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Flanagan Campus Discussion Group
February 22, 2005
Attendees at the meeting on Tuesday, 2/22/05 in the Lincoln faculty cafeteria:
Facilitators: Jeanne Mullaney, Rosemary Andreozzi, Jack Owens
Participants: John Rapczak, Girard Brousseau, Paul LeClerc, Linda Beith, Lynda Codega, Alberta DelPrete, Sharon Perkins, Heather Smith
CCRI Faculty - Lincoln Campus
Characteristics of Liberal Arts Graduates
Problem: Programs at CCRI all have a core of Liberal Arts or General Studies requirements. The report of the visiting accreditation team requires the College to develop a statement of the purposes served by these requirements through a process that entails input and approval by the faculty in general.
Below is input received at Lincoln to date. Your comments, additions, or deletions would be greatly appreciated. This meeting is one of the general faculty meetings called at the three campuses to discuss these ideas.
[Participant contributions are indented and set off in a different font.]
Write and speak English (or another language) properly
Issue: What about a mature adult who grew up speaking another language? Such a person may never be able to learn to speak English properly
Contributing member of society
What does contributing member of society mean?
How about constructive?
Re-word to read: Develop or acquire the intellectual skills necessary to become a contributing member of society.
What kind of skills? - intellectual
Horizons should extend beyond their individual selves
Horizon should extend beyond individual selves. Community
Democracy means responsibility to everyone around us, not just what's in it for me.
Balance individual rights w/ communal responsibilities.
A Horizons@ B what does that mean?
How about rights & responsibilities? Don= t have a right to abuse other people.
Make people think broadly implied by A horizon@ .
Students no longer know what democracy is. Equated to freedom = do what I please.
There are different degrees of freedom.
Students need to realize that they= re part of a community for which they have a responsibility., e.g. to vote. Responsibilities as well as rights.
How about positive contributions to society.
Thinks globally, acts locally.
Too much of a slogan.
Knows foreign languages and other cultures
Need some exposure to foreign language or culture. But
probably not practical for all programs.
Need general approach to broadening student= s horizons - diversity. E.g. global seminar project (bio.chem,soc.science), history,
Course with multicultural- cross-cultural studies components.
Several possibilities (i.e. courses) for cross-cultural appreciation.
Identify courses in the catalog for students.
Avoid shallow, superficial courses!
Sensitive to differences between cultures, openness, sensitive to other people. Awareness of other cultures and different ways of thinking.
Has goals for the culture of what you wish the country to be
Underlines and reinforces the canon of own ideal culture
Skip A Ideal Culture@
Should be information literate: know how to locate and evaluate information resources.
Should have visual literacy - learn to see as well.
Visual literacy B younger students are becoming more visual and less literate. Students should think about what they= re seeing. Explain a concept visually, using an image. How does the image express the concept?
Creates lifelong learners who recognize their own learning activities and moments.
Know how to learn B
important B and evaluate
information. Relates to critical thinking.
Replace information with knowing how to learn.
Take more responsibility for their own learning. Knows how to do so.
Needs institutional support. Students should be inculcated with the idea of life-long learning.
Students need help understanding how different requirements will benefit them long-term.
Ability to make distinctions
Computer skills: keyboarding, windows, word processing
Expresses ideas clear in writing and orally
Can read and understand the newspaper - discuss not just the comics and sports, but also local, national, and global issues
Evaluate and critique what they do, read, hear
Ability to make distinctions
B part of critical thinking. Also
related to language skills, expression of ideas orally and in writing.
Element of composition classes.
Evaluate what they do, think, hear B related to critical thinking.
Skeptical about what they read in paper.
Can learn a job - is trainable and progresses in their career
Ability to solve problems using logic
General skills - pre-requisites Probably not within the scope of the committee.
Completed a K - 12 education
Necessary, not sufficient
Working knowledge used in everyday life
Pre-requisite: Ability to solve problems using logic
Basic science and math literacy
Historical perspective on the historical development of our own civilization
Understanding of other cultures
Appreciation of the creative arts
Training for a specific job
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China lead pollution poisons 160 children: report
BEIJING (Reuters) - Lead emission from factories and the natural environment in China's manufacturing heart of Guangdong has poisoned 160 children, Xinhua said on Sunday in the country's latest case of unfettered industrial toxins.
Children from Dongtang town in Renhua country were found to have "elevated" levels of lead in their blood after inhaling lead-contaminated air and eating food tainted with lead, Xinhua said.
Th e natural level of lead in Dongtang is also higher than usual as the town sits on a lead-zinc ore belt which raises the lead content in the soil, Xinhua said.
The report did not name the factories responsible for the lead emissions and was based on preliminary investigations that tested the blood samples of 531 residents last month.
Lead poisoning is prevalent in China and has sparked protests in the past among angry parents of children hurt by heavy metal pollution. Lead is especially damaging to children as it can impede learning and affect behaviours.
To counter widespread public anger, Beijing has promised to crack down on lead pollution. An industry body said last May China could shut three quarters of lead-acid battery plants in the next two or three years to cut local lead demand.
China is the world's largest consumer of refined lead, with 70 percent used for making batteries.
Lead poisoning builds up through regular exposure to small amounts of lead and damages the nervous and reproductive systems, kidneys, as well as causing high blood pressure and anaemia.
In 2009, protesters broke into one smelting plant they blamed for the lead poisoning of more than 600 children, smashing trucks and tearing down fences before the police stopped them.
(Reporting by Koh Gui Qing; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
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Eirineos, the new Archbishop of Crete
A saintly man devoted to the service of God and the Church recently became the new Archbishop of Crete. His Eminence Eirineos, secular name Nikolaos Athanasiadis, was born in 1933 in the village of Mixorrouma in Agios Vassilios, the third of six children. The inhabitants have nothing but praise for their relative and fellow villager, the great Cretan prelate.
Those who know the new head of the Cretan Church mention his charismatic personality and are sure that he will lead his island flock on new spiritual journeys, continuing the great work of the late lamented Timotheos.
Although Eirineos does not often visit his birthplace, everyone knows that he thinks of his village with love. The Athanasiadis family house still stands in the old village of Mixorrouma.
His Eminence Eirineos, Metropolitan of Cydonia and Apokoronou from 1975 to the present day, studied at the Ecclesiastical School of Crete, the Theological School of Chalki and St Boniface’s College in Warminster, England. He has held the positions of Rector of Bristol, Canon of the Metropolitan See of Kissamos and Selino and Headmaster of the Ecclesiastical School of Crete. He was elected Metropolitan of Cydonia and Apokoronou on 23 February 1975. As the senior hierarch of the Church of Crete, his Eminence Eirineos was named Vicar of the Archbishopric of Crete on the death of former Archbishop Timotheos.
LINK: Orthodox Accademy of Crete
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Today, green is more than the color of spring. It's the color patients expect to see applied to every aspect of facility operations. From energy efficiency and water conservation to reducing medical waste, healthcare facilities are under increasing pressure to take more responsibility for their environmental impact and ensure that sustainable practices are in place.
Pest management practices should be on the list of operational activities undergoing “spring greening.” Through an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, pest management providers are focusing more and more on proactive, preventive measures and using targeted low-impact chemical treatments only as a last resort. This approach is essential in sensitive healthcare environments. IPM addresses the elements that make facilities attractive to pests-readily available sources of food, water, and shelter-and works to reduce pests' access. A key component of a green program is thorough documentation, which allows the pest management provider to track trends and proactively take preventive measures. In an ongoing process of assessment, implementation, and monitoring, a good IPM program will continually evaluate pest hot spots, allow for adjustments to the program, and monitor the results of these modifications. This process must be sustained to ensure effectiveness.
Experts are exercising their green thumbs by using the biology and behavior of pests to develop innovative and environmentally friendly pest management solutions. Combined with a robust preventive strategy, you can control pests' access to the essentials and use your instincts against theirs.
The preparation and storage of food and the trash produced in facilities can provide an open invitation to flies. Since these insects slough off dangerous bacteria every time they land, eliminating and monitoring for flying insect activity is a critical part of an IPM program. Before the symptoms can lead to a chronic problem, install fly lights inside all entrances to help combat flying pests. Fly lights use ultraviolet light to attract and draw pests to a non-toxic sticky board inside a confined trap unit.
Fly lights are best placed inside near entrances to shipping/receiving, food preparation, and waste disposal areas. Not only will fly lights trap the pests before they reach the more sensitive parts of the facility, but the devices also serve as an effective pest-monitoring tool. Have the pest management professional check the trap catch on a weekly basis. For best results, replace the light bulbs quarterly and the sticky boards weekly or as needed.
In food service and storage areas, nontoxic sticky boards can help detect the warning signs of a potential pest infestation by trapping crawling pests. Place sticky boards behind and under equipment in food preparation and storage areas, break rooms, and utility closets to help monitor for pest activity in the facility. Like fly lights, sticky boards can be part of IPM diagnostics. Work with the pest management professional to log any pest sightings from the sticky boards to identify the pests caught and make modifications to the IPM program as needed.
Fly lights attract flying insects and trap them on a pheremone-enriched sticky board. Used outside of facility entrances where flies might be attracted, such as food preparation areas, fly lights can also help you monitor the pest population
Pheromone traps and insect growth regulators
An effective way to prevent pests from entering sensitive areas in the facility is to outsmart them with their own biology. Pheromone traps contain synthetically made versions of chemicals that insects secrete to communicate with one another. The pheromone draws pests toward a sticky board and offers an easy way to track insect populations, particularly stored-product pests. Insect growth regulators (IGRs), or lab-created versions of insect hormones, hinder pest growth and prevent reproduction, keeping pest populations from expanding. IGRs and pheromones are nontoxic to humans and are designed for use in locations where food is stored or prepared.
Pest management practices should be on the list of operational activities undergoing “spring greening.”
Repellents and desiccants
Pests tend to hide and breed in hard-to-reach cracks and crevices in exterior walls, but you can combat them with small amounts of a repellant dust. Insects are deterred upon contact with the repellant, which contains pyrethrins, (compounds extracted from pyrethrum flowers), and silica gel, an inorganic compound that damages insects' exoskeletons through a process called desiccation. Applications of repellants in cracks and crevices at the edge of exterior walls followed by the use of a sealant will eliminate these popular pest hideouts and help prevent future infestations.
If implemented by a licensed pest management professional, nonvolatile baits can serve as an effective substitute for traditional treatments. Nonvolatile bait gels and pucks are odorless, so staff and patients won't be concerned by chemical smells. They also do not proliferate through the air and won't affect the indoor air quality. These targeted bait treatments help eliminate entire pest populations because once an insect consumes the bait, it will carry it back to a harborage area where the rest of the pest population can be affected.
Organic green cleaners that consist of naturally occurring bacteria and enzymes can be used in many sensitive locations and serve as a great pest prevention measure. Organic cleaners can eliminate grime buildup, residual food debris, and mildew found in popular pest hot spots including those present around drains, sinks, and waste disposal areas.
Another way to prevent pests from getting into the facility is to take a look at the outside. Have maintenance seal any holes or exposed utility penetrations in the building with weather-resistant sealant. Cockroaches can enter through a 1/16 inch opening and mice only need a gap the size of a dime.
Non-toxic bait pucks lure in pests but do not proliferate through the air
Installing a half-meter gravel strip around the building can deter both rodents and crawling insects. Rodents do not like to be out in the open so this will provide a “no-cover” zone. Also, the gravel creates a rough terrain for insects to traverse.
The places where utility services penetrate the façade of the building provide a perfect entrance for pests. Be sure to inspect the exterior of your facility with a pest management provider and your onsite maintenance team to identify locations that need sealing or repairs to prevent pests from slipping inside
Keep shrubs and other landscape plants at least two feet away from the building as they can provide food and harborage for termites and crawling insects. Branches that touch the side of the building or hang over a rooftop can create a bridge for pests, enabling them to crawl over any barriers you've created. Avoid planting fruit-bearing trees as these attract flies, yellow jackets, and birds.
Remember, staff members play a crucial role in a green pest management program. Teach employees the importance of environmentally friendly prevention and treatment methods so they can support efforts to develop a sustainable program. In addition, special attention should be paid to areas of the facility undergoing renovations or new construction. These often represent places where pest prevention practices are disregarded, but work zones can provide pests the perfect opportunity to enter the facility unnoticed. Work with the pest management provider to develop a strategy for areas that are under construction.
Before you put pest management in the less-than-green category, work with your pest management provider to implement a green program that is effective, environmentally responsible and sustainable for the future. HBIPatrick T. Copps, MS, BCE, is Technical Services Manager for Orkin's Pacific Division. | <urn:uuid:27fd71d9-2bee-4ab9-959a-3b0a73571136> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/building-ideas/green-bill-health?page=show | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925189 | 1,530 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Editor's note: Paul Waldman is a contributing editor at The American Prospect and the author of "Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn From Conservative Success." Follow him on his blog and on Twitter.
(CNN) -- In February 2002, when the Bush administration's campaign to win support for invading Iraq was gathering steam, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked at a news conference about insinuations that Saddam Hussein was in cahoots with al Qaeda, a collaboration for which there was no evidence.
Rumsfeld's response may not have been illuminating, but it was certainly memorable. "Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me," he said, "because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
As we approach the 10th anniversary of that invasion, Rumsfeld's musings provide a helpful reminder for members of the news media. When the next war debate comes, our first step ought to be to take careful stock of what we know and what we don't.
Journalists regularly have to take crash courses in new subjects. When the economy imploded in 2008, many of us who write about public affairs found ourselves addressing economic matters in greater detail than ever before. To write intelligently about health care reform in 2009, you had to get up to speed on how things such as the health insurance market and Medicare work, and a hundred other details.
When a new topic is inherently opaque -- such as the internal politics of a country most journalists could barely find on a map, or the complex consequences of starting a war in a region where U.S. foreign policy is widely reviled -- we should know more than ever about our own personal known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
That didn't happen in 2002 and 2003. The campaign to sell the Iraq War was a carefully planned and skillfully executed propaganda effort, and it succeeded because so many journalists and news outlets went along for the ride.
To be fair to the news media, they were up against an administration using diabolically clever techniques. To take just one example, in the fall of 2002, the administration leaked a story to The New York Times' Judith Miller claiming that Iraq had purchased aluminum tubes clearly intended for use in centrifuges to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.
The truth, as we later found out, was that there was no Iraqi nuclear program, and the tubes in question would have been virtually useless for one. They were meant for conventional rockets. But the administration knew the exclusive would be too juicy for Miller to pass up. Her credulous account, passing all the administration's false claims on as a "scoop," appeared on the Times front page on September 8.
Vice President Dick Cheney then went on "Meet the Press" that very day and said, "It's now public that in fact he has been seeking to acquire, and we have been able to intercept and prevent him from acquiring, through this particular channel, the kinds of tubes that are necessary to build a centrifuge." So the administration planted a false story in the Times, then cited the false story on NBC, using the Times' imprimatur to bolster its credibility. That is some Jedi-level media manipulation.
Hans Blix: Why invading Iraq was a terrible mistake
Every major news organization, from national newspapers to television networks to magazines, was complicit to some degree in selling the public a brief of false information, from Hussein's allegedly terrifying arsenal of weapons of mass destruction to the fictional links between the Iraqi government and al Qaeda.
It wasn't that you couldn't find journalists questioning the official story, raising doubts about the administration's claims, and doing the hard work to determine what the truth was. You always can. Whenever there's a story that the media as a whole get wrong, there's always a reporter somewhere who got it right. The problem was that those voices were so much quieter, pushed so far to the edge of the national debate.
Even within some publications there was a tension. One of the journalistic heroes of the pre-war period was Washington Post national security reporter Walter Pincus, who reported the lack of evidence for the administration's hype. But his articles were buried deep within the paper, while the front page blared scary stories about the fearsome threat from Iraq and the Post's editorial page beat the drums for war. Asked later why his stories were shunted to the back pages, Pincus responded, "The Post was scared."
And so were much of the media. When there's a war in the offing, the flags are waving and dissenters are being called treasonous, the media's courage tends to slip away. Which is particularly regrettable, since the time when the government is pressing for war should be the time when they are more aggressive than ever, exploring every possibility and asking every question, over and over again if need be. That's the time when government is most likely to dissemble and deceive. That was when we most needed the press, and when its failure was the most costly.
So the next time people in power propose a new war -- and they will -- journalists need to ask some important questions. What are the limits of our understanding of this country we might invade? What are the motivations of the people pushing for the action? What evidence is the government offering to support its claims? Are there knowledgeable people who disagree, and what are they saying? Which of the government's claims have I investigated myself, and which am I taking on face value? What are the potential consequences of military action, good and bad, and have I explored them in enough detail? And in the context of Iraq, which questions do I wish I had asked last time around?
That's just a start, of course. Perhaps lessons have been learned, and the next time a president warns the American people that we have no choice but to invade another country or risk our doom, the press will do a better job of being skeptical, thoughtful and rigorous than it did 10 years ago. It couldn't do much worse.
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Newest Review: ... the days fish), sometimes coming off of my partners boat! There is a sea life centre, boat hire, Africa Alive and Pleasurewood Hills all... more
Lowestoft and its origins
Lowestoft in General
Member Name: julwhite
Lowestoft in General
Advantages: Historic town, fishing heritage
Disadvantages: Has suffered from lack of investment
Lowestoft is a town situated in North East Suffolk, just south of Great Yarmouth. The town grew in size quickly in the 1800s with the advent of the railway, which made it a popular seaside resort. Samuel Morton Peto, a railway pioneer, invested heavily in the town to create new leisure, commercial and residential areas.
Lowestoft's wealth in the late nineteenth and earlier twentieth century came from the fishing industry and the tourist industry. However, both declined in the late twentieth century, and where once there were so many drifters in the harbour it was said you could walk across one side to another by jumping from boat to boat, changes in the industry mean that today there are only a handful of registered fishing boats left.
The tourist industry also gradually took a downturn as day-trips decreased in popularity and then the advent of the package holiday meant that more and more people decided to take their holidays overseas rather than a take a week's holiday by the sea.
The town today has received relatively high amounts of investment through numerous funds from the British Government and the European Union Regeneration Fund, although locals argue whether the money has been spent wisely, with significant traffic problems still plaguing the town. Employment is mostly from the three largest employers, Waveney District Council, Bird's Eye and Sanyo. The Government's fishing agency, CEFAS, is also a major employer.
Some other industries have been lost to the town, such as Eastern Counties Coachworks, where many of the buses in the UK were once made, and companies such as the Co-operative Canning Factory. The Eastern Counties site is now though a medium sized out of town shopping centre, with a B&Q, Argos, Brantano, Aldi, Choices and numerous other outlets situated there.
Unemployment however remains a problem in the town as there are limited job opportunities, with many of the town's residents finding work in Norwich. Road links to Norwich are reasonably good, and there are also regular bus and train services.
For tourists to the area today, there is a popular annual air festival, two piers (although one is closed), a long promenade and two stretches of beaches. Pontin's holiday camp is also nearby, and the theme park Pleasurewood Hills is just a two minute drive away. Some tourists also visit Ness Point, which is the most easterly point in the UK and is marked by a large compass showing the distance and direction to many large cities throughout Europe.
Many of the historical buildings in the town have now been removed as part of slum clearance of as part of the road schemes over the last few decades. What was once the Beach Village has now nearly been replaced by industrial units, but was once a thriving fishing community at the base of the cliffs. The area suffered from flooding and a lack of investment and was mostly demolished of residential units in the mid twentieth century.
The town is split into two in general terms, North and South Lowestoft. The latter was the area which was built primarily by Samuel Morton Peto whereas the older part of the town is the original northern end. The town's main church, St Margaret's, and the oldest houses in the town, on the High Street, are all in the northern end of the town.
Today the town still suffers slightly from being so easterly, as the road networks are still in the main not dualled from either Ipswich or Norwich. That has an impact on business, but for tourists planning to come to the area, the town does have a long heritage and many interesting buildings, and is well worth visiting to say that you have been to the most easterly town in the UK!
Summary: A short guide to Lowestoft and its history
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Berkeley-based studio WA Design has completed the Tahoe Ridge House project in 2010.
This two-story contemporary residence is located in Tahoe Donner, a recreational homeowner community only 15 miles from Lake Tahoe, California, USA.
Tahoe Ridge House by WA Design:
“The Tahoe Ridge house is located on one of the last large parcels in the Tahoe area. Eight acres of land with dense stands of white and red fir slope upward to the rocky granite ridge crest that forms a backstop to this exceptional site. This was the second home we had designed for the clients, the first being the Strathmoor House. The usual period of getting acquainted was already in place for the Tahoe Ridge House. Our design aesthetics and goals were aligned at the onset to conceive of a contemporary building uniquely rooted in the Tahoe area and the spectacular site.
Vernacular mining and stamp mill buildings in the Tahoe area inspired the design of this home. Long before Tahoe was a ski resort, it was a gold rush destination. Tall stamp mills were used to pulverize hard rock into fine silt from which the gold could be removed. All movement of material within the mill was achieved by gravity hence the structures are characteristically elongated vertically.
Significant mountain vistas quickly became a key design consideration. Views of the mountains of Nevada to the north, to Tinker’s knob and the Sierra Crest to the south, needed to be revealed. These criteria resulted in a floor plan that sprawls along two orthogonal axes and ascends vertically to the north to the study and master bedroom. The experience of flow along the axes is enhanced by a clear rhythm of 10” x 10” recycled Douglas fir structural posts that tie in with the roof framing above.
A mix of Western Red Cedar and Galvalume metal siding applied as a tight skin pay further homage to the old mining buildings. On the interior of the home, large recycled timbers and heavy metal bracketing extend the industrial aesthetic and resist the substantial snow loads of winter. Large Sierra White granite blocks are carved and hewn to form the fireplace hearths. The building throughout is clearly rooted in and derived from its mountainous site. A large male black bear has lived in the boulders above the house for many years and remains undaunted by recent construction, occasionally strolling unhurriedly down the new entry drive.”
Photos courtesy of WA Design
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Dutch Queen Beatrix, who has reigned for 33 years, has abdicated her throne in favor of her eldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander.
In her televised address Beatrix, the oldest ever Dutch monarch, explained that she was stepping down because she felt her son was ready to take her place on the throne.
"Responsibility for our country must now lie in the hands of a new generation," Beatrix said.
"I'm not standing down because public service is too heavy for me, but because of the belief that responsibility for our country should be in the hands of a new generation," she added.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed the nation after the announcement, praising the Queen for her years of service.
"Since her coronation in 1980s she's applied herself heart and soul for Dutch society," Rutte said. "She has always done her utmost for Dutch society, being visible and with enormous energy."
The coronation of Willem-Alexander will take place on April 30. The 45-year old Prince will become the first King of the Netherlands since the death of his great-great grandfather William III in 1890.
The move is not expected to provoke a constitutional crisis, with the modern day post being seen as largely ceremonial and holding very few powers.
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who will be 75 on January 31, came to the throne in 1980 following her mother’s, Queen Juliana, abdication after 31 years as head of state on her 70th birthday.
The past decade was not the easiest for the queen personally. Her husband, Prince Claus, died in 2002. Just a year later her mother passed, followed by father’s death in 2004.
One of the most shocking moments for Beatrix was in 2009 when a man ploughed his car into a crowd of people during a Queen's Day parade, killing eight.
The abdication comes a year after another personal tragedy, when the Queen’s second son, Prince Friso, was hit by an avalanche while skiing in Austria. He is still in a coma.
The changes to the throne coincide with the 200th anniversary of Holland’s monarchy, the House of Orange. The nation is set to celebrate the event at the end of the year, Beatrix said. | <urn:uuid:c9efd8ee-c7a7-42a9-9608-b12451b822c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rt.com/news/dutch-queen-abdicates-throne-924/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97268 | 479 | 2.265625 | 2 |
THE CREATION STORY
In the spring of 2007 a document representing the voice and spirit of the student body was created by a predominantly student committee. The document entitled, "The Student Promise" embodies the beliefs and values of students. It is intended to unite all students around the very things that make them excellent, that make Loyola students different than students at other institutions. The Student Promise is a statement of pride and dignity. It is a document written by students for students.
It is imperative to note the final product is a direct representation of the values identified as important to the Loyola University Chicago student body. Though the process was initiated by the Office of Judicial Affairs and Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, it was student-driven. Seven students with various backgrounds and interests and four staff members constituted the committee.
The committee hopes The Student Promise will be used as an inspiring symbol of student empowerment, pride and student to student accountability. As the students were composing the document it became clear that the promise is meant to inspire students to be the best version of themselves by caring for self, caring for others and ultimately caring for the community. | <urn:uuid:831f2252-31aa-4e82-8568-13871e071718> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.luc.edu/osccr/creationstory.shtml | 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 | 0.967917 | 232 | 3.078125 | 3 |
As everybody knows that with the progress of information technology there are lots departments and fields came into existence. Now people have lots of new chances to earn bread with this progress lots of jobs sites are available and you can search your desired job from your house. If we talk about the world of internet then how can we forget about the web page designing. A web page designer is making the designs of websites that seem to be very pretty and eye-catching, just like a graphic designer who performs his services in the field of printing, flyers, brochures, postcards, business cards, posters, booklets, rack cards, calendars.
Before I start my article I’d like to say that web page designing is not a plane selling job it’s a field of creativity and you must have the ability to present your client every time a new thing. So, we can say that by the arrival of social media, the web has been over flooded by human beings and also claiming that they are professionals at the whole thing it has turn out to be so out of control that at whatever time I come to make out someone tag themselves as an professional, I right away believe they are trying to cart a fast one on me. Unluckily, various times these persons acquire business for the reason that there are people out there who in fact do accept as true that they are professionals. A designers work never ends. From revising a brochure printing layout to creating a new mobile website, there is always work to complete.Read more | <urn:uuid:f4fa03be-cf90-40d8-8b57-555159bd06cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smashingbuzz.com/tag/inspiration-blog/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973454 | 308 | 1.601563 | 2 |
McCain has taken a page from Bush here. While saving 18 cents a gallon would be swell, it does absolutely nothing to tackle the larger issue of rising gas prices.
On one hand, it's an issue of supply and demand, and no matter how politely W begs his Saudi friends not to raise prices, he's not really in the driver's seat. It's not as though the writing wasn't on the wall in the 70s, when people could buy gas only every other day and lines went down the block. But we frittered away decades that could have seen substantial investment into solar and other alternative technologies. Well, that's the past.
Biofuels are widely touted, but the ripple effects need consideration: what does this do to food prices when commodity corn goes into our gas tanks? And: is corn ethanol really cost-effective, or should we be investigating lesser-discussed ethanol sources such as algae? And: shouldn't we broaden the notions of energy production beyond simply what will propel our cars, to include solar, hydro, geothermal, wind, and other energy sources? The fact is, we've got our backs against the wall now.
Estimates on how long the world oil supply will even last vary, but clearly there is a shift occurring that sees oil-dependent countries at the mercy of oil producers. In this new world order, the OPEC countries are getting what they can while they can. Putin and Chavez, among others, are very canny as to the value of petroleum and natural gas, and are jockeying to maximize their power. We've seen the early effects of $3.50/gallon gas on food prices, airline bankruptcies, etc., but things are not going to get better soon.
I like some of what Obama's said on energy, and I spoke with someone here at the Commonwealth about a building project that was a test pilot program. One of the state buildings invested in a micro-film insulation of all its windows and saw an HVAC cost drop (I forget the exact percentage) a significant amount... I want to say it was as much as 25-40%. These up-front "green" costs, insulating homes and buildings, replacing inefficient cars and HVAC and other equipment, could be a real start in reducing consumption. The less consumption, the less power Putin and the Saudis have over our economy.
And that, to me, is the deep concern, not the cost to fill up our cars, per se.
One side note before I forget. Twinkie: Deconstructed
is my current crapper reading. It's disturbing and awe-inspiring, to know how the common Twinkie (as well as other processed food products) come into existence. It's an exercise in overkill, each chapter discussing a particular ingredient, to the point that I can't distinguish how polysorbate 60 is made, or how it's different from this gum or that whatever. Take corn, or soybeans, or some mineral, or petroleum, superheat it, combine it with this acid and that emulsifier, swirl it through some piping, dry it using super high heat until it's a powder... It's all ingenious, and makes the prospect of eating a Twinkie about as appetizing as eating gravel. Point: many, many food products use petroleum as their base. Artificial colors, the hexane used to make soybean oil, and even the vitamins used to fortify flour... come from petroleum. If you add up every such vitamin supplement and food product that derives from petroleum, that's a pretty substantial chunk. Laugh at Finny's sustainable living stuff, but if we were all eating local, rather than having our meals travel an AVERAGE of 1300 miles, and eating real foods, not processed, that'd be a nice oil savings, and we'd see food prices drop, IMO.
As to Iraqi production, it accounts for less than 2% of our overall usage. The recent insurgency of Sadr's forces in Basra has NOTHING to do with "getting at the US forces" or "trying to unsettle the Maliki regime." That's media gloss, in a nutshell. The real issue is oil, and money.
An estimate 40% of all Iraqi oil produced is stolen or diverted. Sadr, like the other "militia" heads, is basically an Al Capone in a land of gangsters, and our forces are like Chicago cops. These militia are trying to be the top dogs, and don't care a whit about Maliki or the US except insofar as they interrupt their version of running whiskey. If they can rip off oil, and sell it on the black market, that's the power they want. Who wants to be a parliamentarian and get blown up when you can really run things in Iraq? I don't remember Gen. Petraeus addressing that particular issue, but then again, he's carrying out a misguided strategy that doesn't comprise an understanding of many of these nuances. Right guy, wrong gameplan, as it were.
Whoever is elected needs to get us the fuck out of Iraq, but needs to ensure that civil war does not rip the country apart, and needs to ensure that some equitable and sustainable oil production system is in place. IMO... US oil companies need to bite the weenie. Fuck Exxon-Mobil. If we want Iraq to stand on its own, it cannot be ripped off by the Sadrs or the Exxons of the world. The proper model for oil production is what Mossadegh proposed for Iran in the 50s (had we not overthrown his socialized oil production, Iran likely would not be the radical state it is today), or its modern equivalent, Chavez's Venezuala. I know, that doesn't sound appealing, but:
1. It's Iraq's oil, not ours.
2. If Iraqis are the wealth recipients of their resources, rather than partial recipients, they're going to be much more vested in protecting that revenue and stabilizing the government.
3. US troops out plus oil money in, equals insurgency and civil disturbance down?
4. If Iraqis can self-govern and reduce the theft by Sadr and others, production will continue to increase. How much this affects prices here, I don't know but... The Iraqis need money now, they need to rebuild, and they need to catch up to the wealthy OPEC states. They will over-produce to over-compensate, and that will drive prices down.
Some info from Barack's site:
Require 25 Percent of Renewable Electricity by 2025: Obama will establish a 25 percent federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to require that 25 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S. is derived from clean, sustainable energy sources, like solar, wind and geothermal by 2025.
Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology: Obama will significantly increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon coal technologies. Obama will consider whatever policy tools are necessary, including standards that ban new traditional coal facilities, to ensure that we move quickly to commercialize and deploy low carbon coal technology.
Support Next Generation Biofuels
Deploy Cellulosic Ethanol: Obama will invest federal resources, including tax incentives, cash prizes and government contracts into developing the most promising technologies with the goal of getting the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol into the system by 2013.
Expand Locally-Owned Biofuel Refineries: Less than 10 percent of new ethanol production today is from farmer-owned refineries. New ethanol refineries help jumpstart rural economies. Obama will create a number of incentives for local communities to invest in their biofuels refineries.
Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Barack Obama will establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard to speed the introduction of low-carbon non-petroleum fuels. The standard requires fuels suppliers to reduce the carbon their fuel emits by ten percent by 2020.
Increase Renewable Fuel Standard: Obama will require 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be included in the fuel supply by 2022 and will increase that to at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030.
Set America on Path to Oil Independence
Obama's plan will reduce oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels per day, by 2030. This will more than offset the equivalent of the oil we would import from OPEC nations in 2030.
Increase Fuel Economy Standards: Obama will double fuel economy standards within 18 years. His plan will provide retooling tax credits and loan guarantees for domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers, so that they can build new fuel-efficient cars rather than overseas companies. Obama will also invest in advanced vehicle technology such as advanced lightweight materials and new engines.
Improve Energy Efficiency 50 Percent by 2030
Set National Building Efficiency Goals: Barack Obama will establish a goal of making all new buildings carbon neutral, or produce zero emissions, by 2030. He'll also establish a national goal of improving new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade to help us meet the 2030 goal.
Establish a Grant Program for Early Adopters: Obama will create a competitive grant program to award those states and localities that take the first steps to implement new building codes that prioritize energy efficiency.
Invest in a Digital Smart Grid: Obama will pursue a major investment in our utility grid to enable a tremendous increase in renewable generation and accommodate modern energy requirements, such as reliability, smart metering, and distributed storage | <urn:uuid:687f4e60-39ac-4260-a6fb-6625f8b6812b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://maximumgrilledsteelers.com/index.php?topic=15417.0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954198 | 1,970 | 1.75 | 2 |
To foster good nutrition practices and regular physical activity for all persons in LA County.
Notice of Intent to Release an RFP: Nutrition Education Obesity Prevention-Los Angeles (NEOP-LA)
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals for contracts with approximately 12 community based organizations, cities, and/or school districts in Los Angeles County to provide nutrition education in low-income communities. Selected providers will participate in community assessment, program evaluation, and one of three primary categories: peer-to-peer education, youth engagement, or faith-based education.
Selected providers will receive approximately $325,000 for one year, with the option to extend the term for two additional years at the same funding level, contingent on availability of funds. Proposers will have the opportunity to submit written questions regarding the RFP; details for submitting questions are included in the RFP document.
This grant program is made possible by an award received by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health from the California Department of Public Health as part of the Network for a Healthy California, a state-wide effort to create innovative partnerships that empower low-income Californians to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and food security with the goal of preventing obesity and other diet related chronic diseases. | <urn:uuid:c43799d1-6f00-4138-9811-e4c43c44e716> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/nut/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940844 | 271 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Soviet dictator Josef Stalin lost his eldest son in World War II. Yakov Dzhugashvili died a prisoner in German hands. The German magazine Spiegel obtained in February access to Moscow files detailing Yakov's last days.
Captured in the chaotic days of June 1941, Yakov was identified and held as a hostage.
Dzhugashvili's odyssey through the German camps lasted almost two years. From Hammelburg in the Franconia region of Bavaria, he was transferred to Lübeck in northern Germany in the spring of 1942, just as the British had started bombing the city. After that, he was sent east to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
It's Wednesday, April 14, 1943, a spring evening in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp north of Berlin. A man jumps from a window in Barrack 3 at Special Camp. The special camp is an area for prominent prisoners separated from the rest of the prison population. It's 140 meters (460 feet) long and 50 meters wide, sealed off from the main camp by a brick wall. A 2.6-meter high-voltage fence is intended to prevent inmates from escaping.
The man is wearing high boots and soldiers' trousers, and his black hair is uncovered. "Corporal, corporal," he shouts at SSRottenführer Konrad Hafrich. "Shoot me!"
Hafrich shouts that he should return to the barrack, but the man keeps going. "Don't be a coward," the prisoner yells, as he walks toward the electric fence. "When he grabbed the wire," Hafrich said, "I shot him, as ordered."
It is shortly after 9 p.m. The man at the fence is dead. His body stiffened as he was jumping. The left leg is almost horizontal in the trip wire, and the right leg is bent. The body is left in this position for a considerable amount of time. It's a sensitive case for camp commandant Anton Kaindl, who has notified the Reich Security Main Office in Berlin. When an SS officer and two professors arrive the next day, the dead man is photographed, lifted out of the barbed wire and taken to the camp crematorium.
The coroners examine the body. In their report, they write that a bullet entered the head four centimeters behind the right ear and shattered the skull. But according to their assessment, the victim had already died after being electrocuted by the high-voltage fence. The body is cremated on the spot, and the urn is sent to the Reich Security Main Office along with the investigative report and the death certificate.
Eight days later, Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop receives a matter of "secret Reich business" from SS chief Heinrich Himmler. It reads: "Dear Ribbentrop, please find enclosed a report on the fact that prisoner of war Yakov Dzhugashvili, son of Stalin, was shot to death during an attempted escape at Special Camp A in Sachsenhausen, near Oranienburg." | <urn:uuid:31f9fc76-4d9c-432e-94b3-c40c869bcc66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/04/the-last-days-of-stalin-s-son-during-wwii.print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967682 | 641 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Marlton, NJ (PRWEB) July 01, 2012
Center for Family Guidance, PC - a division of the CFG Health Network has launched a program that uses a test of three genes to determine which medication will be most effective for ADHD. This new test, called GeneSightRx ADHD, was created by AssureRx Health to help reduce the number of different medications and side effects patients may experience before finding the appropriate medication to manage their ADHD.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses increased 66 percent from 6.2 million in 2000 to 10.4 million in 2010, according to a recent study published in the March/April 2012 issue of Academic Pediatrics.
Despite the prevalence of ADHD, many parents are reluctant to put their children on medication.
“Parents are often resistant to putting their child on an ADHD medication because of the trial and error factor. Will it work? They don’t want to put their child through the often stressful, lengthy and expensive process of trying multiple medications,” says Jeanine Miles, a parent of a child with ADHD, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and the director of business development at the CFG Health Network.
Recognizing this dilemma, Center for Family Guidance, the outpatient behavioral healthcare division of the New Jersey-based CFG Health Network, looked to a new, innovative technology that aids clinicians in quickly finding the most appropriate level of care.
Patients now have the option of taking an ADHD-specific pharmacogenomic test that analyzes a patient’s unique genomic profile to determine how they may respond to different medications.
A simple cotton cheek swab provides sufficient DNA to analyze three genes that influence how a patient metabolizes certain medications used to treat ADHD in children and adults. The GeneSightRx ADHD report of a patient’s unique genetic profile then helps Center for Family Guidance clinicians individualize a patient’s medication selection.
“We had to try three different medications before we found one that worked for my son,” Miles explained. “Now that my son is on the correct medication, he is exceling -- he even made the honor roll! If we had this test available to us we would have known which medication was right much earlier on in the process.”
The test, called GeneSightRx ADHD, is based on FDA-approved manufacturer's drug labels, published peer reviewed research, and proven pharmacology. The test was created by AssureRx Health, Inc., a personalized medicine company.
“ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting millions of children and adults. With the introduction of GeneSightRx ADHD, clinicians now have an objective, evidence-based tool for individualizing ADHD medications,” said James S. Burns, president and CEO of AssureRx Health.
Center for Family Guidance, PC’s Marlton, New Jersey office has been offering AssureRx tests since February, and added the new GeneSightRx ADHD test when it was introduced in May.
“CFG is committed to constantly improving patient access to the best and most appropriate level of care, and we love to do so in innovative ways,” Miles explains. “We are pleased with the response we have had with AssureRx and the new ADHD test and look forward to expanding this service to patients in our other outpatient offices in Woodbury and West Hampton.” | <urn:uuid:4fd26188-4aed-49ae-9e63-a2e56687025c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9658903.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947345 | 721 | 2.375 | 2 |
Fri November 16, 2012
Japan Sets Date For National Election
Unpopular Japanese prime minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolved Japan's lower house of parliament today, and called for national elections. Voters have increasingly disapproved of Noda, his predecessor and their Democratic Party of Japan since the tsunami and earthquake in March, 2011.
They're also angry over the related Fukushima nuclear power plant accident related to the quake, which has forced the country to grapple with new energy plans and costs. The Japan Times helpfully lays out other reasons why Noda is out of favor: a slowing economy and terrible relations with neighboring China. The Associated Press adds people hate the newly doubled sales tax.
The election is set for Dec. 16, says Kyodo News. Noda is already campaigning for office. He told reporters his party wants to make Japan free of nuclear power in 20 years.
But he might not get the chance to work toward that goal. Noda could be replaced as Japan's leader by the head of the opposition party, former prime minister Shinzo Abe; he actually resigned the job five years ago amid scandals in his Liberal Democratic Party and the belief he wasn't up to the job. The Wall Street Journal says this week, Abe suggested if elected, his LDP will take a more aggressive monetary stance to deal with inflation. And he warned of an increase in military spending to 'maintain the power balance with China'.
Abe has been more hawkish on Japan's simmering dispute with China over a group of islands in the East China Sea that both claim. Japan bought the islands in September from a private Japanese citizen and nationalized them, enraging China, which terms it a 'provocation'.
Noda cautions that tough talking over China can backfire. "Healthy nationalism is necessary, but if one goes to extremes, it becomes jingoism," he said, according to Reuters.
Polls in Japan don't suggest either candidate will win outright, says the AP. Abe's LDP would win the most seats in the lower house, but not enough to secure a majority if the vote were held today. If that polling remains constant, the LDP could end up in a new coalition with Noda's Democratic Party of Japan. | <urn:uuid:c26169b2-7cf8-4c7a-a41e-6311c88aa0cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ktep.org/post/japan-sets-date-national-election | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972992 | 457 | 2.046875 | 2 |
By Ronald McNamara, International Policy Director
Making an appearance on February 13th before the Helsinki Commission, early in Finland’s 2008 chairmanship of the OSCE, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ilkka Kanerva addressed a wide range of issues facing the Vienna-based organization and its 56 participating States. Kanerva, having served in parliament since 1975, the year in which the Helsinki Final Act was signed in the Finnish capital, stressed the unique contribution of parliamentarians in their role embodying “the aspirations of our peoples and to voice their concerns in all OSCE countries.” Chairman Alcee L. Hastings, President Emeritus of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, expressed appreciation for recognition of the parliamentary dimension of the Helsinki Process.
Minister Kanerva noted, “the starting point of the Finnish Chairmanship is that the OSCE is a value-based organization that actively promotes our common values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We stress the full implementation of the human rights commitments by the participating States.” Chairman Hastings welcomed the emphasis on implementation especially given the mandate of the Helsinki Commission to monitor compliance with the common commitments accepted by all participating States regardless of when they joined the Helsinki Process. “We fully support and welcome Finland’s calls for greater effort by participating States to implement our common political commitments. Implementation is key, as the late President Gerald Ford underscored in his remarks in Finlandia Hall when he signed the Helsinki Accords on behalf of the United States. I am also mindful that all participating States, including this country, are obligated to translate words on paper into action and I welcome the scrutiny of others when our own policies and practices come up short,” said Hastings.
Hastings and Kanerva had a lengthy exchange regarding developments in Kosovo and their implications for Balkans as well as the possibility of sustained OSCE engagement in the region. Kanerva, who had just returned from a visit to Belgrade and Priština, observed that the OSCE has played an important role in Kosovo -- in establishing and consolidating local institutions, in promoting democratization, the rule of law, as well as human and minority rights. “Because the OSCE has remained “status-neutral,” it has retained a unique ability to work with all ethnic communities in promoting stability and democratic development. It is my firm belief that the OSCE work in Kosovo is and will be beneficial to all Kosovars,” concluded the Minister. He continued, “The outcome of the status process could have a negative impact on the OSCE's engagement in Kosovo. You are well aware that the OSCE participating States remain deeply divided over the issue. This disagreement could lead to the current Mission’s termination. It would be a grave mistake for the OSCE and the entire international community if we were to leave it at that.”
Chairman Hastings, who visited both Priština and the northern area around Mitrovitsa last June, remarked, “my overall concern comes again from personal experience. The OSCE mission in Kosovo complemented by the tremendous activities that the KFOR forces deployed to keep the peace there is one of, in my judgment, the most successful OSCE missions, capable of working with the various factions in that area. I always ask the question: if there was no OSCE mission or had not been there in recent years, what would be the situation on the ground there today? And how much closer would the parties be to arriving at a resolution of what is, by anybody's standards, a substantial conflict? Minister Kanerva stressed, “I am determined to ensure continued OSCE engagement in Kosovo regardless of the status process. I am aware of the fact that any participating State has the possibility to use a veto and to end the mandate of the present mission - the mission which at the moment comprises 800 people and which has an immense effect on the viability of the civil society. Should this happen, I am prepared to immediately start the negotiations on a revised mandate for the OSCE mission. I am convinced that all participating States agree on the need for continued OSCE engagement in Kosovo.”
Regarding conflicts elsewhere in the OSCE region, Kanerva remarked, “The Finnish chairmanship has put the so-called frozen or protracted conflicts in Moldova, Georgia, and Nagorno-Karabakh at the top of our agenda. I will personally visit all of these regions. I have already nominated also a special envoy to survey the progress in the process. One of the first things I have already done was to visit Ukraine and Moldova, to examine possibilities to kick start the stalled negotiation on the Transdnistria conflict. The Government of Moldova and the leadership for Transdnistria indicate their willingness to reengage and I have tasked my special envoy to see what can be done to take the process forward. We have knowledge of the difficulties in front of us. But we can't give up.”
Minister Kanerva announced his intention to visit the South Caucasus nations of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Chairman Hastings asked Kanerva to raise concerns relating to media freedom in Azerbaijan, the subject of a Commission hearing late last year, and provided a list of specific cases.
Numerous other human rights concerns were also discussed from combating anti-Semitism and trafficking in humans as well as promoting democracy. In prepared remarks, Co-Chairman Benjamin L. Cardin stressed the importance of sustained OSCE engagement in efforts to fight anti-Semitism. “In recent weeks we have convened a series of hearings to assess the ongoing work of the OSCE in this regard and have heard from experts. These sessions have confirmed the importance of maintaining a distinct focus on anti-Semitism, and resisting attempts by some to reduce the attention under some kinds of generic tolerance rubric. It has also become clear that the personal representatives need some form of meaningful support mechanism. Perhaps some arrangement could be put in place by the troika of past, present, and future OSCE chairs, to ensure continuity,” remarked Cardin.
Similar concerns were echoed in a statement by Ranking Minority Member Christopher H. Smith, “I appeal to you, in your term as Chairman-in-Office, not to allow the OSCE to give in to this fatigue and indifference! Anti-Semitism remains what it has always been, a unique evil, a distinct form of intolerance, the oldest form of religious bigotry, and a malignant disease of the heart that has often led to murder. It continues to threaten our Jewish brothers and sisters, and so the OSCE must redouble its efforts in the fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism. Smith, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President’s Special Representative on Human Trafficking welcomed the commitment of the Finnish chairmanship to give priority attention to OSCE efforts to prevent human trafficking, with particular attention to child victims.
Russia’s troubling attempts to restrict the scope and size of OSCE election observations missions was also raised. Minister Kanerva expressed disappointment that, despite a concerted effort by OSCE, an acceptable solution could not be worked out to enable the deployment of an observation mission to Russia for the March 2nd presidential elections. He outlined his views regarding observation of the entire election process. “It means candidate and voter registration, electoral campaign, media coverage, complaints and appeals. The ODIHR must continue to be in a position to determine the length and size of observation missions on professional grounds in order to produce meaningful assessments and recommendations benefiting the observed country.” Having headed monitoring missions to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine, and most recently Georgia, Chairman Hastings called for a timely invitation for OSCE to observe the upcoming November U.S. elections. Kanerva thanked Hastings for his leadership of the mission to Georgia in early January and underscored the importance of close cooperation between ODIHR and the OSCE PA.
Turning to Afghanistan, an OSCE Partner for Cooperation country, the Chairman welcomed the role played by Finnish forces in the northern part of that country. Minister Kanerva reported that active discussions were underway among OSCE countries regarding the kinds of initiatives that might be undertaken to assist Afghanistan pursuant to a general decision agreed to by the Madrid OSCE Ministerial Council last November. Priority attention is being given to strengthening border security and management, including along the 750 mile border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. “At the same time we are discussing whether the OSCE might eventually become active on Afghan territory,” said Kanerva.
Before concluding the hearing, the Chairman-in-Office and Chairman Hastings touched on ways to enhance cooperation among the OSCE participating States and strengthen the organization. Hastings acknowledged the complex task of managing the OSCE given the diversity of countries and diverging views among some on fundamental aspects of the organization and its mission. The two agreed on the importance of engagement with Russia. One possibility raised by Chairman Hastings was the assembling of a “Council of Elder Statesmen” along the lines proposed by the Hamburg-based Centre for OSCE Research in its working paper, “Identifying the Cutting Edge: The Future Impact of the OSCE.” In an innovative move, the Finnish chairmanship has expanded the Troika – past, present, and future chairs – to include others slated to assume leadership of OSCE in future years. At the Madrid OSCE Ministerial Council agreement was reached on chairmanships for Greece in 2009, Kazakhstan in 2010 and Lithuania in 2011. “I have invited my colleagues from the future chairmanships of Kazakhstan and Lithuania,” Kanerva reported, “to meet with the current Troika countries Spain, Finland and Greece to develop ideas for longer-term priorities. I am convinced there are many issues where the "Quintet" can add value and lead to more coherent OSCE action in the next few years.”
Minister Kanerva concluded, “The Helsinki Commission embodies the longstanding engagement of the United States with the OSCE and the values that underpin it. The OSCE can only work with the full engagement of its participating States. The United States has always played a key role, and must continue to do so, if we are to achieve the ambitious goals we have set for our Organization.” | <urn:uuid:b83c5715-c858-48ae-8d90-a663d4c58275> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContentRecords.ViewDetail&ContentRecord_id=135&ContentType=G&ContentRecordType=G&UserGroup_id=170®ion_id=170&year=0&month=0&Subaction=PressReleases&CFID=15838244&CFTOKEN=74040651 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960242 | 2,092 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Few people enjoy thinking about their own deaths. Despite this, many people in Boston are getting older and should begin considering plans for their estates, especially if they haven't done so yet. One of the major parts of protecting an estate involves tax planning. But even with good tax planning in place, other factors may cause the whole estate to become compromised.
With tax laws finally set in stone, many people in Boston are now able to get a clear picture of their estate and what to expect when they pass away. This is providing relief to many senior citizens as the future of estate planning was questionable in years past. The tax agreement that came with the end of last year has allowed this state of stability to become a reality, giving many the ability to create plans providing for tax minimization.
The end of the year brought with it a new law that may change the tax field for years to come: the American Taxpayer Relief Act. Many financial experts have weighed in on the potential effects of this act and agreed that tax planning may never be the same again. Many elderly individuals in Massachusetts are wondering what they should do to protect their assets, especially those that own businesses and want to pass them on to their loved ones without the government getting too large of a bite.
Now that the new year is here, many estate planners are feeling relieved. Citizens are no longer living in a confusing time for planning, as the exemption amounts and rates for estate taxes have been solidified. This stability is giving many in Massachusetts the ability to make solid plans for tax minimization on their estates.
As the holidays approach, many people in Boston are concerned about money. This includes those elderly individuals that believe they have made solid estate plans, but that may no longer be the case considering the federal tax changes that are expected to happen at the end of the year. Tax planning is a major part of any estate plan, as long as the person that wants to keep as much money as he or she can for the beneficiaries of the estate.
Many experts believe that an estate plan is an essential part of the many documents a person should have prepared throughout her or his life. This is because it controls the fate of your estate after you have passed away and no longer have a living say in what happens to it. One of the major parts of an estate plan is tax minimization and many planners are paid to do their best to avoid as much of the estate tax as possible.
Estate taxes can cause a large amount of an elderly individual's estate to disappear upon her or his death. Any nonexempt portions of an estate can be taxed and taken by the government, forever leaving the reaches of the loved ones that many in Boston want to see their wealth bequeathed to. Tax minimization planning is a way to make sure that this is avoided.
Estate planning experts are often in agreement on at least one topic: The earlier a person prepares their estate, the better. This gives people that are aging the time to make healthy, cognizant decisions in regards to the future of their finances and where they want their leftover wealth to be distributed upon their deaths. One of the most important parts of getting an estate in order is tax planning. This has allowed many people in Boston to minimize or avoid paying taxes on their estates.
This year has many people in Boston wondering about the future of their estate plans. Many changes are set to occur at the end of the year, and it has left some uncertain about the current standing of their plans and the choices they have made in regards to those plans.
Instead of worrying about looming estate tax changes, some planning experts believe that individuals should focus instead on the legacy that they leave behind rather than the taxes that they will incur. The issue with tax planning currently is that federal estate tax laws are set to change at the end of the year if Congress does nothing. | <urn:uuid:64b21f47-0f80-40b5-bde7-a3ad1221e2d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bostonelderlawfirm.com/tax-planning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983701 | 785 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Whole Foods: The World's Leader in Natural and Organic Foods
Whole Foods is a nominee for a Luxist Award in the Best Gourmet Grocery/Food Hall category.
In 1978, a 25 year-old college dropout named John Mackey and his 21 year-old Rene Lawson Hardy started Whole Foods in Austin, Texas with $45,000 borrowed from family and friends. Backs then, there were only a handful of natural food grocers in the country, and the store wasn't quite the glitzy organic palace of modern times; it wasn't even known as Whole Foods yet. Mackey and Hardy called their natural foods store "SaferWay," a spoof of the supermarket Safeway.
When the couple got kicked out of their apartment for storing large quantities of food there, they decided to live at the store. Lacking a shower stall, they bathed in the shop's dishwasher using its attached water hose. This bohemian lifestyle wouldn't be necessary for long. In 1980, SaferWay merged with Clarksville Natural Grocery to form Whole Foods.
Less than a year after the grand opening, an epic flood rolled through Austin, wiping out $400,000 worth of Whole Foods' inventory and equipment. Customers and neighbors volunteered to help put the store back on its feet, and Whole Foods was able to re-open a month after the flood.
Three years later, Whole Foods began to expand, starting with locations in Houston and Dallas. In 1989, the company expanded to California and began scooping up other natural foods chains around the country. In 2001 the company opened its first Manhattan location and expanded to the U.K. in 2004.
Today, the company boasts 275 stores through out the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Each location is packed with an astounding array of natural foods from gourmet cheese to fresh fish. For the unlucky few who live far from a bricks-and-mortar Whole Foods, the company ships non-perishables through its website.
Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.
Gallery: More from Whole Foods | <urn:uuid:b312ad51-7c9a-425d-aa88-eff9e0c57c36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.luxist.com/2009/11/15/whole-foods-the-worlds-leader-in-natural-and-organic-foods/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966082 | 454 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Billy Crystal is being criticized for appearing in costume as Sammy Davis Jr. in the elaborate pre-produced bit that opened the Oscar telecast Sunday night on ABC.
What are the critics complaining about? His face — specifically, the dark makeup Billy used to complete his impersonation of Sammy.
In the aftermath of the Oscars, the makeup is producing accusations that Billy was doing a racist, “blackface” impersonation of the late, legendary entertainer, who was African-American (and also Jewish).
The Hollywood Reporter has a pretty good rundown — here — of the “controversy” and the handful of critics whose Tweets appear to have ignited this mini-firestorm.
For example, a blog identified as “Feministing” declared, “Blackface is not okay, ever.” And from this thin gruel are “controversies” made these days.
Our own opinion is that this “firestorm” doesn’t hold water, but more on that in a moment.
First, the background: Billy turned up in costume as Sammy Davis in the portion of that opening bit that spoofed the Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris.” “Sammy” appeared in a vintage limousine with Justin Bieber (the real one).
The choice was apparently made to include Billy’s “Sammy” character simply because it’s a character he was famous for doing on “Saturday Night Live” when he was a cast member in 1984-85. Back then, as now, the characterization required dark makeup. (It’s also worth noting that Billy impersonated Muhammad Ali and Prince on “SNL”; in fact, it was his impression of Ali that made him famous as a young comedian in the 1970s.)
In the wake of Sunday’s “Sammy” appearance on the Oscar show, these “critics” have dealt Billy the “blackface” card. “Blackface” refers to a practice with roots in 19th-century forms of popular entertainment in which white stage performers blackened their faces with burnt cork or shoe polish to portray African-Americans in ways that often weren’t exactly flattering (and if that’s an understatement, then we admit right up front we’re not experts on this subject, though there are plenty of places to learn about it in books and on the Internet).
The “blackface” practice probably reached its zenith when Al Jolson, considered by many to be one of the most electrifying entertainers who ever lived, donned the dark makeup in the latter half of the 20th century to sing songs such as “Mammy,” which certainly wouldn’t fly today.
Cut to the present day: And now, Billy Crystal is being accused of racist “blackfacing” as if he’s been caught barnstorming the country in a minstrel show.
Our take: We happen to think this mini-controversy is baloney for several reasons. For one thing, Billy Crystal has never demonstrated any sort of bias against African-Americans or anyone else, as far we can tell. In addition, when it comes to Sammy Davis Jr. in particular, we happen to know he adored the man — as we learned earlier this month when Billy talked at length about Sammy on Showtime’s “Inside Comedy,” the show on which David Steinberg interviews top comedians about their craft.
Billy told an incredibly affectionate story about Sammy from the days when Billy opened for Sammy in Lake Tahoe (and probably other places). You could tell that Billy had nothing but love and respect for Sammy. Certainly, how Sammy felt about Billy’s impersonation of him on “SNL” remains an open question (one biography of Sammy that we own — “In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr.” by Wil Haygood — doesn’t report on Sammy’s reaction but speculates that he may have felt forced to accept it because of his own history of doing impersonations; Davis died in 1990).
The last thing we’ll say about this is: We think the people criticizing Billy for “blackfacing” are being awfully selective here. We’re pretty sure Fred Armisen has to tint his face a bit to play Barack Obama on “SNL” (and, in a recent sketch, Prince), but we haven’t seen any “blackface” accusations thrown his way. Robert Downey Jr. was criticized by some for applying dark-face makeup for the 2008 movie “Tropic Thunder.”
But that “controversy” died down and was soon forgotten. Our prediction: The same thing will happen with this Crystal controversy too. | <urn:uuid:4ec10937-08c1-4e34-8730-6f4ad14cb048> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/tv/2012/02/28/billy-crystal-under-fire-for-blackface-sammy-impression/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967556 | 1,028 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Following an agreement with the UN Resident Coordinator, OHCHR deployed a national human rights adviser and programme assistant to the UN Country Team in Serbia (UNCT) in December 2007. The Adviser and the Assistant support the Office of the Resident Coordinator and the UNCT to monitor the human rights situation, provide advice to the UNCT on how to incorporate human rights into programming, facilitate the UNCT’s interaction with UN human rights bodies, etc. Supporting the UNCT, the Government and the NHRI to interact with the UN Human Rights Mechanisms, follow-up to their recommendations and participate in their actual implementation in the national context is the main priority of the UN Human Rights Adviser in Serbia.
The Adviser and the Assistant also assist the Government of Serbia in its efforts to promote and implement the human rights agenda, all with a view of furthering promotion and protection of human rights in Serbia. In addition, the Adviser and the Assistant work to empower NHRI to effectively implement its human rights mandate and support human rights defenders in their activities in Serbia. The Adviser and the Assistant focus also on supporting the UN and national NGO transitional justice initiatives as well as activities for human rights promotion and education; and on providing general human rights advice and support to the Resident Coordinator and the UNCT. | <urn:uuid:72cf99db-9d70-4484-a1b9-da524adf6c67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/ENACARegion/Pages/RSIndex.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943088 | 256 | 1.640625 | 2 |
A scale model of an early design phase in the block 60 development. It never matured this way. (Bill Sweetman photo)
The Block 60 designation was originally reserved back in 1989. It was to be the F/A-16 which sported a 30 mm cannon and strengthened wing structure for anti-tank weapons such as 7.62 mm min pods. This aircraft was briefly in consideration to replace the A-10 warthog. The "original" Block 60 did not go into production, and its designation basically ends the series of adding another block.
The "new" Block 60 F-16 represents an evolutionary step ahead of the current block 50 aircraft. At first, the Block 60 was developed featuring a delta wing design. Through the development phase, LMTAS altered its strategy and decided to just start from the basic F-16 structure without altering too much on its design.
Structure & Avionics
The Block 60 features an enormous amount of new capabilities. For one thing, the Fighting Falcon Block 60's range is extended with addition of fuselage mounted conformal fuel tanks and wing tanks, similar to the F-16ES and Block 50/52 Plus.
Secondly, the Northrop Grumman AN/ASQ-28 IFTS (Internal FLIR and Targeting System) replaces the pods in earlier aircraft. With state-of-the art components and packaging technology, the Internal FLIR Targeting System (IFTS) incorporates an advanced multi-functional FLIR/laser system into the F-16 nose to improve lethality and survivability with lower weight and drag and a laser targeting pod mounted underneath the fuselage. The elimination of bulky pods also enhances stealthiness.
Thirdly, there is an integrated electronic warfare suite with the Northrop Grumman 'Falcon Edge' internal electronic countermeasures system, the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 "Agile Beam Radar" with AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array), an electronic warfare management system, fiber-optic avionics data bus and up to eight chaff/flare dispensers, as well as advanced friend or foe. The aircraft's advanced avionics suite has room available for future improvements. The Block 60's modular mission computer has a processing throughput of 12.5 million instructions per second and provides sensor and weapons integration.
The first picture of a UAE
block 60 F-16 taken at the unofficial roll-out. (LMTAS photo)
The ALQ-165 electronic countermeasures system, also known as the Airborne Self-Protection Jammer (ASPJ), is a sophisticated, high-power jamming system developed to fulfill both U.S. Navy and Air Force requirements - although the USAF abandonned the program a while ago. Missile warning systems on the Block 60 provide advanced warning of approaching missiles so the pilot can activate countermeasures in time. The Block 60 F-16 can accommodate both active and passive missile warning systems currently under development.
Any F-16 pilot can perform mission tasks with his head up and his eyes looking out of the cockpit and with his hands on the flight controls. The Block 60 adds to this excellent pilot-aircraft interface by incorporating three advanced 5-inch by 7-inch color displays. The aircraft has wiring and space allocated for a helmet-mounted cuing system that can be added to improve pilot situation awareness.
The Block 60 F-16 retains the full armament capability of the Block 50's and adds several new capabilities. The Block 60's basic design and weapon interfaces are compatible with projected future weapons including new air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM). The aircraft will also support all-weather standoff weapons, such as the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), and AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM).
The Block 60 F-16 has been developed with planned growth improvements and technology advances in virtually all major areas, including engines, avionics, and weapons.
So far, the Block 60 has only be sold to the United Arab Emirates. The total order stands for 80 aircraft compromising 55 single-seat E-models and 25 double-seat F-models. Deliveries will start in 2004 and run through 2007.
Engine: One General Electric F110-GE-132 turbofan, rated at 19,000 lb.s.t. dry and 32,500 lb.s.t. with afterburning.
Performance: Maximum short-endurance speed: Mach 2.02 (1333 mph) at 40,000 feet. Maximum sustained speed Mach 1.89 (1247 mph) at 40,000 feet.
Dimensions: wingspan 31 feet 0 inches, length 49 feet 4 inches, height 16 feet 8 1/2 inches, wing area 300 square feet.
Weights: around 22,000 pounds empty, 29,000 pounds normal loaded (air-to-air mission), 46,000 pounds maximum takeoff. | <urn:uuid:0429bb73-a953-4707-988f-1e9dfef5bfb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.f-16.net/f-16_versions_article10.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917479 | 1,035 | 2.421875 | 2 |
You are here: MEDICA Portal. MEDICA Magazine. Topic of the Month. Volume archives. Our Topics in 2010. February 2010: Health Politics after German Elections. Health Care Politics.
„Top Earners Will Not Necessarily Get to Pay Less“
A fixed premium per head: experts
discuss about the justice; © SXC
MEDICA.de: Mr. Drabinski, proponents of the per capita premium are using the words social fairness a lot. Why is that?
Thomas Drabinski: Social fairness in the realm of statutory health insurance means every person, regardless of their income or their state of health, will be able to have access to medical care. A flat-rate premium is better suited to finance this health care system for the long term.
MEDICA.de: However, people with lesser incomes will have to pay more, right? If the per capita premium will be 150 Euros, everyone who earns 1.800 Euros or less gross wages per month will pay more compared to what they are paying today. On the other hand, a statutorily insured person with a gross monthly income of 3.500 Euros will be able to save over 100 Euros monthly under the per capita premium model. Do you think this is fair?
Drabinski: Indeed, at first glance it does look like everybody is paying the exact same premium amount, regardless of their individual income amount. However, this is not the plan: The per capita premium will be offset by a financial adjustment for lower income people. This financial adjustment de facto means that the actual premium amount everybody pays in the end will depend on the individual’s income situation. If somebody cannot afford to pay 150 Euros, he or she will pay less and the high-income people will be responsible for the difference.
MEDICA: So who exactly will be eligible for this financial adjustment?
Drabinski: A percentaged maximum limit that must not be exceeded will be determined. If you presume this maximum limit to be at nine percent of household income, this meaning nobody is allowed to pay more than nine percent of their income for premiums, it will be guaranteed that the cost is equal to the amount lower to mid-income households pay for premiums today. If you think about it: We already essentially pay nine percent today. On a monthly basis, 7.9 percent of gross wages are paid to health insurance. Add to that the additional premiums that will also be introduced shortly and we are at around nine percent.
MEDICA.de: In a nutshell this means that higher income people will pay less insurance premiums, while lower income people will have to receive financial adjustments. All in all would this not actually create a loss if compared to today’s system?
Drabinski: Top earners will not necessarily get to pay significantly less than they do today and it will not create a loss compared to today’s situation. This is how it works today: Health insurance premiums are automatically deducted from gross wages. With a fixed per capita premium the source of income doesn’t matter any longer. Income from rent and leasing properties, self employment, business enterprises and investments properties, which until now have remained unconsidered, will now be factored into the premium determination. It needs further analysis to determine which groups and individuals will have to pay more or less in the end when premiums are calculated this way. This method of calculating premiums translates into a wider financing base for the health insurance companies. The premiums will not just be based on gross wages like before. This is especially true for high income spouses who thus far did not have to pay any premiums under the old calculation model.
MEDICA.de: Exactly how is the financial adjustment getting financed?
Drabinski: Many different concepts are being discussed at the moment. Right now, most think it should be funded through the tax system. In other words, the billions needed for these financial adjustments are intended to come out of the federal budget and being funded by tax payer money. Personally I believe that the financial adjustment monies could be financed through means available in the Healthfund.
MEDICA.de: Increasing taxes would not exactly fit with the FDP party’s election promise to lower taxes.
Drabinski: We need to be realistic here. After all, Germany has a significant budget deficit and enormous national debt which needs to be paid off eventually. This is why it’s highly unlikely that there will be any funds available to finance the financial adjustment through the tax system.
MEDICA. de: So how come your concept is able to accomplish this without raising additional taxes?
Drabinski: If one determines a fixed per capita premium, you will always have the two variable factors: The amount of the fixed per capita premium and the percentaged maximum limit which must not be exceeded. With those two parameters a funding for the health insurance funds is entirely possible. In my assumption, the 171 Euros per capita premium would also include all costs for the financial adjustments. That is why the per capita amount is higher than other estimates recently published by the press. However with this amount, tax payer’s money would remain untouched. At the end of the day, in the health insurance company’s eyes all insured persons are worth the same amount of money. It doesn’t matter whether the person is employed, unemployed or retired, because metaphorically speaking we all carry a backpack with 171 Euros in it.
Thomas Drabinski; © private
MEDICA.de:: The employers premium portion for the statutory health insurance is supposed to get fixed at seven percent of gross wages. This essentially means that all rising health care costs are exclusively the responsibility of the employees. This regulation is expected to decrease fringe wage costs, which in turn hopes to create more jobs. Do you think this calculation is actually realistic?
Drabinski: There is indeed empirical evidence that more jobs are created when fringe wage costs remain fairly firm. And yet I would not go so far as to fix employer paid premiums permanently at seven percent. Employers share a special responsibility to finance the social security system, especially when it comes to financing health care expenditures. Expenses for statutory health insurance are expected to increase over the next few decades and the employer’s participation in sharing those expenses is essential. If employers do not participate, we can expect to see a compensation request at the next collective bargaining negotiations. This is already evident when it comes to debates over upcoming additional premiums. One union already demands a 0.9 percent wage increase to combat a projected decrease in net wages thanks to the expected additional premiums.
MEDICA.de: The per capita premium is supposed to stimulate competition. Exactly how will a fixed premium strengthen competition though?
Drabinski: In a so-called lump-sum system with fixed premiums, health insurance companies would regain their premium autonomy. There would only be one guideline to determine a premium and in my estimation it should be 171 Euros. In the new structure, health insurance companies are free to determine the premiums they would like to charge. Insurance companies can choose to charge higher or lower premiums, depending on how well they negotiated their contracts and whether they offer additional benefits or more innovative treatments. The Netherlands has introduced a comparable per capita system years ago. As it turns out, due to strong competition, premiums differ on average no more than 20 Euros. Health insurance companies are careful not to price themselves out of the competition and loose market shares.
MEDICA.de: So this means the insured person could switch to a cheaper health insurance carrier or one that offers better benefits?
Drabinski: Yes, it’s exactly like it worked in the previous system where one would pay different premiums depending on the health insurance company’s rates. You were always free to switch to a cheap Internet insurance company or switch to a more expensive one with more service. It will be exactly the same with the new proposed per capita premium. Except now you will be able to compare a premium that is set in Euros versus comparing a premium based on a percentage figure.
MEDICA.de: Does this mean it is all a setback to the old system?
Drabinski: No, this actually means there is progress with the new system. In the old system health insurance companies had issues with premiums charged for insured people who are sick or of low income. Today this is counterbalanced by a specific risk hedging structure that is determined by illness. Even though this is currently done, there still is much room for improvement. All that said, in the future we should see the competition pattern of the old system combined with an improved risk hedging structure.
The interview was conducted by Anke Barth
- Health Care System: The Future Lies in A Fixed Premium - Article of 1 February 2010 | <urn:uuid:bfa2d220-15ef-469f-a423-2e62f4115436> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medica-tradefair.com/cipp/md_medica/custom/pub/content,oid,30199/lang,2/ticket,g_u_e_s_t/mcat_id,7828/local_lang,2/~/%E2%80%9ETop_Earners_Will_Not_Necessarily_Get_to_Pay_Less%E2%80%9C.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 | 0.949916 | 1,794 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Students volunteer for youth literacy initiative
Several Penn State Berks students enrolled in the Childhood and Early Education degree program have volunteered for the United Way’s new reading initiative called “Ready. Set. Read!,” a community program centered on one core mission: to ensure reading proficiency for students by the end of third grade. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the United Way of Berks County, the educational community, business, and community organizations.
The pilot volunteer tutoring program is currently underway in Reading and Muhlenberg school districts. Penn State Berks student volunteers, along with community volunteers, have been trained as tutors and are providing supplemental instruction to identified second graders. The tutors meet with second-grade students each week to read together.
Some of the Penn State students had personal reasons for volunteering for the program.
“The Ready. Set. Read! program serves students in the Reading School District, where Hispanics are the majority,” stated Leilani Nenadich. “As a Latina, I find it imperative to give back to the Latino community. I feel honored to be a part of such a program that will benefit our youth's reading proficiency.”
"I am extremely honored to be part of such a noble cause and help the youth of the Reading School District," commented student tutor Ryan Wendler.
"The program teaches me how to do one-on-one stuff with kids when I become a teacher," added Kaley Kinek, Penn State Berks student tutor.
A total of 16 Penn State Berks students volunteered for the initiative. They include:Seniors
Veronica Barbiero, Marlton, NJ;
Shakeia Barron, Newark, NJ;
Christine Lambert, Reading;
Amanda Reinert, Schuylkill Haven;
Jessica Saniga, Orwigsburg
Brittany Teague, Hershey
Katarina Zirkelbach, Telford
Kaley Kinek, Blandon
Colleen Byrd, Douglassville;
Kerry Guertin, Ottsville;
Angela Koval, Schnecksville;
Alexa Lipari, Dingmans Ferry;
Leilani Nenadich-Gonzalez, Philadelphia;
Mallory Pearson, Lower Gwynedd;
Alayna Snyder, Annville;
Ryan Wendler, Palmyra
"The education students at Penn State Berks who volunteer for this initiative have embraced this opportunity in many ways,” according to Toni Vanino, Instructor in Language/Literacy Education at Penn State Berks who coordinated the Penn State Berks student volunteers. “They truly value working with early learners on their literacy skills and understand the significance of giving to the community. These positive role models aspire to make a difference."
Local data based on recent PSSA scores show that over 25 percent of Berks County third graders are not reading proficiently. The goal of the program is for 90 percent of the county’s third-graders to reach reading proficiency by 2013.
According to United Way President Tammy White, reading proficiency by the end of the third grade is a proven indicator of academic and long-term success, benefitting students and the community alike.
Stella Leonti, United Way's Director of Education, said the initiative will focus on several areas to improve early-grade reading. Volunteers will work with families and caregivers, showing how they can help children understand the value of reading.
The Ready. Set. Read! program will employ a comprehensive and collaborative approach. "This is a crucial issue. We all have a stake in education, as it is the issue that drives the success of individuals, families, and ultimately our community. We all recognize when you improve education, you improve the community, and vice versa,” says Tammy White, president of United Way of Berks County. | <urn:uuid:0637a71e-0271-45fc-9cf1-e4b0f8c66960> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bk.psu.edu/35046.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92959 | 799 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Our series of podcasts reflecting on the readings on major feast days and other significant days in the light of Catholic Social Teaching
Augusto Zampini, an Argentinian priest in the UK studying for a PhD in theology and social ethics at Roehampton University, considers Lent – a time to be reconciled. But how? And with whom? Augusto argues that sin is always social – due to its consequence or nature. Each Sunday in Lent, we’ll be considering structural sins in the context of Catholic social teaching.
Tom Cullinan reflects on a profound Holy Week question: how does an Abba God will the death of His own Son? He argues that when we ‘realise’ the paschal mystery in our Eucharist and Communion, we are called to see and to hear the signs and realities of our socio-economic agenda in the same way that Jesus did in his day.
Severine Deneulin reflects on gender in our world. How should men and women relate to one another and how can we overcome structural sin in order to live in right relationship?
You can read her reflection here.
Daniel Hale reflects on food and our need for the environment. How are we like the Prodigal Son, spending our inheritance, Creation, and what are the consequences on people living from the land around the world?
Auguto Zampini asks which is the best standpoint to overcome ideology? And argues that it is through the eyes of the poor and those who suffer. This Lent we should try to hear the appeal of many for liberty, and act on the preferential option for the poor.
Auguto Zampini reflects on the virtue of solidarity. Today’s Gospel, the Transfiguration, poses the question: do we ‘build tents’ where we feel comfortable, or do we consider the needs of other who live in extremely uncomfortable surroundings?
Augusto considers the issue of migration. As the Israelites were ill-treated, so too are people today who come to the UK. Fear, justice and dignity have always been issues at the heart of migration, central to the concerns of Catholic social teaching. This Lent, we consider ways to overcome structural sin and provide hospitality to migrants.
Gemma Simmonds, from the Congregation of Jesus and lecturer at Heythrop College, University of London, considers the Feast of Candlemas – Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, and his encounter with Simeon at the door. The Feast inspires us to be ‘beacons of hope in a world that needs transforming’.
Rob Esdaile, parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Surrey, provides an insightful reflection on peace and peacemaking. To understand peacemaking, he asks us to think about “what is peace”. What does peace mean as a whole and what does it mean to us individually?
You can listen to his podcast as well as his liturgy notes and reflections in a written document here.
Veteran peace campaigner Bruce Kent reflects on the readings for Remembrance Sunday and argues that we’re called to be the builders of a different kind of kingdom. “Every change is impossible until a few people make it happen” he says.
Severine Deneulin, Lecturer in International Development at the University of Bath, reflects on the readings for the Feast of All Saints in the light of creation. She asks a simple but profound question: how do we live as God’s children in today’s world?
You can read her reflection here.
Anne Peacey, Chair of National Justice and Peace reflects on her childhood memories, the daily routine of her father taking care of a sick neighbour and how this impressed a sense of how to value human dignity upon her from a young age. She poses the question now – how do we make a difference to other people’s lives, recognising the dignity of all human beings?
Listen to Anne
Patrick Hynes of Oikocredit (the micro finance organisation) talks about the need for economic justice in our society. One billion people live on $1.25 dollars a day. He reflects on the principles of CST and how this can provide a catalyst for change in our hearts based on subsidiarity and solidarity.
Listen to Patrick
We are called to bring peace to caring for creation as was declared by Pope Benedict XVI. Therefore, caring for creation should be in our minds, prayer and practise. Martin Poulsom talks about the greater attention that caring for creation has procured over the last few years and how this has allowed human and ecological solidarity to become intertwined.
Listen to Martin
War and militarism creates a cycle of enmity between generations and has devastating implications on poverty and injustice. Pat Gaffney reflects on the book of Deuteronomy in which God offers the choice between diminishing life or working to uphold life. We have the freedom to place victims at the centre of our prayer and decision making.
Listen to Pat
As Pope John Paul II explained, solidarity is the firm determination to the common good, because we are all responsible for each other. Susy Brouard tells the story of Ivanete, a living example of solidarity in action. Ivanete gave up the opportunity to a house in San Paulo to live in an abandoned hotel offering 120 people accommodation, enabling her to live in solidarity with those she helps.
Listen to Susy
The need to develop the world and make it good through the use of our talents, allows us to become more human. Danny Curtin, former President of Young Christian Workers reflects on the parable of the workers in the vineyard and the importance of work in our lives.
Listen to Danny
Christine Allen, executive director of Progressio reflects on Pope Benedict XVI’s recent encyclical Caritas in Veritate – ‘Charity in Truth’ (2009), to explain the importance of living together in harmony, sharing responsibilities for one another as well as for future generations. By sharing responsibilities, we can provide a voice for those who are often unheard – acting for justice and peace in authentic participation.
Listen to Christine | <urn:uuid:a1294c09-c01a-47c7-96c1-721e4a8791be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/info/podcasts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941115 | 1,267 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Approaches to Auschwitz: The Holocaust and Its Legacy
Sifting and synthesizing the best Holocaust scholarship so that sheer volume does not make it inaccessible, this book brings together a wide range of ... Show synopsis Sifting and synthesizing the best Holocaust scholarship so that sheer volume does not make it inaccessible, this book brings together a wide range of material on the Holocaust which no other single work on the subject contains. Its two authors, one Jewish and one Christian, have long experience of writing and teaching on the Holocaust, and their study is intended not least as a basic textbook. Beginning with hostility to Judaism in the ancient world, not least in Christianity, the first part of the book traces antisemitism through the history of the church, the Reformation and the Enlightenment, to nineteenth-century Europe, then goes on to the events which directly led to the Holocaust. The second part describes the planning and implementation of the Holocaust; the third part responses to it, both those of Germans carrying on 'business as usual' while it was happening, and those of the victims, survivors and Christian and Jewish theologians and philosophers who have subsequently reflecte on it. A conclusion considers the legacy of the Holocadust, and there is full bibliography. | <urn:uuid:79a98d6e-e12d-49dc-91ce-ac47d61b736c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?ework=382980&cm_sp=works*listing*editions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931057 | 251 | 2.78125 | 3 |
|Home | Bookmark | Tell||Active petitions in over 75 countries||Follow GoPetition|
Reduce Australian Petrol Taxes
Petition Background (Preamble):
Since world oil prices soared to record highs, Australians have had to dig deep into their pockets at the petrol bowser. Motorists should be aware that roughly half the pump price is tax comprising an excise tax and a GST, thereby slugging motorists with an unfair tax on a tax.
After an unprecedented national campaign lobbying for fuel tax relief in 2000, the Federal Government agreed to review the way petrol is taxed and freeze the Federal excise at 37.7 cents a litre in Victoria. But costs are still high and, with GST on top of excise, if you wanted a $50 tank of petrol at $1 a litre you would be paying $23.40
With petrol prices now looking at staying at $1.40 a litre, in Victoria, if you bought 20 litres of petrol, it would cost you $28 of which somewhere between $9 and over $10 would be taxes, and this is ridiculous.
We the below signed people of Australia are ask you that you reduce the taxes placed on petrol. Prices are hitting the Australian motorist hard, and any tax cuts previously given (and more) have been immediately put into paying for the increase in petrol prices.
We ask that you please reduce petrol taxes so the people of Australia can go back to living their normal lives and not be held back by high petrol prices.
The Reduce Australian Petrol Taxes petition to Mr John Howard and the Commonwealth Government of Australia was written by Kellie Marschall and is in the category Roads & Transport at GoPetition. Contact author here. Petition tags: petrol, prices, taxes, litre, reduce, australia, excise, paying, australian, victoria, motorists, government, federal, petrol prices, petrol taxes | <urn:uuid:531d3d79-c382-4c31-adb3-86a4c3478fe5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/reduce-australian-petrol-taxes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951927 | 391 | 1.695313 | 2 |
|1979 - Fear of Music|
Talking Heads third album, 'Fear Of Music', appeared in August 1979.
By titling the album "Fear of Music" and opening it with the African rhythmic experiment "I Zimbra," complete with nonsense lyrics by poet Hugo Ball, Talking Heads made the record seem more of a departure than it was. Though Fear of Music was musically distinct from its predecessors, mostly because of the use of minor keys that gave the music a more ominous sound.
Previously, David Byrne's offbeat observations had been set off by an overtly humorous tone; on Fear of Music, he was still odd, but no longer so funny. At the same time, however, the music had become even more compelling. Worked up from jams (though Byrne received sole songwriter's credit), the music was becoming denser and more driving, notably on the album's standout track, "Life During Wartime," with lyrics that matched the music's power. "This ain't no party," declared Byrne, "this ain't no disco, this ain't no fooling around." The other key song, "Heaven," extended the dismissal Byrne had expressed for the U.S. in "The Big Country" to paradise itself: "Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens." It is also the album's most melodic song.
The british release has two complications: firstly, the catalogue number was changed after only two weeks, which make true originals extremely scarce. Secondly, early copies came with a free single, which coupled the version of 'Psycho Killer' from the Warner Brother Music Show promo-only album with 'New Feeling' from the debut album.
The first single from the album was 'Life During Wartime', which used many of the conventions of funk music to undermine rock's traditional concern with partying at all costs. The follow-up was I zimbra, which used meaningless words and african rhythms to point out the band's future direction. The rest of the album took the sound and spirit of the first two LPs to its logical extremes, and track for track 'Fear Of Music' was as strong as anything the band have recorded, before or since. The simplicity of titles like 'Cities', 'Drugs', 'Air' and 'Electric Guitar' bore no relation to the complexity of Byrne's lyrics, which were as thought-provoking and intelligent as anything that Seventies rock had to offer.
In Britain, record company Sire completed their promotion job on the album with a third single, 'Cities'. Both the 7" and 12" editions have a live version of 'Cities' on the back, while the (limited edition) 12" also features 'Artists Only', another live track from the live Promo LP. Brian Eno had once again co-produced the album.
- I Zimbra
- Life During Wartime
- Memories Can't Wait
- Electric Guitar | <urn:uuid:3fc5c62d-e2d4-4606-8136-d16183621080> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.talking-heads.nl/index.php/discography/79-fear-of-music | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97567 | 611 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The Bills and Patriots kick off the 2009 NFL season on Monday night. The game is one of many AFL Legacy Games being played during the season.
AFL Flashback – The league’s first game
Buffalo Bills vs. Boston Patriots – July 30, 1960
|50 YEARS AFTER - See our online exhibit honoring the AFL. New content will be added throughout the 2009 season. Launch exhibit>>>
The first preseason game in American Football League history was played on July 30, 1960 and featured the Boston Patriots at the Buffalo Bills. It was a monumental accomplishment in that the league was formed less than a year prior to the first kickoff. In fact, so much work had gone into the preparation for the new league that many of the founders had not had time to assess the magnitude and success of their efforts. League co-founder Lamar Hunt was driving home from his office in late-July and was elated when he heard a sports radio program running down the odds of the AFL’s first weekend of action.
Such was also the case in Buffalo when team founder Ralph Wilson, Jr. watched more than 100,000 fans gather at a rally the night before the preseason opener. The following evening 16,474 curious fans arrived at the newly renovated and renamed War Memorial Stadium. The Patriots however overcame the Bills’ home field advantage and extremely hot temperatures to defeat Buffalo 28-7. The star of the evening was Patriots quarterback Butch Songin who tossed two touchdowns to lead the Pats to victory. So ecstatic was Boston head coach Lou Saban that he shook hands with every member of the Patriot team and asked them to sign an official AFL ball.
Buffalo had pro football teams over the years in the NFL, the old AFL, and the All-America Football Conference. The city was excited when the Bills were part of the new AFL in 1960.
Thus began the long journey of the America Football League that would eventually forever change the landscape of professional football.
Coached three different AFL teams
Lou Saban, whose career spanned 53 years and included 27 different stops, was one of the most traveled coaches in the history of football. Affectionately dubbed "Much Traveled Lou," the Indiana University graduate compiled a record of 95-99-7 in 16 seasons as a pro football head coach.
Saban started his head coaching career after his four-year playing career as a linebacker with the Cleveland Browns ended in 1949. His first job began the very next season at the Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland. Five years later, he took over at Northwestern for two years and then moved to Western Illinois University in 1957.
Lou Saban coached three AFL teams - the Patriots, Bills, and Broncos.
In 1960 he served as the first head coach for the Boston Patriots. Two seasons later Saban joined the Buffalo Bills, the team in which he would enjoy his greatest success. He quickly compiled a core of talented players such as fullback Cookie Gilchrist, who was signed from the Canadian Football League, and quarterback Jack Kemp, who was claimed off of waivers. Saban’s eye for talent and strong leadership skills translated to AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 for the Bills.
After a five-year stint with the Denver Broncos from 1967-1971, he returned to the Bills and oversaw O.J. Simpson's record-breaking 2,003-yard rushing season in 1973 and a return to the playoffs in 1974. He left the Bills again in the middle of the 1976 season.
The following season Saban transitioned back to the college level where served as the head coach at the University of Miami from 1977-78. Interestingly, he was involved in the initial recruiting efforts of eventual U of M and Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.
After multiple stops as head coach on various different levels of football, Saban added another first to his resume when he was hired as the first head coach of the State University of New York at Canton in 1995 where he remained until 2000.
After an unsuccessful bid at retirement, Saban’s last stop as head coach was at Chowan University in North Carolina in 2001 and ’02.
Saban died on March 29, 2009 at the age of 87 but his lasting legacy and influence can still be seen on the football field today. | <urn:uuid:0fc3d346-2a0e-4814-bdbf-1d9a1499a829> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.profootballhof.com/history/2009/9/9/afl-legacy-games-bills-vs.-patriots-in-first-ever-afl-game/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984135 | 866 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Wildfire Danger Increases as Landscape Dries
Human-caused fires especially dangerous
ANCHORAGE - Every year an average of 500 wildland fires burn through the state, and 65 percent of those fires are human-caused.
June is typically Alaska’s busiest month for wildland fires, but state officials say the danger is already upon us with many areas of the state drying out quickly.
The interior is already on alert to fight fires with Wasilla and Willow also on the watch list.
State officials say while wildland fire in many areas is nature's way of revitalizing the landscape, human-caused fires tend to occur in populated areas and threaten homes.
"They are very costly. We do hold individuals responsible when they start a wildland fire, and often times that can mean restitution in the millions of dollars, and that is something we do not want people to be facing," said Tom Kurth of the Division of Forestry. | <urn:uuid:a6ad3fb6-4ddc-4597-9431-d6ce1a27ba05> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Wildfire-Danger-Increases-as-Landscape-Dries-149544585.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953163 | 197 | 2.75 | 3 |
Second Life developer unveils surprising new game, Patterns
The creator of Second Life is back with an unlikely new game.
Linden Lab has revealed Patterns, a building and exploration game that's currently in early beta. Players form structures and test whether they can endure against gravity using real-world physics.
You can sign up at the game's website. Check out the trailer below. It kind of looks like a bizarro-world version of Minecraft.
Follow @wita on Twitter for tales of superheroes, plumbers in overalls, and literary adventures. | <urn:uuid:79487593-32e0-4ff9-87e0-d7f3b8bb08e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gamezone.com/news/2012/09/20/second-life-developer-unveils-surprising-new-game-patterns | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900652 | 115 | 1.71875 | 2 |
When it comes to encryption, the latest isn't necessarily the best. You should always use the encryption algorithm that is right for the job and has been extensively publicly analyzed and tested, something the cryptographic community won't have had the chance to do with a brand new algorithm. Let's have a look at some of the most widely-used algorithms.
For most people, encryption means taking plaintext and converting it to ciphertext using the same key, or secret, to encrypt and decrypt the text. This is symmetric encryption and it is comparatively fast compared to other types of encryption such as asymmetric encryption. The most widely-used algorithm used in symmetric key cryptography is AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). It comprises three block ciphers, AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256, each of which is deemed sufficient to protect government classified information up to the SECRET level with TOP SECRET information requiring either 192 or 256 key lengths.
The main disadvantage of symmetric key cryptography is that all parties involved have to exchange the key used to encrypt the data before they can decrypt it. This requirement to securely distribute and manage large numbers of keys means most cryptographic services also make use of other types of encryption algorithms. Secure MIME (S/MIME) for example uses an asymmetric algorithm - public/private key algorithm - for non-repudiation and a symmetric algorithm for efficient privacy and data protection.
Asymmetric algorithms use two interdependent keys, one to encrypt the data, and the other to decrypt it. This interdependency provides a number of different features, the most important probably being digital signatures which are used amongst other things to guarantee that a message was created by a particular entity or authenticate remote systems or users. The RSA (Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) asymmetric algorithm is widely used in electronic commerce protocols such as SSL, and is believed to be secure given sufficiently long keys and the use of up-to-date implementations. As RSA is much slower than symmetric encryption, what typically happens is that data is encrypted with a symmetric algorithm and then the comparatively short symmetric key is encrypted using RSA. This allows the key necessary to decrypt the data to be securely sent to other parties along with the symmetrically-encrypted data.
A cryptographic hash function has a somewhat different role to other cryptographic algorithms. It is used to return a value based on a piece of data, a file or message, for example. Any accidental or intentional change to the data will change this hash value. A good hash algorithm should make it impossible to either create an initial input that produces a specific hash value or allow the original input to be calculated from the hash value. MD5 and SHA-1 were widely used hash algorithms, but are now considered weak and are being replaced by SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512, sometimes collectively referred to as SHA-2. Microsoft even announced back in 2005 that it was banning developers from using DES, MD4, MD5 and, in some cases SHA-1 encryption algorithms in any functions. Although no attacks have yet been reported on the SHA-2 variants, they are algorithmically similar to SHA-1 and so a new hash standard, SHA-3, will be selected in a similar way to AES in the next few years. As you can see, the landscape of cryptography is constantly changing and to stay abreast of the latest developments, follow the news and recommendations from standards bodies such as National Institute of Standards and Technology.
For more information:
- Can the symmetric encryption algorithm for S/MIME messages be changed? Read more.
- Get info on new and commonly used public-key cryptography algorithms.
This was first published in March 2010 | <urn:uuid:ae4e805a-7912-4c82-9bd8-8a6239dab0a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/answer/What-are-the-differences-between-symmetric-and-asymmetric-encryption-algorithms | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929175 | 769 | 3.828125 | 4 |
On Tuesday, September 25, the White House will welcome 13 Local Innovation Champions of Change who have committed themselves to creating a more open and innovative government through entrepreneurship. Whether making local government information and public data more accessible; creating local environments to encourage and support entrepreneurs; or developing workforce programs to provide residents with skills for the high-tech economy, these champions of change work tirelessly to build a better future for the citizens they serve, create jobs in their community, and ensure more efficient and effective government.
As a result of their efforts, citizens across the country have access to a more transparent government, more opportunities for participation in the activities of their city or county, and tools that catalyze new types of collaboration between the public, private, non-profit, and citizen sectors of the local community.
“I am constantly inspired by the hard work of the women and men who serve their country by working in government,” said Todd Park, Assistant to the President and U.S. Chief Technology Government Officer. “Entrepreneurs at the local and state level are leading the way with so many innovative solutions to some of the most vexing problems facing America today. As I work to make the President’s innovation agenda a reality, I look forward to even more projects such as the ones honored today, so we can truly out innovate the rest of the world.”
These leaders showcase the amazing movement of innovation in government across America. In addition to celebrating success, the Champions of Change event provides a great opportunity to share innovative city government products, services, and business models with other cities and discuss how to scale these innovations to others, challenging all cities across the nation to similar levels of improvement.
The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.
Michele Hovet is currently a Deputy City Manager for the City of Arvada, Colorado. She also was the Chief Information Officer for Arvada for over 17 years. She is a board member for OpenColorado.org and co-founder of Digital Distance Education Services of Colorado. She works with her local government peers in Colorado to collaborate on shared services and shared software, data transparency efforts by hosting two CityCamps and pushes for getting arts back in the classroom. | <urn:uuid:bf916699-c9c8-4845-a412-068cc8174a1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arvada.org/about-arvada/congratulations-michele-hovet-on-becoming-a-local-innovation-champion-of-change/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957281 | 502 | 1.773438 | 2 |
For example, they talk about President Obama's failure to fulfill the promise of ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. But even the most casual observer recognizes that it is Congress who failed to pass such legislation.
They also mention foreign trade deals but completely fail to provide any specifics on jobs that were outsourced as a result. Perhaps they need some reminding that one of the groups that was the biggest proponent of President Obama's trade deal with South Korea was the United Auto Workers. I'd be willing to hazard a guess that those folks were very aware that it would be adding jobs in the U.S. rather than in South Korea.
Finally they go after false claims about outsourcing as a result of stimulus bill.
According to some critics, a galling example of the Obama administration fostering overseas work came as part the 2009 stimulus program. They point to millions of dollars meant to develop a domestic clean-energy industry that instead landed in the hands of foreign businesses. An April 2010 study by the Energy Department found that 60 percent of the 40 largest wind farms then financed by the stimulus relied on foreign manufacturers for their central components, including turbines.Apparently this is going to be Romney's answer to the charges about his history of outsourcing. Here's what he said in Colorado today.
"It is interesting that when it comes to outsourcing that this president has been outsourcing a good deal of American jobs himself, by putting money into energy companies that end up making their products outside the United States," Romney told a supportive audience.This is a bald-faced lie and seems to be Romney's favorite defense...to accuse his opponent rather than address challenges directed to him.
Yesterday when I predicted that this line of attack was coming, I suggested that Michael Grunwald (who wrote the book on the stimulus bill) would be a good source for de-bunking it. So today I tweeted Mr. Grunwald and let him know I'd be interested in his response to the WaPo article. He tweeted back (gotta love these new social networking tools, dontcha?) that it was bogus and sent me a link to an article he wrote back in Oct. 2010.
AWEA [American Wind Energy Association] credits the stimulus with saving at least 40,000 jobs in construction, engineering, trucking and yes, manufacturing. According to the Department of Energy, the U.S. only imported 40% of the components for its wind turbines in 2009, down from about 80% in 2006.Romney doesn't get a pass on this one simply because he and his accomplices at the Washington Post point a lying finger at President Obama to diffuse the heat he's getting for his business practices in the past. | <urn:uuid:438723c4-9350-45e5-9162-3faa6536a1e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2012/07/wapo-makes-lame-attempt-at-they-all-do.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982162 | 547 | 1.632813 | 2 |
On August 9, 2007, at 0707 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-22-160, N2731P, registered to and operated by a private owner as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight made a forced landing to an open field on initial take off climb. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. A post crash fire destroyed the airplane. The private pilot and one passenger reported minor injuries. The remaining passenger was transported to a local area hospital with serious injuries and died at 2115. The flight originated from ST. Mary's County Regional Airport, Leonardtown, Maryland, on August 9, 2007, at 0706. Use your browsers 'back' function to return to synopsisReturn to Query Page
The pilot informed the Maryland State Police at the accident site that he was concerned about the weight of the airplane and the possible performance due to the hot weather. The pilot stated the airplane was slow to accelerate on the take off roll, which the pilot attributed to the hot and humid weather. The pilot stated the airplane became airborne 3,000 feet down the runway and his initial rate of climb was about 50 feet per minute well below normal. As the airplane approached the tree line located about 1,500 feet from the end of the runway, the airplane was not climbing and had started to descend. The pilot deployed 25-degrees of flaps allowing the airplane to clear the trees. The airplane continued to descend into a field located about 1,000 feet beyond the tree line. The airplane collided with the ground and collapsed the landing gear, slid about 66 feet, turned 90-degrees to the right and stopped. The airplane caught on fire and they exited the airplane.
The pilot stated in a telephone interview with the NTSB after the accident that the airplane was topped off with 17 gallons of 100 low lead fuel before departing. No formal performance planning was conducted except for mentally going over the weight and balance in his head. The maximum gross weight of the airplane was 2,000 pounds and he estimated his take off weight at 1,814 pounds. The pilot stated he considered the density altitude and pressure altitude but did not consider it a factor with the 4,000-foot departure airport. The pilot stated the airplane has a tendency to sit tail low due to the nose landing gear strut being extended for landings at his private airstrip. He started his take off roll from runway 29 and the ground roll was slower than normal down the 4,000-foot long runway. The pilot pushed the control wheel down in an effort to increase airspeed. The airplane was about 3,000 feet down the runway when he rotated the airplane at 80 mph. The airplane came off the runway; the airplane had a reduced rate of climb, and was basically flat. The airplane was at full power and the pilot was concerned about clearing the trees off the departure end of the runway and lowered one notch of flaps. Just before reaching the tree line, the pilot lowered the flaps to the full down position and the airplane skimmed the top of the tree. The airplane would not maintain altitude and was descending. The airplane touched down in an open field in a nose down right wing low attitude in an attempt to follow the contour of the open field. The nose wheel was either bent aft or separated. The airplane began sliding to the right and turned about 90-degrees before it came to a complete stop and caught fire. When the pilot was asked if the airplane had any mechanical problems on takeoff, the pilot replied no. "It was my fault, I made a bad choice, the airplane was heavy, it was hot, and very humid." When asked why he did not abort the take off the pilot stated, "I never thought about it and I do not know why. I just kept the nose on the runway. I knew we were heavy and it was hot." The initial statement was read back to the pilot and the pilot agreed with the initial statement.
A witness who is also a commercial pilot and a flight instructor observed the accident airplane taxi from the gas pump towards runway 29 for take off. As the airplane taxied by his location, the witness observed the tail of the airplane was low "as if the airplane was overloaded." The airplane started its take off roll and the winds were light and variable with a high-density altitude. The witness stated the runway at the airport is 4,150 feet long. The accident airplane takeoff roll was slow and long and there was no change in engine noise on the takeoff roll or climb out. The airplane used about 3,000 feet of the runway before the pilot "forced the airplane off the runway." Once the airplane became airborne the climb out was "flat" and the witness was not sure if the airplane would clear the trees off the departure end of the runway. The airplane cleared the trees by about 100 feet and disappeared from view behind another tree line. The witness stated he observed a plum of black smoke and knew the airplane had crashed.
Review of information on file with the FAA Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on March 26, 2004, with ratings for airplane single engine land. The pilot holds a third-class medical certificate issued on March 21, 2007, with the restrictions, "must have available glasses for near vision, and not valid for night flying." The pilot indicated on the application for the third-class medical certificate that he had accumulated 600 total flight hours. The pilot's last biennial flight review was completed during the summer of 2006.
The post-crash fire destroyed the airplane logbooks. According to the pilot the airplane had about 1.958 total airframe hours, and the engine had about 600 total hours since major overhaul. The tachometer was destroyed and the exact total time on the airframe and engine could not be determined. The pilot stated the last annual inspection was conducted in January or February 2007, and the airplane had flown about 20 hours since the annual inspection.
Review of delivery documents obtained from the aircraft manufacturer revealed the accident airplane; serial number 22-3037 is a PA-22-150, and the empty weight is 1,135 pounds. The pilot stated the airplane is a PA-22-160 and the empty weight is 1,050 pounds. The maximum gross weight of the airplane is 2,000 pounds. The pilot estimated his weight at 240 pounds and the estimated weight for his son and his mother was 140 pounds each. In addition he informed the FAA in a statement that the airplane had less than 100 pounds of baggage, which was located in the right rear-facing seat. In addition, the pilot informed the FAA that10 pounds of tools were located in a storage compartment. The pilot informed the NTSB that he had 65 pounds of baggage in the right rear seat.
With an empty weight of 1050 pounds, 520 pound for the pilot and two passengers, 75 pounds of baggage and tools, and 216 pounds of fuel, the airplanes take off weight would be 1,861 pounds. With 100 pounds of baggage and 10 pounds of tools the takeoff weight would be 1,896 pounds.
With an empty weight of 1,135 pounds, 520 pounds for the pilot and two passengers, 75 pounds of baggage and tools, and 216 pounds of fuel the airplanes take off weight would be 1,946 pounds. With 100 pounds of baggage and 10 pounds of tools the takeoff weight would be 1,981 pounds.
The St. Mary's County Regional Airport, Leonardtown, Maryland, is located at an elevation of 142 feet. Runway 11 and runway 29 surface is asphalt and in good condition. Both runways are 4,150 feet in length and 75 feet wide. The airport has an Aviation Weather Observation Service (AWOS) available on frequency 119.575.
The St Mary's County Regional Airport, Leonardtown, Maryland, 0701 surface weather observation was wind calm, visibility 10 miles, clear, temperature 82-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 72-degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 29.88 The density altitude at the time of the accident was 1,755 feet and the pressure altitude was 180 feet.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane wreckage was located in an open field on private property in the vicinity of 23595 Lawrence Hayden Road, Leonardtown, Maryland. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane had collided with the ground on a heading 290-degrees, and a post crash fire consumed the majority of the airplane.
Examination of the nose section revealed the engine assembly was fire damaged and displaced to the right. The nose wheel was bent aft and remained attached to the engine mount at the firewall. The upper and lower engine cowling was fire damaged. The propeller spinner remained attached to the propeller hub and was bent inward. The propeller assembly remained attached to the propeller crankshaft flange. One propeller blade was bent aft at mid span and the remaining propeller blade was not damaged.
The cabin area was consumed by fire from the engine compartment attending rearward to the empennage except for the steel tubes welded together to form the rigid structure. The instrument panel, flight instruments, radios, master switch, starter button, circuit breakers, panel lights, landing light switch, parking brake, and the front seats and rear seat were destroyed. An eight-gallon reserve fuel tank was not installed. The throttle, mixture, and fuel selector valve were destroyed by the post crash fire. The flap handle was in the extended position. The aircraft registration and airworthiness certificate was consumed by fire. The left main landing gear remained attached, and the right main landing gear was separated. Continuity of the flight controls assembly was confirmed from both control yokes rearward to the flight control surfaces.
The right wing was fire damaged, bent aft, and separated from the fuselage at the wing hinge fittings and lift strut. The right lift strut was fire damage. The right main fuel tank was ruptured and fire damaged. The right aileron and flap remained attached at their attachment point and were fire damage. The right flap was extended.
The empennage was consumed by fire except for the steel tubes welded together that form the fin, rudder, stabilizers, and elevators. The ELT was not located and presumed destroyed.
The left wing separated from the fuselage at the wing hinge fittings and lift strut and was almost totally consumed by fire. The left flap and left aileron were consumed by fire. The left main fuel tank was consumed by fire.
The engine assembly was separated from the airframe by the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department, Hollywood, Maryland, and transported to ST. Mary's County Regional County Airport for further examination by the FAA.
Examination of the engine assembly on August 13, 2007, revealed the entire engine assembly and accessories were fire damaged. The left and right engine exhaust was fire damaged, and the engine oil sump was damaged. The oil cooler was damaged. The alternator and drive pulley remained attached to the engine assembly. The starter remained attached and was fire damaged. The magnetos were fire damaged and removed from the engine. The vacuum pump was fire damaged. The oil filter was fire damaged, removed, and free of contaminants. The cylinder intake push rod tubes were not damaged. The post crash fire consumed the carburetor. The muffler was intact and fire damaged. All fuel lines were consumed by fire.
The engine was partially disassembled. The starter ring gear was not damaged. The crankshaft and crankshaft flange were not damaged. The top and bottom ignition harness were damaged. The top and bottom spark plugs were removed and exhibited worn out normal when compared to the Champion Check A Plug chart. The engine was rotated using the propeller assembly. Compression and suction was obtained at all cylinders. The rocker arms and valves moved when the crankshaft was rotated.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The rear seat passenger was transported to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland with serious injuries. The passenger expired at 2115 in the evening. According to the Maryland Division of Vital Records the reported cause of death was severe traumatic brain injury.
TEST AND RESEARCH
Review of FAA Advisory Circular AC 61-84B, ROLE OF PREFLIGHT PREPARATION, Para 3. BACKGROUND, "a. One of the most often neglected acts of a pilot contemplating flight in an aircraft is that of proper preflight planning. While the reasons remain obscure, the facts are well supported by aircraft accident statistics. Although the number of general aviation accidents has shown a downward trend in recent years, the accident and fatality/serious injury statistics indicate an increase in the percentage of accidents during takeoff. Paragraph 4. ELEMENTS OF PREFLIGHT PLANNING, (d.) Density Altitude states,
(1) Aircraft instruments are calibrated to be correct under one set of conditions. Standard conditions represent theoretical sea level conditions, 59 degrees Fahrenheit and 29.92 inHg. As higher elevations are reached, both temperature and pressure normally decrease. Thus, density altitude is determined by compensating for pressure and temperature variances from the standard conditions…. A pilot must remember that as density altitude increases, there is a corresponding decrease in the power delivered by the engine and the propellers or rotor blades. For airplanes, this may cause the required takeoff roll to increase by up to 25 percent for every 1,000 feet of elevation above sea level. The most critical conditions of takeoff performance are the result of a combination of heavy loads, unfavorable runway conditions, winds, high temperatures, high airport elevations, and high humidity.
(2) The proper accounting for the pressure altitude (field elevation is a poor substitute) and temperature is mandatory for accurate prediction of takeoff data. The required information will be listed in the aircraft manual and should be consulted before each takeoff, especially if operating at a high-density altitude or with a heavily loaded aircraft."
The Owners Handbook does not include charts for takeoff roll or landing roll distance, and was not required by the FAA for certification when the airplane was manufactured. Section 1 of The Piper Tri-Pacer Design Features, 1. Specifications, states with flaps extended the performance figures are for standard airplanes flown at gross weight under standard conditions at sea level. The takeoff run is 1,220 feet and the take off over a 50-foot barrier is 1,600 feet. With a density altitude of 1,755 feet the takeoff run will increase approximately 25 percent for every 1,000 feet increase in density altitude. The take off run would have been approximately 43 percent longer or 1,745 feet and 2, 288 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle.
The NTSB sent a copy of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report to the pilot on August 9, 2007, and a copy of the pilot's initial statement was forwarded to the pilot on August 11, 2007, for review. On August 16, 2007, another copy of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report and a copy of the pilot's initial statement was sent to the pilot in an e-mail in advance of a follow up telephone interview conducted on August 17, 2007. The pilot was informed in the e-mail, that they would go over the NTSB Pilot/Operator Report and make changes that may be required to the initial telephonic pilot statement. In addition, the pilot was informed that he could write a separate statement or use the initial telephonic statement that was provided for his review. Several changes were made to the initial pilot statement on August 17, 2007. The pilot requested that the quotes in the initial telephonic statement be removed. The NTSB declined to remove the quotes from the statement, and e-mailed a copy of the corrected statement after the interview on August 17, 2007. The pilot submitted the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report to the NTSB on August 20, 2007. The pilot stated in a separate statement included with the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report that the initial statement provided to the NTSB on August 9, 2007, was incomplete and misleading. The pilot stated, "Some of the objections I have to your draft of my statement are as follows:… 3. The second paragraph on page 2 of the statement is incomplete and is not correct to the extent that it implies that I believe that there is no other possible cause for the accident. It was a statement made immediately after the accident when I was naturally blaming myself for everything. I was under great stress because of the accident and my mother's death. I requested that this statement in particular be removed from your draft, but you have declined to do so. I am in fact unsure of the actual causative factors of this accident, so I can only speculate at this point. 4. It is not true that I agreed with your draft statement, primarily because of the second paragraph on page 2, which I asked you to delete."
The airplane wreckage was released by the FAA to the registered owner on August 12, 2007. The engine assembly was released by the FAA on August 13, 2007, to Chesapeake Aviation Service on behalf of the registered owner. | <urn:uuid:62bcbec1-7d25-4aea-ab3e-5b91069e4cc1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20070814X01184&ntsbno=ATL07LA111&akey=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968783 | 3,544 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Chasing Ice: Telling the story of our changing climate through photography
As a former newspaper photographer and now recreational photographer, I am keenly aware of the desire for my images to capture a moment and to tell a story. Whether your photographs aim to tell the story of your family, the birth of a child, a wedding, or your new pet, photography is a means of telling a story through imagery.
That said, as I sat in the movie theatre, I was awe-struck to be in the presence of a landscape photographer who through his work, is in the process of telling one of the most important stories of our time; the climate we are changing.
© James Balog, Chasing Ice
Chasing Ice is a documentary based upon Balog’s ‘Extreme Ice Survey’, a comprehensive multi-year photographic study of the world’s glaciers. In the film, director Jeff Orlowski follows the team as they travel to Greenland, Iceland and Alaska to set up a series of cameras that will capture glacial retreat over the span of months and years. The resulting time-lapse photos produce shocking evidence that shows glaciers are melting at an alarming pace, especially when superimposed images, such as a 3D map of Manhattan, are placed over the images to provide a sense of scale and magnitude to the issue.
More than ever, I am conscious of the fact that through our actions, big or small, as individuals and as a society, we are creating and accelerating “epochal geologic change” – and, most importantly, how we must counter that with the same scale of solutions to ensure we do not slip into runaway climate change. Getting the world off of oil and coal and onto renewable energy, for example, will be core to that solution.
There is still time to change the course that we are on, but it requires all of us to stand up and use our voice, our pens, our blogs and our cameras to engage in the conversation about the future we want for our planet.
How will you tell your story? | <urn:uuid:dbd3c88a-9649-4cf7-ab6f-7fb9b38ee5b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.wwf.ca/blog/2012/10/15/chasing-ice-renowned-photographers-quest-to-tell-the-story-of-our-changing-climate/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954205 | 428 | 1.851563 | 2 |
From WikiPilipinas: The Hip 'n Free Philippine Encyclopedia
|Region||National Capital Region|
|Mayor||Herbert M. Bautista|
|Area|| 166.20 km²|
|Total (2000)|| 2,173,831|
Quezon City has been dubbed as the “City of New Horizons” due to its rich culture and lifestyle. It lies just northeast of Manila. It is named after Manuel Luis Quezon, first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. As a whole, Quezon City has one of the lowest poverty levels in the Philippines. It is also known as country’s premier city due to its progress and performance.
There are many historical landmarks in Quezon City, among which may be counted the San Pedro Bautista Church in San Francisco del Monte, the second oldest church in the country; the site of the Unang Sigaw (first cry) in the Balintawak area to mark the start of the Philippine revolution against Spain; the monument to Gen. Lawton, the pot where the U.S. general was killed by Katipuneros in battle after the Pact of Biak-na-Bato failed in its objective to stop the hostilities even continued after the Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish-American war and wherein the Philippines revolutionary forces continued the war of independence against America.
There are close to 60,000 business establishments in Quezon City. It is also the center of the entertainment industry. The news programs and variety shows seen on every television screen all over the country are beamed from ABS-CBN, GMA Network, NBN and other TV and radio stations based in the city.
Quezon City was conceived by the late President Manuel Luis Quezon. He envisioned a place where the common man will find his place with dignity. In 1938, President Quezon purchased 1,529 hectares from the vast Diliman Estate of the Tuason Family. The following year, the National Assembly enacted the Commonwealth Act otherwise known as Charter of Quezon City. On October 12, 1939, President Quezon signed the Bill into law, thus the city was born. Progress in Quezon City continued until the outbreak of World War II in 1941. Seven years later, by virtue of Republic Act. No. 333 signed on July 17, 1948, Quezon City officially became the capital of the Philippines and the permanent seat of the national government. Its inauguration as capital city was marked by the laying of a cornerstone for a capitol building at Constitution Hills on October 22, 1949. Subsequently, construction of government buildings began. On June 16, 1950, the City Charter was revised by Republic Act. No. 537 which extended its boundaries to its present area of 15,359 hectares. It officially replaced Manila as capital in 1948; the capital returned to Manila by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 940 on June 24, 1976.
Quezon City is the biggest of the six cities in the Metro Manila Area, lying immediately northeast of Manila and straddling the northern extension of the Guadalupe plateau. This strategic location provides stable ground foundation, adequate surface drainage, deep water table, and ample ground water supply. It is an area of moderate slopes and the most common soil type is the hard loam, more popularly known as the adobe which was heavily used in construction in the past. In terms of land area, Quezon City is the second biggest in the country, being next in size to Davao City and is five times bigger than Manila.
Quezon City is 10 kms. north of Manila. To the city's east are San Mateo, Rizal and Marikina City; to the west are San Juan and the city Manila; to the north are Caloocan City and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, and to the south are the cities of Pasig and Mandaluyong. Quezon City is five (5) times bigger than Manila; in area, it is the second to the country's biggest city - Davao City. Rolling hills spread over a large portion of Quezon City. Its lowest altitude is 25 feet above sea level, while its highest is 55 feet.
Quezon City has a land area of 16,112.58 hectares, almost one fourth of the Region and the biggest among the cities and municipalities. Situated on the Guadalupe Plateau, the city's topography is largely rolling with alternating ridges and lowlands. The southern region of the City has a low grade terrain while the northern half is undulating that culminates at the Novaliches Reservoir. Served by a network of rivers and creeks, the city is efficiently drained except for some portions which experiences flash floods due to the deterioration of waterways. Rolling hills spread over a large portion of Quezon City. Its lowest altitude is 25 feet above sea level, while its highest is 55 feet.
The City shares an aquafier system with Metro Manila which, due to overdrawing which has been subjected to saltwater intrusion. Another feature which it shares with the rest of the region is the valley (Marikina) Fault System traversing the city's eastern portion.
Quezon City is divided into four congressional districts composed about 142 barangays. Each district is represented by six City Councilors, four representatives/congressmen, one from each district, are elected as members of the National Legislature. The number of barangays per district is: District I, 37; District II, 28; District III, 37; and District IV, 38. Although District II hast the least number of barangays, it is the biggest in land area, including the Novaliches Reservoir.
- District 1 - comprises 37 barangays with a population of 373,712 or 17% of the total population of Quezon City of 2.17 million as of May 1, 2002. These barangays are located mostly in the northern part of Quezon City.
- District 2 - with the least number of barangays (30) has the bulk of the population of Quezon City. Fifty four percent (54%) or 1,163,537 people resides in the said district. Barangay Commonwealth has 120,569 persons counted during the 2000 census of population. Over half of the population is in Congressional District II.
- District 3 - Only 12% of the population are residing in this district comprising of thirty seven (37) barangays. This is the least populated district where most of the large establishments (Cubao Area) and posh villages/subdivisions such as White Plains, Corinthian Gardens etc... can be found. Also, the smallest barangay in terms of population can be found in this district - Brgy. Mangga with a population count of 494 (113 Households).
- District 4 - has the most number of barangays (38). But have an almost identical share with District I Both having a share of the population of Quezon City at 17% or a population of 365,410 person. This district has the lowest household size of 4.29 compared to the other 3 districts.
Diliman is where many government offices are located including Quezon City Hall. At Diliman's center lies the Quezon Memorial where the late President Manuel L. Quezon is interred. The monument, encased in marble, is the highest structure in that part of the city. Running around the monument is the two-kilometer Quezon Memorial Circle, also known as the Elliptical Road (R-7/C-5). The circle links Commonwealth (R-7/C-5), Visayas, Kalayaan, East, North(C-5), and Quezon Avenues (R-7). The last three avenues provide access to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) (C-4), the main highway in Metro Manila. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security System (SSS), the National Power Corporation, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs), the National Computer Center (NCC), the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Agriculture, Department and Agrarian Reform (DAR), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are some of the government agencies that are located in Diliman. University of the Philippines as well as the 15-hectare campus of Far Eastern University's Institute of Technology (now FEU-FERN College) is located at the central portion of Diliman.
Hospitals and other health centers are also housed in Diliman. Along East Avenue stands the Philippine Heart Center, the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC), the [[National Kidney and Transplant Institute]], and the Philippine Mental Health Association. Along North Avenue is the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) and the Philippine Health Association. The Philippine Children's Medical Center and Lung Center of the Philippines is located along Quezon Avenue.
Commonwealth and Balara
Commonwealth Avenue was formerly called Don Mariano Marcos Avenue. It is home to many subdivisions such as Don Jose Heights, Ideal Subdivision, Jordan Park Homes and Doña Carmen Subdivision. Commonwealth also plays host to one of the largest squatters' communities in the country, specifically in the areas of Batasan Hills (formerly called Constitution Hills). Batasang Pambansa is located at the heart of Commonwealth Avenue.
Tandang Sora
It got its name from the Mother of the Revolution, Melchora Aquino or Tandang Sora. The area is primarily residential with Projects 6 and 8 located here, as are other subdivisions, like Town & Country Gardenville, San Pedro Subdivisions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), NaPoCor Village, NIA Village, Reymar Subdivision, Villa Corrina, and many more. A large portion of Tandang Sora district is Barangay Bahay Toro, where a historic site of the Philippine Revolution known as Pugad Lawin is located. The main campus of AMA Computer University is located in the western portion of Project 8.
Loyola Heights
Loyola Heights is Marikina City's gateway to Quezon City. The main campus of Ateneo de Manila Univesity and Miriam College are located in Loyola Heights. Loyola Heights is an upper middle-class and rich residential area that caters to students of the Ateneo de Manila, University of the Philippines, and Miriam College. Near these areas, and right beside La Vista, are some squatters' settlements, making the Loyola Heights area a place of mixed socio-economic classes.
Cubao is an important commercial area. At its heart is the Araneta Center, along EDSA and Aurora Boulevard. It houses a number of shopping malls like Ali Mall, Farmers Plaza, and the modern Gateway Mall. Plaza Fair, Rustan's, Shopwise Supercenter, and Makro can also be found here. At the center is Araneta Coliseum, often called the Big Dome.
Libis is one of the newly developed commercial areas in Quezon City. The Eastwood City Business Center is situated here. It consists of several office and residential skyscrapers, including many local IT and consumer electronic firms. Numerous bars and restaurants, open-air restaurants and coffee shops.
Timog area
Timog and Tomas Morato avenue is a popular entertainment area. Located along these two avenues are many fine-dining restaurants and bars. Several of the streets in the surrounding area were named in honor of the 20 Boy Scouts who died in a plane crash en route to joining the 11th World Scout Jamboree. Because of this, Timog area is also often called Scout Area.
Novaliches is primarily residential. The La Mesa Dam Watershed occupies the eastern portion. Malls like SM City Fairview, Robinsons Place Novaliches, Fairview Center Mall and colleges like FEU (Far Eastern University) -NRMF, Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU), AMA Computer College Fairview Campus, Metro Manila College (MMC), National College of Business and Arts (NCBA), La Consolacion College-Deparo(LCCD) and Montessori College are located here.
Sta. Mesa Heights
Sta. Mesa Heights is said to be where many middle class and upper middle class families reside. Angelicum College, St. Theresa's College, Quezon City and Lourdes School of Quezon City are three prestigious private Catholic schools to be found here.
San Francisco Del Monte
San Francisco Del Monte (SFDM) was founded on February 17, 1590. It was an independent town during the Spanish era that had an area of 250 acres of land filled with wildlife and trees. It was later absorbed by Quezon City when it was created. SFDM is a heavily populated district. The two main intersections of this area are Roosevelt Avenue and Del Monte Avenue.
The Galas-Santol District of Quezon City is located in its southwest border with the City of Manila. West of the avenue lies the residential corner of many of the poorest in the city. Shanties predominate the area, stretching from Araneta Avenue to Galas, while east of the avenue features the palatial mansions of some of the richest. SM City Sta. Mesa lies at the end of the avenue.
The Project areas
The Project areas include Project 1 (presently Roxas), Project 2 (Quirino-A), Project 3 (Quirino-B), Project 4, Project 5 (presently Kamias), Project 6, Project 7, and Project 8. These areas are among the first residential subdivisions in the city developed by former Philippine Presidents Quezon, Quirino and Marcos.
Business in the city is dominated by small and medium-scale establishments engaged mostly in the distribution of finished products and the provision of basic personal services. With a sizeable portion of the city's land area being developed for commercial and industrial ventures, complemented by the availability of a large manpower pool, Quezon City has great potential to support an increase in the number of big businesses in the city.
The following are some of the well-known universities, private and public schools are located in Quezon City: AMA Computer University, Colegio de San Lorenzo, Dr. Carlos S. Lanting College, New Era University, St. Paul College, Quezon City, Saint Pedro Poveda College, St. Mary's College, Quezon City, Siena College, Quezon City, STI College, Technological Institute of the Philippines (Quezon City), Philippine Science High School, Quezon City Science High School, and the University of the Philippines Integrated School, Angelicum College, Ateneo de Manila (Grade School and High School), Claret School of Quezon City, Diliman Preparatory School, Holy Family School, Holy Spirit School, Jose Abad Santos Memorial School (JASMS), Kostka School, Lourdes School of Quezon City, Philippine Rehabilitation Institute, Quezon City Academy, Saint Claire School, Saint Joseph's College of Quezon City, St. Theresa's College, Quezon City, Stella Maris College, Quezon City and Trinity University of Asia (formerly Trinity College of Quezon City).
Weather conditions in Quezon City are more or less the same as those prevailing in Manila. Due to its higher elevation, the temperature is generally lower, relative humidity and wind velocity are proportionately higher.
Quezon City experiences the highest amount of rainfall during the months of July to October averaging to 9.79 inches.
The city is the country's melting pot. Hundreds if nor thousands of Ilocanos, Bicolanos, Visayans, Bulakenos and Moslems migrate to this city every year. Quezon City's population as of May 1, 1990 is 1,666,766.
Literacy in Quezon City is relatively high. English is widely spoken, though it is Tagalog/Filipino which is predominantly used.
- Official Website of Quezon City (accessed on January 24, 2008)
- Philippine Travel Center (accessed on January 24, 2008)
- Philippine Travel Center (accessed on January 24, 2008) | <urn:uuid:29ceedc1-d352-4cfe-ae8e-7a45fb97e2f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Quezon_City | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948435 | 3,389 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Diarrhea (Long-term) in Dogs
Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs
Chronic diarrhea is a change in the frequency, consistency and volume of the dog's feces for more than three weeks. Starting in the small or large intestine, diarrhea can either be secretory (where it is very watery) or osmotic (not watery), and is due to various reasons, including diet, disease, or infection.
Chronic diarrhea can affect both dogs and cats. If you would like to learn more about how this condition affects cats, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.
Symptoms and Types
Symptoms found when it originates in the small intestine may include:
Symptoms found when it originates in the large intestine may include:
Small intestinal abnormalities which can cause diarrhea include:
Large intestinal abnormalities which can cause diarrhea include:
Your veterinarian will try to identify the origin of the diarrhea -- the small or large intestine -- by taking a complete history of your dog's health and onset of symptoms. Your doctor will then perform a thorough physical exam on the dog, or the doctor can perform an endoscopy and take biopsies from the intestines. Fecal samples, blood chemical profiles, urinalysis and electrolyte panels can help in the diagnosis, as well.
Depending on the underlying cause of the diarrhea, there are many other tests which can be performed. For example, if your veterinarian suspects pancreatic disease they will test for pancreatic function, while abdominal X-rays and ultrasounds can be used to find a foreign object in the intestines. Other exams can test for intestinal malabsorption, adrenal function, or for serum bile acids; these acids can be identified by taking blood samples.
Treatment will depend on the underlying cause. Your veterinarian will probably de-worm your dog just in case parasites are responsible for the disease. If your dog’s illness is due to dietary intolerance or allergies, your veterinarian will prescribe a low-fat, high digestible diet for three to four weeks and follow-up to see if its diarrhea has cleared up. If your dog is dehydrated, your veterinarian will give it fluid therapy. Surgery might be necessary if your dog has an intestinal tumor or blockage.
Living and Management
If your dog does not respond to the treatment bring it back to the vet to be re-evaluated. Many of the parasitic and bacterial infections that cause diarrhea in dogs can also affect humans, so be very careful when handling a dog suffering from diarrhea.
An in-depth examination of the properties of urine; used to determine the presence or absence of illness
A type of slime that is made up of certain salts, cells, or leukocytes
The exiting of excrement from the body; bowel movements.
The fluid created by the liver that helps food in the stomach to be digested.
The impairment of nutrient intake into the intestines
Latest In Dog Nutrition
Five Life-Lengthening Health Tips for Your ...
Anyone who has ever had a dog or cat wishes just one thing — that he or she has a...
Does My Senior Dog Need Special Dog Food?
Whether or not your senior dog needs special dog food depends, to a large extent,... | <urn:uuid:f54ce00b-6b5b-488d-89f1-76e2878df555> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_diarrhea_chronic?page=show | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914487 | 671 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Carrying Shopping Bags Could Boost Your Stress Levels
Waiting for the post-Christmas sales frenzy to die down so you can enjoy a less stressful shopping experience? Then you might want to make your purchases online instead as experts warn that carrying shopping bags can put a strain on your stress levels as well your back.
Researchers looked at the impact of physical weight on mental health by questioning consumers.
Participants were divided into two groups. The first group was told to hold shopping bags full of goods before being grilled on an unrelated topic. The second group was questioned on the same topic but was not given any bags to carry beforehand.
It was found that those who were carrying the bags felt the issue was more important than those who were empty handed.
Interestingly, the result was negated in the group that were carrying the bags when they were told to think about light objects such as feathers and balloons.
Lead researchers Meng Zhang and Xiuping Li said their findings suggest physical weight influences a person’s "psychological weight".
They added: "Prior research has shown that the physical experience of carrying weight can influence people’s judgment in unrelated domains such as the importance of an event."
The study will be featured in the forthcoming edition of the Journal of Consumer Research. | <urn:uuid:4fa1c6f1-c721-4002-841c-abb68675677b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/12/28/carrying-shopping-bags-causes-stress_n_1172851.html?ref=uk-wellbeing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985097 | 261 | 2.578125 | 3 |
This small town is located 23 miles (37 km) south of Edinburgh and 18 miles (29 km) west of Galashiels in the old county of Peeblesshire on the Eddleston Water (the Cuddy). One of Scotland's royal and ancient burghs, Peebles was a major centre for brewing (18th Century) and wool production (19th and 20th centuries) while today it is a market town and holiday resort with fishing, golfing, tennis and pony-trekking. The Beltane Festival (Riding of the Marches) is held on the last Saturday of June. Peebles was formerly the headquarters for Tweeddale District Council (1975-96).
The castle which stood here was used as a royal residence and hunting lodge by Alexander III who also founded the Cross Kirk (1261), a Trinitarian Friary and the parish church (1887). St Andrews Church (1195) was damaged in the wars with the English (1545) and the town was later burnt in an accidental fire in 1607. Cromwell's troops quartered here in 1656. Notable constructions include the red sandstone Peebles Hydropathic Hotel (1878-81) - popularly known as the 'Peebles Hydro'; the elaborate Chambers Institution (c.1859); the Mercat Cross (14th century); and the Tweed Bridge (15th century).
Born here were the publishers and brothers William and Robert Chambers (1800, 1802), and John Veitch (1829), philosopher, poet and historian; the explorer Mungo Park lived here for two years before leaving on his final trip to Africa; and visitors have included James I, James Hogg, Robert Louis Stevenson and John Buchan. | <urn:uuid:7e7fe898-295d-4fbb-9c27-bb2ed592669d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scottish-places.info/scotgaz/towns/townfirst241.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965116 | 366 | 2.125 | 2 |
Science Saturdays: Forest Science and Management with Web Technology
Special FORESTRY Science Saturday for our Trees R’ Us theme!
Building the Bridge between Forest Science and Management with Web Technology
Emrys Treasure, Biological Scientist
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, USDA Forest Service
Scientists are conducting cutting-edge research on critical natural resource problems and forest managers are demanding clear, concise, and credible answers to inform management decisions. This presentation will explore these challenges as well as new technology solutions to address them.
Science Saturdays is a series of lectures and demonstrations that are held on the first Saturday of each month in Windows on the World at 11 am. The presentations mainly target middle- and high-school students, but everyone is welcome to attend.
Science Saturdays are held in partnership with the NC State University Biomedical Engineering Department and are funded through NC Space Grant. | <urn:uuid:4b8cd56f-41d8-4353-bbf5-a25a19abcaac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://naturalsciences.org/programs-events/science-saturdays-forest-science-and-management-web-technology | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92364 | 174 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Bush: It Will Take More Than 100 Days to Undo Saddam's Legacy
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2003 President Bush praised the progress coalition military and civilian personnel have been able to make in Iraq, but said that 100 days is not enough time to undo the legacy of Saddam Hussein.
In his weekly radio address Aug. 9, Bush noted that it is but 100 days since the end of major combat operations in Iraq. He said the time has been marked by steady progress.
"Every day we are working to make Iraq more secure," Bush said. "Coalition forces remain on the offensive against the Baath Party loyalists and foreign terrorists who are trying to prevent order and stability." He said the progress is evident to the Iraqi people as more and more are cooperating with coalition forces and tipping them to the regime remnants still threatening peace.
Iraqis themselves are helping with security. Coalition officials said there are about 30,000 Iraqi police back on the beat, and coalition officials have begun to recruit a new army and a civil defense force.
"Every day, Iraq is making progress in rebuilding its economy," he said. "In Baghdad, the banks have opened, and other banks will open across the country in the coming months. This fall, new bank notes will be issued, replacing the old ones bearing the former dictator's image. And Iraq's energy industry is once again serving the interests of the Iraqi people. More than a million barrels of crude oil and over 2 million gallons of gasoline are being produced daily."
The coalition is paying civil servants with funds recovered from the former regime, and life is returning to normal for the Iraqi people. Bush said hospitals and universities have opened, and in many places, water and other utility services are reaching pre-war levels.
"Across Iraq, nearly all schoolchildren have completed their exams," he said. "And for the first time in many years, a free press is at work in Iraq. Across that country today, more than 150 newspapers are publishing regularly."
But most important, the Iraqi people are taking daily steps toward democratic government, the president noted. "The Iraqi Governing Council, whose 25 members represent all of that diverse country, is meeting regularly, naming ministers and drawing up a budget for the country," he said. These men and women will soon set the conditions to allow a representative group to begin drafting a new constitution and free elections will follow.
Bush pointed out that all major cities and most towns now have representative councils. "Freedom is taking hold in that country, as people gain confidence that the former regime is never coming back," he said.
But much remains to be done, Bush emphasized. "There is difficult and dangerous work ahead that requires time and patience," he said. "Our country and the nations of the Middle East are now safer. We're keeping our word to the Iraqi people by helping them to make their country an example of democracy and prosperity throughout the region. This long-term undertaking is vital to peace in that region and to the security of the United States. Our coalition and the people of Iraq have made remarkable progress in a short time, and we will complete the great work we have begun." | <urn:uuid:c4243d53-2bc9-4d2f-b38b-c5c9e1682673> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=28622 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976222 | 657 | 1.554688 | 2 |
“How can I in good conscience send my child to a school that didn’t even cheat right?”
The question from Shelby McDonald has surely been asked by many an Atlanta parent since rampant cheating on standardized tests was uncovered in the city’s public schools. Only rhetorically, of course, because the answer is: You can’t.
Unlike many of those parents, however, McDonald found a way out: a public charter school approved in 2009 by a state commission. That commission closed after a 2011 court ruling declared it unconstitutional, but it would be re-created if voters approve Amendment One in next month’s election.
“I did everything right. I looked at every [school’s] test score between here and what was driveable,” says McDonald, a widowed mother of one whose parents had pledged to drive her daughter as far as Macon each day if that’s what it took. She tried one charter-school lottery and lost. As a single mother, private school was out of the question.
“I did what I was supposed to do,” she says. “And what did I find out [about the local schools]? Y’all cheated!”
Cheating wasn’t an issue at the elementary school Rich Thompson’s daughter used to attend — at least, he didn’t think it was. But low expectations were.
Thompson was the PTA president at Deerwood Academy in southwest Atlanta when, one spring, he realized things weren’t as good as they seemed.
“We had the normal end-of-the-year Awards Day program,” Thompson recalls. “Pretty much every grade level walked across the stage, and every kid got some kind of a certificate or ribbon or trophy. The principal was patting them on the back, saying what a great job they did.”
Within a few days, however, Thompson came across the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s 2009 “Report Card for Parents,” which ranks the state’s public schools according to their test scores. Deerwood Academy’s third-graders ranked 940th out of 1,208 schools statewide. Its fifth-graders were 470th out of 1,201.
“I just got livid,” Thompson recalls. “How in the hell can everybody be so happy with our performance when one grade level is in the 900s and one is in the 400s compared with the other schools in the state? …
“There just wasn’t any interest in doing anything beyond getting the public recognition we were getting. And it just wasn’t enough for me.” His daughter now attends an independent, start-up charter school.
It wasn’t long before that public recognition proved even more hollow: Deerwood was one of the first schools implicated in the APS cheating scandal. “It was just a big sham,” Thompson says of all the certificates, ribbons and trophies.
Accolades for his son at a south Fulton school also seemed suspect to Gavin Samms.
“His teacher said, ‘He’s so wonderful. He’s so quiet,’ ” Samms recalls. “But I said, ‘He isn’t learning anything.’ “
His son, Samms says, “kept coming home with the same worksheets of things I taught him two years before.” No one at the school was interested in giving the boy more challenging work, he says.
Samms didn’t just look for another school. He started one: Fulton Leadership Academy, which the erstwhile state commission approved in 2009. Despite its focus on the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) and test scores that last year beat both state standards and south Fulton schools’ averages, the Fulton school board denied FLA’s application to keep its charter. The state granted it under provisional authority that is highly questionable in light of the 2011 court ruling.
“They [the Fulton board] said we’re not ‘unique,’ ” Samms says. “It’s an all-boys school. We have STEM, we have an aviation focus. … You must see African-American boys in planes every day, because apparently we’re not unique enough.”
A note to those who think Amendment One is designed to pave the way for a modern white flight from Georgia’s public schools: Like Samms, McDonald and Thompson are black. Charter schools have a higher percentage of minorities or low-income students than traditional public schools, according to the Georgia Charter Schools Association.
They’re also more likely to serve them better, to hear these parents tell it.
– By Kyle Wingfield | <urn:uuid:96d7425d-e4dd-4b53-b7c3-bcbf0ec7640d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.ajc.com/kyle-wingfield/2012/10/25/charter-school-parents-explain-why-we-need-amendment-one/?cp=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975932 | 1,023 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Third World Women's Alliance Records
Third World Women's Alliance Records, 1971-1980 (Bulk: 1971-1977)
7 boxes (3.5 linear ft.)
Collection number: MS 697
Global women of color reproductive rights and social justice organization. TWWA broadened the scope of women's activism to address issues such as sterilization abuse, infant mortality, welfare rights, and low-wage work. The orientation of TWWA towards the "third world" brought the struggles, condition, and status of women in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to the forefront. The bulk of the records focus on the the West Coast and Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area Chapters of the organization and include regional reports and meetings, as well as events sponsored and organized by the TWWA, such as International Women's Day. Major topics found throughout these records are reproductive rights, infant mortality, political education, affirmative action, labor unions, international human rights, and women's liberation.
Terms of Access and Use:
Restrictions on access:Restrictions on use:
The Records are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.
The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the records of the organization. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Individual authors in TWWA publications retain copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College as holders of the physical property.
Sophia Smith Collection | <urn:uuid:710338b7-9cf4-4b41-8b31-bf624e7b5e83> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss527_main.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915362 | 333 | 2.125 | 2 |
how to teach future tense?
I'm a student and I need to write an essay about future tense: if I would be a teacher how would I teach the furture tense. And if I would teach the "shall/will" first or the present continuos "going to" and why.
How do you teach the future tense and why that way?
Thank you for the help!!
Re: how to teach future tense?
English doesn't have a future tense, Kalbi. Instead of a future tense, English has many ways that we use to discuss the future.
Originally Posted by kalbi13
be going to
present continuous for the future
be about to
be able to
present simple for the future
Start with the most common ones first; will/be going to/ present continuous for the future.
By foggyfield in forum Ask a Teacher
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Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO | <urn:uuid:b16a33d4-05fd-467f-9e26-00c7cfd83bd2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/teaching-english/104213-how-teach-future-tense.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906845 | 276 | 3.1875 | 3 |
In January 1976, after the Australian cricket team again beat the West Indies by a massive margin in a Test match, an Australian cricket writer wrote: “If ever the West Indies could match the determination of the Australians, they would win more Tests, but they would not be so entertaining.”
Soon after, the West Indies, led by Clive Lloyd and inspired by Vivian Richards among others, decided to end the stereotype of easy-going “calypso cricketers” who did not have the discipline and drive to win.
The West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s, with its fearsome fast bowlers and attacking but entertaining batsmen, became one of the most incredible success stories not just in sports, but also in the fight against racism and the revival of a culture post-colonialism.
Bouncer:(clockwise from top right) A poster of the documentary; West Indies supporters in Leeds, 1984; and Michael Holding bowls a vicious ball to English cricketer Derek Underwood. Patrick Eagar
Director Stevan Riley’s documentary film Fire in Babylon, which released worldwide on 20 May, captures this era through extensive archival footage, interviews and a pulsating reggae soundtrack. Edited excerpts from an interview with Riley:
You’ve made one sports documentary before, ‘Blue Blood’, on boxing in Oxford. What inspired ‘Fire in Babylon’?
In 1984, I saw Malcolm Marshall bowl for the first time. I remember Andy Lloyd got hit badly by a Marshall delivery. I was 9, transfixed by the pace of Marshall and terrified for the English batsmen. That team really changed cricket, and got me hooked to the game. I was a West Indies fan before I was an England fan, so this film has been a long time coming.
What kind of research did you do for the film? How long did it take to complete the project?
I locked myself in for a few months with every book I could find on West Indies cricket. I began with C.L.R. James’ Beyond a Boundary, and all available biographies and autobiographies of players from that team. I backpacked through the West Indies for three weeks, when I met (Michael) Holding and bounced off ideas with him.
I was determined to tell the story from the West Indies’ perspective, give it that Caribbean flavour. I sourced archival footage from production houses, television channels and libraries in Australia, England and the West Indies. Getty gave me access to their backroom and I spent a few days going through photographs that weren’t even in their system. Photographer Patrick Eagar let me go through all his contact sheets of unpublished photographs and pick from them.
It took me eight months just to edit. So there’s a lot of stuff in the film no one has ever seen before, and it’s all heavily tied up to the music.
The film’s soundtrack— legendary reggae and dub tracks—are mostly set to literally jaw-breaking fast bowling by the Windies…
I pay a lot of attention to music in my films. I loaded my iPod with reggae and dub and walked around London playing it non-stop until I found something that really clicked. Some of the fast bowling had me wincing. I saw Robin Smith being targeted in 1980, and I’m watching it in the raw. You could really feel the pain. I thought how do you get out of that stuff, four guys bowling at that speed? The West Indies imperative at that time was to move forward, move fast and leave their colonial past behind. Maybe that’s why the pace quartet became the symbol of their team, a kind of violent rebellion on the pitch.
Richards says “my bat was my sword”. Would you say your film is more about broader issues of politics and race than about cricket?
That’s probably true. The word “Babylon” in Rastafarian lingo means a system of repression. This is a story about how the West Indies team used cricket to fight everything from racism to the idea that they were just a bunch of lazy, party-loving guys who would take defeat lying down. It was also amazing to see how many Rastafarians were close to the team, considering all the cricketers came out of a strictly British education system that actively subverted their culture. Viv had a teacher who became an active Rastafarian and had a huge impact on him. Most people know Bob Marley as a football fan, but he loved cricket too and he was close to Viv.
What were your interviews with the cricketers like?
Viv was brilliant. He really has this gravitas that draws you in—you know, when he says something, he really means it. Most of that team in the 1970s was fresh out of school and you needed people like Viv, who was really steely and aware, to remind the players what they were fighting for. Colin Croft was incredibly honest. Gordon Greenidge gave a sensitive interview about the problems he faced growing up in England. Bunny Wailer (a reggae legend who was one of the driving forces behind the band Bob Marley & The Wailers) travelled all the way to the other side of Kingston because he wanted to wear his cricket whites for the interview!
Fire in Babylon does not have an India release date. It will be out on DVD on 6 June. | <urn:uuid:f3ec4e45-0fc8-45f8-aa3a-44606d6ac520> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/sPUpIXnoLFh3V5HmalZvLI/A-violent-rebellion-on-the-pitch.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97759 | 1,138 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Creative Ways to Get Portion Size Under Control
Don't let portion distortion derail your diet this spring
By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
After a long and dreary winter, hopeful signs of spring are everywhere. Buds are on the trees, tulips and daffodils are poking their leaves above ground, birds are chirping again, people are gearing up tennis courts and baseball diamonds for the spring season.
At the market, peeps and chicks, the little pink and yellow sugar coated marshmallow blobs along with jelly beans of every color, are another rite of spring. Chocolate bunnies, candy-filled eggs and coconut filled nests hover close by on grocery shelves as favorite treats for Easter baskets.
Beyond signs of spring, the dietitian in me not only sees sugar, sugar, and more sugar in these seasonal favorites, but an opportunity to use these little critters for more than just satisfying a sweet tooth.
Spring is the perfect time to get outside, increase your physical activity, and gear up for the oft-dreaded bathing suit season. Why not use these adorable little fuzzy peeps and other springtime icons to better understand normal portion sizes and improve your diet?
Americans live in the land of plenty. Food is available at every conceivable location from gas stations to movie theaters, and portions are equally as plentiful. Take for example, the jumbo-sized movie theater candy bars that suggest sitting down for a few hours warrants hundreds of calories. And we wonder why 60% of adults are overweight!
The bottom line: we eat too much food and the wrong kinds of food. One of the easiest ways to cut back on calories and lose weight is by monitoring portion sizes.
Lose Weight With Peeps
Are you having a hard time figuring out serving sizes? If you use restaurant portions as your guide, you will be out in left field when trying to determine what the new Dietary Guidelines mean when recommending 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables, 6-8 servings of grains, and 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy.
Use these springtime symbols to help make sure you are enjoying all the nutritious foods for good health and weight control. Each item is equal to 1 serving.
Another strategy to help you meet the guidelines and eat more healthfully is to use the plate method. Fill up half your plate with fruits and vegetables and split the remaining half between whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean meats and fish.
Published March 21, 2005.
SOURCES: Kathleen Zelman, RD, MPH, director, WebMD Nutrition. Archives of Internal Medicine.
©1996-2005 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
Last Editorial Review: 5/5/2005 3:22:57 PM
Get the latest health and medical information delivered direct to your inbox FREE! | <urn:uuid:49424d6d-a558-4f31-a2eb-db2fc9821549> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56117 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918076 | 595 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Carlisle cafe owners hit out at street revamp - but others praise it
Last updated at 12:10, Wednesday, 28 March 2012
A street revamp short-listed for a national urban design award has been blamed for driving away customers from two Carlisle cafes.
The £480,000 scheme for part of Castle Street was also recently praised by a leading design expert.
The city council-backed redevelopment involved repaving the street in tradition materials between Paternoster Row and St Mary’s Gate, while the footpaths were widened and reset with Lazonby sandstone.
The work has been recognised by Robert Huxford, one of the UK’s foremost authorities on the public realm.
But early opposition – particularly the loss of parking spaces – has resurfaced, with two cafe owners saying it has fuelled a fall in trade.
Chimes Cafe owner Mary West and Robbie Edgar, who has the nearby Cafe Sol, say the scheme has had a negative effect on business.
“It’s definitely harmed our business,” said Mary.
“A lot of our clientele are elderly. When people could park over the road they’d often just pop in for a coffee. Morning trade has gone and some Sunday trade has gone because customers who are not good at walking would park up and then come in.
“I know we’re in a recession but I reckon since they completed the work on Castle Street trade has gone down by 30 per cent.”
Robbie, 32, said he’d noticed a similar drop off in trade through the winter.
He said: “There’s just not enough footfall for the amount of pavement.
“Carlisle is place where people don’t want to pay to park. They want to park for an hour, nip into town for whatever, and they get out. City centres need traffic: that’s who they get and out. They don’t want to park and ride.”
Both Mary and Robbie believe they are entitled to a reduction in their business rate as a result of the fall in their trade.
But not all traders on the street are displeased with the redevelopment.
Mark Stokes, general manager of Hoopers, said: “I don’t feel that the pedestrianisation has been bad at all. It’s improved massively the look of the street.”
Despite an initial frustration from customers who were unable to park, the scheme has made the area more pedestrian-friendly and Hoopers is now drawing up plans for its own outside cafe, he said.
Councillor Ray Bloxham, who has responsibility with the city council for the environment, said: “I’ve just today walked along Castle Street and it looks gorgeous in the sunlight. There were quite a number of people sitting outside drinking coffees, having a continental style experience.
“I’m absolutely positive about what’s been done.”
A council spokeswoman added: “The national economic climate has resulted in a negative impact on a lot of businesses, at all levels.
“We continue to support local businesses as much as we can and are currently working alongside the city centre business sector to look into creating a Business Improvement District for Carlisle.
“This would be a real opportunity for businesses to influence how the city centre is promoted and managed.
“This will help to ensure that we remain competitive as a shopping destination.”
First published at 11:24, Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Have your say
I find the improvements to the street visually acceptable though wonder how it cost so much to consult on for two years to end up with some paving slabs on the road?
cant see how there could be "quite a lot" of people sitting out as there are less than a dozen seats available "continental style" outside of the shops.....
View all 43 comments on this article | <urn:uuid:a6d8641a-d666-43c8-9400-f6d94bae3f54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/carlisle-cafe-owners-hit-out-at-street-revamp-but-others-praise-it-1.938397?referrerPath=news/147290 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972541 | 843 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Labrador Retriever Breed Info
Labrador Retriever is originated from Newfoundland, Canada and also known as lab
Size: max: 24.5 inches (H) and 80 pounds (W)
Color: black, yellow, chocolate
Coat: dense undercoat with short, straight, water-resistant outer coat.
Personality: social, friendly, enthusiastic
Care: exercise, training
Known health problem: arthritis, hip dysplasia, PRA
Group: sporting dogs
Good with children? yes
Good with other pets? yes
Labrador retriever breed is one of several kinds of retriever. These dogs are originally bred as hunting dogs in the early nineteenth century. But even today some still use these dogs for hunting, beside using them for other tasks such as search and rescue, detection and service dogs.
Labrador retrievers are medium size dogs with black or brown nose and brown or hazel eyes. They love the water and carrying objects in the mouth.
These dogs are popular as companion dogs in the US because their friendly and social nature. They do well with active lifestyle in rural or suburban homes, but they can also adapt to city life if given sufficient exercise.
Labrador Retriever ClubThe Labrador Retriever Club, Inc
Age 8 weeks
Location: Sherrard, Illinois
YELLOW LABRADOR RETRIEVER PUPPY Call 309-737-6723 Date of Mating- January 2nd, 2013 Litter Whelped- March 8th, 2013 Available – NOW Marjy (Dam) loves the water and is an exceptional swimmer.
We are a relative small kennel and raise only 2 breeds ~~ Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. We have been raising happy and healthy puppies since 1977. All of our dogs are AKC registered and will come with FULL registration privileges. Most all of our parents have been OFA Certified, plus many carry multiple champions in their pedigrees. Shipping of puppies is available (at buyer's expense); however, we much prefer new owners come to our facility to pick up their puppy. This also gives you the opportunity to meet us and the parents of your puppy, plus it gives us the opportunity to meet the new family that will be adopting one of our babies. | <urn:uuid:48562e68-6c85-48f0-bd6d-709770326c17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wagstreet.com/labrador_retriever-dog-breed-information.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920316 | 478 | 2.3125 | 2 |
Central Intelligence Agency
The CIA is made up of four groups that each do different things. Their goal is to protect the US people and kill all terrorists.
Many people feel that the CIA does more bad than good. Some people feel that the CIA does good by finding out secret information about enemies of the United States. American law prohibits the CIA and other agencies from killing foreign leaders. In 1992, Saddam Hussein tried to kill former President George H.W. Bush, who used to be Director of the CIA, during a visit to Kuwait. The assassination plot was not successful. In retaliation, then President Clinton ordered cruise missiles to be fired at the building of the Iraqi equivalent to the CIA. This occurred at night so only the janitors were killed, not those who planned the assassination.
CIA has many clandestine, or secret, operations that people not working for the CIA will most likely never find out about. Some CIA employees have been killed while working but their identities are so secret that they are represented only by a star, not a name, at a CIA memorial.
The CIA also uses open sources to gather information. Analysts read foreign newspapers and watch foreign news broadcasts to learn information which can be pieced together to make a conclusion.
The CIA used to report to the President. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, there was a reorganization so that the CIA, along with other intelligence agencies, report to a newly created Director.
The CIA has been featured in many TV and film productions including, but not limited to the American TV show, "The Agency", the American TV mini-series, "The Company", "Spy Game" starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, "Night Flight to Moscow" starring Yul Brenner, "Scorpio" starring Burt Lancaster, "Clear and Present Danger" starring Harrison Ford, "Ice Station Zebra", and several James Bond film which featured CIA agent Felix Leiter. | <urn:uuid:d4f438c2-7a54-43e5-b451-2ceb4f4ce274> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966452 | 398 | 2.46875 | 2 |
My friend Andrew the Protester believes things. Andrew goes to protests where he gets pepper-sprayed, and he does it because he believes in being a voice of change. My Republican friends get frustrated when I paint Andrew as a hero, but I like Andrew because he actually believes things that cost him something. Even if I disagree with Andrew, I love that he is willing to sacrifice for what he believes. And I love that his beliefs are about social causes.Donald Miller's website includes the entire text of Chapter 1 along with several pages of excerpt from Blue Like Jazz. I like that book. Donald lives in Portland, audits classes and hangs out at Reed College and lives in an intentional community.
Andrews says it is not enough to be politically active. He says legislation will never save the world. On Saturday mornings Andrew feeds the homeless. He sets up a makeshift kitchen on a sidewalk and makes breakfast for people who live on the street. He serves coffee and sits with his homeless friends and talks and laughs, and if they want to pray he will pray with them.
All great Christian leaders are simple thinkers. Andrew doesn't cloak his altruism within trickle-down economic theory that allows him to spend fifty dollars on a round of golf to feed the economy and provide jobs for the poor. He actually believes that when Jesus says feed the poor, he means you should do this directly.
It doesn't matter what I say. It matters what I do. Andrew says I should not live like a politician, but like a Christian. Like I said, Andrew is a simple thinker. | <urn:uuid:8d511ec9-a6dc-441a-8327-619e540500ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cyclelicio.us/2007/07/todays-devotional-comes-from-donald.html?showComment=1185818594072 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970115 | 321 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Is there any benefit to optimizing my network connections (TCP) using tools like the TCP Optimizer?
If there is a benefit, how does one do it right?
It depends. Depending on the type of network you are on and the applications that you typically access, tweaking Windows standards may or may not help.
If you're using frame-relay WAN links, tuning the TCP Window Size has a fairly dramatic impact on circuit utilization. Depending on your ISP/WAN connectivity, adjusting MTU or other parameters can improve overall performance as well. On the flip side, if you're primarily accessing hosts on a gigabit or fast network, you'll want to adjust your settings upward to optimize throughput.
There isn't a single answer. If you're looking to optimize DSL or Cable connections, I'd suggest the broadband reports forum for tips. Otherwise, in an enterprise environment its all about understanding how your users work and how your networks are implemented.
duffbeer pretty much said it all but just keep in mind that when you start fiddling with such settings you have an equal chance of screwing things up. The Windows defaults, and I would assume the defaults of other operating systems, will generally be very good, if not the best, for communicating with other devices. | <urn:uuid:faed9307-c39b-49fb-9dd3-660d44fe5049> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://serverfault.com/questions/36163/tcp-optimization-for-winxp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924928 | 261 | 1.742188 | 2 |
The team was first started by the university's latin teacher John Futrall in they year 1894 and only played 3 games the whole season. The Razorbacks were originally called the cardinals, but durring the 1909 season, coach Hugo Bezdek called the players played "like a wild band of razorback hogs." Once the media heard this they all fell in love with the name and it was changed. Since then the Razorbacks have lived up to their nickname and played some great aggresive football. This team is one of the most winningest teams ever in the NCAA with a complete record of 676–451–40 making them the 23rd. The Razorbacks have a 7-1 record this 2011-2012 season. They were on a 3 game win streak but that was ended by one of their rivals #2 Alabama. Since that tough lose they have started another win streak of four games and this weekend they will be looking to extend that against fellow SEC contender the Tennessee Vols. | <urn:uuid:50119edd-3bc4-4308-8db8-4bb22d44675b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.madeiracityschools.com/project2_2011/nijiatp2/arkansas.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989126 | 205 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The disciples had to tarry, staying in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost, not only for their own preparation but because they had to wait until the Lord was actually glorified. And as soon as He was glorified, what happened? “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). The statement in John 7:39 — “. . . for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified”— does not pertain to us. The Holy Spirit has been given; the Lord is glorified— our waiting is not dependent on the providence of God, but on our own spiritual fitness.
The Holy Spirit’s influence and power were at work before Pentecost, but He was not here. Once our Lord was glorified in His ascension, the Holy Spirit came into the world, and He has been here ever since. We have to receive the revealed truth that He is here. The attitude of receiving and welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive reviving life from our ascended Lord.
It is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit that changes people, but the power of the ascended Christ coming into their lives through the Holy Spirit. We all too often separate things that the New Testament never separates. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an experience apart from Jesus Christ— it is the evidence of the ascended Christ.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit does not make you think of time or eternity— it is one amazing glorious now. “This is eternal life, that they may know You . . .” (John 17:3). Begin to know Him now, and never finish. | <urn:uuid:b5791e0f-005f-466e-9376-a94fbfc10748> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://utmost.org/the-life-to-know-him/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979595 | 391 | 1.742188 | 2 |
It’s called the Animal Rescue Act, but some animal rights activists are urging lawmakers to vote against it. Monday PETA released video of an animal rescue shelter in Madison County, 60 miles east of Tallahassee, where 700 cats were being kept in filth and disease.
They say the animals were victims of hoarding. PETA says if lawmakers pass the Animal Rescue Act pet hoarding will run rampant.
They were supposed to be rescued. But their safe haven became their hell.
Seven hundred cats were found at a rescue shelter 50 miles east of the state capitol, living in filth and disease. An undercover PETA investigator shot this video showing dozens of cats suffering from upper respiratory infections.
The disease was passed from feline to feline. Many of the animals died. PETA says the cats were victims of hoarding.
And the animal rights group warns, hoarding could expand under a well-meaning bill in Tallahassee. The Animal Rights Act would require government shelters to try to find no kill shelters for all its animals before they are euthanized.
Sonya White runs a no kill shelter. She says there isn’t enough room to adequately care for all of Florida’s stray cats and dogs. “We don’t have the resources available.”
White says if the Animal Rescue Act becomes law, people who mean well will open up shelters, but not have the resources to take care of the pets. “There are people who are not capable financially or with other resources to handle rescuing animals.”
Senator Mike Bennett is sponsoring the Animal Rescue Act. He says his bill is about saving cats and dogs, and there’s no proof it would create more hoarding. “We should encourage, instead of euthanizing these animals, encourage people to adopt them.”
Two-thousand animals are euthanized every day in Florida. Bennett and PETA disagree on how to immediately lower that number, but agree spaying and neutering helps.
So far 250 cats have been removed from the shelter in Madison County. The cats are being taken to shelters in Jacksonville. Some of the animals are in such poor health they may have to be euthanized. | <urn:uuid:f97b5925-3666-48a3-9c1c-75ee8af0976a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Animal_Rescue_Act_140779193.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972404 | 464 | 2.046875 | 2 |
For Halloween this year, your child doesn't have to dress up as Captain Planet to help the environment.
According to the group Green Halloween, if half the kids in the U.S. who celebrate Halloween swapped costumes, rather than buying new ones, the nation's annual landfill waste would be reduced by 6,250 tons. That's about the weight of 2,500 mid-size cars.
The swaps are organized at various swap meets around the country where people bring in gently worn costumes, Sarah Smith from Kiwi Magazine said on "Good Morning America" today.
CLICK HERE to find out where you can drop off a costume or find a swap near you.
If there's no swapping site close to you, Smith said kids can go online at thredUP.com. There you can learn how to swap costumes with kids across the country for only $5 plus shipping. | <urn:uuid:89f9caa3-e1d5-4b4c-b1f2-ea4b5239f808> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JustOneThing/thing-green-halloween-costume/story?id=11814378 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949609 | 180 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Altar Une Litter - 3Language brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
Alter one letter of each word in the groups to make well-known phrases.
e.g. "Lack no worm" would become "Back to work".
1. Pay my way
2. "Nite Tie" ballet
3. Fox dale
4. Bake, O bread!
Answer1. Day by day
2. Bite the bullet
3. For sale
4. Take a break
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Back to Top | <urn:uuid:b035f58a-82a3-48af-9ac1-84cc71f0b5d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/teaser.php?op=2&id=48121&comm=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91277 | 179 | 2.671875 | 3 |
MINNEAPOLIS — President Barack Obama committed on Tuesday to taking care of what he called “the 9/11 generation,” vowing to spare Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ health, education and employment training programs from Washington’s budget ax.
“We cannot, and we must not, balance the budget on the backs of our veterans. And as commander in chief, I won’t allow it,” Obama told more than 5,000 legionnaires gathered in the Minneapolis Convention Center for the American Legion’s 93rd national convention.
Obama focused on post-military jobs for returning veterans, but he sidestepped a major issue that has brought him into conflict with the Legion’s leadership: repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays in the military.
The White House didn’t unveil any new proposals, but Obama called on each state to streamline job training programs for returning veterans and vowed to create 100,000 jobs for soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The president also referenced the 9/11 terror attacks. “Next weekend, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks on our nation,” he said. “As today’s wars end, as our troops come home, we’re reminded once more of our responsibilities to all who have served. For the bond between our forces and our citizens is a sacred trust,” he added. “And for me and my administration, upholding that trust isn’t just a matter of policy. It’s not about politics. It’s a moral obligation.”
Obama promised to tackle a growing backlog of medical and psychological claims at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, address the growing problem of homelessness among the Vietnam generation, and continue research and treatment for traumatic brain injury, a frequent result of roadside bombings.
The crowd was polite, but audience members saved their most emotional response for recent service members a few feet from where Obama was speaking, when the president asked them “to stand and accept the thanks fo a grateful nation.”
The gathering focused on the sacrifices of service members, but it was shadowed by the upcoming presidential campaign. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is due to address the Legion on Wednesday.
The president has disagreed with some service groups over issues ranging from defense cuts to repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But he has forged a working relationship with National Commander Jimmie Foster, inviting him to the White House in March to fight possible VA budget cuts.
Obama drew some criticism this week by opting not to attend the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in San Antonio. Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry have both addressed the group.
The trip came ahead of a major budget and jobs speech Obama will deliver next week, and he kept his focus on jobs and unemployment in a state where overall unemployment hovers below the national average — but post-Sept. 11 veterans suffer a 23 percent unemployment rate.
“After a decade of war, it’s time to focus on nation-building here at home. And our veterans, especially our 9/11 generation veterans, have the skills and the dedication to help lead the way,” Obama said.
“That’s why we’re funding the post-9/11 GI Bill, which is now helping more than 500,000 veterans and family members go to college, get their degrees and play their part in moving America forward. It’s why, this fall, we’ll start including vocational training and apprenticeships as well, so veterans can develop the skills to succeed in today’s economy. And it’s why I’ve directed the federal government to hire more veterans, including more than 100,000 veterans in the past year-and-a-half alone.”
Obama was greeted by a small group of service members and their families at the Minnesota National Guard terminal as he exited Air Force One Tuesday. The president dived into the crowd to sign T-shirts and limbs with a black marker provided by aide Reggie Love.
“He said he loved me,” said Chuck Patton, 55, who wore an “Obama ‘08” shirt with a new presidential signature on the breast. | <urn:uuid:445244e2-abfd-4745-b95c-9b55de1b7e69> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=B8B525A9-EB30-4669-AA25-0D0722D6B26E | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956394 | 915 | 1.742188 | 2 |
AS220 Youth Studio, a Rhode Island program to help troubled youth get involved with the arts to bring positive outcomes in their lives and longstanding AmeriCorps VISTA project, was recognized as one of the nation's 12 most outstanding arts programs for young people during a White House event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
The President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards were presented on Monday, recognizing work that fosters the creative and intellectual development of America's youth through education and practical experience in the arts.
“I know that many of you who are here today, you make all this happen on shoestring budgets; you do it in unbelievable ways, in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable,” said Obama. “And I know that you put a lot of late nights and long hours in to give these kids opportunities worthy of their promise.
“But you keep on doing this year after year because you have seen firsthand the transformative power of the arts and arts education in the lives of young people across this country. You know that the skills that you're teaching -- skills like problem-solving and teamwork, self-expression -- these skills aren't just valuable in the studio or in the theater, but they are critical in the classroom and will be in the workplace when you all get there.”
Since 1998, AS220 Youth has partnered with the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to provide arts education to court-involved youth at the state's juvenile detention facility and in the community. The free program serves more than 450 young people age 14-21 with the hope that the creative process will lead to positive social, educational, and vocational results.
AmeriCorps VISTAs have been central to the development of the program and continue to expand the scope of its work. In addition to the year-round support, VISTA Summer Associates have allowed AS220 to engage more than 100 low-income youth in employment and job skills training.
AS220 serves youth in three separate sites: the Rhode Island Training School (RITS), Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program (UCAP) – a nationally recognized Rhode Island public middle school dedicated to keeping at-risk kids in school -- and AS220's downtown Providence studio.
“What we do know is that ultimately, arts education doesn't just teach our kids valuable skills, it doesn't just give them an important forum of self-expression and self-reflection, it also helps to shape their character,” said the First Lady.“In so many ways it shapes who they are.”
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Additional opportunities to serve include: | <urn:uuid:2e0f421b-6d80-475c-b4a2-01258ee4fe95> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.serve.gov/stories_detail.asp?tbl_servestories_id=968 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963205 | 569 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Eighty per cent of people with diabetes in the world live in developing countries, where the number of people with diabetes is predicted to increase by 150% in the next 25 years, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Even in the next ten years, diabetes deaths will increase 50% without urgent action. And the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that 3.8 million people died as a result of diabetes in 2007. This is more than deaths from HIV/AIDS and nearly four times the deaths from malaria.
And yet the WHO - and to a greater extent the developing countries themselves - are struggling to deal with the problem, as with other chronic diseases in the developing world, with tiny resources and very little relevant research. WHO headquarters itself has but one expert devoted to diabetes - partly a reflection of the interests of the major donors.
So in this context, what should Europe be doing for developing countries, in supporting research for diabetes?
EAGLES investigations into the specific needs for diabetes research in developing countries, and Europe's potential to support that research, reach nine major conclusions.
In each case, they involve tuning European research to have the greatest impact in the shortest possible time, by understanding and respecting developing countries' conditions of health, politics and economics.
Major recommendations arise from the lack of national population based epidemiology to enable planning and convince political powers of the need for action; from countries' low health care budgets - entailing needs for the cheapest possible interventions; from the need to investigate interventions specifically tuned to national circumstances; and finally from the needs for specific local biomedical research, such as studies into the several unique African phenotypes of the disease.
The details of our nine recommendations can be seen at the end of the report. | <urn:uuid:71c66e10-0b30-47ce-b34e-8b6d0eec2370> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/08042120-diabetes-worst-in-the-developing-world.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940196 | 354 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Stringency– Texas' building codes are mandatory for both residential and commercial construction. Effective January 1, 2012, the Texas Building Energy Performance Standards were updated requiring single family homes to comply with the 2009 IRC. For all other residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, the 2009 IECC became effective April 1, 2011. State-owned buildings must meet ASHRAE 90.1-2007. For all buildings, jurisdictions can choose to adopt more stringent standards.
Compliance– In 2011, Texas BCAP released a study on compliance in the state that found uneven performance and presented a range of ideas to improve compliance. Texas is a home rule state, so enforcement is done by local jurisdictions. Local jurisdictions also decide the code compliance training requirements for their code officials. The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) is in charge of code compliance for state-owned buildings. Builders are not required to take training since the Texas Residential Commission was dismantled. City building officials have to keep their certifications by CEUs, but it is not mandated by the state. SECO has also partnered with BCAP to establish a building energy code collaborative, which includes a number of governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations.
EERE Building Energy Codes Program
Online Code Environment & Advocacy Network (OCEAN)
Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO)
Texas Gap Analysis Report
Dub Taylor, Director
TexasStateEnergy Conservation Office
Felix Lopez, Comptroller of Public Accounts
TexasStateEnergy Conservation Office (CPA/SECO)
↑ Top of Page | <urn:uuid:b49ce4fb-d675-4413-aad4-97dcd3f9010b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aceee.org/energy-efficiency-sector/state-policy/Texas/215/all/193 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930674 | 316 | 2.328125 | 2 |
But even as he said this, a mob approached, led by Judas, one of his twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus and greeted him with a kiss.
But Jesus said, "Judas, how can you betray me, the Son of Man, with a kiss?"49
When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, "Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!"
And one of them slashed at the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus said, "Don't resist anymore." And he touched the place where the man's ear had been and healed him.
Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard and the other leaders who headed the mob. "Am I some dangerous criminal," he asked, "that you have come armed with swords and clubs to arrest me? 53Why didn't you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns."54
So they arrested him and led him to the high priest's residence, and Peter was following far behind.
The guards lit a fire in the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there.
A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, "This man was one of Jesus' followers!"
Peter denied it. "Woman," he said, "I don't even know the man!"
After a while someone else looked at him and said, "You must be one of them!" "No, man, I'm not!" Peter replied.
About an hour later someone else insisted, "This must be one of Jesus' disciples because he is a Galilean, too."
But Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you are talking about." And as soon as he said these words, the rooster crowed.
At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said, "Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times." 62
And Peter left the courtyard, crying bitterly.
Now the guards in charge of Jesus began mocking and beating him.
They blindfolded him; then they hit him and asked, "Who hit you that time, you prophet?"
And they threw all sorts of terrible insults at him.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. (New Living Translation - The Bible Online) | <urn:uuid:3b0e0ad9-9b66-4d21-9c53-acebda74d2a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biblestudytools.com/bible/passage.aspx?q=Luke+22:47-65&t=nlt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978771 | 550 | 1.710938 | 2 |
LPI Earth and Space Science Newsletter
Life at the Limits: Earth, Mars, and Beyond - The Lunar and Planetary Institute invites you to join an Earth-bound exploration of astrobiology on July 10–17, 2005! Life at the Limits: Earth, Mars, and Beyond is a NASA-sponsored training workshop for middle and high school science teachers and educators. At field sites in Nevada and California participants will investigate some extreme geological and chemical conditions in which life on Earth can thrive. Astrobiologists and planetary scientists will lead the field and laboratory experiences, helping to connect the field observations with the search for life in our solar system and beyond through discussions and proven, hands-on, standards-based classroom and laboratory activities that are ready to share with students! Applications Due: March 23, 2005. For more information and to access the on-line application, please visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2005/.
Space Foundation Professional Development/Graduate Course: Space Discovery graduate course schedule for Summer 2005:
- Space Technologies in the Classroom (June 20–24)
- Earth Systems Science (June 27–July 1)
- Rocketry and the Biology of Living in Space - Space History & Space Law (July 11–15)
- Biological and Physical Research (July 18–22)
- Astronomy Principles for the Classroom (July 25–29)
3 hours of Graduate credit from the University of Colorado is available for each course. Register by February 25th and pay only $100 (+ materials fee)! You can receive up to $2500 ($500 per course) in scholarship funding for this summer's Space Discovery Graduate courses. Scholarships will be awarded on a first come and first served basis. HURRY!! Scholarships are going fast. For registration and more information call 1-800-691-4000 or http://spacefoundation.org/education/graduate/.
Awards for Innovative K-12 Educators - ING Financial Services Unsung Heroes Awards are given to K-12 educators pioneering in new methods and techniques that improve student learning. Educators submit applications describing projects they have initiated or have envisioned for the future. These applications are judged on innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects, and ability to make a positive influence on the children. Full-time K-12 education professionals from accredited public and private schools throughout the U.S. may apply. Each of the 100 finalists receives a $2,000 award and three finalists will be selected for additional awards of $25,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third place. The application deadline is April 30, 2005.
Educator Researcher Workshops - The SCORE program offers grants to assist in the development and implementation of local professional development workshops for educators in the SCORE six-state region. Workshop design is flexible and should meet the needs of the local community. Funding deadline for spring workshops is January 15, 2005.
Educator Researcher Collaborative Projects - The SCORE program offers grants of up to $1000 to collaborative teams of educators and Office of Space Science researchers in the SCORE six-state region. The grants are intended to help initiate new partnerships between educators and Office of Space Science researchers. Funds can be used to purchase materials and resources to increase student or public understanding of space science content. Deadline: September 30th.
The NASA Student Involvement Program deadline has been extended until February 15, 2005 for all applications except the student flight opportunity (deadline January 15). We have very few applications from Texas. I encourage you to have your students submit a project. There is still time to have everyone in your school submit! The NASA Student Involvement Program (NSIP) is a national program of competitions linking students in grades K-12 directly with NASA's diverse and exciting mission of exploration, research, and discovery. Students may prepare entries as individuals, as teams of 2–4, or as a whole class, depending on the competition category and grade level. NSIP is a rewarding experience for students and for their teachers. It provides educators with instructional material and classroom-ready resources that support an inquiry-based approach to science, math, technology, and geography education. Through their participation in the program, students will learn to develop "science as inquiry" skills, work collaboratively as team members, apply computer and Internet skills, learn core concepts of Earth and space science, integrate science, mathematics, technology, and geography concepts, and learn to communicate more clearly and effectively. Program information can be found at this site.
Reminder: 2005 Space Day Design Challenges - now available to download from the Space Day website, for our inquiry-based curriculum enhancement program. The 2005 Design Challenges are based on the theme of "Return to the Moon". Let your students become scientists, engineers, and explorers working on the space frontier to design a totally unique solution to some "out-of-this-world" challenges. Using the Moon or any planet, moon, comet, or asteroid in our Solar System as the launching point for exploration, students can choose from among: design a unique device to make living or working on the Moon easier, plan a space mission and build a rover to successfully accomplish the mission, explore the Moon and create an electronic newspaper to tell everyone back on Earth what it's like to live there. As in the past, Design Challenges can be submitted for the national competition by teams of 2–10 children in grades 4–5, 6–8. There is also a club-based groups category available to the same ages. Teams that submit solutions by February 15, 2005, will be considered for national recognition and receive a certificate of appreciation. Best wishes on your students' experiences being successful learning opportunities using the Design Challenges!
The Evolution of Our Solar System Timeline - Take a journey through time from the birth of Our Solar System (4.5 billion years ago) to Man's first step on the moon with stunning graphics and captions.
Practical Uses of Math and Science (PUMAS)
On-Line journal of math and science examples for pre-college education. Examples are reviewed by scientist/teacher teams.
Jack Horkheimer Star Gazer - On his weekly PBS show, jolly Jack's episodes feature selected objects for naked eye viewing for the following week. Weekly episodes are available in streaming video and written scripts. Keep looking up!
A Whole New World: The Unveiling of Titan - A major event in the history of space science occurred on January 14th of this year. The Huygens probe (pronounced Hoy-gans), operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), was the first spacecraft to land on a body beyond Mars. Hitching a ride on NASA's Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft, Huygens descended through the atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan. Titan is the 2nd largest moon in our solar system and the only moon to have an atmosphere. Its atmosphere is so thick that we weren't positive it had a surface until the Cassini orbiter flew by in 2004 in preparation of Huygens' release. The first views of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft revealed:
By the visible spectrum:
- Odd markings - possible land "continents"?
- No craters
- Clouds at the South Pole
By radar data:
- Channel like and flow features (Volcanic? Fluvial? Both?)
- 2-3 km total topographic relief
- Possible Ice Volcano
On January 14th, 2005, the Huygens probe descended through Titan's atmosphere for 2.5 hours measuring atmosphere composition, cloud and wind physics, global temperatures. Mosaics were made from 350 photos taken during the descent. Data collected revealed:
- Well-defined borders of light and dark areas. Possible shorelines due to waves or tectonics? (John Zarnecky, the lead scientist of the Huygens' Surface Science Package, commented: "If [the dark area is] not a sea, it appears to be a lake of tar-like material.")
- Confirmed absence of craters
- Very high winds in some levels of the atmosphere
- Frequent rain of liquid methane falling through thick smog onto hills made of water ice creates dark channels and drainage patterns, which may also be spring-fed. There were even methane droplets on the lens of the camera.
Huygens landed on a solid surface and sent data to Cassini for 1 hour 12 minutes before Cassini had to turn away from the signal in order to relay the information back to Earth. The probe may have been collecting data for as much as 3 additional hours, a truly awesome achievement since the batteries were predicted to last only 1 additional hour after landing. Data collected revealed:
- Water ice and dark material (possibly organics)
- Pebbles (~10–15 cm across) consisting of a mixture of water and hydrocarbon ice show evidence of erosion at their base, indicating possible fluvial activity.
- "soft/spongy" soil
- 94 k surface temperature (very near the freezing and boiling point of methane)
- No wind
- Methane gas was released on landing
Why study Titan?
Shaun Standley, the ESA Huygens Systems Engineer, says, "The presence of methane [discovered in 1944] led scientists to speculate that atmospheric chemistry driven by ultraviolet sunlight could produce complex organic molecules (carbon based compounds, not necessarily of biological origin). It was recognized that Titan's atmosphere might chemically represent an analog to early Earth, before the Earth's atmosphere was changed by the presence of life."
Many of Earth's familiar geophysical processes occur on Titan, however the chemistry involved is quite different. Instead of liquid water, Titan has liquid methane. Instead of silicate rocks, Titan has frozen water ice. Instead of dirt, Titan has hydrocarbon particles settling out of the atmosphere, and instead of lava, Titanian volcanoes spew very cold ice.
Saturn can be seen as a yellowish-white "star" in this week's night sky right below the stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini. You may also catch a glimpse of Titan with the help of a small telescope.
May 2, 2007 | <urn:uuid:b0c4dc8e-b50e-417c-9e3e-3fb7ff748ce0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/score/news/vol4.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931914 | 2,111 | 2.453125 | 2 |
The eternal question of whether penis size matters to women has been probed by a team of international scientists who reported that yes, ladies do find larger men more attractive.
The neuroscientific nuances that shape our emotional repertoire have deep roots in evolution, writes Brett Szmajda.
Have you ever wondered why we like the things we eat?
Chimpanzees have superior working memory to humans, and may even suffer depression or post-traumatic stress.
Why is it so hard to win at paper-rock-scissors? Find out the answer to this and more.
Advances in neuroscience and technology could lead to the mind becoming the ultimate weapon.
China’s one-child policy has created a generation that is more pessimistic, neurotic and risk averse – while being less trusting, trustworthy, competitive and conscientious.
Men with brown eyes have more trustworthy faces than men with blue eyes, according to a new study that proposes sexual selection of women in Europe about 10,000 years ago could be the cause.
Astronauts chosen for a manned mission to Mars could be in serious trouble if their sleep patterns are disrupted on the lengthy journey, a 520 day simulation has found.
European scientists say they have found further evidence that how you serve food and drink matters hugely in the perception of taste. | <urn:uuid:09178246-8bb2-4f1f-9799-5dbf1d552168> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/mind-brain/psychology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945706 | 267 | 2.109375 | 2 |
I recently went on a nice, long vacation, and the first thing I did when I got back was to upload some of the best 200 or so photos I had taken.
As an experiment, I uploaded many of the same shots to two services--Flickr and Facebook. Both let users tag photos, so I wanted to see which ones would get tagged first, and not by me.
The winner? Facebook.
Just an hour or two after having uploaded to both services, all of my 88 shots on Facebook had been tagged. The most amazing part is that very few of them were tagged by me. Right after my upload, I tagged a handful of them, which in turn alerted those users to view the shots. From there, they (not me) went on to tag some more of my photos, continuing the cycle.
Flickr, on the other hand, was a different story. I uploaded close to 200 photos to the service. There were still the same shots of the same people, but there were also additional shots of landscapes or nature. Of those shots, only a handful were tagged, and only by one user--my colleague Stephen Shankland, whom I had pestered to look at my artistic capturing of sand castles. His tags weren't even of people; instead, he added descriptive keywords about the photos.
Now, to be fair, I have far more friends on Facebook than I do on Flickr--more than eight times the number to be exact. But in terms of photo usage, my Flickr activity far outweighs what I do on Facebook. I've only created 37 albums on Facebook which contain a total of 532 photos. On Flickr, I have 101 photo sets (Flickr's nickname for albums) which total 3,438 photos. More importantly, anyone on Flickr can see the photos I've uploaded, not just people I've put on a friends list.
A tale of two tags
So why are Flickr users so hesitant to tag other people's photos? There are many reasons, but the biggest is that the two tagging systems are just plain… Read more | <urn:uuid:fb46e368-2abe-4f26-936d-2fb780578374> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0-7.html?keyword=tagged | 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 | 0.98075 | 422 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Most neuropsychological tests don't tell Alzheimer's disease from vascular dementia
Only 2 out of 118 tests found to adequately predict which disease a person had; researchers urge comprehensive approach to diagnosis
WASHINGTON, 09 july 2009 — Most of the cognitive tests that have been used to decide whether someone has Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia have not been very helpful when used alone. A new report published by the American Psychological Association concluded that when older people are confused and forgetful, doctors should base their diagnoses on many different types of information, including medical history and brain imaging.
Both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia affect learning and memory, behavior and day-to-day function. Even so, they're caused by different problems in the brain and require different medical approaches. It's important to tell them apart accurately, stresses the study in July's Neuropsychology. Valid diagnoses can help doctors treat patients more effectively, and help patients and families better understand their situations.
Jane Mathias, PhD, and Jennifer Burke, M.Psych.(Clinical), both from the University of Adelaide, analyzed 81 previously published studies that compared the cognitive testing of people diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer's (4,867) and vascular type (2,263). The average age across participants was 75.
Of the 118 different tests that were used in more than one study, Mathias and Burke found that only two were able to adequately differentiate between Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.
The Emotional Recognition Task (the ability to identify facial expressions in photographs and match emotional expressions to situations, at which people with Alzheimer's were better) and Delayed Story Recall (at which people with vascular dementia were better), were the only tests that appeared to reliably tell the two groups apart.
Even so, whether due to individual variability (people start at different baselines) or possible undiagnosed mixtures of Alzheimer's and vascular disease, there was enough overlap between the two groups to signal the need for more information. Because of these muddied waters, "The combined picture is what's important, so we need to look at how we can improve diagnosis by combining different measures," said Mathias.
Of note, many commonly used tests -- such as Digit Span (repeating a set of numbers forward, backward), verbal fluency (generating words by first letter or category, such as animals), drawing tasks and more – were unable to distinguish between dementia types. "While these tests may assist in diagnosing dementia, they do not adequately discriminate between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia," wrote the authors. Teasing apart different types of dementia is often harder than deciding whether someone is showing cognitive decline in the first place, Mathias explained.
Although the two tests that worked best would most reliably contribute to a clinical diagnosis, "All cognitive tests should be used cautiously and only in conjunction with other information (imaging, medical history) when diagnosing patients," the authors said.
Article: "Cognitive Functioning in Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia: A Meta-Analysis," J. L. Mathias, PhD, and J. Burke, M.Psych.(Clinical), University of Adelaide; Neuropsychology, Vol. 23, No. 4. | <urn:uuid:696a00a2-d6b7-40c9-a255-c20e44a82856> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wellsphere.com/aging-senior-health-article/most-neuropsychological-tests-do/742459 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959743 | 657 | 2.953125 | 3 |
An Associated Press investigation out of Somalia today shows that up to half of all famine aid deliveries there are being stolen. In the best of times, theft of food aid is deplorable. At a time when 3.2 million Somalis — nearly half the population — are in dire need of food, it is also catastrophic. Already some 29,000 Somali children under the age of 5 have died.
Associated Press reporter Katharine Houreld filed a story today saying the United Nations is investigating the stolen aid:
“Thousands of sacks of food aid meant for Somalia’s famine victims have been stolen and are being sold at markets in the same neighborhoods where skeletal children in filthy refugee camps can’t find enough to eat, an Associated Press investigation has found.
“The U.N.’s World Food Program for the first time acknowledged it has been investigating food theft in Somalia for two months. The WFP said that the ‘scale and intensity’ of the famine crisis does not allow for a suspension of assistance, saying that doing so would lead to ‘many unnecessary deaths.’ | <urn:uuid:e4ba8be1-a585-4b46-b820-a12dbd5c5d7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.humanosphere.org/tag/famine-aid/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949606 | 228 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Latest update: 20/11/2012
M23 rebels advance as tension mounts between DR Congo and Rwanda
M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who defected from the Congolese army in April, have entered the city of Goma in North Kivu province. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of using the M23 army as a proxy force to destabilise the region and gain control of its mineral resources. Tensions are mounting between the two countries, threatening to worsen the humanitarian situation in eastern Congo. | <urn:uuid:dc73ef9e-8f3f-4ef8-a47c-334bebb9960e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.france24.com/en/node/5370722/mailtofriend?page=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92771 | 106 | 1.507813 | 2 |
A robot on wheels isn’t exactly the most exciting thing in the world, but the Sand Flea by Boston Dynamics has a very neat trick up its mechanical sleeve: it is capable of jumping a full thirty feet in the air from an absolute standstill.
The robot has wheels that are larger than its chassis and it has a gyroscopic stabilization system that keeps it steady while in the air. This helps it recover from the inevitable impact after jumping and tumbling onto the new surface. The jump itself is achieved by way of a carbon dioxide-powered piston and the jump is accurate enough to get the Sand Flea through a second story window.
The application here is primarily for the military, especially since the Sand Flea is capable of sending video back to its operator up to 650 yards away. This is fantastic for getting over walls and into buildings, offering the military much safer recon work. I imagine the military would replace the white wheels for black ones for better camouflage, but this 11-pound design looks seriously solid and versatile. | <urn:uuid:e81ad1d0-c1ea-473d-a520-14de018e0ff1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/03/28/robot-jumps-30-feet-video/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964256 | 210 | 2.5 | 2 |
The United States leads (if that's the word) the world in consuming things, and certain related factoids have become legendary: that the U.S. population, though only 4 percent of the global total, consumes 25 percent of the energy, for instance. No other nation has so fetishized consumption, nor worked harder to forget that consumption ought to serve life, not the reverse.
As evidence, consider a hilarious recent Harper's profile (by Frederick Kaufman) of eating contests and a champion "gurgitator," a descendant of frontiersman Daniel Boone named Dale. Dale Boone ranks ninth among gurgitators worldwide, and once downed 20 hotdogs, with buns, in 12 minutes. Dale's dream, Kaufman writes, is "the dream of endless, involuntary process. When he eats, he touches the infinite." Boone faces off against opponents with names like Chew Chew Phillips (aka The Locust) and caps his victories with an ear-splitting "Yeeeeee-haw!"
Taken as a metaphor for the U.S. way of life-consumption elevated to teleology-this is simply irresistible. Americans seem not so much obsessed with consumption, as possessed by it. The dirty secret, however, is that this immoderation not only disappoints-Americans' reported happiness has not improved in decades, despite vast increases in consumer spending-but also sickens and kills. Consider obesity, which results from several factors but especially inactivity and overeating of the wrong things. U.S. adults are often overweight, and the prevalence of obese U.S. children has more than doubled in the last 40 years, according to the World Health Organization. Overweight-which is no respecter of political or socioeconomic boundaries and already afflicts more than 1 billion adults worldwide-is a root cause of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and other deadly threats to health.
These costs make it hard to understand why we continue. Simple ignorance is always a possibility, but perhaps we're also inspired by our history. Like Dale Boone's famously restless ancestor, Americans like to think of themselves as pioneers. The western frontier was declared closed in 1890, but the consumption frontier seems to expand forever. Maybe it is just our fate, despite the bad example it sets, to pursue and explore it in advance of the rest of the world. Who else could have invented cheeseburger-flavored french fries?
So waddle onward, America! Let us pile on the flapjacks and supersize the Slurpees. Let us build the McMansions and cram them with 40-inch Sonys and unused stair steppers. Let us fill our driveways with Hummers and Expeditions and hang their rearview mirrors with pine-scented air fresheners. Let us leave every light burning. Give us the 48-ounce porterhouse steak, the 100-acre shopping mall, the all-you-can-eat buffet, the walk-in closet stuffed with 75 pairs of Manolo Blahnik mules and sling-backs. You can't argue with destiny.
Thomas Prugh, Senior Editor | <urn:uuid:f24e9564-772c-435c-ab85-6f3679830542> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.worldwatch.org/node/636 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954763 | 640 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Lifehacker: How to Break Into a Windows PC (And Prevent it from Happening to You) – Whether you’ve forgotten your password or you have a more malicious intent, it’s actually extremely easy to break into a Windows computer without knowing the password. Here’s how to do it, and how to prevent others from doing the same to you.
Five Reasons You Should Always “Stop. Think. Connect.” – It’s hard to think of a major cybercrime outbreak over the past year that hasn’t relied, to some extent, on the naivete of its targets. Security professionals call these tricks “social engineering,” but that’s just a geeky term for criminal skullduggery that’s as common offline as online. The ruse almost always tries to invoke an adrenaline-fueled need for an immediate response — usually out of fear, greed, or panic — on the part of a victim. The victim ends up in a mental state where they are likely to make rash, impulsive decisions. And they do.
The Linux Tutorial – The Linux Tutorial delivers a free, online introduction to Linux, with chapters ranging all the way from Introduction to Operating Systems to Networking to Linux and Windows, including specifics on dual-booting and virtualization.
Microsoft’s Free Windows Live Movie Maker Makes Nice–But Simple—Videos – Movie Maker 2011 is part of Microsoft’s Windows Live Essentials pack; you can choose to install all of the bundled software, or you can opt to pick and choose apps. It’s designed to help you turn photos and videos into slideshows and movies, complete with soundtracks, captions, and transitions.
Adobe under attack: New PDF, Flash zero-day – Adobe’s security response team is scrambling to respond to new zero-day attacks against a computer hijack vulnerability in two of its most widely deployed products: Flash Player and Adobe PDF Reader.
U.S. Postal Service mails fraud warning to 129 million households – It’s a sign of the times we live in when the U.S. Postal Service decides to carry out a mailing campaign that will deliver a brochure on fraud and identity theft to 129 million households throughout the country.
Windows 7 SP1 Release Candidate launches – The new Release Candidate editions for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will be the last public test versions before their final releases next year.
FTC Forgives Google Street View WiFi Privacy Gaffe – The Federal Trade Commission has concluded its inquiry into Google’s Street View WiFi-sniffing incident, citing the search engine’s improved privacy practices and assurances that it has no plans to use the data it collected.
Apple’s Mac OS X Lion: An Early Peek – This Lion isn’t fully fleshed out yet, but what we’ve seen looks like a powerful combination of what’s good in the iPad with what’s good in the Mac.
Microsoft contemplating SSL for Bing – HTTP session hijacking as a possibility and tools to execute it have been around for more than half a decade, but it took an easy-to-use Firefox add-on like Firesheep to point out “the elephant in the room” – the lack of full-end encryption on popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Bing, and many others.
REVIEW: Norton Online Backup 2.0 – With this release, Norton has brought its online backup service’s features into the mainstream. Support for multiple PCs (including Macs) in one account, 25GB of storage, and a slick Web-based user interface make this a Norton Online Backup 2.0 a real contender.
Off Topic (Sort of):
How HTML5 Spells “Pleasure” – This site-in-a-single-page lets you browse through and view content collected from various design-focused feeds, organized in a chronological cascade down the screen, all at once or filtered according to type—videos, photos, or tweets.
A peek into Google’s anti-malware operation – Google goes to great lengths to secure its users from threats lurking on the Web, because a half-hearted effort would soon drive them out of business. But, during his presentation at the SecTOR security conference in Toronto, Google security researcher Fabrice Jaubert revealed that sometimes even seemingly good methods are thwarted by careless users.
GMAC Foreclosures Included Treehouses, Forts – Internal memos and other documents covertly obtained by CAP News show that mortgage company GMAC’s questionable foreclosure practices included not only the so-called “robo-signing” of tens of thousands of foreclosures on single family dwellings, but also children’s treehouses, public outhouses and in one case, an 8-year-old German Shepherd’s dog house. (submitted by Dar)
4G: Everything You Need to Know – There’s a lot of talk about 4G wireless right now. Sprint has 4G. Verizon’s getting 4G. And T-Mobile may or may not be running 4G. In this week’s Ask an Analyst, Sascha Segan tries to untangle the 4G mystery.
“Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.”
- Tom Robbins
Today’s Free Downloads:
Halloween Screensaver – If you’re just not feeling the Halloween spirit, load up this creepy Halloween Screensaver to get you in the mood right quick. One caveat: The download uses InstallIQ, which makes you click through several screen of junk–but in this case I think it’s worth the hassle.
MaxMem 1.04 – MaxMem from AnalogX is a simple program that maximizes the amount of physical memory available to your system at any given moment. You configure how much memory you want available under certain circumstances, and MaxMem will passively monitor your system’s resources, freeing up memory as needed.
If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article. | <urn:uuid:d518d8fe-ba28-4aa6-8b65-695233f3bd7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://billmullins.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/tech-thoughts-daily-net-news-october-29-2010/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904338 | 1,324 | 1.945313 | 2 |
The week of April 25-May 1 has been designated as Native Plant Appreciation Week for Washington. The Walla Walla Native Plant Society is celebrating with activities and information, including a booth at the Earth Day Fair at Crawford Park on Saturday.
Then at noon April 28, people are encouraged to bring lunch to Land Title Plaza at First Avenue and Main Street. There will also be guided tours of the demonstration garden at the Blue Mountain Humane Society, 7 E. George St., from noon-2 p.m. on April 30. The garden includes a variety of native plants: trees, shrubs, bunchgrasses and perennials.
On May 1, from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., there will be a hike in the Wallula Gap area. Carpool leaves from the Harper Joy Theatre parking lot. Call 509-525-1079 for more information.
More information about native plants is available at wnps.org. | <urn:uuid:fabcc4a2-8dd7-4e79-b71a-f3b0186fc29b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://union-bulletin.com/news/2010/apr/21/native-plant-appreciation-week-to-be-celebrated/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949837 | 197 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Guide for the Perplexed, by Moses Maimonides, Friedländer tr. , at sacred-texts.com
IN its primary signification the Hebrew ‘abar, "to pass," refers to the motion of a body in space, and is chiefly applied to living creatures moving at some distance in a straight line, e.g., "And He passed over (‘abar) before them" (Gen. xxxiii. 3); "Pass (‘abor) before the people" (Exod. xvii. 5). Instances of this kind are numerous. The verb was next applied to the passage of sound through air, as "And they caused a sound to pass (va-ya‘abiru) through out the camp" (Exod. xxxvi. 6); "That I hear the Lord's people spreading the report" (ma‘abirim) (1 Sam. ii. 24).
Figuratively it denoted the appearance of the Light and the Divine Presence (Shechinah) which the prophets perceived in their prophetic visions, as it is said, "And behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed (‘abar) between those pieces" (Gen. xv. 17). This took place in a prophetic vision, for the narrative commences, "And a deep sleep fell upon Abram." The verb has this latter meaning in Exodus xii. 12, "And I shall pass (ve-‘abarti) through the land of Egypt" (denoting "I shall reveal myself," etc.), and in all similar phrases.
The verb is next employed to express that a person has gone too far, and transgressed the usual limit, in the performance of some act, as "And as a man who is drinking wine has passed (‘abarv) the proper limit" (Jer. xxiii. 9).
It is also used figuratively to denote: to abandon one aim, and turn to a different aim and object, e.g., "He shot an arrow, causing it to miss the aim (leha‘abiro)" (1 Sam. xx. 36). This is the sense, it appears to me, of this verb in "And the Lord passed by (va-ya‘abor) before his face" (Exod. xxxiv. 6). I take "his face" to mean "the face of God"; our Teachers likewise interpreted "his face" as being identical with "the face of God." And, although this is found in the midst of Agadic interpretations which would be out of place in this our work, yet it is some support of our view, that the pronoun "his" is employed in this passage as a substitute for "God's"--and the whole passage could in my opinion be explained as follows: Moses sought to attain to a certain perception which is called "the perception of the Divine face," a term occurring in the phrase "My face cannot be seen"; but God vouchsafed to him a perception of a lower degree, viz., the one called, "the seeing of the back," in the words, "And thou shalt see my back" (Exod. xxxiii. 23). We have mentioned this subject in our work Mishneh Torah. Accordingly, it is stated in the above-mentioned passage that the Lord withheld from Moses that perception which is termed "the seeing of the Divine face," and substituted for it another gift, viz., the knowledge of the acts attributed to God, which, as I shall explain (chap. liv.) are considered to be different and separate attributes of the Supreme. In asserting that God withheld from Moses (the higher knowledge) I mean to say that this knowledge was unattainable, that by its nature it was inaccessible to Moses; for man, whilst able to gain perfection by applying his reasoning faculties to the attainment of what is within the reach of his intellect, either weakens his reason or loses
it altogether as soon as he ventures to seek a higher degree of knowledge--as I shall elucidate in one of the chapters of this work--unless he be granted a special aid from heaven, as is described in the words, "And I will cover thee with my hand until I pass by" (Exod. xxxiii. 23)
Onkelos, in translating this verse, adopts the same method which he applies to the explanation of similar passages, viz., every expression implying corporeality or corporal properties, when referring to God, he explains by assuming an ellipsis of a nomen regens before "God," thus connecting the expression (of corporeality) with another word which is supplied, and which governs the genitive "God": e.g., "And behold the Lord stood upon it" (Gen. xxviii. 13), he explains, "The glory of the Lord stood arrayed above it." Again, "The Lord watch between me and thee" (Gen. xxxi. 49), he paraphrases, "The word of the Lord shall watch." This is his ordinary method in explaining Scripture. He applies it also to Exod. xxxiv. 6, which he paraphrases, "The Lord caused his Presence to pass before his face and called." According to this rendering the thing which passed was unquestionably some physical object, the pronoun "his" refers to Moses, and the phrase ‘al panav is identical with lefanav, "before him." Comp. "So went the present over before him" (‘al panav) (Gen. xxxii. 22). This is likewise an appropriate and satisfactory explanation: and I can adduce still further support for the opinion of Onkelos from the words "while my glory passeth by" (ba-‘abor) (Exod. xxxiii. 22), which expressly state that the passing object was something ascribed to God, not God Himself: and of this Divine glory it is also said, "until I pass by," and "And the Lord passed by before him."
Should it, however, be considered necessary to assume here an ellipsis, according to the method of Onkelos, who supplies in some instances the term "the Glory," in others "the Word," and in others "the Divine Presence," as the context may require in each particular case, we may also supply here the word "voice," and explain the passage, "And a voice from the Lord passed before him and called." We have already shown that the verb ‘abar, "he passed," can be applied to the voice, as in "And they caused a voice to pass through the camp" (Exod. xxxvi. 6). According to this explanation, it was the voice which called. No objection can be raised to applying the verb kara (he called) to kol (voice), for a similar phrase occurs in the Bible in reference to God's commands to Moses, "He heard the voice speaking unto him"; and, in the same manner as it can be said "the voice spoke," we may also say "the voice called"; indeed, we can even support this application of the verbs "to say, "and "to call," to "the voice," by parallel passages, as "A voice saith 'Cry,' and it says 'What shall I cry?'" (Isa. xl. 6). According to this view, the meaning of the passage under discussion would be: "A voice of God passed before him and called, 'Eternal, Eternal, All-powerful, All-merciful, and All-gracious!'" (The word Eternal is repeated; it is in the vocative, for the Eternal is the one who is called. Comp. Moses, Moses! Abraham, Abraham!) This, again, is a very appropriate explanation of the text.
You will surely not find it strange that this subject, so profound and difficult, should bear various interpretations; for it will not impair the force of the argument with which we are here concerned. Either explanation may be adopted: you may take that grand scene altogether as a prophetic vision,
and the whole occurrence as a mental operation, and consider that what Moses sought, what was withheld from him, and what he attained, were things perceived by the intellect without the use of the senses (as we have explained above): or you may assume that in addition there was a certain ocular perception of a material object, the sight of which would assist intellectual perception. The latter is the view of Onkelos, unless he assumes that in this instance the ocular perception was likewise a prophetic vision, as was the case with "a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces" (Gen. xv. 17), mentioned in the history of Abraham. You may also assume that in addition there was a perception of sound, and that there was a voice which passed before him, and was undoubtedly something material. You may choose either of these opinions, for our sole intention and purpose is to guard you against the belief that the phrase "and the Lord passed," is analogous to "pass before the people" (Exod. xvii. 5), for God, being incorporeal, cannot be said to move, and consequently the verb "to pass" cannot with propriety be applied to Him in its primary signification. | <urn:uuid:f83a4d81-a1ba-4068-be3a-cd29087cc991> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/gfp/gfp031.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969338 | 1,950 | 2.46875 | 2 |
From FreeSpace Wiki
The FreeSpace 2 Open engine is able to use several different multimedia file formats for audio, animation and video playback. Retail FreeSpace 2 used the WAV and ANI file formats, but the currently the FreeSpace 2 Open supports several Ogg container files as well. Support for the MP3 file format was removed in favor of Ogg. The game engine also supports special .EFF animations.
Ogg is a file format for compressed multimedia files. Unlike MP3, Ogg is an open-source, open-standard container format with a permissive license, both of which allow it to be incorporated into the FS2_Open source code. Also unlike MP3, Ogg is a container format, meaning that it can contain video data (via the Theora codec ) in addition to audio data (via the Vorbis codec).
Since Ogg delivers significantly smaller file sizes than WAV, while retaining substantially the same level of audio quality, it is becoming more and more frequently used in FSO-targeted mods. Ogg Vorbis is not, however, a lossless format -- i.e., it is not possible to exactly reconstruct the original data from an Ogg Vorbis file because some is "lost" in the conversion process. This is not usually a problem, however, because a high-quality Ogg Vorbis file is usually indistinguishable from the source. The lossless counterpart to Ogg Vorbis is FLAC, which can be contained in Ogg also.
Vorbis uses a quality parameter between -1 and 10 as a measure of quality. 5 is the default, giving around 160kbps. The higher the number, the higher the quality, but anything over 5 is probably pointless.
Audacity and Goldwave are two popular programs that allow WAV files to be converted to Ogg Vorbis audio. Audacity is Free Software, while Goldwave is shareware that ceases to function after a period of time.
Please note that this is a fso feature and is not supported by the original retail FreeSpace 2.
The most common sound file format. WAVs are uncompressed and take up a larger amount of space than almost any other sound file type, so consider converting them to the Ogg Vorbis format (supported only by SCP) before including them in your campaign. Audacity and Goldwave are two examples of programs that can make this conversion. oggdropXPd is an useful drag-and-drop encoder.
FreeSpace uses the ANI format for animation effects. It can be used either for an effect (explosions, etc.), an interface animation, or as a ship texture.
Creating an ANI file
Using AniBuilder, one can create new ANI files from AVI movies or rendered frames.
To create your own ANI:
- Create your scene in a 3D animation program or in FreeSpace. You can capture game footage using free recording software such as GameCam, a preexisting movie, or you can render your own. Volition used the expensive 3ds Max for their animations, but the free Blender is just as good, and there are plenty of tutorials available for both. Alternately, ANIs can simply have one or two static frames.
- Output your movie to individual 24- or 32-bit BMP frames, numbered in sequence (starting with aniname0000.) You can check your desired resolution by looking at the type of ANI you want to replace, with the exception of up to 660x300 acceptable for high-resolution command briefing animations in FreeSpace Open. If you have a movie, use a program such as Virtual DUB to convert the AVI into a series of BMP files and crop or resize them as necessary.
- Convert your BMP frames to PCX files with a common palette. Certain interface art (for example, briefing icons and HUD head animations) requires an exact palette, which you can import from an existing ANI using a paint program such as GIMP. But in most cases, you will want to convert them to an optimized common palette. Best results are achieved with BRIGHT. AniBuilder can attempt to do this by itself but the results are almost always very poor.
- Use AniBuilder to convert the PCX files to an ANI. Some animations, such as ship/weapon loadouts and main hall animations, require keyframes; refer to the existing animations for how to insert these.
A more technical definition of ani files can be found here.
FreeSpace 2 uses the EFF ASCII format text files to store information about animated effects. These animated effects can be used for various effects such as in game animations and animated textures. Please note that this is a fso feature and is not supported by the original retail FreeSpace 2.
Creation of EFF animation
- For EFF animation all the individual frames of the animation have to be present in one of the graphic file formats supported by the game engine.
- All files related to the EFF animation have to named so that the name of actual .EFF animation forms the basic structure of the filename.
- Graphic files add the 4 digit number - that identifies the frame where the file is used - after the animation name, starting from 0 (example_0000.dds, example_0001.dds etc.)
- ASCII file contains the information of the animation (example.eff)
Contents of a EFF file
- Defines the file format of the graphics file used for the EFF animation
- Syntax: String, for example DDS
- Defines the length of the number of the frames in the animation
- Syntax; Integer
- Used optionally to define the frames per second value for the animation
- Syntax: Integer
- Used optionally to define a keyframe for EFF used as part of the interface.
- Syntax: Integer (The frame number, starting at index 0. Do not specify numbers greater than the number of frames)
Let's say you have three dds (TGA and pcx are also acceptable) files (named 1_000, 1_0001, and 1_0002) you want to make into an animation, but you don't want to use anibuild and therefore compromise quality.
Your EFF file would be like this:
Filename (the filename, not information to be entered. This must match up with characters before _xxxx in frames): 1.eff
$Type: DDS $Frames: 3 $FPS: 5
This EFF effect file would display one frame after another at 5 frames a second, skipping back to the beginning at the end. Please note that in FSO 3.6.10 and earlier, EFF cannot be used for streaming files (head animations, icons, mainhall, cbanis, ect.) and is meant ONLY for weapon/explosion effects and animated textures. | <urn:uuid:95b6dff5-a4d6-4707-8433-803139ed90bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Multimedia_Files | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900208 | 1,422 | 1.976563 | 2 |
broonie at opensource
May 4, 2012, 1:44 PM
Post #8 of 28
On Fri, May 04, 2012 at 01:50:01PM -0600, Stephen Warren wrote:
> On 05/04/2012 12:58 PM, Mark Brown wrote:
> > Quite a few reference platforms (including Wolfson ones, which is why
> > I'm particularly interested) use replaceable modules to allow
> > configuration changes. Since we can often identify the configuration at
> > runtime we should ideally do that but currently there's no infrastructure
> > to help with that...
> So, I'll respond within the context of device tree, although perhaps you
> were looking for something more general?
Like I just said in reply to Arnd I think that anything that relies on
the device tree is rather optimistic. Device tree isn't even universal
for ARM and there's a huge raft of architectures that have no current
intention to adopt DT at all. For example I understand that a lot of
the Blackfin boards are modular, though I don't know to what extent they
can usefully be enumerated from software.
I know DT is a shiny new toy and all that but when developing generic
infrastructure there needs to be an awareness that we can't rely on it.
> I was just asked basically the same question internally to NVIDIA. One
> option that was floated was to store the device tree in chunks and have
> the bootloader piece them together. You'd start with the DT for the
> basic CPU board, probe what HW was available, and then graft in the
> content of additional DT chunks and pass the final result to the kernel.
> The advantages here are:
> a) The DT is stored in chunks for each plugin board, so there's no bloat
> in the DT that gets passed to the kernel; it contains exactly what's on
> the board.
> a) Relies on the bootloader, so is somewhat out of our control.
Yes, this is a crippling issue for my personal usecases.
> b) Doesn't integrate well with hotplug; the DT for the board
> configuration is static at boot. What if a board can be unplugged and
> another plugged in; a reboot or similar would be needed to adjust the
> kernel to this.
This is another issue - a similar set of problems does apply to some PCI
type cards where the PCI device is essentially a bridge to a typical
embedded system - though practically speaking it's much less severe.
> Another approach would be to put everything in a single DT, with some
> representation of how to identify the child boards, and then have the
> kernel only use/parse certain chunks of the DT based on the ID results.
> I’m not sure how complex that would be. Perhaps something like:
This does also have the disadvantage of requiring the device tree for
each CPU to be updated for every single plugin module which could get a
bit tedious (this does also apply to the approach of having the
bootloader create the DT - it scales fine if the CPU is a part of the
base board but if the CPU is one of the swappable modules it's less
> The complexity here is that all the devices on the daughter board would
> end up being on different buses (e.g. 2 different I2C busses, an SPI
> bus, even an MMIO bus) so representing this in the daughter board nodes
> would be complex. Do we insert a "daughter board mux" onto every single
> bus that's routed to the daughter board connectors, or add the ability
> to dynamically add nodes into pre-existing busses, e.g. add
> /daughter-board/board-a/i2c-0 into /tegra-i2c [at] xx/?
...there's this, I'm not sure the daughterboard mux is going to fly.
It's requiring each and every bus to understand this concept which seems
like a bit of an imposition to me, especially given that it exists
purely to service the needs of DT. The idea of having DT blobs injected
for the modules seems easier than this.
I do think we want to be able to write drivers for modules; if we can go
with injecting DT blobs then from a kernel point of view everything is
already sorted so there's nothing to do but this doesn't feel like it
actually resolves the issue, at least for me. For example, with my
current systems it'd require a DT port for s3c6410 plus the addition of
both DT support and hardware module identification to our current
bootloader and then the ongoing maintainance of the device trees for all
the CPU and board combinations that might exist. This seems like a lot | <urn:uuid:fc016613-d9ea-4f39-aff8-1eb5f39e6bb4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/linux/kernel/1530409 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955184 | 1,034 | 1.59375 | 2 |
ESC Boston 2011: Classes I'd attend if there were two (or more) of me
|Go to ESC Boston.|
Not only do I want to cruise the show floor and talk to developers, I also want to corner as many tool and building-block vendors as I can and talk to them about what they're introducing and what they've got in the planning stages.
And then there are the ESC classes. Even if attending classes was all I had to do, there are too many classes and opportunities to talk to hardware engineers and software developers attending them for just one of me.
I'll be facing this dilemma at the upcoming ESC in Boston, Sept. 26-29. Looking over the agenda of about 120 classes for the conference, as expected I have identified too many classes I want to attend. They fall into five categories:
- Agile program development
- ARM processor development
- Multicore programming
Following are my Editor's Top Picks in these categories and a few thoughts about their significance.
Agile software development
Because the need for software quality is increasing as embedded designs become more complex, I have paid a lot of attention to classes that will provide useful information on the Agile software development methodology. At ESC in Boston, these include:
In Agile embedded software development (ESC-300) James Grenning, president of Renaissance Software Consulting Company, introduces the principles and practices of Agile software development and offers details on how this iterative technique can be applied effectively to embedded designs.
Agile model driven development (ESC-206). Independent Consultant and UML Guru Stephen J. Mellor will demonstrate how the addition of the concept of "actions" to model-driven environments such as UML makes it possible to apply many of the principles of agility to executable models.
Agile and the embedded developer (ST-02) is another must attend class. Freescale's Robert Oshana takes the discussion of Agile development from the general and theoretical to the specific and practical, detailing some of his experiences in actual Agile-based embedded projects and how you can to leverage this approach in your specific designs.
I've followed the commentary on Embedded.com about the need for better software quality by ESD columnist Jack Ganssle, who will also be presenting at the conference. A few of the responses to his columns are truculent and dismissive. And even where there is agreement in general and in principle about the need, when it comes to their specific designs most did not feel a compelling need.
Given the role embedded systems are playing in our lives, this attitude will have to change, and I think that these speakers and others in the Project Management track will do much to change your mind.
Page 1 of 4Next > | <urn:uuid:6fe8d7da-480d-4978-86c8-e7a03d2eaad7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.embedded.com/electronics-blogs/cole-bin/4219322/ESC-Boston-2011--Classes-I-d-attend-if-there-were-two--or-more--of-me | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955461 | 567 | 1.734375 | 2 |
In this hotly-contested race for governor, Eliot Cutler stands out from the bitter partisan politics as the best overall candidate.
The Republican candidate, Paul LePage, was effective at tapping into the rage of an electorate struggling with near 10 percent unemployment. It made for exciting television. But it also made him incoherent, and ultimately, an embarrassment to Maine on the national stage.
The Democratic candidate, Libby Mitchell, ran a strong campaign and we applaud many of her ideas. If we were choosing a candidate based solely on their education plan, Mitchell would likely be our choice. But ultimately, her other ideas failed to measure up to the magnitude of reform Maine needs to spur job growth, and her insistence on touting her years of experience in the state house failed to inspire faith in her ability to change state government.
(We would like to acknowledge that Mitchell was the only candidate to reply to a questionnaire we distributed to all five candidates, proving that she respects college students enough to reply to their e-mails.)
We commend Cutler for recognizing the fact that governors cannot directly create jobs. At a time of high unemployment, other candidates have based large parts of their campaigns on pushing forth the notion that they will somehow create jobs. This is somewhat dishonest, and we feel that Cutler has taken a more realistic approach. What a governor can do is help to create the conditions necessary to stimulate economic growth in our state. Cutler recognizes that the high costs of doing business in Maine discourage new industries from locating here. He proposes reducing these costs, including healthcare and electricity costs, to entice businesses to invest in Maine. In addition, he proposes cutting government expenditures, which will help to reduce the tax burden on Maine businesses. We feel that this is a common sense approach to economic stimulus in our state.
In addition, Cutler recognizes that cutting taxes across the board is not the route to fixing our state’s budget deficit. It’s easy, and politically attractive, to make this campaign promise, but it is an irresponsible policy. Cutler has promised to make our state government more efficient and more cost-effective. We feel that this is a much more desirable approach to correcting our state’s budget. We commend Cutler not making (empty) promises of wide-ranging tax cuts.
Cutler has also stressed the importance of improving our state’s education system, and we agree that there is a need for reform. He recognizes that our teachers are underpaid, and realizes there is not enough incentive to bring and keep quality educators in our schools. One particularly creative idea is Cutler’s education plan to change the lock-step salary schedule in favor of a system that rewards educators who provide the state’s children with superior service.
We believe that although giving teachers an incentive to improve the quality of education sounds good on paper, it could be very difficult to implement a merit-based pay system for teachers and caution Cutler that the gauge of a good teacher isn’t always reflected in test scores.
Cutler acknowledges the key role played by public schools in our states many small communities by not supporting mass consolidation. Cutler also believes that our state’s community colleges and public universities need to work more closely together to deliver the secondary education necessary for the success of our generation and future generations. Greater coordination among these institutions is a key part of his education plan. However we encourage Cutler to recognize the very different roles university and community colleges play in this state; one is not interchangeable with the other.
Cutler has devoted nearly his entire career to public service. He helped former Maine Senator Ed Muskie craft both the Clean Air (1963) and Clean Water (1972) Acts. These two hugely important pieces of national policy have been instrumental in cleaning up Maine’s environment. The Androscoggin River, for example, was once so polluted by the paper mills along its waters that it was, at times, impossible to even see the water under the layer of pollutants. Today, thanks largely to the Clean Water Act, the Androscoggin is better known for its recreational opportunities than for its pollution levels.
Following his time with Senator Muskie, Cutler went on to become the Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy and Science in the White House Office of Management and Budget. This experience overseeing national budgets will be helpful in trying to fix Maine’s own budgetary shortcomings. | <urn:uuid:1dabeeea-67ec-4d51-a50f-da2d0288a4fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usmfreepress.org/2010/10/25/cutler-for-governor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965404 | 889 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Archeologists have found few images of early imperial Rome. A fire-often, but probably mistakenly, attributed to Nero-razed much of the city in A.D. 64. Many of the grand monuments of empire-the Colosseum, the Pantheon-were built over the next few centuries. This fresco, which some archeologists believe was painted shortly after the fire, may be a depiction of that old city. Archeologists discovered it last March in an underground passage beneath the Baths of Trajan, near the Colosseum. The exposed portion of the painting measures about 12 feet long by 9 feet high. More of the fresco may be buried beneath rubble on the floor. The mural is a bird's-eye view of a metropolitan city, showing houses, temples, enormous public monuments, and a large central hall, all surrounded by a stone wall topped with tall towers. Toward the back of the painting a bridge spans a wide river that may be the Tiber. The topography of the painted city, however, does not match Rome's, so it may be an idealized version of the city, or another city entirely, perhaps Alexandria or Carthage. Ongoing excavations may settle the issue of its identity. | <urn:uuid:25983c88-bb46-4454-8746-917ca8eb5763> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://discovermagazine.com/1998/sep/anewlookatoldrom1514 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96713 | 255 | 3.5625 | 4 |
3.3.2 An Open Systems Approach
The CSC/PBFI Teamís design approach will produce an open system. An open system means that MDSHA will be able to include devices from different vendors, incorporate legacy systems, and communicate with other regional operations centers in as seamless a manner as possible.
The CSC/PBFI Team employed several tools to ensure the openness of our approach. At the highest level, we ensured that our design was consistent with the National ITS Architecture. We met this goal by matching the CHART II requirements derived from our identification and analysis process with pertinent National ITS Architecture process specifications to ensure that no requirement was overlooked. The CSC/PBFI Team also ensured traceability among the CHART II requirements, the National ITS Architecture process specifications, and the CHART II physical architecture. Guidance was provided by Mr. Cliff Heise, Eastern Regional Manager of Odetics, Inc., one of the developers of the National ITS Architecture.
A view of the CHART II physical architecture is shown in figure 3-1.
Figure 3-1. The CHART II Physical Architecture
CSC/PBFI Advantage: The CHART II physical architecture is consistent with the National ITS Architecture.
Our approach to guidance offered by the National ITS Architecture was one that we think is shared by the ITS industry and consistent with Catalyst. We have used it to ensure that all organizational and functional elements of a federally sponsored ITS program exist in our design and that all necessary logical and physical interfaces between transportation modes and regional jurisdictions are properly treated in the design. Both of these have occurred, without constraining the designers with respect to design tools and software implementation technique.
Appendix A contains information that demonstrates traceability among the CHART II requirements, the National ITS Architecture process specifications, and the CHART II physical architecture.
Of course, all of the system information flows envisioned by this architecture can become a reality only if the CHART II software is actually able to communicate with a variety of devices and operations centers. To ensure this communication, the CSC/PBFI Team reflected the latest information from ongoing national ITS standards activities, especially the National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocols (NTCIP), and the Transportation Management Data Dictionary (TMDD) in our CHART II design.
Because of PBFIís extensive and active involvement in these national standards activities, the CSC/PBFI Team is strongly positioned to develop CHART II software that will allow the system to grow as painlessly as possible. PBFI has voting membership on the following NTCIP committees:
More important, PBFI is also leading in thedeployment of the NTCIP concept.
Projects in which PBFI assumed the lead role include the following:
PBFI is also leading a team working under the guidance of a Steering Committee selected by the Institute of Transportation Engineers and AASHTO to support the development of the TMDD. The TMDD consists of specific data elements that make up messages used within an advanced traffic management system (ATMS) and exchanged with external systems and subsystems, including traffic control devices, surveillance systems, and motorist information systems.
PBFI developed the structure and specific data dictionary format, including specific attributes and syntax of presentation; and an initial prototype of a selected section of the TMDD to identify development issues and to establish an accepted format. PBFI is also completing sections of a standardized TMDD consisting of data element definitions, including relationships among data elements in terms of where used, when used, and other attributes.
The use of a physical architecture consistent with the National ITS Architecture and compliance with emerging ITS standards ensures an "open" system solution for CHART II. This open system solution is supported by Object Oriented Analysis, Design, and Implementation, described in the following section. | <urn:uuid:d68ef2bb-1a46-421d-96cc-27ae9eb6432c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.traffic.maryland.gov/downloads/readingroom/CHART_Design/sect%203-3-2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92458 | 779 | 1.875 | 2 |
Turkey views nuclear proliferation as a consequence rather than a cause of insecurity. It acknowledges the threats and risks of further proliferation in its region and beyond, and has been a committed member of international regimes on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.17 Ankara has plans to harness nuclear technology for electricity generation, and would be adversely affected by proliferation trends in the region. Additionally, its ties with the Middle East (historical and cultural) and the West, particularly its strategic relations with the United States and the accession process to the European Union, grant Turkey with the ability to “speak both languages.” More importantly, it is one of the countries that would incur the negative impact should negotiations with Iran fail and proliferation trends rise in the region. In sum, Turkey is fit to play an active role in negotiations and it is willing to do so
Military strikes are less credible, particularly for Israel, given Iran’s vast network of tunnels which hide the various uranium enrichment facilities around the country?
Who says Israel has to attack only once? There are no rules to survival.
The virtual defection of Turkey’s regime from the Western alliance (yes, it really is that bad) and the end of the special relationship between Jerusalem and Ankara is a bad thing. But the Turkish semi-Islamist rulers are restrained by their desire to play a role in regional peacemaking and not to make the Americans or Europeans too angry.
While America has been absorbed by the Afghan election imbroglio, a
less-noticed event slid into place in the Middle East. It is less dramatic than
President Hamid Karzai's near removal; but this event tilts the strategic
balance: Turkey finally shrugged off its United States straight-jacket; stared
past any beckoning European Union membership; and has fixed its eyes toward its
former Ottoman Asian and Middle Eastern neighbors.
Turkey did not make this shift merely to snub the West; but it does reflect
Turkey's discomfort and frustration with US and EU
The prospective Nabucco gas pipeline to central Europe may gradually eclipse the energy primacy of Saudi oil. This article is accusing Israel of creating the situation where they are responsible of demonizing not just Iran, but rather a whole region that is becoming allied for economic and strategic reasoning. It is interesting that the journalist downplayed the Chinese and Russians.
Islam’s masculine ideals and unequivocal condemnation of homosexuality may have lured young Lindh, who, soon after his father left his mother and moved in with another man, converted to Islam at age 16. Shortly thereafter, he went a-jihading.
There is another, more subtle, factor that may attract men to Islam: traditional male roles are well preserved in the religion. This may appeal to Western men who find it difficult to assert their “masculinity” in what may be perceived as gender-free Western societies. Harvey Mansfield’s book, Manliness, defines that term as “a quality both bad and good, mostly male, often intolerant, irrational, and ambitious. Our gender-neutral society does not like it but cannot get rid of it.
John Walker Lindh especially seems to fit this paradigm. Precipitating his conversion to Islam was his teenage discovery that his father was homosexual — an event that appears to have traumatized and alienated Lindh. Islam’s masculine ideals and unequivocal condemnation of homosexuality may have lured young Lindh, who, soon after his father left his mother and moved in with another man, converted to Islam at age 16. Shortly thereafter, he went a-jihading.
read the whole thing via docstalk.blogspot.com
A growing number of young Muslims in the UK are entering marriages that are not legally recognised, BBC Asian Network has found. This is because couples are having an Islamic wedding without the civil ceremony needed for the marriage to be recognised under British law.
Ms Khan says unregistered Muslim marriages are on the increase
Shaheeda Khan married her fiance in a traditional Islamic religious ceremony, the nikah, at her home in Birmingham.
After the wedding the couple moved to London where they started to build a life and home together but, 13 months into the marriage, Shaheeda realised that her nikah was not legally valid.
''I had to show a marriage certificate when I was enrolling at university. It was then I realised I didn't have one and it came as a big shock to me," she said.
Shaheeda, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said she asked her husband to register their marriage but he was against the idea.
A few months later she came home and found that the locks to her front door had been changed and that she had been thrown out of her home.
"I was homeless. I took legal action but I got nothing," explained Shaheeda. "I had been paying the mortgage on our home but the house was not in my name so I lost everything.''
Eventually, Shaheeda moved back home with her family.
''It was as though the marriage had never happened. It was the worst time of my life,'' she added.
Family lawyer Aina Khan says that she is dealing with an increasing number of cases like Shaheeda's.
"It's a rising trend for Muslim couples to have marriages that are not legally recognised," explained Ms Khan.
''The problem is extremely widespread and it's an increasing timebomb because it's affecting mostly young Muslims, who are under 30 or in their early 30s.''
Ms Khan says that the individuals have no legal marital rights if the marriage ends or if a partner dies.
I know of cases where men have taken on several wives because they have just had the nikah with each partner
Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui
She said: ''My colleagues and I are having to deal with hundreds of cases where things have gone wrong because the wedding has not been registered.
"Because the couples only have co-habitant rights, it is extremely expensive and complicated to use the law to get the individuals any justice once the marriage ends.''
Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, the head of Britain's Muslim Parliament, says the lives of many Muslim women are being ruined because their Islamic marriages are not legally recognised.
''It is a major problem in the community," insisted Dr Siddiqui. "But it is very difficult to put an exact figure on the scale of this because there are no statistics. It could be in its hundreds if not thousands."
Shaista Gohir is the head of the UK's Muslim Women's Network. She says the problem arises, in some cases, out of ignorance as many young Muslims believe that the nikah is legally binding.
''If a couple has a nikah in a Muslim country then the marriage is recognised under UK law. But many do not realise that this is not the case if the nikah is conducted in this country,'' she explained.
However, Ms Gohir said, some couples preferred to wait and "test out" the marriage before they had their civil ceremony.
This was something Leicester couple Saila and Riaz Choudary, both 25, wanted to do. They had their Nikah before waiting more than a year until their civil marriage.
''I wanted to be sure before I committed to the civil ceremony,'' said Saila.
''A divorce costs a lot of money and I wanted to avoid all that hassle if the marriage didn't end up working.''
Ms Gohir says many couples say they will register their marriage later, but later never comes.
Dr Siddiqiui added that he believed some Muslim women were being exploited as their partners promised them a civil wedding after the nikah only to refuse to go ahead with it.
''This allows Muslim men to control their wives because they can threaten to leave them and end the Islamic marriage by just saying the words 'divorce, divorce divorce' to her,'' he said.
Riaz and Saila both agreed to wait to get a civil ceremony
''It also enables some men to commit polygamy. I know of cases where men have taken on several wives because they have just had the nikah with each partner.''
He wants Muslim women to protect themselves by always having a civil ceremony before the nikah and is also calling for all mosques to become registered to conduct civil marriages.
This would then allow the couple to have the nikah and registry at the same time under one roof.
''The problem is that only a handful of mosques across the country are registering themselves," said Dr Siddiqiui.
''I don't know why this is the case because it is very simple to do - all they need to do is fill out a form.
''Religious leaders must take a bigger responsibility to protect many Muslim women who are unnecessarily suffering.''
BY KHALED ABU TOAMEH
PA negotiator says Palestinians should consider declaring Oslo Accords "null and void."
A paper prepared by Chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat on the status of the peace talks with Israel recommends that the Palestinians consider the possibility of abandoning the two-state solution in favor of a one-state solution if the peace process does not move forward.
Another option that the Palestinians should consider, according to Erekat, is the re-evaluation of the Oslo Accords and “declaring them null and void, partially or completely, or applying them selectively in a manner consistent with Palestinian interests.”
The paper recommends that the Palestinians link cooperation on issues that matter to Israel, such as security cooperation, with Israel upholding its obligations [to the peace process].
Erekat’s paper also recommends a “campaign of non-violent resistance, such as prohibition of Palestinians working in settlements and boycott of Israeli products.”
On the two-state solution, the document suggests that the Palestinians “develop credible alternatives to the traditional two-state solution, such as a one-state solution or a bi-national state,” and dissolve the PA.
The paper, which is entitled “The Political Situation in Light of Developments with the US Administration and Israeli Government and Hamas’s continued Coup d’etat,” was written in December 2009.
The paper calls for unifying Palestinian messages and positions regarding the peace talks with Israel.
Its main points include the following directives:
• Final-status negotiations must be based on previously agreed terms of reference – international law, UN resolutions, including 242, 338, 1397, 1515 and 194, as well as the Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative.
• Final-status talks must lead to ending the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and the establishment of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.
• Final status talks must be resumed from the point where they ended in December 2008.
• Israel must implement a comprehensive settlement freeze, including in east Jerusalem, and reopen Palestinian institutions in the city. Israel also must remove settlement outposts established since March 2001, lift the siege and closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip and halt raids, arrests and assassinations and all activities that may jeopardize building mutual trust and confidence.
Erekat’s paper recommends that the Palestinians try to secure a UN Security Council resolution that recognizes the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a just and agreed solution to the Palestinian refugee issue in accordance with Resolution 194.
Pam Geller’s new poster vandalized by leftist, so sanctimonious she can’t even see why she was arrestedMona Eltahawy is a darling of the feminist progressive left. She was recently attacked in Egypt's Tahrir square. ...another left win...
well, good! This will allow the public to talk about Islam. The more free conversation on the issue the better. they can't frame the con...
it did work for Obama though. Remember Obama Girl? image from the South Florida Chronicle It_is_not_clear_where_or_how the g...
Liberal multiculturalists insist that Islam is the same as other major world religions. As usual, they are full of shit.. The l...
But one also finds in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to want to bring the strong down to their level, ...
The CURSE is BACK! ( Wiz Bang ) If you weren’t watching ESPN this evening you missed some serious baseball drama. The Boston Red Sox an...
but the Third Intifada pages are OK?
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2013/06/stuxnet-was-out-of-control-we-had-to.html How many large-scale cyberattacks have taken place to th...
Jordan recently seized 20 tons of chemicals trucked in by confessed al-Qaeda members who brought the stuff in from Syria. The chemicals i...
Flight 800, a Boeing 747, had just taken off from JFK airport with 230 people aboard on July 17, 1996, en route to Paris when it exploded a... | <urn:uuid:325239ff-579a-4b06-85df-a98a96ba2fe6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://noah.simonstudio.com/2010_02_04_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96975 | 2,732 | 2.1875 | 2 |
This story caught my eye.
A poster for a joint BBC and British Museum project showing the historic Lewis chessmen should not say they were made in Norway, a MP has said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scot ... 559305.stm
I've never heard about Hnefatafl (how would you pronounce that? Sounds like a sneeze!) but have messed around trying to make a fitchell set. Doing a quick search, I found this interesting post: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/95220
And this: Chess Games in Ancient Ireland
http://www.libraryireland.com/SocialHis ... -XXV-8.php
And this cool site: Irish Fidchell / Viking Hnefatafl http://tdbcelts.org/node/816
Somewhere I have a set of rules for similar games. Anyone know more about this? | <urn:uuid:65235c57-1478-429a-9b2f-0dad09382dcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.druidry.org/board/dhp/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=35545 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918865 | 208 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Complete list and details about Chief Ministers of Tamilnadu
Tamilnadu has the rare distinction of having good and eminent personalities as chief ministers of the state. Since 1920 Tamilnadu had various chief ministers who had carved a niche of their own in the history books of Tamilnadu state. During the course of time Tamilnadu state had been subjected to geographical change which resulted in the formation of Andhra and Karnataka. It has been a long way since then and Tamilnadu came across Chief Ministers from political to cine field. In this resource we would segregate the list of Chief Ministers before and after 1950. This would help us to concentrate more on Chief Ministers of Tamilnadu after 1950 where lot of changes happened to the state which resulted in Tamilnadu being one of the most powerful states in India.
List of Tamilnadu Chief Ministers from 1920 to 1950
1. A. Subbarayalu Reddiar - 17 December 1920 to 11 July 1921 - Justice Party
2. Raja of Panagal - 11 July 1921 to 11 September 1923 - Justice Party
3. Raja of Panagal - 19 November 1923 to 3 December 1926 - Justice Party
4. P. Subbarayan - 4 December 1926 to 27 October 1930
5. B. Munuswamy Naidu - 27 October 1930 to 4 November 1932 - Justice Party
6. Ramakrishna Ranga Rao - 5 November 1932 to November 1934 - Justice Party
7. Ramakrishna Ranga Rao - November 1934 to 4 April 1936 - Justice Party
8. P. T. Rajan - 4 April 1936 to 24 August 1936 - Justice Party
9. Ramakrishna Ranga Rao - 24 August 1936 to 1 April 1937 - Justice Party
10. Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu - 1 April 1937 14 to July 1937
11. C. Rajagopalachari - 14 July 1937 to 29 October 1939 - Indian National Congress
Governor's Rule from 29 October 1939 to 30 April 1946
12. Tanguturi Prakasam - 30 April 1946 to 23 March 1947 - Indian National Congress
13. O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar - 23 March 1947 to 6 April 1949 - Indian National Congress
14. P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja - 6 April 1949 to 26 January 1950 - Indian National Congress
List of Tamilnadu Chief Ministers from 1950
P.S Kumaraswamy Raja
P.S Kumaraswamy Raja was born in 1898 in Rajapalayam. He was Chief Minister of Tamilnadu from 1949 to 1952. Kumaraswamy Raja joined congress after completed his schooling. He had held various positions in Rajapalayam which includes President of Rajapalayam union, Panchayat court, district board of Ramanathapuram and District educational council. He was an M.L.A in 1936 wgen Rajagopalachari was the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. He also held the post of Governor of Orissa from 1954 to 1956.
Kumaraswamy Raja spent most of the time helping the poor and the needy and doing public services to the people of Tamilnadu. He followed the Gandhian principle and contributed in spreading Kadhi in the minds of the people. In his later years he donated his house to Gandhi Kalai Mandram an institution which promoted culture and principles of Gandhiji. He died in 1957.
Rajagopalachari popularly known as Rajaji was born in 1878 at Thorapalli in Salem. He was Chief Minister of Tamilnadu from 1954 to 1956. He had multi faces as an lawyer, politician, writer, statesman and the leader of India National Congress. Rajagopalachari a staunch follower of Indian National Congress has the rare distinction of being the last governor general of India. He is one of the first Indian personality to have won the Bharat Ratna in 1955. Rajagopalachari also held the position of Governor of west Bengal from 1947 to 1948.
Rajaji's interest in politics started when he was practicing as a lawyer in Salem. He was impressed by Gandhiji's principle and joined Indian National congress. Rajaji emerged as an important leader in Tamilnadu congress during the year 1930. This helped him to become the president of Tamilnadu congress committee in 1935. Rajaji had difference with the congress party in 1959 which prompted him to start his own party called as Swatantra Party. His party fared badly in the 1971 elections which saw the decline of his party in Tamilnadu. Aged 94, he died due to illness in 1972.
Kamaraj was born in 1903 in Virudhunagar district. He was Chief Minister of Tamilnadu from 1954 to 1963. He was regarded as the Kingmaker in Indian politics when he was the mainly involved in taking important decisions in Indian National congress. He was elected as a Lok Sabha member from Nagercoil constituency from 1967 to 1975. He was also the Srivilliputhur Lok Sabha member from 1952 to 1954. He held the position as president of Indian National Congress from 1967 to 1971. He was also the tamilnadu congress president from 1946 to 1952.
Kamaraj though uneducated did lot of changes in the education department in Tamilnadu. He reopened 6000 schools that was closed previously and was also instrumental in opening 12000 schools in Tamilnadu. He is famous for introducing the Mid-day meal scheme which used to provide one meal per day for lakhs of poor students. He also introduced free uniforms to schools to avoid discrimination among students. Kamaraj sowed the seeds for starting the IIT Madras in 1959.
Kamaraj not only contributed to education but also improved the standards of irrigation schemes and promoted industrial development in Tamilnadu. During his reign as the Chief Minister, Tamilnadu ushered in to the state of Porkalam. His schemes are still followed in Tamilnadu. He died in 1975. In 1976 Kamaraj was awarded Bharat Ratna Posthumously.
Bhaktavatsalam was born in 1897. A lawyer by profession he was also a politician and a freedom fighter. He was Chief Minister of Tamilnadu from 1963 to 1967. He has the distinction of being the last Chief Minister of Tamilnadu from congress party till date. He served as the Minister of Public Works and Planning from 1947 to 1949. During his early years Bhaktavatsalam actively involved in politics and was imprisoned for participating in Quit India Movement and Salt Satyagraha. He retired from politics in 1967 when Indian National Congress was defeated in 1967.
Bhaktavatsalam started daily newspaper India which existed till 1933. He also stood as Deputy Mayor in Madras City Corporation. In 1964 Bhaktavatsalam introduced the three language formula in Madras Legislative Assembly. The three languages included English, Tamil and Hindi. Due to this he faced a lot of anti-Hindi agitations during his period as Chief Minister. He initially opposed the construction of Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari. He died in 1987 at the age of 89.
Annadurai popularly called as Arignar Anna was born on 1909 in Kanchipuram. He held the post of chief Minister of Tamilnadu from 1967 to 1969. He was Rajya Sabha member from 1962 to 1967. Anna is famous for his oratorical skills and was an excellent writer in Tamil. He had written many plays which were later made into movies acted by many famous personalities. He used cinema to spread his political ideas to the minds of the Tamil people. He is a strict follower of Periyar and was under his guidance until he came out of his Dravida Kazhagam due to differences.
Annadurai was B.A graduate from Pachaiyappa's college in the year 1934. Later he got M.A degree in Economics and Politics. He has the distinction of working as an English teacher in Pachaiyappa's college. Annadurai initially joined Justice Party in 1935 when Periyar was the party president. Periyar renamed the Justice Party to Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944. Annadurai had differences with Periyar when the later married 40 year younger women. Annadurai founded Dravida Munnerta Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949 when he the differences with periyar had gone out of proportions.
After becoming the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Annadurai legalized Self respect marriages. He renamed Madras State to Tamilnadu. He was instrumental in conducting Second World Tamil conference in 1968. In 1968 he got the Chubb Fellowship from Yale University. He was the first non-american to receive this award from Yale University. He was also awarded doctorate from Annamalai University in 1968. He died of cancer in 1969.
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan was born in 1920 at Thirukkannapuram. He was actively involved in politics in 1944 when he joined Dravidar Kazhagam. He is an important member who along with Annadurai started Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1949. In 1969 when Annadurai died he was made the acting Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. He quit DMK party due to differences and started his own party Makkal DMK. Later he merged it with ADMK in 1977 when ADMK under MGR came to power in Tamilnadu.
He was the Finance Minister in ADMK government from 1980 to 1987. when MGR died in 1987 he was asked to be the acting Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. Later he was replaced by Janaki Ramachandran as the Chief Minister. He joined the Jayalalitha faction of ADMK and was made the Finance Minster from 1991 to 1996. He died of heart attack in 2000.
M. Karunanidhi was born in 1926 at Thirukkuvalai in Tamilnadu. He was elected as the DMK chief when Annadurai died in 1969. He has the rare distinction of being the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu five times. He was Chief Minister of Tamilnadu during 1969 to 1971, 1971 to 1976, 1989 to 1991, 1996 to 2001, 2006 to 2011. Karunanidhi started his career in Tamil film industry as a script writer. He entered politics by joining Justice Party at the age of 14.He was one of the chief member to accompany Annadurai when the later started DMK party.
Karunanidhi entered Tamilnadu assembly for the first time in 1957. He was elected from Kulithalai constituency. He was the DMK treasurer in 1961. He was the public works minister when DMK first came to power in 1967. After the death of Anndurai, Karunanidhi was elected as the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. Karunanidhi had contributed much to the Tamil Literature. He has written poems, biographies, historical novels and much more. He had penned the screen play for many Tamil movies in 1950s. His screen play was a hit among Tamil audience.
Karunanidhi was awarded doctorate by Annamalai University in 1971. He was the chief member of the third tamil world conference in 1979 held in paris. Karunanidhi also inaugurated the sixth world tamil conference in 1987 at Kuala Lampur.He was the architect who started the Sethusamudram project which had created a huge controversy when he questioned the existence of Rama.
M. G. Ramachandran
M. G. Ramachandran popularly known as MGR was born in 1917 at Ceylon. He was Chief Minister of Tamilnadu from 1977 to 1987. MGR first entered cine field as an actor. He is affectionately called as Puratchi Thailavar and Ponmana Semmal. He later turned into a politician by joining the DMK with his huge popularity among Tamil people. MGR started his acting career in the year 1935. He began to act in small roles which were not that much popular. His first breakthrough came in the year 1947 when he acted in the film Rajakumari. He became even more famous with the film Malaikallan released in 1954. After that there was no looking back and he began to rule the Tamil industry till he became the chief minister in 1977.
MGR political career started in 1953 when he joined congress. Later he joined Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1953. In 1962 he was elected to the Tamilnadu assembly. After the demise of Annadurai, Karunanidhi was made the Chief Minister. MGR was the treasurer in DMK during that period. Differences crept between Karunanidhi and MGR and he was expelled from the party in 1972. MGR started his own party called as AIADMK in 1e972 and was actively mobilizing support to his party. This later helped him to win the elections in 1977 and became the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu.
As a Chief Minister, MGR showed keen interest in education and social development. He banned liquor from the state and also helped in restoring historical monuments and old temples in Tamilnadu. In 1984 he had kidney failure and his health began to worsen during the course of time. He died in 1987 at the age of 70. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1988.
Janaki Ramachandran was born in 1923 at Kerala. she became the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu after the death of MGR. She was in the office as Chief Minister for a short span of 24 days. During this time AIADMK was split into Janaki and Jayalalitha faction. She contested the Tamilnadu assembly election in 1989 and lost it badly. she merged her party with Jayalalitha party and later informed she is quitting politics. From then on she quit politics and was not actively involved in it. She died in 1996 at the age of 73 due to cardiac arrest.
Jayalalitha affectionately called as puratchi Thalaivi by her political members was born in 1948 in Mysore, Karnataka. Her original name was Komalavalli. She had her initial schooling at Bishop Cotton Girl's High School in Bangalore. when she moved to Chennai she joined Sacred Heart Matriculation School. Her mother Sandhya is a famous film actress. Initially she wanted to become a lawyer, but circumstances forced her to become an actress in film industry. She had acted with leading actors including MGR and Sivaji Ganesan and ruled the film industry in the 1960s.
Her entry into politics came in the year 1981 when she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. She won the confidence of MGR the then Chief Minister and become his political heir. After the death of MGR the ADMK was split into but later joined in 1989. She became the leader of the opposition in the 1989 Assembly election. In 1991 she joined hands with the Indian National Congress and won the election comprehensively beating the DMK. She got the distinction of first elected women Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. In 1996 she lost power to DMK due to corruption charges. However the corruption charges proved to be false and she came back to power again in 2001 Assembly elections.
In 2006 DMK joined Indian National Congress and came back to power in Tamilnadu. She had asked O. Pannerselvam to be the leader of opposition from 2006 to 2011. In the year 2011 she once again came back to power by emerging as the single largest party in Tamilnadu. Thus she became the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu for the third time.
|Author: venkata Kumar 22 Jul 2011||Member Level: Gold Points : 1|
Really very nice article about the chief ministers of Tamilnadu. You covered almost the history of cheif ministers.
|Author: sudhan 20 Oct 2011||Member Level: Gold Points : 1|
It is really an awesome collection made by you to state the various leaders of our state along with some information of the same. I had eagerly waiting to get the collection of various chief minister of our state and think it is very useful for me.
|Author: Jerold merjilla 21 Oct 2011||Member Level: Gold Points : 1|
|Hi Rajesh sir,|
Its a good article which gives me some ideas on posting resources in tamil spider. As I am new to this Tamil Spider i was tumbling what to write and how to write. this is article is one of the highly paid article as far as my view goes. It gives me the real hope to write the articles like this.
as I am new I am not familiar with writing articles and selecting the correct topic that are in grand demand. is there is any tips for me on selecting the good topics ?
|Author: Gopi 07 Nov 2011||Member Level: Bronze Points : 0|
|Nice article with good information.congrats|
|Author: Savithree 26 May 2012||Member Level: Bronze Points : 0|
|it will indeed be very much useful to the future generation for knowing thoroughly about the list of CMs of Tamil Nadu|
|Author: SNEHITHI 11 Jun 2012||Member Level: Bronze Points : 0|
very good article about tamilnadu chief ministers, i think u forgot our O.Pannerselvam he was our chief minister during 2001-2002. | <urn:uuid:5ee6a229-3126-42e7-a892-926bd28004a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tamilspider.com/resources/7218-complete-list-details-chief-ministers-tamilnadu.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98735 | 3,721 | 2.75 | 3 |
cuidam hosti is dative because of the verb ademerat. This use of the dative, if you're concerned with labeling things, might be called the Dative of Separation. The Dative of Separation will often go along with a verb that indicates something along the lines of "to remove from (somebody), to take away from (somebody)." The (somebody) in these cases are put into the dative. Also of note, these verbs are frequently compounds with ab, de, ex, and a few of ad, such as ademerat.
See A&G 381 ("Dative of Separation") for more details. | <urn:uuid:c51ec46f-3a3e-432b-bce6-3378785e056f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.textkit.com/greek-latin-forum/viewtopic.php?p=152843 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966954 | 138 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Menopause and the Heart
Menopause is about more than hot flashes and mood swings. Studies show that a woman's risk of
heart disease increases dramatically around the time of menopause. The reasons include hormonal changes as well as the aging process.
Estrogen Levels Drop
As you hit menopause, usually around age 50, estrogen levels drop significantly. Estrogen is believed to protect your heart.
In addition, weight gain is also a factor in increasing the risk of heart disease after menopause. Maintaining a healthy weight can become challenging after your body goes through the hormonal changes associated with menopause. Extra weight is often associated with
high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, all of which are known to significantly increase your risk of suffering a
heart attack and/or
Changes in Cholesterol Levels
Studies also show that menopause causes changes in the levels of cholesterol in your blood. LDL or "bad" cholesterol particles increase while HDL, or "good" cholesterol, decreases. This is believed to be due to a direct result of estrogen deficiency.
Risk Rises After 50
Disease Rates Soar
All of these factors result in heart disease rates soaring among women over the age of 50. In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of American women and is responsible for half of all deaths of women over 50.
One in Three
Prior to entering menopause, a woman's risk of heart attack is three times less than in men. By the time a woman reaches age 65, the risk of heart attack equals that of men. At this point, one in three women will also develop some form of cardiovascular disease.
Women at Risk
"Unfortunately, many women do not think of themselves at risk of developing heart disease, " said
Dr. Loryn Feinberg, director of the
Women's Cardiovascular Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Mortality Rate is Higher
Impact of Age and Other Problems
"While cardiovascular diseases are more prevalent in younger men compared to younger women, by age 65, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease begins to be higher in women," she said. "The mortality rate of women with cardiovascular disease is also higher than that of men, which appears to be related to a combination of women's other medical problems and the older age at which the cardiovascular problems appear."
The fact that many women don't believe they are at risk for heart disease can be dangerous as it may result in delays in getting treatment, she noted. | <urn:uuid:81908f99-ac47-4088-8edb-fae61f4592c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bidmc.org/CentersandDepartments/Departments/Medicine/Divisions/CardiovascularMedicine/DiseasesandConditions/WomensCardiovascularDisease/MenopauseandtheHeart.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952713 | 518 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Presenting Web video using HTML5 technology has a few obvious advantages. The one that comes most easily to mind is cross-device compatibility. As long as Apple refuses to support Flash on its smartphones and tablets (read: indefinitely), anybody who sticks with that format for Web video is going to be missing out on a serious number of eyeballs.
Using HTML5 for video also satisfies that little open Web standards advocate in all of us. In addition to all that, it enables a new level of interactivity and allows video content to be integrated with, and enhanced by, outside data sources using APIs.
For evidence of this new phenomenon, look no further than Popcorn, Mozilla's media framework for HTML5. It just launched version 1.0 a few days ago, which happened to coincide with the debut of a new animated Web documentary that utilizes the framework.
As an example of what this technology can do, scenes in One Millionth Tower can reflect the current weather in Toronto, where the film is based, thanks to Popcorn's ability to integrate with live data from Yahoo's Weather API.
It can also be used to grab data from the likes of Flickr, Wikipedia, Google Maps and other popular Web services, allowing the video to be augmented with relevant Web content at timely intervals throughout the video.
The possibilities are only as limited as the Web itself. The Popcorn website has a collection of live demos that show how the framework has been used to enhance Web video and audio content.
We got one of our our first glances at the possibilities HTML5 brings to interactive Web video last summer when Google launched a browser-based music video for the band Arcade Fire. That "Chrome Experiment" as they called it utilized the 3D graphics rendering capability of HTML5, along with the ability to commandeer multiple browser widows at a time.
One Millionth Tower can be watched in most modern browsers, but the interactive portion of the project requires Firefox or Chrome. | <urn:uuid:859ca87d-fdb7-4315-a806-c4a3d024caaf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://readwrite.com/2011/11/07/mozilla_html5_framework_popcorn_web_video | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919751 | 399 | 2.453125 | 2 |
S. Somasegar is the corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft. Learn more about Somasegar.
Today, I’m excited to announce that Visual Studio 11 Beta and .NET 4.5 Beta will be available in just a few days, on February 29th, 2012. These releases will be “go live,” meaning they will enable usage in production environments.
There are a number of industry trends that have significantly influenced the investments we’ve made in Visual Studio 11 and .NET 4.5, and even the engineering processes we’ve used to bring this software to light.
Historically, the Developer Division at Microsoft focused entirely on the “professional developer,” on the approximately 10 million people that built software as their primary vocation. Over the last few years, however, the software development landscape has significantly changed. What used to be 10 million developers is now upwards of 100 million, spanning not only “professional developers,” but also students, entrepreneurs, and in general people who want to build an app and put it up on an app store. From professionals to hobbyists, developers today build applications that span from the business world to the consumer world, and that run on a wide range of client and server platforms and devices.
Not coincidentally, we’ve also seen a monumental growth in the use of devices. Many of us now have one or more devices with us at any point in time, whether it’s a phone, a tablet, a laptop, or any number of other form factors. We expect these devices to provide us with natural modes of interaction, like touch and speech. We need them to provide us with up-to-date views on our virtual world, with our data syncing seamlessly. To enable that flow of information, we see more and more devices connecting up to continuous services living in the “cloud.” Further, these devices and the apps they run are no longer just for our use at home or work, but rather span all of our worlds, wherever we may be. In this light, we’ve started to witness the “consumerization of IT.”
As developers, this proliferation of connected devices and continuous services has had a profound impact on the kinds of solutions we build and deploy. More than ever we think about architecting our applications in a service-oriented manner, and more than ever we think about how consumer-like experiences should permeate even the most routine of business applications.
In addition to shifts in application patterns, the rising number of developers building apps, the ubiquity of devices running them, and the momentum of apps moving to the cloud, we’ve also seen changes in how these apps are envisioned, delivered, and managed. The online social experiences that we’ve come to rely on for fellowship in our personal lives now also find their way into our work lives. The fast-paced nature of the modern software era has necessitated more rapid ship cycles, with frequent servicing updates, and tools for collaboration and communication have become crucial. Furthermore, this has led to a rise in agile software development practices, and an increased importance of the “DevOps” cycle.
It’s with these and other trends as a backdrop that we set out to build Visual Studio 11 and .NET 4.5 and that have guided them to their pending beta releases.
All developers, from professionals to non-professionals, need great tools to create modern consumer and business applications that delight users and that span from client to cloud. Towards that end, I’m thrilled at the depth of alignment we’ve had in the development of Visual Studio 11 and Windows 8, which have been engineered together with these goals in mind. The effect is obvious: Visual Studio 11 provides a best-in-class experience for developing apps for Windows. We’ve applied the same level of thoughtfulness across all Microsoft platforms, so whether your app runs on Windows, Windows Phone, Windows Server, or Windows Azure, Visual Studio 11 and .NET 4.5 enable you to transform your ideas for those applications into reality.
Being able to build such applications productively is a key piece of what Visual Studio 11 and .NET 4.5 deliver. Whether you spend your work days building enterprise software, or your spare time building the next great breakthrough app, it’s crucial that you make the most of your time spent. Visual Studio 11 combines a simplified development environment with high-productivity features to help you to maximize your time investment. These productivity enhancements go beyond the IDE, and extend through the languages, libraries, and runtimes on which your software relies.
Building software is also often a social experience, and an individual developer’s productivity is impacted by the efficiency of the team. With Visual Studio 11, we enable everyone, from the product owner to the designer to the developer to the tester to the customer, to be empowered to create and release high-quality software and services. These collaboration and agility needs extend from the largest of teams down to the smallest. Team Foundation Server Express, which is free to individuals and to teams of up to 5 users, provides an easy way for those small teams to start embarking on the DevOps cycle.
On to Beta
To learn more about the Visual Studio 11 Beta and .NET 4.5 Beta news we announced today, please see Jason Zander’s blog. And as always, I look forward to your feedback as we release the Beta next week. | <urn:uuid:e0862403-bc21-4a3f-aabb-38719541df15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.msdn.com/b/somasegar/archive/2012/02/23/the-road-to-visual-studio-11-beta-and-net-4-5-beta.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939119 | 1,136 | 1.507813 | 2 |
You want the rich to "pay their fair share", but won't define what it is. You want them to pay more than they do now, but won't even hint at how much more.
As I said, it's not a solid number but depends upon a host of economic factors I don't want to take the time to discuss in length here.
Furthermore, you haven't shown how taking more from the "rich" will help the economy, especially since those people are generally the ones who create and provide the jobs in the first place.
For every tax dollar collected from the rich, you reduce the tax by the same amount for the lower (and possibly middle) class. That's how it helps the economy - the lower and middle classes have more of their money to spend. Since consumer spending makes the economy go, this should help things at least somewhat.
You seem to assume, based on the bulk of your posts, that there is only one solution to help the needy - government programs. That simply isn't true.
You're assuming that I assume this when it isn't the case at all. Please stop trying to read things into my posts that I don't actually say, because you'll be wrong when you do.
I'm aware there are other ways to help the needy, but I see the absolute benefit of government programs to do it as well.
Lastly, you fail to demonstrate that government has any moral authority to coerce anyone to help their neighbor.
The government helps people itself. It doesn't need to coerce anyone to do it (though they should do it if they consider themselves to be any kind of decent human being).
As for constitutionally necessary programs, I believe the rich should pay more of the burden (they do already). Those at the bottom should pay less (they already pay next to nothing).
Wow. I'm shocked at how easily you generalize the situation.
The rich don't usually pay more than the rest of society. They use tax loop holes, deductions, hiding money offshore or other places, and a host of strategies to pay the same or even lower rates than those who make much less. Look at Mitt Romney's 14 percent rate, lower than that of many middle class Americans, and you can see that the rich most certainly DO NOT pay more than others.
As for saying "they already pay next to nothing" for the lower class, this is absolutely FALSE. If you have a job which makes, say, $20,000 per year, someone is in the lower 20 percent of income earners in the country. It may be a full time job with benefits but just doesn't pay as much. Yet that person will still be slated to pay far more than "next to nothing" in income taxes. The exact number will be specific to the person's situation, but it won't be anywhere close to nothing, and in some cases may actually exceed the 14 percent Romney pays, which is absolutely ridiculous.
What percentage of wealthy individuals (as defined by our fearless leaders) are thos who did not work for it? What percentage don't "deserve it"? Why wouldn't they "deserve it"?
I would say a large percentage of the wealthy do not work for it or earn it. A specific percentage would require an extensive study, and even then might not be able to be obtained.
As for why people wouldn't deserve it, in my opinion you need to be responsible with money to deserve to have it. While you should be able to spend a certain portion on yourself, an individual only needs so much money to live and be comfortable. I'm not sure what the exact amount would be, but I do know that when I see people with ridiculous mansions, tons of sports cars, etc they do not deserve that money in my opinion because they're spending it selfishly. I sit and imagine how many horrible diseases could be cured or how many people could be fed or housed or whatever if only those with that money spent it on the good of everyone instead of on selfish things they don't need.
By the way, the paragraph directly above is my personal opinion and is not up for debate. I will not change how I feel on that so you'll be wasting your time anyway.
They are free to ignore those in need if they wish. [Hint: a vast majority of those don't wish to ignore the needy].
Actually, they do largely ignore the needy. Most of them give a small amount (relative to the amount they have) and use it to tell themselves how great they are.
As I said above, if you have a huge house and sports cars and other fancy things, you should be giving a lot more to help others and spending a lot less on those things.
A flat tax on all earnings (no loopholes) would be an example of how a THINKING preference would handle taxes.
A flat tax favors the wealthy unless it's a flat percentage based tax, because if the tax is say $1000, a guy with $5 million is paying far less percentage wise than someone who only has $100,000. That's just simple mathematics.
A graduated tax system where the rich pay proportionately more would be an example of how a FEELING preference would handle taxes.
I can't disagree with this more.
It's a logical deduction that those who earn more should pay more. That's what income taxes are all about. There is no "feeling" involved at all - it's pure, simple logic.
It's simple: Those who make more pay more. Those who make less pay less. All based on logic. No feeling. That's as simple as I can put it to you. If you don't get it from that, you simply don't understand logic at all. | <urn:uuid:4e16953c-67d4-49d1-bb51-42f4970393b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.whatifsports.com/forums/Posts.aspx?ForumID=530&TopicID=461388&ThreadID=10037575 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977819 | 1,189 | 1.695313 | 2 |
An adult macroconch has:
An adult microconch has similar characteristics to that of a macroconch but variations include:
Ammonoids were a successful and diverse marine group that originated from bactritid nautiloids.
Their closest living relatives are the coleoids (cuttlefish, squids and octopuses), as well as bearing a very close resemblance to the modern nautilus.
The earliest Hildoceratinae evolved from a Tenuicostatum Zone species of Protogrammoceras, and the genera Hildaites followed by Hildoceras became common throughout the Falciferum and Bifrons Zones.
Hildoceras bifrons shares some similarities with Hildoceras lusitanicum and Hildoceras laticosta but can easily be distinguished by its marked spiral groove.
Hilderoceras semipolitum is also similar but differs in being more involute, smoother and with reduced ribs.
Nekton is a free-swimming animals
Evolute and involute are geometrical terms relating to the shape of a curve
Lappets are spoon shaped extensions from the margin of the aperture
Arcuate is curved
Striae are fine lines of ornament
Ventro-lateral keels are ridges (keels) located on the sides of the venter
Tricarinate and bisulcate are two grooves separating the has three ridges (keels)of the venter.
Venter is the shell edge around the circumference | <urn:uuid:523ccbfd-852a-41de-b22e-2be9ce7050f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/evolution/hildoceras-bifrons/taxonomy/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930223 | 334 | 3.1875 | 3 |
FW/SM's host was Framework IV, a DOS-based integrated personal productivity package outstanding in its day but now dated. At the time of this writing, an implementation in the spirit of FW/SM would likely choose as its host an integrated software suite such as Microsoft Office Professional, which offers spreadsheet, word processing, presentation graphics, SQL database access and management, electronic mail services, and more under Windows. There is good user interface consistency and strong interprocess communication capabilities through dynamic data exchange, object linking and embedding, and other standards set forth in Microsoft's Windows Open Services Architecture. Excellent development tools are available, as are many compatible programs by vendors active in the Windows market.
No comprehensive implementation hosted by an integrated software suite exists today, although the GESCOPP project made progress in this direction.
Another attractive host is a good relational database management system (RDBMS). There are three major structured modeling implementations of this sort (see also the proposal by Dolk [1988a]). One, Lenard's ORACLE-based system for simulation, already has been mentioned.
The second is DAMS (Decision and Algebraic Management System), built on top of Quadbase/SQL and the POET object-oriented DBMS; see Ramirez . DAMS is accessed through sublanguages collectively called SM/DB; one based on structured modeling provides model definition and manipulation, and SQL serves as the data sublanguage. Access can be interactive or from a programming language such as C++. "Mappings" allow multiple models to share tables containing instance data.
The third is an elaborate system catering to statistical databases called OR/SM (ORACLE/Structured Modeling); see Wright et al. . The subject of a doctoral dissertation (Worobetz ), OR/SM was implemented in C, with ORACLE (including SQL*Forms, SQL*Menu, and SQL*Plus) as the host system. Models are composed in Microsoft Word using SML extended to include vector-valued generic rules, with parts of level 4 SML omitted and with minor modifications to exploit SQL's potential for efficient evaluation and retrieval. The schema and data are input through user interaction within a completely menu-driven system. Statistical data analysis, also menu-driven, is carried out via a largely transparent PC-SAS interface, and a SAS/OR interface handles optimization models. OR/SM is extensively documented (Kang et al. ), and has been used successfully by many students.
See also the RDBMS-based implementation of Heavey and Brown , which incorporates two SML extensions and was applied to queueing network models in manufacturing.
An intriguing advantage of building a structured modeling environment on top of a RDBMS is the possibility of using its query engine to carry out the evaluation operation, that is, for evaluating function and test element values. This operation, in the extended sense that includes computing explicit index sets whose populations are given by formula, is a crucial operation in computer-based modeling environments having algebraic executable modeling languages (EMLs). It is needed to answer even the simplest user requests for basic computations on models, and also for such purposes as loader/editors that understand model structure, model debuggers, solver interfaces, functional style query languages, and report writers.
Although every structured modeling implementation that chooses a RDBMS host makes extensive use of the query engine, none yet does so in a way that fully exploits the potential efficiency for evaluation inherent in the elaborate query optimization implemented by such engines. Neustadter points the way to changing that, not only for structured modeling environments, but also for modeling environments that choose algebraic EMLs other than SML. She defines a generic data model that is representative of algebraic EMLs, defines a compatible extended relational data model, and views EML expression evaluation as queries over data tables associated with this extended relational model. From this viewpoint she develops and proves correct an expression translation algorithm from the first data model to the second that eventually should enable evaluation to be carried out efficiently for large models through incremental and optimally organized computations much as in RDBMS query optimization. She checks the framework in detail for applicability to two contemporary EMLs, namely AMPL and SML. See also Lin for a related approach.
Useful as they are, relational DBMSs nevertheless have their limitations as modeling environment hosts. These limitations have been studied by Desai for extensible database systems and by Huh for object-oriented database systems. Each examines in detail the potential of these new types of database systems as hosts for a modeling environment that supports algebraic modeling languages such as SML.
Desai formalizes the essence of what it means for a database system to be "extensible" and develops a suitable data model within this formalization consisting of data structures, operators, and structural constraints. She gives attention to data access strategies for good performance and to version management, and reports on a partial implementation using the experimental system EXODUS. She also gives a comparison of extensible versus object-oriented database systems as platforms for modeling environments.
Huh's concern is with object-oriented modeling environments that simultaneously support multiple algebraic modeling languages. In particular, AMPL, GAMS, and SML are considered in detail. In addition to models in the traditional sense, defined in an object-oriented version of the input-output style of the systems approach, Huh also postulates "functional models" that encapsulate solver functionality. He has completed a prototype implementation using C++ and ObjectStore on a Sun-4. Huh , Huh and Chung and Huh, Kim and Chung describe related ObjectStore prototypes incorporating SM.
See also the work of Davis, Srinivasan and Sundaram , on implementing structured modeling using the object-relational DBMS Illustra, the commercial version of POSTGRES. The work of Ruark , also object-oriented, is promising in a different way.
Thus, it is clear that a variety of attractive host software platforms are available to implementors of new structured modeling environments. Much could be done to adapt and exploit their potential.
Language-directed editors are possible not only for text-based languages, but for other types as well. For example, see Jones , Chari and Sen , , Hamacher , and Yeo in the context of graphical languages for SM. Such editors deserve further development, as they are one of the keys to broader acceptance of modeling tools.
The starting point is to recognize that the type of customization required to move from one application of a given kind to another of the same kind is quite different from the type of customization required to move to a different kind of application. The difference is that the first type of customization involves only what might be called the model's "surface" structure, whereas the second involves what might be called "core" structure. A model's core structure is whatever aspects of its mathematical structure truly impact a particular optimizer's ability to solve it; everything else is surface structure.
This distinction can be clarified by a familiar example, namely the classical transportation model. In its usual simple form, this model consists almost entirely of core structure. But if embellished with new model features that use additional data to calculate the capacities of the origins, the demands of the destinations, and the magnitudes of the unit shipment costs (perhaps as weighted averages of different freight rates), then all of the new features would be surface structure.
It turns out that surface structure can be customized relatively easily with modeling language-based tools, while this is much less true for core structure modification at the present state of the art. Consequently, I propose a new way to build specialized application packages when execution efficiency is an issue and customized variants are of interest.
In particular, I propose that the interface to the optimizer should be hand crafted for efficiency in such a way that it presumes knowledge of core structure but not knowledge of surface structure. I further propose using SML (or some other model definition language for structured modeling) to describe surface structure, so that SML-based tools can be used to provide many of the functionalities needed for the application at hand. Many such tools are a part of the UCLA prototype FW/SM, as described in Geoffrion .
If this implementation strategy works as intended, then it should be much easier than usual to improve a given application over time as opportunities to improve surface structure become evident (as they always do) and as changes are mandated by external events. It should also be much easier than usual to create new but similar (i.e., same core structure) applications, because the labor-intensive part of the implementation need not be redone.
In both cases, the advantage of this strategy is that it helps to fulfill this dictum of a good implementation: The most volatile aspects of a model should be the easiest to change. [In order of diminishing volatility, the components of a model may be taken as (1) data values, (2) index set contents, (3) surface structure, and (4) core structure. Proper use of database technology can render (1) and (2) easy to change, and the point of the proposed strategy is to make (3) easy to change also.] Moreover, one of the larger difficulties with most of today's modeling languages for mathematical programming will be neatly skirted, namely their inability to automate properly the model/solver interface when special model structure needs to be exploited for efficiency's sake. Finally, one may hope that this strategy will improve the application economics of the many highly specialized algorithms that populate the journals, to the extent that some will become viable in practice for the first time.
Appendix A of Geoffrion [1992b] further clarifies the distinction between core and surface structure, and gives additional details on this implementation strategy. There are many ways in which research and development efforts could be based on this strategy. One such is described by Gazmuri, Maturana, and coworkers in Chile (see and the more recent references cited therein), whose large project is trying out these ideas together with others in the context of real production and distribution applications in manufacturing. There is also a similar but smaller sponsored project involving some of the same people.
Our discussion of this topic has been limited to models where the key solver is an optimizer, but the strategy suggested here should be just as applicable to other kinds of solvers. | <urn:uuid:4c5b2cdb-f181-4cf6-b790-a9003c687c64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty/art.geoffrion/home/csts/csts5.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933866 | 2,140 | 2 | 2 |
How much do you know about credit?
Become a savvy financial consumer! Learn a little bit more before you sign on the dotted line.
Take co-signers, for example. You've probably heard the term.
Someday a loan officer may ask you to find one—or a friend may ask you to be one.A co-signer is like insurance for the lender.
Let's say you're the one who needs a co-signer for a loan. A co-signer is someone other than you who signs the loan note. The co-signer agrees to repay the loan if you fail to repay as promised.
Co-signers are jointly liable for loans, which means that the lender can look to them for payment. Credit card companies sometimes require co-signers, too.
When do you need a co-signer?
Credit unions and other lenders ask for co-signers for several reasons.
- Age. Individuals under 18 years of age who are granted credit can't legally be held responsible for unpaid debt. Since lender can't prosecute minors, they're extremely cautious about approving credit.
No credit history. If you're a first-time borrower, you probably don't have much credit history. Your lender will check for a credit history to help determine if you're reliable and diligent about making payments on time.
Poor credit history. You may not feel unreliable, but experience tells lenders that loan applicants who have failed to make payments as promised in the past aren't reliable.
It's all about risk
Lenders are constantly aware of risk, or potential loss if the borrower doesn't repay. All loans carry a certain amount of risk, so lenders look at four primary considerations that affect their decisions to approve or decline a loan.
These primary considerations are called the 4 Cs of credit:
- Capacity— your ability to repay the loan.
- Character— your ability to follow through on commitments.
- Collateral— something of value that you'll lose if you fail to repay the loan.
- Capital— your assets, which is what you own or are worth.
If a lender is uncomfortable with one or more of an applicant's four Cs, the next step is to ask for a co-signer.
Who could co-sign for you?
Start the search at home. Most parents co-sign for their teenager's first credit application.
However, anyone—friend, relative, co-worker—can co-sign for you. That is, of course, if that person is 18 or older, has a good credit history, and wants to do it!
Your co-signer doesn't relieve you of your responsibility to pay back the loan as promised. If you don't, it'll affect your credit rating and that of your co-signer's.
That could be harmful to your relationship. If your co-signer has to pay off your loan, she isn't going to be very happy with you.
Should you be a co-signer?
One day, a friend may ask you to co-sign a loan.
Now you know why you need to consider the request very carefully.
Your money and your credit history will be on the line! | <urn:uuid:de0873e0-4369-44c8-bb06-26a97551c0af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://googolplex.cuna.org/20258/cnote/article.php?doc_id=2098&p=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975083 | 673 | 2.171875 | 2 |
American banks will reportedly face a massive cyberattack in coming weeks. A Russian-speaking hacker is organizing a massive trojan attack based around fraudulent wire transfers--and American banks appear to be at the center of the raid. Mor Ahuvia of security firm RSA reports that botmasters are now being recruited for the complicated attack, which functions almost like a criminal startup. Prior versions of the trojan to be used in the planned heist has already been used to siphon more than $5 million from U.S. bank accounts since 2008.
The cybercriminal at the center of the project, “vorVzakone,” (or Thief-in-Law in Russian), is recruiting participants through Underweb forums. Botmasters who agree to participate in the project will receive a share of profits in exchange for participation. U.S. banks were allegedly chosen (as Ahuvia puts it) for “anti-American motives,” but domestic banks also have a gaping security hole. The vorVzakone team is planning to flood American banks with fraudulent wire transfers. While banks in Europe require two-factor authentication for wire transfers, American banks do only in rare circumstances.
Security researcher Brian Krebs reports that the cyberattack will allegedly ingeniously distract American victims. Account holders' phone lines will be flooded, preventing them from receiving confirmation calls or text messages from their banks while their accounts are siphoned. According to a screenshot acquired by Krebs, account holders at major American financial institutions such as TD Ameritrade, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, PNC Bank, and Wells Fargo are at risk.
This being 2012, vorVzakone even made a video clip to show how victims' phone lines will be flooded via Skype.
For Russian speakers, vorVzakone even made a YouTube clip explaining much of his scheme.
Kaspersky Labs' ThreatPost blog notes that the Russian attack, which is called “Project Blitzkrieg,” comes fresh on the heels of sustained DDoS attacks on American banks. VorVzakone's team claims to use a proprietary trojan called Gozi Prinimalka, which will complete fraudulent wire transfers through manual session-hijacking scenarios.
There are several anomalous factors surrounding the threatened bank trojan attack. It is highly unusual for cybercriminals such as vorVzakone to make self-promoting YouTube videos and to post help-wanted ads for accomplices online, and it is equally unusual for prominent firms such as RSA to go public before an attack actually takes place. One thing is for sure: The security breaches that the Russian hackers claim they will exploit exist in America--but not in the European Union, where more stringent regulations exist.
[Image: Vault Door via Shutterstock] | <urn:uuid:ded97865-adb9-47da-ab46-2c863680435e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fastcompany.com/3001983/new-cyberattack-threatens-american-banks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936245 | 579 | 1.8125 | 2 |
I have posted a few sample lessons that I believe are a good representation of the Faith Foundations curriculum. If you want to see other lessons, or have a specific question, feel free to contact me. They are posted in PDF format. If you aren't able to open the files, please go to Adobe.com and download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
After learning about Cain and Abel, students discuss family trees and start a display of family trees that will be added to as the year goes on. Next, they play a game to review the Cain and Abel story. The lesson ends with a letter game that brings out the Bible Truth: We should do our best for God, not to get the praise of man, but because we love God and want to please Him.
Note: All pages were originally made in Wordperfect. The Wordperfect file, viewed in Wordperfect, is the most accurate representation of the printed curriculum. The PDF files are scanned pages that were enhanced after they had been printed out from a Wordperfect file. This is usually because there were images hand-drawn and then taken to the printer to be put on that page. | <urn:uuid:0ad60645-053a-4310-8fa9-dd841ceb70d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://faithfoundations.net/sample.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969908 | 233 | 2.21875 | 2 |
McDonald's to raise prices in 2011
Oct 25th 2010 1:00PM
Updated Oct 26th 2010 11:53AM
McDonald's Corp. plans to raise prices in 2011 in anticipation of higher commodity costs and a hope that an improving economy will mean diners returning to fast-food restaurants instead of cooking at home.
The company projects that commodity costs will rise 2-3% in 2011, Chief Financial Officer Peter Bensen said last week in a conference call and quoted by Chicago Breaking Business. "We'll actively look at the opportunities and with some optimism, the economy will get stronger next year and we'll get price increases," Bensen said.
Instead of raising prices, another chain, Carl's Jr,. recently changed the cut of its fries from thick to shoestring to save money, said Beth Mansfield, a spokeswoman for Carl's Jr. and Hardees restaurants, in an e-mail exchange with WalletPop. The change comes about a year after it introduced its thick-cut fries.
Potato prices have already risen, and everything from beef to bacon futures are expected to hit some of the highest levels in several years, Mansfield said.
McDonald's reported that third-quarter profits were up 10%, although overall the industry has had a tough time. In 2009, the restaurant industry posted its worst year in a generation. Restaurants such as McDonald's fear "the refrigerator," or grocery store, as more people buy groceries to cook at home and save money.
Consumers who stop at a grocery store on the way home for dinner are less likely to make another stop at a restaurant for a take-out dinner, Ron Paul, president of Chicago-based Technomic, told the Chicago Tribune.
"Let's say it's dinner time, and you've got to stop at the grocery store anyway," Paul said. "You're not going to pick up a burger and fries, but you can pick something up," such as lasagna or pizza.
McDonald's prices are low enough to cheaply feed a family, which is good for the wallet but maybe not as good for the heart, depending on which meal everyone chooses. You might be saving money, but you'll be paying for it by gaining weight. Any meal high in fat, calories and sodium isn't really a value, even if it's only a few dollars.
Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. | <urn:uuid:aab4f2e7-0947-4ec5-b0ea-3f66112f8a5b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/10/25/mcdonalds-to-raise-prices-in-2011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975285 | 497 | 1.632813 | 2 |
(1999) Directed by Tim Burton; Written by Andrew Kevin Walker; Based on the story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving; Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson and Christopher Walken; Available on DVD and Blu-ray.
When I learned that Page at the wonderfully nostalgic blog MyLove of Old Hollywood was hosting this first-ever Horseathon, I jumped at the chance to participate (Many thanks to Page for graciously allowing me to join the festivities!). It didn’t take long for me to decide that my only choice would be Tim Burton’s retelling of Washington Irving’s classic tale about the Headless Horseman.
Tim Burton has received a bad rap lately. It’s almost become fashionable to bash Burton for his predictable casting decisions, and recycling the same tired themes and visuals over and over (case in point, the abysmal Alice in Wonderland). Dwelling on his most recent efforts, however, has made it easy to forget that he created some of the most consistently distinctive and deliciously idiosyncratic mainstream Hollywood films of the 80s and 90s (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood). By now, it’s become something of a cliché to expect Johnny Depp to appear in a Tim Burton movie, but when Sleepy Hollow was released in 1999, it had only been their third collaboration.
Sleepy Hollow was based very loosely on Washington Irving’s 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It’s clear that Burton and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker intended to utilize the source material as a springboard rather than a template. Johnny Depp hardly matches Irving’s original description of Ichabod Crane as a tall, gangly schoolmaster (refer to the Disney animated version for a more faithful interpretation). Likewise, Crane’s profession has been revised from teacher to an eccentric police inspector who’s afraid of his own shadow. Irving’s simple ghost story of dubious veracity (according to the original tale’s narrator) has been transformed to a full-blown mystery with supernatural overtones. In Burton’s insightful DVD commentary he described his movie as a “Scooby Doo mystery.”
Depp strikes the right notes as consummate skeptic Crane. He’s tasked by an imposing New York burgomaster (in a cameo by the incomparable Christopher Lee*) to investigate a series of strange murders in the rural town of Sleepy Hollow. He tries to solve the mystery with dispassionate objectivity and a scientific eye, although his timid nature keeps getting the better of him. Depp adds some amusing comic flourishes, including an unfortunate tendency to faint and awkwardness on his trusty steed Gunpowder**, to the otherwise somber proceedings. As he gets closer to the answers, he’s forced to reassess his strict adherence to reason, and accept that rumors of a spectral horseman are more than just delusions.
* Fun fact: Although Christopher Lee and Michael Gough (as Notary Hardenbrook) never shared any screen time in Sleepy Hollow, it served as a reunion of sorts for the two actors, who worked together on Hammer’s The Horror of Dracula 41 years earlier.
** Fun fact number two: In an interesting side story, the real-life horse that portrayed Crane’s horse Gunpowder (real name Goldeneye) was supposed to be euthanized, but Depp decidedto adopt it.
Christopher Walken has a commanding presence as the Headless Horseman, a Hessian soldier who met a nasty demise but refuses to stay dead. Except for a few well-placed shouts, Walken never utters a word but communicates through facial expressions and movement. His maniacal appearance, augmented by pasty complexion, wild hair and sharp teeth, completes the portrait of a horseman straight out of hell. Burton likened Walken’s performance to a silent film star, which seems to be a fair comparison. The Horseman’s face does bear at least a passing resemblance to Lon Chaney in the famous lost silent flick London After Midnight. It’s a testament to Walken’s acting ability that he manages to pull off the illusion of confidence on horseback, despite being completely inexperienced with riding prior to this film. He brings some nice touches to what could have been a one-note performance by less talented performers. When he’s not mercilessly chopping off heads, he has a surprisingly soft spot for his trusty horse (proving, perhaps, that he couldn’t be all bad).
Sleepy Hollow proudly wears its influences on its sleeve. Burton consciously created a loving homage to the classic horror films of yesteryear, from the casting of Christopher Lee to the many touches that have become synonymous with Hammer films: splashes of blood, gothic melodrama and heaving bosoms. Burton also acknowledged how he was influenced by other classic horror films, such as the 1931 Frankenstein (note the climactic showdown in the windmill), Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, and Roger Corman’s The Pit and the Pendulum. Danny Elfman’s dramatic score, a throwback to decades past, complements the darkly romantic atmosphere of the film. The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki sets the gothic tone perfectly, with mostly muted grays and browns, contrasted by vivid splashes of blood red.
Speaking of blood, the top notch practical effects work by Kevin Yagher deserve special mention. I can’t recall another movie where severed heads looked so lifelike (take that as you will). Reportedly, the fake heads looked so good that they disturbed several of the actors whose characters fell victim to the Horseman, except for Michael Gambon (as Baltus Van Tassel), who once commented that he wanted to keep his head and send it off on auditions.
Sleepy Hollow is a moody, atmospheric take on a classic Halloween tale that’s also an ideal match for Tim Burton’s gothic sensibilities. If you can get past the fact that it’s not an accurate retelling of Irving’s original story you’ll have a good time. It achieves a rare balance between horrifying and fun, and pays respect to its numerous influences while never losing sight of its own identity. | <urn:uuid:88c4a17c-10ed-4777-b6b2-46e9463235b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2012/05/once-over-twice-sleepy-hollow.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942985 | 1,347 | 1.65625 | 2 |
February 08, 2012
We hear it all the time-”Drink more water!” “Stay Hydrated” But WHY? I am so excited to have a guest post by Crystal Springs of Alabama on this topic. Read on…
It all boils down to one word: Dehydration. We all know that dehydration means our bodies aren’t getting the amounts of fluids they need – we’re not replenishing what we’ve used. The effects of dehydration may surprise you though, and get you to pay attention to the old “eight glass” rule.
Depending on several variables, like weight and activity level, it takes about 60 to 80 ounces of water (7.5 to 10 cups) to replace the fluid the body naturally loses in one day. Water makes each organ in your body run the way it’s supposed to. Think of water in your body as gas for your car (just, not as thick or smelly, hopefully).
The health benefits of drinking plenty of water can’t be denied. Drinking enough water each day can lead to:
Fewer headaches. Ever get a mild to moderate ache in your cranium that Tylenol just won’t fix? It could be due to a lack of water in your system. Drink up to feel better!
More energy. When you have enough water working in all the systems of your body, your body functions better and you have more energy.
Better skin. Healing blemishes or reducing wrinkles from the inside out is a natural way to look better.
Better breath. Ever been around someone with a raging case of halitosis? It’s not pleasant. Ensure your breath is at its best by drinking enough water daily.
Weight loss. Having a glass or two of water before meals can help fill your tummy with liquid volume, actually helping you eat less, according to Today. | <urn:uuid:1705a416-047f-443f-be9b-fc89806e1329> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ingredientsinc.net/tag/crystal-springs-of-alabama-water/ | 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 | 0.938626 | 400 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Generally, with names in the Western world that consist of a given name ("first name") and a surname, the surname is used for formal occasions, and the given name is used only in cases of familiarity. Thus in your sentence you'd say "Out of this contract, Whitney developed…".
You would use "Eli" only if you wanted it to appear informal and suggest that you were on a "first-name basis" with Mr. Whitney — knew him intimately — and possibly so was your audience. (E.g. you'd use it if you were toasting your friend "Eli" among an audience of his friends.)
Incidentally, when talking to people, there's a greater assumption of familiarity—you can use the given name in more occasions—in America than in Europe (and in younger people than in older), where using the given name indiscriminately can cause offence or irritate. In general, it's always safe to use the surname, until you're asked to use the given name.
[Caveat: These naming conventions, however, are far from universal. In China, for instance, it's customary to put the surname/family name first, and the given name later. It's the same way in some European countries, I think. Also, many Indian (especially South Indian) names do not have a surname, and consist of just a (given) name followed or preceded by an initial letter (or two) that stands for the given name of one's father (and possibly a town). Some people, forced by the demands of Western convention to have a surname, expand that letter and put their father's name as their last name, in which case if you used "Mr. [last name]", you'd be addressing their father.] | <urn:uuid:5295d8d8-9616-43d6-9c9f-d80f887457b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/6773/in-a-written-work-is-it-better-to-reference-people-by-their-first-or-last-name/6779 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972233 | 364 | 2.875 | 3 |
NEW YORK: Ralph Lauren's stylish uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team, complete with a jaunty beret, have sparked a political row because the red, white and blue outfits were made in China.
With U.S. unemployment hovering just above 8 percent, politicians have spoken out against the uniforms for the London Games, which start later this month, and six Democratic senators said they plan to introduce legislation requiring the ceremonial uniforms be produced in the United States.
"At a time when too many Americans are looking for work and our manufacturers are closing factories, we need to do everything we can to keep jobs in America and not give the work of producing our iconic American uniforms for our Olympians to China," Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said in a statement announcing the measure.
The senators said they will introduce the "Team USA Made In America Act of 2012" next week.
"I call on the USOC (U.S. Olympic Committee) to do the right thing for this summer's team, and I call on my colleagues to help pass this bill to ensure we don't find ourselves in this appalling, embarrassing situation before the opening of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics," Menendez said.
The Committee said in a statement late on Friday that it was too late to change the outfits ahead of the summer games in London, but it had agreed with Ralph Lauren to make apparel for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in the United States.
"With athletes having already arrived in London, and the apparel distribution process beginning this weekend, we are unfortunately not able to make a change for London," it said.
"We are absolutely committed, however, to working with our sponsors to ensure that the concerns voiced are addressed. To that end, Ralph Lauren has agreed to domestically manufacture Team USA's apparel for Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games."
The proposal from Menendez and Frank R. Lautenberg, of New Jersey, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Sherrod Brown of Ohio would amend the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which specifies requirements and rules for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and its members.
A spokeswoman for Menendez said it would be limited to ceremonial uniforms because some athletes may require specific high-performance items for their sport uniforms that simply aren't produced in the United States.
The move follows criticism of the uniforms from both political parties on Thursday.
Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat from New York, said the issue was not just about a label, but an economic solution.
"Today there are 600,000 vacant manufacturing jobs in this country and the Olympic committee is outsourcing the manufacturing of uniforms to China? That is not just outrageous, it's just plain dumb. It is self-defeating," he said.
House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, echoed that criticism.
"You'd think they'd know better," Boehner told reporters.
The U.S. Olympic Committee defended its decision to have Lauren design the outfits and oversee the manufacturing process.
"Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the U.S. Olympic Team is privately funded and we're grateful for the support of our sponsors," spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement.
"We're proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company, and excited to watch America's finest athletes compete at the upcoming Games in London." It urged Americans to "rally around" Team USA athletes who have "dedicated their entire lives to training for this one moment."
Ralph Lauren Corp said in a statement it "promises to lead the conversation within our industry and our government to ... increase manufacturing in the United States." | <urn:uuid:0195b7bb-5655-4bb1-a21b-dabbd82676d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Olympics/2012/Jul-14/180569-made-in-china-us-olympic-uniforms-spark-political-row.ashx | 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 | 0.958853 | 764 | 1.515625 | 2 |
April 4, 2012 in Walking
TULSA – The pedestrian-friendly form-based code in Tulsa’s Pearl District is being considered for expansion at a Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) meeting scheduled for April 4 at 1:30 pm in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
Some developers oppose the plan. One major opponent includes QuikTrip, the company that wants to expand its 11th and Utica store by demolishing a portion of what is now 10th Street.
Michael Bates has an in-depth story over at Batesline on the history of how the Pearl District came to adopt the form-based code.
Neighborhoods like the Pearl District, which developed just after World War One, were treated almost as an afterthought in the zoning code and comprehensive plan, a dumping ground for whatever activities weren’t desired in the nice new parts of the city. It didn’t occur to planners of the period that some people might prefer to live, work, and play in a neighborhood convenient to downtown that was built around people rather than cars.
Read more of the Batesline article: Keeping the Promise to the Pearl District | <urn:uuid:1f95e8f6-d9c8-49f4-afee-890d135dd3b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bikewalktulsa.org/tag/tmapc/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968268 | 241 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Steve Ivy, Heritage Auctions
January 28, 2013
CEO, Heritage Auctions
Friday, February 1, 2012
Heritage Auctions CEO Steve Ivy talks with host Lee Cullum about the business of buying and selling collectibles. Ivy shares how his passion for collecting coins as a boy led to heading the third-largest auction house in the world. Also, learn how the company’s online presence dominates competitors Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
Steve Ivy started his business in 1964, at the age of 14, advertising rare coins for sale in national publications. Six years later, at the age of 20, he incorporated and opened his business in a downtown Dallas high rise. In 1982, Steve and James Halperin merged companies to form Heritage Auctions. His primary responsibilities now include management of the marketing and selling efforts of the company, the formation of corporate policy for long-term growth and corporate relations with financial institutions.
Mr. Ivy previously served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Professional Numismatists Guild; Chairman of The Industry Council for Tangible Assets; and as a Board Chair of Dallas Challenge. Mr. Ivy currently serves on the Board of the National Center for Policy Analysis, and as the Finance Chair of the Phoenix House of Texas.
Article printed from KERA: http://www.kera.org
URL to article: http://www.kera.org/2013/01/28/steve-ivy-heritage-auctions/
Copyright © 2011 KERA - Public Media for North Texas. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:fcf01148-dcde-4302-bfd4-ab8ed60a7eae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kera.org/2013/01/28/steve-ivy-heritage-auctions/print/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939452 | 328 | 1.5625 | 2 |
District Police Departments
Accounts on small lotteries
The accounts on a small lottery must be rendered without delay after the end of the event. Accounts are not, however, needed if the tickets have been sold only among persons belonging to the organization running the lottery.
The accounts of a small lottery must include
The organizer of the lottery must keep the accounts on public display for two weeks after the accounts have been completed. The accounts must be kept as prescribed in the Accounting Act (1336/1997). If the small lottery is organized by a school class or equivalent study group, an adult responsible for running the lottery is responsible for keeping the accounts on display. The accounts must be preserved for one year.
Back | Print page | <urn:uuid:544ada4c-131d-4f2e-9dc9-388860addbf2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/pages/ED7629F978E51449C2256C29002D41BB?opendocument | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942391 | 149 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Texas Featured Real Estate Market Areas and Agents
The second largest state in the U.S. by both land area and population, Texas was the 28th state and is home to around 23.5 million residents. It stretches from the southwestern region of the U.S. across to the South, and has a mix of both cultures. The state is often called the Lone Star state after its flag. The capital is Austin and the largest cities are Houston – the fourth largest city in the U.S. – and Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and El Paso. The state has a long history as the center of the U.S. cattle industry, and it is commonly associated with the cowboy image. Texas has been claimed by several different countries. Spain first held it, France had a short-lived colony, and Mexico owned the area until 1836 when Texas won its independence. It then joined the U.S. as a state in 1845. Texas is also home to rich oil reserves, which have helped to establish the state’s riches throughout the years. The first oil well was developed in 1901 and oil production here peaked in 1972 at 3 million barrels per day. The state is home to about one-quarter of the country’s known oil reserves and also leads the country in natural gas production, producing one-fourth of the supply. Texas is home to the most farms, both by number and by acres, in the country, and leads in livestock production, with cattle the top product. Sheep and goats are also raised here and with more than 1,000 miles of shores, fish is caught here as well.
The Rio Grande, Red River and Sabine River form natural state borders, with Oklahoma to the north, Louisiana and Arkansas to the east, and the Mexico to the south. There is no state income tax here, and Texas has more airports than any other state. The port of Houston is the busiest U.S. port by foreign tonnage. The state has vibrant arts and music scenes across the cities. There are two NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans; two Major League Baseball teams, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros; and three NBA teams: the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Dallas Mavericks. Texas also has the most Division I football schools in America, with 10, and college football is a huge pastime. The college system is made up of the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System, with four other state university systems and four independent public universities. There are two presidential libraries: the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum at the University of Texas, with a third, the George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University, planned. | <urn:uuid:3d4f0804-e572-4cc7-94f0-eea140831203> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.agentpreview.com/agents/featured/texas.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974207 | 569 | 1.84375 | 2 |