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Believable Plots, Appropriate Conflict,
Build it Right Series by
So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest
in and care for one another.
(1 Cor. 12:25 AMP)
Last week we talked about building our story on a firm foundation. This week we’re adding cohesive elements by installing walls, windows, and doors.
When we built our house, we used a general contractor. Although he visited the site frequently, he rarely participated in actual labor. Instead, he subcontracted the work to various trades. He didn’t expect the plumber to install the air conditioner, or the carpenter who mounted the doors to paint. Sub-contractors added their individual component, their skilled trade, creating another valuable element to the house as a whole.
Just as different subcontractors work together to contribute essentials to make our house a home, a writer must join various elements for a cohesive story, or risk discord with the reader. Let’s talk about some basic elements, using romance as an example.
In romance, we want our readers to journey along with the characters as they fall in love. Unless the characters were in a prior relationship and the fire hasn’t quite burned out, a declaration of love on the fourth page doesn’t work. The same goes for a suspense plot. Readers don’t necessarily care about the heavy technical details, but the plot must be believable.
Who wants to read a romance where the main characters constantly argue with each other? Aren’t they supposed to be falling in love? Conflict doesn’t mean regular clashes with one another. Conflict should arise internally, from their dreams and ambitions, their insecurities, and their belief and value system. Externally, what stands in their way of reaching their goals?
Your setting is as fundamental to your story as the siding on your house. Stucco is common in Florida, but stucco would strike a discordant note in North Carolina where the majority of houses have brick or vinyl siding.
Whether fact or fiction, you can cement the reader into your setting. If your book is set on a tropical island, readers expect salty breezes and palm trees, the lingering scent of suntan lotion, and seafood dinners on a sandy beach. Offering sensory details harmonious with your setting will make the locale more realistic.
Whether you write for the inspirational or secular market, a theme should weave through your story, as integral and seamless as the electrical wires running through your house. Simple messages of forgiveness, that it’s never too late, of second chances and rebuilding trust, and that with God all things are possible will resonate with the reader and keep them turning the page.
Do your individual elements work in harmony for a cohesive story?
Join us next week as we discuss adding the finishing details.
A Routine Audit? Hardly. Red flags-including some goon who's following her-raise McKinley Frasier's suspicions that numbers don't add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley's daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman-the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner's not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a "new man." She trusts the new Renner with her daughter's safety...but what about her heart?
After a successful auditing career, Dora Hiers left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom to her two sons. When her youngest son didn’t want her hanging out at school with him anymore, Dora started writing heart racing, God-gracing books. Dora belongs to the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Carolina Christian Writers. Her first inspirational romance, Journey’s End, released with White Rose Publishing in 2011, and her second, Journey’s Edge released in March 2012. White Rose also contracted her third book in the Marshals of Journey Creek series, Journey’s Embrace, and her first short romance, Small Town Treasure. Dora and her husband make their home in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
Connect with Dora:
Facebook: Dora Hiers Author | <urn:uuid:dea6bf82-4807-4a5c-a1f2-f4a00b8bdb72> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com/2012/07/build-it-right-series-add-cohesive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93741 | 918 | 2.0625 | 2 |
William Tecumseh Sherman’s legendary “march” (1864–65) through Georgia and the Carolinas—toward Appomattox, and victory—is the subject of Doctorow’s panoramic tenth novel.
As he did in his classic Ragtime (1991), Doctorow juxtaposes grand historical events with the lives of people caught up in them—here, nearly two dozen Union and Confederate soldiers and officers and support personnel; plantation owners and their families; and freed slaves unsure where their futures lie. The story begins in Georgia, where John Jameson’s homestead “Fieldstone” becomes a casualty of Sherman’s “scorched earth” tactics (earlier applied during the destruction of Atlanta). The narrative expands as Sherman moves north, adding characters and subtly entwining their destinies with that of the nation. Emily Thompson, daughter of a Georgia Chief Justice, finds her calling as a battlefield nurse working alongside Union Army surgeon Wrede Sartorius (who’ll later be reassigned to Washington, where an incident at Ford’s Theater demands his services). “Rebel” soldiers Will Kirkland and Arly Wilcox move duplicitously from one army to another, and the Falstaffian pragmatist Arly later courts survival by usurping the identity of a battlefield photographer. John Jameson’s “white Negro” bastard daughter Pearl becomes her former mistress’s keeper—and the last best hope for melancholy “replacement” northern soldier Stephen Walsh. Sherman’s war-loving subordinate Justin “Kil” Kilpatrick blithely rapes and loots, finding a boy’s excitement in bloody exigencies. There’s even a brief appearance by indignantly independent black “Coalhouse” Walker (a graceful nod to the aforementioned Ragtime). Doctorow patiently weaves these and several other stories together, while presenting military strategies (e.g., the “vise” formed by Sherman’s gradual meeting with Grant’s Army) with exemplary clarity. Behind it all stalks the brilliant, conflicted, “volatile” Sherman, to whom Doctorow gives this stunning climactic statement: “our civil war . . . is but a war after a war, a war before a war.”
Doctorow’s previous novels have earned multiple major literary awards. The March should do so as well. | <urn:uuid:beac5b93-bee6-4a0e-a4d4-f9ed13fd28cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/el-doctorow/the-march/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923317 | 521 | 2.328125 | 2 |
George W. Norris
|George William Norris|
|Norris in 1913|
|United States Senator
March 4, 1913 – January 3, 1943
|Preceded by||Norris Brown|
|Succeeded by||Kenneth S. Wherry|
|Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 5th district|
March 4, 1903 – March 4, 1913
|Preceded by||Ashton C. Shallenberger|
|Succeeded by||Silas Reynolds Barton|
|Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary|
August 1926 – March 4, 1933
|Preceded by||Albert B. Cummins|
|Succeeded by||Henry F. Ashurst|
July 11, 1861|
York Township, Sandusky County, Ohio
|Died||September 2, 1944
|Political party||Republican (until 1936)
|Spouse(s)||Pluma Lashley (m. 1889, dec. 1901
Ellie Leonard (m. 1903)
|Alma mater||Baldwin University
Northern Indiana Normal School
George William Norris (July 11, 1861 – September 2, 1944) was a U.S. politician from the state of Nebraska and a leader of progressive and liberal causes in Congress. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1903 until 1913 and five terms in the United States Senate from 1913 until 1943, four terms as a Republican and the final term as an independent. Norris was defeated for reelection in 1942.
Norris is best known for his intense crusades against evil, his liberalism, his insurgency against party leaders, his isolationist foreign policy, his support for labor unions, and especially for creating the Tennessee Valley Authority. President Franklin Roosevelt called him, "the very perfect, gentle knight of American progressive ideals," and this has been the theme of all of his biographers.
Early life
Norris was born in 1861 in York Township, Sandusky County, Ohio and was the eleventh child of poor, uneducated, farmers of Scots-Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. He graduated from Baldwin University and earned his LL.B. degree in 1883 at the law school of Valparaiso University. He moved to Beaver City, Nebraska to practice law. In 1889 he married Pluma Lashley; the couple had three daughters before her 1901 death. Norris then married Ellie Leonard in 1903; they had no children.
Political career
House insurgent
Norris relocated to the larger town of McCook in 1900, where he became active in local politics. In 1902, running as a Republican, he was elected to the House of Representatives for Nebraska's 5th congressional district. In that election, he was supported by the railroads; however, in 1906 he broke with them, supporting Theodore Roosevelt's plans to regulate rates for the benefit of shippers, such as the merchants who lived in his district. A prominent insurgent after 1908, he led the revolt against Speaker Joseph G. Cannon in 1910. By a vote of 191 to 156, the House created a new system in which seniority would automatically move members ahead, even against the wishes of the leadership.
In January 1911, he helped create The National Progressive Republican League and was its vice president. He originally supported Robert M. La Follette, Sr. for the 1912 nomination but then switched to Roosevelt. However, he refused to bolt the convention and join Roosevelt's Progressive Party. He instead ran for the Senate as a Republican.
As a leading Progressive Republican, Norris supported the direct election of senators. He also promoted the conversion of all state legislatures to the unicameral system. This was implemented in 1934 only in the Nebraska Legislature; however, all other states have retained a two-house system.
Norris supported some of Wilson's programs but became a firm isolationist, fearing that bankers were manipulating the country into war. In the face of enormous pressure from the media and the administration, Norris was one of only six senators to vote against the declaration of war on Germany in 1917.
Looking at the war in Europe he said, "Many instances of cruelty and inhumanity can be found on both sides." Norris believed that the government wanted to take part in this war only because the wealthy had already aided British financially in the war. He told Congress that the only people who would benefit from the war were "munition manufacturers, stockbrokers, and bond dealers" and added that "war brings no prosperity to the great mass of common and patriotic citizens.... War brings prosperity to the stock gambler on Wall Street–to those who are already in possession of more wealth than can be realized or enjoyed."
Seniority brought him the chairmanship of the Agriculture and Forestry and the Judiciary committees. Norris was a leader of the Farm Bloc, advocated the rights of labor, sponsored the ("Lame Duck") Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and proposed to abolish the Electoral College. He failed on these issues in the 1920s, but blocked Henry Ford's proposals to modernize the Tennessee Valley, insisting that it be a project the government should handle. Although a nominal Republican (which was essential to his seniority), he routinely attacked and voted against the Republican administrations of Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. Norris supported Democrats Al Smith in 1928 and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. Republicans regulars called him one of the "sons of the wild jackass."
In 1932, along with Fiorello H. La Guardia, then a US Representative from New York, Norris secured passage of the Norris-La Guardia Act, which outlawed the practice of requiring prospective employees not to join a labor union as a condition of employment (the so-called yellow-dog contract) and greatly limited the use of court injunctions against strikes.
New Dealer
A staunch supporter of President Roosevelt's New Deal programs, Norris sponsored the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933. In appreciation, the Norris Dam and Norris, Tennessee, a new planned city in Tennessee, were named after him. Norris was also the prime Senate mover behind the Rural Electrification Act, which brought electrical service to underserved and unserved rural areas across the United States. It is also a testament to Norris' belief in "public power" that there have been no privately owned electric utilities operating in Nebraska since the late 1940s.
Norris believed in the wisdom of the common people and in the progress of civilization. "To get good government and to retain it, it is necessary that a liberty-loving, educated, intelligent people should be ever watchful, to carefully guard and protect their rights and liberties," Norris said in a 1934 speech, "The Model Legislature." The people were capable of being the government, he said, affirming his populist/progressive credentials.
Norris left the Republicans in 1936 since seniority in the minority party was useless, and the Democrats offered him chairmanships. He was re-elected to the Senate as an Independent with some Democratic Party support in 1936. Norris won with 43.8% of the vote against Republican former congressman Robert G. Simmons (who came in second) and Democratic former congressman Terry Carpenter (who came in a distant third).
Norris opposed Roosevelt's Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937 to pack the Supreme Court and railed against corrupt patronage. In late 1937, when Norris saw the famous photograph "Bloody Saturday" (showing a burned Chinese baby crying in a bombed-out train station), he shifted his stance on isolationism and non-interventionism. Siding against Japanese violence in China, he called the Japanese "disgraceful, ignoble, barbarous, and cruel, even beyond the power of language to describe."
Unable to secure Democratic support in the state in 1942, he was defeated by Republican Kenneth S. Wherry.
Norris is one of eight senators profiled in John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, included for opposing Speaker Cannon's autocratic power in the House, for speaking out against arming U.S. merchant ships during the United States' neutral period in World War I, and for supporting the Presidential Campaign of Democrat Al Smith.
The principal north-south road through downtown McCook, Nebraska is named George Norris Avenue. Norris's house in McCook is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is operated as a museum by the Nebraska State Historical Society.
George W. Norris Middle school in Omaha, Nebraska, the George W. Norris K - 12 school system near Firth, Nebraska, and George W. Norris Elementary School in Millard Public Schools stand as a memorial to the late Senator. When several public power districts in southeastern Nebraska merged into one in 1941, the new utility was named the Norris Public Power District in Senator Norris' honor.
- Robert M uccigrosso, ed., Research Guide to American Historical Biography (1988) 3:1165
- ["Opposition to Wilson's War Message" http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/doc19.htm]
- "More about Senator George Norris". Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
- TVA: An American Ideal
- TVA: Norris Reservoir
- Charlyne Berens, One House, The unicameral's Progressive Vision for Nebraska (2005, University of Nebraska Press)
- Robert F. Wesser, "George W. Norris, The Unicameral Legislature and the Progressive Ideal," Nebraska History (December 1964)
- Paterson, Thomas G.; Clifford, John Garry; Hagan, Kenneth J. (1999). American Foreign Relations: A history since 1895. American Foreign Relations 2 (5 ed.). Houghton Mifflin. p. 151. ISBN 0-395-93887-2.
- Fellman, David. "The Liberalism of Senator Norris," American Political Science Review (1946) 40:27-41 in JSTOR
- Lowitt, Richard
- George W. Norris: The Making of a Progressive, 1861-1912 (1963)
- George W. Norris; The Persistence of a Progressive, 1913-1933 (1971)
- George W. Norris: The Triumph of a Progressive, 1933-1944 (1978)
- Norris, George W. Fighting Liberal: The Autobiography of George W. Norris (1945; reprinted 1972)
- Zucker, Norman L. George W. Norris: Gentle Knight of American Democracy (1966) online
- "An American Ideal (Norris, Tennessee). Tennessee Valley Authority
- "RESERVOIRS AND POWER PLANTS: Norris Reservoir." Tennessee Valley Authority.
- George W. Norris at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Senator George Norris State Historic Site operated by the Nebraska State Historical Society
- George W. Norris: U.S. Legislator from Nebraska -a learning resource
|United States House of Representatives|
Ashton C. Shallenberger
|Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Nebraska's 5th congressional district
Silas Reynolds Barton
|United States Senate|
|United States Senator (Class 2) from Nebraska
Served alongside: Gilbert M. Hitchcock, Robert B. Howell,
William H. Thompson, Richard C. Hunter, Edward R. Burke, Hugh A. Butler
Kenneth S. Wherry
Albert B. Cummins
|Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Henry F. Ashurst | <urn:uuid:e60104a4-e6a6-4203-ae5a-f0c942871d6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_William_Norris | 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 | 0.949024 | 2,386 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are considered as neurodevelopmental conditions for which there is no known cause to date. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have become a matter of concern in the United States due to the increase in the number of children suffering from this malaise.
Fact 1. The incidence of ASD has increased 10-fold from the 1980s when it was 5 children per 10,000 to 60 children per 10,000 in the 1990s.
Fact 2. In 2006, there was an increase of 57% from 2002. ASD is noted to be 5 times higher for boys as compared to girls.
Fact 3. ASD symptoms include behavioral and social interaction deficits combined with signs of intellectual disability.
Fact 4. Although inheritance can be a factor, risk genes have yet to be identified.
Fact 5. Research is required in determining the relationship between genes and the environment which triggers ASD.
Fact 6. Medication-wise, studies conducted indicate a paucity of information and proof to support available medications. There is insufficient, quality evidence to support medications for children with ASD.
Fact 7. Although many children are treated with medications, there is a lack of evidence to support the touted benefits.
Fact 8. Two medications, Risperidone and Aripiprazole have shown improvements in challenging and repetitive behaviors. However, it is was not recommended due to adverse effects which could result in impairment and injury.
Fact 9. The recommended pre-emptive measures are early detection and intervention programs from birth to five years.
Fact 10. At this current stage of research, it is improbable that a cure would be on the horizon soon. Instead, resources should be directed towards therapy and assisting ASD patients in adapting towards their situation. | <urn:uuid:51ab21f7-a6ee-4804-b88e-c71892aec0e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.factsbarn.com/facts-about-autism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964731 | 360 | 3.484375 | 3 |
The necessity of outside in voices
On 27 February I wrote a column entitled, “The polarizing perceptions of Rwanda.” In the column I compared Rwanda’s leaders to historical figures that Jewish and Christian theologians call, “post-exilic prophets.” Approximately 2,600 years ago, the nation of Judah was in exile. While in exile her brightest youth became masters of foreign thought, language, and culture while never giving up their national identity. After exile they returned, and built systematic institutions of security, education, business, and religion. In the process their voices polarized the known world. They spoke as outsiders with inside understanding. The term prophet refers not so much to their mystical ability to predict the future as it does to their gifts of profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.
Allow me to use another term to describe why Rwanda is so polarizing – missionary. I am not writing purely about odd foreigners with romantic ideals, colorful personalities, and strong convictions. I am writing about a much older definition. One of my favorite seminary professors, Dr. Ed Mathews defined missionaries as “one sent by the Holy Spirit for the purposes of communication that creates followers of Jesus.” Let me make the definition more pragmatic. A missionary is one sent in God’s perfect timing with message. He is an outside in voice.
Though few dare use the term missionary to describe when Rwanda’s leaders speak to world powers who consider themselves gods, I think it is quite appropriate to use the term missionary to describe Rwanda’s role as an outside in voice. As can be expected those who consider themselves gods respond in polarizing ways when their godhood is threatened.
The catch about missionaries is that every culture needs them. Without an outside in voice not only does a culture slip morally it slips economically. Even the great economic power, the United States of America needs outside in voices to economically thrive. Some of America’s brightest economic minds are now arguing one way to restore America’s economy is through immigration reform. When economics meets good religious reasoning the term becomes economic missionaries. All cultures need an outside in voice to see a new possibility and launch entrepreneurial endeavors. The ethnicity, nationality, and race of these outside in voices is irrelevant. What is relevant is that they come sent with a message that is transformational.
From Rwanda’s current government, business, and religious leaders to her brightest youth scattered in the world’s top universities many Banyarwanda meet the definition of missionary. Conversely, there are many in Rwanda who look like traditional missionaries and are missionaries.
My best atheist and agnostic friends in the Great Lakes have whispered to me, “What is the deal with these missionary characters? Do they really hear God’s voice? Do they have some hidden agenda? How do they benefit from being here?” I am thankful for friends willing to be candid.
Please allow me to be candid. My mzee professor got it right. Is there evidence they have been sent? If no one from their country of origin is willing to raise their hand, and say, “We sent them,” they are not a missionary. Instead they are delusional. If they don’t have a message that inspires with its hope and goodness they are not missionaries. If their actions do not lead to transformation of a culture in all its many facets – education, business, and leadership – they are not missionaries. Some who claim to be missionaries are not missionaries. They and Rwanda are best served with a gentle conversation that leads to a quiet departure.
Yet, the vast majority of those who claim to be missionaries are speaking gentle transformational messages and building generational endurance. I am very thankful to have been considered such honor as mine, and to have served in the Great Lakes for so many years with so many inspirational comrades. They heard God’s call to leave all comforts of home. They came with no personal agenda. Their reward has been many earthly friendships and the hope of heaven.
Many have asked our family as we transition back to our passport country, “Do you need to go?” We leave called. We would much rather stay in Rwanda. Yet, our community needs us in another location. Our parents have not had us consistently near them for 19 years, are getting old, and we need to be near. Our children are reaching university age in cultural transition, and need us near. The institutions we have built must be stronger than us. In order to become God’s intent we must relinquish the institution’s leadership. Lastly, we sense God wants us near the many Banyarwanda youth we have been fortunate to facilitate studying in the USA. We leave our home of Rwanda as missionaries to the USA because of our hope in our heavenly home.
My boss once spoke about this odd relationship as the ones who receive a missionary become missionaries themselves and inherit missionary rewards. He said, “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded (Matthew 10:40-42, New Living Translation.)”
Seven years ago, our family first entered Rwanda with an idea of beginning an English based church with a good children’s program. All we had was a few friends who sent us and a few Banyarwanda friends who received us. The results have been more honor than a single man is due. If honor must be given to humanity it should be given to the community who accepted us as friends, nurtured our lives, dreamed, and labored with us. We are immensely grateful.
This is the last column I will write for Focus as a Rwanda resident for this season of life. Thank you for such a thrilling journey. I will go as your missionary to the USA. I will seek to be near your youth and give them my best pastoral care. I trust you will continue to share your abundant grace and kindness to my fellow missionaries. I also trust that the Lord will continue to use you as missionaries to our world’s powers. May God bless all. | <urn:uuid:10846220-6813-4432-a5ee-a6495a48eadb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://focus.rw/wp/2012/06/the-necessity-of-outside-in-voices/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971001 | 1,322 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Maple Syrup Recipes
Maple syrup is a healthier substitute for sugar in any recipe.
Our maple syrup is 100% pure and free of additives. Maple syrup has fewer calories than honey, sugar or corn syrup, and it has zero fat or cholesterol. It also contains significant amounts of potassium (35mg / tbsp) and calcium (21mg / tbsp), and small amounts of iron, phosphorus, and B-vitamins.
Not only that, but maple syrup tastes great in everything!
If you've been to the Parsons Farm, you've probably had a Parsons Ice Cream Sundae, but maple syrup is great with lots of other things as well. Browse through our recipes to find all the different ways you can use maple syrup in cooking. We have also included a "Pour it on" recipe section, for foods that are good underneath our syrup. Of course, it's so good, you can also eat it plain!
All of our recipes come from old family recipes, and from friends who have shared how they use our maple syrup in cooking. We always welcome more recipe contributions! We'd love to know how you use our maple syrup in your cooking. Please contact us and let us know your recipe; we'll try it out and put it up on our website! | <urn:uuid:97ed120e-5dfe-4bcd-8944-6b75deeb776f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.maple-syrup-michigan.com/maple-syrup-recipes/index.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965285 | 263 | 1.773438 | 2 |
As security issues have an increasing impact on international commerce, EADS Innovation Works and Astrium are helping define new ways of tracking and securing large shipping containers that form the backbone of international freight activities – which are now subject to increasing scrutiny due to terrorism threats and concerns about criminal activity.
A German government-sponsored research project is examining the creation of an information and communications technology (ICT) network that would ensure the tracking and security of containers throughout their shipment process. Initiated in August 2010, this two-year effort involves EADS Innovation Works and Astrium with a team of other industry partners and research institutions.
Named ContainIT, the project is working on a common ICT multi-layer architecture to identify and track containers, from their loading at the point of origin to unloading at the destination and return to the depot. Such coverage would include tracking and tracing of the container’s physical handling, the use of data fusion/data mining technologies through the flow of documentation and information, risk assessment/risk management as well as related information technology security issues. Furthermore, the expected step-up in required inspections – including potential U.S. regulations requiring all containers to be scanned prior to entering the country – raises significant challenges that could impact global trade.
“With the ContainIT project, innovation can play an important role in supporting global commerce by ensuring the secure, accountable shipment of containers around the world,” says Frank Neubauer, EADS Innovation Works researcher.
Did you know…?
Shipping containers carry approximately 90% of total international freight worldwide. | <urn:uuid:ed0efc05-9a25-4533-b9c8-7a0b3c473dc6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eads.com/eads/int/en/our-innovation/our-technologies/Protecting-our-World/Visualisation.html?width=800&height=450&sig=iLyROoafzNEk&skinKey=&kewegoaccount=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933785 | 320 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Siamese Algae Eaters
Siamese Algae Eater (SAE)
YES, These are the real McCoys that are NOT in your typical pet shop.
Size: up to 3" to 4" in 3 years. Typical lifespan: 5 years.
Food: Green Hair or Filamentous Algae, Black Brush Algae, supplement with New Life Spectrum "Community Formula" or "H20 Stable Wafers" found at Fish Foods
Good rule of thumb for stocking are 1 per 5 to 20 gallons, your choice since these are a schooling fish and will do much better if kept in a colony. We should know, we grow these. There is some conflicting stocking advice out there. Not uncommon for some folks to have 40 or more in a 100 gallon tank, or just 5 in 100 gallons. Beautiful fish to watch. When they've got all of your algae under control, they will need to be fed a good supplemental pellet food like the H20 Stable Wafers, but don't overfeed them or you'll turn them into fat lazy fish. Let them do what you hired them to do, be your janitor. Feed them about 1 or 2 times per WEEK in a naturally planted aquarium. These fish are very sweet, and not aggressive by any means.
Juvenile True Siamese Algae Eaters
Juvenile True Siamese Algae Eaters-Buy 24 or more & Save
Adult True Siamese Algae Eaters (SAE)
Adult True Siamese Algae Eaters-Buy 24 or more & Save
JUMBO True Siamese Algae Eaters - LIMITED TIME ONLY | <urn:uuid:6dc0f243-20e1-4b72-a273-76b83c9a5e63> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.azgardens.com/p-163-siamese-algae-eaters-sae.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915688 | 345 | 1.632813 | 2 |
By Vamien McKalin email: firstname.lastname@example.org | Jan 13, 2013 12:32 PM EST
Windows Phone is taking shape as handsets are slowly finding their way into the hands of consumers. However, the operating system has finally broken away from Symbian, something that should have happened a long time ago.
The real reason behind Windows Phone's success over Symbian, is the Nokia Lumia line of Windows Phone devices. Over 70 percent of Windows Phone devices are of the Lumia variety. This is proof that Windows Phone wouldn't have made dent in the market without the help of Nokia. Microsoft should count itself lucky to have landed a deal with Nokia when it mattered most.
For those who are interested in the numbers, Nokia announced that 4.4 million Lumia Windows Phone handsets were sold in Q4 2012. That's a massive 51 percent increase over the 2.9 million units that were sold in Q4 2011. This success can be attributed to the release of Windows Phone 8, which is a huge step above Windows Phone 7.5 and is actually what Microsoft should have begun with.
Symbian is quite dead, it's not coming back, it will never be zombified. However, it is still fighting the good fight to stay alive. In the last three months of 2012, 2.2 million Symbian devices managed to sneak into consumers hands. That's still quite impressive for a platform that is on its way to the mobile operating system graveyard. One can't deny that Symbian was a great operating system back in the 2000s despite the bugs and Nokia's slow update process.
Come Jan. 24, Nokia will release its full earnings report for Q4 2012. It should be quite interesting to see how well the Lumia line of handsets are truly doing.
© 2013 Mobile & Apps All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. | <urn:uuid:f526262f-4093-4dfc-9994-0073b0c0ebfd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mobilenapps.com/articles/6409/20130113/windows-phone-surpasses-symbian-nokia-lumia-handsets-lead-charge.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960675 | 388 | 1.625 | 2 |
Groundbreaking ceremony for new school after earthquake
Louisa County, Va. (WTVR) – It’s been 14 months since a historic 5.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed a Louisa County elementary school leaving the 1930s era building in ruins.
But on Thursday, Thomas Jefferson Elementary school began its rise from the rubble.
Louisa County school administrators, local lawmakers, students and teachers came out for the groundbreaking of a new school.
Thanks to funding from FEMA, local fundraising efforts and Virginia lawmakers pushing for financing, construction is underway.
School administrators say the new layout will be more practical than the old one.
All the classrooms will face a courtyard. Art, music and media rooms will be clustered together. And, the kitchen, gym and lobby area will be situated in a separate wing.
What’s more, 580 students attend the school, but the new building has the capacity for 700 students.
While some were sad to see the historic school building demolished, they say something good has come out of it.
“It was very difficult to watch the building come down. And, to start all over it`s an emotional thing, it`s a needed thing, and it`s a healing thing, but at the same time is a little tough,” said teacher and parent Patti Seay.
“This particular day, knowing that this is the making just around the corner is a very lifting experience, and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Assistant Superintendent of instruction, Dr. Luanne Unruh.
It’s expected to be open in 2014. | <urn:uuid:d17e9829-2b46-432e-b165-4ebdf6443207> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wtvr.com/2012/10/25/groundbreaking-ceremony-for-new-school-after-earthquake/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954413 | 340 | 2.0625 | 2 |
In this post we'll have a little insight into the world of contemporary Russian design, the advanced part of it. into the world of contemporary Russian design, the advanced part of it. It is no secret that in every country there are some pretty gifted
designers that in our time of globalization can sell their creations to Western countries. Here are some most successful works of Russian designers in 2006. The car on the photo above and below is a prototype of Russian car "Russo-Balt".
He travelled to all the distant parts of Russian Empire. This is for example a dweller of Turkmenia, now Turkmenistan. Camels were the common way of transportation for cargo even when trains were introduced to locals by Russian government. We had already before some photos of this photographer, who managed to make color photos of Russia 100 years
ago in 1900-1910. It's amazing to see the life back there in full color. He had a special task to travel across all the Russian Empire (that's how Russia was called that times before Communism) and make thousands of such photos for a Royal Depositary. So he made literary thousands of color photos of Russia 100 years ago. | <urn:uuid:4d3154b3-f65a-4dd8-afbd-ef07e0bd55b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://englishrussia.com/2007/01/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974222 | 240 | 1.890625 | 2 |
As I write this, Mount Olympus, the ancient birthplace of the Olympic Games, is burning. It's an apt symbol.
The modern Olympics began there, with the aim of seeing the world united in sports rather than at war. Now, the Olympics are increasingly becoming a symbol that facing our global sustainability crisis is going to demand a transformation far larger in scope than most any of us are prepared to admit.
China will host the summer games next year. The goal, it's clear, is to showcase a China leaving poverty behind and embracing greatness, but the Chinese government's complete inability to control that nation's catastrophic air pollution -- which, the New York Times reports, already kills about 700,000 Chinese by conservative estimates -- threatens to turn the event into a different sort of symbol altogether: of environmental collapse raging out of control while leaders congratulates themselves with fireworks, halftime shows and gleaming new venues.
Already, Olympics officials are preparing the press for the idea that some events may have to be postponed or held elsewhere because of dangerously polluted air.
There's no quick fix available to event organizers. Already the government has shut down numerous factories and even banned many private automobiles during practice events, and still air quality in Beijing has been on average three times worse than in Los Angeles.
But the rest of us ought not to get too smug. London's 2012 Olympics -- billed as the world's first one-planet games -- may prove truly disappointing, according to folks I know in the UK, as fuzzy commitments and budgetary overruns appear to doom most of the truly ambitious ideas in the Games' sustainability plans.
Which, if it proves to be true, is really too bad, because the symbolism could be powerful: from a Katrina-like moment of recognition in Beijing, to a revelation of possibility in London. Instead, the Games may become a more accurate reflection of who we really are: willfully ignorant of the crisis that surrounds us, or plodding along with bold principles and timid practices.
What we need, above all else, is the threat posed by a good example. Existence is the ultimate proof of possibility, and we need to prove that bright green living is possible. We need an implemented model city, a utopia through which we can walk. We need an assertion of the achievable.
Image: flickr/Silent Boulevard
Events are overtaking us, Alex.
The irony of England not being able to afford a sustainable Olympics may be that some of the money went to covering flood recovery, rebuilding and mitigation.
China believed a year ago that it could tamp down its pollution before the Games. Yeah, right.
We continue to underestimate the depth of the shit we're in. Is that called looking on the sunny side of the street? | <urn:uuid:f093829a-e874-42e7-96ca-6c24bee85e32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007190.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944924 | 560 | 2.625 | 3 |
The interpretation of the relationship between more time in regular education and positive results as a young adult is not apparent. It is reasonable that the intellectually and socially most competent students with disabilities enrolled in more regular education courses, and that these same traits served those youth well when they left school. It is equally reasonable that increased time in regular education classes enhanced overall intellectual and social competence by providing better preparation for adulthood and, thus, more regular education actually led to greater success in the years after school. Both hypotheses could be true. Additional research is needed to further understand why more time in regular education in high school for students with disabilities was associated with better results as a young adult.
The positive nature of this relationship is particularly interesting, given how difficult some regular education courses were. Regular education courses exposed students to significant academic risk, yet the students who took more of them did better in adulthood -- if they managed to graduate from high school. Across a number of analyses of postschool results, the message was the same: those who spent more time in regular education experienced better results after high school. Before we can draw policy or educational implications from this finding, however, more information is needed on why it occurred. | <urn:uuid:88dadfe6-3302-41f9-8538-240bef4d0cf5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/OSEP95AnlRpt/ch3d.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974692 | 239 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Mental Health Loan Assumption Program
Funded by Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act
See the 2012/2013 MHLAP Information Notice with county allocations.
If you have questions pertaining to the requirements for hard-to-fill or retain positions you may contact your County's Mental Health Director or Designee's Office. Click on the County Contacts List
Background: The MHLAP was created by the Mental Health Services Act (Act), passed by California voters in November 2004. The Act provided funding to develop a loan forgiveness program in order to retain qualified professionals working within the Public Mental Health System (PMHS). Through the Workforce Education and Training component of the Act, $5 million is allocated yearly to loan assumption awards. An award recipient may receive up to $10,000 to repay educational loans in exchange for a 12-month service obligation in a hard-to-fill or retain position within the County PMHS.
Eligible Professions: Counties determine which professions are eligible for their County's hard-to-fill/ retain positions. Eligible professions include, but are not limited to, Registered or Licensed Psychologists, Registered or Licensed Psychiatrists, Postdoctoral Psychological Assistants, Postdoctoral Psychological Trainees, Registered or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Registered or Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Interns , and Registered or Licensed Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners in California. | <urn:uuid:8117133d-aef8-44c0-ae49-488ec2150793> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oshpd.ca.gov/HPEF/MHLAP.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909995 | 297 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Going to the Bay of Fundy for whale watching is undoubtedly a great way to spend your holidays. This is a fun and exciting activity that will surely give you and your loved ones a great time.
Watching whales are a great activity for families who want a fun bonding time. People who have experienced going to the Bay of Fundy for a trip out to watch the whales had a great time. Make sure to bring your cameras or camcorders to capture or record the amazing whale sightings.
Whale watching on the Bay of Fundy is some of the best in the world. The reason for this is simple. The highest tides in the world are found in the Bay of Fundy. Here a hundred billion tones of water basically empties and fills the Bay of Fundy twice a day.
This very strong current traveling back and forth stirs up plenty of plankton. This plankton attracts an abundance of fish such as herring and mackerel. Whales feed off these fish, so of course they come to where their food is.
Starting in the spring sightings of Finback Whales, Minke Whales and Harbour Porpoises will have started. These are the first to arrive back from their winter homes.
The Humpback Whales start to appear back around the first of June from their winter-feeding grounds in the Caribbean Sea. The White Sided Dolphins have started to appear at this time also.
Then by mid July the Pilot Whales and other species have returned and will be around until late fall.
The greatly endangered Right Whale is also spotted here at times, as are the White Beaked Dolphins. There are also occasional sightings of Beluga, Sperm and Blue Whales.
Other marine life observed on these tours are Grey Seals, Harbour Seals, schools of Herring, Bluefin Tunas, Sea Turtles, Ocean Sunfish and Basking Sharks.
Have your camera ready, as the whales are very curious creatures, especially the Humpback - "the clown of the sea". Some of the antics you may see them do are jumping out of the water (a breech); slapping the water with their tail or flipper (flipper slap or tail lob); or they may sky hop which means they bring their nose out of the water so they can have a look at you.
Whale watching cruises are great for the bird watchers also.
The Bay of Fundy lies directly in the migration path for many species of shore birds and raptors. The shores around the Islands make a great stopover for these birds to rest and feed. In late August through September are the best times to view thousands of these birds converging on the shores to feed.
Species to be seen include the Atlantic Puffins and several varieties of Gannets, Petrels, Shearwaters and Phalaropes.
How did you enjoy Your Whale Watching experience?
Was it your first time seeing these giants of the ocean close up? How about sharing with us your experience?
It is very easy to do. Just click here to be taken right to the place where you can type in your story. Or, if you want to read the rest of this page first, you will find it at the bottom of the page.
When you join the Brier Island Whale & Seabird Cruises you not only have a fabulous opportunity to observe many different species of whales and seabirds but you will be joining a scientific survey studying an area teeming with marine life.
The crew are experienced well trained and friendly with Marine Emergency Duty and First Aid Certificates. The cruises are piloted by professional, licensed captains and each cruise is narrated by experienced naturalists. You will learn important information on endangered or rare species of whales like the Humpback, Finback and Right Whales, and on other species of Cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and on seabirds.
Brier Island Whale & Seabird Cruises offer two boats to choose from for you whale watching experience. The 50-foot MV Mega Nova (a fiberglass Cape Island Style boat) and the 24 ft. Cetacean Adventure, (a Zodiac™ inflatable boat). Both are certified passenger vessels which meet or exceed all Canadian Coast Guard safety Standards.
There are three departure times for the Mega Nova Cruises each day. Each cruise is 3 - 5 hours in duration. Mega Nova Cruises are from early June until mid October. A minimum of 10 people are required for the Mega Nova to depart. A washroom is available on the Mega Nova.
The Cetacean Adventure (Zodiac™) cruises have fine departure times per day and last for 2 - 2 1/2 hours each. The Zodiac™ cruises are scheduled from May 15th until mid October and need a minimum of 6 people per cruise to leave. There are no toilet facilities on the Zodiac™. These are not recommended for children 5 and under, expectant mothers or those with back ailments.
Please arrive for check in 1 hour prior to your scheduled departure. Sightings are guaranteed; free passes will be issued at Captain’s discretion if no whales are sighted.
For more information you may check out the Brier Island Whale & Seabird Cruises website.
You are invited to get up close and personal with some of the world's largest mammals with the Dockside Whale Watching and Charters in Digby, Nova Scotia.
Their newly built (2001) 13 m (43 ft) boat "The Passage Provider" is a 100% fiberglass vessel custom fitted for your comfort and enjoyment. She is Transport Canada Inspected Certified for Passenger Carriage. She is partly covered and has a washroom on board. The qualified crew are trained and certified in all aspects of marine operation and safety.
They offer daily 3 hour whale watching cruises from May 1 until September 30. "The Passage Provided" docks at the Digby Marina and your tickets can be purchased at the Digby Marina, The Fundy Complex, Online at their website or by phone at 245-4950 / 1-866-445-4950 .
Freeport Whale & Seabird Tours offer whale watching tours into the Bay of Fundy providing a wonderful adventure for all! They have been offering whale watching tours since 1995. All of their tours are professionally captained and plus they have experienced naturalists on board to narrate your tour. Every cruise is a unique maritime experience you will not soon forget!
Their boat is the 40-foot "George Porgie" which is wheelchair accessible, has washroom facilities and is Transport Canada inspected. The tours last about 3 hours and leave the dock three times daily so you will be able to fit a fun day of whale watching into your travel plans. They keep the whale watching tour down to 20 people to offer their customers an un-crowded cruise. Sightings are guaranteed and a free pass will be given if none of the bigger whales are sighted. They are open from mid June to mid September.
Before or after your whale watching adventure you can experience some of the best maritime cooking at Lavena's Catch Cafe. Our ticket office is located inside the Cafe. For more information visit the Freeport Whale & Seaboard Tours website.
Located at 325 Water Street, Westport, Brier Island they offer three whale watching cruises daily. Each tour last from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours depending on where the whales are located. They are open from early June to mid October every year.
Experienced local naturalists narrate all cruises. Not only will you have the chance to observe the whales and seabirds but also you will experience the famous Bay of Fundy tides, view ancient basalt rock formations, observe the Peter's Island Bird Sanctuary and gain insight into the local history and geology of the region. A complimentary snack is provided with the cruise.
Their 50 foot fiberglass Cape Island-style boat the "Chad and Sisters Two" meets or exceeds the Canadian Coast Guard safety standards and guidelines. She offers a heated cabin, washroom facilities, an extended awning and a viewing stand for your convenience. Both the captain and crew are certified in MED First Aid and C.P.R.
Reservations are recommended; CAA & AAA discount available. For information call tool free 1 800 239 2189 or local 902 839 2346 or visit the Mariner Cruises Whale & Seabird Tours.
Located in Tiverton Ocean Explorations "Zodiac" Whale Adventures is run by Marine Explorations and Research Ltd. The tour director, biologist Tom Goodwin, has overall training and experience in the fields of marine and wildlife biology and has undertaken graduate studies in environmental education. He is very knowledgeable about the whales as he spent many years studying them and helping to release several who had accidentally become trapped in fishing nets. Presently emphasizing education, Ocean Explorations will participate in various research efforts and will invite our guests to join in as well.
Ocean Explorations use a Zodiac (or Zodiac-type) boat, similar to those used by marine biologists, whale-watchers, and charter operations all over the world (even Antarctica). A zodiac provides you with the best way to get close to these giants of the ocean.
To make a reservation contact Tom at (902) 839 2417 or toll free at 1 877 654 2341 . You may also visit Ocean Explorations website for more information or to make a reservation.
They are located 45 minutes from Digby, across one ferry to Tiverton, Long Island. Ocean Explorations' office is 100 meters/yards from ferry wharf (Road leads left and large white house in on the right).
Petit Passage Whale Watching is located at the end of Route 217; at the Petit Passage Cafe across from the first ferry dock in East Ferry.
Their boat is a 45-foot long fiberglass Cape Island style boat the "Passage Provider 04". It is fairly new, launched in the spring of 2004. The vessel is equipped with padded benches for seating of 45, washroom facilities onboard and a roof over part of the boat for shelter. A ramp and three steps makes loading from the slip easy for even the most timid.
Passengers are encouraged to walk about the deck of the vessel and help with the sighting of the whales. You’re also encouraged to visit the captain in the wheelhouse and see the latest technology, for example the depth recorder can show you the bottom of the Bay of Fundy, and some spots are over 800ft deep.
Petit Passage is owned and operated by the Theraiult family of Digby Neck. Craig Theraiult is the Captain of the Passage Provider. The crew is Coast Guard certified and is trained in CPR and First Aid and has their MED. Talk to them and they will be happy to answer any question you might have. They will provide you with important facts about the Bay of Fundy, the whales and local marine life.
This is a family owned business open from June to October. They offer two to three trips daily. Call 902 245 4162 for reservations or visit the Petit Passage Whale Watch website for more information.
Located in Tiverton, only a quarter mile from the ferry Pirate's Cove Whale & Seabird Cruises are owned and operated by the Sollows family. They wish to invite you to Long Island, on the coast of the Bay of Fundy to venture among whales, seabirds and an amazing marine ecosystem.
They offer 3 - 4 cruises a day from June to October. Each cruise begins at the Tiverton Harbor. The whale watching cruises go out at 10.00 am, 1.00 pm, and 3.00 pm, with a 5.00 pm sunset cruise added upon demand. Their cruises last from 3 - 4 hours depending on where the whales are feeding, and are guaranteed. During the cruise expert naturalists will provide commentary and answer any questions.
As you depart Tiverton and enter the Bay of Fundy, you will pass Boars Head Lighthouse, a working lighthouse on the northern tip of Long Island. During the cruise you will see a wide variety of marine life and rare birds along with several species of whales. In 1995 and again in 1996, Pirate's Cove Whale Cruises documented the first ever sighting of a Blue Whale in the Bay of Fundy! Each trip is different and you never know what you're going to see.
Their vessel is the 42-foot M/V Fundy Cruiser which is a certified passenger vessel and meets all safety standards set by the Marine Safety Branch of the Transport Canada. The vessel is equipped with handrails, shelter and washroom facilities.
The captains and crew of Pirate's Cove Whale & Seabird Cruises are fully licensed and have had many years experience navigating the waters of the Bay of Fundy. All of their tours are narrated by guides.
Reservations are recommended, call toll free 1 888 480 0004 , or locally 902 839 2242 . Save 10% by booking online at the Pirate's Cove Whale & Seabird Cruises website.
The Bay of Fundy attracts a multitude of whales, dolphins, birds and other marine life which we take great pride in sharing with guests on our whale watching adventures. The Welcome Aboard Whale Watching Tours are sponsored by the Brier Island Lodge, located on the small Island of Brier Island, Digby Neck. Take Rt. 217 from Digby and cross over both ferries to Brier Island.
Their whale watching vessel is called the "Island Link" which was specially designed and built for whale watching in comfort and safety with features such as a heated cabin, upper observation deck and washroom. The captain and crew have plenty of experience in these waters as they have spent their lives living and working on the Bay of Fundy. They know where the whales are and are knowledgeable for answering any of your questions.
They also offer an "Evening Island Tour which is a special tour that takes you completely around Brier Island. This tour gives you a water view of our spectacular coastline including Westport Harbour, Northern Light, Seal Cove, Peajack Cove, Western Light, Whipple Point, Pond Cove, Gull Rock, Green Head and Peter's Island. This tour last for about 1 1/2 hours and provides you with some fantastic photo opportunities. You may even see a whale!
Their guarantee is that they only go when it is safe to do so. If your whale watching or evening island cruise is cancelled for any reason we will refund 100% of your ticket purchase. If no whales are seen on your whale watching cruise we will issue you a voucher equal to your ticket price for any product or service at Brier Island Lodge. You can use your refund voucher for dining, accommodation, gift shop, evening cruise or whale watching another day/time.
To find out more about this tour visit the Welcome Aboard Tours website.
This is the list of Whale Watching tours available in our area. These are all reputable businesses and no matter which one you choose to go on I am sure you will have a "Whale of a Time!"
I fully recommend this experience; it is one of my favorite things availably here. But then I love the water and being out on it. There is, however a certain thrill at seeing these giants of the sea, and for them to come so close to your boat. It is a feeling that is hard to match.
It is quite an experience, whale watching in the Bay of Fundy. Anyone I know who has gone always has a story to tell about it. We would like to hear your story about seeing those great whales! How close did you get? Did they splash you? How many whales did you see and what type of whale were they? Tell us your story and it could be posted as your own special page on this site!
It's easy. Just fill in the boxes below and send it off and in no time you may be looking at "your" own web page "you" created.
Click on the links below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Click on the lighthouse to check out what type of weather to expect while here.
Click on the Ferry to find out how to get here.
Click on the King George Inn to find places to stay in the Annapolis Valley
Click on the lobster to find places to eat in the valley.
Click on us if you have stories about the Annapolis Valley to share.
This web site is a dream come true for me.
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Let "Site Build It" help YOU!
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When you join up with "Site Build It" they provide you with everything you need to make a successful site,
We would love to read them!
Have your own page on my website!
Here are some ideas:
|What did you see here that was different from other places? Share with us how it was different! Better yet show us with pictures along with telling us.|
|What new thing did you try on your vacation? What was it and how did you like it? Should we try it? We'd love to see some pictures of you doing it!|
|Just move here? Tell us how you like it and how it is different from where you came from! Got any pictures to compare?|
|How many whales did you see on your Whale Watching adventure? Was there any other marine life around that day? Did you get any great shots of the whales?|
|What is your favourite festival in the Annapolis Valley? What are your favourite events held during that festival. Got any pictures of you taking part in the festival?|
|Have you lived here all your life and just can't bring yourself to leave, not even for work? Share with us why you find this area so great, what do you love about it!|
|You have read about my experiences here, I would like to read about yours! Please send them in. I only ask that you make the story long enough to make it interesting for everyone to read. Fill a page! Include pictures!| | <urn:uuid:33884c38-6cb2-4241-b52b-e32bee63dff3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.annapolis-valley-vacation.com/whale-watching.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953247 | 3,788 | 2.25 | 2 |
Gemini-Scout mine rescue robot to lead the way to trapped miners
By Darren Quick
August 16, 2011
The Chilean and Pike River Mine disasters in 2010 highlighted the dangers of sub-surface mining and the difficulties faced in extracting those trapped beneath the Earth. Collapsed mines pose countless dangers, not just for those trapped but also those attempting to free them, such as poisonous gases, flooded tunnels, explosive vapors and unstable walls and roofs. Dealing with such potentially deadly conditions and unknown obstacles significantly slows the efforts of rescuers. To help speed rescue efforts, robotics engineers at Sandia Labs have designed a robot to provide that most valuable of commodities for first responders - information.
Built from the ground up to negotiate nearly every known mine hazard, the Gemini-Scout Mine Rescue Robot is less than four feet (1.2 m) long and two feet (0.6 m) tall and is nimble enough to navigate around tight corners and over safety hatches a foot (0.3 m) high. With its waterproof equipment, the robot can maneuver through 18 inches (45 cm) of water, yet is lightweight enough to crawl over boulders and rubble piles and strong enough to withstand the pressures found underground.
The Gemini-Scout is equipped with gas sensors, a thermal camera to locate survivors and another higher mounted pan-and-tilt camera to spot obstacles. With mines potentially containing methane and other gases that can ignite if exposed to sparks, the robot's electronics are housed in casings designed to withstand an explosion.
"Such measures would prevent a spark from causing further destruction. While it might harm the robot, it wouldn't create another dangerous situation for the miners or rescuers," said Jon Salton, Sandia engineer and project manager.
In addition to moving into potentially dangerous areas ahead of rescuers to help plan operations, the Gemini-Scout can also haul food, air packs and medicine to those trapped underground. It is also equipped with two-way radios and can be configured to drag survivors to safety.
The robot is guided by remote control and to make the control system as intuitive and easy to learn as possible, the engineers used an Xbox 360 game controller.
"We focused a lot on usability and copied a lot of gamer interfaces so that users can pick it up pretty quickly," said Sandia engineer Justin Garretson, the lead software developer.
Sandia Labs engineers are demonstrating the Gemini-Scout until the 18th of August at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems North America 2011, which is currently taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
"We anticipate that this technology is broad enough to be appealing to other first responders, such as police, firefighters and medical personnel," Salton said. "Gemini-Scout could easily be fitted to handle earthquake and fire scenarios, and we think this could provide real relief in currently inaccessible situations."
Just enter your friends and your email address into the form below
For multiple addresses, separate each with a comma | <urn:uuid:48dcf255-3377-4f46-ad7e-70d8b67fd88b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gizmag.com/gemini-scout-mine-rescue-robot/19543/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943517 | 632 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Asbestos to be Removed at Newington High School
NEWINGTON - The next phase of a $4 million Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance project will require the removal of some asbestos in the Newington High School music and technology wing.
The area of the building is being renovated to accommodate handicapped accessibility standards under the ADA. Asbestos under the tiles in the chorus room will become airborne, and therefore hazardous, in this process, so it has to be removed before the next step can be taken, according to Newington High School Principal James Wenker.
“People hear asbestos and assume that we have a problem, but we don’t have an issue,” Wenker said. “It’s not that we have an issue--this is a perfectly normal procedure.”
The asbestos removal will likely be done during the summer months so that the building is clear of students during that phase. The area will be contained to prevent the airborne asbestos, which will be captured using a vacuum device, from entering other parts of the school. The room will then be tested for air quality before anyone is allowed back in, Wenker said.
“The workers can’t even get in there to do the next step until its safe,” he said. “We can’t proceed with renovation until the air quality’s approved, let alone bring students back.”
The chorus room uses tiered steps, limiting handicapped accessibility and prompting the need for renovation, Wenker said.
The work being done in the chorus room is just the third step in a five-phase ADA compliance project that has been going on for the past three years. High school renovations have included retro fitted bleachers, reconfigured doorways, and sloping adjustments to ensure handicapped accessibility.
The third phase is expected to cost $530,000, according to Newington Board of Education Business Manager Lou Jachimowicz. The remainder of the project, including the third phase, is expected to cost between $2.2 million and $2.5 million, with $2.1 million spent already on previous phases. | <urn:uuid:93c4d1da-f41b-40c1-a65d-88d9deeb252d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rarereminder.com/story.php?id=200208&story=Asbestos_to_be_Removed_at_Newington_High_School&town=newington | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94707 | 443 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Snohomish County officials urge commuters to use caution on local roads
December 13, 2010 · 6:12 AM
With many Snohomish County roads closed to flooding, morning commuters are urged to take precautions when traveling to work.
Record flooding along the Stillaguamish River and its branches impacted roads in Granite Falls, Arlington and Stanwood, and while waters there are beginning to recede upstream, some roads will remain closed until debris can be removed or bridges inspected for damage.
“Residents still need to take precautions initially following flooding,” said Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. “They are encouraged to check county and state websites to check for road closures.”
Residents should stay away from rising waters and not drive through areas of flowing or standing water or around road closure barriers. Urban flooding also could leave standing water on roads during Monday morning’s commute. Residents should be careful on roads.
Reardon issued an emergency declaration Sunday afternoon to respond to flooding throughout the area. The emergency declaration frees up county resources for quicker response to flooding impacts and helps the county document damages for federal reporting. Record flood levels on parts of the Stillaguamish River, as well as concerns on the Snohomish and Skykomish rivers, led to the signing.
As rivers recede, residents are asked to assess any damage their property may have incurred and to report it to the Snohomish County Department of Management by calling 425-388-5088. DEM will be collecting totals and sending them to state and federal emergency management agencies.
DEM will continue to coordinate resources to protect public safety and property from flood damage. Residents in low-lying and flood prone areas along the Snohomish River and at the Stillaguamish River at Stanwood are being urged to monitor river levels closely.
Specific information for local rivers is below:
*South Fork of the Stillaguamish River at Granite Falls crested at 18.43 feet and possibly higher near 4 p.m. and is currently at 13.76 feet.
*North Fork of the Stillaguamish River at Arlington appears to have crested at 15.56 feet near 4 p.m. setting a new record and is currently at 15.19 feet.
*Stillaguamish River at Arlington crested at 20.60 feet at approximately midnight on Dec. 12.
Most rivers will drop below flood stages by Monday evening, except for the Snohomish River at Snohomish, which could remain above flood stage until Tuesday evening or early Wednesday.
For a list of road closures, go to Snohomish County’s Emergency Road Closure Information website. | <urn:uuid:a4eaf617-f9c2-4b93-bf7e-2653e3255d56> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.arlingtontimes.com/news/111780974.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94928 | 559 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Ellogon is a multi-lingual, cross-platform, general-purpose language engineering environment, developed in order to aid both researchers who are doing research in computational linguistics, as well as companies who produce and deliver language engineering systems. Ellogon as a language engineering platform offers an extensive set of facilities, including tools for processing and visualising textual/HTML/XML data and associated linguistic information, support for lexical resources (like creating and embedding lexicons), tools for creating annotated corpora, accessing databases, comparing annotated data, or transforming linguistic information into vectors for use with various machine learning algorithms.
During the last decade, a large number of software infrastructures aiming at facilitating R&D in the field of natural language processing have been presented. Some of these infrastructures, such as LT-NSL/LT-XML tools or GATE, have become extremely popular as they have been applied to a wide range of tasks by many institutions around the world.
Ellogon belongs to the category of referential or annotation based platforms, where the linguistic information is stored separately from the textual data, having references back to the original text. Based on the TIPSTER data model, Ellogon provides infrastructure for:
- Managing, storing and exchanging textual data as well as the associated linguistic information.
- Creating, embedding and managing linguistic processing components.
- Facilitating communication among different linguistic components by defining a suitable programming interface (API).
- Visualising textual data and associated linguistic information.
Ellogon can be used either as an NLP integrated development environment (IDE) or as a library that can be embedded to foreign applications. To achieve this, Ellogon proposes and implements a modular architecture with four independent subsystems:
- A highly efficient core developed in C, which implements an extended version of the TIPSTER data model. Its main responsibility is to manage the storage of the textual data and the associated linguistic information and to provide a well-defined programming interface (API) that can be used in order to retrieve/modify the stored information.
- An object oriented C++ API which increases the usability of the C core API. This object oriented API is exposed in a wide range of programming languages, including C++, Java, Tcl, Perl and Python.
- An extensive and easy to use graphical user interface (GUI). This interface can be easily tailored to the needs of the end user.
- A modular pluggable component system. All linguistic processing within the platform is performed with the help of external, loaded at runtime, components. These components can be implemented in a wide range of programming languages, including C, C++, Java, Tcl, Perl and Python.
Ellogon shares the same data model as the TIPSTER architecture. Due to this, it shares some basic features with other TIPSTER-based infrastructures, such as GATE. However, it also offers a large number of features that differentiate it from such infrastructures.
The central element for storing data in Ellogon is the Collection. A collection is a finite set of Documents. An Ellogon document consists of textual data as well as linguistic information about the textual data. This linguistic information is stored in the form of attributes and annotations.
An attribute associates a specific type of information with a typed value. An annotation associates arbitrary information (in the form of attributes) with portions of textual data. Each such portion, named span, consists of two character offsets denoting the start and the end characters of the portion, as measured from the first character of some textual data. Annotations typically consist of four elements:
- A numeric identifier. This identifier is unique for every annotation within a document and can be used to unambiguously identify the annotation.
- A type. Annotation types are textual values that are used to classify annotations into categories.
- A set of spans that denote the range of the annotated textual data.
- A set of attributes. These attributes usually encode the necessary linguistic information.
The motivation behind the development of Ellogon (which started in 1998) was the inadequacy of existing platforms to support, at that time, some essential properties, such as the ability to
- support a wide range of languages through Unicode,
- function under all major operating systems,
- have as few hardware requirements as possible in terms of processing speed and memory usage,
- be based on an embeddable - decomposable architecture that enables parts to be embedded in other systems and
- provide an extensible, easy to use and powerful user interface.
Ellogon in its present form satisfies all of these requirements. As Ellogon is based on the TIPSTER architecture, it shares many basic properties with other TIPSTER-based infrastructures like GATE. However, Ellogon offers several important features that differentiate it from similar infrastructures:
- Easy Component Development
It is fairly easy to understand the process of developing new components and develop them using the functionalities provided by Ellogon. Additionally, a wide range of programming languages for component development are supported, including C, C++, Java, Tcl, Perl and Python.
- Integrated Development Environment
Ellogon operates as an integrated development environment, as it provides complete support to the development cycle of a component. Components can be created, edited, compiled and linked (whether applicable) from inside Ellogon. Furthermore, C/C++/Java components can be unloaded, modified, compiled and reloaded into Ellogon without having to quit from Ellogon. The ability to unload or reload all components is essential as it can significantly reduce development cycle, since component modifications can be immediately evaluated.
- A ready to use component "toolbox"
Ellogon is equipped with a large number of ready-to-use tools for performing tasks like annotated corpora creation, vector generation or data comparison. Additionally, several sample components are provided that can be adapted to various domains and languages, which perform some basic tasks like tokenization, part-of-speech tagging or gazetteer list lookup. Finally, Ellogon offers several data visualisation tools, ranging from simple viewers for the annotation database to viewers able to display hierarchical information, like syntax trees.
- Easy deployment
As Ellogon implements a decomposable architecture, it is extremely easy to create an easy to use product from a set of components that perform a specific task. All the components along with the needed Ellogon parts can be packaged either in a single executable (which needs no installation) or as an application (which can be ran unmodified under multiple operating systems). These specialised applications can be distributed and used in any system, even if Ellogon has not been installed to the system.
- Facilitating Computational Linguists
Ellogon tries to facilitate many aspects of the tasks computational linguists usually perform within the platform, especially if the task involves annotated corpora creation, linguistic processing component adaptation or various evaluation tasks. Providing a wide range of highly customisable and easy to use annotation tools, Ellogon is an ideal environment for annotated corpora construction. Available annotators support regular marking (e.g. part of speech tagging or named entities annotation) as well as annotation of hierarchically information (i.e. syntactic relation annotation) on plain as well as HTML corpora. (Two annotation tools are shown here and here).
Adapting linguistic processing components into a new domain is another frequent task. Usually it involves modifications to domain specific resources used internally by the processing components. Ellogon facilitates the adaptation process as the modified component can be applied immediately and the user can very easily identify the effect of his/her modifications, through the comparison facilities offered by the platform. Ellogon provides significant infrastructure for comparing the linguistic information associated with the textual data. The Collection Comparison tool (figure 1, figure 2) can be used for comparing the linguistic information stored in a set (or collection) of documents. Various constraints regarding the information that will be compared can be specified through the graphical user interface of the comparison tool and the comparison results are presented by utilising standard figures, like recall, precision and F-measure. Additionally, the comparison tool can present a comparison log. This log is a graphical representation of the differences found during the comparison process and can provide valuable help to the user in order to locate and possibly correct the errors.
- Facilitating Language Engineers
One of the most frequent tasks performed by language engineers inside Ellogon is of course the development of processing components. Significant infrastructure is provided in order to facilitate component development, from the very first step of writing the component to ensuring that the component works as expected. Operating as an integrating environment (IDE), Ellogon allows the creation of components in a wide range of programming languages (C, C++, Tcl, Java, Perl, Python): all the needed code of the component structure is automatically generated during the initial construction of a component while a component can be compiled, linked, loaded and tested from inside Ellogon. For some specific languages (all supported ones except Java) a component can be even unloaded, modified, compiled and reloaded, in order to quickly test the effect of desired modifications.
Developing components for Ellogon is a fairly easy process, as a high level API is provided both as a set of functions or as an object oriented hierarchy of classes, if the programming language allows it. Additionally, Ellogon is distributed with a small set of components whose source code can be used as an example on how to perform some commonly needed tasks.
The fact that almost everything in Ellogon is defined in terms of components, offers a large degree of flexibility to component developers. Combined with its modular architecture, Ellogon offers the ability to be tailored in order to meet specific needs. For example, particular Ellogon parts can be wrapped along with specific processing components to form a stand-alone application that performs a specific processing task (having possibly a specifically-made graphical interface). Such an application will even ran without requiring the installation of Ellogon.
- Facilitating end users
End users of Ellogon can be roughly distinguished in two categories: users that use applications or services based on Ellogon and users that use Ellogon as a "black box" in order to process corpora and collect the results.
Regarding the first category of end users, Ellogon provides many facilities for creating stand alone applications with customised graphical interfaces that are extremely easy to use. Such an application is shown in this figure, where all the complexity of creating collections, applying the required processing components and exporting the processing results is hidden behind a simple graphical interface. In addition to creating specialised applications, Ellogon can be instrumented through the use of services, like ActiveX, DDE, HTTP or SOAP, which allow other applications to use Ellogon facilities in a way transparent to the end user.
The second category of end users characterises users who want to perform some sort of linguistic processing by simply applying the components available through Ellogon on a corpus. For this category of users, Ellogon is a toolbox of "black boxes": for example users may want to apply a named-entity recognition system operating within Ellogon or use more primitive components like a syntactic analyser. Ellogon tries to facilitate this category of users by providing an easy to use graphical interface that can be used to create collections from a wide variety of sources and easily apply on them any available processing component. Processing results can be examined through the large set of available viewers or even exported to widely used formats, such as SGML or XML. Finally, Ellogon offers the ability to automate tasks through the definition of "macro" commands, which can be useful especially in tasks that must be repeated multiple times.
For most users of Ellogon, the central point of interest is the linguistic processing that can be carried out within it. Ellogon provides a generic framework where external components can be easily embedded. As Ellogon follows a modular paradigm, it utilises components of various types, with each type specialising in a specific processing task. A taxonomy of the currently defined component types are shown in the following figure:
The most important component type from the user’s point of view is of course the linguistic processing component, as natural language processors usually belong to this component type. These components (along with components of the machine-learning processing type) can be organised into Systems for performing some specific task. The tasks can range from basic linguistic tasks, such as part-of-speech tagging or parsing, to application level tasks, such as information extraction or machine translation.
A linguistic processing component consists mainly of two parts. The first part is responsible for performing the desired linguistic processing while the main responsibility of the second component part is to interface the linguistic processing sub-component with Ellogon, through the provided API. Components can appear either as wrappers or as native components. Wrappers usually provide the needed code in order to interface an existing independent implementation of a linguistic processing tool to the Ellogon platform. Native components on the other hand are processing tools specifically designed for use within the Ellogon platform. Usually, in such components the two component parts cannot be easily identified or separated.
Each component is associated with metadata, which include a set of pre-conditions and a set of post-conditions among other information. Pre-conditions declare the linguistic information that must be present in a document before this specific component can be applied to it. Post-conditions describe the linguistic information that will be added in the document as a side effect of processing the document with this specific component. Ellogon uses these two sets in order to establish relations among the various components or to "undo" the results of a component application on a corpus.
Each component can also specify a set of parameters, as well as a set of viewers (components of type "visualisation component"). Parameters represent various runtime dependent options (such as the location of a file containing the grammar of a syntactic parser). They can be edited by the end user through the graphical interface and are given to the component every time it is executed. A component can also specify a set of predefined viewers, in order to present in a graphical way the linguistic information produced during the component execution. Examples of available viewers can been seen here and here.
Creating components can be easily done through the Ellogon GUI. Currently, Ellogon components can be developed in five languages, C/C++, Tcl, Java, Perl and Python. The Ellogon GUI offers a specialised dialog where the user can specify various parameters of the component he/she intends to create, including its pre/post-conditions. Then Ellogon creates the skeleton of the new component that will handle all the interaction with the Ellogon platform. If the language of the component is C/C++ or Java, proper Makefiles for compiling the component under Unix and Windows will also be created. Besides creating a skeleton, Ellogon tries to facilitate the development of the component by allowing the developer to edit the source code and reload the specific component into Ellogon from its GUI. | <urn:uuid:d5811d37-d3e0-4de3-9030-1951cfe96fed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ellogon.org/?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=56&showall=1&fontstyle=f-smaller | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9101 | 3,150 | 2.96875 | 3 |
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Seasonal changes Teacher Resources
Find teacher approved Seasonal Changes educational resource ideas and activities
Second graders explore biology by researching animal characteristics. For this adaptation lesson, 2nd graders identify the history of several animals and research the changes that have occurred to their anatomy over thousands of years. Students complete K-W-L worksheets based on their research and complete several mini lessons over 10 days.
First graders collect seedpods. In this gardening lesson, 1st graders collect seedpods to be planted at a later date. This lesson guides the class through a discussion about the importance of seeds, how seeds and animals depend upon each other, and how seeds are "planted" in nature.
Pupils investigate how weather affects how plants grow. They collect data on weather and plant growth for a week and display the data on a graph. For a culminating experience they design a movie using software that shows plant growth both inside and outside. They complete open ended questions. | <urn:uuid:34eead04-34fc-4f97-b35c-3c942f3768db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lessonplanet.com/lesson-plans/seasonal-changes/5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928979 | 214 | 3.765625 | 4 |
Politics and ethics can coexist | RICH ELFERS
By RICH ELFERS
Enumclaw Courier Herald Columnist
October 24, 2012 · 1:19 PM
Recently I announced a guest Pacific Lutheran University professor at my church would be discussing Christian ethics and politics during the Adult Forum. I received laughter when I noted those two terms didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. Both presidential candidates claim to be Christian, but in the heat of political battle for the highest office in the land, truth seems to have taken a back seat to winning – or is it to avoid losing?
Reinforcing this perception of mine was an insightful article called “Blue Truths, Red Truths” in the Oct. 15, 2012, issue of Time magazine. Altman and Rogers, the authors, noted that as early as the 1980s political journalists tended to remain silent when candidates misrepresented their opponents. They were more interested in the “back-and-forth” rather than in examining whether claims were true or false.
This perspective evolved in the 1990s to the point where fact-checking is now part of the political environment. Unfortunately, both parties now use the fact checkers to their own advantage, ignoring times when their own statements are inaccurate.
In a compelling quote from the article: “The great irony in this curious chapter (the 2012 election) in American politics is that both campaigns have made telling the truth a central message and a core qualification in each man’s case to be President.”
Part of the blame for the increasing untruths of our political candidates is that, as our society has become more fractured, some voters “have developed a tendency to forgive the home team’s fibs.” In fact, 76 percent of both Romney and Obama supporters believe the other side is “intentionally misleading” voters.
Paradoxically, based upon a study at Georgia State University noted in the article, “The more we care about politics and the more it becomes central to our worldview, the more threatening it becomes to admit we are wrong or our side is wrong.” The study went on to note that the more voters knew, the more biased they were.
Another study cited in the article observed that emotions play a big part: The more fearful and insecure voters are, for instance, “the more difficult it is for them to accept accurate information.” In the study, having research subjects write about a time when they stood up for a value that was important to them made them more self-confident and more open to information that challenged their political biases. It seems the more secure we are, the more we can hear the truth.
The authors ended the article with, “Until the voting public demands something else, not just from the politicians they oppose but also from the ones they support, there is little reason to suspect that (lying) will change.”
These words gave me pause to consider. Why do politicians, not just at the presidential level but also at all levels, distort the truth? The simple answer lies in the fact that the desire to win overwhelms a candidate’s ethical views. Their thought is probably that they can’t bring about the necessary changes in government and society if they don’t get elected.
Since voters often more readily remember and believe bad things about candidates than good things, the only way politicians can win is to throw ethics aside and misrepresent the facts – the ends justify the means. In other words, do evil so that good will result. That’s one explanation.
President Obama offered another perspective in his book “Audacity of Hope,” written before he won in 2008. He stated that for politicians, winning an election is not as important as not losing. Fear of being seen as a failure is a stronger motivator than the desire to be successful for politicians.
Whatever the cause, Christian ethics and politics do not have to be mutually exclusive words. If voters are more secure in their beliefs as the above study demonstrated, we can bear to see the weaknesses and misrepresentations of our favorite candidates and not let them get away with the philosophy of the ends justifying the means. Change in the way politics is run in this nation lies within the power of us, the voters, only if we become more secure and open to the truth.
Contact Enumclaw Courier Herald Columnist Rich Elfers at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:3c447b5e-cb0a-4010-848a-0fe97d8a86d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.courierherald.com/opinion/175665611.html?mobile=false | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965041 | 926 | 1.75 | 2 |
First glimpses inside an anti-atom
Oct 30, 2002
Physicists working on the Antiproton Decelerator at CERN have studied the internal states of anti-hydrogen atoms for the first time. The ATRAP team found that the antiprotons and positrons in their experiment combine to form anti-hydrogen atoms in highly excited states. If the anti-atoms can be trapped in their ground state, it should be possible to compare the atomic structure of anti-hydrogen with ordinary hydrogen and perform the most accurate ever tests of CPT (charge-parity-time) symmetry. Any violation of CPT symmetry would require new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics (G Gabrielse et al 2002 Physical Review Letters in press).
The anti-hydrogen atoms were produced from antiprotons from CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator and positrons from a radioactive sodium-22 source. The positrons, which were trapped between sets of antiprotons in a “Penning” trap, cooled the antiprotons. When both reach a similar temperature some combine to form anti-hydrogen atoms, consisting of a positron orbiting an antiproton nucleus. These anti-atoms, which are electrically neutral, drift out of the trap. Any anti-hydrogen atoms moving along the axis of the apparatus traverse a strong electric field that removes the positron from the anti-atom. This “field-ionisation” technique allows the resulting negatively charged antiprotons to be trapped and counted.
Using this technique the researchers were able to produce nearly 170 000 cold anti-hydrogen atoms. This means that a remarkable 11% of the antiprotons in the Penning trap formed anti-hydrogen atoms. This compares well with previous experiments performed at CERN, by researchers on the ATHENA collaboration, using a similar trapping technique they produced about 50 000 anti-hydrogen atoms two months ago.
ATRAP’s field-ionisation technique also gives information about the internal states of the anti-hydrogen atoms, showing that the principal quantum number n is between about 43 and 55 (where n=1 corresponds to the ground state). By changing the strength of the ionising electric field the researchers hope to discover more about the internal state of the anti-hydrogen atoms, and to learn how to de-excite them to the ground state. This knowledge will be essential because hydrogen atoms and anti-atoms can only be trapped if they are in their ground state.
This high rate of production, and the fact that the anti-atoms are formed in highly excited states, suggests that the anti-hydrogen atoms are formed in three-body collisions between two positrons and an antiproton.
The ATRAP collaboration, which includes researchers from the US, Switzerland, Germany and Canada first demonstrated the cooling of antiprotons with positrons in a Penning trap last year. Since then they have carried out more detailed studies of this cooling process to ensure that the antiproton loss observed during positron cooling is indeed due to the formation of anti-hydrogen and not other mechanisms. The team is confident that every recorded event comes from the production of an anti-hydrogen atom and that their measurements are free of background.
The ultimate goal of the experiments will be to trap cold anti-hydrogen atoms and study their spectra in detail. Comparing the spectra of anti-hydrogen with hydrogen, and studying the transition from the n=2 to the n=1 state in particular, will give researchers new insights into the differences between matter and antimatter.
About the author
Belle Dumé is Science Writer at PhysicsWeb. | <urn:uuid:065dc173-cf95-4429-98cd-df1aff65cb22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2002/oct/30/first-glimpses-inside-an-anti-atom | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936197 | 766 | 3.484375 | 3 |
UNA-SNY Young Professionals
WHAT IS UNA-SNY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS?
The UNA-USA Young Professionals of Southern NY State Division (UNA-SNY Young Professionals, formerly Young Professionals for International Cooperation) was established in 2004 as a 100 percent volunteer-based group committed to serving young professionals in the New York City metropolitan area. UNA-SNY Young Professionals seeks to promote the missions and endeavors of the United Nations through various programs. Additionally, it serves as a forum for young professionals to explore issues surrounding international affairs and to become acquainted with the programs of UNA-USA. Through discussions, partnerships, and action-oriented initiatives, UNA-SNY Young Professionals offers its members a platform for education, advocacy, professional development in international affairs, and the opportunity to volunteer in international service. The group consists of diverse individuals from the fields of business, law, public service, healthcare and the media.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF UNA-SNY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS?
- To educate young professionals on international affairs-related topics and the work of the United Nations and to provide avenues for further engagement through many initiatives and programs.
- To host events that encourages education, debate, and advocacy on international issues.
- To provide resources for Young Professionals members to develop the skills, knowledge, and leadership necessary to succeed in international affairs.
- To provide Young Professionals members the opportunity to network with diplomats and officials from UN headquarters, as well as leading international affairs academic, non-profit, and industry experts.
WHAT ARE SOME OF UNA-SNY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS' INITIATIVES?
Past initiatives include:
- Panel discussions
- Documentary screenings
- International film festival
- Career events
- Fashion show fundraiser
- Art auction fundraiser
- Volunteer service trip to Haiti
- Book club
- Advocacy programs
- Networking opportunities
WHAT IS UNA-USA?
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is America's largest grassroots foreign policy organization and the leading center of research on the United Nations and global issues. We are dedicated to educating, inspiring and mobilizing Americans to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations, strengthening the United Nations system, promoting constructive United States leadership in that system and achieving the goals of the United Nations Charter. UNA-USA has over 125 chapters throughout the country that work to engage the American public on UN-related issues through education, advocacy, and outreach.
FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BECOME A UNA-SNY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS MEMBER. | <urn:uuid:4486efac-3f29-4991-a83e-40bb585cd90c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unasouthernny.org/about-us.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900482 | 555 | 1.523438 | 2 |
When children have to look after their aging parents
Paula Span, a 20-year veteran of The Washington Post and The New York Times’s New Old Age blogger, talks with Tablet about her book When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions (Springboard, Hachette, 2009), which derived from her own experience caring for her mother as she was dying and helping her father, now 87.
Your father has gotten involved only recently with the Jewish community. What made him do that?
He was a labor activist and a lefty all his life—not interested in religion; my mom was the one who sent us to Hebrew school and was involved in her synagogue’s sisterhood. After she died, Judaism became community for my dad. He volunteers at his local Jewish Federation office stuffing envelopes and he goes to shul every week. But I don’t think it’s that he found God.
What should those of us who are lucky enough to have healthy, active parents in their 60s and 70s be doing now? In the book you point out that more than a third of Americans have given no thought to end-of-life care.
Some parents say, “I’m not leaving this house except feet first!” But today we tend to stick around in increasing disability, with chronic diseases. The death rate has gone way down for strokes and heart attacks, which used to be the quick way to go. Families need to talk and plan. “Feet first” is not a plan! Children can get together to suggest bringing in a helper for a few hours a week to assist with cleaning, cooking, errands. Kids far away could hire a geriatric care manager to check on the parent every couple of weeks. Begin to modify the parent’s home to prevent falls. Call an occupational therapist to do a walk-through to say, “Put a grab bar there. Widen this doorway. Think about a stair glide.”
How could we better serve elderly parents?
Some things would be easy to make better: more follow-up after hospitalization to keep people from going back in. Educate families about resources like adult day programs that give people a place to socialize. Have activities during the day, so they can live at home longer but not be sitting alone in a dark room all day. Create a public long-term care insurance option; Senator Kennedy is pushing the CLASS Act [Community Living Assistance Services and Support], which would set up a national trust for long-term care insurance. Right now, there is no public funding of long-term care unless you’re very poor or in a nursing home.
You use the term “caregiver gain,” not a phrase I’d heard before.
I don’t want to be a Pollyanna and tell someone who is consumed with worry about their parents and their finances, “Oh isn’t this meaningful! Don’t you feel a sense of purpose and mastery!” I’d have to forgive them for punching me. But almost all religions and traditions underscore the importance of helping others. And when it’s over, most people feel satisfaction that they did a good job and discharged a responsibility. They did the best they could for the people who did the best they could for them.
Women still do the bulk of the care-giving. And a lot of Jews delay childrearing, dooming us to be a sandwich generation coping simultaneously with little kids and frail parents.
Not necessarily. Only 9 percent of current primary caregivers for the elderly also have minor children. . Many people are now sailing along independently through their 70s. Your generation delayed childrearing, but the age at which parents need serious help has moved back too. | <urn:uuid:8b0c98bc-b9cd-4b3c-bc78-dd37872e6cb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/11723/role-reversal | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971403 | 797 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Police in Greensburg said a 14-year-old girl and two 15-year-old girls at Greensburg Salem High School sent the pictures to their teenage boyfriends, who are 15, 16 and 17 years old. None is being identified because most criminal cases in Pennsylvania juvenile courts are not made public.
Police said the teens are part of a new trend known as “sexting.”
“It’s very dangerous. Once it’s on a cell phone, it can be put on the Internet where everybody in the world can get access to that picture. You don’t realize what you’re doing until it’s already done,” said Capt. George Seranko of the Greensburg Police Department.
Hey given the choice of listening to Rihanna; a well known pop star, or some old unemployed guy who doesn’t even know the difference between Lady Gaga and Christiana Aguilara, whose advice to you expect them to take?
Via the Incredibly not work safe Doc Weasel blog. The relevant post is the one before this work safe one. The fact that there is no direct link tells you how work safe the post is. | <urn:uuid:558ac712-c4d0-4a58-822a-eaa77d6f8cbc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://datechguy.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/i-guess-they-must-be-rianna-fans/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954629 | 250 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Facebook social graph.
How many people in the world use Photoshop? What about Illustrator, Final Cut, Maya, or any other popular media authoring application? How would we make even most approximate estimate? While Adobe, Autodesk, and Apple know how many copies of their software products they sell every quarter, this information is never released. But even if it was, the proportion of people who buy their software vs. all other users is so small that the sales numbers would not help us much.
We know so little about contemporary culture. Its flows, evolutionary mechanisms, patterns of dissemination, reuse, copying, and material bases (such as the number of copies of top software applications which enable it) are not visible to us. It is as though we have our eyes stuck very close to a map - we see few points, but unable to zoom out and see the larger picture.
One area where numbers and maps do exist is the usage of social networks. We know how many blogs are active, how many people use Twitter, how many photos are uploaded to Facebook every month (this number is already over 10 billion); YouTube gives us graphs showing the number of views for every video over time; Google Insights for Search allows us to study the popularity of any search term across time (since 2004) and territories. This is something, but its still limited. It is as though we zoomed out but are only able to see the overall contours on the map defining the areas - but not the details inside. And when some details are made available, they follow the rule of majority - we are told which topics, search terms, videos which are "most popular." These are the tips of the tips of the iceberg, and they are not very interesting. (For example, entering "top searches in the U.S. over 30 days" into Google Insights for Search returns these top items: 1) shoes, 2) samsung, 2) amazon, 4) boots.)
Back to Photoshop. Since late 1990s, I mostly work in cafes - which in Southern California means Starbucks. I am always curious what other people are doing on their computers and tablets around me, and I noticed the following pattern. If I am in a Starbucks and there are at least 10 other people with computers, one of them is using Photoshop. This is an informal observation, and it may only hold for the particular part of San Diego where I leave. But even if the real number is more like 1:20, this is already quite amazing.
What about the places where you live? Did you notice any similar pattern? if we can compare observation, it will give us at least some indication of how many people around the world are engaged in "art" and "design." Would not you want to know this? | <urn:uuid:85e1f257-ec1f-4b25-96c4-41063c552ece> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lab.softwarestudies.com/2012/09/how-many-people-in-world-use-photoshop.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955385 | 570 | 2 | 2 |
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Just seaweed is run by Iain Mckellar, one of the UK’s leading seaweed foragers. We have been selling our seaweeds since 2007 from the Isle of Bute on the west coast of Scotland. We harvest by hand natural wild edible sea vegetables and seaweed for spa bathing. Our fresh seaweed is carefully cut by hand, packaged then posted to our customers all over the world from the UK to the USA.
Seaweeds are plants (marine algae) that live in seawater. They don't have roots and they feed from the water around them.
Just like some plants, most seaweeds have seasons. Kelp can grow at the unbelievable rate of 1 to 2 feet per day under the right conditions. Marine algae reproduce by giving off spores, although most seaweeds are seasonal. Some types can live for 20 years. Seaweeds are sometimes called kelp, sea vegetables, wrack, sea algae or marine algae.
There are three main types:Red Brown and green. Some are 30ft long; others only a few inches. Each type has its own characteristic texture and flavour. Seaweeds can be found from the high tide line down to a depth of 60m below the surface.
Can you eat seaweed if you are allergic to iodine? Read this for more information.
Media News & General Trumpet Blowing
On the shore with Phil Vickery (ITV This Morning): Talking the weed
(you can skip the first 3 minutes.20 sec )
Daily Telegraph: Shore to be tasty
Scotland on Sunday: Crest of a wave
Edinburgh Foody: an essential ingredient
BBC News with Reevel Alderson
BBC Radio Scotland: Fred Macaulay
Radio Jersey, Radio West Midlands
The Scottish Sun, The Guardian, The Express,
Coast magazine, Yes Chef magazine, Men’s Health magazine
Our Harvesting Shore | <urn:uuid:bed6df25-2575-49f1-9f8f-ef8e6eb6b2bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.justseaweed.com/item/about-us.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917817 | 450 | 2.015625 | 2 |
In 2001, the Chicago Housing Administration (CHA) targeted one of the city’s first subsidized housing projects, built in 1935, for an overhaul. Eleven years later, the fate of the Julia Lathrop Homes remains uncertain, stymied by a collision of preservation and politics.
The complexity and many factions competing to influence the outcome have caused the delay. Concerns address the project’s density; the mix of subsidized, market-rate, and affordable housing units; and the question of who will occupy them. Also to be decided are whether to incorporate both retail and other non-residential uses; the degree of impact on traffic and property tax revenues; and the design.
Since it opened in the mid-1930s, Lathrop Homes has maintained a fairly even population mix of white, black, and Hispanic residents. But it’s Lathrop’s architecture and planning that place the project on a different plane from other public housing sites. Its handsome brick buildings, human scale, and almost bucolic landscape setting are truly unique in the city.
Courtesy Lathrop Community Partners
Preservationists are particularly concerned about how much of the original architecture and planning will survive the parcel’s reinvention. As Preservation Chicago’s Jonathan Fine suggested, Lathrop’s design virtues are partly a product of historical accident. After the Great Depression virtually ended all building and construction, what Fine calls a “dream team” of architects— including landscape architect Jens Jensen—became available to work on the Lathrop design.
Now, the question of whether the final project will incorporate aspects of that original plan seems almost an after-thought: The political, economic, and socio-cultural forces shaping the project are so complicated and overwhelming, they seem to trump most design considerations.
On April 30 the Lathrop site landed on the National Register of Historic Places. But six months later, CHA announced that its board had approved in principle demolition plans for Altgeld Gardens, Cabrini Green, and Lathrop Homes, which cast doubt on the agency’s commitment to rehabilitate the complex. CHA has razed thousands of public housing units in the past decade, in part to distance itself from the ignominious past of failed public housing superblocks.
Since announcing plans to rehabilitate Lathrop, CHA has gradually reduced the population there. Today, residents occupy fewer than half of the 925 units, because of the “moving to work” agreement, which permits CHA to receive HUD subsidies even for unoccupied units. Critics suggest this clears the way for CHA to do whatever it wants.
This summer, Lathrop Community Partners, the consortium assembled to develop the property, presented three alternative master plans to the CHA and community groups. The design team (Urbanworks, Farr Associates, BKL Architecture, Studio Gang Architects, CDM, Vincent L. Michael Consulting, and Wolff Landscape Architecture) devised three scenarios that treat the preservation question in varying ways.
The “Delta Greenscapes” option would institute the most drastic measures, demolishing all the structures and replacing them with about 1,300 housing units. It also would completely redraw the street plan.
The “Gateway” option would retain all buildings on the north half of the site, reconfiguring the site plan for a total of about 1,500 units.
“Riverworks” would keep many of the buildings on the north half of the site and appears to respect the north end of the landscape plan, while anticipating 1,600 units overall.
Community groups and both aldermen who represent the project site have objected to all three plans as too dense and generally unresponsive to the CHA-issued request. This doesn’t surprise Fine or other advocates.
“CHA pulled a bait and switch,” Fine said. “The RFQ called for 800 to1,200 units and for historic preservation to be a priority.” Yet neither is reflected in the final plans, he added. “They went through the motions of ‘community engagement,’ but there really wasn’t anything engaging in the process.”
Instead, “We got a market-driven, profit-oriented plan,” Fine said, that won’t serve residents or neighbors. While his group doesn’t focus on the many issues that face the planners, he said he thinks an emphasis on preservation could simplify the issues. “The problems at Lathrop have stemmed from breakdowns in security, maintenance, and tenant screening, not the architecture and planning,” Fine said. | <urn:uuid:c6c391e9-aa3c-4874-9a9d-45c1ae67e5f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6335 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945139 | 971 | 2.578125 | 3 |
John Brown Museum
During 1854 to 1855 many Northern newspapers urged people to move to Kansas, a new land of opportunity. The pioneer family could cultivate fertile land, enjoy the peaceful countryside, and protect the territory from the spread of slavery. This was the dream of Samuel Adair and Florella Brown Adair, both graduates of Oberlin, a progressive coeducational and biracial college in Ohio. Samuel finished his theology program while he courted Florella. Then they married and moved westward.
Five of the sons of John Brown, Florella's half brother, soon followed the Adairs to Kansas, bringing with them their families and expectations for a better life in the new territory. After settling in the Osawatomie area, severe illness and the "clouds of war" closed in on the pioneers. John Brown came to Kansas to help his sons, although he did not plan to stay permanently in the new territory. In Kansas the steadfast abolitionist found a place where he could act on his radical ideas. The territory officially was under the control of a proslavery government which sometimes prompted free-state men to take desperate action. They fought armed proslavery men, often from Missouri, who invaded the territory, destroying crops and murdering free-state opponents. These troubled times became known as Bleeding Kansas. Osawatomie was attacked and burned by proslavery forces on August 30, 1856, but the Adair Cabin, located some distance northwest of the town, survived.
Pioneer life was difficult enough under any circumstances. The Adairs were exceptional people who faced incredible hardships. As a Congregational minister, Reverend Samuel Adair struggled to gather a faithful flock. The walnut lumber and native stone used in the construction of the church building were supplied from his own claim. This was the first church in Osawatomie and the third of its denomination in Kansas. The work on the meeting house was a labor of love and a source of comfort in troubling times. It was dedicated July 14, 1861, and still stands.
The Civil War, when it came in 1861, separated the Adairs. Samuel served at Fort Leavenworth as military chaplain, while Florella added her husband's responsibilities to her own at home. Eventually ill health forced her to join Samuel at Leavenworth, where she died in 1865.
Following the death of his wife, Samuel returned to his church and cabin in Osawatomie. He helped establish the first insane asylum in Kansas (present-day Osawatomie State Hospital), giving his services voluntarily as chaplain for 11 years. Samuel died in 1898, leaving the cabin to his son, Charles Storrs Adair.
On August 30, 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Osawatomie to dedicate a memorial at the John Brown Memorial Park. In 1912 the Adair cabin was dismantled and relocated to the memorial park. In 1928 the state of Kansas appropriated $6,000 of a stone pergola to surround the cabin, protecting it from further deterioration. The state legislature appointed the Kansas Historical Society to maintain the site, and it does so in partnership with the city of Osawatomie. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and now operates as John Brown Museum State Historic Site.
Entry: John Brown Museum
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: August 2002
Date Modified: November 2012
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content. | <urn:uuid:cadec490-c3f2-45c4-8335-61235442de00> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kshs.org/kansapedia/john-brown-museum/11853 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971975 | 733 | 3.828125 | 4 |
But I find it amusing to ask Veinot where he thinks his morality comes from. Did God speak to him? If so, when? (And was Veinot murdering, raping and killing before his god spoke to him, and then he suddenly changed?) Was that the same god who spoke to Son of Sam? bin Laden? the Pope? George Bush? Or, if Veinot’s god did NOT speak to him then did Veinot get his moral code from the Bible? (And was Veinot murdering, raping and killing before he read the Bible, and then he suddenly changed?) And if his moral code comes from the Bible, then of course, we’re into all the genocide, and killing of homosexuals etc. And by the way, why the Bible? What authority figure told him the Bible was the correct moral guide? And how does Veinot know that the authority figure was correct? Did Veinot employ some independent verifying entity to confirm that choice? But if the Bible is not the source of Veinot’s moral position, what is? (Maybe it’s Darwin after all!)
In this final installment this group of questions hang together in a general category of the basis of morality. Rather than simply asserting my personal opinion I thought it might be interesting to look at it from the perspective of the founding of this nation and how this question informed the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, etc. Mark Levin, who is not a Christian and to my knowledge has not professed a particular specific belief in God, points out in his excellent book Liberty and Tyranny:
The Declaration of Independence appeals to “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” (p. 26)
For the Founding Fathers the question of morals (how we ought to behave) was very closely linked to our rights. The Founding Fathers viewed our rights as “unalienable.” They did so predicated on the belief that our rights are given to us by God not other human beings. The Founding Fathers were of a variety of denominations as well as at least two deists (Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin). But could it be that they were wrong and man simply makes them up. Levin again responds: Continue reading …
Last week we looked at a few of the objections which were sent to Harry, a friend of the ministry. How much time should we spend on such an individual? That would seem to depend on whether they are serious about discovering truth or not. Those who seem to specialize in attacking the faith without any real desire to seek whether it is actually true or not often simply make assertions without actually providing evidence for their assertions. In other words, no evidence or documentation. The truth of a claim is more easily ascertained if we provide documentation to substantiate what we have asserted. For example on the question the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, and her belief and promotion of eugenics, Harry’s email acquaintance claims:
But it is clear that Veinot knows little about Margaret Sanger, who was resolutely opposed to Hitler and the Nazi programs, and said so publicly (which is more than what Veinot has done regarding fundamentalist Bush’s killing in Iraq). It’s interesting to see Veinot improperly imputing the most base motives to Sanger’s advocacy of birth control, thus perverting her larger view of women’s rights in this area.
I am not sure what the writer means by “most base motives” but Sanger was committed to Social Darwinism and cleansing of the inferior races and other less evolved humans through eugenics. Abortion being a key method of weeding out and breeding out those less desirable in the “human garden.” Was she in agreement with or opposed to Hitler and the Nazi programs? The answer is yes to both at different times. Social Darwinism was very prevalent among “progressives” at this time in history. In Germany Hitler achieved the political clout to officially implement eugenics to perfect the race. Sanger held the same fundamental views on Social Darwinism. Michael Flaherty, in his review of Ellen Chesler’s book, Woman of Valor: Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement in America, notes:
What the book leaves out is Margaret Sanger’s interest in eugenics. Miss Chesler fails to mention many of the most haunting phrases in Mrs. Sanger’s landmark book, The Pivot of Civilization. Perhaps her most popular work, it addressed what she saw as troubling demographic trends, notably the growing number of “nonAryan people” in the United States, who constituted “a great biological menace to the future of civilization.”A mix of racism and class snobbery, the book admonishes readers to beware of “inferior races,” whose members “deserve to be treated like criminals,” and urges the “segregat[ion of] morons who are increasing and multiplying.” Miss Chesler ignores most of this, though she quotes some of Mrs. Sanger’s more sanitized utterances, such as “More from the fit, less from the unfit–that is the chief aim of birth control.”
My friend Jhan Moskowitz, North American Director of Jews for Jesus, often says that only real questions deserve real answers. As he points out, belief is an act of the will not a function of information. People choose to believe, they are not argued in to the faith. This does not preclude evidence and reason, the stuff of apologetics, but apologetics (defense of the faith) is pre-evangelism. It is in order to inform belief however, in the end each individual must choose to act on that evidence and reason and believe. Last week I used an email to Harry, a friend of mine, from an antagonist of the faith and responded to it in the blog. It was a great launching point to respond to general objections to the Christian faith. Although Harry has suggested several times to the author that they contact me directly they have opted not to do so but instead continue to email Harry. That’s fine and is good experience for Harry. My observations to Harry were that the individual does not appear to have any real interest in debating the issues, making a case for their position or demonstrating their assertions about individuals they have never met, read or dialogued with. In fact, I suspected their primary motive was to take pot shots at the faith through misrepresentation and caricature. Oddly enough they subsequently wrote to Harry and started off with:
As I’m sure you can tell by now, I love blasphemy. The more sacred the cow, the more I love to search for the vilest, most repugnant way of characterizing it.
Sometimes the dilemma we face is one of how much time, if any, to devote to this sort of endeavor with individuals who appear to be militantly resistant. By their own admission this individual is not even attempting to object with real questions but is intent on finding the “the vilest, most repugnant way of characterizing” the faith. On the other hand, some individuals have what they believe are legitimate objections to the claims of Christianity. For example, atheist Antony Flew was an atheist who advocated that we should presuppose atheism until evidence for the existence of God could be put forth. He debated Evangelical Christian scholar Gary Habermas on a number of issues but particularly the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Antony Flew had legitimate questions and deserved real answers. Antony Flew and Gary Habermas were both more interested in discovering truth than militantly holding on to a position in spite of evidence. The result was Continue reading …
A good friend of mine who is also a missionary to cults and New Religious Movements once observed that “in this type of ministry conflict is not a possibility it a job description.” He is correct. When we question someone’s worldview and/or beliefs and assumptions they can get very angry and sometimes abusive. At least verbally abusive. Sort of our inside joke on this is that Jehovah’s Witnesses have called Joy the “Whore of Babylon” so often we just call her floozy for short. Somehow name calling and wild accusations are used to replace valid argument and evidence in many of these exchanges. I have another friend, Harry, who spends some time talking with non-Christians over the Internet. If he doesn’t have answers he looks for material on our website Journals and Crux Blog as well as other ministry’s materials to forward to the lists. On occasion he forwards some of them to me to see how to respond. He sent one such email this week: Continue reading …
It was the high noon of the Middle Ages, the 11th century (ad 1001 to 1100). Although closer to completion than ever, the project of establishing a “Christian Europe” was still a work in progress.
Like it or not, the middle 1,000 years or so of church history—from about 500 to 1500, the period we call the Middle Ages, or medieval period—are inextricably bound to the history of Europe. Up until then, Christianity was a thoroughly multi-continental movement, primarily because most Christians lived in the Roman Empire, which extended into Europe, Africa, and Asia. We know that the Gospel penetrated beyond the reach of Rome’s iron grip, since the book of Acts records the evangelism of people from what is now Iran (Acts 2:9) and Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-40), and that Nestorian Christians (who objected to Mary being called Θεοτόκος [theotokos], i.e., “God-Bearer,” or “Mother of God”) reached China in ad 635, and in one sense or another it would always continue to transcend its Mediterranean beginnings. But after the fall of Rome it was primarily in Europe that God chose to preserve His word and protect His people during a time when everything that “civilized” people had been depending upon to make sense of the world fell apart, and there was nothing to fall back on but God—or, as some less pious might prefer, God and a good sword.
Today people speak of “post-Christian Europe,” and we tend to think of “Christian Europe” as extending from the time of Constantine to perhaps the beginning of the 20th century. But for centuries after Constantine, a large portion of the continent remained pre-Christian, until it finally gave way to the tireless work of missionaries. Continue reading … | <urn:uuid:cd76ce14-7c0e-47a8-a49c-1d31509de95d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.midwestoutreach.org/2009/07 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964475 | 2,226 | 2.515625 | 3 |
(VALVEN. ET SULMONEN.)
Located in Italy; united aeque principaliter. Valva, a medieval castle belonging to the Bishop of Sulmona, Baron of Valva, is situated near the ancient Corfinium, chief town of the Peligni, A Samnite tribe. In the Social War it was the capital of the Italici, who called it Italia, a name found on some coins. Of the ancient city there remains the Church of S. Pelino, which recalls the race of the Peligni rather than a saint. The ruins contained a great number of inscriptions. Corfinium, like Valva, had apparently its own bishop; S. Pelino was the cathedral. In the vicinity of Valva is the sanctuary of S. Michele, near which is a large natural grotto. Sulmona, formerly Sulmo, is situated in a fertile plain, watered by the Gizzio, a tributary of the Pescara, at the base of the Maiella and Monte Morrone. The inhabitants are engaged in agriculture, the manufacture of liquors, confetti, and musical strings, and tanning. Among the churches are S. Maria della Tomba, the Annuziata, S. Francesco. Near the city is the monastery of the Spirito Santo, erected by Celestine V for his monks; it is noted for its architecture. The town hall dates from the fifteenth century. Sulmona was a Pelignian city, and is first mentioned in the wars of Hannibal, during which is remained faithful to the Romans. In the Social War it was destroyed by Sulla. Ovid, who celebrates the salubrity of its climate, was born there. There are ruins of temples and ancient buildings in the vicinity. In the Lombard period the city was subject to the Duchy of Spoleto; later it belonged to the counts of the Marsi. When the Normans conquered the Abruzzi, Sulmona increased in importance. Frederick II made it the capital of the "Gran Giustizierato" of the Abruzzi. In 1451 Alfonso of Aragon defeated there Count Ruggierone, an ally of Rene of Anjou; the city was regained by Piccinino, who was later defeated and slain by Ferdinand I.
Legend associates the evangelizing of the district with the name of St. Britius, Bishop of Spoleto, in the second century. The first known Bishop of Sulmona is Palladius (499); in 503 a Fortunatus Valvensis is mentioned. St Pamphilus, Bishop of Valva, renowned for his sanctity and miracles, died about 706; as he was buried in the cathedral of Sulmona, the sees had possibly been united then. Four or five other bishops of Valva are known, but none of Sulmona until 1054, when Leo IX named as Bishop of Valva, the Benedictine Domenico, and determined the limits of the Dioceses of S. Pelino (Valva) and S. Pamphilus (Sulmona), which were to have only one bishop, elected by the two chapters. Under Bishop Giacomo di Penne, a monk of Casa Nova (1252), it was arranged that the two chapters should unite in making the election, as frequent disputes had arisen when they acted separately. Other bishops were: Bartolomeo of Tocco (1402), highly esteemed for his learning by Innocent VII, who gave him his own mitre; Donato Bottini (1448), an Augustinian, who enriched the cathedral; Pompeo Zambeccari (1547), nuncio in Poland, who restored the episcopal residence; Francesco Bonapaduli (1638), who founded the seminary; Pietro Antonio Corsignani (17380, the historian of the Abruzzi. During the dispute between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Naples the see remained vacant from 1800 till 1818. The See of Sulmona is immediately subject to the Holy See. It contains; 58 parishes; 150,000 inhabitants, 200 secular, and 48 regular, priests; 3 houses of monks; 3 convents of nuns; 2 educational institutes for boys, and 1 for girls.
CAPPELLETTI, Le chiese d'Italia, XXI; DI PIETRO, Memorie storiche della citta di Sulmona (Naples, 1804); CORSIGNNI, Regia marsicana (Naples, 1738).
APA citation. (1912). Dioceses of Valva and Sulmona. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15264c.htm
MLA citation. "Dioceses of Valva and Sulmona." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15264c.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Thomas M. Barrett. Dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. | <urn:uuid:1596d9f9-cfca-407a-b935-67f46b4787cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15264c.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952985 | 1,214 | 2.84375 | 3 |
“Raising Achievement and Enjoyment For All”
The main aims of the school are;
1. To give equal value and importance to the education of each individual child regardless of ability.
2. To allow equal opportunity to all especially in respect of access to the curriculum.
3. To give each pupil the opportunity to fulfil his or her potential, personally, socially and academically, within a rewarding and stimulating school environment.
4. To provide each pupil with a broad and balanced education, this will enable him/her to develop skills, attitudes and knowledge sufficient to adapt to a fast-changing world.
5. To promote within the child an understanding of religious and moral values of all cultures and to develop a caring environment based upon mutual respect and consideration for others.
6. To develop a sense of environment and community responsibility amongst the children.
7. To encourage pupils towards high standards of behaviour and self-discipline. | <urn:uuid:6ca7db38-6fb2-4469-84a8-5460e89f1524> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.harpergreen.org.uk/Mission-Statement/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913679 | 193 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The multimon software can decode a variety of digital transmission modes commonly found on UHF radio. A standard PC soundcard is used to acquire the signal from a transceiver. The decoding is done completely in software. Currently, the following modes are supported:
An arbitrary set of the above modes may run concurrently on the same input signal (provided the CPU power is sufficient), so you do not have to know in advance which mode is used. Note however that some modes might require modifications to the radio (especially the 9600 baud FSK and the POCSAG modes) to work properly.
POCSAG (Post Office Code Standards Advisory Group) is a common paging transmission format.
Please note that monitoring commercial services may be prohibited in some countries, this software should therefore only be used to monitor the amateur radio service.
The software is published under the GNU GPL V2
multimon.tar.bz2 2012-02-06, 41316 bytes | <urn:uuid:fabaf68e-0d9b-4489-b3f2-b7081fbcc424> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baycom.org/~tom/ham/linux/multimon.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90714 | 199 | 1.976563 | 2 |
In the operating room, where surgeons’ and other surgical services professionals’ hands are perhaps the most important instrument, it stands to reason that gloves should be given careful consideration and viewed as a critical piece of the personal protective equipment puzzle.
Given the perpetual need for glove protection in the OR – and the growing emphasis on infection prevention throughout the healthcare continuum – the booming glove market should come as little surprise. The global surgical gloves market is expected to reach U.S. $1.38 billion by 2015; much of that will be driven by powder-free surgical gloves, which is projected to expand at a compounded annual growth rate of 8.3 percent between 2011 to 2015, according to a report from Global Industry Analysts Inc., a worldwide business strategy and market intelligence resource.
Increasing awareness surrounding latex sensitivity and allergies has prompted ongoing innovation and technological breakthroughs in the synthetic surgical glove segment – as well as the proliferation of powder-free, “latex-safe” gloves with low levels of latex protein. Although, historically, many surgeons have preferred powdered latex gloves, the plethora of reports and statistics that have surfaced over the years regarding powdered gloves’ role in contributing to latex allergies has gradually led to a heightened focus on safety – for both the staff and the patient.
As the American Latex Allergy Association reports, anywhere from 3 percent to 22 percent of healthcare workers are sensitive to natural rubber latex (and for many, it’s the powder that contributes most to the sensitivity). What makes powdered gloves problematic is that the powder becomes aerosolized and makes the latex particles airborne and able to be inhaled. Symptoms of latex sensitivity and allergy can range from localized skin irritation to life-threatening anaphylaxis.
It’s also been shown that the more latex protein one is exposed to over time, the more it increases their likelihood for sensitization – a point that underscores why healthcare workers run a greater risk for becoming latex-sensitive or allergic. The same logic can be applied to repeat patients who are exposed to latex gloves and other latex devices over the course of their treatment. Even if the caregivers aren’t latex-sensitive, the patient very well may be – and vice versa – which makes switching to powder-free, latex-safe products (and synthetic versions for those who are confirmed or suspected as latex-sensitive) a prudent decision.
The challenge for manufacturers has been to reduce the protein level to the point that there’s no discernable difference between powdered and powder-free gloves. “Market participants that provide low-protein-content gloves stand to increase their market share dramatically,” reports market research firm Frost & Sullivan.
A Sensitive Issue
More than ever, surgical glove manufacturers are meeting the needs for low-protein latex gloves for those looking to create a latex-safe environment. Of course, for those with determined latex sensitivity or allergy, it’s wise to avoid latex gloves altogether, and manufacturers are meeting that need with synthetic alternatives comprised of materials such as nitrile, neoprene and polyisoprene.
While neoprene is strong and conforms well to the hand, it does lack the tactile sensitivity of latex. To help bridge that gap, next-generation neoprene products have surfaced that are thinner, yet still strong, to enhance comfort and tactile sensitivity. Polyisoprene surgical gloves have been praised for their elasticity, fit, and simplified donning.
Some gloves feature a synthetic polyisoprene that is nearly molecularly identical to latex. This provides surgeons with a similar fit and feel of latex gloves, as well as good tactile sensitivity and performance, while eliminating the potentially harmful proteins linked to latex allergies. While polyisoprene has become a preferred material for those who require synthetic gloves and has led to continued growth in the surgical glove market, the material’s higher associated price may make it a bit cost-prohibitive for some budget-conscious facilities. This has been a contributing factor in the lesser-expensive neoprene’s continued popularity in the latex-free glove segment.
The have been significant advancement on the latex glove manufacturing side, as well. More manufacturers are producing low-protein, powder-free latex gloves that significantly reduce the latex protein content. Experts note that low-allergen, powder-free gloves are a good choice for those who are not known or suspected to be latex-sensitive (whereas synthetic, latex-free gloves should be used for any healthcare worker who is sensitive to latex – and any patient with suspected or proven latex sensitivity.)
Today, surgical professionals also have access to lubrication alternatives, which replace cornstarch, the most common dusting powder used for lubricating natural rubber latex gloves (shown to contribute to latex allergy when combined with the protein in the glove), with an inner polyurethane coating to simplify donning and reduce some of the risks associated with latex proteins.
A newly approved natural rubber latex made from a desert shrub grown in Arizona – as opposed to the traditional Hevea latex that comes from a tropical tree in Southeast Asia – has been shown to trigger no immunologic reaction in those who have developed even a severe allergic reaction to the Hevea latex proteins. According to the U.S. FDA, gloves made from guayule latex may prove to be a safer alternative for some people with sensitivity to traditional latex, without sacrificing the desirable properties of traditional latex, such as flexibility and strength. In addition, a 1998 FDA rule mandated that all medical devices containing latex carry a statement on the label warning about the risk of allergic reactions.
Because there is no data on individuals’ long-term experience with the guayule latex gloves, the products will carry a warning for now about the potential for allergic reactions. As such, synthetic, latex- and powder-free gloves are recommended for those with suspected or confirmed latex sensitivity.
See more Medical Equipment Articles
See the Medical Equipment Auctions and Classifieds
This article is re-published by LabX with permission from Medical Dealer Magazine - MD Publishing. | <urn:uuid:f333ca22-6a8a-4a14-8f1e-004c1c3c609d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.labx.com/article.cfm?articleId=1635 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947085 | 1,241 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Hello i am new to this page and to hatching chicks. I have started to hatch my first clutch of eggs today and have had a problem with the second chick that has hatched. There is a big red bubble looking thing on the under side of the chick about the size of a small grape. what is this and what should i do?
Edited by Feather Head - 4/7/12 at 5:47pm | <urn:uuid:45a87af2-86cb-4dfc-b4df-2a8aefcd819c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/648321/red-bubble | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982895 | 85 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Norovirus Outbreak Spares Alaskans Thus Far
ANCHORAGE - Health officials nationwide have reported outbreaks of a strain of norovirus called the "Sydney" virus. Luckily for Alaskans, they've been mostly spared from the gastro-intestinal irritation that can cause a bout of vomiting and diarrhea.
Nationwide, the virus kills about 1,000 Americans every year. The most vunerable are the elderly, and those in elder care homes are where the disease tends to spread more quickly.
Unlike the flu or some other viruses, norovirus can last much longer outside the body. Doctor Michael Cooper, program manager for Alaska Infectious Disease Control, emphasized the importance of hygiene. "They can live on those for days or even weeks, and other people can touch those and get exposed to them. They can get into food. They can get into water. So it's a very hard bug once somebody is sick and transmitting it to stop that transmission," he said.
He also says once you catch it, there isn't much you can do, but keeping healthy and hydrated can help people to recover more quickly. | <urn:uuid:b0cbfb19-1e4b-46e3-bedc-6590d8c897bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ktva.com/news/local/Norovirus-Outbreak-Spares-Alaskans-Thus-Far-188775401.html?m=y&smobile=y | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967814 | 234 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Stanford, California—February 4, 2009—The Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford has broadened and accelerated access to its technology-patent rights and added more research activities to its portfolio under a revised agreement with its sponsors—ExxonMobil, GE, Schlumberger and Toyota.
"By opening access earlier to technologies patented by GCEP-sponsored institutions, we believe we can work with a larger pool of institutions and researchers, and make technologies available more quickly to a wider group of potential users," GCEP Director Sally M. Benson said.
GCEP is a collaboration of the scientific and engineering communities in academia and industry. Its purpose is to conduct fundamental, pre-commercial research that will lead to the development of global energy technologies that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
GCEP and its sponsors decided to revise their original agreement from 2002 to enable broader participation in the project and greater dissemination of the project's patented technologies.
The revised agreement is posted on the GCEP website at http://gcep.stanford.edu/about/agreement.html.
Benson was recently appointed GCEP director after serving as executive director since March 2007. The previous director, Franklin M. Orr Jr., leads Stanford's newly announced Precourt Institute for Energy. GCEP is now affiliated with this institute, which was established at the university with a gift of $100 million to focus specifically on energy issues.
A hydrogeologist from Stanford's Energy Resources Engineering Department, Benson studies how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from power plants and pumping it into deep underground formations for permanent sequestration.
Funding for new research
Benson also announced $5.6 million in new GCEP awards for five full-term research programs and six exploratory research efforts being conducted at Stanford and other institutions around the world in the areas of solar energy, carbon capture and storage, and biomass energy.
The new full-term activities bring the total number of GCEP-supported research programs to 63, with funding of $85.7 million committed since the project's launch in the fall of 2002.
Stanford faculty members lead three of the new activities, which address novel approaches to the conversion of solar energy. These efforts include the investigation of:
"We are very excited to begin work developing a class of materials that can harvest both photon and thermal energy to greatly improve solar thermal conversion efficiencies," Melosh said. "GCEP provides a unique vehicle for allowing us to conduct this type of research."
Investigators at the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) in Japan will follow up on their previous GCEP research on carbon dioxide separation with new, improved approaches to membrane design.
The four GCEP sponsors plan to invest a total $225 million over a decade or more in the project.
"Adding a wide range of exciting new efforts to its research portfolio, collaborating with top researchers from Stanford and around the world, and making its patented technologies widely accessible are three significant steps GCEP is making to accelerate the science that will enable a future with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions," said Ashok Belani, chair of the GCEP Management Committee and chief technology officer of Schlumberger Ltd. | <urn:uuid:579d473b-0688-4c8b-afde-590821516f7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gcep.stanford.edu/news/press_2_04_09-print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947564 | 673 | 2.296875 | 2 |
AUSTIN, Texas — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - You never know what might happen when a lawmaker brings a gun to a knife fight.
But Second Amendment rights advocates are about to find out.
"I suppose, in part," said state Rep. Harold Dutton, describing his plan to legalize carrying switchblades, "it's political."
Across the country, this has become the year of the knife. New federal rules will allow pocketknives on airplanes. And state legislatures from Tennessee to Kansas to Indiana to Alaska are considering measures to legalize the switchblade, the favored weapon of fictional midcentury street gangs.
Here in Texas, where weapons laws tend toward the permissive, switchblade legislation has advanced to the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.
All of which might seem fairly unremarkable, except that the bill's author, a Democrat from Houston, has a National Rifle Association rating of F, a personal firearms history that qualifies as colorful even by local standards and something downright subversive in mind.
To make sense of it all, you have to know about Dutton. But first you have to know about Knife Rights Inc.
For the last seven years, a wilderness survival expert by the name of Doug Ritter has been building national support for laws allowing more knives in more places.
Starting in his home state, Arizona, Ritter set out to turn varying local ordinances into statewide policy. Gun rights advocates embraced his cause. Ted Nugent's endorsement decorated his Web site.
Before long, Ritter turned his attention to legalizing instruments with such comically antiquated names as the dirk, the stiletto and the dagger. To paraphrase his line of argument, those weapons usually pose a mortal hazard only if you are a character in a game of Clue.
When he started campaigning to legalize the switchblade, though, Ritter touched a nerve. Laws against the distinctive push-button mechanism date to the violent gang wars between the Sharks and the Jets (on Broadway in "West Side Story"). By the time James Dean's character rumbled in "Rebel Without a Cause," the knives had become a potent symbol, as one movie poster put it, of "Today's Juvenile Violence!"
Still, his message found a receptive audience. Counting victories in New Hampshire in Missouri, he said, switchblades are now legal in 30 states, including 24 with no limitations on length.
Knife rights advocates are optimistic about the Texas bill.
"It's always been extremely odd to me that I can walk around in public, I can even go into the Capitol with a loaded firearm, yet I can't carry certain described kinds of knives," said Peter Wang, 51, an oilfield services company employee in Houston who owns both guns and knives.
From his national vantage, Ritter interpreted Dutton's sponsorship as a sign of bipartisan support.
Dutton, a Democrat from Houston, serves as chairman of the Committee on Urban Affairs.
In 1989, he reported receiving death threats as the author of a proposal to ban assault rifles. A crowd estimated at nearly 1,000 marched on the Capitol. The measure failed.
Four years later, he was convicted of reckless conduct after his estranged wife claimed he had pointed a pistol at her.
Over the years, Dutton has displayed a creative streak in his approach to gun control. In 1995, for example, he introduced a bill that would have made voter registration cards double as gun permits. Under that proposal, failing to cast a ballot would cost people the right to carry a weapon.
Contacted to discuss his new proposal, Dutton opened the interview with an account of his long-ago effort to ban assault rifles.
"Now that the assault rifle controversy has re-energized," he said, "we looked at the prohibited weapons list."
"What should be on that list is things that are causing damage today," he went on. "That weapon is not switchblade knives."
His staff prepared an analysis of the proposal, subtly noting that "while the switchblade knife is listed on Texas' prohibited weapons list, assault rifles are not on the list."
In the interview, though, Dutton left little doubt about his intentions.
"Hopefully we'll get to have a lively discussion on the House floor, and we'll see who's for it and who's against it," he said. "I can't see why anyone would be against it." | <urn:uuid:2ab0ac9c-00aa-4b29-a318-de83a82c7de9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/12/national-knife-rights-movement-gets-twist-in/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97281 | 911 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The Graphic Communication Challenge
Most of our clients - like Caravanning Club
- are in the travel industry, but our graphic communications strategies are universal - as we will show in this case study, for healthcare company ICS. They asked us to design a new site for them. After a quick look at their existing site, we knew that we needed to use graphics to answer to very important questions: What do they do? For whom?
Independent Clinical Services (ICS), formerly known as Thornbury, is one of the UK's largest independent providers of medical staff to the NHS and other sectors. They fill last-minute nursing staff and doctors to cover staff shortages at NHS hospitals and the private sector, with about 8,000 nurses and 8,000 doctors on their register. They approached us to design a new site, as they found that their online presence was increasingly critical to the success of their large operation.
Using Graphic Communication to Improve the Site
||What Is The Product? Who Is It For?
If you look at the 'before' image of the ICS home page, I'm sure you'll agree that it's hard to see exactly what the company is offering. We can see that it's medical and that they offer 'solutions' of some kind - but determining the exact service they provide is not easy. Neither is it clear who their service is for. Is it aimed at patients or practitioners? Is it a service or are they possibly selling a product? It doesn't matter what scenario you come up with, the fact is that it isn't clear.
Now, look at the 'after' image and ask the same questions. The answer is right there: they specialise in providing nurses and doctors to various sectors of the healthcare industry, such as the NHS, nursing homes and the independent sector.
Sometimes, to get the home page's message across, it can be as simple as writing a big bold statement in text.
How does this help improve ROI?
||Establish The Company's Market Positioning
Another major objective of graphics is to communicate the company's market positioning. In the 'before' image, it is not clear what kind of company ICS is - big or small, reputable or unknown or worse. In fact, ICS is one of the leaders in the field of medical recruitment for the healthcare industry, but the original graphics do not convey this at all.
In the 'after' image, you can see that with simple clean graphics, large white spaces and a generous clear header, the site takes on the feeling of a solid, reliable and confident business. It speaks not only of what ICS do, but also that they are important and trustworthy.
Many businesses spend a lot of money to generate traffic to their sites, through SEO, PPC, and so on. By using graphic communication properly, the same amount of traffic can be converted into a greater quantity of sales. For this reason, implementing site conversion strategies - as we do for many of our clients - is a vital ingredient in the online marketing mix, ensuring that websites work harder for the same cost and thereby increase ROI.
How can we help?
LeadGenerators has vast experience helping clients improve the conversion rates of their websites, employing strategies similar to the one above and in our other Site Conversion Case Studies. If you would like to find out more about how to make your site work harder for you, please give us a call or fill out the enquiry form below. | <urn:uuid:47dd23e1-8d3b-4b74-8aa6-3e9b778d4492> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.leadgenerators.co.uk/site-conversion-case-studies/ics.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955963 | 712 | 1.890625 | 2 |
U.S. President John F. Kennedy's skillful management of the Cuban missile crisis, 50 years ago this autumn, has been elevated into the central myth of the Cold War. At its core is the tale that, by virtue of U.S. military superiority and his steely will, Kennedy forced Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to capitulate and remove the nuclear missiles he had secretly deployed to Cuba. As Secretary of State Dean Rusk rhapsodized, America went "eyeball to eyeball," and the Soviets "just blinked." Mythologically, Khrushchev gave everything, and Kennedy gave nothing. Thus the crisis blossomed as an unabashed American triumph and unmitigated Soviet defeat.
Kennedy's victory in the messy and inconclusive Cold War naturally came to dominate the politics of U.S. foreign policy. It deified military power and willpower and denigrated the give-and-take of diplomacy. It set a standard for toughness and risky dueling with bad guys that could not be matched -- because it never happened in the first place.
Of course, Americans had a long-standing mania against compromising with devils, but compromise they did. President Harry Truman even went so far as to offer communist Moscow a place in the Marshall Plan. His secretary of state, Dean Acheson, later argued that you could deal with communists only by creating "situations of strength." And there matters more or less rested until the Cuban missile crisis, when JFK demonstrated the strength proposition in spades, elevating pressures on his successors to resist compromise with those devils.
What people came to understand about the Cuban missile crisis -- that JFK succeeded without giving an inch -- implanted itself in policy deliberations and political debate, spoken or unspoken. It's there now, all these decades later, in worries over making any concessions to Iran over nuclear weapons or to the Taliban over their role in Afghanistan. American leaders don't like to compromise, and a lingering misunderstanding of those 13 days in October 1962 has a lot to do with it.
In fact, the crisis concluded not with Moscow's unconditional diplomatic whimper, but with mutual concessions. The Soviets withdrew their missiles from Cuba in return for U.S. pledges not to invade Fidel Castro's island and to remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey. For reasons that seem clear, the Kennedy clan kept the Jupiter part of the deal secret for nearly two decades and, even then, portrayed it as a trifle. For reasons that remain baffling, the Soviets also kept mum. Scholars like Harvard University's Graham Allison set forth the truth over the years, but their efforts rarely suffused either public debates or White House meetings on how to stare down America's foes.
FROM THE OUTSET, Kennedy's people went out of their way to conceal the Jupiter concession. It started when the president's brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, met Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin on Oct. 27 to present the Jupiters-for-Soviet-missiles swap. He told Dobrynin: We'll take the Jupiters out, but it's not part of the deal, and you can never talk about it. The Soviets removed their missiles, the United States removed the Jupiters, and the secret held for 16 years, until a small paragraph in an Arthur Schlesinger book upon which few remarked.
Four years later, Kennedy's key advisors wrote a Time article on the 20th anniversary of the crisis in which they admitted including the Jupiters in the agreement. They did so, however, in such a way as to diminish its importance, presenting the Jupiters almost as an afterthought while saying that JFK had already decided to remove them from Turkey. Then, they totally contradicted themselves, acknowledging that secrecy surrounding the Jupiter part of the deal was so important that a leak "would have had explosive and destructive effects on the security of the U.S. and its allies."
These Kennedy aides were so devoted to their triumphal myth that most of them continued to propagate it long after they themselves had turned against its very precepts. Most ended up opposing a Vietnam war that JFK had still been fighting when he was assassinated. They all grew skeptical about the value of military might and big-power confrontations, and they became formidable advocates of diplomatic compromise.
It was not until 1988, however, that one among them clearly and openly acknowledged his decades-long hypocrisy and its costs. In his book Danger and Survival, McGeorge Bundy, Kennedy's national security advisor, lamented: "Secrecy of this sort has its costs. By keeping to ourselves the assurance on the Jupiters, we misled our colleagues, our countrymen, our successors, and our allies" into concluding "that it had been enough to stand firm on that Saturday." It took 26 years, but there it was.
STUNNINGLY, THE RUSSIANS didn't reveal the truth far earlier. A well-timed Soviet leak after the Jupiters were removed could have done two things for Moscow. First, the story of the swap would have sharply blunted accounts of their utter defeat. Never mind that JFK was planning to take out the Jupiters anyway and replace them with Polaris missile-firing subs.
Second, it would have caused great consternation in NATO, where the swap would have been portrayed as selling out Turkey. RFK even told Dobrynin that this fear was his major reason for keeping the deal secret. Dobrynin cabled Bobby's words back to Moscow: "If such a decision were announced now, it would seriously tear apart NATO." Once the Jupiters had been removed, Moscow could have pounced. One would think the Soviets would have welcomed the opportunity.
Dobrynin fully grasped how the myth chilled U.S. willingness to compromise, something he told me about in the late 1970s when I was ensconced at the State Department. He didn't say so publicly, however, until his memoirs came out in 1995. He wrote: "If Khrushchev had managed to arrange [a leak], the resolution of the crisis need not have been seen as such an inglorious retreat."
Why, then, didn't the Soviets leak it? It's quite possible, even likely, that Khrushchev and his Politburo never considered leaking because they had no idea how the crisis would be portrayed -- how weak they would look. On the day the crisis was reaching a crescendo, before he knew that Kennedy would offer up the Jupiters, Khrushchev was ready to back down. He told his colleagues that the Soviet Union was "face to face with the danger of war and of nuclear catastrophe, with the possible result of destroying the human race." He wasn't thinking about the Jupiters; he just wanted out and was determined to convince his colleagues that a U.S. pledge not to invade would be enough to protect Soviet power and pride.
To check this view, I contacted the three living people most likely to know: Sergei Khrushchev (son of Nikita), Anatoly Gromyko (son of Andrei, the Soviet foreign minister during the missile crisis), and Alexander "Sasha" Bessmertnykh (a Foreign Ministry official at the time of the crisis and later foreign minister). All backed this theory, though they acknowledged not knowing the details of Khrushchev's thinking. Soviet leaders, they said, genuinely feared a U.S. invasion of Cuba. None was moved by my argument that by the time of the crisis, there was no likelihood of such an invasion. After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, this idea was laughable in U.S. policy circles. None would grant that Moscow's leaking of the swap was necessary to preserve Soviet honor. Yet as we spoke further, all eventually conceded that the image of Soviet power indeed would have fared far better had the swap become known.
In Moscow at a retrospective on the crisis in 1989, JFK speechwriter and confidant Ted Sorensen touted Bobby Kennedy's Thirteen Days as the definitive account. Dobrynin interrupted to say that the book omitted the Jupiters, to which Sorensen replied that Dobrynin was correct, but at the time, the deal was still "secret." "So I took it upon myself to edit that out," he said.
Reporters covering the meeting took it upon themselves not to chronicle this exchange. Nor has foreign-policy chatter over the years made much reference to the Jupiters. Indeed, the compromise is mentioned so infrequently that journalist Fred Kaplan had to nail it to the wall at considerable length in a recent Slate review of Robert Caro's latest volume on President Lyndon B. Johnson. Careful as he is, Caro relied on sources that extolled Kennedy's resolve, and he ignored the Jupiters.
COMPROMISE IS NOT a word that generally makes political hearts flutter, and it is even less loved when it comes to the politics of U.S. foreign policy. The myth of the missile crisis strengthened the scorn. The myth, not the reality, became the measure for how to bargain with adversaries. Everyone feared becoming the next Adlai Stevenson, whom the Kennedys, their aides, and their foes discredited for proposing the Jupiter deal publicly.
It's not that Washingtonians scurried about proclaiming their desire to emulate the missile-crisis myth, but it was very much a part of the city's ether in columns and conversations with friends from the early 1960s to the 1990s. Few wanted to expose themselves by proposing even mild compromises with enemies. In the famous "A to Z" review of U.S. policy toward Vietnam, ordered by LBJ after the 1968 Tet Offensive, we (I was in the Pentagon at that time) weren't even permitted to study possible compromises with Hanoi. And there's no doubt that only a dyed-in-the-wool Cold Warrior like Richard Nixon finally could have withdrawn from Vietnam.
It took extraordinary courage to propose compromises in arms control talks with Moscow. Even treaties for trivial reductions in nuclear forces on both sides faced furious battles in Congress. Today, it is near political suicide to publicly suggest letting Iran enrich uranium up to an inconsequential 5 percent with strong inspections, though the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty permits it. And while Barack Obama's team is talking to the Taliban, its demands are so absolute -- the Taliban must lay down their arms and accept the Kabul constitution -- that any serious give-and-take is impossible. Were it at all serious, the White House would have to at least dangle the possibility of a power-sharing arrangement with the Taliban.
For too long, U.S. foreign-policy debates have lionized threats and confrontation and minimized realistic compromise. And yes, to be sure, compromise is not always the answer, and sometimes it's precisely the wrong answer. But policymakers and politicians have to be able to examine it openly and without fear, and measure it against alternatives. Compromises do fail, and presidents can then ratchet up threats or even use force. But they need to remember that the ever steely-eyed JFK found a compromise solution to the Cuban missile crisis -- and the compromise worked. | <urn:uuid:d0c1adf1-01f6-46c7-a618-7246d73ca081> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/10/08/the_lie_that_screwed_up_50_years_of_us_foreign_policy?page=full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97722 | 2,320 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Terrorizing Muslim Women
Posted by Nonie Darwish on Jul 12th, 2010 and filed under FrontPage
There is an article floating all over the Internet, “Joys of Muslim Women,” which discusses the horrific truth about how Islam legally treats women. The article claims to have been written by me, but that is false: I am not the author. Let me use this occasion, however, to set a few matters straight:
The silence is deafening around the world in regards to the inhumanity and brutality of Sharia towards women. Most of the activism against stoning, flogging and abuse of women under Sharia is heard from former Muslim women, like myself, and a few others in the West who dare to expose the truth.
Muslim women have no choice but to abide by Sharia, since rejecting it is grounds for the charge of apostasy, punishable by death. Having been exposed to Sharia for centuries, Muslim women have learned convoluted coping mechanisms to avoid Sharia’s wrath. Engaging in their own form of Stockholm Syndrome, most Muslim women publicly defend the very laws that enslave them. Even Obama’s advisor on Islamic affairs, Dalia Mujahed, stated that Sharia is “misunderstood.” Muslim women end up as the guardians of their own jails. It is women who often report younger girls who refuse to wear the head cover, and some wives cover up for the honor killing of a daughter by their husband or son. Many have accepted their inferior status and wear it as a badge of honor.
That is why there is no significant grass-roots feminist movement in the Muslim world today. Muslim feminists are routinely accused of apostasy — with its death penalty hanging over their heads. The only feminist movements to speak of in the Muslim world occurred during British colonial rule and, on a smaller scale, when the French conquered Egypt in 1798. By the end of the British rule, feminism ended inside the Muslim world.
Many Muslims claim that “Islam honors women” just as they claim that Islam is a “Religion of Peace.” The truth however, is just the opposite. Islam does not honor women, but rather holds their very lives in absolute bondage.
America must outlaw Sharia from ever being practiced by anyone on American soil. If we fail to do this, if we permit Sharia to creep into our legal system, we might as well say goodbye to our freedom. Here are just a few examples of what Muslim women must live under:
There is no age limit for marriage of girls under Sharia. A man can pay a dowry and sign a marriage contract with parents of a toddler girl and consummate the marriage at age 9. Recent cases in Yemen and Saudi Arabia exposed this tragedy when 8-year-old girls filed for divorce from their over 50-year-old husbands. Not one Muslim authority challenged the Saudi marriage high official, Dr. Ahmad Al Mubi, who stated in 2008, in an interview that aired on LBC TV: “There is no minimal age for entering marriage. The Prophet Muhammad is the model we follow.”
2] Islamic law states: “a Muslim will not be punished for killing an adulterer.”Islam, therefore, encourages honor killing of women. Since men have more sexual rights than women in Islam, it becomes harder to catch a man committing adultery. Thus women become more susceptible to becoming the victims of the above law, which allows vigilante street justice against adulterous women. I have never heard a Friday sermon stating that honor killing is forbidden in no uncertain terms.
A rebellious wife is one who “answers her husband coldly” or refuses to go to bed with him. Rebelliousness on the part of the wife nullifies the husband’s obligation to support her and gives him permission to beat her (Shafi Law m10 and m11 p. 541-2). The Prophet said: “A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife”.–Sunaan Abu Dawud, 11.2142
Divorce is only in the hands of the husband and is as easy as verbally saying “I divorce you.” Thus the wife is divorced whether the husband had the intention to do it or not. Law n3.2 p 559.
There is no community property between husband and wife in Islam. A Muslim wife would be lucky to inherit 20% from her husband. A man’s property after his death is not given to his wife, but is divided among many members of the family such as his parents, other wives; sons take double what daughters get.
A man has the right to have up to 4 wives. Polygamy is not just a right, but loyalty to one wife is discouraged. Mohammed said: “The best Muslims had the largest number of wives,” Bukhari 7.62.7. A Muslim man does not vow loyalty to his bride in the marriage ceremony and the bride must not expect it. In the Muslim marriage contract itself, the husband is asked to give name and address of wife number 1, 2 and 3 if any. (See a copy of the Muslim marriage contract in my book, chapter 2 of Cruel and Usual Punishment.) | <urn:uuid:ee43a548-5218-4745-9d4d-8d25d867cc2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.godofmoralperfection.net/new-page-76.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97199 | 1,083 | 1.90625 | 2 |
"Hushed in the smoky haze of summer sunset,
When I came home again from far-off places,
How many times I saw my western city
Dream by her river."
Sara Teasdale wrote only one poem specifically about St. Louis. Like many another writer, she was not comfortable in the city of her birth. When she died in 1933, she had lived away from St. Louis for nearly 20 years. Even her early poems, written when she was a student here and when she was a member of that talented group of young St. Louis women called The Potters, even these poems recount or evoke places other than this western city dreaming by the river.
But a poet's perceptions can give us a story that transcends her circumstances – and our own:
"Then for an hour the water wore a mantle
Of tawny gold and mauve and misted turquoise
Under the tall and darkened arches bearing
Gray, high-flung bridges."
Whether we are poets or historians trying to make sense of the world and our place in it, the picture that Sara Teasdale gave us nearly a hundred years ago is a part of the St. Louis story as surely as the stories we tell at the Missouri History Museum.
"Against the sunset, water-towers and steeples
Flickered with fire up the slope to westward,
And old warehouses poured their purple shadows
Across the levee."
(The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of St. Louis Public Radio.)
Bob Archibald is the President of the Missouri Historical Society | <urn:uuid:991731ed-bb14-46a5-9c23-2f300f27c68f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stlpublicradio.org/programs/commentaries/commentary.php?cid=1275 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959511 | 332 | 2.421875 | 2 |
When you smash a package, the following happens:
After the package is smashed, the symbols continue to exist, but all the information they contained is gone. By being uninterned they become eligible for garbage collection. Also, the chances of any objects they referred to being collected are increased.
CAUTION: Smashing destroys a whole package and all information within its symbols. Use it carefully.
Note: Any symbol whose home package is to be smashed can be retained by being uninterned before delivery commences.
LispWorks Delivery User Guide - 13 Dec 2011 | <urn:uuid:956d06ab-e915-4ab9-b881-30166946977d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lispworks.com/documentation/lw61/DV/html/delivery-241.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929349 | 116 | 1.546875 | 2 |
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Today's Top News
Wall St Protesters March on New York Stock Exchange
NEW YORK - About 500 Occupy Wall Street protesters marched from a New York park on Thursday to the stock exchange for a protest that the movement against economic inequality hoped would attract tens of thousands of people.
City officials were also prepared for a large crowd to converge around Wall Street in a bid to disrupt workers from getting to their desks in the financial district.
Scores of police were on duty and streets around the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street had been barricaded off. The protesters had acknowledged that they were unlikely to get too close to the heart of American capitalism.
The march is due to kick off a day of action at the birthplace of the Occupy Wall Street movement two days after police cleared a camp of hundreds of protesters from Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
"I feel like this is a beautiful moment to take back our streets, especially after the eviction. We need to prove we can exist anywhere. It's gone beyond a single neighborhood, it's really an idea," said Rachel Falcone, 27, from Brooklyn.
Most rallies by the 2-month-old movement have numbered in the hundreds of people in New York. A spokesman for the protesters said on Wednesday they expected tens of thousands for this one.
Peter Cohen, 47, anthropologist from New York, wore a suit for the protest in a bid to improve the movement's image.
"I have a job and (the suit) on because I'm tired of the way this movement has been characterized as a fringe movement," he said. "I'm not looking for money, I'm not looking for a job, I'm not a professional activist, just a normal citizen."
Inspired by the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street protesters set up camp in Zuccotti Park on September 17 and became the epicenter for the movement, sparking rallies and occupations of public spaces across the United States and re-energizing similar movements elsewhere in the world.
Protesters say they are upset that billions of dollars in bailouts given to banks during the recession allowed a return to huge profits while average Americans have had no relief from high unemployment and a struggling economy.
They also believe the richest 1 percent of Americans do not pay their fair share of taxes.
The clearing of the Occupy camp in New York followed recent evictions in Atlanta, Portland and Salt Lake City. Unlike action in Oakland, California, where police used tear gas and stun grenades, most protesters left voluntarily.
Megyn Norbut, 23, from Brooklyn, said she holds down three jobs and joined the protest on Thursday "because we got kicked out of Zuccotti and we need to show that this is a mental and spiritual movement not a physical movement."
"It's not about the park," Norbut said.
(Writing by Michelle Nichols, editing by Doina Chiacu) | <urn:uuid:e3672681-a9f8-4d0d-930a-4157d7a0e60e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/11/17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956419 | 686 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Posted by makintosh on Nov 2, 2011 1:16 PM (GMT-04:00)
Below are my thoughts on how to make friends. I'll cover a basic structure first, then go into some attitudes and principles towards the whole thing that I think are important. I've noticed people who are already good at making friends naturally tend to do most of the things I outline below without thinking about it.
Posted by makintosh on Nov 2, 2011 1:39 PM (GMT-04:00)
Your initial goal should just be to get some sort of social life going. So hang out with whoever you get along with and who seems interested in doing things with you. The first people you meet may not be your 100% ideal friends. The benefits of just being out there as opposed to moping around at home outweigh this. At the very least, it's easier to make further friends when you've already got a few. Also, if you're forming your first-ever group of friends, you probably don't totally know what you like or want in other people. You have to see what different types of people are like in a friend capacity firsthand. | <urn:uuid:c4cba98a-327b-4659-8e8d-efa45bac8130> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.g-unitsoldier.com/user/default.aspx?mid=7292481 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98043 | 239 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Health care professionals (HCPs) and their role in achieving MDGs 4 & 5: Multi-country workshops
HCPs first meet 2006
AUGUST 2006 | GENEVA - Representatives from international, regional and national Health Care Professional Associations (HCPAs) met in Geneva in August 2006, under the auspices of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. Several professional groups attended representing nurses, gynaecologists, obstetricians, midwives, paediatricians and pharmacists from both international, regional and national levels from Kenya, Canada, Turkey, Uganda and South Africa.
The group came together to develop a plan to strengthen national, regional and global health care professionals action for maternal, newborn and child health. This was first identified as an important step in the joint HCPA statement that was first developed for The Partnership Launch in September 2005. This joint statement suggests how HCPAs can fulfil their role in achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5, and can be found below, as well as on the Document link to the right.
Discussions included the challenges and opportunities faced by health care professionals (HCPs) at the country, regional, and international level. After identifying possible plans and solutions for these problems, groups set forth work plans at the national and international level for improved integration of HCPAs into debates, action and national programs for maternal, newborn and child health. By the conclusion of the meeting, definitive timelines had been set for next steps to further the involvement of HCPAs in efforts to achieve MDGs 4 & 5. These include advocating for greater cooperation between HCPAs, recognition of the role and capacity of HCPAs at all levels, information streams from headquarters to country offices of the large organizations such as the multilaterals on the decision to include HCPAs in maternal, newborn and child health program development and planning.
The group was led by interim Steering Committee members, Dr. Joyce Thompson of the International Confederation of Midwives, Dr. Andre Lalonde, Executive Vice President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, Professor of paediatrics at the Aga Khan University. | <urn:uuid:4e244eb6-bafd-4bdf-9b0c-db0548489d39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.who.int/pmnch/activities/human_resources/healthcareprofessionals/en/index1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944002 | 452 | 1.75 | 2 |
Archive for January 5th, 2009
Each of us has a hunger in our soul — sometimes called a “God-shaped” hole — that can only be filled by God Himself. Two now classic books speak to this hunger, Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God and J.I. Packer’s Knowing God.
In my Heartlight.org post this week, Drawing Nearer, I begin a several week look at the different ways we can “know” God. Of course, Jesus made the clear the importance of knowing God in the following statement He shared with His closest friends shortly before the agony of the Passion:
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
We will use what I call “Immanuel sayings” from the gospel of Matthew because they tell us four ways for God to reveal Himself to us in Jesus:
Through the story of Scripture with Jesus as a focus (Matthew 1:22-23)
Through radical forgiveness, accountability, fellowship, and worship (Matthew 18:20)
Through loving service to those in need (Matthew 25:40)
Through reaching past barriers and helping others know and live for Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).
I would like to challenge you to think through some things and get your comments, especially if you have read the Heartlight.org post, to the following questions:
Do you think addictions spring from folks yearning to know God, but trying false ways of doing that and getting trapped by Satan?
What is the biggest difference between knowing about God and actually knowing God?
The term “knowing” is a very intimate term in biblical language (see Genesis 4:1, 17, 25 and Luke 1:34 where the term refers to the intimacy of a husband and wife: modern translations do not keep the metaphorical “knew” but look at the KJV.). Why would the Holy Spirit choose that term to talk about our relationship with God?
How does eternal life hinge on knowing God? (John 17:3) | <urn:uuid:1f3e5974-48bf-4d29-b68b-5e61afe90525> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thephilfiles.com/2009/01/05/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951737 | 453 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV will have a $27,495 price tag when it goes on sale in...
Crazy Car Project's Electric Toyota 2000GT SEV
Back in 2007, Autoweek contributor Murilee Martin and I were wandering around the Monterey Historics. He commented, “I wonder if they have a 2000GT here. I've never seen one.”
“Come with me,” I answered, offering no clue to the sight that awaited him.
We walked around the infield to the Toyota display. As we 'rounded the bend, somewhere around 20 examples of the ultra-rare, delicious-with-side-of-delectable stab at ‘60s supercardom came into view. Murilee was verily agog, and with good reason. It's an icon of Japanese motoring — imagine if Chevrolet had only built 351 '63 ‘Vettes. Or if Aston Martin had only constructed 645 William Towns Lagondas. Perhaps the second statistic isn't exactly the most sterling example. Regardless, you get the picture.
While its performance numbers seem downright modest today, especially compared to Detroit and Maranello's contemporary fire-breathers, the 2000GT put the world on notice that the Japanese could do a sports car as well as anyone. Indeed, when the 2000GT set thirteen speed and endurance records in the fall of 1966, Porsche hauled out the vaunted 911R to answer the call.
So what of the machine before you? It's an electric 2000GT which just made its debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Some may call yanking the Yamaha-massaged SOHC straight six -- nearly as unique as the car itself -- from the engine bay and swapping in an electric powertrain an especially egregious act of automotive blasphemy. There's some merit to that argument, to be sure. On the other hand, would you look at it? It's like a perfectly-rendered anime rendition of its former self.
The first vehicle to emerge from Japan's Crazy Car Project, the electrified classic was constructed with input from Toyota, as well as industry heavies Panasonic, JBL and Gentex. Crazy Car Project refers to it as the 2000GT SEV, for Solar Electric Vehicle, owing to the blackout hood covered in photovoltaic cells. We can't imagine that they add all that much juice to the proceedings, but the color scheme strikes just the right balance between retro and modern, as does the wheel choice. Even the alcantara interior -- a hit-or-miss choice on many a resto-mod car -- looks fantastic. It's a machine that'd be easy to hate were the execution not so utterly fabulous. But in this particular case, it's so crazy that it actually does work.
VIDEO: Electric Toyota 2000GT SEV from Crazy Car Project
Get more car news, reviews and opinion every day: Sign up to have the Autoweek Daily Drive delivered right to your inbox. | <urn:uuid:e113a072-a328-4987-91a8-ed30a34775bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120113/CARNEWS/120119897/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950983 | 615 | 1.507813 | 2 |
It rains all the time in Seattle; we should have plenty of rainbows
But we don't. And the rainbows we do have are getting harder to see. This year, the University of Washington had only 118 black students in a class of 5,000 freshmen (1
).Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high
These appalling kinds of numbers bring occasional guilt attacks on the scientific establishment and institutions of higher education. They belabor and bemoan the all-white faces that appear in the University classroom. They stomp around and give a bit of lip service to the idea of bridging the gap and recruiting. But, after a few mass mailings to garbage cans around the country and some fancy new web pages, they throw up their hands and declare that they tried but the students are nowhere to be found.
Whatever the problem, somewhere down the line, someone isn't trying hard enough.
The Seattle school district enrolls roughly 46,000 children (2
), shouldn't we be able to find more than 118 black kids, who want to go to UW, in Seattle alone?
Let's do the math. Only 41% of the kids enrolled in Seattle schools are white; 22% are black (2
). With a few crude estimates, we can calculate that, if 1/13th of the kids in the district graduate every year (probably a high estimate
), and 22% are black, that would be almost 778 black kids. If even 25% of those kids were eligible for the UW, that would give us 194, or almost 200 black freshman, almost twice
as many as the number that started at the UW this year.
Of course, even if all 194 potential black freshmen did go to the UW, only some
would major in science. Still, if we don't start filling the pipeline, there will never be rainbows appearing in the lab.
What happened to all the black students from Seattle?
Maybe we could find out by working backward. We know students are more likely to get accepted into college if they take challenging courses in high school. That makes sense. So black kids should take challenging courses in high school, right? Got it. But do they? Can they?It all depends on middle school.
Entrance into advanced high school courses requires that a student must do well on the eligibility tests. Entry into some of the science programs, like the acclaimed biotechnology academy at Ballard High School, requires that a student be eligible for advanced math.
That makes sense, you need to know math to do science. All kids have the same opportunity to take the advanced math in middle school and learn the material for the test, right?
As a parent of a Seattle middle schooler, I've become acutely aware that kids can get recommendation letters from their teachers, meet the standard on the WASL, and place above the 97th percentile on the math portion of the Iowa Test and not be able to get into honors math in middle school because of limited space and a single Spectrum test. (Spectrum is an advanced program for kids with above average intelligence. Achieve is the McClure Middle school version of Spectrum. Seattle has another special program for really
smart kids (APP) but I won't discuss that here.)Blocking the rainbow from view
Part of the problem comes from block scheduling. Since kids are grouped in schedule blocks as Achievers or non-Achievers (is this a slight language problem or am I imagining things?
), they cannot take advanced math unless they score well on all portions of the Spectrum test.
In one fell swoop, kids who are weak in spelling but strong in math are rendered (potentially
) ineligible for advanced high school math programs. Kids can catch up. At least one of eighth grade teacher is trying to help, but why not let kids who want to take advanced math, take advanced math to begin with? Why leave kids bored and hanging and make them repeat 4th and 5th grade math all over again?
If kids could take one higher level class, rather than the double-barreled, homework intensive, combination of Achieve Language Arts and Achieve Math, maybe more kids could enroll in one or the other. Maybe this option would even minimize some of the stress and anxiety that some kids in the Achieve program experience.
Oops, you're at the wrong end of Spectrum
Honors math at McClure Middle School, and most likely other Seattle middle schools, as well, is mostly limited (at least in 6th grade) to kids who are in Spectrum. If there is space
, after filling the class with the Spectrum kids and kids who do well on the Spectrum test, other kids are allowed to join the class. Most of the kids, though, come straight from Spectrum classes in elementary school. Those kids, who are already in Spectrum, do not have to take a test. They are automatically in. As for the kids who do take the test, it gets more challenging at every grade level. The 5th grade version is far beyond than the test most Spectrum kids took in kindergarten.
Non-Spectrum kids have an opportunity, but only if there is space
. Spectrum kids automatically have first dibs on all spots.
What's the problem? you might ask. Don't all kids get an equal chance to be in Spectrum?Why is Spectrum at one end of the rainbow?
Let's continue our journey back in time and see what we find.How
do kids get into Spectrum in the first place?
The Spectrum track begins in kindergarten. Sometime in October, only a few weeks after school begins, really savvy
parents fill out an application to have their kids tested for Spectrum. Once kids are in the program, they stay in.Most of the kids are tested before they can read?
Right. The kids are tested in kindergarten.
Don't all kids take the test?
No. Kids only
take the test if their parents know about the deadlines and they apply for it. If a family doesn't have a stay-at-home parent who can attend school meetings and volunteer at the school during the day, they might miss this bit of insider information. Some Seattle PTAs even hold their meetings during the day, when it's more convenient
. Like the fraternities of old, some modern day PTA's could be called the secret societies of the school system.
Roughly half of the kids who attend McClure live in single parent households (3
). Needless, to say, those single parents are probably not
staying at home. It would be interesting to know how many of those kids ever took the Spectrum test, in kindergarten, or later.
Other parents have commented that kids in the middle school version of Spectrum (called "Achieve
" at McClure) are almost all (if not all
) white; where slightly over half (51%) of the kids at McClure not. It seems plausible, to me, that at least a few of the 100 non-white kids in the McClure 6th grade class, might be interested in advanced work, if they had an opportunity to try.Aren't teachers supposed to encourage students to take the Spectrum test?
Maybe, but I've never known this to happen. I have two children in Seattle schools and I've never seen high scores on the ITBS, or Direct writing assessment tests, translate into recommendations to try Spectrum. I saw quite the opposite. High stakes WASL testing and No Child Left Behind are a strong disincentive. No elementary school wants to lose a kid who might pass the WASL.
Elementary schools are also friendly nurturing places. Not all parents (or kids) want to change elementary schools, even if it means the opportunity to be in Spectrum.
Still, parents have a few years to figure out that Spectrum tests are in October and if kids miss the test one year, they can take a harder test the next.
In fact, some kids do exactly that. There are parents who have their kids take the Spectrum test every year, as a matter of practice. These parents may opt to keep their kids at the nearby elementary school, but they're not going to have their kids face the determining factor for middle school opportunities, unprepared. Especially, since the Spectrum test is the one test that will be used to determine if kids are eligible.
I've heard it argued that the assorted rainbow of kids wouldn't do well on the Spectrum test anyway, even if all kids took the test. Perhaps the non-verbal, kindergarten, version of the test might be fraught with cultural bias and other scary things.
I'm reluctant to arrive at conclusions, though, when the experiment has yet to be tried.
Certainly, it's wrong for the school district to exclude kids from opportunities based on a single test.
But what do we do when there are limited numbers of spots in advanced classes? How do we give all kids an equal chance to work up to their potential?Here's one idea:
We could tweak the registration system. A limited number of spaces in advanced classes might not be as great a problem if the middle schools could work together. Kids could register for advanced classes in either math, Language Arts, or both, as their first choice (rather than the middle school) and list their middle schools second. That way, if one school's advanced class filled up, kids, who want opportunities, could go to an advanced class at another school.
No doubt there are other, and perhaps better, solutions. Somehow kids who want to work harder and take classes like advanced math in middle school should have that chance.
After all, it's sure bet that if you don't take the opportunity to look, you'll never see a rainbow.References1.
Nick Perry "Bigger black enrollment still only a dream for UW"Seattle Times, Jan. 16th, 20062. Washington State Report Card
. Accessed Jan 27th, 2005.3. Seattle Schools
, 2004 Demographic Survey, McClure Middle School Accessed Jan 27th, 2005.Subject: Education
technorati tags: education | <urn:uuid:1ec5c9df-c23d-4f13-8465-c9b086f1ba80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalbio.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960767 | 2,076 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Link to this Article: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/810
Crocheted Rune Set Pattern
This article was written by Karen Glasgow-Follett
posted under Crafts
Recent years have ushered in a growing popularity of the use of runes in divination, magic, and meditation. This increase in popularity is reflected in the vast array of rune sets that are available for purchase.
The runes, like any tool of divination, are “oracles.” As oracles, the runes speak their wisdom both through their symbolism and through the method and the medium of their creation. So even with the wide variety of rune sets that are “ready to purchase,” it may still be difficult to find that special set possessing the language that speaks to you.
Once you have decided to make your own rune set, you will find numerous books and manuals that detail the techniques of creating rune sets. These superb books detail the physical techniques of engraving or etching the glyphs and the techniques of focusing the traditional runic messages into each rune that you create. Even with these wonderful “how-to's,” the tools, space, and skills required may be unobtainable or unappealing for some people. There are also many people who have discovered that working with sharp implements equates to injury and pain.
Since I belong to both of those two categories, I developed this crocheted rune set. The materials are inexpensive, readily available, and can be easily adapted to most personal tastes and wants. Since there is relatively little harm you can inflict upon yourself while crocheting, you can focus your attention on your “intent” instead of dividing your attention between the intent of the messages and the intent of not losing fingers.
The repetition of the crochet stitches creates a meditative mind set. The brainwaves shift from their active and alert beta state to a more relaxed and receptive alpha state. The alpha state is said to cycle at the same rate as the natural energy of the earth. This symbiotic cycling creates a flow of energy that focuses your intent on the runes that you create. The receptiveness of the alpha state also allows you to receive the messages from the runes that are unique to your relationship with this divination oracle.
Each finished rune is approximately 1.25 inches in diameter. To make these runes you will need to gather:
- One ball size 10 crochet thread for the main color
- One ball size 10 crochet thread as a complimentary color
- Size 7 steel crochet hook
- Cotton balls for stuffing the runes (you can add herbs or essential oils that compliment your intent with the cotton balls)
- A large eye needle for stitching the glyphs
- Optional fabric glue to tack down thread ends
The stitches that you will use with this pattern are: single crochets (sc)
slip stitches (slp st)
single crochet increases (sc inc - complete 2 sc in designated stitch)
single crochet decreases (sc dec - insert hook in first stitch, pull thread through work, insert hook in next stitch, pull thread through and complete single crochet steps)
Begin with crocheting 24 (25 if you use the blank rune) rune fronts in the main color and 24 (25 if you use the blank rune) rune backs in the complimentary color.
Loosely Ch 6.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (5 sc), ch 1, Turn.
Row 2: Sc inc in first sc, Work sc in each of next 3 sc, Sc increase in last sc (7 sc) ch 1, Turn.
Row 3: Sc in each sc across. (7 sc) ch1, Turn.
Row 4: Sc inc in first sc, Work sc in each of next 5 sc, Sc inc in last sc. (9 sc) ch 1, Turn.
Row 5 - 6: Sc in each sc across. (9 sc) ch 1, turn.
Row 7: Sc dec in first 2 sc, Work sc in each of next 5 sc, sc dec in last 2 sc. (7 sc) ch 1,Turn.
Row 8: Sc in each sc across. (7 sc) ch1, Turn.
Row 9: Sc dec in first 2 sc, Work sc in each of next 3 sc, sc dec in last 2 sc. (5 sc) Cut and secure thread.
After you have completed the fronts and backs, use the graph to stitch the glyphs. Cut enough complimentary color thread to complete the glyph, thread the needle and double the thread over. Each square of the graph represents one single crochet. You can either cross stitch or back stitch the glyphs utilizing these squares as a guide.
To finish your runes, align a front and a back with right sides facing out. Join the complimentary color thread to top right stitch with a sc. Sc in remaining 4 stitches across top of rune. (Do not turn work or use extra stitches to square off corners.) Work 9 sc along side of rune to bottom. Work 5sc across bottom. Lightly stuff rune with cotton / herb / oil mixture and work 9 sc along remaining side. Join to beginning sc with a slp st. Cut and secure thread. Weave in ends.
AUTHOR BIO: Karen Glasgow-Follett has been practicing witchcraft for over thirty years. As an avid crocheter for nearly thirty years, Karen has created many patterns that relate to magic and witchcraft. She currently lives in the midwest with her husband, two sons, and a menagerie of four-legged family members.
Please note that the use of Llewellyn Journal articles
is subject to certain Terms and Conditions | <urn:uuid:a0a8820e-f91f-4856-9b6e-dec34b1d7324> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/print.php?id=810 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921934 | 1,189 | 1.734375 | 2 |
An old breed, Viszlas date back to the 10th century Magyar people who used them for hunting. Highly regarded by warlords and nobility, these dogs were regarded highly and carefully developed for improved hunting skills. Translated as “pointer” in Hungarian, the Viszla has boundless energy, an excellent nose and wonderful abilities hunting and catching upland game. During the post World War II era, this breed was near extinction due to Russian control of Hungary. Fearing the disappearance of this wonderful dog, Hungarians smuggled them to Austria and America. In addition, this dog contributed to the creation and breeding of a number of other gun dogs, such as the Weimeraner and German Shorthair Pointer.
Photo Courtesy of Tamaron Vizslas.
A quiet dog, this dog rarely barks unless provoked. The Viszla is fiercely loyal and will become incredibly attached to its owner. Highly trainable, this breed is not only a wonderful pointer, it is also a distinguished retriever on land or in water.
Beautiful to look at, the Viszla has a solid golden-rust coloration that varies in shade. The coat is short and smooth, lacking an undercoat. As a result, this dog is more susceptible to cold and best kept indoors or in a warmer environment. As a household pet, many owners are pleased to discover that the Viszla is self-cleaning and has very little, if any, odor.
Males will be between 22 and 25 inches in height at the withers while females will be 21-24 inches tall. As a medium sized dog, the males will weigh between 45 and 66 pounds while the females will weigh 40 to 55 pounds. | <urn:uuid:6df52b82-bb08-49f4-a379-08e4c94539eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ultimateupland.com/dogs/vizsla.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959306 | 355 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Lingerie or underwear specially the womenfolk were not only worn by modern women only. The proof, 500-year-old lingerie found in A..
Lingerie 500 Years
Published on 2012-08-02 09:29:00
Lingerie or underwear specially the womenfolk were not only worn by modern women only. The proof, 500-year-old lingerie found in Austria. As proclaimed Dailymail, Tuesday (17/7), bra and panties that are thought to originate from the 15th century was found hidden in the castle Lekgberg in East Tyrol, Austria. After investigation, lacy lingerie is made of linen. Even more surprising, bra and panties that turned out to have been there hundreds of years before its existence is recognized women's underwear. In fact, bra and panties in the 15th century was similar to today's lingerie. By Hilary Davidson, curator of the Museum of London fashion art, said the finding is very surprising for the world of fashion. The reason, of medieval women not using bra and panties. In addition to her bra and panties, some three thousand fragments of clothing were also found at the site. Apparently, the clothes were deliberately buried to improve the castle in 1480 years ago.
read more: Lingerie 500 Years
© 2006-2013 OnToplist.com, All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:d530881c-18df-4d8e-8a4a-3ae7093794d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ontoplist.com/post/0b161f17e4d60fb1e54df2308e5c8ec0/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972103 | 281 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Please note: Starting May 20, 2013 the museum will close to the public so that staff can conduct a comprehensive inventory of the Culinary Arts Museum's holdings, a collection estimated to be more than 250,000 items. Find out more.
There are many kinds of cookbooks and the museum has over 60,000.
Find out more
Molds are used to transform everyday foods into edible works of art.
The home kitchen is where meals are made and memories created.
The museum has a diverse collection of advertising pieces.
Menus have taken on many forms throughout history.
See packaging using graphics, color, text and brand identity to make the sale.
Represents the everyday food ways of Africa’s diverse population.
The museum’s collection of art is an eclectic expression of creative talent.
Find out more
Johnson & Wales University to Conduct Inventory of Culinary Arts MuseumFormer RISD President Roger Mandle to Assist Museum’s Strategic Planning PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Feb. 25, 2013 — Johnson & Wales University (JWU) has announced that it will conduct a comprehensive
In an article by Nell Porter Brown, six small New England museums are featured. Among them, the Culinary Arts Museum Click here to go to Harvard Magazine online and read the article.
On June 3, 2012, the Boston Globe featured an article mentioning 101 must see places in New England.Check out number 23 Click here to read the article.
On February 24, 2012, New York Magazine published a web exclusive, entitled "Eat Your Way Through Providence." The Culinary Arts Museum was featured in the "What to Do" section. Click here to read the article.
This past June, a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) crew was on location to film for a BBC Four special, America on a Plate The Story of the Diner. Unfortunately, only those in the UK can view the program, but those
Rent the MuseumRent the DinerRent the Theater
Hours of OperationDirectionsAccommodationsAccessibilityFees
Culinary Arts Museum · 315 Harborside Blvd · Providence · Rhode Island 02905© 2010 Johnson & Wales University · developed by (add)ventures | <urn:uuid:a4e4882c-7b3b-4e3c-a654-31647aa0fcd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.culinary.org/Default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900035 | 459 | 1.914063 | 2 |
(1888-1989) was the most successful songwriter of the 20th century. Though, like his contemporaries, he spent the better part of his career writing songs (usually both words and music) to be used in Broadway musicals, he is better remembered for the songs themselves than for the shows (and sometimes films) in which they were introduced. This is because Berlin
was a master at the kind of music that flourished from the turn of the century until World War II, shows that were really just collections of production numbers, scenes, and novelty acts (organized vaudeville presentations, really) rather than the story musicals that became prevalent starting with Rodgers
and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
in 1943. It is also because Berlin
, who did not read music and could play the piano in only one key and only on the black notes (he used a special piano with a lever that changed keys for him and employed a musical secretary to notate his compositions), wrote songs, not scores.
But what songs! Out of more than a thousand, a short list would include "Alexander's Ragtime Band" (his first major hit, in 1911), "God Bless America," "A Pretty Girl Is like a Melody," "Always," "Blues Skies," "Puttin' on the Ritz," "How Deep Is the Ocean?," "Cheek to Cheek," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," "White Christmas," "There's No Business like Show Business," "I Love a Piano," "What'll I Do?" "Easter Parade," and "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." The last came from one of the two shows Berlin
organized and performed in during the two world wars (he can be seen in the film version of the second one, This Is the Army
became his own song publisher and built and owned a Broadway theater, the Music Box, to house his shows. Perhaps his greatest and his last hit came with the musical Annie Get Your Gun
in 1946, though he did write three more before retiring in 1962. | <urn:uuid:1dc99f59-c43d-48f5-98cf-71928dd9a862> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bigdog927.com/Music/Artist.aspx?id=3084 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987768 | 428 | 2.5625 | 3 |
A urine test checks different components of urine, a waste product made by the Reference kidneys Opens New Window. A regular urine test may be done to help find the cause of symptoms. The test can give information about your health and problems you may have.
The Reference kidneys Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window take out waste material, minerals, fluids, and other substances from the blood to be passed in the urine. Urine has hundreds of different body wastes. What you eat and drink, how much you exercise, and how well your kidneys work can affect what is in your urine.
More than 100 different tests can be done on urine. A regular Reference urinalysis Opens New Window often includes the following tests:
- Color. Many things affect urine color, including fluid balance, diet, medicines, and diseases. How dark or light the color is tells you how much water is in it. Vitamin B supplements can turn urine bright yellow. Some medicines, blackberries, beets, rhubarb, or blood in the urine can turn urine red-brown.
- Clarity. Urine is normally clear. Bacteria, blood, sperm, crystals, or mucus can make urine look cloudy.
- Odor. Urine does not smell very strong, but it has a slightly "nutty" odor. Some diseases cause a change in the odor of urine. For example, an infection with E. coli bacteria can cause a bad odor, while Reference diabetes Opens New Window or starvation can cause a sweet, fruity odor.
- Specific gravity. This checks the amount of substances in the urine. It also shows how well the kidneys balance the amount of water in urine. The higher the specific gravity, the more solid material is in the urine. When you drink a lot of fluid, your kidneys make urine with a high amount of water in it, which has a low specific gravity. When you do not drink fluids, your kidneys make urine with a small amount of water in it, which has a high specific gravity.
- pH. The Reference pH Opens New Window is a measure of how acidic or alkaline (basic) the urine is. A urine pH of 4 is strongly acidic, 7 is neutral (neither acidic nor alkaline), and 9 is strongly alkaline. Sometimes the pH of urine is affected by certain treatments. For example, your doctor may instruct you how to keep your urine either acidic or alkaline to prevent some types of Reference kidney stones Opens New Window from forming.
- Protein. Protein normally isn't found in the urine. Fever, hard exercise, pregnancy, and some diseases, especially kidney disease, may cause protein to be in the urine.
- Glucose. Glucose is the type of sugar found in blood. Normally there is very little or no glucose in urine. When the blood sugar level is very high, as in uncontrolled diabetes, the sugar spills over into the urine. Glucose can also be found in urine when the kidneys are damaged or diseased.
- Nitrites. Bacteria that cause a Reference urinary tract infection (UTI) Opens New Window make an enzyme that changes urinary nitrates to nitrites. Nitrites in urine show a UTI is present.
- Leukocyte esterase (WBC esterase). Leukocyte esterase shows leukocytes (Reference white blood cells [WBCs] Opens New Window) in the urine. WBCs in the urine may mean a UTI is present.
- Ketones. When fat is broken down for energy, the body makes substances called ketones (or ketone bodies). These are passed in the urine. Large amounts of ketones in the urine may mean a very serious condition, Reference diabetic ketoacidosis Opens New Window, is present. A diet low in sugars and starches (carbohydrates), starvation, or severe vomiting may also cause ketones to be in the urine.
Microscopic analysis. In this test, urine is spun
in a special machine (centrifuge) so the solid materials (sediment) settle at
the bottom. The sediment is spread on a slide and looked at under a microscope.
Things that may be seen on the slide include:
- Red or white blood cells. Blood cells aren't found in urine normally. Inflammation, disease, or injury to the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra can cause blood in urine. Strenuous exercise, such as running a marathon, can also cause blood in the urine. White blood cells may be a sign of infection or kidney disease.
- Casts. Some types of kidney disease can cause plugs of material (called casts) to form in tiny tubes in the kidneys. The casts then get flushed out in the urine. Casts can be made of red or white blood cells, waxy or fatty substances, or protein. The type of cast in the urine can help show what type of kidney disease may be present.
- Crystals. Healthy people often have only a few crystals in their urine. A large number of crystals, or certain types of crystals, may mean kidney stones are present or there is a problem with how the body is using food (Reference metabolism Opens New Window).
- Bacteria, yeast cells, or parasites. There are no bacteria, yeast cells, or Reference parasites Opens New Window in urine normally. If these are present, it can mean you have an infection.
- Squamous cells. The presence of Reference squamous cells Opens New Window may mean that the sample is not as pure as it needs to be. These cells do not mean there is a medical problem, but your doctor may ask that you give another urine sample.
|By:||Reference Healthwise Staff||Last Revised: Reference September 4, 2012|
|Medical Review:||Reference Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Reference Avery L. Seifert, MD - Urology | <urn:uuid:897c996d-bec2-44d3-92ce-a6943f2539c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pamf.org/teen/healthinfo/?A=C&type=info&hwid=hw6580§ion=hw6583 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915304 | 1,233 | 3.8125 | 4 |
This is Ethiopian Review Policy Research Center’s series on From Dictatorship to Democracy extracted/quoted from books and articles published by Albert Einstein Institution and similar sources.
Unfortunately, the collapse of a tyrant is not a time for a reduction in vigilance. Even in the event of a successful disintegration of the dictatorship, careful precautions must be taken to prevent the rise of a new oppressive regime out of the confusion.
The collapse of an oppressive regime will be seen by some persons and groups as merely the opportunity for them to step in as the new masters. Their motives may vary, but the results are often approximately the same. The new dictatorship may even be more cruel and total in its control than the old one.
The dictatorial structures will need to be dismantled. The constitutional and legal bases and standards of behavior of a durable democracy will need to be built.
No one should believe that with the downfall of the dictatorship an ideal society will immediately appear. The disintegration of the dictatorship simply provides the beginning point, under conditions of enhanced freedom, for long-term efforts to improve the society and meet human needs more adequately. Serious political, economic, and social problems will continue for years, requiring the cooperation of many people and groups in seeking their resolution. The new political system should provide the opportunities for people with varying outlooks and favored measures to continue constructive work and policy development to deal with problems in the future.
- Even before the collapse of the dictatorship, members of the old regime may attempt to cut short the defiance struggle for democracy by staging a coup d’état designed to preempt victory by the popular resistance. It may claim to oust the dictatorship, but in fact seek only to impose a new refurbished model of the old one.
To VIEW a Strategy for Armed Oppositions Unification as well as Landing Base for the Regime’s Military Defectors. CLICK:Strategy for Armed Oppositions Unification
To View the Beginning of Eruption Against Repression CLICK BELOW: | <urn:uuid:433f176e-2c87-4c04-ba35-af5357b77289> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ethiopianreview.com/research/5792 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950114 | 410 | 2.4375 | 2 |
SciberMonkey has been created by the Biochemical Society. It aims to support the teaching and learning of science for 5-14 year olds.
SciberMonkey has been created to trawl through search engine results and find the best information from the many good teaching resources already available, for free, on the internet. It’s a web portal containing the best websites, mapped against key themes and topics found in almost all science curricula. Results can be further refined by selecting the key words for each topic.
Each entry in the portal has been quality assured by science teachers.
The site has been designed to support both teachers and students. Children can use the website inside and outside the classroom through the pupils’ section. They can access appropriate resources by choosing the age group that applies to them. For each topic they can find a variety of different types of resources – from reading and revision materials to animations and games – all helping them get to grips with the subject.
The teachers’ section contains additional ‘teacher-only’ resources, including practical experiments, worksheets and other activities and visuals for use in the classroom.
SciberMonkey can provide a quick, easy and reliable way for pupils and teachers alike to access the best science websites on the internet for homework, revision and teaching aids. Well worth experimenting with, (fairly of course!)
Category: 2) Useful n Interesting | <urn:uuid:b19c7941-84db-458a-95ce-9ba394481cfc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timrylands.com/2012/06/11/scibermonkey-science/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948302 | 293 | 3.125 | 3 |
Red Home and Green Away
Team Shorts and Socks and
goalkeepers in Yellow
We all have a responsibility to
promote high standards of behaviour in the game.
In The FA's survey of over 37,000
grassroots participants, behaviour was the biggest concern in the game. This
included both the abuse of match officials and the unacceptable behaviour by
over competitive parents, spectators and coaches on the sidelines.
The FA's Respect programme is
aimed at tackling unacceptable behaviour across the whole game.
Play your part and observe The
FA's Respect Code of Conduct for coaches, team managers and club officials
at all times.
Show respect to others
involved in the game including match officials, opposition players,
coaches, managers, officials and spectators
Adhere to the Laws of the Game
Display and promote high
standards of behaviour
Always respect the match
Never enter the field of play
without the referee's permission
Never engage in public
criticism of the match officials
Never engage in, or tolerate,
offensive, insulting or abusive language or behaviour.
When working with players, I
Place the well-being, safety
and enjoyment of each player above everything, including winning
Explain exactly what I expect
of players and what they can expect from me
Ensure the parents/carers of
all players under the age of 18 understand these expectations
Refrain from, and refuse to
tolerate any form of bullying
Develop mutual trust and
respect with every player to build their self-esteem
Encourage each player to
accept responsibility for their own behaviour and performance
Ensure all activities I
organise are appropriate for the players' ability level, experience, age
Co-operate fully with others
in football (e.g. officials, doctors, physiotherapists, welfare
officers) for each player's best interests
I understand that breaches of
the code may result in action being taken by my County FA and /or The FA.
Back to the top......
Copyright © 2008 by RUGFC: All rights reserved. Revised: 07/11/07 23:01:38 +0100. | <urn:uuid:f6d6377d-159e-4914-b9b4-1209084b9106> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rugfc.co.uk/Respect_Conduct_Coaches.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912468 | 453 | 2 | 2 |
While doing research on the utica I have discovered the Trenton limestone that is below the utica. This was the most important oil bearing formation at one time in Ohio and actually started the oil industry in the 1800s. My question is: what is the future potential of the trenton limestone using horizontal drilling? We should be looking into this as a possible new source of income from leasing and royalties.
Makes sense to me. SOme of the permits say "plug back well to drill horizontally". I know the "target" to get to the sweet spot is the Utica - Point Pleasant interval. Makes sense they drill to the next formation to make sure you are where you want to be.
Although Range plans on drilling 2 - 4 wells over the next couple years, Range will take a “watch and see” stance and allow industry to drill Utica since our rights will be HBP by drilling Marcellus wells
My idea is to limit the formation to what they are going to drill in, let them come back at a latter date for more.
I agree completely. I will only lease the utica at this time. Ohio also has coal bed methane that could become very valuable at a later date. Does anyone know if the recent leases in Noble and guernsey involved only the utica or did they give away more in order to get those high bonus prices?
One of the high bonus leases in Guernsey County allowed for the landowner to keep the oil and gas rights from the surface to the top of the Queenston formation. Everything below that was leased;however, there was language in the lease allowing the landowner to regain the oil and gas rights below the utica should , at the end of the primary term, certain things not occur.
That is very interesting. Why do they want the Queenston formation? Are they going to drill for oil or will they inject brine into it?
The Queenston formation is the one just below the Marcellus. They use the name of it in these leases just to signify that the landowner is reserving everything from the surface down to and including the Marcellus. There is nothing of interest in the Queenston itself as far as I know. And as N. Halvor said, the leases he's referring to have a vertical Pugh clause that states that anything below whatever the lowest layer they produce from during the primary term (5 years) reverts back to the landowner. So if they only develop the Utica during the primary term, then the Black River/Trenton and everything below it reverts back to the landowner, and just like the Marcellus, would free to be re-leased.
Where is your area?
Does anyone know if the Queenston formation is an oil bearing formation?
Does anyone have a good readable formation later photo? I know the Clinton here is at about 3,200' but have seen it get lost in formation layer photos
Google " The Marcellus & Utica shale plays in Ohio" By Larry Wickstrom, Chris Perry, Matt Enterpeiss, Ron Riley. Ohio geological survey. Ohio oil and gas association. 3-11-11. This presentation has a chart of all the layers way past the Trenton. Its in color and has a depth measurement alongside it. | <urn:uuid:538a5540-c8da-4953-b416-8b374e063b73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gomarcellusshale.com/forum/topics/trenton-limestone-potential-in-ohio?commentId=2274639%3AComment%3A245462 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963136 | 683 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Castro's revenge: The Cuban oil rush
Seventy miles from Florida, a Cuban oil rush is underway - and U.S. companies can't join in, says Fortune's Carolyn Whelan.
(Fortune Magazine) -- Sometime later this year, less than 70 miles from Florida, a consortium of Spanish, Indian and Norwegian companies will likely start drilling for oil. It could mark the beginning of a Cuban oil rush - one that American oil companies won't be able to join, despite their proximity to the action.
And that has some U.S. oil industry executives and lobbyists seething, especially since the American Association of Petroleum Geologists calls the offshore Cuban oil deposits a "significant find."
U.S. oil companies can't play in these waters, of course, barred as they are by sanctions prohibiting them from doing business with Cuba. But irked at the irony of sanctions designed to isolate Fidel Castro that isolate them instead, some in the oil industry are seeking to exempt U.S. oil companies from the 45-year-old embargo.
Emboldened by a newly Democratic Congress and the potential for regime change in Cuba, oil industry lobbyists are promoting exemption bills. One, by Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho), never got out of committee last year. But Craig plans to reintroduce it in the Senate as part of a larger energy bill in the coming weeks, says spokesman Dan Whiting.
The House version, sponsored by Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), which would allow the sale of U.S. oil services and equipment to the foreign companies already exploring in Cuba, may also be revived.
"This is not the 1960s, when the Kennedy administration was protecting the U.S. from a possible missile attack," says Charles Drevna, executive vice president of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, which represents 450 companies. "These resources will be developed and produced - the question is by whom. Prohibiting U.S. companies from developing resources 90 miles away is an Alice in Wonderland approach to policy that must be revisited."
Call it Castro's revenge. With Cuba's leader sidelined by illness and its economy in shambles, a major oil find - estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey at 4.6 billion barrels, nearly two-thirds the amount in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - could give Havana a new lease on life. "Cuba could be a major regional player in oil," says Jorge Piñon, an oil expert at the University of Miami and a former president of Amoco Oil Latin America.
So far Cuba's oil production has been puny - just 68,000 barrels a day, compared with more than ten million by Saudi Arabia, the world's largest producer. With help from the Soviet Union, oil was discovered in Varadero in 1971. Production stayed at about 18,000 barrels a day until Canada's Sherritt International arrived in 1992 and started joint production with Cuba Petróleo. Currently Sherritt is responsible for almost half of Cuba's production, entirely onshore.
In 2004, Spain's Repsol YPF found signs of oil in deep water offshore. Last year India's ONGC Videsh and Norsk Hydro of Norway joined Repsol to explore its six blocks. Separately, Malaysia's Petronas won concessions for four blocks, reportedly after seeing fresh data from the Repsol-led consortium. ONGC also secured concessions for two more blocks. In January, Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA picked up rights to four blocks. China also has an exploration agreement with Cuba, and Chinese oil giant Sinopec has been leasing rigs to Sherritt and others.
Even if the choicest blocks have been taken, there would still be opportunity for U.S. companies if the embargo were lifted tomorrow. And Cuban officials say U.S. companies would receive the same treatment as others. "American energy companies and investment are welcome in our country," says Ernesto Plasencia, Cuba's commercial attaché in Washington, D.C.
Len D'Eramo, a spokesman for Exxon Mobil (Charts), whose refinery was nationalized by the Castro regime, doesn't deny interest in Cuban oil but says, "Cuba is a U.S.-sanctioned country, and we are not permitted to operate there."
The offshore blocks are in the seismic-study stage, but the Repsol consortium hopes to start exploration and drilling this year. Oil experts say production is at least three years away. "The potential for ultra-deep-water reserves looks quite promising," says International Energy Agency analyst David Fyfe. "If oil prices stay high, it keeps the frontier areas in play. But Cuba needs help to access those resources."
The Bush administration opposes any relaxation of the embargo. Last year it went to the trouble of warning the Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City that it would violate the embargo by hosting Cuban delegates to a conference on Cuban energy attended by executives from Exxon Mobil and other U.S. oil companies. The venue was changed. Getting a foothold in Cuban waters won't be as easy. | <urn:uuid:8eb86847-c217-44d0-9fe3-a264b1d6523d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/19/8402339/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971231 | 1,058 | 1.625 | 2 |
There are lots of traditional dances (tari) in Indonesia, thanks to many different ethic groups in its 27 provinces. Usually, each province has its own youth dance, war dance and greeting dance. All which were developed long before Indonesia became one country on August 17, 1945. We have collected a couple popular dances from each province. And you are sure to find much more when you actually visit Indonesia. Enjoy! | <urn:uuid:de1a20bc-3464-4455-94ae-096e35d74301> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://library.thinkquest.org/26300/dance.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958965 | 83 | 2 | 2 |
Mitt may find avoiding Medicare isn’t that simple
It’s one thing to say you’re not going to enroll in Medicare. But it’s hard to actually escape it.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign said on Monday — the Republican presidential candidate’s 65th birthday — that he doesn’t plan to enroll in the Medicare program.Continue Reading
Campaign aides wouldn’t be more specific, but they were likely referring to Medicare Part B — the piece of the program that pays for physician visits and tests. It’s optional for people over 65, but the majority of seniors — about 95 percent of them, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation — sign up for it.
Romney most likely will still be enrolled in Medicare Part A, which covers hospital services. That piece is much harder to avoid. But another high-profile Republican has tried to do it.
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey joined a lawsuit with several other individuals in 2008 against the Department of Health and Human Services to force the government to allow them to un-enroll from the program.
Armey’s argument was that even if he went into the hospital with Medicare Part A and a private insurer, the hospital would choose to bill Medicare because it is a more attractive payer. But he wanted to rely solely on the private insurance company because he said it provided better coverage.
But the D.C. District Court of Appeals last month upheld a lower court ruling that individuals cannot “choose” not to be covered by Medicare Part A.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh — who ruled in November that the lawsuits against the health care reform law should not be heard until at least 2015 — said the Medicare and Social Security laws don’t require the government to let anyone out of Medicare Part A coverage.
“Because plaintiffs are entitled to Social Security benefits and are 65 or older, they are automatically entitled to Medicare Part A benefits,” he wrote in the majority opinion. “The statute offers no path to disclaim their legal entitlement to Medicare Part A benefits. Therefore, the agency was not required to offer plaintiffs a mechanism for disclaiming their legal entitlement, and its refusal to do so was lawful.”
Get reporter alerts | <urn:uuid:303e0879-6b30-4a2a-aa16-71452d066276> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73954.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957513 | 469 | 1.671875 | 2 |
We are now entering the beta testing phase of our new Temperature Monitoring Program. We have invited 50 Monarch Watchers to receive prototype kits and participate in this testing; however, we invite everyone to join in discussions here as we flesh out the program and work out all of the kinks. If you have questions, suggestions, or comments along the way please let us know.
We have several goals for this program. One goal is to develop a thorough understanding of the growth of monarch populations in all portions of the country. To achieve this objective we need a network of participants who will monitor temperatures in monarch larval habitats.
Our attempts to document the growth of monarch populations by monitoring degree days, while revealing, has several failings. First, the degree days are calculated from temperatures measured at 1.5 meters at weather stations that are some distance from the observed larvae. Secondly, the estimating method we are using to calculate the degree days is known to have limitations. Thirdly, since monarch larvae appear to have some control of their body temperatures by exposing themselves to sunlight, they would appear to have the capacity to develop faster than would be indicated by simply measuring degree days. Our temperature loggers can help us resolve each of these problems. The loggers will allow all of us to obtain data at the site where larvae are developing rather than using temperatures from remove sites. We will also be able to calculate degree days more accurately by using hourly temperature measurements and we will be able to enlist volunteers and students to conduct numerous experiments that will reveal the extent to which larvae use the heating of the sun to shorten their development.
Then there are all of the other applications and lessons that are possible using this technology...Stay Tuned!
Here is the current geographic distribution of our Temperature Monitoring Beta Testers (49 is the U.S. and 1 in Canada): CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA(2), IL, IN(2), KS(7), KY, MA, MD (2), MI (2), MN(2), MO, NC, NJ, NY(2), OH, OK, PA(2), TX(8), VA, WI(3), WV(2), ONT
Last edited by Jim
on Sun Aug 27, 2006 7:17 pm, edited 4 times in total. | <urn:uuid:2dad75a3-d897-4631-a3fd-444577570ccb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://monarchwatch.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2559 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951182 | 468 | 2.5 | 2 |
Nuts to You
I’ve always been a nut about nuts. Back when I was a kid in the Parkmead School cafeteria, my mouth watered whenever I pulled a peanut butter sandwich out of my crumpled lunch sack. Saturday matinees at the El Rey weren’t complete without the crunchy nirvana of an Almond Joy candy bar. And I was ecstatic when Mom and Dad popped open a can of cashews for their bridge parties.
Then I grew up, was told that nuts are salty and fattening, and for a while did my best to snack on carrots and celery instead. But those days are done: I’m back to devouring nuts. Yes, they’re laden with fat—a mere handful contains around 200 calories—but I now know they’re fats that are good for me. In fact, the formerly naysaying experts have come full circle, and now are encouraging us to eat nuts on a regular basis.
“For years, the high calorie content of nuts gave them a bad rap,” says Christine Rosenbloom, a professor of nutrition and associate dean at Georgia State University. “But a growing number of studies confirm their value as part of a healthy, balanced diet.”
What makes nuts so healthy? Take your pick. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. They’re full of fiber. And they’re loaded with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, specifically the omega-3s so highly touted these days for reducing the risk of stroke, arthritis, and heart disease. The FDA has even okayed health claims on some packaged nuts, including almonds, pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, and pecans; labels can now say that eating about 1.5 ounces a day of most nuts “as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol” may lower your risk of heart disease.
Last September, nuts got another boost when the Journal of the American Medical Association published a pair of studies suggesting that Europeans who follow a healthy lifestyle and a Mediterranean diet, which includes plenty of nuts, are blessed with a lower incidence not just of heart disease but of cancer as well—and lead demonstrably more robust lives. And a separate study from Harvard published in 2002 found that women who ate peanut butter or other nut products five or more times a week significantly lowered their risk of Type 2 diabetes.
That was all the excuse I needed. And since I started eating nuts again, I’ve noticed that my borderline-high blood pressure has dropped. I can’t give nuts all the credit—I’m working on cutting out some of the stress in my life, too—but there could be a connection. Studies suggest that most nuts are high in the amino acid arginine, which helps relax blood vessels. Still, what I’m enjoying most about the good news on nuts is not necessarily the health payoff, but that a peanut butter sandwich is no longer a guilty pleasure.
This is a tangy cool-season comfort food that‘s loaded with distinctive flavors and antioxidant-rich ingredients. The blended cashews add a creamy dimension to this soup, along with muscle-fueling protein and heart-healthy oils. (Adapted from Morris Press Cookbooks; cookbooks4sale.com)
1 1/2 pounds carrots, raw (peeled and washed)
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup gingerroot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 1/2 cups cashew nuts, unsalted and either raw or dry-roasted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
(orange juice may be substituted)
Curry and/or coriander powder,
one pinch or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh chives or parsley for garnish
Peel and cut carrots into half-inch pieces. Place oil or butter in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic; sauté for about 15 minutes. Add broth, carrots, and (if using) wine. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until carrots are tender (about 45 minutes). Purée in blender with cashews. Season with juice, curry, coriander, salt, and pepper, as desired. Serve hot or cold with garnish. Serves 6.
Roasted Bell Pepper and Nut Salad
As colorful as it is yummy, this easy-to-make salad marries the spicy sweetness (and ample vitamin C) of fresh peppers with the crunchy boldness of nuts. (Adapted from Santa Fe Memories, by Richard Mahler.)
2 large orange bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 large green bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 large yellow bell peppers, halved and seeded
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Red pepper or chipotle pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 to 3/4 cup unsalted raw or dry-roasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, or pine nuts are recommended)
Preheat oven to 400°. Slice halves, top to bottom, and place them in a large bowl. Pour oil over the peppers and toss to coat. Place peppers, cut side up, on two or three baking sheets (make sure sides are high enough to collect the juices). Sprinkle lightly and evenly with salt. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until peppers are soft and skins are slightly blackened.
Rearrange baking sheets during cooking, if needed, to ensure even blackening of peppers.
Remove from oven and leave peppers on baking sheets. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers, then cut them into quarter-inch strips. In a large bowl, combine peppers and cooking juices, along with the remaining olive oil and vinegar, and toss lightly to coat. Cover and refrigerate, or let stand, at least an hour before serving.
When ready to serve, drain peppers and transfer to a serving platter or bowl, discarding marinade. Season with additional salt, if needed, and pepper flakes; sprinkle with nuts. Serves 6.
Pasta with Winter Squash and Walnuts
In this tasty, low-cost dish, nutrient-dense walnuts sharpen the mild flavor of cooked squash and boost the protein level as well. (Adapted from the book Eating Well for Optimum Health, by Andrew Weil.)
1 pound winter squash (buttercup, kabocha, or banana); peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 pound dried pasta (bow ties, shells, or penne)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, raw and unsalted
Salt and black or red pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Place the squash in a saucepan with a little water, cover, and steam until soft. Drain and mash. Cook pasta until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in skillet, add garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add mashed squash, parsley, and salt and pepper.
Toss drained pasta with squash mixture and top it with walnuts and cheese.
Nuts may be good for you, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to eat them any old way. The less they’re fussed with, the healthier they’ll be for you. Here are some guidelines for making the most of them.
Keep it simple. You won’t be doing your weight or your blood pressure any favors by indulging in nuts that are roasted in oil, excessively salted, or sweetened with honey or sugar. But raw nuts often don’t taste good. “It’s best to eat them dry-roasted, and minimally salted,” says Texas Children’s Hospital nutritionist Roberta Anding.
Don’t overdo it. Most nuts pack 160 to 190 calories and 14 to 19 grams of fat into a single ounce. “Consider putting single handfuls in plastic bags to snack on,” says nutritionist Christine Rosenbloom of Georgia State University. “That way you won’t end up eating too many.”
Buy a better butter. Peanut butter has a higher percentage of saturated fat than some other nut butters and many conventional brands contain sweeteners or partially hydrogenated oils to improve spreadability. Look instead for natural peanut, almond, and cashew nut butters, which are free of trans fatty acids and other additives.
Store smart. As a rule, whole nuts stay fresh longer. That’s because a nut’s fat is concentrated in its oils, which can oxidize and turn rancid when chopped, heated, or exposed to air or dampness. Once opened, containers of nuts and nut butters do best in the refrigerator. For long-term storage of whole nuts, use the freezer. “Most nuts have an optimum shelf life of two months at cool room temperatures, eight months in the fridge, and up to a year in the freezer,” says dietitian Cheryl Forberg, author of Stop the Clock! Cooking.
Be allergy aware. Peanuts, which are actually a legume, and tree nuts, such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts, are a leading cause of serious food allergies. Before serving anything made with nuts, be sure to let your guests know. | <urn:uuid:d4a5c1e6-4942-4453-8729-851eeae69b7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/food-recipes/nuts-you | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918716 | 2,054 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Sometimes long term predictions are correct. Back in 1994, The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) predicted that the IPv4 address pool would be depleted between 2005 and 2011. Here we are in February of 2011 and as of the first of the month, the last /8’s were handed out to the regional registries. Whether it’s the growth of mobile devices and emerging nations or just a final IPv4 land grab, users are requesting more IP addresses than are available.
But, where do we go from here? It looks like IPv6 is finally becoming a reality for everyone. A better question might be “How do we prepare for the migration?”
Here are some suggestions:
- Invest in some type of training. IPv6 is another change that IT will need to adopt and it’s always easier to just do it right the first time.
- Check your equipment. Obvious things like routers and switches are easy to identify, but what about that old printer on the 3rd floor with the toner cartridges from eBay because no one makes them ?
- Look into your software. Most run at the application layer but what about the network tools you use? Does your vendor have a history of quality IPv6 support?
- Develop a migration strategy. Have your service providers adopted a strategy? Is it better to run a dual stack environment or use a gateway? Maybe both will be required.
The next several months will determine how quickly we will all need to move on to IPv6. This migration is just like any other, whether it was from flat files to relational databases, copper to fiber, physical to virtual servers, or any other technology change. Remember to prepare and plan for your project.
Now if only the predictions about flying cars were as close… | <urn:uuid:799953c1-9829-4980-9bf3-4cc2f8a05f39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.whatsupgold.com/blog/2011/02/10/2900/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943831 | 367 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Beneath the high ceiling of the Harris Building Atrium, officials from and the city recognized another centennial milestone in the college’s history.
The “Honor New London” event drew a large crowd to the building to recognize the 100th anniversary of the successful culmination of the fundraising effort to start Connecticut College in 1911. The college is celebrating several centennial events this year.
The college began in response to Wesleyan University’s decision in 1909 to stop admitting women. A committee was formed to select a Connecticut site to start a women’s college, and after selecting a New London hilltop they asked the city’s help in raising $150,000. After a 10-day fundraising effort, the total amount topped out at $185,000. The state of Connecticut granted the school a charter in April of 1911.
“I think this says a lot about Connecticut College, our founding values, that we continue to value and cherish to this day,” said Leo Higdon, president of the college.
Higdon said the city showed a “greater than average drive and determination” and “knew the value of a new progressive college.” He said the fact that the city’s mayor, Martin Olsen, is a 1995 graduate from Connecticut College, is an example of the relationship between the school and the city.
Higdon presented Olsen with a lengthy proclamation, recognizing such factors as the residency of New London staff and alumni in the city; the city’s public schools accepting Connecticut College students as interns, volunteers, and student teachers; and the role of New London as a “vibrant and welcoming host city for the entire college community.” Higdon said the college will look forward to a second century of cooperation with the city.
Olsen joked that he was lucky to be mayor during several milestone anniversaries, including the ’s 100th year in New London and the 75th anniversary of the Coast Guard training ship Eagle. He said Connecticut College has contributed to the community through providing theater, sports, and other events for residents to enjoy. Olsen also presented the college with a proclamation, recognizing the school for creating jobs, providing an opportunity for higher education, and for sending to the city volunteers whom he described as “among the most active” in the community. The proclamation declared March 1, 2011 “Connecticut College Day.”
Tracee Reiser, associate dean for community learning at the college, said the school has relied on the community since before the 1911 fundraising effort due to the donations of land to form the college. She said students have worked on municipal projects such as gardens and health trails and raised thousands of dollars for local causes.
“These teaching and learning endeavors have strengthened the liberal arts education at Connecticut College,” said Reiser.
The event was in conjunction with the last day of an exhibit entitled “Connections: Connecticut College and New London” at the nearby . This show featured photography from Connecticut College students and staff, as well as historic photographs from the college’s archives. | <urn:uuid:67ee84d1-7063-43c7-9428-88a093c784a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newlondon.patch.com/groups/schools/p/connecticut-college-officials-honor-new-london | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966879 | 644 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Few prominent Jews have been more pro-Palestinian than Argentine-born, German-resident, PA honorary citizen, Daniel Barenboim. Some might call him an alter-juif. But apparently that’s not enough for Palestinian “activists” who want to boycott his appearance in Ramallah.
Pro-PA Conductor Barenboim: Persona Non-Grata in Ramallah
by Hillel Fendel
(IsraelNN.com) A wall-to-wall Palestinian Authority coalition announced its opposition and boycott of the Israeli orchestra conductor, despite his strong pro-Palestinian positions.
The acceptance of Palestinian Authority citizenship, strong support for the PA side in its dispute with Israel, continuing biting criticism of Israel, and Israeli nationalist opposition to him – all this is not enough to enable world-renowned musician Daniel Barenboim to perform in Ramallah without incident.
Barenboim appeared in Ramallah on Wednesday night in a Ramallah hall, conducting the Jewish-Arab orchestra – but a large coalition of PA elements loudly objected and called for a boycott of the event. Among those opposing Barenboim were the PA’s Union of Authors and Poets, the Union of Artists, and those involved in the official PA-wide campaign for a cultural boycott of Israel.
Barenboim, a Jew who once lived in Israel, received Palestinian Authority citizenship in January 2008 in a ceremony in Ramallah, explaining, “I believe that the fate of the Palestinian people is interwoven with that of the Jewish people… We are either blessed or cursed to live with each other, and I prefer the first option.”
Nice example of positive-sum thinking that goes back to God’s promise to Abraham: “those who bless you I will bless; those who curse you, I will curse.”
The noted pianist and conductor caused outrage in Israel even prior to that, refusing to be interviewed by an Army Radio soldier in uniform and insisting on performing compositions of the notorious Nazi icon Richard Wagner despite widespread protests.
Barenboim has also accused the Israeli government of “moral abomination” in its current ongoing defensive war.
Has he called suicide bombing “moral abomination”? Days after a vicious suicide bombing that killed twenty Israeli civilians, he remarked
Israel has to reinvent itself, the Palestinian people has to reinvent itself, each in its own way.”
Granted, his comment was without any direct reference to the bombing, but maybe that’s even worse.
Despite the above, the PA groups declared that their opposition to him is based on his diplomatic stance and their opposition to normalization with Israel. The joint Israeli-Arab orchestra that he established together with the late Arab-American anti-Israeli Edward Said, the statement said, “does not truly seek to struggle against the occupation and various forms of oppression of the Palestinian nation.”
In the world of Palestian doublespeak, does this mean: “this is wimpy stuff and it doesn’t seek to destroy the oppression of the Palestinian nation caused by the existence of Israel”?
The groups said that the orchestra seeks to overcome the hostility via music and dialogue, “without even mentioning the occupation and racism against the Palestinian nation.”
Again, translating: “dialogue and making music together would diffuse the hostility that the Palestinians legitimately feel, and our desire for justice/vengeance that we legitimately seek because of the unspeakable and unforgiveable things the Israelis have done to us.”
The opposition to Barenboim also cites his support for Israel’s right to defend itself, as well as his close relationship with Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who died in 1973.
Now the comment about Israel’s “right to defend itself,” is interesting. Mohit Joshi at TopNews elaborates:
Barenboim – otherwise known as a staunch critic of Israel’s policies
- had sparked their anger by stating in reference to last winter’s three-week offensive in Gaza that Israel had a right to defend itself.
That’s a rather interesting interpretation of Barenboim’s clear denunciation of Israel’s actions in Gaza, published in, surprise, the Guardian. In other words, anything short of complete agreement with the most radical Palestinian agenda will not do. (and these are “intellectuals,” cultural figures, professionals, not rabid Islamists).
To top it off, the same group told Leonard Cohen that if he plays in Tel Aviv, he can’t come to Ramallah:
Cohen is not welcome in Ramallah as long as he insists on performing in Tel Aviv… We considered his performance in Israel a form of complicity in its grave violations of international law,” the boycott groups said.(dpa)
In other words, as far as the Palestinians are concerned, Israel proper is so toxic a presence that merely going there makes you their enemy. (For a longer article on the Leonard Cohen affair, written before the decision cited above, see here.)
This is not the kind of atmosphere for peace that Obama’s reaching out was intended to create. Has his outreach not affected it at all, or has it fostered an even harder line? | <urn:uuid:f091a70b-b3c9-45f8-9b01-94c7688ec37e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theaugeanstables.com/2009/07/16/dissing-barenboim-taking-the-measure-of-palestinian-moderation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958061 | 1,113 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The lunar chart is specific for you, as it depends on your time and place of birth, etc, so don't worry about the star signs. The lunar fertility chart can be quite different to your menstrual chart, but they often align at times during the course of the year. From what I have read, you are most fertile if both your menstrual ovulation time and lunar peak time coincide (most fertile is not the same as guaranteeing the gender though). The next most fertile time is when your lunar peak is during menstruation, but of course not everyone is keen to BD then. The Odan Institute website says to maximise the success of predicting a girl, you should keep a chart. Mark day 1 as your first day of menstrual cycle. Mark day 9-18 on your chart as 'periodic days'. They say if your lunar peak occurs during this time your success rates are 87% for achieving the predicted gender. If your lunar peak falls outside these days and you get pg, they say the success of achieving the predicted gender is 100%. Personally I am not going to rely on it entirely, but try and include it along with diet and other tips I have got from in-gender.
With the lunar chart you are supposed to BD 24 hours before your lunar peak day and then ideally 12 hrs later. Apparently BD 24 hrs before is what can trigger the lunar ovulation. You do not BD after the date of your fertile peak. The Odan Institute gives you specific times to stick between. I am not trying to promote the Odan Institute in terms of buying one of their charts, as it costs money, but their website does have lots of FAQ which may help answer your questions.
By the way, the UK is in the Northern Hemisphere. GL with all the info out there. It can get a bit confusing can't it! | <urn:uuid:6f5eb171-8b93-49fa-88ab-e8bfe76f67b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.in-gender.com/cs/forums/t/234282.aspx | 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 | 0.963268 | 373 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Vision and hearing impairments are among the most common age-related conditions affecting the elderly. While there is an emerging literature regarding the profound functional, social, and physical and mental health consequences of either a vision or hearing impairment in later life, there is a dearth of existing knowledge regarding both short- and long-term consequences of dual sensory impairment for older persons. Yet, with the aging of the population, the numbers of older people experiencing a concurrent age-related loss in vision and hearing can be expected to grow substantially. Even current estimates of the prevalence of dual sensory impairments among the elderly range from 4% to 21%, depending upon used definitions and/or sources of data. However, our current body of knowledge on sensory loss is largely defined by a specific focus on either vision or hearing, with relatively little attention to the confounding effects of a concurrent age-related loss in both vision and hearing. While it has been suggested that "...the presence of two sensory losses increases the functional significance of each one..." (Luey, Belser, & Glass, 1989), little data exist to support or refute this hypothesis.
Thus, the primary purpose of this study is to identify the correlates and long-term consequences of dual sensory impairment among the elderly relative to functional ability; social support and social activities; use of formal community-based services; health and health care utilization; and mortality. Furthermore, this research is examining whether the short-term and long-term consequences of dual sensory impairment among the elderly are more consistent with the additive hypothesis (i.e., hearing + vision) versus the interactive hypothesis (hearing X vision) of the consequences of dual sensory impairment. Lastly, the study will test the generalizability of findings to major subgroups of the elderly in terms of race/ethnicity (i.e., African-Americans), gender (i.e., females), and age (i.e., the oldest-old 85 years or more).
Secondary analyses were conducted utilizing the Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA) Version 5 dataset. The 1984 Supplement On Aging (SOA) study, comprised of a representative, national sample of persons 55 years of age and older, provides baseline data from the 1984 interview. In the LSOA, persons age 70 and older at baseline were reinterviewed every two years (i.e., 1986, 1988, and 1990). Cross-sectional and time-lagged hypothesized relationships addressing the research objectives have been examined through the use of binary/ordered/multinomial logistic, tobit, negative binomial and Cox regressions, depending upon the level of measurement of the outcome and type of analysis performed. Structural equation modeling is being employed to examine the effects of dual sensory loss on global outcome domains over time (i.e., PADL functioning from 1984 to 1990) and to further test the additive vs. interactive effects of this chronic condition.
Sensory impairment status was determined by the following two questions: "Which statement best describes your (vision or hearing) even when wearing (glasses/contact lenses or hearing aid, respectively): no trouble, a little trouble, or a lot of trouble?" Respondents were classified as nonimpaired, singly vision or hearing impaired, or dual impaired based on these items.
The LSOA data clearly indicate a high prevalence of sensory impairments among elders age 70 and older; vision and hearing impairments were reported by 35% and 42% of respondents, respectively. Significantly, dual sensory impairment was found to affect more than one-fifth (21%) of the adults age 70 years and older in the United States. Findings also supported the supposition that minority populations are at greater risk for both single and dual sensory impairments.
A major trend in the current findings was the consistent negative relationship between sensory impairment and the major outcome domains, with the exception of mortality. Significantly, a vision impairment alone or in combination with concurrent hearing impairment accounted for greater functional disability, dissatisfaction with social interaction, more informal help received with PADL/IADL tasks, difficulties with physical functioning, greater risk of falls, and greater levels of health service utilization compared to persons with no sensory impairment or moderate hearing loss alone. However, there were relatively few instances where dual sensory loss increased the risk of poor outcomes over a single impairment in vision. Thus, the impact of dual sensory impairment in the lives of older people appears to stem largely from the negative effects of vision loss and fits the additive model (i.e., vision + hearing). However, in some instances (e.g., IADL function, formal and informal help received with IADL tasks), the combined negative effects of vision and hearing loss were found to be significant, and interacted in a way that could not be explained by considering the two sensory impairment statuses separately, thus supporting the interactive model (i.e., vision X hearing). Current findings underscore the need for expanded educational, rehabilitation and outreach programs for elders with concurrent vision and hearing impairments to support them in efforts to remain independent in their communities. The negative effects of sensory impairments also highlight the need to address sensory functioning as part of the regular clinical health assessment process for older adults. Education of both public and professional audiences is also needed to specifically address the effects of sensory loss, and emphasize that sensory loss should neither be ignored nor considered to be a normal part of aging.
The final report on this project was submitted to the AARP Andrus Foundation in August 2001. Manuscripts based on the final report are in preparation for publication.
Brennan, M. (2003). Impairment of both vision and hearing among older adults: Prevalence and impact on quality of life. Generations, 27 (1), 52-56.
Brennan, M., Horowitz, A., & Su, Y. (2005). Dual sensory loss and its impact on everyday competence. The Gerontologist, 45 (3), 337-346.
Brennan, M., Su, Y., & Horowitz, A. (2005). Dual impairment of vision and hearing and its effects on everyday competence in older adults over time. Manuscript under review.
Horowitz, A., Brennan, M., & Su, Y. (2001). Dual sensory impairment among the elderly. Final report submitted to the AARP Andrus Foundation. New York: Arlene R. Gordon Research Institute of Lighthouse International.
Brennan, M., Horowitz, A., & Su, Y. (2002, November). The widespread consequences of dual sensory loss among older U. S. adults. In I. Lissman and K. Boerner (Chairs), Consequences of sensory loss in old age. Symposium conducted at the annual scientific meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA.
Brennan, M., Horowitz, A., & Su, Y. (2003, December). Sensory impairment and risk of falling among older adults: The special case of dual impairment of vision and hearing. Poster session presented at the International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence, Arlington, VA.
Brennan, M., Su, Y., & Horowitz, A. (2001, August). Dual sensory impairment and cognitive function in older adults. Poster session presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
Horowitz, A., Su, Y., & Brennan, M. (2000, November). The impact of vision, hearing and dual sensory impairment on received informal support. Poster session presented at the annual scientific meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Washington, D.C.
Su, Y., & Brennan, M. (2001, November). Examining the effects of dual sensory loss on change in PADL and IADL function over time using latent growth curve analysis. In J. T. Newsom (Chair), Growth curve approaches to longitudinal data in gerontology research. Symposium conducted at the annual scientific meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Chicago, IL.
Su, Y., Brennan, M., & Horowitz, A. (2000, October). The effects of dual sensory impairment on living arrangements among older adults. Poster session presented at the annual conference of the State Society on Aging of New York, Albany, NY.
Su, Y., Horowitz, A., & Brennan, M. (2000, November). The effects of dual sensory impairment on functional ability among elderly adults. Poster session presented at the annual scientific meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Washington, D.C.
Su, Y., Brennan, M., & Horowitz, A. (2001, November). Dual sensory impairment and change in ADL function among elderly over time: A SEM latent growth curve approach. In J. Newsom (Chair), Growth curve approaches to longitudinal data in gerontology research. Symposium conducted at the annual scientific meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Chicago, IL.
Su, Y., Brennan, M., & Horowitz, A. (2001, November).Dual sensory impairment and health service use among elderly adults. Poster session presented at the annual scientific meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Chicago, IL.
Investigators: Amy Horowitz, DSW/PhD, Principal Investigator
Mark Brennan, PhD, Co-Investigator
Ya-Ping Su, PhD, Research Associate
Funded by: AARP Andrus Foundation
Project Period: 1/1/99 - 6/30/00 - 12/30/00 | <urn:uuid:f8542cb1-c132-4f40-8efb-aed4feb52bd4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lighthouse.org/research/archived-studies/dual/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914682 | 1,952 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Note to self - never store the information on books you're intending to review at the bottom of your library bag. You won't find them for months...
I started looking for a genealogy guide specific to Connecticut this summer and stumbled across Connecticut Researcher's Handbook (Thomas Kemp, Gale Research, Detroit, MI, 1981). This guide is screaming for an update and reissue. It dates from 1981 and is no longer easily obtainable. I found a copy at the local library.
This book is divided into two sections. The first is a bibliography entitled "Connecticut General Subjects." That portion touches on everything from Jewish history to information on loyalists. While it is now outdated, it is still a valid starting point for research. The second part of Connecticut Researcher's Handbook covers counties and towns. The county pages are somewhat vague. They contain the county organization date, a list of towns within that county, and a list of published works about that county. The town pages are possibly my favorite of the resources. They list the name, county, organization date, and parent town. They follow with cemetery listings - and the appropriate citation for the Hale Collection; transcriptions of census and church records; the name of the library and historical society; the probate district; the coverage of the town vital records collection and more.
Much of the author's work is now outdated, but a few sections are still of great use. The town clerk's vital record coverage can be almost impossible to determine without help. All towns had to keep records after 1897; some towns started much earlier. Probate districts can also be confusing. Your ancestor's will may be three towns away from his residence because of the probate districts. This guide, although it does not take into account recent changes in districts, can provide a starting point for finding the appropriate court.
I would love to see this book reissued for the internet age. It has great bones. With a little work, it could be a fantastic current resource. | <urn:uuid:62b20324-aa6e-4eeb-a776-27b03b6ac475> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://charteroakgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/01/connecticut-genealogy-book-review.html?showComment=1327059732902 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949335 | 407 | 2 | 2 |
How do we know what's really important to a person, or to a corporation, or to an institution?
One way, of course, is how we choose to spend money, and I've written before about how child welfare agencies do that. But there's also another good measure: What we choose to celebrate.
The father who has memorized the schedule of his favorite football team but always forgets his children's birthdays is sending a message. So, too, is the child welfare agency which claims that its first priority when a child is taken away is to reunify that child with her or his birth parents, with adoption as the second choice, but chooses to celebrate only the supposed second choice.
In general, adoption is the right second choice; for some children it is the right first choice. Adoption can be, both literally and figuratively, a life saver for a child; it should be one important component of any good child welfare system; and there is nothing wrong with celebrating it as one avenue to permanence. But if the true intent of child welfare systems is revealed by what they celebrate, then one of the most noble concepts in child welfare, that urgent need for permanence for children, has been perverted into a synonym for adoption and only adoption. Reunification gets lip service until everyone in the system, from frontline workers, to agency chiefs to top judges can get what they really want – children taken from poor people and placed with middle class families; families like their own. The real agenda of most child welfare systems, and most of the people in them, is made apparent every year on National Adoption Day, or, as it should properly be called, National Child Welfare Hypocrisy Day.
The day actually is celebrated on different dates in different states, but it's always in November. You know the drill. Open the court on a Saturday, bring in cake and balloons, finalize foster-child adoptions en masse – and reinforce every stereotype about how the system rescues children from horrible birth parents and places them with vastly superior adoptive parents. And, of course, get a guaranteed puff piece in the local newspaper, with no tough questions. This one, from the St. Petersburg Times is typical:
In general, a courthouse is not a happy place. People go there to get divorced, to fight eviction, to file for bankruptcy, to watch loved ones sent away to prison. You see a lot of suffering, and you hear it in the cries and cursing that echo through the hallways. Forty children, sugar-laden with sheet cake and bouncing around a lobby with balloons, made Friday an exception at the county courthouse in Tampa. As part of a National Adoption Day celebration, they were legally united with "forever families," mothers and fathers giving them a one-way ticket out of the foster care system. …
The treacle aside, it's almost certainly inaccurate. Given what we know about adoption "disruption" for some of the children, it may well be round trip. And, as is discussed below, stories like this one make such tragedies, and others, a little more likely.
If nothing else, this is the day when almost everyone in almost every child welfare system in the country, from frontline workers to agency chiefs, show their true colors. This is the day that makes them genuinely happy. Yet all these same players will turn on a dime and blather on about how their first priority is reunification. Well, if that's your first priority, why aren't you celebrating it? Why is there no national reunification day? Why is there no happiness expressed over doing what you yourselves claim is priority #1? Why don't reporters note that, when a child finally gets to return to the birth mother she loves after months or years needlessly separated, that, too, can bring some happiness to a courtroom?
The answer is obvious: It's not priority #1. Priority #1 is carrying out those middle-class rescue fantasies –taking children from people like them and placing them with people like us; people of the same race and, especially the same income level, as your average caseworker, judge, lawyer – or reporter. (No newspaper took the whole "people like us" thing as literally as Foster's Daily Democrat and its sister papers in New Hampshire, where a four story 4,900-word Sunday package of glop and goo about adoption day included a sidebar in which the saintly foster mother –who kept complaining about not getting enough taxpayer money for her adoptions – was none other than the newspaper's managing editor!)
For almost everyone working in the system, the truth is that keeping families together is the broccoli on the child welfare menu and adoption is the dessert. National Child Welfare Hypocrisy Day is another way to bring out the dessert tray before anyone's eaten their broccoli.
The exceptions are few and far between. The first to recognize the hypocrisy was Marc Cherna, long-time reform-minded leader of the human services agency in Allegheny County, Pa. He was the first to create an annual celebration of reunified families and push it at least as hard as the adoption celebration. After NCCPR started spreading the word about this, a few – very few – other communities followed suit. New York City has done it for the past few years (though their effort is somewhat tarnished by other recent statements and actions undercutting their own recent reforms). New Jersey has done it at least once, and the Miami region of the Florida Department of Children and Families did it recently and plans more such events. There probably are one or two others I haven't heard about. But that's it.
In comparison, there are hundreds of Adoption Day events.
But it's not just hypocritical, it's also dangerous.
When the only kind of "permanence" that receives any reward is adoption the message to the frontlines is obvious: Don't try to reunify, rush to terminate parental rights. And that's exactly what happens. In Kentucky it led to a scandal, as the Lexington Herald-Leader exposed "quick trigger adoptions" with workers rushing to terminate parental rights in cases where children may never have needed to be taken from their parents. The only difference between Kentucky and the rest of the nation is, in Kentucky, the Herald-Leader, was paying attention. That caught the attention of NBC Nightly News which offered an excellent overview of the Kentucky scandal.
But there are other dangers as well. Year after year, terminations of parental rights outrun actual adoptions. The result: A generation of legal orphans with no ties to their parents and little or no hope of adoption – with or without cake and balloons - either. The combination of these non-financial incentives, plus the adoption bounties paid by the federal government goes a long way to explain why the number of children who "age out" of foster care each year with no home at all has soared 41 percent since 1998.
And then there is the matter of where these children wind up.
Another reason for the mad rush to adoption-at-all-costs is the fact that getting those adoption numbers up is the one time a child welfare agency is guaranteed good press. Everyone knows the reporters will write a story like the one quoted above and not ask any tough questions about whether the children really needed to be taken, and how carefully the adoptive parents were checked out. And then, the same journalists will wonder how it could happen that children like Ricky Holland and Timothy Boss in Michigan and others across the country could be murdered by adoptive parents - in effect, adopted to death.
Of course abuse in adoptive homes is rare – just like abuse in birth parent homes. The bigger problem is adoption "disruption," when agencies rush children into a bad match and the parents change their minds. No one really knows how often that happens – child welfare systems almost never ask questions to which they don't want to know the answers. Some rough estimates are in NCCPR's Issue Paper on adoption.
But whether the problem is legal orphans, disruption or, rarely, severe, even fatal abuse in adoptive homes, it's all encouraged by adoption bounties and the adoption day mentality, both of which promote quick-and-dirty, slipshod placements. Indeed, even Marcia Lowry, who runs the group that so arrogantly calls itself "Children's Rights" has said that "… Congress should realize that far too many states … when they do, for example, raise their adoption numbers, are doing so by including many clearly inadequate families … along with the genuinely committed, loving families who want to make a home for these children, just to 'succeed' by boosting their numbers." That her own lawsuit settlements have been known to push states the same way is a contradiction someone might want to ask her about someday.
Nowhere is the adoption-at-all-costs mentality more deeply-ingrained than in Michigan.
For that, we can thank a number of politicians, most recently Maura Corrigan, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. When she was Chief Justice one of her first moves was to create a task force on adoption – not a task force on permanence – a task force on adoption. But her pride and joy has been creating more Adoption Day celebrations than any other state. Thanks to Justice Corrigan's crusade, the website of the Michigan Supreme Court – the state's chief "impartial" arbiter of termination cases - is slathered in promotional material for adoption – without so much as a single word on behalf of reunification.
In theory it is possible for one or more justices of this court to give a speech touting adoption in the morning, preside at an adoption luncheon at noon – and hear an appeal of a termination of parental rights that afternoon.
One can only imagine how much courage it took, therefore, for a lowly trial court judge to point out the harm Michigan's adoption mania has done to children. In a scathing essay, Judge Kenneth Tacoma exposed the giant surge in legal orphans and the sharp rise in children "aging out" of Michigan foster care. Wisely, the judge targeted not Corrigan, but earlier fanatical efforts to promote adoption-at-all-costs in Michigan as well as the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act, the law that pays those bounties for finalized adoptions. The article prompted even Corrigan to have some second thoughts – but not enough to prompt her to push for, say, a "reunification day" in Michigan courts, or to turn her adoption crusade into a permanence crusade.
Not even the tragedy of Ricky Holland could do that. Ricky Holland was taken from a birth mother who might have been able to care for him had she gotten the right kind of help. He was placed with well-to-do adoptive parents. The adoptive mother tortured him, and ultimately murdered him. This was one of those cases with more "red flags" than a Soviet May Day parade. Throughout the process, the Michigan child welfare agency ignored one blatant warning sign after another. We don't know why. But such behavior is to be expected in a system that lavishly rewards pushing adoption, and frowns on anything that would interfere with getting those adoption numbers up. (At least the Michigan press paid attention when Ricky died. When Timothy Boss was adopted to death years earlier, it barely got a mention.)
Most Michigan counties celebrate adoption day Tuesday. Perhaps this time, somewhere in that state, a reporter will ask a tougher question than "How's the sheet cake?" | <urn:uuid:d8bb3987-bc79-442f-9195-fda7303131a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nccprblog.org/2008/11/national-child-welfare-hypocrisy-day.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966117 | 2,361 | 2.046875 | 2 |
No, No, a Thousand Times No
Many women have trouble saying “no.” I have been described as tough and tenacious and strong-willed. Yet, saying “no” is still hard for me, whether it means saying no to my kids, my clients, my friends, or unsuitable suitors.
I was raised as a good girl; one who doesn’t disappoint or discourage. Like many women raised in the 1960s, we were groomed to be nice and accommodating. We were teachers' pets and nurturing girlfriends, wives, and mothers. We were taught to eat our vegetables and complete our homework and be respectful and somewhat passive employees.
After years of saying yes to tasks and people, I am finally starting to realize that too many yes sirs (or yes ma’ams) only leads to resentment…to toxic clients and business relationships…to friends who take advantage. That only results in anger and anxiety. Yes is not always the right answer.
When faced with a choice to take on a project, a request, a date, or even that piece of chocolate cake I know I really shouldn’t eat, I now pause and take a deep breath. If my gut says no, I go with my gut. One can be a “good girl” and still be a “no girl.” I am developing a new lexicon, and I don’t respond with “maybe” or “not now” if I know that the right answer is a definitive “NO!” Some of my favorite new phrases are:
- That’s really not comfortable for me.
- I know that’s what you want/need, but it’s not what I want/need.
- I’ve said yes to those requests in the past and it hasn’t ended well.
- I don’t do that kind of work (or eat that kind of food or spend the time doing those types of things).
Turning things and people down still creates a bit of anxiety and angst. I will listen to persuasive arguments and logic. I can still be persuaded to turn my no to a maybe or a yes if the situation is low-risk. Yet the benefits of no-ing include more time doing things I truly love, an inner circle of friends and clients who have my best interests at heart, and a feeling of tremendous confidence and liberation.
So try it out: Say no at least once this week. And say yes to your own emotional health and well-being!
Nancy A. Shenker is the founder and CEO of theONswitch®, a New York-based marketing company and nunumedia, a publishing venture she launched in 2010 with a line of business comic books. Her latest book, with Lindsay E. Brown, is a guide for young women entering the working world, entitled“Don’t Hook Up With the Dude in the Next Cube: 200+ Career Secrets for 20-Somethings.” Nancy was formerly a marketing executive at Citibank, MasterCard, and Reed Exhibitions. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and New York University’s publishing program. She conducts workshops and webinars on personal branding, social media, public relations, and e-marketing.Click here to comment. | <urn:uuid:dfc5f66a-ae9b-43e6-b5bb-914e81099d14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thirdage.com/blogs/no-no-thousand-times-no | 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 | 0.952783 | 703 | 1.773438 | 2 |
CNN Opens I-Report Hub in Second Life
CNN's in-world I-Report hub includes a news desk where CNN producers will hold weekly editorial discussions, and an amphitheater for larger in-world events, such as training sessions and appearances by CNN anchors and correspondents. Details. [JH]
Regulating Your Second Life: Defamation in Virtual Worlds
Bettina Chin, Editor-in-Chief of the Brooklyn Law Review has deposited Regulating Your Second Life: Defamation in Virtual Worlds in SSRN. Her note is published at 72 Brooklyn Law Review 1303 (2007). Here's the abstract:
Although the issue of virtual harm has never been raised in real-world courts, virtual worlds like Second Life have become increasingly significant in terms of both time and money for their users. As such, it is important to develop theories of how the law may apply to and resolve disputes that originate in these worlds. This Note will therefore argue that because users have imported real-world concepts, specifically currency and economy, into the metaverse, it would behoove brick and mortar societies to provide for redress if a user suffers pecuniary loss in these worlds. This Note will also explore certain ambiguities inherent and unique to the virtual environment when traditional elements of defamation law are applied to it. Moreover, this Note will argue that real-world courts should be the proper forum in which to litigate defamation actions, where victims suffer pecuniary loss due to the fall of their reputations.
Law Prof Gives Lecture in Second Life Today
Joshua Fairfield, visiting professor of law at Washington and Lee University, will deliver a lecture titled "Anti-Social Contracts in Virtual Worlds" today. The lecture will take place at 11:00 am pacific time. Fairfield's talk, which is part of the Metanomics Series sponsored by Cornell University's Johnson School of Management, will focus on the uses and limits of contracts in governing interactions in virtual worlds. For links and details, read the press release. [JH] | <urn:uuid:0f66fb8c-df04-4b79-a255-330db55d3ccc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://3lepiphany.typepad.com/3l_epiphany/second_life/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937204 | 419 | 1.664063 | 2 |
If any painting could be labeled “not safe for work,” it’s Gustave Courbet’s 1866 L'Origine du monde (in English, The Origin of the World; and, once again, NSFW). Banned even from Facebook, proving that prudery’s alive and well in the 21st century, Courbet’s graphically realistic painting of a woman’s nude torso went unseen by the public until 1988 and didn’t enter a museum collection until the Musée d'Orsay accepted it 7 years later. An article in Paris Match (available only in French) reports that a painting has been found that is the “lost” upper half of the painting (shown above), which shows the face of the model of the infamous work. Courbet experts argue over whether or not this really is part of the original L’Origine, but if it is, what does that discovery mean for that painting and for how we see (or don’t get to see) what has become the most controversial painting ever?
Like all good tales, this one begins in the most surprising of places—a simple used furniture store. Looking for bargains, an art buff (who prefers to remain anonymous) stumbled across the painting and on a hunch purchased it after haggling the owner’s price down to just a little under $1,900 USD. The new owner then consulted Courbet authority and author of Courbet’s catalogue raisonné Jean Jacque Fernier, who told Paris Match that “The Origin Of The World finally has a face.” Citing stylistic similarities, results of chemical and spectographic tests, and the way that the frames and weave of the canvases match up, Fernier stakes his reputation on the connection between the pieces, going so far as to include the portrait in the updated catalogue raisonné, the academic stamp of approval. That stamp of approval naturally comes with a bump in value, which some estimate at $55 million USD.
Other scholars, including those connected with the Musée d'Orsay (the “bottom” half’s home), reject the idea that this is the lost face of L’Origine. Fernier offers as another piece of evidence a contemporary sketch apparently showing the full-length work before the separating surgery was performed, but critics counter that the sketch, which may not be by Courbet, either shows a rejected idea or another work (perhaps lost) entirely.
This is just the latest, but not the strangest chapter in the history of The Origin of the World. The standard mythology around the painting begins with an alleged commission by an Ottoman empire diplomat named Khalil Bey. Khalil Bey already owned Ingres' The Turkish Bath and another Courbet titled The Sleepers, but wanted to add to his private collection of erotic paintings. When his finances turned sour, the diplomat sold his collection, including L’Origine, which then passed through several, presumably male hands. In 1889, Edmond de Goncourt found the painting hidden behind a wooden panel in an antique shop. The painting resurfaced again in 1910 in Budapest, where later Russian troops briefly seized it in the chaos of World War II, before the owner paid the requested ransom. The owner then fled to Paris with the painting, where it was sold at auction for 1.5 million francs in 1955 by Jacques Lacan. The painting remained out of the public eye until a Brooklyn Museum show about Courbet in 1988. In 1995, 14 years after Lacan’s death, as part of the estate’s inheritance tax settlement, the painting entered the French government collection of the Musée d'Orsay, where it remains today.
The story of the alleged “face” may never be known, but a good guess can be made about the model of the face (and, presumably, the bottom half). Joanna Hiffernan, a red-headed Irish beauty who became model, muse, and lover not only to Courbet, but also to James Abbott McNeill Whistler. A vivacious, fiercely intelligent woman, Jo painted as well as modeled, but she is known primarily today for her modeling (clothed) for Whistler’s for Symphony in White, No. I: The White Girl and Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl. Hiffernan’s also identified as one of the sleepers in Courbet’s The Sleepers, which Khalil Bey also owned, so perhaps diplomat’s commission came with a special request for a sequel, this time in extreme (and extremely erotic) close-up.
Hiffernan’s long been suspected as the model for L’Origine, but this top half, if truly part of the painting, could end all speculation. Assuming that L’Origine’s finally been reassembled, the question must be raised as to who and why dismembered it in the first place? If Courbet did it, was he trying to protect Hiffernan in some way, realizing the first full-length painting was a mistake? If so, why not destroy the facial portrait entirely? Perhaps Courbet couldn’t bear to destroy his work and his lover’s image. Maybe he never suspected that the two halves would or could ever be reunited. I doubt Khalil Bey performed the surgery considering his already proven appreciation for Jo’s full-length figure in The Sleepers.
The question foremost in my mind is how this reunion changes the painting and how we perceive it. Presented purely as female genitalia with the title The Origin of the World, the non-erotic message is clear: here’s where all life springs from, which is a beautiful, rather than a dirty place. Presented without the influence of the title, however, does L’Origine become the pornographic, dehumanized, almost misogynist image hidden away from the public eye in one way or another for nearly a century and a half? Is the “other half” of the painting actually the title and not its face?
But what does the face finally tell us. By all accounts, Hiffernan was a bright, bold, sexually liberal woman for her time. In Whistler’s Symphony in White, No. I: The White Girl, Jo meets the viewer’s gaze with her own, albeit in a symphonically long white dress. What does it mean that the model turns away? Can’t she meet our gaze directly, like the model in Édouard Manet’s Olympia, painted 3 years before Courbet’s L'Origine du monde, the most controversial painting in the world prior to L'Origine du monde, and another resident of the Musée d'Orsay? Granted, the model in Olympia covers her genitalia with her left hand, but she’s otherwise on full erotic display, which is made even more brash by her unwavering gaze at the viewer.
But shouldn’t Hiffernan be looking out, too? By turning away, is Hiffernan dramatizing her sexual abandon? Is this a moment of sexual rapture, an acknowledgment of female sexual pleasure on an epically realistic scale rarely scene before or since? Or is this a moment not of abandonment to the throes of passion but of abandonment to the male gaze and the “virtual” male touch? Does reconnecting the face to the torso of L'Origine du monde reconnect and reenact a kind of rape scene Courbet couldn’t allow out of his hands? Could Hiffernan have seen the complete work and vetoed it on the grounds of that possible interpretation, which she may have seen more quickly than Courbet? Could she have tolerated a faceless visual violation by a high-paying private collector and not the more intimate idea of her face, and maybe her soul, being part of the exchange?
Even if we are able to recreate the L'Origine du monde, we’ll never be able to recreate the thought processes and negotiations that went on during its origin and reimagining. If this really is the face of The Origin of the World, then the most controversial painting in the world may have become even more controversial by resurrecting issues of sexuality as old as the origin of the world itself. | <urn:uuid:e67b5807-983e-406a-82f2-e227bfe791aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bigthink.com/Picture-This/is-this-the-missing-half-of-the-most-controversial-painting-ever | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955207 | 1,773 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Bak Kut Teh in the Hokkien or Fujianese dialect literally translates to pork rib tea. This rich herbal soup contains dong gui (Angelica Sinensis), known for its warming properties. For this reason, it is popularly eaten as a supper or late night meal in Malaysia and Singapore. Over here in Minnesota, I like to cook it in the winter as it helps ward off the cold.
In the old days, the herbal mix can only be purchased at the Chinese “medicine shop”. Today most grocery stores in Malaysia and Singapore carry them in sachets where the herbs are ground to a powder. These sachets can also be found here in the US. I much prefer the real thing with the whole herbs. Whenever I visit my mom in Malaysia, she will take me to the “medicine shop” where the Ah Pek will combine the herbs into neat packages and seal them for me.
Each “medicine shop” has their own mix of herbs and no two are the same. The way of preparation also differ from person to person. The lighter colored soups tend to be more peppery while the darker colored ones tend to be sweeter and more herbal. I prefer the darker, more herbal version.
These are the herbs and spices from one of the packages from the “medicine shop”…
I added the following ingredients…
**Not shown are rock sugar, garlic, and pork ribs.
I used boneless pork ribs as I did have baby back ribs. You can also use a mix of ribs and meat, if preferred. There is also a unique Malaysian version called Chik Kut Teh where the pork is substituted with chicken.
Herbs that are not eaten should be placed in a muslin filter bag so that the soup remains clear.
- 10 cups water (2.5 liters) water
- 1 packet Bak Kut Teh herbs, rinsed and drained
- 3 slices Dong Gui (Angelica Sinensis), rinsed and drained
- 12 Chinese mushrooms, soaked, rinsed, and stalks removed
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 bulb garlic, separated but not peeled
- 2 lbs (900g) baby back ribs or pork ribs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 small piece (10g) rock sugar
- 12 small tofu puffs, cut in half
- 24 tofu skin knots, rinsed, soaked for 20 minutes, drained (optional)
- ¼ cup (30g) goji berries, rinsed and soaked for 10 minutes, drained (optional)
Bring water in a large pot to a boil. Place all bak kut teh herbs, except for spice sachet, Solomon’s seal rhizome (yok chok), and red or black dates in a muslin filter bag. Dong gui should also be placed in the muslin filter bag. When water comes to a boil, place muslin bag, spice sachet, yok chok, dates, and mushrooms in the water.
Heat canola oil in a large fry pan. Add garlic and pork ribs. Sear ribs for about 3 minutes. Stir in dark soy sauce. Turn off heat and transfer pork ribs and garlic to huge pot. Add rock sugar. When liquid comes back to a boil, season with salt. Reduce heat to low and allow it to simmer for about 1½ hours. Add tofu puffs, tofu skin knots, and goji berries. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Discard muslin filter bag and spice sachet.
Serve with steamed rice, yew char kway (aka as you tiao orChinese crullers), and cut chilies in soy sauce.
Bak Kut Teh is best served hot with steamed rice or fragrant rice cooked with shallot/garlic oil, yew char kway (aka as you tiao or Chinese crullers), and cut chilies in soy sauce.
If you are interested to source and put together the herbs, you may want to include the following…
Bak Kut Teh Herbs and Spices
3 slices dong gui (Angelica Sinensis)
30g dang shen/tong sum (Codonopsis root)
30g chuanxiong (Rhizoma ligustici)
I small piece (10g) shu di huang/lo sok tei (Rehmannia)
2 pieces gan cao (licorice root)
2 star anise, crushed
1 stick cinnamon, crushed
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
½ tsp white peppercorn, crushed
50g yu zhu/yok chok (Solomon’s seal rhizome)
10 red or black dates
¼ cup (30g) goji/wolf berries
All ingredients except the last three should be placed in a muslin filter bag. Red or black dates and goji berries should be soaked, rinsed, and drained before use.
Note: Black dates tend to be sweeter than red dates. Measurements are only approximations. Please adjust according to taste.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 8) | <urn:uuid:6085cb37-14a2-468a-8450-b1c6b7a639f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rotinrice.com/2012/01/bak-kut-teh-pork-ribs-tea/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902098 | 1,106 | 1.5625 | 2 |
This is the first of an occasional “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” series, gossiping about couples having difficulties in Revolutionary New England.
As I described yesterday, Sarah Wyman of Woburn married Ichabod Richardson in 1770. Six years later, Ichabod was captured while serving on a privateer and disappeared into the British prisoner-of-war system. In 1782, Josiah Richardson, a survivor of the skirmish at Lexington, proposed marriage to Sarah, then living as a widow with a ten-year-old son. And then her first husband came home.
A document about Americans held in Britain’s Forton Prison indicates that at some point Ichabod Richardson escaped. Woburn authors say he was “pressed into the British service,” serving in the British army or navy. As the war wound down (though it didn’t end until late 1783), Ichabod made his way home. And found his wife newly remarried.
Unfortunately, the historical record is silent on how everyone reacted emotionally to the situation. Ichabod and Josiah Richardson were probably related but not closely; there were a lot of Richardsons (and Wymans) in Woburn.
The whole awkwardly extended family appears to have sat down and come to an agreement about what to do next. Legally, the result was a contract between the men, but it reflects the choice that Sarah made for the sake of her son, young Ichabod. Abram E. Brown published the document in Beneath Old Roof-Trees (1896):
Ichabod Richardson and Josiah Richardson StipulationJosiah agreed to walk away from the marriage, and Ichabod to resume it. Josiah took his stuff and left Sarah with hers, and the men agreed that whoever sued first would have to pay £100. Both Richardson men signed the document, and men named William Fox and Josiah Johnson witnessed it. And that was the end of Josiah and Sarah Richardson’s marriage.
Whereas Ichabod Richardson of Woburn in the County of Middlesex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts shop joiner [i.e., cabinetmaker], about six or seven years since, (during the unhappy Difference between Great Brittian and America), the Colonies Inlisted him on board one of the American Privateers, leaving behind his wife Sarah, by which, he had Issue, one son, in which unlucky voyage he was taken Prisoner by the Brittians and was carried to Great Brittian and from thence to the East Indies, which occasioned him six or seven years absence; without any the least notice to his said wife Sarah, of his being in the land of the living.
During this uncertain interim the said Sarah in a desolate state, Josiah Richardson of said Woburn, blacksmith, being left a widower, married the said Sarah.
But so it happens at this present time, the said Ichabod is now returned and puts in his claim to his said wife Sarah, which by reason of their said son she preferres to live with in the future…and they the said Ichabod and Josiah, for the amicable settlement of the unhappy affair between them, stipulate as follows, namely the said Ichabod on his part, on the penalty of one hundred pounds, lawful money, stipulates with the said Josiah, his heirs and executors to pay discharge, and Indemnify him and them from all demands of what nature so ever against the said Sarah, at and until the time of her intermarriage with the said Josiah, and from all for the future, and that he the said Josiah shall Retain all the goods by him, the said Josiah and the said Sarah, Procured since the time of their intermarriage, during life.
And he the said Josiah, on his part stipulates with the said Ichabod, his heirs and executors, on the penalty of one hundred pounds like money, to discharge the said Sarah from the obligations of such marriage, and to Restore all the goods she brought with her at that time.
In confirmation of all above written, they have hereunto interchangably set their hands and seals, this fifteenth day of February, one thousand seven hundred eighty three.
Young Ichabod grew up and married Ruth Baldwin in 1791. His father died the following year, said to be age fifty. I can’t trace his mother.
The gravestone above is that of Deacon Josiah Richardson (1747-1795) of Woburn, husband of Jerusha Brooks. Yes, it’s yet another man named Josiah Richardson! But I don’t know what happened to the blacksmith who was so briefly married to Sarah. | <urn:uuid:bae54330-d369-4700-a7b1-3fc6c1901b84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2010/04/sarah-richardson-she-prefers-to-live.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976738 | 994 | 3 | 3 |
Elyssa Emsellem's Bio
Elyssa Emsellem is a recent graduate from the Bullis School in Potomac Maryland and a rising freshman at Connecticut College. She is an active teen who played tennis for her high school and will continue to play for her college. She loves to do 'normal' teen stuff such as hanging out with her friends, shopping, and having a good time. In addition to playing competitive tennis, she was an active member of her high school community participating in such programs as Peer Mentors, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and Logos (the high school's literary magazine).
Elyssa describes having a sleep doctor for a mother as an 'interesting experience' that has ingrained the idea of sleep into her brain. At times, the constant reminders about sleep become overwhelming, but she admits that it has helped her develop sleep patterns that work for her and even develop some strategies of her own. Her almost 19 years of sleep experience has given her some creditability among her peers who often ask her about their own sleep habits and advice. She hopes that with this book parents will be able to understand the teenage point of view about sleep, but also inform adolescents of their own sleep behavior and, hopefully, be able to make an impact on the school systems that are a disservice to teenage sleep and learning. | <urn:uuid:78d5a620-ba5b-4a57-a3c4-5f41e3bb3dc3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.snoozeorlose.com/index.php?id=35 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983052 | 274 | 1.742188 | 2 |
One-time director of the prestigious Hazomir Choral Society, Leo Low was a composer of both secular and liturgical music, a prominent choral conductor, and a champion of Jewish/Yiddish choruses.
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Leo Low was one of the most prominent conductors of Jewish choruses in his era and the most celebrated champion of the Yiddish folk choral art in Europe and America. Born in Volkovysk, in the Grodno province of Russian Poland, he graduated from the Warsaw Conservatory in 1900. In 1908 he became choirmaster of Warsaw’s culturally sophisticated Tlomacki Synagogue, where he also functioned as resident composer/arranger. Appointed to direct Warsaw’s Hazomir Choral Society—Europe’s most prestigious Jewish secular chorus—Low became the chief musical force within Warsaw’s exciting Jewish cultural renaissance and introduced a powerful Yiddish folksong element into Hazomir’s perspective. He immigrated to the United States in 1920 and became director of the The Patterson, New Jersey Choral Society and of the National Workers Farband Choir, the socialist/labor-oriented chorus in New York. He composed important Yiddish choral and solo settings and was equally involved with writing for the synagogue. | <urn:uuid:eda3366e-ff51-4f86-85e7-4b74f3ff380f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://milkenarchive.org/people/view/all/513/Leo+Low/full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949113 | 288 | 1.851563 | 2 |
You do not need to be a young or nimble to participate in yoga exercise. Many people worry they are too out of shape or too old to do yoga. But, the truth is, you are never too old to improve flexibility and strength, and yoga is a wonderful tool for increasing both.
Strengthen Your Core
Asanas are a series of yoga poses that stretch your muscles. These poses are designed to increase joint lubrication which in turn increases your range of motion in the joints. In addition to lubricating the joints, the stretches warm up muscles which can also release the lactic acid build-up that causes stiffness and pain. And the benefits are exponential. As you continue to practice the asanas, your increased range of motion will allow you to perform the asanas more precisely further escalating your flexibility and strength.
Yoga stretches not only work your muscles and joints, but all of the soft tissues of your body including ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheaths that surround your muscles. And, no matter your level of yoga, improvements in these areas will begin in around eight weeks or less.
Ashtanga or “Power Yoga” is more vigorous than Hatha or Iyengar. Ashtanga will improve muscle tone, while Hatha Yoga improves strength and endurance. This is because, although there is less movement, you hold the poses more precisely and for a longer periods of time. Poses such as “downward dog,” “upward dog” and the “plank pose” build upper body strength. This is very important as we age. Nearly all yoga poses increase strength in the core of your body. The standing poses build strength in the hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles, while other poses like the “upward dog” and the “chair” pose strengthen your lower back.
Improve Your Lung Capacity
Although yoga is not typically performed as an aerobic activity, lung capacity also improves because of the controlled, deep breathing throughout the excercises. Concentrating on your breath is a practice that brings oxygen into your lungs and, ultimately, to your muscles. Along with oxygenating your blood and therefore your body, it also induces a relaxation response which reduces stress-producing adrenaline. Breathing deeply also improves oxygen flow to the brain adding clarity of thought along with a sense of calm. The consistent results of tranquility produced by yoga exercise/ breathing has researchers exploring the effects of yoga on depression, a common problem with the elderly.
Lower Blood Pressure
Two other universal, age-related, health changes are increased heart rate and higher blood pressure. Regular, consistent yoga exercise lowers blood pressure and slows the heart rate. Yoga can be a key treatment in significantly reducing heart disease and levels of cholesterol when combined with proper diet, a much better alternative to the surgery often required to correct the damage done by these two “silent” assailants of good health. Only 30 minutes a day of stretching and strengthening asana poses is recommended by AARP. And, because yoga is portable, you can practice it wherever you happen to be. All you need is a yoga mat, thick rug, or soft towel.
Look how yoga was able to help Arthur to gain control of his life:
In keeping with MoMM’s policy of “intelligent healthcare takes awareness, implementation and a back-up plan,” always, check with your doctor before starting any exercise program, and make sure you have the proper health care coverage through a company that will help you locate a qualified doctor no matter where you are. | <urn:uuid:3e795551-dbaf-49cb-a418-61666794868e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mexicoonmymind.com/you-can-do-yoga-no-matter-where-you-live/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948303 | 742 | 2.28125 | 2 |
The department offers programs leading to a bachelor’s degree in either liberal arts or education, with specializations in athletic training, health education, outdoor recreation, physical education or sports science. There are eight majors and 11 minors. A master of science degree is also available for students wishing to pursue advanced study in exercise science. The department’s programs are designed to build on a student’s liberal studies foundation, give a broad overview of the health and fitness fields and offer a focused preparation in the student’s choice of profession.
Most programs in the department include an internship, field experience or student teaching experience. These programs also help students prepare to earn certifications such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health and Fitness Instructor Certification, the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) Accreditation, and relevant Michigan teacher certifications.
The athletic training program prepares students to take the Board of Certification Examination in Athletic Training.
The teacher education programs in health and physical education are accredited by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The athletic training program is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). A program within outdoor recreation leadership and management is accredited by the Wilderness Education Association.
The school has one of the finest physical education buildings of its kind: the Physical Education Instructional Facility (PEIF). This facility includes four gymnasiums, several classrooms, a pool and dive tank, an exercise physiology and biomechanics lab, athletic training labs, a high ropes course and an instructional dance studio.
The Student Recreation Center is also located in the PEIF and features aerobic and weight training equipment, basketball courts, a student lounge and an indoor climbing wall.
The Outdoor Recreation Center provides programs and equipment rental.
Additional facilities include the Superior Dome (the world’s largest wooden dome) and Berry Events Center. The Superior Dome seats 8,000 for football, soccer and softball. When the turf is retracted, basketball, tennis, volleyball and track and field are available. The Berry Events Center, which seats 3,675, has an Olympic-sized ice surface and is the home for Wildcat hockey and basketball and United States Olympic Education Center (USOEC) speedskating.
Student placement and/or employment in public school systems, athletic training agencies and outdoor recreation leadership management agencies generally stipulate that applicants possess good moral character and strong judgment. The ability to successfully pass the rigors of Northern Michigan University’s HPER Department helps to validate or ensure these prerequisite qualities in our majors. Each student is therefore advised that school systems and agencies will perform a background investigation on potential employees. The nature and scope of the background investigation is the prerogative of the specific school system or agency and is ordinarily subject to the consent of the applicant. Lack of consent would ordinarily remove an individual from placement and/or employment consideration. Additional information in this regard is available from academic advisers, the department head or the director of teacher education student services.
Before applying for admission to the athletic training program, applicants must fulfill the following requirements:
The technical standards set forth by the Northern Michigan University athletic training educational program establish the essential qualities considered necessary for students admitted to this program to achieve the knowledge, skills and competencies of an entry-level athletic trainer, as well as meet the expectations of CAATE. The following abilities and expectations must be met by students admitted to the athletic training education program. Failing to fulfill these technical standards with or without reasonable accommodations will result in a student not being admitted into the program. Compliance with the technical standards does not guarantee a student’s eligibility for the Board of Certification Examination in Athletic Training.
Candidates for selection into the NMU athletic training major must demonstrate the following:
Once accepted into the athletic training education program, students will be required to have a brief physical exam to ensure he or she meets all program technical standards. The physical exam is conducted by the contracted medical director of the athletic training education program and is of no charge to the student.
The Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department admits a limited number of students to the athletic training program each year. If the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of placements available, the faculty reserves the right to select the applicants who shall be admitted. The remaining eligible applicants may apply for admission the following year. Ordinarily, students may expect to complete the entire program in approximately three academic years after being admitted to the athletic training program, assuming that they complete all of their courses satisfactorily and in sequence.
Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from off-campus clinical assignments.
Students who withdraw from the program and wish to re-enter must follow the same application and admission procedures as all pre-athletic training students.
Community health education majors and management of health and fitness majors must achieve a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher in all major courses. In addition, students are expected to follow a lifestyle commensurate with their professional aspirations. Sports science majors must achieve a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher in all major courses.
See Retention in the Athletic Training Program (above) for information on this major.
Students majoring in outdoor recreation leadership and management must achieve a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher in all major core courses.
Students majoring in secondary education health education or secondary education physical education or minoring in health education secondary education or physical education secondary education must maintain a grade point average of 2.70 or higher with no grade below a “C” in the professional education sequence, the major and/or minors and required cognates combined.
Liberal Studies: Complete information on the liberal studies requirements and additional graduation requirements, including the health promotion requirement, is in the “Liberal Studies Program and Graduation Requirements” section of this bulletin.
Courses within each major that can be used to satisfy liberal studies requirements are listed with the Roman numeral (in brackets) that coincides with the liberal studies division the course falls under. | <urn:uuid:36e836f6-d3d4-4b66-b548-f7151c3217d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nmu.edu/bulletin0910/node/72?DeptCode=1254840921 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94443 | 1,251 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Liverpool archdiocese to put Confirmation before First Communion
CWN - January 25, 2011
The Archdiocese of Liverpool has announced plans to change the order in which young people receive the sacraments of Christian Initiation, placing Confirmation before First Communion.
Beginning in the fall of 2012, children above the age of 8 will be invited to receive Confirmation and First Communion between the feasts of the Ascension and Corpus Christi. They will be encouraged to make their first Confessions later in the year, during Advent.
An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:
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Posted by: MontanaPadre -
Jan. 25, 2011 1:35 PM ET USA
I'm not sure by reading the original article, but my guess is that the children will make their 1st Confessions the Advent prior to Confirmation/1st Communion, not later the same year which is the impression I got reading this article. That is how it is done in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. | <urn:uuid:ec8a609c-2b36-4cfe-a284-e0835ec6e7dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=9022 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938236 | 323 | 1.679688 | 2 |
A small amount of bleeding is to be expected following the operation. If bleeding occurs, place a gauze pad directly over the bleeding socket and apply biting pressure for 30 minutes. If bleeding continues, a moist tea bag can be used for 30 minutes. If bleeding occurs, avoid hot liquids, exercise, and elevate the head. If bleeding persists, call our office immediately. Do not remove immediate denture unless the bleeding is severe. Expect some oozing around the side of the denture.
Use ice packs (externally) on the same side of the face as the operated area. Apply ice for the first 36 hours only. Apply ice continuously while you are awake.
For mild discomfort use aspirin, Tylenol or any similar medication; two tablets every 3-4 hours. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) 200mg can be taken 2-3 tablets every 3-4 hours.
For severe pain use the prescription given to you. If the pain does not begin to subside in 2 days, or increases after 2 days, please call our office. If an antibiotic has been prescribed, finish your prescription regardless of your symptoms.
Drink plenty of fluids. If many teeth have been extracted, the blood lost at this time needs to be replaced. Drink at least six glasses of liquid the first day.
Do not rinse your mouth for the first post-operative day, or while there is bleeding. After the first day, use a warm salt water rinse every 4 hours and following meals to flush out particles of food and debris that may lodge in the operated area. (One half teaspoon of salt in a glass of lukewarm water.). After you have seen your dentist for denture adjustment, take out denture and rinse 3 to 4 times a day.
Restrict your diet to liquids and soft foods, which are comfortable for you to eat. As the wounds heal, you will be able to advance your diet.
If immediate dentures have been inserted, sore spots may develop. In most cases, your dentist will see you within 24-48 hours after surgery and make the necessary adjustments to relieve those sore spots. Failure to do so may result in severe denture sores, which may prolong the healing process. | <urn:uuid:9eeffb44-baa1-46b5-a1ea-2bc6d50c27db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.omsanc.com/surgical-instructions/multiple-teeth-extractions.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911893 | 457 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Ragtime, The Musical sweeps into CenterStage at the Jewish Community Center, running October 25 - November 11, 2012. For tickets, call (502) 459-0660 or go online at www.CenterStageJCC.org.
Ragtime, the Tony Award-winning musical, tells a story of American triumph and tragedy at the dawn of the 20th century. Based on the acclaimed novel by E.L. Doctorow, and with a book by Terrence McNally (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on this Island, Seussical) Ragtime tells the saga of three distinctly American families whose lives intersect as they are swept along by the currents of history. Rich and poor, black and white, established citizens and brand new immigrants, all thrill to the possibilities and tremble at the challenges of a nation on the brink of a new era.
Set in New York in 1906, the story weaves together fictional characters and historical figures such as Booker T. Washington, Emma Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini and Henry Ford. Front and center are the issues that continue to test and tantalize us today - wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, the silly and the sublime.
Ahrens and Flaherty’s gorgeous Tony-winning score ranges from foot-tapping ragtime and soul-touching klezmer to soaring, heartrending ballads, Tin Pan Alley melodies and rousing anthems. After opening on Broadway, the musical went on to win the 1998 Tony Awards for Best Score, Book and Orchestration and Best Featured Actress for Audra McDonald, as well as the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical and Best Show.
Directed by CenterStage Artistic Director John Leffert, with musical direction by Jay Schwandt and choreography by Kate Reedy, Ragtime features a cast of 35 including CenterStage veterans Alonzo Richmond and Tymika Prince as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. and Sarah, Jeremy Moon and Emily Fields as Father and Mother, and Monty Fields as Tateh.
Production designer Michael Hottois of the University of Louisville Theatre Arts Department, whose work has been seen at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in New York, is doing the scenic design.
Leffert notes, “Ragtime has one of the most powerful and beautiful scores in all of musical theater. It is rich in history and cleverly weaves together the threads of the story of America from many different points of view. I am very excited to bring the musical to CenterStage.”
Performances are October 25, 27, November 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 at 7:30 p.m., and October 28, November 4 and 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $18 in advance or $20 at the door and are on sale now. Call 459-0660 or visit www.CenterStageJCC.org to reserve tickets for this beautiful and thrilling musical. | <urn:uuid:05e3aa89-3310-4841-8766-2e88f7f61f07> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://louisville.broadwayworld.com/article/CenterStage-Jewish-Community-Center-Presents-RAGTIME-1025-1111-20121013 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937145 | 639 | 1.5625 | 2 |
This image shows the colonial mansion of Sidney M. Webber, which was formerly owned by Captain Phineas Pendleton, after it was severely damaged during the Searsport “Sunday Cyclone,” May 22, 1921. The force of the storm moved the home eight feet on its foundation, and the interior was ruined by the shifting of the walls. Many other Searsport structures were devastated by the cyclone as it moved in a sweeping arc from the northwest. The L.C. Havener, formerly Phineas Pendleton Jr., home and L.M. Sargent home located across the main road from the Webber house were next in its path, followed by the Lewis Rich home on Steamboat Ave. The stables of Mrs. F.S. Dyer, Willard Rich and Hiram Russell were all flattened. On Main Street, the roof was completely blown off the Sargent Block. As the storm moved out to sea it did extensive damage to the docks at Mack’s Point which was estimated to run into the thousands of dollars, a substantial amount of money at that time. Amazingly, there were no fatalities and only a few serious injuries during the cyclone. The Webber house still stands on Rt. 1 and is the office of a local chiropractor.
Contributed by: Ray Seamans, Searsport Historian | <urn:uuid:b871cb84-dd98-48b6-bc03-9e9d347505e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/PMM-Reader/s-m-webber-house-searsport-maine-after-cyclone-may-22-1921/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987099 | 281 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Aquatic Invasive Species
There are many aquatic invasive species that wreak havoc on Nevada streams, rivers and lakes. These aquatic invasive species can be fish such as tilapia, plants such as water milfoil, or tiny snails such as New Zealand mud snails. None of these, however, have had as damaging of an impact to the environment, recreation, and infrastructure as the thumbnail size quagga and zebra mussels.
Since their introduction to the Great Lakes in 1986, the mussels have spread to rivers and lakes throughout the east. In January 2007, the quagga mussel was discovered in the Western United States and has been confirmed in Nevada, Arizona and California. The primary way these invasive mussels spread is on boats and trailers. If your boat or personal watercraft has been in infested waters, it could be carrying quagga or zebra mussels. They attach to boats and motors and their microscopic larvae (called veilgers) can be unintentionally transported in water held in live wells, bilges, or bait buckets.
Quagga and zebra mussels feed by filtering water and removing large amounts of food, effectively starving native species in infested rivers and lakes. The waste they produce accumulates and degrades the environment, using up oxygen, making water acidic and producing toxic byproducts. They reproduce so quickly (over one million eggs per year) they clog power plants, public water intakes and pipes, and constrict flow reducing the intake in heat exchangers, condensers, firefighting equipment, and air conditioning and cooling systems. They colonize in large numbers on a variety of surfaces including boats, motors and docks.
Don't Move A Mussel
Prevent the spread of these damaging invasive species by following these simple steps: | <urn:uuid:7bc8249a-71b6-4dd5-8a6a-1ad2da148e9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fws.gov/nevada/nv_species/invasive_species/ais.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956821 | 366 | 3.484375 | 3 |
How I made Form with Two Rings
First I have to hand build the molds out of high fire clay.
I used a clay guide to make the molds. That way all the molds had similar shapes and the final glass pieces could easily be combined. I bisked the clay to cone 012 or 1600F for that was the temperature that I was going to take the glass up to.
I made four molds. Two different sizes.
Two of the pieces had MnO2 mixed into the glass and the other two had copper carbonate. I put Nickel Chromium (NiCr) wire around the mold to make sure that if the mold came apart the glass wouldn't flow into the kiln. I put a fiber blanket where the mold was close to the elements.
Next step was to break of the lip of the clay so that the top of the melted glass was at the same hight as the beginnig of the clay mold. You can do that with a saw if you have such a low fired clay I was useing or as I did in this case I just took some tweesers and broke the lip off. The best tool is a tile saw with a tile saw blade. It will get the mold wet but it will dry fast in the kiln during your low heat setting on your way up again. The clay walls are so thin that it will not harm the glass being moist. Best though for your kiln not to have that extra moisture so if you have time air dry your molds if you get them wet.
The other two rings were put in place.
This is how the glass looked after it had slumped around the copper.
Next was to get the wires in the center through the hole and twist them together.
The wires that are one the edge of the piece get twisted together at their end. | <urn:uuid:fd9fda91-4814-4b88-9d49-576421c95083> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.art.net/studios/sculptors/stina/TwoRingFormInMaking.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984395 | 381 | 2.625 | 3 |
UNITED NATIONS — An independent U.N. human rights advocate will call on the United States and Britain on Tuesday to release the findings of confidential inquiries into the George W. Bush administration’s secret CIA detention and interrogation practices.
In a report to be presented to the Human Rights Council, Ben Emmerson, the U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, will ask the Obama administration to turn over the findings of an investigation by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, chaired by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), into the alleged torture of detainees in the war on terrorism.
“The special rapporteur calls on the United States to release the full Senate Select Committee report as soon as possible, subject to the specific redaction of such particulars as are considered by the Select committee itself to be strictly necessary to safeguard legitimate national security interests or the physical safety of persons identified,” report says.
Emmerson will also make a request to the British government to release the interim findings of an inquiry chaired by Sir Peter Gibson, a retired judge, that was established in July 2010 to determine the extent of British authorities’ knowledge or involvement in the treatment or rendition of detainees during the war on terrorism.
A spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the U.S. reaction to the request, saying that officials had only received a copy of the statement and were still studying it.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has ruled out any criminal prosecutions of American interrogators as long as they were operating within the bounds of legal advice outlined by the Bush administration’s Office of Legal Counsel. “In the view of the special rapporteur,” Emmerson wrote, “this comes close to an assertion of the ‘superiors orders’ defense, despite its prohibition under customary law and international treaties.”
The request for information by Emmerson, as an independent U.N. rights specialist, does not come with the backing of the U.N. leadership. And the United States has no legal obligation to comply with the request.
But the call reflected the persistence of international efforts by human rights advocates to prod the United States to provide a more detailed account of its activities and to hold U.S. officials accountable for any crimes they may have committed. Emmerson has also launched an investigation into the United States’ use of drones in targeted killings.
“The process of seeking the truth has gathered momentum, and calls for accountability are fast approaching a critical mass,” Emmerson said in a speech Monday at the United Nations’ Geneva headquarters organized by the Open Society Foundations’ Justice Initiative. He said he intended to highlight “the failure to date of the international community to secure full accountability for the acts of certain sections of the Bush-era CIA in implementing a counterterrorism program in the early years after 9/11.” | <urn:uuid:324604bf-bf13-403b-acad-2411c238ddee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/un-rights-advocate-seeks-release-of-findings-on-cia-detention/2013/03/04/f71db894-851b-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945462 | 612 | 1.78125 | 2 |
An allele (pronounced /ˈæliːl/ (UK), /əˈliːl/ (US); from the Greek αλληλος allelos, meaning each other) is one of a series of different forms of a genetic locus. The word is a short form of allelomorph ('other form'), which was used in the early days of genetics to describe variant forms of a gene detected as different phenotypes. Alleles are now understood to be alternative DNA sequences at the same physical locus, which may or may not result in different phenotypic traits. In any particular diploid organism, with two copies of each chromosome, the genotype for each gene comprises the pair of alleles present at that locus, which are the same in homozygotes and different in heterozygotes. A population or species of organisms typically includes multiple alleles at each locus among various individuals. Allelic variation at a locus is measurable as the number of alleles (polymorphism) present, or the proportion of heterozygotes (heterozygosity) in the population.
For example, at the gene locus for ABO blood type proteins in humans , classical genetics recognizes three alleles, IA, IB, and IO, that determines compatibility of blood transfusions. Any individual has one of six possible genotypes (AA, AO, BB, BO, AB, and OO) that produce one of four possible phenotypes: "A" (produced by AA homozygous and AO heterozygous genotypes), "B" (produced by BB homozygous and BO heterozygous genotypes), "AB" heterozygotes, and "O" homozygotes. It is now appreciated that each of the A, B, and O alleles is actually a class of multiple alleles with different DNA sequences that produce proteins with identical properties: more than 70 alleles are known at the ABO locus. An individual with "Type A" blood may be a AO heterozygote, an AA homozygote, or an A'A heterozygote with two different 'A' alleles.
In many cases, genotypic interactions between the two alleles at a locus can be described as dominant or recessive, according to which of the two homozygous genotype the phenotype of the heterozygote most resembles. Where the heterozygote is indistinguishable from one of the homozygotes, the allele involved is said to be dominant to the other, which is said to be recessive to the former. The degree and pattern of dominance varies among loci: for a further discussion see Dominance (genetics).
The term "wild type" allele is sometimes used to describe an allele that is thought to contribute to the typical phenotypic character as seen in "wild" populations of organisms, such as fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Such a "wild type" allele was historically regarded as dominant, common, and "normal", in contrast to "mutant" alleles regarded as recessive, rare, and frequently deleterious. It was commonly thought that most individuals were homozygous for the "wild type" allele at most gene loci, and that any alternative 'mutant' allele was found in homozygous form in a small minority of "affected" individuals, often as genetic diseases, and more frequently in heterozygous form in "carriers" for the mutant allele. It is now appreciated that most or all gene loci are highly polymorphic, with multiple alleles, whose frequencies vary from population to population, and that a great deal of genetic variation is hidden in the form of alleles that do not produce obvious phenotypic differences.
The frequency of alleles in a population can be used to predict the frequencies of the corresponding genotypes (see Hardy-Weinberg principle). For a simple model, with two alleles:
where p is the frequency of one allele and q is the frequency of the alternative allele, which necessarily sum to unity. Then, p2 is the fraction of the population homozygous for the first allele, 2pq is the fraction of heterozygotes, and q2 is the fraction homozygous for the alternative allele. If the first allele is dominant to the second, than the fraction of the population that will show the dominant phenotype is p2 + 2pq, and the fraction with the recessive phenotype is q2.
With three alleles:
In the case of multiple alleles at a diploid locus, the number of possible genotypes (G) possible with a number of alleles (a) is given by the expression:
A number of genetic disorders are caused when an individual inherits two recessive alleles for a single-gene trait. Recessive genetic disorders include Albinism, Cystic Fibrosis, Galactosemia, Phenylketonuria (PKU), and Tay-Sachs Disease. Other disorders are also due to recessive alleles, but because the gene locus is located on the X chromosome, so that males have only one copy hemizygosity, they are more frequent in males than in females. Examples include red-green color blindness and Fragile X syndrome.
Other disorders, such as Huntington disease, occur where an individual inherits only one dominant allele.
An allele (pronounced /əˈliːl/ (US), /ˈæliːl/ (UK)) is a viable DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) coding that occupies a given locus (position) on a chromosome. Usually alleles are sequences that code for a gene, but sometimes the term is used to refer to a non-gene sequence. An individual's genotype for that gene is the set of alleles it happens to possess. In a diploid organism, one that has two copies of each chromosome, two alleles make up the individual's genotype. The word came from Greek αλληλος = "each other".
An example is the gene for blossom colour in many species of flower — a single gene controls the colour of the petals, but there may be several different versions (or alleles) of the gene. One version might result in red petals, while another might result in white petals. The resulting colour of an individual flower will depend on which two alleles it possesses for the gene and how the two interact.
An allele is an alternative form of a gene (in diploids, one member of a pair) that is located at a specific position on a specific chromosome.
Diploid organisms, for example, humans, have paired homologous chromosomes in their somatic cells, and these contain two copies of each gene. An organism in which the two copies of the gene are identical — that is, have the same allele — is called homozygous for that gene. An organism which has two different alleles of the gene is called heterozygous. Phenotypes (the expressed characteristics) associated with a certain allele can sometimes be dominant or recessive, but often they are neither. A dominant phenotype will be expressed when at least one allele of its associated type is present, whereas a recessive phenotype will only be expressed when both alleles are of its associated type.
However, there are exceptions to the way heterozygotes express themselves in the phenotype. One exception is incomplete dominance (sometimes called blending inheritance) when alleles blend their traits in the phenotype. An example of this would be seen if, when crossing Antirrhinums — flowers with incompletely dominant "red" and "white" alleles for petal color — the resulting offspring had pink petals. Another exception is co-dominance, where both alleles are active and both traits are expressed at the same time; for example, both red and white petals in the same bloom or red and white flowers on the same plant. Codominance is also apparent in human blood types. A person with one "A" blood type allele and one "B" blood type allele would have a blood type of "AB".
(Note that with the advent of neutral genetic markers, the term 'allele' is now often used to refer to DNA sequence variants in non-functional, or junk DNA. For example, allele frequency tables are often presented for genetic markers, such as the DYS markers.) Also there are many different types of alleles.
There are two equations for the frequency of two alleles of a given gene (see Hardy-Weinberg principle).
where is the frequency of one allele and is the frequency of the other allele. Under appropriate conditions, subject to numerous limitations regarding the applicability of the Hardy-Weinberg principle, is the population fraction that is homozygous for the allele, is the frequency of heterozygotes and is the population fraction that is homozygous for the allele.
Natural selection can act on and in Equation 1, and obviously affect the frequency of alleles seen in Equation 2.
Equation 2 is a consequence of Equation 1, obtained by squaring both sides and applying the binomial theorem to the left-hand side. Conversely, implies since and are positive numbers.
The following equation (commonly termed the Lee equation) can be used to calculate the number of possible genotypes in a diploid organism for a specific gene with a given number of alleles.
where is the number of different alleles for the gene being dealt with and is the number of possible genotypes. For example, the human ABO blood group gene has three alleles; A (for blood group A), B (for blood group B) and i (for blood group O). As such, (using the equation) the number of possible genotypes a human may have with respect to the ABO gene are 6 (AA, Ai, AB, BB, Bi, ii). The equation does not specify the number of possible phenotypes, however. Such an equation would be quite impossible as the number of possible phenotypes varies amongst different genes and their alleles. For example, in a diploid heterozygote some genotypes may show complete dominance, incomplete dominance etc., depending of the gene involved.
There are 4 different types of alleles. Dominant, recessive, codominant, and incomplete dominant. Depending on the inheritance of two alleles, a person may therefore end up having a dominant, recessive, codominant, or incomplete dominant trait. In a single-gene trait, only two alleles determine the trait. In a polygenic trait, more than two alleles control the trait.
An example of a dominant and a recessive trait is the (dis)possession of a widow's peak. Those who have a widow's peak are dominant and those who do not have one are recessive.
An example of a codominant trait occurs in certain types of calves (cow's young). Some calves are known as "blue roans" for their appearance of both blue and grey hairs.
An example of an incomplete dominant trait occurs in a pink 4-o'clock flower. When a red flower (dominant) and a white flower (recessive) are crossed , those flowers with a heterozygous genotype for color are pink, showing the incomplete dominance of the red allele.
An example of multiple alleles is blood type. There are three alleles for blood type, A, B, and O. Because of this, people can have blood type A, B, AB, or O. AA or AO results in type A, BB or BO in type B, AB results in AB, and OO results in type O.
Genetic disorders are normally caused by the acquisition of two recessive alleles for a single-gene trait. Genetic disorders such as these include Albinism, Cystic Fibrosis, Galactosemia, Phenylketonuria (PKU), and Tay-Sachs Disease. In these cases the two alleles are autosomal (not sex chromosomes). Other disorders are recessive, but because they are located on the X chromosomes (of which men have only one copy), they are much more frequent in men than in women. One example of such a disorder is the Fragile X syndrome.
Some other disorders, such as Huntington's disease, are caused by the presence of a dominant allele.
Natioinal Geographic Society, Alton Biggs, Lucy Daniel, Edward Ortleb, Peter Rillero, Dinah Zike. "Life Science". New York, Ohio, California, Illinois: Glencoe McGraw-Hill. 2002.
|This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Allele. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.|
Typical plants and animals have two sets of chromosomes: one set inherited from each parent, and are described as diploid. So they have two alleles at each gene locus. If the two alleles at the same gene locus are identical, the individual is called a homozygote and is said to be homozygous: if instead the two alleles are different, the individual is a heterozygote and is heterozygous.
In the simplest case, the effect of one allele completely ‘masks’ the other in heterozygous combination: that is, the phenotype produced by the two alleles in heterozygous combination is identical with that produced by one of the two homozygous genotypes. The allele that masks the other is said to be dominant to the latter, and the alternative allele is said to be recessive to the former. This phenomenon is called dominance, an idea which originates in the work of Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics.
The inheritance of alleles, and their dominance, can be represented in a Punnett square.
In this example, parents have the genotype Bb (capital letters show dominant alleles and lower-case letters to show recessive alleles). If B (capital) is found in their genotype, the flower will be red. Therefore, the only time a flower is not red is when the genotype is bb (there are no capital 'B's).
The probability of the flowers having different genotypes are: BB is 25%, Bb is 50%, and bb is 25%. The phenotype of the flower will always be red if a dominant B is in the genotype. Therefore, there is a 25% chance of getting a flower which is not red, and 75% chance of getting a flower which is red. | <urn:uuid:26e22304-afd3-4610-8835-bfca51c5fe6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thefullwiki.org/Allele | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929121 | 3,060 | 4.03125 | 4 |
Establishing an ecological farming model
We visited farmers of three districts in Orissa where Bt Cotton is illegaly cultivated to inform them about the risks of genetic engineering. The farmers placed a very pertinent question before us. Can you, they asked, give us an alternative to cultivation of genetically modified crops? This set us thinking. We had to prepare a demonstration model for giving teeth to our campaign against GMOs. For this purpose we have selected five villages under the Karlaguda Gram Panchayat in the Kalahandi district of Orissa. The small and marginal farmers of these villages are tribals. They have left their traditional food crops and agricultural practices coming under the influence of modern farming methods. They now grow cotton in their fields.
Our aim will be to train the villagers in sustainable agriculture concepts and help them return to food crops which they will cultivate using the concepts they have learnt. They will grow their own seeds, prepare their own compost and bio pesticides, store their grains, market their produce and make value additions. These villages will serve as models for others to replicate. | <urn:uuid:abf8d917-55ef-4646-aa8f-2d88e92cca59> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.living-farms.org/site/index.php/action/projects/140 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963005 | 219 | 3.140625 | 3 |
NYSUT has sent an email to all members telling them to NOT sign or circulate the APPR Letter. One of the emails they sent is copied at the end of this document.
[A copy of this document is included in the Attachments section of this page.]
Permit me to clarify a few points:
· There is no research that supports the linking of student test scores to individual teacher evaluations. Prior to the May 2010 agreement that brought us our current APPR legislation, such linkage did not occur in NYS. By signing off on the agreement, NYSUT helped to make this happen. It is a bad educational practice that will stealthily damage our schools in ways that we cannot imagine.
· The notion that the success or failure of an individual student rests solely on the shoulders of a single teacher is both misguided and contrary to what we know about good practices in schools. A student’s success on an ELA exam might have a lot to do with the interventions of a social worker, guidance counselor, dean, assistant principal, resource room teacher, teacher assistant or even a coach. To deny that the entire school is responsible for educating each child is to go against best practices.
· Despite the lack of research base, RTTT requires the use of student test scores to be used in teacher and principal evaluations. To address this point, we recommend a more holistic and locally controlled method. To account for the 20% required under APPR, we propose that schools be permitted to choose what index matters to their community (among a list of approved indices). Examples of possible indices include: graduation rate, ELA passing rates, mastery rates, AP/IB participation rates.
· We are not suggesting that there is a single index that should be used for all schools across the State. We believe that districts and schools should have flexibility to choose what matters most to them locally. We do believe, however, that when all members of an organization are focused on a goal --- working with each other, rowing the same way, if you will --- then there is a far better chance that the goal will be attained. To neglect the role that many of these “non-tested area” teachers have on student performance is to deny what makes the best schools successful.
· We are not looking to dismantle any of the “protections” given under the APPR legislation. (It is difficult to talk about protections when the basis for the legislation is so fundamentally flawed and so harmful to students, schools and teachers.) As principals, we certainly believe that teacher evaluations be based on multiple observations and as objective measures as possible. No matter how many times our commissioner might say it, these tests are NOT objective measures of a teacher’s effectiveness.
· We do not accuse teachers of acting unprofessionally. What the letter states, however, is that the linking of student scores to teacher evaluations will incentivize certain practices at ALL levels in schools. Rather than teachers and students working together against the test, it will be teachers against students against the test. Principals have already heard complaints about field trips removing students from classes, absent students impacting a teacher's evaluation, new arrivals being a problem. We are not making these things up; they are happening in schools already! This is not a dig at teacher professionalism; it just speaks to the reality of how a human being whose livelihood is impacted by such a poorly-designed system will be incentivized to view students and a school.
· By no means do we think that all of our recommendations will be adopted without any discussion or compromise. By refusing to sign the paper out of concern about parts of one recommendation, one is losing sight of the forest through the trees! The big picture, of course, is that the APPR regulations as currently constructed are bad for students and schools. We must make our voices heard on this important issue!
· We have not even discussed the money being diverted from our schools and districts to testing and training companies!
NYSUT has found itself on the wrong side of this important issue. Please be sure to read the research on our website (www.newyorkprincipals.org) to learn more about APPR. Also, be sure to read Matthew DiCarlo’s piece on the Shanker Blog. http://shankerblog.org/?p=4358
Below are NYSUT's positions on this topic:
1. NYSUT opposes school-wide ratings for teacher evaluations: school-wide ratings are completely inappropriate. Such ratings would result in physical education and music teacher’s evaluations being based on math and ELA scores over which the teacher had no influence or control.
2. NYSUT opposes the very idea that teachers will avoid educating students with language, health, disability, or other issues in order to enhance their evaluation scores, or that they will refuse to engage in collaborative activity to improve student performance. These false assumptions completely ignore our roles as professionals, our commitment to our students and, in fact, denigrate the entire teaching profession.
3. NYSUT believes that any implementation plan should include the adoption of a one-year “hold harmless” provision for APPR to enable all locals and districts to learn from their individual experiences, and make necessary modifications for a fair and valid system.
In order to protect what we have achieved in statute and in advancing our profession, it is imperative that we discourage our local leaders and members from signing onto or spreading this letter. | <urn:uuid:45b65c09-77e7-4e5e-89ad-0e1414515910> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newyorkprincipals.org/clarification-points | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963812 | 1,126 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Sen. John McCain's disparaging comparison between tea-party politicians and the small contented creatures from 'Lord of the Rings' has brought scholars, Gandalf-like, to the rescue.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional hobbits are receiving unusual attention after Sen. John McCain disparagingly compared the small and shy Shire folk in the “Lord of the Ring” trilogy to members of the US tea party.
During last week's fraught debt-ceiling debate, Senator McCain on the Senate floor chided the tea party leadership for making unrealistic demands in their politics and thinking that “Democrats would [then] have no choice but to pass a balanced budget amendment... and the tea-party Hobbits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor.” Mr. McCain was reading from a Wall St. Journal editorial.
But Tolkien scholars – those who presumably know hobbits best – aren’t having any of it. Typical hobbits are far too content and far less sure of themselves than the typical tea-party politician, they say.
In fact, they're such contented creatures that they rarely hold press conferences. In the Shire it’s a big thing just to walk out the front door. There are all those breakfasts to eat, gardens to be tended, and festivals to plan. They don’t even have a K Street Washington lobby firm to represent them.
So like the wizard Gandalf, Tolkien scholars and enthusiasts have come to the rescue, taking up what they see as hobbit character assassination in the Senate.
“Is it fair to compare the Tea Party and hobbits? In a word, no,” says Jason Fisher, a US-based Tolkien scholar. “The tea party might aspire to be hobbits, but at this point the two groups have just about zero in common.” | <urn:uuid:2cac4381-df2a-421e-bc56-d32335701441> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2011/0805/Tea-party-hobbits-Hardly-say-indignant-Tolkien-scholars | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945917 | 389 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Posted: Jun 8, 2011 6:07 AM by Kate Richards
DENVER (AP) - Colorado teachers could see a new four-tier ranking system under new performance guidelines up for discussion by the state Board of Education.
Colorado is changing the rules for how teachers earn and keep job protections known as tenure, linking student performance to job security. State education officials are seeing a draft of those standards evaluations Wednesday.
The guidelines set four grades for teachers. The grades are "highly effective," "effective," "partially effective" and "ineffective." Teachers rated "ineffective" for two consecutive years would lose tenure, or what the state calls "nonprobationary status." New teachers need two subsequent years of "effective" ratings to make tenure. The ratings are based in part on student tests.
The board aims to settle the rules by November so the Legislature can approve them next year. | <urn:uuid:91fa0a14-181a-4234-aa80-300a67eaeefa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.koaa.com/news/teachers-could-be-graded/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968159 | 185 | 1.625 | 2 |
can abad torque converter make engine turn very hard
Q&AAsk Your Question
2002 Jaguar X-Type
Question: the motor is hard to turn by hand with a half inch rachet from the crank shaft pulley
Answer #1Jim Taddei June 16, 2011, 16:12Master
I don't think the toque convertor is a likely cause for the engine in your 2002 Jaguar being hard to turn. A step by step test to be to 1) Remove the spark plugs, 2) Remove any drive belts. 3) unbolt the torque conveyor from the flex plate. Check how the engine turns after each step. If the engine is still hard to turn after step 3, something is wrong internally and the engine will need to be disassembled to see what is wrong. | <urn:uuid:2c035ca1-c8cb-4242-9472-0366c2d8c9c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://repairpal.com/the-motor-is-hard-to-turn-by-hand-with-a-half-inch-rachet-from-the-crank-shaft-pulley-180 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921429 | 164 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Legendary disaster invites comparisons to now
But differences abound between 1927 and today.
Published: Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 11:58 p.m.
HOUMA — As the nation watches the progress of the Mississippi River Flood of 2011, comparisons to another tragedy — the Great Flood of 1927 — are inevitable.
This year as then, high water streams through the Ohio River, a major feeder of the Mississippi. Now as then, communities all along the Mississippi River and its distributaries brace for historic flooding. And now as then, a historic flood will likely affect Terrebonne Parish, though the effects of water, except in certain vulnerable areas, are expected to be minimal.
The 1927 flood caused more than $400 million in damage — an estimated $1.5 billion in today's dollars — and killed at least 246 people in seven states. An estimated half million people were left homeless. Total flooding was estimated at 26,000 square miles, the size of West Virginia. Portions of 10 states were affected by floodwaters: Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
The 1927 flood made possible a rethinking of flood control in the Mississippi Valley by officials, resulting in profound changes whose effects on the state, nation and local area remain.
“Where we are today is a direct result of the 1927 flood,” said John Barry, author of the 1998 book “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America” and a member of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, which oversees levee districts on the east bank of the river in New Orleans. “The people in the way of the Morganza Spillway probably aren't too thrilled, but today we have a controlled flood instead of an uncontrolled flood.”
Though uncontrolled by today's standards, the 1927 flood's effects on Terrebonne are seen as minimal.
“It was not a big event,” said Clifford Smith, chairman of engineering firm T. Baker Smith and a member of the Mississippi River Commission, said of the 1927 flood's local impact.
The commission, established in 1879, makes recommendations to the Army Corps of Engineers aimed at controlling flooding and maintaining the Mississippi River as a navigable waterway.
Key to the sparing of local communities in 1927 was the 1904 damming of Bayou Lafourche at Donaldsonville. Long cited as one of the reasons for downstream land erosion due to saltwater intrusion, stopping the flow appears to be a boon under some conditions.
“When they dammed Bayou Lafourche, they cut off the major area of concern for river flooding from the Mississippi,” Smith said. “After the damming and the leveeing from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, our fresh water always came from the Atchafalaya.”
‘Someone else's disaster'
Courier columnist Bill Ellzey observed in his “Photographs and Memories” column in 2006 that stories appearing in local newspapers from April to June 1927 “show that as late as April 30 that year, locals still thought of the flood as someone else's disaster.”
The 1927 flood had its beginnings in 1926, when the nation's midsection saw unusually heavy rain.
Tributaries of the Mississippi swelled as 1926 turned into 1927, according to historical accounts. Swollen feeders made for a bloated Mississippi, and it grew exponentially, reaching a width of 60 miles below Memphis in May 1927.
Flooding overtook the Mississippi's levees — then a patchwork of private and public systems — and the river broke through in 145 places.
Fed by the raging Mississippi, waters of the Atchafalaya River broke through levees there. Barry said the Atchafalaya's levees were also broken as water sought a shorter route to the Gulf of Mexico. St. Martin, New Iberia and St. Mary parishes saw major flooding.
According to the Encyclopedia of Louisiana, the water broke over the St. Landry-St. Martin parish line May 19. It inundated Breaux Bridge and St. Martinville two days later, followed by New Iberia and Jeanerette, then Franklin and Morgan City.
More than 60,000 refugees were in camps; thousands of Cajun country cattle drowned.
In Terrebonne, the focus was initially on relief for those suffering in other places, with an aggressive Red Cross fund drive.
“Terrebonne Parish is going to get its feet wet. But Terrebonne is not going in over her head,” reads a mid-May report in the Houma Times of comments at a Rotary Club meeting.
Men and mules
Residents of low-lying areas influenced by the Atchafalaya, mostly west of Bayou Black, were given warnings of flooding that would come slowly.
Water south of the Southern Pacific railroad tracks was estimated to reach about 10 feet above mean Gulf level, according to the Times account.
Water was over the roadway between Houma and Gibson by June. Sugar planters in the Gibson area were especially alarmed, and an application was made to the War Department for a dam to be built.
“I remember them building the dam,” said Louis Ruffin of Houma, who grew up in the community of Waterproof, along Bayou Black. “I was 10 years old. We got water in the low part of Waterproof. They started building the dam with men and mules. They went and picked up the dirt, and they dammed Bayou Black at Minor's Canal.”
For the young Ruffin and his playmates, the flooding made for playtime, and some fishing.
As the waters rose, however, flooding areas of Chacahoula and Donner, concern increased about the dam from residents of those northwestern Terrebonne communities and others who feared increased flooding for themselves due to the emergency measure.
Furor grew over the Bayou Black levee, and on June 16, according to newspaper accounts, the Parish Police Jury voted to have the dam removed. But the Police Jury was beaten to the punch.
“Somebody blew it up with dynamite,” Ruffin said, his recollection verified by news accounts of the time.
When the water receded in late June from Terrebonne, the damage was less than initial predictions. The sugar crop recovered, and by grinding season in 1927, local planters, according to the American Sugar Cane League, reported nearly twice the overall yield that they had in 1926.
Camps cause concerns
The problem of people displaced continued into 1928 throughout areas affected.
In Terrebonne, trucks, boats and barges brought evacuees from western high water to Houma, where the Red Cross had set up a camp near the electric plant on Barrow Street, according to newspaper accounts. Terrebonne camps were estimated to have housed about 10,000 people, from the local area and elsewhere, as well as thousands of head of cattle.
The camps, throughout the flooded areas of the Delta, became the subject of criticism and, in some cases, concern over how blacks were treated in the camps in a racially segregated South emerged.
The Morganza difference
In retrospect, experts on Mississippi River flooding say that vast improvements in how floods are managed by the federal government and other agencies also resulted.
Barry said the corps designed systems that keep water out of the main river, including reservoirs on tributaries, and that the river has been shortened by about 150 miles. Levees were built and strengthened.
Before the 1927 flood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed the river with a “levees-only” policy, Barry said.
“They believed you could contain the entire Mississippi River in its fullest rage with just levees,” Barry said. “The result was a break.”
The river made the corps realize the fallacy of itslevees-only policy.
“They couldn't control the river, but they had a chance to contain it,” Barry said.
In 1928, an act of Congress created the corps' Mississippi River and Tributaries project, the beginnings of the modern river-management system, which includes locks, dams and the spillways operating in Louisiana today. The Morganza Spillway was finished in 1954.
That's why this year's flooding, despite its massive nature, is resulting in a controlled release south of Baton Rouge, easing the risk to local communities.
While this year's flood has been noted for breaking records set in 1927, Barry said it likely won't match it. Many of the records of the 1927 flood were set just before levees broke, meaning the full power of the river wasn't recorded. In addition, predictions of this year's crest were recently lowered, Barry said.
“I would never say we can control the river,” he said. “I would said we're doing a decent job containing it.”
Containing the river now involves flooding thousands of people, including those locally who will be impacted by the Morganza Spillway opening.
“Even with the system working perfectly, we may have 5,000 to 7,000 miles of land underwater,” Barry said, “and that by itself is a huge flood by any standard.”
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | <urn:uuid:0d64a5ad-5556-4db2-a30f-7c149f1e9321> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20110522/ARTICLES/110529900?Title=Legendary-disaster-invites-comparisons-to-now | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970274 | 2,010 | 3.140625 | 3 |
The wonder of aviation is yours to discover!
Aviation Summer Camp is an awesome opportunity for high school students ages 13-17 to experience many aspects of aviation. Join two nationally recognized aviation facilities, Western Michigan University's College of Aviation and the Air Zoo for a week of educational experiences including:
- Enhancing leadership skills
- Piloting the advanced WMU Cirrus SR-20 and simulation devices
- Speakers from the industry
- Hands-on aircraft maintenance
- Social activities
Aviation Summer Camp Program Details
- Camp will be from Sunday June 23, 2013 through Friday June 28, 2013
- 5 nights of accommodations in the WMU Residence Halls
- All meals and snacks
- Entrance fees into all activities and parks
- Linen packet
- Ground transportation to all activities and events (no vehicle required)
- All flight and simulator fees
- Instructional time
- Detailed itinerary coming soon.
(Transportation to and from the camp is the responsibility of the camper and/or their family)
Total cost $1,250.00
A $150.00 deposit is due by May 23, 2013 with remaining balance due by June 23, 2013.
Western Michigan University
College of Aviation
237 N. Helmer Rd.
Battle Creek, MI 49037
Graduate Assistant of Recruitment and Outreach
Aviation Summer Camp Director | <urn:uuid:9c346d0a-3eb6-4576-930d-d26ef38c3927> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aviation.wmich.edu/aviation-summer-camp-2013/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922122 | 287 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Inspired by the flattened historical perspective of Ostalgie, this project looks back to forms of spatiality developed under the Eastern Bloc which have since been abandoned as useful design paradigms. Specifically, it revives an excess of unaccounted space – typified by communist parade grounds, monuments and palaces, where space was scaled to the mass rather than the individual – to propose that this form of spatiality could have new relevance for democratic capitalist programs today.
The design relocates the Neubabelsberg Film Studios to the center of Berlin to bring production back to a site suffering from cultural over-exposure. By integrating the studios with a vast public plaza, new possibilities for experimental media and public participation emerge. Public plaza and back lot become one and the same. The location provides film makers with a readily available supply of backdrops (cropped views to different parts of the city) and unpredictable extras, while the expansive blank field of the plaza encourages a new subject: a spectator-producer, someone who produces and consumes content in a continuous feedback loop.
Unlike Schinkel’s Altes Museum next door, the plaza’s bowl shape forms a non-panorama: it elevates the horizon, blocking out the immediate context and scale while producing a spatially expansive field of vision by juxtaposing much larger elements: the vast concrete basin below and the open sky above. The city is shut out acoustically, visually and historically, leaving an intense focus on movements and actions of people on the surface. The multiple valleys within the plaza create the possibility for disparate simultaneous attractions. These centers are eroded from below and connected to the exterior by cavernous vomitoria, which immediately immerse the new visitor in an expansive field of activity. The elements of distraction that form the plaza require a more extreme peripheral emphasis – a constant awareness and reading of other possible locations for action.
Spherical projections are an experimental technique for this new mode of peripheral viewing. They are synchronic views that are inherently a collection of multiple perspectives over time. They collapse plan, elevation and perspective into a single drawing by looking everywhere at once. Likewise the project, in its manifold mechanisms of representation, becomes a screen for a continual projection of public desires through an excessive multiplication of reality. | <urn:uuid:1d261c00-ec5b-4772-b18c-11d5296ed6a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ultramoderne.net/?p=13&i=97 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91937 | 464 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Ring in the New Year right with a glass of something bubbly. Here’s a quick rundown of your sparkling options:
Let’s start with the big guns. Champagne is sparkling wine made from the Champagne region of France. There are basically two kinds of Champagne – there’s champagne made by bigger producers who buy grapes from other people (the famous brands that get name-dropped in song lyrics all fall into this category) and champagne made by the same people who grow the grapes (called grower Champagne). The pros of big-house Champagne are that it’s easier to find and super-consistent – every bottle of a given brand tastes the same, by design. Grower Champagne, meanwhile, is a favorite of wine lovers, since there’s more potential for interesting flavors in any given bottle – it’s usually less expensive than big-brand, too. If you have an awesome wine store nearby, start there, but if you’re on your own, the letters RM on the front of the label are a tip-off that you’re looking at a grower’s bottle (it stands for Récoltant-Manipulant, which means grower-producer).
If you’d like to stick a little closer to home, American sparkling wine (often made with the same grapes and the same wine-making methods as Champagne) is usually a little fruitier and less minerally than Champagne, and a bit more affordable.
Even more affordable are other sparkling wine options from Europe, like Cava (from Spain), Cremant (from the rest of France), Prosecco (from Italy), and Sekt (from Germany and Austria). Cava and Cremant are made similarly to Champagne (but with different grapes), and share a lot of its toasty/yeasty/appley notes. Prosecco is a little more acidic, and great with snacks and appetizers. Sekt is often sweeter, and a good choice for after-dinner.
If you’re can’t bear to drink anything but red wine, Italian Lambrusco or Australian sparkling Shiraz was made with you in mind. Fruit-forward reds packed with bubbles – what’s not to love?
Oh, and by the way – popping bottles, such as it were, is for amateurs. Either twist off the cork gently, trying to minimize the pop, or go big, and use a sword.
Looking for a great wine to get started? Meet entwine, Food Network’s line of wines that are perfect on their own or paired with food. | <urn:uuid:457af39e-bd14-4335-bfbb-cbda03d54595> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2012/12/28/champagne-cava-prosecco-sparkling-wine-guide/comment-page-4/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95234 | 563 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Sleep terror disorder
Sleep terror disorder is defined as repeated temporary arousal from sleep, during which the affected person appears and acts extremely frightened.
Sleep terror disorder is sometimes referred to as pavor nocturnus when it occurs in children, and incubus when it occurs in adults. Sleep terrors are also sometimes called night terrors, though sleep terror is the preferred term, as episodes can occur during daytime naps as well as at night. Sleep terror is a disorder that primarily affects children, although a small number of adults are affected as well.
Causes and symptoms
The causes of sleep terror are for the most part unknown. Some researchers suggest that sleep terrors are caused by a delay in the maturation of the child's central nervous system. Such factors as sleep deprivation, psychological stress , and fever may also trigger episodes of sleep terror.
The symptoms of sleep terror are very similar to the physical symptoms of extreme fear. These include rapid heartbeat, sweating, and rapid breathing (hyperventilation). The heart rate can increase up to two to four times the person's regular rate. Sleep terrors cause people to be jolted into motion, often sitting up suddenly in bed. People sometimes scream or cry. The person's facial expression may be fearful.
People experiencing sleep terror disorder sometimes get out of bed and act as if they are fighting or fleeing something. During this time injuries can occur. Cases have been reported of people falling out of windows or falling down stairs during episodes of sleep terror.
People experiencing sleep terror are not fully awake. They are nearly impossible to bring to consciousness or comfort, and sometimes respond violently to attempts to console or restrain them. In many cases, once the episode is over the person returns to sleep without ever waking fully. People often do not have any recollection of the episode after later awaking normally, although they may recall a sense of fear.
Episodes of sleep terror usually occur during the first third of a person's night sleep, although they can occur even during naps taken in the daytime. The average sleep terror episode lasts less than 15 minutes. Usually only one episode occurs per night, but in some cases terror episodes occur in clusters. It is unusual for a person to have many episodes in a single night, although upwards of 40 have been reported. Most persons with the disorder have only one occurrence per week, or just a few per month.
Sleep terror disorder is much more common in children than it is in adults. It is estimated that approximately 1%–6% of children in the United States experience sleep terror at some point in their childhood. For most children, sleep terrors begin between the ages of four and 12. The problem usually disappears during adolescence. Sleep terror disorder appears to be more common in boys than in girls; some studies have reported that preadolescent boys are the group most commonly affected. No figures are available for the rates of the disorder in different racial or ethnic groups. Sleep terrors in children are not associated with any psychological disorders.
Fewer than 1% of adults have sleep terror disorder. For most adults, sleep terrors begin in their 20s or 30s, although it is possible for someone to suffer from episodes of sleep terror from childhood onward. In the adult population, sleep terrors affect both sexes equally. They are, however, often associated with psychological disorders, most commonly anxiety, personality, or post-traumatic disorders. People who have a family history of sleep terrors or sleepwalking disorder are about 10 times more likely to develop sleep terror disorder than those who do not.
Sleep terror is diagnosed most often in children when parents express concern to the child's pediatrician. A fact sheet from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests that parents consult a child psychiatrist if the child has several episodes of sleep terror each night, if the episodes occur every night for weeks at a time, or if they interfere with the child's daytime activities. The diagnosis is usually made on the basis of the child's and parents' description of the symptoms. There are no laboratory tests for sleep terror disorder. In adults, the disorder is usually self-reported to the patient's family doctor. Again, the diagnosis is usually based on the patient's description of the symptoms.
Sleep terror is characterized by an abrupt arousal from sleep followed by symptoms of extreme fear. The symptoms often include screams, rapid heartbeat, heavy breathing, and sweating, as well as a subjective feeling of terror. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , fourth edition, text revision ( DSM-IV-TR ), which is the standard reference work used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders, people with sleep terror disorder do not respond to attempts to comfort or awaken them. In order to meet criteria for the diagnosis, the patients must not be able to recall their dreams, and they must not remember the episode itself. In addition, the episodes may not be attributed to a medical condition or drug use.
Sleep terror disorder is frequently confused with nightmare disorder . The two are similar in the sense that both are related to bad dreams. Nightmare disorder, however, involves a significantly smaller amount of physical movement than does sleep terror. Normally, people experiencing nightmare disorder do not get out of bed.
Moreover, people experiencing nightmare disorder often have problems going back to sleep because of the nature of their dream. Most people experiencing sleep terrors, however, go back to deep sleep without ever having fully awakened. People experiencing nightmares can generally remember their dreams and some of the events in the dream leading up to their awakening. People often awake from nightmares just as they are about to experience the most frightening part of a disturbing dream. People experiencing sleep terrors, however, can sometimes recall a sense of profound fear, but often do not remember the episode at all.
If sleep terror episodes are infrequent, then treatment may not be necessary as long as the episodes are not interfering significantly with the person's life. Some people may want to rearrange their bedroom furniture to minimize the possibility of hurting themselves or others if they get out of bed during a sleep terror episode. To keep children from becoming overly worried about their sleep terrors, experts suggest that parents avoid placing unnecessary emphasis on the episodes. Psychotherapy is often helpful for adults concerned about the specific triggers of sleep terror episodes.
Several different medications have been used to treat sleep terror disorder, with varying degrees of success. One of the most common is diazepam (Valium). Diazepam is a hypnotic (sleep-inducing medication), and is thought to be useful in the prevention of sleep terror episodes because it acts as a nervous system depressant. There are many different types of hypnotics, and choosing one for a patient depends on other drugs that the patient may be taking, any medical or psychological conditions, and other health factors. Most studies of medications as treatments for sleep terror disorder have been done on adult patients; there is little information available on the use of medications to treat the disorder in children.
In most children, sleep terror disorder resolves before or during adolescence without any treatment. Adults often respond well to diazepam or another hypnotic. Psychotherapy and avoidance of stressors that may precipitate terror episodes may be helpful as well. Episodes of sleep terrors often decrease with age. This decrease is due to the fact that the amount of slow-wave sleep, which is the sleep phase during which terror episodes usually occur, declines with age.
Aldrich, Michael S. Sleep Medicines. New York: Oxford University Press,1999.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. text revised. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.
Chokroverty, Susan, ed. Sleep Disorders Medicine: Basic Science, Technical Considerations, and Clinical Aspects. 2nd ed. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999.
Sadock, Benjamin J. and Virginia A. Sadock, eds. Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. 7th ed. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2000.
Thorpy, Michael J, ed. Handbook of Sleep Disorders. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc., 1990.
Owens, Judith A., Richard P. Millman, Anthony Spirito. "Sleep Terrors in a 5-Year-Old Girl." Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 153, no. 3 (March 1999).
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 3615 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016-3007. (202) 966-7300. Fax: (202) 966-2891. <www.aacap.org> .
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 6301 Bandel Road NW, Suite 101, Rochester, MN 55901. (507) 287-6006. <www.asda.org> .
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). "Children's Sleep Problems." AACAP Facts For Families Pamphlet #34. Washington, DC: American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2000.
Tish Davidson, A.M. | <urn:uuid:a0786e79-a2e2-44bf-bad9-ae820543f65f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Sleep-terror-disorder.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943772 | 1,865 | 3.65625 | 4 |
National Geographic has decided to take video games seriously and in so doing has formed a new division specifically to pursue new game products based on its material.
The new division has been setup by National Geographic Ventures and will be called National Geographic Games (NGG). Work on new games has already commenced with titles appearing on the iPhone and Nintendo DS. iPhone game Herod’s Lost Tomb is already available, with National Geographic: Panda getting released this month.
Both of those games are targeted at the casual gaming audience with the iPhone game being a hidden treasure game, and the DS title playing much like Nintendogs. But NGG also intends to release on other platforms too; and is working with Namco Bandai and Sony to release titles for the Wii and PlayStation 3.
Other forthcoming titles include:
- National Geographic: Africa (November)
- Sudoku Traveler: China (December)
- Rain Forests (2009)
- Greencity (2009)
- From the Bottom Up (2009)
National Geographic already have a Kids website offering a number of Flash games you can play for free. | <urn:uuid:e7fb1f31-2e78-4c83-849b-b26f5cd3e235> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geek.com/games/national-geographic-creates-gaming-division-625362/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950835 | 225 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Article #1: Disease, Stimulation and Therapeutics—A Question of Consistency
In the field of nonmedical care of the ill, a current topic concerns the use of "natural" treatments.
Treatments, therapies are artificial. "Natural therapy" is a contradiction.
The following is a Hygienist's view. There are some basic Hygienic principles which are frequently accepted in general discussion by proponents of Osteopathy, Naturopathy and Chiropractic. In practice these principles are often not merely neglected, but flouted. It is not the primary intention here, to present the proof-ramifications of these basics, but to make them clear, relate them to therapeutics and so show the incompatibility of therapeutic philosophies with Natural Hygiene.
Health and disease have a common ground—the living organism. Without life, there is no health; no disease. Disease is the expression of life in response to unfavorable circumstances. Health is the expression of life in response to favorable circumstances.
Toxemia is a poisoned condition of the organism. In toxemia, there is an accumulation of poisons, inhibiting efficient, normal function.
Enervation is a state of lowered nerve action, in which the nerve tissue's energy reserve is depleted; depleted through excessive nerve activity; activity necessitated by stimulation. Tired, exhausted nerves cannot adequately direct elimination. Reduced elimination increases toxemia. Toxemia stimulates. Toxemia compounds enervation and enervation compounds toxemia.
To break this vicious cycle and so overcome toxemia, the body suspends or reduces certain activities such as digestion and muscular effort. Thus the body conserves energy and nerve function which it redirects to make quantitative changes in its activities—to produce such actions as fever, diarrhea, polyuria, hyperhidrosis, vomiting—to remove irritating agents; that is, to eliminate. Such actions reflect the coordinated irritability of a complex organism. Irritability may be defined as that ability to take self preservative action in the face of adverse influences. Such actions are often labelled "disease."
Therapeutics is the art of altering the expression of the organism's irritability. We do not die from disease (our body's functioning) but from toxemia; from the causes of toxemia. To a large extent the body protects itself—but constant dripping wears away the stone. Any program of care that does not remove the causes of toxemia is not rewarded with health, for the body by virtue of its irritability will not cease to be "sick," to be "diseased," to remove, or to accomodate to toxemia until success or death. If the need for disease is not removed, health will not ensue. This is another Hygienic principle. To seek, identify and remove the causes of toxemia is the constant aim of the Hygienist. The causes of toxemia and enervation are largely exogenous (i.e., from outside the body). The toxemia may be due to the accumulation of metabolic wastes or intermediary products of metabolism as a result of enervation, or to the absorption from the external environment of commonly recognized poisons such as drugs, preservatives, metals, poisonous gases, insecticides. In this article we are concerned with endogenous (internally) produced toxemia generated as a result of enervation; enervation due to exogenous influences—stimulants. The athlete who "runs" on a full stomach probably will not perform well—he certainly will not assimilate his food well; he will not do so because the resources of his body are directed to the performance of his athletic "feat." Digestion and alimentary assimilation are suspended because his body cannot perform all of its activities at a high rate, all at once. So when the body exerts itself in specific directions as it may do in response to the presence of drugs or other stimulants in order to remove them, normal routine elimination (the elimination of endogenous toxins) is reduced. Elimination is normally increased during rest and sleep, partly because of the relative reduction in stimulation at these times. So a stimulant, that is anything—physical, chemical, spiritual, mental—you name it—that necessitates body action which would otherwise be functionally, physiologically unnecessary and unrewarding to the organism results in toxemia and enervation. If we waste our vitality, our energies, our resources—in short, our life—then the level of toxemia remaining after rest and sleep is greater than it otherwise would be. So if there is a progressive waste of function and lack of rest and sleep, there is a progressive increase in the level of toxemia. This toxemia, the endogenous toxemia of stimulation is that which makes drugs (apart from their chemical toxicity) and therapeutic modalities whether "natural" or medical, objectionable to a Hygienist. The "Natural Therapeutists" agents may be different to those of the medics but the effects are similar—stimulation, enervation, toxemia, disease...
By Ian Fowler, A.A.I.M.L.T. reprinted from the June, 1973 Newsletter of the Australian Natural Hygiene Society in the June, 1977 issue of Dr. Shelton's Hygienic Review.
Home > Lesson 39 - Food Supplements
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