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2012 Spring Issue 6 (May 11, 2012)
Carleton Players and Semaphore Dancers Present Ancient Greek Tragic Trilogy, Oresteia, Carleton’s Empty Bowls Project 2012 to Raise Money for Northfield Food Shelf, and From Inspiration to Illumination: An Introduction to ‘The Saint John’s Bible’ Comes to Northfield
10:50 pm Security saved a fish from certain death when it jumped from the aquarium located in Hulings Hall. The flopping fish was placed back into the aquarium.
A study found that 9% of fish have amounts of plastics, which can contain toxins hazardous to wildlife. More astoundingly, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has grown 100-fold in the last 40 years.
Some of the more interesting adaptations are involved in freshwater mussels’ methods of reproduction. Since long distance migration would be difficult for the average bivalve, mussels disperse their young in the presence of fish. | <urn:uuid:f79d2dea-7851-4567-b2b0-c66ba7a8d3f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://apps.carleton.edu/carletonian/?section_id=345154&issue_id=845215&textonly=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920012 | 202 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Rush to sterilise mentally disabled horrifies doctor
PARENTS of women with intellectual disabilities are going straight for sterilisation procedures rather than ''existing and viable options'' to help control menstruation and contraception, a national Senate inquiry has heard.
Associate Professor Dr Sonia Grover, a gynaecologist at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, told the hearing she was horrified when she received ''straight-out'' requests for hysterectomies.
Dr Grover said increasing access to respite care, helping women manage their periods, and ensuring contraception is in place were all options ''so that these young women, if they are able, can enjoy a close sexual relationship without risks of pregnancy if they are not able to have a pregnancy and care for a child''.
Under Australian law, parents wishing to sterilise a child or adult children who cannot give consent for non-therapeutic reasons must apply to the Family Court or, in some states, a guardianship board.
However, Dr Grover expressed frustration with the therapeutic test.
''The question really is: is this a procedure you would do on a non-disabled person?'' Dr Grover said. ''We should not be doing a sterilising procedure if we would not be doing it in somebody who did not have a disability.''
The inquiry into the involuntary or coerced sterilisation of people with disabilities in Australia began in September as part of the government's response to a series of calls from the United Nations for an end to non-therapeutic sterilisation without consent, regardless of disability.
Carolyn Frohmader, the executive director of Women with Disabilities Australia, said options such as family planning and menstrual management were not being explored because the sexuality of young women with disabilities was not widely accepted.
''Parents and other care givers are not made aware of these or are discouraged from understanding their effectiveness,'' Ms Frohmader told a public hearing in Melbourne last month.
In one case from Queensland in 2010, an 11-year-old intellectually disabled girl was sterilised after she began getting her period, which was heavy and irregular, at age nine. Contraceptive pills were ineffective, two gynaecologists reported she would benefit from the removal of her uterus, and a Family Court judge was satisfied less invasive treatments had been exhausted.
''I am not a doctor but I am the mother of a nine-year-old child and I found that case very problematic for a whole range of reasons,'' Ms Frohmader said. ''How can you have your periods start at nine, admit that it is irregular but have tried, evaluated and failed every conceivable alternative within an 18-month period?''
The inquiry has so far received just five submissions, including one from a parent explaining her wish to have her 27-year-old intellectually disabled daughter sterilised.
''Her own life is not stable enough to support another life,'' the parent wrote. ''Advocates who say she has the 'right' to have a child need to factor in her ability to be responsible for that child.''
The author said they had already raised three children, but at 54 did not want to raise their grandchild.
''Sterilisation of my daughter is one thing that I can ensure for her before I die, otherwise who will?''
The inquiry is receiving submissions until February 22 and is due to report on April 24. | <urn:uuid:8ad3a980-47be-44f7-87c3-734dd1a173bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/rush-to-sterilise-mentally-disabled-horrifies-doctor-20130101-2c45o.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972042 | 694 | 1.757813 | 2 |
American History Homework Thirteen Answers - Student 25
1. My favorite part of American history is the revolutionary war I like it because of what we accomplished against the British and how we were able to form our country.
2. Ronald Reagan was very generous and conservative he cared a lot for our country. Bill Clinton was selfish and liberal.
- Good, concise summary of the differences. Could use as a model!
3. I think one of the main tends of American history is the power that continually rises in our country.
- Good, but I'm not sure exactly what you mean here.
4. I think the most important threat to America is another depression. History has shown that after times of great wealth country's economies have fallen. As we are already in recession I think that the new president will have to work very hard.
- Good insight about the importance of economics.
5. Yes, I do think that there is a connection between culture and the success of a nation. The roaring twenties were a time of success and cultural progress. Culture is very important to the success of a nation.
- Excellent, will use as a model!
6. Two of the greatest achievements by Ronald Regan were the knocking down of the Berlin wall and the start of our missile defense system, "Star wars".
- Superb, though note that Reagan did not literally knock down the wall himself. He publicized the idea that it should be torn down, and then it was shortly after his second term expired.
7. I would say in the late 1400's it was drawn. America was definitely much larger than that. we definitely exceeded the expectations because of the growth of our country and all that we have gained. God has truly blessed America through all time.
- Superb answer, except the date is a bit later (mid-1500s). Columbus didn't discover America until 1492, and he thought he had found India.
- Terrific answers. Perfect finish to your superb work all course. 70/70. Congratulations!--aschlafly 09:11, 21 December 2008 (EST) | <urn:uuid:c0417fcd-fa22-4570-9bf0-800e1690a7f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.conservapedia.com/American_History_Homework_Thirteen_Answers_-_Student_25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974027 | 433 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Opening Rijksmuseum with Daniel Wayenberg (83) and Martin Oei (17)
It took ten years to renovate the Rijksmuseum in the heart of Amsterdam.It opened on April 13 with a series of festivities. Queen Beatrix had one of her last public appearances and the national television broadcasted no less than three programs from the beautifully restored building. There was classical music to be heard too: the first Hungarian Dance by Brahms on a Bösendorfer grand piano in the library of the Rijksmuseum. It was played by a remarkable piano duo: masterpianist Daniel Wayenberg and the young pianotalent Martin Oei: 100 years. In 2012 Daniel attended Martins Beethoven Fantasiasonata world premiere that was performed in he Concertgebouw and the duo then gave some encores. The duo decided to study a complete program for quatre mains and will be touring in October this year.
In the autumn of 2013, the master pianist Daniël Wayenberg and Martin Oei will perform five concerts together. The concerts take place in Utrecht (Vredenburg Leeuwenbergh), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Wassenaar (Wittenburg Castle), Voorschoten (Concert House) and Mierlo ( ‘t Patronaat ).
Daniël Wayenberg played several times with Martin in 2012; he was the suprise guest at the world premiere in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
Review LUISTER MARCH / APRIL 2013
Martin Oei (piano)
Zefir Records ZEF 963L. DDD-65′
Execution **** | Recording ****
The Dutch musicologist and componist Cees Nieuwenhuizen is known for his reconstructions of Beethoven compositions which the master left behind in more or less detailed sketches. Out of Nieuwenhuizens hands emerged an early violin concerto and the sixth pianoconcerto. Recently the Fantasiasonata also called the ‘ Early pastorale’ from 1792 was recorded, based on the 1000 bars in the Kafka sketchbook. This sonata precedes the well known numbered pianosonatas (from 1793 onwards). The Fantasiasonata was played for the first time in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam by the young pianist Martin Oei (1996). Despite his age, we hear a well balanced and robust piano personality.
This sonata is already completely Beethoven; we can only guess why he left the sketches unfinished. Nieuwenhuizen took up the challenge. What moments of intimacy to lead the masters notes into good tracks after 220 years. Time will learn whether this reconstruction will become part of the traditional Beethoven repertoire.
Nieuwenhuizen dares to combine the reconstruction with his spicy sonata ‘Fire and snow’ (1984). Here we hear a passionate Dutch Janácek. As a bonus this CD contains the definitive version of the Für Elise (1822): Für Therese.
(Review after solo recital february 10, 2013 )
The young pianist Martin Oei performed Beethoven sonatas in the Rabo Theater this sunday. The recital was part of the series ‘Classic Masters’.
As a young passionate musician Beethoven broke the strings of the fortepianos of his era. He became an example for his contemporaries in the ‘Sturm und Drang’ period. The enormous dynamic differences appealed to the very young Martin Oei,a talented pianist still studying at the conservatory, who performed two complete sonatas in the theater. He played the recently reconstructed Fantasiasonata in D, which was premiered at the Concertgebouw this autumn. Cees Nieuwenhuizen, musicologist and Beethoven expert, reconstructed the three parts of this sonata. Some of the themes can be found back in Beethovens 7th symphony and the Apassionata sonata shows many similarities in exposition of the themes.
The popular name ‘Early pastorale’ is quite appropriate, Beethoven was only 22 years old when he composed this sonata. He travelled in november 1792 from Bonn to Vienna to study at Haydns. Is that the reason why this sonata sounds so modern and playful? Martin Oei played this new sonata passionately with beautiful dynamic accents. He didn’t break any strings on the Yamaha grand piano, the young and introvert talent was extremely tender, paying attention to dynamic differences between left and right hand. With his phenomenal musical memory Martin had studied the piece by heart within 6 weeks.
Is he the young successor of the 83 year old master pianist Daniël Wayenberg, with whom he regularly performs? On the program this sunday was another Beethoven sonata, commonly known as The Storm opus 31 from 1801. We heard a rich and fine tone in the strong passages, with beautiful thundering motifs. Nothing of the depressing Beethoven of later years, but crystal clear exposés. The right hand tenderly strikes the keys, while the left plays a clear and robust baseline. Martin Oei is definitively a big talent, his Liszt interpretations were of out of this world. This newly reconstructed Fantasiasonata deserves it to become a hit; a beautiful introduction for young people to classical music. Martin Oei in The Arena (edit: Ajax-soccer stadium) with thousands of listeners: this brilliant execution of the ‘ Early pastorale’ deserves it!
Beethoven Musicologist Cees Nieuwenhuizen requested Martin Oei to perform the Early Pastorale, a recently reconstructed Beethoven fantasy sonata from 1792. The the world premiere took place on 21 october 2012 at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Now a tour has started with concerts in Holland, Belgium and Germany (check out the agenda).
Cees en Martin have recorded the composition at the Zeeuwse Concertzaal. The CD is now available through Zefir, specialist retailers and CDBaby, iTunes en amazon. BBC 3 broadcasted the news on multiple occasions.
RTV Noord-Holland October 19, 2012
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Jan. 8, 2012
How to Create a Budget - Part 1
Creating a budget is easy, creating a realistic budget is not. Most people put in an amount of what they want to spend each month for some categories not what they actually spend. This is a 2 part post on how to create a budget that will work for you. This part will cover what the categories or line items of a budget are and need to be, and this afternoon will talk about how to realistically put a figure with them.
There are 2 main categories of budget items, fixed and non-fixed. Fixed items are the same amount each month, like your rent/mortgage or your car insurance. Non-fixed items are the expenses that change each month, like gas or entertainment. There are be sub-categories within both of these categories; needs and wants. A need would be something you can't actually live without, and a want is something you enjoy having but can live without. For example, a fixed want item could be your cable bill, but it is also a want and not a need. You don't have to have cable to survive, you want cable.
The biggest and most important part of making a budget is to know and understand these categories and sub-categories. This will make sticking to your budget easier, especially if you are trying to save money or payoff debt.
There are items that may be necessary to some but not others. For example, my last job was over 20 miles from my home and in another county, so I needed a car. If I worked within biking distance or could easily take public transportation, then my car would become a want. For some families, having one car may be a necessity but having 2 is a want. Also, there are other expenses that come with this. If you have a car, you have to account not only for gas but oil changes, insurance, new tires, ect. These would all be necessities if you have a car.
Below is a list of my budget last year, and how each item falls into the above mentioned categories;
- Savings/IRA/401K - fixed & need
- Rent/Mortgage - fixed & need
- Electric - non-fixed & need
- Water/trash - fixed & need
- Prescriptions/Doctor co-pays - usually fixed & need
- Student loans/credit cards - fixed and non-fixed & need
- Phone - fixed & need (do you need a house and a cell phone or is one a want?)
- Car Note - fixed & need (again, if you don't travel much daily or live & work along a bus route this may be more of a want than a necessity)
- Car Ins - fixed & need
- Car Maintenance - fixed & need (you MUST plan for the cost of oil changes & new tires or your budget won't work when you need these)
- Gas - non-fixed & need
- Pets - fixed & need (not just food, but vet visits too)
- Food - non-fixed & need
- Internet/Cable - fixed & want
- Going out/Entertainment - non-fixed & want
Notice that I am not including taxes or insurance. Usually these are already deducted from your check before it is deposited, but if you are an independent contract or are self employed, then you would also need to add these to your budget as well.
That is what my personal budget looked like last year, not a lot of wants because I was trying to pay off my student loans several years early (paid off 4 years early in December!). In order to do that I had to take a hard look at my budget and see where I could cut costs to go towards that debt. And yes, there is a specific order to the list based on priority of each item.
Also, if you have children you will want to add a line for them for clothing and shoes. Look at your expenses, maybe you have some needs to add that I don't have or maybe you take public transportation, so you don't need a car. You may be asking, what is the going out/entertainment budget item? This is where I put most of my discretionary spending items, such as a manicure or meter fare for going to the beach.
I know some of you may disagree with my classification of the internet/cable as a want, but it is. Neither your home internet or cable is a necessity. I went alomst a year without cable or home internet. It's not that difficult if you have a laptop or netbook, especially since you can get free wifi at most places now. I did purchase a set of digital bunny ears, so I got all the local channels (about 20) for free.
Come back this afternoon for the other part of this post on how to put realistic figures into your budget. | <urn:uuid:42f57736-2837-4581-9b83-f691125be349> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://happyherbivore.com/2012/01/create-budget-p1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96696 | 1,009 | 2.078125 | 2 |
In 1986, shortly after the drinking age went up to 21, the Beastie Boys scored a hit with the song “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party).” I was married and in graduate school so the message passed me by, but it obviously struck a chord with a lot of high school and college students, who mistook the song for a call to arms. I say “mistook” because according to Wikipedia (yes, I used that source), the song was actually supposed to be a parody of party anthems like “Smoking in the Boys Room” (a “classic” from 70s).
Ah well, life is strange, and it’s hard to control for irony. Twenty years later, many college students continue to fight for their right to party, and if they are not winning the war—the drinking age is still 21—they are definitely getting their licks in, and the results are not that pretty. Year in and year out, administrators at liberal arts colleges like Middlebury struggle with the reality of extreme drinking. By extreme drinking, I mean enough liquor to send young men and women alike to health centers and hospitals—enough alcohol in some cases that drunken students require intravenous fluids.
The statistics around such hospital visits are not widely shared, and for good reason. Any information related to health care is treated with confidence, and we believe—reasonably, I think—that students are more likely to avail medical services for themselves or inebriated friends if they know the information will not be shared with college officials. The safety of students must be paramount. A secondary concern is the poor publicity this info can generate.
The collateral effects of such alcohol use are well known—and the war metaphors all too apt—and don’t need bear repeating here. When dean types get together to discuss this topic, they often say that the alcohol problem cannot be solved, only “managed.” I’d like to throw this issue to students—who might be reading this blog—and ask for their thoughts on the subject.
I should be clear about my own assumptions and expectations in this discussion. I recognize, as students often say, that the drinking age will not stop underage students from drinking. But the topic I mean to encircle in this post is not about the drinking age (though I recognize this law is on the outskirts of any discussion of alcohol on college campuses) or the need to bring responsible drinking into public venues (which I support), but rather the fundamental, existential question of why students drink beyond even conventional notions of excess.
You may ask what exactly do I mean by excess, and I could cite BAC levels or tell you that I recently got an email from a peer institution asking for information about our “bio clean-up” protocols. But that’s only one side of the discussion. I’d like to know how this matter—or fight—looks and feels from the inside, from the student perspective.
Feel free to respond anonymously. | <urn:uuid:ad81f6a7-c947-483a-ad8c-99f1889838e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sites.middlebury.edu/onedeansview/2007/11/06/a-fight-for-the-right-to-what/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964248 | 634 | 1.820313 | 2 |
SAN ANGELO, Texas — "Be all that you can be" was the recruiting slogan for the United States Army for more than 20 years.
That slogan describes a great philosophy that we all should follow.
As with many things, it sometimes takes a kid to demonstrate what a saying really means.
On April 19, more than 500 elementary school kids gathered at San Angelo Stadium to run the last lap of the CATCH in Motion Kids Marathon.
Christopher Bradford, age 9, was one of those kids on the track.
His father, Sgt. 1st Class Greg Bradford, watched proudly as Christopher completed the final lap with his sister Maddy.
Although most of the participants were red-faced and winded after sprinting around the quarter-mile track in the heat during their "final lap," none of them faced as much of a challenge as Christopher.
Christopher was born with a condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome and also has left pulmonary atresia.
"Functionally he has half a heart and one lung", says his father.
Normal healthy kids have an O2 saturation (oxygen saturation in their hemoglobin) of 95 percent or greater at sea level.
Christopher's O2 saturation ranges from 89 to 94, which significantly affects his ability to perform sustained cardiovascular activities.
He's had five open-heart surgeries and a stroke resulting from one of them.
None of this slows Christopher down. He jumps on his trampoline, plays games with neighborhood kids, likes soccer and basketball and does about every activity except contact sports.
During the Kids Marathon, he jogged more than half the first lap, took a short walking break on the backside curve, then sprinted home from the curve to the finish line.
He also insisted on running a second lap later during the event. This kid doesn't let a physical disability slow him down.
In contrast, almost one-third of all elementary children in West Texas are either overweight or obese. We're talking about normal kids with no health issues who simply eat too much and don't exercise enough.
In addition to a great attitude, Christopher has some great role models to help him "be the best that he can be."
Christopher is a third-grader at Bowie Elementary and has really benefited from the PE program in that school.
"The physical education department at Bowie Elementary has really boosted his confidence", Greg said. "They recognize his limitations, and he has confidence in his teachers' understanding what he's dealing with. He has excelled because of having that confidence."
Greg sees a lot of improvement. "He is faster now than he was even three months ago," he said. "His PE class has had a positive effect on his physical state and self-confidence in 'fitting in,' as well as his overall cardio-respiratory endurance."
Gail Stillwell, Bowie Elementary's PE teacher and the 2012 SAISD elementary school Teacher of the Year, said, "Christopher will give it his best at any sport. His positive attitude and success stems from his parents encouraging him to try whatever activity he wants."
Christopher may not have been born with the physical attributes that will let him excel in endurance sports such as running, but he's setting an example that we all can learn from.
He's out there running, giving it his best and refusing to let his medical condition keep him from doing what he enjoys.
Think about Christopher the next time you want to quit working out because of creaky knees, flat feet or a little extra weight around the midsection.
Emulate him and be all that you can be.
As someone once noted, "Running is a metaphor for life; there's always someone faster than you, always someone slower. All you can do is hang in there and put your heart into it."
Ride on, San Angelo, and remember, if Christopher can run, we all can.
Every Tuesday and Thursday: Loop group road bike ride, 6:30 p.m. TxDOT
May 12: Law Enforcement 5K, http://www.roadlizards.org/
May 17: Mountain Bike Time Trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
May 18: Relay for Life 5K, 8 p.m., Angelo State University, http://www.roadlizards.org/
June 7: Road Bike Time Trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
June 9: Run in the Sun 8K, downtown San Angelo,http://www.roadlizards.org/
June 9: Tour de Burma, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
June 21: Mountain Bike Time Trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
June 23: ECVFD Stop, Drop, and Roll run, http://www.roadlizards.org/ | <urn:uuid:21159a59-69c0-4d69-9026-d17ff3c59583> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/may/11/theres-always-someone-faster-slower-than-you/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97949 | 993 | 1.960938 | 2 |
The intention of Aung San Suu Kyi, internationally renowned democracy activist, to contest in the April parliamentary election in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, might open up a new vista in the country’s ambition to entrench democratic ethos
The prospect of having a Nobel laureate as a parliament member in any country would certainly please members of the international community. And if that country is Myanmar, a south east Asian nation, struggling to cast off about 50 years of military junta, then that could amount to taking the first step towards entrenching democracy.
This is the tantalising carrot that the candidacy of Aung San Suu Kyi, a democracy activist and a Nobel peace prizewinner, has translated into for both her country and the international community, which had hitherto ostracised Myanmar with a number of sanctions. Last week, Suu Kyi, under the platform of the National League for Democracy, NLD, registered to contest for a seat in parliament in the country’s forthcoming elections in April. International observers see this as a sign that the country is turning a new leaf by encouraging democracy.
Just three years ago, this had seemed impossible. Suu Kyi and many other democracy activists were either under house arrest or locked up inside a government prison somewhere in the country. Western governments say there were over 2,000 political prisoners in Myanmar when the military-backed civilian administration of President Thien Sein came to power in 2010 through an election that was described as seriously flawed. The NLD had boycotted that election, as many of its members, including Suu Kyi, were still being detained by the government. It was only after the election that Suu Kyi was released from government detention, after spending almost 20 years in house arrest and in prison.
Desperate to improve its relationship with the West, which had imposed sanctions on the country, the administration of Sein promised democratic reforms. But the West did not take Sein serious, as he was perceived to be the puppet of the country’s powerful military. Hence the removal of sanctions was tied to the country’s attempt at democratic reforms. Beyond getting rid of the sanctions, Sein also had another incentive to embark on reforms. The Association of South East Asian Nation, ASEAN, had dangled the carrot of the chairmanship of the association before the country in 2014, if it successfully implemented the promised reforms.
Owing to the fact that Myanmar needed the ASEAN free trade area to boost its flagging economy, Sein quickly swung into action to beat the deadline. For instance, he commenced peace talks with several of the rebel groups and eventually succeeded in signing a ceasefire deal with some of them, including the Karen rebels. He also released troves of political prisoners without attaching preconditions. Suu Kyi, the country’s most famous political detainee, was one of the beneficiaries of that gesture. His administration also reduced Internet control and became less strict on press censorship. The government equally embarked on legislative actions by passing new labour laws allowing the formation of labour union, a decision that got a nod from the International Labour Organisation, ILO. This would give the country’s workers the right they had been denied since 1962. And perhaps one of the most important legislative actions was the amendment of the electoral laws, which had prohibited prisoners from contesting elections. It was this particular reform that made Suu Kyi, and some other members of her party, eligible to contest in the April election.
The reforms, as expected, helped thaw the frosty relationship between the West and Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma. President Barack Obama highlighted this when he recently described the reforms in Myanmar as “flickers of progress,” thus giving credit to the Sein administration. “We want to seize what could be a historic opportunity for progress, and to make it clear that if Burma continues to travel down the road of democratic reform, it can forge a new relationship with the United States of America,” Obama said. The US also sent Hilary Clinton, its secretary of state, to Myanmar last month, the first high rank US official to visit the country in more than five decades. Her visit also opened talks that led to both countries exchanging ambassadors, a significant step to the restoration of relationships between both countries. In the same vein, the United Kingdom also sent William Hague, its foreign secretary, to the country in January, making him the first British foreign secretary to visit the nation in five decades.
Both Hague and Clinton met with Suu Kyi. No doubt, the West would certainly be more reassured about the democratic foray of Myanmar, if Suu Kyi were to win the election to become a member of the parliament. That would perhaps be the singular factor that might entrench democracy in the psyche of the military-battered nation. | <urn:uuid:fe6ab817-e726-4fff-a6c6-4e6663931203> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tellng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1027:a-new-dawn-in-myanmar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975857 | 995 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Geo-Social Nonsense: The Future of Location-Based Services and their Role in Mobile #heweb11
At a conference already teeming with technology and marketing geeks, presenter Jeff Kirchick may get the win for biggest Location-Based Services (LBS) nerd in any room. One quickly gets the impression he’s not just enthusiastic for the technology because he runs university programs for SCVNGR, but more that he’s working for SCVNGR because he is obsessed with what LBS technology makes possible. He just wants us to realize that the way most people think about location is wrong,
Paul Revere wouldn’t need a horse if he had Twitter
Jeff starts out by letting us know we are wasting our time with fads in the LBS world and most of the good things you hear are nonsense. Taking a look at the rapid pace of how and where we communicate charts a fascinating change in how our relationship to what we have to say and where we say it from has changed.
Paul Revere had to get on a horse to spread word about British troops quickly during the American Revolution because that was the fastest tool available. The dawn of real-time conversation regardless of location didn’t happen until the telephone a century later, and then another century after that for the arrival of email and the ability to share with multiple recipients in multiple locations all at the same time.
Now mobile technologies are nearly ubiquitous in much of the world and social sharing tools like Facebook and Foursquare and Twitter allow us to share whatever we want from wherever we want with as many people as we want without even knowing where those we share with may be, or even who they are. The whole world has watched modern revolutions happen in Egypt and Libya nearly in real time through Twitter feeds.
Social sharing technologies are “bringing us closer and closer without seeing each other face-to-face,” Jeff says, and so we’re turning to location-based interactions to meet face-to-face. We use an app to share with our social connections ”Here I am!” Or, at least we did until the novelty of just declaring where we are faded away.
“Checking-In” Is Fading Out
When it comes to popular apps, many companies have had big money and partnerships tossed at them over the years, but the effectiveness and usefulness of what they do may not be as strong as we think. The user base for social LBS is only a small percentage of the overall mobile user base, and the while Foursquare claims they have 10 million users what they actually have is 10 million app downloads and user profiles, only a fraction of which are active engaged users.
Apps are shifting away from the check-in model now too. Foursquare is evolving into a tool for getting deals and making transactions. Facebook launched the “Places” feature in summer 2010, and then changed it in summer 2011 so that now you put a location on what you’re doing, not the other way around.
The most popular use of LBS apps now is not to check-in at a place but rather to finding directions and recommendations for places near us. Jeff calls this the rule of Even Value Exchange, where users will only go as deep in their interactions with an LBS app as they feel the reward for that interaction merits.
Natural vs. Unnatural Interactions
It’s a simple law of human nature that we are more inclined to do something when it feels natural, and to give something when we feel we get something greater or equal in return. Look at the experience of checking-in at a bar on Foursquare:
- get to location
- pull out phone
- launch app
- search app for location
- check in
- reward = maybe a badge, maybe a special from the bar, which is probably a loss for the bar.
Now compare that to finding a bar near you on Yelp:
- pull out phone
- launch app
- one button for “bar” category sorted by proximity to you
- compare reviews to your needs and select
- get map and directions to destination
- reward = beer, which you pay for and if you like it you pay for more, which is profit for the bar and a possible good review from you that will bring more business.
That’s the same number of steps for both scenarios, but the outcome and the experience for both was completely different. Checking-in meant taking a series of actions for no tangible reward but the interaction itself. But searching based on your location solved a problem for you, felt completely intuitive, and each step of the interaction felt like a natural progression toward your goal. It feels so natural in fact that many of us forget we’re using a LBS app because it just feels like any number of other web searches we do every day.
Social vs. Influential
There are two ways of looking at the LBS experience: social apps like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, which provide social utilities for sharing among friends, and influential apps like Yelp, Groupon, or BunchBall in which influence and drive behavior. Checking-in is social. Shopping with a QR code is influential.
Social services are usually trendy and offer practicality for elite groups of people like HighEdWeb attendees. They are subjectively useful, but not objectively useful. Jeff sees move to a new phase of LBS apps will build on the strengths of the social layer and how it connects us to others and then combine those connections with the influential elements of game dynamics. Sure, that’s a bit of a plug for SCVNGR — their client LaRoche College demonstrated great buy-in and positive feedback and social media traffic about challenges they’ve done on their campus not only with students but in staff teambuilding efforts as well. But Jeff sees this as a trend overall to building on natural interactions that people enjoy and are rewarded for whether that’s winning a scavenger hunt or just getting a great deal on dinner in their town by voting with others Groupon.
“Location” According to Jeff
Jeff says we need to define LBS as the fabric of any service that includes location and that is everywhere you are.
It’s using an app like SmartRide to tell you when the next bus is coming; DoveLabs map tools to show students not only when there next class is but where; MeetMoi helps people find dating matches based on profiles nearest to you right now; I’mOkay to help parents keep an eye on their teens. Consumer-based applications find their value in numbers. Enterprise applications offer strength in services.
Think more broadly about location. A more subtle use of location is often better — a check in is blatant, not useful. “We can and will do better,” say Jeff. The LBS arena will continue to grow and become more ubiquitous in the year ahead. “Just wait and see.” | <urn:uuid:d62eb953-597f-40ef-9f2c-f88e54e1461e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://link.highedweb.org/2011/10/geo-social-nonsense-the-future-of-location-based-services-and-their-role-in-mobile-heweb11/ | 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 | 0.957516 | 1,458 | 1.648438 | 2 |
||Reinforcement Learning and
Edited by Mark Ring
The ambition of this
page is to keep track of some of the things going on in the Intrinsic
Motivation meeting at the University of Alberta. Research continues, but this meeting is currently dormant.
There is an intrinsic motivation mailing list hosted at Rutgers
University. To get on the list, send email to
email@example.com and give a good reason for being on it, such as
that you are actively working on these ideas on an aibo or
We have the playroom code now, so contact anna@cs if you want it.
The plan from last week for this
meeting was to do the survey paper on exploration by sebastian
thrun. but now rich is going to present K1 (successor to IDBD) in
MLRG on the same day. So i propose we do just the K1 paper for
monday, at MLRG, making that the intrinsic motivation meeting for the
day. The thrun paper would be postponed to next week.
Rich would like to present a few slides
on K1, the
successor to IDBD. A paper on this topic is available here
We have to do an experiment and get some results. Gather
your thoughts and submit ideas.
We would probably have Satinder in our meeting.
- Lets define a problem and get results about
- What exactly "Learning feels good." mean ?
- Still maximizing the total rewards? YES
- Learn how to explore
- Is intrinsic motivation a subset of exploration ? Maybe, we are
- Thrun's Technical Report in 92 might have some ideas about this
- Alborz will look into that more.
- You can get the paper from here.
David presented a new method
for exploration. Slides are available here.
David will work on this new idea and test them in an
There was a brainstorming session
about Intrinsic Motivation. The main subjects considered on the
- Maximizing long-term reward
- Learn to predict & control salient events
- Setting & achieving your own subgoals
- Explore as in learning spatial layout
- Learn about surprising or novel events
- Explore as in e-greedy, "exploration bonus"
- Finding a move compact/simpler representation/explanation
- Sense of accomplishment
to control, and predict as leads to control
- some things are more important just because
- linked to things of primitive interest
- achieve things, give control over thing
Satinder will video-conference in and
show a video of aibo learning at the option level. We will also
go through Michael Littman's slides from the DARPA site visit at
Rutgers. We should also figure out what to tell him to
characterize what we are up to.
Mark joined us by iChat
and we discussed the layout for a
large grid world, which we intend to use to explore exploring. Click here
to see a cleaned up version
of what we had on the board.
Rich suggested we get started working
on intrinsic motivation for exploration, balanced against other goals,
in the big gridworld environment. Brian suggested we use the
playroom world from the paper by by Satinder, Andy and Nuttapong which
we discussed the previous week. We discussed the playroom
paper again, trying to understand exactly how the playroom
worked and what the paper demonstrated. We would like to test how
preferring options compares to intrinsic
reward, and test the IDBD idea.
We had a specific proposal -- could you get similar results to the
playroom paper if you left out all the curiosity stuff and used a
simpler exploration encouraging method, such as optimistic
initialization of the option values? It is possible that most of
the effect comes simply from providing just the right options and then
preferring to take options over actions whenever possible.
Perhaps we should get the playroom/curiosity code and compare with the
playroom paper's results.
We discussed the playroom paper
paper by Satinder, Andy and Nuttapong. We would like to get the
playroom code and try our own stuff on it, particularly using the
step-size parameter of IDBD
reward for salient states, rather than the error. Using the error does
not guard against being rewarded for being utterly confused, whereas
IDBD's alpha will decrease if learning is not improving. | <urn:uuid:ae3df74c-9c1a-463d-84ee-fd874b268753> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://incompleteideas.net/rlai.cs.ualberta.ca/RLAI/intrinsicmotivation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921309 | 951 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Today, it's much harder to commit securities fraud with all the tools put in place and active monitoring. But back in the late 1980s, early 1990s, there was no internet. No free charts service. No options listings in the paper. But what seemed like the perfect crime would ultimately be foiled by one man: Rick Ackerman.
We spoke with Rick to hear how he ended up catching the first criminal to get busted for such an elaborate crime, which Rick mentions briefly on his official website. You can read more about it in the NY Times and the LA Times.
Ackerman was a market maker at the Pacific Exchange in San Francisco during the 1980s. He worked primarily in the Smith-Kline pit, so he was familiar with drug companies and their line of business.
In 1988 or so, a man named Eddie Marks worked for Merrill Lynch as a trader. He had no previous criminal record other than some "parking tickets and maybe a few minor incidents," according to Ackerman. Marks understood how leverage and options worked and how one could make a lot of money if a bet paid off. So Marks bought rat poison, stuffed it in containers of the drugs Contac and Dietac and then flew to Houston and Orlando to plant the poisoned medicine on store shelves, thinking he would never be caught.
Marks then bought, according to Rick, 360 out-of-the-money puts on Smith-Kline with short expiration dates that were basically worthless. (Unless alarming news struck the company causing its stock to fall drastically.) At the time, Smith-Kline stock was trading around $80 a share and the strike price of these puts was something like $70.
Then, Marks calls up a bunch of news stations around the country and pretended to be a Good Samaritan, telling them how packages of Contac and Dietac were poisoned and that consumers shouldn't trust companies like Smith-Kline. Well as you can imagine, Smith-Kline's stock began to fall as the news leaked out about the poisoned drugs.
So how did Ackerman catch Marks?
One day Ackerman was in the pit when he saw the news on TV about Smith-Kline. This news seemed odd to him, so he asked a friend in the pit if anyone in the past few weeks had bought a lot of out-of-the-money puts. Sure enough, one guy knew about Marks' trade and told Rick. That was the key. Ackerman then called the FBI and proudly told them he had discovered a huge profit-making scheme based on these poisoned drugs and that if they wanted to catch the man behind it, they should follow the options.
But the FBI never acted on his information. Another month went by and Ackerman called them back and insisted they look into it. Then, Special Agent Henry O'Shino was assigned to the case.
Fast forward five or six weeks and Eddie Marks had been caught.
A $300,000 reward had been offered to whoever had information on the case. In the end, Ackerman took home $200,000 while the other $100,000 was split between 17 others claiming to have known it was Marks all along. Rick took the money and threw a party.
As for Eddie Marks, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison for tampering with on-the-shelf medicines, the first sentencing of its kind.
Today, Ackerman runs a newsletter at his website RickAckerman.com. More than 10,000 traders and market professionals read his letter on options, equities, and futures. | <urn:uuid:5ebbd9f0-4028-45d9-b4d6-7b6b44d958e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessinsider.com/our-interview-with-rick-ackerman-the-man-who-helped-helped-the-fbi-catch-a-criminal-merrill-lynch-trader-2010-5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982962 | 734 | 1.5 | 2 |
Taking a drug for a medical condition carries with it the risk of side effects, sometimes deadly. Think of thalidomide, the popular sedative and morning sickness drug from the late 1950s and early 1960s, which causes birth defects when taking during pregnancy (by the way, this is a United States Food and Drug Administration success story), and Vioxx, the once-popular treatment for degenerative arthritis, taken off the market a few years ago because of the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
It's very challenging to develop an effective drug in the first place, which happens to be the primary motivation for scientists applying old drugs for new purposes. It may be even more challenging to predict and minimize drug side effects.
This is because the majority of drug side effects are caused by unintended drug interactions with biochemical pathways which are not the intended target. It's often very challenging to predict such interactions, and they are primarily only discovered and evaluated at the clinical trial stage.
Predicting drug side effects: A new approach is needed.
Many studies aimed at predicting drug side effects are based on the presumption that chemically similar drugs or protein binding sites will behave similarly. Although valuable, such approaches often provide little if any clue to the underlying biochemical pathways involved.
Further, they may also require one to know exactly where on the protein the drug binds (this data is commonly unavailable). These two limitations hinder scientists' ability to predict the side effects of fundamentally novel and unique drugs, for which detailed biochemical data is limited.
Izhar Wallach, Navdeep Jaitly, and Ryan Lilien (Unversity of Toronto, Canada) have worked towards addressing this limitation with a computational model linking drug side effects to the underlying biochemical pathway(s). Their approach is based on the presumption that drugs which act on the same biochemical pathway may lead to similar side effects.
Suppose a drug A causes a side effect B, found to be associated with a specific biochemical pathway C. If another drug D produces a similar side effect B, yet is predicted to not interfere with biochemical pathway C, it's unlikely that biochemical pathway C is the sole contributor to the side effect of the two drugs.
Furthermore, it's likely that the biochemical pathways manipulated by drugs A and D are functionally related (and may be related to seemingly unrelated diseases). The goal of these scientists' research is to associate drug side effect data with interlinking biochemical pathway data into a theoretical model that can (1) predict drug side effects for a given disease, and (2) predict how two different diseases may be functionally related.
Development of the computational model: An overview.
This section may provide "too much information" for the typical interested reader. If you want to skip it, just know that the scientists utilized multiple sets of public data to build a computational model linking drug side effects with biochemical pathways.
The scientists' computational model makes use of three public databases. These are the Protein Data Bank (PDB, protein structures), the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG, e.g. its database of biochemical pathways and their associated genetic regulation), and the Side Effect Resource (SIDER, drugs and their known side effects).
They studied 730 drug molecules approved for clinical use, and 830 protein targets. The drugs were within the molecular weight range of 100 to 800 Daltons, and each possessed fewer than 10 rotational bonds (to facilitate the computations).
The proteins were of known structure (PDB database), via nuclear magnetic resonance or x-ray analysis (in this case, with a resolution of at least 3 angstroms). Furthermore, all of the proteins were from humans, possessed more than 50 amino acids (protein subunits), were annotated (e.g. were associated with a known gene and biochemical pathway), and were enzymes.
Proteins of greater than 90% amino acid sequence similarity, along more than 90% of their length, were removed from analysis, to prevent redundancy (bias) in model development. The protein targets were collectively associated with 176 known biochemical pathways (KEGG database).
The protein targets were also collectively associated with 506 known side effects (SIDER database). A side effect was not included in the scientists' analysis if it was associated with fewer than 3 drugs or more than 5% of them, if it was reported after drug approval, or if its frequency was less than 1% after controlling for placebo effects; i.e., both highly rare and highly common side effects were not included in the analysis.
Since the exact position on the protein to which the drug binds is generally unknown, the scientists' model presumes it to be on one of the two largest pockets, as determined via the LIGSITEcsc webserver. Previous research has shown that one of these two sites are often (nearly 93% of the time) the drug binding site.
The scientists' model predicted 185 drug side effect/ biochemical pathway associations, involving 121 side effects and 90 biochemical pathways, which warranted further investigation. These are discussed next.
Narrowing the list of associations.
As mentioned, the scientists' model predicted many associations between drug side effects and biochemical pathways. How many of these are real?
This is not an easy question to answer. The scientists decided to check the associations' validity against actual experiments backed up by strong evidence in the scientific literature (measured by their frequency of appearance in scientific publications), followed by a manual review. (As an aside, I've noted in previous blog posts that many enzymes in public databases are misannotated, and popular research is more likely to be erroneous.)
It's clear that many of the predicted associations may be valid, yet end up getting thrown out because relevant experiments have not been performed. However, this validation approach does add concrete, testable validity to the predicted associations.
The scientists found that 22 of their 185 computationally-predicted associations have strong experimental support, and a further 10 have weaker yet significant support. The scientists emphasize that lack of experimental support does not imply that the computational predictions are false; that a drug may be merely involved, rather than the cause, of a biochemical pathway disruption; and that certain diseases may inherently favor the appearance of a specific side effect.
Keeping these caveats in mind, which associations survived the final cut? This is discussed next.
Discussion of selected associations.
The scientists next discussed some of the associations predicted by their model that are also backed up by experimental evidence. I discuss some of them in this section (the original article, cited below, is open access, and discusses more than I present herein).
One is an association between side effects related to nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. The scientists' model (and experimental evidence) associates three drug side effects related to manipulating this biochemical pathway: cirrhosis (liver destruction), fibrosis (organ scarring), and ascites (fluid buildup in the abdomen).
These three side effects are clearly related to one another. Drugs which target nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism end up causing similar side effects.
Another association is between Parkinson's disease and the pyruvate metabolism pathway. The scientists' model suggests that 33 drugs used to treat Parkinson's desease also collectively interact with 15 proteins involved in pyruvate metabolism.
This adds to evidence that pyruvate deficiency is correlated with the progression of Parkinson's disease. Perhaps new drugs designed to treat Parkinson's disease should include a specific intent to modulate pyruvate metabolism.
The scientists performed multiple tests to demonstrate that the accurate associations predicted by their model were very unlikely to be the result of random chance. Therefore, their model has actual predictive power.
The practical, unambiguous utility of the model is limited by the availability (and accuracy) of experimental data. Nevertheless, their model can be utilized to choose specific experiments useful for drug discovery.
This research development will lower the cost of drug discovery, and lead to more effective treatments for a wide range of medical conditions. I hope relevant pharmaceutical scientists make note of this development, and use it as inspiration in their drug development efforts.
NOTE: The scientists' research was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
for more information:
Wallach, I., Jaitly, N., & Lilien, R. (2010). A Structure-Based Approach for Mapping Adverse Drug Reactions to the Perturbation of Underlying Biological Pathways PLoS ONE, 5 (8) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012063 | <urn:uuid:a75ea5c7-ac01-4646-a848-71f5a8e7d6f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nasw.org/users/mslong/2010/2010_08/ADRs.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952697 | 1,765 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Linux in the news
All in one big page
See also: last week's Security page.
News and editorialsRecommended reading: Bruce Schneier's Crypto-gram newsletter for September 15th. It contains a lengthy essay on why open source is critical for secure systems.
"Comparing the security of Linux with that of Microsoft Windows is not very instructive. Microsoft has done such a terrible job with security that it is not really a fair comparison. But comparing Linux with Solaris, for example, is more instructive. People are finding security problems with Linux faster and they are being fixed more quickly. The result is an operating system that, even though it has only been out a few years, is much more robust than Solaris was at the same age."(Thanks to Karl Vogel, Wright-Patterson AFB).
USA Today has run an article about how the U.S. government is waking up to free software.
"Security -- a perennial concern at government installations -- suddenly becomes manageable. Organizations with special needs will hire programmers to make small tweaks to existing packages, saving thousands of dollars that would otherwise have been spent on custom programming. Military bases finally have a way to get at the heart of their computer-security problems instead of relying on suppliers to fix their problems for them."
Linux-Mandrake has announced the creation of a new mailing list for security updates.
Additions to our security links in the right-hand column were made this week for both Yellow Dog Linux and Linux-Mandrake. We thank both of them for their commitment to security and for helping us share the most up-to-date information on their distributions with our readers.
Security ReportsZope 2.0.1 has been released. It contains fixes for an unpleasant vulnerability, so if you are running Zope 2.0, you will want to apply this upgrade immediately.
The problems with ProFTPD continue. Even as we announced ProFTPD 1.2.0pre6, an exploit for the new version came out. As a result, at least one Linux distribution, SuSE Linux, put out an advisory recommending that ProFTPD be deinstalled, or at least deactivated, and anon-ftpd, or the Open BSD-based ftpd that they ship with SuSE, be used instead. LinuxPPC did release an update for pre6, but most of the other distributions have been quiet, perhaps adopting a wait-and-see attitude. A patch for pre6 has been made available and a new version is expected out shortly.
ASUS mother boards have a function, Wake-On-Lan, which allows them to remotely trigger a power-on for a system if a packet is received via a network or modem port. Is this a security problem, asked R.S. Heuman on the Bugtraq lists? It could be, if you set it to wake on any packet. Apparently it can be set to trigger only on "special" packets and is meant to be a feature, allowing your system to conserve power when it is not actively receiving mail or being used. Of more concern, commented Alan Cox, are machines that can be remotely shutdown via your network. Apparently some of them use a password scheme, but use unencrypted passwords.
Lynx versions 2.8.2 and earlier pass information unchecked to external programs, such as telnet, allowing command-line parameters to be passed and used maliciously. Updates for this problem are listed below.
A buffer overflow in cfingerd 1.4.2 and earlier was announced on BugTraq today, along with an exploit. If you use cfingerd, you may want to disable it until a patch or update is available. Note that the vulnerability is a local, not remote, vulnerability.
UpdatesUpdates for mars_nwe reported so far:
Lynx updates reported so far:
An update to pb and pg:
An update to sccw:
ResourcesAn English translation of Michael Schmidt's long and detailed artcle on FreeS/WAN ("Free Secure WAN") is now available. FreeS/WAN still has some limitations, but it is developing very well and already much improved over the originally released version. "FreeS/WAN's goal is the protection of a growing segment of the Internet community against passive eavesdropping by private, but even more by government-related organizations, with inexpensive retail PCs." Michael Schmidt also sent thanks to Kai Martius, for assisting with the translation.
Bifrost is a Linux-based Firewall project, geared for flash disks around 35-45MB in size. Bifrost can be used as an edge router and/or a firewall. Bifrost distributions load directly onto the flash disk and support both the 2.0 and 2.2 kernel series. (Thanks to Karl-Koenig Koenigsson)
EventsThe Internet Security Conference will be held October 11th through the 15th at the Boston World Trade Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. For more information, check out their website.
Section Editor: Liz Coolbaugh
September 23, 1999
Secure Linux Projects Bastille Linux
Khaos Linux Secure Linux
Security List Archives
Firewall Wizards Archive
Red Hat Errata
Yellow Dog Errata
Comp Sec News Daily
Linux Security Audit Project | <urn:uuid:9c38a7ac-a954-4a5c-b423-453bc7ad4c54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lwn.net/1999/0923/security.php3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926756 | 1,100 | 1.984375 | 2 |
The story of Chicago in the nineteenth century is the story of the making of America, Donald L. Miller says. A new PBS documentary based on a book he wrote shows why.
Donald Miller has never lived in Chicago, and he never thought of writing about it until he started noticing the curious ways its formative years reminded him of the flowering of Renaissance Florence. But once he got immersed in it he produced City of the Century , a sweeping history of the city from its earliest beginnings until after the 1893 world’s fair. The book was a prize-winning bestseller.
Read more » | <urn:uuid:5ddd71ac-9008-423c-bb51-8578985d6df5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americanheritage.com/category/article-keywords/american-dream | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964154 | 121 | 2.171875 | 2 |
by Lola Hynes - Irish Anti War Movement
Despite ongoing negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and full compliance with the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran’s nuclear programme is still the subject of much media hysteria and deep mistrust from Israel and Western powers. The latest accusations relate to the ‘sanitization’ of a site at Parchin military complex, allegedly to hide evidence of nuclear weapons work. Satellite images showing the destruction of two buildings, the movement of earth and the flow of water coming from an existing building are being used as ‘intelligence’ of the ‘cleansing’ of a bomb containment chamber.
Meanwhile the diplomatic process continues without much promise, in April this year during talks in Istanbul, Iran, the US and the EU agreed to negotiate stricter NPT requirements for Iran in return for respect for their right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The next round of talks in the Iraqi capital reached a stalemate when the West offered no relief from sanctions in return for suspension of uranium enrichment at one of Iran’s facilities. Further talks are scheduled in Moscow in late June.
The peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear program was reaffirmed by Iran’s envoy to the IAEA; Ali Asghar Solitanieh at a recent meeting of the board of governors of the agency, reminding that the UN nuclear watchdog agency has repeatedly confirmed non-diversion of Iran’s civilian nuclear activities after carrying out a record number of inspections in Iran during the last few years.
Speaking in an interview with Asia Times Online, Soltanieh underlined Iran’s continued cooperation with the Agency, and stressed, "Iran has provided one the most robust inspections in IAEA’s history, in light of more than 4,000 man-days of inspections as well as over 100 unannounced inspections in Iran."
"These inspections have confirmed that not even one gram of nuclear material has been diverted to military purposes, and the various reports of the current Director-General and his predecessor confirm this.’’
At the same meeting the Egyptian ambassador read a statement from the members of the NAM (Non Aligned Movement, which consists of more than 100 countries), in support of Iran and Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The movement also called for the dispute over Iran’s nuclear issue to be resolved through diplomatic channels. It also stated that any kind of attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities is in violation of international law and the agency’s regulations and is condemned.
Iran’s compliance with the NPT requirements was also confirmed by former UK representative to the IAEA, Peter Jenkins in an interview given earlier this year. During which he also cast doubt on the legality of the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. Under article 39 it must be determined whether an issue represents a threat to peace, ‘none of the resolutions on Iran contains a determination that Iran’s nuclear activities represent a threat to the peace’, he went on to say ‘In the absence of a ‘threat to the peace’ determination, it is questionable whether the Security Council was entitled to adopt binding measures’. The binding measures being crippling economic sanctions affecting ordinary Iranian people.
Despite the lack of evidence of any diversion of uranium to a nuclear weapons programme, Israel are still intent on bullying Iran with threats of military strikes unless they suspend all uranium enrichment, which they are carrying out legally under the guidelines of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty.
While negotiations were going on in Baghdad between Iran and the IAEA, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak reiterated Israel’s position that it would not rule out any option, including a military one. He accused Iran of seeking "a little wriggle room" in moving towards allowing international nuclear inspectors further access to sites and documentation. Earlier he warned against mistaking the "illusion of progress" for real advances. ‘’Israel is demanding a complete halt to Iranian uranium enrichment. All enriched uranium must be removed from the country. There must be no window or crack which the Iranians can creep through to advance their military nuclear programme".
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a similarly uncompromising message to the six countries – the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany – involved in the talks in the Iraqi capital. "Iran wants to destroy Israel and it is developing nuclear weapons to fulfil that goal," Netanyahu told a conference in Jerusalem. "Against this malicious intention, leading world powers need to display determination and not weakness. They should not make any concessions to Iran."
The Israelis are anxiously trying to convince the world that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons technology and that once it has achieved its goal it will ‘wipe Israel off the map’, thus giving justification to a pre -emptive attack on Iran. According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy an Israeli attack on Iran would be a ‘preventative strike’ rather than an aggressive attack.
Even if it was the case that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons technology (despite the most robust inspections in the history of the IAEA finding no evidence), there is no reason to believe it would behave irresponsibly. According to Bruce Reidel of the Centre for Strategic Research at the National Defence University in Washington, ‘when Iran develops nuclear weapons it will not attack Israel, it will behave like a normal nuclear weapons state and seek to avoid conflict’.
In contrast Israel itself possesses an arsenal of anywhere between 100 – 200 nuclear warheads. It did not sign the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and does not allow any inspections by the IAEA. Israel does not want any Arab nations to possess a nuclear weapon and has jealously guarded its domination on nuclear weapons in the Middle East since the 1960’s. It is clearly willing to use force to maintain this monopoly and prevent any nuclear development in neighbouring Arab countries which it demonstrated in air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007.
Israel are pressing the US to back them in their aggression toward Iran, however the Debka news agency reports the Israeli’s diasppointment with Obama’s refusal to side with Israel’s demands in dealing with the supposed threat of a nuclear program. Israel is losing hope of US intervention and is reverting to default mode of ‘only Israelis can ultimately defend themselves’, noted Ronen Bergman of Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Despite President Barack Obama’s previous comment that ‘all options are on the table’ when it comes to Iran, he is reluctant to embroil the US in another war, particularly during an election campaign. An Israeli or a less likely US attack on Iran would have dire consequences for the US, it’s military personnel in the Middle East, its economy due to huge spike in oil prices and of course Obama’s own Presidential campaign.
There is however there is another more convenient way for the Obama administration to undermine Iran and gain popularity with the electorate - through military intervention in Syria.
Syria is Iran’s only military ally and without its support Iran would be strategically isolated, unable to exert its influence in the Middle East. Intervention in Syria and the replacement of the current regime with a Western friendly leader would be extremely advantage to the US. Its replacement leaders would be more likely to regard the US as friend rather than a foe. Washington would gain substantial recognition as fighting for the people in the Arab world, not the corrupt regimes.
According to James Rubin, executive editor at Bloomberg news and former diplomat intervention in Syria would be a calculated risk, but still a risk worth taking as it would help Israel and reduce the risk of a far more dangerous war between Israel and Iran.
‘With the Islamic Republic deprived of its gateway to the Arab world, the Israelis’ rationale for an attack on its nuclear facilities would diminish. Furthermore a new Syrian regime might eventually even resume the frozen peace talks regarding the Golan Heights’.
‘In Lebanon, Hezbollah would be cut off from its Iranian sponsor, since Syria would no longer be a transit point for Iranian training, assistance, and missiles’. All these perceived strategic benefits combined with the moral purpose of saving tens of thousands of civilians from murder at the hands of the Assad regime make intervention an attractive option.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, recently told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the Assad regimes fall "will be a major blow to the radical axis, major blow to Iran.... It’s the only kind of outpost of the Iranian influence in the Arab world ... and it will weaken dramatically both Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza’’
Reidel, Bruce, Iran-U.S.: After the Iranian Bomb, Institute for National Strategic Studies, September | <urn:uuid:ecb913e3-4c2f-4d4e-ba5d-4cb4f25a3432> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/1735 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940654 | 1,832 | 1.695313 | 2 |
2012-09-21 / Schools
Club gives students in need a new wardrobe
Sandy Macias and her teenage son, Jorge, hadn’t expected to be able to afford new clothes for the school year, but a local service club changed that.
On Sept. 15 Jorge joined 35 other students at the Camarillo Target for a back-to-school shopping trip provided by the Camarillo-Somis Pleasant Valley Lions Club.
The club annually gives $150 gift cards to homeless kindergarten through-12th-grade students whose families can’t afford what so many kids look forward to before the new school year—a new wardrobe.
“I’m barely starting to work and get on my feet, so this is a big help,” said Macias, who encouraged her son to buy only what he needed: new socks, undershirts and shoes.
The 33-year-old Camarillo resident said the event is a blessing, especially for a mom with a teenage boy growing out of his clothes.
“It’s nice to know there are people out there willing to help us,” Macias said.
The Lions Club partnered with the Ventura County Office of Education to identify Camarillo and Somis homeless children, a label given to youths with families in transitional living centers or couch-surfing teens.
“The biggest eye-opener is families moving in together because they can’t afford rent on their own,” said Silvia Chavez with the Ventura County Office of Education.
Chavez said she has a hard time convincing people that they qualify for the Homeless Education Project program, especially families that temporarily move in with other families.
“No one wants to label themselves as homeless,” she said.
The Homeless Education Project coordinator said she’s seen the student homeless population increase due to the recession. Chavez said there were 3,061 homeless students identified in Ventura County during the 2010- 11 school year, up from 2,098 in the 2009-10 school year.
In light of those numbers, the Lions Club decided to continue the event, now in its 11th year.
The club raised $6,000 by handling parking during the Ventura County Fair and used the money to buy Target gift cards.
After the shopping trip, the Lions Club gave gift cards that had a leftover balance to the Ventura County Office of Education to buy winter coats for homeless children.
Lions Club vice president George Graham said 41 club volunteers went shopping with the children.
One mother, Sandra Garcia, anxiously waited outside Target while her 9-year-old daughter, Marlene, shopped with a Lions Club volunteer.
“She’s really into skinny jeans right now,” said Garcia, who is in a transitional living center with her three children. “I said if you want to take her, go ahead, because she’ll be in (Target) all day.”
Garcia’s 8-year-old son, Izaac, had already exited the store with three shopping bags of boxers, socks, basketball shorts, a sweatshirt and a new hat.
“He loves his hats,” Garcia said.
The children were also given a McDonald’s breakfast from the Ventura County Office of Education and a backpack full of supplies from the nonprofit group School on Wheels.
“This was my first time, and when I found out we were chosen (for the shopping trip), I was so happy and excited,” Garcia said. “I’m just thankful.” | <urn:uuid:2e98ecd6-f38f-4527-a1a6-7c070b1ac3a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/news/2012-09-21/Schools/Club_gives_students_in_need_a_new_wardrobe.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964477 | 758 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Safe Space Training
Wednesday November 9th
2:00 – 4:30PM
A training for students, staff, and faculty on how to create a welcoming environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning students.
After completing the training that focuses on basic LGBTQ concepts and theories, strategies on how to create an inclusive environment for LGBTQ individuals, and developing skills to confront homophobia, heterosexism, biphobia and transphobia, each participant will be offered a Safe Space emblem that represents a safe environment that is supportive and affirming of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning persons.
Please RSVP to Brian Shook, email@example.com, if you would like to attend so that we can prepare a Safe Space manual for you. | <urn:uuid:1757d329-868b-472c-84cc-0e160ae3fcb2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ghc.edu/webevent/scripts/webevent.plx?cmd=listday;token=guest.a9cf6c36e83372d35905ae221b729e70;y=2011;m=11;d=9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912645 | 165 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Here’s my thoughts. Firstly, this would easily be open to abuse. Just convieniently label someone a psycho and out come the “pair of pliers and a blowtourch” to quote pulp fiction.
I did think of this, but everything is open to abuse i.e. impeachment. I think the law would have to exist at a super-national level to have the best chance of not being abused. Then the “danger” is it would never be used.
Sociopaths have a unique ability…
I think that’s true of all humans.
Ahh I should have said “capacity” in stead of “ability”.. to be clearer. I meant, ability as in “It has been found that long distance runners have a unique ability to remove the by-products of exercise from their bloodstreams” .
In my view, need for revenge is understandable and part of being human, but it’s also a useless emotion. My current belief is that deterrenace is an overrated judicial idea and that the causes of crime lie more in the fact of humans massive moral confusion.
Well revenge on the personal scale is useless. Revenge on a larger scale is not useless if extracting it has a mollifying and unify effect on billions of people who would otherwise seek it for themselves, say. It’s about the control of populations in the wake of some horrendous event.
This justification has been used by all insane regemes throughout history. (I’m not saying you are insane, that would rude and arrogant. I am saying i believe the idea is).
Maybe so. But does it work or doesn’t it? That’s a question that goes to science IMHO.
I think i would see sociopathy as somthing that exists in all human beings to some degree.
That we’re all maybe like this to some degree at times is just the point, only to some degree and only at times.
Sociopathy is defined in terms of behaviours AND persistence AND intensity. In some theories, there’s a unchanging -or very persistent- pathological organic state that underlies the sociopath. If we can identify that, the fact that we all sometimes display these traits en passant is interesting but would not confuse the definition.
Perhaps many things- including hypothetical the underlying organic states which constitute pathology- is transitive and only separated by degree and not kind (meh.. perhaps). But it doesn’t change what they are- nor what they did.
I would argue for example, that believing in a god who tortures people for all eternity is a deeply sociopathic idea.
It’s a crude attempt to control the behaviour of people. My idea is an attempt to control the behaviour of crude - where “crude” is rightly interpreted - people.
I suppose i’m arguing that humans cannot rid the world of sociopathic behavior by behaving in a sociopathic manner.
Yeah I am thinking I agree with this. The goal however, is not to rid, the goal is make less likely. Also to serve as a mollifying agent for an otherwise uncontrollable reaction on the part of a large number of people in the wake of some horrendous event.
I am not set on this idea, which is to say I go back and forth in my own mind. I would take defeat for the pro side in the form of a strong argument from history. For instance, everything you said applies to the death penalty and we have a strong argument against the deterrent effect of the death penalty available to us from history .
In England, they used to hang pickpockets in public and it drew crowds. And who showed up to the hanging? Pickpockets who picked the pockets of the gawkers. So much for the death penalty deterring criminality when that criminality is borne or economic desperation. | <urn:uuid:ec91ba87-33aa-411a-84fd-d8281b298e67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.samharris.org/forum/viewthread9914/viewthread/16485/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95905 | 823 | 1.539063 | 2 |
technical molybdic oxide
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extraction and refining
About 97 percent of MoS2 must be converted into technical molybdic oxide (85–90 percent MoO3) in order to reach its commercial destination. Such conversion is almost universally carried out in Nichols-Herreshoff-type multiple-hearth furnaces, into which molybdenite concentrate is fed from the top against a current of heated air and gases blown from the bottom. Each...
production of molybdenum
...commercial production is from ores containing the mineral molybdenite. The concentrated mineral is usually roasted in an excess of air to yield molybdenum trioxide (MoO3), also called technical molybdic oxide, which, after purification, can be reduced with hydrogen to the metal. Subsequent treatment depends on the ultimate use of molybdenum. Molybdenum may be added to steel in the...
What made you want to look up "technical molybdic oxide"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:8f6d0bbd-d737-4ad5-b629-4fdf33c414ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/585389/technical-molybdic-oxide | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902095 | 257 | 2.84375 | 3 |
By Anne Stevenson
Just over a year ago, the Family Strengthening Intervention research team at Partners In Health-Rwanda encountered a depressed teenage boy during the course of its research. Since then, the boy’s life has been transformed thanks to follow up by the Family Strengthening Intervention team and the Social Work department at PIH.
Placide* was only 13 years old when his mother abandoned the family in 2010, leaving him as the head of the household and sole caretaker for his five younger siblings. In April 2011, team members from the Family Strengthening Intervention (FSI) project—a mental health research initiative conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health/FXB Center in collaboration with Inshuti Mu Buzima (IMB), Partner’s in Health’s sister organization in Rwanda—happened to interview Placide during the course of their research. At the time, the project was using structured diagnostic interviews and local measurement tools to assess mental health problems in the children in the community. When they encountered Placide, the staff was alarmed by the boy’s critical levels of depression, loneliness, and hopelessness.
Despite his dire need for mental health services, Placide refused to visit the hospital’s mental health team for additional follow-up. And when FSI staff and IMB social workers tried to visit him at home, he ran away.
But FSI and IMB staff persisted. Finally, after many attempts to contact him, Placide agreed to speak with the concerned team. He shared that he had been abandoned by his mother one year earlier. The children were struggling to eat, and none of them was in school.
The IMB social work team and FSI took Placide’s case in hand. They enrolled the family in IMB’s supplemental food program, which supplies regular food packages of sugar, beans, cooking oil, and cereal. And Placide began seeing a mental health clinician at the hospital.
In December 2011, several months after services for Placide’s family were initiated, a social worker, community health worker, and FSI team member drove to Placide’s house to check up on him and to deliver a donated mattress to the family.
When they arrived, Placide’s sister called him in from the field. The young man had changed. Instead of running away, Placide came over and gave each of the visitors a hug. When they asked him how he was doing, Placide laughed and smiled and said that things were better. He shared that IMB had helped enroll three of his younger siblings into a boarding school nearby and that the school would provide for all of the siblings’ needs going forward. IMB had also enrolled his 11 year-old sister in primary school. And they helped Placide and his sister enroll in vocational school.
“I helped follow up on Placide’s care and I saw his life changing day by day," says Christina Mushashi, a mental health clinician and one of the Program Coordinators on the FSI project. "He is smiling much more than before and I can see the impact of our work on the family. All of the children are now in school and the burden on Placide has been reduced.”
Placide and his family continue to receive food packages from IMB and to check in with the social work department in Rwinkwavu.
Placide’s story is a powerful example of how research and services work together at IMB. Innovative projects like FSI are pioneering new strategies and tools for assessing unmet needs in the community, and strong services systems at IMB are able to provide comprehensive support to new referrals.
In Placide’s case, channels existed to provide the family with food, education, mental health care, and social support. With all of these systems working well and in coordination with one another, and with the dedicated perseverance of research and services staff, a boy’s life and the lives of his siblings were dramatically transformed for the better.
“By being in this study, the boy’s family was able to benefit from services that PIH can offer," Christina Mushashi adds. "The family members are no longer isolated and they have hope for the future.”
* The boy’s name has been changed to preserve confidentiality.
Anne Stevenson is a Program Manager at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is currently working with PIH’s sister organization Inshuti Mu Buzima (IMB) in Rwanda.comments powered by Disqus | <urn:uuid:fdf6c6b4-bd63-4a43-88b9-57e4c0e5efa3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pih.org/blog/mental-health-services-transform-life-for-orphaned-teenager | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984108 | 971 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Girls Rock! Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-for profit organization dedicated to fostering girls’ creative expression, positive self-esteem and community awareness through rock music. Through our music education programs for girls ages 9-16, we are committed to educating girls about the musical, technical, and creative aspects involved in musicianship, because we believe that young girls are rarely encouraged to explore self-expressive creative outlets and are less likely to be given access to musical and technical instruction or equipment. We believe that rock music can be a crucial tool in allowing young women to respond to preconceived notions of what they can do and what they can become.
Our week-long summer camp program is organized around motivating girls ages 9-16 through instrument instruction, music composition coaching, recording workshops, song-writing workshops, hands-on activities, technical equipment workshops, guest speakers, team-building activities and band performances. We seek to provide positive and supportive role models for campers though interaction and participation by volunteers who will share their experiences as women involved in some form of making music.
We believe in maintaining an emphasis on accessibility to ensure that girls have access to equipment and instruction regardless of their socio-economic background, race, ethnicity, or neighborhood. Our application is based on a sliding-scale tuition and no one is turned away for lack of funding. | <urn:uuid:8feb835f-b4b2-47f7-9b5d-e1fc82f1f455> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/girlsrock/from/greatindiemusic | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957593 | 274 | 1.671875 | 2 |
The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Like many children, Henry loves books. But Henry doesnt like to read books, he likes to eat them. Big books, picture books, reference books . . . if it has pages, Henry chews them up and swallows (but red ones are his favorite). And the more he eats, the smarter he getshes on his way to being the smartest boy in the world! But one day he feels sick to his stomach. And the information is so jumbled up inside, he cant digest it! Can Henry find a way to enjoy books without using his teeth?This well-done package will charm its audience. The snappy text works well for reading aloud, but older children will enjoy exploring the subtle details hidden in the illustrations and backgrounds.
With a stunning new artistic style and a die-cut surprise, Oliver Jeffers celebrates the joys of reading in this charming and quirky picture book. Its almost good enough to eat.
-School Library Journal, starred review
To keep up-to-date, input your email address, and we will contact you on publication
Please alert me via email when: | <urn:uuid:f947f1bb-a888-4da9-b08c-bd6ce225362a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780399247491,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937192 | 232 | 2.203125 | 2 |
National Women’s Health Week (May 13-19) offers an opportunity for women of all ages to make their health a priority, but don’t forget about the foundation – your bones.
The truth of the matter is your skeleton is not static. It is alive and can change depending on the forces put upon it and into it regarding nutritional health.
“That change can be scary because it means we can lose bone density, but it is also very powerful in a positive way. If my skeleton is not what I want it to be, I can do things to positively affect it,” said Suzanne M. Yandow, M.D., of Texas A&M Physicians and a professor of surgery in the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.
Bone health is important for women of all ages. According to Dr. Yandow, it is especially vital for adolescent-age girls to take ownership of their own bone health since puberty is when women begin to build up their bone bank – the structure and integrity of bones that the body will continue to draw from throughout life.
To build up the bone bank, Dr. Yandow recommends women decrease soda intake (phosphoric acid negatively impacts the calcium your bones can absorb), eat calcium-rich food, take daily calcium supplements and build upper body strength to support the back muscles.
The recommended daily intake of calcium includes 1,500 milligrams for teens, 1,800 milligrams during pregnancy, 1,800-2,000 milligrams for breastfeeding mothers and 1,500 milligrams for women over age 65.
“Choose a calcium supplement that you like the flavor, and keep it in a place where you will remember to take it,” Dr. Yandow said. “And don’t forget that no matter the stage, you can take better care of yourself and positively impact your bone health.” | <urn:uuid:f3124251-b772-4494-a905-df2a2509ca70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.tamhsc.edu/2012/05/11/womens-bone-health-tips-for-all-ages/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927686 | 398 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Shoreline Community College
Two-thirds of Washington's job openings during the next several years will need at least one year of some type of college to perform. But the state's community colleges and four-year universities fall significantly short of meeting that predicted demand.
That shortfall in all types of advanced education is expected to be 28,000 Washington unfilled jobs a year from 2014 to 2019.
"We want to pay attention to how higher education is geared to the needs of the economy," said Rep. Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor, and chairman of the Washington House's Higher Education Committee.
Amid growing concerns about cuts to higher education, state officials briefed the committee last Thursday (Feb. 9) on the gaps that exist between what Washington's community colleges and four-year institutions graduate and what the state needs to fill jobs.
The Legislature is wrestling with how to tweak the state's higher education system to meet the marketplace's needs, a dilemma that includes how to prioritize spending a limited amount of available state money. "Do we lean toward two-year schools or toward four-year schools?... We have no analytic ability to make that choice," Seaquist said.
Rep. Vincent Buys, R-Lynden, asked: "Which degrees are we producing that are surplus. ... How should we shift funding?"
At least five bills have gained attention in the Legislature as ways to tackle some of the the issues. One House bill (HB 2483) and one Senate bill (SB 6232) would create a "Student Achievement Council," which is a board that would figure out how to improve the effectiveness of the state's higher education system.
A House bill (HB 2717) calls for a report by Aug. 1 on how to increase the numbers of students in the state's two-year and four-year colleges, along with figuring out how people can upgrade their academic credentials as their fields evolve. "The automotive field today is very different from the mechanics of yesterday," said Tina Bloomer, a policy research associate with the Washington Board of Community and Technical Colleges.
Another House bill (HB 2156) addresses how to improve and to better coordinate aerospace training in the state. And a House bill (HB 2170) tackles better coordination between education and needed job skills.
During last week's briefing, officials outlined some caveats to their predicted job-shortfall figures. These caveats included not accounting for out-of-state workers moving into Washington with the appropriate education and skills, which will make up for some of the expected shortfalls. Another is that liberal arts degree holders are almost impossible to predict where they may end up. Also, Boeing's recent surge in orders came while state education officials were calculating other higher educational needs, and they have not yet had a chance to tackle aerospace industry training needs.
Here are some of the highlights of the briefing:
- Two-thirds of the state's future job openings will require at least one year of post-high school education.
Washington's estimated workforce is expected to grow from 3.26 million in 2009 to 3.73 million in 2019. That translates to an estimated 132,000 job openings annually. Washington's Higher Education Coordinating Board calculations predict that from 2014 to 2019, that 42,000 of those 132,000 annual openings can be filled by people with less than one year of education beyond high school. Another nearly 38,000 annually will need an associate degree or something similar. Plus, another 33,000 a year will need a bachelor's degree, and 19,000 will need a graduate degree.
- Washington's schools provide fewer places than needed for students across all levels of higher education.
Washington is predicted to graduate 34,000 people a year with associate degrees or something similar from 2014 to 2019. That is roughly 9,000 graduates short of what the state predicts it will need each year. During 2014-2019, the state is expected to grant 26,000 bachelor degrees a year — about 10,00 short of the annual need.
In the same period, Washington's schools are expected to award 11,000 graduate and professional degrees a year — about 9,000 degrees short of the annual need.
- Community college level training gaps will be worst during 2014-'19 in manufacturing fields, installation and repair trades, plus accounting and bookkeeping.
- The biggest predicted shortfalls in four-year degrees will be in health professions, computer science, engineering and architecture, life sciences, physical sciences, and human and protection services.
On the computer science job-education gap, Lewis McMurran, vice president of the Washington Technology Industry Association, said: "This has been a problem for a long time. There are thousands of software and IT jobs in non-IT companies. ... One message is to close that gap. ... It's only going to grow." The state's calculations predict that in 2014-2019 that Washington will produce 1,665 computer science bachelor degrees a year, which will be 1,171 degrees short annually. During that same period, the state is predicted to produce 1,181 graduate degrees annually in computer science, which will be 696 short of Washington's yearly needs.
- At the graduate level, the biggest gap will be in the health professions, with the state producing 1,987 graduate degrees annually, falling 754 short each year. Computer science graduate degrees will have the second biggest gap.
Shortfalls in graduate degrees —compared to jobs needing them — will also occur in engineering and architecture, human services, life sciences, agriculture, and physical sciences.
Like what you just read? Support high quality local journalism. Become a member of Crosscut today! | <urn:uuid:59edc020-b2b3-4c71-a90f-86a5cc67c14b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mailto:erica.barnett@crosscut.com/2012/02/14/higher-ed/21939/Shortchanging-higher-education-means-lost-jobs/ | 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 | 0.955354 | 1,156 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors weighs next step in fluoride plan
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 12:30 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 10:09 a.m.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday could take the next step in a long-proposed plan to add fluoride to most of the county's drinking water.
The move is intended to improve dental health and is a common practice across the country, recommended by leading national and international health agencies. But it has sparked emotional protests from a wide range of opponents concerned about health implications and other issues.
The county has been studying the proposal for a year. A feasibility report examining health and legal issues is due out Thursday and will be the subject of a public meeting Friday, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at a county health office at 3313 Chanate Road in Santa Rosa.
Dr. Lynn Silver Chalfin, the county's health officer, declined on Tuesday to discuss the report's findings.
Rita Scardaci, the county's health services director, said on Wednesday that the report does not make any “definitive recommendation” on the introduction of fluoride.
But county health officials continue to back that move, pointing to what they've called an oral health “crisis” among Sonoma County children, especially those from low-income families.
The Board of Supervisors last February backed study of water fluoridation as a key way to address the problem.
On Tuesday the board is set to consider approving the next step: a six-month, $103,000 study of the engineering changes necessary to fluoridate local drinking water.
The 2:10 p.m. hearing is likely to draw a large crowd, and pit supportive health officials against skeptics and activists who oppose the practice.
Water fluoridation has been backed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Surgeon General, the World Health Organization and the American Dental Association, which called it “the single most effective public health measure to prevent dental decay.”
Almost three-quarters of the nation's population served by public water systems — or about 196 million people — are receiving fluoridated water.
State law requires the practice for all public water suppliers in California with more than 10,000 connections. The unfunded 18-year-old statute has not been widely enforced.
Critics, including non-traditional health advocates, property rights activists and some environmentalists, have urged the county to reject water fluoridation. They've voiced concerns about government-imposed medication and health impacts on humans and on wildlife exposed to fluoridated wastewater.
Currently in Sonoma County, the only fluoridated water is delivered to residents of Healdsburg and the adjacent Fitch Mountain area.
The proposal would add fluoride to water used by nearly three quarters of the county, including 350,000 residents served by the Sonoma County Water Agency in Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Sonoma and the Valley of the Moon.
The Sonoma County Water Agency also serves about 250,000 residents in Marin County. Of those customers, 185,000 people in south and central Marin — residents from Marinwood to Sausalito — already get fluoridated water. The roughly 65,000 residents who don't currently get fluoride — but who would under any Water Agency introduction — live in western and northern Marin County, including Novato.
Presentations at the Friday meeting will be given by Scardaci, Silver Chalfin, and Oscar Chavez, executive director of the Community Action Partnership, the anti-poverty nonprofit group.
Public comment is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
Public comment will also be taken at the Tuesday Board of Supervisors' meeting.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | <urn:uuid:d91640c8-128e-43fc-869b-91af5a19cf17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130220/ARTICLES/130229972/1036/BUSINESS01?Title=Public-meeting-Friday-on-fluoride-county-health-initiatives | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953361 | 811 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Romans invented the Lollypop
You loose 100,000 brain cells every day.
Red is the most common color in national flags.
McDonald’s is the world’s largest distributor of toys.
There are around 1,500 earthquakes every year in Japan.
Raw horse meat is a popular food in Japan.
In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
Los Angeles’ full name is “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula.”
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
Most people burp on average 15 times a day.
Thomas Jefferson thought the concept of Thanksgiving was “the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard.”
Racecar spelt backwards spells racecar.
You can’t sneeze with your eyes open.
Dolphins sleep with one eye open.
The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.
Ketchup was sold as medicine in the 1830′s
Right handed people live longer than left. ( I don't honestly think that is true)
There’s no word for “Yesterday” in the Eskimo language.
Golf is the only sport to be played on the Moon.
Most robberies occur on Tuesdays.
Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
Goldfish cant close their eyes.
Pigs cant look up at the sky.
The brain is 80% water.
Some whales commit suicide.
Penguins are able to jump 2 metres high.
Snails can sleep for 3 years
Paparazzi means “Buzzing Mosquitoes” in Italian.
Coca-Cola would be green if colouring wasn’t added.
The best way to tell if you have bad breath is to lick your wrist, let you saliva dry, and then smell it.
If you took all the approximately 60,000 miles of blood vessels out of a human body and laid them end-to-end, they would stretch around the world twice. And you would probably be arrested.
Saturn has such a low density that if placed in water it would float.
Looking at the Sun can trigger a sneeze. For some people, bright lights mean big sneezes.
The tongue of a blue whale weighs about as much as a full-grown elephant.
On average, women utter 7,000 words a day; men manage just over 2,000.
About 55% of all movies are rated R.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.
Human hair and finger nails continue to grow after death.
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
People say “bless you” when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond.
A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.
You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.
Large doses of coffee can be lethal. Ten grams, or 100 cups over 4 hours, can kill the average human.
A butterfly has 12,000 eyes.
On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.
The bones of a pigeon weigh less than its feathers.
Babies start dreaming even before they’re born.
From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink in size.
Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian; she was Greek.
Babies are always born with blue eyes.
Blondes have more hair.
Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream.
In 1976 a Los Angeles secretary named Jannene Swift officially married a 50 pound rock. The ceremony was witnessed by more than 20 people.
In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 cam be jailed for cheating on their finals.
In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.
On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
A lion’s roar can be heard up to five miles away.
All polar bears are left-handed.
A shrimps heart is in it’s head.
Horses can’t vomit.
Pearls melt in vinegar.
Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
A hummingbird weighs less than a penny.
Smelling (not eating) green apples and bananas help you to lose weight.
There are more plastic flamingos in America than real ones.
Most lipstick contains fish scales.
Mosquitoes have teeth.
27 percent of U.S. male college students believe life is "a meaningless existential hell."
Most cows give more milk when they listen to music. | <urn:uuid:f91aa1cb-b504-4814-848a-54c4602b6d14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/random/articles/73646/title/tons-crazy-ans-strange-facts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939483 | 1,121 | 2.171875 | 2 |
A Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Phase III Randomized Study to Compare Hyperfractionation and Two Variants of Accelerated Fractionation to Standard Fractionation Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas: Preliminary Results of RTOG
James Metz, MD
OncoLink Associate Editor
Last Modified: November 1, 1999
Presenter: Karen K. Fu, MD
Affiliation: RTOG and University of California San Francisco
Various fractionation schemes have been advocated for the treatment of head and neck cancer based on single institution experiences. This multi-institutional Phase III trial was performed to evaluate disease free survival, overall survival, local control and toxicities of each regimen.
From 1991-1997, 1113 patients with advanced head and neck cancer were entered on the study. The most common primary site was oropharyngeal. Most patients had stage IV disease (64%). Patients were randomized to one of 4 arms in the trial:
- Stantard fractionation (SF)of 70 Gy in 2 Gy fractions over 7 weeks
- Hyperfractionation (HFX)81.6 Gy in 1.2 Gy fractions BID over 7 weeks
- Accelerated fractionation with a split course (AFX-S)67.2 Gy at 1.6 Gy fractions BID over 6 weeks
- Accelerated fractionation with a concomitant boost (AFX-C)72 Gy at 1.8 Gy fractions to a large field and 1.5 Gy fractions added as a boost each day on the last 12 treatment days.
- The patients were well balanced between the four arms of the trial in pretreatment characteristics.
- Local Regional Control was 46% (SF) vs 54% (HFX) vs 54% (AFX-C) vs 46% (AFX-S)
- Two Year Disease Free Survival was 32% (SF) vs 38% (HFX) vs 39% (AFX-C) vs 33% (AFX-S)
- There was no significant difference between the groups in regards to overall survival and distant metastatic rates
- Acute RTOG Grade III toxicity was increased in all three altered fractionation regimens ranging from 51%-59% vs 35% for standard fractionation
- AFX-C regimen had increased transient RTOG Grade III late toxicity but no difference in persistent toxicity when compared to the other regimens
The results of this altered fractionation trial have been highly anticipated by radiation oncologists. This trial will affect the design of all subsequent RTOG head and neck trials.
- Local-regional control was significantly increased in the hyperfractionation arm (HFX) and the accelerated fractionation with concomitant boost arm (AFX-C)
- There was no significant difference in overall survival between the groups
- An analysis of the radiobiological implications revealed reducing the overall time of treatment by one week and keeping the total dose at 70 Gy or increasing the dose by 6 Gy may result in an increased local-regional control rate of approximately 10%
- Because the AFX-C is logistically the easiest and most cost effective altered fractionation regimen it will be adopted as the control arm for all future RTOG head and neck trials
ASTRO coverage is sponsored, in part, by Varian Medical Systems, Inc. | <urn:uuid:e16bc97d-7b1e-4a84-b1d0-b2fb8e9c722b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oncolink.org/conferences/article1.cfm?id=142 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92609 | 695 | 1.546875 | 2 |
What do I do if my pet develops a food allergy?
To determine whether your pet has a food allergy, you’ll need to see your veterinarian. Once your pup is diagnosed with a food allergy, you can give him some relief by finding a diet that contains only "novel" food sources, for example things that your dog has never eaten and therefore probably hasn’t developed an allergy to. The diet should also contain as few preservatives and additives as possible, to eliminate the possibility that the additives are causing the allergic reaction.
There are a wide range of diets that you and your veterinarian can evaluate together, ranging from prescription diets to homemade lamb and rice, catfish and potato, or even pinto beans and potato diets. The most important thing is that you and your veterinarian work together to find a healthy, balanced diet that will keep your dog itch-free and happy. It may take some patiencedit can take a long period of trying various food combinations to find the one that works for your dog.
For more information about treatments for pet allergies, see Allergies.
Note: All content provided on HealthyPet.com, is meant for educational purposes only on health care and medical issues that may affect pets and should never be used to replace professional veterinary care from a licensed veterinarian. This site and its services do not constitute the practice of any veterinary medical health care advice, diagnosis or treatment. | <urn:uuid:abbb650c-8425-4680-88f7-1c26ddeba8e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?title=What_do_I_do_if_my_pet_develops_a_food_allergy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94836 | 289 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Messier 4 image by Bill Keel, shown from a 15-second V-band exposure with a Tektronix 2048x2048 CCD at the prime focus of the 4-meter Mayall telescope of Kitt Peak National Observatory. North is at the top and east to the left, for direct comparison with a chart or eyepiece view. The image has been block-averaged to 512x512 for this presentation, which uses a logarithmic intensity transformation to preserve information across a wide dynamic range. The field is 14.3 arcminutes square; pixels were averaged 4x4 for this display.
From Bill Keel's image collection at the University of Alabama.
Globular cluster M4, as photographed with the Kitt Peak National
Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in March of 1995. This picture was
created from observations with the T2KA CCD camera at this telescope.
Central region of globular cluster M4 as photographed by ESO's VLT UT1 8-m telescope.
This colour picture has been obtained by combining three images taken through three different filters at the wavelengths of blue, green, and red light. They were obtained during the night of May 22, 1998. In this way, the stars are seen in their true colors, ranging from blue for very hot stars (about 10,000 degrees) to red for the cooler ones (about 4,000 degrees).
With an exposure time of only 2 minutes, the VLT has been able to detect in the blue light stars as faint as magnitude 24. This corresponds to 15 million times dimmer than the faintest stars visible to the naked eye. This was achieved even though the image has a fairly high background, being taken with the Moon above the horizon (3 days before New Moon, with 18% illumination). The large mirror surface of the VLT UT1 (53 m^2) and its ability to produce very sharp images (measured as 0.53 arcsec on these images), unequalled by any ground-based telescope, ensures that faint objects may be observed extremely efficiently, especially under the good conditions that prevailed during this observation.
Last Modification: May 11, 2001 | <urn:uuid:d40c604d-f0d5-41ad-8436-645f82fc381a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://messier.seds.org/more/m004_more.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949659 | 452 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Dreaming of living life on your terms? Here's how to get one step closer now. more
Sibling rivalry - Betsy Brown Braun
Dealing with sibling fighting
There are four things you must understand in order to successfully deal with your children's fighting:
1. Life is not fair!
I think that you already know this, but you are still trying to make it fair. Understand that nothing you can do will make it that way, not in the eyes of your children, anyway. Remember, your child wants enough of the good stuff, and that isn't always possible. So she sees life as being not fair.
It is incumbent upon you, the parent, to try and make things fair. Your children need to see you exert the effort. Leading your children to believe that life is fair by working overtime to make it so, however, will certainly not prepare them for reality. Fair doesn't mean that things will work out the way you or your children want them to.
The problem comes when you, the parent, equate fairness with equality. Very often being fair means that things are not equal for your children. For example, one of your children needs shoes, and so you buy them for her. Your other complains, "That's not fair! I want shoes too." You know that you will buy your second child shoes when he needs them. That is being fair, but it is not being equal at that moment.
2. Your children have different parents.You are a different parent to each of your children, and your spouse is too. There are reasons for this truth. Your firstborn is your "practice child," and everything you did was the first time with her. You are an old pro by the time you have the next child and are a very different parent by virtue of experience.
In addition, each of your children has a different temperament, and you respond and relate to each based on who she is. In fact, you are a different parent to each child because each needs you to be so. You have different children, so you treat them differently.
3. In every family there is a rotating pill.
In every family in which there is more than one child, someone is always being "a pill". This reality certainly isn't written anywhere, but it sure is true. At any given time, one child is more demanding, needier, or going through a different stage. That child is in the "pill position," otherwise known as the "rotating pill". The amazing thing is that almost never do you have two children in the pill position at the same time, unless both are ill. When one child is in the pill position, the other one is a perfect angel: "Look at me Mummy, I am being good." Expect that at some point, each of your chlidren will have a turn in the pill position.
4. It will all come out in the wash.
This was one of my mother's expressions. I offer it as reassurance that, in the end, each of your children will get as much of you as she needs. The attention, time, and love that you give each of your children on any given day will vary. The child in the pill position will need and get more. If you were to keep a tally sheet, you would see that, in the end, there is some kind of equality, if there are no outstanding problems or issues.
Find more about sibling rivalry
- Sibling rivalry the basics
- Solving sibling rivalry
- Why yelling at the kids won't work
- Families who yell
- How to stop kids lying
- Stop kids fighting in the car
Read more about behaviour:
- Stop sibling rivalry
- Lying and how to stop it
- What to do when kids swear
- Fighting in the car
- Why kids swear
- Dealing with kids swearing
- Discipline dos and don'ts
- Practical parenting advice from Betsy Brown Braun
- Parents who yell
- Yelling at the kids
- Stopping siblings fighting
- Tantrums in primary school children
- Common fears in school children
- When your child starts school
- Is your child ready to start school
- Beat first day of school anxiety
- Making friends at school
- School and separation anxiety
- How to communicate with school when there is a problem
- Your child's school teacher
- 7 ways to prepare for parent-teacher interviews
- How to know when your child is too sick for school
- Is your difficult child gifted and talented?
- Inattention and the gifted child
- When your child is struggling at school | <urn:uuid:eb8a94e4-cb64-45f7-82ed-be1a9df91270> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kidspot.com.au/schoolzone/Social-and-emotional-Behaviour-Sibling-rivalry---Betsy-Brown-Braun+4048+309+article.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977103 | 959 | 1.765625 | 2 |
In Copenhagen, donor countries pledged to raise US$30 billion in “fast start funds” and an additional US$100 billion a year by 2020 to invest in reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. Though the commitments are clear, the delivery is uncertain. By the June UNFCCC meetings in Bonn, countries will need to start drafting a set of decisions on the financial architecture to manage and distribute these climate funds.
By embarking on several climate change initiatives, including an assessment of progress in implementing the Strategic Framework on Development and Climate Change (SFDCC) and the revision of its Energy Strategy, the World Bank has positioned itself to play a role in the management of new climate funds. The Bank already hosts several climate related trust funds, including the Climate Investment Funds. It is the trustee of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and its largest implementing agency. The question is whether the Bank should be entrusted with an even larger role in the future of climate finance. If it is going to gain the political support necessary to make this happen, the World Bank must systematically address issues of environmental and social sustainability in its mainstream investments.
Poverty Eradication and Low Carbon Development
The main challenge for the Bank will be to respond to the needs of developing countries while still promoting scalable investments in low carbon development. In order to do this, the Bank must overcome the mindset that there are inevitable tradeoffs between addressing climate change (and other environmental challenges) and facilitating pro-poor development. In fact, the best route to poverty eradication is low carbon development. Fortunately, there are numerous project and policy interventions that provide synergies between the low-carbon and the development agendas. Helping countries capture those synergies should be the guiding principle of the Bank’s climate work and its future energy sector strategy.
The ongoing energy strategy review offers the Bank a major opportunity to demonstrate leadership and a commitment to change. In 2008, WRI research showed that 60% of financing for the energy sector did not take climate change into account. Also, in 2010 the World Resources Institute released another survey that shows only a limited number of World Bank and other MDB (electricity sector only) loans consistently support sustainable energy investments in developing countries. The Bank is now saying that 60% of its country assistance strategies consider climate change. Does this signal real change?
A Greater Voice for Developing Countries?
The second challenge will be for the World Bank to embrace changes in its governance structures and procedures in order to give a greater voice to developing countries. This should be done in a manner that ensures efficiency, effectiveness and accountability, but more importantly result in better environment and development outcomes. The key principles to guide the Bank should be:
- Recognition of common but differentiated responsibilities between countries, taking into account national circumstances and the needs of those who are most vulnerable.
- Country ownership of plans that are rooted in development objectives. These plans should be developed with the participation of civil society and non-state actors.
- Provision of incremental financing and technology and financial support to help developing countries leapfrog into low carbon or zero carbon trajectories.
The ability to balance climate change and sustainability objectives with poverty and development objectives is no mean feat. With greater power comes responsibility and developing countries need to demonstrate equal support to climate-friendly approaches. Several are already starting to do a significant part of their share in addressing climate change and are in fact willing to cover part of the costs. A new approach is perhaps overdue in that we explore more ways of “blending” various forms of financing, such as multilateral, bilateral, private, and trust fund monies, in order to help meet the incremental financing required for countries to transition towards low carbon development. | <urn:uuid:5eec0413-ff38-4703-a51f-9448d50c3847> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/will-climate-finance-mean-new-path-world-bank | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934908 | 760 | 2.65625 | 3 |
We have proposed two amendments that we will have votes on today. One of them concerns the Second Amendment. I think it's very important that we protect the rights of gun owners in our country, not only for hunting, but for self-protection. And that the records of those in our country who own guns should be secret."
— Senator Rand Paul, speech before the U.S. Senate, May 26, 2011
You would think that the National Rifle Association, the NRA, would naturally back the Rand Paul amendment on exempting firearms records searches under the Patriot Act. But you would be wrong. The NRA criticized Senator Paul's amendment to exempt gun purchases from search provisions of the Patriot Act in e-mails to Congress while apparently sitting on important information showing the need for Paul's amendment. And it continues to defend its opposition to the Paul Amendment after The New American published information about that betrayal of Second Amendment principles. The information the NRA was apparently sitting on shows that the FBI and the federal government's Joint Terrorism Task Force have already begun trolling the records of law-abiding gun owners, using the excuse of terrorism surveillance.
Click here to read the entire article. | <urn:uuid:e0e4d7e5-4086-4d3d-9fbc-3bdfd0d647db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jbs.org/constitution/does-the-nra-support-gun-owners | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964409 | 235 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Mammals of the Pacific Northwest Biology 140
Explanation of Assignments
1) Field Log—45 Points: (10 points for check one, 20 for check two and 15 for check three).
You will be required to keep a Field Log of all wild Northwest mammal species that you encounter during the quarter. Since wild mammals are often elusive, it will take some extra effort on your part to actively seek some species out. You will need to go on a few field trips of your own (i.e. short hikes and drives) to view mammals. I will give you some suggestions throughout the quarter but you will need to take the initiative on your own too. I suggest you carry your Field Guide (class text) and a pair of binoculars in your car with you outside of class time. Although it can be disheartening, dead animals can give us good looks at native fauna. You may record road kill or cat prey but captive mammals in zoos or aquariums don’t count. You may also count signs of mammals such as droppings, tracks, nests, burrows, etc. as long as you can identify what mammal it belongs to with reasonable accuracy. Keep in mind that many wild mammals struggle to survive and to avoid the stress of being seen by potential predators like humans. Please don’t disturb, chase or attempt to catch or touch any mammal that you encounter whether it is dead or alive. This is an “observation only” exercise. I love to see the animals you have been fortunate enough to observe so if it is possible and safe, take a picture of your observations.
I will give a preliminary grade for your Field Logs. The first Field Log check is in week three and is worth 10 points. The final 35 points will be given when you hand in the Field Log at the last class period before finals week.
Your field log must include the following information for each mammal encountered:
· The log should not be typed—it’s a working document.
· Latin name and common name of mammal (and page from our book)
· Date and time seen.
· Location (be specific; include city, county, in a house, on a trail etc.)
· A picture is great
· Weather conditions
· Behavior of the mammal
· Habitat description (brushy, deep forest, etc)
· Discuss some aspect of the habitat. Below are two possible discussion topics:
· Share your reasoned opinion about this animal’s threats to survival. For example, suppose you see a mouse in your barn. You may write about a paragraph (it could be longer) describing his chance of eating something contaminated or the threat of a house cat. I want you to view survival from the perspective of the mouse and comment on any threats with special attention to non-natural or anthropogenic threats.
· Share your reasoned opinion about this animal’s use of the habitat. Might the animal be searching for food; seeking refuge; resting; en route somewhere, etc. This may be part of your behavior notes.
· NOTE: This section will be difficult early in the quarter (and I will excuse that) and you will become more proficient at assessing healthy habitat as the quarter goes on.
· Identification notes: How did you identify it; what clues led you to decide which mammal it was?
Below are the requirements for getting a B for the different field log checks.
· Field Log Check Number 1 is worth 10 points.
· Four good entries will get you a B. To earn better than the B your entries must be excellent (pictures, good details, etc). Alternatively, to earn better than a B you would need to have more entries. Suppose a student found 7 mammals and 5 entries were excellent and earned that student the full 10 points. I will "save" the remaining 2 entries for the next field log check.
· Field Log Check 2 is worth 20 points.
· Six good entries (above those from check 1—meaning you may have 4 from check 1 and now 6 from check 2 for a total of 10) will get you a B (16-18 points). To earn better than the B your entries must be excellent (pictures, good details, etc). Alternatively, to earn better than a B you would need to have more entries.
· Field log check number 3 is worth 15 points
· If you have 3 good entries, you will earn a B (16-18 points)
· At the end of the term, if you have some good fortune and good effort you may find more than enough animals for an A. In that case, I will give extra credit for entries with pictures that are in excess of what is necessary.
· Any extra credit entries must have pictures because I want to reduce any temptation to fudge an entry.
· Maximum EC points will be 5.
Error Codes from Graded Field Logs: T=problem at the top few sections of page; H=habitat (too short? Not a 2 part description?); L=location needs more; B=weak or too brief; I=identification (incorrect or more explanation needed). Points will be deducted if errors are repeated.
2) Species List—10 points
You will submit a typed list of all species encountered during the quarter. This list is to be taken from your field log. Mammals should be listed in the order in which they were seen; the first mammal in your field log should also be the first on your species list. If you have more than one sighting of a species in your field log, you will only write that species once on your species list. The list should have the species names written in proper scientific format and order. The Species List (and the related Field Log) is due at the last class period before finals week. The species List may look something like this:
1. Mephitis mephitis
2. Odocoileus hemionus
3. Microtus montanus
3) Presentation—20 points
Students will give a three minute presentation about some feature (behavior, natural history, physiology, superlative attribute or eccentricity) of a Northwest mammal of your choosing. I want you to find some aspect of the animal that intrigued or fascinated you. The presentation is only three minutes so you will only be able to share one nugget of information. My hope is that you search through a few peer review journals (a backbone of the scientific process) and that you discover some of the marvel of the animal kingdom. The requirements of this project are:
· Your information must be from a peer review journal. You will copy that journal article, highlight the parts that your presentation is based on and turn it in to me the class before you are scheduled to give your presentation. If you are unsure of whether your article is from an acceptable source, show it to me early enough that you have time to find another article if yours is not acceptable.
· Your goal is to find something fascinating about your animal and share it with the class. I do not want a report on the contents of your article; I want something interesting that you happened to have found in that article.
· I will post a sign up list in the class. Only three students may present on the same animal; when three students have signed up for a particular Northwest mammal, that mammal is closed to other presentations.
· Your presentation to the class will be only three minutes. Use notes and pictures if possible but don’t use your peer reviewed article during your presentation.
Grading Your Presentation: Eight points are for getting a peer reviewed article. The remaining 12 are for your in-class presentation:
Interesting communication style (good eye contact, attempt to be engaging with audience)
Well prepared (fluent speech)
10 to 12
Communication style had weaknesses
Topic was a bit hard to follow
Hard to hold student’s interest because of poor communication style
Topic hard to grasp; low interest
Less than 7
4) Latin Vocabulary Test—10 points
During the quarter, I will give you Latin word roots (for example, e.g. is an abbreviation of the Latin words exempli gratia which mean for example). I will give a Latin vocabulary test on the same day I give the final exam.
5) Two Additional Assignments—25 points each (50 total)
See the syllabus schedule for due dates. You may pick any two of the assignments you wish. The assignment list varies periodically so it is not included here. Mr. Clark will provide you with an assignment list in the second week of class. | <urn:uuid:1f310fb5-9c2f-4c65-9d17-6568c39a3f82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://web.clark.edu/sclark/Things%20to%20turn%20in%20Mammals.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927859 | 1,792 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Diesel Engines and SVO Conversions
The diesel engine was invented by Rudolph Diesel and was first deomonstrated at the World Fair in Paris running on peanut oill. While this first successful diesel engine looked nothing like modern diesel engines, it is still possible to fuel a modern diesel vehicle with vegetable oil because the basic principal of compression combustion is the same. To use straight vegetable oil as a fuel, the only requirement other than filtering it is that the oil be sufficiently heated in order to flow through the fuel system. Cold straight vegetable oil has a much higher viscosity than diesel or biodiesel fuel but as you warm SVO the viscosity decreases to comparable levels. This simple concept of preheating the oil to thin it is what SVO systems are designed around. There are many different methods to heat the oil but the most common are with engine coolant and electric heaters- we use both in our systems. Diesel engines create waste heat as they burn fuel and the cooling system on these vehicles is designed to remove this heat from the engine. We simply tap into that system and re-direct this heat to warm the fuel lines and tanks. In addition the alternators on diesel vehicle are heavy duty and we use some of the excess power from these alternators to power the electric heating elements that are installed in all the fuel filters we use. Full Circle Fuels offers the full line of Golden Fuels Systems products with identical pricing. We have been installing these systems for years and know how to do the job correctly and do technical support on both new and mature systems. For more information on these products or prices please see: www.goldenfuelsystems.com.
What is an SVO conversion?
A SVO conversion is an aftermarket fuel system that can be added onto any liquid cooled diesel engine, allowing the engine to burn vegetable oil in addition to diesel fuel. Only diesel engines can burn vegetable oil, there is no way to convert a gasoline powered engine to SVO. Cars and trucks aren't the only candidates for conversions - liquid cooled diesels include generators, tractors, industrial equipment, boats and any other piece of equipment that is powered with diesel fuel. The term "conversion" can be misleading though, because no original vehicle components need to be "converted" in order to use vegetable oil as fuel. The diesel engine was designed and originally demonstrated running on peanut oil. A SVO conversion is actually an auxiliary fuel system that enables the vehicle to burn vegetable oil in addition to diesel fuel. The basic idea is very simple - we install a parallel heated fuel system. Every component of the system (tanks, filter, lines, etc...) is heated with engine coolant or electric heating elements. Switching valves are installed which control both the supply and return fuel that flow into the engine. These valves can be either manual or automated. For more information about specific products please see http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com/products.php. | <urn:uuid:a18f361e-7e81-4db5-8816-eaf85b3a63b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fullcirclefuels.com/?page=diesel | 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 | 0.95391 | 608 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Slaughter (band) is an American hard rock band. A slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (from the French verb abattre, "to strike down" or freezing works ( New ZealandAnne-Marie Slaughter (born September 27, 1958) is the Bert G Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs and current Dean of the The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (often truncated to Woodrow Wilson School or abbreviated WWS; known as "Woody Woo" inPrinceton University is a private Coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey.Enos Bradsher Slaughter ( April 27 1916 - August 12 2002) was an American Right fielder in Major League Baseball Frank Gill Slaughter ( February 25, 1908 - May 17, 2001) pseudonym CGabriel Slaughter (December 12 1767 September 19 1830 was the seventh Governor of Kentucky and was the first person to ascend to that office upon the death of the sittingKarin Slaughter (born 1971) is an American Crime writer, who debuted with her Novel Blindsighted in 2001Louise McIntosh Slaughter (born August 14, 1929) is an American Democratic Party Politician, currently representing NewMark Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American Musician. He is one of the founders of Hard rock band SlaughterNugent Slaughter (1888 - 1968 was born in Virginia, United States.This article is about the wrestler Robert Remus For the GI Joe character (based on Remus see SgtWalter Alfred Slaughter ( 17 February 1860 – 2 March 1908) was an English conductor and composer of Musical comedy, Lower Slaughter is a Village in the English county of Gloucestershire located in the Cotswold district some four miles south west of the townHistory See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainlandUpper Slaughter is a Village in the English county of Gloucestershire located in the Cotswold district some four miles south west of the townSlaughter is a village in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States.William Everett Preston ( September 2 1946 – June 6 2006) was an American Soul musician from Houston Texas,Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade A Duty-Dance With Death (1969 by Kurt Vonnegut, is a Post-modern anti-war science-fiction novelSlaughter is an American Hard rock / Glam metal band formed in Las Vegas Nevada by lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Mark Slaughter
Slaughter (Canadian band) is a Canadian death metal band. Slaughter was a Canadian Death metal band They formed in Toronto Ontario Canada in 1984 playing Thrash metal and briefly featured Chuck Schuldiner
Slaughter & the Dogs is a British punk band. Slaughter & The Dogs is an English Punk rock band that formed in the late 1970s in Manchester, England.
Slaughter and May is a City of London law firm. Slaughter and May is a " Magic Circle " Law firm based in London, England. | <urn:uuid:1d18e218-9de1-4677-b4b6-cd0cdaa0adda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.citizendia.org/Slaughter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967178 | 655 | 1.765625 | 2 |
What if Aleister Crowley had a family? What kinds of things would that child endure? What evil deeds would shape his childhood?
What happens when that child lashes out against everything that’s been done to him?
These are the questions I played with when I wrote the short story “A Family Tree, Uprooted” for the anthology The Burning Maiden.
The protagonist is a broken man. He’s endured decades of abuse and now, after hunting his family down one by one, he returns to the old homestead for one last confrontation.
The problem, of course, is this is a short story, and there’s a whole lot of background going on. The reader has to know what the protagonist has dealt with and why it drives him to revenge. The reader has to know how heinous the family is, and understand the evil underlying the whole thing. Exposition works, but it would just drag down the story.
I chose to use implied history.
Our protagonist has a lot of memories here, and it’s a place he doesn’t want to be. As he makes the slog up the hill toward the house, he sees things that trigger nasty memories. He feels the pain those events inflicted. He bears the scars, both physical and mental. By the time we reach the climax, we have a good idea of the ordeal this guy went through, even if we didn’t witness the beatings and the blood and the dark magic firsthand.
I’m not the first to use this device. I first really noticed it in Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber, but we see it in books and movies all the time. In its most common form, a character mentions something in passing, an incident or event, and we pick up its bearing in context. I think it’s a great way for writers to convey history without hijacking the main story with needless exposition.
For a finish, I dropped in a surprise that leaves the major action of “A Family Tree, Uprooted” open to interpretation. Some readers took it one direction, some readers another. Both picked up on the implications I intended, though, so I must have done something right.
Download the Kindle edition and let me know what you think. While you’re at it, you’ll get short fiction by guys like Joe R Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Mort Castle, Cullen Bunn, Sarah Langan, and Bruce Boston. Horror fans, tell me that list doesn’t have you drooling!
A full table of contents can be found on The Burning Maiden website. Stay tuned for news of the print edition due next year. As an additional bonus, the Kindle edition of The Burning Maiden includes previews of Evileye novels like Winter Kill.
Make with the clicky, my friends. You won’t be disappointed.
About Mike Oliveri
Mike Oliveri is a writer, martial artist, cigar aficionado, motorcyclist, and family man, but not necessarily in that order. His Bram Stoker Award-winning first novel, Deadliest of the Species, was just reprinted by Evileye Books. | <urn:uuid:2a5f8e39-b937-4d39-b000-c616c4eeedd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mikeoliveri.com/tag/evileye-books/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953996 | 664 | 1.765625 | 2 |
The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be held on 11 June to 11 July in Cape Town, South Africa.
For sure World Cup fans will be heading to Cape Town soon and before you do, take not of the following travel advice:
1. Keep yours covered
For anyone traveling to South Africa, the right travel insurance should be your top priority before you go.
2. Travel securely
Don't bring too much valuables as much as possible. Also, make sure everything you will bring will fit in a hand luggage.
3. Beware of scams
Identity theft and ATM fraud is very common in South Africa. Fraudsters often target the unassuming tourists. Protection your passwords when doing online transactions. So beware and be really extra careful.
4. The golden rules
To avoid being a victim of crime or fraud, follow these golden rules:
- Ask your hotel about which areas to avoid.
- Don't advertise that you are a tourist. So don't carry or wear expensive items or jewelries.
- Carry belongings to a minimum, including cash and keep valuable items in a zipped pocket or body belt.
- At all times, protect your personal information and your passport. Keep in mind to report the loss or theft of identification documents as soon as it happens.
- Always protect your PIN by not writing it down or giving it to anyone. Use only ATM machines in well lit, high traffic areas. Be wary of any offers of help form anyone.
- Don't binge on alcohol or drugs — both will invalidate your travel insurance. Besides, it will make you a much easier target if you are drunk and incapable.
5. If the worst happens
You don't want it happening, but in case the worst thing possible happens, make sure your insurance information is at hand. Report any untoward incident such as robberies or scams to the police immediately. Take note of eye witnesses who can help you out. | <urn:uuid:79910c77-90a7-4d93-952d-35764fcd7b30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wandalust.com/50226711/travel_advice_for_world_cup_2010_fans.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931371 | 397 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The radiant fryer was developed by Kevin Keener, professor of food science in the College of Agriculture. It uses energy similar to sunlight to cook pre-formed food items like chicken patties, hamburgers and hash browns. Food is placed in wire trays that travel down a conveyor belt with radiant energy elements on either side.
Keener says many foods sold at fast-food restaurants are partially cooked at a factory and quickly frozen. Restaurant workers typically use an oil immersion fryer to finish the process.
"The radiant fryer does not require additional oil to finish the process, which means the food that it cooks could have 30 to 50 percent less oil than food cooked with the traditional frying," he says. "The food could be more appealing because a person tastes more of the food's ingredients and less oil."
The radiant fryer improves upon oil immersion fryers in other ways, Keener says.
"Because the amount of energy used to fry foods can be adjusted, the cook time could be 30 percent faster than the cook time with an oil immersion fryer," he says. "There is little to no oil to handle, which means the radiant fryer could eliminate risks associated with oil fryers, including the thousands of injuries each year from workers being burned."
Keener says the technology could benefit officials who oversee school lunch programs.
"Kids are familiar with fast food, and they consume a lot of it each year," he says. "The radiant fryer cooks food in a way that simulates fried fast foods, but with fewer calories and fat. Using the radiant fryer could satisfy kids who crave fast food."
Although the radiant fryer currently works best with pre-formed, partially fried foods that are consistently shaped, Keener says fat content and calories could be further reduced by developing foods specifically for radiant frying.
"Obesity in the U.S. is a serious health issue," he says. "Radiant frying is a technology that can achieve desirable finished food qualities while reducing calories and fat content." | <urn:uuid:2e91db29-b0af-4ec0-81e2-7d50ab871c09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/videos/2012/11/technology-fries-food-minimal-oil | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969362 | 417 | 3.234375 | 3 |
John has a problem. A lot of members are complaining about an issue.
He’s not sure how to handle the issue.
Let’s refresh on validating complaints.
First, what % of the audience is actually complaining? Is it 20% or 0.001% ?
Second, do most members agree? If you survey a random sample of 100 – 200 members, would they agree? Imagine you asked them to tell you on a scale of 1 – 10 how happy they were with the community. Where do you score?
If you asked them to name their three biggest issues in the community, did they name the issue?
You can do a survey in less than a day. If you’re worried about the issue, it’s worth testing how much most members really care about it.
Believe me, I know how scary it is to have 10 – 20 members attacking you. But you can’t please everyone (and trying to can upset the majority). So find out what the majority thinks before you react. | <urn:uuid:b15f0c7d-49ce-4610-bd6f-3241406c6f6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.feverbee.com/2012/07/verifying-complaints.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975567 | 218 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Hwy. 13, Phillips, Wisconsin
Fred Smith and his amazing colorful concrete sculptures are a part of the lore and legend of this part of Wisconsin. A lumberman, Smith retired at the age of 64 in 1950 and immediately began to make his folk-art sculptures—an impulse that, he said, “just comes to me naturally.” By the time a stroke disabled him 15 years later, he had created more than 200 figures. He refused to sell to collectors, choosing to leave his work “for the American people.”
Smith’s farm is now a public park, and his artistic endeavor preserved there is a strange but delightful collection of concrete figures: giant Native Americans, folk heroes, scenes from movies and history, life-size deer, bears, and other animals, and local characters whom Smith knew, such as Mabel the Milker milking a cow. Some pieces incorporate real buggies and wagons. His last work portrayed a beer wagon drawn by a team of eight Clydesdale horses. Smith applied his concrete over a frame of wood and chicken wire and then embedded bits of glass and other materials in the surface for decoration. The resulting figures are storybook primitives with a rigid straight-armed stance. The effect is at once outrageous, touching, funny, and charming.
Open year-round but partly inaccessible when snow is deep. Admission free but donations encouraged. | <urn:uuid:f89d0491-3ca4-48b1-9c90-625845e38a4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rd.com/advice/travel/worth-a-visit-wisconsin-concrete-park/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958856 | 287 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Independent State of Samoa
Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa i Sisifo
CAPITAL : Apia
FLAG : The upper left quarter of the flag is blue and bears five white, five-rayed stars representing the Southern Cross; the remainder of the flag is red.
ANTHEM : The Flag of Freedom.
MONETARY UNIT : The Samoan tala ( S ) is a paper currency of 100 sene. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 sene and 1 tala, and notes of 2, 5, 10, 20, and 100 talas. S 1 = US $0.3333 (or US $1 = S 3.00) as of January 2003.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES : British weights and measures are used.
HOLIDAYS : New Year's, 1–2 January; Independence Holidays (first three workdays of June), Anzac Day, 25 April; Christmas Day, 25 December; Boxing Day, 26 December. Movable religious holidays are Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Whitmonday.
TIME : 1 AM = noon GMT.
Samoan is the universal language, but both Samoan and English are official. Some Chinese is also spoken. Most of the part-Samoans and many others speak English, and it is taught in the schools.
Samoa has no armed forces, and relies on its police force for internal security. The government foresees no military development because of financial considerations and the absence of threats from abroad. There are informal defense ties with New Zealand under the terms of the 1962 Treaty of Friendship.
No minerals of commercial value were known to exist in Samoa.
ENERGY AND POWER
Samoa formerly depended heavily on imported energy, but hydroelectric power, first available in 1985, has greatly increased its generating capacity. In 2000, net electricity generation was 0.1 billion kWh, of which 59.2% came from fossil fuels and 40.8% from hydropower. In the same year, consumption of electricity totaled 95.8 million kWh. Total installed capacity at the beginning of 2001 was 25 MW.
There is a private life insurance company in Apia, National Pacific Insurance Ltd., managed by the National Insurance Co. of New Zealand.
Individuals and companies are liable for the payment of income tax. The basic nonresident corporate tax rate is 48%, and the resident corporate tax rate is 39%; rates for both domestic and foreign insurance companies are lower. Personal income tax rates range from 5% to 50%. There are also gift, inheritance, and stamp taxes.
CUSTOMS AND DUTIES
Customs duties provide almost half of current government revenue and are levied on all imports except those specifically exempted. Preferential rates for imports from Commonwealth countries were abolished in 1975.
The government actively promotes the establishment of industries financed by overseas companies. These include milling and logging operations by a US company on Savai'i and by a joint Japanese-Samoan enterprise on Upolu, and a US hotel resort center near Apia.
Samoa has no territories or colonies.
Freeman, Derek. Margaret Mead and Samoa: The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1983.
Gilson, R. P. Samoa 1830 to 1900: The Politics of a Multi-Cultural Community. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970.
Henderson, Faye. Western Samoa, A Country Profile . 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1980.
Lockwood, Brian. Samoan Village Economy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971.
Mead, Margaret. Coming of Age in Samoa. London: Penguin, 1961 (orig. 1928). | <urn:uuid:76361bc5-0e3e-46cb-b1da-11b3352ff1b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Samoa.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907227 | 792 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Oct. 26, 2010
-- More than 1,200 new species have been identified in the Amazon rainforest between 1999 and 2009, dubbed "the decade of discovery." This translates to a rate of one previously undescribed animal or plant every three days, according to a report published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Here we see Micrastur mintoni, a forest falcon with bright orange ovals around its eyes. Discovered in 2002 in Brazil, the bird is a bit of a mystery, though researchers believe the overall populations of this animal are large.
Among the new species are 637 plants, 257 fish, 216 amphibians, 55 reptiles, 16 birds and 39 mammals. Thousands of additional invertebrate species have also been discovered; however, they weren't included in the report. Discovered in 2002 in Bolivia, this snake (Eunectes beniensis) is the first newly described anaconda since 1936. It can grow up to four meters (13 feet) in length, and once fully grown can prey on animals as large as jaguars.
Spanning 6.7 million square kilometers (2.6 million square miles), the Amazon spans nine countries -- Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The world's largest rainforest and river basin, the Amazon is a biodiversity hot spot. It is home to one in 10 of the world's known species, according to the WWF. Found in French Guiana in 2000, this spider (Ephebopus cyanognathus) has two bright blue fangs that stand out from its otherwise brown body. More than 500 new spiders have been cataloged in the Amazon over the past 10 years.
More species of primates can be found in the Amazon than anywhere else on Earth, according to the WWF report. That includes Mico acariensis, a fresh primate face first found in 2000. The animal can grow to 24 centimeters (9 inches) tall and weighs a mere 420 grams (0.9 pounds). Little is known about this mysterious marmoset since this animal lives away from human activity in a remote region of central Brazil.
Insects are especially plentiful throughout the Amazonian rainforest, particularly ants. One tree was found able to sustain up to 43 different ant species. According to scientists' estimates, approximately 15 percent of all animal biomass within the Amazon is just ants. This would include Martialis heureka, a new ant species discovered in Brazil. Blind, subterranean and predatory, this new species has very ancient roots and could be a direct descendant of the first ants ever to evolve more than 120 million years ago.
First discovered in the 1830s, the Amazon river dolphin is easy to spot in the water given its pink color. However, the dolphin in this photo, Inia bolivienses, belongs to a different species entirely. Although it was discovered in 1977, only in 2006 were biologists able to confirm this unique Bolivian native. Threats to this animal include pollution from mercury and hydrocarbons as well as dams, waterways and other infrastructure projects.
Despite the rich tapestry of life that exists within the Amazon, the rainforest is increasingly under threat due to human activity primarily caused by deforestation from both agriculture and ranching. Regional and global demand for meat, soy and biofuels will only accelerate this trend. More than 15 percent of the Amazon has already been destroyed, according to the WWF report. These influences have put pressure on native populations of plants and animals -- not only those known to science but also those that have yet to be discovered. This new report highlights the need to protect this fragile environment and is a reminder of just how much there is still to learn about the world's largest rainforest. Take this bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) for instance. Given its brilliant color patterns, scientists were surprised to discover that it had never been previously identified. Due to its somewhat small population and logging activity in its territory that is furthering habitat loss, this new species has already been identified as "near threatened."
The WWF wasn't alone in compiling this incredibly diverse catalog of species of animals and plants. Scientists at universities, museums, government agencies and various other organizations discovered the individual species detailed in this report. Here we see one of the most colorful animals detailed in this report, Ranitomeya benedicta. Found in the Peruvian Amazon, this poisonous dart frog -- just one of the 24 such amphibians discovered over a 10 year span -- uses toxins to ward off potential predators.
To learn more about the species described in this slide show and more, click here to read the full WWF report. | <urn:uuid:0a261a8f-c1f5-4eca-a154-6f6ffdd14523> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/amazon-decade-discovery.htm | 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 | 0.946431 | 969 | 3.546875 | 4 |
A 14-year-old boy who doctors once said had hours to live is making such strides after a liver transplant that he's expected to go home Tuesday.
"I realize that life definitely can't be taken for granted," Adam Snow told Channel 4 Action News on Monday. "I'm young, but I definitely have a new outlook on life and enjoy it as much as I can."
Four weeks ago, Adam was a healthy teenager who loved to fish and play football, but the Butler County teen quickly found himself confined to a hospital bed in a fight for his life.
“He went from being disoriented to being nearly comatose,” said Dr. Rakesh Sindhi, director of pediatric research at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
Adam’s parents said he developed flu-like symptoms and was later diagnosed with an unexplainable case of acute liver failure. His case was so rare that he was put at the top of the list to receive a new liver.
Doctors said Adam wouldn’t survive if he didn’t receive a new liver in 24 to 36 hours. A donor was found at midnight Nov. 9, and he underwent several hours of surgery in the morning.
While some complications arose, the Snows said they hope their son's story will convince others to become organ donors and help save lives.
"We can't thank the donor enough," said Snow's father, Skip. "It was the gift of life, and we're just overwhelmed by it."
“I just want to thank the family that did donate the liver. I mean, we just can’t thank them enough that he's going to live a healthy, happy life,” his mother, Linda Snow said. And Skip Snow added, "You don't realize how many people need help."
Adam admits he's even a little surprised at how quickly he's recovered. | <urn:uuid:80bdca46-8148-4976-9568-f65b4a2c3afd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wtae.com/news/local/butler/Teen-given-hours-to-live-receives-liver-transplant/-/10928542/17352778/-/item/0/-/lmqtf/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989057 | 398 | 1.65625 | 2 |
author discovered a work of the realist artist, Émile Friant,
in the French film, "I've Loved You So Long," where he first
saw the painting, La Douleur. He was so impressed by this painting
that he decided to do research on the artist. This led him to the
realization that very little had been written about Émile Friant.
Much research had to be done on his life and his paintings.
This novel can be seen
as a companion work to Beaupré's recent publication on Van
Gogh. Both are based on the historical and esthetic facts surrounding
the lives of the two artists, Van Gogh in Arles and Friant in the
Alsace-Lorraine region, as well as Paris. The novel incorporates the
following elements: Friant's many paintings well described, the Parisian
ateliers, photography as a tool for painting, the Grand Salon, the
literary life of Friant's times, the 1889 World's Fair, and the close
relationship with the best French actor of his day, Bernard Coquelin,
and the Franco-Prussian War as well as WWI.
Moreover, as a novel, we
encounter a seduction scene on the part of a young woman, a difficult
friendship with an Italian man who tries to teach the artist the notion
of sensuousness, the struggle with the concept of infinity on the
part of the creative self in Émile Friant, and a professional
relationship with the artist, John Singer Sargent.
The setting is Nancy in
the Lorraine region of France, as well as Paris, the fine arts center
of the world in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Format: 5 x 8 in - 378 pages
Published by Llumina
are also available.
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© 2005-present - Norman Beaupré and HappyWebCreations
August 3, 2011 | <urn:uuid:786e8602-e0f6-4fb5-810e-9a17d66868db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nrbeaupre.com/writings/easel-of-horn.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958643 | 422 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Egyptian tourism authorities have sought to reassure travellers about the future of the country as a holiday destination, despite fears of a crackdown on the sale of alcohol and calls for segregated beaches.
Last week Mohamed Morsi of the Freedom and Justice Party
(FJP) received a quarter of the votes in the country's first presidential
elections since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. A run-off for the presidency
between Morsi and Ahmed Shafik – a prime minister under Mubarak – is due to
take place on June 16 and 17.
It is feared that the election of Morsi could see such
policies put in place, but representatives from the country's tourism industry
said any changes would face strong opposition.
"These calls are just rhetoric – it is an attempt to
win votes," said Omayma El Husseini, director of the Egyptian Tourist
Office. "These people can say and promise what they want but they will not
She added that economic concerns would make such changes
disastrous and suggested that an "intellectual conflict" was
developing in the country.
"Tourism is very important to Egypt – it is the
second highest contributor to GDP," she said. "The tourism industry
and the liberal Muslims in Egypt will not let them screw it up."
At least one in 10 people in Egypt make a living through
tourism, and the country has already witnessed a sharp fall in visitors since
the last year's revolution. According to official figures, foreign arrivals
fell by around a quarter in 2011, compared with the previous year, and have
fallen by a further 10 per cent so far in 2012.
Any restrictions on the sale of alcohol and sunbathing
could have an even more dramatic impact, particularly in beach resorts such as
Sharm El Sheikh.
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Turkey, Thailand, Egypt, Indian Ocean, Germany, airlines, tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, travel law, tourists, tourist, travel warning, destination, Rixos, Gloria Hotels, TUI, Ahmet Barut, Fettah Tamince, Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Ryanair, SunExpress , Pegasus, Pep, RTK, Thomas Cook, FTI, alltours, Antalya, Aspendos, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, last minute deals, early booking, cruise, food, health tourism, jobs in tourism, job search, the best hotels, Russian tourism, restaurants | <urn:uuid:2b97ae2d-980b-4795-835f-100cc33ff5ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tourexpi.com/en-eg/news.html~nid=59065 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926935 | 573 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Back to Contents Page
The multiplicity which is indicated by these names is related to attributes and
not to the Being or Essence of God, for He is unique in every respect.
God’s Attribute are of two kinds: True and additional.
True attributes are those applied to Him if we consider the very essence of God as the Living, the Eternal, and the Everlasting.
However, additional attributes are those applied to God if we take others into consideration as the Creator Which is against the created and Merciful which is against one who receives mercy. Therefore the multiplicity of God’s names is not related to His Essence or Being but related to the affairs outside it.
Ali Ibne Ra-ab has reported on the authority of Imam Sadeq (AS):
834- “Whoever worships God in his own illusion is an unbeliever. Whoever worships name without meaning, he is an unbeliever too. Whoever worships both the name and the meaning, he is polytheist. Whoever worships the meaning and the applies names to it, that too, through attributes by which God has described Himself, ties his heart to it and makes his tongue expressive of it in secret and public, such men are the companions of Amiralmomenin (AS).”
In a Hadith, we read that they are true believers.
In another Hadith, the Imam said to Hesham Ibne Hakam:
835- “There are 99 names for God. If the name is the same as meaning, then every name is a god but to say it correctly Allah is a unique meaning and these names are its attributes.”
Amr Ibne shoaib has polyquoted his father and the Holy Prophet of Islam (SAW) as
836- “While being happy and having a smile on his lips, Gabriel come down from heaven to the Holy Prophet (SAW) bringing the following Dua saying: God has sent a gift for you. The Holy Prophet said: What is the gift O Gabriel! Gabriel said: Words along with treasures of heaven by which God has honoured you. The Holy Prophet said: What are those words O Gabriel?! Gabriel said: Say:
“O You who reveal beauty and conceal ugly things! O You who do not take a wrongdoer to task and not tear the veil! O You who are Great Forever! O You who have the great forbearance! O You who have pardon abounding! O You who have opened Your hands for mercy! O Hearer of all whisperings! O You to whom all complaints are made! O Noble face! O Possessor of great favor! O You who give blessings to Your servants when they do not deserve it! O our Master! O our Lord! O our Guardian! O the Goal of our desires! I beseech You O God! not to make my being ugly with Fire.”
“Here the Holy Prophet (SAW) said to Gabriel: What is the virtue of these words? Gabriel said: Far away! Far away! It is something impossible, for if the angels of seven heavens and seven earths gather to describe its virtues till the Day of Judgment, they are not able to describe a single part of it.”
“Therefore when a man says: O You who reveal the beauty and conceal the ugly, God covers up his defects and has mercy on him and makes him look beautiful on the Day of Judgment and covers his defects with a thousand veils in the world and the hereafter.”
“And when he says: O You who do not take the wrongdoer to task and do not tear the veil, God will not take him to task on the Day of Judgment and on the day all veils are torn, God will not tear his veil.”
“And when he says: O You who are Great Forgiver, God will forgive his sins even if they are as much as the sea foam.”
“And when he says: O You are of great forbearance, God will forgive him such sins as theft, drinking wine, and other sins.”
“And when he says: O You who have pardon abounding, God will open seventy gates of Mercy to him in a way that he will be overwhelmed by God’s Mercy till he dies.”
“And when he says: O You who have opened Your hands for mercy, God opens His hands of Mercy to him.”
“And when he says: O Hearer of all whisperings, O You to whom all complaints are made, God will give him rewards as many as given to every afflicted and unaffiliated, every losing and sick as well as destitute and every one affected by calamity till the Day of Judgment.”
“And when he says: O Possessor of great favor, God will make him noble as prophets.”
“And when he says: O You who give blessings to Your servants when they do not deserve it, God will grant him rewards as many as the number of those who have thanked His blessings.”
“And when he says: O our Master, O our Lord, God will say: My angels! Be witness that I forgave him and I will give him rewards as many as those being in paradise and Hell, the seven heavens and the earths, the sun, the moon, the stars, drops of rain, sands mountains, dews and throne.”
“And when he says: O our Guardian, God will make his heart replete with faith.”
“And when he says: O the Goal of our desires, God will give him the love of all creatures on the Day of Judgment.”
“And when he says: I beseech You O God not to make my being ugly with Fire, God will say: My servant has asked Me to free him from Fire. O My angels! Be witness that I set him, his parents, his brothers, his household, his children and his neighbors free from the Fire and accepted his intercession for a thousand others who deserved the punishment by fire and saved them from it.”
_ “O Muhammad! Teach this Dua only to men of piety. Do not even teach it to hypocrites, for it is a Dua which God will answer. This is the Dua recited by the men of Beite Ma’moor (an edifice in the fourth or seventh heaven as sacred as Ka’aba) when they circumambulate it.”
This treatise comes to an end with this Hadith.
We beseech God to Place us among the first persons who benefit from and
follow it by being qualified as the ones described in it, to make us a partner
of every brother in faith who has knowledge of it, has found his way, is walking
on the path of the righteous ones, and has added to his worthy provision, to
place it as an asset and weapon to attain our goal and to save us from any
hardship, for He is the cause of every benevolence and every thing becomes
perfect only with His blessing.
Greetings of Allah be on Muhammad who is the noblest of pure souls and his household who are benefactors and of noble birth until day and night, dark and light follow each other. Praise is due to the Lord of the worlds and greetings to our master, Muhammad and his pure household!
This dissertation was completed by Ahmad Ibne Fahd, the one who is needy of Allah, the Most High on Monday night, the 16th of Jamadiul Awwal of the year 801 AH.
is due to Allah,
the One and His greetings
and peace on Muhammad
and his progeny.
Back to Contents Page | <urn:uuid:0bd60640-664e-44cb-aae0-2962f3af962c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.duas.org/od/chap9.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970201 | 1,644 | 2.21875 | 2 |
A Medieval Highlight in the Low Countries
Gorgeous, medieval Ghent lies at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers, and was for a time during the Middle Ages, one of Europe's richest cities. Considered by many the spiritual heart of Flanders, Ghent has a large university, ancient churches, canals and waterways and a famous (yet controversial) castle.
The defining building of Ghent is the Gravensteen, or "Castle of the Count." Built in 1180 by count Philip of Alsace, the castle served as the seat of the Count of Flanders until they abandoned it in the 14th century. The castle was then used as a courthouse, a prison and even a torture chamber. At the end of the 19th century, the downtrodden castle was scheduled to be demolished before the city of Ghent, in 1885, bought it and started a renovation project. The walls and dungeon were restored to their original condition, and the structure is still partly surrounded by the moat. Despite arguements that the castle lacks authenticity, travelers come in droves.
Nearly as old and just as beautiful, the Graslei is a Ghent's medieval harbor, lined with 12th -17th century buildings. This "Herb Quay" on the right bank of the Lys lies between the Gras Bridge and St. Michael's Bridge, and helped establish Ghent as a wealthy port city. Today, the Graslei is a modern meeting place, its restored warehouses occupied by restaurants, shops and art galleries.
To see the city from up high, climb the 250-foot-high belfry of Ghent that is topped by a dragon and symbolizes the power of Ghent's medieval guilds. Through the centuries, it has served not only as a bell tower to announce the time but also signal for warnings. The bell even has a name: Roland, and has become almost a person to the people of Belgium. Longfellow even referred to Roland in one of his poems: "Till the bell of Ghent responded o'er lagoon and dike of sand, I am Roland! I am Roland! there is victory in the land!" It's only fitting then that he is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ghent is the gateway to more Medieval beauty in Flanders. Bruges, just 20 minutes away, is home to its own UNESCO Heritage Site Belfry and a center for delicate lace. See what sparkles in Antwerp, center of the diamond trade, and be there in 45 minutes. For more riches, stare at yachts in the "North Port" of Oostende, less than an hour away. Craving waffles on the Grand Place? Be in Brussels in a half hour. All with a Eurail Benelux Pass.
Getting to Ghent is just as easy as getting around Ghent. Its city center is the largest car-free area in Belgium. You won't hear exhaust pipes or the honking of horns. Just the sound of locals chatting away among the Medieval quays and streets, and Roland keeping track of your precious time in this Flanders capital.
Contributed by: Sarah, Telephone Travel Consultant. Lived and traveled all over the world. | <urn:uuid:e698dc81-69a1-4e15-98c4-6b0d16af28d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.raileurope.com/europe-travel-guide/belgium/ghent/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966081 | 680 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Syrian refugees fleeing the violence caused by the civil war are facing further challenges once they leave Syria. An estimated 600,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring countries, but camps are struggling to meet the basic needs of the refugees. “Current assistance levels are drastically insufficient to address existing needs, let alone the barest requirements to respond to a lengthy humanitarian emergency and post-conflict recovery,” says the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Commission on Syrian Refugees in a report, Syria: A Regional Crisis, released today.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has repeatedly attempted to gain access to some of the hardest hit areas in Syria, but has been met by serious challenges. ICRC President Peter Maurer said that the situation in Syria was getting worse in mid-December even though the organization was able to expand services in country. The nature of the fighting forced ICRC staff to react to events and deliver services when possible rather than set up a permanent response.
The IRC report confirms many of the same challenges to reach Syrians citing a continually moving frontline of fighting and intimidation tactics used against medical professionals. Syria is deploying “a systematic campaign to restrict access to lifesaving care through the strategic bombing and forced closure of medical facilities,” said physicians to IRC.
Violence extends beyond fighting found IRC. A significant number of the Syrian refugees interviewed for the report citied rape as a reason for fleeing the country. A 28-year-old woman from Dara’a described hearing an attack on her neighbor. “When they raided the house next door, we could hear the rape of my neighbor, my friend,” she told IRC. “And then they arrested my brother and tortured him for days. He survived but they scarred his body and destroyed his genitals. We stayed at home, even when we were running out of food. We were too afraid to go out.”
She fled to Jordan after the armed men beat her husband and threatened to arrest him. The rapes are rarely reported due to stigma associated with it. Those interviewed by IRC expressed concerns ranging from retribution by perpetrators to honor killings by family members.
However, the refugee camps provide little in terms of physical safety and mental resources for the women. “Many of these women have experienced rape and torture in Syria, but as refugees can’t find the support they need to heal their physical and emotional scars—let alone provide food and shelter for their families,” explains Sanj Srikanthan, IRC Emergency Field Director.
Though refugees have escaped the violence in Syria, life in camps in Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon remains challenging. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that 600,000 Syrians have fled the country and expects the number to rise to 1 million in 2014.
Save the Children and other NGOs raised concerns in November about the lack of shelter and clothing for refugees as winter approached. The warnings have appeared to come true as evidenced by recent events. Countless reports this past week describe refugees without winter clothing, flooded tents, and unsanitary camp conditions.
The IRC report recommends that countries continue to keep their borders open for refugees. Lebanon turned back internal opposition and said it will allow refugees to enter the country, but called on the members of the Arab League to provide financial support for the estimated 200,000 Syrian refugees in the country.
While a good amount of reporting focuses on the refugee camps, an estimated 70% of Syrian refugees live outside of the camps. IRC urges donors to increase their funding to meet the needs of the refugees and says that the response must make the urban refugees who are not in the camps a priority.
“Donors need to step up, recognize the severity of the humanitarian crisis in and around Syria and face the virtual inevitability that this is going to get much worse and last much longer than initially anticipated,” says IRC-UK Board of Trustees Co-Chair, Sir John Holmes. | <urn:uuid:22475a2c-e886-4a75-8dab-b0ae79c7766a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aviewfromthecave.com/2013/01/some-syrian-refugees-fleeing-sexual.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970964 | 809 | 2.46875 | 2 |
When you receive the invitation of your friend?s wedding party, what is the first question comes to your mind? The gift! What should you take to them? Though not each invitation requires a gift, you?d better take one since you accept the invitation.
Choosing a special gift can always be tough. If you are good at making gifts, then just do it. DIY is very popular among fashionable young people. Design a gift for the bride or the groom. For example, you can make a sheet with their names on it. Or create a wedding medallion for them.
They won?t cost you too much, but they are very meaningful. To know their lifestyle and their hobbies can give you some kind of inspiration to choose some special artworks, sports goods, antiques, coffee tableware, and lazy sofa. Such things can be very useful and will add good decorating affect. Money is the most commonly used gift. Check, cash, securities, all of them can be the wedding gift.
For the second marriage couples, you?d better ask what they need if you?re familiar with each other, since they have got most of the household utensils. How about a camera, a pair of baseball bats, a hardcover poetry, a hammock, or to help with the wedding party?
All in all, there shouldn?t be a limitation for your imagination. Just try to get what they like, and you?ll never go to the wrong way. | <urn:uuid:ff3831af-1f5c-46ba-8e57-264923af7e6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bayliy.com/blog/tag/what-to-bring/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952433 | 306 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Kelly James thought she wanted to be a lawyer, but after four different law jobs in five years, hoping each position would lessen her unhappiness, she was at a breaking point. "I lived for Friday. I'd count the hours until Friday at five o'clock," she recalls.
After one particularly awful case, "I came home, and I cried for two or three hours straight," James says. Her boyfriend finally confronted her. She remembers, "He said, 'If this job is making you this miserable, why don't you quit?'" So, finally acknowledging that job burnout was jeopardizing her mental and physical health, she did.
James is not alone. Many people feel concerned about work-related stress, which can directly impact job satisfaction and performance.
What Is Job Burnout?
"Burnout is the gradual process by which a person, in response to stress and physical, mental, and emotional strain, detaches from work and other meaningful relationships. The result is lower productivity, cynicism, confusion…a feeling of being drained, having nothing more to give," says Mark Gorkin, LICSW, a Washington, DC-based expert on stress.
It is a rare employee who has not experienced some on-the-job pressure. Ups and downs are part of the natural cycle of work—and life—but when stress continues, unabated, for extended periods of time, burnout can result.
"Burnout itself is a process. It develops through stages," explains California executive coach and psychologist Sandra Paulsen, PhD. She defines the stages as:
- Physical exhaustion —having reduced energy to maintain activity level
- Emotional exhaustion —feeling depressed , hopeless, and helpless
- Changed perspective on the world —feeling cynical, negative, and irritable
- Pervasive, global feelings of negativity —feeling that you are doing poorly in all areas of life or feeling that you are not a good person
What Causes Burnout?
Though unhappy employees like Kelly James are prime candidates for burnout, you do not have to hate your work to be at risk. Even people who enjoy their jobs can get worn out, says Bob Gardella, assistant director of alumni career services for Harvard Business School and author of The Harvard Business School Guide to Finding Your Next Job .
Many employees find themselves constantly fighting to maintain a balance between their home and work lives. The combination of long hours, work and family pressures, increased job responsibilities, business travel, and a lack of boundaries between time on and off the job can all conspire to make even the most dedicated worker frazzled. And if you do not enjoy what you are doing, those factors can wreak even more havoc.
What Is at Risk?
So you are a little worn down. You do not feel the same motivation you used to, and your work is more of a drain than a joy. So what? Everyone goes through ups and downs. It will pass—right?
Do not be so quick to shrug off workplace stress. While it is normal to occasionally experience some level of workplace dissatisfaction, long-term stress—burnout—can damage your career and your health.
"Most of us can handle the 'speed bumps,' as I call them," says motivational speaker Tom Bay, author of Change Your Attitude: Creating Success One Thought at a Time. "It's when it's prolonged that it becomes a problem."
According to the Center for the Advancement of Health, various studies indicate a significant correlation between on-the-job stress and mental, emotional, and physical problems, such as heart disease and mental, immune system, and musculoskeletal disorders. These affect your quality of life and workplace productivity.
In sum, job burnout is a pervasive problem that individuals and companies cannot afford to ignore.
What Can You Do About It?
If you are facing a mild case of workplace angst or if your stress comes from a short-term problem, such as a co-worker's absence, taking a week's vacation or acknowledging that your situation is temporary may be enough to get your life back on track. If you are facing an advanced case of burnout however, the solution may be more drastic.
Is It Time to Change Jobs?
If you are unhappy, do not automatically assume the solution is to change jobs. First, assess what you might be contributing to your woes. For instance, do poor time-management skills result in always being behind on your work? Are you inclined to take on more than you can possibly do? Do you have trouble delegating or saying no? If so, those problems will not disappear just because you are hanging your hat in a different place.
There are times, though, when the only solution is to make a break. If your priorities do not mesh with your current corporate culture or if you do not see a path towards a different working environment, you may have to say goodbye. Or if you take a break and do not find yourself returning with more energy, it may be time to move on.
Is It the Right Decision for You?
Even if these lifestyle decisions reflect your priorities, making choices that may jeopardize your position or reputation in the company is difficult, especially if you have always been a top performer.
"But one has to have the intestinal fortitude to protect one's self and one's family," says Dr. Paulsen. "One has to. No one else is going to do it."
Bay agrees, "It comes back to the fact that it's your life—and it's all you've got." | <urn:uuid:c1fecac7-9c2a-44cf-b9ac-e47391e33e2c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://doctors-hospital.net/your-health/?/14252/Are-you-suffering-from-job-burnout | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957427 | 1,146 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The first artificial reef trials for the South West are a step closer with the completion of the first 30 reef modules.
Fisheries Minister Norman Moore announced the milestone for the $2.38 million project yesterday, with an inspection of the Australind factory where the components were being made.
All 60 modules for the two reefs, one in Dunsborough and the other in Bunbury, are expected to be completed early next month with deployment potentially starting next month or March.“We look forward to the potential the reefs offer and the opportunity this trial will give researchers to monitor and assess them, however, recreational fishers would need to allow time for the reefs to begin hosting significant biodiversity,â€
'The West Australian' is a trademark of West Australian Newspapers Limited 2013.
All rights reserved.
Select your state to see news for your area. | <urn:uuid:ee6ee2d3-b7b0-4b51-8b93-cd516726523b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/regional/southwest/a/-/news/15952274/wave-of-new-reefs-on-track/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93574 | 177 | 1.828125 | 2 |
The Water Conservation Division is located at 3333 Busch Road in Pleasanton and can be reached at (925) 931-5513. Business hours vary by season. Please leave a message to get a return call.
The Water Conservation Division provides customers with information and programs for efficient water use to help protect natural resources and reduce utility costs associated with water treatment and distribution.
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
Want to find ways to reduce your water use? Check out the programs the City of Pleasanton offers to find ways to improve your water efficiency. Do your part to ensure a more sustainable water future!
CITY OF PLEASANTON WATER-EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS
ZONE 7 WATER AGENCY REBATE PROGRAMS
Create your own water-efficient landscape! This interactive website allows you to view numerous water-efficient landscapes, select the plants you want, and offers gardening resources to help you get the job done right.
Bringing Back the Natives offers native gardening information, such as upcoming events, designer and nursery resources.
Their anuual award-winning tour features Alameda and Contra Costa county gardens that are pesticide-free and water conserving. It is sure to inspire home gardeners with water saving ideas!
Bay Friendly is a holistic approach to gardening and landscaping that works in harmony with the natural conditions of the San Francisco Bay Watershed. Bay-Friendly practices foster soil health, conserve water and other valuable resources while reducing waste and preventing pollution.
Visit Lose Your Lawn for one-stop information about local resources for losing your lawn. The webiste has step-by-step videos demonstrating how to use the technique of sheet mulching to cover up your existing lawn with cardboard and mulch, and how to convert an existing sprinkler system to drip irrigation.
The Alameda County Master Gardeners (http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/) are a group of trained volunteers that help residents of Alameda County learn about gardening. They offer a wealth of information from outstanding plants for Alameda County, safe plant pest management, demonstration gardens, and more.
2010 Urban Water Management Plan
The City’s 2010 Urban Water Management Plan has been adopted by City Council, and submitted to the Department of Water Resources. The plan was prepared in accordance with the California Urban Water Management Planning Act and the Water Conservation Bill of 2009. The guide is used as a long-term water supply planning tool.
Clean Water Program - a combined effort with local governments, residents and local businesses working together to protect area creeks, wetlands and ultimately San Francisco Bay.
The program educates the public on how to keep businesses and homes from contributing to storm water pollution, and also coordinates its activities with other pollution prevention programs, such as wastewater treatment plants, hazardous waste disposal, and water recycling. These elements are all critical in preserving our precious natural resources. | <urn:uuid:062c437e-5d1a-4a0b-b8a1-bb82deab3f74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/services/utility/water-conservation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905988 | 594 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Philip Cooney, who resigned as chief of staff of the White House council on environment quality at the weekend, will begin work at the oil giant in the autumn.
Politicians and environmental groups in Washington condemned the move yesterday. "At a minimum it creates a terrible appearance," said Henry Waxman, a Democratic Congressman who sits on the committee for government reform. "This is one of the fastest revolving doors I have seen."
Kert Davies, the US research director for Greenpeace, said: "The cynical way to look at this is that ExxonMobil has removed its sleeper cell from the White House and extracted him back to the mother ship."
It emerged last week that Mr Cooney, who has a law degree and no scientific training, watered down scientific papers on climate change and played up uncertainties in the scientific literature.
He had previously worked for the American Petroleum Institute, a lobby group that was vocal in countering the virtual consensus by scientists that manmade emissions are warming the planet.
A White House spokeswoman told the Associated Press his resignation was "completely unrelated" to the disclosure in the New York Times two days earlier that he had made changes in several government climate change reports issued in 2002 and 2003.
"Mr Cooney had long been considering his options following four years of service to the administration," she said.
Bush administration policy on global warming has generally echoed that of the oil lobby, emphasising doubt over climate change science and focusing on the need for further research.
An ExxonMobil spokesman said Mr Cooney had been hired before the doctoring stories broke. | <urn:uuid:4276d49f-ddb3-4aca-b4d4-c163181cddc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jun/16/environment.usa | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978396 | 318 | 1.578125 | 2 |
On Friday morning, I arrived at a conference at the White House to speak on the future of the Sikh American community. On a panel, I reported on a rising generation of Sikhs who are reinterpreting their faith and finding innovative ways to serve their country. As I spoke, I caught students in the audience, listening and nodding. Afterward, they swarmed me and shared their brightest new ideas. I was moved, energized, and filled with hope for the future of our community.
Forty-eight hours later, a gunman opened fire on a Sikh congregation in Milwaukee in the single bloodiest attack the community has seen on U.S. soil.
In this time of mourning and grief, it would be easy to fall into despair. Sikh friends lamented to me in private that in more than a decade since Sept. 11, 2001, little has changed. Our community still suffers from acts of brutal violence and the larger public knows little about our history, religion, or values. However, this act of violence should not cause us to lose hope.
A whole generation of Sikh Americans has come of age in the shadow of Sept.11, and we are now stepping up into new leadership for our community. With the support and blessing of our elders, we are using 21st century tools to organize, educate, and serve. In the wake of this particular tragedy, you can find us organizing vigils, working with law enforcement, using social media and speaking on the airwaves.
Who are we? Sikh Americans in their twenties and early thirties belong to the Millennial generation, born in the 1980s and 1990s. Our parents or grandparents settled in the U.S. from Punjab, India, but most of us were born in America. We shared in the same experiences as our peers of other faiths – we grew up with video games, played sports, went to concerts, rebelled in high school, and had big dreams for what we might be one day. But we also faced relentless bullying for our turbans or long braids, our teachers couldn’t pronounce our Punjabi names, and no one – really, pretty much no one – had even heard of our religion. That didn’t seem to bother us too much – until September 11, 2001.
On Sept. 11, many of us were in college; others in high school, still others were young professionals. We were born as Americans, and while many of us faced discrimination as kids, nothing could prepare us for the wave of hate violence against Sikhs, Muslims, Arabs and anyone else who looked foreign in the aftermath of Sept.11. On Sept. 15, 2001, a turbaned Sikh man, Balbir Singh Sodhi, was gunned in Mesa, Ariz., down by a man who called himself a patriot. It became a turning point in all of our lives. While our parents asked us to lie low after the attacks, most of us resisted that response. We were Americans; we wanted to claim our place as Americans.
So, many of us spent the next decade raising awareness about our faith. For me, a third-generation Sikh American whose family had settled in the U.S. 100 years ago, I decided to help tell the stories of our community on film. While I turned to documentary filmmaking and organizing, I watched my peers and role models become lawyers, scholars, journalists, entrepreneurs, and even elected officials. They formed new organizations like the Sikh Coalition, or expanded existing ones, including the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and United Sikhs. They built infrastructure to run educational programming, launched film festivals, and advocate for equal rights. Most importantly, they learned how to form new coalitions with our Muslim and Hindu counterparts, and join in solidarity with other communities. There is still a long way to go, but we’ve made progress.
Along the way, we have become experts at explaining our religion: Sikhs are half a million strong in the U.S. and belong to the fifth-largest organized religion in the world. Our faith was established in 1469 in present-day Northern India and Pakistan. Our first teacher, Guru Nanak, called for devotion to One God, equality between all people, and a commitment to service – all ideals compatible with the American ethic. We pray in houses of worship called gurdwaras, where we gather together to recite and sing our sacred scriptures, poetry in praise of God. Like other religious people, many of us wear articles of faith, including long uncut hair, which men and some women wrap in a turban. Our turbans represent our community’s long-standing commitment to stand up and serve people around us, fighting injustice in all forms.
Nearly every person who wears a turban in America is Sikh.
Tragically, the turban has marked Sikhs as immediate targets during waves of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim hate violence in America. In a climate of gun violence, the tragic shootings in Milwaukee could be the most recent chapter in this history.
But something unprecedented is happening. National attention has turned to the Sikh community like never before, and Sikh Americans are stepping up to speak out. Young people who survived the shootings are finding their voices to tell their stories and call for peace, like Amardeep Singh Kaleka, the son of slain Gurdwara President Satwant Singh Kaleka, whose poise is keeping the community strong. Advocates are helping audiences understand the Sikh faith. Hear Narinder Singh of the Sikh Coalition on CNN, Kavneet Singh of SALDEF on NPR, or my contributions on CNN Newsroom or FOX News. And community leaders are organizing vigils across the country, opening the doors of the gurdwaras so that people can join them in mourning and solidarity. Find a vigil in your town here.
The innovative ways young Sikh Americans are choosing to lead is not a departure – it’s a continuation of a long and proud history of seva, a sacred duty to serve not just our own community but all people. Emboldened by a legacy of sacrifice, service, and resilience in Sikh history, we are carrying a torch passed on to us by our parents and grandparents. Our job is to make sure that in the face of brutal tragedies and ongoing hardships, we don’t fall into despair.
Today, as I’m grieving hard over the shootings, I resolve not to forget the hope and possibility glimpsed in an emerging generation of Sikh Americans – the visionary students I met at the White House, the strong advocates on television, and the brave youth in Milwaukee who will soon heal and rebuild their community.
Valarie Kaur, an award-winning filmmaker, legal advocate, and interfaith organizer, is founding director of Groundswell, an initiative at Auburn Seminary that combines storytelling and advocacy to mobilize faith communities in social action. Kaur studied religion and law at Stanford University, Harvard Divinity School, and Yale Law School, where she now directs the Yale Visual Law Project. Her documentary “Divided We Fall” is the first feature film on hate crimes against Sikh Americans after 9/11. You can follow her on Twitter at @valariekaur. | <urn:uuid:9c25de15-ab5c-42d4-8dc3-5352457de659> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/a-new-generation-of-sikh-americans-step-up/2012/08/07/b2f9d6fe-e0c8-11e1-8fc5-a7dcf1fc161d_blog.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969677 | 1,480 | 2.21875 | 2 |
No recent wiki edits to this page.
Sky Diver for the Atari 2600 is essentially a game of chicken.
Sky divers exit the plane with the fire button, whereby they enter free-fall. In free-fall, they plummet rapidly toward the earth and will squish into the ground if the parachute isn't pulled. When and if, the parachute is pulled, the diver can then control his or her direction of descent, as mitigated by the wind direction and wind speed. When the parachute is pulled, the descent speed is naturally slowed, but this can be at a player's disadvantage when, as in some games, there is but one target to land on for both players.
There are a total of 9 jumps in a game, and each jump can score a maximum of 11 points. Points are earned by landing on the target that is either color-coded or is shared by both players. The later the parachute is pulled, the higher the score is. Wait too long to pull the parachute, though, and the sky diver will squish into the ground with a wet, crunching sound. While missing the target with the parachute pulled is zero points, cratering decreases a player's score by 4. No points are awarded for cratering in the target area.
The ultimate challenge can be found in one of the game options where there is one target shared between the players. The strategy is that if a player holds off pulling his or her chute longer than the other player, then he or she will land on the target first. Only the diver who reaches the target first (and is still alive) gets any points for the jump. If you hold off too long the parachute won't open, and you'll make a permanent impact on the landscape.
There are other options, such as moving targets and an absence of wind, and the difficulty switches alter the size of the targets. | <urn:uuid:26fa57fe-fd32-4154-9273-ed6c17db4e42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.giantbomb.com/sky-diver/3030-16950/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959464 | 383 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Over the past 20 years, since the only visit by the Dalai Lama to the republic, many temples, prayer houses, stupas and prayer wheels have been erected here, the authors said.
"For us it is very important that His Holiness Dalai Lama bless the recreated shrines of Tuva by endowing them with new spiritual force," the letter said.
Also, the republic is building Russia's biggest statue of Shakyamuni Buddha on top of the holy Tuvan Dogee Mountain and is planning to erect a new main Tuvan temple in the center of Kyzyl that will become a symbol of unity of all Tuvan Buddhists, the Tuvan Buddhist leaders said.
"It appears to us extremely important to have the construction site for the new main Tuvan temple blessed by our spiritual leader, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama," the letter said.
In March 2011, the Dalai Lama officially stepped down as the political leader of the Tibetan government in exile and "has since conducted his activity solely in the status of the spiritual leader of one of the greatest world religions," the authors also said. | <urn:uuid:054f592e-8d64-48c9-a159-585382f5bfcd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=3,10539,0,0,1,0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966423 | 229 | 1.929688 | 2 |
About This School
Pine Grove Elementary School made AYP in 2010. Under No Child Left Behind, a school makes Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) if it achieves the minimum levels of improvement determined by the state of Georgia in terms of student performance and other accountability measures. See Pine Grove Elementary School's test results to learn more about school performance.
In 2011, Pine Grove Elementary School had 15 students for every full-time equivalent teacher. The Georgia average is 15 students per full-time equivalent teacher. Learn more about Pine Grove Elementary School's students and teachers. more
Elementary Schools Nearby
|School Name distance||TestRating||Community Rating|
|Lighthouse Christian School 0.8 miles||n/a|
|One Way Christian Academy 2.5 miles||n/a|
|Dewar Elementary School 3.6 miles|
|Perimeter Christian School 4.2 miles||n/a|
|Open Bible Christian School 4.3 miles||n/a|
Enrollment (2011)Total: 767
Student Economic Level (2011)In 2011, Pine Grove Elementary School had 50% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch programs. Georgia had 57% of eligible students for free or reduced price lunch programs. Eligibility for the National School Lunch Program is based on family income levels.
Student Ethnicity (2011)
Lowndes County District Spending
In 2011, Pine Grove Elementary School had 15 students for every full-time equivalent teacher. The Georgia average is 15 students per full-time equivalent teacher.Compare to other schools in Lowndes County School District
About the CRCT
What is it?
The Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) is an annual test used to measure a student's mastery of the state's grade-level academic standards.
Which Grades and Subjects?
Students are assessed in grades 1 through 8 in English language arts and math, and in grades 3 through 8 in science and social studies.
How is it Scored?
Students are rated at one of three levels: did not meet standards, meets standards, and exceeds standards. The goal is for all students to meet or exceed the state standards. | <urn:uuid:9801c7e7-b612-4a70-9a85-5e29554aebec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/georgia/valdosta/pine-grove-elementary-school/?page=local | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928018 | 458 | 2.109375 | 2 |
World of food and wine looks at a fascinating variety of customs and traditions in different countries across the globe, describing how the world cooks, eats, and drinks.
Food and drink keep body and soul together" is a proverb often displayed in kitchen and dining rooms at Swiss homes. It shows that they take food seriously and meals are the center of family life.
Typical Swiss food
Switzerland has its share of snow capped mountains and luscious green valleys where cows graze. Toward the end of the day, you can still hear the deep sound of alphorns - the long wooden horns used to summon the cows from the mountainsides - intermingled with the ringing of cowbells as the herds make their way down the slopes to find shelter for the night. Alpine farms make cheese with all that milk. Gruyère or Emmental are famous cheeses all over the world.
Milk from those cows you can see grazing in the Swiss valleys also led to Switzerland’s greatest contribution to the international pantry: milk chocolate. Chocolate is the country’s biggest sport. There are several chocolate factories; should you visit one, you will be instantly aware of the delicious aroma of sweetened cocoa and milk around you.
Switzerland has a reputation for marrying health and nature, and many people, including entire families, make a weekend pastime of hiking the woods with a knapsack, gathering fresh elderberries, rosehips, dandelion, chamomile, and flowers from linden trees to make herbal teas and other health foods.
A Swiss food day
The Swiss start the day by eating a hearty breakfast even though their main meal, the Swiss equivalent of dinner, is eaten at midday. A typical menu would bring to the table vegetable or cheese soup, followed by a dish of poultry, beef, or fish, served with rosti in the German or French regions but with pasta in the Italian ones.
Swiss people like to take a break around four o'clock for coffee, desserts, and pastries; finishing off the day with a light supper as their evening meal - with omelets as the preferred option in the French speaking regions, antipasto in the Italian ones, sausages and cold cuts of meat where the German influence weights. A fondue is more likely to be the choice for a meal to share with friends.
You will find two cooking schools in Switzerland: haute cuisine, from France, and true cooking.
This highly sophisticated gourmet cooking was born in France. French cooks brought it to Switzerland.
It involves specific carving and dicing techniques, rich sauces - plenty of cream - and highly crafted garnishes, often expensive ingredients - truffles, foie gras, exotic fruits, vintage wine. Complex dishes taking hours of preparation are a feature of haute cuisine. Hotels and restaurants cook food this way.
Traditional or true cooking
The way Swiss cooks prepared the local fare, using regional, seasonal and festive food recipes; sometimes it is referred as true cooking.
There is land for gardening. Even in big cities like Zurich, Basel, and Geneva, families can grow their own fresh vegetables and fruits in small plots called schrebergarten.
Swiss cooks had little to work with before the country became a tourist attraction. They had to employ plenty of skill and imagination to turn the simple garden vegetables -beans, cabbages, carrots, potatoes, turnips- grains -barley, corn, millet, spelt - and fruits -apples, berries, pears, and other fruit, fresh during the summer and preserved or dried for the winter- into appetizing meals. Swiss food would turn into casseroles, stews and breads, often in the company of milk, cheese and butter.
Recipes from Switzerland
Though Swiss cooking shows influences from neighboring countries, many recipes have become distinctively Swiss, such as fondue –melted cheese dip- Raclette –more melted cheese, usually served with potatoes and sour pickles- rösti –a dish of fried potatoes- or leckerli - honey and ginger cookies.
Swiss love of health foods has created müesli, also known as Birchermüesli or Birchermiesli because this cereal was first served in Dr. Bircher-Benner's Zurich health clinic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Other breakfast options are cholermues, the Swiss breakfast omelet, or fried apples and bread.
Where there are woods, mushrooms grow and, in season, Swiss kitchens churn out many mushroom flavored dishes like a mushroom quiche or zürigschnätzlets, a dish made with thin strips of veal and mushrooms with a cream sauce, served traditionally with rösti.
Dinner may have a German air, with dishes sucha as cabbage soup, warming, roast chicken with stuffing served with vegetables, or an oven casserole, hearty, accompanied with onion salad; rösti will go well with both options. There is a noticable French influence in the lighter poached perch fillets and tomatoes Fribourg style, while spaghetti with saffron and garden salad shout loud "Italian!"
A sweet afternoon break could consist of cherry bread pudding, cookies from Basel, or a chocolate fondue and if you have gone for walk through the mountains in the brisk Swiss air, something like that would certainly be welcomed. | <urn:uuid:7ca667d7-8e95-428c-8e43-9f5dd8978d6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://world-food-and-wine.com/swiss-food | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955167 | 1,130 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Electronic Recycling – Telephones, Computers, Printers, Fax Machines, Monitors, Power Supplies, Scanners, and Network Devices.
Electronic recycling is the focus of our business. We recycle a wide variety of electronic devices and IT equipment including telephones, computers, printers, fax machines, CRT/LCD monitors, TVs, keyboards, backup power supplies, scanners, and network devices. Any electronic device can be recycled in our complex, including devices with sensitive and confidential data that needs to be destroyed.
This includes: Asset Disposal, Secondary Re-marketing, Dismantle Reclamation, Screening and Repair, Sorting Data Collection, and Battery Recycling
So often, people and businesses forget that there are negative environmental consequences to just throwing away their electronics. Not only does it overfill already strained landfills, but it introduces potentially hazardous materials into the environment. Electronics use a lot of different chemicals and elements that can poison and destroy the environment, including particularly dangerous batteries and some dangerous metals. All of our recycling is completed in an environmentally friendly manner and at a secure location in Massachusetts. And it is all recycled in the US, nothing shipped overseas or handled in an insecure fashion. We have the capability to handle 7 million pounds of material and e-scrap.
For companies and individuals that wish to recycle devices with hard drives or sensitive information, we offer several solutions for secure data destruction. Although it’s easy to wipe a drive, oftentimes information can be left behind and it can be quite difficult to get it fully erased. We have internal drive wiping capabilities to Department of Defense standards if needed. When reformatting a hard drive, it is possible to leave sensitive data on it, data that could be recovered by a specialist searching for it so the Department of Defense has standards to totally erase any data on a hard drive, through multiple layer rewrites and multiple passes, ensuring secure data destruction.
If drive wiping isn’t enough to secure your information, in our 40,000 square foot building in Holyoke, MA, we have an on-site, 100 horsepower hammermill shredder that pulverizes and shreds anything that’s put through it. With so much data stored on electronic devices, much of it personal or confidential business information, total material destruction is often the only way to feel comfortable that your information is completely safe from being accessed by someone else.
Environmental Integrity has over 20 years of experience in reusing, recycling, and destroying electronic devices. Electronic recycling in safe, environmentally friendly, and secure ways is our passion. If you’re concerned about data destruction, the environment, or any of our complete electronic recycling solutions, don’t hesitate to contact us today. | <urn:uuid:74340793-cff0-488b-a6f1-62d73d2a36ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eic-llc.net/services/electronic-recycling/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927017 | 565 | 1.882813 | 2 |
| North Korea is confirmed to have finished preparations for a third nuclear test, an informed source on the North said Wednesday.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry publicly suggested conducting another test in an official statement denouncing the United Nations Security Council`s resolution on new sanctions on Pyongyang. This could further strain inter-Korean ties ahead of the launch of the Park Geun-hye administration of South Korea on Feb. 25.
The source said, "North Korea has dug tunnels for its third nuclear test at its test site in Punggye-ri, North Hamkyong Province, and completed sealing the tunnels with concrete after installing test equipment and connecting cables for observation."
Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006 and its second in May 2009. Wednesday`s announcement is the first confirmation of the Stalinist country`s bid for a third test.
The South Korean military, which has closely monitored the Punggye-ri test site, said the North is ready to conduct a nuclear test within several days. In particular, South Korean and U.S. intelligence say the test will be held in either of two horizontal tunnels dug halfway up Mount Mantap, which stands 2,200 meters above sea level. A senior military official in Seoul said U.S. and South Korean satellites are closely watching movement at the site.
The Security Council had earlier unanimously adopted Resolution 2087, which allows the U.N. to take strong action against North Korea if the latter commits additional provocations, including a nuclear test. The resolution was in response to Pyongyang`s Dec. 12 launch of a long-range missile. The council in the resolution proposed expanding previous sanctions, severing the North`s funding sources by strengthening the monitoring of large cash transactions and financial companies, and controlling imports and exports of all items that could be converted to military use.
The resolution also seeks to punish six organizations and four individuals in the North, including the (North) Korean Committee for Space Technology and officials in charge of Pyongyang`s two long-range rocket launches last year. A combined 17 North Korean organizations and nine individuals are now subject to the U.N. sanctions.
Just two hours after the resolution was adopted, the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Pyongyang "will take steps for physical counteraction to bolster military capabilities for self-defense," adding, "There can be talks for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the region in the future, but no talks for denuclearization of the peninsula."
The South Korean government and the ruling Saenuri Party welcomed the U.N.`s move, urging the North to abide by the resolution. "North Korea has to take note of the U.N. Security Council`s declaration that it will take significant action in case of additional provocations," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said. The ruling party also urged North Korea to "immediately give up" its planned nuclear test.
The main opposition Democratic United Party said it "strongly opposes any move by North Korea that would cause additional risks," while stressing the importance of inter-Korean talks. The minor opposition United Progressive Party issued no official statement Wednesday. | <urn:uuid:204f29e9-b22d-41ce-9822-2d798a2697fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2013012452288 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952317 | 646 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Michele Bachmann Says She'd Consider Oil, Natural Gas Drilling In Everglades (VIDEO)
(AP/The Huffington Post) SARASOTA, Fla. — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said Sunday that she would consider oil and natural gas drilling in the Everglades if it can be done without harming the environment.
Bachman said the United States needs to tap into all of its energy resources no matter where they exist if it can be done responsibly.
"The United States needs to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy and more dependent upon American resourcefulness. Whether that is in the Everglades, or whether that is in the eastern Gulf region, or whether that's in North Dakota, we need to go where the energy is," she said. "Of course it needs to be done responsibly. If we can't responsibly access energy in the Everglades then we shouldn't do it."
In 2002, the federal government at the urging of President George W. Bush bought back oil and gas drilling rights in the Everglades for $120 million. Bachmann, who wants to get rid of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, said she would rely on experts to determine whether drilling can be done without harming the environment.
"No one wants to hurt or contaminate the earth. ... We don't want to harm our water, our ecosystems or the air. That is a minimum bar," she said.
"From there, though, that doesn't mean that the two have to be mutually exclusive. We can protect the environment and do so responsibly, but we can also protect the environment and not kill jobs in America and not deny ourselves access to the energy resources that America's been so blessed with."
The Minnesota congresswoman, who is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012, is on a four-day swing through Florida, ending Monday in Miami.
"We do have EPA's in each of the 50 states and I think that it's up to the states," she said. "The states have the right to develop their own environmental protections and regulations, as they all have."
She said she recognizes there is a federal role when environmental issues cross borders, but she added that a big problem with the EPA now is that it does not consider job creation or job losses as part of its role in enforcing regulations. She said the regulations it does have prevent businesses from being able to reasonably create a profit.
"If we create a new department that is focused on conservation and get rid of the EPA, that would send a strong signal about what our priorities are. We believe in conservation, but I also believe at the same time that the EPA has overstepped its bounds," Bachmann said.
Among other topics, Bachmann said the stock market drop after this summer's debt ceiling compromise demonstrated disappointment that Washington had not taken more significant steps to reduce spending.
"We need to get our house in order fairly quickly," she said. "What you saw with the markets was the markets reacting to the fact that Washington, D.C., did nothing to get its house in order."
The St. Petersburg Times reports on the message Bachmann communicated to Floridians at a rally:
She hailed the tea party as being common-sense Americans who understand government shouldn't spend more than it takes in, know they're taxed enough already and want government to abide by the Constitution.
"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians," said the conservative congresswoman, according to the Times. "We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?' Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in the spending."
She also said she would consider Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who took office earlier this year, as a running mate.
"Marco Rubio has the hallmarks of, I think, everything that a person would look for in a potential candidate. He's got so much going for him," Bachmann said, also naming South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint as another possibility.
Bachmann signaled to the Times that she is serious about winning the Sunshine State in 2012.
UPDATE: Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Stewart tells Talking Points Memo that the presidential candidate's comments regarding last week's earthquake and hurricane were made "in jest." | <urn:uuid:8fbaeaf0-0c19-44a8-bae0-3b21c8c601c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/29/michele-bachmann-oil-drilling_n_940195.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976235 | 919 | 2.25 | 2 |
Team coordination through externalized mental imagery.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 61(2),
Fundamental to the effective operation of a design team is the communication and coordination of design models: that the members of the team are all contributing to the same solution. Other work has shown that breakdowns in the accurate sharing of goals are a significant contributor to bugs, delays and design flaws. This paper discusses one mechanism by which teams unify their vision of a solution. It describes how the mental imagery used by a key team member in constructing an abstract solution to a design problem can be externalized and adopted by the rest of the team as a focal image. Examples drawn from in situ observations of actual design practice of a number of computer system design teams are offered. The examples illustrate how the images were introduced, how they were used to coordinate subsequent design discussions, hence how they evolved, and how short-hand references to them were incorporated into the team's ‘jargon’.
Actions (login may be required) | <urn:uuid:87cc972a-fb36-4357-9a82-9d899f632280> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://oro.open.ac.uk/19287/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941822 | 209 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Roche Holding AG won the backing of a European advisory panel for its skin-cancer medicine Erivedge, a step forward in the Swiss drugmaker’s plan to market the non- surgical, non-radiation treatment for people with advanced forms of the most common type of skin cancer.
Two Arkansas doctors sued the state over a law restricting the availability of abortions after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in a complaint filed in Little Rock federal court, the latest in a series of challenges to a new set of abortion restrictions.
C. Everett Koop, the U.S. surgeon general who set aside his religious beliefs to promote childhood sex education for AIDS prevention and issued the first government warning about second-hand tobacco smoke, has died. He was 96.
It is two years since Japan’s 9.0- magnitude earthquake, one so powerful it shifted the position of the Earth’s figure axis by as much as 6 inches and moved Honshu, Japan’s main island, 8 feet eastward. The tsunami generated by the earthquake obliterated towns, drowned almost 20,000 people and left more than 300,000 homeless. Everyone living within 15 miles of Fukushima was evacuated; many are still in temporary housing. Some will never be able to return home.
German drugmaker Grunenthal GmbH and companies now part of GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Sanofi hid results of studies that would have revealed birth defects caused by Thalidomide sooner, 13 Americans claimed in a lawsuit.
Doctors cheered last year when the U.S. gave its first approvals for drugs to combat obesity in more than a decade. Eight months later, the two treatments have yet to catch on with consumers or investors.
Infants exposed to radiation near Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s damaged nuclear power plant have a higher risk of developing cancer, though the threat outside the immediate area is low, the World Health Organization said in the first global assessment of risks from the 2011 disaster.
An abnormally high incidence of birth defects in Falluja, Iraq, way have been caused by weaponry used when U.S. forces assaulted the city six years ago, the Guardian reported, citing a study it’s reviewed. | <urn:uuid:d17b083d-fdfc-4916-a140-46606dcf0485> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://topics.bloomberg.com/birth-defects/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9568 | 459 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The fermented juice of the grape.
The wines recommended in medicine are the Sherry, Port, Claret, Catawba and Delaware (native), and for some purposes, Champagne. It is important that they should be pure; but as there is so much adulteration of what was at first the juice of the grape, not to speak of fictitious wines which possess none of the properties but the name, we, in this country, find it better to confine ourselves exclusively to native wine, the purity of which is undoubted.
Wine owes its medicinal properties not only to the alcohol which it contains, but also to the acid and extractive matter; the first rendering them stimulant, the second antiseptic and refrigerant, and the third nutritive.
Therapeutic Action.—As a remedy, wine is stimulant, tonic and antiseptic, its stimulant properties being less diffusible but more permanent than alcohol; hence the dose is more easily regulated and its effects more certain. It is also antiseptic and slightly refrigerant, properties which render it particularly applicable in ataxic fevers and other diseases in which there is vitiation of the fluids. In all diseases accompanied with much debility, such as cases of extensive ulceration and gangrene, and in the sinking stages of typhus and typhoid fevers, wine is not only one of the best additions to the bitter tonics, but it is a remedy on which alone there is much reliance. In the convalescence from acute diseases it will be found of much advantage in restoring the exhausted health and vigor.
The American Eclectic Materia Medica and Therapeutics, 1898, was written by John M. Scudder, M.D. | <urn:uuid:7a697012-66ee-4077-a05f-09438b139d1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/scudder1898/vitis_vinu.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965292 | 361 | 2.859375 | 3 |
|Malaga University - Spanish Courses
Malaga University is a young and modern university with more than 40,000 students per year including 6,000 foreign students. As fully in line with the international spirit of Malaga University there is arranged a broad range of Spanish courses for foreign students that want to learn Spanish and learn more about the Spanish culture. These Spanish courses have been offered for more than a decade to students from all over the world and with different social and cultural backgrounds.
On this website you can find full information about the Spanish courses and cultural programs offered by Malaga University as well as general information about Malaga, the university, the university campus, activities arranged, accommodation opportunities offered and much more.
See links below for full information.
Spanish Program Overview - Detailed program overview with information about all the Spanish courses available including starting dates, prices, diplomas given, etc.
Malaga University Info – Here you can find further information about Malaga University.
Diplomas & Credits – If you need to study Spanish as part of your studies you can find further information about the diplomas and credits available for the different programs available at Malaga University.
Facilities & Activities – Here you can find full information about the facilities which are fully available for students signing up for a Spanish course as well as the activities arranged outside class
Student Accommodation Malaga – If you need help finding accommodation while studying in Malaga you can find further information on this site.
Sign Up - for your Spanish course here.
Useful info – Here you can find information about public transport, maps, weather in Malaga and links to sites about Malaga. | <urn:uuid:fc297e11-8549-4adb-8e50-788eceaad9b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.malaga-university.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934984 | 339 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Institutes & Programs
Where IP leads: A History of Promoting Applied Research
Applied research has long been a hallmark of UNH Law’s intellectual property work. Through the Franklin Pierce Center for IP, we demonstrate how the strategic management of IP can contribute to business growth and global economic development. And by using a coordinated approach and collaborative research environment for all projects, we maximize their “real world” impact to facilitate global innovation.
Our institutes and applied research programs serve as catalysts for innovation policy and technological development by bringing together government policymakers, industry leaders and academics. They also provide invaluable opportunities for our students to take their classroom experiences and apply them to cutting-edge issues in global intellectual property law.
Our International Technology Transfer Institute is active in projects ranging from increasing the commercialization capacity of Argentina’s government-owned research institutes to developing patent landscape reports for HIV vaccines and insect-resistant sweet potatoes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Our IP Management Program, which illustrates UNH Law’s belief that IP legal education should include exposure to the financial principles that underly the business of IP, is focused on professional training programs and research on patent and trademark valuation.
With the launch of our IP Valuation Institute we will be leading the way in fundamentally improving patent decision making in the US and throughout the world.
Other UNH Law research initiatives include developing mechanisms for the effective valuation of IP assets, preparing patent landscaping reports for research and development initiatives, and developing a robust rights-checking mechanism for registered IP rights. | <urn:uuid:a1f81d59-c2dd-4eb9-ad84-90480260cefd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://law.unh.edu/franklin-pierce-ip-center/institutes-programs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909973 | 315 | 1.882813 | 2 |
...and Confronting ITT
EARLY Saturday morning, opponents of the Chilean military coup set off a bomb in International Telephone and Telegraph's New York City office. The "Weather Underground," an offspring of the old Weatherman group, claimed responsibility for the action. No one was hurt by the explosion, in which several ITT offices and facilities were damaged.
ITT tried to create economic chaos and civil war in Chile three years ago, in order to defend its telephone equipment from expropriation by the new socialist government of Salvador Allende. After Allende's victory in 1970, ITT and its friends in Washington -- friends already predisposed toward large American corporations and entirely captivated by ITT's illegal gifts to President Nixon's re-election campaign -- supported those trying to overthrow Allende's Popular Unity government.
Now that the Chilean army has overthrown Allende and seized power, all indications are that ITT, if it wants to, will return to Chile with new guarantees against expropriation.
Saturday's bombers, despite all their precautions, could not be certain that innocent people would not be injured in the explosion. And clearly, the bombing did not save even a single Chilean liberty or a Chilean freedom fighter. For this reason, the legitimacy of the bombing, at the very least, is highly questionable.
But if it was not certain in advance, it is certain in retrospect that the bomb destroyed only some of the resources of a corporation fomenting repression and violence on a huge scale, and hurt no one. In retrospect, therefore, if Saturday's bombing makes ITT's managers think twice before their next foray into international politics, it is no cause for sadness. | <urn:uuid:596d5525-76f8-460a-844d-e279cdd7276a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1973/10/3/and-confronting-itt-pbebarly-saturday-morning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96099 | 342 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The European Doctoral School of Demography (EDSD) was founded in 2005 on the initiative of the European Association for Population Studies (EAPS). It currently receives the support of 7 universities (Amsterdam, Groningen, Lund, Roma, Rostock, Tallinn, Warsaw) and 5 research institutions (CED, INED, MPIDR, NIDI, VID).
The EDSD is open to students of all nationalities with a master's degree. Students will acquire a solid knowledge base on causes and consequences of demographic change, population data, statistical and mathematical demography, as well as modeling, simulation and forecasting. Teaching is provided by leading international experts in the fields of study covered. Since the School places great importance on both teaching demographic methods and preparing the student for a career in demography, each course will expose the students to a number of guest lecturers discussing their topics of expertise. By the end of the year, EDSD participants will have developed an extensive network of contacts with established researchers from throughout Europe.
The EDSD admits a new cohort of about 18 students every year. The EDSD does not charge fees, and makes available a number of scholarships to enable students to attend the School's course program. The language of the school is English.
The EDSD is an eleven-month program (from September to July). For school years 2005-06 and 2006-07, the School was located and operated at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock (Germany). For school years 2007-08 and 2008-09, the School was located at INED in Paris (France) and for school years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, at the Center for Economic Demography at Lund University (Sweden). In school years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, the preparatory courses (from September to mid-October) are offered at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock (Germany) and from end of October to July the main location is the Centre for Demographic Studies of the Barcelona Autonomous University.
In school years 2013-14 and 2014-15 the main location of the EDSD will be the Institute of Statistics and Demography, Warsaw School of Economics, Poland. | <urn:uuid:c0e738d0-fe62-48bb-8000-952c184e536c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ced.uab.es/index.php?newlang=cat&module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=8&pid=288&menuCED=375 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948185 | 467 | 1.882813 | 2 |
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment conducted the site visit at the hospital Jan. 15. Sterling has been designated a Level III trauma center since 1998, and is one of two hospitals in northeastern Colorado to have that designation.
Designated trauma facilities must meet specific standards of care and maintain specific types of providers, staffing, resources, training, and protocols to manage critically injured patients. The review process assures a facility meets those standards, and introduces new or different ideas through ongoing contact with the trauma community.
A Level III trauma center provides initial evaluation and stabilization (surgically if appropriate) to the patient. Comprehensive medical and surgical inpatient services are available to patients who can be maintained in a stable or improving condition without specialized care. Emergency physicians and nurses are immediately available, and surgeons within 20 minutes, to assess, resuscitate, stabilize and start the transfer of a patient if necessary to a higher level of trauma care service.
The purpose of the trauma system is to improve the patient's chance of survival by ensuring that the critically injured patient gets immediate medical and surgical care and transfer to the appropriate facility, if needed, in a timely manner. Studies have shown that trauma patients treated at a designated trauma facility have better outcomes than patients treated at a non-designated facility even in rural areas. Colorado's state trauma system has five levels of designation. Level I facilities are the highest and located in the Denver metro area. North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley is the closest Level II trauma center.
"Our employees are committed to providing the highest level of care for any patient who comes to the facility," said trauma coordinator Connie Conour. She noted that the survey showed no areas of deficiency.
Visit bannerhealth.com/Sterling for more information about services offered at the hospital. | <urn:uuid:64d1e8a1-626d-4a28-a775-99aa3d261730> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.journal-advocate.com/sterling-local_news/ci_22516095/hospital-earns-recertification-trauma-care | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939432 | 361 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Quiz: Are You Honoring Your New Year’s Resolutions?
1. You vowed to give up sugar. While taking this quiz, you will jot down your answers with:
a. A pencil
b. You’ll remember your answers
c. Your finger dipped in chocolate syrup
2. In 2013, you were going to start running. How many times have you laced up your shoes and gone?
a. Huh? I’m licking my score sheet.
b. Over ten and it’s only January 15th.
c. More than once.
3. You vowed to quit a bad habit cold turkey. Have you slipped-up? Which statement applies?
a. I stopped my bad habit at the stroke of midnight and haven’t looked back.
b. There was some turkey. It was cold and there’s nothing like a turkey sandwich with havarti, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and dill mustard on a croissant.
c. I revisited my bad habit because my bad habit happens to be using chocolate syrup as ink. My kid’s teachers hate when I sign permission slips and forget writing checks. Thanks a lot, quizmaster.
4. After careful thought and consideration, you decided to stop taking inane internet quizzes in 2013. Are you proud of your record so far?
5. To help you kick your smoking habit to the curb, you are using these tools:
a. Frigid outdoor temperatures combined with peer pressure and guilt, enhanced by high tobacco prices
b. A jumpsuit fashioned out of nicotine patches
c. The time-honored method of replacing one bad habit with another. Is that a bootleg Twinkie?
6. You vowed to take your business to new heights this year. This means:
a. Finding investors
b. Seeing your new product on store shelves by the end of summer, just in time for Christmas
c. Using an airplane lavatory at least once
7. You resolved to cut back on screen/electronic device time. It makes you feel…
a. Uneasy, so that’s why you’re here taking a dumb quiz. You’ll do almost anything for a fix.
b. Smug and exhilarated. You aren’t really taking this quiz. It’s your toddler, who dug the smartphone out of your bag.
c. …Like making an anti-screen time motivational poster to pin at Pinterest and share at Facebook.
8. True or False: The effects of smoking are negated if done while in certain yoga poses, like the Crane Pose, for example.
9. You believe in small resolutions, like simply making your bed daily. Which statement best describes your thoughts about your bed at this moment:
a. It’s perfectly made, with jaunty throw pillows in place and fresh sheets ready for tonight’s deep slumber.
b. I’m in it.
c. And I just got chocolate syrup all over the flat sheet.
10. Your resolution was to not make a resolution. Have you kept it?
a. No, I felt oddly compelled to make an empty vow to an echoing chamber anyway and I’m not sure why. Can someone tell me why?
b. Yes, I am a success! The status quo will reign in 2013.
c. Wait. If I made a resolution to not make a resolution, then I actually did make a resolution, which means I failed at not making a resolution. So everyone I know who proudly proclaimed resolutions are foolish and pointless actually made a resolution by broadcasting their intention to not make a resolution? Resolving to not resolve is still resolving. Whoa.
If you answered mostly As, Bs, or Cs, you just took an internet quiz created by someone wholly without credentials to create personal insight quizzes. | <urn:uuid:95b02516-4693-41df-b276-e7a9d2694c7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.milehighmamas.com/blog/2013/01/15/quiz-are-you-honoring-your-new-years-resolutions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927502 | 824 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Army Spy Plane May Have Snooped on Bomber: Report
- 11:23 AM
Investigators were able to track wannabe terrorist Faisal Shahzad through his anonymous, pre-paid cell phone — exactly how, they won’t say. But there was a tantalizing explanation posted — and then quickly yanked — from the website of WCBS TV. “In the end, it was secret Army intelligence planes that did him in. Armed with his cell phone number, they circled the skies over the New York area, intercepting a call to Emirates Airlines reservations, before scrambling to catch him at John F. Kennedy International Airport.”
Jeremy Scahill, relying on a source in U.S. Special Operations, says those planes were likely RC-12s, equipped with a Guardrail Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) system. The planes are designed to pluck all kinds of communications from the air. But from the ground, they could easily be mistaken for an executive aircraft. The RC-12 is based on the Hawker-Beechcraft King Air B200 suit-carrier. And while earlier versions of the aircraft were covered in odd-looking antennas, the latest aircraft are far less conspicuous.
Variants of the planes are at the center of “Project Liberty,” a crash project by the Air Force to send more airborne spies to Afghanistan. The first of an estimated 37 aircraft began flying there last December.
“It sucks up everything. We’ve got these things in Jalalabad [Afghanistan]. We routinely fly these things over Khandahar. When I say everything, I mean BlueTooth would be effected, even the wave length that PlayStation controllers are on. They suck up everything. That’s the point,” Scahill’s source tells him.
Exactly why Army SIGINT planes would be required — as opposed to, say, the NSA’s industrial strength signal-swallowers that are almost undoubtedly able to pick up Big Apple-area communications — is unclear. | <urn:uuid:0f21fd6c-a40e-4f17-b1a8-f1252c2bb9db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/05/secretive-spy-plane-snooped-on-times-square-suspect-report/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952085 | 427 | 1.507813 | 2 |
From Vault Wiki
Revision as of 20:35, 6 March 2009; view current revision‚ÜźOlder revision
| Newer revision‚Üí
War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire has gripped the galaxy for decades...
…but the sacking of Coruscant and a subsequent peace treaty are changing everything. As the Republic scrambles to re-establish order, the Sith Empire moves quickly to consolidate power within its new dominion. Behind closed doors, however, individual Sith Lords engage in a quiet but deadly power struggle, and discord breaks out among the Jedi as they wrestle with the moral implications of the new galactic balance. During these chaotic days, the stories of several critical characters interweave as they pursue their passions, stand up for their convictions, and ultimately lead the galaxy back to the brink of a catastrophic conflict.
Act 1: Treaty of Coruscant
The Sith Empire has scored a series of solid military victories over the Republic, winning control of several critical star systems and seriously damaging the Republic’s logistical supply lines. Overwhelmed but stoic, the Jedi and the Republic Military have succeeded in defending the core worlds and have slowed the Empire’s steady advances. In a surprising turn of events, the Empire has now extended an offer of peace to the Galactic Senate. Wary but desperate, the Republic has agreed to engage in ceasefire talks. A large delegation of prominent Senate and the best and brightest of the Jedi are traveling to the planet Alderaan, where they expect to hunker down for lengthy negotiations on the terms of a treaty with a representative from the Sith Dark Council. | <urn:uuid:9d32fa8f-61ba-4e09-8cf7-59928cc6b233> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://vault.ign.com/wiki/index.php?title=SWTOR_Web_Comic&oldid=6444 | 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 | 0.940932 | 345 | 2.203125 | 2 |
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Stamp Block Quilt Project
By: Gai Perry for C&T Publishing
We are adding the craft to your Craft Projects.
The project was added to your Craft Projects.
40 different small blocks of fabric make up this stamp quilt from C&T Publishing. With so many different fabrics, you won't need a color scheme and can use up any scraps from your fabric stash.
This project comes form Gai Perry's book Color From the Heart.
You will need a half yard of an outer border fabric and an eighth yard of an inner border fabric, but wait until the main body of the quilt is complete before making your selections.
Cut 3 squares 2″ x 2″ from each of the 40 fabrics for a total of 120 squares. Put all the squares in a lunch-size paper bag and shake it to mix the fabrics.
Begin the Design:
Following the same procedure, add 11 more rows (10 squares across) for a total of 12 rows.
You must practice rigid self-control and put the squares up just as they come out of the bag. No peeking!
If you try rearranging the squares at this point, you will defeat the purpose of the exercise. The only reason to exchange a square is when the same fabric appears next to itself.
Ask the following questions about your design:
Is there a pleasing balance of colors? Sometimes several closely related hues will be grouped together and you will have to decide whether they make the quilt look awkward-interesting or awkward-unbalanced. Look for happy accidents like colors or prints that, until now, you would never dream of putting together–and surprisingly, they look good!
If you answered yes to the last question, now is the time to make some changes. Do a little rearranging or add some new squares of fabric and delete others. I caution you not to make any more changes than necessary. If you do, the spontaneous charm of the quilt will be lost. Let your intuition tell you when the quilt “feels right.”
When you are pleased with the arrangement of squares, it’s time to sew your Postage Stamp quilt.
2. Sew the squares together in the row directly above the bottom row and this time, press all the seam allowances to the right.
3. Working toward the top of the quilt, continue sewing rows of squares together and alternate the pressing direction of the seam allowances from row to row.
4. When all the squares are sewn into rows, join the rows. (Note: Pinning at each seam allowance juncture will produce nicely aligned squares and perhaps save some ripping out and resewing.) Press all these seam allowances either up or down. Pressing them in a single direction will make the quilt top lay flatter.
1. Cut the inner border strips 1 1/4″ wide.
2. Cut the outer border strips 3 1/2″ wide.
3. Attach the borders.
Once the quilt top is assembled, it’s ready for quilting. Refer to your reference of choice for quilting and finishing instructions.
Related Products to Buy from CutRateCrafts.com - save 15-30% | <urn:uuid:f5e69af1-6ad2-438c-ad2a-41334420e250> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.favecrafts.com/Quilting/Stamp-Block-Quilt-Project/ct/4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901314 | 696 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed legislation to develop a detailed, strategic plan for land acquisition and disposal, establishing a cap on certain public lands until that plan is adopted.
Senate Bill 248, sponsored by state Sen. Tom Casperson, caps the amount of land that can be owned by the state at 4.6 million acres until the strategic plan is approved by the Legislature. The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) also will be required to maintain a record of land on its website.
"Public lands are an important part of Michigan's reinvention, both for recreation and resource-based industries," Snyder said. "Having a comprehensive management policy for what land the state owns, and why, will help guide the quantity, location and use of our public lands in the future to better serve citizens."
Snyder said he will ask the DNR to work with the Legislature and stakeholders to craft and swiftly adopt the strategic plan.
The bill now is Public Act 240 of 2012.
The governor also signed 14 other bills.
S.B. 717, sponsored by state Sen. John Proos, creates the Hunters Helping Landowners program. It allows hunters to enroll in a database to harvest antlerless deer on private property if landowners notify the DNR they would benefit from a deer harvest. Overpopulation of deer frequently causes crop damage, and this legislation benefits both landowners and hunters looking for out-of-season hunting opportunities. The bill now is P.A. 241.
S.B.s 760-762, sponsored by state Sens. Mike Green, Mike Kowall and Dave Robertson, redefine a pistol to mean a loaded or unloaded firearm with a length of 26 inches or less, reduced from 30 inches. Current owners of a pistol 30 inches or less are grandfathered. The bills now are P.A. 242-244.
S.B. 897, sponsored by state Sen. Darwin Booher, adds crossbows to the list of gear that can lawfully be used to fish. The bill now is P.A. 245.
S.B. 1045, sponsored by state Sen. John Gleason, relaxes regulations to allow the disability community expanded opportunities to hunt at licensed game bird preserves. The bill now is P.A. 246.
S.B. 1052, sponsored by Casperson, allows Great Lakes property owners additional ability to groom their beach frontage. It does, however, maintain certain federal permitting requirements and allows the state to continue protecting valuable coastal wetlands. The bill now is P.A. 247.
H.B. 4913, sponsored by Foster, provides the legal means to correct a situation where land was included on the Commercial Forest tax roll in error. The bill now is P.A. 248.
H.B. 5164, sponsored by state Rep. Peter Pettalia, eliminates inspection requirements for non-motorized livery boats, including kayaks and canoes, and alters the inspection and permit requirements for motorized livery boats. The bill now is P.A. 249.
H.B. 5226, sponsored by state Rep. Harold Haugh, codifies existing policy to allow foster children to hunt with their foster parents. The bill now is P.A. 250.
H.B. 5414, sponsored by state Rep. Frank Foster, adds Port Crescent State Park, Wilderness State Park and other state-owned forest land in Emmet County to the Dark Sky Preserve. Created in 1993, the preserve enacts lighting restrictions to ensure dark night skies for recreational stargazing. The bill now is P.A. 251.
H.B. 5424, sponsored by state Rep. Lisa Lyons, creates common-sense tolerance in the enforcement of agricultural vehicle weight limits. To account for potential shifting, vehicles hauling farm products are allowed 10 percent extra weight per axle, provided the total weight is within specifications. The bill now is P.A. 252.
H.B.s 5595 and 5596, sponsored by state Reps. Charles Brunner and Kevin Daley, update the definitions and regulation of weights and measures to match national standards. One highlight protects consumers from deceptive gasoline price advertisements by requiring sellers to post conditions, like the need to purchase a car wash, next to the sale price in the same size and style font. The bills now are P.A.s 253 and 254.
Visit www.legislature.mi.gov for more information on the bills. | <urn:uuid:70481a1d-d5fa-451d-9f3f-dc6687c62450> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://votesmart.org/public-statement/714592/snyder-signs-land-management-legislation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920628 | 923 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The NYT reports that Bradley Manning (23) - the American soldier who originally passed the Iraq helicopter video, the Iraq and Afghan war logs and the US diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks – is being treated in an increasingly inhumane way in the cell in which he is locked up in Quantico, Virginia. He is now permanently stripped of this clothes during the night and the morning inspection, where he stands along the other detainees. This comes in addition to his 23-hour solitary confinement; his one hour of outside-cell time, during which he is shackled and must walk around all time; his deprivation of exercise; and the constant surveillance he is under. Bradley Manning, even though he is not suicidal and has acted like a model detainee (although he’s increasingly showing signs of psychological duress) has been forced to endure this treatment for the past ten months.
Four days ago, charges of ‘aiding the enemy’ have been filed against him, which could theoretically lead to the death penalty.
Let’s be clear about this: Bradley Manning’s treatment amounts to torture. Forced nudity is a breach of the standards of the Geneva Conventions, and prolonged solitary confinement is torture anyhow. And this is being done under one President Barack Obama. Manning is the person thanks to whom we know that American soldiers in Iraq shot innocent civilians from an Apache helicopter; thanks to whom we know how high the death toll of the Iraq War really was; and thanks to whom we know all those revelations from the WikiLeaks cables, that are still coming out. They even played a role in the Tunisian uprising, leading to the historic events of the past few weeks. In other words, this person is a hero if there ever was one. And yet, even though he has not been convicted of any crime, he is being handled in a manner reserved for the worst criminals in Supermax prisons (or terror suspects in Guantánamo Bay).
Here’s an excerpt from the chat logs between Adrian Lamo (the guy who turned him in) and Manning, revealing the latter’s motivations for revealing information being held secret to the public:
Manning: [B]ecause it’s public data. . . . it belongs in the public domain -information should be free – it belongs in the public domain – because another state would just take advantage of the information… try and get some edge – if its out in the open . . . it should be a public good.
Lamo: what’s your endgame plan, then?. . .
Manning: well, it was forwarded to [WikiLeaks] – and god knows what happens now – hopefully worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms – if not, than [sic] we’re doomed – as a species – i will officially give up on the society we have if nothing happens – the reaction to the [Baghdad Apache attack] video gave me immense hope; CNN’s iReport was overwhelmed; Twitter exploded – people who saw, knew there was something wrong . . . Washington Post sat on the video… David Finkel acquired a copy while embedded out here. . . . – i want people to see the truth . . . regardless of who they are . . . because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public.
So this is how the American government treats whistleblowers. And it is all happening under the watchful eye of President Obama, who as a candidate in 2007 said the following things:
They will be ready to show the world that we are not a country that ships prisoners in the dead of night to be tortured in far off countries. That we are not a country that runs prisons which lock people away without ever telling them why they are there or what they are charged with. That we are not a country which preaches compassion and justice to others while we allow bodies to float down the streets of a major American city.
That is not who we are.
Yes we can, President Obama. Change we can believe in. | <urn:uuid:1bfd7c70-4fa4-4b5f-9a29-bfb1dbf1f209> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lsdimension.com/2011/03/06/the-inhumane-treatment-of-bradley-manning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959428 | 827 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Reaching up towards the Arctic Circle, and totally exposed to turbulent Atlantic weather systems, the Orkney and Shetland islands gather into two distinct and very different clusters. The Orkney archipelago lies just a short step north of the Scottish mainland. With the exception of Hoy, which is high and rugged, these islands are mostly low-lying, gently sloping and richly fertile. Sixty miles further north, Shetland is a complete contrast. Ice-sculpted sea inlets cut deep into the land that rises straight out of the water to rugged, heather-coated hills. With little fertile ground, Shetlanders have traditionally been crofters rather than farmers, often looking to the sea for an uncertain living in fishing and whaling or the naval and merchant services.
Orkney, in particular, boasts a well-preserved treasury of Stone Age settlements, such as Skara Brae, standing stones and chambered cairns. The Norse heritage is equally apparent in Shetland, where there are many well-preserved prehistoric sites, such as Mousa Broch and Jarlshof. It’s impossible to underestimate the influence of the weather up here. More often than not, it will be windy and rainy, though you can have all four seasons in one day. The wind-chill factor is not to be taken lightly, and there’s frequently a dampness or drizzle in the air, even when it’s not raining.Read More | <urn:uuid:37384621-29be-499f-ba40-b875d95d97a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/scotland/orkney-shetland/?wpfpaction=add&postid=40579 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946888 | 313 | 2.984375 | 3 |
the following is interesting on the traditional games in Malta
.....men looked forward to a game of Bocci or Brilli with their friends after a week’s work. Brilli, a game still played in Gharb
, resembles skittles, while Bocci, whose origins probably go back to Hospitaller times, involves getting closest to the likk and preventing opponents from doing so. While Bocci and Brilli were played exclusively by men, women had their own type of entertainment. A session of Haga Mohgaga was very popular amongst them and required considerable skill in solving the riddles, customarily presented by the eldest of the group. | <urn:uuid:a1b446fc-23e7-43e2-ab94-050f0898c2d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://britishexpat.com/expatforum/malta/viewtopic.php?p=45054 | 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 | 0.976206 | 139 | 1.539063 | 2 |
After decades of demanding and getting rate hikes and tax breaks in return for promising to deliver broadband internet access to schools, libraries, hospitals and every home and business in their territories, Verizon is now making it clear that it is no longer expanding FiOS, its fiber optic cable service.
So what did they accomplish? What did they build? And how much did it cost? Verizon claims that the company spent $23 billion dollars in rolling out FiOS since 2004. (See, for instance, this message from Tim McCallion, President of Verizon's West Region.) That's a lot of money.
But as I stare at a decade's worth of Verizon annual reports, I notice something odd. Where, exactly, is that $23 billion? Specifically, where are the construction budgets to support this claim?
This chart shows Verizon's construction budgets for 2000 through 2011, taken directly from the Verizon annual SEC-filed reports. It also shows an imaginary "FiOS Bump" -- about $3.8 billion dollars per year in addition to the baseline that should have been spent annually over a six-year period if the company had really been paying out $23 billion dollars for the construction. But the numbers show no bump in construction for FiOS; no major increases in capital expenditures in general. In fact, Verizon, on average, spent more on construction from 2000 to 2004 than from 2005 to 2011.
Another way to look at it is this: Construction budgets for wireline services historically equal about 20 to 25 percent of revenues. One could reasonably expect that building out a $23 billion network over seven years would lift that percentage to well over 25 percent a year.
But it didn't happen. From 2000 to 2004, construction amounted to 22.2 percent of wireline revenues. From 2005 to 2011, it was only 19.7 percent. That's actually a $5.9 billion reduction in construction spending in those latter years, compared to what would have been spent had they just continued spending at the same ratio as during the earlier period.
This chart compares revenue and construction costs for wireline services from 2000 to 2011, in millions of dollars..
So How Did FiOS Get Built?
Whatever amount Verizon did spend on FiOS -- and obviously it was a not insignificant amount -- would therefore appear to have come out of the standard construction budgets that were supposed to be used to upgrade the lines that most Americans are still using for their phone service: the Public Switched Telephone Networks, or PSTN. It would seem that customers, including seniors, low income families, minorities and municipalities have been funding the construction of a cable service through the hefty monthly fees they pay for a dialtone and ancillary services. In some states this is actually illegal.
If Verizon did actually spend $23 billion, then it appears to have come at the expense of the traditional maintenance and upgrades of the utility plant -- and the PSTN got totally hosed. At the very least, prices for basic phone service should have been in steep decline as one of the major costs, construction, was dramatically lowered.
Instead, Verizon was also getting rate increases specifically to pay for FiOS. For instance, Verizon persuaded New York officials to increase rates for "fiber optic investments," where the only service that could use the fiber optic service was Verizon's FiOS.
For instance, when New York State Department of Public Service Commission Chairman Garry Brown announced the approval of a $1.95 a month rate hike for residential phone lines in 2009, he said "there are certain increases in Verizon's costs that have to be recognized." He explained: "This is especially important given the magnitude of the company's capital investment program, including its massive deployment of fiber optics in New York. We encourage Verizon to make appropriate investments in New York, and these minor rate increases will allow those investments to continue."
Of course the states weren't told that everyone would be charged extra for a service that only some people were going to get. In New Jersey, for instance, Verizon made a firm commitment to rewire the entire state with fiber optics -- capable of 45 Mbps in both directions. It was supposed to be 100 percent completed by 2010. Instead, Verizon claims to have "passed" 1.9 million homes, representing 57 percent of the households in its territories -- but "passed" may or may not mean that they can actually get service.
Insult to Injury: Verizon Abandons FiOS for Wireless
What has become clear is that Verizon is going to stop deploying/upgrading the wired networks and is instead going to put its money in wireless. As a result, places that don't have FiOS now will never get higher speed services and cable competition from Verizon.
A N.J. state commission report from June 2010 saw this coming, and noted:
"While it is possible for Verizon to extend service throughout its authorized territory, to an additional 155 municipalities in the state that are not included in its current application of 369 towns, Verizon has indicated it will now concentrate its capital expenditures, expected to be between $16.8 billion and $17.2 billion in 2010 on its wireless telephone network. Further FiOS expansion will be limited to increasing penetration in those communities where FiOS is currently available, according to the company."
(The $16.8 and $17.2 billion are the companies' total annual construction budgets, not New Jersey only.)
But as we discussed in our previous article, wireless is simply not a substitute for wireline services, especially broadband or cable service.
So, in New Jersey, one of the states I know best, here is the sequence of events: Verizon (in 1993) get changes in state law that allows them to collect billions of dollars in extra charges and tax perks in exchange for upgrading the utilities. Then, Verizon doesn't roll out the fiber optic network until 2006 -- which is a cable service, but which uses the same construction budgets that were allocated to do the utility upgrades. Then Verizon cancels FiOS, and does not upgrade the utility, leaving no upgrades of the current infrastructure in the state to compete with cable. Instead, Verizon now has its local-service customers paying for wireless upgrades, while more or less abandoning the wires and stranding millions of customers in New Jersey.
So what, at the end of the day, did all that ratepayer money actually pay for? Well, the massive excess profits were used to increase executive pay, pay for investments and losses overseas in hundreds of subsidiary companies, create massive foundations that try to buy off non-profits, and to fill war chests used for lobbying and campaign contribution. It's clear the money didn't go into upgrading the Public Switched Telephone Networks, where it was supposed to bring everyone a fiber optic future.
America is 15th or 33rd in the world in broadband, depending on which international or research group you believe. The failure to properly upgrade the PSTN, and the con of FiOS expenditures, has cost a large swath of America -- from Massachusetts through Virginia and the old GTE territories, such as parts of California -- a generation of technology, innovation and GDP growth. | <urn:uuid:07631415-8fe4-441d-9ee3-66c2bb189df2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-kushnick/the-great-verizon-fios-ripoff_b_1529287.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968897 | 1,454 | 1.546875 | 2 |
They say it's better to give than to receive. I went to last week's Christmas food-and-gift giveaway at the Salvation Army to find out why -- and what I discovered is that even for those with the least ability to help, the desire to give is never absent.
Lubenia went to the giveaway to collect food and toys for her six children who range in age from 3 to 18. A good reason to feel happy, isn't it? But her eyes sparkle with tears when I ask whether she prefers to give or to get.
"I am always ready to help, whatever. As soon as someone asks," she says. "I can't describe why -- it is just nicer to help.'' Lubenia can't give people money, but there are other ways to be of service to others.
Crystal lost her job in September and for the first time turned to the Salvation Army for presents for her three children: "You know, I don't feel wrong about it -- even now I give people money if they come up to me in the street and ask, or knock at my door. All my family is like that. Why? I don't know; it's just cool to give."
Now it's Crystal's turn to rely on the kindness of others. It is like the law of conservation of energy in physics -- the energy doesn't disappear from universe; it simply pops up in a different place, I think.
Marcela works at a local college, but it is not easy to pay all the bills with four kids. This was Marcela's first Christmas for Santa to collect presents at the Salvation Army.
"Without this program, my children would have gotten very little this Christmas. It is very helpful in my situation today," she says. But Marcela also finds ways to give. She's donated food to a driver at the college and participated in programs to help members of the military.
Marcela gets her basket of presents from a young volunteer. This is the third year 12-year-old Brooke has helped out at the Salvation Army. Brooke has trouble describing the difference in how it feels to give and to receive. For her, giving is a privilege, and she likes it very much: "I feel good because I help other people."
About 385 families receive baskets of food, toys, and clothing at the Salvation Army Corps, 530 N. Sixth St., on the day before Christmas Eve. The organization funds many of its charitable programs through its annual Tree of Lights campaign. This year's goal was $350,000; on Christmas Eve, the Salvation Army reached contributions of $353,000, says spokesman Dave MacDonna. This year's campaign ends Jan. 1. | <urn:uuid:7d896469-8d83-4bfa-b47c-e78072f202ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-1684-privilege-to-give.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982147 | 561 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Quarantines have been used since Biblical times to separate the sick from the well (mostly lepers--cool disease to study, but not to have), but the term comes from the Latin word for forty. 14th century Venice required incoming ships to hang out in their harbor for forty days to avoid bringing plague into the city.
Plague? I LOVE plague!
(Again, cool to study, not to have).
You have no idea how thrilled I am to write about bubonic plague in my current WIP- fleas, festering buboes, and bodies piled in towers. Yay!
That said, I think I need someone to quarantine me. I'm currently a walking petri dish--I've threatened my students with coughing all over them if they don't act like angels this week. So far they've complied, mostly because I look like walking death. | <urn:uuid:6b4da195-8d11-4308-8605-7e873d85db14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stephanie-thornton.com/2011/04/q-quarantine.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95563 | 181 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Hot answers tagged sociolinguistics
Basing on my experience it depends more by the context rather than the two interlocutors and their relationship. I am going to tell you my experiences, and what my teachers told me. At work When I was at work I was the (saying it not badly) the very last one in the hierarchy I would say. I worked in one of the 4 biggest research facilities of one of the ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible | <urn:uuid:6fab2930-033f-4cbf-8001-44d653caafcc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://japanese.stackexchange.com/tags/sociolinguistics/hot?filter=all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982314 | 106 | 1.53125 | 2 |
I Thought You Should Know | We all need God to prune away our sins
5th Sunday of Easter - 2012
1 John 18-24
I think it is safe to say that today the Catholic Church in the United States, and each of us, its members, are in dire need of pruning. When grape vines go unpruned, all the plant's energies go into foliage instead of into fruit.
Since the mid 1960s, we in this country have experienced the cultural revolution, the communications revolution and the sexual revolution, all leading to a secularist culture of materialism and a culture of death.
None of us has been unscathed by the onslaught of the secularization of the public square, and in some cases the secularization of our parishioners. None of us has been unscathed by the confusion generated by dissident theologians following the Second Vatican Council.
It is not that our pontiffs have not been clear about Catholic teachings, but often we have been so blinded by the attraction of a culture of false promises that often we have not listened to and lived the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church.
Perhaps the most brilliant Church document issued during the 20th century, aside from the documents of Vatican II, was Humanae Vitae, written by Pope Paul VI in 1968. This caused a gargantuan outcry from many Catholic theologians as well as some Catholic priests. Perhaps it is an understatement that we priests did not always teach the principles of Humanae Vitae unequivocally. Perhaps we did not want to alienate the couples using artificial contraception.
The results are with us today. Our schools are underpopulated because our homes are underpopulated. Our homes are underpopulated because we have not been clear about the intrinsic evils of artificial contraception. As a result of not challenging our Catholics to abide by unchanging principles, we now have many Catholics cohabiting before marriage, and some of them never get married. They just live together.
In addition to this, many so-called Catholics have voted into office politicians who take money from Planned Parenthood in order to help them get re-elected. Perhaps the federal health insurance mandate, which will require all citizens to help pay for the killing of the unborn by funding abortion-causing drugs, is merely an expected outgrowth of our free choices in the voting booth, for which God will hold us accountable!
G. K. Chesterton once said, "What's wrong with the world? I am!"
All of us are called to change. That is what today's Gospel is all about. Jesus tells us that His Father "takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does He prunes so that it bears more fruit." This is not a matter of simply cutting out dead branches, but cutting away some living branches in order that what remains will bear more fruit.
Pruning a plant is very shocking to the plant's system, but it does stimulate more growth. Pruning away the sin and excesses in our lives is very painful but is necessary if we are to avoid the fires of hell and grow in holiness.
How do we know where we need pruning? Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church make it very clear what God expects of us.
The first concept we need to review is the concept of sin. Revisiting the issue of sin is very politically incorrect but very biblically and spiritually healthy. Unless we allow the word of God and the teachings of the Catholic Church to speak the truth to our hearts about the reality of sin, we will all perish, and Christ's death for us will have been in vain.
In paragraph 1849, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "Sin is an offense against reason, truth and right conscience; it is a failure to genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as 'an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.'"
While we have the catechism out, let us say a word about the gravity of sin. "Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to Him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it" (CCC1855).
If you are still with me, let us read paragraph 1861. "Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices forever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God" (emphasis added).
I encourage you to go to the catechism and study the conditions that make a sin mortal. The more you know the truth about sin, the more you can grow in holiness.
If we really want God to prune us, we need to study the teachings of the Catholic Church and to read the Bible every day. It tells us what God wants of us.
For example, God tells us in the Book of Hebrews 4:12, "Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart."
If we want to take today's Gospel seriously, we all need to allow God to transform us profoundly. We need the courage to ask God to show us our sins and then to plead with Him for help in changing the desires of our hearts.
- I Thought You Should Know | Belonging to God means having power over sin, Satan
- I Thought You Should Know | God is inviting all mankind to a banquet for His Son
- I Thought You Should Know | Confession is God's way of breaking sinful addictions
- I Thought You Should Know | Acknowledge our sinfulness and trust in God's mercy
- I Thought You Should Know | Repent your sins and God will respond with mercy
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Archive for the ‘Architecture’ Category
Architects: C.F.Møller Architects
Location: Oslo, Norway
Collaborators: Multiconsult AS, SWECO AS, Hjellnes COWI AS / Interconsult ASA, Ingemannson Technology, Nosyko/Erstad og Lekven
Client: Helse Sør-Øst RHF
Landscape: Bjørbekk & Lindheim AS, Schønherr Landskab A/S
Artists Involved: Troels Wörsel, Gunilla Klingberg, Mari Slaattelid, Knut Henrik Henriksen, Jan Christensen, Tony Cragg, Birgir Andrésson, Petteri Nisunen, Tommi Grönlund, Julie Nord, Per Sundberg, Vesa Honkonen, Janna Thöle-Juul, Kristine Halmrast, Mikkel Rasmussen Hofplass
Project year: 2000-2008
Constructed Area: 137,000 sqm
Photographs: Torben Eskerod & C.F.Møller Architects
The new university hospital is not a traditional institutional construction; it is a friendly, informal place with open, well-structured surroundings which present a welcoming aspect to patients and their families.
Akershus University Hospital has been designed to emphasize security and clarity in experientially rich surroundings, where everyday functions and well-known materials are integrated into the hospital’s structure.
Architects: Drost + van Veen architecten
Location: De Uithof, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Client: Skohold BV
Project Area: 520 sqm
Project year: 2003
Photographs: Drost + van Veen architecten
The new building is a playful design, joyful and with a lot of colour. It overlooks the grazing sheep in the meadow. Next to the building, to the left, there is a characteristic old farm, a monument, with a thatch roof, on the right, a wooden cowshed.
The new building is conceived as a contemporary type of farm, in form, material and construction (steel structure). The coloured facade and the aluminium roof contrast the rustic environment. The silhouette of the pointed roof refers to the existing farm building. Towards the back of the building, it transforms into a modernistic, functional building, with a flat roof, instead of a farm.
Deck House is an another great project by Chilean architect Felipe Assadi. Like some other his projects and a lot of other houses in Chile it has an open plan and large gazing in order to make nature around it more closer. Although the house also has a beautiful and practical desk which isn’t usually as big as this one. Like the whole house it’s made of wood and has built-in swimming pool. It is also has an inclined area which is a perfect place to sunbathing without a lounge chair. The deck is connected to the house’s floor to form a wood-clad object with glass that connects it. A living area, a kitchen and a dining room are combined to save some space without losing in spaciousness. [Felipe Assadi]
more on DIGS
If living in the suburbs could ever be considered edgy, it would have to be in an unusual, unique and uncanny house such as this one. Odd angles abound, mixed materials define variegated spaces and above it all looms an incredible cantilevered bridge supporting gathering, living, cooking and eating spaces designed by Maddison Architects with views out in all directions.
Sleeping, bathing and more private programmatic activities are contained in concrete masonry section that is nearly the conceptual opposite of the bridge portion – buried, thick, heavy and solid. This section contrasts with the wide-open windowed expanses of the upper level, pierced holes at strategic points let in light and allow outside peaks only selectively.
The finishing materials come to complete the overall design in a spectacular mix of color and texture, bringing a modern stylish atmosphere to the site.
Architect: Bates Masi Architects
Location: Amagansett, NY, USA
Structural Engineer: Steven L. Maresca
Contractor: Sanders Construction
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Christopher Wesnofske
At the first meeting, the clients introduced both their growing family and growing art collection. They were particularly excited about a new artist, Vik Muniz, whose works based on photographs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis provided a delightful discovery upon closer inspection: paintings of the iconic images rendered in peanut butter and jelly. This moment of discovery and playful deception became the design concept of the house.
Approaching the house by the winding driveway, the gabled form, massive chimney, and shingled siding are all reminiscent of traditional houses on eastern Long Island. Looking closely, the shingles are, in fact, a woven screen of oak surveyors stakes, similar to those that dotted the steeply wooded lot when the clients first saw it. Similarly, the massive chimney that anchors the house to the site isn’t solid at all, but is actually made of thin concrete panels. | <urn:uuid:cc426329-9de2-4d40-b294-529e9264fd65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.archtopia.com/category/architecture/page/19/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915547 | 1,094 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Car horns and commuter noise promote more positive dreams
London, June 16 (ANI): We are more likely to have positive dreams when surrounded by the noise of commuters and car horns, new research suggests. cientists studied the dreams of 8,000 individuals who were played randomly selected soundscapes as they slept, the Daily Mail reported.
Those taking part had no idea whether they had heard a rural scene with birdsong, a busy cityscape, a person talking to them, or nothing at all. All they did was record details of their dreams when they woke up.
The initial results released were unexpected - those who heard the birds experienced dreams which were 20 per cent more negative than those who heard nothing.
Those who heard the sound of the daily grind were up to 30 per cent more likely to wake up feeling positive and refreshed.
The worst was the "lucid soundscape" - the sound of someone talking - which triggered dreams 30 per cent more negative.
The experiment was carried out with a smartphone app that played different sounds as individuals went into the last period of rapid eye movement sleep or REM - when we dream.
"When we counted the positive and negative words people used to describe their dreams, we would have expected the birdsong and streams and so on, to improve people's dreams," University of Hertfordshire psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman said.
"But what we saw was a lot more negativity. It was very realistic and people seemed unnerved by having birds in their room. Whereas perhaps the city scape was more familiar and comforting," he added.
Prof Wiseman hopes the findings could help people with depression or sleep disorders.
"We want to people maximise their ability to wake up in a good mood, which has a big psychological effect. Depression is often associated with bad dreams," he said. (ANI)
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Police seizes 1,500 explosives in Koderma
May 18, 2013 at 10:24 AM | <urn:uuid:c25b9f82-e10c-45d3-ba66-738875675c93> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/06/16/136-Car-horns-and-commuter-noise-promote-more-positive-dreams-.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971373 | 574 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Joined: 16 Mar 2004
|Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 3:27 pm Post subject: Fabrication Technique Could Yield Low-cost Scalable Nanowire
|Fabrication Technique Could Yield Low-cost, Scalable Nanowire Photonic and Electronic Circuits
Applied scientists at Harvard University in collaboration with researchers from the German universities of Jena, Gottingen, and Bremen, have developed a new technique for fabricating nanowire photonic and electronic integrated circuits that may one day be suitable for high-volume commercial production.
Spearheaded by graduate student Mariano Zimmler and Federico Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering, both of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and Prof. Carsten Ronning of the University of Jena, the findings will be published in Nano Letters. The researchers have filed for U.S. patents covering their invention.
While semiconductor nanowires - rods with an approximate diameter of one-thousandth the width of a human hair - can easily synthesized in large quantities using inexpensive chemical methods, reliable and controlled strategies for assembling them into functional circuits have posed a major challenge. By incorporating spin-on glass technology, used in Silicon integrated circuits manufacturing, and photolithography, transferring a circuit pattern onto a substrate with light, the team demonstrated a reproducible, high-volume, and low-cost fabrication method for integrating nanowire devices directly onto silicon.
The basic structure of the nanowire devices is based on a sandwich geometry in which a nanowire (n-type zinc oxide) is placed between the substrate (heavily doped p-type silicon) and a top metallic contact, using spin-on glass as an insulating spacer layer to prevent the metal contact from shorting to the substrate (as shown in (a) and (b)). This allows for uniform injection of current along the length of the nanowire. A finished wafer using the team's method is shown in (c), with a typical device shown in (d). Note that a stray nanowire intercepts the device on the upper part of (d). The oval feature surrounding the stray nanowire is due to the varying thickness of the spin-on glass film. When a voltage is applied to this device, it emits ultraviolet light (as shown in image (e) obtained with a CCD camera) with a peak wavelength of ~380 nm.
"Because our fabrication technique is independent of the geometrical arrangement of the nanowires on the substrate, we envision further combining the process with one of the several methods already developed for the controlled placement and alignment of nanowires over large areas," said Capasso. "We believe the marriage of these processes will soon provide the necessary control to enable integrated nanowire photonic circuits in a standard manufacturing setting.
The structure of the team's nanowire devices is based on a sandwich geometry: a nanowire is placed between the highly conductive substrate, which functions as a common bottom contact, and a top metallic contact, using spin-on glass as a spacer layer to prevent the metal contact from shorting to the substrate. As a result current can be uniformly injected along the length of the nanowires. These devices can then function as light-emitting diodes, with the color of light determined by the type of semiconductor nanowire used.
To demonstrate the potential scalability of their technique, the team fabricated hundreds of nanoscale ultraviolet light-emitting diodes by using zinc oxide nanowires on a silicon wafer. More broadly, because nanowires can be made of materials commonly used in electronics and photonics, they hold great promise for integrating efficient light emitters, from ultraviolet to infrared, with silicon technology. The team plans to further refine their novel method with an aim towards electrically contacting nanowires over entire wafers.
"Such an advance could lead to the development of a completely new class of integrated circuits, such as large arrays of ultra-small nanoscale lasers that could be designed as high-density optical interconnects or be used for on-chip chemical sensing," said Ronning.
The team's co-authors are postdoctoral fellow Wei Yi and Venkatesh Narayanamurti, John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor and dean, both of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; graduate student Daniel Stichtenoth, University of Gottingen ; and postdoctoral fellow Tobias Voss, University of Bremen .
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the German Research Foundation. The authors also acknowledge the support of two Harvard-based centers, the National Science Foundation Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) and the Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS), a member of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN). | <urn:uuid:e3b0f936-0e08-41c5-b2f1-26dec9c9a7aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nano.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3519&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905181 | 1,029 | 2.65625 | 3 |
A dog owner is pleading for fishermen to take care after her young dog swallowed a fish hook on the beach and needed major surgery costing $2500.
Stephanie Hodges was walking 20-week-old Rottweiler Mila along Papamoa Beach last Friday morning when the dog swallowed a large hook.
Mila started gagging and Ms Hodges noticed the trace from a long-line hanging from her mouth.
"We'd been warned about it at puppy class and they said never to pull it out," she said.
She wrapped the rest of the cord around Mila's collar and got her to the vet as fast as possible.
The vet at the Papamoa Veterinary Clinic could not see the hook by looking down Mila's throat but an x-ray found it lodged in her oesophagus.
Ms Hodges, her 15-year-old son and Mila were then sent to a surgeon in Matamata for an operation to get the hook out.
Dr Stephen McGill tried to use an endoscope to remove the hook but because of its size and location had to perform more invasive surgery.
"I had to go into the thorax, cut between the ribs and spread them so you can get your hand into the chest."
This causes the lungs to collapse so the animal is not able to breathe on its own.
Despite all that, Mila is already bouncing around again.
Mr McGill said he had not seen many dogs that had swallowed hooks although vets often dealt with animals that had hooks caught on their tongues or lips.
Dr Lucy Walton of Papamoa Vets said they always saw an increase in the number of animals with hooks stuck in them over summer.
Most often the hooks got caught in the corner of the mouth or in a paw. It was rare for animals to swallow the whole thing, she said.
During the last two summers about seven cats and 10 dogs had been brought into the clinic with hooks stuck in them, although only two or three had swallowed them.
Ms Hodges said it was not the first time she had seen traces left on Papamoa Beach and this week found another one.
While she does not think fishermen were purposely dumping hooks she is appealing for them to take extra care and make sure they have not lost anything on the beach.
"Mila's lucky," she said.By Amy McGillivray | <urn:uuid:05852607-cab7-40a4-9e82-a5dd47f2e5e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10865632 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987224 | 492 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Because wearing a vest is only the first step
Though many people don't realize it, improper fit, excessive wear and lack of care may compromise a vest – that's why The Safariland Group developed VestCheck™ for its body armor brands. VestCheck is a comprehensive program that ensures the quality and wear of a vest.
Prior to VestCheck, testing and certification standards didn't address the dramatic effects excessive wear and improper care may have on the ballistic performance of modern body armor. Because of this, there was nothing available to educate about proper armor fit, cleaning and maintaining body armor in the field, and checking it for excessive wear.
Fit of Your Body Armor
- Body armor should be properly fitted to your body
- Our SizeRight™ Technician Training and Certification Program ensures that body armor is fit correctly the first time, every time
- Maximum coverage with minimal obstruction of movement
- Replace your vest anytime your armor begins to feel overly snug or wide gaps develop in its side coverage
Care of Your Body Armor
- Make sure both front and back ballistic panels are facing in the proper direction
- Inspect your ballistic panels for signs of excessive wear
- Make sure your carrier is kept in good shape
- Carriers should be replaced every year
- Handwash your carrier in cold water with mild detergent or machine wash on gentle cycle. All straps should be engaged during laundering. Lay carrier flat to dry - do not place it in a clothes dryer. Wipe ballistic panels with a damp sponge or cloth, with cool water and mild detergent. Wipe them dry - never dry panels in sunlight
- Body armor should be stored flat in a cool, dry place
- Do not fold body armor or hang it by its straps
- Do not keep it in the trunk of a car - especially on hot days
Testing of Your Body Armor
- VestCheck continually tests and reports the ballistic performance of various vest models, from the time of their introduction through their full warranty period
- We routinely evaluate body armor that has been worn by officers in the field
- Evaluation is performed at several intervals over each model's expected service life
- Physical inspection and ballistic testing of every vest collected
- In-depth interviews with field officers
- Review of vest wear levels, storage methods and officer maintenance habits
VestCheck is all about ensuring your body armor is ready for action. Wear it. Take care of it.
VestCheck is a comprehensive program that ensures the quality and wear of a vest. Prior to VestCheck, testing and certification standards didn't address the dramatic effects excessive wear and improper care may have on the ballistic performance of modern body armor. The VestCheck program is designed to educate body armor users about proper armor fit, proper cleaning and maintenance of body armor in the field, and checking it for excessive wear. | <urn:uuid:be12f02d-1dac-40b3-a062-002f8959a5cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.safariland.com/bodyarmor/VestCheck.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943549 | 575 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Conventional wisdom will tell you that it is impossible to borrow money for growing your business and for purchasing a house in today's economy.
Neither is accurate!
Many successful business people are constantly investing in and growing their businesses. Failure to do so in any economy causes businesses to become stale and to be standing still while competition moves forward. These people are also buying and improving their homes for family.
The answer is simple. Conventional wisdom should not lead you to the proverbial "stop sign." It should merely be another caution on the road to growth and prosperity.
Your business is still totally under your guidance and control and your customer base is still the key to success. You know more about your business and the demand for your product or service than those who are constantly mired in statistical computations.
If you want to merely bide your time and let your competition pass you by, that is your choice. Instead of listening to conventional wisdom, you should be doing a careful analysis, create an improved plan to grow your business... whatever the state of the economy.
And the house is another critical decision to make. If you're paying 3 percent on your mortgage and earning less than that on your savings, you're obviously better off paying off your mortgage: you'll be saving money. You and your family will enjoy the benefit of the difference. Do the math. It's simple arithmetic.
How many life choices do you want to make during your lifetime? How many will affect your family in the coming years?
And don't forget those that can be abrogated by government edict. Yes, it is time to make another choice. VOTE!!
What kind of education do you want available for your children? Do you want to invest in a better public education or do you want their education measured by your personal income, allowing those with more money to give their children a better education?
These are the kind of choices that are under your control. But they won't happen without your participation. You've got to take charge, whether it's a business decision, a house purchase or a vote on statewide or national legislation.
Talking about it just isn't enough. You not only have to talk the talk, you've also got to walk the walk. Take a walk into the voting booth and make a difference! Don't let someone else's priorities become yours because you didn't care enough to participate.
If you want a particular approach to taxes, education, abortion and birth control, and health options, etc., get to the voting booth. If you don't, all those decisions will be made by someone else... by default. And remember, today quickly becomes tomorrow's yesterday and then... it will be too late.
Ira Nottonson is a lawyer, lecturer, author and consultant. His latest books are "Forming a Partnership" and "Buying and Selling a Business." He can be reached at 303-447-9672 or by email at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:2f9cfb1f-6f93-4378-ae98-a61992b8564d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailycamera.com/business-columnists/ci_21914945/ira-nottonson-staying-control | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971906 | 615 | 1.671875 | 2 |
ZK: Apart from Somalia, what are the kidnapping hotspots in the world right now?
FB: Latin America is an area which often doesn’t get as much press, perhaps because people are a bit more used to the fact that kidnappings go on there.It is certainly one of the more ‘mature’ areas of the world for both respondents and the gangs themselves so in places like Colombia, Mexico, and to a lesser extent Venezuela and Peru there are still very, very high numbers of kidnappings going on. In addition to that South Asia is also significant, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan. One thing is that there is a differentiation between the kidnappings of local nationals and foreigners. If you take a place like Afghanistan there are a very high number of kidnappings of locals, particularly rich businessmen. In Pakistan too there has been an upward trend of targeting local middle class and rich nationals whereas the number of foreigners taken is actually very low. On the other hand, in Yemen, there are not a lot of locals being kidnapped and foreigners are targeted, either for ransom or political purposes. In Somalia, there would be a high number of kidnappings but, because of peoples’ increased awareness and the fact that there are fewer foreigners on the ground, there are fewer people to take. In general, areas suffering from insurgencies or serious security issues tend to become hotspots fairly quickly as groups try to raise funds from kidnappings.
ZK: Given that more and more kidnappings are taking place globally, it would seem that in this particular case crime does in fact pay, doesn’t it?
FB: Well, that’s a nice phrase to sum it up, but the fact is that it’s very difficult in this ‘industry’ to figure out exactly what’s going on. Some kidnappers do make fairly substantial sums from these acts, but there are instances in which they pay a serious price as well — such as when US commandos freed Danish hostages from Somali pirates recently while killing nine pirates.
ZK: Generally, how does one initiate contact with kidnappers? How do they get in touch with you?
FB: There is a general formula behind the mechanics of a kidnapping and certainly there is a structured approach to the kidnapping response resolution. There is the first contact from the kidnappers, and then there has to be proof of life before the actual negotiations begin and sometimes there can be a long gap between these steps.
The negotiation depends on whether the kidnappee has some sort of insurance or response capability lined up for them. Some people don’t have that at all and their family may get involved on their behalf [in the negotiation]. There have been numerous cases, such as in Mindanao, where aid workers, volunteers or priests have been kidnapped and they didn’t have professional security cover. In such cases, families go out, engage with local communities and try to track down the kidnappers themselves. They’ll hire police or ex-police officers to act as facilitators and negotiators. At the other end of the spectrum, one can deploy a case officer from a security company who will handle the case
ZK: What makes a good negotiator? What kind of training should one ideally go through?
FB: Experience — ideally, the responder has dealt with cases in different parts of the world and has experience dealing with different scenarios. There are companies with responders who have over a decade of experience. Ideally, agency or police experience would give people the prerequisite skills to go into the negotiations. With regards to personality, you need to be calm and have the ability to deal with highly stressed environments. The stress may come from the company, and of course from the families who are obviously closely involved in these situations. You have to be able to deal with a broad range of people and be able to adapt to very rapidly changing situations. You’ve also got to remain authoritative throughout the process because people will typically look to you to make decisions and guide them in situations where crucial decisions have to be taken. The responder has to keep his head when others may be losing theirs.
ZK: What sort of tools do kidnappers usually employ to pressurise the families into meeting their demands?
FB: Threats of killing or injury are the main tools they will look to employ. Different kidnap gangs can act in different ways and be more or less violent, but in general saying to a family that you’re going to hurt their loved one would put considerable pressure on them to pay the demanded ransom quickly. Then it’s up to the negotiator to guide them as to whether they think that these threats are real and to advise them on the best response. The central goal on part of the case officer or negotiator will of course be to do everything in his power to get the kidnapped person out safely in the least amount of time.
ZK: In your experience, who is the worst when it comes to treatment of hostages?
FB: There are some pretty violent gangs in all parts of the world and I wouldn’t like to pick one out and give them what they would probably see as ‘credit’ for hyper levels of violence. You do hear some pretty horrific stories. Some gangs are more mature and they realise that looking after the hostages is in their favour, but it depends on the organisation and whether they hold the kidnappees or sell them forward.
ZK: I know this is a sweeping statement, but is it better to be kidnapped by professionals as opposed to amateurs?
FB: Well, it’s a horrible situation either way but yes, if you’re dealing with a mature kidnap gang that is looking to extract the biggest ransom in a short length of time — which is their goal — and your goal is to obviously get the personnel in the shortest length of time with as low a ransom paid as possible, then it is in both parties’ interest to keep the person in good health. In cases where you’re dealing with amateur kidnap gangs you see major mistreatment.
ZK: What can a hostage do simply to survive captivity? If you’re in this situation, what do you do to just get through it?
FB: We recommend cooperation and compliance with the kidnappers, and actions like refusing food and water are not advised because that will antagonise the kidnappers and lead to mistreatment. We tell people to stay away from contentious subjects that could rile their kidnappers. Clearly, being kidnapped is a horrible situation and people want to get out of it as soon as possible, but when an opportunity for escape presents itself you have to be 100% sure it’ll work. There are instances when people who tried to escape have been recaptured and treated worse. The end goal is always survival.
ZK: And finally Mr Bomford if you were speaking to a family whose loved one has been kidnapped, what words of advice would you have for them? As to what sort of attitude they should keep in order to survive the ordeal because, obviously, for the person in captivity it is terrible but for the family the uncertainty would be horrific.
FB: It is a very, very difficult question to answer, but I would advise them to keep as calm as possible and trust in the fact that if there are people responding to it then they’re typically professional and, as I said, most cases are resolved peacefully. They have to hold on to hope and not give up no matter how difficult the situation gets.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, May 27th, 2012.
More in MagazineStrangers in a strange land | <urn:uuid:522e8d81-6558-436d-9cb9-9075ba6cea4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tribune.com.pk/story/382988/defence-against-the-dark-arts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976651 | 1,573 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Of course, O'Brien cooperated with the pediatricians and sought medical care for the allergies, as we all would. However, she shows the value of being an attentive, informed parent who can observe and log changes and eliminate questionable foods at home. While her book paints a rather dark picture of our nation's overall food supply, she encourages parents about the changes we can make for the better. She admits that being the busy mother with a large family meant she was accustomed to using lots of processed foods, even at home. From that place, she made slow changes to things like whole grains and organic fruits and vegetables. She even share specific meal and snack plans for busy families.
O'Brien's passion for helping families cope with allergies and their causes led to Allergy Kids, a nonprofit that offers parents education and support. Allergy Kids is aiming to fund a study of the allergic potential of genetically modified corn. I look forward to hearing more about how Allergy Kids and O'Brien are encouraging families to live the healthiest lives possible. | <urn:uuid:1268584b-5a3e-4b1c-a31e-f215fc8fbd46> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://floursackmama.blogspot.com/2012/01/focused-mom-uncovers-unhealthy-truth.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972617 | 211 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Carroll County is the home to hundreds of nonprofit organizations. Many of those organizations are not large enough and do not have enough funding to support communications or public relations staff positions. Others just find it challenging to keep up with evolving technology and new media.
McDaniel College professor Julia Jasken and her crew of digital aficionados helped some of those nonprofits create video public service announcements. According to the McDaniel website, Jasken is a strong supporter of service learning and frequently involves her students in the community as part of their coursework.
"It's just so valuable for students to see these videos come to life – videos that are designed to raise awareness about important social issues for our community,” Jasken said. “These videos help organizations get their message out and make a difference in the lives of people in the community. I can't imagine a better learning experience for our students."
Students involved with the project include junior Ben Azat of New Windsor, Md., and seniors Megan Franey of Marriottsville, Md., Sara Krome of New Windsor, Md., Megan Robinson of Hanover, Pa., and Danielle Sirk of Littlestown, Pa.
In addition to United Hands, community organizations participating in the workshop were Disabled Veterans Chapter 22, Family and Children’s Services of Maryland, Melanoma Foundation, Carroll County Community Mediation Center, Catastrophic Health Planners, Carroll County Food Sunday, Literacy Council of Carroll County, Marriage Resource Center, Caring Carroll, GROW Mission, and Human Services Program. | <urn:uuid:2035cb64-83cb-4e8f-84ef-c49a2199cd91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://westminster.patch.com/groups/schools/p/mcdaniel-college-helps-local-nonprofits-get-video-savvy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940655 | 320 | 1.820313 | 2 |
While not a student of Toynbee AFAIK, Carroll Quigley worked from Toynbee's theories in The Evolution of Civilizations with a lengthy discussion of the state of Western Civilization. This was written in 1961 with a second edition in 1979, so also predated the end of the Cold War. However he made some predictions for what stage Western Civilization is in that might be of interest.
He observed that while most other civilizations followed the path of growth to empire and then to inevitable decay, Western Civilization has differed in that it has "gone to the brink" of empire multiple times only to shift itself back into expansion. He draws the following periods:
- Mixture (370-750 AD)
- Gestation (750-970)
- Expansion (970-1270) Feudal system, guild economics
- Conflict (1270-1440) Hundred Years' War and economic institutionalism
- Expansion II (1440-1650) Renaissance, commercial capitalism
- Conflict II - (1650-1730) Imperialist wars, class conflict
- Expansion III - (1730-1890) Industrial revolution, financial capitalism
- Conflict III - (1890-??)
He ends his book leaving #8/9 an open question:
At the present time it is too early to judge if the present crisis of
Western civilization will resolve itself into a new, fourth Age of
Expansion, or will continue through an Age of Conflict to a universal
empire and ultimately to decay and invasion.
I think Quigley's treatment of the 20th century is a bit weak; he was in the midst of it when he wrote his book, and of course could not see the outcomes of the things he worried about. However, to carry his thinking forward we might complete the table with:
8 Conflict III - (1890-1945) World Wars
9 Expansion IV - (1945-?) Information revolution, globalist capitalism
Quigley's definition of a Stage of Expansion are (a) increased production of goods; (b) increase in population; (c) increase in geographical extent through exploration and colonization; (d) increase in knowledge. I think we can safely say the 2nd half of the 20th century has fulfilled all of these (with space exploration satisfying (c)).
His alternative was that Conflict III would be followed by an Age of Universal Empire. The requirements for such a period are (a) Political domination by a single state (the USA in this case), (b) universal peace and (apparent) prosperity, (c) little economic expansion, (d) no new inventions, (e) vested interests have triumphed and waste capital building blatant monuments.
I think at the end of WWII there was a window of opportunity where the USA could potentially have taken direct control over much of Europe and East Asia, and if so we might have seen something like that. But instead it rebuilt those countries into independent democracies and allowed them to pursue their own economic growth and new inventions, and invested its peace dividend into education, the space race, various wars, creating the Internet, etc.
Where are we right now? Are we still in a growth phase? One could argue that 9/11/2001 marked a turning point into an Age of Conflict, what with the wars in the Middle East. Economically we certainly seem to be on shaky ground, with class conflict and irrationality in politics - all characteristic of Conflict. Further, you could argue the growing dominance of multinational corporations across all aspects of society, including journalism, journalism, and even the military represents an institutionalization of our instrument of expansion; a pre-condition for Quigley's Conflict period. The recent bubble collapse has left many in the situation of leaving less to their children than they themselves started with; another Quigley pre-condition for Conflict. We're investing less in education, leaving future generations with fewer tools to ensure continued growth. Global warming is disrupting food production in the near term, and drinking water supply in the long term. Wealth is more concentrated in a smaller percentage of people, and that wealth is increasingly locked up in unproductive savings rather than being re-invested.
But it's possible these things just seem dire due to their proximity to us. Recent wars haven't been for territorial expansion, as would be the case with traditional imperialist warfare, and haven't been the civilization-wide struggles that the world wars were. It seems like we get about 100 years of expansion between Conflicts, so what we're seeing today may be just precursors of what's to come in a few more decades. More optimistically we could consider the significant discoveries and developments with solar power, natural gas, robotics, and genetics as promising new avenues of growth for our future; if we can accelerate those developments maybe it'll push us back more deeply into growth.
It'll probably become clearer in a couple hundred years. | <urn:uuid:b50816b3-beba-435e-a66e-be49d9fea984> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://history.stackexchange.com/questions/3098/is-there-an-arnold-j-toynbee-student-to-say-about-the-state-and-fate-of-western?answertab=votes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957485 | 1,010 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Extent of Surgical Resection Predicts a Favorable Outcome for Children with Malignant Gliomas
Reviewer: Heather Jones, MD
Last Modified: October 9, 2002
Presenter: M. Bucci
Presenter's Affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Type of Session: Poster
Pediatric patients with high-grade gliomas have been reported to have a better prognosis than their adult counterparts. There is however, relatively very little published data available that explore factors that affect outcome in this aggressive malignancy for the pediatric patient population. This study is a retrospective review, from Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) reporting their experience in the treatment of children with non-brainstem, malignant gliomas and determine factors that influence progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
Materials and Methods
- Medical records of all patients with non-brainstem malignant gliomas treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) between 2/89 and 10/00 were retrospectively reviewed.
- A total of 39 patients were included in this study.
- All Histology was confirmed by a neuropathologist at CHOP. MRI's were used to assess tumor at presentation and follow-up.
- Median radiation dose was 55.8 Gy (range: 40-60 Gy); (37 of 39) received chemotherapy.
- Gross total resection (GTR) is defined as more than or equal to 90% removal of tumor on post-operative MRI imaging.
- The male : female ratio was 2:1.
- The median age at diagnosis was 12.3 years (range: 1.1-20.6 years).
- Tumors were located in the basal ganglia/thalamus (n=19), peripheral cerebrum (n=18) and cerebellum (n=2). 26 patients had anaplastic astrocytomas (AA) while 13 patients had glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
- The median follow-up for the 14 surviving patients is 47.6 months (range: 10.6-125.1 months).
- The median PFS and OS for all patients are 12.2 and 21.3 months, respectively.
- OS rate at 2- and 5-years are 46.8% and 35.3%, respectively, while PFS rate at 2- and 5-years are 38.3% and 26.3%.
- Extent of surgery was the strongest factor predicting outcome with patients that underwent a GTR (n=12) having a median survival of 122.2 months compared with 14.1 months for patients with significant residual disease following surgery (p=0.001).
- The absence of visual symptoms at diagnosis also proved to be a significant predictor of improved OS (p=0.034)
- Patients with GTR had better local control than those with significant residual disease (p = 0.004).
- Eight of 28 patients with evaluable residual tumor following resection had an objective radiologic response to radiation with a median time to maximal response of 4.7 months following completion of radiation
While the extent of resection as a prognosticator has been debated for adult patients, this study suggests that it is one of the strongest predictors of outcome in pediatric patients with high-grade gliomas. Thus, optimal treatment for these patients should include maximal possible resection prior to radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
In the adult CNS literature the extent of surgical resection appears to be an important prognostic factor. The CHOP/HUP study is an important and timely study that evaluates the issue extent of surgical resection in the pediatric population. This is one of the largest series completed in MRI era and it indicates that the extent of resection is an extremely important prognostic indictors in the pediatric population. A lively discussion ensued during the presentation of this data regarding the definition of gross total resection. Again emphasizing the arbitrary nature of this definition and the need for a more rigid definition allowing for easier comparisons across institutions.
Oncolink's ASTRO Coverage made possible by an unrestricted Educational Grant from Ortho Biotech. | <urn:uuid:a06ba336-0507-4bbc-b1bf-7f97f7720d13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oncolink.org/conferences/article.cfm?c=219&id=693 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93584 | 895 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Farming Talk: Farmers flock to renewable energy projects
Around one in five will be producing clean electricity, one in six will have installed solar PV and a further one in eight will be using or generating renewable energy. The findings suggest agriculture will make a significant contribution to the UK target of producing 15 per cent of our energy from renewable sources by 2020, as set by the EU Renewable Energy Directive.
The survey also revealed one of the major concerns farmers have over renewable energy is planning permission. More than half of those surveyed felt that gaining planning permission was the biggest barrier.
But planning need not be a hurdle. Planning authorities are being urged to look favourably on renewable energy projects and the government now exempts small-scale renewable energy generators like solar panels on existing buildings and anaerobic digesters on farming or non-domestic land from planning regulations. The new small scale exemptions came into force on April 6 and are aimed at boosting the rural economy by removing some of the red tape associated with renewable schemes.
For larger scale renewable projects, full planning permission is still normally required. As with most new developments, the key is to seek professional advice from the outset to ensure you select the most appropriate energy generator to suit your individual farm and circumstances and that your project fits local policies and guidelines.
Our team at Berrys has been involved with a number of renewable energy projects in the county including anaerobic digesters, solar PV schemes and wind turbines.
When making an application you must explain why you have chosen the particular site and how it meets certain planning policy criteria. The authority will consider the visual and landscape impact, highways and access, traffic movements before and after the development, noise and pollution and you need to have your answers prepared on these types of issues before the council asks. You must also be willing to engage with the community.
While the Feed in Tariffs are falling for solar installations, there are still considerable opportunities for wind power, particularly smaller/medium scale. Planning-wise, small turbines are usually more locally acceptable but larger installations tend to be more cost-effective. Anaerobic digestion is also a growing area and Berrys have had success with a number of large scale anaerobic digestion schemes in Shropshire
In terms of wind power, a farm scale 20kW turbine will cost in the region of £30,000-£80,000 (installed), with a payback of six to ten years depending on site wind speed. Systems from 50-500kW can cost in the region of £150,000-£700,000, with a return on investment of greater than 16 per cent achievable on the right site.
Author: Stephen Locke | <urn:uuid:6d8810c1-318a-42d4-a71e-a00bbb0ec22e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://duncanrenewables.co.uk/articles/view/15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934755 | 545 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Last Thursday we discussed “episodic and semantic memory”. Which do believe is best for young professionals when networking with an employer? Would you prefer an employer to have an episodic or a semantic memory of you? Why?
This week we have explored networking and resumes. You have also been introduced to company research and how to connect with a recruiter during a job and internship fair.
Discuss your experiences in researching a company/job posting and how you artfully constructed your resume and elevator speech to successfully communicate with each company representative.
Why is the resume so important to your future job search? What feedback (from the Career Prep Day Resumania experience) about your resume was most helpful?
What piece of new information or feedback did you disagree with during the entire Prep Day experience? | <urn:uuid:1cffd213-382a-4c2e-ac2d-a9d7a35b9d67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.smu.edu/hdev2308musers/ | 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 | 0.961888 | 163 | 1.75 | 2 |
Volume 18, Issue 4 (December 1995)
Model Study on the Failure Mechanism of Soil-Nailed Structure Under Surcharge Loading
To investigate the effects of surcharge loading on the failure mechanism of soil-nailed structures, reduced scale-model tests were performed. The main variables for this study were the bending stiffness and tension resistance of nails and applied surcharge loading levels. In addition, two different testing sequences were used to simulate, respectively, the application of soil nailing in both new construction and rehabilitation or widening of earth-retaining systems under surcharge loading. To effectively assess the loading effects on the failure mechanism, failure tests without surcharge loading were performed, and the results were used as reference data. When applying surcharge loading, the failure of the system occurred through a progressive breakage of the nails initiated at the top nails. Under low surcharge loading, the state of stress in the upper nails is close to the stress state for the unloaded wall. As the surcharge loading increases, the equivalent earth pressure coefficient in the upper nails tends to increase toward the atrest value. The locus of nail breakage points under surcharge loading is fairly close to that obtained with flexible nails without surcharge loading regardless of bending stiffness and construction sequence. | <urn:uuid:eecc7f42-4962-47bf-837d-efd08422fcba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.astm.org/DIGITAL_LIBRARY/JOURNALS/GEOTECH/PAGES/GTJ11017J.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943621 | 256 | 1.757813 | 2 |
DE GUSTIBUS . . .
H.S. LEAKE ();
July 25, 1948,
, Section MAGAZINE, Page SM2, Column , words
Aline B. Louchheim's "ABC (or XYZ) of Abstract Art" tells us indeed what the painters of abstract art are trying to do; but it does not tell us why they do it, or whether it is worth doing, or why an ordinary spectator should take the least interest in it. | <urn:uuid:b0d1c0b4-d043-44e1-8405-b9e6df58e8c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10F12F83458157A93C7AB178CD85F4C8485F9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917818 | 103 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Old school photo: “Pregnant Acres”
During the major influx of veterans in the years following World War II, Drake faced a housing dilemma. Not only were there more students, but many of them were married — and starting families. The solution: a trailer park temporarily built in 1946 and jokingly referred to as “Pregnant Acres.”
The camp came down in 1955 but not before a trailer court culture and even a governing body had been established. The construction of the the Quads — Herriott, Carpenter, Crawford and Stalnaker residence halls — turned Pregnant Acres into a memory.
Share your own memories of Drake days gone by in the comments section. Browse electronic editions of The Quax and other historical resources in The Drake Heritage Collections on the Cowles Library website. | <urn:uuid:b9071bca-3630-423e-85b5-b44f23312b38> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drake.edu/magazine/?p=2932 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958268 | 171 | 2.625 | 3 |
On the other end of the life cycle, the projections show young people will continue to flock to the area in their late teens to attend college at institutions such as Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College and Lafayette College, only to flee the Lehigh Valley in their early 20s to establish their careers.
They're replaced by 30-somethings, who the Planning Commission predicts will continue to move to the Lehigh Valley to take advantage of its affordable cost of living and proximity to New York, northern New Jersey and Philadelphia.
"What people have opted to do is trade off a commute for a different lifestyle and decent place to live," Kaiser said. "Take a look at the park-and-ride lots around here."
The bleed of young, talented workers needs to be reversed if the Valley aspires to maintain a strong economy and employment base, said Donald Bernhard, director of community affairs for PPL and chairman of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.'s board of directors.
That means making sure there are the entertainment and cultural amenities here to attract and keep young workers.
There are economic theorists who believe that "in this day and age, jobs are going to follow smart young people to the places where they want to live," Bernhard said.
Like everything else, rapid growth has its pluses and minuses, said Tony Iannelli, president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.
"The good news is, from an economic standpoint it means more disposable dollars available to Lehigh Valley business," Iannelli said. "The challenge with population growth is to maintain infrastructure and quality of life."
That's the focus of the newly formed Lehigh Valley Sustainability Consortium, which is conducting a $3.4 million federally funded brainstorming and planning exercise called Envision Lehigh Valley aimed at anticipating and planning to meet that challenge.
"One of the things people like about the area is that it's not as congested as other areas and there is lots of open space around here," Kaiser said.
Population growth, much of it fueled by the region's easy highway access and migration from New Jersey, has already changed the Lehigh Valley in varied and unexpected ways, and promises to shape the region's future going forward, Kaiser said.
Take the sprawling community centers built in recent years in rapidly growing municipalities such as Forks, Hanover (Northampton County) and Bethlehem townships.
Many were erected in response to demand from a growing population that was used to having a place to gather and enroll in exercise classes and volleyball leagues, said Floyd Shaffer, director of Bethlehem Township's community center.
"A lot of the population in this area came from areas in New York and New Jersey where there were YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs," Shaffer said. "Having grown up here, I was a little kid in the Lehigh Valley, the recreation program was a playground or two. I didn't know what a public recreation center was."
Now Bethlehem Township's recreation center boasts four full-time and more than 100 part-time workers, and offers everything from yoga classes for seniors to gymnastics for toddlers starting at 9 months.
"The response was beyond anyone's expectations," Shaffer said. | <urn:uuid:b5f3018c-0c51-494f-9165-70317fa4e326> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.mcall.com/2012-07-14/news/mc-allentown-growth-figures-20120714_1_population-growth-new-residents-macungie-and-bethlehem-townships/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96911 | 666 | 2.078125 | 2 |
August 7th, 2010
Preserve your garden memories with pressed flower designs and tips from
Flat Flower Cards. Meet mom-and-son team Donna and Andy Hammer and see how they they create art with flowers. Trisha analyzes tomato disease problems and how to control them.
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Tips of the Week
Keep an eye out for chinch bugs. They are common in the hot edges of lawns, like next to the curb. The symptom is a large brown patch, which makes it easily confused with brown patch or grub worm damage. To determine whether this is chinch bugs, cut off a milk jug or similar container and press into the soil. Fill with soapy water and watch for the small insects to jump around or float to the surface. You can prevent this problem if you keep the grass watered in those hot areas and avoid over-fertilizing or mowing the grass too short.
Avoid lawn problems by raising that mower height to keep the roots cool and to fend off weeds, too.
- More Tips
Question of the Week
Why did my larkspurs yellow and fall over this spring?
Donna and Andy Hammer | <urn:uuid:4af746e1-544c-4e92-8a50-8611df39ac9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.klru.org/ctg/episode/date/8_7_2010/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916884 | 245 | 2.40625 | 2 |