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A Safe Dakota Days
To the editor:
This week is the week of Dakota Days (D-Days). This long held traditional celebration includes the D-Days Parade, USD's Homecoming Game and a variety of celebrations throughout the community. We all look forward to this exciting time of year. At the Police Department, we are working with our Public Safety Partners to make this a safe celebration for everyone.
Past D-Days celebrations have unfortunately included assaults, sexual assaults, alcohol related medical emergencies and other injuries. Our goal this year is to reduce and if possible eliminate these types of occurrences. Further, if one of these tragic events does occur, we will provide the fastest most effective response possible.
Some of the efforts we are undertaking include:
- Significantly increased patrols – This year there will be almost 50 percent more officers patrolling during high celebration areas in cars, on bikes, and on foot. This will include four officers from Yankton and Clay County Deputies who will be assisting VPD.
- Additional surveillance equipment will allow for better support for patrol officers.
- Special investigative teams made up of Detectives and DCI Investigators will provide quick response to major crimes and proactive enforcement regarding those furnishing alcohol to minors.
- Additional real-time communication with the public through Facebook and Twitter updates.
- The Highway Patrol will be conducting proactive DUI patrols in Vermillion and Clay County.
- Volunteer Fire and EMS personnel will man equipment to provide quick response to medical and fire emergencies.
- Sanford Hospital and USD Volunteers will provide a safe area for intoxicated persons.
How can you be part of the solution?
- Call immediately if you see something that is unsafe or suspicious.
- Don't drink if you are under 21.
- Do not furnish alcohol to underage participants.
- Do not drink and drive.
- Be a good neighbor: be courteous to others, throw litter in garbage containers, and do not urinate in public.
Working together we can make this a safe and fun D-Days for everyone.
Chief of Police | <urn:uuid:9323876e-8acb-4b9f-888c-dafb5211f104> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://plaintalk.net/2012/10/letter-to-the-editor-3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928117 | 422 | 1.53125 | 2 |
What risk type are you?
Understanding risk types provides leaders and managers with insights into how and why decisions are taken, says Geoff Trickey.
Little attention is paid to the human nature of risk and the affect it can have on an organisation, boardroom or team, yet while surface attitudes towards risk flex and change, an individual’s underlying personality remains consistent and when we are under pressure, we revert to type.
According to a survey by Labour Force, 274,000 people heading to work this morning will suffer some form of physical injury while carrying out their duties – that’s more than enough to give risk a seriously bad reputation. Yet no enterprise would get far without it. This is self evident in the case of investment, soldiering or working in the emergency services or any other dangerous job.
Less obviously, leadership, creativity, entrepreneurialism and acts of heroism all depend critically on people exposing themselves to risk and the possibility of failure, humiliation or harm as well, of course, of glorious success.
Whether you are fearlessly adventurous or anxious and cautious is determined by your temperament and it is deeply rooted. Personality research can be complex and research into risk even more so. However, current knowledge has been distilled into eight risk types; types that each have a persistent bias towards very different perceptions, expectations, actions and decisions.
This kind of analysis has the potential to make the human risk landscape visible; to provide a vocabulary that facilitates planning, research and discussion about human factor risk. These are important steps in getting to grips with a critically important area of difference between individuals and for leaders and managers knowledge of risk type provides insight into how and why decisions are taken.
The challenge for leaders and managers must be to deploy risk types appropriately, to achieve the appropriate balance of risk types within any group, at the level of the boardroom, team, the department or the organisation as a whole. This has been difficult to achieve because the human risk landscape has been virtually invisible.
Looking across the crowded rush hour train carriage, in terms of individual differences, there is certainly plenty to take in. But there is zero information about anyone’s disposition towards risk. Some of your fellow travellers will undoubtedly be crazy hot-heads; up for any kind of wacky adventure, while others will be so risk averse that they are permanently anxious and will worry and fret themselves through another working day.
These extremes, and the spectrum of fearlessness or anxiety in between, define fundamental differences in temperament that managers need to recognise and harness. Risk takers are as important to organisational success as are those who are prudent and cautious, but it’s of crucial importance to ensure that the right people are in the right role.
Uninhibited and excitable, this risk type enjoys the spontaneity of unplanned decisions. They are attracted to risk like moths to a flame, but are distraught when things go wrong. Their passion and imprudence make them exciting but unpredictable.
The intense type tends to be highly strung, pessimistic and nervous about any threat to their equilibrium. In extreme examples, personal relationships and decision-making can become an emotional minefield. Passionate and self-critical by nature, they react strongly to disappointment, taking it personally when things don’t work out.
Self-disciplined and cautious of risk, the wary type is organised but unadventurous and puts security at the top of the agenda. They will be drawn to the idea of securing their future but anxious that however well something worked for others, in their case it will go wrong.
Very self-controlled and detailed in their planning, the prudent type is organised, systematic, conservative and conforming. Conventional in their approach, they prefer continuity to variety and are most comfortable sticking to what they know.
Self-confident, systematic and compliant, the deliberate type tends to be unusually calm and optimistic. They experience little anxiety and tackle risk and uncertainty in a business-like and unemotional way. They never walk into anything unprepared.
The composed type is cool headed, calm and optimistic, but at the extreme may seem almost oblivious to risk and unaware of its effect on others. They take everything confidently in their stride, seem quite imperturbable and manage stress well.
The adventurous type is both impulsive and fearless. At the extreme, they combine a deeply constitutional calmness with high impulsivity and a willingness to challenge tradition and convention. Intrepid and never discouraged, they quickly rebound from any setback.
Spontaneous and unconventional, the carefree type is daring, excitement seeking and sometimes reckless. Not good at detail or careful preparation, they often seem unclear about their objectives. Their impatience and imprudence can lead to hasty and unwise decisions.
Individuals who show none of the extremes that characterise other risk types are classified as typical. Because they score close to the centre they will not naturally be exceptionally prudent or unusually reckless, neither will they be particularly emotional or extremely calm. Any pronounced risk-taking behaviours will likely be due to attitudes developed from specific experiences.
Discover your risk type for free go to www.psy-key.com, use the access code TrainingZone and complete the Risk-Type Compass 10 minute questionnaire. Your seven-page report drops into your inbox immediately.
Geoff Trickey, managing director of the Psychological Consultancy.
AccountingWEB is more than just a U.S. team of journalists and financial and technology experts - we have an international side, too. Members of our British team who publish AccountingWEB.co.uk share their ideas, insights, and perspectives from across the pond. | <urn:uuid:8e7f4169-8746-4c3d-beee-c8b1b13ca756> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.accountingweb.com/blogs/accountingweb/across-pond/what-risk-type-are-you | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94803 | 1,157 | 2.15625 | 2 |
"Sand Verbena" 8x10 oil on panel 2006
I've had a thought percolating through my brain about vision, illusion and art. When I'm painting, I'm trying to create an illusion of a location. And while I'm standing there, the retinas of my eyes are being bombarded with the complete spectrum of visible light. Based on the electrical response of four different types of receptors in my retina, my brain constructs a mental picture of the scene. The details I am aware of are shaped by how my brain and the wiring of the receptors in my eyes interact. From this pattern of electrical response in my brain, I mix together 7 different pigments and apply them in a suspension of oil on a panel. So there are several levels of translation between the experience of a location and the painting that is the product of that experience. Of course you're experiencing the image of the painting above through yet another series of translations (digital camera to computer to internet to your screen).
Another way to say this is that since each pigment I use has unique spectral qualities, that it reflects a particular pattern of wavelenths of light, I am tricking the eyes of the viewer into believing they are seeing more colors than they really are. And to achieve this I am manipulating the limitations of having only 4 types of receptors in the human retina.
And before you decide that I'm truly over the science geek deep end (probably too late for that), what this all means is that I'm trying to create a series of illusions with a limited pallete. And what makes my art unique is in part the way my brain interprets the information from my eyes. | <urn:uuid:e9d10fe6-7722-4c87-a2b8-8c864ea97a08> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shanksart.blogspot.com/2006/07/illusion.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953956 | 339 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Mardi Gras - March 04, 2014
Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "National Pancake Day". It is the final day of Carnival (English language: and Romance languages:). It is a celebration that is held just before the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent. The feast should not be confused with the Swedish ''Fettisdagen'' (Fat Tuesday) or the Polish ''Tlusty Czwartek'' (which translates to Fall/15/2006 Thursday).
Mardi Gras and The Rio de Janeiro Carnival
The annual Carnival that is held at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil also has relations with the Mardi Gras. Actually the celebrations of the Carnival ends on "Mardi Gras". This festival is an annual event that is held 2 weeks before the traditional Christian fasting of Lent. Thousands of people from across Brazil and also from other parts of the world come to attend the festivities. Carnival comes with a lot of music, good food, color and of course the Samba dance. And of course there is the Mardi Gras, that becomes an added attraction.
The date can vary from February 3 to March 9 in non-leap years or February 4 to March 9 in leap years. Like Lent, the date is dependent on that of Easter.
Mardi Gras falls on the following dates in the following years:
Mardi Gras in popular culture
© Copyright 2000-2013 Greeting Card Universe - Powered By Bigdates-Solutions.com | <urn:uuid:1b61eedc-0089-4a28-9567-016c5c136592> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holidays/mardigras.asp | 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 | 0.950506 | 330 | 2.453125 | 2 |
The precursor to the modern-day bicycle was the 1817 Draisine, named for its German inventor, Karl von Drais. This two-wheeled machine lacked pedals, so cyclists straddled the bike and pushed it along with their feet. Despite their primitive design, these "swift-walkers," as they were sometimes called, were quite popular in 19th-century Europe and the United States, but as novelties rather than a serious means of transportation.
Around 1863, the wood-and-iron velocipede or "boneshaker" appeared in England and France. This was the first true bicycle, with pedals attached to the front wheel so that riders could propel themselves up hills. Some models had a rear "spoon" brake; most had a bell to keep horses from being spooked.
Because gears for bicycles had not yet been invented, the only way for engineers to increase the speed of a bike was to enlarge its front wheel. This led to the development of hi...
High-wheel bikes (also called penny-farthings) were eye-catching and not as difficult to get onto as they looked, but they were next to impossible to stop once they got going, which often resulted in crashes that would send the rider flying head first over the handlebars. Smart riders learned to ride downhill with their legs draped over the handlebars to mitigate the impact of sudden stops.
Manufacturers tried to solve the "header" problem with models like the Star and the Eagle, which placed the bike’s small wheel in front of the large one to give the rider a slightly better center of gravity. Tricycles with a small wheel in the front, two large wheels in the back, and a seat between them were another solution, favored by women in elaborate Victorian dress as well as professional men, for whom high-wheelers were not an especially dignified mode of transportation.
By the end of the 19th century, the high-wheelers were replaced by so-called "safety" bikes, which resemble the bikes we ride today. The key was a chain to drive the rear wheel.
In addition to steel, wood such as hickory and bamboo was used to construct the frames. Elliott Hickory Cycle Co. of Boston went so far as to tout the wood used in its bikes as "healthier" and more "hygienic" for its riders than steel. Other manufacturers such as Columbia produced roadsters with kerosene lamps in front of the handlebars, chain guards to protect women’s dresses from grease, and shock-absorbing, spring-mounted seats.
Some of these turn-of-the-century bike builders would go on to become prominent manufacturers of automobiles. George Pierce was making bicycles more than a dozen years before his company produced its first Pierce Arrow in 1903. The Pierce bicycle’s "monoshock" suspension was a far cry from the boneshaker bicycles of a half-century before. Similarly, Lozier cut its teeth on its line of Cleveland bicycles before becoming a renowned builder of luxury cars in 1900.
For collectors of antique racing bikes, the bicycles produced at the beginning of the 20th century are of particular interest. Track bikes by companies like Peugeot were designed to be stiff and responsive, with deep-drop handlebars to reduce the rider’s wind resistance. Chainless drives were also tried but quickly discarded. And by the 1930s, John "Pop" Brennan was producing frames that are considered prototypes of the contemporary handmade bicycle-frame industry.
The arrival of the derailleur in 1908 changed everything. Americans were slow to accept the device, and the English thought three gears were quite enough, but the French embraced the device. Consequently, a culture of cycling evolved in France, while bikes in the United States largely fell out of favor.
The vintage balloon-tire cruisers from the 1930s to 1950 brought the bicycle back into fashion in the U.S. In 1941, Colson made the Cruiser and Super Cruiser models for Firestone and the Clipper for Goodyear. Many vintage bikes from this era had fake gas tanks to imitate the ones on motorcycles, and built-in headlights and taillights. Some were gloriously painted two-tone jobs; others showed off their aluminum and chrome.
Murray was another company that had its own line as well producing bikes for third parties. In Murray’s case, it supplied bikes to Sears. Its house brand was the Mercury. Among other collectible brands from the pre-war era are Shelby, which made the gorgeous Speedline Airflow, whose sweeping and curving lines suggested movement even when the bike was standing still.
But it was the Schwinn that really changed the American perception of the bicycle, in particular with the 1933 Aerocycle with its awesome Buck Rogers design. The Auto Cycle followed, as did the heavily fendered and chromed Phantom and Jaguar.
By the middle of the 20th century, Schwinn was, as Schwinn collector Jim Snell puts it, "where bicycles came from for Christmas." In the 1960s and 1970s, if you were the luckiest kid on the block, that meant you spent Christmas morning riding your high-handlebar, banana-boat seat Stingray, Apple Krate, or Grey Ghost, some of which had a black-handle "Stik Shift" attached to the frame. Also collectible are the three-speed Schwinn Paramounts and Travelers from the 1950s and 1960s, and the classic 10-speed Varsity models from the 1960s and 1970s.
Interviews & Articles
File this under: We had no idea. We just learned that the invention and widespread popularity of bicycles at the turn of the centu… [more]
I was walking to school one day and saw all these bikes in the garbage. I was just amazed because I didn't have one and I found it… [more]
I’ve been around Chevy cars my whole life and had them when I was in high school. It’s a lifetime thing. Some people do Fords; oth… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Clubs & Associations: Outdoor Sports
Other Great Reference Sites: Outdoor Sports
Top eBay Auctions
Recent News: Bicycles
Source: Google News
Vintage Cycle Enthusiasts Meet in Springfield - Ozarks FirstOzarksFirst.com, May 20th
Cycle collectors in southwest Missouri gathered on Commercial Street Sunday for the 28th annual Springtime In The Ozarks Festival and Swap Meet. The event featured motor scooters, motor bikes, antique and classic bicycles, as well as vintage bicycles...Read more
Penn Jillette's weekend plans: Baby-sit Trace Adkins' kids, beat Adkins on ...Las Vegas Weekly (blog), May 18th
The bike was ordered from a vintage-bicycle company in Portland, Ore., and shipped in specifically for the event. Anything for charity, right? And this is far from Jillette's only charitable effort. Teller and he have long served as spokesmen for Aid...Read more
NOEL PINEO: Something to offend everyone in race for 16th Senate DistrictBakersfield Californian, May 16th
He is also a substitute teacher, amateur paleontologist and vintage bicycle hobbyist. Community Voices is an expanded commentary of 650 to 700 words. The Californian reserves the right to edit all submissions for length and clarity. loading next article...Read more
Ottertail Area Trade ShowPerham Focus, May 16th
There will be displays ranging from vintage bicycles to aggregate samples including sand, gravel and rock. Those attending will have the opportunity to sign up for Ottertail Emergency Weather Alerts. Free refreshments and prize drawings will also be...Read more
Good ol' days to roll againThe Durango Herald, May 15th
Bicycle collectors are enough of a force that they merit their own category in Bike Tribes: A Field Guide to the North American Cyclists by Mike Magnuson, published in 2012. The joy of riding a well-preserved bike is like looking through a View-Master...Read more
Meet James McDonald: ultimate bicycle collectorABC Online (blog), May 8th
Meet James McDonald: ultimate bicycle collector. 08 May 2013 , 8:27 PM by David Iliffe. 8720240140_f58b2faa14-1 If you were in any doubt as to what James McDonald's passion is, you'd only have to have a quick peek inside his Toowoomba home...Read more
St. Mark Church to hold electronics recycling, bicycle collection eventMassLive.com, May 2nd
111010-bicycles.JPG St. Mark Church in Springfield will hold an electronics recycling and bicycle collection day on May 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church is seeking road, mountain, BMX adult and children's bicycles in good condition; most will be sent...Read more
Grand Rapids Vintage Bicycle Club travels in style through downtownThe Rapidian, April 24th
Established in 2009 by Ted Oostendorp of East Grand Rapids, The Grand Rapids Vintage Bicycle Club attracts vintage bicycle collectors and bike enthusiasts from all over West Michigan. Oostendorp and his family have been restoring vintage bikes for...Read more | <urn:uuid:034507c0-67e7-4ffa-bd18-2fdb8b0b0f31> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.collectorsweekly.com/outdoor-sports/bicycles | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973936 | 1,938 | 3.53125 | 4 |
THE MEDIATION WHEEL
The Broken Promise of Justice in the
Courts for Women and Children
"The Vancouver Custody & Access Support and Advocacy Association was formed in 1993 by workers from Munroe House, Battered Women's Support Services, Women's Research Centre, and Vancouver Status of Women. Our purpose is to work for the rights, safety, and protection of women and children in custody and access disputes.
We developed the Mediation Wheel to illustrate the devastating effects of the beliefs of the family justice mediation system on women's and children's lives."
from Listening to the Thunder, Women's Research Centre, Vancouver, 1995
The Mediation Wheel in chart form:
Below is an image of the Mediation Wheel as it was originally conceived for the poster produced by The Vancouver Custody & Access Support and Advocacy Association. We are not able to reproduce or supply it as a wheel in readable form, only in the chart form above. | <urn:uuid:e62b32cb-ec13-4327-873e-5df25be1e0df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hotpeachpages.net/canada/air/mediation/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947639 | 196 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Plant Rental Business Idea
When thinking about how to start a plant rental business, at first it seems that you could just run to the local nursery, buy some plants, and get started. A plant rental business, no matter how easy it seems, requires planning and research in order to succeed.
Plants are attractive and bring a welcome touch of nature to many indoor venues. Corporate buildings, waiting rooms, offices, convention halls, and other public areas often use plants as decorative tools. Most building administrators, however, don’t have time to properly maintain the plants. By using a plant rental service, beautiful and well-cared for plants can enhance the look of the surroundings.
Indoor locations are not the only potential market for a plant rental business. Outdoor events, such as weddings, might include rented decorative plants. Outdoor atriums and city parks are other potential venues.
How to Start a Plant Rental Business
A plant rental service owner will be required not only to place plants in a location, but be responsible for their care as well. A thorough knowledge of the plants you supply is required. Customers will expect you to be an expert on plant species and care.
Before buying plants, conduct research on the local market. Many public places are likely customers, so take a tour to see if there are decorative plants in place, if so, how well they are cared for, and determine if there is a potential market. If possible, speak with building administrators to find out if there is an interest in your plant rental services.
Research also includes scouting out the competition. If there is another plant rental service in your area, investigate their services and prices. Determine if you can be competitive and offer something the competitors do not.
After determining a need, form partnerships with local plant growers and nurseries to get the best plants at the best wholesale prices. A climate-controlled storage area will also be required. Even if you buy plants as customers sign up, you will still require a plant transition and care area.
Apply for your business and related licenses with the local city, county, and state agencies.
Running a Successful Plant Rental Business
As you learn how to start a plant rental business, keep a running contact list of everyone you speak to about your plans. Your first customers will be very important building blocks so consider offering incentives to encourage them to work with you. Ask for testimonials. Build a portfolio of pictures of your work. Form partnerships with other business professionals. For example, supplying wedding planners with decorative plants will increase your exposure and profits.
The most important factors in the plant rental business are the quality of the plants and the care they receive. Dying and sickly looking plants will tarnish your reputation, so start with high quality plants and take excellent care of them.
Expanding Your Plant Rental Business
Successful entrepreneurs are constantly looking for ways to increase revenue. The more you learn about how to start a plant rental business, the more ideas for additional services you will have. Below are a few expansion ideas:
- Offer decorating services for the holidays
- Add landscape design services
- Sell plants to customers | <urn:uuid:0a39a945-e254-4809-890e-0872ec50b6fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mysmallbiz.com/business-idea/plant-rental-business/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949334 | 647 | 1.578125 | 2 |
April 9, 2012; Source: Los Angeles Times
Maybe it is only in Los Angeles that a cultish religious organization meant to teach the Kabbalah, a mystical form of Judaism, would attract the involvement of celebrities such as Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Sumner Redstone, Christine Peters, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Taylor, Sandra Bernhard, and Madonna and then vault from obscurity into big time money. The Kabbalah Centre participated in Madonna’s controversial plan for a school in Malawi and is now embroiled in what looks to be a scandal involving a woman with dementia.
A former socialite, Susan Strong Davis is an 87-year-old widow suffering from dementia. Notwithstanding her illness, somehow she has managed to borrow $2.65 million to build a 4-bedroom, 3-fireplace house in Beverly Hills—and to donate $600,000 to the Kabbalah Centre from her personal wealth, which apparently totals approximately $11 million.
The gatekeeper between Davis and the Kabbalah Centre is one John E. Larkin, who serves as Davis’ financial advisor and is a student of the Kabbalah. The site of the Beverly Hills home is also connected to Larkin; he owned it and sold it to Davis, according to the LA Times, “at a substantial personal profit.” As scummy as the house deal might sound, the NPQ Newswire is more interested in Davis and Larkin’s relationships with the Kabbalah Centre, which has been the subject of an ongoing IRS investigation.
The $600,000 donation from Davis raises the question of the role of financial advisors or wealth advisors, many of whom are ubiquitous in guiding the charitable giving of very wealthy people. Larkin is no unknown figure, having advised Ricardo Montalban and Candice Bergen among other celebrity clients. How he came to know Davis isn’t clear, but he was put in charge of Davis’s personal filings and, with a second trustee, George Dickinson, has made $900,000 managing her finances since 2002.
Larkin is beyond close to the Kabbalah Centre. He became involved with the Centre in the early 2000s, married an official from the Centre as his fourth wife (with the ceremony performed by the son of the Centre’s founders, Philip and Karen Berg), bought a home on the same Beverly Hills block as the Bergs, and managed personal investments for the Bergs and some of their “celebrity followers.”
In 2006, one of the Centre’s charities, Spirituality for Kids (once chaired by Madonna), received the $600,000 contribution—its largest—from Davis, with Larkin’s office as her address. Davis’s family said that Davis was nominally Protestant, but had no interest in religion, didn’t go to church, and during her increasingly rare moments of clarity during the last decade, never mentioned the Kabbalah Centre or Spirituality for Kids. For all anyone knows, that $600,000 gift might have been one of several, but for some reason, Spirituality for Kids revealed its donors only that year and has not done so since, and the Centre keeps the names of its donors secret.
The donation from Davis to Spirituality for Kids seems to be Larkin’s responsibility as her trustee. The other trustee, Dickinson, didn’t seem to have much contact with her or concern for her finances, telling the LA Times, “I’m a trustee, not a guardian. She can give it all to the dog and cat hospital if she wants.”
Madonna or no Madonna, it seems as though there’s something very curious happening at the Kabbalah Centre. The IRS has had a long enough time to look at it and come up with a judgment, but the prolonged investigation has so far left everyone hanging. In addition to whatever issues might exist at the Kabbalah Centre, there’s also a concern about financial advisors like Larkin. We would love to hear from the community of financial advisors to the wealthy as to what oversight and self-policing mechanisms are in place, as well as who should be looking over the shoulder of advisors like Larkin to make sure that the charitable donations he guides from his clients’ accounts—especially if the clients are suffering from dementia—are on the up-and-up. –Rick Cohen | <urn:uuid:926e4b73-0acf-4175-967d-2d10c1ba44dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nonprofitquarterly.org/philanthropy/20129-kabbalah-centre-accepted-600000-donation-from-woman-with-dementia.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 | 0.970154 | 939 | 1.507813 | 2 |
A large body of water on Earth's surface. Unlike the bodies of water on the inside of a landmass (lakes, ponds, etc.) the water in the ocean has higher salinity. There's usually a beach near the coastline of a landmass.
The following tags are aliased to this tag: sea.
Read the full article. | <urn:uuid:20cb9e7d-3045-4d99-9857-4d451305f890> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://danbooru.donmai.us/posts?tags=ocean&page= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944139 | 72 | 2.796875 | 3 |
A historical photo of two classic figures in bicycle history. Two knife sharpeners. They rode about both the countryside and the city, offering their blade sharpening services to anyone who would pay the price.
The usual setup was like the bicycle on the left. The back bicycle wheel was rigged with an external cog onto which a strap was attached so that they could sit stationary and pedal whilst sharpening knives, scissors and all manner of blades. The chap on the left as a similar but seemingly more complex system.
The last time I saw one was in the city centre about ten years ago. Parked in a courtyard behind a trendy café, he was handed knives from the chefs through the window and he would mount his bicycle and sharpen them to perfection.
Here's a more recent version from the streets of Africa. Wonderful. Thanks for the link in the comments. | <urn:uuid:699bcd21-56e4-4bb4-91a0-aa005d5a3b3f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/02/bicycle-knife-sharpeners.html?showComment=1267379643207 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981364 | 176 | 1.859375 | 2 |
In 1968 Reed’s Black Student Union barricaded the president’s office.
By Todd Schwartz
Even though she had been half expecting it, the ring of the phone startled Linda Howard ’70 awake. The sound cut deeply into the silent, very early hours of Wednesday, December 11, 1968.
She knew what the call signaled—the time had come.
The overall plan, and the specific night they would seize Eliot Hall, was known to only three people. But like several of the other 38 black students at Reed, Howard had been given duties to perform when the moment arrived. First, she called the people on her list to let them know that it was on. Then she gathered up the several hundred slips of paper that were hidden under her bed, quietly left her room, and walked over to put one in each of the student mailboxes.
The notes read, “The Black Student Union of Reed College has taken over the second floor of Eliot Hall.”
Then she reported to the dark and empty building, where members of the Black Student Union broke a window and went up the stairs to president Victor Rosenblum’s office. Four or five of them locked themselves inside the office with their resolve and a box of groceries. The rest, using lumber and furniture, barricaded themselves in the main hallway, controlling the admission, registrar’s, and financial offices, along with the faculty mailboxes.
Howard, a junior from Virginia, hadn’t been involved in the planning for this action. “The leaders of the BSU told me I had too many white friends,” she remembers now, “and that I couldn’t be trusted.” But she had, in fact, been entrusted with a final, very public task. A few hours later she would stand in the cold morning air to greet Rosenblum, whom she knew well, when he arrived at Eliot. Howard remembers being nervous, but not afraid. And she remembers, 35 years later, the exact words she used. “Good morning, President Rosenblum,” she said to the surprised and soon-to-be angry man. “Your office has been converted to other purposes by the Black Student Union. You are invited to a meeting at noon today in the chapel, where all of the details will be made clear to you.”
So began seven days of what, by the standards of the 1960s, was a small insurrection—but one that opened a great divide for a generation of the Reed faculty. | <urn:uuid:1ab76a1c-1b51-4cf9-8d08-48f287ad07b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reed.edu/reed_magazine/nov2003/features/small_insurrection/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977961 | 528 | 2.28125 | 2 |
|Quick Facts: School and Career Counselors|
$53,380 per year
$25.67 per hour
|19% (About as fast as average)|
School counselors help students develop social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them choose a career or educational program.
School counselors work in public and private schools. Career counselors work in colleges, government career centers, and private practice. Both types of counselors generally work full time.
All school counselors must be credentialed, which most often requires a master’s degree. Many employers prefer that career counselors have a master’s degree. Those who work in private practice generally must be licensed.
The median annual wage of school and career counselors was $53,380 in May 2010.
Employment of school and career counselors is expected to grow by 19 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The number of students attending schools at all levels is expected to increase during the projections decade, boosting demand for both school and career counselors.
Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of school and career counselors with similar occupations.
O*NET provides comprehensive information on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
Learn more about school and career counselors by contacting these additional resources. | <urn:uuid:b346bf74-4cd6-47b3-bce0-828ca5440257> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stats.bls.gov/ooh/Community-and-Social-Service/School-and-career-counselors.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967621 | 274 | 3 | 3 |
HABITAT:shallow, marshy ponds and wetlands
DIET: HERBIVOREseeds and aquatic invertebrates
LENGTH:17–20 in (44–51 cm)
WEIGHT:14–29 oz (400–820 g)
“Where I live”
Northern shovelers are worldly ducks. They breed across huge swaths of northern North America, Europe, and Asia, and winter in such far-flung places as the U.S., the Mediterranean basin, and India. In North America, northern shovelers winter along the Pacific, Gulf, and south Atlantic coasts, and throughout Mexico and into Central America. They often are seen on the Chesapeake Bay in winter.
“How I live there”
During breeding season, northern shovelers prefer shallow prairie marshes. In winter, they are seen in brackish coastal marshes and ponds. They are dabbling ducks, but they do not often tip head and body into water to forage. Instead, they mostly swim along with their bills lowered in the water and strain food from the surface. Their bills have unique comb-like structures that allow them to sift food from soft mud and the water’s surface. They eat aquatic insects, mollusks, and crustaceans, as well as the seeds of sedges, bulrushes, saw grass, smartweeds, pondweeds, algae, and duckweeds.
“Making my mark”
When forced off her nest, a northern shoveler female will often defecate on her eggs, presumably to deter predators.
“What eats me”
There are many species of mammal, reptile, and bird that prey upon eggs and ducklings of waterfowl species. The list of predators varies by species and by where that species lives, but the list of prevalent waterfowl predators in North America includes red fox, raccoon, owls, hawks, large gulls, mink, weasels, skunks, coyotes, and crows.
When trying to attract a mate, male northern shovelers engage in elaborate courtship displays, including calls, turns, dips, and wing flaps. Males and females usually arrive on their breeding grounds later than many other species of duck, and are usually already paired up. Females may spend several weeks searching for a nest site while males establish territories. Male northern shovelers form particularly strong pair bonds and usually remain with their mates through incubation, although only the females do the incubating. Females make their nests on the ground some distance away from water, usually in short vegetation that offers some but not great protection. They lay clutches of 8-12 eggs and incubate them for 21-28 days. Once the ducklings hatch, only the mother cares for them. She leads them to water within hours of hatching, where they can immediately swim and forage. Juveniles fledge anywhere from 36 to 50 days.
Northern shoveler populations have steadily increased over the past few decades and are now considered stable. They are given a conservation listing of “least concern” by the IUCN, the world’s leading conservation organization. | <urn:uuid:4078aee8-0258-4dc4-a1ae-8169aadb7f88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marylandzoo.org/animals-conservation/birds/northern-shoveler/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955848 | 664 | 3.140625 | 3 |
How to Love Yourself tips for greater happiness and joy
This article about how to love yourself is a daily reminder. Simply tips and things that will teach you to improve your self esteem daily.Regardless of the circumstances, I invite you today to accept this list as a gift to bring greater happiness into you life by being more conscious of your behaviors. Learn how to love yourself.
Self-worth is neither earned nor increased or diminished by external factors. If you try to place your worth based on other people, you are denying your uniqueness.
Self-worth comes from placing a value on who you are. Stop comparing yourself to others.
Choose to be happy
Choose to be happy, feel happy, whatever decisions you take or what you do. The way you feel about yourself determines the amount of joy and happiness. The more autonomy, knowing that you are effective and feeling worth will bring you joy. Happiness is a habit, you can start practicing then , the habit to be happy. Happiness is something that you have to bring to yourself, it will not come to you. Few suggestions:
- Face your problems and don't ignore them
- See the positive on your unfortunate situations
- Find happy people to be with
- Move away from miserable people
- Keep in mind that you can't always win
Create a Healthy Body
Your mind and body are interactively connected. By taking care of your body you will improve your mental health and self esteem. Sleep, exercise and nutrition are the keys for creating a healthy body.
Stop blaming yourself for everything. You can know if you are into the habit of self-blame because you are constantly apologizing. Self-blame blinds you to your good qualities and accomplishments.
Practice Self Acceptance
If you want to grow and change, you must begin by learning self-acceptance. Self-acceptance does not mean that you will not change or improve. It means not to be at war with yourself by no denying the reality of what is true for you. To accept yourself as you are requires awareness. This means that you can contemplate your own experience with an attitude that makes the concepts of approval and disapproval irrelevant.
Make a list of the things you like about you.
Make a list of all the things you like about yourself. Dwelling on your negative aspects prevents you from enjoying your worth. Some ideas are: friendly, calm, flexible, brave, organized, loyal, imaginative, industrious, gentle, punctual, optimistic, and so on. Write the list and read it everyday for about 21 days.
Surround Yourself with Silence
Close your eyes and think about all the things you love and appreciate about them. Feel deep love for you. Silence help us to become aware that we do not need to create love, we need only be aware of what already exists inside.
Demand your space
Demand your space by learning to set boundaries in your relationships. Speak up for yourself with kindness . Love will appear when you start to notice that you can stand up, speak up, ask for what you need without hurting others.
You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims. Harriet Woods.
Get in touch with nature
Get in touch with nature take time to be in nature. Go for a walk, look at a sunset, lay on the grass. Nature will help you to get and feel love and see the really important things.
Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.
Keep a journal
Keep a journal and start a journal right now . Write there whatever you fell, it will help you out to understand yourself better. By this understanding you will treat yourself in a different way and love will come to you. You will also start to see more things clearly and feel different and your inner-talk in your daily life will change. When you have a defeating thought about things you done you can change it. If you notice that you are thinking : I am a stupid!, I will not be able to do it! and so on, this is the opportunity to change how you feel in a positive way to support you. Remember to be kind and patient.
Cancel if you want
Cancel if you want and respect the time you are taking for yourself and learn to say "no" if there is an interruption. Self-love comes together with respect. Self sacrifice is not self-love. You can't give to other what you do not feel inside.
As Nanette Mongelluzoo said: Today you will make the commitment to never use aggression again. You will do everything in your power to win and succeed by assertion and intelligence rather than aggression and ignorance. Today, you will begin reading and studying how to become a more assertive individual and you will use this newfound power at work, at home, with friends, with family and even with strangers.
Forgiveness means accepting that people make mistakes and that you make them too. Forgiveness is not about forgetting and is not a weakness. When you forgive you feel a sense of freedom, stress relief, deep joy, anger and hatred release and inner peace. How to practice forgiveness?. Ask the following questions and write the answers on a paper:
- What did the person do to you?
- What were you thinking at the time you were hurt?
- What have you thought about since you been hurt?
- In what way were you affected by what the person done to you?
- What do you think you need to do in order to make things right?
Praise yourself for the things you done right
Learn to praise yourself for the things you done right and be able to recognize your successes and your strengths.
Write affirmations about loving things to say to yourself:
- I love myself.
- I am a lovable person.
- I am intelligent, compassionate, and wise.
Put up the self esteem affirmations in places you'll see every day like on the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, on your bedside table. Read them every day. Also make affirmations about the good things you have done. It is important to remind yourself about all the good things you do.
Learn to be in charge of your life, do not let other people to decide what is best for you. Love is deciding what is best for you without letting others to interfere with your decisions. Responsibility means that you can take a decision and if what you choose things that are wrong you will respond by learning the lesson and assuming that it was your choice.
Great tools to help you to heal
|Make positive thinking an everyday habit|
|Controlling your emotions|
Where to go from here | <urn:uuid:bd623db1-5f2c-448f-8ffc-74023260778b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.selfesteemawareness.com/how-to-love-yourself.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952066 | 1,388 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Some people use extreme diets like fasting and juice cleanses. But these aren’t necessary for most people and may be dangerous without medical supervision. Here are five foods that support the body while cleansing.
Tag: heart attack
People who stuck with diets rich in olive oil and nuts had about a 30 percent lower risk of experiencing a major cardiovascular problem, such as a heart attack or stroke, than people who followed a low-fat diet. | <urn:uuid:754b245a-70f2-4f8d-9954-b564719be546> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/heart-attack/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929526 | 90 | 1.882813 | 2 |
View Full Version : Postage Stamps on receipts
19-09-2010, 3:10 PM
My other half's mother was showing us some bills and receipts from the late 40s and early 50s for her engagement ring, wedding ring, items of furniture, white goods, carpets, etc. The wedding and engagement ring receipts from 1949 and 1950, and also a receipt for a divan from 1953 had a postage stamp for a couple of pennies and we wondered why. She was adamant that this was not tax as the engagement ring was second hand so they did not have to pay tax. I don't think this is connected to the value as some of the other receipts were for higher values.
I just wondered if anyone has an idea of what these stamps were for and why.
19-09-2010, 3:23 PM
The sum total of my knowledge on this topic is in this thread :-
19-09-2010, 3:59 PM
I have to say that my first thought was that it must be connected in some way to the 'tax' paid on cheques in ye olde days, aka the 1960s :biggrin: because in those days you had to pay 2d (two old pence for you youngsters!) per cheque. i.e. when you ordered a new cheque book your account was debited four shillings for a book of twenty four cheques.
Here my memory goes a bit hazy, but I think it was an oval-shaped stamp, definitely on the right-hand side of the cheque above the amount box, and I think in red. I'm just trying to think if it said 'stamp duty' or 'stamp duty paid' insde the the stamp. Surprisingly, I can't see anything on Wikipedia about it in the section on cheques.
Had another stab at finding an answer. A google search for 'government stamp duty on cheques' leads to a Wikpedia entry headed 'Stamp duty' where I think the first paragraph mainly explains things.
Also found this www.
chequeandcredit.co.uk/information/-/page/taxes_and_stamp_duty/ Pity they didn't show an old cheque with the stamp duty 'symbol' on it.
Added: Just read that last link properly, and have found that that was why the words 'postage' and 'revenue' used to be on postage stamps. Amazing what you learn through BG. :smile5:
19-09-2010, 4:16 PM
It appears that the requirement for putting stamps on receipts was brought in by the 1891 Stamp Act in order to raise money for the Government. The 1920 Finance Act specified that any receipt for something worth £2.00 or over should have a twopence stamp attached. If it didn’t then the receipt was apparently not valid in a court of law(1). Stamps on receipts were abolished by the 1964 Finance Act http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1964/jun/18/new-clause-abolition-of-stamp-duty-on
19-09-2010, 4:16 PM
|woohoo| Found a piccie! http://www.
Scroll down to 'crossed and uncrossed', and if you click on the cheque image, it will enlarge, and 'two pence' is written inside the 'stamp duty' stamp.
Ooh, yes. Malcolm's bit about the 'anything over £2' reminded me that crafty bank clerks used to withdraw £1.19s.11d to save having to pay the 2d duty payable if they'd wanted to withdraw £2.0s.0d. That was in the days when £1 used to give you entrance to Boston Gilderdrome to see such people/groups as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield, etc. (Sorry, gone slightly off-topic there! :smile5:)
19-09-2010, 9:22 PM
The equivalent receipt now is most probably the VAT receipt,
Stamp Duty still exists in the form of a levy on property sales, land transactions, share transactions etc
21-09-2010, 8:58 AM
Thanks everyone, that's very interesting.
I think we should keep this one quiet or the government /banks may latch onto these various ways of taking more money from us again! :euro:
Powered by vBulletin™ Version 4.1.3 Copyright © 2013 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:d6046609-2d76-4485-809d-16cf10263709> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-63155.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944578 | 975 | 2.625 | 3 |
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all (Rom 11:29-32)Continuing my series on scriptural reflections for Sundays using, for the time being, our second readings, currently taken from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, which this week as last deal with the Jews in light of Jesus Christ, I wonder how many homilies this Sunday will deal with this issue at all. It is safe to say, not many. The gifts of God are, indeed, "irrevocable," as St. Paul indicates. This means that when we use the term "Old Testament" to refer to the Hebrew Scriptures, we must be conscious of doing so only in a chronological way, denoting merely the fact that these writings not only came before our uniquely Christian Scriptures, which we refer to as the "New Testament," but are necessary to even make sense of our own Scriptures and, more importantly, the One they proclaim, Jesus Christ. The Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), makes this very clear: "God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New" (par. 16).
God is not deterred by our disobedience, as the whole divine plan of salvation, set in motion at the fall of our first parents, demonstrates. This is why in the great Exsultet, sung each year at the Easter Vigil, we proclaim: O felix culpa, quæ talem ac tantum méruit habére Redemptórem." (literally translated- "O happy fault that merited to have such and so great a Redeemer" diaconal bow to WDTPRS). To us, who are, at least materially speaking, semi-Pelagians a good deal of the time, Paul's stark statement can seem disturbing instead of comforting, speaking as he does of both Christians and Jews: "For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all."
Being a Christian, contra ideas about holiness being gauged by meticulously observing the 613 mitzvot, is recognizing our constant need for God's mercy, which is given us in Christ and realized, that is, appropriated, through the sacraments, which is why we have a Sacrament of Penance.
In French, the word for thank you is merci. Merci is only a bit of what is called faux ami, that is, "a false friend." False friends are false cognates, words that are phonetically similar or identical to English words, but mean something different. In the case of merci, the origins of this word are the same as our English word "mercy." However, it is unusual for it be used in French to mean something like to show forbearance for or to take pity on another. But our need for God's mercy given in Christ and made available to us by the power of the Holy Spirit certainly constitutes part of our thanksgiving, our Eucharist. | <urn:uuid:96631f6e-0a8e-45d9-8a1c-327f45976125> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scottdodge.blogspot.com/2011/08/we-need-gods-mercy-because-only-god.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955995 | 695 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Scouts trade with Scouts; adults trade with adults.
Along with “trade one for one,” “always shake hands,” and “don’t bring money into a deal,” it’s one of the central tenets of patch trading.
But does that age-old rule still make sense? Or should Scouts and adults be allowed to swap patches under certain circumstances?
Here are the facts:
The rule of separation, as I’m calling it, has been about keeping things fair.
Russell Smart, a top-level volunteer and program group chairman for the 2013 jamboree, said some nefarious Scouters have tried to take advantage of Scouts in patch-trade deals at past jamborees.
“There are adults who have the resources to go out and fabricate cheap, nonofficial, but seemingly valuable patches and trade them to kids,” Smart says. It’s “the shiny lure where you entice a kid to trade a patch that does have real, official value for something that has none. Kids typically don’t do that. It’s the adults that do that.”
What’s worse, some adults (who somehow call themselves Scouters) might artificially inflate the value of their patch and/or deflate the value of a Scout’s patch — offering a giveaway district camporee patch for a collectible from the 1960 jamboree, for example.
A lot will be different next summer for the first Summit jamboree, and patch trading is no exception.
For the first time, Scouts and adults will be allowed to trade patches, but only in the “stadium” (the area known as the “arena” at past jamborees).
Here, representatives from the International Scouting Collectors Association will be on hand to answer questions and — more importantly — monitor deals.
“Anybody who operates outside of the rules is not going to be tolerated,” Smart says. “It will be a discovery experience for all of us.”
If there’s a concern about Scouts getting a raw deal, why allow Scouts and adults to trade patches at all? It’s simple.
“Adults have patches that kids want,” Smart explains. “And kids have patches that adults want. There are more kids that trade patches at jamborees than adults. Adults that are in the hobby can be very instructive with kids and help them learn how to trade and teach them about the value of the trading part of our hobby.”
Then there’s the practical side.
“You trust adults to take your children on a camping trip, but you don’t trust them to trade a patch with Scouts? That just makes no sense,” Smart says.
One for one encouraged
No matter how valuable you think your X-Men patch is, it’s still just one patch.
That’s why Smart encourages one-for-one trading only.
“That ought to be the ideal of the jamboree,” he says.”Whether it’s a kid or an adult. The abuses occur when somebody says, ‘My patch is worth five of yours.’”
Though some patches bear special designs or licensed characters, “all cost about the same to manufacture,” Smart says. “So there’s no intrinsic difference in the economic value of one patch over another. It’s only supply and demand and the enthusiasm of a certain design.”
Adults and Scouts trading outside the jamboree
Smart makes a good case for Scout-adult trading in the supervised jamboree stadium, but what about elsewhere at the jamboree? And what about Scouts and adults trading at weekend camporees, summer camp, or other Scouting functions?
That’s when it gets a little trickier.
So what do you think: Should Scouts and adults be trading partners? Why or why not? I welcome your comments below.
Coming in our November-December issue
In the next issue of Scouting magazine, read the story of one Scout’s patch trading protest at the Summit Shakedown. Find the issue in your mailboxes in late October!
Photos from the Summit Shakedown by W. Garth Dowling/BSA | <urn:uuid:d6a1d60d-2376-43c0-bd2f-c6c4ccc3a653> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/09/18/should-an-adult-trade-patches-with-a-scout/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=bc4cf9c758 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924391 | 934 | 1.742188 | 2 |
More strategic use of antiretroviral HIV medications can significantly reduce the transmission of the virus according to WHO proposals that will be presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC on Sunday.
“Every year, more than a million more people in low- and middle-income countries start taking antiretroviral drugs,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO. “But for every person who starts treatment, another two are newly infected. Further scale-up and strategic use of the medicines could radically change this. We now have evidence that the same medicines we use to save lives and keep people healthy can also stop people from transmitting the virus and reduce the chance they will pass it to another person.”
Antiretrovirals reduce transmission of HIV
In 2011, a large multi-country study by the HIV Prevention Trials Network showed that antiretrovirals (ARVs) cut transmission of HIV by 96% within couples where one partner is HIV-positive and the other is not infected. A later study in South Africa reinforced these findings.
“When people take antiretrovirals, the amount of HIV in their body is decreased, making them much less likely to pass the virus to others,” says Dr Gottfried Hirnschall, Director of the HIV Department at WHO. “If we can get, and keep, more people on treatment, and reduce their virus levels, we can reduce the number of new people who are infected.”
Strategic use of antiretrovirals
On the basis of this evidence, WHO advice for more strategic use of antiretrovirals includes:
- new guidelines for treating people with HIV who have uninfected partners (‘serodiscordant’ couples), recommending that antiretroviral therapy be offered to the HIV-positive partner, regardless of the strength of his or her immune system, to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission to the uninfected partner. Up to 50% of HIV-positive people in on-going relationships are estimated to have HIV-negative partners. Rwanda and Zambia are already implementing this new policy. More than a dozen other countries say they plan to join them.
- a recommendation to consider modifying current practices to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Malawi, for example, now offers ARVs to all HIV positive pregnant women, regardless of the strength of their immune system, and has them continue taking the medicines for life. This not only treats HIV infected women and prevents transmission to their infants, it can also protect their partners.
- WHO currently recommends that people diagnosed with HIV start taking ARVs when the strength of their immune system drops to a CD4+ count of 350 cells/mm3 or lower. There is increasing evidence that HIV infection causes chronic inflammation, increasing the risk of other health problems, including certain types of cancers, heart disease and diabetes. The Organization is now reviewing recent studies that point to the potential health benefits of giving ARVs earlier, before the immune system starts to weaken.
Increased coverage and early treatment cost-effective
Providing ARVs to people living with HIV who have HIV-negative partners, pregnant women and high risk populations, regardless of their immune status, would increase the number of people eligible for treatment in low- and middle-income countries from the current figure of 15 million to 23 million. While this will increase the cost of providing treatment in the short term, studies predict that the economic benefits of early treatment will substantially offset, and likely exceed, programme costs within 10 years of investment. This economic benefit derives from the fact that the workforce is healthier and more productive and that costs of treatment and orphan care are reduced.
In addition to more targeted treatment approaches recent studies suggest ARVs can also be used to protect people who are currently HIV-negative, but are at high risk of becoming infected. WHO is working with a number of countries where epidemics are concentrated around communities at particularly high risk of being infected with HIV such as men who have sex with men and transgender people.
New WHO recommendations
Over the next 12 months, WHO will compile a new, consolidated set of recommendations related to the use of ARVs for both HIV treatment and prevention. The document will provide countries with clinical, programmatic and operational guidance so they can make the most effective and strategic use of ARVs.
“The new guidance builds on science and experience from countries. It will inform what ARVs to use and when to use them, how to best deliver them and how to make strategic choices that have maximum benefit for people, and maximum impact on the epidemic,” adds Hirnschall.
In addition, at the International AIDS Conference, WHO will release new guidance on a range of issues, including guidelines on HIV services for sex workers, new recommendations on using ARVs in particular circumstances for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the prevention of HIV and hepatitis among people who inject drugs. | <urn:uuid:cb967bf8-1e23-45e2-aca2-45cac2c1cf8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hivhaven.com/2012-04-13-23-02-40/hiv-world-news/2099-strategic-use-of-hiv-medicines-could-help-end-transmission-of-virus | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94851 | 1,030 | 3.265625 | 3 |
The Technical Expert Group mandated to develop a framework for the environmentally sound management (ESM) of hazardous wastes and other wastes fleshed out the scope, objectives and guiding principles of the new framework at its second meeting, held from 30 September to 2 October 2012, in Geneva.
Twenty-four of the 30 international experts nominated by Parties were joined by 18 observers to continue work on the framework that was initiated in Tokyo in April 2012.
The Group agreed that the framework is intended as a practical guide for all stakeholders participating in the management of hazardous and other wastes. The framework will establish a common understanding of the elements of ESM through the provision of standards, criteria andguidelines, define tools to support and promote their implementation and identify strategies to overcome challenges.
The Group discussed what are the main challenges related to the implementation of ESM, among them ensuring a uniform interpretation of ESM, tackling the vexing problem of illegal traffic and ensuring the development of adequate national capacity for ESM.
One further meeting will be held (scheduled from 21 to 23 January 2013 in Glion, outside of Montreux, Switzerland) to further progress the development of the framework which will be considered and possibly adopted at COP 11 of the Basel Convention in April 2013.
Second meeting of the Technical Expert Group page | <urn:uuid:45c5799f-c6fe-4c35-bb37-671a0ed6ce1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.basel.int/TheConvention/MediaResources/NewsFeatures/TEG2outcomes/tabid/3001/Default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943474 | 265 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Green Roof Benefits
Reduction of Urban Heat Island – Research for climate change suggests we need a 10% increase in green space in our cities to combat climate change. This is particularly relevant to the reduction in the Urban Heat Island [UHIE]. Green roofs are recognized to have a positive effect on reducing the UHIE
Biodiversity - Green roofs can provide important refuges for wildlife in urban areas. Research in Switzerland and the UK has demonstrated that green roofs can provide important refuges for rare invertebrate populations.
Water - Green roofs can significantly reduce the surface run off volumes and rates of rainfall leaving roofs. As a source control mechanism in the Sustainable Urban Drainage System green roofs can help reduce flash floods as a consequence of intense rainfall events. This will become increasingly important as a consequence of climate change.
Green roofs also improve the quality of water and although the amount of water is reduced it is possible to rainfall harvest from roofs that have been greened.
Thermal Performance - Green roofs cannot be given a U-value at present. However they have been shown to significantly reduce the need for air conditioning in summer and can provide a degree of insulation in winter.
Sound Insulation - The combination of soil, plants and trapped layers of air within green roof systems can act as a sound insulation barrier. Sound waves are absorbed, reflected or deflected. The growing medium tends to block lower sound frequencies whilst the plants block higher frequencies.
Protection of Waterproofing - The original green roofs in Germany stem from covering wet bitumen with 6cm of sand, which became vegetated. This covering was to protect the wet bitumen from fire. Green roofs have now been shown to double if not triple the life of waterproofing membranes beneath the green roof.
Air Quality – airborne particles and pollutants are filtered from the atmosphere by the substrates and vegetation on a green roof.
Amenity Space – in dense urban environments there is often a lack of green space for residents. Roof Gardens and roof top parks provide important green spaces to improve the quality of life for urban residents.
Urban Agriculture - Urban Rooftop Food Growing – roofs, where strong enough provide a space for urban food growing. Although many large flat roofs may not have the loading capabilities to hold food growing some roofs will and the many balconies in are urban areas are ideal.
Intensive Green Roofs
Intensive Green Roofs Intensive green roofs have a deep growing medium, which allows the use of trees and shrubs. Some city parks are in fact intensive green roofs, such as the parks within the Canary Wharf Estate, Canada Square and West Ferry Circus and the roof of Cannon Street Station in London.
intensive green roofs require extra loading requirements The depth of the growing medium requires extra loading requirements within the holding structure and requires a complex irrigation system for maintenance. They are generally quite costly and require extra structural design to the building
Extensive Green Roofs
Extensive green roofs have a thin growing medium and require minimal maintenance, and in general due not require irrigation [some require irrigation initially]. They are generally less costly to install than intensive green roofs.
There are 3 types currently used in the UK:
1. Sedum mats
Sedum Mats - a sedum mat is a base layer of Polyester, Hessian, or porous polythene depending on the supplier, on which is laid the 2cm growing medium, on to which is sprinkled sedum cuttings. These grow into the substrate to maturity. When harvested the Sedum blanket is rolled up from the carrier upwards and delivered to site. When installed the Sedum blanket (including the 2cm of growing medium) is rolled out onto either 5 - 7cm of growing medium (standard method) or direct onto a moisture retention blanket (ultra light weight method).
Sedums are used because they are wind, frost and drought resistant not because they absorb water. Its ability to absorb water makes it drought resistant.
2. Substrate based roof
7cm of crushed recycled brick is placed on the green roof system and plug planted with sedums or with sedum mats applied. There is a misconception that green roofs are made of turf. Although some green roofs are made of turf this is not generally the case.
3. Brown roofs for biodiversity
See our page (Brown Roofs) | <urn:uuid:c73c71fc-4969-435b-a8f5-ed962448a44b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.riogroup.co.uk/green-roofs.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930664 | 886 | 3.609375 | 4 |
Writing Your Own Letter of Recommendation
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Balance praise with candidness. Many people feel
uncomfortable praising themselves. If you are the shy type, cast
aside your timidity and try to be objective about your
accomplishments. Letters of recommendation are, by definition,
laudatory: so grab a sheet of paper and make a list of your good
qualities. On the other hand, don't completely discard modesty and
err on the side of pure, distilled self-praise: your supervisor
might not agree that you are indeed "superhumanly brilliant", and
anyway admissions readers are much keener on candid, well-balanced
letters than ones rife with superlatives.
Pick wisely and discard the fluff. Writing your own letter of
recommendation is not unlike putting together your resume: you must
choose your accomplishments carefully. A letter that highlights two
or three specific qualities, accomplishments, and achievements is
far stronger than one that covers all your positive traits. If you
are having trouble paring down the content, ask a friend or
colleague to look over the text and pick out the most impressive
Maintain credibility. Concentrate on making the letter
believable. This doesn't mean just sticking with the facts; it means
finding a voice that accurately portrays you from the recommendation
writer's perspective. Remember that the letter must be stylistically
different from your other submitted written work. Vary your
vocabulary, adapt expressions, and generally avoid phrasing things
exactly as you did, say, in your personal statement or cover letter.
Avoid redundancy. Don't repeat accomplishments that have been
described in detail elsewhere in your application. The letter should
support your main accomplishments rather than merely rehash your
resume. Write about these accomplishments in a new light, expanding
on areas where you did not have the opportunity to elaborate on
elsewhere in the application or cover letter.
Learn more about the structure of the | <urn:uuid:1e993f48-5f94-4dd5-8e26-7dc9bfd0354f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eduers.com/Graduate/Writing_Your_Own_Letter_of_Recommendation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920097 | 490 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Year of publication
- 2003 (2) (remove)
- Article (2) (remove)
- GEANT4 : a simulation toolkit (2003)
- Abstract Geant4 is a toolkit for simulating the passage of particles through matter. It includes a complete range of functionality including tracking, geometry, physics models and hits. The physics processes offered cover a comprehensive range, including electromagnetic, hadronic and optical processes, a large set of long-lived particles, materials and elements, over a wide energy range starting, in some cases, from 250 eV and extending in others to the TeV energy range. It has been designed and constructed to expose the physics models utilised, to handle complex geometries, and to enable its easy adaptation for optimal use in different sets of applications. The toolkit is the result of a worldwide collaboration of physicists and software engineers. It has been created exploiting software engineering and object-oriented technology and implemented in the C++ programming language. It has been used in applications in particle physics, nuclear physics, accelerator design, space engineering and medical physics. PACS: 07.05.Tp; 13; 23
- A Fast Hybrid Approach to Air Shower Simulations and Applications (2003)
- The SENECA model, a new hybrid approach to air shower simulations, is presented. It combines the use of e cient cascade equations in the energy range where a shower can be treated as one-dimensional, with a traditional Monte Carlo method which traces individual particles. This allows one to reproduce natural fluctuations of individual showers as well as the lateral spread of low energy particles. The model is quite e cient in computation time. As an application of the new approach, the influence of the low energy hadronic models on shower properties for AUGER energies is studied. We conclude that these models have a significant impact on the tails of lateral distribution functions, and deserve therefore more attention. | <urn:uuid:612d6764-82d5-41db-bd07-1c9b452e5cdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/solrsearch/index/search/searchtype/authorsearch/author/%22Horst+St%C3%B6cker%22/start/0/rows/10/yearfq/2003/doctypefq/article | 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 | 0.919519 | 391 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Leaders Selected for 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference
The FCC appointed Scott Blake Harris as chair and Diane J. Cornell as vice chair of the FCC’s Advisory Committee for the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference.
The committee will provide advice, technical support, and recommend proposals on matters relating to the conference, held periodically to discuss international radio regulation.
Scott Blake Harris is senior vice president and general counsel of Neustar, Inc. Before joining Neustar, Harris was general counsel of the United States Department of Energy as well as chief of the FCC’s International Bureau.
Diane J. Cornell is the vice president, government affairs, at Inmarsat, a mobile satellite company. Previously, Cornell was the vice president, regulatory policy for CTIA — The Wireless Association.
Cornell too is a former FCC staffer, having held various senior positions for 13 years at the agency, including responsibility for international regulatory matters and as chief of staff in the Wireless Bureau.
Alex Roytblat, assistant chief of the Strategic Analysis and Negotiations Division of the FCC’s International Bureau will direct the commission's WRC-15 preparatory activities and act as the designated federal official to the Advisory Committee. He held this role for the WRC-12 as well. | <urn:uuid:5c900388-9436-43dc-825b-7bd789edfbd9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rwonline.com/article/leaders-selected-for--world-radiocommunication-conference-/214770 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949432 | 270 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Both Halaven and Exjeva are new drugs that were recently approved.
HALAVEN( eribubilin) is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer who have previously received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of metastatic disease. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting.
This was based on an open-label, randomized, multicenter trial of 762 patients with metastatic breast cancer who received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of metastatic disease and experienced disease progression within 6 months of their last chemotherapeutic regimen, EMBRACE study. A statistically significant improvement in overall survival was observed in patients randomized to the Halaven arm compared to the control. An updated, unplanned survival analysis, conducted when 77% of events had been observed, was consistent with the primary analysis. In patients randomized to Halaven, the objective response rate by the RECIST criteria was 11% (95% CI: 8.6%, 14.3%) and the median response duration was 4.2 months (95% CI: 3.8, 5.0 months). The difference between overall survival in the 2 treatment groups was statistically significant; median overall survival was 13.1 months with eribulin and 10.6 months with TPC (hazard ratio, 0.81; P = .041).
This was significant but not very pronounced. The magnitude of the improvement is similar to what has been reported for docetaxel vs mitomycin plus vinblastine (31%), and for capecitabine plus docetaxel vs docetaxel alone (26%). It does not mean that Havalen is better than all other chemo choices, which remains for subsequent studies to determine, only that it is somewhat better than “any single-agent treatment (chemotherapy, hormonal or biological) or radiotherapy or symptomatic therapy alone”. Many physicians chose to use vinorelbine, gemcitabine, or capecitabine in the control arm; none chose supportive care and none used combinations.There was a prior phase II study that included patient pre-treated with anthracyclines, taxanes or capecitibine.
Xgeva(denosumab) is indicated for the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors. In the pivotal study, Denosumab was superior to zoledronic acid in delaying or preventing SREs in patients with breast cancer metastatic to bone and was generally well tolerated. With the convenience of a subcutaneous injection and no requirement for renal monitoring, denosumab represents a potential treatment option for patients with bone metastases.
Halaven, Prescribing Information: http://www.eisai.com/pdf_files/Halaven_PI.pdf, 2013
35th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS): Abstract S6-6. Presented December 7, 2012
nccn, Breast Cancer 2013
Alison T. Stopeck, et al, Denosumab Compared With Zoledronic Acid for the Treatment of Bone Metastases in Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study JCO November 8, 2010 JCO.2010.29.7101
Monica N. Fornier Denosumab: Second Chapter in Controlling Bone Metastases or a New Book? JCO Dec 10, 2010:5127-5131
Xgeva, Prescribing Information
Read the Layperson version here. | <urn:uuid:6cf6de6f-9ea0-46f2-8345-c1223945f7b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cancertreatmenttoday.org/new-drugs-for-breast-cancer-halaven-and-xgeva-pro/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92611 | 763 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Challenges of BVDV eradication in ‘closed’ cattle herds
- 608 XL Farm Vets, 608 Warwick Road, Solihull, West Midlands B91 1AA
AT a recent meeting with a new dairy client I was informed that the herd was ‘closed’ as no cattle had been purchased for 20 years. However, this herd is typical of many – expanding cow numbers without expanding housing facilities on the main holding, requiring housing and grazing at premises away from home. On visiting the other premises there were bulling and in-calf heifers grazing with nose-to-nose contact with a neighbour's cattle. Managing biosecurity under such circumstances is challenging. | <urn:uuid:8c7602df-e1e4-44f7-b105-97178619266d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/170/25/652.1.extract?related-urls=yes&legid=vetrec;170/25/652 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971286 | 144 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Notes on the text
(notes edited by
I do not object to Gladstone’s always having the ace of trumps up his sleeve, but only to his pretence that God put it there.De Aar the second most important railway junction in South Africa, on the line from Cape Town to Kimberley with connections to Windhoek, Johannesberg, Port Alfred and Port Elizabeth.
[Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and The Life of Labouchere, by A I Thorold, Constable & Co. 1913, p. 375]
The man shot through the forearm thinks the bandages are too tight and are hurting his arm when it is really the gun-shot wound. The doctor gives him an injection of morphine. This relieves the pain so the bandages have miraculously loosened themselves.heavy swell in this context a man of exaggeratedly fashionable appearance and behaviour.
... I am a firm believer in the danger of continued high temperature, and I have adopted many methods to control it. I have tried icebags applied to the affected side as recommended by Dr. Lees; but while they afforded great relief to the pleuritic pain they never seemed to me to efficiently control the internal temperature; but on the other hand, I thought that occasionally they lowered the vitality of the affected part, and tended toward the deveolopment of empyema.Osborne biscuits Originally produced in 1860 as one of the first semi-sweet biscuits, they were intended to be called after Queen Victoria. She refused permission, but suggested they could be called after her home on the Isle of Wight, Osborne House.
... if you wish to convey heat away from your patient by a current of air, there is no necessity for placing him in an ice chamber. Air is a very bad conductor of heat, and it chiefly removes it from the exposed surface by carrying the latent heat of evaporation, and having the vapour already in the atmosphere further heated by the warm body ... A current of moderately warm dry air will abstract much more heat than a cold atmosphere saturated with moisture, and will certainly be much more agreeable to the patient...
... A section, a pompom and six ‘undred men.esprit de corps a sense of high regard for the honour of a regiment etc. | <urn:uuid:0d1a80be-aca3-4d42-b7dd-be2ca2a2bf81> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kipling.org.uk/rg_numberthree_notes_p.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957212 | 471 | 1.796875 | 2 |
4. Exoplanet detected in the habitable zone!
Kepler mission recently found an exoplanet, Kepler-22b right in the middle of the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. For some reason, I am unable to access the Kepler mission’s website at this moment, but here is a description.
I must mention that at present there is not enough information to call it an Earth-like planet, contrary to what several media outlets are reporting.
Video of the press release can be found here.
3. SUPERMASSIVE black holes!
New observations of two ~10 billion solar masses supermassive black holes have been reported recently. This is a new record beating the previous 6.3 billion solar masses black hole. A popular description can be found here.
2. Exoplanets made of diamond
Here is a recent report. If this is true, astronomers can now probably get more money from the government to study exoplanets.
1. Putting an end to the Higgs rumors (for now)…
Recently, the blogosphere has been buzzing with rumors of the announcement of Higgs boson in the forthcoming presentation next week. It is now pretty clear that there isn’t going to be any such announcement. Here is a recent email from CERN’s director, Rolf Heuer:
I would like to invite you to a seminar in the main auditorium on 13 December at 14:00, at which the ATLAS and CMS experiments will present the status of their searches for the Standard Model Higgs boson. These results will be based on the analysis of considerably more data than those presented at the Summer conferences, sufficient to make significant progress in the search for the Higgs boson, but not enough to make any conclusive statement on the existence or non-existence of the Higgs. The seminar will also be webcast.
Here is the link: https://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=164890 | <urn:uuid:ddaf25f3-6966-459c-9e3d-214b3a2393e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.astrobio.net/paleblueblog/?p=504 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921132 | 413 | 2.390625 | 2 |
On this page you can gather information on La Mercé or Virgin of Mary Festival as well as the history of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy and the Mercedarians.
The La Mercé Festival is dedicated to the patron saint of Barcelona, the Virgin of Mercy. The festival begins on the 24th of September and, with thousands of participants, it is the largest celebration in Barcelona. The Virgin of Mercy is credited with many apparitions and signs, as well as having contributed to winning battles, making her one of the Virgins with the most devoted following.
The story tells that the Virgin appeared before St. Peter Nolasco, from Barcelona, on the first day of August in 1218. It was a turbulent period of time in the Mediterranean, especially in the South of Spain. The Saracens and the Turkish were aggressively attacking the Spanish coasts and taking hundreds of prisoners as slaves to their territories. St. Peter Nolasco spent his fortune buying these men’s freedom while praying to the Virgin to shed light upon him.
The Virgin of Mercy appeared to him and inspired him to found a religious order, which years later would come to be known as the Mercedarians, whose purpose was to free the prisoners. St. Peter Nolasco, astonished by his vision, went to tell King James I of Aragon what had occurred. Curiously, the King had had the same revelation, and together they put the plan into action.
The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy saved about 300,000 captives throughout history, but not without sacrifice. Many friars became martyrs, sacrificing their lives to save the prisoners. Many are now considered saints and are also revered during the celebration.
On the eve of the 24th, Barcelona transforms into a free event for all ages. Dragons, giants, cabezudos (costumed characters with large heads) and correfocs (devils with “fire” in the form of large sparklers) run through the streets causing havoc. They dance sardanas (traditional circle dances) and create castellers (human towers) to ensure that everyone enjoys the celebration, whether they are curious passers-by or dedicated followers.
The action takes place primarily in the Gràcia neighborhood, the Plaza Sant Jaume and along the ascent to Mount Montjuic, where one can also enjoy magnificent aerial views of the city.
The festivities are also celebrated in Latin America. In Peru, the Virgin is the patron saint of the country. The Mercedarians built a mission there dedicated to the Virgin which explains her loyal following in the country. On Peru’s centennial Independence Day anniversary, the Virgin of Mercy was named the Grand Marshal of the Army of Peru, to whom the army pays tribute.
In Argentina, they dedicate the victory of the battle of Tucumán to the Virgin of Mercy. The battle took place on the 24th of September in 1812 and was a determinant battle for the Argentinean provinces. The saint was declared General and Patron of the Argentinean army. Processions are held in her honor and also a solemn mass in the Plaza de la Independencia. | <urn:uuid:dfd54c27-295b-4dad-a34c-7340bf451f76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/society/holidays/merce.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967396 | 648 | 2.75 | 3 |
›› Photos: NRA calls for armed police officer in every school
›› On Facebook: Do you support NRA's call for an armed police officer at every school?
The National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre pauses as he makes a statement during a news conference in response to the Connecticut school shooting, on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 in Washington. The National Rifle Association broke its silence Friday on last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 children and staff dead. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci)
- Connecticut school shooting and aftermath
- Newtown panel: Tear down Sandy Hook, rebuild
- Obama to bring some Sandy Hook families on Air Force One
- Prosecutor: Sandy Hook gunman killed 26 victims, himself within 5 minutes
- Obama unveils $500 million gun violence package
- NRA says Congress will not pass weapons ban
- Father of gunman in Connecticut school shooting claims body
- A week after Sandy Hook school shooting, new details emerge
- Bells toll for Connecticut school shooting victims
- Texas town allows teachers to carry concealed guns
- To honor the Connecticut school shooting victims: 26 acts of kindness proposed
- Funerals for 5 students, teacher killed in Connecticut school shooting
- El Paso gun sales soar in wake of Obama speech
- Gun laws show difficulty of stemming violent acts
- El Paso school districts help after massacre at school
- Obama sets January deadline for gun proposals after Connecticut school shooting
- Dallas Morning News: Texas lawmaker to file bill to allow armed 'school marshals'
- NRA promises to help prevent school shootings
- Obama 'actively supportive' of assault weapons ban
- Around world, massacres have spurred gun control
- Connecticut governor details telling families of deaths
- Connecticut school shooting: Police say Newtown school likely closed for months
- Connecticut school shooting: President Obama arrives in Newtown
- Connecticut school shooting: Gun control debate begins to simmer after massacre
- Connecticut school shooting: President Obama grieves, promises to use power to help
- The Lowell Sun: Connecticut school shooting victims in Newtown will never be forgotten
- YISD students, staff to wear green and white for Connecticut victims
- Connecticut gunman had hundreds of rounds of ammunition
- Coroner: Conn. gunman shot mom repeatedly in head
- Connecticut school shooting: Experts say no link between Asperger's, violence
- 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad' pulled after Connecticut school shooting
- How to talk to your kids about Connecticut school shooting
- Connecticut school shooting: A glimpse of the victims
- Connecticut town mourns as police look for answers
- Connecticut school shooting: Routine morning, then shots and unthinkable terror
- Connecticut school shooting: Gunman forced his way and opened fire
- El Paso schools have emergency strategies in place
- Sports world shaken by Connecticut school shooting
- Connecticut school shooting revives gun debate
- El Paso police investigating shootings that damaged East Side home, parked vehicle
- AP source: Connecticut shootings suspect drove to mother's school
- Gadsden ISD schools under precautionary lockdown after Connecticut school shooting
- Obama calls for 'meaningful action' after Connecticut school shooting
- Live coverage: Connecticut school shooting
- Some of the deadliest mass shootings around the world
WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's largest gun-rights lobby called Friday for armed police officers to be posted in every American school to stop the next killer "waiting in the wings."
The National Rifle Association broke its silence Friday on last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 children and staff dead.
The group's top lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre, said at a Washington news conference that "the next Adam Lanza," the man responsible for last week's mayhem, is planning an attack on another school.
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," LaPierre said.
He blamed video games, movies and music videos for exposing children to a violent culture day in and day out.
"In a race to the bottom, many conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society, by bringing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right
into our homes," LaPierre said.
He refused to take any questions after speaking. Still, though security was tight, two protesters were able to interrupt LaPierre's speech, holding up signs that blamed the NRA for killing children. Both were escorted out, shouting that guns in schools are not the answer.
More than a dozen security officers checked media credentials at various checkpoints and patrolled the hotel ballroom.
LaPierre announced that former Rep. Asa Hutchison, R-Ark., will
lead an NRA program that will develop a model security plan for schools that relies on armed volunteers.
The 4.3 million-member NRA largely disappeared from public debate after the shootings in Newtown, Conn., choosing atypical silence as a strategy as the nation sought answers after the rampage. The NRA temporarily took down its Facebook page and kept quiet on Twitter.
Since the slayings, President Barack Obama has demanded "real action, right now" against U.S. gun violence and called on the NRA to join the effort. Moving quickly after several congressional gun-rights supporters said they would consider new legislation to control firearms, the president said this week he wants proposals to reduce gun violence that he can take to Congress by January.
Obama has already asked Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 and pass legislation that would stop people from purchasing firearms from private sellers without a background check. Obama also has indicated he wants Congress to pursue the possibility of limiting high-capacity magazines.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. | <urn:uuid:5d916f67-1a1e-4cac-a5bd-a532c75bfb1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_22238973/nra-calls-an-armed-police-officer-every-school | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950268 | 1,187 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST), the business created by the merger of the hard-disc drive manufacturing units of Hitachi and IBM, is to lay off about 400 workers.
The company hopes to achieve some of the staff cuts through a voluntary redundancy program for which 450 employees are eligible. Those employees have until 29 November to decide, the company said.
It expects around 40% or 50% of those eligible to accept redundancy which will take the company about halfway to its reduction target.
The remaining cuts will be made from 13 December, it said. Staff at the receiving end of the involuntary layoff programme will receive redundancy pay, medical benefits for an unspecified period and support to find a new job.
The company said the layoffs are part of continuing fine-tuning of the integration of the hard-disc businesses of IBM and Hitachi. It also said the hard-disc drive industry is very competitive and requires "very aggressive cost structures".
Hitachi paid just over $2bn (£1.1bn) in late 2002 to IBM to accomplish the combination of the two companies' hard-disc drive technology units. Hitachi holds a majority 70% stake in HGST and IBM holds the remaining stake.
Martyn Williams writes for IDG News Service | <urn:uuid:c2a9e3c7-448c-4b7f-b45b-b0e155d5b440> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240058179/Hitachi-and-IBM-hard-disc-venture-to-lay-off-400-staff | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9521 | 258 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Emma responds to Critic's Choice with her selection from stock
Alick Tipoti Gapul #57/70 2006
linocut 350x330mm image, 570x380mm paper Unframed: $450 Framed: $770
Gapu is our language name for the Suckerfish (Ramora). It plays a very significant role in our traditional fishing methods. My
ancestors used the Gapu to catch Waru (turtle) and Dhangal (Dugong), as well as the harpoon. Gapul is the plural of Gapu. | <urn:uuid:f42a462d-1516-43ba-a9b8-d51a9ff6c401> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artmob.com.au/artists/emmaschoice/31.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905524 | 122 | 1.65625 | 2 |
There are three of us at church who have been getting together about once a month to go out and practice our photography. It is fascinating to me how all go to the same location and often shoot the “same” shots but come home with usually entirely different pictures.
An example. My favorite shot from the covered bridge trip with Jean was this one:
The shot she took which she chose to interpret for her Christmas cards this year was this one:
In Jean’s picture, I can see exactly where I was standing across the bank to take my shot. In my picture, I can get a good idea of where she was standing when she took her shot. But the different perspective gives an entirely different look to the two pictures.
, our third companion on these trips, also sees differently than I do. The day we went to The Old Mill, I came home with this shot that I’m very pleased with:
Angie came home with these two:
Another obvious difference of perspective was in our shots of the rusted machinery parts at the mill. My shot:
Is one perspective better than another? Absolutely not! God made each of us with our own eyes with which to see. I have a quote on my Facebook page (now that the election is over, and I can quit griping about people voting for who they think might win instead of voting for the candidate or party that most closely represents them – grumble, grumble, grumble) that says this:
“A photographer’s main instrument is his eyes. Strange as it may seem, many photographers choose to use the eyes of another photographer, past or present, instead of their own. Those photographers are blind.” (Manuel Alvarez Bravo)
If I were to decide that the photographs I take aren’t as good as ______________ (fill in the blank with famous photographer’s name), therefore, they’re no good, I would essentially telling God that He didn’t do a good enough job when He made me (a mistake I’ve been making for most of my life). The first problem is the sheer presumption of telling the potter what he should have done with the clay. The second problem is that this kind of thinking has kept me paralyzed for most of my life because there are SO MANY photographers out there – past and present – who are so much ‘better” than I am.
But – there have been a number of studies that have come to the conclusion that greatness has much more to do with PRACTICE. Native talent only gives most people a head start. If that talent isn’t developed with PRACTICE, people who started off with no talent can quickly overtake them with PRACTICE. I hadn’t put that all together in my head real well until I was reading an article on seeing creatively by a guy whose photography was really unique and creative. As he told the story of his dream of being a photographer, saving all his money and buying boatloads of film, hopping in his car and going on a 6-month long tour of the US, coming home and getting all the film developed, and having not one picture worth saving, I could truly sympathize. I can’t tell you how many pictures of tiny little black dots (birds) in wide expanses of flat blue sky I threw away when we moved last time. Who would ever think I had a photographic bone in my body. Except there was a shot here and a shot there . . .
So I keep practicing. I love the photography trips with Jean and Angie. Beside the good company, I get to go out and practice something I absolutely love. Why do I love it when most of the time no one sees my pictures but me? Because once in a while I actually manage to capture the feeling that I had when I took the photograph, and I look at it and feel that feeling again. The covered bridge shot above is one example. Here’s another to leave you with. | <urn:uuid:f606ea3d-ea6c-41e5-be78-5cd64aa56017> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://partakers.net/tag/arthur/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981718 | 834 | 1.546875 | 2 |
While Christianity is filled with competing voices like anything else, there are many things that I see as common sense. One of these is caring for the environment. Maybe I am naive, but I think it only makes sense that God would want everyone to care for the world that God created. Why would any creator create something and not care if anyone destroyed it? To put it simply, God DOES care whether we preserve the environment that we are responsible for.
This may sound a little idealistic to many of my readers. And in many ways, it is. It is idealistic. It is one of those “perfect world” attributes. It’s idealistic because real life is much more complicated than caring for the environment or not. Most of us probably drove to work today, emitting CO2 along the way. It’s easy for someone else to say that you need to take public transportation, live within walking distance, or bike to work, but it’s much more complicated than that, isn’t it? We obviously need to work and earn a living for our families, but at what cost to the environment. Until recently, there was no easy solution to this dilemma.
What’s changed? The introduction of the hybrid or the eco friendly car. Along with the invention of hybrid or electric cars, we have seen the fuel efficiency increased of cars and the potential for decreasing the CO2 emissions. Today, I’d like to talk about whether the hybrid is a necessity for bible-believing Christians.
Green Bible Verses
For those who don’t agree with my basic premise that environmental concern is a Christian theme, here are several passages that illustrate the green theme within the Bible.
“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”
“‘Do not pollute the land where you are… 34 Do not defile the landwhere you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’”
“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”
…destroying those who destroy the earth.
While I don’t have time to give the context of each of the above passages, suffice it to say that each one supports this idea of preserving God’s creation. Throughout the Bible we are told to preserve that which God has given us. Why would the earth be any different?
Why You Should Get a Hybrid
Getting a hybrid car may seem like an unnecessary expense (or too costly of an expense to justify the reward), but it is well worth it. In fact, there are a number of benefits for getting a hybrid.
- Lower Fuel Costs - The obvious savings on gas is huge. If you look at the best green cars and see that they get 50% better MPG, that means your fuel costs are 2/3 of what they used to be.
- Less CO2 Emissions - While this may also be obvious, people fail to realize how much lower Carbon Dioxide levels benefit them. It not only means less pollution to the earth, but also lower rates of environment-caused diseases/medical conditions.
- Increased Focus on Hybrids by Manufacturers - Another benefit of buying a green car is that it notifies manufacturers that consumers want more fuel efficient cars. Manufacturers want to make a profit, so they will target their products appropriately. Think about how big of a change the car industry could have if consumers demanded more fuel efficient cars. It is starting to move that way now with completely electric cars, but it still has a long way to go.
While it may take a few more years for hybrid cars to become popular, it doesn’t mean that you should wait. The increased affordability and instant savings in gas should be enough. If it isn’t, consider your ethical commitments to preserve that which God created. | <urn:uuid:f8ab3812-2edc-41d5-a597-91bcf81801c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.providentplan.com/4059/does-god-want-you-to-drive-a-hybrid/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962582 | 817 | 1.820313 | 2 |
MSc in Wild Animal Health
The MSc in Wild Animal Health is taught jointly by the Institute of Zoology, who host this site, and the Royal Veterinary College, both located in central London.
This world-class specialist Masters course has produced over 190 graduates since its inception in 1994. It provides qualified veterinarians with a critical understanding of the management of wild animals and the epidemiology, treatment and control of wildlife disease.
Over the last 30 years, interventions, for reasons of health, welfare and the conservation, of free-living wild animals have been undertaken with increasing frequency. Specialist veterinary expertise is required in order to assess and control the risk of accidental disease introduction to wildlife.
Emerging infectious diseases are also recognised as a serious hazard both for wild animals, and for the domestic animal and human populations that interact with these species. In addition, a large number of wild animal species are kept in captivity; in zoos and in laboratories, which has led to an increased demand for specialist skills and knowledge.
Participants of this course graduate with the analytical skills, the understanding, the confidence and the language to influence thinking and policy making within organisations.
A graduate of the Certificate in Wild Animal Health/Biology must demonstrate:
- a conceptual understanding of population dynamics, threats to wildlife populations and how resources can be allocated for wildlife conservation.
- a critical understanding of epidemiology and the impact of disease on wild animal populations.
- the ability to evaluate interventions for the management of captive and free-living wild animals including their ethics.
- a systematic understanding of the biological principles underpinning wild animal management, and the husbandry, care and welfare of wild animals.
A graduate of the Diploma in Wild Animal Health/Biology must demonstrate (in addition to the achievements of the PG Certificate):
- a critical awareness of methods to detect disease, disease surveillance systems and the effects of emerging diseases on captive and free living wild animal health.
- a conceptual and practical understanding of the diagnosis, management (WAB), investigation (pathology), treatment (WAH only) and control of disease in captive and free-living wild animal populations.
- a comprehensive insight into the interdependence of human, domestic animal and ecosystem health.
- a creative approach to the evaluation of the health, welfare and reproduction of captive and free-living wild animals.
A graduate of the Master of Science in Wild Animal Health/Biology must demonstrate (in addition to the achievements of the PG Certificate and Diploma):
- a comprehensive understanding of research and inquiry including (i) critical appraisal of the literature, (ii) scientific writing and (iii) scientific presentation.
- the ability to design and analyse hypothesis-driven laboratory and/or field studies.
Applications are invited from candidates with a degree from a recognised veterinary school and at least one year of postgraduate veterinary experience.
We are keen to see evidence of relevant work experience in a zoo, wildlife rehabilitation centre or wildlife hospital.
Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in spoken and written English, including scientific usage and comprehension. They will be required to achieve an overall score of 7.0 in IELTS with a minimum of 6.5 in each sub-test; or a TOEFL score of at least 93 (internet-based test with no element below 23), or 580 (paper-based test plus 4.5 in the Test of Written English (TWE)/Essay rating).
The course is completed over one year full-time study, commencing in Autumn 2012. It is taught jointly by the RVC and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Graduates are equipped with:
- a critical awareness of current problems in wildlife disease with implications for wildlife conservation and welfare, and a new insight into veterinary interventions for the management of captive and free-living wild animals, through gaining a systematic understanding of the biological principles underpinning wild animal conservation and management, and the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of wildlife disease;
- basic competence in veterinary techniques and preventative medicine for wild animals; and
- a conceptual and practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create knowledge in the field of wild animal health, and a comprehensive understanding of scientific skills, including critical review of the scientific literature, and design and analysis of laboratory or field studies.
- Taught component, with modular examinations.
- Certificate and Diploma levels are available. Please see Programme Structure for more information.
- An individual research project, carried out during the summer months, leading to final assessment.
The course is organised by discipline (e.g. epidemiology, anaesthesiology, virology), with information relating to specific taxa included in lectures throughout the course. The course teaches the principles of each subject and taxa-specific lectures are included to exemplify these principles.
Course participants play an active role in lectures, seminars, tutorials and clinical work.
Programme Structure :
The MSc in Wild Animal Health consists of 3 levels:
- Postgraduate Certificate
- Postgraduate Diploma and the
- Masters of Science Degree. These levels start in September each year – to confirm the exact date please email email@example.com
Certificate in Wild Animal Health
Students are introduced to the Course objectives, the mission of the partner organizations running the Course and the services you can receive at the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Veterinary College.
Conservation Biology Module
In this module we develop a conceptual understanding of which species and populations are vulnerable to extinction, how we can monitor their population dynamics and how resources to conserve species can be most successfully allocated using a scientific approach.
The Impact of Disease on Populations
The effects of diseases on populations can be complex but even subtle influences can markedly unbalance free-living and captive populations of wild animals. An understanding of these effects requires a critical evaluation of epidemiology and the population biology of infectious agents, and armed with this knowledge we can make informed decisions on control methods, where these are considered an ethical approach.
Health and welfare of captive wild animals
Considering the enormous diversity of animal species, the management of healthy populations in captivity is an exacting challenge. In this module we gain a critical understanding of the principles of animal management and preventive medical approaches to maintain healthy populations and enhance their welfare.
Where anthropogenic threats endanger free-living populations of animals, people increasingly see a need to intervene for the conservation or welfare of these populations. However, given the need to understand complex ecological systems, the disease risks of manipulating them and the potential stress of intervention methods, such activities require detailed planning, highly skilled input and scientific evaluation to ensure lessons are learned. Using real examples this module develops a conceptual understanding of intervention methodology.
Diploma in Wild Animal Health
Detection, surveillance and emerging diseases
Morbidity and mortality in free-living populations of wild animals are difficult to detect and monitor given ecosystem processes and the bias of convenience sampling strategies. Complex methods are required to detect and monitor changes in endemic diseases and to detect emergent diseases, and interpret the findings in a scientific manner.
Ecosystem Health Module
The strong interdependence between the health of people, their domestic animals and free-living wildlife (the one-health concept) is a rapidly advancing field of scientific inquiry as illustrated by studies on globally emergent zoonoses and the health of ocean fauna, and we develop our understanding through these examples and how they have developed policy changes.
Evaluation of the health and welfare of captive wild animals
In the Certificate we gained a critical understanding of the management and preventive medical care required to maintain healthy populations. In this Module we investigate the scientific evaluation of wild animal welfare and critically analyse the relationship between health and firstly reproduction, and secondly, nutrition.
Our ability to effectively maintain healthy captive populations of wild animals, and monitor and intervene in the health of free-living populations requires a complex set of skills covered in detail in this Module, where we will gain a conceptual and practical understanding of critical aspects of pharmacology and anaesthesia, pathology, dentistry, and surgery and imaging in wild animals.
MSc in Wild Animal Health
A graduate of the Master of Science in Wild Animal Health must demonstrate (in addition to the achievements of the PG Certificate and Diploma):
- A comprehensive understanding of research and inquiry including (i) critical appraisal of the literature, (ii) scientific writing and (iii) scientific presentation.
- The ability to design and analyse hypothesis-driven laboratory and/or field studies .
In this module we will develop the extensive skills required to design and conduct practical research projects, critically appraise and review the literature, deliver effective scientific presentations, and write scientific papers suitable for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
Each student will be required to undertake an individual research project, between June and the end of August, and to submit a typewritten report not exceeding 10,000 words in the form of a grant report and a scientific paper suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. The project will encompass a practical study on an approved aspect of wild animal health. The project may be undertaken at any place approved by the Institute/College with the guidance of a course supervisor.
The course is assessed by four written papers, course work (assignments and case reports), an individual research project report and an oral examination for all candidates, irrespective of their performance in other parts of the course.
Project reports are submitted at the end of August and oral examinations are held in mid-September.
Duration of Course Study
Full-time for one year, with exit points at Certificate and Diploma.
Graduates go on to work with captive and free-living wild animals as clinicians, pathologists, epidemiologists, academics and senior management in zoological collections, national parks, universities and government departments worldwide.
Others continue to work towards a PhD or DVetMed, either with the RVC or at another leading research institute.
- Dr Tony Sainsbury, Institute of Zoology
- Michael Waters, Royal Veterinary College
For a prospectus please see the Royal Veterinary College website .
The Graduate School
The Royal Veterinary College
Royal College Street
London NW1 0TU
Email : firstname.lastname@example.org
Tel : +44 (0) 20 7468 5134
Fax : +44 (0) 20 7468 5060 | <urn:uuid:c02b6051-8622-4492-85b2-f86d54b8d622> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zsl.org/print/science/postgraduate-study/mscwah,1866,AR.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902007 | 2,140 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Quitting Smoking and Avoiding Smoke During Pregnancy
When you're pregnant, everything you put in your body can affect your baby. If you smoke, your baby is exposed to chemicals such as nicotine and carbon monoxide.
If you're a smoker and get pregnant, now is the time to quit. If you're not a smoker, avoid secondhand smoke. If you smoke and aren't pregnant but are thinking about having a baby, make a plan to quit before you try to get pregnant.
If you quit smoking before you become pregnant (or during the first 3 months of your pregnancy), your risk of having a baby with low birth weight is the same as that of a woman who does not smoke. Women who quit later in their pregnancy still reduce the risk of problems for their babies.
It's also important to not go back to smoking after the baby is born and to ask others not to smoke in your home. This will reduce your baby's risk of having breathing problems.
Many programs are available to help pregnant women quit smoking. Ask your doctor or nurse-midwife for information on quitting smoking.
How does smoking affect your pregnancy?
Smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of:
If your baby or child is exposed to smoke after birth, he or she will be more prone to illness and breathing problems.
What can you do to stop smoking?
Make a plan for quitting.
Where can you find information and support?
If you're ready to quit smoking, congratulations. You are taking an important step for your health and for your baby's health. You can find more information about quitting smoking through these websites:
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
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You have given us the courage to say: Enough, no more silence.
I heard you fought to protect yourself. I heard that your fight back caused them to get more violent and brutalise you further. I heard you never gave up. I heard you said you wanted to live.
As I write this I clench my thighs together because the torture you were subjected to could have happened to any woman. I am so sorry that our worst fear became your reality. You didn’t live but you have brought so many of us to life — apathetic bystanders of all kinds have begun to care and participate. Your presence in this world has changed all our lives forever. Yet, I am left with a sense of loss and pain that you were sacrificed at this altar so our complacent spirits could be resurrected. At 23, I am sure you had other dreams. Maybe you wanted to be remembered for what you did of your own free will rather than what was done to you. Maybe you just wanted to live simply, laugh with your male friends, wander with your girlfriends, watch TV with your family, become a medical professional who served all people regardless of how they valued women. At 23, you have come to symbolise our struggle — the collective and individual desperation we all feel. In my small way, I want to honour you by writing about breaking the silence.
Silence = Death. This slogan was used by holocaust victims, the gay community adopted it and now we, Indian women like you, have to embrace this message. Enough. No more silence. Rape is death and let no one tell us differently. It kills a way of life. It often kills a spirit. You did not let them murder yours and all of us stood in solidarity with you. Women all over this country have risen and shouted out. Some men have joined the chorus, and now we have found a collective energy. We cannot lose this momentum, this commitment, this chance at another life. You have given a voice to those of us who feel our screams like yours in that bus have never been heard. We are the ones who have stayed in homes where we are beaten and raped by men who either gave birth to us or ones we married. We are the women who have been molested in front of a whole crowd and found not one who would bear witness. We are the ones whose teachers have taught us life lessons by betraying our trust.
As our tribute to you, we are not going to be shamed into keeping quiet and holding ourselves responsible for the violence we endure. I must break my silence before I ask others to do the same.
I was 15 years old and walking with two male friends in the lane behind my house when I was attacked by seven men. Other than with a trusted few I have spoken about it only once — at a gathering hundreds of miles from where it occurred. After 25 years, you have given me the courage to bring this home and say it out loud here. It was 9:30 at night and we wanted to take a break from studying for the board exams. I had a bounce in my step, I threw back my head as I laughed, I felt at home in my body. Maybe that is what evoked their rage. It was not desire. It was an act of aggression. Their words were mean, their actions terrifying. I was very lucky that their ring leader lost his balance as he rammed his bicycle into my abdomen for the second time. It created an opening that let me flee. The split second break in that menacing circle saved my life. I wish your bus door had swung open too. I know you would have been saved from this savagery and you would have lived.
Your father may have been like mine. He believed in your right to be equal. He sold his land in order to educate you in a culture that only approves of land being sold for a son’s future or a daughter’s dowry. Mine too broke tradition by insisting I not stay silent and take back my power. He and my grandfather put me between them and took me out that very night looking for the perpetrators. They insisted I take this action so that I would not be afraid to walk the streets I grew up in. We never found them. I am like hundreds of women who have endured this and far worse. We have all fought our internal battles and some brave ones have taken bolder steps. Because of the men in my life who supported and celebrated me, I did not walk away feeling less than. I want every woman to live in the company of such men. Sadly, many do not. However privileged and emancipated I may feel, I am also well aware of my vulnerability — a vulnerability that makes us different from men. We live out that vulnerability every day and are constantly told to protect ourselves — stay out of harm’s way. I see that logic when we are taught to avoid playing with fire. How do we avoid sharing our world with men? How is it that they don’t get the message that their unwanted attention burns? Who is telling them that there are no excuses. None of it is acceptable — not the leering on the streets or the unsavoury office banter, not the pinching on the bus or the groping at protest rallies. It always starts in a “small” way and only escalates when the perpetrator sees his actions endorsed or excused.
As a culture we are still preaching to our girls not to push the boundaries and protecting our boys when they overstep them — we give them a pass for making a pass. It creates a type of entitlement that is so deeply ingrained that what they cannot get they destroy. I am tired of hearing that if we as women circumscribe our lives further, kill our individuality more, suppress our natural desires, stop believing in the right to live as we choose and stay locked up, we will be safe. Imprisoning us isn’t the answer and is no longer possible. Women like you are the change that Gandhiji spoke of and this fight for independence is causing men to find beastly forms of suppression.
The entire nation is mourning your loss — a woman we did not know. Your power is far greater than what those men expected it to be. May your passing bring with it a change that sweeps across this country and makes it a place where other women like you can ride buses and make it home alive.
(Monsoon Bissell is a life coach and freelance writer, developing a project called “Narrative Healing.”) | <urn:uuid:fc9edec6-5223-4467-a14a-6d6a36e36dcd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/to-the-woman-warrior-i-did-not-know/article4273647.ece | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98047 | 1,345 | 2.03125 | 2 |
CHICAGO – February 14, 2012. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Governor Pat Quinn visited the Mars, Inc. Chicago candy factory to announce the company’s recent growth in Illinois and tour the facility, which has added 65 new jobs over the past two years. Governor Quinn saw the new line where employees help produce Mars’ world-famous products like 3 Musketeers, Mars Bars, Milky Way and Snickers.
“I want to thank Mars for their continued commitment to growing and creating jobs in Illinois,” Governor Quinn said. “Right here in Illinois, Mars is manufacturing Snickers, Milky Way and 3 Musketeers and it is only fitting that we celebrate this Valentine’s Day with Mars.”
Mars recently invested $48 million in its Chicago-based factory, including $25 million for the new Line 7, which created 30 of the 65 jobs created over the past two years. The factory has been in full production since 1929 and employs about 250 associates and manufactures about 25 million candy bars a day. This recent investment extends the company’s commitment to another 20 years of growth in Illinois, leading up to the plant's 100th anniversary.
After the tour, Governor Quinn visited the nearby Shriners Hospital for Children, which is one of busiest hospitals in the Shriners network. The hospital treats children with orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal conditions. Patients can also receive treatment for spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate. Shriners Hospitals for Children provide specialty healthcare for children around the country, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. | <urn:uuid:869d18f7-e4fc-42a9-a313-08282e47317d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www3.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=1&RecNum=10027 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944061 | 337 | 1.640625 | 2 |
How a Change in 17th Century French Knifemaking Led to the Uniquely American Style of Eating
Another example of how knives have shaped culture is the unique American habit of switching the fork from the left hand to the right and back as we eat. Ever wonder why we do this awkward little move? It all came about because of a change in knife making in 17th century France.
From the Middle Ages until the end of the 1600s, most diners ate with their fingers and a knife, which they brought with them to the table. Hosts and innkeepers didn’t provide tableware. Except for the extremely wealthy who owned separate eating knives, these knives were used for everything from cutting rope to defending one’s honor. These long slender knives continued to be used as weapons and posed the conceivable threat of danger at the dinner table. However, once forks began to gain popular acceptance there was no longer any need for a pointed tip at the end of a dinner knife to hold and spear the food. In 1669, King Louis XIV of France decreed all pointed knives on the street or the dinner table illegal. The claim was that this would reduce violence. Other accounts of the story suggest that Cardinal Richelieu was so disgusted by his dinner guests constantly picking their teeth with tips of their knives that he had his house knives ground down. Others in the court followed suit and the King made it official.
By the beginning of the 18th century, knives imported to the American colonies had the new blunt tips. However, colonists were not shipped any forks, which were still somewhat exotic. Because Americans had very few forks and no longer had sharp-tipped knives to spear food, they had to use spoons in lieu of forks. They would use the spoon in the left hand to steady the food as they cut it with the knife in the right. They would then switch the spoon to the opposite hand in order to scoop it up to eat. This distinctly American style of eating continued even after forks became commonplace in the United States. | <urn:uuid:b3485360-11a5-41fd-8879-9d3710ed55be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chadwrites.com/the-american-shuffle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984869 | 416 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Obama and the Afghan narco-state
To understand why the war in Afghanistan, now in its eighth year, is not going well for the United States and its NATO allies, take a look at two statistics.
One is Afghanistan’s ranking on an international index measuring corruption: 176 out of 180 countries. (Somalia is 180th). The other is Afghanistan’s position as the world’s Number 1 producer of illicit opium, the raw material for heroin.
The two statistics are inextricably linked and, a year ago, prompted Richard Holbrooke, the man President Barack Obama has just picked as special envoy for Afghanistan, to write: “Breaking the narco-state in Afghanistan is essential or all else will fail.”
Holbrooke, who was not in government service at the time, took particular issue with the counter-narcotics strategy the Bush administration pursued in Afghanistan.
“The … program, which costs around $1 billion a year, may be the single most ineffective policy in the history of American foreign policy,” he wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post. “It’s not just a waste of money. It actually strengthens the Taliban and al Qaeda, as well as criminal elements within Afghanistan.”
Exactly what the Obama administration intends to do about that, and how it might break the narco-state, has yet to be articulated. Sending more troops to fight a growing insurgency does not necessarily translate into progress towards dismantling the “narco-state,” eliminating corruption or cutting down on the opium production whose proceeds help finance the Taliban.
“WAR ON DRUGS”
The counter-narcotics strategy Holbrooke criticized so harshly centers on the eradication of drug crops, and has been the main weapon in the “war on drugs” the United States has been waging for decades around the world. That war failed to curb the production of illicit drugs and often proved counter-productive.
In Bolivia, for example, Evo Morales, a left-wing opponent of the United States, rose to political prominence and finally the presidency because he rallied a protest movement against U.S.-sponsored attempts to wipe out the cultivation of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine.
De-emphasizing eradication in Afghanistan would amount to an implicit admission of the failure of policies pursued since the 1970s by both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee this week, described Afghanistan as “our greatest military challenge right now” but said there could be no purely military solution — not even with the additional 30,000 troops Obama plans to dispatch over the next 18 months.
So if there’s no purely military solution, what are the chances of progress on the political front? An unnamed White House official sounded hopeful this week that the United States could push Afghan President Hamid Karzai into extending government control beyond the capital and stepping up the fight against corruption.
It is the same Karzai who declared jihad (holy war) on the drugs trade in 2004, a few days after he was sworn in as Afghanistan’s first democratically elected leader. That holy war made no dent in opium production and corruption blossomed.
“Karzai was playing us like a fiddle,” Thomas Schweich, a former top anti-narcotics official in Afghanistan, wrote in the New York Times last summer. “The U.S. would spend billions of dollars on infrastructure improvement; the U.S. and its allies would fight the Taliban; Karzai’s friends would get rich off the drug trade; he could blame the West for his problems; and in 2009 he would be elected to a new term.”
KARZAI THE PROBLEM
In other words, Karzai is not part of the solution, he’s part of the problem. As to solutions: One novel idea on opium-and-corruption comes from James Nathan, a political science professor at Auburn University in Alabama and former State Department official. He argues in a forthcoming paper that the most efficient way to tackle the problem would be for the United States or NATO to buy up the entire Afghan opium crop.
“Purchasing the whole crop would take it away from the traffickers without cutting more than half the economy of Afghanistan,” Nathan said in an interview. “Such a purchase would directly confront Afghanistan’s most corrosive corruption. It would end the Taliban’s money stream.”
And the cost? By Nathan’s reckoning, between $2 billion and $2.5 billion a year, no pocket change but not a large sum compared with the around $200 billion the U.S. taxpayer has already paid for the war in Afghanistan. The idea may sound startling but its logic is not far from the farm subsidies paid to U.S. and European farmers.
On a more modest scale than Nathan’s buy-it-all idea, a European think tank, the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS), is lobbying for an alternative to traditional counter-narcotics policies dubbed Poppy for Medicine.
That involves granting international licenses to poppy farmers in Afghan villages, where the crop would be turned into opiate-based medicines such as morphine or codeine, and then shipped out to the legal market.
It would place Afghanistan alongside Turkey (where the United States helped to introduce a similar program in 1974), India and Australia as legal producers of opium. Could it work? When ICOS, formerly known as the Senlis Council, first came up with the idea, the State Department cold-shouldered it.
But that was before Obama, who promised to listen to new approaches. Both the buy-it-all and the licensing concepts deserve a hearing.
For previous columns by Bernd Debusmann, click here. | <urn:uuid:08829585-0df4-4402-be6b-67d3a9546f91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2009/01/29/obama-and-the-afghan-narco-state/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946496 | 1,224 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Mission: To maintain a museum, depository and showplace for memorabilia, artifacts, equipment, written material, photographs, sculptures, trophies and documents relating to the sport of lacrosse and its 360-year history, including its Native American origins; to honor men and women, past and present, for their contribution to the sport; and to enshrine such individuals in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The museum and hall of fame is a program of US Lacrosse, the nonprofit national governing body for the sport of men's and women's lacrosse.
Latest accomplishment: July 15-25, US Lacrosse was host of the 1998 Men's World Lacrosse Championship in Baltimore. Ten teams from 11 nations participated in the ``Olympics of Lacrosse,'' which takes place every four years.
Originally opened in 1959, the museum and hall of fame celebrated a grand reopening March 14 after renovations. The state-of-the-art 5,000-square-foot facility features exhibition, office and storage space, and an auditorium.
On the horizon: A rotating exhibit to honor coaches is scheduled to open in March. Five male and five female players will be inducted into the hall of fame in November, joining 253 players who were inducted previously.
About the museum and US Lacrosse: Membership: 42,000. Museum attendance: 5,000 annually. Operating budget: $60,000. US Lacrosse endowment: $419,797.
Where and when: 113 W. University Parkway, Baltimore, on the Johns Hopkins University campus. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Call 410-235-6882, Ext. 122.
John Stalford, president of US Lacrosse board of directors: ``The renovated museum and hall of fame attracts people from all over the world who are interested in the sport of lacrosse, but few people in Baltimore seem to realize the great facility is located in their city. And walking through the museum, they are often surprised when they discover that some actors and football players also were great lacrosse players - for instance, Jim Brown. In the hall of fame, visitors can view the all-time greats of lacrosse and study their accomplishments through computer interactives.''
Members of the board of directors:
Barrett W. Freedlander | <urn:uuid:145ddfed-5fdd-4b3a-b817-c2e7c5d96617> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-01-24/entertainment/9901270327_1_national-lacrosse-hall-lacrosse-museum-sue-heether | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94732 | 481 | 1.867188 | 2 |
The hiking of MPs’ sitting allowances from Sh 70,000 to Sh 200,000 per day has attracted an unprecedented heated debate so far as religious leaders, teachers and doctors are describing the decision as selfishly motivated.
Though Clerk to the National Assembly Dr. Thomas Kashilila denounced reports on the hiked sitting allowance, sources within the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) have confided to The Guardian on Sunday that he did so to defend the ‘system.’
The sources added that the Office of the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) might be required to handle the issue before they chip in. As the debate rages on Dr Benson Bana, Prof Mwesiga Baregu and Dr Kitila Mkumbo have found space in their busy schedules to give their comments. Read them.
Time ripe to scrap sitting allowances regime
An MP gets Sh330,000 per day. That is unbelievable!
Dr Benson Bana
1. Members of Parliament in the Tanzanian context are categorically classified as political leaders in the public-cum- political service. As such, they deserve to get salaries and duty facilitating payments in the form of allowances and per-diems. However, these payments should be determined on the basis of the actual cost and the government’s ability to pay.
2. Duty facilitating allowances that have no controversies whatsoever include - but not limited to - travel costs between Parliament and their constituencies; cost for running an office; communication expenses (airtime); stationery and postage; employing staff (personal assistant and a driver).
Payments for expenses of this nature are justifiable beyond any shadow of doubt. It is legitimate for the MPs to receive such payments from the tax payers’ money in order to ensure that they carry out their mandatory responsibilities in a conducive atmosphere.
3. It is not at all in the public interest for the Parliamentary Service Commission and the government in its entirety to introduce forms of allowances that are crude, uncalled for and to a great extent tarnish, undermine and damage the reputation, integrity and credibility of our decisional, policy and law making authorities.
The so-called "Sitting Allowance" for Members of Parliament and public servants in Tanzania is in any sense and by any human resource management logic and standards unjustifiable.
There is no theory which shows a positive correlation between the performance of a Member of Parliament and the so-called "Sitting Allowance".
This type of allowance is undesirable and it is untenable in the eyes of the voter and the public in general. We do not need an IMF or World Bank expert to tell us that the "Sitting Allowance" for people in the political service and public service is an absolutely bad policy decision.
The sitting allowance in Tanzania is an endemic disease and a syndrome that we need to confront rigorously with vim and vigour for the betterment of our country. The sitting allowance regime must be abolished.
4. Members of Parliament in Tanzania are expected by the public to understand thoroughly the socio-economic realities of the country.
They must know that Tanzania is a poor country which is striving to attain equality, including equality in earnings and income. Income disparity is a source of hatred and incipient conflicts in society.
The increasing gap between the "haves" and "have nots" poses a threat to the country's desire to ensure better life for everybody. The MPs must know that Tanzania has a myriad of competing priorities whose financing depends on tax payers’ money and donor support.
The increase of sitting allowances from Sh70,000 per day to Sh200,000 per day is incomprehensible, unprecedented at the time when the toiling teachers are claiming about Sh49 billion from government to cater for their various entitlements. We do not need to increase the burden of the tax payers and donor fatigue.
5. Members of Parliament must refrain from isolating themselves from the rest of poor Tanzanians that they are claiming to represent. They must understand that as public leaders they are always in public scrutiny.
Their decisions are evaluated by the conscious and responsible citizenry; their patriotism is assessed by the informed public. Their conduct in public and private life is critically observed.
The decision of the Parliament to raise their daily sitting allowance to a rate that is more than the statutory minimum monthly salary for a public servant generates more heat than light.
The behaviour of Parliament as a political institution is being questioned by the Tanzanians, the peasants and workers as well as tax payers and even our Development Partners.
My sporadic non-empirical assessment following the decision of government to raise the sitting allowance shows that a way has been paved for the people to question the motive for such an unpopular decision, its political desirability and feasibility as well as its economic logic.
Indeed, our Parliament is at a cross-roads and it is somewhat in disrepute. This is not a healthy situation. Parliamentarians should think twice and re-consider their decision with a view to making a U-turn or reversing it altogether in order to regain the lost trust and glory in the eyes of the Tanzanian public.
6. Our respected and Honourables MPs should bear in mind that Parliament is not a place for money-making business or an institution for self-aggrandizement or personal interests. It is an institution which is entrusted by the public to execute its constitutional mandate bearing in mind the needs and interests of the people. It is not in the public interest to pay the so-called Sitting Allowance.
The decision is socially and politically wrong and sets a bad precedent. My free advice to the pro-sitting allowance honourable Members of Parliament is to consider stepping down with honour if at all they feel and believe that without the Sh 200,000 daily sitting allowance they would be unable to carry out their parliamentary duties, role and responsibilities Tanzania is not short of people with a sense of patriotism and who are committed enough to serve the nation diligently and who are not intrinsically and extrinsically motivated by monetary gain.
Members of Parliament must learn to refrain from lavish spending and in their heart they should carry the problems and concerns of poor Tanzanians they were elected to serve.
I have been made aware that on top of Sh 200,000 daily sitting allowance, they will also receive Sh80,000 per-diem and Sh50,000 for travel expenses daily, making a total of Sh 330,000 daily!!! Is this fair and desirable for the political servants of the poor Tanzanian people? Taking into account that many Tanzanians are in abject poverty this is by any standards unbelievable.
7. Members of Parliament in Tanzania serve at the pleasure of their political parties and indirectly the electorate. The Political Parties should educate their MPs on what is expected of them by the electorate and the public in general. Chama Cha Mapinduzi, the ruling party, which was elected by the majority Tanzanians, should come out clearly on the issue of sitting allowance.
It should compel its government to rescind the decision to raise the sitting allowance for the MPs. It should direct its government to scrap off the sitting allowance policy with immediate effect. I believe CCM has the ability to force government to reverse the decision. What I don't know is whether the party has the political will to make such a bold decision in the interest of the public and indeed the tax payers.
8. Whatever the case, we learn from the literature that a responsible citizen has a civic obligation to pay income tax consonant with the laws of the country. The Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) should place a tax tag to all allowances that a Member of Parliament in Tanzania gets especially non-duty facilitating allowances. The salary for a Member of Parliament should not include fuel allowance for the days when s/he is attending parliamentary sessions in order to avoid double payment regarding fuel allowance.
9. The Government should consider establishing a statutory organ which will regulate the salaries and statutory benefits for Members of Parliament. The organ or authority should be responsible for the regulation and payment of expenses to Members of Parliament.
10. Some members of Parliament justify their big salaries and a plethora of allowances by claiming that they have a noble obligation to help people in their constituencies! It is important for our legislators to refrain from taking the role of a donor in their respective constituencies.
Instead they should mobilise people to work hard in order to generate money they need to make ends meet and cater for their requirements. They should not give "beggars" fish instead they should teach them how to fish.
Dr Benson Bana is Head of department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Dar es Salaam.
Only ‘pea-brained human beings’ can defend MPs’ sitting allowances
Dr Kitila Mkumbo
The debate on allowances for members of parliament has been twisted and is getting ridiculously narrow. The argument all along has been to remove scrap the so called sitting allowances which are payable to civil servants while attending to their rightful duties. The debate has never been about whether these allowances should be increased or reduced.
In a way, members of parliament have been clever because, instead of continuing with the pressure to scrap sitting allowances, we are now talking about whether it is right or not to increase the allowances.
What is likely to happen now is that these allowances may not be increased, but they will certainly remain, and we will keep quiete pretending that we have won the battle.
Indeed, whether the allowances will be increased or not, the MPs will have won the battle by distorting the debate and by ensuring that the allowances will remain where they are. But how harmful are these allowances? Let us revisit the figures. According to analysis by one local NGO, the government pays about Sh506 billion to its employees in form of allowances, equivalent to 59 percent of government salaries.
The salary of members of parliament does not exceed Sh3 million a month. But their monthly ‘take home’ is about Sh7 million.
This means that the allowances paid to MPs is more than 60 percent of their salaries. The threshold of allowances for many ‘clever’ and functioning democracies in the world does not exceed 15 percent of the total payable salaries. The reason for limiting allowances is that they are generally non-taxable.
By paying hefty allowances you are institutionalising and legalising non-tax payment. Thus, MP sitting allowances are no just harmful in that they increase the income gap in our society, but they are particularly harmful because they are a form of institutionalised and legalised tax evasion, which, ideally, should be more punishable than treason.
Thus, some of us were expecting that, after a long cry, sitting allowances would be scrapped altogether. Alas, the debate has been twisted. We are now arguing whether or not MPs’ allowances should be increased.
We should not be side tracked. The discussion at hand is about getting rid of the sitting allowances because it is not proper to pay people for sitting in meetings doing their job that they are already paid for. And this is not just to MPs; it applies to public service generally. Some scatter-brained people have defended the increase in allowances on the basis that costs of living have increased in Dodoma and that MPs in East Africa are paid more handsomely than Tanzanian MPs.
The first argument is weak because it is not true that Dodoma is the most expensive city in Tanzania. Secondly, even if the cost of living were higher in Dodoma than in other cities, the high cost does not concern the MPs only.
If you are compensating MPs owing to increased cost of living in Dodoma, how are you going to compensating the sweating workers? The second argument is even more ridiculous and stupid. It is a stupid argument because it is stupidity to imitate stupid things!
Of course, in our case, it is understandable why the government will continue paying these allowances to MPs and public servants. It is a form of patronage to ensure pseudo political stability. If you pay MPs rightly they will do their right job of quizzing the government business, but you can silence them by paying dubious and unjustifiable allowances. Thus, to me, sitting allowance is a strategic psychological and political weapon by the government against MPs and other public servants.
We should not forget that these allowances in public service are paid to powerful people who matter in the decision making process and who already receive far better salaries than other employees. MPs know that they don’t deserve to be paid sitting allowances while executing their rightful duties but it is trade off. It is “you are eating and let’s eat” attitude.
In conclusion, I should state the obvious. Payment of sitting allowances to MPs and public servants is indefensible, not just because they are unfair and do not reflect our economic realities, but also because they are immoral and irresponsible. As such, only pea-brained human beings can defend them.
Dr Kitila Mkumbo is Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Education, School of Education, University of Dar es Salaam
It is greed
By Prof Mwesiga Baregu
There are no justifiable grounds on which these increases can be justified except greed and dishonesty. Greed in the sense that there are more deserving and needy members of our society, such as teachers whose long-standing demands remain unaddressed.
They have put their employer on notice that they will take strike action. Have the MPs thought about the consequences of such action which maybe triggered by their move? It is dishonest because it has been done under a cloud of secrecy.
A House that feathers its nest in secrecy with public money does not deserve the trust and respect of Tanzanians. They should all renounce the increase and apologise to the nation.
Prof Mwesiga Baregu is a seasoned lecturer in Political Science and Public Administration currently lecturing at St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT). | <urn:uuid:6f1c0071-df1e-4fc6-bcb8-829b73af1e49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php/h/tatice/2010&210/010&110/index.pap68rty/lotto/?l=36535 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964245 | 2,857 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Cyprus Marine Life Catalogue
Many of us have seen new species of marine life in our waters over the years and they just seem to be getting more and more as time passes. Some say these new species come with ships from the Suez Canal or other areas, some say currents are bringing them and others say this is a result of climate change. Examples of these are the trumpet fish, a fish normally found in warmer waters like the Red Sea another is the puffer fish our fisherman dread so much. The list goes on and on.
In order to understand all these different species better have started a project to catalogue all marine life in our waters. This will be a long and difficult process but with your help we can achieve so much more. How can you get involved? That is easy; if you have a camera just take it with you when you go diving. When you see a fish, take a few pictures of it and submit your find on this website. You will see the word form under the research menu this will take you to a form to submit your picture and supply some information about the picture. You will need to give us your name so that we can give due credit for the pictures taken. We will also need to know when the picture was taken and where. This will help us create a catalogue based not only on the type of marine life but also on which part of the island we can find these. Finally you will submit your pictures. You can upload up to three pictures per specimen. To reduce the loan on the server there is a maximum size limit of 2MB per picture so please try to reduce the image to that size. Also try not to reduce the pictures to much as we want a good quality picture.
So what do we take pictures of you might ask? The simplest answer would be everything. We are not looking for only fish, everything that is alive needs to be catalogues from fish to algae and everything in between. You might know the name of the species you are taking a picture of, don't worry our specialist will do that; just make sure the picture is of good quality so that we can identify the species.
On completion of the catalogue project we will publish a book with all the information collected. All participants offering pictures and information will be accredited in the book. Please note that by uploading a picture and submitting it to us for this project that you give us the rights to use that picture. Also note that not all submitted pictures will be used only the best, most clear pictures will be used for each species.
What do you get in return? Other than been accredited in the book as contributors and having your name by the pictures used all participants who submit a picture that is used will receive a special gift in appreciation of their contribution at the end of the project. | <urn:uuid:ba66461b-1a4e-4e80-b33d-e1b14371a28a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nautilossar.org/index.php/en/cyprus-catalogue-project | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954955 | 569 | 2.625 | 3 |
If you have babies or young children, you know they leak in quite a few different ways. This leads to load after load of laundry all out of proportion to their size. This doesn’t have to blow up your budget. You can easily take simple steps to save money on laundry.
The costs to do laundry come from energy to run the washer and dryer, energy to heat the water, the water itself (or sewer bill), and detergent. Squeeze each of these separately, and keep in mind that you may need to adjust other parts of the process to get your laundry as clean as possible.
Reduce the Need
Start at the beginning. Wear your clothes a couple of times before you wash them. Reduce your laundry in half. This doesn’t work for snappy t-shirts covered in spit up or baby jeans after a leaky diaper, but some clothes can be worn multiple times.
Wash on Cold
By far the largest proportion of the cost of home laundry goes to the energy to heat the water. So, don’t heat the water. If you use cold water, though, you will save yourself from clothes covered with residue that holds on to stink if you use detergents formulated for cold. You need more agitation or longer rinse if you remove heat from the washing equation. If you are washing diapers, be extra careful to avoid residue build up.
Run Full Loads
A full load saves money because you end up with fewer loads total, but a full load also provides one of the essential parts of the laundry equation: agitation. The clothes need to rub against one another to get clean. If you put a couple of items in a full load, you are just sending them for a nice swim. They will be cleaner than when they started, but they won’t get clean. Adjust the water level to your load for effectiveness and water conservation, but hold on to that small load and wait for more clothes for cost savings on energy.
Use an Efficient Washer
This takes an investment up front, but you will save in the long run if your washer is the most energy efficient washer on the market.
Buy Powdered Laundry Detergent
Liquid detergent rinses easily, but you end up paying for bottled water. You can get the best of both by dissolving the correct amount of your powdered detergent before you wash. It takes more time, but it saves money. It’s all a matter of adjusting to which you have more of.
Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
High Efficiency washing machines require less detergent, so that is a start. You can also make your on laundry detergent and other laundry additives with a few basic and mostly natural ingredients.
But, be careful what you choose to use. If you are washing cloth diapers, make sure the ingredients you use don’t cause a residue build up on your diapers that will cause leaks. Just do research before you head off into the wild west of homemade cleaning supplies.
Use the Air to Dry
Don’t use extra energy to dry your clothes. Dry on a line. Without bumping against one another in the dryer, they end up a little bit more stiff, but you can roll them around in your hands to loosen them up. I also just saw this week a cool new contraption, Dryerpods, that essential puts a closed drying rack over your forced-air heating vent. Obviously, this would only work if you have forced-air heating (I do) and in the seasons when the heat is on, but it is a clever device to use what is already there more efficiently
Not a lot of money goes into laundry, but you can save by making the process more efficient. | <urn:uuid:e356ffc3-639e-4345-b057-63d25df773ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecobabysteps.com/2012/01/21/save-money-on-laundry/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941533 | 780 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Freshmen Work Hands-On with Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts: Meld Histories of Art, Reading, Prayer into Houghton Exhibition
February 16, 2006 - Harvard students who signed up for last semester’s Freshman Seminar 39g—titled "The Book of Hours: Picturing Prayer in the Middle Ages," after a type of handmade medieval prayer book—bypassed some common research barriers for such young scholars. During their study of medieval art history, the ten freshmen received unlimited access to rare 15th and 16th century manuscripts, became published scholars, and mounted a six-week exhibition at Houghton Library. Not bad for first-semester college students.
The faculty member behind the first offering of this seminar is Jeffrey F. Hamburger, Professor of History of Art and Architecture, who wanted to expose the freshmen to primary source materials at Houghton Library early in their academic careers. "The rare book library is as much their library as is Lamont Library, or as is Widener," said Hamburger. "They should take advantage of it."
Students spent many hours in Houghton Library, Harvard’s primary repository for rare books and manuscripts, studying illuminated manuscripts firsthand—learning both how to handle the fragile, priceless texts and how to interpret them.
Hamburger didn’t make it easy for them. Ultimately, each student had to choose, from a selection the professor had approved, a type of manuscript known as a book of hours to analyze and study for a final project. "I deliberately chose manuscripts that were less well known because I didn't want students, even freshmen, to be able to fall back on a large body of previous publications," explained Hamburger.
"There's really no more direct way of coming into contact with the past than, with all proper care and precautions, to take a book or any ancient artifact in your hands and puzzle it out and to see just how intractable they are," said Hamburger. "It's very, very different from seeing one reproduced in a textbook where it's ostensibly explained and given a label."
The original research produced by the students, and the manuscripts they used, became the basis for an exhibition in Houghton Library called "The Book of Hours." The initial suggestion and encouragement for the exhibit came from William Stoneman, Florence Fearrington Librarian at Houghton, who helped make the rare texts available to the students.
"Harvard librarians collect, preserve, and provide access to all kinds of special collections so that they can be used by Harvard students and faculty, and by the scholarly community outside Harvard," said Stoneman. "My colleagues and I are pleased that Houghton Library has played such an integral role in this core function of the University."
The Book of Hours
Books of hours are medieval prayer books that pre-date printing technology and fall into the category of illuminated manuscripts, usually intricately wrought with hand-lettering and artistic imagery. The most lavish ones are works of art that took years to create. "It’s often said that books of hours are the proverbial bestsellers of the late Middle Ages," explained Hamburger. "And indeed, if anyone in the late Middle Ages was likely to own a single book then—at least if you lived in France, the Netherlands, or England—the book of hours was most likely to be the one."
"But that said, unlike bestsellers today, which all look alike and are made for a mass market," said Hamburger, "you see that there’s extraordinary variety." Medieval books of hours vary widely in size, length, content, decoration, and illumination. They tended to belong to the well-to-do, and artists and scribes customized each to suit its owner’s desires and level of piety. They’re eye-catching, and the often-detailed images are not necessarily what one might expect to adorn prayers. For instance, a page might have a serious, religious image in the center, and a picture of a snail, dragon, or monkey in the margin of the same page.
"The Middle Ages were in some ways far less reverent and decorous than we imagine," explained Hamburger. "Perhaps because certain truths were hardly ever questioned, it was easier to mock them in the spirit of carnival. Very often in medieval manuscripts, one finds grotesque, playful imagery in the margins."
Ultimately the course, ostensibly a class in medieval art history, was also a course in the history of reading, the history of prayer, the history of religion, and study of the cultural context in which these books were used. All of which only increased the challenge presented the students, to write a ten- to twelve-page analytical paper, beginning with the full technical description of the manuscript.
The technical description alone proved a challenge, especially for a first-timer. The first task entailed the painstaking job of collating, or verifying the order of, the pages to determine if any were missing or out of order. This task isn’t as straightforward as it sounds, since every handmade book has its irregularities.
Then students prepared an essay on an aspect of their choosing, each of which was distilled into a much shorter summary piece for the exhibition catalog. Nicole Bass '09, for instance, contributed the first catalog summary on "Marking Time," analyzing the meaning of illustrations, both religious and secular, in a French book of hours illustrated partly with the signs of the zodiac and seasonal tasks like flower-picking and harvesting.
Kate Patrick '09 studied a French book of hours and wrote the entry "Shades of Meaning," which discusses the symbolism behind grisaille, or images painted entirely in gray.
Jane Cheng '09 composed "Manuscripts for the Market," analyzing a book of hours produced in the early 16th century when illuminated manuscripts were in their later days. "I talked about the way that the illuminations were done late in the flourishing of books of hours," said Cheng. "You can tell a lot of things about the ways that they tried to speed up production—something that was not in the end good for illuminations, and not feasible for art, especially when printing came along."
A fourth student, Julia Renaud '09, took on the challenge of working with fragment from a mid-15th century book of hours. After a great deal of digging, she used saints’ names in the fragment to trace it to a region in west central France. This process might sound logical, but variants on saints’ names were common, making it that much more difficult.
These were just a few of the challenges and topics undertaken by the freshmen.
A Conversion Experience
"Obviously books like this have to be protected," said Hamburger of the texts. "And that's why they’re kept here at the Houghton. On the other hand, it's very, very important that we allow our students to come into contact with these books. By that I mean not only to see them, but to turn the pages and to experience them for what they are, namely, books."
"To have this exhibit, as a project that I could work on was really amazing," said Cheng, who has a personal interest in book binding and preservation and works in Harvard's Weissman Preservation Center. Cheng also deserves extra credit for helping pull together the exhibition: in addition to her catalog summary, she designed the catalog, contributed three of the four appendices (including a technical description and a description of medieval binding), and built the cradles which hold the manuscripts in the display case.
Cheng added, "During the class I also felt that when you have something like this—that was so important to somebody who used it—you start to understand the little glimpses of a time and a people that's really in many ways pretty unfamiliar. That's been amazing and something that I hope to continue."
Hamburger, who plans to add the course to his regular rotation of classes, beginning this summer, hopes the course had a significant impact on his first-year students. "I'm convinced that it will have been, you might say, a conversion experience for them. That's in a sense what you hope for—whether someone's going to go on or not, whether they discover something entirely new and find a lasting enthusiasm. That's really what you live for as a teacher."
"The Book of Hours: Picturing Prayer in the Middle Ages" is on exhibit through March 11 in the Houghton Library. Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 am-5 pm; Tuesday 9 am-8 pm, Saturday 9 am-1 pm. For details, call 617-495-2411. | <urn:uuid:aaef8459-6b12-4364-9589-e12810e29b20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hcl.harvard.edu/news/articles/2006/book_of_hours.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975418 | 1,807 | 2.625 | 3 |
ElainaPage on Family Tree Circles
Journals and Posts
The below information is my James Franklin Houston
name: James F Houston
relationship to head of household: Self
residence: , Greer, Oklahoma
marital status: Married
race : White
father's birthplace: Virginia
mother's birthplace: Virginia
family number: 111
page number: 5
Household Gender Age Birthplace
self James F Houston M 49y Texas
wife Emma E Houston F 38y California
dau Fay Houston F 14y Oklahoma
son Guy V Houston M 13y Oklahoma
dau Lillian Houston F 9y Oklahoma
dau Maud Houston F 8y Oklahoma
dau Marguerite Houston F 1y 3m Oklahoma
I beleave his parents are the following
name : Betsy A. Houston
event date: 1880
event place: Rockwall, Texas, United States
marital status : Married
occupation : Keeping House
race or color (original) :
ethnicity (standardized) : American
relationship to head : Wife
birthplace : Tennessee, United States
birthdate : 1826
spouse's name : James F. Houston
spouse's birthplace : Tennessee, United States
father's name :
father's birthplace : North Carolina, United States
mother's name :
mother's birthplace : North Carolina, United States
page : 611
page character : B
entry number : 2088
nara film number : T9-1324
gs film number : 1255324
digital folder number: 004244746
image number: 00671
Household Gender Age Birthplace
self James F. Houston M 61 Tennessee, United States
wife Betsy A. Houston F 54 Tennessee, United States
son James F. Houston M 19 Texas, United States
but I cannot not find any other information to back it up. I also cant find Betsy A maiden name. Can anyone offer any help on this?
this is the information that I have:
Birth 8 Dec 1848 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Death 15 Sept 1913 in Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas, United States
married on 04 Dec 1872 in Columbus, Colorado, Texas, United States to
Cynthia Alice Patterson
Birth 25 Jul 1856 in Columbus, Colorado, Texas, United States
Death 22 Jan 1935 in Houston, Harris, Texas, United States
On one of the census records it says that James's father is from Scotland but I can not find anything else about his father.
James Massey who married Nancy Keeney also James Page who married Thankful Pendleton and James Franklin Houston
James Massey born about 1800 and died Before 7 Feb 1842 in Jackson Co, Missouri married Nancy Keeney born 1800 in Tennessee on of their children was Isaac Massey born 1834 and died 1870. He married Catherine Sage on 22 Feb 1853. Catherine was born 26 Oct 1833 and she died 28 Apr 1875. They had 3 boys.
John, Isaac J. and James. John married Ida May Wilcox and they had 2 sons Otis and Guy W. Guy Married Ur Nile and they had my grandmother Helen Massey who married Capt. James Ellsworth Page. His father was Ellsworth Blain Page who married Beatrice Houston (whose father was J.F. Houston born Aug 1860 in Texas and died 2 MAR 1935 who married (his 2nd wife) Emma Ada Ellzey born 02 Nov 1870 in San Joaquin, Fresno County, CA and died 25 MAR 1963 in Enid, Garfield County, OK, looking for them too). Ellsworth's father Lewis L. Page married twice, first wife Deborah X and 2nd wife Rosa Simpson. Lewis's father was James Page born 14 July 1783 in Argyle, Washington, New York, USA and died 21 Feb 1862 in Gibson County, Indiana, USA who married Thankful Pendleton born 7 Mar 1795 in Argyle, Washington, New York, USA and died 14 Mar 1868 in Gibson County Indiana, USA.
I am trying to find the parents of: James Massey, James Page, and James Franklin Houston and the first wife of James Franklin Houston. I think that James Massey and James Page's parents may have been from the UK but not sure on that.
I think that James Franklin Houston's father may have been J. B. Houston and his mother Mary A. The dates fit but I'm not sure if its them or not. HHMMZZ any idea's anyone?
Samuel Sloan, Sr was born in northern Ireland, and he died 20 DEC 1791 in Unity Twp, WESTMORELAND Co. PA. He married Agnes\Ann Carnahan/Clarke? I'm trying to find his parents, I have all of his childrens informatino down to my Grandma Ruth's.
lol you gotta love family, my cousin says she is way past me on the Duncan's lol so I'm going to see what she's got and start on the Massey\'s and Page\'s. What I have on Massey's is Isaac Massey born 1834 and died 1870. He married Catherine Sage on 22 Feb 1853. Catherine was born 26 Oct 1833 and she died 28 Apr 1875. They had 3 boys.
John, Isaac J. and James. John married Ida May Wilcox and they had 2 sons Otis and Guy W. Guy Married Ur Nile and they had my grandmother Helen Massey who married Capt. James Ellsworth Page. His father was Ellsworth Blain Page who married Beatrice Houston (whose father was J.F. Houston who married Emma, looking for them too). Ellsworth's father Lewis L. Page married twice, first wife Deborah X and 2nd wife Rosa Simpson. Lewis's father was James Page who married Thankful Pendleton. So that's where I am at, at the moment. Here I go on another journey.
Ur Nile Gunby whew I came across someone else looking for the same thing and She had an email address there and I emailed her and hit gold. She has a lot of history on the Gunby family all ready and she is being kind enough to send it to me. What a relief lol. Now I am trying to find any and all information on J. L. Duncan and his family. Mainly in Texas. He married Hattie and his mothers name is Cynthia. Hattie and J. L. have 4 daughters named Noel, Jimmie Lee, Juanita, and Elsie and 3 sons names Basil (my grandfather) Forest, and Gerald. Basil married Ruth Berdine Sloan and they had 8 children. My biological father James Carlton Duncan is the oldest of the 8. Wish me luck yall cause this one seems to be harder than the Gunby family.
I am her great granddaughter and I am looking for any information about her parents. All I have is the following:
Urnile Gunley Massey married Guy W. Massey, she was born in 1895 (i think)in Eldorado, Kansas and she died on 27 Mar 1977, in Harris County, Texas. Her father name was Joseph. Any and all information well be helpfull.
- Displaying 1-8 of 8 Journals | <urn:uuid:34173d0d-c045-4293-8185-e7dfd0cdf383> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.familytreecircles.com/u/ElainaPage/?next=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962181 | 1,507 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Medical appointments can be so stressful for children, their parents, and the office staff who attend to crying, fearful children all day long. Fears can evolve into long term anxiety, so preparing your child with simulated experiences will often ease anxious moments. Children associate their doctor visit experience with previous appointments, so if your child has had a bad experience with a shot, help ease any anxiety by playing doctor often, and especially before a medical visit. Purchase a child’s play medical kit and add some simple first aid products of your own, including band aids, antiseptic wipes, and first aid cream.Add a popsicle stick to simulate a tongue depressor, and don’t forget the lollypop or stickers which your pediatrician might give out at the end of a visit. Siblings can be encouraged to play doctor, under supervision, as the use of popsicle sticks (for a tongue depressor) and first aid cream should be monitored for safety. Whenever your child has a scratch or cut, use items from his medical kit, and follow up by taking turns with all the other equipment, such as a stethoscope to check heart rates, or an otoscope to check for ear infections. The next time your child has a doctor appointment, invite him to take along his medical kit to show his doctor. Who knows? You might be raising your own doctor in the house! Read the full article “Help your child prepare for a doctor visit“. | <urn:uuid:d17dc59e-1595-437b-a237-a6e03669240a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldnews.com/bloggers/your-perfect-child/x1222858043/A-visit-to-the-doctor | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962883 | 300 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.
Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.
The events of 1692 are well-trod ground even for those who slept through history class. Grisly, sensational, and safely far away in time, the Salem witch trials are easily one of the most popular topics for school reports. Like many events sketched repeatedly in thumbnail fashion, the witch trials have become a caricature, a short-hand reference for fanaticism and the darker passages of America's colonial history. So it speaks to the strength of Kathleen Kent's writing that each page of The Heretic's Daughter erased more and more of the schoolbook history I thought I knew. I could not put this book down, and finished it all in one long, nerve-wracking, soul-wrenching gulp even though I knew what happened before I even cracked the cover. (Reviewed by Lucia Silva).
New York Times - Chelsea Cain
A powerful coming-of-age tale in which tragedy is trumped by an unsinkable faith in human nature.
Serviceable, if unexciting, historical fiction with a feminist perspective.
Amidst the painful details of jail and persecution, deep-seated suspicion and familial betrayal, it is this powerful act of love that crowns the book. Highly recommended.
School Library Journal
History is brought to life...[readers] will also appreciate the themes of family love, repression, intolerance, and persecution in this beautifully written and compelling first novel.
Starred Review. An illuminating literary debut.
Starred Review. [A] fresh, bracing and unconventional take on a much-covered episode.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Lisa Great Read I loved this book and passed it along to my daughter. The book is beautifully written and not only leaves you with a profound understanding/reminder of family and love, it provides you with a history of our past and reminds you what fear and... Read More
Rated of 5
by ReaderLady The Heretic's Daughter Ms. Kent is a very descriptive and engaging writer. Her painstaking research is obvious. However, the book is extremely sluggish in the beginning, and even later on. She gets bogged down in too many details and the story doesn't go anywhere for a... Read More
Rated of 5
by Cathy M. Enlightening book about the Salem witch trials. Kathleen Kent's novel, from the perspective of young Sarah Carrier, was moving and informative. The Salem witch trials, and that time in history, were obviously well researched by Kent and written so that the reader can see and feel what the... Read More
The Salem Witch Trials
From June through September of 1692, fourteen women and five men were hanged
in Salem Village on charges of witchcraft, and Martha Carrier was among them.
Nearly 150 men, women, and children were imprisoned, and an unknown number
perished while they languished in crowded jails for months until the trials were
brought to an end. One man was stoned to death in an effort to
force him to testify. Children were brought to testify against their parents, or
to admit to also being witches, and some were tortured. Many of the accused pled
guilty to save themselves from death, and were imprisoned and deprived of their
How it all began
In the early winter of 1692, 9-year-old Betty Parris and her 11-year-old
cousin Abigail Williams, began to have mysterious fits, writhing and contorting
in pain, making strange sounds, and claiming they felt as though they were being
pricked or pinched. When several other girls in the village began to exhibit
When her family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom, Lillian comes to America alone, determined to make her way in a new land. When word comes that her daughter, Sophie, might still be alive, Lillian embarks on an odyssey that takes her from the world of the Yiddish theater on New Yorks Lower East Side, to Seattles Jazz District, and up...
U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth... | <urn:uuid:5f335887-e4fd-4936-8784-6e76b9557e4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/2180/The-Heretic | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967248 | 1,048 | 2.0625 | 2 |
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Thousands queue for The Who in Southampton in 1970
2:32pm Tuesday 26th June 2012 in Archives
By Lewis Wedgwood
POLITENESS and courtesy might not be synonymous with the wild excesses of rock music.
But back in October 1971 genteel British manners triumphed when Southampton residents became desperate for tickets to see legendary rockers The Who. As the Echo reported: “Nearly 1,000 rock fans formed an orderly queue outside Southampton University waiting patiently for tickets to a concert by The Who in the city.
Clive Fisher, the press officer for the Events Office, added: ‘Everyone has been extremely well behaved’.”
The Hampshire branch of The Who’s fanbase showed a dedication that puts 21st century music fans to shame. In contrast to conveniently buying tickets and albums online with a few keystrokes the hardy Who fans had to queue for hours in a long, snaking line.
“By the time the box office opened early this afternoon the queue stretched for almost a quarter of a mile. Some of the fans had slept outside the university overnight to make sure of their tickets. Even the rain did not deter them. They carried umbrellas and plastic bags as protection, while one small group wore paper hats ingeniously made out of past issues of the Echo.”
A box office spokesman told the Echo: “I reckon there would have been many more but today is the first day of term and a lot are attending lectures.“ This was the zenith of the band’s career: they had just returned from their biggest US tour in July and August that year and their instrument- destroying antics had helped earn them the unofficial nickname ‘The World’s Greatest Live Rock’n’Roll band’.
This was also the year of their only UK number 1 album, Who’s Next, and their October 1971 tour of the UK, of which this Southampton date was their opening gig.
They arrived in the city fresh from headlining a benefit gig for Bangladesh at The Oval, attended by 35,000 fans.
But it wasn’t all camaraderie and community spirit when they visited.
Days before the concert, the Echo disclosed: “Large quantities of forged tickets are in circulation.
The organisers are now faced with a big headache – sorting out the real tickets when the fans arrive, to make sure that those fans with genuine tickets get into the concert.” | <urn:uuid:afd1038e-20c1-4ab6-b0f2-b4f8bd7f6b96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/heritage/archives/9782529.The_queue_for_The_Who/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963092 | 541 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Motors Continue to Operate in Antarctic -190°F Temperatures
maxon precision motors, inc. Posted 02/15/2012The Dome C telescopes in Antarctica must operate continuously in weather that is the most severe on the planet.
At Concordia Station in Antarctica there is a telescope mount that has been operating for a few years now. Just recently there was a new record temperature at the Dome C site, -84.6°C, or -199°F. Not many things operate well under such conditions, but the telescope mount — which has to move continuously — used for scientific studies by the Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice (LUAN) happens to be one of them.
Astro-Physics designs and manufactures telescope mounts and has proven that they work well in Antarctica through the installation of a number of their 900GTO and 1200GTO mounts that have been operating continuously at Dome C since the early 2000s. This is important because maintenance is so difficult there. Low temperatures and dangerous wind conditions prevent technicians from working outdoors, and the mount must be reliable 24 hours per day for the entire polar night lasting six months. Their latest mount installed at the site, the 3600GTO, is the largest mount used at Dome C to date.
As can be imagined, one of the most important aspects of every telescope in the world is the gear reduction system used in the mounting apparatus. In order for a telescope to maintain a consistent bead on a particular star or system, it must move continuously. If a telescope is not driven, the image of a star, for example, would be out of view very quickly. The higher the telescope magnification, the faster that target will appear to move.
So, in order for a target to stay “fixed” in the viewing field of a telescope, the mount has to move continuously. Astro-Physics’ precision mounting systems are for use with telescopes ranging from 50 pounds to ones like the Antarctica telescope that weighs a quarter ton.
"Every system we build uses maxon motors,” explains Wally Piorkowski, Head of Mount Production/Scientist for AstroPhysics. The grease used in the motor’s bearings is ideal for harsh/extreme temperatures, such as the severe conditions experienced at Dome C in Antarctica. Once in place, the maxon motors do not need to be greased which would never work in such severe conditions as those at Dome C in Antarctica. maxon motors also feature an ironless core designed with neodymium magnets, which provide the highest power available relative to motor volume. For mechanical commutation, the motors are provided with either graphite or precious metal brushes. And for the applications on mounts, the motors offered linear characteristics making them easy to implement. Of course, reliability is one of the more important characteristics that make maxon motors ideal for such an application.
There are two axes designed into each mount. One axis, the right ascension axis is mounted parallel to the Earth’s axis and follows the Earth’s movement. Actually, the motor is driven in the opposite direction of the Earth’s rotation so that the target object looks as though it is fixed in the sky. The reduction drive is designed by Astro-Physics. The company only uses maxon’s motor and encoder.
The declination axis is mounted at a right angle from the ascension axis. With the two axes mounted at right angles from one another, the operator can aim the telescope anywhere they want. The encoder is used so that the motor can adjust and correct its position on an intermittent basis.
“We use A-max motors for our smaller mounts and RE25 motors for mounts like the one at Dome C,” Wally said. The RE25 offers the highest torque per unit size in its class. “A major factor in using maxon motors, though, is that they have no cogging,” he said. Cogging or detent is the jerky motion most iron core motors exhibit while operating slowly. maxon motors use an ironless design that eliminates cogging, even at slow speeds like those needed for telescope mounting systems.
“Often our mounts are bought separately from the telescope itself,” Wally said. “Astronomy clubs, schools, associations, etc. buy the telescopic equipment and the mounting system separately then put them together themselves.” The company’s 3600GTO and 3600GTOPE mounts have also been installed in a variety of domestic locations including universities, research organizations, astronomy clubs, community organizations, and foundations committed to the education of children. Companies engaged in solar power research have also used the company’s precision mounting systems. | <urn:uuid:8eeb2c7c-e4d8-4bd2-ae74-1b53a743cd12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-Tech-Papers/Motors-Continue-to-Operate-in-Antarctic-190-F-Temperatures/content_id/3262 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938231 | 973 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC
landing on Edwards AFB
The launch occurred after a 1-month delay
because of technical reasons. Ulf
was the first non-American in a Space Shuttle. STS-9
carried the first crew of six persons and became the first mission of the
sponsored Spacelab (Spacelab 1, SL-1).
All in all 73 experiments were
carried out in the fields of atmospheric and plasma physics, astronomy, solar
physics, material sciences, technology, life sciences and Earth observations.
The effort went so well that the mission was extended an additional day to 10
days, making it the longest duration Shuttle flight to that date.
time before reentry two guidance computer crashed, but one of them was
succesfully rebooted. Just before landing two of the three auxiliary power
units (APU's) caught fire due to a hydrazine leak, but the landing was
succesful. The leak was later discovered after it burned itself out and caused
major damage to the compartment. | <urn:uuid:c31e244b-5646-447a-a4b5-292343b924c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-9.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944255 | 225 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Not sure I'd use the Ramset. I've used them before and they are great, but I would worry about putting a big crack in the brick. What I've done when i need to hang something from brick is use a concrete/masonry anchor. Use a masonry bit to drill out the hole, slip the anchor into place, and then drive your screw.
Doing some remodel work in our new studio space - has a lot of old brick in it. Need to hang some items - wanting to do it the right way.
I have a Ramset (uses a .22 shell to fire in the nail) that I have used on concrete before - great tool. I'm concerned I may have issues with it on the brick - anyone with experience?
Otherwise we'll just drill small holes and use screws.
The gun will destroy the old brick. Even using screws is being destructive to what sounds like vintage materials that deserve better. Can you get by with command strips? A generous supply of them is usually as strong as nails or screws and you respect the building.
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After those layoffs, only eight workers would be left to regulate the tens of thousands of doctors currently licensed to practice in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations, which regulates doctors and numerous other trades in Illinois, currently has 26 workers devoted to licensing, investigating and prosecuting doctors. Seven workers in Springfield could be laid off at the end of the year, along with 11 in Chicago.
The entire department is funded by licensing fees paid by the professionals it regulates, but DFPR says the fees for doctors aren’t high enough to cover the cost of regulating.
“We just can’t maintain current staff levels,” said Susan Hofer, spokeswoman for DFPR. The department wants state lawmakers to increase the licensing fee for doctors, which hasn’t increased since 1987. “Things cost more money now. We have to pay more than we did in 1987 and we’ve had additional responsibilities put on the department.”
While DFPR pushes for higher fees, the Illinois State Medical Society says higher fees could drive new doctors out of Illinois.
In a presentation given to lawmakers, DFPR states the layoffs could force delays in licensing of doctors, delay investigations of misconduct allegations against doctors, and allow fewer hearings held to discipline doctors who may have done wrong. That means a rogue doctor could operate longer before being caught and punished.
Doctors in Illinois currently pay $300 for a three-year license. The department started asking lawmakers in 2007 to increase the license fee to $600, citing higher costs and more functions regulators have to perform. DFPR projects the Medical Disciplinary Fund, which pays for doctor regulation and is funded by the licensing fee, will dry up in December.
To make the case for increasing the fee, DFPR says Illinois doctors would still pay less to renew a license than many other professions, and the total cost would be less than in many other states.
The Illinois State Medical Society opposes the fee increase.
Dr. William Werner, president of ISMS and a doctor of internal medicine at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, says medical schools in Illinois train thousands of new doctors each year, but more than half of new doctors leave the state. Werner warns that increasing fees for doctors could drive more new doctors away from practicing here. He also says many retired doctors who still do charity work may stop if it costs more to remain licensed.
“It would be a shame to drive those doctors out because they can’t afford a fee increase,” Werner said.
Even if the fee is increased immediately, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation wouldn’t see many proceeds until 2014 because doctors are on a three-year licensing cycle. The department is currently seeking an infusion of cash from other funds to sustain the medical regulatory unit in the meantime.
The Medical Practice Act, which provides a regulatory framework for doctors in Illinois, has a built-in sunset provision and must be renewed periodically. Last week, the Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill extending the law for one year, but Werner says it used to be renewed in 10-year increments. He says lawmakers should return to that longer renewal period to provide stability in the medical industry. Until that happens, ISMS can’t even consider supporting a fee increase, he says.
“Every time the renewal comes up, we get the discussion of whether we should raise the fee,” Werner said. “It would contribute to the unfriendly environment we have in Illinois if the fee is increased. We don’t want to drive more doctors out of Illinois.”
Contact Patrick Yeagle at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:51a1a9b2-cbf4-4abe-beaa-0ce177f40d8d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-10797-illinois-laying-off-18-medical-regulators.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96351 | 754 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Adams Morgan resident Jason Rosenbaum created his own Metro bus tracking app after the Nextbus app stopped working in December. BusTrack DC is now available for free download in the Apple iTunes store.
"I was looking for a replacement for the app that stopped working," Rosenbaum told Patch. "I built this because I use this app every day," he added.
The new app relies on a public feed of GPS data that WMATA publishes. It acts as an interface to allow your phone to use that data in a meaningful way.
Rosenbaum described the key features in an email:
- finds bus stops near your current location, so you can see where you have to walk to catch the bus
- clicking on stops brings up real time predictions from WMATA for when each bus line is due next at that stop
- for buses without predictions from WMATA, the lines are still listed so you know what bus lines service that stop
- clicking on a line brings up a route map for that line, so you can figure out if that mystery bus coming down the block is going your way.
The app is free and open source, so other programmers can help create copies for Android and Blackberry and improve on what Rosenbaum created.
"I’m not an app developer. This is my first app," he said. "I wanted to make it open source. I wanted to allow people to help me make it better."
He said it took him about a month or a month-and-a-half of working on evenings and the weekends to develop the app using web technology that he was already familiar with.
He said his fiance did not mind since he was not "slaving" over the app.
On a lazy Sunday, "She’s reading the newspaper and I’m coding," he said with a laugh.
You can download the BusTrack DC app for your iPhone for free here.
Read more about the app on the website Rosenbaum created for it. Though the app is free, there is a PayPal button on the site if you want to donate something for it. | <urn:uuid:e163c0dd-2c8e-49ea-acbf-2a3fd7ec2a73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://delray.patch.com/articles/dc-resident-develops-new-bus-app-ffdaad3e | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969127 | 434 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Stand up to standoffs
Standoffs combine glass and metal to connect panels, display merchandise and mount signs or art to a wall; or to build displays, furniture and countertops.
Creative use of standoffs can be seen at the new Cerritos Public Library in
“We welded the stair rails in T-sections with curved vertical pieces,” says Ed Tengler, owner of Metallon. “Not even the balconies had straight sections. To attach the laminated glass panels, we used C.R. Laurence Co. standoffs. They are easy to work with and create a nice effect.”
Attached to the vertical rails are steel ears or plates to support the 9⁄16-inch decorative glass panels. Standoff bases were used as spacers between the steel plates and the glass. Since some areas needed to extend the glass further from the rail, the design used a combination of bases that range from 1⁄2 inch to 11⁄2 inches in length.
ColorPro LLC in
Floating in space
Fortune Dynamics’ high-end warehouse in the City of
Larry Shar, Aital’s owner, says that when the customer wanted the glass panels to give the appearance of “floating in space,” Shar suggested using standoffs. “They give a neat, clean appearance with no frame,” he says. “All of the glass used was fabricated by [the
Panels placed on columns, walls, stairways and even a glass countertop bear 11⁄4-inch diameter standoffs to attach the glass, and 1⁄4-inch flush mount caps on the outside surfaces. For this project, CRL also fabricated the custom aluminum railing posts for the stairways and provided door rails and openers for the all glass entryways.
Raised sinks and counters
Standoffs also have applications in residential settings. Monique Studio, an art glass studio in
This application demonstrates the studio’s slogan, “Artistic glass solutions.” Owner and artist Monique Feldman says, “After meeting with the customers and discussing their needs, we brainstormed and came up with this design. Aesthetically, they wanted a neat, clean look, something that made the countertops and sinks appear to ‘float’ above the cabinets. When the light filters through the glass, you can see rings of reflections on the wood surface, creating a nice effect.” Standoffs were used to raise and fasten the glass pieces and on makeup tables in the room.
CRL offers a family of standoff products that can be used independently or together to create designs and embellishments in commercial, residential and display applications. Architects and glaziers can choose from round, square and slot mount standoffs; custom standoffs; round, square, low-profile, and flush-mount cap assemblies; edge grips; accent rings; and swivel fittings. They come in finishes including chrome, brass, brushed stainless, satin chrome, gun metal and powder coat colors; and in widths from 1⁄2-inch, a favorite for lighter glass displays or signage, to 11⁄4-inch, for heavier thicknesses of glass. | <urn:uuid:b1c6c6ef-6158-4cc6-8210-37985335cba4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.glassmagazine.com/article/commercial/stand-standoffs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932618 | 674 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Since September 2008, over 300 children (18 and under) and over 600 youth (under age 26) have been killed by violence. In response to this crisis and to prevent future violence, we are suspending Urban Dolorosa to focus our energies on two new partnerships. Please Join Us!
It is the mission of Chicago’s Citizens for Change (CCC) to strengthen communities and reduce youth violence through outreach to the surviving family members and loved ones of homicide victims. CCC will facilitate the resiliency of families and youth through trained crisis teams, a telephone hotline, a web-based guide to Chicago-area services, and peer support opportunities for parents and youth siblings to become involved in restorative peace-making and anti-violence work. Stay tuned for ways to contribute and volunteer.
CROSSwalk began as an ecumenical pilgrimage for peace – a march during Holy Week from St. James Cathedral, to Daley Plaza, to Old St Patrick’s Church, and concluding at Stroger Cook County Hospital. CROSSwalk is committed to organize churches and volunteers to raise awareness about youth violence, to support community-based peace-making efforts, and to advocate for change until all children are safe.
Urban Dolorosa means “The Sorrowing City.” We seek to raise awareness about the epidemic of youth violence in our city and to recruit religious leaders and pastoral care volunteers to minister to families and youth traumatized by violence.
During the first week of November 2011 – in coordination with All Saints, All Souls, and Day of the Dead – Urban Dolorosa organized five multicultural and multimedia memorial concerts in five different neighborhoods. Over 2000 people attended to remember children killed in violence, to support grieving families and traumatized communities, and to commit together to end this violence.
Check out the following media stories:
Urban Dolorosa featured on Different Drummers
NBC5 – Mayor Emanuel at St. Sabina Concert
Manya A. Brachear for the Chicago Tribune (article & video)
Photography from Columbia College Students
More photos on Facebook
The Memorial Events will be the world premier of original sacred music by South African composer Vaughn Fayle with libretto (lyrics) by Susan Johnson.
They will feature…
- Documentary photography by award-winning Carlos Javier Ortiz.
- Soprano Jade Maze and Baritone Khary Laurent.
- Chicago Community Chorus with conductor Dr. Keith Hampton.
- Johnson College Prep Choral Program.
- Youth Choir and Marimba Ensemble from Holy Cross/IHM Parish.
- Chamber Soloists of North Park University.
- Spoken Word poetry by Mama Brenda Matthews.
- Artistic Direction by Steppenwolf for Young Adults.
This collaboration combines classical and folk music styles, an African-American youth choral group from Englewood, an Hispanic chorus and marimba group from Back of the Yards, a chamber ensemble from the north side, with documentary photography, spoken word poetry, and a candlelit vigil.
The events will be artistically beautiful, creating an ethos of sacred remembrance, but more importantly, they will bring our city together across neighborhood, racial, ethnic, religious, and economic dividing lines.
We must come together – we must mourn and work together – we must remember forward – if we are to end youth violence in Chicago.
Announcement for Memorial Events
and Official Public Flier
Your participation is vital to honor these children and families and to support peace in our city.
Union Star Missionary Baptist Church in Humboldt Park hosted our second Peace Table gathering. It was intentionally a smaller group of clergy and high risk youth, with about 40 youth and 30 clergy and CeaseFire workers.
There was a frank discussion of perceived urban myths, or things people often say or assume about youth violence that are not true.
Our first Peace Table on July 27 was a promising success. Attendance exceeded our expectations, with 50 clergy, 60 youth, and 20 CeaseFire youth workers. We had a diverse collection of clergy and lay leaders – Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Interfaith, and Muslim. CeaseFire brought high risk youth ranging in age from 16 to early 20s. We sat together at round tables over Subway sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks, and talked – that is, the youth talked and the clergy listened.
Join us first Fridays for contemplative worship and prayer. Taizé worship blends meditative worship with silence and candle-light. We invite all spiritual pilgrims in our larger Hyde Park and South Side community to seek with us the peace of Christ for ourselves and our world. Please join us for worship at 7:30 pm and for a community dinner at 6:30 pm. Let us know if you or your faith community would like to get involved in planning these ecumenical services. | <urn:uuid:e262454f-1a0f-4979-a8d3-a9e4869f9c83> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbandolorosa.org/blog/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932017 | 998 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Canadian Government Orders Deportation of U.S. Soldier who Refused to Return to Iraq
Rivera fled to Canada with her husband and children in 2007 to avoid returning to the war. She applied for refugee status, the first female to do so, but was denied by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
Rivera, who grew up in Mesquite, Texas, first enlisted in the Army Reserves in July 2001, but was discharged after it turned out she was pregnant. Struggling financially, she reenlisted in 2006 and was sent to Iraq in October of that year. For three months she served as a gate guard at a forward operating base.
Soon she began to question the purpose of U.S. involvement in Iraq. “Why am I here? What am I giving my life for? How am I helping my comrades and Iraq's people? What harm do I see here that would affect the safety of my family back home? Is what I am doing self-defense or aggression?”
Home on leave, she and her husband decided to drive from Texas to Canada, crossing the border on February 18, 2007.
If she returns to the U.S., Rivera will face court-martial and possible time in jail. The Canadian government has given her until September 20 to leave the country. Rivera’s lawyer says her client may appeal to a Canadian federal court.
During the Vietnam War, an estimated 40,000-50,000 draft-age Americans fled to Canada, where they were given safe haven. However the government of Stephen Harper, who has been prime minister of Canada for the last 6 ½ years, has been more hostile to U.S. war resisters.
-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
US Soldier May Appeal Canadian Deportation Order (by Charmaine Noronha, Associated Press)
Iraq War Resister Kimberly Rivera Ordered Deported To U.S. (by Patty Winsa, Toronto Star)
Kimberly Rivera Chooses Canada over Unjust War (Courage to Resist)
- Top Stories
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- Pacific Islanders Ask U.S. Military to not Use Pagan Island for Target Practice
- Wrongful Death Lawsuit against Wells Fargo in Wrongful Foreclosure Case
- Ambassador from Chad: Who Is Maitine Djoumbe? | <urn:uuid:0d92dde7-cb36-4200-b169-62e9624f7151> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.allgov.com/news/us-and-the-world/canadian-government-orders-deportation-of-us-soldier-who-refused-to-return-to-iraq?news=845184 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9627 | 557 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Validation of ITU-T P.563 Single-Ended Objective Speech Quality Measurement
[Engineering Report] ITU-T Recommendation P.563 defines a single-ended method for objective speech quality assessment. The P.563 objective speech quality measurement method predicts the subjective absolute category rating (ACR) listening quality. The accuracy of the P.563 algorithm was tested against data from subjective listening tests. It was found that P.563 compresses the corresponding MOS (mean opinion score) value range for coded speech. For AMR coded speech with GSM and 3G radio channel errors, the MOS value range was from about 1.2 to 4.0, while the corresponding P.563 MOS-LQO range was from about 3.0 to 3.6. The quality of the modulated noise reference unit (MNRU) and direct samples was predicted better.
Click to purchase paper or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the AES Journal then you can look for this paper in the institutional version of the Online Journal. If you are not an AES member and would like to subscribe to the E-Library then Join the AES!
This paper costs $20 for non-members, $5 for AES members and is free for E-Library subscribers. | <urn:uuid:f8832107-90fc-4fe5-95ad-76ea39111fde> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=13889 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920372 | 271 | 1.742188 | 2 |
SEATTLE — The relationship between migraine headaches in women and a significant reduction in breast cancer risk has been confirmed in a follow-on study to landmark research published last year and conducted by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The new study found a 26 percent reduced risk of breast cancer among both premenopausal and postmenopausal women with a clinical diagnosis of migraines.
The study appears in the July 2009 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. It was led by Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., a breast-cancer epidemiologist and associate member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division. Li led the first-of-its-kind study linking migraines with breast cancer risk reduction that was published in the same journal last November.
This time researchers found that the risk reduction remained statistically similar regardless of a woman’s menopausal status, her age at migraine diagnosis, use of prescription migraine medications or whether she avoided known migraine “triggers” such as alcohol consumption, smoking and taking hormone replacements. These triggers are also well-established breast cancer risk factors.
Some key differences between this study and the initial one that discovered the link include:
- The sample size was more than four times larger this time — more than 4,500 cases and controls versus about 1,000 each in the first study — and was more diverse geographically, drawing women from five metropolitan areas instead of only one. “From an epidemiological perspective, having a larger and more diverse study in its underlying population helps in replicating the finding,” Li said.
- The age range of women studied was wider this time, 34-64 years of age versus 55-74 years old. “We were able to look at whether this association was seen among both pre-menopausal and post menopausal women,” Li said. “In breast cancer this is relevant because there are certain risk factors that are different between older and younger women. In this study we saw the same reduction in breast cancer risk associated with a migraine history regardless of age.”
- Researchers were able to ascertain whether women in the study had lifestyle behaviors that are known migraine triggers ? alcohol consumption, smoking and taking hormone replacement therapy. Researchers posited that perhaps women who had migraines drank and smoked less and didn’t take hormone replacements. “But in this study we looked at women who never drank, never smoked and who also didn’t use hormones and found the same association within each of those groups, suggesting that the association between migraine and reduced breast cancer risk may be independent of those other factors and may stand alone as a protective factor,” he said.
What remains unknown is how migraine confers its apparent protection against breast cancer. “We know that migraine is definitely related to hormones and that’s why we started looking at this in the first place,” Li said. “We have different ideas about what may be going on but it’s unclear exactly what the biological mechanisms are.”
In the meantime, research on migraines and breast cancer continues. Li and his colleagues are conducting a follow-up investigation among the women in the first study to determine the types, timing, intensity and severity of their migraines in hopes that the data may elicit additional clues.
And, the research group has submitted a third study for publication that found that the association between migraine and reduced breast cancer risk holds up independent of whether women with migraine took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Earlier studies linked these medications to reduced breast cancer risk as well.
(Note to editors and writers: Please contact Dean Forbes at the Hutchinson Center to schedule an interview with Dr. Li or to obtain a copy of his paper, “Relationship between Migraine History and Breast Cancer Risk among Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women.” Contact details are at the end of this release.)
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit fhcrc.org. | <urn:uuid:80c3c39b-b1aa-4a23-93fe-69d19f0d891b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scienceblog.com/22823/link-between-migraines-and-reduced-breast-cancer-risk-confirmed-in-follow-up-study/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962625 | 912 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Bank Supervision, Regulation, and Instability During the Great Depression
Even after controlling for local economic conditions, differences in state bank supervision and regulation contribute toward explaining the large variation in state bank suspension rates across U.S. counties during the Great Depression. More stringent capital requirements lowered suspension rates while laws prohibiting branch banking and imposing high reserve requirements had the opposite effect. States that endowed bank supervisors with the authority to liquidate banks minimized contagion and credit-channel dislocations and experienced lower suspension rates. Those that gave their supervisors sole authority to issue bank charters and that granted their supervisors long terms strengthened the incentives for bank lobbyists to influence supervisory decisions and consequently experienced higher rates of suspension.
Published: Mitchener, Kris James. "Bank Supervision, Regulation, And Instability During The Great Depression," Journal of Economic History, 2005, v65(1,Mar), 152-185. | <urn:uuid:b73c8b01-89b2-4e68-a860-3d3f18a46ed3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nber.org/papers/w10475 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927908 | 182 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Americans oppose any cuts to the country’s largest social safety net programs in order to reduce the federal deficit according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll (PDF). Two-thirds of Americans want no reductions in Social Security, 59 percent want no cuts to Medicare, and 53 percent want no reductions in Medicaid spending. On the other hand, 57 percent would support either major or minor reductions in defense spending to reduce the deficit.
There is a legitimate concern that while Medicare will be seen as too politically popular (and seniors too politically powerful) to touch, a bipartisan budget deal will result in big cuts to Medicaid, which serves people who tend to have less of a voice in politics.
After all, every member of Congress is inherently paid a good salary and tends to hang out (by choice or necessity) mainly with rich people. While most every member of Congress is likely to turn 65 or have friends and family on Medicare someday, it is rare for them to have a deep personal involvement in Medicaid. This can create the false impression within the Washington bubble that “most people” don’t use or care about Medicaid.
This is just not the case, though. The poll found 49 percent of Americans felt Medicaid was very or somewhat important to their family. While cuts to Medicaid are slightly more acceptable to the American people than cuts to Medicare, Medicaid is still very popular and people don’t want it cut. | <urn:uuid:fe3048ff-fa64-4977-af0f-0210fdcebb09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/05/25/majorities-oppose-any-cuts-to-medicare-medicaid-or-social-security/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961821 | 288 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Birmingham Friends of the Earth Newsletter February 2002/March 2002
Two New Groups
In December two new FOE local groups were established, both as it happens in
Worcestershire. Malvern FOE are working on slower speeds and safety issues and
campaigning to establish a cycle route from Malvern to Upton upon Severn. More
is available on website www.malvern-cycleway.org.uk. The group hopes to raise
FOE's profile in and around the town by a variety of methods including electronic
networking, socials and informal campaign-led meetings.
Meanwhile, attending B'ham FOE Monday evening meetings and missing the last train
home, Alistair Waugh and Simon Venables decided that forming a local group in
Redditch might be a better option. A meeting was arranged in the Knowledge Cafe
on December 12th to which 10 people turned up and all expressed an interest in
doing something in the local area- Redditch FOE was up and walking! There have
been a further couple of meetings and issues on the agenda include waste, pollution
and factory watch.
So good luck to both Malvern FOE and Redditch FOE in their campaigns for 2002.
(C) 2002 Birmingham Friends of the Earth | <urn:uuid:ca845502-8ddb-4b43-ab3e-795f826ccef8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://birminghamfoe.org.uk/newslet/news0202/STORY_30.HTM | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94376 | 264 | 1.539063 | 2 |
What constitutes learning in the 21st century? Should reading, watching, memorizing facts, and then taking exams be the only way to learn? Or could technology (used effectively) make learning more interactive, collaborative, and constructive? Could learning be more engaging and fun?
We construct, access, visualize, and share information and knowledge in very different ways than we did decades ago. The amount and types of information created, shared, and critiqued every day is growing exponentially, and many skills required in today’s working environment are not taught in formal school systems. In this more complex and highly-connected world, we need new training and competency development—we need to design a new learning environment.
The ultimate goal of this project-based course is to promote systematic design thinking that will cause a paradigm shift in the learning environments of today and tomorrow. Participants are not required to have computer programming skills, but must have 1) a commitment to working in a virtual team and 2) the motivation to help people learn better. All of us have been involved in the learning process at some point in our lives; in this course we invite educators, school leaders, researchers, students, parents, entrepreneurs, computer programmers, illustrators, interface designers, and all those who are interested in working together, to create a new learning environment.
After the completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify advantages, disadvantages, limitations, and potentials of at least 10 interactive learning models and solutions.
- Describe how online communication, collaboration, and visualization technology play a role in the behavioral, cognitive, constructivist, and social dimensions of learning.
- Describe the major components and processes involved in development of interactive education systems.
- Communicate rationales of learning technology design approaches through team-oriented collaborations.
- Evaluate the value of ideas, principles, and techniques used in educational media or systems.
As a Final Team Project, students will design a new learning model catering to 21st century environments and learners. Each self-formed team will design and develop an application or system that combines team interaction activities and learning support features in ways that are effective and appropriate for today's computing and communication devices. Students must consider potential idiosyncrasies with various learning devices (e.g., tablet, phone, PC), infrastructure requirements (e.g., cellular network, wi-fi, Bluetooth), and any special hypothetical circumstances if relevant. In addition, each team must create and defend a business model (non-profit, for-profit, or hybrid) for the launch and scale up their solution.
Additional consideration will be given to teams that come up with system feature ideas presenting meaningful learning interaction and performance analytics.
Paul Kim is Chief Technology Officer and Assistant Dean for Stanford University School of Education. His courses focus on contextualized innovations in education, mobile empowerment design, and enterprising higher education systems. He is currently one of senior researchers for Programmable Open Mobile Internet, an NSF project to develop and evaluate ubiquitous wireless mobile computing and interactive systems for K-20 formal and informal learning and assessment scenarios. He is also working with numerous international organizations in developing mobile empowerment solutions for extremely under-served communities in developing countries. In his recent experiments in Latin America, Africa, and India, he investigated the effects of highly programmable open mobile learning programs with literacy, numeracy, and entrepreneurship education programs (e.g., math games, storytelling, and farming simulations). As part of his research, he is also exploring mobile wireless sensors in simulation-based learning and ePortfolio-based assessment to promote creativity and critical thinking in problem solving and innovation designs.
In the higher education space, he advises investment bankers and technology ventures focused on e-learning, knowledge management, and mobile communication solutions. His due-diligence engagements include early-stage angel funding and also later-stage private equity-based investments for large enterprises such as Grand Canyon University (Stock symbol: LOPE), Northcentral University, NCA/HLC accredited online universities, and Penn Foster College acquisition by The Princeton Review (Stock symbol: REVU). His recent international advisement cases include Saudi Arabia national online university initiative, institutional development for Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador, and WASC accreditation for CETYS Universidad, Mexico.
He has a Ph.D. degree in Educational Technology and previously served as Chairman of the Board for Intercultural Institute of California, Executive Director of Information Technology for University of Phoenix (Stock symbol: APOL), and Vice President & CIO for Vatterott College, a for-profit colleges invested by private equity funds made of endowment funds from IVY league schools. He is currently a board member for WestEd and committee member for International Grand Challenges . For more information, please visit Paul's homepage.
The course runs from Oct 15 - Dec 20, 2012.
4 hours a week.
You need a computer that allows you to watch the video lectures, and the ability to upload your assignments which will be digital artifacts such as powerpoint or video presentations.
Statement of Accomplishment
Subject to satisfactory performance and course completion, you will receive a statement of accomplishment signed by the instructor. This statement will not stand in the place of a course taken at Stanford or an accredited institution. | <urn:uuid:3a76f3c7-b713-4158-9421-9148b03acada> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://venturelab.stanford.edu/education | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925966 | 1,084 | 3.9375 | 4 |
Pets Fill a Special Role in Seniors' Lives
Having a pet can be a boon to body and soul—especially as we age. Seniors can benefit greatly from pet ownership
Pets offer companionship, something to nurture, unconditional love, and a sense of security in new situations. And pets can relieve stress, which may help explain why studies have found that pet owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The nurturing role
Taking care of an animal that cares about you and responds to you can help with loneliness and depression.
The fact that you have to attend to a living creature gives structure to your life. If you have to feed your pet, you're more likely to get moving in the morning. The opportunity to nurture fills an essential need that can no longer be filled by grown children or by grandchildren who may not live near.
Pets provide us with the kind of nonjudgmental love we all need but probably don't get enough of. Everyone needs to laugh and play, no matter what our age. There's great joy in tossing a ball around or playing keep-away with your dog's favorite toy.
The social role
Pets can also fill a social role in the lives of seniors who are uncomfortable with social relationships, or in starting new ones after a spouse has passed away. Having a pet offers an opportunity to meet other people, to talk about your pet.
To test this statement, a group of researchers outfitted older adults with tape recorders, then sent them out to walk their dogs. They found the dogs accounted for a lot of conversations. The owners talked constantly to their pets, and when they encountered a friend, the dogs were a major topic of conversation—even when the pet owners were walking without their dogs.
This socializing effect is also true for people who are disabled. If they have a dog, peers are much more likely to approach them.
The physical benefits
Pets also carry physiological benefits. For example, walking a dog is exercise for both you and your pet.
Just petting an animal lowers your blood pressure (and that of the animal). Older adults who take care of a pet tend to do better at eating, exercising, caring for themselves, and getting around.
Some studies have found that pet owners have lower cholesterol levels.
Older adults who own pets visit their health care providers less often than those who don't have pets, according to one study. That's true even for people experiencing major stress, such as dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Finding a pet
If you are interested in getting a pet, contact your local humane society or animal control society, rescue organization, shelter, a veterinarian, or a dog trainer. Avoid mismatches by selecting a pet appropriate to your lifestyle and mobility.
Training a boisterous puppy that will require a lot of exercise might seem too daunting. An adult dog is a better choice, but where do you look? A lot of adult dogs given up to shelters are the last to be adopted. But some of them make the best pets for seniors because they are already housebroken and well trained, with good temperaments.
If you don't feel up to having a pet at home full time, one of your local animal societies might be able to link you with a volunteer willing to share a pet with you for a few hours each week. Many rescue organizations need temporary foster homes for cats and dogs that are awaiting adoption, and will provide food and medical care for animals that are fostered in private homes. And in some programs, volunteers bring pets into nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and even hospitals. | <urn:uuid:7b98c4a1-068e-4d6c-b85c-2e1318adf5d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/Encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=92 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966112 | 741 | 2.453125 | 2 |
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SOURCE Seafarer Exploration Corporation
Phase I survey shows evidence that a large part of the wreck is buried in a relatively compact area
TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Seafarer Exploration Corporation (Seafarer) (OTCQB: SFRX) announced today that they have completed phase I on a shipwreck site located near Lantana Beach, FL and are moving into Phase II, a dig and identify permit which allows Seafarer to dig and determine various artifacts to help identify the ship. The final phase of excavation will be Phase III, full salvage.
Seafarer received a permit from the State of Florida for a shipwreck site located off of Lantana Beach, Florida in 2012. The site has recently been surveyed using a Geometrics 882 Cesium Vapor Magnetometer and this survey work showed compelling evidence that a large part of the ship lies buried in a relatively compacted area. Having completed phase I of the mapping survey and underwater video, Seafarer is preparing to begin digging and identifying the wreck. Items found and documented on this site in past explorations by third parties suggest the wreck could be a French or Spanish ship from the late 1600s. It will require more work to determine with accuracy.
Kyle Kennedy, Seafarer's CEO, stated "While we have dig sites currently under permit, the Lantana Beach site represents one of our more intriguing ventures. In many cases historic shipwrecks are spread out over wide areas which can cause exploration and recovery to be very time consuming and expensive but this particular site looks very compact. We are very excited by what we discovered in Phase I and are eagerly anticipating Phase II which will begin immediately after obtaining our Department of Environmental Protection and US Army Corps of Engineers permits."
Seafarer also announced a new collaboration with Dr. John de Bry, a paleographer specializing in sixteenth- through eighteenth-century French, Spanish and English manuscripts who also serves as the Director of the Center for Historical Archaeology in Melbourne, FL. Dr. de Bry has also participated in a number of field excavation projects in the United States, the Caribbean, South America and the Philippines and will provide technical expertise on Seafarer's many excavation projects.
"We are moving forward on various fronts," Kennedy continued. "In addition to the Lantana Beach site we are continuing to conduct exploration at a site near Juno Beach, FL site, and are beginning a research and design report for a proposed salvage permit on another site in northern Florida. While not involved in salvage, Dr. de Bry will give us excellent guidance in these, and many other endeavors, to help us identify what we have uncovered as well as providing additional training in conservation and in-depth research. His research and reports will be shared with the state of Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research to further their body of knowledge and help future generations."
Dr. de Bry added "I am pleased to provide guidance to Seafarer and look forward to helping them raise the bar in archaeology standards and procedures. With an in-depth database developed over 40 years, I should be able to provide significant research and identification of artifacts, which will be shared with the state of Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research."
Further bio on Dr. John de Bry:
Dr. John de Bry is a world-known Historical archaeologist, historian and paleographer specializing in 16th through 18th century French, Spanish, and English manuscripts. He has conducted extensive research in European repositories. One of Dr. de Bry's expertise and specialties is the underwater archaeology of Spanish, French, and English shipwrecks and the analysis, dating and identification of material culture. He has participated in a numerous excavation projects in the U.S. (including high profile projects such as the La Salle Shipwreck Project; see April 1997 Smithsonian Magazine, and the May 1997 issue of National Geographic Magazine), the Caribbean, South America, Madagascar, and the Philippines. He holds a MA in history and a doctorate in Post-Medieval History. He currently serves as the Director of the Center for Historical Archaeology in Melbourne Beach, Florida. Dr. de Bry is also a direct descendant of the Fleming engraver Theodore de Bry who published, with the help of his family, the Great Voyages, notably the 1591 Brevis narratio that depicted and narrated the second voyage to Florida by Rene de Goulaine de Laudonniere and the establishment of Ft. Caroline. A member of the Florida Archaeological Council, he works in close collaboration with various universities and museums as well as the State of Florida's Bureau of Archaeological Research in Tallahassee.
Seafarer is currently pursuing other projects and wreck sites and would like to extend an invitation to anyone who might have discovered a wreck site or something of historical importance to contact us.
About Seafarer Exploration Corp. (www.seafarercorp.com)
Seafarer Exploration Corp. is a publicly traded underwater salvage and exploration company. The principal business of the company is to develop the infrastructure necessary to engage in the archaeologically-sensitive exploration, documentation, and recovery of historic shipwrecks. The company has primarily focused on efforts to locate and recover artifacts and cargo from what is believed to be a sunken Spanish ship off the coast of Juno Beach, Florida. Management believes that if artifacts and cargo are recovered, a portion of the recovered items will be in the form of treasure such as dated coins, gold and silver bullion, and emeralds. Additionally, the company has also been mapping and surveying their second site off of Lantana Beach, Florida, with positive results.
The press release may include certain statements that are not descriptions of historical facts but are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include the description of our plans and objectives for future operations, assumptions underlying such plans and objectives, and other forward-looking terminology such as "may," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "projects," or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of such terms. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. Such information is based upon various assumptions made by, and expectations of, our management that were reasonable when made but may prove to be incorrect. All of such assumptions are inherently subject to significant economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies beyond our control and upon assumptions with respect to the future business decisions which are subject to change. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that actual results will meet expectation and actual results may vary (perhaps materially) from certain of the results anticipated herein.
©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:e178ac33-9efc-416c-a667-3e4582361526> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wfsb.com/story/21296141/seafarer-obtains-dig-and-identify-on-lantana-site | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952723 | 1,451 | 1.6875 | 2 |
This week, Microsoft announced a blockbuster $8.5 billion deal to purchase Internet communications firm Skype. Judging from the commentary and feedback I've seen online, the deal is somewhat controversial, and most analysts I've seen quoted publicly have predicted little in the way of positive results. My own reaction is simple. I feel that Microsoft purchased Skype for two simple reasons: One, as a defensive measure to keep the company and its technology out of the hands of competitors like Facebook (and perhaps Google, though there is evidence now that Google wasn't interested).
Two, Skype is a great brand, and as both companies noted during a post-announcement press conference, it's one of the few tech brands that can be used as a verb. Good brands do matter, and they're hard to create, as Microsoft has discovered to its dismay with such expensive duds as Zune.
Both of these reasons are perfectly valid from a competitive or business strategy standpoint, and I think this is something many forget as they provide their knee-jerk reactions to the deal. My big question, however, is a bit more nuanced, and it goes something like this: Since Microsoft already has successful products in place that duplicate all of Skype's capabilities, why even bother with Skype?
To understand what I mean by this, you first need to understand these products and technologies. And my guess is that you haven't heard of, or at least don't know all that much about, at least one of them. The two main products of concern are Windows Live Messenger, which is aimed at consumers, and Lync, a business platform for communications that's available in both on-premise and cloud-hosted () forms.
Windows Live Messenger is broadly known as Microsoft's instant messaging client for Windows, but the truth is, it's more than that, a lot more. First of all, it's not available only for Windows; there are clients for the Xbox 360, Zune HD, Windows Phone 7 (sort of, a more integrated solution is coming in Windows Phone 7.5), on the web, on the Mac, on iOS (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad), and on various mobile platforms. Secondly, this application isn't just about chat: From just a communications perspective, Windows Live Messenger also supports HD video chat, audio chat, video messaging (video voicemail), and more.
Lync is less well known, but that's only because Microsoft has been rebranding its business communications tools of late. Lync is in fact the latest version of a product called Office Communicator that debuted, surprise, surprise, over 6 years ago. It provides communications features similar to Messenger, but aimed at corporate users, and also adds video conferencing, desktop and application sharing, live collaboration on whiteboards and PowerPoint presentations, and other business-friendly features.
From a technical perspective, Messenger and Lync are client-server systems in the sense that clients don't connect directly to one another but instead go through an Internet-facing server of some kind. Skype, however, utilizes a peer-to-peer system which requires more resources on each PC and, as it turns out, more bandwidth. (Skype's name comes from "Sky peer to peer".) For this reason, many networks actually try to ban Skype, and as users have moved more and more to highly mobile devices like smart phones, mobile operators have also tried to prevent Skype from sucking up their limited 3G bandwidth.
With this in mind, I ask again in slightly expanded form: Since Microsoft already has products that offer the same features as Skype, but in a less resource and bandwidth hungry form, why would it want to purchase Skype? (Outside of the two reasons I list at the top of this article.)
To find out, I watched, and rewatched, the Microsoft/Skype press conference, listened closely to what the various parties said, took notes, and tried to summarize this in a way that's more easily digesible. Here's what I found out.
"Communications is perhaps the most fundamental area in which technology can be transformative," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at the start of the press conference. "At Microsoft, we see enormous opportunity that brings together what people want--data, voice, video, IM, all on a single screen--whether it's a smart phone, a PC, a slate, or the TV. Microsoft and Skype together will define this future and what it really, really looks like."
There's not much I can add to a statement that nebulous. That's by design, of course: It's just an overly broad way of defining what a combined Microsoft/Skype will set out to accomplish.
Skype CEO Tony Bates offered a more detailed vision of the future later in the conference, noting that there were three key opportunities going forward: the core communications service (i.e. what Skype does today), new premium subscription packages (i.e. monetization, something we all knew/feared Microsoft would do here), and (in-app) advertising. He later mentioned the mobile space separately, but I'd argue that's a core area as well, and separate in many ways from the traditional (PC-based) Skype service because of the different expectations people have of mobile devices.
"Anytime people around the planet talk about communications, they talk about Skype," Ballmer said. "The Skype brand has become a verb, nearly synonymous with video and voice communications. Clearly, Skype has built an innovative product with global scale, and the number of Skype users is rapidly accelerating, which really was exciting to me. There are 170 million connected Skype users, growth of 40 percent year over year. That number is growing by 600,000 new registrations every day."
This is true, of course. But it's also true that Microsoft's consumer-oriented communications solution, Messenger, has a much larger user base, though growth figures are hard to come by. In 2010, the last time for which any figure is available, Messenger had over 300 million active users.
"Video chat capability [is] exploding," Ballmer continued. "It now represents more than 40 percent of all Skype use."
This, of course, is the big deal, not just now, but even more so going forward. Communications, of course, are evolving, and while text-based chatting and email will make sense for millions of people for years to come, more immersive forms of communication--like video chat and video conferencing--is the future.
Skype delivers this today, yes. But again, so does Messenger and Lync.
Show me the money
One of the biggest and easiest criticisms of the Skype deal is that Microsoft is spending a pretty lofty sum--at $8.5 billion, it's Microsoft's biggest-ever acquisition by far--for a company that has never really made any money. Worse, its previous owner, eBay, was so eager to get rid of this dog that it jettisoned the company after less than two years, taking a loss. (Less so now that Microsoft has purchased Skype, as it turns out.)
So why was Skype worth this lofty sum? And does Microsoft have any chance at all of earning back the price it paid?
According to Ballmer, Skype has "multiple revenue streams," though I'd describe it more as "multiple possible revenue streams." "Overall revenue has grown 20 percent year-over-year," he said, while not noting that profits were non-existent to tiny during this time period. He also mentioned advertising, though in a later Q & A, this possibility (which essentially amounts to pushing huge ads in-app at Skype users) was downplayed.
Normally, I'd argue that Microsoft will never have to--or be able to--justify or explain the expense of Skype because the technologies would obviously just be spread around the company, popping up in such products as Xbox 360, Office, Messenger, and so on, all of which are contained in different business units, each with its own financial reporting. But Ballmer actually claimed that Skype would be a new business unit at Microsoft--the Microsoft Skype division, literally--and this suggests that we will be able to see exactly how well it does. That's amazing. And I bet it's going to be consistently bad news.
Microsoft carted out CFO Peter Klein to prove the doubters wrong. He argued that Skype was "a strong growing business with an engaged user base, and great technology." (The company did recently post a tiny profit after losing money last year. I'll address the "great technology" aspect of this towards the end of this article.)
Why buy Skype? Why not just partner with Skype, as you did with Nokia?
I was interested to see Ballmer address this issue right up front, rather than have to be asked about it.
"We've been talking for a while about ... partnership opportunities, including partnering in the advertising area," he said. "Based on Skype's great market position and innovative technology though, it became clear to us that we had the opportunity to do even more together as a single company in a way that would be innovative and beneficial to customers, as well as both companies. So, we made an unsolicited offer to acquire Skype."
The message here, as I see it, is that every deal is different. Nokia, for example, was probably too big for an acquisition, and let's face it, the company (Nokia) hasn't fallen far enough to be able to handle such a sale. (Wait for it, though, it could still happen.) All you have to do is look at Microsoft's failed bid for Yahoo! to understand how much Microsoft (i.e. Ballmer) is willing to spend to get ahead ($45 billion). At $8.5 billion, Skype is arguably a bargain, and not to be a jerk about it, but Skype's business is at least forward-leaning. Yahoo! was (and still is) declining rapidly.
What about existing Skype users? What about existing Skype users with non-Microsoft PCs and devices?
Most Skype users don't pay the company a dime and many use Macs or non-Microsoft mobile devices. Surely these cheap cling-ons will be jettisoned as Microsoft subsumes Skype and starts improving the Skype clients, first with the Windows version and then maybe eventually it just gives up on the non-Microsoft clients. Right?
Not according to Ballmer. "We will continue to support non-Microsoft platforms, because it's fundamental to the value proposition of communications," Ballmer said. (Notably, he didn't bring this topic up on his own, but had to be asked about it in the Q & A.) "We're one of the few companies actually who has a track record of doing this. You take a look at the work we've done over the years with Office, for example, on the Mac. If you even take a look at some of the great work we've done with applications, on top of Apple, other Apple devices. I think we have a track record of understanding our customers and the need to support our customers, as they want to travel in various places."
"Fundamental to the value proposition of communications is being able to reach everybody, whether they happen to be on your device or not," he continued. "And I think that, in fact, will be one of our competitive advantages, both for the Skype communications services, and in fact, for the devices as we move forward."
How will Microsoft integrate Skype into its own products?
While Microsoft intends to keep shipping free, standalone versions of the Skype client, it obviously needs to maximize its usage of Skype technology to justify the expense of this purchase. And sure enough, Ballmer said that Microsoft would integrate Skype throughout its product portfolio. "We're committed to optimizing Skype for the TV, with Xbox and Kinect, for the Windows Phone, and the Windows PC," he said. "We [also] want to extend the reach of Skype by connecting Skype users with users of our Outlook products, our Lync enterprise unified communications product, Xbox LIVE, and other opportunities like Messenger and Hotmail."
Because Skype is perceived as a purely consumer technology, he explicitly called out his desire to "connect Lync to the rest of the Skype customer base," which he said customers would see as a huge value. I suppose so. Currently, you can manually add contacts from Messenger to Lync (assuming your business allows this federation capability), so I assume it would work somewhat like that.
Ballmer also hinted at Microsoft's plans to get Skype pushed out to more wireless carriers. "There will be a number of other new ways to work proactively and positively on the partnerships that we put in place with mobile operators around our Windows Phone," he said. "And that will be an area of focus as we get through the regulatory process." This suggests native Skype capabilities--i.e. IP-based text chats, phone-style audio conversations, and video chat on Windows Phone.
Ballmer also made an interesting comparison between Outlook and Skype, noting that this new product would fit into Microsoft's broader product portfolio in a way that is similar to Outlook. That is, it will sit neatly between both business and consumer usage scenarios. "You can manage all of your electronic mail communications, and calendar, your work life, personal life in Outlook," he said. "In a sense, what you could say here is that Skype joins in really quite naturally. It connects both work and home. And it fits into the context of the way that people live. It enables communication across all of people's lives, and all of their devices."
Fair enough. Certainly, if Skype is integrated across all of Microsoft's products that make sense, it would be pervasive and adoption (and use) could certain rise.
On the other hand, I again have to wonder: Why not just do this with the technologies that Microsoft already owned?
Boil this all down and a few facts emerge. First, as I noted at the top, this deal was clearly made, in part, to prevent Microsoft's competitors from getting Skype. The irony here, of course, is that Microsoft can now go back to these competitors--like Facebook, most obviously--and actually strike licensing deals whereby these companies pay Microsoft to use Skype technology in their own products and services. It's easy to imagine live audio and video chats on Facebook. It's equally easy to imagine them accompanied by a little blue Skype logo.
Second, also as noted above, Skype really is a great brand, with great recognition around the world. So while Microsoft may have its own communications solutions--Messenger and Lync--maybe they're not as well known or beloved as Skype. Maybe this puts the consolidated Microsoft communications portfolio over the top.
Third, and yes, I did mention this too, Skype and Messenger/Lync use different technologies. That is, Skype is peer-to-peer and Messenger/Lync is client-server. But this leads me to my final question: If Microsoft already had its own communications technologies, and those communications technologies were known to be in some ways superior to Skype's offerings--i.e., yes, they require a server somewhere, but they also consume less bandwidth and require less horsepower on each client devices--then why the heck did Microsoft buy Skype??
Interestingly, Google was once interested in buying Skype too. And the reason it didn't is because Skype's peer-to-peer communications technologies were too inefficient and Google figured it would lose two years rearchitecting it so it was simply easier (and better) to just start over from scratch. This episode is nicely told in Steven Levy's book "Into the Plex", but you can read a condensed version of this story in Wired:
"The worst thing about peer-to-peer is that it doesn't work well with Google,” product manager Wesley Chan told Levy during an amazing interview for In the Plex in February 2010. "Peer-to-peer just eats up your bandwidth, right, it's like the old technology." So if Google bought Skype, Chan concluded, it would have to rewrite the entire Skype platform. "It would've been disastrous," he said.
So here's Microsoft with its own client-server communications architecture(s). And what it says it's going to do is integrate Skype--which is based on peer-to-peer--with those existing products. Just like Google would have had to do. But Google walked away from this deal years ago.
So ... why did Microsoft buy Skype? | <urn:uuid:35fd8b42-acad-44b3-8749-cebee219924a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://winsupersite.com/print/article/cloud-computing2/microsoft-skype-136128 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971131 | 3,408 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Author seeks to comfort shooting victims
Durham author Alice J. Wisler (author of “Rain Song,” “Hatteras Girl” and other novels) has started the Sandy Hook Comfort Project to help grieving families in Newtown, Conn. Last week, several friends approached Wisler about sending copies of her new book “Getting Out of Bed in the Morning: Reflections of Comfort in Heartache” to families who lost children and loved ones in this month’s school shooting. Wisler’s book is her chronicle of loss: Her 4-year-old son Daniel died of cancer in 1997.
Thus far, she has raised enough to donate 15 copies to the families. For information about how to help with this project, visit Wisler’s blog at www.alicewisler.blogspot.com/.
In other books-related news:
-- Writer and teacher Georgann Eubanks continues her literary guidebook series. Her most recent guide, “Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont,” was published in 2010. In April, The University of North Carolina Press will publish her newest and last installment in this series, “Literary Trails of Eastern North Carolina: A Guidebook.”
An early page proof shows that Eubanks has divided this guidebook into three regional sections of eastern North Carolina. Within each region, she has written a guide (with directions) that connects homes, businesses and historic landmarks with writers and works of literature. Among the writers whose N.C. connections she chronicles are Charles Waddell Chesnutt, Robert Ruark, Phyllis Whitney, and many more. For more information, visit www.uncpress.unc.edu.
-- The Sacrificial Poets organization of Chapel Hill recently received 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The organization presents readings and slams in keeping with its mission, “helping youth empower themselves through creative expression.”
For information about this group, visit sacrificialpoets.com.
Send notices of readings and other events to email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:6a08a15b-1f3e-49ad-8fa7-485fc5ef5585> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldsun.com/lifestyles/x1445512125/Author-seeks-to-comfort-shooting-victims | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939489 | 448 | 1.5 | 2 |
What is a Blacklisted Website?
The Internet is a very vast field and contains a very wide array of web sites about various different topics and services. These web sites and web pages are known to often be about similar topics and there can be more than one web site about a certain topic. Sometimes certain web sites copy and paste material from other web sites and are there fore black listed or boycotted for plagiarism. This is called black listing and can be done by the federal board of Internet and services. There are other web sites that are blacklisted for leaking out the personal information of individuals to other sources and third parties and still other web sites that are black listed as they may contain viruses. | <urn:uuid:af17863e-6461-4a11-8256-557d749e4bff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibaroody.com/faq/Index.php?action=artikel&cat=3&id=59&artlang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960222 | 141 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Prior to child labor laws, the mining industry used to employ thousands of young boys.
The work was very dangerous and involved manual labor in an unpredictable and dangerous environment.
This particular photograph is of 11 year old Otha Porter Martin working the tipple at the Turkey Knob coal mine in Macdonald, West Virginia in 1908.
The tipple was the name of a cart used to carry the coal out of the mines.
The boys were responsible for "tipping" the tipple to unload the coal to be sorted.
The photograph was originally taken by Lewis Wickes Hine.
The color was added by illustrator that goes by the name Aviakatz.
11 years old....so crazy to even imagine. | <urn:uuid:ccd26323-c25a-4271-b9f4-ebfd099b7646> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coollikepie.com/3/post/2012/04/today-in-history29.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958587 | 150 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Friday people can eat great pizza, buy delicious desserts and help fund the fight against breast cancer.
Nalivka’s Pizza Kitchen will take part in “Slice of Hope, ” a program to aid the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation, a national charity based in Seattle.
“There are few families that haven't been touched by breast cancer, ” said Gay Nalivka.
“This is something that is near and dear to our hearts, ” said, explaining that family and friends have been affected by the disease.
That is what prompted them to join the nationwide program to raise funds for the foundation.
Ten percent of the sale of food on Friday will be donated to the charity, said Gay Nalivka.
The sale of desserts was really popular last year, she said, “so we decided to step it up a notch. ”
In addition, small desserts will be sold with the money going to the foundation.
Special big desserts will be auctioned off, she said.
To be auctioned off include:
• A Lady Baltimore cake, a raspberry-cream filled dessert.
• A cupcake tower with assorted speciality cupcakes.
• A gigantic neapolitan cake with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry cake.
• A chocolate chip mint cake.
“The big desserts will be great for bosses to take back and share with their staff, ” she said.
People will submit bids throughout the day. At 8:30 p. m., people will be notified if they won and the treats will be delivered to the winners.
The pizzeria will be open 11 a. m. to 10 p. m., as usual, she said. People can call 265-4050, and people are encouraged to come in any time to buy pizza and small desserts and bid on the big desserts.
The staff waiting on people will be dressed in “Slice of Hope” T-shirts, she said.
Last year, she said, there was such an outpouring of public support, the pizza ovens were stacked up. So, just as the pizzeria does on Christmas Eve, people can call in advance and tell the staff when they would like to pick up the pizza.
Slice of Hope is spearheaded by Pizza Today magazine editor Jeremy White.
White, Pizza Today publisher Pete Lachapelle and a small team of cyclists will bike from Lakeland, Fla., to Naples, Fla., this week to raise awareness for Slice of Hope’s fight against breast cancer.
More than 190,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed this year. And, sadly, approximately 40,000 women will die from the disease this year. That’s approximately 110 breast cancer deaths daily.
Nalivka said her business decided to take part in the program again this year because of the tremendous public support last year.
“We have the greatest customers in the world, and the best community support. ” | <urn:uuid:3d0eae85-5950-4f91-a2e2-999d3920129b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.havredailynews.com/cms/news/story-650051.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954824 | 625 | 1.609375 | 2 |
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See which majors are most popular at SCSU and what recent graduates plan to do after earning their bachelor's degree.
Discover how many students who start at SCSU finish their bachelor's degree and how long it takes.
Figure out what learning gains to expect in critical thinking, writing, and other important subjects at SCSU.
Southern Connecticut State University provides exemplary graduate and undergraduate education in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. As an intentionally diverse and comprehensive university, Southern is committed to academic excellence, access, social justice, and service for the public good.
Southern Connecticut State University, a flourishing community of over 11,000 students, is located less than three miles from downtown New Haven, near the artsy and historic Westville Village section of the city. Founded as a teachers college in 1893, Southern has evolved into a comprehensive university offering 116 graduate and undergraduate programs. More than 700 faculty members lead students through a wide range of studies and research specialties. Southern is proud to be an institution of the Connecticut State University System. Southern is in the midst of the first phase of a $230 million master plan to transform the center of campus. We are doubling the square footage of the Hilton C. Buley Library and upgrading the technology research tools. Engleman Hall has been vastly expanded, with more space devoted to academics, and in January 2006 we opened our new Michael J. Adanti Student Center, the hub of a dynamic student community.
Southern is located in New Haven, a historic seaside city founded by English Puritans in 1637. A center of culture and learning, New Haven has roots that go deep into New England history and education.
Southern is located in New Haven, a historic seaside city founded by English Puritans in 1637. A center of culture and learning, New Haven has roots that go deep into New England history and education. After all, Noah Webster compiled his first dictionary while living in New Haven. A dramatic reminder of New Haven's past is its downtown design, laid out in nine symmetrical squares. The most prominent is the center Green with its three landmark churches: Center Church (1812-15), a Georgian masterpiece housing a Louis Tiffany stained glass window; Trinity Church (1813-14), in the Gothic style; and the United Church on the Green (1812-15), in the classic Federalist design. Still the focal point for life in New Haven, today's Green is surrounded by modern office structures, government buildings, and trendy restaurants, making it an exciting and colorful place to be. For rest and relaxation, you can take advantage of the area's wealth of attractions. Besides movies, restaurants, and concerts, students enjoy world-famous theaters like the Yale Repertory, the Shubert, and Long Wharf, museums of art and natural history, and a whole range of sporting and seaside activities, from cruises on Long Island Sound to picnics at Lighthouse Point. And New Haven's nightlife has really taken off, with a whole new generation of clubs, shops, theaters, and restaurants. On any given evening, traffic stops while the good times roll. Today, New Haven is a multicultural city of more than 130,000 people. Thanks to its close proximity to major urban areas--just 90 minutes from New York City and fewer than three hours from Boston--New Haven plays a crucial part in the Northeast's economic, cultural, and social life. | <urn:uuid:6a486ad2-89dc-43dd-a34c-e6961a900048> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.collegeportraits.org/CT/SCSU | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945736 | 832 | 1.578125 | 2 |
An Experiment with Student-Centered Learning
In a spring 2001 study at Zayed University, located in the United Arab Emirates, we experimented with using laptops to make classroom instruction more student-centered. When students were surveyed about this instructional approach at the end of the course, although they liked the design elements of the course materials, most still would have preferred a teacher-centered lecture course. This finding underscores the value that students place on traditional classroom interaction, an element that is not readily available in distance education.
Zayed University was founded in 1998 as an Emirati women's institution that would provide student-centered learning using technology in small classes. All students and faculty at this university have laptops. All classrooms have high-speed broadband access (10-100Mbps) to the campus intranet and the Internet, as well as VGA projectors. Faculty integrate the use of technology into their teaching by displaying computer-generated lecture materials and designing classroom activities around student laptops.
A Departure from
the Lecture Format
Even with ubiquitous laptops, it is still challenging to attempt to move away from traditional teacher-centered teaching to student-centered learning. Traditional lectures, where the instructor determines the content and delivery, are exceptionally teacher-centered, so we sought a means to replace them with self-paced materials that students could access with their laptops during regularly scheduled classes.
Students could then progress at their own speed, pausing to look up definitions of words as necessary. (Although classes are taught in English, most of the students speak Arabic as their first language.) They could also follow links to supplemental information, according to their interests. Since the materials would be introduced in a classroom setting, students could choose to study either individually, with a partner, or in groups. They would even be permitted to use alternative means to cover the objectives to suit their learning styles.
Freed from the usual lecturing responsibilities, the instructor could act as a facilitator, observing student progress and providing guidance where needed. He or she could circulate through the classroom, answering questions and providing individualized attention, watch for problematic points, and provide explanations to the entire class. The instructor could also challenge individual students who were capable of more advanced work, encourage experimentation, and suggest leads for personal research.
Designing Self-Paced Materials
We considered various software packages for preparing the self-paced materials, and selected Microsoft PowerPoint. Although this software is typically used for preparing presentations, its multimedia authoring capabilities proved to be more than adequate for our task.
It provides complete layout control, easily scripted multimedia animations, and full linking capabilities, as well as full-screen display. Other multimedia authoring software would have required an additional investment of money or time, but PowerPoint was already available on our laptops and familiar to both the authors and the students. HTML was not used because it d'es not readily provide the layout or animation capabilities required.
With these goals in mind, 18 self-paced lessons covering the course objectives were written by the course instructor. Every lesson contained about 12 slides, each of which presented one chunk of information in three to ten sentences. The amount of text was purposely limited to avoid overwhelming students with text-filled screens, as found in many Web-based self-study programs. Sentences appeared on a slide one at a time, with an explanatory image enhanced by animated circles, arrows, or brackets to draw attention to relevant details. Students controlled the pace of the lessons by clicking to begin the animations.
As students began to use the lessons, we noticed that they often had trouble recognizing the end of a slide and so went on to a new slide before they were ready. To solve this problem, navigational arrows linking to previous and next slides were added to every slide. When the final animation is complete, the end of the slide is signaled by the changing colors of the navigational arrows and an audible chime. Another click takes the user to a new slide.
At the conclusion of the course, students were surveyed about the design features of the self-access presentations, as well as the self-paced approach to programming instruction. Most students were very positive about the design elements of the materials; the animations, links, and navigational arrows were all rated favorably. Sounds, however, were much less popular; in fact, a considerable number of students found them to be annoying.
The Students' Choice: Implications
for Distance Learning
What was most surprising was the response to the overall instructional approach. Though the students found the design of the materials quite satisfactory, given a choice, only 42 percent would have spent their class time using these materials; 52 percent would have attended traditional lectures instead. This led us to reconsider using self-paced materials.
Why would students prefer listening to lectures? Although students generally like to use their computers in class, interacting with computers for an entire session may be monotonous or fatiguing, especially if considerable reading is involved. Students reported that they took advantage of opportunities to collaborate when using the self-paced materials and almost never let questions go unanswered. Nevertheless, they still may have lacked confidence in their ability to teach themselves effectively. On a deeper level, when students attend a class, they assume that the classroom experience will have certain unique attributes. They expect to be engaged in activities that cannot be performed elsewhere or independently. They look forward to hearing unscripted lectures, with discussions that address their particular interests. They want to hear an instructor create novel analogies or use contextual humor to make a point. Self-study materials, no matter how well-designed, limit users to canned content, which may dilute their appeal to students.
These survey results have serious implications for online distance learning. Although many distance learning programs allow students to interact with other students and the instructor, this medium of communication is generally made available with text rather than sound, and so the reading load can become unacceptably heavy. An even greater concern is that the content of a distance course, whether presented by video, text, or multimedia, must be scripted, and thus will lack the spontaneity and responsiveness of a true classroom experience. Therefore, we would expect students to choose online distance education only when traditional classroom learning is not available. | <urn:uuid:3e40c5b3-3753-4b29-880d-a2db5bf49cc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://campustechnology.com/articles/2001/08/an-experiment-with-studentcentered-learning.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967537 | 1,264 | 3.046875 | 3 |
With the debate over the digitization of our cultural heritage in full swing it's time to propose the "No Information Left Behind" Act.
With lack of funding being the biggest hurdle many institutions face we need to get creative in coming up with ways to fund these endeavors. Our government must get more involved. We simply cannot leave it to the private sector. There are too many variables and potential pitfalls with having the digital rights of so many cultural artifacts in the hands of private companies. They may mean well now but things can change in a hurry in the private sector. What if one day Google is bought by a Chinese company? Would all the digitized material on protest and freedom of expression be censored?
Katie Hafner's article that appeared in the NYT last week "History, Digitized (and Abridged)" is a little off the mark when addressing this issue. It is a bit of a stretch to say "important pieces of history...are at risk of disappearing...are in danger of disappearing from the collective cultural memory, potentially leaving our historical fabric riddled with holes"
Will there not be any scholars left in this new digitized world who still do research the old fashioned way by traveling to the archive of choice and digging in? They will still need to physically travel to get the information they desire or look to other sources. As James J. Hastings of the National Archive points out "If researchers conclude that the only valuable records they need are those that are online they will be missing major parts of the story"
We can never achieve total digitization. There will always be information and knowledge that exists outside your computer. It is starting to sound eerily like the current situation we are in where a majority of our population gets all their news from watching the 6 o'clock news or one particular cable channel. To truly be informed you will always need input from more than one source. Let's not forget the internet is a tool not the end all when it comes to acquiring information. This is why the "No Information Left Behind" Act will also including funding to cover the travel expenses of scholars.
Another issue needs to be addressed as well. Beside the challenges libraries and special collections face regarding digitizing their holdings they also face a monumental task given the current funding issues of actually processing all the material they have in the first place. As I said before there is much of our literary and cultural heritage that sits in boxes in libraries all over this country waiting to be processed let alone digitized.
And the last hurdle that will prevent us from reaching the goal are our copyright laws. The legal noose that is wrapped around so much of our cultural content must be cut or at least loosened. Why can't all copyrights expire when the creator (or last of the creators) of the work dies?
Unfortunately the big media companies that own so much of our content are not going to give up easily. The meltdown has started for sure but the there is plenty of fight in them.
How does one fund the "No Information Left Behind" Act?
A couple of possibilities are:
-Assess a 1% digital archive tax on all new computers
-A tax on universities that spend more money on their athletic programs than on their library programs.
(these options assume that none of the zillions of dollars that are being wasted in Iraq are available to use to preserve our cultural heritage here at home)
The Digital Battle for our Literary Heritage
More on The Digital Battle for our Literary Heritage
Dan Cohen, author of Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web, post
CNet article from Oct 05 "Google's battle over library books." | <urn:uuid:2f2a4a05-6a8b-4f8a-bc3f-ba967b4eb595> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookpatrol.net/2007/03/no-information-left-behind-act.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946338 | 753 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Next presentation offering
To be determined
In December 2011 the North Museum of Natural History & Science began presenting its newest demonstration attraction.
It's a circular track of magnets above which a razor-thin disc amazingly levitates, seeming to defy the laws of physics.
Purchased for about $7,000 from Tel-Aviv University, the Levitator is believed to be the only one of its kind in a United States.
The program includes a variety of demonstrations related to magnets, levitation and liquid nitrogen, culminating in the demonstration of the Quantum Levitator. Free with museum admission.
Watch a short demonstration:
How it works:
The key to the levitator is the disc, which is made of superconducting material above layers of gold and sapphire crystal. A piece of foam is placed on top and held in place with household plastic wrap. The disc is then dipped into a brew of liquid nitrogen (temperature: minus-300 degrees Fahrenheit).
This creates a superconductor — an object that conducts electricity without resistance and no energy loss.
When placed atop a powerful magnet, the disc appears to float or be trapped by the magnetic field. The combination of magnetism and superconductivity create the levitation.
The disc doesn't have to remain flat but can be tilted and will maintain the same angle as long as it's above the magnet. You can even flip the magnet over without the disc falling off. | <urn:uuid:8a07efac-fcb3-4ea7-8319-cf8630efd879> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.northmuseum.org/Programs/QuantumLevitator/tabid/379/Default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914372 | 298 | 3.828125 | 4 |
Cross-border shopping: Local spending means local benefits
by Alina Konevski
Abbotsford businesswoman Gerri Charles is thrilled when prom season rolls around, because she gets to host hopeful girls at her dress boutique, Champagne & Lace. But for the last few years, many of these girls take what they learn in Charles’ showroom, and head down to the United States to make a purchase. Charles has had to let some staff go, and finds it difficult to continue saying “yes” to community requests for event sponsorships and raffle ticket purchases.
As the Canadian dollar has grown to parity with the U.S. in the past three years, Canadians living close to the border have been enjoying lower prices in American towns often less than 30 minutes away. They also get generous duty exemptions at the border.
It’s costing Canadian businesses, and their employees, dearly.
In 2010, the City of Bellingham’s finance director, John Carter, conducted a survey. He estimated that Canadian shoppers account for 10 to 20 per cent of all retail sales in Bellingham. That’s at least $140 million to $235 million Canadian dollars flowing to Bellingham every year for general merchandise, restaurant food and drinks, says Carter. And this figure excludes groceries, a major purchase for people regularly shopping down south.
When U.S. retail sales dropped by as much as 30 per cent in 2009, Bellingham saw only a small decrease, and it has already rebounded, says Ken Oplinger, president and CEO of the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
“It was almost entirely because of Canadians coming across.”
On busy summer shopping weekends, the chamber estimates that over half of the cars in big box store parking lots have Canadian plates, mostly from B.C. The estimate for the Costco lot is 70 per cent.
Nationwide, through their 50 million trips across the border, Canadians could be spending as much as 10 per cent of their retail dollars in the United States, according to Bank of Montreal chief economist Doug Porter. That’s more than $20 billion a year.
This means that, while the Bellingham Costco is planning an expansion, and hiring more staff, malls close to the border like Abbotsford’s Sevenoaks Shopping Centre, have seen retail sales impacted, and growth slower than expected.
Trisha Dumouchel, marketing director of Sevenoaks, said as one of the closest malls to the U.S. border in Canada, they’ve noticed a drop in sales because of cross-border shopping.
She said after years of the high Canadian dollar, cross-border shopping has become a habit, and it has only gotten easier with increases in duty-free limits. “It has been a struggle for us… and the government is allowing easier access.”
Dumouchel said that when most people think of “buying local” they think of locally-grown produce, but when purchasing any goods, people need to think about “staying in Canada, supporting our economy and our jobs and community.”
For specialty retailers, employee wages are about 18 per cent of retail sales, says retail consultant John Williams, head of J.C. Williams Group in Toronto. Sales of $140 million – the minimum amount that Canadians are sending to Bellingham annually – correspond with 800 potential retail jobs in Canada.
Charles’ boutique has cut back to 15 employees from 24 in the past four years. The $100 that Abbotsford shoppers might save by buying their prom dress over the line is linked to real jobs lost, she says, and that equates to fewer car and mortgage payments, and less tax income for public services.
“The Canadian consumer misunderstands the dynamics of the tariffs and duties, and thinks that somehow the Canadian retailers are just gouging them, and that there are some inequities we have control over. And we don’t,” says Charles.
When Brent Murdoch’s customers come to his outdoor gear store, Valhalla Pure Outfitters in Abbotsford, they frequently compare his prices to those of stores to the south. Murdoch is forever justifying the 18 per cent duty he has to pay on U.S. items such as tents and footwear, from which American businesses are exempt.
“It really impacts our opportunity to grow. We’re constantly up against that,” he says. “We work very, very hard on the pricing issue. It takes up a lot of my time, just trying to be competitive. But it is difficult.”
There are tariffs on finished goods heading into Canada that don’t exist in the U.S., explains Allan Asaph, executive director of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce.
“No amount of shop local promotion is going to compete with people’s price sensitivity. What we need to address is the landed cost to Canadian retailers, so they can be more competitive.”
These price differences were 13 per cent on average last year, according to BMO. | <urn:uuid:00ac9e1c-1ee4-47c7-b46a-a354b2064b4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abbynews.com/business/193598101.html?c=y&curSection=/&curTitle=BC+Business&bc09=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964698 | 1,062 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Atti Impuri* has been thought to host the most interesting voices of contemporary literature, with an eye to those writers, Italian or foreigner, who are turned down from the industry of mass culture, despite the fact that they highly contribute to the development of literature. Atti Impuri is not just a journal, it is an open space where experimentation in language and imagery meet. The web page contains reviews, short stories, poems, essays, notes on ongoing events, whereas the paper version is mostly focused on—still unpublished—short stories and it is issued thrice a year. The journal is divided into four sections. The first one, False testimonianze (False witnesses), is dedicated to Italian short fiction; Il prossimo tuo (Your neighbour) collects short stories from foreign authors still unpublished in Italian. The third section, Nelle acque sotto la terra (In the waters under the earth) aims at recovering forgotten works of world literature. The section All’infuori di me (Outside of myself) gives voice each time to a different poet, Italian or foreigner.
The first volume—dated may 2010—includes well known Italian authors such as Raul Montanari, writer and translator of Edgar Allan Poe and Cormac McCarthy; Laura Pugno, poet and novelist; Nanni Balestrini, a key figure in the Italian cultural scene and one of the founders of the Gruppo 63; as well as young talented writers such as Emaunuele Tonon, Andrea Nistolini, Elena Mearini. Foreign literature is represented by the French writer Thierry Beingstingel and the Belgian poet and prose writer William Cliff. The section Nelle acque sotto la terra is dedicated to the Mexican avant-gardist movement Estridentismo inspired to by the Italian Futurism, while the poetry section hosts the witty and refined art of Luigi Socci.
A multiple space then, where it is possible to fuse raw materials of a different if not opposing kind, yet similar in that authors have a not negotiable urge for those words able to mould imageries.
And now we are ready to start.
Wishing you will enjoy the journey and you will take out a subscription!
For more information contact: firstname.lastname@example.org
* referring to the ‘unchaste’ and disobedient act of writing.
The series Maledizioni, which aims at being accidentally necessary, is the result of the interaction between the Publishing House No Reply and the creative writing group sparajurij. Necessary in that it does research (in Italy), since it tries to understand what and how language changes through the words of the new and most interesting writers. The objective is that of investigating the form and substance of renewed words, which rewrite worlds and therefore our imagery. Names which are a syntax, rather than a synthesis: quoting Sara Ventroni “to foretell a urban syntax”, to foretell, which is to say, to tell in advance, to make the books foretell love while everything is on fire.
No Reply is a space where publishing, music, video and graphics meet. No Reply releases and promotes books, cds and events. It is interested in exploring contemporary culture through language experimentation interwoven with music crossover. | <urn:uuid:eff68963-9cc1-4a97-8e83-61ed12392389> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.attimpuri.it/atti-impuri-english/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93633 | 685 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Free for educational use
Australian Soldiers on Patrol in Vietnam
Year of production - 1966
Duration - 1min 22sec
Tags - Australian History, Vietnam War, conscription, reporting, representations of war, war, see all tags
On this Page
How to Download the Video Clip
To download a free copy of this Video Clip choose from the options below. These require the free Quicktime Player.
Premium MP4 vietnam_pr.mp4 (10.1MB).
Broadband MP4 vietnam_bb.mp4 (4.8MB), suitable for iPods and computer downloads.
You can buy this clip on a compilation DVD.
You can buy the program this clip comes from.
About the Video Cliptop
Australian Soldiers On Patrol in Vietnam is an excerpt from the film Action in Vietnam (27 mins), produced in 1966.In making this film about the Vietnam War, the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit did not look for battles and heroes. This was to be the story of the young Australians who were carrying on the standards of service begun by their grandfathers during the First World War. The emphasis was on people, both Australian and Vietnamese. The intention was to show what war really feels like.
Action in Vietnam was produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of the Army.
Students examine the reasons for Australia.s involvement in the
Vietnam War and the social, political and cultural changes that resulted from it.
Throughout this topic, students work towards all outcomes, with particular focus on those listed below.
5.1 explains social, political and cultural developments and events and evaluates their impact on Australian life
5.2 assesses the impact of international events and relationships on Australia’s history
5.3 explains the changing rights and freedoms of Aboriginal peoples and other groups in Australia
5.4 sequences major historical events to show an understanding of continuity, change and causation
5.5 identifies, comprehends and evaluates historical sources
5.7 explains different contexts, perspectives and interpretations of the past.
In 1965 Liberal Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that Australia would provide combat troops to the war in South Vietnam.
Australia had already sent military advisers to help train South Vietnamese forces, but now there would be over 1,000 *conscript and regular army soldiers sent there as a fighting force.
These troops initially served in an American-controlled sector north of the capital, Saigon, but in 1966 Australia increased its military forces and assumed control of its own area, in Phuoc Tuy province, east of Saigon.
Their role included patrolling, ambushing, protection of local villages and some aerial support for Allied troops.
Between 1965 and 1971 about 50,000 Australian servicemen and some nurses served in this conflict.
While initially public opinion supported Australia’s involvement, by the end of the commitment in 1971 public opinion was far more divided. Particular tension within society centred on the issue of conscription by ballot, where 20-year-old men were selected randomly to serve two years in the Army, with the possibility of being sent to Vietnam as combat or support troops.
To conscript: to call up, enlist recruits for compulsory military service.
- Look at the clip, consider the images shown and record what you believe the film maker was wanting to convey.
- Because of widespread TV coverage of the Vietnam war many Australians saw images of what Australian ‘Diggers’ were experiencing in Vietnam. To what extent may this have influenced anti-war sentiments in Australia?
- What other reasons were there for Australians opposing the sending of Australian troops to Vietnam?
- In the clip some of the soldiers look quite young. How young were the youngest troops sent to Vietnam and what percentage of those that were sent were conscripts compared to the percentage who were volunteers?
- Conscription in Australia during the Vietnam War was a controversial and divisive issue. Interview a range of people about their attitude to involvement in the war, and to conscription. Prepare a report on your findings.
- The Vietnam War had a harmful effect on many soldiers. Research on the internet the impact of the war on Australian Vietnam veterans and families.
Robert Lewis, Voices of Vietnam: Investigating Images & Experiences of Australia’s Involvement in the Vietnam War, HTAV, Australia, 1996. | <urn:uuid:fc42db51-6db1-4c97-a124-e7eae979d51e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/301/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943188 | 897 | 3.5 | 4 |
News and articles
FSM is involved in campaigns that raise many issues in the public arena. We will endeavor to keep a good record and to respond appropriately to the relevant parties.
Here in 'News', we will keep our Friends informed of what is going on in the general and professional media, including articles, interviews and events related to activities of the FSM or that mention our activities. many of the articles referred, appear in journals for which access may be limited to subscribers or to university students and personnel. We would appreciate your alerting us to events we might not be aware of.
The items of this page will be subsequently placed in 'archives'. 'News' items of this page will be progressively be placed in the 'archives'.
The following articles have appeared in the media this week:
Alternative diagnostic techniques like bogus bomb detectors: Naturopaths, acupuncturists, iridologists, spiritual healers, massage therapists, reflexologists, applied kinesiologists, homeopaths, chiropractors, osteopaths and many other types of alternative practitioners all have their very own ways of diagnosing what might be wrong with their patients. This article challenges the reliability of these techniques.
Govt wants vaccination documentation before kids start school: Parents could be forced to show schools documentation of their children’s vaccination history, as Health Minister Tanya Plibersek calls for a nationally consistent policy on immunisation.
NSW midwives misled by textbook direction to anti-vaccination website, AVN: A Core nursing textbook used in NSW universities (with editors that included three Australian midwifery Professors) directs midwifery students to the controversial anti-vaccination website, the AVN, as a legitimate source of information.
Macquarie University declares end to quack degrees: Sydney-based Macquarie University says it wants to offload its chiropractic courses and move towards more "science-based" alternatives.
Immunisation debate spits communities: The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph in NSW are running a campaign to lobby kindergartens and preschools to ban children who are not immunised.
Complementary complexities: While most GPs had recommended vitamins, minerals, fish oil and glucosamine, more than 80% agreed CMs needed more scientific testing before being used in conventional medicine and only 38% felt they were confident discussing CMs with patients. Poor labeling continues to be a problem. The Monash Centre for the Study of Ethics in Medicine and Society and colleagues have set up a broad-based collaboration to foster the quality use of these products which will include an opt-in system, funded by an additional fee paid by the sponsor, which will independently of the TGA provide information on what is known about the efficacy, safety and quality of specific CM products.
Anti-vax group to feel effects of law change: An amendment to legislation has been passed in the NSW Parliament that will allow the state's Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) to initiate its own inquiries into potentially dangerous health activities. This closes a legal loophole that has allowed the anti-vaccination group, the Australian Vaccination Network to defy the HCCC who sought to stop them spreading "misleading and dangerous" information about vaccinations.
Chiros run up big bill for X-ray referrals: Chiropractors’ referrals for X-rays have cost Medicare $156 million over the past five years, figures reveal. Concerns have been raised that the public is paying for some chiropractors to order scans based on dogma, not evidence, and exposing patients to unnecessary radiation. Medicare has already raided one business with links to chiropractors for alleged misuse of the agency’s funds, as part of an apparent crackdown on the industry.
Opt out call for complementary medicine: FSM has called for private health insurers to offer an “opt-out” clause enabling people to avoid the cost of cover for complementary medicines based on “pseudoscience”.
ABC show defamed me, Swisse patriarch claims: When challenged about the efficacy of products, some manufacturers prefer to sue rather than citing independent research. The father of Swisse chief executive Radek Sali, claims that The Checkout defamed him by saying he ‘‘manipulated’’ clinical tests of a Swisse appetite suppressant (which has now been cancelled from the ARTG) to benefit the company. The family has filed a writ with the Victorian Supreme Court.
Jane McCredie: A drop of credibility: An excellent article on the fear of homeopaths that the federal government’s review of the private health insurance rebate for natural therapies represents an attack on their profession. Not so says Jane McCredie "If homeopathy can demonstrate its safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness, it should have nothing to fear from this process."
Adverts pulled from TV after public backlash: A pharmaceutical company has withdrawn adverts linking children's dietary supplements and NAPLAN test results after just two days following a public backlash.
Jane McCredie: Forgotten tolls: A reminder of the scourge of Measles in the third world because of difficulty in vaccinating children and now in the West because of irrational fears. | <urn:uuid:e2a078d1-2731-4770-9381-29641048f0f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scienceinmedicine.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154&Itemid=133 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939843 | 1,078 | 1.84375 | 2 |
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is making a big push to make sure Americans are aware that effective June 1 new document requirements will be in effect for entering the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The promotional material handed out to reporters to show the different acceptable forms of identification all used the name in the example of ”Happy Traveler.”
Verbal statements of American citizenship, birth certificates, or ordinary driver’s licenses will not comply with the new requirements for re-entry after camping in the wilds of Canada, sunning on the beaches of Mexico, or cruising the Caribbean.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, will require one of the following for Americans: passport, passport card, enhanced driver’s license, or one of three trusted traveler program cards.
Except for the passport, they all have a Radio Frequency Identification chip that can be held up to an electronic reader before the traveler encounters the officer at the entry booth. | <urn:uuid:9af01b02-f204-4930-813e-355adbfaeab5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/tag/passport/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905087 | 212 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The AirMule is a compact, unmanned, single-engine, VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft. Internal lift rotors enable the AirMule to fly inside obstructed (e.g. mountainous, wooded, urban) terrain where helicopters are unable to operate. The AirMule is innovative due to its internal rotors and significant payload capacity that allows for the evacuation of 2 casualties as well as fast and flexible payload reconfiguration for other missions. It is also ideally suited to special robotic operation, for example via Tele-Presence.
Civil - AirMule offers much needed capabilities to emergency responders in routine, day-to-day operations as well as in the most challenging situations such as earthquakes and floods. The ability to quickly deliver water, food and medical supplies directly to affected populations—no matter how isolated—will save lives. During nuclear, biological or chemical emergencies AirMule offers transformative assessment and response capabilities. Day to day multiple mission capability (electric grids, bridge inspection, agricultural spraying, offshore oil platform support to name a few) makes AirMule a cost effective addition to any commercial helicopter fleet.
Military - AirMule, a tactical Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) can help combatants reclaim an essential edge by enabling precise point to point logistic support and CasEvac solutions in battle conditions that are increasingly averse to conventional rotorcraft access. Today’s conflicts are increasingly defined by insurgents whose battlefields of choice are cities, villages and other environments that are inaccessible to helicopters. Supply convoys and medical teams entering these locations experience lethal threats unlike any that have been experienced in the past.
AirMule’s maneuverability, small visual footprint, low noise and reduced radar and IR signatures offer a stealth advantage that greatly enhances its effectiveness and survivability in these environments. Unmatched time to target with the unprecedented capability of CasEvac on return offers life saving potential. Simplicity of design without a complex cyclic rotor head means high reliability and low operating cost.
AirMule remote Tele–Operation capabilities -
Click to enlarge
AirMule footprint compared to small helicopter
- AirMule’s internal rotor design and UA's patented Fancraft™ technologies enable AirMule to maneuver with unprecedented precision, safety and stealth in even the most constricted areas. Its minimal footprint is only slightly larger than that of a HUMVEE vehicle.
- By removing the human operator from the loop on most missions, AirMule can eliminate personnel exposure to operational hazards.
- A single AirMule is capable of ferrying 500 Kilograms of useful cargo per each 50 Kilometer radius sortie, thereby delivering approximately 6,000 Kilograms over 24 hours. A 10-12 AirMule “Mobile Supply Unit” can deliver supplies, day after day, to sustain 3,000 combatants, while at the same time ferrying back their wounded and casualties.
- Total available cargo volume is 2,640 liters (93 ft^3); 1,540 liters of which are internal (770 liters in each of the main cabin compartments) and an additional 1,100 liters available in an optional belly mounted compartment.
- AirMule can hover in place with high precision and operate in harsh weather and winds of up to 50 knots, a significant improvement over existing helicopters.
- The addition of externally mounted utility equipment can enhance the vehicle’s robotic functionality.
- AirMule is designed to the most stringent FAA design requirements for Rotorcraft, resulting in an aircraft with very high safety and reliability.
- AirMule is equipped with a rocket deployed parachute, that will safely lower the complete vehicle and its payload from almost any height in the case of an unlikely malfunction of its engine or lift rotors. | <urn:uuid:7e806898-941b-44db-a3a9-b3e17387718c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbanaero.com/category/airmule | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916093 | 778 | 1.96875 | 2 |
New Philadelphia mural celebrates recovery from addiction
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Colorful images stretch over the walls of the JEVS methadone clinic in North Philadelphia. They tell stories of struggle and new beginnings, and were painted with the help of recovering addicts.
The mural is part of a partnership between the city's Mural Arts program and the department of Behavioral Health. The goal is to draw people with mental health issues into a creative process, and to reduce stigma.
Jane Golden is director of Philadelphia's Mural Arts program, she says the mural raises awareness of mental health issues:
Golden: We're going to be using art as a tool to better access mental health services, and to try to eliminate the stigma when it comes to mental illness, addiction, and homelessness, and more broadly, trauma
During the mural dedication today, Dr, Arthur Evans, who heads the department of behavioral health said this partnership represents a new way of thinking about mental health treatments:
Evans: We can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, and I think this project really shows that if we're willing to be innovative, to get out of our boxes, we really can make a difference
Lois Skatemeri has been coming to the clinic for treatment for over a year, and says participating in the mural project was crucial in her recovery:
Skatemeri: A program like this is everything to somebody like me that wanted to do better for themselves, and now has created a pathway that I can follow to do better
The collaboration between mural arts and behavioral health will create 9 public art projects. | <urn:uuid:342c5e1c-eeaa-47bf-9f76-32e7f88faf06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whyy.org/cms/news/health-science/behavioral-health-health-science/2010/09/22/new-philadelphia-mural-celebrates-recovery-from-addiction/46346 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96189 | 329 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Reply of the Central and Permanent Committee of the County of Montreal to the Address of the London Working Men's Association
The Address of the London Working Men's Association to the People of Canada. It was read during a sitting of our Central and Permanent Committee, in the midst of lively acclamations, and published in our newspapers. Diffused throughout the American continent, it proves that the intrepid democratic spirit that once shook the yoke of infamous barons and set limits to the despotic prerogatives of sovereigns, still animates a part of the citizens of your country.
Your nation has always prided herself of the democracy which allowed her, in the course of long and hard battles, to preserve a freedom and a political power higher than those of her neighbours of Europe. We thus accept with gratitude the sympathy of a democracy animated by feelings so high and so just on the nature of government.
Aristocracy is foreign for us. We do not share any principle in common with it. Thanks to the facility with which our ancestors could obtain fertile lands on an immense territory, thanks to our laws against the accumulation of hereditary fortunes, almost all our population draws its subsistence from manual or intellectual work. We respect men for their good work; we scorn them for their misdeeds, no matter the merits of their fathers. We honour that one who makes two corn shoots germinate where only one grew before; that one who goes forward and makes the forest disappear in front of his steps. We scorn the idler who vegetates on the land and is satisfied to consume what men better than him have produced. The quite characteristic names of your various trades are more respectable to our eyes than the pompous titles, the oppressive privileges, and the laws against nature based on heredity, all things which were usurped and granted by the sovereigns and recorded at the office of armoury with the futile intention to create two orders of intelligence where nature only made one.
We live in a hemisphere whose destiny is to see democracy being exercised and grow in complete freedom, far from an aristocracy, whose deep roots would exhaust the soil. The rare exotic elements of this tribe that were transplanted from another world fade and disappear from this land which offers no food to their order and on which the words "Equality of Rights" were engraved in eternal types as soon as it emerged from chaos.
The indigenous Masters of the wild regions of America knew neither lords nor kings; they freely chose the most deserving as chief of the council and chief of war. When, fond of freedom, the pilgrims of England approached for the first time the desolated shores of New England, they brought good seeds to a land which was already prepared to receive them and from where they would be propagated and borne fruit. And, although Europe undertook to confine its nations in various parts of this sanctuary, the corruptions which came in their wake disappeared under the intense light of these principles recognized, proclaimed and applied by a group of wise and virtuous democrats who faced and overcame the difficulties of their new colony, not for some reason related to wealth or by thirst for spoils, but to establish on more solid principles the science and the economy of government.
For a long time united to you as subjects of the same sovereign, we too have felt the drying influence of an aristocracy, which, cherished in the Eastern hemisphere, was authorized, for our misfortune, to obstruct the Western hemisphere. Although we are confident that our democratic continent could not remain subjugated for long to a principle so disastrous and contrary to nature, we fear like you that the hereditary veneration towards certain families, the dangerous accumulation of immense fortunes in the hands of a few, and the corrupting practices of a government perverted by the distribution of favours, has so greatly wasted the benefit which the glorious charter of your rights should have given you that, undoubtedly, it will take years before you touch your ancestor's heritage of freedom to enjoy it fully. The accession of a young queen to the throne created an occasion favourable to the renewal of the terms of the social contract and your contract of allegiance. Co-heirs with her of the institutions of your country — this country for whose defense you have poured your blood many times —, you have, by the persevering labour of your daily work, brought this country to the ridge of richness; and now, in the middle of this blinding splendour, the fruit of your untameable energy, one robs you trough unequal and unjust laws, one overburdens you with taxes, depriving to you of the bare essential, in order to insure abundance to an arrogant caste busy to hamper you in its snares, you who work honestly and conscientiously to create and maintain its immense fortune, which is at the same time its quota and the instrument of your political subjection. Although some of your acts, filled with the dignity which the conscience of one's own strength confers, were crowned with success, too often we had the sorrow to see some of your more valorous friends left behind in your recent elections, and a portion of the people behave like indifferent spectators, as consenting auxiliaries or servile mercenaries of one or the other of the aristocratic factions which dispute the privilege to hold you under their yoke, completely indifferent to your interests, except insofar as the reform of an abuse tends to strengthen their own power.
In the free exercise of the privileges which are recognized to us — to defend the dear rights which are guaranteed to us, we have held public meetings in our various counties, as a preliminary step, in order to solemnly protest against an infamous violation of our fundamental powers. Conscious of our strength and our right, we treated with contempt the stupid proclamation emitted by an ignorant governor against such meetings. We hope that this lesson will be understood. We are confident it will prevent, in the future, here like elsewhere, any presumptuous attempt against the prerogatives of the people. We are happy that our prompt response to the attack of the British Parliament against our possessions has gained your approval. Did you consider how enormous is the responsibility which the people of our province are invested with towards all the British Empire? — Never the British cabinet could have had your Parliament adopt a monstrous measure in order to destroy the powers of a democracy, for sole purpose of hastening the payment of some ridiculous civil servants' wages, when this objective could have been achieved by simple and honest ways, if your aristocracy did not weave an impious plot against your own freedoms. One makes Lower Canada the theatre of this experience because it is believed that in spite of the constant abuses or the arbitrary exactions of which it is the victim, the majority of the population, being of French ascent, will not wake any sympathy among the English race which surrounds it.
The conscience of baring this heavy responsibility, far from discouraging us, reinvigorates us, because we know that, from one end to another of the Empire, all the energetic and free minds follow our courageous fight with the greatest of interest — send us their wishes and wish to see us successfully defend the rights of all. For our part, you can be sure of it, we are determined never to subject to the usurping intentions of the ministry — never to live in being an object of derision for the whole world, as a people, more ignorant than slaves being traded, that would let their birth right be taken away, thus creating a precedent so that a similar aggression is perpetrated against the freedoms of their brothers in all the other colonies of the Empire.
Do not believe that, being very few, we fear the consequences of our determination. Nature gave fortified places to our country and valiant hearts to our people. For the hour, the arguments of justice and reason are our weapons. They can easily be replaced by more destructive weapons if the usurpers of our rights continue to have eyes too weak to see and ears too deaf to hear. We do not believe that bands of soldiers from Europe would wage a war of extermination against the democracy of America. They are themselves the children of a democracy which, in the XIXth century, is linked by a community of feelings throughout the civilized world. They know that they are but the blind instruments of a brutal Master, but as moral beings, responsible for their acts in front of God and humanity. On the day of the test, they will throw down the emblems of their cruel works to enter the midst of an American fraternity, instead of lending their contest to criminal intentions against the generous blood of a people which defend the rights of any man.
We did not evoke independence from the British Crown, but we do not forget that the destiny of the continental colonies is to separate from the metropolitan State when the unconstitutional action of a legislative power residing in a remote country is no longer bearable. In this eventuality, the community of interests which should exist between the democracy of the Old World and that of New World will not disappear. If the colonies become the instrument of the corrupted favouritism which is used to shelter and maintain the poorest portion your aristocracy, an excuse to maintain professional armies, to deprive the people of their subsistence in order to pile up stones and mortar to make fortifications out of it, or a pretext to restrict the free movement of your trade, then the separation of those which can be self-sufficient can only give stability to your freedoms and support the prosperity of your nation. See the example of the United States which, in one year, as an independent offspring, contributes more to the honour and the benefit of the motherland that they could have done in centuries of weakness and dependence.
Once again, we thank you for the sympathy which you express towards the Canadian people. It is pleasant to receive similar testimony on behalf of English citizens. You posed a noble gesture: a people being responsible for the acts of their governors, you showed a virile and virtuous determination in letting humanity know that you dissociate yourselves from the hugeness which are attempting to commit those on whose actions you have, alas for yourselves and us too, no control. Whatever the result of your noble patriotism and your generous abnegation, we are sure that your children will be better armed against your dominating oligarchy than you personally were at the time of entering life.
We wish, via our association, to proclaim that, no matter the way which we will be constrained to follow, we hold nothing against the people of England. We only fight against the aggressions of her tyrannical oppressors, who are also our own oppressors.
Signed by order and in the name of the Central and Permanent Committee,
RAYMOND PLESSIS, Chairman
JOSEPH LE TOURNEUX
CHAMILLY DE LORIMIER
E. B. O'CALLAGHAN
T. S. BROWN
CHEVALIER DE LORIMIER, Secretary
GEORGE-ÉTIENNE CARTIER, Secretary
|This text is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.| | <urn:uuid:452c5f8d-1384-4cfd-aff6-08d26c80313a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.republiquelibre.org/Reply_of_the_Central_and_Permanent_Committee_of_the_County_of_Montreal_to_the_Address_of_the_London_Working_Men's_Association | 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 | 0.962447 | 2,248 | 2.09375 | 2 |
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
OF WESTERN MICHIGAN, INC
News Release #20120118
Issued: January 18, 2012
Contact: Phil Catlett, President
616.774.8236 - 800.684.3222
Beware of fake complaint or request for information email claiming to be from bbb.org. If you receive an e-mail from a bbb.org address, DON’T OPEN IT!
The Better Business Bureau is warning businesses to beware of a malicious email that pretends to be from the BBB about a complaint, or seeking accreditation information from the company.
The phishing email is sent from the multiple email addresses with the subject line “Complaint #” followed by a nine-digit number, or referencing an SBQ Form. BBB Accredited and non-Accredited Businesses have been targeted and some consumers have received the Email.
The body of the email claims that the company has received a complaint, or that the BBB needs more information, and asks them to respond by directing them to click through to what is actually is disguised link to a third party website.
Because the message is fraudulent, the BBB advises any business that receives this email to take the following steps:
- Do not click on any links or reply to the message,
- Completely delete the message from your inbox, and
- Run a full virus scan on your computer if you did click on any links.
If you receive an email from the Better Business Bureau and need assistance in determining whether or not it is legitimate, contact the BBB Serving Western Michigan at (616) 774-8236 or 800-684-3222.
For more advice on how to protect your business from malicious online attacks and data breaches visit www.bbb.org/data-security/
Example of BBB Complaint Phishing Email
If you have received the message below THIS IS A SCAM!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 6:28 AM
Subject: Complaint # 22127769
The Better Business Bureau has received the above-referenced complaint from one of your customers regarding their dealings with you.
The details of the consumer's concern are included on the reverse.
Please review this matter and advise us of your position.
As a neutral third party, the Better Business Bureau can help to resolve the matter. Often complaints are a result of misunderstandings a company wants to know about and correct.
We encourage you to use our ONLINE COMPLAINT system to respond this complaint.
The following URL (website address) below will take you directly to this complaint and you will be able to enter your response directly on our website:
The Better Business Bureau develops and maintains Reliability Reports on companies across the United States and Canada .
This information is available to the public and is frequently used by potential customers.
Your cooperation in responding to this complaint becomes a permanent part of your file with the Better Business Bureau.
Failure to promptly give attention to this matter may be reflected in the report we give to consumers about your company.
Council of Better Business Bureaus
4200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 800
Arlington, VA 22203-1838
Example of BBB SBQ Phising Scam Email
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 8:07 AM
Subject: BBB SBQ Form #22227099(Ref#14-22227099-0-4)
Thank you for supporting your Better Business Bureau (BBB). Your BBB receives more than 6,500 requests for information every day and provides reliability reports to consumers 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week.
As a service to BBB Accredited Businesses, we try to ensure that the information we provide to potential customers is as accurate as possible. In order for us to provide the correct information to the public, we ask that you review the information that we have on file for your company.
We encourage you to use our ONLINE FORM to provide us with this updated information. The URL below will take you directly to this form on our website:
CLICK HERE to login to your BBB account (UserID: 22227099 Password: pv6r4hm)
You may also complete the form on the reverse side of this letter and mail to PO Box 1000; DuPont, WA; 98327; or fax to (206)436-5496.
Please look carefully at your telephone and fax numbers on this sheet, and let us know any and all numbers used for your business (including 800, 900, rollover, and remote call forwarding). Our automated system is driven by telephone/fax numbers, so having accurate information is critical for consumers to find information about your business easily. In addition, many consumers may search our database using your e-mail and/or Web address, so please be sure to include this information as well. As a BBB accredited business, you receive a free hyperlink from your online reliability report to your company Web site if provided to us.
Thank you again for your support, and we look forward to receiving this updated information.
BBB Urges ICANN to Beef Up Enforcement Against Scams and Fraud Before Adding
New Top Level Domains
100-year-old consumer protection group
cites as evidence its own on-going
problem as target of massive phishing scam
using its famous logo
Washington, DC (December 14, 2011) – Consumer fraud, e-mail scams, “phishing” expeditions, viruses and malware are all part of the Internet landscape in today’s online marketplace, and it’s going to get a lot worse, according to the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB). The 100-year old consumer protection organization told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Technology and Communications that a proposal by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) would exacerbate a problem that already defrauds consumers and businesses alike. Starting in January, ICANN plans to greatly increase the number of available top level domains (the extension to the right of the dot in Internet addresses).
“Even with the safeguards planned by ICANN, the launch of new top level domains is going to make protecting our brand – and those of many other businesses and nonprofits -- a great deal more difficult and costly unless specific measures are taken in the process of expanding the number of TLDs,” testified Anjali Hansen, CBBB’s intellectual property attorney. “BBB urges ICANN to put more protections in place now, before the problems increase exponentially.”
Hansen told the subcommittee how challenging it is to defend iconic brands such as BBB against Internet fraud and illegal activity. “Because the BBB marks are so trusted by consumers and relied on by businesses, they are high profile targets for scammers and criminal groups, who unceasingly try to commandeer them to gain instant credibility and defraud consumers,” said Hansen. “Our staff and financial resources are strained to the limit today just trying to keep up with these problems which occur almost exclusively online.”
The BBB system is currently the target of a massive email scam. Thousands of consumers have called and emailed its offices around the country about a notice that looks like an official email from BBB. Untold numbers of consumers have likely, but unintentionally, infected their computers by opening links or attachments that came with the fraudulent emails.
Hansen also noted that ICANN’s proposed process for protecting trademarks is too burdensome and costly for most small businesses, non-profit organizations and charities. Brand owners will have to pay to register their own trademarks in ICANN’s central Trademark Clearinghouse, and then buy them again in each TLD to keep them out of the hands of scammers. CBBB told the subcommittee that registering once should be enough, and ICANN should block the new TLD registries from selling domains that incorporate properly registered trademarks.
“Without more controls, the Internet will increasingly serve criminal interests over the public interest,” said Hansen. “We recommend that ICANN’s plans to expand top level domains include procedures that encourage the application of standards by registries and registrars, which in turn will help reduce costs to businesses and restore the trust of consumers. “
For a copy of CBBB’s testimony, please contact Kelsey Owen at 703-247-9376 or email@example.com
Update – January 18, 2012
Anyone who received the fake BBB email and clicked on one of the links prior to the deactivations, and who didn’t have adequate antivirus protection, were likely infected. The particular virus at play is known as “Zeuss” or “Zbot” and is a “Trojan Horse” or spyware virus that downloads onto a recipient’s computer and harvests confidential and personal data without detection. According to the FBI, one criminal organization used Zeuss to collect $70 million from victims. It is thus imperative that anyone who believes they may have been infected do a security analysis and have the malware eradicated.
This particular malware first surfaced back in 2007. Council’s antivirus provider, Symantec, published an antivirus signature in 2010. A link to the Symantec description of the virus is provided below. Please ensure that your antivirus protection services cover Zeuss/Zbot.
Please review the following informational links for more detail and pass this information along to any of your contacts that might have been affected.
From Symantec’s website (aka Norton Anti-Virus):
From the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center. Council has reported the BBB phishing scam to IC3 and they have included our scam in the following alert: http://www.ic3.gov/media/2010/corporateaccounttakeover.pdf
We have consulted with cyber security experts who have informed us that even when an organization has antivirus protection in place, there is still potential on occasion for the virus to infiltrate a network. This can happen under the following circumstances:
- The antivirus is disabled or misconfigured by the end user
- The antivirus definitions are not updated
- The network layer spam filter and web filter are not present or not updated
Our cyber security experts have provided us with the following recommendations that your BBB should also implement as appropriate:
- Implement a spam filter appliance that processes all email before reaching the internal mail server
- Make sure the spam filter has the ability to scan for malware
- Implement a web proxy filter that inspects all Internet traffic before leaving the local network
- Implement a centralized antivirus solution that:
- forces daily updates to the client systems including both antivirus version updates and antivirus signature updates, and
- prevents users from disabling or modifying settings for the AV service
- Implement workstation access privilege policies whereby end users do not have administrative level access to their local system. Malware is generally limited in what damage it can cause to a system when the local user does not have administrative level access
The regional Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan services 38 counties in western Michigan. Our office is located in the Trust Building, 40 Pearl ST NW STE 354, Grand Rapids MI 49503. 616.774.8236 (Voice) 616.774.2014 (Fax) 800.684.3222 (Toll Free West Michigan ONLY).
BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Business Reviews and charity BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 122 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than three million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about BBB. | <urn:uuid:9d647811-61ab-433f-8afd-541dfbe28011> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://toledo.bbb.org/article/consumer-alert---fake-bbb-email-32031 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920398 | 2,573 | 1.570313 | 2 |
An owl living in Florida recently got to experience the journey of a lifetime after it got stuck inside the grill of an SUV and ended up traveling at the top speed of 60 mph (roughly 97 kph).
Sonji Coney Williams, the woman who owns the car, admits that, while driving late at night, she picked up on the fact that she managed to struck something.
Still, because it was dark, she was unable to figure out what the mysterious object was and continued her trip.
The next day, while running some errands, she became aware of the fact that, only the night before, she accidentally hit an owl which was still very much alive and kicking inside her SUV's grill.
“There was a family that pulled in front of my parking space and flagged me down they said 'Don't move, don't move! You have something in the grill of your truck!' And I said yeah, what is it? They said, 'It's an owl,'” the woman told members of the press
Soon enough, the bird was rescued from inside the car's grill and, once veterinarians decide that it finds itself in good health, it will be released back into the wild. | <urn:uuid:43987021-36ae-4bd5-97be-aa83beca46d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.softpedia.com/news/Owl-Gets-Stuck-in-an-SUV-s-Grill-Experiences-the-Journey-of-a-Lifetime-328946.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985426 | 249 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Results of the clean-up and reforestation of the towpath along the banks of the Riachuelo, as viewed from the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Nueva Pompeya.
Credit: Juan Moseinco/IPS
Progress in River Clean-Up Praised - With Reservations
By Marcela Valente *
Visible progress is finally being made in the clean-up and reforestation of the banks of the Riachuelo River, which for years had been a virtual open sewer running through Buenos Aires.
BUENOS AIRES, Feb 6 (Tierramérica).- For the first time in over 200 years, visible progress is being made in cleaning up the Matanza-Riachuelo River basin, the most highly polluted in Argentina, although improvements remain largely superficial so far.
"There have been advances, with the caveat that we are moving very slowly and there are some things that are still not being done, but overall the situation is positive," Alfredo Alberti, president of the La Boca Residents Association, told Tierramérica. The southeastern Buenos Aires neighborhood of La Boca ("The Mouth" in Spanish) is so named because it is located where the Riachuelo river flows into the Río de la Plata estuary.
The foul-smelling river stretches a total of 64 km, much of it through the northeast of the province of Buenos Aires, where it is called the Matanza River. Its name changes to Riachuelo from the point where it becomes the southern border of the city of Buenos Aires, the federal capital, with the rest of the province, until it empties into the estuary.
The Matanza-Riachuelo basin covers 2,240 sq km and includes 232 streams. Of the roughly five million people who live within this area, 35 percent have no access to drinking water and 55 percent lack sewers, according to the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN).
More than 12,000 businesses that operate along its banks, including tanneries, slaughterhouses and hydrocarbon, chemical and metallurgical plants, dump their wastewater into the river, polluting it with heavy metals like mercury, lead and chrome, among other toxins.
"Since late 2010, progress has been made in the clean-up of the river’s banks, the removal of sunken ships, and the relocation of people living along the most heavily polluted sections of the riverside," activist Andrés Nápoli of FARN told IPS.
In fact, the tow paths along the river’s banks - 35-meter-wide strips on each side - have become visibly clearer, after being occupied for years by industries, slum housing and market stalls. In January, some 10,000 informal traders were evicted from the area.
The river’s banks are slowly being recovered and reconverted into public spaces. Around 30 of a total of 117 garbage dumps have been eliminated, trees have been planted, and a road is now being opened through an area that was impenetrable until recently.
But progress has been much slower in the identification and inspection of polluting industries, who have been slow to submit the conversion plans that each company is required to draw up, despite the fact that they have been offered easy financing for this purpose.
Of an estimated 12,000 polluting firms, 400 have submitted plans and 360 have been shut down for failing to do so, according to the executive president of the Matanza-Riachuelo Basin Authority (ACUMAR), Oscar Deina.
In a televised interview, Deina stressed that "we cannot trade health for employment," referring to the dilemma faced until now by the authorities, who have been reluctant to shut down businesses because of the lost jobs that would result.
For his part, Nápoli stressed that little progress has been made in addressing the health problems of the people affected.
Official figures indicate that some 400,000 people need medical treatment as a result of living in the most severely polluted areas of the river basin, and they cannot wait until the clean-up efforts have been completed, he said.
FARN coordinates the Espacio Matanza-Riachuelo, a network of environmental groups and residents associations devoted to monitoring compliance with a clean-up plan ordered by Argentina’s Supreme Court in a historic ruling issued in July 2008.
In response to a suit filed by 114 residents of the river basin, the Court convened hearings with government officials, business owners and other stakeholders and then ordered the government to draw up a definitive clean-up plan for the area.
The plan is being implemented by ACUMAR, which was created for this purpose and is made up by representatives of the three jurisdictions involved: the national government, the government of the province of Buenos Aires, and the government of the city of Buenos Aires.
To help finance the cost of the clean-up – estimated at close to 1.5 billion dollars in 2009 – the World Bank granted Argentina a loan of 840 million dollars that same year, to be used for the construction of water supply and sewerage systems, water treatment plants and pumping stations, as well as industrial conversion, land planning and strengthening of the monitoring authority.
But work on the water and sanitation systems has yet to begin, and funding for other purposes has yet to be disbursed "because of bureaucratic issues," reported Nápoli.
Environmentalists and local residents concur that the clean-up of the river, for which almost no one took responsibility a decade ago, progressed to some extent with the creation and consolidation of ACUMAR.
However, the greatest advances have been made thanks to the Supreme Court ruling, which established clear guidelines. The execution of the ruling was assigned to Federal Judge Luis Armella.
"He is a hardworking and thorough judge. Instead of handing out fines to those who don’t comply, he goes to the site, calls meetings and looks for solutions," commented Alberti.
Nevertheless, "there have been improvements on the surface of the water, but the riverbed is just as polluted as ever," he added.
Alberti also noted that the residents of the area have become "hostages to political disputes" between the different government authorities who have been brought together within ACUMAR but do not share the same party affiliations. This has resulted in delays in crucial work such as the construction of new housing.
Twenty percent of the 1,500 families who live on the banks of the Riachuelo have already been moved out of the area, reported Nápoli. Entire slum settlements have been relocated to new neighborhoods built in the Buenos Aires district of Lanús.
For its part, Greenpeace Argentina, which is also a member of the Espacio Matanza-Riachuelo network, does not share the generally positive view of the clean-up efforts expressed by others.
According to the environmental group, even if all of the factories complied with the rules on toxic waste dumping, the river would continue to be poisoned, because the limits established by the law are incompatible with the topography and characteristics of the Riachuelo.
Because it is a flat-lying river whose still waters make it more like a lake, it cannot withstand the same volumes of toxic wastewater as a faster-flowing river or one flowing down a mountain slope, explained Greenpeace activist Consuelo Bilbao.
As a result, the ultimate goal should be "zero wastewater" dumping. Greenpeace is working with ACUMAR for the adoption of progressive guidelines that become gradually less permissive.
For the time being, however, the goal is to at least ensure that the current legislation is obeyed.
* IPS correspondent | <urn:uuid:d69b7dc2-4884-4ba4-a774-23c34b59d4ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tierramerica.info/nota.php?lang=eng&idnews=3887&olt=563 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964957 | 1,601 | 2.78125 | 3 |
The notes. You don’t belong here if you don’t reblog this. THE NOTES!
There’s no way Frodo could be Bilbo’s reincarnation. Remember, Bilbo ADOPTED Frodo some time after he was orphaned! Bilbo wanted to leave Bag End to someone worthy and he didn’t want to leave it to the Sackville-Bagginses. So he adopted Frodo while Frodo was somewhere in his tweens (if I remember canon correctly). He ended up raising Frodo all the way to his coming of age and left Frodo as Master of Bag End after their combined birthday party when Frodo was 33 and Bilbo 111.
Later a very old Bilbo and Frodo would go to the Grey Havens together, having been granted the grace to sail to Valinor as Ringbearers. Bilbo was 131 years old, having surpassed the Old Took, who was previously known as the longest-lived Hobbit. We don’t know what happened to Bilbo after Valinor, though. But Frodo and Bilbo were together in the end.
So again, no, Bilbo was very much alive during the War of the Ring, had actually VOLUNTEERED to take the Ring to Mordor itself but was gently told that this was now a task best left to his heir and was alive long enough to sail with his beloved nephew/cousin to Elvenhome.
Reincarnation, as far as I know doesn’t work that way. Hehe. :)
ETA: Apologies if I confused you. The Reincarnation Headcanon is set in the REAL LOTR/Hobbit World and I thought it made a terrible and sad sort of sense, y’know?
From the Notes of Danny Williams
(A.K.A. Where I’m Writing Down All The Shit That Happens To Me Courtesy of Super-SEAL and My Ohana of Loons BEFORE I Edit It Out For Official Consumption)
…I mean seriously, exactly what is it with Super-SEALs and ex-SAS guys and all the Other Special Forces Crazy People that make them think they’re Superman? Huh? It’s like they go through Basic Training, Get More Specialized Training and then BAM!
Instant Captain America. Saving the World Beyond Bedtime. Yo, JOE!
So pretty much shit hit the fan today.
It started with us meeting Mr. Famous Consulting Detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner/husband (not fiance, after all) Dr. John Watson. Apparently, the “fiance” thing is just to keep Missus Holmes or LADY Holmes, to be precise, happy and apparently nobody in their right mind wants to make her UNHAPPY. I believe it.
Anyway, Sherlock tells us that we ought to check with Honolulu PD for reports of more Missing Alien Critters. Lilo Pelekai’s Stitch has “cousins” and a lot of them are all over Hawaii keeping company with a chosen “human” as a best friend and partner. And most of the time, these partnerships work out. All of the Weird Alien Critters have some sort of special ability or the other but they’re generally harmless and more often useful.
And he’s right, there ARE more missing Alien Critter reports and SOMEBODY was deliberately keeping them from us. We’d thought that Stitch was an isolated case. Turns out, some fool in HPD was in shit deep with a lot of debts (this is going in my Official Report as Lt. Dean Hawkins instead of Lt. YOU ASSHOLE) and sat on the reports. Current protocol dictates that Missing Weird Alien Critter Reports go to us at Five-0 so we can find ‘em and haul in S.H.I.E.L.D if we need to.
Sherlock figured out, from Lt. Asshole’s watch, if you please, that he was the mole and that Yakuza had paid him off to shut up about the missing Alien Critters.
Obvious conclusion is obvious, right? Somebody wanted to use the Alien Critters to somehow get at the King of Erebor.
And it turns out His Majesty Thorin II Oakenshield Durin is like a Trouble Magnet of the First Caliber, much like Certain Super SEAL’s I know. Also like Certain Super SEALs of my acquaintance, he and his Consort have a soft spot for kids. Apparently he and Prince Bilbo met little Lilo Pelekai on the beach and they decided to help her find her little alien buddy.
Her little Alien Buddy, who’s apparently under some sort of mind-controlling collar. My official report will show that this thing seems to be of the same origin as those aliens that attacked New York with that Loki guy last year. Fuck. Steve tells me that we’ll call on Morrie if we have to and given what I know of Morrie, then Loki ought to be very nervous about setting foot on the islands.
Stitch really loves that little girl and he apparently fought the collar’s control long enough for King Thorin to get close and get it off him. But Stitch is plenty strong and those claws of his aren’t for show and Thorin got hurt but good.
Bilbo escaped unscathed except for a few bruises and cuts, protecting Lilo. Tough little son of a gun managed to hold off a snatch attempt by the terrorist Azog and his goons, holding on just long enough for us to get to him.
Memo to self: don’t get between Bilbo, his knives (where the HELL did they come from? Hobbitspace?) and anybody he’s trying to protect.
Second Memo to Self: John Watson is a scary son of a bitch with a gun. Good thing Steve deputized him. I can tapdance around the paperwork and won’t mind it a bit - Watson saved my ass today.
Third Memo to Self: Sherlock Holmes is also a SCARY son of a bitch when he’s not doing his crazy-ass powers of deduction. We get along though - I can see where he’s getting his shit from. The fact that we do, claims Watson, is nothing short of a fucking miracle apparently. I don’t get it - if you just observe, you’ll know where Sherlock’s pulling his info from.
We’ve taken His Majesty to the hospital where he is currently under 24-7 security. Sherlock insists that they’ll try for him again and that it’s not ransom they’re after. He and Max are checking out blood samples from the King. Something tells me the Bad Guys think that King Thorin has some sort of genetic quirk in him that they want to exploit.
Steve’s currently in contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. about this but currently, the Avengers are running all over the world on the heels of Loki and Doctor Doom, apparently. Which means, it’s up to us to hold the Fort here at Hawaii. Naturally. What is my life, I ask you.
I’m currently on babysitting duty here at the hospital with Bilbo. Bilbo’s pretty much going on coffee and malasadas, as am I. Lilo’s with us. She’s napping on the couch next to Bilbo. Royalty has its perks - we got this nice suite with extra bedding next to where Thorin is recovering.
The argument has been made that if Weird Alien Critters are being targeted all over Hawaii, Lilo is actually safer around us right now. Her sister Nani is NOT happy to hear this. Between me and Bilbo, we’ve pretty much temporarily adopted her, so that Nani doesn’t go nuts with worry. If it were my Gracie, I’d be crazy too.
Lilo really should be home with her sister but the little kid’s insisting on hanging around with her alien buddy, Stitch, who’s feeling pretty low about what he did to the King, no matter that it wasn’t actually his fault. Little blue fuzzy guy’s reading my report over my shoulder as I type this into my laptop.
Like I’m telling you, Stitch. It will be fine. King Thorin knows you didn’t mean to hurt him and he knows how much you love Lilo. Okay?
A Lord of the Rings Non-AU Headcanon
I know that there’s been headcanons floating about postulating that perhaps Fili and Kili were reborn as Merry and Pippin. And it fits, in a sense. Merry and Pippin were both merry, mischievous, close as brothers and pretty much the closest things to Princes in the Shire, being that Merry was the heir to the Master of Buckland and Pippin was the future Thain.
But what if Boromir was the reincarnation of Thorin Oakenshield? He was a good Man and a fine Captain of Gondor, loved and respected, honorable and proud, willing to do ANYTHING to protect his people and was, in the end, led astray by something “precious.” Just as Thorin once was. Also, Boromir was meant to be the Steward after Denethor and he never got to hold that office, just as Thorin never got to be actual KING Under the Mountain.
What if Boromir, somehow knowing that “Merry and Pippin” had already died shielding him with their own bodies, chose to reverse that fate? In their last life, Fili and Kili died defending him. In this new life, Boromir/Thorin would shield his hobbits/nephews with his own body, dying to protect them.
In whatever life they are, the Durins would still kill and die to protect each other.
ETA: Somebody asked if Faramir was Frerin. Why not? This time, Frerin got to live a full life and did not end up dying too young in battle.
Tagging this in the Bagginshield tag.
There are no sources cited and they are not reblogs. They are reposts.
Please be kind and courteous to your fan artists. Google Image Search is your friend. Reblog the artwork with the source. Don’t repost.
Singing Muses of the Blanket Fort (No, Erik had been in hiding when Kili did the roll call - what else can you expect from an Opera Ghost?)
Erik (the Phantom of the Opera - Susan Kay interpretation, Andrew Lloyd Webber version, Yeston-Kopit version)
John Watson (shhhh… you need to get him drunk first)
From: Thorin Durin <firstname.lastname@example.org>
Sent: Friday, May —, 20—
To: Fili and Kili Durin <email@example.com>
Subject: Yes, we’re safe, brats, tell your mother to mind her damn business
Please tell your mother that we’re quite fine and for Mahal’s sake, I’m on my honeymoon so no, I will not be checking my email as often.
No, Fili, I am not saying this to traumatize you two. I would appreciate it if you both get your minds out of the gutters. I’m sure it’s an alien concept for you both, but yes, your uncle does have a life of his own that does involve snogging the life out of one Bilbo Baggins, among other things.
I can hear you screaming from here, Kili. Also checking my conscience for any twinges. No. Not feeling a thing.
Seriously, boys, I am aware that Azog is apparently good and determined to spoil our honeymoon but we are quite safe here. Dwalin’s looking after us. I have also met with Hawaii’s apparently famous Five-0 taskforce. Commander McGarrett’s a good man. His partner quite reminds me of my Bilbo, except with an American accent and more exaggerated hand gestures. Bilbo’s nudged me enough times in the ribs for this already - so no, Kili, you can’t use this as blackmail material.
I hope you two are not being a headache to your Uncle Bilbo’s cousins at Bag End Bookstore. Also, I know you two have hit it off quite well with John and Sherlock - try not to get arrested either. And yes, I might be convinced to have all of us travel back to Hawaii during your hols - I’m sure you boys will quite like it here.
Bilbo and I met a little girl on the beach today. Adorable little thing - she’s lost her best friend, apparently and she’s been asking people if they’ve seen him. It’s an odd creature that looks like no dog I’ve ever seen - blue, fuzzy, big eyes. I’ve heard about the Weird Alien Creatures of Hawaii so it seems this is one of them. I suppose the memo from S.H.I.E.L.D now makes much more sense.
No, Kili, you can’t have one for a pet. Though I have a feeling you boys might end up with one of them anyway, given your luck (and mine).
Bilbo’s insistent that we ought to help the little one and I can’t say I blame him. I suppose it shouldn’t get us into too much trouble. This also tells me that my husband and I may need to talk about children again though I can’t say I object much to us taking care of a little girl or little boy with bilbo’s curls and eyes. So yes, Fili, cousins may be in your future yet. I rather like the sound of that.
Please, for the love of Mahal, stay out of trouble and look out for each other.
Note: No, Thorin has no idea that Fili and Kili WILL be turning up in Hawaii with John and Sherlock. BWAHAHAHAHAHHAAH.
Note the Second: No MPREG in this universe. Thorin and Bilbo have talked about adopting or surrogacy. Succession is not an issue as Fili is Crown Prince and the laws of succession in modern Erebor may also allow a King or Queen to choose an heir more qualified amongst his/her family, not necessarily his children.
From: Bilbo Baggins <firstname.lastname@example.org>
Sent: Friday, May —, 20—
To: John Watson <docwatson221B@bakerstreet.co.uk>
Subject: Wish you were here - NOT
Stop smirking. I can see it all the way here in Hawaii. Yes, I’ll probably be looking like a besotted newlywed even AFTER I come back to London. God willing, I’ll be looking like it for the rest of my life with Thorin. There, yes, I’m a hopeless sap.
As if I weren’t around when you were moping over your Sherlock so shut it.
(Why yes, Thorin DID let me out of bed…. eventually. And no, I won’t entertain you with details, not that you’d ask, but bugger off about that anyway….)
So, I’m writing to you just so you know that we have reached Hawaii safe and sound and currently enjoying ourselves. ENJOYING OURSELVES IN SEEING THE SIGHTS BECAUSE THIS IS PARADISE ON EARTH so please, for the love of God, get your mind out of the gutter.
The beaches here are spectacular, doubly enhanced by the presence of my husband in a pair of beach shorts. Uh. Yes. Quite.
Since I did marry a Head of State, every security precaution is apparently being taken for our safety but thankfully Dwalin has the sense to at least tell his people to stay out of visible sight. We also have Hawaii’s Five-0 task force looking after us and I would have said that they shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble, except that I am aware there is apparently some sort of threat hanging over our heads.
Thorin, bless him, is trying to keep it from me and I shall let him alone in his delusions for a while longer as I am aware he’s trying not to worry me. It’s our honeymoon, for God’s sake - so I understand this but really, he ought to know that things like this are burdens best shared. Partner, best friend and husband with the vows and everything, yeah?
How’s Bag End doing? I’m sure Cousins Drogo and Prim are doing a fine job of looking after the store for me. Tell Fili and Kili to stay out of trouble, yeah? I’m sure it’s a futile thing to say but at least I can tell their Uncle Thorin I tried. Haha.
Five-0’s Commander McGarrett is apparently a friend of yours back in Afghanistan? He’s asked me to tell you “Aloha!” and that there’s a steak dinner waiting for you and your bloke should you two ever get around to Hawaii. I must recommend it for YOUR honeymoon, if you could drag Sherlock out of Baker Street and onto a beach. It would be good for him, I expect.
So Aloha from Hawaii and see you when I get back home,
Note: Obviously, Bilbo hasn’t a clue that John and Sherlock are on their way to Hawaii. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
This is also for the lovely thelonelyotakugirl who apparently needs all the Brain Breaks *koffdistractionskoff* she can get.
I have been educating my sweet Mommy Duck on Cumberbitches and Cumberbabes. Being as Mom’s not about to go about calling herself a “Cumberbitch” (different strokes for a different generation, guys), I said, “I guess that makes you a brand new Cumberbabe, my Duck!”
Mommy Duck’s response:
Anak, I am not a Cumberbabe. I am a CumberMommyDuck!
Rock. On. CumberMommyDuck!
this is the man we’ve chosen to love
and let’s not forget about
remember this one, you can’t forget him
Or this one
And this one.
Not to mention this guy.
cant forget about our moose
Don’t forget this Majestic Doofus: | <urn:uuid:ec2d8be9-36ea-43ac-a0d5-f2c2f0f937a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://darthstitch.tumblr.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954677 | 4,071 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Help make BPA a thing of the past by signing the petition by Breast Cancer UK
Breast cancer rates in England have risen by 90% since 1971. Breast Cancer UK believes that this increase cannot be attributed to lifestyle or genetic factors alone. Environmental factors such as various chemicals play an important role. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a known EDC, an oestrogen mimic and has been linked to changes in the breast and mammary glands which predispose the body to develop breast cancer later in life.
Despite this, BPA continues to be used in a wide range of everyday products including food and drink packaging. It is ubiquitous in the environment and in people and numerous studies indicate that over 95% of us have BPA in our bodies. Scientists agree that an important route of exposure to BPA is through diet and it is clear that the BPA used in food and drink contact products is leaching out of the packaging or container and into the food and drink we consume on a daily basis. Increasingly, scientific data suggests that even low level exposure to BPA may have adverse health effects.
The UK Government must take action now to reduce the massive financial and human cost of cancer by calling on the EU to introduce a ban on the use of BPA in all food and drink applications and to substitute it with safer alternatives.
Last updated on 12 December 2012 | <urn:uuid:f86d221b-5d0b-4aab-ad4e-30247be240d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.env-health.org/news/members-news/article/help-make-bpa-a-thing-of-the-past | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957951 | 280 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Bank Your Time featured on WVIT NBC30 (Connecticut, USA)
Footprints on the sands of time
Do you find fulfillment in life? Are you physically,
emotionally and spiritually satisfied with all that you have
achieved in life?
Do you actively take part in the game of life or do you
watch from the sidelines?
Do you get to do what you want to or do you only do what
you have to?
Do you merely exist or do you really live? If you
only do what you have to do, you merely exist. Only
when you do what you want to do you really live.
Life is not a spectator sport!
Vision without action only leads to dreams. You need the
desire and the determination to take action to suit your
vision, but most of all, you need time. How will you find
the time to take action and fulfill your vision?
Bank Your Time is not a time management program.
Bank Your Time is a game that helps you create the
spare time that you need for all the things that
you want to do. Oh, and incidentally you get
to be better at managing all the things that you have to
do within the time available. It is a fun way to
Bank Your Time Success Stories
Ann R. from Huntsville, AL, writes:
A single mom with two boys and a very demanding career hardly has
time for herself. I had some doubts about Bank Your Time at
first - "Another time management system," I said. I gave it a try
anyway, and I am glad I did! I now have plenty of time to relax.
The game also helped me control my boys, and which mom doesn't like
Karen S. from Silver Spring, MD, writes:
I tried many time management programs and threw away the planner
after a few days every time. Nothing worked for me. With Bank
Your Time, I just keep going and going and going ...
Ram M. from Warren, NJ, writes:
Most of us waste time being TOTALLY unaware of such habits on
our part. Mr. P. Rao’s Bank Your Time techniques
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time bites, and then more importantly, how to either eliminate
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I have gone through his program with great interest and
benefited by it already.
His methods are so simple yet so valuable. I do believe that the
best ideas are usually extremely simple, but it needs a person
like Mr. P. Rao’s academic and intellectual acumen to
capture, crystallize, and deliver them to us.
I am very positive about the outcome of
Bank Your Time. I am sure you will too.
Saravanan B. from Chennai, India writes:
As a passion-driven entrepreneur, I find dealing with the hum-drum
to be such a drag. However, unfortunately, like they say,
success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. I think
"Bank Your Time" can make the perspiring a
bit more tolerable. | <urn:uuid:8eadf88c-9ad4-41a3-a6f3-66b32fe88a19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bankyourtime.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945856 | 665 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Duluth, MN (Northlands NewsCenter)
-- Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor has responded to the controversy and confusion over the badger state's job creation.
Governor Scott Walker has recently come out saying the state last year created 23,000 jobs, citing the latest numbers from the department of workforce development.
His opponent in the Gubernatorial recall election, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, says those numbers are a premature and inaccurate representation of Wisconsin's job creation based on Workforce Development statistics.
Duluth's labor market analyst says he believes the Federal Department of Workforce Development numbers are overall the most accurate way to measure employment.
But Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleenfisch says Walker's numbers more clearly reflect Wisconsin's economy since Walker became governor.
"We accumulated all that data and saw how completely off all of last year's reports were. We had to tell the tax payers that this was a win for Wisconsin." Kleenfisch said defending Governor Walker.
The Democratic Party Wisconsin says instead of training 23,000 jobs Wisconsin actually lost more than 21,000 jobs last year, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics. | <urn:uuid:b107af92-9acc-482c-a7b9-5d47f5d81fd9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/elections/recall/Lt-Governor-Defends-Job-Numbers--152087065.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954051 | 228 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Watertown Resident Receives Para-medicine Pin at Massachusetts Bay Community College
(Wellesley Hills, MA – October 2,2012) – Watertown resident Jonathan Mazzola was “pinned” at Massachusetts Bay Community College (MassBay) Monday night as part of the induction ceremony into the Para-medicine profession.
“We are proud to recognize Mr. Mazzola for successfully completing the academic obligations of the Para- medicine certificate program at MassBay,” said Jo Ann Mackey, Dean, Division for Health Sciences. “It is a rigorous program, so he has earned his place in the Para-medicine profession. All of us at MassBay wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Pinning ceremonies originated 1,000 years ago when nurses were recognized for their service to others. Over time, pinning ceremonies have become a ritual to welcome graduates of health care programs into their professional practice.
Para-medicine is the highest level of training for the pre-hospital emergency medical service system. Paramedics receive extensive training in the use of advanced procedures, medications and specialized equipment to manage medical emergencies and traumatic injuries. Through careful patient assessment and team oriented medical care, paramedics help prevent and reduce death and disability from illness or injury.
MassBay awards associate degrees and certificates in over 60 academic programs in a wide range of career-driven subjects ranging from accounting and automotive technology to forensic DNA science and early childhood education. The College’s facilities in Wellesley Hills, Framingham and Ashland offer day, evening and weekend classes to meet the needs of degree-seeking students and career minded life-long learners. Online options provide convenience and allow faculty to facilitate the learning process. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and strives to meet the needs of the diverse population it serves. | <urn:uuid:f5318781-f082-42bc-8dc5-f5079a8ec8f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://watertown.patch.com/announcements/watertown-resident-receives-para-medicine-pin-at-massachusetts-bay-community-college | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951245 | 390 | 1.585938 | 2 |
What is missing from the endless chord charts for learners, or any guitarist for that matter, is a list or chart of progressions. Even the simplest song has progressions, take the Velvet Underground at their most basic, one chord burbling away.......for twenty minutes.......then a chord change, maybe another......then back to our comfortable home chord. A progression.
This book is the key to making musical sense of the nuts and bolts of musical composition.
Throw your chord books away, because unless you have a sound knowledge of music, they are useless.
By all means aquire that knowledge, but if you want to play songs, and SEE how those songs work, then buy this book. It's so good I've bought it for friends, other guitarists, whom I've wanted to help move to a different level. This is a very inspirational book, and often you will be thinking...."oh so they're the chords to that song". Lots of fun 10/10 | <urn:uuid:e1ae26cc-4df4-4ac4-ab93-37a8380f51d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guitar-Chord-Progression-Encyclopedia-Progressions/dp/0739009710 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957944 | 200 | 1.75 | 2 |
Dora Bas Rivka Silver O'H
Psalm 1 (continued)
The Talmud (Brachos 10b) says that Psalm 2 is a continuation of Psalm 1. David asks why people gather to plot pointlessly. They conspire against G-d and His anointed one (David himself). G-d will laugh at their efforts and when He responds to their attempts in anger, they will be terrified.
G-d says that He has appointed David as His king over Israel, so the nations have no right to interfere. David acknowledges that G-d has treated him as a son. If David just asked, G-d would give him dominion over the other nations.
Because of this, the kings of other nations are advised to play it smart. They should humbly serve G-d, even while trembling before Him. They should strive to be pure in order not to incur G-d's wrath; fortunate are those who trust in Him. | <urn:uuid:8012f4ea-ae9b-433a-b013-28310f595d17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ou.org/index.php/torah/article/psalms_chapter_2/synopsis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973399 | 202 | 2.34375 | 2 |
A case that threatens the right of Web sites to link freely.
Last April, startup real estate news site BlockShopper ran the headline "New Jones Day Lawyer Spends $760K on Sheffield" with a link to the bio for the lawyer in question—Jacob Tiedt—from the Web site of his law firm, Jones Day. In July, it ran a similar item about a home purchase by Dan Malone Jr., another Jones Day lawyer, with the link to his Jones Day bio.
BlockShopper was following standard operating procedure by linking to publicly available Web sites. But Jones Day got mad. The law firm (a big one, at 2,300 lawyers) has never publicly said why it sued; maybe the powers that be there thought the posts compromised their lawyers' privacy. Housing records are public documents, but the Web turns public into accessible, and the firm presumably wasn't thrilled about having its attorneys' home purchases broadcast. Jones Day demanded that BlockShopper remove the items. When BlockShopper refused, the firm sued the 15-staff startup for trademark infringement. Jones Day's legal theory was that BlockShopper's link would trick readers into thinking that Jones Day was affiliated with the real estate site.
This may seem far-fetched, but the judge in the case didn't think so, and that led to a settlement this week that will require BlockShopper to change the way it creates links. And that's not a good signal to send about the Web, where linking has been an unrestricted currency available to all.
Trademark infringement is supposed to turn on consumer confusion. For instance, if you set up a roadside coffee stand, sell instant coffee, and market yourself as a Starbucks outpost, you're probably infringing on Starbucks' trademark by tricking people into thinking that you're the company.
The idea that readers of a real estate news site would somehow be confused by links to Jones Day, on the other hand, shouldn't have passed the straight-face test. One legal blogger proposed that the attorneys who brought the suit take ethics classes. Paul Alan Levy of Public Citizen described the lawsuit as a "new entry in the contest for 'grossest abuse of trademark law to suppress speech the plaintiff doesn't like.' " The digital rights groups Public Citizen, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Citizen Media Law Project, and Public Knowledge tried to file a friend-of-the-court brief asking for the case to be dismissed.
No go. In November, federal district court Judge John Darrah rejected the amicus brief and denied BlockShopper's motion to dismiss the case before trial. Two months earlier, he had issued an injunction requiring BlockShopper to remove the Jones Day articles while the case was pending.
Faced with the prospect of big legal bills and an unfriendly judge, BlockShopper co-founder Brian Timpone decided to settle. On Tuesday, the real estate site said it agreed to change how it links to Jones Day. BlockShopper will no longer use the names of Jones Days attorneys as anchor text. Instead, it will use the full and cumbersome URL. In other words, Timpone said, instead of posting "Tiedt is an associate," the site will write "Tiedt (http://www.jonesday.com/jtiedt/) is an associate." (The agreement also calls on BlockShopper to say that the lawyer in question is employed at Jones Day and that more information about the attorney is on the firm's Web site.)
Wendy Davis is a journalist with Mediapost.
Image of cursor on Slate's home page by Chad Baker/Photodisc. | <urn:uuid:d8379bc2-dc66-47c0-bbc9-a89d5a641bc1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2009/02/linked_out.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953234 | 758 | 1.695313 | 2 |
They love; they hate it
There’s little middle ground with these 10- and 11-year-olds
Friday, November 26, 2004
When it comes to toys and games, fifth-graders have definite opinions: They either love them or hate them, with little in between.
This is not to say that everyone in Michael Likchite’s fifth-grade class at Evanston’s Orrington Elementary School agreed. That became very clear when Chicago Parent tried to take a vote and establish a best and worst toy and game list during the toy test.
While there were definite favorites, the Esphera 360 Puzzle (Warren, $14.95) got four votes for the worst list and five for the best. One student even suggested that the card game Slamwich (Gamewright, $12), an overwhelming class favorite, be put on the worst list (resulting in many groans and protests). Despite some disagreement, though, more than half the class liked two games in particular, the aforementioned Slamwich, and Wig Out (Gamewright, $5.99), a fast-paced card game that requires players to match pictures of hair styles.
“I liked all the wigs because you could picture other people in them,” said Dan Letchinger.
As for Slamwich, the students liked that other players could join in easily in the middle of a game.
“At the beginning of the game you deal out all of the cards, but you can come in during the middle of a game and get cards and start playing,” said Leah Chernoff.
Even though he helped vote Slamwich onto the “best” list, Michael O’Brien said he would not put the game on his wish list.
“It’s a waste of a Christmas gift,” he said, adding that he “would want it for another gift.”
His classmate, Michael Dorner, agreed: “It would be good for when I’m at my grandparents’ house.”
As for the toys voted onto the worst list, Woodkins Groovy Girls Design Studio (Woodkins, $20) and Builder Xtreme (LEGO, $19.99) tied for the top spot. Most of the votes against the Design Studio came from the girls, in part because of the way the toy is marketed and packaged.
“It’s way too girly-girl. It’s stereotypical and too pink. I personally do not like that,” said Ellen Roeder.
Besides disliking the pink packaging, the girls also complained that the toy did not work as it was supposed to.
“The scissors were dull and some of the stuff didn’t work,” said Leah. “They had pieces to show the shape of the dress, but you couldn’t trace it on the fabric.” (Younger testers had similar complaints.)
Builder Xtreme made the worst list for being too structured; the fifth-graders wanted to build things other than what the instructions showed.
“I liked it better when you could do whatever you want,” said Michael O’Brien, referring to the big buckets of LEGOs he had when he was younger. “You can’t really build other stuff because you don’t have all the pieces.”
Even though they had fun playing with the toys, most of the class said they did not really want toys for the holidays. These kids want money and electronics such as iPods and cell phones. While these choices may suggest they are eager to become teenagers, their top toy choices show they’re still not too old for games. Toys that worked Slamwich (Gamewright, $12). With 17 votes out of a class of 25, this game was the clear winner. Players build sandwiches with food-shaped cards and try to be the first to collect each sandwich as it’s discarded. The player who collects all the cards wins.
Wig Out (Gamewright, $5.99). A close second place with 16 votes, the kids loved the funny pictures of hair styles on the cards.
Wire Art Jewelry Can Kit (Duncan Enterprises, $16). Kids can make jewelry, sculptures and whatever else comes to mind with this craft kit. Luis Alfaro pointed out, though, that the small pieces can be dangerous for small children.
Toys that didn’t work Woodkins Groovy Girls Design Studio (Woodkins, $20). Marketed to ’tween girls, the toy comes with scissors, fabric, stickers and other objects to dress and decorate the sandwich-board doll (fabric is placed underneath the cover so it looks like an outfit when closed). The ’tween audience might be too old for this toy, though. “It was boring. All you do is make clothes for the person,” said Arielle Williams.
Builder Xtreme (LEGO, $19.99). Players race to be the first to finish building one of 20 different designs. Despite including 118 Lego pieces with the game, our testers wanted more. “If someone had one piece, you had to wait. You couldn’t really do it with a bunch of people,” said Luke Zunamon.
There’s a Moose in the House (Gamewright, $9.99). The goal of this card game is to keep the moose out of your house while giving it to the other players at the same time.
“It took us an hour just to get the game down. After 20 minutes we got bored and left it,” said Michael Dorner.
Jennifer Mesich is a former Chicago Parent intern and is a journalism student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Susy Schultz is editor of Chicago Parent. | <urn:uuid:0348c144-13a2-483d-8418-67f65d7c2edb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chicagoparent.com/magazines/archives/2004/they-love-they-hate-it | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962328 | 1,240 | 1.625 | 2 |
When etiquette manuals address manners in restaurants they are usually discussing first-class restaurants since that is where people are at their most self-conscious and insecure. Cheap, casual restaurants, on the other hand, have been understood as living museums of what not to do, presumably being filled with patrons who are perfectly content to slurp their coffee, eat off their knives, tuck napkins under their chins, and chew on toothpicks.
For many people, middle-class women of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in particular, the notion of eating among strangers required some getting used to. Although etiquette at its most basic means being considerate of the feelings of others, it is clear that much advice was meant to make female readers themselves at ease in restaurants.
Anxiety started at the point of entry. Walking through a restaurant toward a table was agony for some women. As a woman writer in American Kitchen Magazine remarked in 1899, “Even today it is a severe trial for many women, and some men, to enter a hotel dining room and particularly hard if it must be done without a companion. Some that march in with boldest front and utmost nonchalance are but actors, trembling within while brave to outward seeming.”
As a result of discomfort about walking to a table, for years etiquette books and columns seemed preoccupied with this subject. All agreed that when the headwaiter beckoned, the woman of the duo should go ahead of her male companion. I would think that would have made women even more uncomfortable but perhaps the ruling of etiquette mavens relieved the stress of uncertainty. Horrors, the man is going first in the above illustration.
As women went to restaurants more often, things began to change. Young women grew restless at the confinement of propriety which required that they could not go out with a man without a chaperon, could not drink wine, and should only pick at their food. How shocking that they began to have fun, devour their dinners with enthusiasm, and lean their elbows on the table!
As late as 1915, though, women were still being advised to let the man do the ordering and not to even look at the menu unless he suggested it. As for the bill, heaven forbid she should view it: “A woman makes a point, always in restaurants, of not seeing the check when it is brought by the waiter, and while the man is getting out the money to pay it she should keep her gaze from it.”
If the 1917 novel The Rise of David Levinsky is at all representative, ambitious immigrants also wanted advice on restaurant-ing. In it David admits that on his first visit to a high-class restaurant with a business associate, “The occasion seemed to call for a sort of table manners which were beyond the resources . . . of a poor novice like myself.” He confesses ignorance to his kindly companion who agrees to tutor him on how to order, use a napkin, eat soup, fish, and meat and “what to do with the finger bowl.”
Conservative advice continued to be issued in the 1920s, such as Emily Post’s 1923 dictum: “Absolutely no lady (unless middle-aged – and even then she would be defying convention) can go to dinner or supper in a restaurant alone with a gentlemen.” But the Depression and World War II eras were about to have the effect of relaxing American customs.
Still, even today many people have questions about how to act in a formal restaurant setting. As for how to handle bread, break it into pieces and butter each piece individually before eating it. And what if you drop a fork? Ask the server for another. Personally, I truly wish more people would follow this 1904 counsel: “Private affairs should not, ordinarily, be discussed in the public dining room, but if they are, a low tone should be used.”
© Jan Whitaker, 2013 | <urn:uuid:a0687ae5-6a9c-4232-b991-1e0d9139a6d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2013/02/19/mind-your-manners-restaurant-etiquette/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978957 | 813 | 2.09375 | 2 |
If only basketball was as popular as soccer
No Basketball Anymore. This is the new meaning of the NBA acronym as of now, for as many fans know there is a good chance that there will be no 2011-12 season.
The players union and team owners have battled over a revamped collective bargaining agreement for months, neither side has budged, and according to ESPN.com, many NBA All-Stars have signed with teams outside of the United States. Many of the team owners have claimed that they are "losing money" and that the players need to make sacrifices in order to make sure the league stays solvent.
Now, take this statement as it stands. What the owners are proposing is that they are not making as much money as they used to, and because of this fact, whether due to poor marketing by the NBA, or the rise of MLS, or any other reason, the players need to take the brunt of the burden.
This doesn't seem right.
The players are the reason that fans buy tickets to games. They don't go to games to chant de-fence and bang inflated sticks together in a futile effort to make the opposition miss free throws.
They go to watch amazing athletes play a fast-paced, high-energy game and perform last second buzzer-beating miracles fit for nothing less than a Hollywood drama. The owners have an investment, and if the return on it isn't what it should be, the last place they should look to decrease costs of operation is by cutting player salaries.
Some of the most successful teams in the world are operating at a deficit. Manchester United is arguably the most well-known, popular sports franchise in the world, and even they are currently insolvent. According to ESPN, their debt was a staggering £433.2 million pounds; more than $682 million in U.S. dollars.
Would it be in the best interests of the Man U front office to cut the salaries of Wayne Rooney and Chicharito in order to balance the books? Probably not, for again, you shouldn't cut off your head in order to save weight.
As basketball gains popularity around the world, the avenues the players will have to make money will increase dramatically and it won't be long before U.S. team owners will have to compete with the rest of the world for top players. Until then, it looks like the players will either have to concede to the wants of the owners by taking a pay cut, or continue to strike and leave the U.S. fans with No Basketball Anymore.
Simon Walker, Sports Editor | <urn:uuid:b2cdcf77-06bf-4e50-8b13-bd59a384f98c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shoreline.edu/ebbtide/1112/4704/sports2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979961 | 531 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The state Public Service Commission approved a three-year rate plan for National Grid that will lead to lower bills for its customers.
The agreement, announced Thursday, takes effect April 1 and runs through March 31, 2016.
A typical monthly residential electric bill will decrease by an average of 6.6 percent in the first year of the agreement, then rise by an average of 3.3 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively, in each of the following two years.
“Due to the sharp decrease in the first year, electric delivery bills through 2016 will remain lower than they are today,” the PSC said in a statement.
In the public comment period leading up to the PSC’s decision, business groups applauded the proposed agreement for lowering customers’ bills, expanding the utility’s economic development programs and continuing investment in its power distribution network.
And economic development officials said the agreement’s three-year span would help make electricity costs more predictable for businesses.
Also under the rate plan, existing rate discounts for certain economic development programs would continue, and the electric economic development grant program will be funded at $11 million per year, up about $2 million.
National Grid’s electricity revenues are expected to increase $123 million over the life of the agreement.
But the increase will be more than offset by the expiration of $190 million in surcharges that are ending and other customer credits.
Under the proposal, a typical National Grid residential electric customer, using 600 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, would see the monthly bill drop from $82.49 today to $77.05 during the first year of the agreement.
The typical bill would then rise by 3.3 percent to $79.57 during the second year and by another 2.1 percent to $81.24 during the final year of the proposed settlement.
“We are pleased to provide further bill reductions to our customers,” said Ken Daly, National Grid’s New York president, in a statement.
“This plan expands on recent rate reductions and holds energy costs steady for our customers while enabling us to continue to increase infrastructure investment.” | <urn:uuid:34345c8a-4c18-476d-bf46-6a886a944033> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130314/BUSINESS/130319505/1005 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94546 | 450 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
Shots - Health Blog
Thu December 1, 2011
Foster Kids, Even Infants, More Likely To Be Given Psychotropic Drugs
Children in foster care are significantly more likely than other kids to be given mind-altering drugs, according to a study of five states released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office.
The report, which focused on children in the Medicaid program, also found that foster kids were more likely to be prescribed five or more psychotropic drugs at an age and at doses that exceed the maximum FDA-approved levels — both of which carry serious health risks.
Some 3,841 infants under age one were prescribed a psychotropic drug in the five states the report looked at. Seventy-six of them were in foster care. Experts say there's no good reason for infants to take such drugs, the GAO notes.
The report "confirms some of my worst fears," Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., said in a Senate hearing on the issue Thursday, adding that states and the federal government have not done enough to monitor the problem.
The two-year investigation in Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Texas found that foster children were prescribed psychotropic drugs at rates 2.7 to 4.5 times higher than other children in Medicaid in 2008. Psychotropic drugs include those used to treat ADHD, anxiety, depression and psychosis.
In total, the five states spent more than $375 million in Medicaid funds for psychotropic drugs for both foster and non-foster children.
The higher prescribing rates don't necessarily mean that states are acting inappropriately, the GAO points out. Psychotropic drugs have proven effective in treating mental illness, and the higher rate could be "due to foster children's greater exposure to traumatic experiences and the unique challenges of coordinating their medical care."
Ke'onte Cook, a 12-year-old from Texas who testified at the Senate hearing, was on up to five drugs at a time while in foster care, including for bipolar disorder. The drugs made him irritable and exhausted, he said, caused a loss of appetite and "put me in a lights-out mode 15 minutes after I'd taken them." Cook was adopted two years ago, and is now off all of the medications he was on while in foster care.
"I think putting me on all of these stupid meds was the most idiotic thing I experienced in foster care, and the worst thing someone could do to foster kids," Cook said. "I was upset about my situation, not bipolar or ADHD."
The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, passed in September, requires states to come up with protocols for appropriate use of psychotropic drugs for foster kids. But the GAO says that's not enough: HHS should create nationwide guidelines to "help states close the oversight gaps we identified and increase protections for this vulnerable population."
HHS agreed with the recommendations in written responses to the report. | <urn:uuid:03945831-d8e4-48af-8cff-cdf8c3b6b312> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kunm.org/post/foster-kids-even-infants-more-likely-be-given-psychotropic-drugs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961224 | 605 | 2.3125 | 2 |
Case 17 never ends, yet now comes ...
Case 18 - Joshu's Dog
A fundamental Mahayana Teaching is that all sentient beings have (or, as Dogen sang, are) Buddha-nature ... even when hidden from us. That includes man's best friend, most Mahayana philosophers would traditionally agree.
So, when asked, "Does a dog have Buddha nature?" Joshu responded "Yes" ... yet when asked again, "No" (Mu).
Yet, this "Mu" is not merely some negative statement, the mirror image of "Yes". Nor is it some hesitancy or ambiguity, like "Yes, but also no too".
"MU!" is the Dance of Emptiness, the Dog's Bark and Bite, where all questions of "yes" or "no" and philosophical debating drop away in the resounding "YES! YES! YES!".
It is to stop search for one's Buddha Nature like a dog chasing its tail ...
It is not the dog chasing the tail ... nor the tail chasing the dog ... but the very Circle that is Buddha, walking running sitting standing, both tail chasing or sitting still, barking or scratching fleas ... MU! nose to tail.
When will you give up the chase, and find What's What all along? Dog backwards is God nature ... maybe also to be found in dropping "Yes" vs. "No"!
The Koan contains a couple of lines which may speak of intentionally living and remaining in this sometimes cuddly and beautiful, sometimes "bitch of a dog eat dog" world ... to live out our Bodhisattva Vow to Save All Sentient Beings. If we have "Buddha-Nature" all along, why lead this "dog of a life" in this "bag of skin"? The Koan references this as to "get into that bag of skin" as a lowly dog, because "knowingly he purposely offends". Even though embodying the purity of Buddha, the Boddhisattva chooses to remain alive in this world of sometime ignorance ... where we cannot help but to knowingly offend again and again, sometimes driven down to our animal nature ... in order to carry out the mission. Likewise, "Karmic Consiousness" traditionally did not have a positive meaning in Mahayana Buddhism, but was the divided, ignorant consciousness of self and our actions arising therefrom. However, "Mu!" exists right in and as this divided consciousness ... form is no other than emptiness, enlightenment is found no where but at the Heart of delusion.
In the "Preface to the Assembly" ... a floating gourd or diamond may have a "yes" side or a "no" side or facet. Yet which facet alone is the Whole Spinning Fruit, the Complete Jewel? Is it not the same for a "deluded" facet and an "enlightened" facet and all other categories?
Don't get "hooked" by words and categories ... yes or no, delusion vs. Buddhas. Thus, in the "Appreciatory verse", we catch this fish not with a hook, but an impossibly straight needle with no place to bite. Don't make debates and arguments ... about whether clouds hold water like a guest, or clouds rain down water, or clouds are water ... and so with debates about you and Buddha-nature. Let it Rain! Likewise, the reference to "King Shin and Shojo Rin" is from an old story about a Jewel that cannot be given away.
What deep, personal issue or question in your life might be resolved not by "yes" ... not by "no" ... but by "MU!" or "YES! YES! YES!" that swallows whole both yes and no? It could be anything from the existence of God to being torn about whether to get married or change jobs and move to another town. HOWEVER, VERY IMPORTANT, I am not talking about merely resolving the question with some "well, yes on the one hand ... but no on the other". I am not talking about some shoulder shrugging "yes and no" or "I don't know" or making a list of "Pros and Cons".
I mean a total toss of the question into "MU! ... into Emptiness ... whereby all plays out and resolves with a resounding "YES! YES! YES!" that might be yes when yes ... and "YES! YES! YES!" even when no ... and "YES! YES! YES!" even when we don't have an answer or know what to do at all. | <urn:uuid:fe818f49-6b73-433c-8987-df9caad250af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?10278-BOOK-OF-EQUANIMITY-Case-18&p=89103 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947448 | 946 | 2.15625 | 2 |
To me Jordan is a wonderful place for a vacation; people are friendly, there is rarely any hassle, and I enjoyed my time there very much. The mountains and desert of Jordan radiate a wild and desolate beauty all of their own. It is these sun-baked wadis and giant granite crags that 'Lawrence of Arabia' describes in his 'Seven Pillars of wisdom'.
Was it a history or a myth?
Only the local Bedouin people knew that the city really exists because they lived within the caves. But nobody asked them and they didn't tell. Almost two thousand years, Petra wasn't more then just a mystereous sound, a name in dusty documents.
I went to Jordan in 1995 and I would recommend you to visit the country as soon as possible. You can find reports everywhere about the efforts of the government to develop tourism and make it the main source of income for the Jordanian economy. In december 1996, I even read an article that the area around Petra has been turned into a cluster of hotels. There were a handful of hotels when I visited Petra in September 1995.
We visited the Desert Castle in AZRAQ, where Lawrence of Arabia had his strategic headquarters, the beautiful bathhouse of Amra and the famous Roman town of JERASH. After a swim in the Dead Sea we drove south to Mt Nebo where we had a view of the Promised Land seen by Moses. Then we descend into the gigantic ravine of Wadi Mujib before climbing to the rocky pinnale of EL KERAK. At last we arrive to the rock-hewn city of PETRA, the forgotten city, found by the explorer Burckhardt in 1812. Petra is mentoined in every encyclopaedia but it doesn't belong to the seven wonders of the world. What a great pity. You might consider calling it the eight wonder!
The Nabataeans were expert hydraulic engineers. The walls of the Siq are lined with channels (originally fitted with chamfered clay pipes of efficient design) to carry drinking water to the city, while a dam to the right of the entrance diverted an adjoining stream through a tunnel to prevent it flooding the Siq.
A little further on, on the left is the giant semicircle of the amphitheatre, which had seats for eight thousand people. Behind it, the rock wall is pitted with tombs. Close to the theatre, a flight of steps marks the start of the climb towards the High Place of Sacrifice, while continuing towards the right, the wadi widens out. Ahead lies the centre of the city, while following the cliff face further to the right takes you to three large structures, known as the Royal Tombs. They have been carved into the rock face, which is known as the King's Wall.
A young girl with their goats is dwarfed by the craggy rocks that surround the ancient city of Petra. Many of the Bedu living in Petra keep their sheep and goats in caves that wee once the tombs of the Nabataeans, the founders of this ancient city. Nowadays, the Bedu who once had a tent pitched in Petra, live in the government-sponsored village nearby.
Only one hour drive from Petra to the east, we reach majestic Wadi Rum. We trek deep into the sandy desert by camel, riding beneath the sheer cliffs of a vast, silent landscape of ancient riverbeds and pastel-coloured stretches of sandy desert, suddenly shattered by towering sandstone mountains and sheer, shimmering cliff-faces. We move on sitting forward of the hump of a camel, our legs crossed around the front pommel of the saddle. The camels carry handsome camel bags decorated with long, braided tassels. We are dwarfed by the mountains. In the desert, without familiar objects such as trees to act as a guide, it is often difficult to get a sense of scale and to appreciate the vastness of the terrain.
This is a non-profit web page. All the establishments mentioned in this travelogue are places I've been to and which I would like to recommend to people who like to travel around in Jordan.
I would like to thank my dear friend, Marit.
Travelogue and photographs by Joël Neelen © September 1995. All Rights Reserved.
| Index ||
| Algeria, Tassili n'Ajjer | Greece, the Dodecanese | Greece, the Cyclades | Morocco, the Massif Sirwa | Morocco, the High Atlas |
| Cuba | India | Egypt | Yemen | Jordan | Myanmar | Peru | Turkey | Barcelona | | <urn:uuid:6bf09ea9-0298-4df4-befa-a70ba27ec81d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nextdada.be/travel/jordan.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 | 0.963138 | 961 | 1.890625 | 2 |