups.
The second line of state reform was historically inspired by economic interests. The regions, which aspired to more economic autonomy, conveyed these interests. The establishment of the three regions was the result: the Flemish Region, the Brussels Capital Region and the Walloon Region. Up to a certain level they can be compared with the American states or the German 'Länder'.
The country is further divided into 10 provinces and 589 municipal councils.
The Federal State
The Federal State nevertheless retains important powers, for example in the area of foreign affairs, national defence, justice, finance, social security, important parts of national health and domestic affairs... However, the communities and the regions also have the power to establish and maintain foreign relations.
Reconciling regional and cultural identities within a federal structure is easier said than done. Yet, it has the advantage of taking the decision process closer to the population. The result is a more sharply defined political structure with a greater emphasis on the quality of life. | <urn:uuid:2d5f9b59-9464-4938-852e-468f9772c0b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/federale_staat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949534 | 456 | 3.5 | 4 |
This is a book about mathematical beauty. Not the facile surface beauty of Lissajous figures or fractals, but a beauty that is visible only to the inner eye. We are in the world of concepts that are almost too simple to understand, whose visible manifestations (polyhedra, wallpaper patterns) are only consequences of the underlying reality and not pictures of the reality itself. It is a lot like theology: for God cannot be seen, is too simple for human comprehension, and his visible manifestations are nothing more than shadows and signposts to a reality that they cannot circumscribe or define.
Most people know about complex numbers: they can be written as x+iy, where x and y are real numbers and i has no meaning but obeys the rule that i²=-1, and you can do almost everything with them that you can with real numbers. In fact, a lot of mathematics is much easier with complex numbers than it is without them.
A bored intelligent schoolchild can imagine that there will be something further, with three numbers rather than two. It took Sir William Hamilton eight years to discover that there is no such thing; but that if you use four numbers, there is: x+iy+jz+kw, with i²=-1, j²=-1, k²=-1, and ijk=-1, then there is. Quaternions turn out to be a good way of representing transformations in 3-dimensional and 4-dimensional space. The writers of 3-D computer games use them when computing the effect of multiple rotations.
You can sort of guess what octonions might be.
It begins to seem that we’re getting more and more Victorian. Victorian mathematics is a bit like the Albert Memorial: it delights in intricacy and abundance of detail. A Victorian likes nothing better than manipulating equations with many variables and dozens of terms, rearranging them for page after page: overtime for typographers.
Twentieth and twenty-first century mathematics is spare and bony. So bony that (like the comic-book characters who are so strong that “even their muscles have muscles”) even its bones have bones. No sooner has one mathematician abstracted everything numeric from numbers – and left a beautiful skeleton behind, that fits into all manner of hitherto unrelated bodies and gives them shape and motion – than the next mathematician abstracts most of the content from his predecessor’s abstraction until its symbols become like those shadows that fill your sight when you have stared at a neon sign too long: shadows that float in the vision and dodge away when you try to look at them. If the Victorian ideal was decoration at every scale, the late-twentieth-century ideal is a theorem that can be expressed in only three symbols and proved in six lines (which it will take you a year to understand fully). It can be confidently predicted that the twenty-first-century ideal will be a theorem that is expressed by a blank piece of paper and cannot be understood even after a lifetime of study.
“On Quaternions and Octonions” is a book about bones. It categorizes real numbers (R), complex numbers (C), quaternions (Q) and octonions (O) as “algebras” (a term that has only a passing relation to what one means by “algebra” at school). It looks at them geometrically – showing, for instance, that whether you can have the equivalent of unique factorisation of integers in these algebras depends on what you define “integers” to be and (with stunning simplicity) on how much space there is between them; thus abolishing pages and pages of number-theory texts with a simple picture.
A rotation in 3 dimensions can be represented by a single quaternion; rotations in 4 dimensions can be represented by a pair of them. And so Conway & Smith look at 3-dimensional rotations geometrically. It shows (this is classic stuff but I have never seen it so well presented) that the regular polyhedra (cube, tetrahedron, icosahedron) can be characterised by the way you can rotate them and get back to what you started. For instance, you can rotate a cube a quarter-turn round the centre of a face and you’ll get back to the same cube. You can rotate it a half-turn round the mid-point of one of its sides: same result. You can rotate it a third of a revolution round one of its diagonals : same result (I always need to pick up a real cube to see this one). Those numbers, 423, define the symmetry of the cube (and its dual, the octahedron).
But then, by relating these rotations to reflections (think of how the two angled mirrors of a kaleidoscope generate a whole group of rotations), the question “what regular polyhedra are there?” turns into a question about what spherical triangles you can have whose angles obey certain rules. So by enumerating a few possible combinations of numbers you can find all the regular polyhedra that exist and prove that you can’t have missed any out.
In the spirit of “the only ones possible”, Conway and Smith also give Hurwitz’s Theorem, which shows that each of R, C, Q and O comes from “doubling” the one before it in the series, that the series has to stop after O, and that no other algebras of this kind can exist. They go on to explore 4-dimensional geometry, the 7- and 8-dimensional geometry of O, and to prove some new results on factorisation in O.
“On Quaternions and Octonions” is not a textbook. It assumes that you already know what groups, rings and fields are. When an idea is presented, it is presented once: not two or three times with additional exercises to ram the point home. Some peripheral concepts, such as the orbifold notation, are used without elaborate proofs: you can spend some enjoyable time working out for yourself how they work and why they are the way they are.
The result is not only a bony book but a chewy one: you can come back to the same page day after day and understand a little more of it each time. Anyone who has at least a first-year undergraduate grounding in algebra will find this book rewarding and enjoyable: something to come back to at intervals and get a little more out of each time. | <urn:uuid:261bc68f-49d2-436f-ac1a-49866f733083> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nugae.wordpress.com/2007/04/25/on-quaternions-and-octonions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953364 | 1,369 | 2.6875 | 3 |
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) —After waiting years and seeing marriage rights nearly awarded and then retracted, gay couples in Maine's largest city didn't have to wait a moment longer than necessary to wed, with licenses issued at the stroke of midnight as the law went into effect. Arriving in a limo, Donna Galluzzo and Lisa Gorney had all the trappings of a traditional wedding: Rings, flowers, wedding vows, an entourage and a friend to officiate.
With tears in their eyes, they were among the first gay couples to exchange wedding vows early Saturday morning after Maine's same-sex marriage law went into effect at midnight.
"We're paving the way for people to go after us. I think it's just amazing. It's freeing. It's what's right,'' an emotionally drained Gorney said after their ceremony in front of City Hall.
Steven Bridges and Michael Snell were the first in line, and they received cheers from more than 200 people waiting outside after they wed in the clerk's office.
"It's historic. We've waited our entire lives for this,'' said Bridges, a retail manager, who's been in a relationship with Snell, a massage therapist, for nine years. Bridges, 42, and Snell, 53, wore lavender and purple carnations on black T-shirts with the words "Love is love.''
Voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state approved gay marriage in November, making them the first states to do so by popular vote. Gay marriage already was legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia, but those laws were either enacted by lawmakers or through court rulings.
In Maine, Gov. Paul LePage signed off on the certified election results on Nov. 29, so the new law was to go into effect 30 days from that date. The law already is in effect in Washington state; Maryland's takes effect on Tuesday, the first day of 2013.
Nobody knew exactly how many couples would be rushing to get their marriage licenses early Saturday in Maine. Falmouth joined Portland in opening at midnight. Other communities including Bangor, Brunswick and Augusta planned to hold special Saturday hours.
In Portland, the mood was festive with the crowd cheering and horns sounding at midnight as Bridges and Snell began filling out paperwork in the clerk's office in Portland City Hall. There were free carnation boutonnieres and cupcakes, and a jazz trio played.
Outside, the raucous group that gathered in front of the building cheered Bridges and Snell as if they were rock stars and broke into the Beatles' "All You Need is Love.''
Fourteen couples received marriage licenses, and five of them married on the spot, a city spokeswoman said. Many of those who received their marriage license were middle-aged, and some said they never envisioned a day when gay couples could wed just like straight couples.
"I came out years ago and the only thing we wanted was to not get beaten up,'' said Steven Jones, 50, who married his partner, Jamous Lizotte, on his 35th birthday.
Not everyone was getting married right away.
Suzanne Blackburn and Joanie Kunian, of Portland, were among those in line to get their license at midnight, but they planned to have their marriage ceremony later. One of their grandchildren wanted them to get married on Valentine's Day.
"I don't think that we dared to dream too big until we had the governor's signature,'' Blackburn said. "That's why it's so important, because it feels real.''
Bridges and Snell already considered themselves married because they'd held a commitment ceremony attended by friends and family six years ago. Nonetheless, they thought it was important to make it official under state law, as Snell's two daughters watched.
Katie and Carolyn Snell, the daughters, said the ceremony made formal what they knew all along to be true about the couple.
"It's just a piece of paper,'' said Katie Snell. "Their love has been there, their commitment has been there, all along. It's the last step to make it a true official marriage because everything else has been there from the start.''
Steven Bridges, left, receives a wedding ring from Michael Snell, early Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at City Hall in Portland, Maine. Same-sex couples in Maine are now legally allowed to marry under a new law that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Steven Jones, left, and Jamous Lizotte wear laurel wreaths as they arrive at City Hall to obtain a marriage license, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Portland, Maine. Same-sex couples in Maine will be allowed to marry as a new law goes into effect at 12:01 AM Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A crowd cheers at 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, as the first same-sex couple to be legally married in Maine departs City Hall in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Donna Galluzzo, left, and Lisa Gorney leave the City Clerk’s office after obtaining their marriage license, early Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at City Hall in Portland, Maine. Same-sex couples in Maine are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Katy Jayne, left, gets a kiss from Lauren Snead after they obtained their marriage license, early Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at City Hall in Portland, Maine. Same-sex couples in Maine are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Lucie Bauer, left, and Annie Kiermaier, of Rockport, Maine, celebrate the imminent recognition of their marriage in their home state, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Portland, Maine. The couple was married in California in 2008. Same-sex couples in Maine will be allowed to marry as a new law goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 29. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) | <urn:uuid:eae1df49-ec85-4331-a597-764728780eb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baywindows.com/Maine-married-December-29 | 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 | 0.975699 | 1,340 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Science is a powerful technique for understanding the world around us. Across all the sciences, there is a process which scientists follow.
Firstly, scientists formulate a hypothesis - an idea about how or why something is the way it is. Then, they devise a series of experiments to test whether the hypothesis is true or false. If it is false, a new hypothesis is formulated to offer an alternative explanation.
A published scientific paper
If the hypothesis seems to be true, which means that the data supports the scientist's idea, then other people must test the hypothesis. They may do this in the same way or using a different experiment.
Each experiment must be repeatable. Only when it has passed many tests does a hypothesis about the world become accepted by scientists.
Falsifiability means that a hypothesis is only true as long as no evidence has been found to disprove it. A proper scientific hypothesis must be capable of being disproved.
This means that scientific theories are never absolutely proven, but the more evidence we have to support them, the more sure we are they are true.
Hypotheses are often reviewed, and may be discarded, when new evidence is found. Of course, the process involves debate and counter argument as new struggles against old. Few experiments can be as clear-cut as we would like, and it takes time to build up conclusive evidence.
For scientists at the Museum, evidence for hypotheses usually come from examining specimens, which are re-examined constantly to verify or disprove new theories.
Research is ongoing. Finding the answer to one question usually reveals more questions, and there are always more questions than researchers to study them. In this respect, scientific research is never really 'completed'.
There are few projects that answer one question without suggesting several more...
Scientists have to apply for money for their research. They may have to prove why they need to carry out a particular piece of research to a charity or university who will provide funds. There is heavy competition for funding.
The Journal of Systematic Palaeontology is published by the Natural History Museum
Research is a highly creative process, in which new ideas are always needed. Working in teams, and discussing research with others, help provide these ideas.
For example, Crick, Franklin, Watson and Wilkins worked out the structure of DNA in the 1950s as a team.
The wide-ranging expertise of researchers at the Museum allows many questions to be explored. Email, the internet and travel ensure that this debate involves research groups across the world.
When a research project has ended, its results must be communicated so others can build upon its conclusions. There are thousands of journals published monthly.
Peer-reviewed journals are the backbone of science. The scientific articles published there have all been checked for reliability by other groups of scientists.
Oliver Crimmen, Curator of Fish, showing a parrotfish, Pseudoscarus lepidus, to Museum visitors
Finally, science must be communicated to the wider society.
Researchers work with other communicators to ensure accuracy. For example, scientists help create exhibitions, documentaries, answer journalists' enquiries and publish research papers on the internet.
Scientists also communicate directly. Through initiatives such as science presentations and public discussions at the Darwin Centre, and events such as National Science Week, the public can find out more about research projects. | <urn:uuid:9d86b9f9-bae7-4f52-896d-38ac0645043f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nhm.ac.uk/print-version/?p=/nature-online/science-of-natural-history/the-scientific-process/scientific-process/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95793 | 689 | 3.796875 | 4 |
Welcome to Pandora's Aquarium, a rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse survivor message board and chat room.
If you've been a victim of any type of sexual violence, you belong here. What you see below represents just a fraction of the resources and survivor support available. Register now to join our community and take full advantage of what this online support group has to offer you as you heal and recover, or sign in to remove this message.
You are not alone, we can support you as you heal, and you've made an important step toward recovery by reaching out. If you are unable to register or have any questions, please contact the staff or view our home page.
Suicide Prevention Australiawide
Posted 16 July 2008 - 06:54 AM
PO Box 2000, Milton QLD 4064
(07) 3369 1588
1800 55 1800 - Counselling Line
(07) 3367 1266
How old must I be to contact Kids Help Line?
Kids Help Line telephone, web and email counselling is available to children and young people of Australia aged between 5 and 25 years of age. | <urn:uuid:f1a169bb-4d17-43f4-a4fd-c308bb341b06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pandys.org/forums/index.php?s=737bd7530d318e406e83753a3c3f5576&showtopic=30772&forceDownload=1&_k=880ea6a14ea49e853634fbdc5015a024 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91188 | 229 | 1.554688 | 2 |
IN A CULTURE WHERE IMAGE IS EVERYTHING, THESE photos depict people who seem to be nothing but. Yet while Warhol was criticized in the art world for indiscriminately embracing the cult of celebrity, his portraits strike a subversive note. Unlike the work of Annie Leibovitz or Herb Ritts, whose glamorous photos are high-toned ads for celebrity life, Warhol's mechanical eye shows us what is left when the cloying effects of that kind of salesmanship wear off -- the underlying coolness and vacuity, the flat and banal surface of celebrity. In other words, his portraits evoke the essential entropy of image culture -- the slow falling apart of all values that don't lend themselves to photographic reproduction.
Warhol may also have intuitively appreciated celebrity portraiture as part of a larger culture of photographic surveillance -- at least one could deduce this from his pronouncement that his favorite photographer was paparazzo and Jackie-stalker Ron Galella (who appears in the Getty show in an appropriately Weegee-like black-and-white snapshot). Curiously, Nadar played a key early role in developing this culture. As a balloonist, he took the world's first aerial photographs, in 1858, inaugurating the practice of high-altitude surveillance -- precursor to today's satellite spy cameras. Indeed, the French government once offered Nadar 50,000 francs to photograph troop movements during its war with Italy in 1859, and though he refused that assignment, he did take aerial pictures of troop movements during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War -- by which time photographic surveillance had already developed into an industry.
In the century separating Nadar and Warhol, photographic surveillance of celebrities has profoundly altered our conception of fame. Not only did photography make the famous and notorious more widely visible, but it also made possible new kinds of celebrities, including people who are famous simply because they look good in photographs, and others who are famous simply for taking their pictures. Social theorists have claimed that photography democratized fame by giving us intimate access to images of the famous, but Warhol's machinelike portraits remind us that this most populist of media lends itself to the production of secular idols whom -- in an exercise that is democracy's flip side -- we continue to worship with unthinking devotion.
NADAR/WARHOL: Paris/New York At the J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood
Through October 10 | <urn:uuid:822e8cb6-6e37-482f-8b4e-8086f620e514> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.laweekly.com/1999-08-05/art-books/fame/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95765 | 504 | 2.703125 | 3 |
MIT team finds that the ratio of component atoms is vital to performance.
Emeritus Professor Brian Fagan of the University of California at Santa Barbara emphasized the complex interplay of climatic conditions and social and cultural development in his presentation, "In Cod We Trust: Fishing, Subsistence Agriculture and Climate Change, c. A.D. 900 to 1400," presented to an overflow crowd in E51-095 on Friday, Feb. 23.
Fagan noted that even for a period offering scanty evidence to scholars, it is clear that climate change was a major driver of social, political and economic change. The meeting was part of the MIT Seminar on Environmental and Agricultural , sponsored by the history faculty and the Program in Science, Technology and Society.
European food supplies were greater and more reliable during the so-called "medieval warm period" of approximately 800 to 1300 A.D. Wine grapes were grown as far north as England, and cereal crops in Norway. Impacts of favorable weather included population growth and drastic deforestation, as fields were cleared for agricultural use.
The period, now believed to have been a global event, was characterized in Europe by dramatic seasonal differences. Summers were warmer and drier, while winter snow levels rose. This era ended abruptly in 1315, when catastrophic rainfalls began and continued until about 1321. These severe conditions destroyed crops and led to widespread epidemics among farm animals and famine-related diseases among people. The so-called "Little Ice Age" continued until around 1860.
Also during the eighth and ninth centuries, fish became a major part of the European diet. Wild fish were harvested close to shore, and fish farming was widely practiced. Fish consumption was driven in part by Christian symbolism. It was associated with feasting and atonement, attributes of frequently observed religious holidays. | <urn:uuid:c5684b1a-6956-465d-99e3-69a54862759e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/cod.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980352 | 371 | 3.28125 | 3 |
The following essay is by Wilson Carey McWilliams, and is drawn from one of the two new collections of his writings, The Democratic Soul. More information about McWilliams, his thought, and the new books can be found here.
This reflection on George Orwell – published in 1984, for obvious reasons – remains as fresh today as it was written nearly thirty years ago. If anything, it is truer today, if only because the conditions of our age, ably captured by McWilliams’s assessment of Orwell, resemble ever more the prophetic fears of each man.
George Orwell and Ideology
By Wilson Carey McWilliams
George Orwell is paradoxical in the best sense: he is beyond doxa, outside the camps and categories of conventional political discourse. Admiring critics snip and squeeze, but Orwell will not be tailored into an ideology. An anticommunist nonpareil who never doubted that it was necessary to support the United States against the USSR, Orwell in 1948 expressed a preference for Henry Wallace, that scandal to Cold Warriors. In fact, although Orwell called himself a socialist, he scorned both socialism and capitalism as those terms are ordinarily understood, because he rejected the modern political doctrine which is the foundation of both.
Very early, Orwell developed the abiding conviction that modern civilization is shoddy and catabolic. The domination of nature—the goal of modern political philosophy—is neither liberative nor redemptive. In fact, all advances in technology and mechanical power have a dehumanizing dimension since they reduce the significance (and hence, discourage the cultivation) of human arts and powers. In 1984, Winston Smith is drawn, yearningly, to the products of craft, a leather notebook and a delicate crystal—as alien to industrial capitalism as they are to post-industrial Ingsoc.
Taken as a prediction, 1984 errs about the extent of material poverty, since Orwell portrayed the proles as an overwhelming majority. Orwell’s real concert, however, was with quality, not quantity, with the immiseration of the spirit more than the deprivation of the body: “The truly characteristic thing about modern life was…its bareness, its dinginess, its listlessness.” In those terms 1984 is almost topical. The book begins with an energy crisis in a city where advanced technology is accompanied by urban decay; the underclass proles are demoralized and the lower middle class—the lesser officials of the Party—live wretchedly, eating processed foods and drinking gin; the mass public is diverted by vulgar literature, the lottery, and the telescreen. Only the upper middle class, the Party’s elite, enjoys anything like well-being. Change the numbers who belong to each class, and Orwell’s depiction is all too descriptive of our times.
In another respect, Orwell seems, at first glance, to have missed the mark. The regime in 1984 is militantly prudish, resembling the censorialism of the Soviet Union more than our own libertine permissiveness. Yet while the Party in 1984 is moralistic in theory, in practice it produces trash—”proletarian literature” filled with astrology, sensationalism, and pornography—and it permits “mere debauchery” provided it is furtive and transient. (Evidently, there is a dreadful similarity between this portrait and the administration’s Hollywood Puritanism, Jerry Falwell yoked to Rupert Murdoch.) The Party fears intimacy more than sexuality, and it hates Eros in general because the modern goal, the mastery of nature, cannot be achieved without domin¬ion over human nature. Love, in its lower, instinctive forms as well as the higher yearnings of the soul, resists political control. Since nature is indivisible, human love and freedom are linked to physical nature in a common cause, just as, in 1984, Julia and Winston Smith retreat to a bower, like Henry and Rosamund. Orwell’s indignation at violations of the environment (in Coming Up for Air, for example) reflected a basic tenet of his teaching. No forest, no garden: what is humanly and naturally best requires cultivation, but it abhors domination and commands a measure of tolerance for the lower side of human nature.
Like Huxley, one of his teachers at Eton, Orwell recognized that sensuality is privatizing, but he did not share Huxley’s fear that hedonism would become the ruling principle of a future totalitarianism. In the first place, the pursuit of pleasure ignores the spirited side of human nature, which craves excitement, struggle, and great deeds and which, periodically, is able to enforce its demands on politics. More specifically, sensualism does not comprehend the “abstract, undirected” rage which pervades modern politics, the ressentiment that threatens to overwhelm any regime which proves unable to harness it. In 1984, the technology of law-enforcement races—too slowly—to keep pace with crime, and the debaucheries Huxley envisioned are displaced by the Two-Minute Hate.
Complexity, centralization, and power
Just as technology discourages craft, the size and complexity of modern economic and social organization dwarf individuals and demand central, bureaucratic institutions capable of producing some sort of order. Where capitalism identifies the danger with the state, Orwell regarded “trustification and Fordification” as processes leading to despotism. But he was equally insistent that socialists are mistaken if they imagine that the problem can be solved by a change in the ownership of property. The evil is in the thing itself, inherent in the most trivial details of modern life. Kipling once imagined a future in which the need to regulate traffic gave rise to a bureaucratic elite armed with tyrannical power, and Orwell admired the insight. He savaged H. G. Wells’s vision of a rationalistic world state because such a regime would be hopelessly impersonal and bloodless, an apotheosis of indignity equipped with all the weapons of technology pointing toward an inescapable tyranny.
As this suggests, Orwell was inclined to accept the theoretical superiority of smaller, simpler political societies. In modern regimes, the individual is weak and alone, and totalitarian states accentuate this isolation in order to increase their control. In 1984, Orwell’s description parallels Tocqueville’s prophecy: the Party aims to cut its citizens off from one another and from their past, until, in the end, “All you care about is yourself.” Liberal capitalism is individualistic from principle; bureaucratic collectivism is individualistic from policy. In the good political society, by contrast, “men are different and do not live alone”: genuine individuality presumes a community which knows who I am and cares what I do, warm enough to engage my feelings and small enough so that my work makes a difference. Chesterton’s agrarianism attracted Orwell; his first English publication appeared in G.K.’s Weekly, and even in the 1930s, he wrote a friend that the policies advocated in Chesterton’s paper were the only real solution for Britain.
In practice, of course that sort of political society is out of the question. Other problems aside, foreign policy demands a more or less centralized, technological state. An agrarian Britain could not have resisted the Nazis, and, given the grim likelihoods of modern politics, as Orwell described them, there will always be evil empires to threaten relatively decent states.
The constraints of practice, in Orwell’s view, only make theoretical vision and moral virtue indispensable in political life. The terrible imperatives of modern politics tend to subordinate theory to practice, ends to means, morality to necessity. The competition inherent in the quest for mastery erodes all restraints on the acquisition and use of power. The more horrid our enemies, the more easily will we acquiesce in that logic, producing a fascism “not of course called Fascism.” In 1984, Eurasia really is hateful, and Oceania’s own dreadful regime has grown out of the praxis of war more than economic or political doctrine. Totalitarian ideology, in fact, is a kind of pragmatism gone mad, an extreme case of the tendency to identify what prevails historically with what is right.
Against historicism and relativism, Orwell maintained that human nature provides a standard by which history can be judged. Beyond that theoretical proposition, Orwell hoped for a moral force strong enough to direct and govern technological society and able, at least, to minimize the gap between modem politics and human dignity. Hence Orwell’s critique, in The Road to Wigan Pier, of those socialists who excused the Soviet
regime by pointing to its industrial progress, celebrating material power, and turning away from the moral aims and standards which, for Orwell, were the essence of the only socialism worth having. To Orwell, in fact, socialism meant a kind of natural law, human nature governing human creations, industrial and technological power ruled by politically organized morality.
In that sense, Orwell’s socialism was never “proletarian.” The advantage of the proles—in 1984 or in reality—lies in the fact that they have not yet been assimilated into the established order. This “freedom” of the proletariat, however, is a deficiency, not a virtue. As a class, Orwell’s proletariat is essentially demoralized, incapable of self-organization, and easily misled; so long as it lacks more positive defenses against the culture of modernity, it can, potentially, be incorporated into the ethos of the regime at relatively little cost.
So far, Orwell’s argument resembles that of Herbert Marcuse, but where Marcuse looked to a youthful counter-culture to provide leadership for the underclass, Orwell regarded such bohemian manifestations as part—and probably a proto-totalitarian part—of the dominant culture. As Bernard Crick argues, Orwell envisioned a proletariat led by the lower middle class because, as Orwell saw it, the middle-class code of right and wrong gave that class a limited moral autonomy. Its private virtues, decency and duty, restrain the privatizing emotions, greed and fear, which pervade modern civilization.
Orwell recognized that middle-class morality has a defensive side: decency is a consolation to which, failing more material supports, one can turn for dignity, and in that sense it is terribly vulnerable to corruption. A fragile dignity, however, is better than none at all, and Orwell observed that moral allegiances—patriotism and loyalty to one’s family, for example—are part of a positive struggle against isolation. Middle-class morality helps to sustain social relationships and to lay the foundations for Tocqueville’s cherished “art of association.” The middle class is capable of organization and indignation, and hence possesses at least the rudiments of political leadership and civic virtue.
Orwell’s prescription for a socialism manned by workers and led by the lower middle class may, as he believed, offer the best possibility for arresting the drift of postindustrial civilization. Yet as a political strategy, it is gallant but a little wistful, like Orwell’s hope during World War II of making the Home Guard into a people’s militia, as desperate as Pickett’s charge and probably as fated.
In the first place, the raw power of the proletariat seems less and less sufficient to effect radical change. Animal Farm, Orwell wrote, originated with the observation that “men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat,” and that “if only such animals became aware of their strength, we should have no power over them.” But the analogy between animal labor and human work is troubling, given the ascendancy of modern civilization over physical nature. Human beings still devour animals, but we are less and less dependent on their work. In the same way, technology seems to be making proletarian labor redundant; the working class, though not yet ingested by mass society, has received a pretty thorough chewing. In this respect, Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano seems more accurate than Animal Farm or 1984.
Not that the case is any better with the middle class. The middle-class virtues are disappearing along with the old bourgeoisie, yielding to the radical individualism of a heimlos meritocracy. Orwell had few illusions: in 1984, the only surviving representative of the old middle class proves to be a member of the Thought Police, and Orwell’s title, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, suggests a besieged fortress with an outmoded banner, brave but already faintly absurd.
Critique of the intellectuals
The declining social support for moral and political virtue helps account for Orwell’s emphasis on the political role—and, especially, on the failings—of modern intellectuals. Higher nature must substitute where lower nature falters; when right opinion can no longer rule, philosophy may be forced into politics. Not that Orwell needed much forcing; he argued that writing is inherently political, since the act of writing presumes an intent to affect some audience. The claim that writers ought to be apolitical, he noted, is itself a political position, and a dangerous one: “art for art’s sake” elevates art over morals and politics alike, and the underlying principle that good work is separable from and superior to good ends amounts to the praise of mastery for its own sake.
Orwell’s critique of intellectuality was a teaching aimed at intellectuals, intended to fit them for their political role rather than to exclude them from public life. That teaching turns on the proposition that intellectuals must accept the sovereignty of nature over will, truth over words, and ends over craft, for, as Orwell insistently argued, the great peril of the intellectuals is their implicit, though often unconscious, affinity with totalitarianism.
In part, intellectuals are dangerous simply because they have been trained and become learned in the culture and principles of modern civilization. As the coherent voice of modernity, they accept the idea that history is a standard to which we must adapt and the even more basic precept that freedom is mastery. Intellectuals, consequently, are likely to be “supercilious” about morality, relativists and positivists who regard decency as outdated and duty as irrational.
Orwell’s criticism, however, does not stop with a particular school or “new class” of intellectuals. Like Karl Mannheim’s “total conception of ideology,” Orwell’s critique of intellectuality is catholic: it begins with the proposition that intellectuals are dangerous as such since they yearn to make their thought rule the world. Intellectuals are the more to be feared because they are often more single-minded than any other human beings; they are sometimes indifferent to money and material comfort, and they are adroit at self-deception, able to spin out justifications of their hope for dominion which identify the right with the necessary, the noble with the advantageous.
That, after all, is what ideology does, and ideology is tempting because modern politics exaggerates the tension between means and ends into an enormous disparity between risks and results. Political goals are always ambiguous; even so villainous an enemy as the Nazis could not be defeated without increasing the power of the Soviet Union. Political results must be judged on the balance, and political gains are ordinarily very marginal. But technology and mass organization greatly increase the risks of political action; just as it may be necessary to risk total war in order to prevent some limited defeat in foreign policy, in domestic life it may be necessary to endanger liberty rather gravely if we are to improve the collection of taxes. More and more, Orwell observed, politics leaves us only the choice between acting like “a devil or a lunatic.” Abstention is not allowed: those who would not run the demonic risk of war with Hitler necessarily chose the lunatic risk of attempting to coexist with him. Ideology rationalizes, excuses, and, paradoxically, depoliticizes politics. The truth about modern politics—that it is mad, evil, and inescapable—is the strongest political imperative for those who can endure it.
Truth and freedom
Orwell virtually made a creed out of unwelcome truth. Modern political philosophy argues that liberty exists when people can say and do as they please. Against that view, Orwell argued that “Liberty is telling people what they do not want to hear,” and I suspect that he was referring to the freedom of the hearers as well as that of the speaker. “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows.” Truth, not will or pleasure, is the foundation of freedom. I am free only when I act in accordance with my nature. To attempt to overcome one’s own nature, as Orwell remarked in relation to Gandhi, is in the most fundamental sense an act of self-denial, possibly saintly but not free. To be oneself is to be limited and mortal and to know loss, but that painful freedom is inseparable from the things that make life worth living: “that one is prepared in the end to be defeated and broken up by life…is the inevitable price of fastening one’s love upon other human individuals.”
The pillars of “Reality Control” in 1984—Newspeak, Doublethink, and the Mutability of the Past—reflect that worst temptation of the intellectuals, the denial of any objective reality, the effort to master nature through thought, sparing human beings the pain and frustration of unwelcome truth. Of course, reality will persist, whatever we think about it: hence doublethink, the Party’s combination of knowing and not knowing, for the Party demands a conscious will not to know capable of directing the apparatus of “not knowing” as part of the systematic effort to escape from the self and anything that might remind one of its nature. There is a grotesque altruism in the Party: it sets out to eliminate our consciousness of finitude and mortality, taking us back to Eden by eliminating knowledge, striving to overcome memory so as to achieve a timeless present in which death is not foreknown and nothing is lost because nothing is remembered.
The modern, radically subjective idea of freedom ends with the Thought Police and Room 101:
For two hundred years we had sawed and sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end…our efforts were rewarded and down we came. But unfortunately, there had been a little mistake. The thing at the bottom was not a bed of roses after all, it was a cesspool full of barbed wire.
Orwell enjoyed celebrity, but he cultivated unfashionability. He hoped to lead a parade, if only a small one, but only if he could march to the beat of his very different drum. And for his teaching and example, he deserves to have his memory kept free from “the smelly little orthodoxies which are now contending for our souls.”
(Originally published as “George Orwell and Ideology,” Freedom at Issue, No. 77, March-April 1984) | <urn:uuid:e0eb304f-5578-4be3-bc61-4c91543bf317> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2011/06/george-orwell-and-ideology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950197 | 4,000 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 29-June-2012, Vol 125 No 1357
New Zealand’s smokefree prison policy appears to be working well: one year on
A comprehensive smokefree prisons policy was introduced in New Zealand a year ago (1 July 2011). The impression is that this policy appears to have been very successful so far. Initial concerns about the feasibility of establishing smokefree prisons seem to have been overridden by the reported smooth transition, from 67% of the prison population previously being smokers to a situation of a fully smokefree environment.1
The policy was reported to have been met with cooperation and even enthusiasm from many prisoners across the country.2 In this letter, we review evidence from the media, Government departments, the scientific literature, and other sources, to describe how the policy was introduced, it’s likely effect, and explore its implications for public health and tobacco control.
We believe New Zealand is the first country in the world to implement a comprehensive country-level smokefree policy for all staff, prisoners and visitors within prison premises, indoors and outdoors (with 8690 prisoners at March 2012).3 Sweden had previously initiated a partial policy, affecting only the indoor prison environment; however, this policy was not sustained after a legal challenge.4 Other smokefree prison policies have been introduced overseas (such as various US states and Canadian jurisdictions), but these have not been country-level policies.5–7
Overseas experience has tended to show poor results for achieving smokefree prisons. Evaluation of an indoor smokefree policy in a Canadian prison reported that 93% of inmates continued to use tobacco products inside.7 A smokefree prison policy in Taiwan was resisted by inmates, with mixed compliance, as staff were permitted to continue to smoke at work.8
The introduction of smokefree prisons overseas have also regularly been met with the emergence of a black market for tobacco.9–11 There was an initial rise in tobacco contraband in the first 2 months following the introduction of the New Zealand policy and the black market price of tobacco doubled;12 however prisons enhanced their methods for checking and stopping contraband entering, and no further tobacco related problems have been reported since.
Another initial reported problem was allegation of some prisoners attempting to smoke their nicotine patches mixed with tea leaves.13 However, there have been no further reports of this nature, and it is unclear if this is an ongoing issue.
Three factors were likely to have contributed to the widespread acceptance of smokefree prisons in New Zealand. First, the comprehensive preparation provided by both the Department of Corrections and individual correction facilities; second, the availability, range and standard of smoking cessation support services; and third, the opportunity to learn from overseas experience and enact a comprehensive policy (covering both indoors and outdoors) as opposed to a partial policy.
Preparation for the smokefree policy consisted of a year-long lead-in period.14 During this time, prisoners were provided with educational materials which outlined the health risks of smoking along with advice on how best to quit. After the proposed smokefree policy was announced and prior to its implementation, 2000 prisoners started nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).15
Six voluntary smokefree units were established across the country up to 9 months before the policy was enforced, receiving unexpected support from inmates.16 Tobacco sales were outlawed in prisons a month before the full smokefree prison policy came into effect.17 Police stations also promoted the smokefree prisons policy in advance.1
Smoking cessation services available to inmates have consisted of both pharmacological and behavioural support. These have included NRT, access to a national free-phone service (Quitline), access to cessation guidance books and assistance from health care staff trained in smoking cessation support.15,18 While there were initial concerns over the level of cessation support available for prisoners prior to the policy implementation,19 extra activities were provided as part of the smoking cessation programme including: sporting events, exercise initiatives,20 cultural activities and art classes.15,21 In one correctional facility, prisoners were provided with healthy snacks (carrot sticks) to assist with withdrawal symptoms.22
An important observation, noted from other studies, is that policies that have enforced a 100 percent smokefree environment tended to face fewer problems than “indoor only” policies.23 The smokefree prison policy introduced in New Zealand prohibits smoking within the entire prison premises (both indoors and outside), thus making the policy easier to enforce.
Evidence from the US suggests that poor compliance with a smokefree prison policy is associated with a lack of strict enforcement from staff who object to the rules.24 Fortunately, in New Zealand, Corrections staff have been co-operative with the policy. This may partly be explained by the Department of Corrections having sponsored the development of “Workplace Champions”, a voluntary designated staff member, who was provided with smoking cessation training, with the intention of supporting colleagues and prisoners to quit, both before and after the policy was introduced.25
The aims of the New Zealand smokefree prison policy are to make prisons both healthier and safer, primarily to reduce secondhand smoke exposure and risk of fires.26 Staff working in prisons without smokefree policies are exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke exposure. An Irish study showed that 44% of non-smoking prison workers had carbon monoxide levels in respired breath equivalent to those of a light to heavy smoker.27
Studies of indoor air quality in prisons before and after smokefree policies have shown a significant decrease in nicotine concentrations in ambient air.28 Indeed, recent evaluation work in an Auckland prison showed indoor air pollution levels (of fine particulates associated with second-hand smoke) to have halved as a result of the new policy.17
The smokefree prisons policy appears to have reduced the risk of fires. Within a month of the introduction of the policy, the number of arson-related incidents in prisons dropped. The month before the policy was introduced 18 fires and arson-related incidents occurred compared to only four in the month after the policy was introduced, and only one the following month.29 This was likely to result from the prohibition placed on cigarette lighters, which accompanied the tobacco ban.
Smokefree prisons policies have occasionally been associated with riots30,31 and an increase in inmate violence.32 One New Zealand prison was reported to have an increase in violence between prisoners in the month following the introduction of the policy.33 The number of serious assaults in prisons since the implementation of the policy are yet to be reported.
International evidence suggests that the re-uptake of smoking once leaving a smokefree prison is high.34 Fortunately in New Zealand, relapsed smokers can get quitting support from the Quitline and many other health service providers. Relapse risk in the community will also be lowered as the price of tobacco continues to rise (with multiple tobacco tax rises planned by the current Government).
There are also other supportive environmental measures being planned on the country’s path towards achieving the “Smokefree Nation 2025” goal, such as the requirement for plain (or standard) packaging, being introduced in Australia. However, we believe the smoking relapse rate for released prisoners should be quantified and their needs for services to support them remaining smokefree assessed. Such evidence would help evaluate whether current quit support for prisoners on leaving prison is adequate, and help identify areas where further assistance may be needed.
The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control introduced Article 8 in 2007 for countries to protect their citizens from secondhand smoke in indoor public places and workplaces.23 Five years on, it appears that New Zealand is the first country to have successfully addressed these issues in all their prisons. The available evidence suggests that the policy has been successfully introduced, with no evidence of the problems reported in other jurisdictions. Objective indicators have shown both improved indoor air quality17 and reduced incidence of fires29 after the policy was introduced.
Nevertheless, we believe that a more in-depth evaluation of this policy is now desirable to inform other smokefree developments in New Zealand, but also to assist the introduction of national smokefree prison policies in other countries. A systematic evaluation of this tobacco control intervention could include a more comprehensive assessment of air quality expanding the previous assessment beyond a single prison, surveying staff and prisoners, measuring health indicators amongst staff and inmates, further determining trends in fires, and assessing whether smokefree prisoners remain so after their release back to their communities.
Lucie Collinson1*; Nick Wilson1; Richard Edwards1; George Thomson1; Simon Thornley2
1 Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington
2 School of Population Health, The University of Auckland
*Corresponding author, Dr L Collinson: email@example.com
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Journalism: Enrolling, persisting, learning
Writer Stephan Melendez, '13.
Journalism requires people who are dedicated, responsible and have a passion for writing. Being a journalist involves working outside of your comfort zone, which presents opportunities to gain self-confidence and self-esteem. With all these aspects considered, why would someone sign up for Publications?
Having been in the class for almost two semesters now, there is no doubt in my mind that journalism has and will continue to help me in many ways.
One day I hope to become the president of a large company and, although English is not my greatest strength, I will need great orating and writing abilities. For a long time, my peers advised me to join journalism to help improve my writing and English skills.
After contemplating the big decision about enrolling, I came to the final resolution of joining a constantly criticizing work environment. I knew the reward was greater than negative evaluations since The Feather is nationally recognized with two Gold Crowns from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, among other awards.
Within the first few weeks of registering, I was assigned to my first article -- a nerve-wracking task due to my lack of experience. I was in shock with all that the editors and adviser Greg Stobbe asked of me; the expectations were to turn in articles in a timely manner, put in links, provide pictures for my work and, most importantly, not to make the same mistake twice.
I was able to complete my first article with help from alumna Sydney Ray, '10, who came in for a few days to assist new students with their writing. Ray taught me the ropes of becoming a superior journalist and what it really takes to write a quality article. She gave me the specifics of writing a good introduction and helped me to be creative when asking questions in interviews. After completing the piece, she left and I felt insecure again, like a baby wanting my blanket to protect myself from the editors' daunting corrections.
Soon after, I was assigned a harder article with a time limit attached. Unfortunately I panicked, and was unable to turn it in on time because I couldn't finish fast enough. At times I was unable to meet deadlines, and ended up scrambling to finish the mandatory 10 articles before the first semester ended. Only nine were published.
Despite improving slightly and turning in 90 percent of my articles, I was still unsatisfied, and so were others. Editor-in-Chief Austin Ward, '11, and many of the other editors gave me this advice: "Next semester, work more adequately."
I was not going to let the failed articles determine my future in journalism or what I could accomplish if I were to continue in the class.
"Journalism is teaching me to work diligently under pressure, and especially to accept criticism; I am not perfect and should always seek improvement." --Stephan Melendez, '13
During the second semester I needed to learn to take down my wall of pride and ask both editors and the peers for help, even if that meant getting criticized to my breaking point. Unlike my first semester self, which was shy and scared to ask questions, I knew I was unable to continue writing on my own and that I required someone to help when I needed it the most.
Knowing that the critique would hurt, I needed to endure it so that I could become a better writer. With patient assistance from Reviews Editor Mary Hierholzer, '12, I was able to improve in all areas of my writing.
Another individual who always reassured me was Senior Editor Ashley Ward, '11. She was there when I wanted to quit, and comforted me, telling me that I could succeed in my endeavors as long as I worked diligently. Ashley took much time to help write and perfect my articles -- something she did not have to do. She told me to learn from my mistakes and not to repeat them.
Now that I have been in journalism for almost a full school year, I have noticed that I have excelled in my English writing and the way I speak to people. Journalism is teaching me to work diligently under pressure, and especially to accept criticism; I am not perfect and should always seek improvement.
Since every day is a learning process for me, I apply what Stobbe has taught me in all my essays. Aside from giving me basic motivation as my journalism adviser, he has taught me to learn from my mistakes, which helped me to receive my first A in an English class last semester. Although it's been difficult, journalism has been a huge learning experience in my life that I do not regret.
I will continue working on The Feather and will write the best I can so that I don't make the same mistakes I made before. Journalism taught me that when life sets an obstacle before you, ask for help so you can learn how to overcome your hardship.
The pros of journalism include learning how to improve in English, familiarizing yourself with approaching people to interview, writing about challenging subjects and developing a team mentality. Difficult aspects of journalism are often criticized, such as working under pressure and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Journalism has both positives and negatives, but you are ultimately rewarded after enrolling, persisting and learning.
For more columns on experiences in journalism, read the Feb. 24 article, Journalism develops sophomore's team mentality. | <urn:uuid:60f22f8d-d53f-4cf5-b8fd-a01feef6988e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thefeather.com/?page=articles&id=56880 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977575 | 1,095 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The question is whether the strategic, security and financial imperatives of Egypt and Saudi Arabia will force them to swallow their qualms about working with each other.
"If Egypt can't sustain its financial system there could be a power vacuum and the sort of situation that al Qaeda might exploit. The Saudis have an interest in maintaining the viability of Egypt's economy," said Jordan.
For its part, the Muslim Brotherhood knows Egypt has no credible donors that could substitute for Saudi Arabia, said Daniel Kurtzer, U.S. ambassador to Egypt from 1997-2001.
"I don't think the leadership of any of the Egyptian factions - the military, civil society, the Islamists - would want to change things. The problem is where the street takes Egyptian policy," he said.
Jamal Khashoggi, an influential Saudi commentator and former newspaper editor, said Riyadh was watching Egypt's transition.
"It's waiting for Egypt to settle and for a leadership to emerge before we start rebuilding the strategic alliance we have with them," he said.
(Reporting By Angus McDowall in London, Sherine El Madany in Cairo and Amena Bakr in Dubai; Editing by Alistair Lyon) | <urn:uuid:a76cb9fb-e98c-42b3-b30c-71ed284cc92d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-01/news/sns-rt-us-saudi-egypt-brotherhoodbre8400zm-20120501_1_ahmed-el-gezawi-saudi-arabia-muslim-brotherhood/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963814 | 243 | 1.625 | 2 |
Article 210 Branch Circuits
Article 240 Overcurrent Protection
Article 250 Grounding and Bonding
Article 314 Outlet, Device, Pull and Junction Boxes; Conduit Bodies; Fittings; and Handhole Enclosures
Article 410 Luminaires (Lighting Fixtures), Lampholders, and Lamps
Article 430 Motors, Motor Circuits, and Controllers
Article 440 Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Equipment
Article 514 Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities
Article 517 Health Care Facilities
Article 702 Optional Standby Systems
Q: Does a 15A, 125V receptacle located within 6 feet of a laundry tub, but behind a washing machine in the laundry room of a dwelling unit, have to be GFCI protected? Do the exceptions that do not require GFCI protection for receptacles that supply appliances in dedicated space apply to the receptacle behind the washing machine?
A: The exceptions mentioned in the question only apply to receptacles in garages, accessory buildings and unfinished basements. There is no exception for Item (7) of 210.8(A), which applies to all 15A and 20A, 125V receptacles located within 6 feet of the outside edge of a laundry tub.
Q: Is there a requirement in the National Electrical Code (NEC) for optional standby wiring from a generator to be separate from all other wiring?
A: No, there is not. Optional standby systems are covered in Article 702—Optional Standby Systems. It is a short article that occupies a little more than a single page. These systems are generally required to have a transfer switch to prevent back-feed into the utility distribution system. Wiring for optional standby systems may occupy the same raceways, cables, boxes and cabinets with the general wiring in the building. This information is in 702.9.
Q: Does the NEC permit rigid nonmetallic conduit as the wiring method for gasoline-dispensing pumps? If the answer is yes, are there any special requirements?
A: The answer to the first question is yes. Rigid nonmetallic conduit (RNC) is permitted as a wiring method for gasoline-dispensing pumps under controlled conditions given in Exception No. 2 to 514.8. The conduit must be buried under not less than 2 feet of cover. Where rigid nonmetallic conduit is used, threaded rigid metal conduit or threaded steel intermediate metal conduit must be used for the last 2 feet of underground run up to emergence or to the point of connection to the above-ground raceway. The NEC requires conduit seals as the first fitting above grade except for listed explosion-proof reducers. It does not permit explosion-proof unions, boxes and couplings between the seal fitting and the conduit where it emerges from the earth.
An equipment-grounding conductor is required in the raceway to provide grounding continuity for all non-current-carrying metal parts.
Q: Are all circuit breakers (15A and 20A) suitable for switching lighting branch circuits, or do circuit breakers used for this purpose still require special marking?
A: The requirement for special markings on circuit breakers does not apply to all circuit breakers that switch luminaires (lighting fixtures) on and off. The rule in 240.83(D) only applies to 120V and 277V fluorescent lighting. Where the branch circuit switches this load, the circuit breaker must be marked “SWD” or “HID.” Where a circuit breaker is used to switch high intensity discharge lighting, it must be marked “HID.” There are no special marking requirements for circuit breakers that are used to switch incandescent lighting.
Q: Am I permitted to run the grounding-electrode conductor from the building steel to the metal water pipe and then from the building steel to the service grounded conductor at the service? What kinds of connectors are permitted if this method meets the NEC?
A: Yes, 250.50, 250.52, 250.58 and 250.64 grant permission to run the grounding-electrode conductor from one grounding electrode to the other. To provide a grounding-electrode system, 250.50 requires that all grounding electrodes be bonded together. Article 250.52 recognizes 10 feet or more of buried metal water pipe and the metal frame of a building or structure as grounding electrodes. These two grounding electrodes are considered to be a single grounding electrode where they are effectively bonded together by complying with 250.58. And 250.64(F) permits a grounding-electrode conductor to be run to any convenient grounding electrode available in the grounding-electrode system. Part (F) also requires that the grounding-electrode conductor be sized for the largest grounding-electrode conductor required for any of the grounding electrodes connected to it.
Connections of grounding-electrode conductors to grounding electrodes must conform to the requirements in 250.64(C). This part generally requires that grounding-electrode conductors be installed in one continuous unbroken length, but there are four alternate methods that are recognized. The first alternate method may be used for this installation. It allows irreversible compression-type connectors listed as grounding and bonding equipment or by the exothermic welding process.
Q: Are GFCI-protected receptacles required in operating rooms in hospitals? We remodeled some operating rooms in an existing hospital and installed GFCI receptacles because these rooms were declared wet locations. Now hospital personnel are complaining that circuit breakers are tripping and would like us to remove the GFCI protection. Do you have any suggestions?
A: I suggest that you tell the operating room staff that they have some defective electrical equipment in the operating room that must be repaired or replaced. I would not remove any GFCI circuit breakers or GFCI receptacles unless they prove to be defective. If any are found to be defective, replace them, but I suspect the problem is with the equipment.
According to Underwriters Laboratories standards, listed appliances must not have leakage current greater than 0.5 milliamps when tested for compliance.
Where electric power interruption cannot be tolerated (as in an operating room), an isolated power system may be provided instead of GFCIs. Requirements for an isolated power system and equipment are located in 517.160.
I mentioned GFCI receptacles to cover all possibilities, even though “hospital grade” receptacles with self-contained GFCIs may not be available.
Q: Does the NEC require a disconnect switch within sight of an evaporator fan motor? The refrigeration installation personnel do not want a switch for this motor because someone can turn it off and cause a freeze up.
A: Yes. The NEC requires a disconnect for the evaporator fan. However, the disconnect is permitted to control other motor loads. A single disconnecting means is allowed to disconnect the hermetic refrigerant motor-compressor and evaporator fan. This arrangement will prevent disconnecting the evaporator motor by itself. Article 440.12 (B) permits a single disconnect for more than one motor.
A sign at or on the disconnect that reads, “Evaporator Fan—Do Not Turn Off” or similar language should help to prevent anyone from turning this switch off by mistake if it is decided to leave the switch in place.
Q: Motor vehicle hoist motors, which are part of a UL-listed vehicle, do not have overload protection. Do these assemblies satisfy the requirements in the NEC?
A: If the only concern is the absence of motor-overload protection, the answer is yes. The Note under the Duty-Cycle Service Table 430.22(E) reads that any motor application shall be considered as continuous duty unless the nature of the apparatus it drives is such that the motor will not operate continuously with load under any condition of use. Since these lifts are generally operated by handheld, momentary-contract pendant switches, the motor never operates continuously. Therefore, 430.33 Intermittent and Similar Duty applies. Part of 430.33 reads “A motor used for a condition of service that is inherently short-time, intermittent, periodic, or varying duty as illustrated by Table 430.22(E) shall be permitted to be protected against overload by the branch-circuit, short-circuit and ground-fault protective device, provided the protective device rating or setting does not exceed that specified in Table 430.52.”
It is also necessary to follow the manufacturer’s installation and user instructions to comply with 110.3(B) in the NEC.
Q: Can I run three sets of 500Kcmil copper conductors with Type THWN insulation for a 1,200A service?
A: No. A 1,200A overcurrent device cannot protect these service-entrance conductors because their total ampacity is 1,140A (380 × 3), and 240.4(B) does not permit rounding up to the next larger size fuses or circuit breaker because 240.4(B)(3) limits this permission to overcurrent protection rated 800A or less. These service conductors must be protected by a standard size 1,000A overcurrent device or an 1,100A nonstandard size overcurrent device. Conductor size must be increased to 600 Kcmil copper for a 1,200A service.
A: Yes. The volume of the canopy may be added to the volume of the box. Article 314.16(A), which allows the volume of a domed cover to be added to the volume of the box, permits this. Also, 410.10 allows canopies and outlet boxes taken together to provide adequate space for connection of luminaire (fixture) conductors and branch-circuit conductors. EC
FLACH, a regular contributing Code editor, is a former chief electrical inspector for New Orleans. He can be reached at 504.734.1720. | <urn:uuid:3a16b35a-6ae6-41f3-8baf-0074a48d354b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecmag.com/print/section/codes-standards/gfci-protection-conductors-and-more?qt-issues_block=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902821 | 2,058 | 2.125 | 2 |
We’ve been talking about Faculty-Student Interaction on my campus lately. It’s one of the key criteria of the success of a learning institution, it’s about whether your students and faculty talk to each other, and it’s hard to get right.
For our discussions we read Cotten and Wilsons’ “Student–faculty interactions: Dynamics and determinants,” in Higher Education, 51, 2006, which includes a good overview of the literature and describes a qualitative assessment of faculty-student interaction on a campus that I think is pretty representative.
Here’s a stream of thought influenced in part by Cotten and Wilson and in part by my own observations.
First of all, the research generally says that more student-faculty interaction is better–for student learning, development, self-worth, persistence, and other things. It also says that this interaction can come in lots of ways: it can be formal, informal, in-class, out-of-class, social, academic, accidental, planned, one-on-one, in a group, etc.
But the literature also says it happens surprisingly rarely. Why? Well, a lot of factors come to mind. Faculty and student time, the way campus space is designed (faculty and students have their own ghettos, if you will); the difference in age and activity (faculty are at “work” and students are learning and living and having fun); even differences in, um, feedback styles. Cotten and Wilson note that faculty are trained to find fault and eliminate it, while students often need just the opposite–validation.
To my mind a little bit of fear is involved, too. Many teachers seem have a deep-seated fear of having their personal life overrun by needy, informal, chaotic students asking for extensions, calling them by their first names at 3 AM, and generally acting 18. Cotten and Wilson point out students have a fear as well, of feeling obliged by a closer relationship to do more, take more responsibility, of being afraid to let the professor down. You can see each fear as the shadow of the other; in both cases people worried about the unpredictable effect of these mysterious new relationships on their work and life.
Of course these fears both assume extreme cases. You can probably hang out with students a little bit more without suddenly having them stalk you, and you could talk a little bit to a professor about their research now and then without feeling like they would show up in your dorm room if you slept late one day.
Cotten and Wilson also share what I think is a key idea–that what’s really behind improved interaction is simply a better sense of community. It does seem that people in a community do better–maybe because they have more opportunities to understand what’s expected, more room to explore how to be themselves, more room to grow into and try on new ideas and roles, something more lasting than grades and keg parties to invest in, a feeling people care about them, a feeling they are part of something bigger. But of course you can’t have a community made of ships passing in the night. (On a side note, when you start to think about community, you also realize that there are a lot of other ships passing in the nocturnal sea of our campuses. Shouldn’t we be talking about faculty-staff and student-staff interaction? Staff-parent interaction? Faculty-visitor interaction? Interactions with grad students? Etc.)
What’s sad for me about limited student-faculty interaction is that we’re missing an opportunity to let people discover their own personal path to learning by seeing how other people do it. When you think about it, the intrinsic motivation to learn–that desire to discover, learn, understand, share, improve the world, solve problems–that reason why faculty like their subjects, are drawn to research and scholarship and teaching–that wonderful motivating spark–is a deeply personal, simple, humane, human essence. That’s what we’re tying to help students find in themselves, but that’s not really communicated well in formal instruction–that’s the kind of thing that you see when someone lets their guard down, inside the Actor’s Studio, if you will, at ease in their lab, or being reflective over lunch. Situations where you don’t need to be right or official, but just yourself. If we don’t have good faculty-student interaction, students won’t get a lot of chance to see this in their faculty; if they figure it out on their own, it’ll be as it were in spite of school, not because of it.
So that’s the trouble. The solution is likely (as usual) a smörgåsbord of options. A lot of great programs exist already to improve interaction. Mentor programs, have class over for dinner programs. Take a faculty member out to lunch, Anthropology Department candle pin bowling night, etc. These are great. Even little things like reminding faculty to “act like you care about the students” or nudging students to “ask your professor about their research” help a lot, too.
As I reflect off the top of my head on additional possible things we could do, I come up with four, which I array for you free of charge, as my concluding device:
- Share space. Let your campus space be a big studio where faculty, students, and staff are interminged in their various moments of work and play. Build buildings and networks of buildings that are not designed for any one thing–be it study, teaching, living, or research, but that allow them all. Let the Reggio Emilia idea of the environment as the “third teacher” influence the way you work together. Even let faculty live on campus! I know, crazy.
- Eat together. You probably can’t have the magic ceiling and floating candles, but you probably have some of the other attributes of the Harry Potter dining hall experience in the big cafeterias on your campus. Why not make it so no classes or meetings or work may happen from 12 – 2 and then require people to all repair to the cafeteria? Make the food free. Add some announcements. Summer camp effect.
- Advisory Committees. I’m a big fan of the personal advisory committee made of people outside your context (I should blog on this). It’s like peer review for your life. One boss and a colleague or two from your small sphere is not enough feedback or breadth of input for your serious and meaningful plans and personal improvement. The advisory committee could work for faculty-student interaction: imagine if each student were required to sit on the advisory committee of a faculty member not in their major, understand their research, give them suggestions on their challenges, contribute feedback on their activities, tell people about how great they are. Wouldn’t that feel neat? Call it an adopt-a-faculty member program.
- Co-labor. This is of course rather basic, but it’s probably the best way to improve faculty-student interaction, at least of my four: give your faculty and students some task they need to do together, something they can’t do on their own, with a shared goal, and hold them mutually accountable. They will know each other fast. | <urn:uuid:79b610f8-a638-4e4b-b568-f5d86c8d6a58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wedaman.wordpress.com/tag/co-labor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964791 | 1,549 | 1.726563 | 2 |
by Guest Author on March 8, 2013
It can be pretty mind-blowing when you begin to notice and make connections from different walks of life. It becomes a reinterpretation of the world around you. Breathtaking. I have found people have a unique way to relive history. A way to bring the past to the present. They have done so through a single way we all know as themes. Themes have become so common place we have relegated them to parties or festivals but here’s what I’ve noticed about them; a theme sends a strong message. It aids people in having an almost concrete idea of what the occasion is and what they should expect. It does so in a few words. I know companies have pledges and mission statements but does that really tell the customer anything? Usually it leaves them confused. Let’s fix this.
Pick a word: Themes are usually simple words. To make the job easier pick one. It has to be a word that espouses everything you think your company stands for or will stand for. You must think very hard and choose carefully. This word will make up a huge chunk of your company’s message. This word will set the tone for the direction of your company in the minds of consumers. The word should not have a compound meaning. Don’t pick a word like “innovative” or “creative”. Those words have lost their meaning these days. Choose words that will be uniquely you ten years from now. Vanmoof has chosen “fresh.”
Ask what it means to you: As the company head, is this word you? Does this word conflict with your values? Does this word set off butterflies in your stomach? Will you be able to live with whatever decisions you make as a result of associating yourself with this word? Valve has dibs on “freedom,” and it shows with how loose they are when it comes to indie mods even the way their staff pick their projects.
Make that word your vision: Apple’s theme is the word “different.” Reaching down Apple’s history, the company has tried to make everything different from what is available on the market. It has manifested this theme through design, engineering, and primarily through ease of use. This is the reason why when Apple falters in an area customers moan (the famous antenna issue) . Let’s look at Coca-Cola. In my opinion, they’ve taken to “availability.” Unconsciously, you expect to see that red can in the refrigerator in any convenience store. When that iconic red can is missing you notice. Google has been able to supplant “speed” in the minds of people such that when a Google product comes by you just expect it to be quick and disappointed when it’s not. To a customer, Google has deviated from what Google should be. Themes elicit strong emotional responses in customers because of the clarity it provides. Live and breathe your company’s theme. GoPro has taken a liking to “adventure” by creating a camera that’s versatile and asking people film their crazy outdoor experiences.
Make that word into a conversation through actions: Sure you’re remarkable company right now and people are talking about you. Make it easier. Seth Godin reminds us to be ridiculous. Through “ridiculous” actions or superb products, it makes it easier for customers to tell their friends about you. They’ll make your company theme their choice word for interaction. That word or a variation of it will pop up in conversations. Let this word reflect in your entire business practice. For instance, people queue up at the bakery down the road because Ahmed makes his bread “important”. Everyone is greeted like he’s known them for ages. He takes Polaroid pictures of every new customer and displays it on the bakery’s wall with the customer’s signature. Even the bread packaging screams “important” with a different message every week. When people talk, they will talk about how important Ahmed makes them feel. Everybody wants a feel good experience hence more customers. Let us consider BufferApp. Their goal is to make posting to the internet “convenient”, their payment plan aims at convenience, and even their customer service strives to make the product a lot more convenient. This reviewer gets it’s about convenience off the bat.
About the Author
Ogaba Agbese is an architect in training, a poet. Founder and CEO of TreeJump, a nostalgia engine currently in the works. | <urn:uuid:e4e5ff22-ab1f-44b5-86cc-fac5c00f7e79> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://entrepreneursunpluggd.com/blog/the-renaissance-thanksgiving-and-startups | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961537 | 966 | 1.84375 | 2 |
In my last post, I talked about what it means to be part of the digital generation.
When I was growing up, I never had much technology, until at least my late teen years. I did all of the ‘childhood things’ – played outside, went to the park, learned to ride a bike. My toy box contained things like dolls, cards, marbles and lego bricks.
My little brother, over a decade younger than me, is growing up with handheld consoles, computer games and internet TV.
the digital revolution
In my opinion, one of the most exciting times to live is on the edge of a revolution – whether it be religious, scientific or any new and radical way of living or thinking. Right now, we’re on the border of the digital generation. I grew up without knowing the what the word ‘gadget’ even meant, and yet today I’m blogging on my laptop connected wirelessly anywhere I go, with my iPhone in my pocket and my Kindle in my bag.
We are the transitioning generation. We are the ones that are on the border, the frontier.
We lived behind the border, and now we’re living after it. We have a bit of both worlds – when I was little, I handwrote my journals, now I type them into the cloud. When I was a teen, I used to listen to CD’s on a stereo player, now I stream music wherever I go. When I was younger, I read paper novels, now I read digital ones.
My little brother never knew the days when handheld consoles only had two colors, or when cell phones were bigger than his head. And I’ll soon forget about those days too.
the minimalist revolution
Now, again, I’ve realized we are in the midst of another revolution – the one of minimalism. Our parents worked long hard hours at the office to get the nice houses we grew up in, or to fund those piano lessons or those expensive clothes we thought we needed to be popular when we were teenagers.
And now, things are changing with us. As much as we are grateful for everything our parents have given us, we realize that that’s exactly all that they have been doing – giving. My parents gave me so so much that I wonder, when did they have time for their own lives?
We are the generation that is changing. We’re not becoming selfish or self-centered, we just don’t want to see the good things that were done for us go to waste in creating another ‘just-ordinary’ life. I honestly don’t want to see my parents set up such a great life for me, so that I could get a good education and so on just for me to become another working zombie.
We’re taking life by the horns and living a life worth living. We’re taking it upon ourselves to help others, not waiting for somebody else to do it.
And soon there will be the next generation. Just like what happened with technology, perhaps in a few decades they won’t know any different. They won’t know that there were so many people that slaved away at jobs they hated, put ‘work’ before others, or that people gave up on their dreams so easily.
The internet and everything it can do seemed impossible just two decades ago. Let’s see what ‘impossible’ things minimalism can bring to the world two decades from now.
Minimalism is building momentum. This isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning.
PS. This is Minimal Student’s 100th post! I’m updating the ‘most popular posts’ section, tell me your favorite posts from the past! You can comment here or find me @minimalstudent .
PPS. Sharing is caring! | <urn:uuid:185b5148-d866-4c1c-a8af-5d27ccd145ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.minimalstudent.com/the-border-of-a-new-generation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965856 | 820 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Date of Award
Master of Science (MS)
John C. Schmidt
Restoration of the upper Strawberry River included bank stabilization techniques because it was assumed that excessive bank erosion was degrading spawning habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki Utah)(BCT). Using a long-term aerial photograph record, we determined the historic range of variability in bank erosion rates and channel geometry, and used this information to assess present-day conditions and the rationale for restoration. Relative to historic variability, bank erosion rates were low and channel morphology was stable in the decade prior to restoration. Although a historic loss of riparian vegetation coincided with a shift to a wider and more sinuous channel, lateral migration rates declined to lowest levels in the period-of-record and the channel narrowed as riparian cover increased in the decades prior to restoration. Additionally, the percentage of fine sediment in the streambed prior to restoration was insufficient to impact BCT spawning success. Furthermore, using a 1-D hydraulic model we examined pre- and post-restoration channel morphology and hydraulic variables related to habitat conditions for BCT. The results of the historical analysis suggest that bank erosion and fine sediment did not affect the quality of spawning habitat or the abundance of BCT on the upper Strawberry River. Furthermore, the 1-D hydraulic model shows that the physical in-channel manipulations made little improvements in achieving marketed changes in habitat and as such may have little effect on BCT spawning and resident population success. Our results highlight how a historic analysis can be used to identify the sources of habitat degradation and inform the selection of restoration goals and strategies as well as how surveyed cross-sections coupled with a 1-D hydraulic model can examine initial success of in-stream manipulation for habitat enrichment of a restoration project.
Baillie, Marshall Bruce, "Historic Channel Change and Post-Project Analysis of a Habitat Restoration Project on the Upper Strawberry River, Utah" (2011). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports. Paper 131.
Copyright for this work is retained by the student. | <urn:uuid:cbd2300c-ab66-4661-886a-397e0cd93878> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/131/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918778 | 420 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Swindles and swindlers are fascinating—and they can have a big impact on their victims, both individuals and institutions.
The Ponzi Scheme Puzzle: A History and Analysis of Con Artists and Victims (2012) is a new book by law professor Tamar Frankel. She draws on accounts (in court cases, news stories, and elsewhere) of hundreds of scams to examine the perpetrators, the schemes, and the victims. She also dips into some psychological studies. The epilogue offers a few tips on how to avoid being scammed. A quick summary: heed the old saying, "If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is."
The publisher's page is here (includes summary, reviews, table of contents).
The catalog record is here. The book is available on campus at HV6691 .F73 2012 in Suzzallo/Allen Stacks.
I liked the story of the Carlo/Charles Ponzi, the Italian teenager with rich tastes who immigrated to America in the early 1900s hoping to make it big. He bounced around, working at (and hating) menial jobs, doing time for check forgery, working in a logging camp's office, and more.
With his Securities Exchange Company (which used deposits from later investors to pay the earlier investors), he had a wild run of success in 1920 and lived the elegant lifestyle he'd dreamed of. Thousands of investors (particularly in the Boston area) loved his charm and style—until they realized they'd lost their life savings.
Even though the modern reader knows that Ponzi's "business" isn't sustainable, the author generates suspense as the bank examiner, the state attorney general, and the local district attorney move closer and closer to Ponzi. (Spoiler alert: he's caught and prosecuted.)
The publisher's page is here.
The catalog record is here. The book is available on campus at HV6692.P66 Z83 2005 in the Odegaard Undergraduate Library.
Seattle Public Library (as I did).
How do you do that? I could try to explain it, but there's no need, since a librarian at Seattle U's law library created this terrific guide: Borrow a Seattle Public Library Book on Your Kindle.
(Seattle Public has an audio edition, too).
Graphics: Ponzi's Scheme book jacket from Random House; Kindle from Amazon.com. | <urn:uuid:249f585c-13fc-4a11-844a-d92024c6a852> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gallagherlawlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/02/amazing-investment-opportunity-high.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952888 | 501 | 1.992188 | 2 |
By E. L. Lancaster and Gayle Kowalchyk / David Carr Glover
Piano - Glover Method
Sight reading and ear training are two of the most important skills for any musician. Consequently, they should be developed systematically with performance, technical and theoretical skills from the time that keyboard study begins. As new concepts are introduced in the LESSONS book, they are reinforced visually and aurally in SIGHT READING AND EAR TRAINING. These books can be used with equal success in private and group lessons. The reading exercises are based on the premise that students develop secure reading skills by first playing in specific patterns and gradually moving out of these patterns. The recognition of intervals is crucial to the development of good reading habits. In addition, students must be able to quickly identify individual notes and patterns (melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic). | <urn:uuid:993a23a9-4dc3-45ba-890e-fe6253de8d07> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alfred.com/Products/David-Carr-Glover-Method-for-Piano-Sight-Reading-and-Ear-Training-Level-2--00-FDL01015.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926834 | 174 | 3.671875 | 4 |
February 29, 2012
According to comScore, online retail sales increased by 14 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and by 13 percent for the full year. The increased use of mobile devices to access product and price information by shoppers while in-store (known as “showrooming”) is accelerating this shift to online sales, as well as motivating consumers to ultimately buy products at another retailer offering a better price.
For a retailer considering consumers’ growing preference to buy online and the disruption to traditional in-store shopping caused by showrooming, on the one hand, with the low interest in branded retail apps, on the other, is deploying a retail app a good strategy?
The short answer, in our view, is yes, provided that the app is designed with certain features and functionality. (This does not mean that retailers should not also be building viable mobile websites.) This is because consumer use of apps is now outpacing web browsing in general (see Chart 1).
And consumer use of mobile devices to access retail information grew by 87 percent during 2011 (in this case, the reference is to mobile online, not apps; see Chart 2). Research from the Pew American and Internet Life Project found that 52 percent of adult cellphone owners used their device while in store for purchase assistance (i.e., to call a friend, to look up product reviews, and to check prices elsewhere). Also noteworthy are the findings from a recent survey conducted by Prosper Mobile Insights, which found that 40.6 percent of survey respondents “stated that they have compared prices and then left to purchase an item from another retailer’s physical store,” and that “25.6 percent have compared prices and then purchased from another retailer’s website.”
Chart 2. Top Mobile Categories by Growth in Audience (000)
Source: comScore MobiLens, 3 mon. avg. ending Dec-2011 vs. Dec-2010, U.S.
Perhaps the issue is not whether retailers should create branded apps, but that they need to create apps that customers want to use. This is no small task, considering that IDG has found that “the majority of mobile phone owners use fewer than seven apps on a regular basis,” and that “only 17 percent regularly use more than 10 apps.”
So what functionality is required to get consumers to use retail branded apps? First, the easy suggestions:
Integrate mobile into the retailer’s customer strategy.
Incorporate features such as product research, how-to videos, way finding, and store information.
Solve a problem or provide utility.
Other features and functions that a retailer should consider incorporating into their apps (the harder ones) include:
Provide unbiased price checking and match pricing for loyal shoppers. While this will not help a retailer’s bottom line per se, it can result in increased customer loyalty and enable the retailer to retain the sale of certain items.
Make the payment process easy, as well as provide for mobile in-store payment
Provide immediate access to expert advice – think customer service.
Provide a recommendation engine and product reviews that incorporate social elements.
Be sure merchandise is available, and if it is not available in the store, provide other access options (i.e., ship to the customer’s home).
Coupons, promotions, and pricing need to be available and consistent across all platforms.
In the final analysis, it’s not about mobile shopping. It’s about empowering consumers to shop when, where, and how they want. This requires a multi-platform, integrated solution. So if you are a retailer, you’d better get your app in order.
Author’s note: To read the full article, Are Apps the Answer to Retail’s Future? click here.
Back to Human Action | <urn:uuid:4dbfab2e-0704-4e0d-b370-e00347483db0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.plattretailinstitute.org/blogs/entrydetails.phx?itemid=26&navid=102 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940127 | 804 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Thursday, 18 June 2009
1. Do NOT do the sniff test on clothing to see which items are clean unless you are fully prepared to bury your nose in some unidentifiable, disgusting scent that will singe your nose hairs and linger with you for days.
2. Band-Aids can fix most anything. But they won't stay on for long, and you'll probably find the used bandage when you step on it in bare feet and have it stick to the bottom of your foot. gross.
3. Clothing is optional. At all times.
4. Pee has a mind of its own and likes to find its way into trashcans, onto walls, on floors, and it especially likes to live outside along the side of the house when little boys are too “tired” to come “all the way” inside to use the proper toilet.
5. Touching yourself is mandatory. At all times.
6. Taking turns punching each other in the face while standing on the livingroom coffee table is a game, not violence.
7. Do NOT dig a hand into the pocket of dirty jeans to empty them out unless you are fully prepared to find something that might have once been living, but sadly, has been afforded a funeral in the linty pocket quite some time ago.
8. Saying ‘penis’ is fun. For whatever reason.
9. Do NOT put pants into the washer without checking the pockets at all unless you are prepared to open the finished and washed load to see everything covered with chocolate, or the innards of aforementioned dead creature.
10. Food is God. And King. And worshipped. And short-lived.
11. Nails can grow long and jagged before a boy notices them at all, and can sometimes harbor tiny bugs.
12. Grass stains skin too.
13. Video games make you smarter.
14. Boys don’t like it when mom always beats them at video games. (but still, they brag about mom and respect her skillz)
15. Underwear is optional.
16. Clean underwear are hard to find.
17. Socks can actually stand on their own.
18. Knees just need air, that’s why they always bust through pants so quickly.
19. Sometimes a boy just has to throw poop-filled underwear in the back of his closet and let it simmer until the whole room reeks. He does this just so he can see the “special” vein pop in Mom’s forehead when she finds the source of the odor and goes ultrasonic shrieking about it.
20. Nearly anything is edible... food found in the crack of the couch, food found under the slide at the park in the wood chips, wood chips themselves, rocks, dirt, ants...
21. Legos are evil toys. You are reminded of this every time you step on one on your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
22. Folding clothing is sooo last generation.
23. The sound of the ice cream truck is magical and insanely compelling.
24. Even simple board games must become full-contact sports.
25. No matter how old they get, sometimes they still need a kiss from Momma. (usually at the precise moment their nose is running like a faucet down their face...)
Do you have boys? What do you learn from being a mom of boys? Boys/Men, do you think this list is true? | <urn:uuid:b57e62ab-2f61-4f44-9e4c-88bea741d26e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.momaroo.com/704998477/25-things-i-learned-being-a-mom-of-boys/?page=1&jump=1490492747 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943266 | 737 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Turkey and science
Why secular academics fret about an “Islamic bicycle”
“A BICYCLE that is produced with God’s blessings in mind and man’s interests at its fore is an Islamic bicycle.” The pronouncement made at a recent conference in Istanbul by Alparslan Acikgenc, a professor from the Yildiz Technical University, brought nods of approval from his colleagues. “A bicycle that is painted with substances harmful to humans cannot be Islamic,” agreed another professor.
While the exchange elicited a flurry of mirthful commentary, not everyone was amused. Mustafa Akyol, a liberal Muslim writer, called the idea of an Islamic bicycle an “expression of the self-isolating mentality that has stagnated Muslim thought.” Secular academics have long fretted that the mildly Islamist Justice and Development (AK) party, in power since 2002, is promoting Islam ahead of science. They point to the introduction this year of Koran lessons in state-run schools. The emphasis on religious education is part of a controversial overhaul of the national curriculum, which many argue flies in the face of the rigidly secular principles of Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s founding father. This follows the appointments of overtly pious rectors to various state universities.
“For all their claims of being able to reconcile religion with modernity, Islamic movements in Turkey have signally failed to do so,” argues Ali Alpar, an astrophysicist at Istanbul’s Sabanci University. Mr Alpar is among a group of academics who resigned in protest from the country’s National Academy of Sciences last year after the government announced that it would henceforth be choosing some of its members.
In the event the government decided to let the country’s top science agency, known as TUBITAK, submit some of the names. Mr Alpar and his friends were unswayed. The agency has been steeped in controversy of its own. This erupted when it allegedly forced the editors of its science magazine to kill a cover story on Charles Darwin in March 2009. The move followed tweaks to TUBITAK’s charter that gave the government a greater say over its affairs. The agency later claimed that it had not censored the piece, blaming the change on editorial wrangles. But Mr Alpar says that an article on Galileo that the agency commissioned him to write was also spiked.
Suggestions that AK is steering Turkey towards Islamic rule are overwrought. And as the rest of Europe wrestles with the euro crisis, the Turkish economy continues to grow under AK’s steadying hand. Yet if Turkey is to remain competitive it needs to invest far more in research and development (the Directorate for Religious Affairs, which employs thousands of clerics, was allocated double the amount slated for TUBITAK last year). Alienating the country’s top scientists doesn’t help. “It is time,” says Mr Akyol, “for Muslims to rethink why early Islamic civilisation produced so much of universal value, from algebra to the lute, and why we hardly do that today.” | <urn:uuid:eac5c95c-ce38-4d46-9b56-97d699e7df11> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economist.com/node/21562945 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966961 | 656 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Finding the pearl of the orient
The colonial architecture of the Penang Town Hall. Photo: Reuters
We've flown into Kuala Lumpur with the intention of going jalan-jalan, or on the road to the Malays. I lived in KL, as everyone calls this crazy metropolis, for five years, and it is still like a second home. But this time there is no hanging around. My wife and I are setting out towards the northern border with Thailand, through the heartland of the Malay peninsula.
This part of the country is often overlooked by tourists, who prefer the golden beaches of the east coast, or paradise islands such as Tioman or Langkawi. Our final destination will be Penang, an island my Malaysian friends tell me has suddenly become one of south-east Asia's hottest destinations.
KL is the modern face of Malaysia, a skyscraper city of the future, where Blade Runner meets Bollywood. There are few reminders of the complex history of a country that declared independence from Britain only 55 years ago. Driving out of the centre, we soon find ourselves lost in a sprawling urban mass as intimidating as Los Angeles, and it is only with a little luck that we reach the busy north-south highway.
The road is surrounded on both sides by rolling hills, marked by geometric lines of palm oil and rubber plantations. The scene resembles an Escher drawing, and there is little trace of the dense rainforest that once covered most of Malaysia. After we've been going an hour, the landscape changes suddenly and dramatically, with massive limestone outcrops leaping hundreds of craggy feet out of the flat plains. Up on a hill, a giant but rather tatty billboard announces that we have arrived at Ipoh - City of Millionaires, and our first stop-off.
Soon we are sitting in the legendary Sinhalese Bar, the sole Sri Lankan bar in Malaysia, where the decor has not changed since it opened in 1931. I'm sipping a Tiger beer in an iced glass so cold it almost takes the skin off my fingers, and talking to our guide for the next few days, Hong Law Siak, who runs the local heritage association.
"People tend to forget that the modern, developed Malaysia owes its existence to the riches generated by tin and rubber," Hong says. "And in those days Ipoh was as important as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur."
But when the bottom dropped out of the tin market in the 1980s, Ipoh missed out on all the development that so radically altered the face of KL.
"So instead of glitzy, high-rise office blocks and space-age shopping malls, Ipoh has remained pretty much unchanged from the pioneer era. The traditional Chinese shop-houses have been left intact, as have grand colonial landmarks like the Anglo-Moorish railway station, known here as the Taj Mahal of Ipoh."
We leave the bar and wander along the street. Hong points out ornate Chinese clan houses, an abandoned photographer's studio with 1960s black and white prints in the window and a Madras textile shop, where the aged assistants still wear dhotis, scribble sales into a dusty, giant ledger, and an ancient poster on the wall proclaims that their checked sarongs were once Made in British India.
We disappear down the narrow Panglima Lane - known as Concubine Lane when it was lined with gambling and opium dens, brothels and the discreet residences of the many concubines kept by rich Chinese tin tycoons. I'm not surprised when Hong tells me that Ipoh was used as a backdrop for the French film Indochine, starring Catherine Deneuve, about the final days of French colonial rule.
Discovering the eclectic cuisine of Malaysia is always one of the most exciting parts of travelling here, and Ipoh is no exception. Hawker stalls around Pasar Besar, the teeming wet market, specialise in kway teow - wok-fried rice noodles with egg, prawns and juicy cockles - pork satay, paper-thin poh piah spring rolls stuffed with bean sprouts, and claypot chicken. Indian restaurants offer a dozen different curries around a mountain of rice on a banana leaf.
But the best meal we eat here is Malay nasi kandar, a self-service feast of at least 40 dishes, where a plate heaped with delicious okra and bitter gourd, spicy beef rendang, squid and fish curry costs less than two pounds ($A3.08).
The next day, Hong turns up in his car to drive us around the surrounding Kinta valley, where there used to be 1,000 tin mines. These are now deep, manmade lakes. Today, virtually none of the mines is still functioning: there is still tin beneath the ground, but extracting it is too expensive.
The century-old mining town of Papan is certainly no Klondike boom town: Most of the shop-houses that line the main street are abandoned or dilapidated. People pass the time playing mah jong or talking tin prices in the Lee Seow Yoon coffee shop. Papan is Hong's special project: He has lovingly recreated the dispensary where Sybil Kathigasu, known as the Malaysian Florence Nightingale, secretly treated guerrilla partisans during the Japanese occupation in the second world war.
The war theme continues down the road at Batu Gajah, where the eerie Anglican cemetery is named God's Little Acre. Here stand the graves of three British planters whose violent deaths in 1948 sparked the Malayan Emergency - 12 years of fierce fighting between Chinese communists, British forces and, later, the newly independent Malaysian government. The inscriptions are chilling: "Died at the hands of terrorists", "murdered by terrorists".
The mood lightens when Hong unveils his next surprise, a quite amazing ruined castle, straight out of a Somerset Maugham story. I had heard about Kellie's Castle many years before, but it used to be inaccessible, hidden in the jungle. Now this grandiose folly has become something of a tourist attraction, sitting majestically atop a grassy hillock.
William Kellie Smith arrived in Malaya in 1890, aged 20, and after rapidly making a fortune as a planter he decided to build a romantic castle for his wife - his childhood sweetheart, Agnes. Kellie designed it in ornate Moorish revival style, and planned a rooftop terrace for parties, a basement wine cellar, even a lift to get to the top of the tower.
But he died before it was completed. The castle was never inhabited, and after years of abandon it is now overgrown with vegetation and the gnarled roots of towering banyan trees, occupied by monkeys. This being Malaysia, it is apparently also home to numerous ghosts.
We finish the day 16km south in the town of Tanjung Tualang, where enterprising inhabitants had the original idea of transforming their mining lakes into farms for freshwater prawns. Every single shophouse here houses a noisy seafood restaurant, drawing busloads of gourmets each weekend. The succulent prawns are enormous and steamed to perfection in Chinese rice wine, egg white and ginger. This is pricy for Malaysia, though - a kilo will set diners back the equivalent of US$24.
Next day we head north from Ipoh, following winding backroads through shady rubber plantations to Kuala Kangsar, which looks at first like a quiet provincial town in a bend on the Perak river. In fact, this is a royal capital, home to the Sultan of Perak, some of the grandest palaces and mosques in Malaysia, and the prestigious Malay College, the nation's answer to the elite English school Eton.
The Sultan, whose predecessors have ruled Perak since the 1500s, lives in a grand pastel art deco palace, the Istana Iskandariah, but visitors can only get a peek from afar. The far more beguiling Istana Kenangan is a magnificent example of Malay architecture - all wood, but without a single nail. This is open to the public, because it houses the Royal Museum.
But nothing compares to the first view of the Ubudiah mosque, a swirling vision of marble turrets and golden cupolas. It was designed in 1917 by Arthur Benison Hubback, an unsung British government architect whose idiosyncratic Indo-Saracen buildings still stand out in most of Malaysia's major towns. Walking round its cool arcades I spot a young Malay couple, resplendent in pale blue wedding robes, posing shyly for photos. Malay hospitality is so generous, and foreign visitors to Kuala Kangsar so rare, that they even invite us to the reception.
Before reaching Penang, we plan a break in Malaysia's oldest hill station, one of the cool mountain resorts where you can escape the 30C temperatures and 95% humidity that is the daily climate throughout the year. The road signs may say Bukit Larut, but everyone still uses the colonial name of Maxwell Hill.
Most of the hill stations have been modernised, but not Maxwell Hill. The one road up to the 1,250m summit is a rough path with 72 hairpin bends, which only the official government jeep is allowed to tackle. Every hotel development here has ended up closed or abandoned, and although there are a couple of ramshackle bungalows and nature hostels, I have been warned to prepare for minimal facilities.
The reward, though, is a solitary paradise for birdwatchers, butterfly enthusiasts and jungle trekkers, with amazing views as far as the Andaman Sea. We are not to be rewarded today, though. Usually in Malaysia, everyone's favourite catchword is boleh - can do - but at the jeep office, where a "ticket sold out today" sign foils our plans, and no amount of persuasion, or bribery, can get us a seat. So we head back to the road, and, after a couple of hours, we are sailing over the eight-mile-long Penang bridge, which links the mainland to the island known as the pearl of the orient.
I must admit I did not really believe all the buzz about Penang, but the moment we arrive at our designer B&B it is obvious that the island's capital, George Town, is no longer the rundown place I remember. UNESCO world heritage status (granted in 2008) has saved historic buildings from the wrecking ball and bulldozer. Instead of making way for high-rise office blocks and shopping centres, the sumptuous Chinese mansions and maze-like shop-houses are being elegantly transformed into boutique hotels, art galleries and boutiques, funky restaurants and bars. And down in the street, there are still the teeming markets, artisan workshops, strange medicinal shops and delicious 24-hour hawker stalls that make George Town one of the last surviving authentic Chinatowns.
We're staying in Cheong Fatt Tze mansion - known as the Blue Mansion because of its distinctive painted walls - which was built in the 1880s by a Chinese entrepreneur dubbed the "Rockefeller of the East". I actually wandered in here years ago when the house was falling apart and inhabited by squatters. Now it is a symbol of George Town's transformation, restored to its former glory, guestrooms furnished with antiques from mainland China alongside art nouveau treasures over from Europe. Our room, in the old kitchen, has the original hearth and cooker.
For an even better glimpse of Penang's opulent past, there is the nearby Peranakan Museum, a perfectly preserved private mansion filled with treasures.
Wandering through Penang's melting pot of mosques, Hindu temples and incense-filled Chinese shrines, we stumble on Chinahouse, an eclectic cultural centre that exhibits art-house installations, promotes reggae and soul concerts and showcases gourmet Pacific Rim cuisine - unheard of in the old Penang. Studio Howard is a cutting-edge photo gallery, while Campbell House is a hip guesthouse with a genuine Venetian restaurant - it's run by a chef from La Serenissima who has come to Penang to make his name.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the metamorphosis of the pearl of the orient. Responsible heritage tourism could well have the same effect on the rest of Malaysia's heartland. | <urn:uuid:5016cd86-f7df-4321-92e7-49195ebfb4df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smh.com.au/travel/finding-the-pearl-of-the-orient-20120910-25nd7.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946555 | 2,597 | 1.507813 | 2 |
To vote for council, an elector must be 18 years of age on election day, be a Canadian citizen and have been a resident in the municipality for thre...
At a principled level everyone who is eligible to vote should vote. Voting is part of our political freedom and should not be taken lightly particul...
The choice you make at election time is important. Who you choose to represent you will affect the quality of the representation you receive. It wil...
Of the 36 Municipalities that have a Mayor system, 40% of the Mayors were acclaimed. Of the Municipalities that have a Ward system, which included ...
Offering to stand for municipal election is certainly a noble and selfless contribution to the betterment of your community but it is certainly n...
How to Vote
Why Should I Vote?
How to Choose a Municipal Councillor
Who won the 2008 Municipal Elections?
Other Ways to Contribute
Why Should I Vote?
At a principled level everyone who is eligible to vote should vote. Voting is part of our political freedom and should not be taken lightly particularly since so many Canadians died in defense of our freedoms including the right to vote.
Be a Citizen not a Subject
At a principled level everyone who is eligible to vote should vote. Voting is part of our political freedom and should not be taken lightly particularly since so many Canadians died in defense of our freedoms including the right to vote. Indeed if you were to take a closer look at the world today you would notice that the freedoms that we so often take for granted in Canada are not readily available in many countries. If you wish to be a citizen then you must vote. If you wish to be a subject then simply sit back and take what is given to you. The choice is yours!
Exercise Your Democratic Right
One of the real virtues of municipal government is that it is a great place to learn about and participate in the democratic process. While it may be difficult to navigate ones way through the maze of provincial and federal policy issues, the ones at the local level are easily understood and often very close to home. It is one of the reasons that municipal government is considered to be one of the building blocks in emerging democratic nations.
Yet notwithstanding the importance of local democracy, voter turnout by the young is alarmingly weak and is surely a cause for great concern. One of the ways to influence the young is to discuss local politics at home and to demonstrate the importance of voting by actually casting your own vote.
Be a Part of the Conversation
On a practical level elections are the time when incumbent politicians have to justify their voting record and discuss future directions. This is therefore the time when you can engage in a broad political conversation regarding the future direction of your municipality. Your active participation can also send a clear signal regarding the way in which your community is to be governed. With scarce resources not all needs and wants can be met. So which ones will get priority and which ones will not will often depend upon who is politically active. Will there be more money allocated to recreation or to water and sewer projects; will there be an increase in the snow removal budget or will there be more money for police and will keeping the tax rate low prevail over all other service delivery considerations. Choices have to be made and your voice needs to be heard. | <urn:uuid:0d6ea171-ecfc-4475-ae06-567d006bacb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ns-municipal-elections.ca/en/voters/47-why-should-i-vote.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962077 | 675 | 2.625 | 3 |
Infection Control: VRE Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus
What is VRE?
Enterococcus (EN-ter-oh-KOCK-us) is a type of bacteria, or germ. These bacteria live in the gastrointestinal tract (stomach-bowel tract).
In most cases, enterococcus bacteria cause no infection. But in some people, enterococcus can cause serious infection such as urinary tract infections, wound infections, and blood infections. Vancomycin (van-ko-MY-sin) is an antibiotic often used to treat enterococcus infections. When enterococcus are vancomycin-resistant, most antibiotics cannot kill the bacteria. Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus bacteria are called VRE for short.
What is colonization?
Some people can pick up and carry VRE for weeks and months. These people do not get sick, but they have VRE. This is called colonization (CALL-uh-nih-ZAY-shun). VRE colonization has no symptoms. Bacteria are present but do not cause an infection.
One way to check for colonization is by a test called a “culture.” A special cotton swab is gently rubbed on the skin outside of the rectum. This sample is tested for VRE. The test results are ready in 2 or 3 days.
Who gets VRE?
People most likely to get infected or colonized with VRE are those who:
- Are seriously ill
- Are hospitalized for a long time
- Have a serious disease that harms the body’s ability to fight infection
- Have taken many antibiotics
People who have VRE can spread it to other people. VRE can also be spread to objects and other surfaces in a room. Hospitals and other health care centers use special precautions (pre-CAW-shuns) to help prevent the spread of VRE. Patients with VRE are placed on special precautions. This means:
- Patients have a private room if one is available. If a private room is not available, 2 people with VRE may share a room.
- Staff and visitors should wear a gown and gloves to enter the isolation room.
- Before leaving the room, all patients, staff, and visitors must wash their hands with soap and water or waterless hand cleaner.
- Patients on special precautions must stay in their room when possible. If they have to leave the room, patients must wash their hands well and may need to wear protective clothing. This practice protects other patients, staff, and visitors.
- Generally, patients with VRE should not sit in patient lounges or go to the cafeteria.
- Some health care equipment may be kept in your room for your use only.
- Personal items in your room can be contaminated. You should have as few personal items in the room as needed. Such items should be stored in drawers and closets to keep surfaces free to be cleaned.
- During repeat visits to the health care facility, special precautions will be used
When you go home
When patients with VRE are discharged, they can return to their normal routine. They may go out in public.
- At home, good hand washing by every person in the house is important.
- Laundry and dishes can be done as usual.
- No special cleaning is required.
- Patients should tell anyone caring for them that they have VRE. This includes home health providers, nurses, therapists, doctors’ office staff, and rescue squads.
NOTE: If the individual has a draining wound or uncontrolled secretions or excretions, special precautions should be taken.
If you have any questions about VRE, please ask your nurse or doctor. You may also contact the hospital’s Infection Control Department. Tell your nurse that you want to do so.
Reviewed March 2011 | <urn:uuid:e0997ad3-f71e-46f8-ad45-2cdd639419e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.upmc.com/patients-visitors/education/infection-control/Pages/vre-information-for-patients.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923585 | 806 | 3.734375 | 4 |
A Brazilian couple was arraigned in federal court in Miami recently, charged with attempting to smuggle undocumented immigrants aboard boats from the Bahamas.
The arraignment Oct. 15 of Fabio Rodrigues Froes and Juliana Rosa Tome Froes, before Magistrate Judge Chris McAliley, where they pleaded not guilty, came less than a month after they were arrested in South Florida in a federal case that has led to the exposure of a little-known dimension to the issue of migrant smuggling.
Court records show that federal investigators from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) believe that the couple was part of a sophisticated and vast smuggling network that brought relatively well-off undocumented Brazilians to South Florida via a convoluted underground system that included flights from Brazil to France, then England and finally the Bahamas where the migrants boarded boats for the final leg of the journey to South Florida. The smuggling trips date back to at least 2009.
While Cuban and Haitian migrant smuggling networks receive the bulk of public attention in South Florida, smugglers who bring undocumented immigrants from other countries are also active but generally keep under the public radar. Besides Cubans and Haitians, Coast Guard vessels also have interdicted immigrants of many other nationalities on boats headed for South Florida, including Chinese, Dominicans, Mexicans and Ecuadorans in recent years.
“While the primary [migrant smuggling] threat comes from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the People’s Republic of China, and Cuba, the Coast Guard has interdicted migrants of various nationalities throughout the world,” according to a statement posted on the Coast Guard’s Miami district website.
In another example of what may be an increase in the smuggling of undocumented migrants of various nationalities on boats, a Customs and Border Protection vessel interdicted on Oct. 8 a boat carrying a Romania, three Brazilians, two Jamaicans and seven Haitians. The Romanian, Gabriel Florica, said he was the captain of the vessel that had been stopped off Palm Beach County. He told investigators he had paid $2,000 to a person identified only as Leroy and then traveled from Britain to the Bahamas, where he boarded his boat.
According to Coast Guard figures, during fiscal year 2012 that ended Sept. 20, the largest numbers of interdicted undocumented migrants were 1,275 Cubans, 977 Haitians and 456 Dominicans. There were also 79 Mexicans stopped at sea and 138 others of various nationalities.
Court records in the Froes case show that the alleged Brazilian smuggling network was uncovered because of a routine stop of a suspicious boat at Hillsboro Inlet near Pompano Beach in Broward County two years ago.
Attorneys for the Brazilian suspects declined comment or could not be reached for comment.
On July 18, 2010, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission vessel patrolling Hillsboro Inlet in the Intracoastal Waterway encountered the boat Got Crabs.
The FFWC officer, Michael Naujoks, boarded the vessel, which carried four people. One of them, under questioning, presented a Brazilian identification card that identified him as Wellington Dos Santos Silva.
After Dos Santos and the others on board were interviewed by U.S. Border Patrol agents at Alsdorf Park Marina near Pompano Beach, Dos Santos admitted that he had tried to enter the United States illegally from the Bahamas. It was the first indication that Dos Santos was one among perhaps dozens of undocumented Brazilians smuggled by the alleged ring. | <urn:uuid:a68941b8-be4f-412f-bc48-0ac69f0f587f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/29/3073277/smuggling-of-brazilians-other.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965277 | 712 | 1.742188 | 2 |
The BDP was established in 1993. We support the development of monoclonal antibodies,
recombinant proteins, therapeutic peptides and DNA vaccines, virus therapeutics
and vaccines, gene therapy products, and other biological agents. Since its inception
BDP has completed more than 100 projects. The program has released over 220 lots
of different products since 1997 and more than 60 agents have gone into human clinical
Our facilities are designed to be flexible, enabling us to work on multiple projects
for a variety of different indications. The BDP provides a unique NCI-funded resource
which differentiates it from other biopharmaceutical development programs: we concentrate
on products that are in early development, beginning with demonstrating product
feasibility on the bench through producing Phase I/II clinical supplies for first-in-human
The BDP makes available over 300 documents that are useful for any investigator,
company or group developing biopharmaceuticals. These documents can help scientific,
clinical manufacturing, quality control and quality assurance professionals. You
can request electronic copies of these BDP documents by clicking on the button below.
Occasionally academia and other government agencies use the BDP for training.
The BDP is developing clinical and non-clinical supplies of rhIL-15 and rhIL-7.
If you would like more information about obtaining supplies or manufacturing and
testing documentation please contact
Dr. Jason Yovandich. | <urn:uuid:5f1daf6c-e362-4c15-908c-f73efaadc1bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncifrederick.cancer.gov/Programs/Science/BDP/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90104 | 297 | 1.617188 | 2 |
By Dr. Dionisio Celeste
Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints. Pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity, and/or a diminished range of motion characterized it. It affects the body's movable synovial joints namely pivot joint, ball and socket joint, saddle joint, ellipsoidal joint and gliding joint. In healthy joints, the thin synovial membrane secretes viscous synovial fluid that lines inside the joint capsule. A layer of smooth, rubbery, blue white cartilage covers the bone surfaces. The bones within the joint normally glide smoothly past one another. If anything goes wrong with any of these factors, arthritis can result. The swelling and deformity that takes place in arthritic joints can result from a thickening of the synovial membrane, an increase in the secretion of synovial fluid, enlargement of the bones, eroded articular cartilage or combination of these factors. The three most common form of arthritis are Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Gout.
Osteoarthritis involves deterioration of the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones. It is a degenerative joint disease sometimes caused by injury or a defect in the protein that makes up cartilage. The once smooth surface of cartilage becomes rough, resulting in friction. The cartilage begins to break down, and the normally smooth gliding surfaces of the bones become pitted and irregular. The tendons ligaments and muscles holding the joint together become weaker and the joint itself becomes deformed,
painful and stiff. Fractures become an increasing risk because osteoarthritis makes the bones brittle.
There are 2 basic types of Osteoporosis. Type I is believed to be caused by hormonal changes, particularly a loss of estrogen, which causes the loss of minerals from the bones to accelerate. Type II is linked to dietary deficiency, especially a lack of sufficient calcium and of vitamin D, which is necessary for the absorption of calcium.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto immune disorder- a " self attacking-self" disease - in which the body's immune system improperly identifies the synovial membrane that secrete the lubricating fluid in the joints as foreign. Inflammation results, and the cartilage and tissues in and around the joints are damaged or destroyed. Often the bone surfaces are destroyed as well. The body replaces this damaged tissue with scar tissue, causing the normal spaces within the joints to become narrow and the bones to fuse together. Rheumatoid arthritis creates stiffness, swelling, fatigue, anemia, weight loss, fever and often crippling pain.
Gout, an acute form of inflammatory arthritis, occurs most often in people who are overweight and / or who indulge regularly in rich foods (cakes and pies) and alcohol. It typically attacks the smaller joints of the feet and hands, especially the big toe. Deposits of crystallized uric acid salt in the joints cause swelling, redness, and a sensation of heat and extreme pain. Uric acid is the end product of the metabolism of a class of chemicals known as purines. In people with gout, the body does not produce enough of the digestive enzyme uricase, which oxidizes relatively insoluble uric acid into a highly soluble compound. As a result, uric acid accumulates in the blood and tissues and ultimately crystallizes.
Although there is no cure yet for arthritis, it is currently believed that if powerful immuno-suppressant drugs are given at an early stage, the disease may go into prolonged remission. Rest and drugs to relieve inflammation and pain are often prescribed during an acute attack, while gentle exercise during remission helps to keep affected joints mobile. However, when drugs cannot control inflammation of the synovial membrane, surgery called synovectomy may be carried out to alleviate symptoms and to slow down further joint deterioration. Joint replacement surgery is very occasionally carried out for severely deformed, immobile and painful joints. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain drugs should be taken under doctor's supervision because these drugs can cause stomach ulcers, severe gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney or liver damage as side effects. Do not take iron supplements or a multivitamin containing iron. Iron is suspected of being involved in pain, swelling and joint destruction. Get regular moderate exercise. Exercise is essential for reducing pain and retarding joint deterioration. Bicycle riding, walking and water exercises are good choices. Avoid weight bearing or impact exercises. If you are overweight, lose the excess pounds. It can cause aggravate osteoarthritis. Drink distilled water to wash out the uric acid that causes Gout. Eat foods that are high in calcium. Avoid yeast products because yeast is high in phosphorus, which competes with calcium for absorption by the body. Avoid smoking, alcohol, sugar, salt and caffeine because it causes the body to excrete increased amount of calcium.
Use Biomagnet Therapy to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
1. Do the Meridian Energizing Treatment 10 minutes in the morning once a day.
2. Do the Daytime treatment and Nighttime treatment everyday.
3. Drink Negative Magnetized Water with 10 drops of Magnetizer Stabilized Liquid Oxygen three times a day.
4. For arms, legs, shoulders, hips and extremities, check proper polarity placement before placing Biomagnets for correct usage.
a. Tape the Negative Power Wafers to the negative side of the body.
1. Feet and hands for 10 days
2. Wrist and ankles for 10 days
3. Knees and elbows for 10 days
4. Shoulders and hips for 10 days
b. Tape the Positive Power Wafers to the positive side of the body and leave for 20 minutes only 3 times a day to draw the necessary micronutrients to the site.
c. Repeat or extend treatment as necessary. If joints are inflamed, place the Negative Power Wafers two to three inches from location to pull fluids out. If pain is more active at one location, treat that area first, then follow regimen.
If symptoms persist, consult your Rheumatologist doctor. | <urn:uuid:b0242d4c-d04b-4e46-a0ea-d4745955c1f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.taytan.com/arthritis.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918952 | 1,269 | 3.640625 | 4 |
by Ryan Rigley
After six whole years of anticipation, Marvel Studios finally announced their plans to make Edgar Wright's "Ant-Man" movie during a presentation at this year's Comic-Con. Eager fans in attendance were treated to some phenomenal test footage that the "Shaun of the Dead" director shot prior to the convention. There's no release date set just yet, but it's rumored that "Ant-Man" might be on track for a 2014 release.
Now that the "Ant-Man" movie is officially underway, the floodgates have opened for waves of rumors and speculation. Chief among those rumors being this question: will Ant-Man be featured in the "Avengers" sequel? We sure hope so! Read on to find out why!
After developing a chemical substance with the ability to manipulate its wielder's size and stature, Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym decides to become a full-fledged superhero. Utilizing the unusual set of subatomic particles that he dubs "Pym Particles," and a cybernetic helmet that allows him to communicate with ants, Hank Pym immediately prevents several KGB agents from stealing the formula for a highly deadly anti-radiation gas. Needless to say, he is still one of the most prevalent Marvel heroes to date.
Throughout the years, Hank Pym has had a number of different superhero aliases: Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellow Jacket, Wasp, etc. He is one of the smartest characters in the Marvel universe, with a PhD in biochemistry as well as an expertise in the fields of quantum physics, cybernetics, and entomology. As a result of his constant size-changing in the past few decades, Hank is now able to mentally generate Pym Particles and can change his size at will.
First and foremost, in the comic books, Ant-Man is one of the founding members of The Avengers. The fact that he wasn't in the first "Avengers" movie was disappointing, but understandable. However, now that the next "Avengers" movie is officially three years away, we don't see any reason why Hank Pym shouldn't be featured in it! In the comic books, when Hank joins Earth's Mightiest Heroes he grows in size and changes his name to Giant-Man as a result of feeling insecure around powerhouses like Iron Man and Thor. Can you just imagine how funny this scene could play out up on the big screen?
This one is a no-brainer. If "The Avengers 2" isn't set to be released until May 2015, then all Marvel Studios would need to do is release "Ant-Man" sometime before that! Obviously, they've got their hands pretty full at the moment, what with sequels to "Thor," "Captain America," and "Iron Man 2" currently in production. But there's a lot of heat behind the rumors of "Ant-Man" hitting theaters in 2014 alongside the "Cap" sequel and "Guardians of the Galaxy." If that pans out, Joss Whedon would have plenty of time to weave Hank Pym into the picture for the "Avengers" sequel! Make it happen, Marvel!
In Assembling Avengers, we're picking a new Marvel Comics superhero every week and arguing why they deserve a spot on the roster for Earth's mightiest sequel. Let us know which heroes you want to see in the next "Avengers" in the comments or on Twitter! | <urn:uuid:1ef61d73-4ade-481f-9a76-c5bcaa55d5f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://splashpage.mtv.com/2012/08/21/ant-man-avengers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965286 | 718 | 1.773438 | 2 |