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The author is an expert in Oxygen Concentrator.
Mostly, an Oxygen Concentrator is used by patients who have lung problems. When a patient starts using the oxygen concentrator, he:
-no longer struggles when he is breathing.
-It prevents the patient from getting heart failure.
-The patient’s bodily functions improve.
-It boosts the immune system of the patient.
-It prevents the patient from nausea.
-It reduces the patients stay in hospital.
When buying portable oxygen concentrators, the first requirement on your list should be comfort ability of the user. It should be of good quality. One that is able to meet the needs of the user. Its battery should at least have the ability to store power for a long time. Do not mind about the price but the patient. Sometimes, the concentrator is used by people suffering from short term diseases e.g. pneumonia. Portable oxygen concentrators are not only used by patients. An active person who for example wants to run can use it to assist him in his breathing.
Advantages of portable oxygen concentrators
The portable oxygen concentrators come with many advantages.
-They are portable as the name refers (can be carried anywhere) this is unlike the traditional oxygen gas cylinders that makes one confined in one place. For the portable concentrators, you can move around anywhere with them as you continue with the daily chores.
-They are light to carry making patients or people using them have a simple time as they move around with their businesses. It is a great advantage to patients who travel a lot even by means of air.
There are some diseases that can make a patient to use portable concentrators. A disease like cystic fibrosis could be one of them among many. This disease has symptoms that are not easy to identify. Some of the early signs of cystic fibrosis are production of salty perspiration. In case of a small child, he may suffer from pneumonia and any other lung related ailments.
When buying an oxygen contractor, some factors have to be considered. If the concentrator is second hand, you need to know for how many hours the machine has operated. This is because home compressors will work appropriately for approximately 30,000 hours. You can get your concentrator from a respiratory company if you need one. Does the concentrator you want to buy have a warranty? If yes, that should do for you however, the warranty period should not have ended. | <urn:uuid:3be8b77d-e0de-482f-8e93-165675a3909a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amyedelman.com/breathing-problems-solved-when-using-oxygen-concentrators.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956409 | 508 | 2 | 2 |
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose. Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products. The. purpose of the community is to share support and information with Lactose Intolerant patients, their loved ones and caregivers. Topics in the community include: causes, clinical trials, complications, family issues, living with Lactose Intolerance, prognosis, research, and treatments. | <urn:uuid:dd925cb1-d14b-4c03-9d61-8f020dd1c82a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medhelp.org/health_page_comments/show/776?cid=1242&container=Allergies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937717 | 87 | 2.921875 | 3 |
|Ferenc Gogos, Canada|
One of my least favourite topics over the past year has been the implementation of the 107% rule. The rule, as many of us know, stipulates that if an entrant does not qualify within the top 107% of the best qualifying time, that entrant will be barred from participating in the race.
The rule, imposed by FIA, was enacted to keep slow cars from taking to the track and becoming nothing more than moving chicanes. "They" said it would make racing safer and would force marginal teams to better prepare their race cars thus improving the over all quality of F1 entrants. However, the last few weeks have revealed flaws in 107% mentality.
After a couple of lean years in the entry list, 1997 looked promising. With two new teams and four cars added to the list (including the DOME team who were still pondering entry), it looked like a full field was in the making.
But then Australia.
The Lola entry, backed by Mastercard, showed up to compete but failed due to qualifying times so far behind the field. They failed to make the starting grid, due to the 107% rule. Lola had an odd sponsorship agreement with Mastercard which did not provide the expected revenue. The prospect of dragging a team around the globe with little chance of qualifying within the 107% rule in the near future left the Lola Company to withdrawal from Brazil. Furthermore, without placing the cars on the grid, Lola would be hard pressed to find new sponsors for a car that would virtually get no television coverage. Without sponsorship dollars, Lola could not afford to fund a project out of their own pocket and had to pull the plug on F1 involvement. Formula One is a very expensive business.
So the field is down to 22.
My biggest complaint with Formula One is that decisions and rule changes are made by FIA without giving any consideration to the race fan. The 107% rule being only one of a long list. Have the powers that be ever taken a serious look at why racing series such as NASCAR and CART have become so popular?
One of the reasons is that they do not bar entrants from competing because they cannot reach some mythical qualifying speed. If 30 cars showed up for a 33 car field then all those cars would be allowed to start even if the last few were 50 miles slower than the top qualifier.
Why? Because it does not hurt to have action take place on the track, even if that action is a backmarker being lapped for the umpteenth time. I still get goosebumps every time my favourite driver comes up behind the likes of Diniz or Nakano, partially because I have not seen a pass in hours and I have no idea whether the lapped driver will a) move over peacefully, b) slow my favourite driver down so the guy following can catch up, or c) punt the poor bugger out! I may not be happy with the outcome. I may throw the odd beer can or two at the television, but at least my juices are pumping. That is a part of racing.
Because of issues like that of Lola, I will never understand the logic behind introducing the 107% rule to limit a field that is already limited -- financially, technically and talent-wise. Thanks in part to this rule we will have to live with a 22 car field out of a possible 26 and hope that the FIA does not decide to turn the 107% rule into the 104% rule. | <urn:uuid:a05ff8ea-7d21-4f57-99c7-712121780625> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://atlasf1.autosport.com/97/san/gogos.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974495 | 719 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Prepared For Life
The tradition of Scouting began 102 years ago in the United States and it continues today to allow youth to develop into leaders of intellectual distinction, moral conviction, ethical direction and possessing an energy that motivates them to make our communities a better place. This does not mean that Scouts are the smartest, fastest, wealthiest or most popular; however it does mean that each one of them will lead a life that will make the world around them better for their families, friends, colleagues and society at large because they are open to growth.
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the best youth organizations in the country because, put simply, young people in Scouting programs excel. When one is reminded of the global impacts of Scouting – that the only men to walk on the moon were Scouts, that the founder of Microsoft was a Scout, or that one of the few people to climb all seven of the world’s highest peaks was also a Scout, and that 30,000 kids a year are in Scouting programs in Orange County – it is easy to offer financial support to the programs that develop the type of confidence needed to scale peaks and walk on the moon. It is just as easy to support the program needs of a young person who lives five miles from the beach but has never been kayaking, or has never spent an entire day outside or never feels the pride during the applause of an entire elementary school upon the dedication of new bookshelves for the school library. These success stories occureveryday in Scouting.
Though simple in concept, advancement through merit badges, community service and outdoor activities offers a world of boundless opportunities. Your generous tax-deductible gift to the Boy Scouts of America provides direct funding for educational initiatives and active learning that program fees alone do not cover – is a statement about your belief in Scouting, our programs and our properties and in our belief in educating the entire mind of the young people
The Friends of Scouting Campaign is the lifeblood of Scouting’s fundraising efforts. Each year parents, volunteers, Scouting alumni, friends and business patrons donate time, energy and financial resources to this much needed yearly campaign. Annual Giving provides the budgetary support for numerous improvements to our properties, expansion of Scouting programs into new markets and increases the chance that every young person in our community will benefit from the impact of Scouting. | <urn:uuid:fe6472c5-467f-468e-8d58-b61c7a5ec7a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ocbsa.org/support-us/friends-of-scouting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961725 | 473 | 2.125 | 2 |
By Jobert Poblete
GREEN CITY U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wowed urban cycling advocates at the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., in March when he climbed atop a table to praise them for their work promoting livable, bike-friendly communities. LaHood followed up that connection with a blog post in which he announced a "sea change" in federal policy, declaring: "This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of nonmotorized."
The groundbreaking post was accompanied by a DOT policy statement urging local governments and transportation agencies to treat walking and bicycling as equal to other modes of transportation. The statement concluded that "increased commitment to and investment in bicycle facilities and walking networks can help meet goals for cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities."
Since then, LaHood has come under fire for his pro-bike statements. The National Association of Manufacturers' blog said that the policy would result in "economic catastrophe." At a House hearing, a representative implied that the secretary was on drugs.
But bike advocates, who were initially wary of having this key post occupied by one of the few Republicans in the Obama administration, have rallied to LaHood's defense. In San Francisco, bike and livability advocates are optimistic that LaHood's statements will be backed up with meaningful action.
"LaHood is not just talking the talk," San Francisco Bicycle Coalition program director Andy Thornley told the Guardian. "He seems to be actively moving federal transportation policy toward a broader, more sustainable program."
As DOT secretary, LaHood has enormous influence on how federal money is spent and on the Obama administration's transportation policies. Thornley is hopeful the new policy direction will free more money for bikeways and other alternatives to the automobile. The federal government doles out billions of dollars for transportation, and beyond some direct funding of bike and transit projects, removing conditions that have forced recipients of federal transportation dollars to spend it on roads and highways could have a big impact on bike and pedestrian-friendly regions like the Bay Area.
"We're already doing a good job regionally of prioritizing how we spend our money," Thornley said. "But on the federal end, the money comes out already conditioned and has to be spent on highways."
Tom Radulovich, executive director of Livable City, echoed Thornley's enthusiasm for the DOT's new policy direction. "If livable, walkable communities become a priority of the federal government, that could be really revolutionary," he said.
But Radulovich acknowledged that much of this depends on the outcome of a new surface transportation bill being drafted in Congress. The bill would allocate hundreds of billions in federal transportation dollars, and bike and transit advocates are already mobilizing to make sure it's written in a way that promotes livability and sustainability. Transportation for America, a national coalition that includes a number of Bay Area groups, is lobbying Congress and the Obama administration to create a "21st century transportation system" that supports walking, biking, and sustainable development.
To succeed, advocates will have to overcome a number of other challenges. Thornley pointed out that outside of urban centers like the Bay Area and Seattle, bikes aren't taken seriously as a form of transportation.
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It's paramedic Pat Stewart's first day back to work in Essex after volunteering in storm-torn New York and New Jersey.
"We were deployed for about seven days total," he says.
Essex Rescue has a government contract with FEMA and offers aid when they can during natural disasters. Pat and his partner, Greg Wolf, were initially dispatched to an air force base in New Jersey but were rerouted when Superstorm Sandy hit New York City.
"What a drive that was," he says.
The team recorded cell phone video of their treacherous drive to Manhattan.
"It's not everyday you see New York City black," they said.
The team was headed to New York University. The hospital there lost power and hundreds of patients needed to be evacuated. The Essex crew helped the city's responders and ambulance teams from around the county get everyone out safely.
"It was just an amazing sight to see everything working so well together and flawlessly," Stewart says.
In the days that followed, the Essex paramedics joined 300 other rescue crews at a staging area in Brooklyn. They took turns evacuating more patients, this time from Bellevue Hospital.
"It's great for us to come down there and provide that kind of care for that we don't even know," Stewart says.
During the entire deployment, they would unroll sleeping bags and catch a few hours of sleep where they could.
"I'm very proud of the work they're doing," says Essex Rescue Executive Director Dan Manz. "In a big disaster no states got enough resources to be able to mount the response."
Manz is big believer in mutual aid, as long as service to his own coverage area isn't compromised.
"It means people work a little harder around here," Manz says. "Folks are pulling a lot of extra hours but everybody here is pitching in as part of supporting our deployment to New York."
"We brought together a piece of the puzzle," Stewart says.
A new team has relieved Pat and his partner. Essex Rescue will continue their storm relief rotation until mid November.
Saturday, May 25 2013 10:30 PM EDT2013-05-26 02:30:05 GMT
A burglary at the Dorset Union Store. Police say the Church Street business, in Dorset, was broken into sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. At this time, we do not know what was stolen.More >>
Police search for a suspect that left his blood at the crime scene.More >>
Saturday, May 25 2013 8:13 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:13:06 GMT
Governor Peter Shumlin is urging Vermonters to be vigilant as the rain continues to come down. Especially, he says, with the possibility of wet snow that could bring down trees and damage property. ShumlinMore >>
Governor Peter Shumlin is urging Vermonters to stay safe as the rain continues to come down.More >>
Saturday, May 25 2013 8:09 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:09:12 GMT
First responders scrambled to drain a private dam Saturday afternoon to avert major damage. Officials say the dam on Poker Hill road in Underhill nearly burst Saturday afternoon. Members of the localMore >>
First responders scrambled to drain a private dam Saturday afternoon to avert major damage.More >>
Saturday, May 25 2013 7:58 PM EDT2013-05-25 23:58:16 GMT
Rain-battered state roads in the hardest hit areas of Underhill and Jericho are re-open to traffic, but that doesn't mean the work is done for crews. "It's been a very challenging two-day event here soMore >>
As the rain continues to pour down, response crews are not getting a break.More >>
Saturday, May 25 2013 7:51 PM EDT2013-05-25 23:51:37 GMT
Driving along Route 15, you may notice some roads have reopened as crews guide drivers cautiously around the cracked gravel. But driving down roads like North Underhill Station, you won't get very far. ConnerMore >>
While needed repairs are being made, more work is ahead.More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 11:30 PM EDT2013-05-25 03:30:10 GMT
A hole in the road closed one of the routes into Canada Friday.State Police say Route 5 in Derby Line is closed near Caswell Avenue because of a hole in the pavement just a couple of feet over the lineMore >>
A hole in the road closed one of the routes into Canada Friday.More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 7:17 PM EDT2013-05-24 23:17:06 GMT
It was a storm that left residents with more damage than they could have ever imagined. "The basement has about 13 inches of water," said Bob Genter of Underhill. And preparing for the aftermath of theMore >>
Flash floods left destruction across the region. And the rain is not over. Heavy downpours left some people trapped in their neighborhoods as emergency crews work to try to clear the roads.More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-24 23:20:50 GMT
As the cleanup gets underway from Thursday night's flash flooding, the focus shifts now to the broader impacts of rising rivers from around the region. All the rain so far and more to come is running intoMore >>
All the rain is running into larger streams and rivers that are moving rapidly toward flood stage.More >> | <urn:uuid:e1c747fb-7a46-483f-aad2-541bc0e82e8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wcax.com/story/20038742/essex-rescue-crew-helps-areas-hit-by-sandy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968883 | 1,140 | 1.570313 | 2 |
|Rediff India Abroad Home | All the sections|
The Rediff Special/ Benazir Bhutto
'A people inspired by democracy ... will turn their back decisively on extremism'
December 27, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen, it's a privilege for me to be here this afternoon as the guest of the Council on Foreign Relations. Thank you for inviting me.
And as I come here to have a conversation with you, I find that my country, Pakistan, is once again in a crisis, and it's a crisis that threatens not only my nation and region, but could have repercussions on the entire world.
It's a crisis that has its roots almost half a century ago, when the military in my country first seized power, in 1958. Four military dictatorships -- and most recently those of General Zia-ul Haq in the 1980s and now General Musharraf -- have ruled my nation for the last 30 years, except for a few years of civilian government. And so I believe that democracy has never really been given a chance to grow or nurture in my homeland.
As an example, I was only allowed to govern for five of the 10 years that my people elected me to govern. And now Pakistan has changed dramatically from the days when I left office, in 1996, for now, from areas previously controlled by my government, pro-Taliban forces linked to Al Qaeda [Images] launch regular attacks on NATO troops across the border in Afghanistan.
In the view of my party, military dictatorship, first in the 1980s and now again, under General Musharraf, has fueled the forces of extremism, and military dictatorship puts into place a government that is unaccountable, that is unrepresentative, undemocratic, and disconnected from the ordinary people in the country, disconnected from the aspirations of the people who make up Pakistan.
Moreover, military dictatorship is born from the power of the gun, and so it undermines the concept of the rule of law and gives birth to a culture of might, a culture of weapons, violence and intolerance.
The suppression of democracy in my homeland has had profound institutional consequences. The major infrastructure building blocks of democracy have been weakened, political parties have been marginalised, NGOs are dismantled, judges sacked and civil society undermined. And by undermining the infrastructure of democracy, the regime that is in place to date was a regime put into place by the intelligence agencies after the flawed elections of 2002.
This regime has not allowed the freedom of association, the freedom of movement, the freedom of speech for moderate political forces, and so by default, the mosques and the madrassas have become the only outlet of permitted political expression in the country.
And so just as...we've seen the emergence of the religious parties, we've seen the emergence of the extremist groups, and just as the military dictatorship of the '80s used the so-called Islamic card to promote a military dictatorship while demonising political parties, so too the present military establishment of this century has used the so-called Islamist card to pressurize the international community into supporting military dictatorship once again.
But I am here this afternoon to tell you that as far as we, the Pakistan People's Party, (are) concerned, the choice in Pakistan is not really between military dictatorship and religious parties; the choice for Pakistan is indeed between dictatorship and democracy. And I feel that the real choice that the world also faces today is the choice between dictatorship and democracy, and in the choice that we make between dictatorship and democracy lies the outcome of the battle between extremism and moderation in Pakistan.
The US intelligence's recent threat assessment stated that...'Al Qaeda and the Taliban seem to be fairly well settled into the safe haven spaces of Pakistan. We see more training, we see more money, we see more communications, we see that activity rising.' That's the most recent US national intelligence threat assessment. And so it's often surprising to those of us in Pakistan who see the international community back the present regime. But this backing continues, despite the regime's failure to stop the Taliban and Al Qaeda reorganizing after they were defeated, demoralised and dispersed following the events of 9/11.
This is a regime under which the religious parties have risen, for the first time, to power, and they run two of Pakistan's four federating units -- two most critical states of Pakistan, those that border Afghanistan (the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, or the United Council of Action is the ruling group in the Northwest Frontier Province and manages a coalition in Baluchistan). And even while the military dictatorship has allowed the religious parties to govern two of Pakistan's most critical four provinces, it has exiled the moderate leadership of the country, it has weakened internal law enforcement and allowed for a very bloody suppression of people's human rights.
The military operation in Baluchistan is an example of the brutality of the suppression. The killings that took place in Karachi on May 12, where 48 peaceful political activists were gunned down in the streets of Karachi, and not one person has been arrested for those murders that were actually televised, shows the level to which the regime permits the suppression of the political opposition. And most recently, 17 members of my party were killed in Islamabad on July 17 at the hands of a suicide bomber.
The weakness of law enforcement has led to a series of suicide bombings, roadside bombings.
To give you an example, since last July, 300 people have fallen victim to suicide bombers within Pakistan. Disappearances, too, which were unheard of in our country's history, have become the order of the day. And even as I speak to you, a Pak-origin American, Dr (Safdar) Sarki, has disappeared, not because he supports extremists, but because he's a nationalist, and the level of intolerance for differing views is so high that people can disappear simply for supporting nationalism (the government had engineered the disappearance, holding Sarki, a leader of the World Sindhi Congress, for 18 months).
The West's close association with a military dictatorship, in my humble view, is alienating Pakistan's people and is playing into the hands of those hardliners who blame the West for the ills of the region. And it need not be this way. A people inspired by democracy, human rights and economic opportunity will turn their back decisively (on extremism.
There is a silver lining on the clouds. The recent restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan to the supreme court has given hope to people of Pakistan that the unchecked power of the military will now finally come under a degree of scrutiny by the highest judicial institutions in the country. We in the PPP have kept the doors of dialogue open with the military regime to facilitate the transfer of democracy. This hasn't been a popular move, but we've done it because we think the stability of Pakistan is important to our own security as well as to regional security.
However, without progress on the issue of fair elections, this dialogue could founder. And now, as we approach the autumn, time is running out.
Ladies and gentlemen, I plan to return later this year to Pakistan to lead a democratic movement for the restoration of democracy. I seek to lead a democratic Pakistan which is free from the yoke of military dictatorship and that will cease to be a haven, the very petri dish of international terrorism. A democratic Pakistan that would help stabilise Afghanistan, relieving pressure on NATO troops. A democratic Pakistan that would pursue the drug barons and bust up the drug cartel that today is funding terrorism. A Pakistan where the rule of law is established so that no one has the permission to establish, recruit, train and run private armies and private militias. A democratic Pakistan that puts the welfare of its people as the centerpiece of its national policy.
And as I plan to return to Pakistan, I put my faith in the people of my country who have stood by my party and by myself through this long decade -- more than a decade, 11 years since the PPP government was ousted -- because they believe that the PPP can eliminate terrorism and give them security, and security will bring in the economic investment that can help us reverse the tide of rising poverty in the country, and by so doing, it will certainly undermine the forces of militancy and extremism.
Excerpts from a speech Benazir Bhutto gave on August 15 at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, before her return to Pakistan on October 18. For the complete transcript, visit http://www.cfr.org/publication/14041/conversation_with_benazir_bhutto.html
The Rediff Specials | <urn:uuid:983e2d4d-d10e-40ff-a440-4011547c8130> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/27cfr.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965344 | 1,772 | 1.6875 | 2 |
**First in a new series**
Spending all day every day this week in San Francisco using a digital camera, in mission critical Macworld Expo environment, solidifies knowledge obtained during the past two years with still digicams. Working as a professional photographer and instructor during 1980s and 1990s made me a confident film photographer with an experienced skill set. Being a computer tutor and digital photo consultant now, among other things, places me at the intersection where lack of knowledge confronts desire to purchase. What the fudge should a person buy, and then how to use the darn thing?
Here are Nemo’s MUSTS for people considering buying a new digital still camera. You can accept or reject any or all of the following, but understand that these strong opinions have been germinating slowly and quietly for a long time, and are given with your best interests in mind.
SIZE = SMALL, but not tiny. You’ll pay a premium for miniaturization, which is overrated and overpriced, and which puts you at risk for losing or damaging your precious camera during an accident. If you can place a rectangular camera in your shirt pocket, and comfortably view and capture the image while holding the camera steady in both hands, the size is optimum.
BATTERY = LONG LASTING and EASY TO CHARGE. The industry is divided between using rechargeable AA batteries and proprietary custom lithium ion batteries. The former are heavier, cheaper to buy, slower to charge, and quicker to discharge. The latter are lighter in weight, more expensive, charge faster, and hold their power longer. Confused? You’ll be living with this decision for as long as you own your camera, so make the choice seriously. In general, if you have guaranteed access to a standard electrical socket, AA batteries are a solid suggestion. If you need to go l-o-n-g periods between charges, lithium ion batteries are preferable. Whichever you use, buy as many as two or three sets of extra batteries, and keep them charged. You should NOT wait until they’re fully discharged, because it’s better to partially deplete them and recharge, switching to your duplicates, back and forth, over and over. Idea: if you can locate a combo camera that accepts either/both AA or lithium ion, you’re all set. How many of these exist? Not many, but battery technology and manufacturing trends are evolving at a steady pace.
OPTICAL VIEWFINDER = EASY TO SEE SUBJECT. Some digital cameras have digital viewfinders, meaning accurate “what you see is what you get” framing of every scene. These tiny liquid crystal displays make lousy viewfinders when lighting is bright or uneven, negating many advantages of precise framing. Optical viewfinders are subject to parallax, meaning your subjects are framed with ever-shifting inaccuracy as you zoom out and in. EXPERIENCED photographers learn to estimate fairly closely what will actually be on most digital images, after learning how far off vertical and horizontal center they frame a lot of pictures, when using an optical viewfinder. Frame management technology is almost static, with not much development going into improving the optical viewing situation, because most of this engineering was done decades ago in conjunction with the emergence and market dominance of 35mm point and shoot film zoom cameras.
LCD SCREEN = BRIGHT AND LARGE. Brighter is better. Larger is better. Repeat! In brilliant sunlight an extra bright LCD screen will satisfy your image-checking requirements (both before and after shooting a picture), but an ordinary screen will always annoy you. Trust me on this one, because my Fuji FinePix 4700 has a classic example of low-quality LCD presence in an otherwise terrific camera, especially in blaring Arizona mega-sun. A bonus occurs in low or unevenly lit scenes, where subtle tonal and color gradations can be perceived in better quality LCDs. “Size matters” too, but is not a deal breaker as much as brightness. You’ll really notice the differences between brands and models of digicams once you begin your hands-on comparisons.
SHUTTER RELEASE = QUICK, and SHUTTER LAG = QUICKER. Most digital cameras appear to respond promptly when pressing the shutter release, but in reality almost all have unacceptable delay between pressing a shutter release and actually taking a picture. This exasperating phenomenon is called shutter lag, and your camera will almost certainly have it, which is BAD. Try many cameras in a variety of focusing and lighting situations to see how moving subjects (think: children) are captured or missed due to short or delayed shutter completion. Technology is improving at a decent rate in this crucial area.
ZOOM RATIO = LONGER MEANS GOOD. Generic 3x zoom ratio is what you get in generic digicams. Wide and standard angle focal length works fine, but telephoto zooming is pathetic and deceptive. Pay more for 4x, 5x, 6x, or greater, and your people pictures and distance shots will have tons more impact with much less cropping required. You can’t buy extra zoom focal length without also buying more pixels, which adds both to price and quality. Is this a problem? You decide.
OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER are flash response, flash settings, image quality, color accuracy, type of memory card, location of input/output connector ports, ability to operate dials and push controls, clarity of printed and online documentation, physical construction/durability, plus a few dozen more, such as focusing problems and viewfinder focus zones. Don’t get sidetracked by claims of digital movie duration, plethora of manual controls, or a slew of other featuritis you’ll never use.
BROTHER IN LAW = IDIOT. Don’t take anyone’s advice to the point of buying a product (any product) without kicking the tires and tasting the fizz. You’re ready to spend many hours’ wages on a marvelous complex precision instrument that needs to perform with reliable quality for many years under an unimaginable range of conditions. Loads of Internet and printed resources are available to help you select the best digital camera, and in the end you want to make sure your decision is one you can live with for as long as possible.
COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? Please use the Article Discussion box below. The more the merrier! | <urn:uuid:57a0db3a-2ef7-4932-b622-beb00ae53b71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mymac.com/2004/01/digital-camera-dilemma-solved-what-you-really-need-to-know/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933193 | 1,343 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Plans for an A&E database to help prevent the mistreatment of children are a “very good idea” and “long overdue”, says Redbridge’s cabinet member for children’s services.
The Child Protection Information System will allow medical staff to check if a child has been a regular visitor to A&E and if they are subject to a child protection plan.
Cllr Alan Weinberg said: “The government has learned lessons from Baby P and we must move forward and implement a better system. This a very good idea and long overdue. If parents and carers are determined to abuse, they are likely to move around and it is right that doctors are able to tell others what is happening.
“However, the data must be protected and used in the correct way, not just available at a click of a button.”
The new system, which will make a log of every child attending A&E and out-of-hours GP services on an online database, is expected to be in all hospitals by 2015.
Ilford South MP Mike Gapes said: “I think the database is necessary but it is very important that the information contained in the system is safeguarded.
“There is definitely a security issue that has to be addressed and access to it should be limited.
“Sadly, there is a minority of children that are mistreated and they must be protected.
“I think most parents will welcome the database, but unfortunately there is a danger of human error which can cause problems. The records must be accurate.”
Caroline Moore, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust’s divisional nurse director for A&E, said: “We take the issue of child protection extremely seriously, and this system will be an important step forward.
“Our safeguarding lead will be working with the emergency department team to ensure that processes and systems are put in place in line with national guidance.” | <urn:uuid:cab41639-51fd-4430-a528-aafc46db5f89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/news/a_e_database_to_prevent_mistreatment_of_children_long_overdue_says_redbridge_cabinet_member_1_1781420?ot=archant.PrintFriendlyPageLayout.ot | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955711 | 428 | 1.757813 | 2 |
ST MARYS fire station officer Carlos Henry fears government funding cuts mean more homes are at risk.
Mr Henry, who is also senior vice-president of the Fire Brigades Employees Union, said the loss of even one position from a fire station could delay an emergency response by five to 10 minutes.
"If your house is on fire or you're trapped in a car, that could make a big difference," he said.
He said every fire station's minimal strength had to be three firefighters and one station officer.
But he said the state government's proposed cuts would slice $70 million of employee-based cost savings from the fire brigades over four years.
"We feel that will mean about 300 fewer jobs," Mr Henry said.
He said that any station with fewer than three firefighters would have to close.
He said although St Marys fire station was not likely to be one of them, it could lose some of its other capabilities, such as rescue and hazardous material (Hazmet) services.
Mr Henry also said taking a station even temporarily offline could mean a fatal delay in responding to a fire emergency.
He said the union had suggested alternative cost-cutting measures such as allowing long-service leave to be taken in small allotments instead of in bulk.
"We should be employing more firefighters, but I think the government wants to close stations," Mr Henry said.
Mulgoa state MP Tanya Davies said the fire service was interested in discussing alternative measures with the union and had suspended taking stations offline while talks were under way.
"This presents an opportunity to consider options to deliver benefits for firefighters and the community as a whole," she said.
She said firefighters had the highest level of sick leave among government agencies: 'This has contributed to overtime blowing out to more than $7 million over budget".
She said savings could be made by closing normal station activities for temporary periods.
"Taking stations offline is not new; stations may be offline to allow firefighters training, to undertake bushfire-hazard reduction or for other activities," she said. | <urn:uuid:07b2cda1-0226-4628-8f5f-5c2cf739aacb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stmarysstar.com.au/story/314109/cuts-put-homes-at-risk/?src=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983396 | 425 | 1.765625 | 2 |
29 Jun 2011
Domain name change raises possibility of cyber scamsThe June 22 decision of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to expand the internet's domain name system has spurred concerns about how such a change will affect internet security.
Starting in 2012, businesses will be able to brand their websites by using their company name as the top-level domain name. A June 28 article in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology publication Technology Review uses the examples ".coke," which would replace "coke.com."
This same Technology Review article addresses concerns about how this new way of naming sites will impact security. Cyber criminals who are willing to pay a $185,000 registration fee, and whose applications win approval from ICANN, could register a domain using the name of a well-known business and set up a bogus website to scam users. The Technology Review uses the example, ".wellsfargobank."
Though ICANN's board approved the domain name expansion in a 13-1 vote, the official ICANN document regarding the security implications of making this change acknowledges a dearth of research about how disruptive the change will actually be.
Under current United States law, false registration of a domain name in the course of committing a felony either doubles or adds seven years, whichever is less, to a convicted criminal's sentence. | <urn:uuid:c8f4842b-0c45-4dda-a6f6-0165471f0815> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bitdefender.com/security/domain-name-change-raises-possibility-of-cyber-scams.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916107 | 267 | 2.390625 | 2 |
- Determine the kind of coverage that meets your particular needs. Do you go to the doctor often or just occasionally? Does someone in the family take prescription drugs regularly?
- Consider a high-deductible health insurance plan. Premiums for HDHPs generally cost less than more traditional health insurance while still providing quality coverage, including preventive care.
- Look into opening a health savings account. HSAs offer savings on premiums as well as triple tax advantages—money deposited into an HSA can qualify as a tax deduction, grow tax-deferred and be withdrawn tax-free as long as the dollars are used for qualified medical expenses.
- Seek a plan that offers strong care provider network discounts. Health insurance companies negotiate with physicians and hospitals to provide services at discounted rates, sometimes as high as 30 percent to 50 percent.
- Find a plan that offers deductible credit. If you do not meet your deductible by the end of the calendar year, you are given a credit against the next year’s deductible. Some plans allow credits to accumulate for multiple years.
From UnitedHealthcare’s Golden Rule Insurance Co. | <urn:uuid:86727b69-ee11-488a-bf60-ba28e4300f7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.benefitspro.com/2012/02/01/5-money-saving-tips-for-buying-health-insurance | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966116 | 230 | 1.578125 | 2 |
GEN. I. S. CATLIN DIES. HAD BEEN ILL A WEEK Partner and Brother-in-Law of Gen. Tracy Was Noted as a Lawyer and Soldier. WON PRAISE IN CIVIL WAR Raised the First Field Company of Volunteers and Was Brevetted Three Times for Bravery. General Isaac S. Catlin, a civil war veteran and lawyer, died last night in his apartments in the Hotel St. George, Brooklyn, after a week's illness follow- ing and apopletic stroke. He was 80 years old. For nearly sixty years General Catlin had been active in political and military life. He was born in Owego, N. Y., and was educated at Owego Academy. At the age of 17 he began the study of law in this city and became associated with General Benjamin F. Tracy, who later married his sister. When Gilbert Walk- er, afterward Governor of Virginia, re- tired from the firm of Tracy, Warner & Walker Mr. Catlin became a member of the firm. In 1860 General Catlin was elected Mayor of Owego. When President Lincoln issued his proclamation for troops the next year, he raised a com- pany of volunteers, of which he be- came Captain, and it was said that his was the first full company which en- listed in the North. The company joined General Frederick Townsend's Third Regiment of New York volun- teers. General Townsend said of Gen- eral Catlin's conduct at the battle of Big Bethel: "There was no braver officer on that field than Captain Catlin." He became Lieutenant Colonel in 1862 and Colonel in 1864 and commanded the 109th Regiment of New York Volun- teers in most of the battles from the Wilderness to the Fall of Petersburg, when he became President of a general court-martial in Washington. Several times in the war General Cat- lin received tokens of approval from his superiors and also three brevet commis- sions for bravery in the field, and a medal of honor for distinguished gal- lantry in the battle of Petersburg, where he lost his right leg. On the day before the engagement at Petersburg, which was fought on July 30, 1864, he had been appointed Colonel of the 109th Regiment. At 3 o'clock in the morning he was awakened by an orderly from General Hartranft, who requested him to visit him in his tent. The General and he proceeded to study the map and outline the plan of action for the next day. Colonel Catlin was to push on over the mines, and, if possible, capture the men in charge of them. When day dawned he led his men in the face of a heavy fire and was wounded. He in- sisted on being carried to the front, and while there an explosion of a shell shat- tered his right leg. Notwithstanding his two wounds he was carried at the head of his troops over the unexploded mines, which he captured. When the army disbanded, General Catlin returned to his home in Owego, and in 1865 he was elected District At- torney of Tioga County. In 1871 he moved to Brooklyn and formed a law partnership with General Benjamin F. Tracy, and in that year he became As- sistant United States District Attorney for the Eastern New York District. In 1877 he was elected District Attorney for Kings County, and three years later he was re-elected for a second term. In 1885 General Catlin was nominated for Mayor of Brooklyn, but there was a three-cornered fight, which resulted in his defeat. In 1893 he was nominated for Congress, and refused the place. Three years later he declined a nomina- tion for Lieutenant Governor on the Democratic ticket. General Catlin, dur- ing his legal career in Brooklyn, de- fended many persons accused of crime. He was counsel for the Kings County Sheriff for nine years. In 1870 he was put upon the retired list of the United States Army as a Colonel of Infantry. At the outbreak of the Spanish- American War, General Catlin volun- teered, but President McKinley said that there were younger men who should take his place. President Mc- Kinley appointed his son, George De G. Catlin, a Lieutenant in the regular army and he has since become a Captain. During the Spanish-American War, General Catlin visited Cuba and the Phillippines and wrote many articles on the situation in both of those places, which were widely published. General Catlin was originally a Republican, but in 1888 he became a Cleveland Demo- crat. After President McKinley's elec- tion he became a Republican again. Several years ago he wrote his memoirs which were not to be published until after his death. In his school days he was an athlete, and up to the time he was stricken had suffered little from illness. He weighed more than 200 pounds and measured 40 inches across his chest. In his later years he divided his time between his home in Owego and Brook- lyn. He is survived by his son and a daughter. | <urn:uuid:67971a32-3faf-45d7-a80c-5236d17539ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://localhistory.morrisville.edu/sites/unitinfo/catlin-109.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991804 | 1,054 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Google’s introduction of Google+ links into its search results is a big departure from the company’s previous more neutral approach to search, and it exposes the company to a huge risk.
It opens up the company to significant criticism from not just insiders but regular folks too, if they come to realize that Google is now favoring itself in search results, and therefore is no longer as useful. On the other hand, Google is making a big gamble: That it can favor its own results, and that no other search engine will pop up in the meantime to take its place with a more accurate and fair offering (there’s Microsoft’s Bing waiting in the wings).
An explanation of how Google’s latest approach is a fundamental change is made today by SearchEngineLand’s Danny Sullivan. He, like me, has been following Google’s moves closely over the years. And until now, all of Google’s moves have been fairly careful to stay neutral. For example, when Google introduced more video links higher in its search results several years ago, it did so by offering not only YouTube links, but also links from all other video providers across the Web, Sullivan explains.
Which is why the move to introduce Google+ results into its search is so troubling. By offering us only Google+ results, Google is forcing us to go outside of Google to find a fair representation fo social results competitors like Facebook or Twitter. Those companies have larger usage, and therefore they have more relevant results. Google apparently doesn’t care to show us those results. In other words, it’s another confirmation that Google has essentially “ditched search” as we’ve known it from Google since when the company started. At every turn since Google’s founding, it has managed to stay pure — or had espoused policies that showed it to basically be doing the right thing. Of course, Google doesn’t want to tell you that it has forsaken you, but read Sullivan’s post, and other examples by others who are saying the same thing, and make up your own mind.
Another expert who has been following the search field for years is John Battelle. And look what happened to him when he tried to search for a recent video about Adolf Hitler (see the video above; it’s quite funny, and it’s relevant). Basically, the entire top portion of Battelle’s page is taken up first by news results, and then second by Google Plus+, many of them links created by people he doesn’t even know. It’s not a Googley experience. And Battelle is right. Google apparently thinks beating Facebook is worth selling its soul. This change by Google appears to stems from the more aggressive stance by the company’s new CEO Larry Page, who has told his entire staff that their bonuses are tied to winning in social. As Battelle notes:
Now, this presents us all a conundrum. If a large percentage of people are logged into Google and/or Google+ when they are searching for stuff, that means Google+ pages are going to rank well for those people. Hence, I really have no choice but to play Google’s game, and tend to my Google+ page, be I a brand, a person, a small business…. are you getting the picture here? If you decide to NOT play on Google+, you will, in essence, be devalued in Google search, at least for the percentage of people who are logged in whilst using Google.
I dunno. This strikes me as wrong. I’ve spent nearly ten years building this site, Searchblog, and it has tens of thousands of inbound links, six thousand posts, nearly 30,000 comments, etc., etc. But if you are logged into Google+ and search for me, you’re going to get my Google+ profile first.
Google must be betting that it has enough power — enough clout with enough people to force them to use and play by Google Plus — that it can turn the corner and make its results essentially as useful as those offered by Facebook and Twitter. Peter Yared, who wrote a piece for us this week about Google’s foresaking of search, says Google needed to do this to survive, and he thinks Google’s algorithm will be enough to make its social search results “good enough.” That may be the case, but in the process, Google may be losing our trust. And that’s going to be the huge price it pays for this move.
See some of our other stories on Google’s recent Google Plus here:
Google’s new social search: How far can you trust it?
Google search gets its biggest change in a decade with a dose of Google+
How to turn off Google’s social search features
Google may face new FTC probe inquiries due to social search features
[Image via IABoomerFlickr/Flickr] | <urn:uuid:b002145b-eb70-4d6d-a305-74269afbf038> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/14/with-google-favoritism-google-has-decided-its-worth-selling-its-soul-and-it-may-pay-big/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956866 | 1,036 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Manly Wade Wellman (1903-1986) was a prolific American writer who worked in practically every genre, but best known for his dark fantasy stories about a traveling musician named John who frequently finds himself battling supernatural menaces in the deep backwoods of Appalachia. Wellman had already written other Occult Detective stories, demonstrating a talent for weirdness and a quirky sense of humour, but the "Silver John" stories (so-called for disambiguation, although their protagonist is always just plain John) are additionally enlivened by Wellman's enduring interest in the folklore and folk music of backwoods America.Wellman's short stories were adapted as episodes of The Twilight Zone ("The Valley Was Still"; the adaptation is retitled "Still Valley"), Night Gallery ("The Devil Is Not Mocked") and Monsters ("Rouse Him Not"). Far less successfully, a movie was made based on some of the John stories, The Legend of Hillbilly John.On a completely different note, his other works include Sherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds. He even wrote a Captain Future novel.
Works by Manly Wade Wellman with their own trope page include:
His other works provide examples of: | <urn:uuid:a0722a85-7f28-4428-bc27-cba989c639ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/ManlyWadeWellman?from=Main.ManlyWadeWellman | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967591 | 246 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Whether we like it or not, and many of us don’t, we are fitted into other people’s perception of who we are. Our boldest crime may have netted a parking ticket, but we find ourselves in a kind of prison anyway, only because people expect us to adhere to the pattern they have created for us as a result of our actions and their imaginations. Should a young person break forth from how he or she is perceived, such breakage is often shrugged off as a glitch barely worth mentioning.
Old people have it harder. Much harder!
The moment the past mid-sixty folk blaze new trails personality-wise—lifelong dour businessman trades suit and tie for garb thrift stores customarily reject and is occasionally seen with a rose between teeth, that sort of thing—they are eyed by loved ones and acquaintances alike for signs of oncoming dementia. The unspoken code: You have to be who we think you are or suffer the consequences.
There is a way out of this personal prison, but one has to start young and keep at it. Take care to devote as much quality time as possible to creative pursuits. Baffle friends and neighbors from the start. By so doing, when one grows chronologically old, thus a candidate for the inevitable Coming Apart at the Seams, nobody will know the difference.
Do not waste energy thinking of Creativity as a pathway to creating masterpieces. Most unsung “geniuses” are unsung for a reason. Example: Let’s assume you pursue the writing of poetry for fifty years, by which time your eyes are dimmer than a remembered sunset and your liver-spotted hands are less charming than a moonscape, and all you have to show for a ragged half-century of worrying rhymes into order are four quotable lines, consider yourself lucky beyond words. These are four more lines than most people get.
Rather than droning on and on about Contributing to Society, concentrate on what really matters—fooling other people to the point they are never able to say who you really are, or, most important of all, in what slot (cell?) you belong. | <urn:uuid:6cd91da6-50df-4356-96b9-06e17001cdbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aledotimesrecord.com/article/20130209/blogs/130209028/0/top%20stories | 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 | 0.965253 | 451 | 2.109375 | 2 |
In the shift to digital processing of information, the performance of many electronic systems has become limited by the interfaces between physical analog signals and their digital representation. Aside from restrictions due to limited throughput, the growing trend toward portable and wearable devices has made the power efficiency of analog-to-digital converters one of the main factors that can limit overall system performance.
A prominent example in which the A/D intervenes as the ultimate bottleneck is the long-anticipated "software radio." On the receiver side of such a device, a fairly wide band of RF spectrum would be digitized, and subsequently demodulated by a digital processor. With this approach, radios could adapt to virtually any standard and also intelligently manage interference and bandwidth allocation. While this looks good on paper, the bad news is that state-of-art A/Ds do not deliver the performance needed in such an application. Realistic estimates suggest that even for modest bandwidth and dynamic range requirements, the required A/D could easily consume power on the order of 10 watts.
So why is it that A/D converters seem to be so power-hungry compared with digital processors? The qualitative answer to this question is simple: Unlike digital circuits, most A/Ds are constrained by accuracy requirements. While digital gates only distinguish two logic levels, A/Ds must resolve minute differences in voltage or current at high speed. Especially in high-resolution A/Ds, this is fundamentally difficult due to the presence of electronic noise, caused by random carrier motion and discreteness of charge.
A trivial, but often unsuitable, approach for coping with electronic noise is to cool down the circuit. The next best solution is to increase the signal power with respect to the noise floor of the circuit-and this is precisely where most of the power in a high-resolution A/D goes.
Increasing the signal power necessitates storing more energy per conversion cycle. The power needed to repeatedly charge and discharge energy storage elements, such as capacitors, sets a fundamental limit on the attainable power efficiency in A/Ds.
In this context, it is important to note that feature-size reduction driven by Moore's Law does not alter the above fundamental trade-off in A/Ds. In contrast, smaller transistors and reduced supply voltages have been key to improving the power efficiency of digital computing, at an astonishing rate of better than 2x every two years for the past decades.
An obvious direction for improving the performance of A/Ds is to exploit what has transformed them into a bottleneck in the first place: powerful digital computing and signal processing. At first glance, this doesn't seem like a very new idea. Numerous digital correction and calibration algorithms are routinely used in today's products to mitigate the impact of analog circuit imperfections, such as offset and mismatch. What else can be done to leverage digital signal processing power?
Going back to the fundamental noise limit discussed above, it follows that we've left out one important piece of the puzzle, which I call "deterministic precision." While it is clear that we must process signals with a certain minimum amount of energy to overcome electronic noise, there is no fundamental restriction in terms of deterministic, or repeatable, errors that we make, for instance when charging a capacitor. Conceivably, a digital processor could measure and remove such errors, thereby boosting the precision of an intrinsically imprecise, and even nonlinear, analog operation.
For example, the accompanying figure (see page 59) illustrates a concept that was introduced recently at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (Murmann, 2003; Grace, 2004). Here, a digital processor measures and removes errors due to nonlinear amplification in the signal path of a pipelined A/D. With this approach, the usual linear precision amplifiers can be replaced by simple, and weakly nonlinear, open-loop gain stages, whose complexity is ironically close to that of a digital logic gate.
Direct and obvious benefits of this approach are a significant reduction in amplifier power dissipation and a potential increase in attainable speed. In addition, the simplified amplifiers also generate less electronic noise, which indirectly helps lower their power dissipation further.
Concepts like the use of digitally compensated, nonlinear amplification in A/D converters are only the beginning of a promising avenue of research. After all, calculations show that current A/D converters are nowhere near the power-efficiency limits dictated by electronic noise. The use of complex, highly linear circuits in current implementations accounts for more than two orders of magnitude in power overhead.
With the fast, exponential pace of performance growth in digital processing, analog designers are just beginning to understand the potential of an increased level of "digital assistance."
In current 0.13-micron CMOS technology, a logic gate requires roughly 5 femtojoules per operation. On the other hand, a state-of the art 12-bit A/D consumes roughly 5 nanojoules per conversion, which corresponds to an energy equivalent of 1 million logic gates. With the expected future progress in technology scaling, these numbers will only become more favorable for approaches that use a few hundred thousand "free" gates for digital post-processing.
The most significant future improvements in the power efficiency of A/Ds are likely to come from an aggressive extension of the concept of nonlinear analog signal processing. For instance, using charge-pumplike structures with poor linearity and settling precision instead of conventional amplifiers may be one way to approach the ultimate power efficiency limit in silicon technology.
On a higher level, it is imperative to abandon looking at A/Ds as "black boxes" within a system. For example, viewing a digitally assisted A/D as part of an equalizable, nonideal communication channel may result in highly efficient joint solutions for mapping radio waves into the digital domain.
Clearly, key to such innovation will be broad, multidisciplinary approaches that use digital processing capabilities as a driver, rather than an afterthought in trying to cope with imperfections in evolutionary analog circuits.
Boris Murmann (email@example.com) is assistant professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.).
See related chart | <urn:uuid:3cdd01b1-d954-4a78-bf24-c9a6e463bd70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4050229/A-D-conversion-gets-a-digital-assist | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91737 | 1,272 | 3.25 | 3 |
Spring is in the air. The birds are chirping and the sun is bright and hot on our faces. It’s the perfect time for us to get out and enjoy the wonderful parks and biking/walking paths that the city officials have so diligently installed for us.
Except for one thing. That cloud of smog that seems to linger over our city. It’s something CNN Money says makes us the 10th most polluted city in the entire country…
The City of Brotherly Love was once an industrial powerhouse, with heavy industries like steel, manufacturing, textiles and machinery.
Many of the factories are gone now and Philadelphia has much more of a service economy. The industries that remain are subject to much stricter controls, according to Linda Rebarchak, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Over the past few years, for example, continuous air monitors have been installed over many of the city’s smokestacks to measure emissions. The monitors have helped to alert officials and factory managers to any problems in the systems, she said.
Great, just great. As if the pollen wasn’t infecting my airways enough, now I have plant emissions to worry about, too.
Well, we aren’t going to settle for that. Here’s some suggestions of how you can still get out and enjoy the city without burning the layers of your esophagus and lungs.
• Wear a cool face mask like the Asians. People might mistake you for a doctor, which couldn’t hurt.
• Enjoy the indoor events that Philly has to offer. Museums, theaters and restaurants are a dime a dozen and they’ll all provide a little bit of refuge from the contaminated air.
• Just go to New Jersey. It’s just the length of a bridge away.
Of course, you can just deal with it like we have been for all these years. It won’t kill you immediately, right? | <urn:uuid:47eeae47-0264-4b8e-bd36-80f569bb352d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rittenhoused.com/2012/04/25/cough-cough-philly-named-countrys-10th-most-polluted-city/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95563 | 411 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The IPFW Collegiate Connection Program is partnering with participating high schools in northeastern Indiana to offer college credit courses to qualified high school students. These courses meet at your high schools during the regular school day and are taught by IPFW-certified high school teachers. Collegiate Connection courses are taught by exceptional high school instructors who have been interviewed, selected, and supported by IPFW faculty.
Through its course offerings, the program provides an opportunity for you to begin college work while in high school. You will receive both high school and college credit for your work in your own high school.
As an IPFW Collegiate Connection student taking classes at your high school, you can:
• Get an early start on your college degree. Students find they are
able to pursue second majors, study abroad, complete internships,
or finish their degree early;
• Receive a substantial tuition discount - save money;
• Gain access to IPFW's vast technology and resources;
• Satisfy the high school Academic Honors diploma requirements;
• Develop the critical thinking, writing, and reading skills that will prepare
you for success in college.
Misplaced your Collegiate Connection Student Handbook? Download a PDF of the handbook.
Our Student Says . . .
"I realized I could receive college credits before I graduated from high school, and honestly who could turn that down." Kaylin, Northrop High School
IPFW's Collegiate Connection program is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. The accreditation is the hallmark of integrated, high-quality, and standards-based practices across the program. The program is one of only five Indiana universities accredited by NACEP. | <urn:uuid:80c04011-d5ba-4d37-8ed3-042472b293e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://new.ipfw.edu/offices/cc/high-school/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961835 | 347 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Many in the legal and eDiscovery field cite the very illuminating research from the Duke Law Journal published in the spring 2011, which, based upon their search of the case law, identified nearly 300 federal court decisions through the end of 2009 that awarded e-discovery sanctions. This survey and others like it reinforce the sentiment that eDiscovery is crucial to nearly all litigation and internal investigation matters.
The work of the Duke Law Journal inspired us to search an online legal database of state and federal court decisions across the United States to identify the number of cases where evidence from social networking sites played a significant role. The numbers were quite an eye opener and exceeded even our high expectations. From January 1, 2010 through November 1, 2011, 674 state and federal court cases with written decisions available online have involved social media evidence in some capacity.
The search was limited to the top four social networking sites and the tally came out as follows: Myspace (326 cases), Facebook (262), Twitter (49) LinkedIn (37). The numbers excluded results where the social networking site was either named as a party to the case or where such cases were cited as precedent.
Some quick analysis behind the numbers:
- Sampling review indicates that a significant percentage if not the majority of the Myspace cases generally involved criminal matters.
- While fewer in number, the Twitter and LinkedIn cases tended to involve higher stakes litigation such as corporate trade secret theft, trade libel, copyright, class action employment matters, and trademark infringement. (See e.g. AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE v. MOREL and Getty Images, In re Application of Chevron Corporation, Blayde v. Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.)
- Sampling review also suggests that simple printouts and screen captures or direct testimony of representatives from social media providers in criminal cases were the means used to obtain this evidence.
- In several dozen cases the court addressed, and in several instances sustained, objections to the evidentiary authentication of social media evidence. This reaffirms that the authentication of social media evidence without best practices technology is a major concern.
This survey of course does not reflect the presumably exponentially more cases involving social media evidence but without a written opinion available online that reflects that involvement. Even so, these numbers are an important data point establishing the ubiquitous nature of social media evidence. | <urn:uuid:293aaee0-aea5-4c85-8726-a4d6a3ee4e44> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.x1discovery.com/2011/11/09/674-published-cases-involving-social-media-evidence/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926541 | 476 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Anxiety quite commonly coincides with ADHD. Sometimes children with ADHD are not good at recognizing their anxiety, so it is important to keep an eye out for any signs of anxiety. In addition the internal feeling of fear, physical symptoms include headaches, nausea and irritability. It is also essential to act immediately to control the anxiety, manage the triggers and avoid long-term consequences.
When children come to a child psychiatrist for the first time, very often it is right after some major trauma or change that has happened in the child's life. Sometimes what has happened to the child is something that most adults would agree is a tragedy like the death of a parent or the child's home being destroyed by a fire. … | <urn:uuid:6861c7ec-7645-49af-8a0b-635c0cd9fb37> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/general/related-conditions/anxiety/related/4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972662 | 143 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Wellsprings Primary School getting back on track after OFSTED judgement (From This is The West Country)
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Wellsprings Primary School getting back on track after OFSTED judgement
PROGRESS at a Taunton primary school has been praised after it was judged as ‘failing’ by OFSTED a year ago.
Over a quarter of lessons at Wellsprings Primary School have been rated ‘outstanding’ by a Government inspector, while the rest were mostly ‘good’.
Pupils were deemed to be making good progress, notably in English.
Head teacher Mark Lunn said: “It’s rare for a school in our circumstances to be given such a positive report only two visits into a process which can take two years.
“It certainly reflects all the hard work which has taken place here.
“The inspector was extremely impressed by how we’ve improved and that we’ve also created a broad and exciting curriculum.
“The children are already more involved in their own learning, and members of the school community, including the teachers, parent champions and governors, are all working hard to create a school which will continue to be judged ‘good’ and aspire to be ‘outstanding’.”
The Crowcombe Road school was put in special measures after an insp-ection in March, 2011, concluded that it did not provide an acceptable education and that attainment was below average. | <urn:uuid:7c4791d5-984e-4b9f-8087-77f83f3952ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/9621831.Wellsprings_Primary_School_getting_back_on_track_after_OFSTED_judgement/?action=complain&cid=10246223 | 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 | 0.977384 | 335 | 1.515625 | 2 |
State Views - North Carolina & South Carolina
The CDC (Center For Disease Control) allows each state the freedom to set the criteria and standards for accepting laboratory testing when reporting Lyme disease. We believe it is important for North and South Carolina residents to understand the reporting guidelines established within each state since this information significantly impacts how their state qualifies, reports and responds to these diseases. These "state views" offer insight to the current challenges our residents face in obtaining adequate treatment for Lyme disease. Presented below are some of the facts and issues currently faced by the residents of both North and South Carolina. | <urn:uuid:5ff0d636-8a5c-4b68-b509-ffeca141b8a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.carolinalyme.org/state_views.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936852 | 118 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Energy Independence and Security Act Enforces Motor Efficiency
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will mandate NEMA Premium and other efficiency bumps … along with quicker payback.
By Bob Sperber, Plant Operations Editor | 02/09/2009
Not surprisingly, progress has its price. When plants decide a motor can’t be rewound or refurbished, “They’ll be buying better products at a higher price,” says Robert Kindred, technical services manager at Toshiba International’s Industrial Division (www.toshiba.com/ind), Houston. Which is what happened 12 years ago when EPAct became law.
In the case of NEMA Premium, the price premium varies from 25 percent on a small motor costing $200 to 5 percent in the hundreds-of-horsepower range — a minor increase considering that “motors are usually a very minor component in much larger systems,” Kindred says. “People shouldn’t forget that this is not about motors alone. If people really want to save money, they need to look at total system efficiency.”
A DOE study conducted 10 years ago showed the average efficiency for a 200-hp motor was 93.5 percent. At that standard, a 200-hp compressor motor costs $139,785 to run 24/7, year-round, based on an assumed average electrical cost to the industrial user of 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
The same motor meeting EPAct energy efficiency levels would cost $137,578, for annual savings of $2,207, based solely on a 1.5 percent efficiency increase in the EPAct Energy Efficient designation from 93.5 percent efficiency to 95 percent.
Furthermore, if the replacement motor was chosen from the next step up, to NEMA Premium, it would be 96.2 percent efficient. Using the above assumptions, the motor would cost $135,862 to operate, saving $3,923 over the original motor, according to John Malinowski, product manager for AC and DC motors at Baldor Electric (www.baldor.com), Fort Smith, Ark.
Those savings will likely exceed this example in light of rising energy prices, lower maintenance costs and steadily increasing service-life for motors, currently “around 28 years,” Malinowski says. He adds: “For the sake of this conservative example, let’s say that motor lasts 20 years — that’s still $78,460 savings for a NEMA Premium motor over the original motor.”
And for that reason, he believes “everybody” should embrace the use of higher efficiency standards such as NEMA Premium. “It’s green, you save money and the numbers are there.”
NEMA Premium motors would save 5,800 gigawatts of electricity if used to the fullest, NEMA reports, preventing the release of nearly 80 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in a decade. That’s the equivalent of taking 16 million cars off the road.
Food & beverage plant managers already are looking at the motor requirements in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which will take effect in 2010.
NOTE TO PURCHASING
A lack of awareness, visibility or even corporate culture can lead to short-sighted purchasing decisions. Sometimes, budgets or even perceptions can prevent maintenance and purchasing departments from working well together. For example, when a motor fails, many maintenance departments will opt to rewind and repair it years beyond the point of cost-efficiency because “they feel it’s just not worth the trouble of getting capital sign-off on a new motor,” says John Malinowski, product manager-AC & DC motors at Baldor Electric Co.
Then there are the purchasing departments that are rewarded for spending less rather than saving more. Spending $2,000 extra for a higher-efficiency motor can save $3,923.
When a plant’s electric bill is handled by a different location, and purchasing doesn’t have access to the cost via integrated reports, the purchasing department may “never realize what they’re spending, or saving,” Malinowski says. “We have to change the paradigm.”
More Efficient Chips, Cheese and Beans
No, those aren’t leftovers from Super Bowl Sunday. The following trio of companies exemplifies how motors play a sometimes hidden role in the larger context of energy savings:
Frito-Lay (www.fritolay.com), PepsiCo’s green-leaning snack division based in Plano, Texas, reportedly is replacing old motors with NEMA Premium in higher energy markets in the northern U.S. while maintaining motors for a longer period in the South, where energy is cheaper. The company’s stated goal in 1999 was to reduce electricity consumption by 25 percent, which has been within low single-digit reach in recent years. Al Halvorsen, director of environmental sustainability, in a university presentation late last year, said the company saved $55 million on water and energy last year alone across 39 manufacturing plants and 195 distribution centers.
Davisco Foods (www.daviscofoods.com), brought together personnel at its LeSueur, Minn., food ingredients plant as part of its work with DOE’s Save Energy Now program (www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/index.html). In one exercise, Ron Wroblewski, the designated DOE energy expert and president of Productive Energy Solutions, Madison, Wis., helped plant employees identify at least one case where a “larger motor that had been ordered for one [spray dryer’s] fan was probably unnecessary,” according to his DOE report.
Bush Brothers & Co. (www.bushbeans.com), at its flagship plant in Chestnut Hill, Tenn., underwent a major renovation, in which new motors and associated assets were installed. “We chose products based on what we felt was a good TCO [total cost of ownership] strategy,” says Michael Rife, the plant’s maintenance planner and buyer. | <urn:uuid:6d1f0b13-c34d-42ab-8690-e8095cf7adbf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2009/motors.html?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931471 | 1,295 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Password protection goes molecular
05 January 2007
Israeli scientists have invented the ultimate in small-scale security: a molecule that acts like an electronic keypad lock. The tiny device lights up when three input signals - acid, base and UV light - are introduced in the correct sequence. The molecular keypad could be used in cryptography and as a tool for diagnosing disease, its inventors suggest, though it currently remains a proof of principle.
The molecule consists of two potential fluorescing units, pyrene and fluorescein, connected by a linker which reversibly binds iron. As acid, base, and irradiating UV light are introduced at three minute intervals, the molecule jumps between various charged states. The result, report researchers at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, is that the sequence 'acid-base-light' makes the molecule fluoresce green, while a separate input 'acid-light' gives a blue fluorescence. Any other sequence input gives dim light or none at all. This behaviour, says co-author Abraham Shanzer, mimics an electronic keypad lock. The device lights up only when the correct chemical 'passwords' are introduced.
The keypad molecule: pyrene (left) and fluorescein (right) are linked by an iron-binding segment. The molecule fluoresces blue or green in response to two distinct 'passwords' of chemicals and UV light, but reacts only dimly if the same inputs are introduced in a different order.
© J. Am. Chem. Soc
The molecular keypad currently has no practical use. But Shanzer told Chemistry World that his group's research is aimed ultimately at monitoring biochemical events in the body. A more advanced keypad could act as a diagnosis tool, lighting up to show in which order chemicals such as hormones were being released. Milan Stojanovic, of Columbia University, US, pointed out that diagnostic tools like microarrays and electronic 'noses' already exist. To go beyond these, he said, a molecular keypad would have to be connected to meaningful inputs, like disease markers, and produce a meaningful output. For example, said Stojanovic, the fluorescence could be linked to release of a therapeutic drug.
Shanzer also suggested that his password protection concept could be used in security, to keep a document concealed. Invisible ink is the simplest form of security, requiring one 'input' to unlock writing; this molecule needs a three-digit password before it lights up. An electronic chip might better serve this purpose, but as Shanzer stressed, 'the goal is not to mimic electronics with molecules'. Instead, he said, molecules should be used in ways electronics might not be capable of - as biosensors inside the body, for example.
Among other applications of molecular electronics, Shanzer's group has already developed a molecular calculator, or 'moleculator', while other researchers have used DNA for computation, even integrating a series of molecules to play a computerised game of noughts and crosses (tic-tac-toe).
Richard Van Noorden
D Margulies et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, doi:10.1021/ja065317z
Comment on this story at the Chemistry World blog
Read other posts and join in the discussion
External links will open in a new browser window | <urn:uuid:d4dc9f07-dc30-46af-b1c3-c64f3aaad8cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/January/05010701.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928417 | 695 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Matthew Cassel, The Electronic Intifada, 23 June 2009
"One would think that the role of the media is to cover issues like conflict or rights abuses as they happen around the world. Although, it seems this isn't the case. Most Western media appear to follow their government's lead when focusing on different issues and then cover them in a way fitting with the government's position, hence the complete domination of events in Iran in nearly every single Western media outlet and the overwhelmingly positive portrayal of the protestors and the opposition as just.....
If the elections and demonstrations in Iran have revealed anything, it is that there are undeniably huge divisions that will greatly affect the future of the country. It's the individual's decision to choose which side he or she supports, if any. And it's the responsibility of the media to be independent of the authorities and to present accurate information in context so that news consumers' judgments will be informed and not made based off the foreign policy of Western governments.
A free and independent media is an essential part of any democracy, and something that the West is proving more and more that it lacks." | <urn:uuid:2e66d8b2-1afc-4e60-83cf-54277bdccaf3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2009/06/western-media-and-iran.html | 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 | 0.971992 | 226 | 2.34375 | 2 |
During the late Victorian period in Britain there were several perfumes that became quite well known because many pharmacists would make their own versions of them. During the agrarian revolution patents were taken out on several inventions and later during the industrial revolution the cloth industry benefited from several innovations that were likewise patented. However, it seems that during this period pharmacists were able to copy names without fear of legal impediment.
The three most common names for perfumes were Jockey Club, New Mown Hay and Mille Fleurs. The Jockey Club itself was founded in 1715 and I imagine that the association with the sport of Kings would position a fragrance at least in the perception of the consumer as being up market. The perfume was supposed to capture the aromas wafted by a warm late spring breeze from nearby woodland across the enclosure at Epsom racecourse. New Mown Hay was an agrestic blend with optimistic promise of warm sunny days and Mille Fleurs was probably equally optimistic, as assuming the name alluded to variety rather than quantity: even today we would struggle to find perhaps fifty flowers let alone twenty times that number.
The bottle illustrated originally contained Jockey Club and it was a triple distillation along lines described in the previous post, although I have some recipes that also added a small proportion of a finished blended perfume to the distillate.
For the purposes of the TV documentary I looked at late Victorian recipes for the three perfumes named above and decided to use many of those ingredients with the addition of some oils from India. As I was going to call the fragrance Empress of India it should contain some quality aromatics in fitting tribute.
I chose classic Orientals for the base: sandalwood, vetivert Bourbon, frankincense, vanilla, opoponax and patchouli. For the heart: tuberose, jasmines Sambac and grandiflorum, rose Maroc and orange blossom absolute. Citrus top notes of neroli, bergamot and mandarin were complimented by rose Otto, orris root and coriander.
As for the purposes of the television I had three apprentices I got each to experiment with one of the accords before assessing them as a group and blending them in just proportion to produce the finished fragrance.
It was quite engaging and even the guys on sound and camera came to check it when it was finished. | <urn:uuid:d345a764-2a2c-4a16-ae3e-8558d687f610> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aleclawless.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983227 | 491 | 2.125 | 2 |
"... keep warm for most of the day, maybe stay fit and like they'd have a good opportunity to look at jobs," said a law student, who chose to go homeless to make life more challenging. Turns out it made life better in some ways: "It saves time... You know, all the little ways we waste time in our homes, watching TV or cleaning. I feel like there's a substantial amount of time I'm saving by not having a place."
Consider the possibility that a gym membership is more useful than an apartment, and quite a bargain. If you join a 24-hour gym, you could be safe and warm indoors — getting fit and cleaning and grooming — during the dark hours, and you can get your sleep — as this law student did — in libraries during the day or evening.
It's interesting to think of strategies for living without a home. It's a predicament that is so bad for many people that it might seem a bit insensitive to imagine doing it in a positive way or to experiment with it as a temporary challenge. But let's overcome our reticence — if any — and talk about it. How would you carry out your own personal adventure in homelessness? Picture yourself doing it well. What would you do? | <urn:uuid:e8b561b6-e0f1-472a-89fb-7b76c0eb4a8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://althouse.blogspot.com/2012/01/if-your-average-homeless-person-spent.html?showComment=1325707749087 | 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 | 0.976667 | 254 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Four Pet Treats Every Owner Should Avoid
A table scrap here, a little taste there -- when indulging our pets, the temptation to slip them tiny treats of our food can be strong. But certain human foods can be dangerous to pets, so keep your animals safe and healthy by avoiding these risky treats.
1. Chocolate -- Not So Sweet. The dangers of chocolate for pets have been well-publicized, and an increasing number of pet owners are savvy about this big no-no. Even in small quantities, chocolate can be fatal to both dogs and cats, so even if your pet has consumed a tiny amount, this is cause for alarm.
Be sure to "pet-proof" your home to make sure that any candy bowls or gift boxes are out-of-reach and securely put away, since even the smallest pets can find a way to get into toxic treats. If you live in a home with especially curious and crafty animals, you might consider investing in a locking garbage can to avoid any accidental raids on leftovers.
2. Trim the Fat. The wafting smell of cooking meat will bring any pet into the kitchen looking for scraps. But pet owners should think carefully before indulging whimpers and meows. Foods that are high in fat, such as cheeseburgers and French fries, can be as bad for pets over time as for their humans.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, scrumptious scraps such as these -- or any other human food with a high fat content, such as gravy -- can lead to life-threatening conditions such as pancreatitis.
3. Stomp Out the Grapes. Although many dogs seek out grapes and raisins for a natural treat, both foods have been linked to kidney problems, even renal failure. Even small amounts can cause serious reactions in animals, so keep your pets away from these tempting treats.
4. Crying Over Onions. The dangers posed to pets by onions are less well-known than the dangers from other foods, but the reactions that onions cause can be just as severe. In any form, onions can lead to anemia in both cats and dogs, so steer clear of feeding your pets any leftovers or scraps that contain even tiny bits of this food.
Healthy Alternatives. If you simply must indulge your pet with food from your own plate, consider options that are not only safe for your pet, but also provide health benefits. Foods like brown rice, lean chicken breasts, and oatmeal can help your pet maintain a healthy weight and prevent obesity-related complications such as joint problems, cancer, and kidney failure. Sweet potatoes are also a vitamin-rich, safe alternative when your pet is begging to eat just a little taste of "whatever you're having."
To find out more about food safety for pets, visit the ASPCA's website at aspca.org.
Tell us what you think about "Harmful Pet Treats: Foods Every Owner Should Avoid" below. Send us your story ideas by e-mailing us at email@example.com.
2 years ago
Feeding dogs and cats a vegan diet will kill a cat and cause a dog to die early. Cats especially need certain amino acids found only in meat. Dogs to require a high meat content and will suffer from immune system compromise when fed only a vegan diet. You may think you are saving another animal but in reality you are killing your pet.
As pet parents of two mixed breed rescue dogs, we sometimes lament the lack of cute pet products that tout our favorite breed: rescue. Last year, tw… more › | <urn:uuid:9c5d2560-a79a-4cca-ad9e-ac7bc599ce03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/harmful-pet-treats-foods-every-owner-should-avoid-1650 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939886 | 751 | 2.40625 | 2 |
1. Life would be better if everyone had the same income and/or resources.
Truth: A totally classless society is impossible, and all attempts have resulted eventually in collective poverty.
2. If we could only communicate better, then we would understand each other, and we would all get along.
Truth: If we truly understood what everyone else really believed, we might like each other less!
3. We can legislate our way to a perfect and peaceful society.
Truth: All law is an imposition of an external standard on someone who doesn’t want to embrace it. The problem is not a lack of legislation, it is that many people desire to do things that are harmful to others, and they always will. In case we haven’t noticed, criminals do not obey the law.
4. If would could get rid of all guns and nukes, we would have world peace.
Truth: There wasn’t world peace before the invention of guns and nukes.
5. Saving the environment will save our species.
Truth: Environmental crises are only a reflection of people’s hearts. Cleaning the environment, as important as that may be, does not intrinsically address the problems of greed and carelessness that cause ecological problems.
6. Everyone should have the right to do anything they want to do as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.
Truth: Self-destructive behaviors always hurt other people, even in indirect ways.
7. Giving people maximum freedom (or liberty) will result in maximum happiness.
Truth: You need to have a moral framework to know how use freedom responsibly (Individual Self-Government) or else that “freedom” will simply result in anarchy.
8. Words are tools of oppression used by the stronger elites to subjugate and control the weaker masses. The deconstruction of language will lead to egalitarianism and equal opportunity. (Postmodern argument)
Truth: Postmodernists are using words to convince of this supposed truth. Do you think they are hoping to control us?
9. We should embrace either all religions as equal and valid, or no religion at all.
Any worldview or philosophy answers (or seeks to answer) some fundamentally religious questions?
All religions (including Atheism) answer these questions, but in fundamentally different and oppositional ways. The Law of Non-Contradiction (in forma Logic) requires that these contradictory truth claims cannot all be true in the same way in the same sense. It is impossible for us to simply ignore these inherently religious questions.
10. If we can just get a president elected who espouses our views, then everything will improve.
Truth: In a Representative Republic, the elected leaders are a reflection of the people of that nation. If the people cannot effectively govern themselves, then an elected official will only reflect that inability of the people to be self-governed.
Copyright 2011, Israel Wayne.
Israel Wayne is an author and conference speaker.
This book is the follow up to the bestselling book that Nancy wrote with Charles Colson entitled, “How Now Shall We Live?“. Total Truth is a kind of magnum opus for Nancy Pearcey who has spent many years writing essays on the topics of Science and Philosophy.
Total Truth sets out to answer the following question, “Does Christianity have a legitimate role to play in the public realm of politics, business, law and education?” She delves into the notion of the Sacred/Secular Dichotomy, which relegates civic matters to the secular sphere and religious matters to the private sphere of personal experience. This split has created a whole generation of schizophrenic Christians who try to balance their personal religious “faith” which includes church on Sunday and prayers at meals, with the entire rest of their life (which is largely dominated by anti-Christian philosophies and practices).
The goal of this book is integrity and cohesiveness in our worldview. Nancy provides a wonderful historical background to the ideas she discusses, giving strong evidence from reason, scripture and historical evidence that the Christian faith cannot be contained to merely a private, personal expression. It must work its way into every area of life.
If you like Chuck Colson or Francis Schaeffer (she was a student at L’Abri in Switzerland as a teenager), you are going to really enjoy and benefit from this book. As a final note, Nancy proves beyond any doubt that women can be power-house intellectuals. Thanks Nancy for such a great book.
On a scale of 1-5, I’d give this a 4.0 overall.
Preface: I am very pleased to be able to share this essay with you because David Quine is a man who has had considerable impact on my own life and is part of my personal journey. In the late 1980s, David began writing a regular column for my mother’s magazine, the Home School Digest, and I began to read his articles. I met David and Shirley Quine for the first time at the HEAV Convention in Lynchburg, VA in, I believe 1989, when I was 13 or 14 years old.
While my mother had recently begun reading Francis Schaeffer and had been impacted by his works, I saw them as dry, academic and unappealing. It was through David, listening to his enthusiasm for applying a Biblical worldview to the Arts and all of life, that I first became interested in Dr. Schaeffer’s writings (which have substantively shaped my own personal worldview profoundly since that time).
David Quine also helped to shape my own philosophy of education, and homeschooling in particular. I have been so blessed to see his faithfulness over the many years and have been honored to go from being a teenager sitting in the audience listening to him speak, to eventually speaking at conferences together with him. David has invested in what really counts: passing on the faith from generation to generation. Because of that, even though he is a humble and unassuming man, his work will remain and endure for many, many generations. I am thankful to call David Quine my friend and to encourage you to plug into his work and learn from his wisdom. You will be thankful that you did. — Israel Wayne
The Authority of the Word of God — My Personal Journey (by David Quine)
Once again in history science and culture are challenging the authority of God’s Word. The focus of the issue is the first eleven chapters of Genesis and then the many verses that reference those chapters. The challenge: Do these passages of Scripture represent true space-time history or simply a Christian concept of truth? In other words, is it truth or allegory? This is not just some theoretical classroom discussion, but rather it reflects my own person journey of my understanding of the authority of the Word of God over the past 40 years of study.
This is not a new challenge, but one that has been repeated throughout the history of Western Civilization. Think back with me for a moment to the time of the Renaissance. Do you remember the meaning of the word? Renaissance means ‘re-birth.’ Have you ever asked yourself what it was the re-birth of? It was the re-birth of classical Greek and Roman thinking. The people living in the period of history immediately before the Renaissance based their thoughts and ideas upon the authority of the Word of God. Step back in history one more period of time into the age of Classical Rome and Greece. It was during this period in which the writings of Homer (Iliad and Odyssey), Virgil (Aeneid), Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle served as the authority of truth and reality. The diagram below illustrates this historical shift:
Classical Greek and Roman Period —> The Middle Ages —> Renaissance (the re-birth of Greek and Roman thinking)
There are a couple of important ideas to consider. It was the Christians of the Renaissance who reaching back into the period of Classical Greece and Rome were bringing forward in time and re-introducing the writings of Homer, Virgil, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle into their own culture. This can be seen in the paintings of the Sistine Chapel in Rome where the paintings of the prophets (sibyls) of Greece are side-by-side with paintings of the great prophets of God or in your local library in the work of Dante’s Divine Comedy in which the ideas of the spiritual life are those of “the great philosophy Aristotle”! In effect, these believers ended a period of time (the Middle Ages) in which individuals were basing their lives on the authority of Scripture alone. It is very interesting that those who consider the Renaissance a movement in the proper direction will often call the Middle Ages the Dark Ages! They consider it a Dark Age because those people did not read the classical works of Greece or Rome. The classical Renaissance thinkers began introducing the works of Greece and Rome into the Christian culture of their time period. Carefully consider what they did! They ended the Middle Ages!
However, the story does not end there. God in His grace raised up another movement in Northern Europe — the Reformation. The men and women of the Reformation rejected the classical thought of the Renaissance and embraced Scripture alone (Sola Sciptura) for faith and living. Western Civilization flourished as the Word of God served as its foundation.
The conflict seems to be repeated in every age. For example, in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s the authority of Scripture was once again challenged. Guess which book and chapters of the Bible were being challenged. If you thought Genesis chapters 1 – 11, you are right. They were being told that those chapters were just a picture — a story — but not true science or history. However, in the early 1950′s God began a new movement in America. A movement that spread across our land — a return to the authority of Scripture. People like Francis Schaeffer, writing in Genesis in Space and Time, and Henry Morris, writing in The Genesis Flood, began fighting for the historicity of Genesis chapters 1 – 11!
This is where I come into the story — my personal journey.
I was raised in a church that rejected those first chapters of Genesis. My pastor rejected heaven and hell. Even Jesus was no longer a real historic person. He was only a fictional idea — a concept –of what a person should strive to become. I was told by the pastor that this was the natural progression of realizing that the first eleven chapters were just a story. By the grace of God in 1967 I became a Christian in my junior year in high school. My view of Scripture changed — it was becoming the sole authority of my life. After graduating I went off to college to begin my studies to become a geologist. I found myself back into the conflict over the authority of the Word of God. In my classes Science and Reason overruled the authority of Scripture at every turn. This caused me to do a great deal of searching. Was there enough evidence for me to accept the authority of Scripture as true in all it teaches or would I accept Science and Reason as the final authority?
It was in my senior year in college that I began reading The Genesis Flood. This book gave me a solid scientific basis for knowing that Genesis 1-11 is true. A couple of years later I read Genesis in Space and Time. This book gave me a solid Scriptural basis for knowing that Genesis 1-11 is true. Now I have a very solid basis for knowing and believing that the first chapters of Genesis are true in the truest sense! It is not just a concept, but true space-time history. Two years after finishing my BS in Geology I returned to the same university to begin work on a MS in Curriculum and Instruction Education for the purpose of learning how to write curriculum which teaches how to give a defense for our faith. During that time I had a discussion with a former geology professor who although he was a deacon in a mainline church said that he would have failed me in every class had he known I would come to such a view of Scripture.
That brings us to the 1980′s and the beginning of homeschooling. There were not many of us during those early days of home schooling. There were no curriculum fairs and no conventions. But there was a commitment of the parents to raise their children under the authority of God’s Word and that included a historical understanding of all of Genesis. When local groups started conferences there was this same mindset.
About 15 years ago a new movement of education was being introduced into home schooling. This movement began reintroducing, at very young ages, the ideas of Greek and Roman thinking through such readings as The Children’s Homer, The Black Ships Before Troy and many others. Does it sound familiar? Remember the Renaissance? Once again there is a mixing of Greek, Roman, and Christian ideas pouring into the hearts and minds of our young children.
The apostle Paul warned those in his days with these words:
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ … (Ephesians 4:14-15)
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ (Colossians 2:8)
I am concerned for the next generation. What they are taught will soon be what they believe. Pearl S Buck was the daughter of missionary parents in China in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. She was taught in the morning with a curriculum from a Christian point of view and then in the afternoon she was taught a classical curriculum. In her autobiography, My Two Worlds, she writes this:
“These were strange conflicting days when in the morning I sat over American schoolbooks and learned the lessons assigned to me by my mother… while in the afternoon I studied under the wholly different tutelage of Mr Kung. I become mentally bifocal, and so I learned early to understand that there is no such condition in human affairs as absolute truth. There is only truth as people see it, and truth, even in fact, may be kaleidoscopic in its variety. The damage such perception did to me I have felt ever since, although damage may be too dark a word, for it merely meant that I could never belong entirely to one side of any question.”
“Mentally bifocal” … “kaleidoscopic” … “damage” are powerful words in describing her personal inability to believe in absolute truth.
We must be very careful what we are teaching our children — and particularly our younger children because we know that God is very concerned about what they will believe.
In 1984 Shirley and I started Cornerstone Curriculum so that we could assist parents in preparing their children to give a clear explanation and defense for why they believe what they believe. The foundation for such a defense rests squarely upon the belief that all of Scripture including Genesis 1 – 11 is true space-time history. It is Scripture that gives direction in understanding science, history, and culture and not the reverse. Neither science nor history can be properly understood apart from the revealed Word of God. The starting point is the Word of God and not the thoughts of man. We believe that every course of study is under the authority of Scripture alone. This is what a Biblical World View Education is all about.
God Bless you as you disciple your children,
David and Shirley Quine | <urn:uuid:f308bee7-0023-4596-8b53-f451e0c82a85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://christianworldview.net/tag/philosophy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969145 | 3,260 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Symptoms of menopause can very widely from woman to woman. The most common symptoms associated with the transition into menopause include irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness.
The 4 to 6 years leading up to the final menstrual period are called perimenopause. It is during this time that symptoms are usually most bothersome. Symptoms that are commonly experienced include:
- Irregular periods
- Breast tenderness, especially in the early stages of menopause
- Hot flashes, which are moments of feeling intensely hot, flushed, and sweaty. Hot flashes can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, and can occur multiple times a day.
- Night sweats
- Heart pounding or palpitations
- Vaginal dryness, which may make sex uncomfortable or painful
- Mood changes, irritability, and depression
Menopause can put you at risk for other conditions. Falling estrogen levels also can have hidden effects, such as bone loss and cholesterol changes that increase heart disease risk Table 01.
Estrogen has protective effects on the bones and heart. This is one of the reasons why younger women do not suffer from osteoporosis and heart disease to the extent that older women do.
The period of most rapid postmenopausal bone loss occurs in the first 5 years following menopause. One out of every two women over the age of 50 is at risk for osteoporosis, and one in four will get it unless she takes steps to prevent it. Osteoporosis can result in bone breaks after minor injuries, or even without injury in elderly women.
Women at higher risk for developing osteoporosis include:
- Thin Asian and white women
- Women who drink alcohol excessively
- Women who lead a sedentary lifestyle
- Women who have poor nutritional habits, especially a lack of calcium in the diet
- Women who take certain medications, such as corticosteroids and medications for thyroid problems
Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Heart disease worsens more rapidly after menopause because or falling estrogen levels in the body. Less estrogen in the blood increases bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases good cholesterol (HDL) levels. An unfavorable ratio of these blood fats can lead to heart attack and other cardiovascular (heart and circulation) problems. Table 01.
Loss of the female sex hormone progesterone increases risk of abnormal thickening of the uterine lining (endometrial hyperplasia) and cancer in some women Table 01.
Endometrial hyperplasia is an abnormal thickening of the uterine lining (endometrium) that usually is not a serious health risk. However, if endometrial hyperplasia is left untreated it can progress to cancer in some women. Women who have a uterus and take estrogen replacement without accompanying progesterone replacement may increase the risk of developing endometrial hyperplasia.
Women who are obese or drink alcohol excessively are more vulnerable to endometrial hyperplasia and cancer, as are those with a family history of endometrial cancer, diabetes, or liver disease.
Irregular vaginal bleeding may indicate an endometrial problem. If you experience changes in your menstrual cycle that last more than 3 months, see your clinician to find out if the changes are related to menopause or another cause.
Table 1. Risks Associated With Menopause
Conditions that may occur due to the hormonal changes of menopause Factors that put you at greater risk for developing the condition Osteoporosis Age (bones weaken with age) Race (white, Asian) Female sex Family history Slender frame Smoking Medications (corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, aluminum-containing antacids, thyroid medications) Poor nutrition Sedentary lifestyle Heart disease Smoking Hypertension Postmenopausal status Diabetes High LDL cholesterol Low HDL cholesterol High triglycerides Family history Uterine cancer Obesity Excessive hair Abnormal vaginal bleeding Liver disease Diabetes Family history High alcohol intake
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- Do Over-the-Counter Proton-Pump Inhibitors Work?You might wonder why you need a prescription for GERD if many PPIs are available over the counter. Get the answers to this and other questions about OTC PPIs. | <urn:uuid:a3146476-7efd-4524-be3a-6171d2ebcd99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pdrhealth.com/diseases/menopause/symptoms | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900209 | 933 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Jim Lundin ’75, PDE’82 asks Abe: “I was probably one of the UW’s youngest students at age 13. I attended a two-week summer music clinic and had the privilege of studying music under several UW music professors with other seventh- and eighth-graders. I fell in love with UW-Madison and returned to receive a mechanical engineering degree. Is the summer music clinic still offered?”
It is indeed, Jim. A pair of one-week Summer Music Clinic
courses are held each year for junior and high school music students. The budding musicians stay in the new Ogg Hall dormitory (or commute to campus from the Madison area) and spend the week taking classes that range from band, jazz ensemble and orchestra to choir, dance, musical theater and film music history with UW faculty and visiting professors.
The music camp concept grew out of the popularity of touring bands and band contests in the 1920s. The Sousa band was in its heyday, traveling the country and performing for huge audiences and enthusiasm for music was high. The first Summer Music Clinic was held at the UW-Madison School of Music in 1928. Over the years, the program has survived the Great Depression, economic pressures, a polio epidemic, a World War II housing squeeze, campus antiwar riots and the competition of increasing summer offerings for youth. The educators who founded the camp could scarcely have imagined its tremendous impact.
In 1937, the UW Board of Regents created scholarship awards for 10 outstanding young musicians to attend the camp. Hundreds of students have benefited from these scholarships over the years, and they have gone on to careers in symphony, opera and music education as well as business. In some cases scholarships have been awarded a quarter-century later to a son or daughter of a previous recipient.
During the 1950s there was a tremendous swell of participation in the program, which endured throughout the tumultuous 1960s. Richard Wolf, clinic director from 1962 to 1973 remembers: “The campus riots and antiwar protests gave me the greatest concern during my tenure. I vividly remember looking out the window of my sixth floor office overlooking State Street and seeing the National Guard in full combat dress with fixed bayonets, lined shoulder to shoulder, and tear gas heavy in the area. This was May, and I was processing some 2,000 applications to bring junior and senior high school students to campus. The clinic was fortunate to survive those difficult times. Parents were apprehensive about sending their children to our campus.”
More than 850 students came to campus for the popular program in 2010, one from as far away as Tanzania. Middle school campers got a dose of inspiration from Madison resident Ray Bailey, who attended the music camp in 1933–35. “Not a day goes by that music isn’t part of my life,” he told them. From the sounds of it, Jim, you and Ray shared a magical musical experience. | <urn:uuid:35d07280-69b0-447a-8ea2-269eb01bf20c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwalumni.com/home/travel/askabe_campus.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974214 | 606 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Proverbs Chapter Eight is absolutely amazing. We try to read through Proverbs day by day each month and this one just stops me in my tracks every time.
Why does God say that wisdom is a woman? I don’t know. A friend commented on the fact that Proverbs is mostly advice from father to son. Yet we have this personification (a literary device where an abstract concept is treated like a person) of Wisdom in many places as a woman. She’s stretching out her hands, she’s going around to the high or chief places, she’s standing at the crossroads, and here in Chapter Eight, she’s shouting at the top of her lungs right in front of the city gates. You can’t miss her! Or can you?
She is talking to men, apparently, like most of Proverbs does, but I think we women can listen in. As long as we can handle being called simple and fools like the men. Our culture today tends to depict women as smarter than men, but only this woman, Wisdom, really has the right to call men fools, and I think women better humble their hearts and listen up as well.
“Be ye of an understanding heart!” She cries in verse five, after calling her audience fools. Boy, these listeners better gather the shreds of humility the “I’m OK, You’re OK” secularist world has left them. Do not get all hurt and walk away from this, men and women alike. “Excellent things” are coming. “Right things.” Wisdom is going to speak truth, and her lips can’t stand wickedness. She also promises that what she says is going to be “plain,” and “right.” She’s going to speak righteousness only. The only catch is that you have to “understand” it. It might seem contradictory that Wisdom calls you a fool in one verse and then expects you to understand her in another, but that’s the way it is with believers sometimes. We’re still struggling with that sin nature, but the Holy Spirit still lives in us to teach us and give us understanding if we let Him. You don’t need silver. You don’t need gold. You need instruction straight from the mouth of Wisdom herself. In the ancient world rubies were the most valuable gemstone. You don’t even need them. No comparison. You need this.
When I get to heaven, I want to ask what “witty inventions” are to make sure, but I think for now I’ll settle for understanding that phrase as the ability to come up with good ideas.
People complain about the very thought of “fearing the Lord.” God is a God of love, isn’t he? He is to be loved and feared, like a dad who would do anything for you but is not going to let you get away with being a fool. So stop complaining and listen. Hate evil, hate pride. What’s a “froward mouth”? One that says vulgar, crude, bad, wrong things. Especially when you say them just because it’s entertaining to vulgar, crude, bad people. Why exactly do you want to impress them again? You don’t.
You want to be a counselor. You want to be strong. You want to tell kings and princes and judges how to rule, how to be just. You want honor and “durable riches.” Wisdom has a revenue-sharing plan that can’t be beat. Her dividends are eternal. Those that love wisdom will “inherit substance.” Not talking about material wealth here. You might get that, or you might not, but what you get from Wisdom will last forever.
Who is this Wisdom anyway? What’s her authority for telling us what to do? How’s older than the oldest of God’s works strike you as a tried and true source of solid teaching? Wisdom predates Creation. She witnessed it all, and starting with verse seven she shares her view of it unfolding before her delighted eyes. Depths of oceans and canyons, fountains of water, mountains, hills, earth, fields, even dust gets a mention. She was before it all, and saw it all come to be. Wisdom saw how God arranged and organized things from the beginning, setting boundaries, defining limits. Wisdom is like God’s best friend, watching Him do it all, right there by His side all the way, rejoicing that God made a habitation for man, and, once again, delighted with that special, crowning creation of human beings.
So Wisdom’s got the right to speak to man, to call us her children, to say, “Listen up!” Don’t refuse her instruction. Yes, you’re struggling with sin, with the pride that says, “I don’t have to listen to you!” But that’s what she’s there for, to tell you what to do. She’s God’s best friend, and she’s yours, too. That’s why she’s yelling at the top of her lungs. That’s why you should be this guy (or girl).”Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.” The consequences of being too proud to hear Wisdom’s voice are severe. “But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” | <urn:uuid:4da3e103-0ba8-40db-8162-8bce76a47856> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://elkjerkyforthesoul.wordpress.com/tag/fountains/ | 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 | 0.957991 | 1,231 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has toughened the Obama administration’s stance on the unfolding events in Egypt, saying the United States is “deeply concerned” about the government’s use of violence against pro-democracy demonstrators.
But a former top official in President Bill Clinton’s State Department says the administration has been sending “mixed messages” about the protests calling for the downfall of the Hosni Mubarak administration.
Speaking in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Hillary Clinton said: “We continue to monitor the situation very closely. We are deeply concerned about the use of violence by Egyptian police and security forces against protestors, and we call on the Egyptian government to do everything in its power to restrain the security forces.
“At the same time, protesters should also refrain from violence and express themselves peacefully.
“We have repeatedly said we support the universal human rights of the Egyptian people, including the right to freedom of expression, of association, and of assembly. We urge the Egyptian authorities to allow peaceful protests and to reverse the unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communication.
“These protests underscore that there are deep grievances within Egyptian society, and the Egyptian government needs to understand that violence will not make these grievances go away.
“As President Obama said yesterday, reform is absolutely critical to the well-being of Egypt. Egypt has long been an important partner of the United States on a range of regional issues, and we strongly believe that the Egyptian government needs to engage with the Egyptian people in implementing needed economic, political and social reforms.”
James “Jamie” Rubin, who served as Bill Clinton’s assistant secretary of State for public affairs, told CNN after Hillary’s speech: “She made it clear the United States recognizes that this is a moment not to be caught on the side.
“Unfortunately, I think the administration in recent days” has appeared undecided “whether to stay out of this as they did in Tunisia, or not get caught behind the curve. And unfortunately, the mixed messages are coming through to the people on the ground.
“The administration seems to be driven more by fear than strategy. They’re afraid of alienating Mubarak, but they’re also afraid of being caught behind the curve.”
Asked what the administration should say, Rubin responded: “I think they should make it clear it’s not just economic and political and social change. There has to be conditions in which the government of Egypt becomes a representative government.
“That means not supporting the move from the father to son. Gamal Mubarak is thought of as the next presidential candidate. It means having the proper election. It means a whole number of steps.”
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:ed8c0c8a-3a67-4848-aab2-a96d77ded1ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Hillary-Clinton-Egypt-violence/2011/01/28/id/384267 | 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 | 0.960122 | 585 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Around Christmas in the 3rd Jahrgang Bach began using the texts of J. C. Lehms for his cantatas. He had set two texts of Lehms in his Weimar tenure, BWV 54 and 199. These two texts are among the most mannerist in style in all of Bach. Both of them engage in a kind of extreme self-flagellation that is more reminiscent of Brockes, the poet of the St. John Passion and, in English, the poetry of Andrew Marvel. While most of the Lehms texts that Bach set in 1725 and 1726 are less violent, one of them, our cantata BWV 13, is rather like BWV 199. The reading for the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany is the description of the Wedding at Cana in the Gospel according to John. While this is basically a joyful event, the moment when Jesus tells his mother that he is not ready to go on his journey has been interpreted as a prediction of his torturous journey and passion. All three cantatas use this theme as their primary theme, and as a group they are among the most somber of all the cantatas.
Lehms, in the best Pietist manner, personalizes Christ’s struggle. The opening tenor aria is a vivid picture of the sinner’s painful struggle. It would seem that Bach consciously undercuts the most extravagant aspects of the text by the interesting and cool orchestration. Two recorders pitched quite high play a poignant duet above a meandering and expressive oboe da caccia line and an active bass. It is one of the most distinctive and strange orchestrations in Bach. By having this warm oboe da caccia line in the range of the tenor underneath the two recorders, a kind of haunting twilight character is projected. The aria is large, a full da capo with a generous B section. Bach seems to be aware that a continuously chromatic harmonic language in a text as long as this cantata could become tedious. He thus limits it to certain expressive moments and for the most part keeps a kind of melancholy minor mode as the primary harmonic color.
The secco alto recitative is also kept at a relatively low temperature except for a striking passage on the word “flehen.” The chorale for alto with strings is amazingly poised. Lehms has chosen a particularly breast-beating verse of the chorale “Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele.” The scoring is interesting. The strings play a rather warm and emotionally neutral tutti. The voice is doubled by both the oboe da caccia and at the octave by the recorders. This doubling amounts to emotional baggage from the 1st movement. It is again not a sound one would expect and puts the listener on guard for something unusual.
After a secco soprano recitative comes one of the strangest pieces in all of Bach. Again for the third time Bach comes up with a very distinctive orchestration. Here a solo violin is doubled by the two recorders, to produce a whining, whistling kind of sound for what is probably the most torturous chromatic line in all of his music. The two recorders and violin most resemble a theramin, that odd early 20th-century instrument that is now inexticably associated with science fiction movies. By choosing an obbligato that is heavily colored by recorders, the most dynamically inexpressive of instruments, Bach puts a certain distance between the listener and the intensity of the chromatic line. Almost as strange as the harmony is the use of large sweeping gestures by the obbligato, which must by definition sound miniaturized, almost humorous. A gorgeous, euphonious harmonization of “O Welt, ich muss dich lassen” ends the cantata. As fascinating as this work is, and the editors of the old Bach Gesellschaft clearly found it interesting (it is the first chamber work that they included in their edition), it must be counted as a peculiarity. Bach goes to such extreme lengths to save an unsaveable text that he has written something in the end that is more odd than touching. | <urn:uuid:43b11036-87df-43c8-9481-8627d5ebd93c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emmanuelmusic.org/notes_translations/notes_cantata/n_bwv013.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956484 | 882 | 2.453125 | 2 |
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- In older adults, physical activity is associated with less brain atrophy and white matter lesion (WML) load, according to a study published in the Oct. 23 issue of Neurology.
Alan J. Gow, Ph.D., from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, and colleagues analyzed data from 691 participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 for associations between self-reported leisure and physical activity at age 70 years and structural brain biomarkers at 73 years. Principal components analysis of 12 major tracts produced general factors for fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity for white matter integrity. Computational image processing methods were used for assessment of atrophy, gray and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) volumes, and WML load.
The researchers found an association between higher level of physical activity with higher fractional anisotropy, larger gray and NAWM volumes, less atrophy, and lower WML load. After adjustment for covariates, including age, social class, and health status, the association of physical activity with atrophy, gray matter, and WML remained significant. Physical activity and stroke each had a significant independent effect on rated WML load. After adjusting for covariates, leisure activity was no longer significantly associated with NAWM volume.
"In this large, narrow-age sample of adults in their 70s, physical activity was associated with less atrophy and WML," the authors write. "Its role as a potential neuroprotective factor is supported; however, the direction of causation is unclear from this observational study."
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Many Palestinians sided with Iraq during Baghdad's invasion of Kuwait [EPA]
On August 2, 1990, the world was shocked by news that Iraqi tanks had blitzkrieged across the southern border and occupied oil-rich Kuwait.
The UN Security Council responded swiftly to the invasion and within hours passed Resolution 660 condemning the Iraqi action.
By August 9, the Council had passed Resolutions 661 and 662 which considered Saddam Hussein's annexation of Kuwait "null and void", and authorised the use of military force - later led by the US - to eject Iraq from its southern neighbour.
This put members of the Arab League at an impasse. On the one hand, they could not allow a member state to occupy another by force, yet they also feared the consequences of backing a foreign military force against an Arab country.
Many Middle East experts believe the invasion and occupation of an Arab state by another forever changed the geopolitical dynamics of the region and dealt severe blows to the controversial concept of unity.
The Arabs were now forced to choose sides.
Emergency Arab summit
On August 10, 20 Arab League countries at an emergency summit in Cairo drafted a final statement that condemned the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and supported the UN resolutions.
|The Arab League summit in August 1990 revealed fractures in Arab unity [GETTY]
Twelve Arab states supported the use of force while the remaining eight, including the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), rejected a military solution to the Iraqi invasion.
For the PLO, this was a precarious gamble. Since its creation in 1969, the PLO had enjoyed considerable financial backing from both Iraq and Kuwait.
Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader, realised that it was impossible to satisfy his two backers; he believed he was left with no alternative but to support Baghdad.
Urging Arab solution
"Let us not believe the West is going to stand up for us or it is after our interests. No, the West does not want our benefit, does not want our independence, the only thing it is after, is our wealth and its interests," Arafat told Arab leaders.
"Our mission as Arab leaders is to find a solution that saves face for all of us. The solution [to Iraq's invasion] must preserve our interests and Arab national security. It is our job today to find an Arab solution not an international one. If we go for the international solution, the map [of the region] will not stay the way it is now."
"It is our job today to find an Arab solution not an international one. If we go for the international solution, the map will not stay the way it is now."
Yasser Arafat, addressing Arab Leaders in Cairo; August 1990.
Although Arafat did not condemn the use of force against Iraq, he nonetheless remained distressed by Saddam's decision to invade a former ally and southern neighbour.
But the PLO leader's regional diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution and his attempts to convince Iraq to withdraw its troops did not save him from Kuwaiti and Western anger.
Historians still debate why Saddam would undertake a military exercise which brought him global condemnation and forced his people to endure years of punitive, often deadly, sanctions.
Tensions with the West had been precipitating since early 1990, when Baghdad executed Farzad Bazoft, a British-Iranian journalist Iraqi authorities convicted of spying for Israel.
Iraq's rapid industrialisation during the 1980-1988 war with Iran, the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield, and its battle-hardened military led some to believe that it had become a threat to Israel and other regional US allies.
There were also fears that an Iraqi strategic arsenal could pave the way for Saddam to exercise power over the Gulf, a vital transit for 40 per cent of the world's oil supplies.
In March, Gerald Bull, a Canadian scientist working on Baghdad's Babylon project to produce a "super gun" which could launch satellites into space, was assassinated in Brussels.
Later that month, British authorities claimed they had seized a shipment of nuclear components en route to Iraq and enforced an embargo on missile parts destined for Baghdad.
During the 1980s, Iraq had helped supply the PLO with arms and it was Arafat's belief at the time that a more militarised Iraq would support the struggle for Palestinian statehood.
"Arafat weighed his options, what was more dangerous? Saving Iraq’s fundamental abilities, giving Western forces a footing in the Arab region, or loosing Kuwait to Iraq? "
The PLO founder calculated that maintaining Iraq's military power and rejecting a US military presence in the region were less costly scenarios in the long run than allowing Baghdad to annex Kuwait.
He weighed the fact that Iraq had participated in force in all Arab-Israeli wars: 1948, 1967, 1968 and 1973, whereas Kuwait had no army it could afford to lose in the event of a future war with Israel.
But Arafat could not have been more wrong.
By the end of 1990, with a huge military force massing in Saudi Arabia, Iraq had become a pariah state. The Kuwaitis had financed a massive media campaign which called Arafat a traitor for supporting Saddam.
They considered PLO support for Iraq as treacherous ingratitude for years of support; the emirate had been home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians since the 1970s.
Saddam's fatal miscalculation
UN mediators and an international contingent of diplomats tried to convince the Iraqi leader that he faced serious consequences if he did not withdraw by a UN-sanctioned January 15, 1991 deadline.
But Baghdad appeared to be digging its heels. Saddam declared that the army would leave Kuwait only if Israel withdrew from all Arab lands it occupied in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.
In some circles, Saddam was seen as a hero of the Palestinian cause. But others believed that Saddam had miscalculated the Bush administration's resolve in restoring Kuwaiti sovereignty.
On January 17, 1991 a US-led force of 33 countries attacked Iraqi installations in Kuwait. By the end of February the Iraqi army has been driven out, Baghdad had been massively bombed, and its infrastructre rendered almost irrepairable.
The Iraqi army had suffered a near-fatal blow; with sanctions in place Baghdad could not import necessary equipment nor refit its spent arsenal. Iraq emerged from the Gulf War battered into submission with sanctions and reparations enforced under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
The Kuwaiti emir returned to the country and his government was reinstated.
In the months following the war, some 400,000 Palestinians were expelled from Kuwait.
Kuwait, a founding member of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) won support from the other members who promptly cut off ties with the PLO and withdrew financial backing.
|Hugo Chavez, left, was the only head of state to visit Iraq between 1991 and 2003 [AFP]
From 1991 onward, Iraq's role in the Middle East greatly diminished and it slipped into isolation.
Only one head of state, Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, visited Iraq during this period.
Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, emerged as influential peace-brokers.
Cairo, which signed a peace treaty with Tel Aviv in 1979, became a mediator of peace talks between Israel and Arab countries.
With Iraq removed from the arena and the Palestinian position during the Gulf War well-remembered, the PLO found itself isolated.
Peace with Israel?
In 1997, Ahmed Qurei, a prominent Palestinian leader, told this writer that the PLO suffered considerably since Iraq's defeat in the Gulf War.
Arafat found himself without recourse. His strong Iraqi backer had now been walled in by punitive sanctions, a failing economy, and a military without up-to-date hardware.
And the Gulf nations had grown very distrusting of the PLO and its leadership.
Arafat felt pressure mounting for him to make concessions and engage with Israel in a new Middle East peace initiative.
It was at this time that he coined the phrase "peace of the brave". Only 10 months after Iraq's defeat in the Gulf War, PLO negotiators were sitting in Madrid, Spain negotiating peace with Israel.
On September 13, 1993 Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin, the then-prime minister of Israel, signed a peace deal in Washington ending decades of hostility between the two parties.
Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon followed suit and opened dialogue with Israel.
Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994, while Syrian-Lebanese negotiations with Israel remain in limbo. | <urn:uuid:4bfb80ba-ec71-43c5-9ce6-59c9fe14ecd8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/plohistoryofrevolution/2009/2009/08/200981294137853350.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966551 | 1,767 | 2.96875 | 3 |
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It's All Politics
Wed September 19, 2012
Welfare Wasn't Always A Dirty Word In The Romney Family
Originally published on Fri September 21, 2012 10:24 am
As Mitt Romney continues to deal with fallout from the secretly recorded "47 percent" fundraiser video that's gone viral, in which he dissed half the nation, more attention is being given to another recording featuring another Romney — his mother, Lenore.
President John F. Kennedy was in the White House in 1962 when the current Republican presidential nominee's mother sat down for an interview to speak on behalf of her husband, George, who was then making his first run to be Michigan's governor.
Buzzfeed's Andrew Kaczynski posted the video online on Sept. 7, well before the former Massachusetts governor's controversial comments about Obama supporters began to get widespread coverage. Buzzfeed describes the interview as an infomercial. Jon Stewart used a snip of the old footage of presidential candidate's mother on The Daily Show Tuesday. (It starts at about the 4:48 mark.)
George Romney, born into a family that saw its fortunes decline when he was a child because of political unrest in Mexico, where he was born, became relatively wealthy as an adult. He was chief executive of American Motors Co.
This led the 1962 interviewer to ask Mrs. Romney how her husband could relate to common people — given the high station he had achieved.
INTERVIEWER: "There are those who say that since he's a man of considerable means he really doesn't care about people."
What's ironic, of course, is that the same question has been asked about her son ever since his first political campaign in 1994, when he ran for U.S. Senate.
Back to her interview.
LENORE ROMNEY: "You know we've only owned our home for the last four years. He was a refugee from Mexico. He was on relief, welfare relief for the first years of his life. But this great country gave him opportunities.
"The family was poor. He said they lived for a year on nothing but potatoes. He's known what it is to have to work for every dime he's had since he was 12."
The fact that the Republican presidential nominee's mother mentioned her husband's childhood on public assistance as part of her pitch to voters shows, if nothing else, how far the nation has moved on the welfare issue since the 1960s. George Romney won the 1962 gubernatorial election, the first of three he would win.
The story of how young George came to be on welfare is fascinating in its own right and is told in the biography "The Real Romney" by journalists Michael Kranish and Scott Helman.
The presidential nominee's great-grandfather Miles was asked in the late 1880s by Mormon officials to go to Mexico to create a colony where Mormons could practice polygamy far from the harassment of U.S. officials. It was there that Mitt Romney's grandfather Gaskell and father, George, were born into an increasingly prosperous family and Mormon community.
But in 1912, George, then 5, and his family fled, with thousands of other Mormons, to the U.S. — chased out by Mexican rebels and largely leaving their wealth behind.
"The Real Romney" reports:
"Fortunately for the Romneys, the U.S. government, which had once chased Miles to Mexico due to his polygamy, now welcomed the Romneys and other Mormons to the United States. Congress established a $100,000 relief fund that enabled the Romneys and other Mormon exiles to receive food and lodging. Initially, the [Romneys'] stay on U.S. soil was to be temporary. The El Paso Herald reported on October 25, 1912, that Gaskell Romney and his family, including little George, had gone to Los Angeles 'until it is safe for his family to return to the colonies in Mexico.' But Gaskell's family would never return to live there and made only a sentimental trip years later. Had they returned for good, Mitt Romney may never have been in a position to run for president."
Instead, he was in a position to run for president. That's how he came to be in that Boca Raton house at that May fundraiser where he made the "47 percent" comment and others that he's now trying to put behind him. | <urn:uuid:c76c1d41-a264-4d1a-835c-4ed32f33637d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://krwg.org/post/welfare-wasnt-always-dirty-word-romney-family | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986102 | 910 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Zetonna is a type of nasal spray that is used once daily to help treat seasonal or year-round allergies. This prescription steroid is designed to relieve allergy symptoms, such as nasal itching, runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. Headaches, nosebleeds, and nasal discomfort are just a few of the possible side effects.
Zetonna™ (ciclesonide) is a prescription steroid nasal spray licensed to treat both seasonal allergies and allergies that occur all year long (known as perennial allergies). Specifically, Zetonna can be used to treat sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and nasal itching due to allergies (known medically as allergic rhinitis).
Zetonna is made by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Allergies occur as the result of the immune system's reaction to normally harmless substances that do not bother most people. This immune system reaction is known as inflammation, and involves several different types of cells and several different chemicals in the body.
Zetonna is a corticosteroid, or simply "steroid" for short. Steroids can have many different effects in the body, including anti-inflammatory effects. Steroids decrease inflammation by limiting the body's ability to produce an immune system reaction. They can be quite effective at treating conditions such as allergies.
However, long-term use of steroids can cause bothersome and sometimes serious side effects, and this limits the usefulness of many steroids. Because Zetonna is a nasal spray, its effects are generally limited to the nose. This helps prevent many of the long-term steroidal side effects.
Although Zetonna is a steroid, it is not the same type of steroid used to enhance athletic performance or to increase muscle mass. These steroids are completely different from the type used in nasal sprays like Zetonna. | <urn:uuid:66c6b88b-6440-4505-9f50-2313e86a6850> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allergies.emedtv.com/zetonna/zetonna.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948193 | 379 | 2.140625 | 2 |
For centuries, the children of Abraham--Jews, Christians and Muslims alike--have venerated the Jordan River. So much so that "crossing over Jordan" has become a mystical metaphor for liberation and resurrection. These days, it's the river itself that could use some resurrecting. Instead of a mighty torrent "deep and wide," as the gospel songs proclaim, much of the river is a thin rivulet of brown slime largely obscured by reeds. Most of what now flows in between the Jordan's banks is human sewage, almost all of it untreated. The river where John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, a river so sacred it doesn't need a priest's blessing to be considered holy water, is today, for all intents and purposes, full of crap.
Almost all the water that used to flow into the river is now diverted for human use, and in past decades, both the Israeli and Jordanian governments have blocked off the Jordan's sources. The relative trickle is so shocking that American pilgrims are often heard exclaiming "That's it?" when crossing the river at Allenby Bridge, the checkpoint separating the Kingdom of Jordan on the river's east bank from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories on the west.
The decline of the river has had profound social and environmental consequences for the Jordan Valley. It has reduced habitats for the 500 million birds migrating each year from Europe to Africa. It is killing the Dead Sea, which, without replenishment from the Jordan, is being reduced in depth about a meter a year. And it is helping decimate Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank--home to some of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities--which are slowly dying of thirst without access to the river or the authority to dig their own wells.
But the plight of the Jordan Valley is also galvanizing a new generation of environmental activists in the region. For Palestinians, reviving the river is a necessary part of establishing a national water system, vital for a future Palestinian state. For Israelis--with environmentalism replacing Zionism as a motivating ideology among idealistic secular Jews--learning to live with their dry country's fragile ecosystem is giving new meaning to the old imperative to "make the deserts bloom." And for all the communities that live along the Jordan, sharing its blessings is an opportunity to nurture the region's fragile peace.
The trick is to convince the national governments that use the Jordan's water that they would be better off returning the river to its natural course. For Gidon Bromberg, founder of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME), a joint Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian environmental organization that is leading the effort to revive the Jordan, the future of water conservation in the Middle East lies in transforming rural economies. Right now the Israeli and Jordanian governments provide precious water at subsidized prices to their agricultural industries. Farming consumes the majority of the water supply but contributes little to national economies. Because they don't pay full price for their resources, farmers grow water-hungry crops such as garden vegetables, fruits and flowers, most of which are shipped to Europe. "We are exporting our water," says Bromberg. "Bananas are a tropical fruit. Why are we growing them in the desert?"
Rural communities in the valley would be better off if they developed themselves as destination spots. In particular, a healthy and accessible Jordan River (much of its banks on the Israeli side are in a restricted military zone) could be a much bigger draw for pilgrims visiting holy sites. FOEME and Yale University architects have developed a showcase ecotourism project: a Peace Park on an island in the middle of the river, where Jordanians and Israelis may one day meet without passports or visas. The Peace Park would also be a concrete way of fighting the mistrust that pushes countries to grab and hoard as much water as they can. "War will not generate water," says Nader Al-Khateeb, the Palestinian director of FOEME. "But peace can."
6 months ago | <urn:uuid:d40d296a-5861-48ca-b19e-d658022eaf6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spoonfeedin.blogspot.com/2008/09/world-postcard-from-jordan-valley.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951879 | 809 | 2.546875 | 3 |
In part, the Vietnam War was perceived as a message that the U.S. would not be intimidated by a Chinese nuclear-weapons program.
You've probably heard that, as Jeremi Suri reported in Wired five years ago, after the Paris Vietnam peace talks broke down in 1969…
Frustrated, Nixon decided to try something new: threaten the Soviet Union with a massive nuclear strike and make its leaders think he was crazy enough to go through with it. His hope was that the Soviets would be so frightened of events spinning out of control that they would strong-arm Hanoi, telling the North Vietnamese to start making concessions at the negotiating table or risk losing Soviet military support.
Codenamed Giant Lance, Nixon's plan was the culmination of a strategy of premeditated madness he had developed with national security adviser Henry Kissinger. … Giant Lance was the leading example of what historians came to call the "madman theory": Nixon's notion that faked, finger-on-the-button rage could bring the Soviets to heel.
Nixon and Kissinger put the plan in motion on October 10 … They wanted the most powerful thermonuclear weapons in the US arsenal readied for immediate use against the Soviet Union. … After their launch, [B-52s armed with nuclear weapons] pressed against Soviet airspace for three days. They skirted enemy territory, challenging defenses and taunting Soviet aircraft. [The strategy] appeared to be a direct application of … game theory. H. R. Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff, wrote in his diary that Kissinger believed evidence of US irrationality would "jar the Soviets and North Vietnam." Nixon encouraged Kissinger to expand this approach. "If the Vietnam thing is raised" in conversations with Moscow, Nixon advised, Kissinger should "shake his head and say, 'I am sorry, Mr. Ambassador, but [the president] is out of control." Nixon told Haldeman: "I want the North Vietnamese to believe that I've reached the point that I might do anything to stop the war. We'll just slip the word to them that for God's sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about Communism. We can't restrain him when he is angry — and he has his hand on the nuclear button' — and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace."
Whether it helped end the war, but the U.S.S.R. bought Nixon's act. Suri again:
Brezhnev's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Dobrynin, urgently set up a meeting with Nixon and Kissinger. … Dobrynin warned Soviet leaders that "Nixon is unable to control himself even in a conversation with a foreign ambassador." He also commented on the president's "growing emotionalism" and "lack of balance."… On October 30, Nixon and Kissinger ordered an end to Giant Lance, and the B-52s turned and headed back home. The sudden conclusion reinforced the madman pose.
Hmm, one would have thought the Soviets already knew Nixon was crazy. Anyway, the Vietnam War was a test case for yet another element of U.S. nuclear-weapons policy. I'm currently reading Francis J. Gavin's illuminating Nuclear Statecraft: History and Strategy in America's Atomic Age by (Cornell University Press, 1912). He writes (emphasis added):
The dilemmas associated with nuclear proliferation influenced US military strategy throughout the world, most obviously in Europe. But a linkage also existed between a more active nonproliferation policy and the US military presence in Southeast Asia. The Gilpatric committee discussions [which led to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty] took place when the Johnson administration was debating whether to escalate US military involvement in Vietnam. China's atomic test was bound to influence these discussions. President Kennedy had considered a nuclear-armed China a grave threat that would "so upset the world political scene [that] it would be intolerable." Convinced that China was "bound to get nuclear weapons, in time, and from that moment they will dominate South East Asia," Kennedy feared that even a minimal Chinese nuclear force could prevent US military intervention. As Kennedy had once noted, just a few missiles in Cuba had "had a deterrent effect on us."
President Kennedy's analysis implied that once China acquired a nuclear capability, the United States would likely withdraw from Vietnam.… But government officials, as well as members of the committee, wanted to make clear that the United States would not break its commitments in the face of a nuclear threat. If the United States acquiesced to a nuclear-armed adversary, the incentives for small powers to develop nuclear weapons would increase exponentially. Vietnam would be the test case of this new commitment. In a paper for the Gilpatric committee, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs Henry Rowen wrote, "A U.S. defeat in Southeast Asia may come to be attributed in part to the unwillingness of the U.S. to take on North Vietnam supported by a China that now has the bomb. Such a defeat is now much more significant to countries near China than it was before October 16." | <urn:uuid:f75ff3f5-a19e-43c8-a2eb-3b70a23a3ad0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fpif.org/blog?type=Blog&start=75 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972865 | 1,049 | 2.40625 | 2 |
North Dakota State University, Dept. of Agricultural Economics
Agricultural Economics Report 402
You can download this documents for viewing and printing using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download Industrial Hemp As An Alternative Crop In North Dakoda in PDF format.
This report is in response to a national and state interest in the potential benefits of industrial hemp as an alternative crop. Industrial hemp has many uses which can be categorized into nine submarkets. North Dakota may have a comparative advantage in producing industrial hemp seed for oil because of the multi-oil processing facility in Carrington (AgGrow Oils) and the established infrastructure. Industrial hemp is currently legally produced in 22 countries with Canada being the closest and is recognized as a legal and legitimate crop in both the NAFTA and GATT agreements. The main obstacles for legalization of industrial hemp appear to be 1) law enforcement officials are concerned about the regulation, 2) no domestic facilities currently exist to process hemp stalks, although Canada will have such facilities shortly, 3) there is a lack of current production and processing technology, and 4) lack of research on the production potential and quality aspects of the crop. Since very little is known about the potential yield and quality of industrial hemp fiber and seed that would be produced in North Dakota, it is recommended that controlled experimental production and processing be allowed. Necessary baseline production, processing, and marketing data could be collected and analyzed, and law enforcement concerns could also be addressed. Keywords: industrial hemp, hemp, alternative crops, fiber, hurds, Cannabis Sativa. | <urn:uuid:6ead4240-a03e-441a-a4d2-fa9b107db981> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.globalhemp.com/1998/07/industrial-hemp-as-an-alternative-crop-in-north-dakoda.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934192 | 314 | 2.28125 | 2 |
WELCOME TO THE DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER
The mission of the Disability Resource Center (DRC) is to ensure educational equity for students with disabilities. We provide assistance and information on issues of access to ensure the full participation of students with disabilities at Southern.
The University adheres to the letter as well as the spirit of key laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Southern continues to monitor and make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, procedures and facilities to accommodate students with disabilities who study, work or visit our campus.
Our philosophy promotes self-awareness, self-determination, and self-advocacy skills to assist the students served by the DRC to maximize their potential and gain greater independence. | <urn:uuid:278af15a-7fea-4c5f-a219-ef1c4a32b08c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.southernct.edu/student-life/support/drc/index.html/housingprocedures | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945799 | 158 | 1.671875 | 2 |
BSC Student Sasha Richmond Participates as Exhibitor in Undergraduate Research Day at the State Capitol
CreatedThursday, February 16 2012
Created byJim Nelson/Media Relations - (304) 327-4103 firstname.lastname@example.org
(Bluefield)—Sasha Richmond, a student at Bluefield State College, participated in the ninth annual Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Charleston, WV. The event was developed to help demonstrate to members of the State Legislature and Executive Branch the importance of undergraduate research by talking directly with the students whom these programs impact.
Richmond was also among a contingent of BSC students to take part in last summer's West Virginia Idea Network Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Summer Symposium at Marshall University. Her enthusiasm for scientific research has grown under the guidance of Dr. Tesfaye Belay, Associate Professor of Biology at BSC.
"When I arrived at BSC, I didn't know much about research," she recalled. "Dr. Belay was my advisor. When he learned that I was a Health Science & Technology Academy (HSTA) graduate, he encouraged me to give research a try."
"My experience really impacted my career plans," she continued. "I wanted to get involved in some aspect of medicine, but didn't know at the time exactly where I wanted to go within the field. Now I know I want to be involved in research."
Richmond also sees the benefit of the experiences she has obtained through participation in WV-INBRE. "I learned that quality research demands a thorough approach. At last summer's symposium, I recognized that the quality of our research and our understanding of research processes and protocols really compares favorably with that at other schools," she observed. | <urn:uuid:dfc3db99-b943-4fed-a6b9-0c8a38adda7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bluefieldstate.edu/about/news/81-latest-news/1982-template?format=pdf&fontstyle=f-larger | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972144 | 362 | 1.820313 | 2 |
1 (adj.) The phenomenon of a person becoming so ingrained with throwing away any and all byproducts that they can't remember to recycle even when the option is placed directly beside the trash can.
2 (adj.) A kindergarten-level attitude problem against recycling, and a sign of extreme, illogical selfishness resulting in aggression towards the Earth and anybody who respects it.
You just put a plastic bottle, aluminum can, and plastic wrapper in a trash can that's right next to the recycling bin. Yet you bitch about smelly landfills and also admit to not caring about oil pouring into the ocean. I don't get it, did you witness your mother getting raped by a whale? You're recycling-retarded. | <urn:uuid:0ab13bdc-67b3-4a26-98c7-1746569cedc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=recycling-retarded&defid=5726979 | 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 | 0.949122 | 148 | 1.734375 | 2 |
At User Experience Lisbon (UX LX), Donna Spencer talked about Design Games you can play with your team and with potential users of your product to elicit ideations and information in fun ways. Here's my notes from her presentation:
- A design game is something you can do in a project situation to get valuable information in a fun way. They are hands-on and engage participants both physically and mentally.
- Design games get real involvement from people and help teams communicate ideas to get everyone on the same page.
Games you can play with users
- Design the box: figure out the packaging your product will go into. Helps get people to focus on key themes, generate ideas for the name, tag lines, etc. This forces you to distill ideas into only a few words and features.
- Design the homepage: helps people think through the main ideas of a Web site. Key issues come out pretty quickly when people design the perfect home page for themselves.
- Divide the dollar: gives you a way to prioritize options, features, etc. by asking people to allocate an amount of money to each element.
- Metadata games: helps understand how people describe particular things. Ask people to label elements relevant to your product.
- Free-listing: how many things can you list that are relevant to ...? Gets people to tell you the terms they use and gives you some context about how they think about a problem.
- Card sorting: usually not considered a game. But the process of organizing concepts can have rewards, time pressure, or other game elements.
Games to play with your team
- Idea cards: good for when you are trying to generate ideas. Start with relevant words on a set of cards and ask people to come up with an idea that includes the term on the card like: audience, simple, identity, color, etc.
- Reversal: instead of tackling a problem head on –turn it around and solve the anti-problem. After you have anti-solutions, apply the ideas to the actual problem.
- You need to plan design games effectively. Make sure there is a clear purpose –something you want out of it. Otherwise people might wonder why they are doing it. Determine the outcome you want from the session. Think through the rules, constraints, the form of the output, and how people will be involved.
- To make existing activities more game like: create a time limit, create an opportunity to win, or introduce collaborative elements. | <urn:uuid:6eb3cab6-7745-4f19-a767-73c26fbba339> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1091 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931488 | 511 | 2.5625 | 3 |
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Clay Blair, Jr.
Photo: Clay Blair, Jr. Clay Blair Papers.
Born in Virginia in 1925, Clay Blair, Jr. grew up in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington, D.C. During December, 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, volunteering for submarine duty. After the war he attended Tulane University and Columbia University's School of Journalism. During the 1950s Blair was a correspondent for Time-Life before becoming a staff writer and Washington editor for the Saturday Evening Post. Blair served as managing editor and editor-in-chief of the Post during the early 1960s and also served as editor-in-chief of Curtis Publishing Company, which published the Post as well as Ladies Home Journal, American Home, and Jack and Jill magazines.
This exhibit was created by the American Heritage Center, who gratefully acknowledges the generous support of First National Bank of Wyoming for its Exhibits program. | <urn:uuid:e8d53cf6-3342-42b9-aa4b-929e25ede545> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwyo.edu/ahc/eduoutreach/exhibits/clay-blair/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965169 | 195 | 2.078125 | 2 |
First Borey Class Nuclear Sub to Join Russian Navy on Sunday
ST. PETERSBURG, December 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's first Borey class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, will be officially put into service with the Russian Navy on Sunday, the designer of the sub said.
"The hoisting of the flag and the signing of the acceptance act will be held at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk on Sunday, December 30," the Rubin design bureau said in a statement on Saturday.
On the same day, the Sevmash will float out a third Borey class submarine, the Vladimir Monomakh.
A second Borey class vessel, the Alexander Nevsky, is undergoing sea trials and could join Russia's Pacific Fleet in 2014.
The Borey class submarines are expected to form the core of Russia's strategic submarine fleet, replacing the aging Project 941 (NATO Typhoon class) and Project 667 class (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats. Russia is planning to build eight Borey and Borey-A class subs by 2020.
A Borey class strategic submarine is 170 meters (580 feet) long, has a hull diameter of 13 meters (42 feet), a crew of 107, including 55 officers, a maximum depth of 450 meters (about 1,500 feet) and a submerged speed of about 29 knots.
Yuri Dolgoruky strategic nuclear submarine: characteristics
All the Borey class strategic submarines will carry up to 16 Bulava ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.
|Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list| | <urn:uuid:f1fac18a-895d-4ca6-b710-7637fa5bf417> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2012/russia-121230-rianovosti01.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909047 | 336 | 1.929688 | 2 |
The Arrival of Public Works in Asa Branca
Bold words inscribed in Carlos Alberto Costa’s ink marked our group’s entry into Favela Asa Branca: “True leaders don’t create followers; they create more leaders.” Carlos, better known as Bezerra, the president of the Resident’s Association of Asa Branca, is a tremendous figure more than balanced by a tremendously inviting persona that manifests itself in the way he jokes with his residents, in the familiarity with which he embraces his visitors, and in the eagerness that accompanies his stories of old struggles and successes. Gentle attention accompanies his every step, his every word: just the personality needed to coordinate a self-built community of thousands through the length of decades.
After the blocks of high-rise condos that dominated the last twenty minutes of our commute, the contrast that Asa Branca offered was striking: what awaited us as we stepped off our bus was a community that breathed with a life both meticulously planned and organically developed, a neighborhood which, for decades, has found its engine in an intimate circuit between the demands and capacities of its residents. By the nature of Brazil’s oppressive history, it’s not a surprise that Asa Branca has learned to provide for its own needs. Like most other favelas, it had to.
But there’s a spirit of creative problem-solving that’s especially evident in Asa Branca from the first glance. Just seconds out of the bus, Bezerra proudly led us to a large tub on the side of the road, and there sat some spare vegetable oil collected over days from within the favela, ready to be sold to soap companies for profit. And a few meters over, we crossed a speed bump planned and built not by the Prefeitura (City government) but by a collection of residents that decided it was necessary. Soon after arrival, visitors were treated to lunch, where Bezerra described the process by which leaders are elected by the Associação de Moradores (Residents’ Association), and the democratic process by which such community-wide decisions are made.
Such projects are not only implemented by the Residents’ Association, but are instigated simply by concerned individuals. That afternoon, Bezerra introduced our group to Francisco, who has been gathering food every Christmas and distributing it to the community’s poorest for some 10 years. “He started when he was 17,” Bezerra explained with pride. Last Christmas, Francisco’s project reached 200 families.
Recounting the community’s evolution, Bezerra told us how a particular block was laid out with 5×7 meter dwellings based on the number of people who needed land, and how the construction proceeded from inside-out and bottom-up. “They built a small shack of tin to sleep in at night as they lay bricks around themselves by day,” he explained. “They lay the sewerage pipes on the flood-prone ground then filled in and built over them instead of digging underground.” The whole infrastructure of underground pipes that run through the area of the favela was, by necessity, self-built. Such conditions came with limitations: an adjacent stream was filthy as it received sewerage from the community’s pipes.
But the City Works department has since stepped in to connect Asa Branca’s system to the city’s main sewers. With light in his eyes, Bezerra recalled a city engineer’s evaluation of the community-built sewer line: “It was great, it was functioning very well!” All that’s left is to connect it to the city’s sewers – a move that at once fulfills the municipality’s promises to its citizens and acknowledges the self-led achievements of Asa Branca’s population. Bezerra had been waiting to receive the government on these terms: when asked about a map of the community’s self-built sewers, he recalls how he had all the necessary documents ready to facilitate the transition.
Some of the city’s interventions, however, have fallen short of this careful balance. In that same area where we took our first steps on Asa Branca’s soil we learned of the city’s plans to relocate some residents of the community in order to install a ten-lane highway for the 2016 Olympic events. The future formalization of once-siphoned water supply threatens to bring water bills that some in the community cannot afford and thus pushing what locals are calling “white expulsion.” And a newly-built sidewalk has proven hazardous, priming drivers to drive faster on what had been established as a shared space for vehicles and pedestrians.
Bezerra remains forward-looking and optimistic. “I don’t want me. I want better than me!” he declared on the subject of his retirement: big expectations from a man who had been voted in as Associação president numerous times and often against his own will. After expressing his hopes about the adjacent square of land where the city plans to build a school and daycare center, he told us of a fundraising party he’s arranging for September 2nd to fill the jar for the next president. He then handed us his business cards. Bezerra is an avid Facebook user.
The air was festive around us. Children skipped with kites in hand; residents set up a trampoline for Festa Junina at the cross of two pathways; and Bezerra’s nephew, Wesley, weaved around us on his bicycle, quizzing me on my Portuguese and dictating a sentence for me to write on my notepad: “Eu tive um amigo no Rio de Janeiro e ele se chama Wesley” (“I had a friend in Rio and his name is Wesley”).
This was one of the first of NGO Catalytic Communities‘ educational favela visits for Rio+20, and visitors included representatives from (among others) Columbia University, UC Berkeley, Next American City, Earth In Brackets, and EcoCity Builders – the latter of which had presented their interactive EcoCitizen Map during CatComm’s premiere of “Favela as a Sustainable Model” two days prior. Kirstin Miller, Executive Director of EcoCity Builders, was struck by the “high level social cohesion and a sense of belonging and community” she sensed in the area that likely “comes from his (Bezerra’s) leadership style and availability to everyone.” Though she noted the lack of city services like healthcare and sanitation, Asa Branca struck her as “closer to ecocity conditions in many ways than their car dependent wealthier neighbors.” Kaganga John, Director of the Kikandwa Environmental Association, was equally impressed; his partner Heather Box from the Million Person Project spoke of how “he was taking notes to help him improve his own community” in Uganda.
This article was written by Rexy Josh Dorado, and published on June 20, 2012.
Comments are closed. | <urn:uuid:2ab403da-3a22-497a-af96-d0aca177403c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rioonwatch.org/?p=4040 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975676 | 1,507 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Europa can refer to:
- 1) Europa: The name for the continent of Europe in many European languages; including German, Spanish and Italian. The continent of Europe is often cited as the birthplace of Western culture.
- 2) Europa: The second innermost of the Galilean moons of Jupiter
- 3) Europa: In Greek mythology, the Phoenician princess who, according to legend, gave Europe its name.
Europa has more than one meaning. As such, this article is merely a disambiguation page, listing articles associated with Europa.
If you were linked to this page from another article, feel free to edit that article to make it point at the correct entry. | <urn:uuid:bb190b7e-2cb9-4ab8-b860-310935606c97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://conservapedia.com/Europa | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93968 | 144 | 2.375 | 2 |
Famous People Who Died on December 29
St Thomas Becket
Painter / 1748 - 1825
Jacques-Louis David was a 19th century painter who is considered to be the principal proponent of the Neoclassical style, which moved art briskly away from the previous Rococo period. His most famous works include "The Death of Marat" and "Napoleon Crossing the Alps."
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Ernest Hemingway's novels and stories are among the most beloved and influential masterpieces of American literature, and The Ernest Hemingway Audiobook Library highlights several of these classic works, including The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, The Garden of Eden, and The Old Man and the Sea. Learn more about the famous actors who lent their voices to The Hemingway Audiobook Library‚ including Donald Sutherland, William Hurt, John Slattery, Campbell Scott and Brian Dennehy.
5 people in this group
In true Albus Dumbledore fashion, Biography.com examines and provides insight on the cast of the illustrious Harry Potter film series, based on the popular books by author J.K. Rowling. Debuting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and ending with the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the eight-part film series continues to wow fans with its tales of witchcraft and wizardry. It also includes a gamut of stars, from Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the famous Harry; to Emma Watson, who plays Harry's best friend, Hermione; to Alan Rickman, known for his villainous role as Severus Snape; to Robert Pattinson, who plays the attractive Cedric Diggory, Harry's Triwizard Tournament rival; and more.
15 people in this group
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid led the Wild Bunch through a series of bank and train robberies across the American Old West. Their exploits served as the basis for the 1967 Oscar-winning film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
2 people in this group | <urn:uuid:247e11e7-60ac-4ccf-9c69-0dc4d5847277> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biography.com/people/groups/died-on-december-29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922063 | 675 | 1.960938 | 2 |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released in May its Guide to Infection Prevention in Outpatient Settings: Minimum Expectations for Safe Care. Specific sections of the publication, with links to full guidelines and source documents, are devoted to needed resources including staff education and training as well as standards for the monitoring and reporting of infections. Existing standard precautions are, of course, included, such as hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, injection safety, and cleaning and disinfection of environment and medical equipment.
Outpatient settings are the CDC’s focus because of the rapid shift from inpatient to ambulatory care settings. Three-quarters of all surgeries in the U.S. are now performed on an outpatient basis, and more than a million cancer patients receive outpatient chemotherapy, radiation therapy or both. Kidney dialysis is outpatient and so is a significant portion of all diagnostic procedures across service lines.
One such section is a separate guideline for prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). The document updates and expands the original CDC Guideline published in 1981. To evaluate the evidence in the intervening 28 years on preventing CAUTI, the authors examined data addressing three key questions and related sub-questions:
- Who should receive urinary catheters? When is catheterization necessary and who is at risk for CAUTI?
- For those who may require urinary catheters, what are the best practices in terms of approaches, types of catheters and collection systems, management techniques, and quality improvement programs?
- What are the best practices for preventing CAUTI associated with obstructed urinary catheters?
Providers in the acute care hospital setting are strictly instructed to insert urinary catheters using aseptic technique and sterile equipment. Routine use of antiseptic lubricants is not necessary. However, in the non-acute care setting, clean (i.e., non-sterile) technique for intermittent catheterization is considered an acceptable and more practical alternative to sterile technique for patients requiring chronic intermittent catheterization, although the CDC recommendations state that further research is needed on optimal cleaning and storage methods for catheters re-used for clean intermittent catheterization. This recommendation is based on category level IA evidence (p. 12). Hydrophilic catheters are considered preferable to standard catheters for patients requiring intermittent catheterization, although this was based on very low level evidence. Silicone might be preferable to other catheter materials, although this statement is not definitive.
Although there is not a cross reference found in the CDC’s publication to the 2009 policy change announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) commencing coverage for single use, sterile catheters, it is this patient advocate’s opinion that those at highest risk of infection and those already witnessing recurrent UTIs (four or more a year) should be provided access with insurance coverage to sterile devices regardless of the CDC’s recommendations.
Practical instructions are included as well. Unobstructed urine flow is to be maintained by keeping the catheter and collecting tube free from kinking and keeping the collecting bag below the level of the bladder at all times. The bag should not be rested on the floor to avoid contamination. The collection bag should be emptied regularly using a separate, clean collecting container for each patient and splashing should be avoided. The drainage spigot should not be put in contact with the non-sterile collection container.
The CDC publication also attempts to dispel myths and unsupported actions. For example, routine irrigation of the bladder with antimicrobials is not recommended, nor is routine instillation of antiseptic or antimicrobial solutions into urinary drainage bags (p. 14). Nor should the periurethral area be cleaned with antiseptics with the goal of preventing CAUTI while the catheter is in place. Routine hygiene during daily bathing or showering, including cleansing of the meatal surface, is appropriate and considered standard care (p. 13).
Particularly for men with serious urine retention resulting from a distended bladder caused by an enlarged prostate gland blocking urine flow through the urethra, these latest guidelines are worthy of study so that advice and product guidance from providers is consistent with these recommendations. Those facing catheterization while hospitalized should be sure the facility’s practices are compliant with this CDC publication. Every provider should practice with quality improvement programs that include a system of alerts and reminders to patients assessing the need for continued catheterization, guidelines and protocols for nurses to remove unnecessary urinary catheters, education and performance feedback on hygienic practices, and guidelines in place for catheter management after placement. | <urn:uuid:948fa30a-3751-4f13-a488-27348c9f2da8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bladderbreak.wordpress.com/tag/center-for-disease-control-and-prevention/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924691 | 963 | 2.640625 | 3 |
I like to carry my entire genealogy database with me at all times, and now I can do so with nothing more than my cell phone. My database is sitting inside my iPhone, the cell phone from Apple. If I owned an iPod Touch, I could use the same program on it. Any time I want to look at something in my genealogy database, I can grab the iPhone, enter a few "clicks" with my finger, and find what I want within seconds.
I find that having my database with me at all times is a great convenience when at a library, a courthouse, or even at a local genealogy society meeting or a genealogy conference. Many times I've run across an ancestor that I wasn't researching at the moment and knew that we were related but couldn't remember the connection. Perhaps I met someone else who is researching the same family or the same county, and I wanted to compare notes. I've found that having all the info at my fingertips lets me do a quick query and know for certain if "John Doe" is really my John Doe or someone else's.
Shrubs is a stand-alone program for the iPhone or the iPod Touch. As such, I can roam the records or search the stacks with cell phone in hand, free of any other computing device, let alone binders full of paper. Unlike some of the other genealogy applications available for these tiny computers, Shrubs does not require any specific genealogy program on your desktop or laptop computer, although you do need to have some sort of genealogy program. Shrubs imports a GEDCOM file that can be created with any modern genealogy program, be it Windows, Macintosh or a Linux program. Shrubs doesn't care where the file comes from. The GEDCOM file must be stored either on a web site or in a computer that your iPhone can reach via the wireless wi-fi network.
NOTE: For information about GEDCOM files, see my earlier article, GEDCOM Explained, at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/08/gedcom-explaine.html.
Shrubs is one of the three iPhone genealogy programs that I know of that will work for Windows users. (The other two are FamViewer and GedView.) Other genealogy programs for the iPhone or iPod Touch only work with specific Macintosh genealogy programs on the desktop or laptop system and will not import GEDCOM files.
Downloading and installing Shrubs is a snap. If you have ever downloaded and installed any application from the Apple App Store, you already know how to do it. Simply use the iPhone or iPod Touch as usual, touch "App Store," search for "genealogy" or "Shrubs,” and then touch DOWNLOAD. Wait a few seconds, and the new program will be installed and made operational with no further human intervention. I wish that all software was this simple to install!
I had no problems importing my GEDCOM file of about 3,000 people. The process was easy, quick, and no frills. The program will import somewhat larger GEDCOM files without a problem. Shrubs does have a file size limitation, however: the GEDCOM file cannot exceed 4 megabytes. As mentioned earlier, the other limitation is the method of importing: the program needs either a wi-fi connection to your computer or a web address where you have stored your GEDCOM file.
Shrubs displays trees in a format that looks a bit like a family group sheet. Double click on any screenshot in this article for an example. If you turn the iPhone sideways, the display switches from portrait to landscape mode.
You can use the SEARCH function to search for a person's first, middle or last name. You cannot search for a location, however.
Shrubs allows you to designate one individual in your database as your "favorite." It might be you if you want to have yourself as a known starting place. Then again, you might designate the ancestor you are researching today as your "favorite." The advantage of a "favorite" is you can return to that individual instantly by pressing the star icon near the upper left corner. You can designate a new “favorite” person at any time within seconds.
Shrubs does have a significant shortcoming, in my opinion. The program imports the GEDCOM data but throws away the text notes. I have seen other genealogy programs that preserve the notes. Shrubs allows you to find and search for the names, birth dates, death dates, marriage dates, locations, and more; but, if you have extensive text notes, that information will not transfer to the iPhone in the data import process. I suppose that allows the user to store information about more people in a small amount of storage space, such as is found on many iPhones. However, my iPhone 3G S has 32 gigabytes of storage, and most of that space is still available. I do wish the program would store text notes. It might be an option that the user selects during the import process.
I suppose the loss of text notes is not a big loss for a "read only" device that is used only for quick references. After all, your primary database remains safe and secure, with all the information you have entered, on your desktop or laptop computer. Still, I would really like to see those text notes.
On the plus side, Shrubs does preserve and display citations, albeit in a somewhat abbreviated format. Here again, there will likely be times when I would love to see complete citations; however, a shortened citation is certainly better than none.
Another shortcoming is that Shrubs does not understand all the GEDCOM tags. To be sure, it imports birth, death, marriage, christening, burial, and other common data fields properly. However, if your GEDCOM file contains tags such as "enlisted" or "discharged" or "canonized" or "executed" (don't ask about my family!), the data for those tags as shown in Shrubs will simply say, ""other" and then will list the date and location without defining what the “Other” event is. I find that to be annoying, although not necessarily a show stopper.
Shrubs is primarily a "read only" device. I might call it a "GEDCOM viewer" or a "GEDCOM importer." Once you import your data, you can search it and read it quickly. You cannot update information on the iPhone and then transfer it back to your desktop computer later.
To be sure, Shrubs does allow you to enter text notes. Separate text notes can be attached to any person. I have used the text notes to create a "to do" list for the next time I visit a particular archive: "Look for land records for John Smith." However, those notes remain only in the iPhone; they do not transfer back to the desktop computer. Admittedly, most other genealogy programs designed for handhelds do the same, but a couple do have two-way communications.
Shrubs should work on any iPhone or iPod Touch that uses version 2.2.1 or later of the operating system. I tested it on an iPhone 3G S running version 3.0 of the operating system. Shrubs will need a network connection (2G, 3G, or wi-fi) when importing data. However, that is a one-time requirement, and the imported data is then stored in the iPhone's (or iPod Touch's) memory and is always available to you within seconds. You can go to a library or courthouse basement that has no wireless connectivity at all and still use Shrubs effectively.
The only time you will need a network connection again is if you want to erase the Shrubs data and import a new GEDCOM file that you recently updated. Luckily, that is easy to do: touch the trashcan icon to throw away the present data, then touch IMPORT to repeat the process you used the first time to import data.
All in all, I am pleased with Shrubs. I do wish it did a bit more, but for the purchase price of $9.99, I don't think I will complain. After all, that is a lot cheaper than buying three-ring binders and paper to carry the same amount of information! Of course, the iPhone also slips into a pocket or purse, unlike three-ring binders.
Shrubs works in either English or French. To learn more about Shrubs, go to http://software.benoitbousquet.com/view.php?app=shrubs. To download the program, use your iPhone or iPod Touch and go to the App Store. Search for “shrubs” or for “genealogy.”
In the near future, I will publish an article that describes all the choices you have for storing your genealogy on an iPhone. If the limitations of this program concern you, stay tuned for more on this topic! | <urn:uuid:54992eeb-6cab-4c77-ab99-b6784f6403ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/06/shrubs-a-genealogy-program-for-the-iphone.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934875 | 1,898 | 1.820313 | 2 |
The 1969 Cuyahoga River fire helped spur an avalanche of water pollution control activities resulting in the Clean Water Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA). As a result, large point sources of pollution on the Cuyahoga have received significant attention from the OEPA in recent decades. These events are referred to in Randy Newman's 1972 song "Burn On", R.E.M.'s 1986 song "Cuyahoga", and Adam Again's 1992 song "River on Fire". Great Lakes Brewing Company of Cleveland, Ohio name their Burning River Pale Ale after the event.
Water quality has improved and, partially in recognition of this improvement, the Cuyahoga River was designated as one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998. Pollution remains, however, including urban runoff, nonpoint source problems, combined sewer overflows, and stagnation due to water impounded by dams. For this reason, the Environmental Protection Agency classified portions of the Cuyahoga River Watershed as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The most polluted portions of the river now generally meet established aquatic life water quality standards except near dam impoundments. The reasons for not meeting standards near the dam pools are habitat and fish passage issues rather than water quality. River reaches that were once devoid of fishes now support 44 species. The most recent survey in 2008 revealed the two most common species in the river were Hogsuckers and Spotfin Shiners, both moderately sensitive to water quality. Habitat issues within the 5.6 miles (9.0 km) navigation channel still preclude a robust fishery in that reach. Recreation water quality standards (using bacteria as indicators) are generally met during dry weather conditions, but are often exceeded during significant rains due to non-point sources and combined sewer overflows. | <urn:uuid:e3779e28-885c-4390-acb3-5f26568a77cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://worldhistoryproject.org/perspectives/c79b117d3535680364c0505c03177581 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954665 | 380 | 3.515625 | 4 |
US Supremes reject challenge to warrantless wiretapping
ACLU complains of a Catch-22
The US Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program.
The American Civil Liberties Union and others, representing reporters, lawyers and Muslim groups, argued in court documents that the surveillance program violated constitutional guarantees to privacy. They also said it chilled the free speech of journalists who regularly communicated with people being tracked by the program.
Last July, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that the plaintiffs had no legal standing to sue because they could not prove they had been targeted by the National Security Agency-conducted program. The ACLU asked the Supreme Court to overturn the 2-1 decision so the case could continue.
Without comment, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively allowing the lower-court ruling to stand.
The ACLU complains the rulings put it in a Catch-22 by requiring critics to show proof they were spied on but allowing the US government to keep key details secret. The government counters that evidence in the case is protected under "states secret privilege".
President Bush created the program in secret, and with no oversight from Congress or the courts, following the September 11 terrorist attacks. It allowed government agents to intercept phone calls and emails coming into or out of the US if there was a "reasonable basis" to believe they had a link to Al Qaeda. The program permitted the NSA to carry out the wiretaps without the approval of any court.
The program first came to light in December, 2005, when The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported international calls involving people on US soil were being spied on without court warrants.
While the Supreme Court's rejection effectively ends the lawsuit, a related case making its way through the courts could give opponents another chance to mount a legal challenge. A federal judge in San Francisco rejected claims by government attorneys that the suit jeopardizes national security, and let the case proceed. The case was filed against AT&T, which is accused of furthering the violation of privacy by cooperating with the surveillance program.
The decision could still by overturned on appeal, and even barring that, there is the possibility AT&T could be immunized from any liability by an act of Congress. The US Senate has already passed a bill that would retroactively immunize telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on US citizens. So far, Democrats in the House of Representatives have opposed a similar provision in a bill they are considering. ® | <urn:uuid:f5e7814a-b64e-42c1-b327-dded249083be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/20/warrantless_wiretapping_challenge_rejected/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964256 | 513 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Hi I am absolutely useless at math could someone please help me with this.
I am trying to build a shade house and need to get some steel bent. I need to provide the distance between the midpoint on the chord and the midpoint on the arc.
I have a chord length of 2.7mtrs and an arc length of 3.6mtrs. Goggling it gave me the formula c/s = sin(x)/x but I don't even know what that means. where c is the chord length and s is the arc length.
Sorry to sound dopey to all you maths gurus. | <urn:uuid:6565f98e-d56d-4518-aa2b-b31ec0977bc5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathhelpforum.com/geometry/169459-how-calculate-height-between-mid-points-chord-arc.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965715 | 131 | 2.65625 | 3 |
advantages of distributing your movies on DVD
Distributing your movies on DVD is one of the first choice
people make due to several reasons.
aspects to consider regarding a MPEG movie
MPEG files can contain video as well as audio and there
are different compression methods which can be used with it.
cool transitions while editing your video
Adding cool transitions to a video can make a huge difference
in the way it will look once is ready.
how a timeline works
A timeline is the central mechanism on which non linear
video edition is based and through which such type of editions are
to capture video
Capturing video from a camcorder or from a TV into a
PC is not a very complicated task once you know which steps to follow
and have the proper devices.
is your friend
FireWire is an external device used to transfer high
amounts of data. This device was invented by Apple and is also known
as the IEEE 1394 since it is the standard to which it belongs.
is color balance all about?
The colors we see depend on the environmental light that
surrounds us at every given moment.
can exposure affect your videos?
Exposure is an effect caused by an important variation
of the light amount which passes through a camcorder's lens.
Sound is one of the aspects which might have the greatest
impact in a video, although sometimes it is a factor to which we
do not pay much attention while recording.
is a MD disk?
MD stands for Mini Disk, and as it name suggests it is
a disk of very small size. A Mini Disk or MD has a height of 6.75
cm, a width of 7 cm and a depth of 0.5 cm.
DV tape pros
Mini DV tape is one of the video storage formats most
successful among all consumers, from professionals to amateurs,
who realize of the important pros this format has.
what viewfinders and LCD monitors are
Viewfinders and LCD monitors are different things although
they have some points in common.
aspects to consider regarding DV software
There are so many different DV software types and pieces
that might turn the activity of choosing one into a very complicated
thing to do.
tips on how to find the right camcorder
There are several things to consider at the time of choosing
which camcorder to buy and which one best suits your needs.
In the modern world of digital cameras, technology is
taking a new turn every other day. Such an advancement is the coming
of age of digital cameras into the world of digital binocular cameras.
clip recording feature in digital cameras
The video clip recording feature of the digital cameras
is that one giant leap for mankind in lieu of than small step of
camera connectivity explained in intricacy
In a complicated and intricate subject matter such as
the digital camera, the importance lies in the fact that a lot remains
to be explored in order to understand the device in a greater understanding
and make it more and more popular among the users as well as the
photographers. Such a topic is camera connectivity.
Looking at the details of the digital camera features
a topic that can be prominently in the front lines is that of the
concept of digital camera chromatic aberrations.
camera pincushion distortion facts
Looking at the fantastic device that we know as the digital
camera some really important facts regarding the problems this device
might possess comes into view. Such a case is that of the digital
camera pincushion distortion.
A lot of myths exist regarding as to whether the cell
phone cameras are any good or not.
advantage of natural lightning
One very important concept regarding the digital camera
use is that of the concept of lighting.
to light up the background
It is fact that a person using a digital camera must
be rationally aware of the details of the lighting that is necessary
as well as required.
cameras gamma settings explained
When viewing or capturing images on the digital camera
the idea of outputting them to a printer or other output device
should be ensured with the perfection of gamma settings of adjusted
trick of infrared photography
It is a fact that digital cameras have revolutionized
the world of photography. And infrared digital photography is just
one more feather in the hat of this fantastic technologically advanced | <urn:uuid:7c997328-8993-4a34-bc6d-d618e50721b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.snapjunky.com/digicam-features.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914062 | 911 | 1.851563 | 2 |
"And to the one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two talents gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money." Matthew 25:15-18 NIV
When the master in this passage gave the servants money, he gave it to them according to their ability - their ability to sow and reap. Did he know who was more capable of handling the money than another? He definitely did. The one who had five talents made five talents. The one who had two talents, made two talents. The one who had one talent said, "I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours." Matthew 25:25 NIV The one thing this guy had going for him was that at least he recognized whose money it was; however, the master said, "You wicked and lazy servant…For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." Matthew 25:26,29
God has given all of us resources, some more than others. In order for us to be trusted with more, we must prove that we can manage it. "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required." Luke 12:48 We have plenty of opportunities to invest our money here on earth - in savings accounts, CDs, money markets, the stock market, annuities, personal businesses, and many more. It is our job to become educated on these investments and make wise decisions. The two servants that doubled their investment obviously were good investors, and they felt comfortable investing. I doubt that they randomly went in and selected an investment off the cuff. They knew about investing and had a positive investment history for the master to trust them with more money.
I would encourage you to do some research on different types of investments if you have never invested before. Start with lower risk investments until you gain confidence with higher risk investments. Even if you hire someone to do your investing for you, you need to be at least knowledgeable enough to know what your investments are in and the type of return you are receiving on them.
Be faithful in your giving. Investing in the kingdom is the best type of investment. It is the type of investment in which you will sow now and reap for an eternity.
Denise Craig, Chief Financial Officer
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- Ministry Plan 2013 | <urn:uuid:e8b09904-0a2d-4c8b-bb77-9df999b55b1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abbashouse.com/pages/page.asp?page_id=134724 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989123 | 599 | 1.617188 | 2 |
MONROE, La. — Louisiana fisheries biologist Mike Wood watched in the 1990s as the state's premier trophy bass lake crashed after grass carp denuded the reservoir of vegetation, and by 1998 he decided something had to be done.
"The lake was harvested before being filled up, so there was no standing timber," the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries (DWF) biologist told BASS Times. "When the vegetation was gone, it was just barren, open Atlantic Ocean out there. The fish just scattered and were hard to find.
"We were really in a fix trying to get some kind of cover in there."
Wood experimented with various kinds of artificial reefs, creating reefs using wooden pallets, brush, trees and tires.
None of them were very durable, but Wood soon came up with a solution.
"The Nutrena Feeds Plant in Lacompte (La.) was paying someone to haul off plastic pallets," he explained. "They were perfect: They've got a hole right in the middle, and it's a perfect fit for a 3-inch plastic pipe."
The result was the development of "trees" formed from the 15-inch by 24-inch pallets spaced along a length of pipe.
"I've made them as short as 2 feet and as long as 20 feet," Wood said.
And they are extremely inexpensive, he said. "The pallets are free," Wood explained. "The concrete, PVC, flexible plastic pipe and other material costs about $6 to $9 per structure, depending on how high you make it."
The resulting artificial reefs have proved to be extremely durable and effective, and the idea has spread to other lakes across the state. Currently, hundreds of the plastic structures litter the bottom of eight lakes, providing structure around which bass and baitfish can congregate.
"Every fish from the time it hatches is looking up for danger," Wood said. "So they all have a tendency to get under something. These structures allow them to get under the pallets and feel safe."
The reefs' effectiveness is optimized by grouping the structures. For instance, one of the Caney Lake reefs includes 600 pallets over a one acre area.
Similar groupings have been used on lakes D'Arbonne, Bruin, Toledo Bend, Cross, CLECO, Sibley, Caney and Clairborne. Each reef is marked with a bright orange buoy so anglers can locate them.
DWF biologist Ricky Yeldell periodically dives the reefs placed along the Louisiana side of Toledo Bend, and he's found that fish set up shop on them just like they do natural structure.
"If you go out and put out a dozen, you're going to have three or four that fish love, two or three that are so-so and some that are dead as a hammer," Yeldell said.
What he's found on his diving trips has prompted him to plan an expansion of the program from the current 17 reefs on Toledo Bend.
"I plan to put some out that I don't advertise," Yeldell said. "They're just going to be out there doing what they're designed to do: provide cover for bass."
Wood said reefs also could be established in other lakes, with the priority going to those that have lost structure to age.
"We have a lot of lakes that just don't have the woody structure anymore," he said. "It's just rotting away." | <urn:uuid:0ff40214-0eb6-499e-8cec-e2f86cbaf38e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bassmaster.com/news/louisiana-agency-plants-artificialreefs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983896 | 717 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Ever been curious about how a real science project operates? What it's like working in a research lab? What happens when unexpected things happen? Ever wanted to get involved in cutting-edge nanotechnology research, meet the scientists, and be there when the latest discoveries are made? With nano2hybrids, for the first time this is possible. Over the coming 3 years, the key scientists involved in this European research project will be making video diaries and posting them on this web site, along with blogs of their work and lives. Watch the introductory video here.
The LSPM (Lego Scanning Probe Microscope ) team's goal is to teach a wide audience the underlying principles driving the world-wide interest in nanotechnology by creating FLASH animations geared toward all ages and illustrating how a scanning probe microscope can be used to study objects at the nanometer scale. This animation is part of a museum exhibit developed for Children's Museums. For more information about this exhibit please visit the Lego SPM website.
What could a stadium-sized bowl of peanuts, a shrinking elephant, and a crazed hockey player have to do with nanoscience? These are just some of the goofy excursions that await you in this irreverant, madcap, comically corny romp into the real-life quest to create the smallest magnet ever known. | <urn:uuid:c2c4f50e-9c25-4787-9a8c-1aeee7ef63f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/videos/nano_videos.php?page=4&cat=general | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930499 | 275 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Some people dwell alone, many in family-based households, and an adventuresome few in communes. The Household is the first book to systematically lay bare the internal dynamics of these and other home arrangements. Legal underpinnings, social considerations, and economic constraints all influence how household participants select their homemates and govern their interactions around the hearth. Robert Ellickson applies transaction cost economics, sociological theory, and legal analysis to explore issues such as the sharing of household output, the control of domestic misconduct, and the ownership of dwelling units.
Drawing on a broad range of historical and statistical sources, Ellickson contrasts family-based households with the more complex arrangements in medieval English castles, Israeli kibbutzim, and contemporary cohousing communities. He shows that most individuals, when structuring their home relationships, pursue a strategy of consorting with intimates. This, he asserts, facilitates informal coordination and tends ultimately to enhance the quality of domestic interactions. He challenges utopian critics who seek to enlarge the scale of the household and legal advocates who urge household members to rely more on written contracts and lawsuits. Ellickson argues that these commentators fail to appreciate the great advantages in the home setting of informally associating with a handful of trusted intimates.
The Household is a must-read for sociologists, economists, lawyers, and anyone interested in the fundamentals of domestic life.
Robert C. Ellickson is the Walter E. Meyer Professor of Property and Urban Law at Yale Law School. His books include Order without Law: How Neighbors Settle Disputes.
"Robert C. Ellickson defines the household as a voluntary grouping of relatives or non-relatives living under the same roof. As he points out in his engaging study, this pervasive institution has received surprisingly little attention from social theorists. . . . The Household, a short, curious and enjoyable book, provides a novel way of looking at an institution from which very few of us can escape."--Lucy Worsley, Times Literary Supplement
"Ellickson's book represents a skillful use of the analytical tools of the law-and-economics movement to understand relations within the household--a complicated machine for living that involves a large number of joint decisions. . . . Ellickson's book pushes us to think more clearly about the benefits and the costs of homeownership. His book makes sense of one of the most striking facts in the homeownership literature: the extremely tight relationship between structure type and ownership. . . . Houses are most Americans' most important asset. They are the stages on which we live our lives. And so housing policy is worthy of intense attention--but until the current crisis housing policy existed in the netherworld of the more unglamorous public pursuits. Perhaps our present-day troubles will create the opportunity to produce better housing policies, or so I hope. Robert Ellickson's ideas can certainly help."--Edward Glaeser, The New Republic
"This volume is a tour de force! Ellickson takes the reader on an erudite, highly informative journey through the household in all of its many manifestations and facets. . . . The reader enjoys a catholic view of why households persist; why they are the size they are; how ownership versus rental decisions are made; what motivates adding or shedding household members; and most fascinatingly, how informal norms regulate household occupant behavior with little formal and explicit societal legislation."--D. J. Conger, Choice
Table of Contents | <urn:uuid:712f4a60-89e8-4b94-be69-db8766118c06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8816.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937384 | 709 | 2.234375 | 2 |
(CNN)-Sebastian Errazuriz has used art to take on an array of issues: New York's death rate, the Occupy movement, military suicide, children with disabilities, the brutal reign of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Now, the Brooklyn-based artist is taking aim at what he sees as religious extremism.
At a party this weekend celebrating New York Design Week, which begins today, the Chilean-born artist plans to hand out 100 "Christian Popsicles" made of "frozen holy wine transformed into the blood of Christ" and featuring a crucifix instead the tongue depressor that typically hosts the frozen treats, he said.
An image of Jesus Christ positioned traditionally on the cross is visible once the ice pop is consumed. As for the frozen wine, Errazuriz said, he concealed it in a cooler and took it into a church, where it was "inadvertently blessed by the priest while turning wine into the blood of Christ during the Eucharist."
Errazuriz will hand out the wine creations on Saturday at Gallery R'Pure in Manhattan's Flatiron District before the "Love It or Leave it" exhibit.
According to Gallery R'Pure, 10 artists are taking part in the exhibit, which asks attendees "to revisit the objects and symbols that have forged the American landscape through the eyes of their creators."
"Each piece is a personal interpretation of some aspect of American life, be it celebratory, critical or simply observational. The exhibition intends to question what the American life is, whether real or perceived," according to a news release from the gallery.
Other installments include a briefcase used to address obesity in America, a white picket fence intended as a statement on the American Dream and a "MTA chair" representing the loss of New York's old wooden subway benches.
While many of the pieces are provocative, none is quite so controversial as Jesus on a Popsicle stick. No stranger to controversy, Errazuriz said his intention isn't to upset people.
"It's not that I purposely want to get in trouble. I just believe if you are not doing work that can make people stop, think and discuss, then it's better not to make any work at all," he said.
Raised in a Catholic household, Errazuriz is now a "practicing atheist," but he has many friends and family members who are religious, and he respects their beliefs. He has always been vexed by religion, however, particularly the practitioners who wish to force their beliefs on others.
"(I'm) more than happy to recommend that thinking for ourselves and questioning the realities we received from previous generations can be incredibly liberating," he said.
Today, he feels that America is growing more extreme in its dogma, which is "holding a growing influence over American politics." He is especially unnerved by demands that U.S. leaders "publicly profess their faith in their god and enforce laws that defend the ideology of the Bible over individual liberties," he said.
His frozen cocktails stand as a symbol, he said, an invitation to "drink the Kool-Aid" that he feels so many religious zealots are stirring up. He hopes the Popsicles will remind the gallery's visitors to take their religions - whatever they may be - a little less seriously.
The United States is "rightly worried" about the threat of Islamic fanaticism, but Errazuriz wants to remind people that extremism is never acceptable, regardless of religion.
"In the land of the free, it's everyone's responsibility to make sure no one will ever force their beliefs on to others," Errazuriz said.
He pointed to the Ku Klux Klan, which decades ago was "a functioning, dominant political force in American society which identified (itself) as a Christian organization, carrying out 'God's work,' branding the flaming cross as (its) symbol," he said.
Errazuriz wants his "Christian Popsicles," which will be stained red by the wine after their consumption, to signify the relationship between fanaticism and historic religious violence.
He also has hopes that the sticks "will prove Christians can take a little humor and irony - always a healthy indicator that might be harder to find amongst religious fanatics of other religions."
Eliott C. McLaughlin - Writer-producer
Virgin Mary image appears at Hamburger Marys restaurant
Woman says she captured Jesus image in her TV
Virgin Mary on a cracker?
Woman sees Tinkerbell in fireworks photo
Demon behind the sofa picture scaring web users
Virgin Mary pretzel for sale on eBay
Diners see Virgin Mary on food griddle
Family sees Jesus in a tree
Holy relic stolen, found in closet
Face of Jesus in bark of handmade cross?
Minister sees Jesus in her curtains
Jesus Door Joe told to give door back
Holy Kudzu: Vine said to resemble Jesus
Slideshow: Jesus door
Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN | <urn:uuid:fa2112ca-2077-4fae-b714-53369780b042> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/article/255948/58/Jesus-popsicle-- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960689 | 1,031 | 1.703125 | 2 |
|Semester and Year||SP 2013|
|Time||11:00 AM - 1:45 PM|
This course examines the effect of electronics on the inventions and the artistic and social activities that shaped musical thought throughout the twentieth century and into today. From the initial “magic” of capturing sound through recording - until the invention and development of electrical and electronic musical instruments, these changes in art and music during the century of electronica were unique and often mind-blowing. The interaction of impressionism, “modernism”, abstract art and dadaism on musical compositions during their times are explored as are the profound effect of both analog and digital devices on creativity and performance. The primary text is Electronic and Experimental Music by Thom Holmes, and recommended readings include Analog Days , by Pinch and Trocco; Theremin , by Albert Glinsky; and Electroacoustic Music , by Herbert Deutsch.
Interdisciplinary Seminars (IDSEM-UG) | <urn:uuid:e9a17409-9155-4475-80f4-111b6bb7b1c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/courses/detail.SP2013.IDSEM-UG1692.001.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90529 | 199 | 2.921875 | 3 |
National Bank of Poland
The National Bank of Poland
, as the name suggest is the National, or central bank
of the country. It was established in 1945 in Warsaw and is currently run by the Bankís governor Marek Belka. Despite being a member of the European Union, Poland has yet to switch to the Euro currency and has not set a date to do so. They currently issue
the zloty and grosz notes and coins respectively and are responsible for issuing and withdrawing these notes and coins.
The bankís main focus, in terms of monetary policy is to keep and maintain a constant stability of price, which it sees as an important factor for long term economic growth throughout the country. It aims to maintain price stability by hitting a set target of inflation and adjusting interest rates in order to best achieve that target. Their current aim is 2.5 percent inflation with fluctuation of only 1 percent either way considered stable.
The bank holds itself responsible for the stability of the whole financial system and aims to perform all of its functions in a continuous and effective way, even when unforeseen circumstances leave the system in a negative position. In order for this to work they utilize risk assessment and contingency planning, putting measures in place for worse case scenarios.
Poland currently has $76,966 million (US Dollar equivalent) of foreign exchange reserves, putting it 26th in the world. It uses this in order to help stabilize their issued currency and protect its monetary system, by acting as a backup. It does this by exchanging and trading in foreign money.
The president of the National Bank of Poland is responsible for the organization and functioning of the bank and issuing regulations for the system.
The bankís role in overseeing the countryís payment systems are to ensure itís compliant with legal regulations, remains efficient and protects the transmission channels for monetary policy
Copyright © CentralBanksGuide.com 2013 All rights reserved. | Privacy | About | Contact
No reproduction or republication permitted. | <urn:uuid:c43ca59e-7294-4aba-852d-73ff79f57fd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.centralbanksguide.com/national+bank+of+poland/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956566 | 403 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Rambus claims 1GHz RIMM breakthrough
Here we go again
The news carousel has started spinning ever faster with a claim from intellectual property company Rambus that it has succeeded in developing memory that runs faster than one gigahertz.
According to a release, the 1066MHz memory is born out of standard 800MHz RIMMs and will be aimed at giving 2.1Gbps of memory bandwidth.
Production is scheduled for next year, according to the Ramboosters, and it has succeeded in persuading execs from both Samsung and Hyundai as well as Toshiba, Infineon and NEC to say they will produce cells using the faster technology.
According to Rambus, the memory is 133 per cent faster that currently available RIMMs. This 133 figure does keep recurring in the memory business, doesn't it?
In fact, while the headline says it has "133 per cent of the performance available from industry's fastest 800MHz RDRAMs", the body text only claims a 33 per cent increase. Shurely shome mishtake here? No. The maths is right...
Cypress has tested the technology and is sampling 533MHz support chips for Rambus.
While Rambus in its release says the memory is suitable for all sorts of high end devices, the interesting ommission from the list is the PC.
The announcement is no doubt set to put the Rambus share price (ticker: RMBS) on course for a bucking bronco route once again. ®
- Electic Tech is reporting Mitsubishi, a smaller Dramurai, as saying it may license SDRAM technology from Rambus. | <urn:uuid:fe8692db-e9a2-418d-aba6-73c92c5a354d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/07/31/rambus_claims_1ghz_rimm_breakthrough/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944615 | 350 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Ministry Quest is a year-long, two-stage program for high school students ages 16-18 who are curious about exploring God’s call and their potential for ministry and leadership. Ministry Quest partners with the local church, creates a growing community, develops mentoring relationships and utilizes ministry experiences. These values make the program unique and innovative.
The first stage opens with a kick-off intensive retreat in Denver, Colorado (June 24-28, 2012). At the retreat, students gather with others participants from across the country to consider what it means to be “called.” This stage also includes 13 mentoring sessions with a leader from your home church as well as observing your pastor in two distinct ministry settings.
The second stage focuses on “vocation” and understanding more about yourself, leadership and ministry. This stage includes 13 more mentoring sessions, a significant mission experience. This stage concludes with a closing intensive retreat the following summer in Denver in which you are sent out for leadership and ministry.
Costs: Total Cost is $1000 per student plus travel for the entire program. The costs breakdown as follows:
The program receives income from four sources in order to operate: 1) Tabor College; 2) USMB Conference; 3) Participant registrations; and 4) Donor generosity. Costs of the program go toward: 1) the retreats (lodging, food, programing, staffing, vans, fuel, etc.); 2) curriculum development (writing, printing, mailing, etc.); 3) recruiting; 4) advertising; and 5) general operations and scholarships.
Two sets of MQ participants take part in the same annual retreat – those beginning the program and those concluding it. So, the “intensive” both opens and closes the program for MQ participants and the interaction between the two groups has amazing potential for growth. | <urn:uuid:c873fdf3-32dd-4fa3-9a8e-be79de30a88a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tabor.edu/ministryquest/pastors-mentors | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946838 | 384 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Sartwell on Dover
Crispin Sartwell, a political science professor at Dickinson College, has this interesting, but puzzling, op-ed in today's Los Angeles Times. Sartwell writes:
I DON'T BELIEVE that the universe was intelligently designed. I don't think that “intelligent design” is a scientific theory: It appeals to the supernatural and cannot be empirically tested. I think its proponents have religious motivations for trying to insert it into the curriculum.
But I also believe it should be taught in high school biology classes.
Sartwell is building up to the idea that ID should be taught as an historical curiosity, like alchemy or astrology. It should be taught as part of a broader project to present Darwin in his proper historical context.
I think that's a fine idea, and I know of nobody on my side of this who disagrees with. But that's not what the fight is about. The question is whether ID should be presented as a respectable scientific theory. The reason it should not be presented that away is that all of its major scientific assertions are demonstrably false.
Sartwell goes on to say:
To understand what the Dover school board was trying to accomplish, consider how you would feel if your children, in the course of a compulsory education, were taught doctrines that contradicted your most cherished beliefs — that blandly invalidated your worldview without discussion. Think about being heavily taxed to destroy your own belief system. That's how the people in this community feel.
Well said. This is the one point that gives me pause in thinking about this issue. While I find the beliefs of Christian evangelicals to be completely irrational, the fact remains that they are deeply held. So, yes, I can imagine how it feels to be forced to pay for an education that you belive puts your child's very soul in jeopardy.
However, the reason I am not more sympathetic to this view is that I don't belive the sympathy is reciprocated. Sartwell is being very high-minded and ecumenical here, but the religious zealots on the other side do not share his even-handedness. Consider the issue of having “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Do you think for one second that the School Board majority that voted in favor of ID ever worries about telling atheist children that belief in God and loyalty to their country go hand in hand? Of course they don't. Quite the opposite.
Many libertarians argue that the whole idea of public education is doomed to failure because of this problem. Everything is potentially offensive to someone, after all. They argue that all education should be private, so that people pay for the education they want. But surely it's not as bad as all that. Society has a stake in ensuring that all of its citizens have a basic education in the major disciplines, especially science. And surely at some point we're allowed to say, “Believe what you want in private, but your views will not be accorded respect in the schools.” No one worries about the sensibilities of the bigoted parents when Martin Luther King is presented sympathetically in social studies class.
The bottom line is that telling high school students that ID has any scientific legitmacy is tantamount to lying to them. If you are going to teach biology then teach the real thing. You teach the basics of evolution, what it is and why scientists have so much confidence in it, without fanfare, and then you move on to the next topic.
Anyway, it's certainly a difficult question and Sartwell is right to bring it up.
The clash between evolution and intelligent design is not a clash between two rival scientific theories. It is the latest moment in the most profound intellectual dilemma of the West: the disagreement between reason and faith, Athens and Jerusalem, science and Scripture.
Again, well said. But if ID is not a scientific theory, then why should it be presented in science classes?
Neither reason nor faith can establish itself as the exclusively desirable strategy for generating beliefs. If the question is who has the science, the answer is obvious: Charles Darwin. In fact, as far as the use of reason goes, intelligent design has been as completely destroyed as any view ever has been: The great British philosopher David Hume achieved its utter devastation in “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion” in the 18th century. Its current proponents have done nothing substantial to advance the argument.
But Hume was the first to admit that all of his arguments left faith untouched.
That first sentence is far too ecumenical for my taste (reason may not be the exclusively desirable strategy for generating beliefs, but it's a whole lot more reliable than faith). That last sentence is weird as well. Of course no logical argument can touch faith. Being impervious to logic is what faith is all about. But the part in between is excellent!
Science classes typically make use of history and social context in order to, among other things, display the importance of science to human development and to make students understand science as a compelling human concern. For example, there is no reason, in an astronomy course, not to talk about the fact that Galileo was persecuted by the Catholic Church. If you don't put Galileo's theories in the context of the philosophical, religious and scientific beliefs of his era, and discuss Galileo's effects on the generations that followed, you cannot understand his achievement at all.
There is every reason, in giving a basic characterization of scientific method, to contrast it to medieval alchemy or astrology and so on. Whatever science may be, it is also a series of developments in human history; otherwise it cannot be understood and need not be.
The theory of evolution is a scientific development, but it is also a profound transformation of the way we understand ourselves. You cannot grasp Darwin's achievement without understanding what people believed before Darwin and how they have responded to his theories The alternative views are intrinsic to the meaning of the science, and the science is intrinsic to the question of what sorts of things we human beings are.
Great stuff! I agree with every word of it. But there's one more paragraph to come, and that's where things get confusing:
Taking 30 seconds to read an innocuous statement indicating that we are not unanimous is inadequate to present the genuine and profound debate about these matters. But it's a start. And if my kids come home asking the questions such a statement raises, I will regard that as a victory for their education in the sciences.
Huh? How does that follow from anything he said previously?
Didn't he just get through saying that ID should be presented as an historical curiosity, like alchemy and astrology? Didn't he just explain, in terms as strong as what I usually say at this blog, that ID is not science and has no merit?
Why does he now support a statement that contradicts all of that? The Dover School Board isn't telling kids that ID is an outdated historical curiosity. They are saying that it's a live scientific option.
And it is not the children of enlightened, well-educated parents like Sartwell who need to be instructed in the value of respecting disagreements and learning about all sides of an issue. It is the children of fundamentalist parents, the ones who tell their kids that dissent from their views means an eternity in Hell who need a lesson in open-mindedness. Many of these kids get one shot at hearing the real thing in science. To water it down at the request of society's most scientifically ignorant people would be a shame, to say the least. | <urn:uuid:17945f87-7f5e-49d9-ac21-afdeb4009ce4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com/2005/09/sartwell-on-dover.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968279 | 1,561 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Feminist writer Germaine Greer has been glitter-bombed at a book-signing today in New Zealand for her comments about trans women, including a 2009 column which said they ‘seem to us ghastly parodies’ and claimed being trans was a ‘delusion’.
The Queer Avengers group took exception to Greer’s brand of what it termed “transphobic feminism” and delivered the glitter in a move more often seen deployed on homophobic politicians in the US.
Germaine Greer unsuccessfully opposed the election of a trans woman to the staff at the women-only Newnham College, Cambridge in the 1990s and the group highlighted her opposition to regarding trans women as women.
In her 1999 book, The Whole Woman, she wrote: “Governments that consist of very few women have hurried to recognise as women men who believe that they are women and have had themselves castrated to prove it, because they see women not as another sex but as a non-sex.
“No so-called sex-change has ever begged for a uterus-and-ovaries transplant; if uterus-and-ovaries transplants were made mandatory for wannabe women they would disappear overnight. The insistence that man-made women be accepted as women is the institutional expression of the mistaken conviction that women are defective males.”
Germaine was left showed in glitter. (Photo: Alastair Reith for Newswire.co.nz)
In 2009, Greer wrote in the Guardian that being trans was a “delusion” and that trans women “seem to us to be some kind of ghastly parody, though it isn’t polite to say so”.
She said: “We pretend that all the people passing for female really are. Other delusions may be challenged, but not a man’s delusion that he is female.”
The feminist writer was unimpressed by the glitter-bomb. (Photo: Queer Avengers)
Stacey of the Queer Avengers said: “Transphobic feminism is so 20th Century.
“It wasn’t okay then and it’s not okay now. Women’s liberation must mean the right to refuse imposed gender roles, to fight for diverse gender expression.”
The Queer Avengers also handed out leaflets saying “transphobia is bullshit”, a reference to Greer’s 1972 arrest for using the swearword in a speech in New Zealand.
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The image above represents a replica of the wooden horse made by the Greeks during the
war against Troy. It was Odysseus' idea to hide soldiers inside the
horse. The horse was offered to the Troyans as a religious gift so that the
citizens of Troy could not refuse it. With the horse, the Greeks soldiers could
enter the city and win the war. The replica depicted above is conserved in
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.
The legendary Greek hero, Odysseus was the king of Ithaca, a small island in the Ionian sea, where he lived with
his wife Penelope. He was known to Romans as Ulysses
After fighting the war against the city of
Troy with the Greeks, he started his journey home. His sailing journey was
obstructed by the sea god Poseidon
During his journey he had many incredible adventures, but his renowned intelligence helped him to survive the numerous difficulties, although his crew wasn't so lucky. After ten years of wandering, he finally reached his home.
During his long absence, many of his enemies tried to convince
his wife Penelope to get married again. When Odysseus arrived, he disguised himself as a beggar.
Only his old dog recognized him. Until that moment, Penelope remained faithful.
She had not seen her husband since the beginning of the war of
Troy, twenty years before. After so many years, she was presumed to
be a widow. Pressured by her suitors, she declared that she
would marry only the man who could bend an extremely hard bow that
belonged to Odysseus. All suitors attempted this, but only Odysseus
Because of Odysseus' long journey to reach his home, a NASA space mission has been named
after his better known Roman name:
The Ulysses mission.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our online store
on science education, ranging from evolution
, classroom research
, and the need for science and math literacy
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The Open Mobile Terminal Alliance (OMTP) has published a recommendation paper suggesting that mobile phone manufacturers all use micro USB connectors to charge, and connect, their handsets. The recommendation document - available as a PDF file here - suggests that mini USB, the connector already being used on many devices, …
Don't think size matters
I don't think the issue of the phone thickness is the real problem.
The biggest thing will be, yes you can use any connector from any device for you phone and it will work No need to buy a special, dock, home charger, car charger, headphones etc etc...
Just think how much money they will loose in the nice aftermarket sector.
It's all very well that the likes of Nokia are "supporting" this move considering they recently decided to change from the old size recharge socket to a new one across the board, rendering everybody's old chargers useless. Brand loyalty count for nothing these days.
Motorola did the same thing, making my collection of chargers (including car) pointless.
Still, I don't care anymore as I've got a LG Shine with micro USB so I'm ahead of the game...
Not an issue
"Obviously everyone would love to see all mobiles using the same charging and data connections, but telling a manufacturer that they can't make a phone 2mm thick becasue the 'industry standard' plug won't connect is less easy."
As long as they can provide an adapter to the standard fitting, they can put whatever connector they want on the phone itself...
Nokia may have switched to their own micro charger plug but they did issue an adapter from old-to-new with every phone!
It's a good idea.
My Motorola phone has one, same for my camera, Palm, and a couple of other devices. So I have one sitting on my desk at home, and one at work, one in my parts box.
No need to buy some overpriced $39 cable everytime I get a new phone... that may be the real problem. How do they make outrageous profit from cables once eveyone has one?
I refuse to acquire a phone without a USB charger! Once a standard is in place I believe others will also shun phones that require new chargers (wall & car) and data cables.
Re: Brand Loyalty
This now comes from shipping your phone with an adaptor for your old charger
That's the nice thing about standards - there are so many of them to choose from!
My wife has a Motorola phone, with a mini-USB charging port.
But when she tries to recharge it with one of the other mini-USB chargers in the hose, the phone complains that it's not an official Motorola charger, and refuses to charge!
In Singapore where I'm at it has become pretty much a standard especially in terms of connectivity across much middle to top end devices.
I remember using the first Motorola V3 and it came with the mini-usb a year back and i was amazed and contented (and still am!)
A mini usb port in itself provides much usb-adapter capabilities.
Chinese having their say
So this in nothing to do with the chinese government making it the law that all mobile phones must accept usb chargers. Nothing to do with them having 1/4 of world wide gsm handsets.
The best move a govt has ever made.
To be fair...
... the Nokia N73 that I bought came with not only a new charger, but a little adaptor to convert the old charger to the new socket. In fact, you can buy them from the Nokia website for the princely sum of £3.50, instantly making your old nokia chargers useful again.
It'll prolly be possible to do a similar converter should a device need an ultra small socket.
...Those of you who believe that a large number of consumers will shun mobile phone manufacturers because of none standard charger sockets are suffering from that sad condition of having faith in the majority! Those of us who have an avid interest and understanding of the issue may well do so but the average consumer will lap up whatever shiny new designer phone is thrown at them irrespective of whether it has an industry standard charger/data/headphone socket, they're too ignorant to care less.
I have several devices which have mini USB, the most convenient thing about it is that they can charge from the computer. Plug it in to sync the contacts, for example, and recharge at the same time. charge multiple items with the powered USB hub, what can be more convenient.
Being a smart arse, when I went on holiday, I took a powered USB hub with me, thinking that I can charge my Nokia phone (charges from special USB cable that looks like mini USB, but isn’t) my blackberry, and my camera. Imagine my annoyance when the devices would not charge, unless the laptop was switched on. Apparently, they need to “talk” to the OS for some reason, before they can draw power from the USB port, even though the hub is powered...
What does the iPhone use?
.. just standardise on that - after all, there's no need for anything else.
I'm all for a single plug - it'll be a lot more convenient for people who swap phones during the week. I just hope bluetooth headset manufacturers do the same!
Plantronics is moving in the right direction with their Discovery 6xx series. You can get them with charging adaptors to suit most major brands.
In the end though, wires suck! I'm personally waiting for inductive charging to get small enough to be practical. That, plus UWB or whatever becomes the next short-range wireless standard, would be awesome. Assuming it doesn't break itself randomly, like bluetooth.
Of course, if battery manufacturers can come up with a next-gen batt technology that allows you to recharge your phone once or twice a month with regular use, the type of charging plug becomes less of a hassle!
To paraphrase Groucho Marx...
... These are my standards. If you don't like them, I have others.
While we are talking about chargers - why is that so many mains chargers coming from Taiwan have the cable coming off the wrong side of a 13-amp plug ?
They can manufacture the pins of the plug alright but bringing the wire out on the wrong side causes blocking on many sockets, especially power-bars.
All they had to do was look at a cable with a plug on the end !!!
The USB spec says that you can't pull more than 100mA unless you've asked for it.
Then you can have up to 500mA, *if* the host root hub says agrees.
On the other hand, if the computer says no, you are limited to 100mA.
That said - 100mA is a reasonable trickle charging current for a low-power device.
My GPS has a 1400mAh cell - so 100mA will charge it in 14 hours.
Unfortunately a lot of USB root hubs provide exactly nothing when the host PC is switched off - and most laptops do this, for fairly obvious reasons.
I'm not sure if any powered USB hubs currently exist that have suitable chipsets to automatically provide 100mA to downstream ports when no host is present, but the standard does permit it.
Will not happen
Put simply, wires are deprecated means of transferring data. Wireless (be that Bluetooth, WiFi, or whatever) is the sensible way to transfer data to and from a phone. Even wired hands free kits could disappear except for the FM radio needing the cable to work as an antenna.
They could I suppose agree on a standard power cable, but then how could they charge 10 quid for a charger with their logo on it?
I have something in my hand right now.
It happens to be a standard three pin plug charger with a usb port on it, I got it with a media player I recently purchased.
Provide everyone with one of those too and all sorted on the wall charger front.
If apple can do it, why can't other manufacturers. They've managed a standard headphone socket which is no wider than the mini usb. So i'm sure it would be possible and look at how thin the new Nano's are.
Why not dispense with chargers altogether, and use a nice, large, multi-device, induction plate. All you would need then is a large flat device, no thicker than 2 CDs/DVDs stacked, lying on your desk (or even built-in) onto which you place - loosely - your phone, mp3 player, PDA, and any other portable device you can think of. Why must this technology be restricted to charging toothbrushes?
I think it's a damn good idea.
Prices on chargers would go down, quality and selection would go up. I have thought for a long time that the large variety of cell phone chargers/jacks/etc is problematic. Some don't work so well, some wear out quickly, and some are just a pain to use. I can't charge my blackberry on my finance's cell phone charger, and she can't use mine. I have to have two car chargers because of this. When I travel with her, I have to take both chargers.
Having a standard format would just be a good thing for everyone.
Seriously, does anybody admit to wearing bluetooth headsets?
Star Trek is not real life! and you probably aren't an unlicensed eastern european cabbie.
Agreed, Sony Ericsson are a big culprit!
I couldn't agree more, I currently have the Walkman w880i and although I think it is a fantastic little handset and has all but nullified my requirement for any other music device, the charger connection is bulky and is also used as an annoying extension onto a standard headphone socket.
Looking at the side profile of the handset I don't think this is an ergonomic choice, rather a stubborness to reply and acknowledge that handsfree and headphones are not the same device and shouldn't be treated as such!
Personally I think phone manufacturers are just terrified of the 3 party peripheral market making a better product than their own that works for every handset, but in the same vein surely they could then do the same against their competitors?
Spot the catch
Notice they're not talking about mini-USB - you know the thing we all already use, and have chargers for - they're talking about micro-USB - whatever the hell that is. Wonderful thing about standards etc.etc.
In descending order...
1) Ease of use
2) Battery life
3) Voice clarity
4) Durability (impact, scratch and water resistance)
5) Other features
Unfortunately manufacturers are more concerned about widgets and crap which have no real bearing on the phone's ability to be a bloody phone!
There's a problem?
I find this debate bizzare. I've swapped between mobiles before and happily used the new charger that came with it and used whatever method of connecting it the phone could support. Which also involves new software on the computer.
Never bothered me.
After all, I don't complain my key to my last car does start my new one.
But you would complain if you needed to buy specially designed fuel or components (tyres, etc) to keep your car running, that only the manufacturer could... oh, wait
lol! There already - and not bothered in the slightest!
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Thursday April 1 2010
A fried breakfast is different from the mouse feed in this study
“A bacon fry-up at breakfast could be the healthiest start to the day,” according to the Daily Express. Several other papers also optimistically declared that a fried breakfast is a healthy option, based on a study in mice.
In the study, various groups of mice were fed different sequences of high- and low-fat feeds but had the same total calorie intake over 24 hours. The research, which is reportedly one of the few studies to have looked at the effect of meal times, found that eating a fatty meal just after waking was not as bad for the mice as eating a fatty meal before sleeping. The researchers suggest that, for mice in this study, the first meal of the day appeared to dictate the workings of their metabolism for the rest of the day. It is important to note that the mice ate high-fat mouse food, rather than the “full English breakfast” mentioned by newspapers.
Although caution is needed in drawing firm conclusions for human healthy eating from animal studies, this sort of study supports the plausible theory that fat may be metabolised in mammals in different ways depending on the time of day that it is eaten. Before we can claim that a fatty, calorific breakfast is good for the body, the theory needs to be tested in humans.
Where did the story come from?
This research was carried out by Professor Molly Bray from the University of Alabama and colleagues from other institutions in the US. This work was supported by Kraft Foods, the US Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural Research Service Association and the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The study was published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Obesity.
The research has been covered by several newspapers, many of which reported the optimistic news that “chocolate is good for your heart” earlier this week. Despite the fact that the study gave feed mixture to mice, most newspapers reported that a fried breakfast is a healthy option for humans. This notion appears to be based on quotes from the researchers, which suggest that their results may have direct implications for human health.
What kind of research was this?
This research tested the theory that the time of day at which dietary fat is consumed affects aspects of metabolism in mice. Mice are usually active during hours of darkness, so the researchers created a controlled environment with a cycle of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. The researchers fed the mice various combinations of different high-fat or low-fat feeds across each 24-hour cycle. At the end of 12 weeks, numerous biological factors were measured in the mice.
This animal research was designed to provide control groups and comparisons for several eating patterns, but how these relate to human patterns of eating is not discussed in the research. It is likely that an English breakfast has a different composition to the high-fat diet (45% energy from fat) fed to these mice, and suggestions that the two are comparable is questionable.
What did the research involve?
The researchers designed four pairs of experiments in which they fed groups of mice either low-fat feed (10% energy from fat) or high-fat feed (45% energy from fat) in a structured manner during 24-hour cycles of sleeping and eating. Due to their nocturnal nature, the mice slept during the first 12 hours (under light) and were active in the second 12 hours (darkness).The researchers also had a comparison "control phase", during which the mice received no food for short periods.
The four experiment pairs were:
- Experiment one: a high-fat diet during light followed by low-fat diet during darkness (the mice’s awake/active period) versus a low-fat diet during light followed by a high-fat diet during darkness.
- Experiment two: no food during light followed by a high-fat diet during darkness versus no food during light followed by a low-fat diet during darkness.
- Experiment three: no food during light followed by a high-fat diet for the first four hours of darkness (the early awake/active period) and a low-fat diet for the next eight hours versus no food during light, a low-fat diet for eight hours and a high-fat diet for the last four hours of darkness (the late awake/active period).
- Experiment four: no food during light followed by a high-fat diet for the first four hours of darkness, a gap of four hours without food, and then a low-fat diet for four hours versus no food during light, a low-fat diet for four hours, four hours without food, and then a high-fat diet for the last four hours of darkness. This last experiment was designed to simulate an early fatty meal compared to a late fatty meal.
The researchers measured a range of metabolic factors in the mice, including energy intake, body weight, percent body fat and glucose tolerance, as well as energy expenditure, breathing and physical activity. The body’s resistance to insulin and the levels of the “hunger hormone” leptin, fats and glucose in the blood were also measured.
What were the basic results?
The researchers reported that during experiment one, both sets of mice adjusted their food intake and energy expenditure so that metabolic measures remained within normal ranges.
They say that in the other three experiments, the variations in diet during the active period (darkness) had an influence on metabolism. Mice fed a high-fat meal at the beginning of the active period were able to retain “metabolic flexibility” in response to dietary challenges, meaning that they adapted their subsequent eating and metabolism to achieve a lower intake of calories.
Mice fed a high-fat meal at the end of the active period had higher total calorie intakes. Consumption of a high-fat meal at the end of the active phase led to increased weight and fat gain, glucose intolerance, and high levels of insulin, fats (triglycerides) and leptin, a hormone linked to obesity.
Importantly, these variations in energy and metabolism were independent of total daily energy intake or fat-derived energy intake.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers say that the time of day at which carbohydrate or fat is consumed “markedly” influences many metabolic (cardiometabolic syndrome) measures.
This study provides some useful indicators about metabolism that may have some relevance to human diet. However, it should not be taken as an endorsement that a fry-up is healthy or better for you than a breakfast of cereal or fruit, as several newspapers have suggested. There are a number of points to note when considering this research:
- The diets fed to these mice may not equate to the sorts of diet eaten by humans.
- Using studies in mice to develop theories about human health and biology is an accepted part of early research, but such research needs to be followed by studies in humans, where possible.
- There are known long-term health implications, such as cardiovascular problems, associated with eating diets high in fat and saturated fat. While some of the mice on high-fat diets did not gain weight, it does not mean that fry-ups could be considered a healthy option.
- The researchers suggest that an early low-fat meal switches the body to prefer carbohydrate as an energy source. However, the low-fat feed given to the mice was very high in simple sugars rather than complex carbohydrates, which may have played a role in altering the mice’s metabolism.
The timing of meals and their nutrient content may be an important part of what makes humans feel full and how they metabolise calories. This aspect of obesity research will need further study. | <urn:uuid:b3df1dbd-04b2-404f-8c85-cf806133b92f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/03March/Pages/fry-up-healthy-breakfast-claim.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973718 | 1,586 | 3.125 | 3 |
Bonfires of Valborg
Valborgsmässoafton (known as Valborg) welcomes the arrival of spring. This one dates back to the 8th century, and although its roots are pagan – lighting fires to ward off malevolent spirits – it is now celebrated publicly regardless of religious beliefs.
The celebrations start mid-afternoon with choirs singing traditional spring songs, then bonfires are lit all over the city and the day usually ends with fireworks displays.
If you should find yourself in Stockholm on April 30th, head across Djurgårdsbron (Djurgårds Bridge) towards the world’s oldest open air museum and zoo, Skansen, on the island of Djurgården for the best bonfire in town.
April 30th also happens to be Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf’s birthday, so you can make your way down to the Royal Palace earlier in the day to watch the ceremonial displays in his honor.
The day after Valborg, May 1st, is a public holiday - International Worker’s Day or Labour Day - so head over to Humlegården (a huge park) in Östermalm, and you may run into some marches. Depending on the weather, concerts and picnics are also held all over town. | <urn:uuid:bb952ddd-9ae9-47a5-8609-eb8a038e3400> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.afar.com/highlights/bonfires-of-valborg | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915844 | 274 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Technology and the how its influenced the Music Industry
Music is a universal language that knows no boundaries integrating people of diverse cultures. On the other hand, the technology landscape is rapidly evolving in the wake of new and improved technology that is revolutionizing every aspect of human life. Technology has not only changed how artists make music but also how the audience receives and enjoys that music. The personal computer was the first step in changing how people enjoyed music. People suffer greatly when they have to get computer repairs because of the implied risk of losing all the music they have collected. The internet was the tipping point that changed the music industry making it easily accessible to people all around the world. Suffice to say that it opened the doors not only for budding musicians but also for the music enthusiasts all around the globe.
A far cry from the practice in the past, technology has enabled artists to create beats and perfect sounds pushing the quality of sound and music in general to unchartered territories. Furthermore, technology has enabled artists to reap from their work. The internet, being the new market place has enabled them to live off their creative flair. Given the fast evolving nature of technology, marginal improvements have had tremendous effects. The ability of people to carry up to one thousand songs in a portable device was another milestone for growth of the music industry as a result of technology.
The portable media players gained popularity in the wake of the introduction of the iPod into the market. The iPod garnered so much popularity by music enthusiasts whereby the fade was that people made a playlist of their favorite music. Not only was it a way of expression based on the type of music present in the iPad but also as it entrenched in people a deeper appreciation of music and the plethora of genres, influences and cultures from which it originates. The other tremendous technological advancement that has altered the musical landscape was the introduction of the music through iTunes store. This venue has not only made music easily accessible to people all across the globe but it has also unlocked it to artists to profit from it. The iTunes Store and others like it allow people to buy their favorite original exclusive music at a small fee. Cloud computing on the other hand has given people a place to store and share their favorite music which they can access from any place and any computer that they log on to.
It must be noted however the degrees to which people dread computer repair. People recognize that computer repairs are essential for the various computing devices people use to play music be it desktop PCs, Laptops, tablets and smart phones, as they employ a rigorous selective process in compiling their favorite music and saving it on these devices. The risk associated with taking the computer to a specialist for computer repairs is the fear, at times unjustified, of losing that precious data. It is thus clearly evident the extent to which technology has revolutionized the music industry. | <urn:uuid:13d3dfe0-ef5c-4ba9-887c-1732d1205119> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sfvacid.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971847 | 572 | 2.484375 | 2 |
A cancer diagnosis may result in a child not being able to attend school for a period of time. CCA recognises the challenges that this may create for children and thus has developed the Home Tutor Scheme to support children who are unable to attend school. Additionally, CCA wishes to recognise the hardship that young people with a childhood cancer have had to face; through the provision of the Garrick Scholarship Fund CCA hopes to encourage young people to undertake further studies and/or personal development activities.
Home Tutor Scheme
The Home Tutor Scheme (HTS) provides home based educational support for school aged children who are currently receiving treatment for cancer and are unable to attend school as a result of their diagnosis. The HTS is fully funded by the Childhood Cancer Association.
Who can access the Home Tutor Scheme?
How are children referred?
What happens next?
For any other enquiries please don't hesitate to contact:-
WCH Education Services
Ph: (08) 8161 6047
The Garrick Scholarship Fund
Established in 2001, this program provides financial assistance to support young people, aged under 25 years, who have previously been diagnosed with cancer in their child or adolescent years. The scholarship hopes to assist young people to further develop their life knowledge, skills, attitudes and options for the future. The funds may be used to support University, TAFE studies or courses for personal development.
For further information about the Garrick Scholarship Fund please contact Family Service on (08) 8239 2211.
All completed applications can be sent to Family Service, PO Box 1094, North Adelaide SA 5006 or via fax on (08) 8239 2300. | <urn:uuid:41fd7f00-6124-4a7f-96e0-0be49b86e771> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.childhoodcancer.asn.au/our-services/educational-assistance | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949944 | 343 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Bicycle Safety: It's Time
Over the past decade, we have raised the continuing problem of bicycle riding on the Penn campus. The recent deaths of Benjamin Tencer and Sung Woo Yang make the issue even more pressing and steps have to be taken to face the reality that bike riding is here to stay. Simply ignoring the problem will result in more deaths and injuries.
As we have remarked before, the bicycle has helped to make this large urban campus one university. For those of us who teach at different sites across the campus, the bicycle provides a mode of transportation that is fast, reliable and non-polluting. In addition, it provides rapid access to all parts of the campus, especially the hospital-medical school complex and the dental school. For the many faculty, staff and students who bicycle to and from work, this form of transportation helps to ameliorate problems linked to traffic congestion, parking and air pollution.
The absence of bike lanes is compounded by the extensive construction that now engulfs most of the campus. To cross the campus rapidly, bicycling on Spruce or Chestnut Streets has become a death-defying ride. Not surprisingly, accidents have occurred and will continue to occur with increasing frequency. The only sane approach is:
We believe that these steps will serve to segregate bicyclists from pedestrians, decrease the severity of accidents, should they occur, and be self-regulating.
--Irving Shapiro, Professor of Biochemistry/Dental
--Britton Chance, Professor Emeritus, Biochemistry & Biophysics
--Alan Mann, Professor of Anthropology
--Howard Kunreuther, Professor of Operations & Information Management
--Daniel Malamud, Professor of Biochemistry/Dental
Speaking Out welcomes reader contributions. Short, timely
letters on University issues can be accepted by Thursday at noon for the
following Tuesday's issue, subject to right-of-reply guidelines. Advance
notice of intention to submit is appreciated.--Eds.
Almanac, Vol. 46, No. 9, October 26, 1999 | <urn:uuid:c8da53bb-5136-48e0-9e37-41227e7ee252> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/v46/n09/spout.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939652 | 419 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Source: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/09/plucked_from_obscurity.html, Guardian Unlimited Books Blog, 2 September 2007
Following up on The Observer’s feature, “How did we miss this?”, in which 50 contemporary novelists were asked to name the books they considered most “shamefully undervalued,” its literary editor, Robert McCrum, took to his blog to invite readers to recommend their favorite “obscure, half-forgotten, probably out-of-print titles.”
As in The Observer feature, the recommendations include a fair number of in-print, critically recognized, and well-established books neglected only in the assessment of those who proposed them: The Bell Jar? In the Heart of the Country? Le Grand Meaulnes? They may not be Moby Dick, but they’re certainly not “obscure, half-forgotten,” or out-of-print.
But it’s worth a look for the genuinely obscure works that pop up in and amongst these:
- • Bernard Gilbert’s “Old England” series
- Gilbert “envisaged a sequence of 12 books each in a different form : poetry, drama as well as prose” depicting aspects of “Old England.” In a 2006 post in the Codisdead, writer and artist Herbert Read’s review of one of these books, Old England: A God’s-Eye View of a Village, is quoted in which Read wrote,
His book is so completely planned and neatly executed that it comes into the category of those works of science that in conception give evidence of a poetic mind…. In our own time it will stand as a diagnosis of the diseased heart of the country. In another age it will mean as much as, and even more than, Piers Plowman means to us.
- • Thinks I to Myself, by Edward Nares
- First published as “Says I, Says I” by “Thinks-I-to-Myself Who”, this “Serio-Ludicro-Tragico-Comico Tale”, popular in the early 1800s, is a tongue-in-cheek “autobiography” penned by an English clergyman. The narrator fills his story with all sorts of asides and commentaries, such as this lament upon the decline in the servitude of servants:
It used formerly to be a matter of convenience for any master or mistress to communicate an order or direction through a third person: to tell the butler, for instance, to tell the coachman to wait at the table, or the footman to ask the groom to carry a letter to the post; but this round-about mode of communication is now properly put end to; Mr. Butler no longer dare presume to tell Mr. Coachman to wait at table, nor Mr. Charles the footman Mr. Bob the groom to carry a letter to the post; Mrs. Housekeeper to tell Miss House-maid to help her prepare the sweetmeats; nor the nurse to ask the laundry-maid to bring up little Miss’s dinner.
The full book can be read online or downloaded from Google Books.
- • Katharine Topkins’ All the Tea in China
- Poster christopherhawtree writes of this 1960s novel,
Nothing like it. Seething, erotic, with an extraordinary meditation upon a woman’s view of depressing a car’s throttle pedal, something I have never seen mentioned anywhere else (it’s hardly a subject one can broach in polite company). Topkins wrote “Kotch”, filmed with Jack Lemmon, and later wrote novels with her husband. I lent my copy to somebody at Virago – it screams out to be a Modern Classic, but I never got it back… It’s not quite Lolita but getting that way. A wonderful novel. | <urn:uuid:251876c2-260f-4c28-8495-29f54c543919> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://neglectedbooks.com/?p=174 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947987 | 852 | 1.75 | 2 |
Changing Lives, One Letter at a Time
Every day, JDI gets letters from prisoner rape survivors who are still behind bars and desperate for help. One of them is Rico, who wrote to JDI after being sexually abused "too many times to count" by inmates and staff at Arizona prisons.
As we do with all survivors who write to us, JDI sent Rico a personal letter with a packet of self-help information, along with a note of support from another survivor -- a member of our Survivor Council, who is now out of prison. A few weeks later, Rico wrote again:
"I just want to thank all of you at JDI for saving my life. I tried to kill myself and it brings tears to my eyes knowing that I am not alone. I just want to thank all of you for caring for me. I owe you my life."
For those who have never been behind bars, it can be hard to imagine how a simple letter of support can have the life-changing impact that Rico describes. But survivors of rape in detention suffer from extreme isolation and fear. Struggling with the hurt and shame that comes in the aftermath of trauma, most survivors are too scared to report the abuse, for fear of being labeled a "snitch" and being targeted for more violence. Those who are raped by staff, like Rico, aren't likely to trust the rapist's coworkers to offer help or protection. There is no safety, and no place to hide.
Within such a world, a kind word can mean the difference between despair and hope, between life and death.
So far this year, JDI has responded to some 1,400 letters from prisoners around the country. One of those, a Florida inmate named Cornelius, contracted HIV when he was gang-raped by four inmates. He writes:
"Every day, I take time out of my day to go over the packet you sent me. It's my daily meditation to help me heal. I have no outside support, so I depend on organizations to give me hope. If it weren't for the packet, I probably would have given up and gone on to hurt people, but the JDI packet gave me a change of heart."
At JDI, we fight hard for the long-term policy, legislative, and cultural changes that are needed to end sexual abuse in all detention facilities. At the same time, we know that real people need our help right now.
You can be a part of JDI's life-saving work by donating to our One Letter, One Life campaign. We're aiming to raise $216,600 -- $1 for each one of the people who is sexually abused every year while in the custody of our government. You'll also be able to send your own message of support to Rico, Cornelius, or another survivor who is still behind bars and desperate for help. | <urn:uuid:f7ab89e7-73ea-4880-9aae-77fc3b4c6d65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.justdetention.org/en/listserv/2011/101411.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966061 | 589 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Diet and behavior modification
There are literally hundreds of diets available. Moving from diet to diet in a cycle of weight gain and loss, i.e., "yo-yo" dieting, that stresses the heart, kidneys and other organs can also be a health risk.
Doctors who prescribe and supervise diets for their patients usually create a customized program with the goal of greatly restricting calorie intake while maintaining nutrition. These diets fall into two basic categories:
- Low calorie diets (LCDs) are individually planned so that the patient takes in 500 to 1,000 fewer calories a day than he or she burns.
- Very low calorie diets (VLCDs) typically limit caloric intake to 400 to 800 a day and feature high-protein, low-fat liquids.
Many patients on VLCDs lose significant amounts of weight. After returning to a normal diet, however, most regain the lost weight in under a year. Ninety percent of people participating in all diet programs will regain the weight they have lost within two years.
Behavior modification uses therapy to help patients change their eating and exercise habits. Like low-calorie diets, behavior modification, in most patients, results in short-term success that tends to diminish after the first year.
If diet and behavior modifications have failed you and surgery is your next option, it is important to understand that diet and behavior modification will be instrumental to sustained weight loss after your surgery. The surgery itself is only a tool to get your body started losing weight—compliance with diet and behavior modifications required by most surgeons will determine your ultimate success. | <urn:uuid:16d0617e-23ea-4e72-8178-6b0179cf9b9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecommunity.com/c/index.aspx?id=113&pg=10841 | 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 | 0.930271 | 323 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Gov. Rick Perry's claims about a controversial Department of Justice program, a trade deal and President Barack Obama's background were exaggerated, misrepresented or untrue.
Republican presidential hopeful Gov. Rick Perry assailed President Barack Obama anew Friday -- this time on an arms-trafficking probe and jobs -- as part of a recent push by the Texas governor to shift the focus from his GOP rivals and his struggling campaign to the Democratic incumbent.
But several of Perry's claims against Obama have been exaggerated, misrepresented or flat-out wrong.
As the day began, Perry, in New York City to accept an award from the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, said that inadequate funding and "bureaucratic bungling" by Washington had made the southern border more dangerous. He cited Operation Fast and Furious that was run by the Justice Department and allowed AK-47s and other weapons to leak into the black market.
Perry singled out Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama administration for criticism.
But The Associated Press has reported that an investigation into the operation has turned up Justice Department documents indicating that the so-called "gun walking" tactic at issue also was used during the Republican administration of George W. Bush.
Perry also did not acknowledge that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has more agents on the Southwest border than ever, or that Homeland Security has unmanned drones covering the entire border from California to Texas for the first time.
In an interview later Friday, Perry incorrectly said Obama was in Myanmar to ship jobs to Asia.
"We've got huge issues facing this country today and he's in Burma talking about relations with a country that -- I'll be real honest with you -- I don't know what America's interest is there," Perry told Fox News Channel.
Obama was actually in Indonesia, where he signed a trade deal that will send Boeing planes to an Indonesian company and create jobs in the United States. It's Boeing's largest order for commercial planes. Perry said it meant nothing for America's workers.
"How about scoring a big deal for Boeing in South Carolina?" Perry said. "We ought to be creating jobs in America. We ought to be putting tax policy, regulatory policy in place. We ought to be creating markets for what we build in America for foreign markets."
In Indonesia, Obama also announced that he was sending Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Myanmar to help accelerate reforms there.
The governor's campaign fortunes have fallen in recent weeks, and his advisers hope his stepped-up criticism of Obama and Washington could help reinvigorate his campaign less than seven weeks before Iowa's caucuses on Jan. 3.
Polls show Perry badly trailing several of his rivals in Iowa, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Rep. Ron Paul and Georgia businessman Herman Cain.
Perry's comments Friday came just days after his campaign released an ad that took out of context a comment Obama made and gave viewers the impression that the president had said all Americans are lazy. Obama was talking about the U.S. record of attracting foreign investment.
Perry defended the ad in an evening interview with Fox News Channel: "That's a fair ad. Absolutely."
"I think he's talking about America. ... If he believed that Americans were hard-working, that they were ready to ignite this economy, then we wouldn't have the tax policies and the regulatory policies in place that are killing jobs in this country," Perry said.
In an interview earlier with the network, Perry wrongly claimed that Obama came from a privileged background and didn't understand ordinary people's problems.
"He never had to really work for anything. He never had to go through what Americans are going through," Perry said. "We need a president who has been through their ups and downs in life and understands what it's like to have to deal with the issues of our economy that we have today in America."
Obama was raised by a single mother who, at times, used food stamps, and his grandparents, who lived in a modest apartment in Honolulu.
Elliott reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Pete Yost in Washington also contributed to this report.
|Tracking Rick Perry:
For the latest on Rick Perry's run for the White House, click here to see our special Tracking Rick Perry section. View videos, photos, and stories on the Texas governor's presidential run. | <urn:uuid:06dd9425-8dce-41d7-a7b1-2e06ac87ce6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/Perry-Criticizes-Obamas-Asia-Trip-134155373.html | 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 | 0.9773 | 894 | 1.570313 | 2 |
This artist's scoreboard displays a fictional game between Mars and Earth, with Mars in the lead. It refers to the success rate of sending missions to Mars, both as orbiters and landers. Of the previous 39 missions targeted for Mars from around the world, 15 have been successes and 24 failures. For baseball fans, that's a batting average of .385. The United States has had 13 successes out of 18 attempts, or a "batting average" of .722. NASA's Curiosity rover, set to land on the Red Planet the evening of Aug. 5, 2012 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT), will mark the United States' 19th attempt to tackle the challenge of Mars, and the world's 40th attempt.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Browse Image | Medium Image | Full Res Image | <urn:uuid:0abb41c9-152a-4ef3-857e-107e3c378060> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=4181 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930336 | 172 | 2.75 | 3 |
You may not think the fizz in your cherry soda is spicy, but your tongue does, a new study suggests.
The carbon dioxide in fizzy drinks sets off the same pain sensors in the nasal cavity as mustard and horseradish, though at a lower intensity, according to research from the University of Southern California.
"Carbonation evokes two distinct sensations," study researcher Emily Liman, an associate professor at the university, said in a statement. "It makes things sour and it also makes them burn."
A 2009 study in the journal Science found that carbonation trips cells in the tongue that detect sourness.
"We have all felt that noxious tingling sensation when soda goes down your throat too fast," Limon said.
Researchers wanted to find which cells are responsible for the painful sensation that comes with drinking soda. They poured carbonated saline onto a dish of nerve cells taken from the nose and mouth. They found the gas only activated the cells that express a gene called TRPA1 and serve as general pain receptors.
"The cells that responded to [carbon dioxide] were the same cells that detect mustard," Liman said.
Scientists also performed tests on mice, and found that mice missing the TRPA1 gene had a greatly reduced response to the carbon dioxide from the carbonation. And mice that had the TRPA1 gene added to their cells had a heightened response to the carbon dioxide, the study said.
The study was published online today (Sept. 28) in the Journal of Neuroscience. | <urn:uuid:72db1a82-7bcf-4a02-ab40-0be3aeb3644d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/246-soda-is-actually-spicy-says-your-tongue.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968825 | 313 | 2.625 | 3 |
The Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) has rolled out a comprehensive initiative to accelerate development of electric vehicles that could play at least two vital roles in the foreseeable future: as a greener means of mobility and as distributed energy storage devices networked to a "smart grid." Around fifty professors in eight faculties are engaged in relevant research projects, coordinated through the newly formed Science Center for Electromobility and strengthened by collaborations with partners in the energy and automotive industries. TUM is on track to unveil a concept car at the next Frankfurt auto show, IAA 2011, and some aspects of the electric vehicle's design and technology were presented to German media today. To further investigate how electric mobility might work in megacities, particularly in tropical regions, the university has established a one-of-a-kind facility in Singapore.
Despite increasing attention to potential advantages of electric vehicles -- reducing dependence on fossil fuels, slowing greenhouse gas emissions, turning down the noise level on city streets -- they're not yet competitive with conventional cars. After several false starts in recent decades, however, TUM Professor Markus Lienkamp asserts that "Electromobility is ripe for the market. The goal of putting a million electric automobiles on the road by the year 2020 is achievable" -- not, he says, by focusing solely on technical problems, but above all through a paradigm shift in vehicle and mobility concepts. Lienkamp, who led several research groups at Volkswagen before joining TUM as director of its Automotive Engineering Institute, heads up both the Munich-based Science Center for Electromobility and the Singapore-based TUM CREATE Center for Electromobility in Megacities.
The TUM concept for electric vehicles encompasses the whole process chain from technical optimization -- in areas such as reducing weight, improving batteries, leveraging IT and wireless networking for energy management, and enhancing safety -- to market research, design and manufacture, and even to new modes of vehicle use, such as a "car on demand" scenario. The central differentiating feature of the TUM approach, according to Lienkamp, is that the car concept is embedded in a broader mobility concept, which from the outset is tailored to the needs and priorities of city dwellers.
The quest to realize this concept gives focus to collaborations among TUM researchers in the faculties of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, informatics, chemistry, physics, civil engineering, architecture, and economics, as well as the interdisciplinary Munich School of Engineering. One immediate goal is to demonstrate that an affordable electric car for a large customer base could be manufactured now by uniting available and novel components in a visionary design. The proof is being built from the ground up at TUM's Garching campus, where Lienkamp and colleagues today offered the first media preview: real steps toward a subcompact electric car with competitive performance in urban settings, optimized for total lifetime cost and sustainability. Their timeline calls for prototype assembly this winter and public demonstration at the Frankfurt auto show in September 2011; a longer-term plan anticipates development that could lead to fleet trials by 2013.
Taking an even broader view, the university is spearheading research with global implications. To what extent do electromobility solutions formulated in Europe meet the needs of other regions? How can an infrastructure for electromobility best be furnished in congested cities? How will batteries developed in Germany perform in temperatures of 35 to 40 degrees C. and tropical humidity? What kinds of car designs will appeal to drivers in other parts of the world? Specifically, TUM researchers are investigating what benefits new vehicle and mobility concepts might have to offer for the world's burgeoning megacities, and what adaptations will be dictated by regional conditions -- whether by economy, culture, or climate.
Singapore will be the home base for this effort. A contract signed last month established the TUM CREATE Research Center for Electromobility in Megacities. It will be part of the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), a framework for collaboration with elite international universities set up by Singapore's National Research Foundation. TUM's primary research partner there will be the Nanyang Technological University (NTU); the two universities also are offering a joint Ph.D. program.
"Each of our countries has a highly skilled, educated workforce and a desire to pioneer clean technologies that will seed new industries," says TUM President Prof. Wolfgang Herrmann, who began building the university's presence in Singapore a decade ago. "We need to be present where technological progress is unobstructed, as in the Asian metropolitan centers." Herrmann sees this cooperation as a model for the internationalization of German research universities; a strong presence in other countries, he says, could enhance their performance and impact at home.
Scientists and engineers at the TUM CREATE Research Center will work on a full spectrum of studies. Basic research will focus on electrochemistry and new materials, energy storage systems, embedded systems, interdisciplinary development of vehicle concepts, and modeling and optimization for architectures and infrastructure. Applied research will target energy storage engineering, electric car technology, infrastructure and transportation, prototyping and testbed development. "The complex yet compact urban structure of Singapore is ideally suited to develop and test a comprehensive electric mobility system for a megacity," according to Lienkamp. He says issues such as the electric power infrastructure and the vehicle battery will not be the only decisive ones. "When you consider how much energy it can take to cool and dehumidify a car in a tropical climate, even details such as the inclination of the windshield are going to be important."
The university has announced several other related activities in recent months:
- the participation of Prof. Ann-Kristin Achleitner in an independent study commissioned by the German government, which considered the role electromobility might play in a strategy for sustainable economic growth
- the appointment of Prof. Gernot Spiegelberg, electromobility project leader for Siemens, as a Visiting Scientist at the TUM Institute for Advanced Study
- and a cooperative agreement, between TUM's Munich School of Engineering and Tsinghua University Beijing, to create a research institute focusing on Advanced Power Sources for Electric Vehicles.
President Prof. Herrmann emphasizes that electromobility is a long-established central research focus for the university. "We take an interdisciplinary approach here, because that enables us to harness the double strengths of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen -- in both the engineering sciences and the natural sciences." | <urn:uuid:8b79db56-f64b-4961-990a-7daa4af92ebe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecnmag.com/news/2010/07/munich-and-singapore-labs-steer-research-toward-affordable-electric-cars?qt-video_of_the_day=0&qt-recent_content=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939674 | 1,332 | 2.859375 | 3 |
We used a latex weather balloon, and filled it with helium until it expanded to six feet in diameter. The balloon can stretch to an incredible size before breaking. We estimated that it would be 30 feet across if it got up to an altitude of 100,000 feet, which it did. The low pressure at that height causes the balloon to expand and, eventually, pop. Everybody who handled the balloon had to wear gloves, since oils from our hands could weaken the latex and make it pop early. The helium was fairly pricey. There’s a shortage, which is driving up the price. | <urn:uuid:081138c5-af8e-4175-8c87-272b39ecd450> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kvue.com/video/featured-videos/KVUE-sister-station-sends-camera-into-near-space-190229701.html?gallery=y&img=1&c=y | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971828 | 120 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Bird-Brains No More!
Karen Davis has written a profound book and I challenge you to read it without being transformed. It stems from a famous comment by the Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer that when it comes to animals “all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka.” Karen Davis, who has a reputation among those interested in animals for a ferocious and unyielding intellect, applies it here with ruthless efficiency. She tells us how in the 1960s she was preoccupied with reports of the concentration camps, with the Civil Rights Movement, and a “radical extension of those perceptions to include the largest class of innocent victims on earth.” Animals raised for food, and especially chickens, are slaughtered or otherwise exploited (for their eggs) to the tune of 10 billion a year in the U.S. alone.
Are you offended by the comparison with the holocaust? You shouldn’t be, and if you read this book, I promise you will see her point (and she makes many original, daring, and profound comparisons, e.g., the forced labor of camp inmates with the forced labor of farm animals), and realize that most of us have engaged in “an arbitrary delimiting of moral boundaries.” Why? Because we have been “socialized not to perceive animals, especially ‘food’ animals, as individuals with feelings.”
Read chapter three of this book, the life of a single battery hen, in which she demonstrates with deep insight that “there is nothing in the natural evolution of hens to prepare them for this situation.” Your eyes will be opened, for that situation is hell on earth for chickens. When you realize she is telling the unvarnished truth, a truth rarely written about, there is no way around the sudden awareness that these sensitive animals are in a kind of concentration camp. She quotes a powerful comment by C. David Coats, in his book Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm: “The analogy is plain and undeniable; for both groups are held at the mercy of unfeeling keepers, deprived of freedom, crowded into small spaces, mutilated, tattooed, branded, and permanently marked, subjected to genetic experimentation – and ultimately murdered.”
The colonization of animals, this appropriation of their very souls, is really no different than any other colonial assault on native human inhabitants of the African and American continents. Suffering is suffering, whether it happens to us, to our friends, our enemies or to animals. To claim an exclusive right to suffering is pure prejudice and a very parochial prejudice at that.
Is this extension of the insights of mass murder to animals an extreme case of anthropomorphism (another topic on which the author has a different and interesting take)? Not if you believe scientists like Ian Duncan (no animal rights activist, but a professor of poultry science at the University of Guelph), who has written about the suffering of chickens who develop respiratory infections such as airsacculitis from constantly inhaling harmful bacteria in the crowded conditions in which they are kept. You think the eggs you eat come from a different kind of chicken? Unlikely. Joy Mench of the University of California at Davis points out that 99 percent of US laying hens are in cages, “averaging eight hens per cage where they develop osteoporosis because they get no exercise and because their limited calcium is mobilized for constant eggshell formation instead of bones.”
Is this natural? Is this what hens evolved to do? Of course not. They have perfectly natural behavior which they are never allowed to express. They should be in a forest, sunbathing, dustbathing, raising their young, flying in groups, not waiting to be slaughtered in a silent, dark warehouse. What deep hypocrisy (and cynicism) to use the term “happy hens.” They may experience pain, but surely they don’t suffer, you think? Then why do scientists, again no animal rights sympathizers, say that hens in transport trucks have been shown “to experience a level of fear comparable to that induced by exposure to a high-intensity electric shock”?
Bird-brains? That term has just been given a death-sentence by the Avian Brain Nomenclature Consortium, an international group of scientists who have recently demonstrated in Nature Neuroscience Reviews (February 2005) that there is “now overwhelming evidence that the bulk of a bird’s brain is not, as scientists once thought, mere ‘basal ganglia’ . . . rather an intricately wired mass that processes information in much the same way as the vaunted human cerebral cortex.”
The Holocaust and the Henmaid’s Tale is an important work, and an exciting read. There is not a dull sentence in the whole book. Spend a few hours with it and I guarantee you will emerge a changed person.
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson is the author of many bestselling books dealing with the emotions of animals, including Dogs Never Lie About Love, When Elephants Weep, The Pig Who Sang to the Moon and the just released Raising the Peaceable Kingdom: What Animals Can Teach Us About the Social Origins of Tolerance and Friendship.
To order The Holocaust and the Henmaid’s Tale by credit card, simply go to www.upc-online.org/merchandise/book.html. Or send check or money order to United Poultry Concerns, PO Box 150, Machipongo, VA 23405. $20 includes shipping. | <urn:uuid:c492d14a-aa57-49a1-a5c2-6d1250742062> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://upc-online.org/winter05/review.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945553 | 1,161 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Paul Sempschi says:
“Begs the question” is a logical phallacy whereby someone has created an argument based on his thesis (Eg. God has created the universe because the universe was created by God). “Begs the question” is not to cause one to ask further question. Sorry but it really, really bugs me when people abuse this phrase.
And look, he is entirely correct! | <urn:uuid:dad624d7-0d5e-4365-b23a-a2183b25e6e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.killuglyradio.com/hot-poop/2005/11/25/begging-the-question | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975936 | 89 | 1.890625 | 2 |
most vital organs; it undermines that strength and destroys that beauty which ornament true manhood and which assure an individual of success. Besides, the continued using causes the indulger to form a habit that cannot be easily overcome.
John, being not fully warned of the dreadful consequences of using tobacco, and yet determined to become a man, kept on smoking until he so accustomed his system to the shock that he felt satisfied he was becoming a conqueror and would soon be able to show his father that he was now a man.
During the time that John was undergoing such severe temptation, his father was very busy. He realized that his child needed more instruction than he was receiving and that Will's influence over John was not good; but just what advice to give, he hardly knew. Once he thought that he could smell tobacco smoke on his boy's clothing so calling John to his side, he said:
"John, I feel that I must tell you something more about certain bad habits that so many boys form whil | <urn:uuid:0ce0771c-0cc8-491a-9d18-786252703be7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://manybooks.net/titles/byrumisa1249312493.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992846 | 205 | 1.96875 | 2 |
How To Look For A Job While You're Employed
Pages: 1 2
Here are some tips to help you navigate the trickiest workplace maneuver of all: changing jobs.
the obvious tips
Look for work on your own timeIt might be tempting to search for jobs while at the office, especially if you really hate your job, but just remember that making unauthorized use of company equipment can be grounds for termination. Plus, looking for jobs at the office isn't exactly discreet.
Don't use your work e-mail address or phoneYou need contact information on your resume, but don't use your work phone number or e-mail address. Rather, use your home number and personal e-mail, and make it clear to potential future employers that it is your personal contact information, which will signal your emphasis on confidentiality.
Don't tell your coworkersA chatty coworker is just about the fastest way for your boss to find out that you have one foot out the door, so don't tell anyone at work, not even your best friend.
Don't lieIt's tempting to lie about what you're doing (like leaving early for an interview), but it's better to schedule interviews around work (before or after) or to schedule a few for the same day and simply take the day off.
Don't use your cell phone at the officeEven if you're on a break and you're not at your desk, you're still running the risk of being overheard if you talk to recruiters on your cell phone while you're at work.
Think twice before posting your resume on a job boardEmployers, especially large companies, are always searching for personnel. So posting your resume online isn't a good idea, unless you can do so anonymously to ensure that your present employer doesn't find you out. Sites like Monster.com give you this option.
Be careful to whom you submit your resumeA lot of employers also post job openings anonymously. The downside is that you could end up submitting to your own company or to someone at another company who knows your boss. To avoid this, use your best judgment when you look at the required skills and company description. If it sounds familiar, check your company's website to see if they're hiring.
Networking, creating a list of references, and more... Next Page >> | <urn:uuid:19903320-06fd-43e6-8041-4696e217c55e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.askmen.com/money/career_100/125_career.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954728 | 474 | 1.515625 | 2 |
925: Cell Phones
Title text: He holds the laptop like that on purpose, to make you cringe.
In this comic, after hearing about the "Cell Phones Don't Cause Cancer" study, Black Hat plots "Total Cancer Incidence" per 100,000 and "Cell Phone Users" per 100 on the same graph. The graph in frame 3 shows that the number of cell phone users rises after the number of cancer incidence, which makes Black Hat comically come to the conclusion that Cancer causes Cell Phones.
The comic highlights a well-known fallacy known as post hoc ergo propter hoc, often shortened to simply post hoc. The Latin translates to "after this, therefore because of this," referring to the common mistake that because two events happen in chronological order, the former event must have caused the latter event. The fallacy is often the root cause of many superstitions (e.g., a person noticing he/she wore a special bracelet before getting a good test score thinks the bracelet was the source of his/her good fortune), but it often crosses into more serious areas of thinking. In this case, the scientific research community, which often prides itself on its intellectual aptitude, is gently mocked for being nonetheless prone to such poor reasoning all too often.
The title text refers to the way Black Hat holds the laptop in panel 2, and it looks somewhat prone to falling. It's unrelated to the comic's subject.
- [A person is holding a cellphone. The black hat guy is sitting at a desk with a laptop.]
- Person: Another huge study found no evidence that cell phones cause cancer. What was the W.H.O. thinking?
- Black Hat Guy: I think they just got it backward.
- [The black hat guy swivels in his chair, holding the laptop by the upper edge of the screen.]
- Person: Huh?
- Black Hat Guy: Well, take a look.
- [There is a plot of total cancer incidence and cell phone users. Cancer rises from 1970 to 1990, then stays relatively steady. Cell phone use rises from 1980 to the present.]
- Person: You're not... There are so many problems with that.
- Black Hat Guy: Just to be safe, until I see more data I'm going to assume cancer causes cell phones. | <urn:uuid:d387350a-2ca5-43ed-a189-b66f7e66edfc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=925 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938647 | 482 | 2.5625 | 3 |
People suffering from chronic pain have a completely different requirement when it comes to pain relief, sleeping aids and problems with eating. Consider the time immediately after breaking a bone, like an ankle or a wrist, and think of how sleeping or eating a meal would not be on the list of things that are likely to happen. Chronic pain can be characterized as a debilitating pain that disallows the sufferer to work, walk more than a hundred yards or so without assistance, and to sleep or eat properly.Amazingly, smoking or ingesting marijuana eases all or most of the symptoms associated with chronic pain, neurological and neuromuscular pain.
But just as there are hundreds of strains of marijuana, all of which qualifying as medical marijuana, people have differing benefits from each strain. Although there are many indica strains that are quite effective in battling the effects of chronic pain on the sufferer’s body, there are many more sativa strains that are a lot more effective due to being extremely more potent.Please note that none of the strains of medicinal marijuana should be smoked or ingested if driving a motor vehicle within four to five hours of use. Marijuana should not be used when at the place of employment or where smoking cigarettes is not allowed, or when pregnant. Although people with medicinal marijuana licenses are allowed to smoke wherever smoking is permitted, common sense should be used. As well, licenses can be revoked and criminal charges lain if license holders are caught sharing or selling any of their allotment.Five of the better strains of medicinal marijuana for chronic pain sufferers:Island Sweet Skunk. This sativa strain of medicinal marijuana is very potent but the effects are not very long lasting for long-time smokers.
However, for patients just starting to use marijuana for the first time this would be a very good choice for an evening’s smoke as it is more of a hash-like body buzz. Island Sweet Skunk is very resinous, sticky to the touch with lots of white crystals and red hairs, has a sweet taste and is very easy on the throat with no heavy, dark smoke. Effects are sleepiness, munchies, loss of concentration, couch-potato syndrome and relief of pain and muscle twitching.
Chocoloupe. This sativa strain of medicinal marijuana is extremely potent with long lasting effects for long-term smokers. It should be used by patients with extreme pain, muscular twitches and problems eating and sleeping. As most strains of marijuana’s effects lessen with any foods being eaten, Chocoloupe keeps working through and after a munchies session or even a big meal, which this strain will allow chronic pain sufferers to eat. Smoking should be restricted to after the time when the patient is home for the night. Effects are pain relief, munchies, laziness (couch potato but not for sleeping) and slight loss of concentration.
MJ. MJ is a very sweet sativa strain of medicinal marijuana that is one of the more potent strains other than skunk. MJ should not be smoked during the day unless a nap is one of the patient’s main wishes. Effects are pain relief, relief from muscle twitching, extreme sleepiness, loss of concentration and mild munchies.Jack Herer. “The Jack” as Jack Herer is commonly known is sativa strain that offers a nice, smooth smoke, great for daytime or evening use when used in moderation. One of the more sticky strains, the Jack is sometimes rather messy to roll, so using a vaporizer is suggested.
Northern Lights. One of the long-standing better sativa strains of medicinal marijuana, northern lights is a lighter smoke but can be rather harsh on the lungs and throat (think “don’t cough, don’t get off”). Northern lights can have some seriously large buds, and can be used at all times of the day and night. Better for patients who need a small smoke in order to eat in the morning. Effects are minor pain relief, strong munchies with mid-length lasting effects. Can drive within a few hours of smoking.
As there are literally hundreds of strains of both the indica and sativa strains of marijuana, as well as all of the cross strains that are made, if 100 patients are asked to list their top-5 favourite strains of medicinal marijuana all of the lists would most likely be different. However the majority of the lists would all have at least one of the strains mentioned here.Depending upon where patients live, whether they grow their product inside or outside and where they get their seeds or clones from, similar strains can be quite different from place to place, depending upon how they are grown, cultivated and prepared (dried and cleaned). However, there would be a strong showing for the better sativa strains over the indica strains of medicinal marijuana for the majority of chronic pain patient’s lists of their top-5 favourite medicinal marijuana strains. | <urn:uuid:25d5b15e-ed47-4550-8e3c-0dfa9723c07b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsonhealthcare.com/235/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950991 | 1,012 | 1.96875 | 2 |
World-class triathlete turned firefighter Rip Esselstyn is used to responding to emergencies. So, when he learned that some of his fellow Engine 2 firefighters in Austin, TX, were in dire physical condition; several had dangerously high cholesterol levels (the highest was 344!); he sprang into action and created a life-saving plan for the firehouse.
While on shift at the firehouse one day, Rip and a few of his fellow firefighters made a few bets in friendly competition. The topic of who had the lowest cholesterol came up, and after a bit of blood work, it was discovered that one of the fireman had a dangerously high score of 344! Rip then made it a goal to introduce his friend to a healthier, longer life.
By following Rip’s program, everyone lost weight (some more than 20 lbs.), lowered their cholesterol (Mr. 344′s dropped to 196), and improved their overal health. Now, Rip outlines his proven plan in his book. With Rip as your expert coach and motivator, you’ll transform your body and lifestyle in a month. His plant-powered eating plan is based on a diet of whole foods, including vegetables, whole grains, fruit, legumes, seeds and nuts.
More About Rip
For many years Rip, a University of Texas All American swimmer, was one of the world’s top professional triathletes. He took first place in many major events, including the 2001 Police and Fire World Games, the world’s largest athletic competition. He also won the Capital of Texas triathlon eight times and was the leader and top-three finisher at many televised events, including the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, where he was first out of the frigid, shark-infested waters six years in a row.
Rip still competes in various events, recently winning the master national championships and setting the national record in the process. In 1997 Rip joined the Austin fire department and today is a firefighter at Austin’s Station 2 Firehouse. Throughout all this time Rip has eaten a plant-based diet. In 2003, he convinced the entire team of Engine 2 firefighters to eat a plant-strong diet along with him, and today Austin’s Station 2 is known throughout the city as the plant-based station, where every meal served is a plant-healthy one.
Trained as an EMT, Rip comes from a family steeped in medical knowledge. His great-grandfather, George Crile, co-founded the world renowned Cleveland Clinic, where his father, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, was chief of surgery and completed one of the most extensive studies on the relationship between the heart and diet–proving that a plant-based diet can reduce and even eliminate heart disease. The Engine 2 Diet is Rip’s first book. | <urn:uuid:b1d1226e-4fc7-4dce-9de9-02fb2f60f701> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://engine2diet.com/about-the-diet/rip-and-engine-2-history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982692 | 588 | 1.617188 | 2 |
BugLabs: Open Source Modular Electronics
I've read some blog posts and saw some video about BugLabs recently and I'm really blown away. Imagine being able to do your own hardware mashups. Well now you can via an open source API and hardware components from BugLabs. The first production kits are advertised to ship in Q4 2007 so keep your ear to the ground to find out when you can order one. Meanwhile, you can read more about the source (which is Java and OSGi) and the hardware modules on their product page. Here's more about the software stack:
BUG is built entirely with open source software. BMI, the BUG Module Interface, attaches devices to the BUG. Device-based services and applications are dynamically available based on which modules are connected to the BUG. Higher up the stack is Java, which hosts a service-oriented component runtime called OSGi. Java and OSGi make creating new BUG applications simple and intuitive, as BUG applications are essentially one or more bundles. In addition, each BUG module launches an OSGi bundle which in turn creates services for other components to consume. BUG applications are created using the BUG SDK (internally named Dragonfly), and are shared with other developers and users through BUGnet, our online community.
Here's a glimpse of the hardware modules:
Very cool stuff. I'm looking forward to the various individual and crowd sourcing mashups that pop up once it's all released. It will be quite a paradigm shift. | <urn:uuid:f7b37409-aed9-4890-a3ec-a49aca643ea4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalsanctum.com/2007/12/01/buglabs-open-source-modular-electronics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947763 | 313 | 1.773438 | 2 |
By ensuring Republican control of the Alaska Senate through questionable redistricting practices, Gov. Parnell and Republican Party chairman Randy Ruedrich essentially destroyed representative government in Alaska and reduced Alaska Native and minority representation among our state elected officials. Richard Mauer’s Nov. 14 story describes the consequences to the entire state Senate of gerrymandering a single House district.
What are the fixes? Alaska Senate rules need to be changed to ensure a minority party can represent its constituents adequately. Additionally, the state’s redistricting process must be changed by 2020 so it is run by a non-partisan or bipartisan commission, as is increasingly the case in other states. Finally, the state Supreme Court needs to carefully review existing redistricting and ensure that any blatant political gerrymandering is struck down so the state will be better served during the 2014 elections.
— Lois Epstein | <urn:uuid:9d31b51c-39b4-4100-a3f9-0824e53b9605> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adn.com/2012/11/18/2696665/letter-change-redistricting-process.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927638 | 177 | 2.375 | 2 |
Furthering the Mission
By Jessica Yerega
This fall, a new theology professor at Xavier is hitting the classrooms, while his new book is hitting the shelves. Edward P. Hahnenberg’s “Ministries: A Relational Approach” studies the evolution of the church-going community’s views on lay ministry—defined in the author’s own words as “service done by ordinary, baptized members of the Christian community that helps further the church’s mission of worship and service.”
Written with the academic setting in mind, the book may seem like a good fit with Xavier’s Jesuit tradition of service—but the even better fit might be its author.
“It really began in the course of my doctoral studies at the University of Notre Dame,” Hahnenberg says. “I had long-standing interest in questions of ministry and church structure.” He wrote his dissertation on recent theologies of lay ministry, but he didn’t stop with the doctorate—the idea for “Ministries” had been born.
Accepting a position as a visiting assistant professor at Notre Dame, he continued to research and write, spending hours in the library reading contemporary Roman Catholic theologies of ministry. His work earned him a few research grants that funded fact-finding missions to the U.S. Bishops Conference in Washington, D.C., as well as to Italy, Germany and France, where he interviewed people involved in European lay ministry formation. He brought his ideas into the classroom, and there, he learned from his students, recognizing their feedback as the valuable research that it was.
His two years of research yielded five chapters of unique viewpoints that challenge the separation between clergy and laity. “My approach is to think of [lay ministry] not as people who are not ordained, but as members of the community who are contributing to the church’s mission,” Hahnenberg says. “Lay seems to imply unqualified … and I want to affirm that everyone by virtue of their baptism is qualified for ministry.”
Hahnenberg was familiar with books published by Crossroad Publishing, and sent the publisher a proposal on his book. With its timely connection to current issues within the Catholic Church, the book was quickly accepted and rushed into production, and in August it hit stores.
“So much negativity is in the air,” he says. “The shortage of priests and the disappearance of sisters and nuns, the sex-abuse scandals, you name it. I chose to underline the positive. The explosion of lay ministry over the past 40 years means that more people are engaged in more kinds of service than ever before in the history of the Catholic Church.”
The book—which includes discussion questions, summaries and suggestions for further reading—is tailor-made for theology questions. But Hahnenberg says he hopes his message will have broader appeal to youth ministers, Bible study leaders and others who are active in their churches. “Everyone can serve,” he says. “And everyone in the Christian community is called to serve in some way. At some time and in some capacity, every baptized believer is called to carry forward with Christ’s mission.”
This fall, Hahneneberg will be teaching two sections of Theological Foundations and an upper-level course called Why a Church? While he doesn’t plan to use his own book in class just yet, he does see more overlap between careers as a teacher and an author in his future.
“I’d love to keep writing and teaching and drawing on that experience of the teaching supporting the writing, and the writing feeding the teaching.” | <urn:uuid:271d9feb-84ce-487f-82e4-2253d8ee9113> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://xavier.edu/magazine/read-article.cfm?art_id=644 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980831 | 775 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Members of the oil producers' body Opec have agreed to maintain their production restrictions in a bid to maintain oil prices.
Ministers from the 12-member Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) announced their decision at a meeting in Luanda, Angola's capital, on Tuesday.
The group instituted its emergency quotas a year ago after oil prices tumbled amid the global economic crisis.
Oil prices have risen from a low of $40 a barrel to just short of $74 a barrel since the group imposed its restrictions.
David Strahan, a London-based energy strategist, said that there was no real justice for any move other than maintaining the status quo.
"Opec could hardly cut production at the moment as it is enjoying quite substantial prices, oddly high prices I think given the fundamentals of the market at the very minute," he told Al Jazeera.
"$70 to $80 a barrel, that's great for them, state budgets are balanced at that price, they are making quite a bit of money.
"There was also no incentive for them to increase production and the economic recovery, such as it is, seems able to survive these current prices."
But Manouchehr Takin, a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies, said the world economy was still struggling and likely downward pressure on prices could lead to more restrictions.
"It could be, if this trend of low demand continues towards the end of 2010, there could be great [downward] pressure and the price will come down to maybe $60 or so - and before that time Opec might have to cut production [to raise prices]," he told Al Jazeera.
In Opec member nation Nigeria, malfunctioning refineries lead to long queues at petrol stations
Experts say stockpiles of crude could weaken the market when demand falls in the spring.
Abdullah El-Badri, Opec's secretary-general, said earlier that raising production levels next year is "not on our radar at this time".
"But if you look at fundamentals, especially inventory ... the stocks, they are a bit high," Badri said. "So we have to do something about this."
Opec ministers are also likely have one eye on Iraq's recovering oil industry and its ambitious plans to ramp up its production to levels that could rival Saudi Arabia.
But Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraq's oil minister, said that he did not expect to tackle the question of production allowances for Iraq, which he said was a special case as it was recovering from war.
"I don't expect any discussion on setting quotas or even discussing till we reach the point when there is a significant increase of Iraqi production," he said.
That increases is not expected for another two or three years.
Iraq is currently exempt from the group's system of quotas, which seek to limit production by members in order to stabilise prices.
El-Badri also said a discussion of quotas for Iraq was unlikely to be on Tuesday's agenda.
"It will come, but not now," he said.
"One day ... we will discuss it and surely we will accommodate them."
Angola raised its international profile by joining Opec in 2007 and the country overtaken Nigeria as Africa's biggest crude producer, according to the International Energy Agency.
But the country still suffers from the legacy of three decades of civil war and millions of Angolans still live in poverty and hunger with little access to clean water. | <urn:uuid:b23c10c7-33dc-44e8-86de-b22003db8164> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aljazeera.com/business/2009/12/2009122210841223114.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97024 | 714 | 1.625 | 2 |
Warren Fisherman Sentenced for Polluted Water Fishing
Francisco Pacheco gets three years probation for taking quahogs from the closed Palmer River.
A local fisherman must serve three three years of probation and surrender his commercial fishing license for one year after pleading guilty to taking shellfish from polluted waters.
Francisco P. Pacheco, 61, of Warren, pled guilty last week to charges of fishing in polluted waters and taking shellfish at night, in violation of Department of Environmental Management laws, the DEM announced.
Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini suspended Pacheco's commercial fishing license issued for one year, and imposed a three-year suspended sentence, plus probation. In addition, Judge Procaccini ordered Pacheco to serve 400 hours of community service.
Environmental police officers from DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement arrested Pacheco on Aug. 18, 2011, after they received information that Pacheco was using his small wooden work boat to dig shellfish at night from the Palmer River, according to a DEM release. Officers watched Pacheco’s boat over several days and saw Pacheco shellfishing in the Palmer River in the area of New Industrial Way in Warren. The officers arrested Pacheco when he returned on his boat to a dock near the Wharf Tavern in Warren. Offciers seized more than five bushels of quahogs, along with Pacheco’s boat and equipment.
The Palmer River has a history of water quality issues dating back to 1947, according to Joseph Migliore of DEM’s Division of Water Resources. The river has been closed shellfishing since 1996. Since shellfish filter water for food, any bacteria, virus or contaminants in the water would be concentrated and remain in the shellfish, potentially making consumers sick and even causing death in the young, elderly or those individuals with weak immune systems or pre-existing health conditions. | <urn:uuid:267a9b2f-c122-4fd8-bfd2-f234ad156bdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bristol-warren.patch.com/articles/warren-fisherman-sentenced-for-polluted-water-fishing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951337 | 399 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Vegetable Tagine Recipe
Though the word tagine refers to the cone-shaped cooking vessel that the dish is traditionally made in, it has also come to refer to Moroccan-style stew preparations. This version contains an assortment of vegetables, including cauliflower and chickpeas, making for a flavorful, filling vegetarian dish.
What to buy: For a slacker solution, you can substitute high-quality canned chickpeas for the cooked chickpeas.
Preserved lemons are a popular ingredient in Moroccan cooking. They’re preserved in a salt-and-lemon-juice mixture and sold in jars. Look for them in gourmet grocery stores or online at igourmet.com, or alternatively you can make your own.
This recipe was featured as part of our Supercharge with Superfoods photo gallery.
For the tagine:
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, medium dice
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth
- Pinch saffron threads
- 1 medium head cauliflower, large dice
- 1 1/4 cup green olives, such as picholine, pitted and halved
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
- 1 preserved lemon, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried currants
- 3 cups dry couscous
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup whole almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 1/2 cup plain Greek-style or whole-milk yogurt
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and cinnamon stick, and toast until aromatic, about 1 minute; add ginger and garlic, and cook until just softened, about 1 minute more.
- Add carrots, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juice, vegetable broth, and saffron and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, covered, until vegetables are almost completely cooked but still raw in the center, about 7 minutes.
- Add cauliflower, olives, chickpeas, preserved lemon, and currants and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes more. Taste tagine and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Place couscous in a large bowl or baking dish. Bring water to a boil. Once water boils, pour over couscous, and let stand until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir briefly to combine.
- Serve tagine over couscous, topped with almonds and scallions. Pass yogurt on the side. | <urn:uuid:c00bdbee-ba2b-47da-99c1-8494d789cdfb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chow.com/recipes/10840 | 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 | 0.909825 | 665 | 1.507813 | 2 |
For those looking for a fun activity that's close to home and doesn't cost much, mark June 6 on the calendar.
"Make plans now to get out with your family and enjoy a free day of fishing," says Drew Cushing, warm water sport fisheries coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
Cushing says Utah has plenty of water this year, and fishing should be better than ever.
"Fishing at many of our mid-elevation reservoirs is really good right now," he said. "As the spring runoff recedes, fishing will pick up at the state's rivers and streams too."
People won't need a license to fish on June 6, but Cushing reminds everyone that the other rules in the state's fishing guidebook will still be in effect.
Free fishing days have become a tradition for the DWR each year. Many take advantage of the event to get out and do something they may not have done for years or do only once in a while.
Interested parties can learn those rules by reading the 2009 Utah Fishing Guidebook.
The free guidebook is available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks/2009_fishing. | <urn:uuid:1b0cd302-a1d3-4033-b0c5-8e5c949304ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sunadvocate.com/print.php?tier=1&article_id=15940&poll=269&vote=results | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960677 | 244 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Center holes on 7" records were once a way to decifer what speed a record was cut at. 45 RPM records had large center holes and 33 1/3 RPM records had small center holes. These days people mix and match and even get creative with them.
Small center holes:
Small center holes are available for all sizes of records and all speeds and are no additional charge. They measure 1/4" in diameter.
Large Center Holes:
Large center holes are available for 7" records and measure 1.5" in diameter. Large Center holes are no additional charge.
UK Center Holes:
UK center holes were originally offered to give the ability to easilly convert a record to large hole for jukeboxes. The section around the small center hole is perforated and can be broken out to make the record large hole. Once the center is removed it can not be replaced but a regular 45 adapter can be used. UK centers for 7" records are $.05 each. | <urn:uuid:35ab9fa1-9bfd-41ff-8f39-d556126395cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urpressing.com/centerholes.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951308 | 205 | 1.835938 | 2 |
BUGS - Brick & Unique minimal Genome Software
We have developed two distinct software tools.
The first tool is Brick Designer. With this, users can design new bio-bricks. It is also able to synthesize bio-bricks by using the bricks whitch are registered in partsregistry. Users can also utilize bricks he just designed. We tried to enhance software potability by enabling the designed bricks to save as Genbank and SBOL format. Brick also can be saved as picture file so that it is helpful in the Wiki implementation.
Second tool, Minimal Genome Designer is functionally divided into two program, Designer and Viewer. The Viewer shows a lot of information of genomes and genes. For example, Location of essential genes and the function of genes. It also provides information of genomes in both linear and circular form. Using this, it will be easier for users to understand the characteristic of genomes. By the designer, user can design minimal genomes by essential genes which are predicted by our team in this year. It shows the information of essential genes that can exist in eash section like frequency of location on 82 species, function and etc. When it is done to design minimal genome, it can be viewed on Viewer. | <urn:uuid:5a65e2cd-835b-4c90-a0b8-f9553055e2ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://2012.igem.org/Team:CBNU-Korea/Project | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92988 | 253 | 1.960938 | 2 |