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Operation Smile enters 30th year
By Grace Bondad Nicolas, Contributor
This 2012, Operation Smile will undertake another milestone as it celebrates its 30th year: a special homecoming mission to the Philippines to give back to the country that gave birth to what is now a global children’s medical charity organization. Operation Smile aims to provide free life medical treatments to at least 6,000 Filipino children and young adults in 24 days, through 10 dental and cleft surgical mission sites in various parts of the country, such as Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Batangas and Cavite.
Children who must live with facial deformities live in the darkest corners of the world. They suffer in seclusion. Many children withdraw from school, and withdraw from the world. A 45-minute operation can change a child’s life forever and restore their dignity. A simple operation can open doors to a child’s future. This is where Operation Smile comes in.
Each year, tens of thousands of children need help. It is estimated that one in every 500 children born in the Philippines has a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. This is why Operation Smile continues to battle the growing backlog of children who suffer with correctable deformities. The organization sets high goals year, stretching to the absolute extent of their capacity. They always seek like-minded humanitarians who generously support their spirit and their missions; it encourages private and public institutions to join its efforts to reach out to impoverished Filipino children through the local missions.
Operation Smile may not be able to fix the economic woes of the Philippines, but it can help reach out to affected children. To repair a child’s face is to rehabilitate not only their smile, but also their spirit. To repair a child’s face is to give that child an opportunity to go to school, to eat a meal, to speak so others can understand. Once the physical aspect of a deformity is treated, it allows for the emotional healing to begin.
For more information, call (632) 811-9737 or email firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:c157e1ab-364d-40d3-8223-b14f0c6fc4cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mulatpinoy.ph/operation-smile-enters-30th-year/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948948 | 441 | 1.789063 | 2 |
ARRESTING CONTACT LENS ABUSE
BY DELORES T. BROWNE GIBSON, COA, NCLEC, Houston
No matter how diligently we educate patients about proper lens care and compliance, our sphere of influence
is limited to the office. A rare few will take our lessons to heart, but an overwhelming majority of patients inevitably take lens care shortcuts -- often with disastrous results.
Since following every patient home to monitor their lens care regimen isn't an option, we need to underscore the importance of developing and continuing good lens care habits before patients leave the office. Here's an approach I like to call "good cop versus bad cop."
New patients may be excited -- and a little nervous -- about their contact lenses. Some worry about applying and removing their lenses, whereas others are concerned that cleaning and caring for their lenses will be complicated and time-consuming. As contact lens technicians, our job is to reassure patients that contact lenses can be very rewarding -- if they follow directions.
Initial instruction is very important. Spending extra time coaching patients in contact lens application and removal is a good investment in their future eye health. Let patients practice with their lenses until they're comfortable.
The longer patients successfully wear contact lenses, the more likely they are to become complacent about hygiene. Most patients can use no-rub multipurpose solutions without difficulty, so you should encourage them to follow the manufacturer's directions for keeping their lenses clean. I often recommend that patients rub their lenses for just a few seconds to ensure they're really clean, but most solutions work effectively without this extra step.
Positive reinforcement supported by detailed written directions is usually the best approach to ensuring lens care compliance, but sometimes patients need to be reminded of what could go wrong if they ignore your advice. In these situations, I tend to take on the role of the "bad cop."
Scheduled follow-up exams are an ideal opportunity for us to observe our patients' lens care habits. Do they wash their hands before handling their lenses? Are their fingernails dirty or too long? If they bring a case, is it clean or is it slimy? Always ask them to demonstrate how they clean their lenses, using your observations to reinforce good habits and correct bad ones. When I encounter an especially noncompliant patient, I use graphic visual aids to show him the potential consequences of his poor lens care habits.
Showing patients vivid pictures of conditions caused by improper lens care is an effective, if somewhat dramatic, attention-getting strategy. An especially nasty picture of 4+ giant papillary conjunctivitis illustrates the consequences of neglecting proper lens hygiene, just as a spidery photo of an extensively neovascularized cornea brings home the dangers of contact lens noncompliance. Once patients become aware of the severe consequences they risk with contact lens abuse, they may be more motivated to adhere to a healthier lens care regimen.
As contact lens technicians, we're responsible for setting patients on the path to success. As daunting as this may seem, you'll find that a modest investment of time, patience and attention to detail can yield surprisingly high returns.
Contact Lens Spectrum, Issue: August 2004 | <urn:uuid:62d76aa4-3f62-44cd-af34-6f6223fd844a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clspectrum.com/printarticle.aspx?articleID=12642 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941113 | 649 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Pyrocoat FM-W is graphite-based, non-reflective, energy absorbing coating that is applied to the surface of aluminium prior to melting, typically in a dry hearth furnace. This coating reduces the reflectivity of the aluminium, thereby increasing the absorption of radiant heat into the aluminium. Non-coated aluminium naturally reflects heat from its bright surface, taking longer to melt than aluminium coated with Pyrocoat FM-W. Typical melting rate times have shown melt rates cut in half by coating the aluminium with Pyrocoat FM-W. Decreasing melt time has many advantages, including increased productivity and decreased energy usage.
Pyrocoat FM-W is a black liquid coating that can be applied quickly using either a paintbrush, spray gun or automated sprayer. Application is best if applied to all sides of the material that are exposed to the furnace’s radiant heat. The coating is typically applied to the top and sides of a sow or Tbar.
- Pyrocoat FM-W is water based | <urn:uuid:b38471c1-0e6f-4c3d-8587-832c71ac65dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pyrotek.info/listings.php?id=1971&pid=978 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901059 | 206 | 1.6875 | 2 |
More than 500 people rode out Hurricane Katrina at Louis Armstrong International Airport, but the number quickly rose to 5,000 in the storm's aftermath as evacuees showed up at a shelter where food and water were scarce, airport officials said Tuesday.
Eight days after the storm, more than 2,500 people are still sleeping at the airport, although most of them now are not evacuees but uniformed military or law enforcement personnel.
The number of takeoffs and landings has jumped from the pre-storm average of 700 per day to as many as 3,800. Most of those are helicopters. Planes and buses filled with refugees also are moving out.
Now a relief and staging center, the terminal a week ago was jammed with tired, hungry and frustrated refugees - and only 11 Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies to keep order.
Many of the refugees were injured, and more than 20 died, despite the efforts of a Federal Emergency Management Agency medical team that set up an emergency room in the Delta terminal lobby and sent the sickest patients out the door first to hospitals elsewhere. The rest were frustrated, thirsty and hungry, according to airport employees who rode out the storm.
"The rescue helicopters were bringing people in, but the buses were dropping off people, too, and a lot of folks just showed up because we were high and dry, " airport spokeswoman Michelle Duffourc said.
The result was bedlam. The cream-colored terminal floors were caked with black mud, and the evacuees were stressed and angry as they awaited transport out of the New Orleans area city by plane or bus.
Aviation Director Roy Williams said FEMA failed, however, when it prematurely halted "mercy flights" by airlines that flew donated supplies into Armstrong and flew refugees out. Williams said FEMA stopped flights by American, Southwest, Northwest and United airlines on Thursday, four days after the storm, when it was ramping up its own evacuation effort.
"I think their response was far short of adequate, " Williams said, adding that some refugees were forced to stay in the fetid conditions longer than necessary.
FEMA spokesman David Passey said he had not heard the allegation before, and would have to investigate before he could respond.
Williams said FEMA still does not tell him how many flights will be coming in to the airport.
"I've heard that there is a conference call every day to talk about this, but I'm not on it and no one I talk to is on it. You would think they would ask someone for an estimate of how many more aircraft we can get on the field, or how many people are in the terminal, but it's like they're managing this by remote control."
Williams said the airport's heroes include Joseph Taylor, manager of CA One/Pampy's, Armstrong's food and beverage concessionaire. With a dozen employees and relatives, Taylor cooked up food and served it during the harrowing days after Katrina struck Aug. 29.
"It's part of his job description, but when things got bad no one would have blamed him if he had pulled his people out, " Williams said.
Other heroes among the 50 or so airport-related staffers who rode out the storm were the sheriff's deputies who managed to keep order despite long hours under chaotic conditions, Williams said.
The airport's future is in flux. Passenger traffic from commercial flights pays Armstrong's bills, but it is out of the question for the time being. The airport has outstanding loans of $200 million, which are paid by airline landing fees and rents and passenger-derived revenue from parking and concessions.
Williams the airport is eligible for federal grants that could help it pay its operating costs of about $50 million a year.
Before Katrina, airport officials had hoped to break the 10 million passenger mark in calendar 2005. It did so for the 12-month period ending in August.
The last time that happened was in August 2001, a few days before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. | <urn:uuid:cb33abee-8f3d-40b5-841b-8915ac9f9891> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nola.com/katrina/index.ssf/2005/09/from_shelter_to_er_the_airports_transformation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984276 | 814 | 1.671875 | 2 |
DAKAR: Pieces of pottery, iron tools and jewellery dating back thousands of years have been discovered in Dakar after recent torrential rains flooded some suburbs, university researchers told AFP on Monday.
Moustapha Sall, a lecturer and researcher at Dakar's Cheick Anta Diop university said he happened upon the items by chance during a visit to the suburb of Ouest-Foire in the north-east of the capital after the rains on August 26.
"While visiting the flooded zone, I stumbled upon... pieces of pottery, perforated shells reused as jewellery, iron scoria and small stones including blades which could have been used to cut or carve," said Sall.
"The water washed away the sand and revealed these archeological objects."
Sall said the area was home to several construction sites, where workers said they had come across pieces of pottery and shells, which could hinder any future archeological digs.
"We will do an analysis of the objects discovered and send them to a laboratory" at the university which specialises in dating historical items, Sall said.
Another researcher at the university, Alioune Deme, said the objects could date back between 2,000 and 7,000 BC. | <urn:uuid:da49ad05-bc79-44a8-82f1-03e16015819b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Sep-03/186558-dakar-floods-uncover-ancient-tools-jewellery-researchers.ashx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965597 | 260 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Older Scouts (those who are at least 13 years old or have completed the seventh grade) seek challenge and variety. How does Scouting capture their interest? Through diverse high-adventure and outdoor opportunities.
Council High Adventure
Hanna Venture Base opened in 2000 as a place for Boy Scouts and Venture to experience high adventure. The facility features an indoor climbing wall and an outdoor 60’ climbing tower, with walls for rappelling and climbing. Week-long Hanna Venture Base Treks are taken by both Scouts and Venturers. The base was named after, and financially supported by Al Hanna, whose achievements include climbing Mount Everest.
- Apostle Islands Sea Kayaking
- Crystal Lake Scuba Adventure
- Porcupine Mountains Hiking Adventure
- Wisconsin River Canoeing Adventure
Get out of the house and into the excitement offered at one of the BSA’s high-adventure bases! There’s a thrilling aquatic quest at the Florida Sea Base, a canoeing or winter camping challenge at Northern Tier, a Wild West backpacking expedition at Philmont Scout Ranch, and coming in 2013, the ultimate in high-adventure outdoor playgrounds at The Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.
High Adventure Resources | <urn:uuid:5b68594b-7fde-4e1d-9519-dfdd0ec54f16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.samoset.org/program/highadventure.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908393 | 251 | 1.617188 | 2 |
I could see if there was deep snow with a hardpack crust that the 'yotes could run on. That DOES happen. But healthy adult whitetail bucks AND does, will drive coyotes off. I've seen it more than once. In fact, around my place, the deer pretty much ignore the coyotes if you see them in the same woods or fields at the same time.
One gun season I shot a big bodied 10 pointer. We had good tracking snow, so we trailed him for about 6 hours. I guessed that it was a one lung hit, because in his beds we did see lung blood, but a double lunged deer does not go for 6 hours! We left him as it got dark, as he went down a bluff into thick cover. My hope was that he would bed and die there overnight. Next morning at full light we picked up the trail again. He did bed not far from there, but that's where we saw the 3 sets of coyote tracks come in. From there, he went down the bluff in about 5 bounds, and then on level ground there was a 25 yard round area, with blood, hair and tracks. Then the bucks tracks went one way, and the coyotes in the opposite direction. Here was a wounded whitetail buck that FOUGHT OFF at least 3 coyotes. At that point I tipped my hat to him. Eventually he went where we couldn't go, and the neighbor found him a week later right about where I shot at him. That was some buck!
The buck in those pics was NOT a healthy buck deer. No way. If it was, then we now have a super race of coyotes that will make wolf predation look like a housecats. And good-bye deer hunting. There are far too many coyotes around that if they can start killing healthy adult deer willy-nilly then it's over.
That said, I have heard of, and I don't discount it, of coyotes in the northeast that came out of Canada that have crossed with wolves. These are bigger, more aggressive, and tend to pack hunt more than our garden variety coyote of the west and mid west.
What this video does show is that despite the movies and fairy tales, mother nature is a real b***h, and the hard truth is that most wild things suffer and end like this. For something to live, something else must die, and the dying part ain't pretty. What I hope this movie doesn't contribute to, are asinine statments like......
"Coyotes...cold blooded killers."
They are PREDATORS, and damn good ones to boot. They are doing what their genes are telling them to do. Do they need to be managed? Of course. But please...no anthrophamorphic labels!!!!
Offer No Apologies.....
NRA Endowment Life Member | <urn:uuid:d9e56db7-0d94-448f-9870-24ffaa5d361a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=121609 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979038 | 599 | 1.523438 | 2 |
|how long before aids
Dec 19, 2006
My brother has recently been told he is hiv positive. He believes he acquired it through blood transfusions given to him in 2000. He is a parapalegic with many open wounds, one of which is still active after 5 yrs. He has wound care and been on many antibiotics since he was paralized. I find it hard to believe the virus was not detected sooner, given all his medical problems. Shouldnt he have full blown aids by now and can hiv be dormant so long before rearing its ugly head? P.S. I took care of him and his wounds and body functions, how high of a risk for me as well?.
| Response from Dr. Horwath
The average time between the initial infection and the onset of symptoms due to HIV is approximately 10 years. So the answer is yes, the virus can be clinically silent for years, but it is not dormant. By this I mean that the HIV produces copies of itself by the billions even when there are no symptoms.
I don't know why it wasn't detected sooner. Perhaps he wasn't tested before. The risk to you is very low if you wore gloves while caring for him.
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Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material. | <urn:uuid:5a92f2e5-6aa1-4a17-8a68-2e3a3cdb00cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/Mental/Q180658.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973218 | 375 | 2.03125 | 2 |
A round-up of the top climate and energy news.
According to Craig Allen, a research ecologist with the United States Geological Survey in Los Alamos, New Mexico, forests in the region have not been regenerating after the vast wildfires that have been raging for the last decade and a half. [NY Times Green]
Dr. Allen, who runs the Jemez Mountains Field Station at Bandelier National Monument, says those forests are burning into oblivion and grasslands and shrublands are taking their place. “Rising temperature is going to drive our forests off the mountains,” he said.
Already choking through one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent memory, Colorado found itself dealing with a new series of blazes this week, driven by a relentless heat wave that has threatened to further fan the flames. [New York Times]
The Koch brothers’ attempted takeover of the libertarian Cato Institute has come to an end, at least for now. [Los Angeles Times]
If you think there are flooding problems in the North Shore now, just wait — it’s going to get a whole lot worse, according to a study released Sunday by the U.S. Geological Survey. [Salem News]
The cold financial climate of the last three years has made little impact on public attitudes towards global warming, according to a new Guardian/ICM poll. [Guardian]
With the cost of solar photovoltaic cells falling — prices dropped by 50% last year and are now a quarter of what they were in 2008 — renewable-energy advocates say India is ripe for a solar-power revolution. And it could use it. [Time]
As the climate changes, scientists are documenting measurable shifts in the natural world — from a tremendous loss in Arctic sea ice and an increase in extreme weather like drought, floods and heatwaves, to the migration of plants and animals to new latitudes. [National Public Radio]
The billions of pounds the Bank of England is pouring into banks in a bid to get lending flowing should have strings attached to ensure that much of the liquidity is directed towards greening the economy, the UK’s former chief scientific adviser has urged. [Guardian] | <urn:uuid:422d8677-9956-4219-87e7-f407de229f58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/06/26/506153/rising-temperature-is-going-to-drive-our-forests-off-the-mountains-in-the-southwest-says-scientist/?mobile=nc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955819 | 453 | 1.875 | 2 |
Research Tools for Fiction and Non-fiction Writers
The majority of writers know how to use the Internet when they need to investigate a topic. Most of us pop onto a search engine like Google, bing, or Yahoo! Search and type our subject of interest into the search box.
But let’s say you are researching a term like “cancer.” Thousands of sites are going to show up. Some may offer helpful material, but many of the links are going to be useless. You may get scams and offers of miracle cures all mixed in with legitimate websites.
So how do you sort through all the extraneous material to get to the good stuff?
Here’s a simple trick I always use: Type the words “site: edu” after the term you are searching. (Don’t use quotation marks.) Inside your browser it’s going to look like this:
cancer site: edu
Now, the first websites that are going to be listed have been sifted through an educational institution. You are much more likely to find helpful material for your writing.
I write about self-care, so let’s say I have a question in my mind like, “I wonder how listening to music benefits cancer patients?”
Once again I could Google my question, but how will I know if the answers are valid? Maybe someone wrote them on a blog post without verifying the facts. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that the answers have been studied scientifically? Vetted by other scholars? Wouldn’t it be nice to know how the study was done, and whether the research was current?
Even as recent as ten years ago, you had to search tomes or giant stacks of professional journals in an actual library in order to get valid research. But with today’s computer technology it is simple to access serious research for your fiction or non-fiction book.
Hang with me here. It’s not as difficult as it might sound.
My library here in Littleton, Colorado (Jefferson County Library) lets me access professional journals from my home computer. I’m going to show you how Jefferson County’s library system does this. Your library system may vary, so If you need help, ask your librarian for assistance. Also, you need to make sure you have a library card so you can access the system. Here’s what I do:
- I go to Jefferson County Library’s web site
- I click on the maroon icon labeled, “Research Tools”
- I click on “Magazines and Newspapers” (on the left-hand side)
*My library subscribes to something called EBSCOhost, which provides online databases to libraries worldwide. All libraries are different, but most will give you access to two “workhorse, all-purpose” databases: Academic Search Premier and/or ProQuest. These allow you to search specific topics under a broad umbrella rather than having to narrow your research to certain journals (e.g. nursing journals or psychology journals).
Now you’re going to guess at some key words to put into the search box. I start by entering the words:
affects music cancer patients
This next part is important:
Before I click the search button, I narrow my search by using limiters:
I want to limit my search to scholarly material because I don’t want information to come from non-scholarly magazines such as People or Newsweek, so I check “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals.”
I only want to look at the articles where I can read the entire article, not just the summary or abstract, so I check “Full Text.”
And lastly, I want the research to be current, so I’ll limit the date to the last ten years.
As I find articles, I look to see which key words are noted so I can try searching those if I’m not finding what I need. When I find my article, I can read it online, print it out in PDF format, or even email it to others or myself. If you are a visual learner, maybe a video showing how I do research will be a helpful addition.
Do you have some research tips to offer other writers? | <urn:uuid:6f3a0ae5-6f3d-46e1-8f10-a1b8aae3e7de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wordservewatercooler.com/2011/09/09/research-tools-for-fiction-and-non-fiction-writers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939076 | 913 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Sanctuary is described as a 'safe place for British Asians or anyone interested in exploring eastern and western spiritualities in Christ.' Leader Pall Singh tells how it has developed since featuring on expressions: the dvd - 1: stories of church for a changing culture.
The story started 11 years ago when we set up a team to organise a place where people of all faiths or none could find unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness. I was already involved with the work of East and West Trust as a director and a group of us started to meet for Sanctuary services in Shirley, Solihull.
We decided on it as a venue because it is outside the main Asian areas of the city and so seen as a safe and secure place for east and west to discover Christ without losing their cultural identity. It has provided the space for people to belong before they believe and realise that Christianity is more than just a 'white man's faith'. Three years ago, Sanctuary moved 'home' to St Martin's Church in Birmingham city centre and its services take place in the Arts Café there.
Since the Fresh Expressions DVD came out, I have done some fine tuning along the way but there hasn't been any radical change as such because Sanctuary has a very clear focus and we have tried to make a strong statement with that. We used to say it was 'for British Asians, their families and friends' but now we describe it as an 'Asian-style' service. That makes it more inclusive in the sense that anyone could say, 'I'd like to go to that'. We didn't want to rule people out just because they were non-Asians.
Of course there is then a slight danger that the many people who are attracted to the eastern spirituality that we present in Christ may, in turn, become the majority and we would lose our focus on who Sanctuary is really for. There are plenty of churches in Birmingham catering for people who aren't British Asians but it's clear that Sanctuary is a fusion of the east and west and a bridge between the two in terms of culture and spirituality and ethnicity. Now we have Asian and non-Asian people attend along with those drawn from the Afro-Caribbean community.
We are confident that a person from another background can come along to Sanctuary to pray and worship with us and feel it's a safe place. I think we have tried to protect that ethos from the start. Interestingly we've found that the people who couldn't cope with Sanctuary were Christians who couldn't get their Sunday morning charismatic 'fix' as our focus was too much on people outside the Church. Sadly, as a result of this situation, some Christians left - with our blessing. For many Christians there was a false assumption that Sanctuary would be a place where people would go temporarily for six months or a year but after that they would 'become like them' and move on to so-called real church. We have tried to be consistent in our calling but it has been difficult and hard at times to keep moving forward.
Some have been with us since the start of the Sanctuary journey and they remain very committed to it. Others have joined us along the way. There are those who have really grown in terms of their faith being deepened, people who previously have had little or no experience of church outside of Sanctuary at all. It may not be a large number but they would never have fitted in a traditional church because spiritually - as well as culturally - it would have put them off. Personally Sanctuary has also become a very special place because my two sisters came along, came to faith and were baptised.
We've had people come to visit us from different places, groups or denominations to see what we do but we make it clear that we are not 'selling' a package as such and it won't work in every context. Some who have come here have been baptised, felt confirmed in the faith and then moved on somewhere else. That's fine too; we are not here to build an empire.
We are in the process of developing more culturally relevant Asian resources in partnership with groups such as South Asian Concern and CMS – particularly focusing on prayer, meditation and building the bridge between east and west. We are trying to explore different avenues because discipleship for us is not just a case of, 'Let's do the Alpha course.'
The idea is that these resources could be given to any British Asian or anyone who would connect with that style. We are in the process of doing another CD and a resource for churches to use called Seasons of the Soul. To help us go deeper in our faith in Birmingham we have a monthly, midweek Sanctuary Family Meeting at which we have a meal, discuss the way forward and study Scripture. This coming weekend at Greenbelt we will also be providing Sanctuary-style worship with the Sanctuary team. We will have a sitar player there and also offer Asian sweets during prayer as a symbolic way of explaining how Jesus brings joy into times of sorrow and pain.
Sanctuary has inspired something of a similar nature in Canada through a group of musicians called Aradhna. One of their members lives in Toronto and the group were looking at what to do there. After a trip to the UK when they came to visit us, they went to see their minister who gave them a copy of the fresh expressions DVD with Sanctuary on it and suggested it might be something they could look at developing. They said, 'But those people are our friends! We've been there…' So the whole thing came together.
I work part-time as Mission Partner with CMS and the other half of my time is spent with an ecumenical, community-based ministry, The Lozells Project. Finance is always a challenge for Sanctuary but it's not just the financial support that's needed by a fresh expression of church; it's also the prayer support. We are so blessed to have CMS Link churches pray for us around the country and they give generously towards our ministry.
In the autumn we will be looking at ways in which we can be even more effective. One of our main challenges is in developing more of a worship group. Somehow we've managed to resist the idea of someone turning up with a guitar to do Matt Redman songs but now we need to establish worship which is appropriate for us.
There is a regular team of five involved in planning Sanctuary, we meet every fortnight but there is also a second 'layer' of people involved as a core group who are very much part of the Sanctuary family. During the service we try to get everyone involved in some way in the different themes.
Another area that we're looking at is leadership and the next generation. It can often be seen that a fresh expression starts with someone who is a visionary, I was that visionary for Sanctuary and now it's a question of passing that baton on to others – not only to the team but also to others who feel they can develop in that for the future. Maybe it will be a mixture of the two; it's good to have someone home-grown from within but we've also got to have people from the outside coming in.
Support from the wider church is vital to us. We get that support from the Diocese of Birmingham, St Martin's, CMS and its link churches and Tom and Judi Walsh of The Navigators UK. On Sunday 30 October at our Diwali celebration, we're also hoping to have the Bishop of Birmingham, Rt Revd David Urquhart, speaking at Sanctuary for the first time. | <urn:uuid:23b9cac4-8461-4458-83d1-12b94452ad3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/stories/sanctuary | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987574 | 1,529 | 1.546875 | 2 |
From the month of: × ×™×¡×Ÿ : Nisan
The Lamb of God
In this, the beginning of months, we will have many opportunities for practically living out the words of the Scripture. We will be able to prepare for Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and to begin the counting of the omer. We are also able to recount the time when the Lamb of God was sent to take away the sin of the world.
As stated above, there is so much that could be written about the month of Nisan (a.k.a. Aviv, which literally means ripe and by extension springtime). This eRosh will speak mostly of one aspect of the Passover Seder meal. Specifically, the four "I will" statements that the Holy One made as recorded in Exodus 6:6-7 will be mentioned.
Remember, in the book of Exodus, the children of Israel had cried out to the Holy One because they had become slaves in Egypt. Not only were their freedoms taken from them, but they were being brutally mistreated and abused. This was the normality for the kingdom in which they were in forced servitude.
The account continues to describe that despite the horrid treatment the descendants of Jacob held to a hope in the promise of deliverance. They knew that God would not forsake his promise to the patriarchs. At the appointed time, the Holy One would deliver them. He told Moses to tell Israel the following, which are listed by the corresponding cups in the Seder meal.
First Cup - I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Second Cup - I will deliver you from slavery to them. Third Cup - I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. Fourth Cup - I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians
Just as the Israelites were in bitter bondage to Egypt and its wicked king, we find ourselves enslaved to a more fiercely cruel tyrant and the world. This makes the redemption even sweeter and more rich. If we look at each of the cups, we can catch the beginning glimpse of what our atonement through Messiah has produced for our eternal lives.
Looking specifically at the fourth cup, we can see that the Holy One has done all to ensure a relationship with His people. To be certain, this is not just a casual relationship, but an intimate relationship as close as a husband and wife (Hosea 2:19-20). As such, the Holy One has called for us to live as called and brought out people.
So as you partake of the Passover Seder this month, may you call to remembrance the deliverances and great calling that Hashem has done on your behalf and may you be blessed in the grace and knowledge of our redemption through Messiah Yeshua, the Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world.
Finally, those in Messiah are blessed to join with John, the beloved, and offer praise "to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" Revelation 1:5-6.
Chag Pesach Sameach!
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Use RSS feeds to track this section in your favorite reader. | <urn:uuid:02d50b37-f2be-457d-8f4c-a576055ff6a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ffoz.org/resources/erosh/nisan/lamb_of_god.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976404 | 732 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Somewhere off the west coast of British Columbia wanders a whale—at least, his voice can be heard there. He appears to be alone.
Simply by eavesdropping, scientists have deduced a few details about this whale. He swims the cold waters of the North Pacific, probably in pursuit of food and love. In all likelihood, he is a baleen whale: a long, grey tanker with a pointed head and generous lower jaw. For food, he would chase clouds of plankton and tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill, gulping gallons of water into his mouth and pushing it all out through two long furry-looking plates sprouting from the roof of his mouth where one would expect teeth. These plates, called baleen, filter krill and other crustaceans out of the expelled water. Miraculously, these tiny creatures are all the sustenance this giant mammal needs to survive.
For love, he calls out in long, low moans. Each intonation lasts anywhere from five to fifteen seconds, and he waits up to thirty seconds between each cry, taking ten minute breaks between each song. He will sing like this for hours. His voice carries for miles, and any females nearby would surely take note of his voice’s strength and range, the variety of his repertoire, the duration of his song. In the murky dark where a whale can barely see its own tail, the quality of these musical elements should prove that he is a worthy mate.
Despite his efforts, he receives no reply. Meet 52 Hertz: the loneliest whale in the world.
It was 1989. At the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts, William “Bill” Watkins, the man who invented the first underwater recording system, was in charge of categorizing the mysterious moans and groans resonating through the ocean. His team had begun cataloguing whale mating calls, specifically tracking males because they vocalize so frequently. One day, Watkins noticed a high, unique voice easy to hear and identify over other background noises: the call of that lonely whale wandering the North Pacific alone.
There was something strange about this whale. The harmonic intervals—the rise and fall of his calls—resembled those of baleen whales, but these patterns were unlike any the team had heard so far. Even more notably, certain kinds of vocalizations, typically too low for humans to hear unaided, averaged to about 52 hertz.
In acoustics, increasing the number of hertz shifts the sound’s frequency higher, towards mosquitoes and cartoon characters and away from timpani drums and James Earl Jones. The corresponding vocalizations for a regular blue or fin whale falls somewhere around 15-20 hertz, the kind of frequency that you can feel in your bones when a car blasting a deep bass drives by but can barely register hearing (the human hearing range falls between 20 to 20,000 hertz). So transposing a regular whale’s call from 20 to 52 hertz means that a sound that usually registers as a marrow-deep mumble suddenly takes form as a recognizable note: still low by human standards, 52 hertz is on par with a lowest toot on a tuba.
Why was this whale’s call comparatively so high? Was he deformed? Did he represent a previously undiscovered species? Was he a hybrid? Did the strange frequency of his voice isolate him from other whales?
At the time, Watkins had no answers; marine bioacoustics was still a young field, and Watkins and his team were not quite sure just how rare or important this anomaly was in the grand scheme of things. They did not linger on it much before returning to their research.
But something strange happened in the coming years. The whale continued swimming up and down the North Pacific alone, regularly passing within range of the Navy’s hydrophone system. In 1992, the Navy declassified more data that they had gathered, allowing Watkins and his colleagues to begin tracking this odd, tuba-sounding whale more closely. And for the next dozen years, they tracked it, assembling remarkably detailed maps of its migratory patterns.
Then, on September 24, 2004, just as the resulting paper was being prepared for publication in Deep Sea Research, Watkins succumbed to cancer. Mary Ann Daher, a marine biologist and colleague of his, became the corresponding author for the Woods Hole team’s work, which was published later that year. Then, on December 8, Reuters published a short article focusing on two key details from the research paper: the whale’s migratory patterns had seemed “unrelated to the presence or movements of other whale species” and its calls “did not match those from any other species.”
News articles multiplied in national and local papers, shifting focus from the whale’s research significance to its status as a lone whale with a unique voice. Among the journalists who followed up was Andrew Revkin at the New York Times, who wrote two articles about the case. The first focused on the research itself. The second examined the flood of empathy and sympathy for a creature that nobody had even laid eyes on, a reaction that continues to this day.
Since the research paper’s release, 52 Hertz, as the mystery mammal came to be called, has become associated with loneliness and isolation, inspiring a number of artistic works. Alternative rock band Dalmatian Rex and the Eigentones features “The Loneliest Whale in the World” on their Psychedelic Monsters album. Comedian Kate Micucci wrote a humorous song “Doreen the Whale,” while musician Laura Ann Bates performed a more somber “The Loneliest Creature on Earth.” Artist Mike Ambs runs an audio project called the loneliest mix, designed to share blue whale calls one mix-tape at a time. German author Agnieszka Jurek put together a book, 52 Hertz Wal, illustrated by Thies Schwarz. And, perhaps most ambitiously, director/writer Joshua Zeman is in the process of filming a full-length documentary on 52 Hertz’s discovery and people’s desire to connect and communicate with the lonely creature.
The The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World (Pt. 1) by PLOS Blogs Network, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. | <urn:uuid:7faf897b-0bec-42fa-b5bf-7c683d476c5f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.plos.org/blog/2013/03/05/the-search-for-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world-pt-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96447 | 1,338 | 3.78125 | 4 |
Being a word/books person, I do a lot of thinking about the power of language. The more progressive blogs and new sources I read, and the more I talk and think about feminist and progressive issues on a daily basis, the more I notice the words people drop into casual conversation that make me pause.
Language is more powerful than we realize. At its best, it can facilitate communication, bridge huge distances and build communities. But as we’ve heard, with great power comes great responsibility, and I believe that as feminists, it’s important for us to be conscious of the words we choose when communicating and to avoid problematic and alienating language as much as possible – not only to avoid offending or alienating others, but to hold ourselves to the highest standards and set a positive example.
Problematic or triggering language is all around us: everything from “that’s so gay” to “what a pussy” to “that exam totally raped me.” Examples like these are obvious, but some that are more often overlooked include “that’s so lame” and “you’re insane” (ableist, physically and mentally, respectively). Personally, expressions that are dismissive of mental/emotional differing abilities (“insane,” “crazy,” “stupid”) are ones I’m currently working on eliminating from my vocabulary.
I’m not necessarily advocating becoming the language police, and I know that different social situations have different standards of communication. It’s just something to think about.
I’ve only given a few examples in this post. What are some of your personal language peeves, and are you working on being more conscious of your words? Do you call out others who use problematic language? | <urn:uuid:abe57fd4-eab2-4989-90ba-481298b356a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shamelessmag.com/blog/2010/02/how-we-choose-the-words-we-use/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954307 | 379 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Stop the Violence Against Women Act’s war on men
The lead letter below was published in the print edition of The Hill on Friday, December 14, 2012 and is followed by the article to which it responds.
Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D.
By Gordon E. Finley, professor of Psychology Emeritus, Florida International University – 12/13/12 06:39 PM ET
While the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) claims to fairly protect all victims of domestic violence, in reality it intentionally discriminates against about half of the victims — men (“Progressive groups pressure House GOP to pass Violence Against Women Act,” Dec. 11).
First, social science research literature is unambiguously clear. Domestic violence is initiated about equally by men and women; slightly more women than men are physically harmed, but men nonetheless still represent more than 40 percent of the physically harmed victims; the domestic violence initiation rates for women, and especially young women, have been rising; and the domestic violence rates for bisexuals, gays and lesbians all are higher than for heterosexual couples. Yet men receive no protection under the current versions of VAWA under consideration.
Second, the ideological foundations of VAWA discriminate against men. Conceptually, VAWA is based on the Duluth Power and Control Wheel model, which falsely presumes that all domestic violence is perpetrated by evil patriarchal males against virtuously innocent females. There is no research support for this false gender ideology.
Finally, by title alone VAWA discriminates against men. Given that domestic violence approaches 50-50 on most indexes, why does Congress want to serve only half of the victims? Where are the programs for male victims of domestic violence? Where is the money for fathers and their children who have been victimized by violent and abusive wives and mothers?
Standing in stark contrast to VAWA as written today are the words engraved above the entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court: Equal Justice Under Law. Fairness demands a new law in the next congressional session that provides genuine protection for all victims — including the male half of the population. | <urn:uuid:da53e868-0e99-414d-97f4-6267bcd2e778> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncfm.org/2012/12/action/ncfm-advisor-gordon-finley-stop-the-violence-against-women-acts-vawa-war-on-men/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94032 | 447 | 1.796875 | 2 |
This month and through April 2007 we are excited to unveil the art exhibition, “PANAMA: Paintings created in the Congo aesthetic traditions, today, developed and practiced at Taller Portobelo in Portobelo.” The exhibition invites 10 Panamanian artists to Sub-Basement Artist Studios, in Baltimore, MD, as we host these artists and their artwork, for the first time in the United States.
The exhibition will debut 40 paintings of artwork that reflect the Panamanian culture and history of the Congos. The Congos, as you may know, are descendants of Africans who liberated themselves from bondage through a series of wars fought against the Spanish crown during the colonial period in Panama. The artists will deliver a powerful compilation of artwork that commemorates the struggle and celebration of Panama’s heritage, while reflecting the rituals, spirituality, music and dance, past and present.
The opening for the show is set for Saturday, March 31, 2007 and celebrates the inter-cultural project, Taller Portobelo. Taller Portobelo, was established in the early 1970s, and is now a collective facility that offers artists, students and invited guests a painter’s studio, a small gallery and housing. Taller Portobelo, in conjunction with Taller Portobelo Norte, is a sister joint venture in Atlanta, GA with Spelman College, that coordinates several art and cultural immersion programs throughout the year.
The artists include: Virgilio “Yaneca” Esquina; Virgilio “Tito” Esquina; Gustavo Esquina de la Espada; Ariel “Pajarito” Jiménez; Manuel “Tatu” Golden; Reynaldo Esquina; José “Moraitho” Angulo; Sandra “La Bruja” Eleta; Fahamu Pecou and Arturo “Fuga-Fuga” Lindsay. These Panama natives are not only respected painters and sculptors, but are also performers of music and dance as well.
Curated by, Amy Sherald
Premiere: Saturday, March 31,2007
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Exhibition duration: March 31st– April 21st 2007 | <urn:uuid:c124b6e5-59b7-49a0-8b9e-11239acc2050> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.subbasementartiststudios.com/panama.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945371 | 474 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Weed and Seed
Kim David Stafford
Weed and Seed is a Department of Justice community-based program the goal of which is to prevent, control and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in targeted high-crime neighborhoods throughout the country. The Weed and Seed strategy follows a two-pronged approach: local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in "weeding" out criminals who engage in violent crimes and drug abuse, and "seeding" brings to the area human services encompassing prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization. A community-oriented policing component bridges weeding and seeding strategies: officers obtain cooperation and information from area residents while they assist residents in obtaining information about community revitalization and resources. There are currently five Weed and Seed sites in the Eastern District of California: two in Fresno, one in Modesto, one in Rancho Cordova, and one in Sacramento. | <urn:uuid:13cfe53b-4bbf-4408-99e4-cbbb8435adb6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.justice.gov/usao/cae/weed_and_seed/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936664 | 185 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Assuming you chose Fluorescent WB becuase the lighting was fluorescent, then yes, it's normal. It's because of the fluorescent lighting, and it's not a WB issue. Basically, fluorescent light actually flickers - faster than your eye/brain can perceive, but not faster than a camera's shutter can be set. The flicker is timed to the alternating current of the power source. If your shutter speed is at the cycle frequency or slower, you're fine. If your at twice the cycle frequency, you're usually ok. In between 1x and 2x, and faster than 2x, you'll get irregular color, and when you get faster than the camera's max Xsync speed (the fastest speed at which the entire sensor is uncovered during imaging), you'll also get uneven illumination.
In the USA/Canada, AC power is 60 Hz, so 1/60 s and slower is fine, 1/125 s is usually ok. Your shots are at 1/125 s, so I'm guessing you're in a part of the world where the AC power is 50 Hz. Try 1/100 s, or 1/50 s or slower, or overpower the ambient lighting with flash. | <urn:uuid:3c8ef72a-650e-4239-ac24-2a4cbd665e76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=11745.msg209606 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948803 | 245 | 1.96875 | 2 |
In this section, we will learn how to get an average of array. For this, first of all we have to define a class name "ArrayAverage" that has double type array to contain some values. Now we take a double type data that calculates the average of array (result/nums.length). And finally it will display the result on the command prompt with message by using the System.out.println().
Here is the code of this program
If you are facing any programming issue, such as compilation errors or not able to find the code you are looking for.
Ask your questions, our development team will try to give answers to your questions. | <urn:uuid:8c33e890-7a17-4b3d-afa9-5e7e72fd6f7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.roseindia.net/java/beginners/ArrayAverage.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906645 | 135 | 3.0625 | 3 |
QSpace at Queen's University >
Theses, Dissertations & Graduate Projects >
Queen's Theses & Dissertations >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
This item is restricted and will be released 2017-08-29.
|Title: ||‘EQUALITY NOW!’: RACE, RACISM AND RESISTANCE IN 1970s TORONTO|
|Authors: ||Kierylo, MALGORZATA|
|Issue Date: ||30-Aug-2012|
|Series/Report no.: ||Canadian theses|
|Abstract: ||This thesis explores the recognition of institutional racism in Ontario. It examines
discourses of institutional racism between the late 1960s and early 1980s and argues that the recognition of institutional racism at the provincial and national levels was facilitated by overt acts of racism in one of Canada’s most populous and diverse cities – Toronto. The targets of overt racism were new immigrants from decolonizing nations who utilized the discourse of rights
in the context of an increase in racist incidents to press for state recognition of institutional racism. This rise in racially motivated violence concerned most Canadians as it went against Canadians’ self-perception as a raceless, tolerant and peaceful society.
The recognition of structural racism was a gradual and contested process as municipal,
provincial and federal government actors often denied its existence and deemed overt acts of racism aberrant. When racist acts did occur, state officials and media reports blamed the increased racial tensions on the personal prejudice of extremists. Activist groups composed of visible minorities and human rights activists were key in the formation of a counter-narrative that
challenged this persistent denial of structural racism. These groups played a fundamental role in redefining the nature of racism in Canadian society.
A central theme of this dissertation is that disintegrating race relations allowed for a
redefinition of the Canadian state. It was the increase in racist incidents in 1970s Toronto that fostered a broad discussion on racism in Canada. This discussion emphasized that Canada’s people of colour experienced second-class citizenship because of structural inequalities which were rooted in Canadian institutions. Racial violence in 1970s Toronto was crucial in the
recognition of institutional racism as racist incidents brought visible minorities into the public sphere and gave them an opportunity to identify the existence of systemic and institutional racism in Canadian society. However, the recognition of institutional and systemic racism did
not result in a deep transformation of the Canadian racial state as policy changes have not been successful in challenging structural inequality.|
|Description: ||Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2012-08-28 21:13:35.14|
|Appears in Collections:||Queen's Theses & Dissertations|
History Graduate Theses
Items in QSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. | <urn:uuid:d2a1be65-3ec2-47f6-9597-3b6692a2701f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/7408 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927493 | 603 | 2.171875 | 2 |
|The Kurdish People
A people without a homeland
The Kurdish people are the largest ethnic group in the world without a country of their own.
Approximately 25 million Kurds live in an area called Kurdistan, a mountainous area covering 200,000 miles from southeast Turkey, northeast Syria, north Iraq and west Iran. Many have fled oppression and poverty to Europe, North America, Australia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Some of the ties that bind Kurds are their common culture and history, expressed in Kurdish folklore and songs exalting heroism and self-sacrifice. Kurds are believed to be descendants of the Medes, mentioned throughout the Old Testament and in Acts.
Peshmerga - The Kurds have no friends
"The Kurds have no friends," is a Kurdish proverb stemming from centuries of oppression which continues to this day.
Kurdish guerrillas call themselves peshmerga, "those who face death," and many have died in attempts to establish an independent homeland.
Long-standing divisions fragment Kurdish people
Tribalism is still a factor among Kurds, promoting many different factions which weaken the possibility of an independent homeland. A fighting people, the Kurds in Iraq have hurt their own cause by infighting between the two primary parties: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Even the Kurdish language is fragmented with numerous dialects which are mutually unintelligible.
||Estimated 25-29 million
||Majority Sunni Muslim; folk religions; cults
||No one unified language; Two main dialects: Sorani and Kurmanji
||Primarily in area known as Kurdistan, which is spread out between Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Armenia and Azerbaijan
Profile: One Kurdish Woman's Fight for Survival
Fatima and her five children live in a small cluster of stone huts and tents in a beautiful but remote mountainous area of northern Iraq. An AK-47 assault rifle stands ready for use inside the blanket-draped door of her hut. It stands as a reminder of her past, as well as the need for protection in the present.
Fatima's husband was one of 5,000 men rounded up from their village in 1988 by Saddam Hussein. All were killed and buried in a mass grave. She and her children survived by scratching the mountain clay for roots and herbs, while constantly on the run.
Fatima joined many other women in the Kurdish uprising following the Gulf War. She escaped to Iran, returning to her homeland when the United Nations opened a protected area of northern Iraq.
Returning to her ancestral home, she discovered others had claimed it for their own, and told her to move on. She moved, but not far. She and her children built her small settlement out of stones from her father's ruined house—raiding it when the men who had taken it over were asleep or away.
After four years, she has erected three stone houses with dirt roofs. The settlement includes chickens, rabbits, a turkey and an old donkey.
Fatima was recently asked by visitors: "What do you need most?" She replied, "You have eyes, you can look around here as well as I can. You decide what you want to do for us. We will be blessed with anything you shall give."
A flier and documentary video on CBF missions among the Kurds are available. Visit the CBF e-Store or call toll-free at (888) 801-4CBF (4223). | <urn:uuid:c8e8cf96-456c-4be0-9e62-66f2ca95cbe8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thefellowship.info/Missions/Global-Missions/People-Groups/Kurds | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968162 | 719 | 3.1875 | 3 |
From humble beginnings, verbenas have emerged as one of the most essential vegetative annuals.
October 12, 2011
Somehow, the name glandularia just never caught on. That's the genus for the verbenas that have taken the vegetative annuals world by storm — Glandularia canadensis in the Verbenaceae family, to be more precise.
The first really popular vegetatively propagated verbena was 'Homestead Purple,' a candensis type introduced by Allan Armitage at the University of Georgia (UGA) in the late 1980s. "Before 'Homestead Purple,' most of the verbenas were seed propagated and treated as commodity bedding plants," he says. "They were OK, but certainly the verbena market was not growing. There were a few vegetative forms out there, but they were weak and had little vigor."
Armitage describes the variety's low-key introduction. "We brought it back to the UGA garden and during our open house, we allowed growers to take cuttings," Armitage recalls. "There was no promotion, no road show, nothing but an exceptional plant that was easy to propagate, flowered all season, was perennial in Zone 7 and looked good in a container. It spread simply by word of mouth, and in two years, it was all over the marketplace."
Armitage considers 'Homestead Purple' to be one of the top 10 breakthrough plants of all time. "I believe this because after its introduction, all sorts of new verbenas came on to the market," he says. "It was the first truly successful vegetative verbena and that opened the gates to all others. The fact it is still very popular today gives an idea of its longevity."
Planting The Runway
The first two significant vegetative verbena series were introduced by Japanese flower breeder Suntory about 20 years ago. The Tapien series is a groundcover type that produces a carpet of blooms from April through November. Vigorous plants are versatile for pots, baskets, window boxes and landscapes. Tapiens continue to be refined and are in six colors: Blue-Violet, Lilac, Pink, Purple, Salmon and White.
Soon after Tapien came Suntory's Temari series, which became the model for large-flowered verbenas in even more colors, including Burgundy, Magenta and Cherry Red. Temaris is available in eight trailing colors and five patio types with a mounding habit that is more upright.
The Tapiens and Temaris became popular in the United States as part of the Proven Winners collection in the 1990s. Proven Winners has since trademarked its lines Superbenas and incorporated different genetics, notably from Syngenta as the seed-based S&G Flowers was beginning to breed for the vegetative annuals market. Two early Syngenta series were Tukana and Babylon.
Rick Schoellhorn, director of new products for Proven Winners, says the three breeding priorities are mildew resistance, the ability for new flowers to overgrow old flowers and heat and humidity tolerance. "If the plant shows powdery mildew, it is out of the gene pool," he says, adding that in their native climate, verbenas prefer a less humid climate.
While consumers prefer the more vigorous verbenas, breeders are under pressure to develop more compact varieties for growers. Proven Winners introduced the Superbena Royales to meet this market need. "To me, the pressure in the industry is to make growers happy. The breeders are all going for what will make the Home Depot grower happy," Schoellhorn says. "Usually, what makes them happy doesn't make the consumer happy. We get hammered over vigorous plants but the consumer is going to love them."
'Superbena Peachy Keen' is a new one that is in between the more vigorous types and the Royales in habit. "It's the best peach we've seen," he says. "Flowers open brick orange and fade to peach instead of opening peach and fading to a lunch bag color. It's a nice breakthrough on something that's generally a weak color. We've been trying to get peach in for years."
In the Goldsmith breeding lines Syngenta acquired, the Lanai series has been a strong one with a wide color range and trailing and upright varieties. New this year is 'Lanai Twister Pink,' a light pink flower with dark pink centers, which was a finalist for Greenhouse Grower's Medal of Excellence award for Breeding.
"Syngenta feels novelty bloom types are important to a series and with the addition of Twister Pink we feel we are working in the right direction," says product specialist Eric Pitzen. "We're also working on developing a red, white and blue in the Lanai Upright series. With the addition of these colors, we anticipate the series will be an even more popular choice for quart programs and high-density, no-space production techniques being used by growers."
Westhoff has been introducing unique star patterns in its Estrella series. While Voodoo Star captured interest last year, new this year is Salmon Star.
Essential In Combos
Verbenas have been a key part of Dömmen's Confetti Garden multi-cutting liners, with the Hot Pink Jazz being the best seller. "The verbena we have in that one is 'Empress Strawberry Charme,' which creates a contrast people seem to like," says Paul Hammer, research and development manager for Dömmen USA. "Verbenas add plant texture plus bright colors to mixes."
The Empress series, which is only a few years old, is selected for mildew tolerance, habit, large flower size and summer performance. While the Empress Charmes have white eyes, the Empress Flairs have a more compact habit for packs and quarts.
Another striking combination with just two varieties that is capturing attention is Ball FloraPlant's MixMaster High Voltage, pairing verbena 'Aztec Red Velvet' with osteospermum 'Voltage Yellow.' The two grow out nicely I the fused liners. Other striking new Aztecs are Burgundy and Blue Velvet, a deep navy. Ball Sales Manager Jim Kennedy says Aztec is its most versatile series with the Aztec Magics being more trailing with serrated foliage. Wildfire is the most vigorous of the three.
Selecta will be introducing a Lascar Big Eye series featuring plants with large flowers with a distinctive white eye. The three varieties were rooted together as Trixi liners during the European Flower Trials this summer. "Lascar Big Eye will be introduced at Spring Trials 2012," Selecta's Stefan Reiner says. "They are selling like crazy in Europe, where we introduced them already this year."
Danziger also has been promoting mixing different colors of verbenas together in its Mixis collections. Syngenta's Lanai Trailing and Magelana verbenas have been a key part of its Kwik Kombos program. In addition to the combinations, "planting straight Lanai verbena mixes into the landscape gives the consumer an eyecatching mix of color that works well together and blooms through the summer," Pitzen says.
Don't Forget Seed!
While most of the excitement is surrounding vegetative verbena, there are still solid seed lines for growers to choose from, including PanAmerican Seed's Quartz series and Obsession and Tuscany from Syngenta. Mike Murgiano, Syngenta product development manager on the seed side, says the same breeder is working on seed and vegetative lines.
"Before, they were separate programs," he says. "But with seed and vegetative, you are breeding for opposite goals. For seed, it's to produce seed. For vegetative, you want the plants to be sterile and produce more flowers. But for the breeder it's one big gene pool, which has definite benefits."
Focusing on seed-based varieties will continue to be important. "Seed is still the bread and butter for a lot of growers' production," Murgiano says. | <urn:uuid:1eb4d2f4-c054-4bc5-8462-a43b4a8c9140> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greenhousegrower.com/article/23506/vivid-verbenas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963167 | 1,701 | 2.265625 | 2 |
The New York World reports this morning:
Tire irons like this one are just one weapon in the city’s arsenal against unpaid parking fines. (AP Photo)
The boots clamped on the wheels of some parked cars in Brooklyn this summer are just one weapon in the city’s war on unpaid parking tickets and other fines. The city’s quest to collect hundreds of millions of dollars owed by scofflaws has led its Department of Finance to bring out the big guns: tough-talking collection agencies from Texas.
The Austin-based collections company Gila LLC, doing business under the name Municipal Services Bureau, is under consideration for a new $17.8 million, five-year contract with the city’s finance agency. The city is also negotiating an $18.1 million contract with a second Texas collection firm, Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson. Sallie Mae, the student loan agency, and IQOR, doing business as Allied Interstate, are also in line for new contracts.
The companies responded to a city request for proposals seeking firms to collect money owed on parking tickets, red light and bus lane driving violations, business taxes and fines for environmental violations.
The move comes as New York City parking ticket revenues fall far short of projections. In fiscal year 2011, the city budgeted for $625 million in parking fine collections. By the end of the year, it had obtained only $568 million, a 6 percent drop from the previous year’s take. Meanwhile, the city issued $904 million in new summonses, and by the end of each fiscal year, more than $250 million in summonses remain unpaid.
The Department of Finance has used private debt collectors since at least 2003, but the proposed new contracts would significantly expand its use of outside firms to collect fines once they are under judgments or warrants. They come in the wake of a 2010 report from the mayor’s Office of Operations recommending greater use of outside collection agencies to help close the gap between summonses the city issues and the money it collects. The Department of Finance also commissioned a study from the management consulting group McKinsey and Company as part of its effort to improve revenue collections, though it has not released the results publicly.
The collections companies track down debtors and then call and mail them repeatedly; the firms then typically get to keep a portion of any proceeds. Under the city’s previous contract with Allied Interstate, the company kept 7.8 percent of the proceeds, and earned $2.7 million in commissions in fiscal year 2011. It was able to track down just 17 cents out of every dollar owed to the city.
Gila LLC promises local governments “higher recovery rates than our competitors.” Its pitch materials to other cities vow to attempt contact with debtors a minimum of 16 times in the first 60 days, followed by a “progressive letter series in which each letter will carry stronger language.”
The letter that Austin driver Brent DeVere got from the company in 2007 was downright scary. “A Warrant is Pending for Your Arrest – Act Now to Avoid Going to Jail,” read the notice, which included an image of an Austin marshal’s badge.
DeVere, who happens to be an attorney, had accumulated three tickets for parking at expired meters. He knew that in Austin these are a civil matter, not a criminal one, and therefore can’t result in arrests. This notice alleged — incorrectly so, DeVere insisted — that he had four delinquent tickets totaling $156 owed to the city. Gila subsequently sent more notices threatening to tow DeVere’s car if he did not pay.
He decided to bring the matter to Travis County Court. DeVere wasn’t the only one who got the notice threatening arrest, which Gila was quick to call “a clerical error on our part.” The company admitted to having improperly sent this warrant notice to some 18,000 people who had outstanding parking tickets in Austin.
“They basically got the wrong version of a collection letter from us,” then-Gila Chief Executive Officer Patrick Swanick told the Austin American-Statesman. In a deposition in DeVere’s lawsuit, Swanick acknowledged that the letter was approved by the city of Austin for its annual warrant round-up program.
Gila asked a federal court to pick up the case. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of the Western District of Texas determined that the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which governs the actions of collections agencies hunting consumer debt, does not apply to parking tickets.
Jerry Jarzombek, an attorney in Texas specializing in claims against abusive debt collectors, had his own run-in with the company about five years ago after he ran a red light. A Gila collector had called him to demand $150, incluing a $75 late fee, on a ticket Jarzombek says he never received. The caller also threatened, Jarzombek said, to put negative information on his credit report, something the company does not have the power to do. Jarzombek called on his city of Ridgeland Hills to end its contract with Gila, but no action was taken by authorities.
To read the full article at City & State click here.
Trackback from your site. | <urn:uuid:a71b8c47-785f-445c-b1d9-1b14fb0966db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nypress.com/brooklyn-hires-tough-texas-collection-agencies-to-recover-millions-in-unpaid-parking-tickets/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964201 | 1,106 | 1.625 | 2 |
Process in songwriting – Total Guitar magazine
This article first appeared in Total Guitar magazine issue 215, June 2011. Words: Joe Bennett. Illustration: Christian Ward.
Six rules of (fingers and) thumb
There are no rules in songwriting. It’s your song, and you can do anything you like with it. But! There are principles that occur in a large number of successful songs, and many of the songwriters I teach find these ideas useful when writing new material. They are, in no particular order, Economy, Imagery, Prosody, Universality, Repetition and Originality.
Songs use word economy to communicate lyric ideas. The Beatles’ Yesterday tells an entire story of love, loss and regret in 84 words – and 125 seconds (and it holds the record for the most cover versions of any song in history). Many successful songs start with a killer first line that provides lots of information in a few words. When we hear “Stacey’s Mom has got it goin’ on” (Fountains of Wayne) we know (or guess) that the singer is an American teenager, that he is dating a girl called Stacey, that he’s in love with her mother, and that the mum knows nothing about it. Not bad in seven words.
Music fans listen with their imagination as well as their ears – and lyric imagery is one of the most useful tools we have in stimulating it. So if you say “I met a girl in a night club” you’re halfway to telling the story, but if you add detail you get “I met her in a club down in old Soho / where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola” (from the Kinks’ classic Lola – TG205). We see a picture in our minds when we hear this lyric. We also get an inkling of the narrator’s naivety – he’s never been to a bar and doesn’t know why the drinks taste funny.
You can write perfectly good lyrics without using imagery, but a few choice visuals can work wonders in helping fans to remember your song. And images can also be used as metaphor. In Biffy Clyro’s God & Satan, when Simon Neil sings “the see-saw snaps and splinters your hand”, he’s talking about life’s balance between good and evil, not about a children’s playground. But if he’d just sung “when your life doesn’t work out as you hoped” the lyric would have been much weaker.
Prosody is a catch-all term to describe music and lyric working together to give meaning for the listener. If your chorus says “I Predict A Riot” it’s pretty unlikely that you’re going to accompany it with delicate open-tuned fingerstyle guitar and a tempo of 60 beats per minute – the feeling of the lyric doesn’t go with the music. Conversely, “You never close your eyes any more when I kiss your lips” (from You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling) is such a tender image that you won’t want amps up to 11 and a Screamo vocal.
Some songwriters believe that melody and lyric are even more closely related – that positive lyrics go with rising melodies and negative ones with descending melodies. There are plenty of classics that disprove this theory, of course, but again it’s surprising how often you find really successful songs following the ‘rule’. And while we’re at it, have you noticed that the chorus melody is almost always higher-pitched than the verse? It makes people want to join in and tells them that this is the ‘point’ of your lyric.
To state the obvious, successful song lyrics appeal to lots of people – this is often described as Universality. It’s no accident that more than 80% of the biggest hits of all time are about love and relationships, because it’s something that all humans relate to. But it’s not all hearts and flowers. Elbow’s One Day Like This suggests that if we can all just feel good about ourselves for one day, we’ll put up with the rest of life’s troubles (and the chorus opens with the wonderful image “throw those curtains wide”). And listen to Lennon’s Imagine – who wouldn’t agree that there should be more love in the world?
Repetition! What is it good for? Absolutely everything! Say it again. It might not seem terribly ‘clever’ to simply repeat the title in your chorus, but it’s amazing how well this simple device can work.
Perhaps the most difficult part of songwriting is achieving originality. As listeners, we need to hear that quirky extra ingredient – the sound, riff, melody, chord pattern or lyric we haven’t heard before. Over to you.
Download Total Guitar magazine for iPad/iOS5 | <urn:uuid:73617ccc-eb93-4d99-a6bf-b82ba95f9507> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://joebennett.net/2011/11/23/process-in-songwriting-total-guitar-magazine-issue-215/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945617 | 1,065 | 2.21875 | 2 |
I didn't notice any mention of eliminating the electrical connection between the anode and cathode. This should cause a substantial reduction in galvanic action.
I kind of touched on this in my reply to Ed. Yes, if you eliminate the conductive path between the metals concerned, you will eliminate the effects of galvanic corrosion. However...
a) Given that we're discussing, in most cases, two lumps of metal connected by a path of liquid (see also 'connections' below), it is likely to be prohibitively difficult or expensive to make it totally non-conductive - also, even if you make your liquid non-conductive you are not necessarily making it non-corrosive or non-oxidising, which brings me to...
b) You may not want to
eliminate the effects of galvanic corrosion. You won't necessarily eliminate the effects other corrosion (see above), and you can use the galvanic corrosion effect to your advantage by setting up a 'sacrifical anode' (a lump of disposable metal that is more anodic than the ones you want to preserve), that will corrode faser than - and thereby protect - your important lumps of metal.Connections
Can the electrolyte serve as the return also? Or does GC require a separate connection? Charliek's references indicate the second
That's a good question, and I'm not 100% sure of the whole answer (bear in mind that I'm no expert on any of this - I've just been reading)
What I am sure of is the fact that you don't need a 'loop of water' to create a 'send and return' circuit like you'd expect in a traditional electrical circuit.
If you get a bucket of tap water, and lob in a lump of zinc and a lump of silver, there'll be an electrical current between them and the process of galvanic corrosion will corrode the zinc faster than it would have normally corroded
, and the silver slower than normal.
The process involves the exchange of metallic ions in the water (the electrolyte), there are positive 'cations' and negative 'anions' that are attracted to the anode and the cathode, respectively, through the electrolyte. This is in danger of getting over-technical, and it has been a long time since my 'O'Level chemistry so, suffice it to say that the current flows in both directions through the water.
Galvanic corrosion, remember, is in addition to
all the normal reactions one would expect. A lump of iron in water will rust, because water is an oxydising agent - it forms iron oxide, rust, on the iron, corroding it. Chuck a lump of magnesium in, and there develops a galvanic relationship between the two - the zinc is more anodic, and so will corrode faster than it would have on its own, the iron is more cathodic, so its rusting will slow down. Substitute silver for the zinc, and the opposite will occur - the iron is now the more anodic, and will rust like anything while the silver will remain smug and shiny for longer than it would have on its own. These processes all use the same water - it is at the same time an oxydising agent, and a conducter (an electrolyte).
I'm guessing that you found the reference to the sacrificial anode, in which it was attached to the metal that it was there to preserve by a wire, as well as by the water. I am unclear as to why this should be necessary, there is already a connection because they are in the same electrolyte after all. My guess is that the wire is less resistive than the water - i.e. it makes the path between the two metals the 'path of least resistance' - and thereby guarantees that the anode-cathode relationship between them is as efficient as possible.
To put it another way, because the zinc is connected to the copper by a wire, the copper will concentrate all of its cathodic energy on eroding the easily-available sacrifical zinc, and wont touch the aluminium at all.
And now I think I need a lie down. | <urn:uuid:3f04ffe7-6c78-40a3-acdb-93d35772b20d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=14948 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960795 | 870 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Health Highlights: March 28, 2011
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
FDA Panel Examines Food Dyes and Hyperactivity in Children
There may some truth to the widely held belief that synthetic food dyes can cause hyperactivity in children, suggests a U.S. Food and Drug Administration memo released this week.
The document says children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have a "unique tolerance" to artificial food colorings. The memo also said the dyes haven't been proven to cause hyperactivity in most children, nor have the man-made colorings been found to contain "any inherent neurotoxic properties," ABC News reported.
The research summary was distributed ahead of a two-day hearing in which an FDA advisory committee will examine any possible links between artificial food dyes and hyperactivity in children. The committee will recommend whether the FDA should take steps to protect consumers.
The FDA memo was prepared after the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the agency to revoke approvals for eight certified synthetic food dyes: FD&C Blue 1 and 2; FD&C Green 3; Orange B; FD&C Red 3; FD&C Red 40; FD&C Yellow 5 and 6, ABC News reported.
New Drug for Advanced Melanoma Approved by FDA
A new injectable drug touted as the first to prolong the lives of patients with melanoma has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The immune system-stimulating drug Yervoy (ipilimumab) from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. was approved to treat patients with late-stage or metastatic melanoma. Currently only two other drugs have FDA approval for treatment of advanced melanoma and neither of them has been shown to significantly extend patients' lives, the Associated Press reported.
The FDA's approval of Yervoy was based on a Bristol-Myers study of 676 patients with advanced, inoperable melanoma who had failed to respond to two other treatments. They were randomly assigned to receive either: Yervoy alone, Yervoy and another immune-stimulating treatment; or the other immune-stimulating treatment alone.
Patients who received Yervoy alone lived an average of 10 months, compared to six months for those in the other groups. However, some of the patients who received the new drug survived longer than six years. This suggests that the drug could be targeted at patients most likely to respond, the AP reported.
While 85 percent of patients showed little response to Yervoy, the response rate should improve as the drug is used earlier in the disease process, according to researchers.
"Clearly this is not a home run, but it's a solid base hit," Tim Turnham, director of the Melanoma Research Foundation, told the AP. "And because we see other things in the pipeline, we think this the first in a series of important new therapies for melanoma."
"I think the direction this is headed is toward intervening earlier, when patients' immune systems are still intact, rather than waiting until they are so sick," Dr. Anna Pavlick, director of the New York University's melanoma program, told the AP.
She is a spokeswoman for the Skin Cancer Foundation, which helped conduct several early-stage trials of Yervoy.
Melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer and is the fastest growing type of cancer in the U.S. in terms of new diagnoses, the AP reported. Last year, about 68,000 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with melanoma and about 8,700 people died from the disease, says the American Cancer Society.
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Being in a crowd when you are alone is ignorance. Enlightenment is being alone in a crowd. Feeling of oneness in a crowd is a sign of wisdom. Knowledge of life brings confidence, and knowledge of death makes you fearless and centered.
What is fear? Fear of separatedness.
Celebrate while you are alone and when you are with people. Some know to celebrate when they are in a crowd. Some can only rejoice alone in silence. I tell you to do both.
Celebrate the silence and Celebrate the noise.
Celebrate the life and Celebrate the death.
This is the Eleventh Commandment! | <urn:uuid:f42f0c35-22f5-4af7-9d01-a1ee85276a3e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artofliving.org/eleventh-commandment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92955 | 129 | 1.757813 | 2 |
While CFS researchers seek to describe the disease process and find a medical cure, little attention has been given to describing the recovery process that has occurred in many people. Yet we now have sufficient clinical experience to show that there is a recovery phase to CFS. Following are some observations about the recovery phase.
This phase can be characterized as a gradual upward ascent toward health, punctuated by relapses and remissions of varying degrees. While there are still these cycles, the relapses generally become less severe, of less duration, and the time between relapses lengthens.
People in the recovery phase can often point to a time when there seemed to be a positive shift or a "turning the corner" in their overall pattern of symptoms. I have heard patients attribute this shift to a variety of factors. For some it was a certain form of medical support. For others it was a major change in lifestyle such as dramatically reducing work hours, quitting a stressful job, or ending a dysfunctional relationship.
Still others point to a change in their relationship with themselves, a turning inward and involvement in self-help. And in some cases there is no apparent trigger of recovery, but rather the body's healing efforts finally seem to gain the upper hand on their own.
During the recovery phase the person learns how to carefully observe the body's signals, and to monitor its vulnerability, which is cyclical. They learn to modulate the expenditure of energy, to anticipate vulnerability, and to balance activity with rest.
Close attention is paid to diet and stress. Many people develop a more introspective attitude toward life, with a greater appreciation for emotional honesty. Promotion of health remains in the foreground of daily experience. As periods of remission lengthen, the person remains attentive to the body's needs and avoids the tendency to overdo. The importance of this is reinforced by occasional relapses when vigilance wanes. Gradually the person establishes a new balance of rest and activity, with a heightened sensitivity to, and respect for, the body. Vulnerability appears to diminish with time, as long as a vigilant attitude is maintained.
What happens at the cellular level during the recovery phase? Since the symptoms are caused by the chemical by-products of an imbalanced immune response, when your symptoms diminish or disappear this is evidence that your immune system is re-establishing its own healthy balance.
When does the recovery phase end? When are you "recovered"? With some illnesses, the use of the word "recovered" is avoided, for fear of possible relapse. "In remission" or "in recovery" are preferred, at least until a substantial period of time has passed with no symptoms. With cancer, a remission for five years is generally considered a recovery.
With CFS, there is no consensus on when a person is called "recovered." This is complicated by the cyclical nature of CFS. Relapses do occur during the recovery phase, though they may be relatively minor and short-lived compared to the debilitation of the chronic phase. Relapses can even occur after one has fully regained a satisfactory level of functioning and a basic sense of control and balance. Again, however, these relapses are likely to be relatively mild, and serve mainly as reminders of the lessons learned during the recovery process.
Many former PWC's have proven that recovery is attainable, and you can get on with your life. Sarah, one of the more severe cases I have worked with, tells us:
"I consider myself fully recovered. I am able to perform all the functions that I was able to do... My thinking is clear and my energy level is very high. I keep on top of things now by not over-doing, and this may be the key for me: I'm no longer interested in testing my limits."
As with cancer and AIDS, recovery from CFS is sustained best in people who have made profound and significant changes in their lifestyle, diet, and self-care. | <urn:uuid:2fede465-b045-4a63-8e7b-f5a59e4b21cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthy.net/Health/Article/The_Recovery_Phase_in_CFS/504 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972041 | 807 | 2.421875 | 2 |
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Tree Squirrels and Squirrel Control in Westchester
Gray on the top of the body and have a white underside and measures 18 to 20 inches long. Its bushy tail accounts for about half its length. Tree squirrels weigh 1 to 1.5 pounds.
Tree squirrels can become a problem when they gnaw on wires, enter buildings, and build nests in attics. They may damage siding, insulation, or household contents when they take up residence in homes or other buildings.
They typically feed on fruits and nuts in fall and early winter. They favor acorns, hickory nuts, and walnuts and often store them for use in the winter. In late winter and early spring they prefer tree buds and in the summer they eat fruits and berries.
Most adult squirrels first breed in mid-December or early January, and 5 to 10 percent of older females may breed again in June. The gestation period is 42 to 45 days, after which gray squirrels typically give birth to three young.
Every area and city has its unique problems with rodents and because of that fact, QualityPro Pest & Wildlife Services specializes in several areas with emphasis in squirrel control in Westchester, NY, including squirrel removal in Peekskill, NY. QualityPro Pest & Wildlife Services can save you time, money, and worries when dealing with squirrel control in Westchester. In fact, we will give you 10% of your first service call when and if these critters invade your home.
Squirrels and other rodents can cause major destruction to your way of life this winter. Food storage during the winter months can be prone to these pilfering and looting little buggers and it can be wuite a headache when their presence has been established. When you make the call to QualityPro Pest & Wildlife Services, you can be assured that we will remove the squirrels safely, humanely, and rapidly thus returing your home and food storage back to you and your family. We also specialize in squirrel removal in Peekskill, NY. | <urn:uuid:5b34216c-8bf2-4c52-a935-11a0d99534e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.qualitypropest.com/tree_squirrels.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942453 | 456 | 1.664063 | 2 |
10 Things You Get Now That Obamacare Survived
The US Supreme Court on Thursday largely upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the centerpiece of President Obama's first term in office. Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative appointed by George W. Bush, joined with the high court's four liberals and penned the majority opinion. In their dissent, the court's four other conservative justices said they would have struck down the entire law.
So what does the court's ruling mean for regular Americans?
After the ACA's passage in 2010, Mother Jones' Nick Baumann listed 10 ways Obama's signature health care law will impact the healthy and sick, young and old, rich and poor. Here they are:
1) Insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime coverage limits on your insurance. Never again will you face the risk of getting really sick and then, a few months in, having your insurer tell you, "Sorry, you've 'run out' of coverage." Almost everyone I've met knows someone who had insurance but got really, really sick (or had a kid get really sick) and ran into a lifetime cap.
2) If you don't know someone who has run into a lifetime cap, you probably know someone who has run into an annual cap. The use of these will be sharply limited. (They'll be eliminated entirely in 2014.)
3) Insurers can no longer tell kids with preexisting conditions that they'll insure them "except for" the preexisting condition. That's called preexisting condition exclusion, and it's out the window.
4) A special, temporary program will help adults with preexisting conditions get coverage. It expires in 2014, when the health insurance exchanges—basically big "pools" of businesses and individuals—come on-line. That's when all insurers will have to cover everyone, preexisting condition or not.
5) Insurance companies can't drop you when you get sick, either—this plan means the end of "rescissions."
6) You can stay on your parents' insurance until you're 26.
7) Seniors get $250 towards closing the "doughnut hole" in their prescription drug coverage. Currently, prescription drug coverage ends once you've spent $2,700 on drugs and it doesn't kick in again until you've spent nearly $6,200. James Ridgeway wrote about the problems with the doughnut hole for Mother Jones in the September/October 2008 issue. Eventually, the health care reform bill will close the donut hole entirely. The AARP has more on immediate health care benefits for seniors. Next year (i.e., in nine months), 50 percent of the doughnut hole will be covered.
8) Medicare's preventive benefits now come with a free visit with your primary care doctor every year to plan out your prevention services. And there are no more co-pays for preventative services in Medicare.
9) This is a big one: Small businesses get big tax credits—up to 50 percent of premium costs—for offering health insurance to their workers.
10) Insurers with unusually high administrative costs have to offer rebates to their customers, and every insurance company has to reveal how much it spends on overhead.
UPDATE: Here's one more big benefit we've found out about since the ACA passed:
Hungry for more? Read Adam Serwer's breakdown of what the Supreme Court's decision means and what comes next. | <urn:uuid:62fb9681-99da-4d30-88af-8dfb3ca3c432> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/06/obamacare-supreme-court-regular-americans | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959416 | 710 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Take me outside when it’s snowing. Help me find words to describe what I’m seeing, feeling and experiencing.
Say the name of an animal and have me make that animal’s noise. The cow says… moo.
When we’re reading, ask me to turn pages and predict what will happen next. It will keep me interested.
These are examples of activities listed in the Nebraska State Department of Education’s new pre-kindergarten education calendar, all written from a child’s point of view. The calendar is designed to help Nebraska parents with young children who are getting ready to start school.
The calendar will be available in December at schools, pediatricians’ offices and community organizations throughout Nebraska. A Spanish version also will be available, said Tricia Parker, the state’s director of language arts education curriculum and instruction team.
Parker said she and her team aimed to make the calendar easily understandable for parents, day care owners and people who don’t have a background in education.
It is meant as a tool to help parents get their children ready to start school and covers three topics: reading, writing and a combination of speaking and listening.
The focus on language stems from a landmark study in 1995 by two University of Kansas child psychologists who found that kids who grow up in poverty hear 30 million fewer words than their non-poor peers by the time they’re 3 years old. This word gap means children in poverty start school behind other students.
To help close the gap, the new calendar encourages parents to talk with their children. This involves both the parent and the child in explaining answers to questions and taking the time to notice the environment around them.
“We want them [the parents] to know learning with their children is fun,” Parker said. “School shouldn’t feel like school. It should be fun, exciting and engaging.”
In addition to various activities, the calendar will also provide suggestions for books, museums, websites and educational smartphone and tablet computer applications.
“We want to make it as useable for them [the parents] as we can,” Parker said.
The calendar is being created with help from a federal Striving Readers grant, which supports state literacy efforts.
Emily Nash, education department manager at the Lincoln Children’s Museum, helped create the content for the calendar. Her goal was to take old activities and put a fresh perspective on them.
“You have to balance what you know works with a new presentation to get people interested,” Nash said.
Nash teaches three eight-week classes for parents and their children at the museum to teach parents about childhood development in motor skills, language, social skills and emotions. She said adults need to be aware of that growth and help facilitate it. She compared the situation to a child trying to zip his own coat.
“We need to settle down and give them a chance to try it,” Nash said. “That’s how we’re learning.”
Nash also said playing is a child’s job because that’s how children develop skills and learn how to solve problems, which is knowledge they will need as an adult. Plus, at a young age, children don’t really play with each other. They choose to play with their parents, so Nash encourages parents to play along.
“Every child needs to be spoken to and every child needs to be heard,” Nash said.
According to Parker, language is the foundation for education. She said students may fail a standardized math test, not because they’re bad at math, but because those tests have a lot of reading.
“Our goal,” Parker said, “is to have kiddos coming into school ready to learn.” | <urn:uuid:5a5c900c-20d1-488b-9aef-936db44dadb4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=24039&pageID=24&ajaxShowTB=visible | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96439 | 810 | 2.875 | 3 |
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi (the air passages to the lungs). The bronchi can become inflamed due to a number of reasons including respiratory infection, allergens or irritants.
Bronchitis can be seen in two different forms. Acute bronchitis is generally caused by a viral infection, it comes on quickly and is usually short lived if treated properly. Cats with acute bronchitis will have an irritating, dry, painful cough that is persistent and will produce a yellow/green sputum. Cats may also have a low to medium grade fever. Chronic bronchitis will usually be seen after repeated attacks of acute bronchitis. The symptoms are similar to that of acute bronchitis but this type will last much longer. It is aggravated by smoking and by harmful environmental conditions, such as air polluted by chemicals, smoke, and dust.
Due to the stress on the respiratory system that chronic bronchitis produces, the bronchial walls may become thicker. This will render the cat more susceptible to other infections and can lead to asthma, emphysema or pneumonia.
Symptoms to look for:
- Yellow/Green sputum
- Loss of appetite
If you suspect any respiratory infection or bronchitis take your cat to the vet immediately. Your cat will most likely need to be kept in a warm, humid room, with frequent steam inhalations from a vaporizer. This will assist in softening the infected mucus in the bronchi. Your vet might also prescribe some type of expectorant. This will help the cat get rid of the mucus and fluid in the bronchi. Antibiotics may also be prescribed to ward off any current or potential infections. After an attack of acute bronchitis you will need to watch for any further colds or respiratory infections or any change in sputum.
Keep your cat inside and warm, especially in winter months. Try to keep dust, pollens, allergens and smoke to a minimum in the home. And if you suspect any sort of respiratory infection take your cat to the vet immediately for diagnosis and treatment.
Medical and care advice on this article is for your knowledge and information only. It is not a substitute for a veterinary appointment or an actual diagnosis for your pet. If you feel your pet has a health or behavior problem please consult your veterinarian immediately for specific advice tailored to your individual pet.
Article submitted by: © 21cats.org (Biography & Additional Information) | <urn:uuid:5032ec80-ee71-4af0-9ff4-1f9b3f331621> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pet360.com/cat/health/bronchitis-in-cats/TC9FqTLBuEKiSzA5gfEdxw | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93353 | 509 | 3.21875 | 3 |
If you are looking for an unusual and creative gift for a teacher or someone in education then why not consider giving an education gift pack through Christian Aid's Present Aid site? Visit Christian Aid's Present Aid site here
If you are stuck for that end-of-term gift for your teacher, then why not follow the suggestion of aid agencies who are suggesting you send a virtual gift on your teacher's behalf to the developing world?
The education of African children is key to future economic growth and lasting democracy, leading to greater stability and improved standards of living. Currently however education in Africa, however, is plagued by a lack of funds, teachers, textbooks, and equipment.
The importance of education for poor countries cannot be under estimated. Development and relief agencies are all united about this, and are devoted to improving access to quality education for the world’s poorest people. The main agencies all have educational charity gifts that make it quick and easy to support their vital work.
African children are not just the present but the future of the continent. Their education is key to future economic growth and lasting democracy, leading to greater stability and improved standards of living. | <urn:uuid:c410ce8c-ac48-4215-9e13-59045cc2c816> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/taxonomy/term/6065 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954737 | 233 | 2 | 2 |
In an Australian first, and in a scene reminiscent of a Star Wars Jedi Council meeting, Australia’s dominant carrier Telstra has projected a life-size 3-D hologram of its chief technology officer, Dr Hugh Bradlow from Melbourne live to a stage in Adelaide, which is more than 700 kms away. Dr Bradlow’s life-sized, real-time hologram walked, talked and interacted with business executives at an Adelaide conference while he stood in front of cameras in Telstra’s Melbourne office. Cameras and microphones in Adelaide allowed Dr Bradlow to see and hear his subjects in the Adelaide audience, as they watched his high definition image projected onto a transparent screen or “foil”. Click here to see the video on ABC News.
The technology, created by British company Musion Eyeliner, has already enabled former US vice president Al Gore to speak to the Live Earth concert’s London audience from Tokyo, and retailer Target to host a model-less virtual fashion show in New York last year. UK band Gorillaz has also used Musion to give life to three-dimensional cartoon characters who performed their song at a 2005 MTV Awards concert in Portugal as rappers interacted with them live on stage.
But Telstra reckons it’s not just for entertainment, but believes there are real business applications and serious benefits from this technology. Perhaps it will help to reduce carbon emissions as executives take less flights, opting instead for their 3-Image to travel? Certainly, that would be a more productive use of one’s time, and reduce travel costs. But clearly it is early days and the costs of this technology as still quite high. This particular holographic video projection system took about half a day to set up, and to move the image the infrastructure needed was “tens of megabytes”, which Telstra ran across its high-speed internet-based Next IP network, which was launched in April last year.
So, a sign of things to come, or pure science fiction?
Media Relations Myths | <urn:uuid:14c29e55-5747-4928-8d1a-c0fe0e361484> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techprnibbles.com/tag/hologram/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963675 | 425 | 1.765625 | 2 |
SO HOW WAS your fall off the fiscal cliff? Did you drop straight to the bottom or bounce several times off jagged rocks on the way down, land in a bramble bush, and then stare back up at that annoying roadrunner? Ouch. (And why didn't the roadrunner jump off the cliff? Did he have a more reasonable approach to spending and taxation? Is he naturally more conciliatory with his opponents? Nah. He's just smarter about sudden dropoffs.)
I'm just asking because, as I write this, we're still heading toward that cliff, so I won't know if we drove off it, braked just short of it, or maybe stopped to ask directions from an old guy sitting by the side of the road in a tattered beach chair. "Yup, you keep going straight for a couple miles, then look for the coyote tracks."
There is no question that our nation is facing major fiscal imbalances—although, to be fair, our low wages are more than offset by high cholesterol. But hopefully the president—Barack "Whew!ssein" Obama—will have avoided the impending crisis by reaching a compromise with Republican leaders, although at press time it seemed he was drawing a clear line in the sand. Of course, that's easy to change because, you know, it's just sand.
But I've never cared for the cliff analogy. I think of a cliff as something you throw things off, like a stick you found, or a rock, or a Fox News pundit who is now talking positively about immigration reform. (Don't forget to make a wish before you make the toss.)
I've always preferred the railroad trestle analogy. You don't throw things off a trestle—a train bridge across a river sometimes hundreds of feet below—because you're too focused on not stepping between the ties and breaking a leg and then lying there helplessly until a train runs over you. As a youth I was dared to walk halfway across a trestle over the Wabash River and then back again before a train came. It never did, and my foot didn't get caught, but I walked off of that trestle pale, sweaty with fear, and determined to resolve any future legislative disagreements quickly and on a nonpartisan basis. The takeaway for our nation is simple: Instead of hanging around trestles with taunting teenagers, just stay home and watch afternoon cartoons.
THE U.S. NEEDS to get its economic house in order while there's still a house, since at last count more than 20 states had petitioned to secede. Make that 30 states. In fact the petitions are coming in so fast that Wolf Blitzer is having difficulty projecting the final tally, something he loves to do but which, ironically, nobody ever once asked for.
For a state to officially secede, it must first gather at least 25,000 signatures, an easy task outside any Walmart in the early morning hours of Black Friday. (In exchange for something warm to drink, those people will sign anything.) Signatories must then learn all the verses of "Dixie" and correctly identify which side won in Gone with the Wind.
Although it's disconcerting that thousands of people want to sever ties with their fellow citizens, the good news is that their departure would actually help the budget, since most of these states receive millions of dollars more in federal aid than they contribute in federal taxes. It's going to take everyone pitching in to solve our fiscal problems, so if a balanced approach requires pushing Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas into the sea, I'm all for it. (Landlocked states may require professional movers.)
Many of these states might reconsider if President Obama is simply removed from office in a timely manner. This is definitely the plan of the Conservative Majority Fund, which has launched a campaign of robocalls for his impeachment and is accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors." (Question: If a man commits high crimes while in the Oval Office, shouldn't we give him a pass on the misdemeanors? I mean, let the guy keep the Evian he's been sneaking out of the limo, for goshsakes.)
Ed Spivey Jr. is art director of Sojourners.
Image: Fiscal cliff people falling, trekandshoot / Shutterstock.com | <urn:uuid:fe3c990d-a651-4779-8f7c-841daebde0b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sojo.net/magazine/2013/02/whistling-dixie-fiscal-cliff?quicktabs_top_magazine_articles=1&quicktabs_web_extras=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96593 | 900 | 1.554688 | 2 |
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Native American tribes in South Dakota are concerned a deal to sell off sacred land will lead to more development.
Native American tribes are concerned they will lose access to land they consider sacred if a deal to sell nearly 2,000 acres of prime real estate in the Black Hills of South Dakota goes through, reports AP.
The land near Mount Rushmore is privately owned but members of the Great Sioux Nation have been allowed to hold annual gatherings there to perform sacred ceremony rituals.
Each spring, the Lakota people have visited the site, known as Pahá Sápa in Lakota, to participate in ceremonies that celebrate nature's cycle of rebirth and renewal, according to Indian Country.
The tribes are concerned that the land will be sold and developed and they will lose access to the site. An auction is scheduled for August 25th where the land will be sold to the highest bidder.
Rapid City Journal reports that a number of tribes are scrambling to raise money in an attempt to buy all or most of the land.
“To lose this would be a big deal,” Oglala Lakota medicine man Rick Two Dogs told the newspaper. “We follow a spiritual calendar; we still do to this day. People still gather at the sacred sites to make offerings, to make prayers. It’s very important to us.”
With only a week until the auction date, the tribes have raised only about $110,000 and they believe the land will sell for $6 million to $10 million, reports AP.
A lot of our people who practice our way of life go there to pray and there are a lot of us that go up there," said Rodney Bordeaux, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, which is leading the effort told the Associated Press.
"Basically, it's an opportunity for the tribes to become involved and save Pe' Sla from development, commercial development, up there and try to save it and keep it in its current state, so people can always go up there to pray."
The South Dakota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are reportedly considering paving one of the main roads that divides the land. AP reports that the paved road was mentioned in the advertisement touting the land's development potential.
Rapid City Journal reports that the land is the only site holy to Native Americans that is privately owned and is not within state or federal boundaries. | <urn:uuid:aed21c95-3003-44ec-9d78-4089a6e20a99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120818/sioux-tribes-worry-over-sale-sacred-land | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962121 | 499 | 2.21875 | 2 |
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Lochhead to Reveal the Polymer Chemist's View of the Epidermal Barrier
Posted: March 15, 2006
Professor Robert Lochhead of the Institute for Formulation Science (University at Southern Mississippi) will give a polymer chemist's view of the epidermal barrier at C&T's Advanced Technology Conference (ATC) in Barcelona, to be held in conjunction with in-cosmetics.
Lochhead will explain that the conventional view of the stratum corneum comprises a bricks-and-mortar model in which the bricks are desquamated corneocytes and the mortar consists of lamellar bodies and water soluble/swellable macromolecules, such as glycosaminoglycans. The lamellar bodies are observed as segregated globules in the lower layers and they fuse in the upper layers to form an extensive lamellar barrier.
Attempting to understand the underlying mechanism of these phase changes is a fascinating exercise in polymer/colloid science, according to Lochhead. In his research, he has been developing simple models with the aim of understanding the molecular driving forces that are responsible for the observed micro-segregation and eventual fusing of the lamellae into contiguous structures. | <urn:uuid:e3614486-ed7f-410b-9c80-cc2d5d495943> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/networking/news/people/2468651.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921476 | 273 | 1.976563 | 2 |
The shift from a U.S. work model to a more "European" one – which includes shorter work weeks and more vacation time -- could cut as much as half of the expected global temperature rise by 2100, according to a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The study claims that scaling back on work hours could bring down greenhouse gases.Well, thanks to the economy, that's already happening...
“The calculation is simple: fewer work hours means less carbon emission, which means less global warming,” economist David Rosnick said.
Assuming that 40-to-60 percent of potential global warming is already locked in, about one-quarter to one-half of the warming that is not already locked in could be cut by scaling back hours, Rosnick, who wrote the study, said.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Work Less For More Green
Save the planet by not working: | <urn:uuid:5e631105-81f6-4561-99af-b05c9bf2a037> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wvrblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/green-laziness.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963451 | 188 | 3.078125 | 3 |
March 2, 2007 4:00 AM PST
Justice Department takes aim at image-sharing sites
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That proposal surfaced Wednesday in a private meeting during which U.S. Department of Justice officials, including Assistant Attorney General Rachel Brand, tried to convince industry representatives such as AOL and Comcast that data retention would be valuable in investigating terrorism, child pornography and other crimes. The discussions were described to News.com by several people who attended the meeting.
A second purpose of the meeting in Washington, D.C., according to the sources, was to ask Internet service providers how much it would cost to record details on their subscribers for two years. At the very least, the companies would be required to keep logs for police of which customer is assigned a specific Internet address.
Only universities and libraries would be excluded, one participant said. "There's a PR concern with including the libraries, so we're not going to include them," the participant quoted the Justice Department as saying. "We know we're going to get a pushback, so we're not going to do that."
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been lobbying Congress for mandatory data retention, calling it a "national problem that requires federal legislation." Gonzales has convened earlier private meetings to pressure industry representatives. And last month, Republicans introduced a mandatory data retention bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would let the attorney general dictate what must be stored and for how long.
Supporters of the data retention proposal say it's necessary to help track criminals if police don't immediately discover illegal activity, such as child abuse. Industry representatives respond by saying major Internet providers have a strong track record of responding to subpoenas from law enforcement.
Wednesday's meeting represents the latest effort by the Bush administration to increase the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to monitor Internet users. Since 2001, the administration has repeatedly pushed for more surveillance capabilities in the form of the Patriot Act and a follow-up proposal that--if it had been enacted--would have given the FBI online eavesdropping powers without a court order for up to 48 hours.
Often invoking terrorism and child pornography as justifications, the administration has argued that Internet providers must install backdoors for surveillance and has called for routers to be redesigned for easier eavesdropping. President Bush's electronic surveillance program, which was recently modified, has drawn an avalanche of lawsuits.
ISP snooping timeline
In events first reported by CNET News.com, Bush administration officials have said Internet providers should keep track of what Americans are doing online. Here's the timeline:
June 2005: Justice Department officials quietly propose data retention rules.
December 2005: European Parliament votes for data retention of up to two years.
April 14, 2006: Data retention proposals surface in Colorado and the U.S. Congress.
April 20, 2006: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says data retention "must be addressed."
May 26, 2006: Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller pressure Internet and telecom companies.
January 18, 2007: Gonzales says administration will ask Congress for new laws.
February 6, 2007: Republicans introduce mandatory data retention "Safety Act."
The Justice Department's request for information about compliance costs echoes a decade-ago debate over wiretapping digital telephones, which led to the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. To reduce opposition by telephone companies, Congress set aside $500 million for reimbursement and the legislation easily cleared both chambers by voice votes.
Once Internet providers come up with specific figures, privacy advocates worry, Congress will offer to write a generous check to cover all compliance costs and the process will repeat itself.
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The U.S. Internet Service Provider Association, which has been critical of data retention proposals before, declined to comment.
Because the Justice Department did not circulate a written proposal at the private meeting, it's difficult to gauge the effects on Web sites that would be forced to record information on image uploads for two years. Meeting participants said that Justice officials (including Brand, the assistant attorney general for legal policy and a former White House attorney) did not answer questions about anonymously posted content and whether text comments on a blog would qualify for retention.
In practice, some Web businesses already make it a practice to store personal information forever. Google stores search terms indefinitely, for instance, while AOL says it deletes them after 30 days.
David Weekly, a San Francisco-area entrepreneur who founded popular Wiki-creation site PBWiki.com, said the Justice Department's proposal would be routinely evaded by people who use overseas sites to upload images. (PBWiki, which recently raised $2 million from Mohr Davidow Ventures, lets people embed photographs on pages they create with a point-and-click editor.)
If the proposal were to become law, PBWiki would already be in compliance, Weekly said. "We already keep all that data pretty much indefinitely because it's invaluable for us to mine and figure out how people use services," he said. "How do they use services now versus a year ago? Was February a bad month for traffic?...We already have the data there. It's already searchable. It's already indexed."
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WASHINGTON -- Science, many scientists say, has been restored to her rightful throne because progressives have regained power. Progressives, say progressives, emulate the cool detachment of scientific discourse. So hear now the calm, collected voice of a scientist lavishly honored by progressives, Rajendra Pachauri.
He is chairman of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the 2007 version of the increasingly weird Nobel Peace Prize. Denouncing persons skeptical about the shrill certitudes of those who say global warming poses an imminent threat to the planet, he says:
"They are the same people who deny the link between smoking and cancer. They are people who say that asbestos is as good as talcum powder -- and I hope they put it on their faces every day."
Do not judge him as harshly as he speaks of others. Nothing prepared him for the unnerving horror of encountering disagreement. Global warming alarmists, long cosseted by echoing media, manifest an interesting incongruity -- hysteria and name calling accompanying serene assertions about the "settled science" of climate change. Were it settled, we would be spared the hyperbole that amounts to Ring Lardner's "Shut up, he explained."
The global warming industry, like Alexander in the famous children's story, is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Actually, a bad three months, which began Nov. 19 with the publication of e-mails indicating attempts by scientists to massage data and suppress dissent in order to strengthen "evidence" of global warming.
But there already supposedly was a broad, deep and unassailable consensus. Strange.
Next came the failure of The World's Last -- We Really, Really Mean It -- Chance, aka the Copenhagen climate change summit. It was a nullity, and since then things have been getting worse for those trying to stampede the world into a spasm of prophylactic statism.
In 2007, before the economic downturn began enforcing seriousness and discouraging grandstanding, seven Western U.S. states (and four Canadian provinces) decided to fix the planet on their own. California's Arnold Schwarzenegger intoned, "We cannot wait for the United States government to get its act together on the environment." The 11 jurisdictions formed what is now called the Western Climate Initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, starting in 2012. | <urn:uuid:25354146-b3b7-4eb0-bb72-856ab64496e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://townhall.com/columnists/georgewill/2010/02/21/blinded_by_science | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952136 | 487 | 1.789063 | 2 |
U.S. ethanol exports in January through September 2010 totaled 251 million gallons, according to the DOE, which was more than twice the 2009 level. Ethanol exports so far in 2010 amounted to only 2.6% of U.S. production, but nevertheless are causing controversy because the U.S. 45-cent ethanol excise tax subsidy is being claimed by some blenders prior to export. The European ethanol industry protests that (1) the U.S. excise tax subsidy amounts to unfair competition against European ethanol producers, and (2) the tax subsidy when used for exports is not being used for its intended purpose of encouraging domestic U.S. consumption of ethanol to reduce America’s reliance on imported oil. However, the amount of subsidized ethanol that gets to Europe appears to be miniscule. Exporters can only claim the credit if they mix ethanol and gasoline prior to export, not if they export pure ethanol. Also, of the 251 million gallons in exports, only 58 million gallons were exported to Europe. The other destinations for U.S. ethanol exports were Canada with 75 million gallons, UK (10 mln gal), UAE (5 mln gal), and Saudi Arabia (0.17 mln gal).
Ethanol Market Action -- Dec ethanol futures prices last week fell to a new 5-week low and closed 3.5 cents lower at $2.104 per gallon. Bearish factors included continued long liquidation pressure after the July-Oct rally, the 2.5% decline in corn prices, the 0.6% decline in gasoline prices, and the weekly DOE report.
Weekly DOE report is bearish -- Last Wednesday’s weekly DOE ethanol report was bearish with a record high of 895,000 bbl/day of ethanol production, up 3.5% in the past two weeks. More importantly, ethanol inventories rose by 4.1% to 16.718 million bbl, which was the largest weekly increase since mid-June. The report indicated that demand was not strong enough during the week to fully offset the record production level. Ethanol prices will obviously be negatively impacted if that situation continues with rising inventories.
Ethanol/Gasoline -- December gasoline futures prices last week consolidated below the recent 7-month high and closed the week slightly lower by 1.39 cents at $2.1960 per gallon. Gasoline prices last week were undercut by long liquidation pressure and the slightly higher +0.5% close in the dollar index. However, gasoline prices received underlying support from the weekly DOE report showing a 2.7 million bbl decline in gasoline inventories, which left gasoline inventories only 2.7% above their 5-year seasonal average, the tightest level since April 2010. Dec ethanol prices last week fell by slightly more than gasoline prices, causing the spread of ethanol prices minus gasoline prices to fall to a -9.2 cent discount, which equates to a 63 cent discount including the 45-cent ethanol tax credit.
Ethanol/Corn -- Dec corn futures prices last Friday edged to a new 6-week low and closed the week down 13.25 cents at $5.2075 per bushel. The main bearish factor was continued long liquidation pressure after the very sharp July-October rally to a 2-year high. Virtually the entire U.S. corn crop is now in the bin with no further threats from weather. The market appears to have already fully discounted the tight supply situation with the stocks/use ratio of 6.2%. The Dec ethanol-corn crush margin last week rose by 1.2 cents to 24.4 cents/gallon. Including DDG, the Sep corn for ethanol crush margin rose by 1.2 cents to 59.5 cents/gallon.
Nov 24: EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report
Nov 29: EIA Sep Monthly Ethanol Report
Mid-Dec: EPA’s E15 decision expected for 2001-06 model vehicles.
Dec 10: USDA WASDE Crop Supply-Demand
Disclosure: No positions | <urn:uuid:4d840906-2b62-4a68-9047-fffb60849259> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://seekingalpha.com/article/238089-crb-cme-group-weekly-ethanol-report-rising-u-s-ethanol-exports-produce-some-controversy?source=nasdaq | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949614 | 835 | 1.617188 | 2 |
[LINK] Teachers fear computers in the classroom
stephen at melbpc.org.au
Thu Sep 15 01:26:51 EST 2005
Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> Schools are failing to take advantage of IT in the classroom ..
Hmm, most indicators show our teachers are quite well advanced in world
regarding utilizing IT in teaching in the classroom .. access is always
however .. early research here in Vic shows computer-pods don't work ..
it's back to the first-day-of-term rush to block-book one's classes into
the IT labs
around the demands of one's senior IT and Multimedia etc classes .. and,
decide to have school swimming sports on the day. Sometimes it's just
for a class to have lab access in a particular subject .. too often in
More information about the Link | <urn:uuid:afe7b6fb-4ace-4002-b2a0-e3cd99fa13df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mailman.anu.edu.au/pipermail/link/2005-September/063655.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917706 | 182 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Now that a significant number of JSRs are being developed as open source projects, I thought it would be interesting to explore the implications of this for security.
First, let's start with the basics. Security is fundamental to the Java platform - it's built in to the Java Language and the Java Virtual Machine specifications.
In the early days it was expected that a primary use of Java would be "executable content" downloaded from the Web. (See this paper from 1995 on security in Java - "A new programming language from Sun Microsystems".) Obviously the security implications of running arbitrary "foreign" code are serious. Java took these into account.
At the most fundamental level, the Java compiler and virtual machine use several mechanisms to ensure security. These include strong data typing and automatic memory management to guard against problems like buffer overflows, bytecode verification to ensure that the contents of Java class files are consistent with the specifications, and secure class loading to ensure that untrusted code cannot interfere with the running of other Java programs.
Security for applets was originally enforced using a simple "sandbox" mechanism. Untrusted code was permitted to execute only in a "sandbox" where it was prohibited from performing many potentially harmful actions such as reading or writing to the local disk or making new network connections. While this simple approach provided effective security, it proved to be too restrictive, making it difficult for benevolent but technically untrusted programs to do anything useful.
Java 1.1 introduced a code-signing and authentication mechanism that made it possible to remove the sandbox restrictions on code that had been digitally signed by a trusted third party. However, in practice this still proved too inflexible, since it adopted an all-or-nothing approach. (Either code was completely trusted and could do anything, or it was completely untrusted and severely restricted.) Finally, Java 1.2 (Java 2), introduced a sophisticated fine-grained security policy, making it possible to grant or deny specific permissions to all Java code (not just applets).
Building on the security features of the language and virtual machine, a variety of APIs provide flexible and extensible support for cryptography, secure communication, authentication, access control, and public key infrastructure. (Click here for details - probably more than you want to know!)
Because security is fundamental, the majority of these APIs were developed and evolved as part of the base Java SE platform JSRs rather than as standalone JSRs. However, there have been several JSRs that specifically addressed security:
It goes without saying that standards are fundamental to security. If we can't agree on encryption algorithms or on secure communication protocols, then we have nothing. Standards, and their public nature, make security possible. However, standards by themselves are not sufficient. Implementations must conform to the standards (conformance test suites, or TCKs, can help to ensure this), and of course the implementations must be free of bugs that would otherwise compromise security. How can we ensure this? Does the public nature of the open source development process help or hinder the development of secure implementations?
Some argue that opening up the source code to public scrutiny is dangerous - that it makes it more likely that "hackers" will discover and exploit security flaws. Others argue that public exposure is the best defense -the more people who study the source code the more likely it is that security problems will be discovered and corrected. A detailed review of the arguments can be found here.
I don't believe that open source development processes necessarily result in secure software, any more than they guarantee high quality. It's just as easy to write buggy or insecure code "in the open" as it is behind closed doors. However, if the source code is available for public scrutiny, and if others are free to modify it, this may make it possible to discover and correct problems that would otherwise go undetected. As Whitfield Diffie, the co-inventor of public-key cryptography and chief security officer at Sun Microsystems has pointed out, "all of the popular cryptographic systems used on the Internet are public...It's simply unrealistic to depend on secrecy for security in computer software." (Risky business: Keeping security a secret.)
The public nature of the JCP's standards-development process, coupled with open source coding practices, are the best guarantees of Java's security.
While it may be more interesting and more exciting to push a new JSR through the process, we shouldn't forget the importance of ongoing maintenance. A standard that is defined but that doesn't evolve is not very useful. This month JSR 927: Java TV, led by Sun, submitted its fourth Maintenance Review. Java standards for TV have been under development for several years and seem likely to reach their full potential soon as OCAP-compatible set-top boxes reach the market. (The "900 number" of the JSR, by the way, signifies that this specification was developed before the JCP was created, and was "grandfathered in" to the process for maintenance purposes.) Similarly, JSR 82: Java APIs for Bluetooth, led by Motorola, issued its third Maintenance Release six years after the initial release of the specification. The spec leads for both of these JSRs are to be commended for their ongoing commitment.
JSR 290: Java Language & XML User Interface Markup Integration, led by Sun, released its Proposed Final Draft. If you, like me, are intrigued by the possibility of combining Java user interfaces with XML markup, check out this JSR, which enables the creation of rich user interfaces on mobile devices by leveraging W3C XML markup specifications such as Scalable Vector Graphics and the Compound Document Format.
Finally, JSR 311: JAX-RS: The Java API for RESTful Web Services - one of the "open and transparent" JSRs that I wrote about last month - is currently in its Final Approval Ballot process.
While we're talking about ballots, if you're a JCP member you will soon have the opportunity to vote in our annual elections. (If you're not, now is a good time to join. It's easy and free for individuals.) More on this next month.
© 2008 SYS-CON Media Inc. | <urn:uuid:aebfb057-666e-430f-9cb7-47c9b4886d7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://java.sys-con.com/node/722015/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953297 | 1,286 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Norway was today coming to terms with one of the worst atrocities in recent European history as police revealed that 91 people died in the attacks in the centre of Oslo and on a nearby island summer camp, apparently the work of a lone gunman.
The killings, it now seems clear, were carried out by a 32-year old Norwegian, named by local media as Anders Behring Breivik, who had expressed far-right views, and had dressed as a policeman to carry out his bomb attack on government buildings in central Oslo before heading to the island of Utøya, where he shot at least 84 people.
Survivors of the island attack, which took place barely two hours after a huge bomb was detonated close to the offices of Norway’s prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, described how the gunmen moved across the small, wooded Utøya holiday island on Friday firing at random as young people scattered in fear.
Teenagers at the lakeside camp organised by Stoltenberg’s ruling Labour party fled screaming in panic, many leaping into the water or climbing trees to save themselves, when the attacker began spraying them with gunfire.
This article was posted: Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 3:45 am | <urn:uuid:15511f33-aebd-42b4-aaa7-7ab3c23cfc52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infowars.com/91-killed-death-toll-rises-dramatically/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983432 | 262 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Terms & Definitions: R & S
Butter terms beginning with R & S, including rum butter, shortening, sweet butter and sweet cream butter. If you’d like to suggest other terms, use the Contact Us link on this page. This is Page 6 of a seven-page glossary. Click on the black links below to visit other pages. Enjoy a wealth of food knowledge in our 60 different food glossaries.
See clotted cream.
Development of any off or disagreeable flavors in a fat. The four types of rancidity in fats are: absorption of odors, action of microorganisms, action of enzymes (lipases) and atmospheric oxidation. Butter primarily tends to become rancid due to the action of atmospheric oxygen, light, heat, water, metals, enzyme and microorganisms. Rancid butter becomes yellow to brown and the flavor becomes harsh.
A compound butter made to sauce hot puddings. Butter is flavored with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and rum. A pat is placed atop the steaming pudding, where it melts into a sauce. This is known as a “hard sauce,” because it starts out in a solid state.
In French, sauté means “to jump,” and describes the method in which food is cooked quickly in a small amount of butter or oil. The food “jumps” as it is rapidly stirred or shaken over the heat.
Refers to the grade of butter. Butter is graded, or scored, by government inspectors on the basis of its flavor, aroma, body and texture.
Because butter is an all-natural product made from the milk of cows, natural seasonal variations in the fatty acid composition occur based on the diet of the animals. These variations, however, do not affect the quality of the butter.
A rich, crumbly cookie made of butter, flour and sugar. The classic way of making shortbread is to press the dough into flat decorative molds and cut it into wedges after baking. Enjoy this shortbread cookie recipe from one of New York’s prominent pastry chefs.
Though the term most often refers to vegetable shortening, a solid fat made from vegetable oil such as soybean or cottonseed oil, any animal or vegetable fat can be used as shortening, including butter, margarine, lard or drippings.
SMOKING POINT or SMOKE POINT
The temperature at which butter begins to scorch and burn. A higher fat content butter yields a higher smoking point. To avoid smoking, clarified butter is used.
Sour cream is not spoiled sweet cream: it is a dairy product made by adding a lactic acid culture to pasteurized sweet cream, producing a thick, creamy texture and a tangy flavor. Commercial sour cream contains from 18% to 20% butterfat, and often contains additional ingredients such as gelatin, rennin and vegetable enzymes.
A term often used for butter that has no salt; but this is a misnomer because any butter made with sweet cream instead of sour cream is sweet butter. The appropriate terms to use are unsalted butter and sweet cream butter.
SWEET CREAM BUTTER
Any butter made with sweet, as opposed to sour, cream. Both unsalted and salted butters can be labeled sweet cream butter; additionally, they will be labeled unsalted, salted or lightly salted.
Continue To The Next Page: Terms Beginning With T
Go To The Article Index Above
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Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are copyright of their respective owners. Some content courtesy of Cornell University School of Agriculture, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. | <urn:uuid:09e416a4-aed5-421b-80b4-04cdad7bcd13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/Main/cheese/butter/glossary6.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925257 | 768 | 3.203125 | 3 |
OSLO (Reuters) - World sea levels will keep rising for more than 1,000 years even if governments manage to slow a projected surge in temperatures this century blamed on greenhouse gases, a draft U.N. climate report says.
The study, by a panel of 2,500 scientists who advise the United Nations, also says that dust from volcanic eruptions and air pollution seems to have braked warming in recent decades by reflecting sunlight back into space, scientific sources said.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will publish its report, the most complete overview of climate change science, in Paris on February 2 after a final review. It will guide policy makers combating global warming.
The draft projects more droughts, rains, shrinking Arctic ice and glaciers and rising sea levels to 2100 and cautions that the effects of a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will last far longer.
“Twenty-first century anthropogenic (human) carbon dioxide emissions will contribute to warming and sea level rise for more than a millennium, due to the timescales required for removal of this gas,” the sources quoted the report as saying. | <urn:uuid:b7c77e9e-f9ec-4011-bb66-6560ec0cf18a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://trulyequal.com/2007/01/25/global-warming-to-raise-sea-level-for-1000-years/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92122 | 237 | 3.40625 | 3 |
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Renewing U.S. Telecommunications Research
academic environment for telecommunications research that can be factored into the design and management of both government- and industry-supported research programs.
THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION ACROSSACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY
Researchers outside industry can be disadvantaged for some types of research by a lack of specifically necessary information or access to facilities that are crucial to a quality and relevant outcome. An example is a researcher leveraging network traffic statistics to define a superior protocol (what are realistic traffic models?), or a researcher defining superior mechanisms to manage network recovery from disaster (what are realistic assumptions about the scope of damage to the network?). In fact, as research becomes more immediately relevant it inevitably becomes more dependent on “inside” information and facilities. It is thus essential that industry seek to inform the research sponsors and performers as to their more critical long-term issues and opportunities that are amenable to research. Concerns about intellectual property in such collaboration can be addressed by having faculty researchers sign nondisclosure agreements that let them work with and understand the industrial context in depth but that also protect a company’s intellectual property unless permission is granted by the company.1
Researchers themselves are also motivated to make an impact, and in most cases welcome and appreciate visibility into what the ultimate customers of the research—both industry and end users—see as their greatest need. Armed with that understanding, they can pursue their own ideas, some with more near-term and direct application and others more radical and speculative. This is not to imply that industry should define and direct both the research projects and the approaches that are pursued. Nor does it imply that all telecommunications-related research should tackle issues defined by industry. Researchers are more enthusiastic and ultimately more effective if they pursue their own ideas, and industry itself often fails to encourage or even recognize radical new innovations.
THE IMPORTANCE OF VISION
Past U.S. leadership in telecommunications has benefited from the creation and pursuit of a well-defined vision for managing investments. However, in today’s telecommunications environment, which includes a broad array of service providers and equipment vendors, such a clearly defined and broad vision is much more difficult to achieve.
In the predivestiture Bell System, the development of a vision and associated roadmapping activities for the telephone system were carried out largely by AT&T (together with a small number of overseas telephone companies that were also vertically integrated monopoly providers). AT&T and its peers were successful in developing and realizing a series of major new visions—such as direct long-distance dialing, electronic switching, digital transmission and switching, and out-of-band signaling and intelligent network services (which separated service logic from switching equipment).
There are also other ideas emerging regarding new means for collaboration; see, for example, Raymond E. Miles, Grant Miles, and Charles C. Snow, Collaborative Entrepreneurship: How Communities of Networked Firms UseContinuous Innovation to Create Economic Wealth, Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif., 2005. | <urn:uuid:362ceacc-9009-4dd6-b8dd-38d9709c5d5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11711&page=46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951398 | 664 | 2.078125 | 2 |
I have often been asked in the last few months about my job and what exactly I do now that I’m not in the classroom. I still consider myself new at coaching, thus I’m continually learning every day. However, I’ve decided to write my own description/interpretation of what it means to be an “Instructional Facilitator” or an “Instructional Coach.”
Educators have been searching for alternatives to the “traditional” method of professional development (what some call “Sit and Git”), and the concept of the Instructional Coach/Facilitator (IF) was developed as a result. In a nutshell, IFs are on-site, embedded professional developers who work one-on-one with teachers to enhance classroom instruction (Kansas Coaching Project). Some IFs are assigned to specific content or grade levels. In my building, we do not have specific assignments and we work in any and all content areas. In some places, teachers are required to work with their IFs. However, no teacher in my building is required to work with us, although many do so voluntarily. I am fortunate enough to work with a great team in my building (6 IFs in all) where we each bring our own unique skills and knowledge to the table, along with a willinness to learn new things.
We assist our staff with a wide variety of topics, including (but not limited to):
- Unit/Lesson planning
- Technology integration
- Classroom management
- Student engagement
- Reading strategies
- Writing instruction
- Brain based teaching
- Higher level thinking/questioning techniques
- Researching & implementing new techniques
- Data coaching
- Specific content issues
These topics are really just the tip of the iceberg. While we primarily collaborate with teachers one-on-one, we also coordinate and conduct professional development presentations and classes on topics of interest that fit the needs of our school. You can see my “About Me” to see what I’ve been working on. Just remember that I am part of a team of 6 and we each have presented on various topics over the course of the year. We try very hard to make our classes/presentations interactive. We design each one to model best teaching practices. The majority of these opportunities are voluntary for teachers and occur during planning periods or after school.
Some people make the assumption that coaches are employed to “fix bad teachers.” In my situation, this is very far from the truth. We work with teachers of all levels, experience, and abilities. Our mentality is that we are assisting our teachers as they progress from “Good to Great.” I believe that it is very important that we are not teacher evaluators and we have a general policy of confidentiality. We do not discuss with anyone, not even our administrators, what we are working on with specific teachers unless that teacher has given us permission to do so. The artistic aspect of teaching can be a very personal endeavor, and this way teachers are more likely to invite us into the realm of their classroom.
Our district’s coaching model is based primarily on the work of Jim Knight, an educational researcher at the University of Kansas. We have also been incorporating the work of others such as Joellen Killion and Jean A. G. Kise.
In this new position I have been learning a great deal about what it means to be an effective teacher. Balancing the art and science of education can result in many different approaches, all of them with great possibility. I would love to hear from others on how coaching is set up in your school or about helpful resources you are willing to share. Please also feel free to ask questions about my team’s approach. Thank you.
More Information on Instructional Coaching | <urn:uuid:a6992bd6-6758-4ee3-bd1e-4f22536e9ae1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allwhowonder.wordpress.com/tag/instructional-coach/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969626 | 793 | 1.875 | 2 |
New program in Texas attempts to decrease perinatal transmission of syphilis
The sexually transmitted disease (STD) is most notably characterized by a single sore on the external reproductive organs, which is typically the first symptom to appear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If undiagnosed, a pregnant woman can pass the STD on to her unborn child.
Since health officials began the new program, no more cases have arisen. In addition, they're recommending that healthcare providers test pregnant women for syphilis not only during their first prenatal visit but also at the beginning of the third trimester, San Antonio Express-News reports. This can prevent babies from contracting the STD from affected mothers. Moreover, it decreases moms' likelihoods of having a stillbirth.
"There are plenty of resources for pregnant women in our community, so this really shouldn't be happening," said Donald Dudley, M.D., professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center. "The fact it does means that women either are scared to come in for care, or they're in such fragmented social situations they can't accomplish prenatal care. Either way, it should be preventable." | <urn:uuid:f7883396-562e-4e9c-b907-1754e6ab5621> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sexualhealth.com/new-program-in-texas-attempts-to-decrease-perinatal-transmission-of-syphilis_n_1089/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958163 | 236 | 2.953125 | 3 |
NICHD Funds New Sites To Follow Disease Progression In HIV-Infected WomenDate: July 27, 2001
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Author: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will fund three sites to conduct research to increase understanding of how infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects adolescent and adult women.
These sites, which will house the Women's HIV Pathogenesis Program, will be located at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, the Gladstone Institute of Virology in San Francisco, CA, and Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Funding for the program will total approximately $3.5 million per year over the next five years.
"HIV infection has become the fifth leading cause of death among women between the ages of 25 and 44," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "These new centers will help us better understand how HIV uniquely affects women and will help us improve treatment and save the lives of HIV-positive women and their babies."
Each site will conduct research to identify biological factors unique to women. Such factors could have an impact on how women become infected with the virus and transmit it to others, how the disease progresses in women after infection takes place, and how the disease affects women differently than it does men. The research will involve various populations of women, including minority women, lesbians, women who abuse substances, and those who are approaching or experiencing menopause. The results of these studies are expected to have practical implications for improving the care of HIV-infected women.
"These HIV research centers will focus exclusively on women, something that's extremely important," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD. "Women infected with HIV have problems associated with HIV-infection that are unique to their sex, including gynecological infections and uterine malignancies."
Investigators at the University of Washington site, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Rochester, NY, and the University of Nairobi, Kenya, will undertake a series of studies to determine if other infections of the female genital tract affect the transmission of HIV. Dr. Robert Coombs at the University of Washington, Seattle, will direct this program project.
The project at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, will be directed by Dr. Alan Landay of the Chicago Consortium for the Study of HIV Pathogenesis in Women. This project will focus on how HIV infection influences, and is influenced by, the environment of the female genital tract. Studies conducted at the center will cover several research areas including the effects of bacterial vaginosis, a common type of vaginal infection, on HIV in the female genital tract and whether substances in cervical secretions may increase susceptibility to HIV. Researchers will also investigate the role of female genital tract immune responses to HIV and how these responses can be boosted with an HIV vaccine.
The project at the Gladstone Institute of Virology, in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, will investigate the effect of gender and reproductive hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, on HIV and on how HIV medicines are metabolized. The research will take place under the direction of Drs. Warner Greene and Ruth Greenblatt. One of the projects in this research program will include collaboration with researchers in the Women's Interagency HIV Study, a large clinical study co-sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NICHD, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
It will compare HIV strains taken from the blood and from the genital tract to determine if there are any differences between the two, whether they respond differently to anti-HIV medications, and how these responses are influenced by hormonal levels. Another avenue of research will involve the Oakland, CA, Children's Hospital and will focus on how gender and hormones affect production and loss of T-helper cells, which are essential to immune function, and are prime targets for damage from HIV.
The NICHD is one of the Institutes comprising the National Institutes of Health, the Federal Government's premier biomedical research agency. NICHD supports and conducts research on the reproductive, neurobiological, developmental, and behavioral processes that determine and maintain the health of children, adults, families, and populations. A significant portion of the Institute's scientific agenda relates to HIV/AIDS and the development of contraceptive microbicides.
The NICHD website, http://www.nichd.nih.gov, contains additional information about the Institute and its mission. | <urn:uuid:cce7948a-d8c5-4c08-a26d-12ed705e7f07> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/news/565/nichd-funds-new-sites-to-follow-disease-progression-in-hiv-infected-women | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929727 | 975 | 2.890625 | 3 |
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Summer and swimming go hand in hand, don't they? We haven't had as much time in the pool as Q would like, I'm sure, but we do what we can to make it happen! Especially after I started adding conditioner or aloe vera juice to her hair before she gets in the water - it makes all the difference later!
As Q was learning from her new book - "I've had my swim, my day is made!" It's been her mantra every now and then this summer!
(Don't mind the poor video quality! Or the goofy unfinished braid out Q is sporting!)
Not only is it important to take good care of her curly hair when she's in the water, but I also try to make water experiences good ones for her. From the time she was little I've wanted to make water a good, fun, safe place to be. So far, so good! and this book is a huge help toward that goal!
The author, Rita Goldberg, was a national swimmer in Britain! She takes the reader through the developmental stages of swimming and lessons and how to stay safe while around water. In an easy, fun, memorable way! and the drawings are adaptations of real children's drawings! How cool is that?!
If you would like to get your little swimmer's hands on a copy of one of these new books, check out the website at http://www.ilovetoswimthebook.com/
Q received this book in exchange for us to review it honestly and openly on this blog. I truly enjoyed the book and the pictures were creative. I think the story really helped Q become acquainted with the progression of growing up and becoming a more independent person, with regards to swimming...and in general! It made her ask some interesting questions, which we then got to discuss! Awesome! | <urn:uuid:8f25ab92-045a-4345-99e0-293796befc22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://curlyqshairdos.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984713 | 401 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Bikes Take Over Downtown Portland
Borrowing an idea from Colombia, Portland opens its streets to non-motorized traffic on Sunday celebrations
Bikers and walkers enjoyed the open road in Portland Sept. 26 as motorized traffic was diverted from certain streets to celebrate Sunday Parkways.
Photo by BikePortland.org under a creative commons license.
Hed: Bikes Take Over the Streets of Downtown Portland
By Jay Walljasper
It was fender-to-fender traffic last weekend in parts of Portland, Oregon. But this mass of vehicles did not contribute to global warming or boost America’s levels of obesity. That’s because Portland’s streets were filled with bicycles.
Portland regularly closes city streets on Sundays so bikers and walkers can experience moving about town free from the pressures of cars and trucks—a pleasurable way to reclaim the commons of the street. It was an amazing experience to pedal up to an intersection and be waved through by a police officer as motorists waited for two-wheeled and two-legged traffic to cross.
This event, which covered a 4.5-mile figure-8 through downtown and the adjacent Northwest neighborhoods, was the fifth Sunday Parkway celebration this year, each one held in a different neighborhood. Even intermittent rain showers did not deter thousands of cyclists from turning out—including a large number of parents pulling kids in trailers or tag-alongs. All along the route food vendors, entertainers and bicycle information booths gave riders a reason to dismount.
This is the third year for the event, which has grown from a single Sunday in 2008. The Sunday Parkways program is inspired by Ciclovía, a weekly car-free Sunday celebration of the urban commons pioneered in the Colombian cities of Bogotá, Cali and Medellín. In Bogotá, as many as 2 million people (30 percent of the city’s population) turn out to bike or stroll more than 120 kilometers of city streets. The celebration has spread throughout Latin American and the world, including Vancouver, Cleveland, Detroit, Tucson, El Paso, Atlanta, Miami and Los Angeles.
The opportunity to ride through the streets with no interference from cars and trucks was a powerful experience, offering a taste of what urban biking could be in the U.S. if we create a network of urban bike paths similar to those in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and other nations.
Portland is one of the U.S. cities that has pushed the furthest in achieving that dream, which is why Bikes Belong is showcasing its achievements to a visiting delegation of transportation leaders from Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. A number of them took part in the Sunday Parkway ride, and will be learning more about Portland’s success in boosting bikes to 6.4 percent of urban commuters—the highest rate among large American cities.
And that’s just the beginning, Portland hopes. A new transportation plan drafted by Metro, the elected regional metropolitan government, hopes to triple those figures by 2040, “making parts of Portland into a mini-Amsterdam or Copenhagen,” according to Lake McTighe, manager of Metro’s Active Transportation Partnership. | <urn:uuid:b0685df6-ea19-48c8-85fe-3512e7dd50a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://onthecommons.org/bikes-take-over-downtown-portland | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946663 | 664 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) included the following definition for "Residual Vote" in the "Glossary of U.S. Voting Systems," available on its website (accessed Apr. 21, 2006):
"Total number of votes that cannot be counted for a specific contest. There may be multiple reasons for residual votes (e.g., overvotes in a contest, failure to cast ballot before leaving polling place)."
The National Academy of Sciences' 2005 report titled "Asking the Right Questions About Electronic Voting," included the following description:
"Residual vote [is] defined as the sum of overvotes and top-of-ticket undervotes (in which the voter indicates no choice for the most important contest on the ballot, and thus the ballot does not count as a vote). Overvotes are clearly errors, while undervotes are entirely legal and may reflect a voter's preference to refrain from voting in a particular contest. Nevertheless, because the top-of-ticket contest (e.g., the contest for president of the United States) is the most important contest, it is assumed that an undervote for that contest reflects an error on the part of the voter."
Charles Stewart III, PhD, Head of the Department of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), released a report in Feb. 2005 titled "Residual Vote in the 2004 Election," which stated:
"The residual vote...is all ballots cast that did not record a vote for president [if there is no presidential contest, this number is calculated using the contest that appears first on the ballot]. In a mechanical sense, a vote can fail to be counted either because there was no vote for president on an individual's ballot (an 'undervote') or multiple marks (an 'overvote')."
The Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project published a report in July 2001 titled "Voting: What Is and What Could Be," which included the following description:
"Residual votes, the number of uncounted, unmarked, and spoiled ballots, provide a yardstick for measuring the effect of different machine types on the incidence of lost votes. Ballots that contribute to the residual votes are:
Uncounted ballots - Ballots that are cast by voters but uncounted by election officials for whatever reason.
Unmarked ballots - Sometimes termed the 'undervote.' May occur because the voter abstained or the recording device did not register a mark.
Overvoted ballots - Ballots that record a vote in more than one place for a given office (unless the ballot explicitly allows for more than one choice to be made.) May occur because the voter clearly marked more names than allowed. Often occurs when a voter places a legal mark nest to a candidate's name and then writes the same name on the 'write-in candidate' line on the ballot."
Kay J. Maxwell, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States, stated in her May 5, 2004 testimony before the United States Election Assistance Commission:
"Residual votes represent the votes that do not properly record the voter's intent, or don't record any vote at all because of problems in voting mechanisms. This is an ongoing problem that regularly means that millions of votes are lost." | <urn:uuid:57e19538-bf5c-4335-99d5-81ecf18b0c67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://votingmachines.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000285 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944889 | 672 | 3.015625 | 3 |
At least once a week someone stopping by here at Sunflower
Farm asks me about “bath salts” and asks what about “bath salts” causes this crazy “high”, so that’s why I’ve chosen to write about this.
The drug that has been making the news these days called “bath salts”, really has nothing at all to do with a bath or with salt. “Bath salts”, as it is commonly referred to, is actually a synthetic drug made in a lab. Some of the other names it goes by is “plant food” , “baby powder” and several more. What you see in stores marketed as “bath salts” are actually that, bath salts, and have many therapeutic uses. The drug sold as “bath salts” on the streets is a combination of many synthetic substances such as mephedrone, pyrovalerone, MDPV, methylone and
Some of the effects produced by “bath salts” are hallucinations,
paranoia, panic attacks, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, hostility,
aggression, sweating, suicidal thoughts, and more. We’ve all heard the horrific news stories about violent crimes perpetrated by people on “bath salts”.
As far as the bath salts available to all of us at the store, most are distilled from sea water and contain mainly sodium chloride and trace minerals. The more exotic salts, such as Himalayan, Grey, Dead Sea and others, may contain very little sodium chloride but are rich in unique minerals. As an example, salt from the Dead Sea (my personal favorite) contains Magnesium, Bromide, Sulfur, Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Iodine and Zinc.
So, other than sharing the name of “bath salts”, one really has nothing to do with the other, but the publicity has been enough to make many people wonder if the bath salts they see in stores are the same as those spoken about recently in the news. Hopefully the information I’ve provided here has helped to define the difference for those who were wondering. | <urn:uuid:b1a587e2-3d44-48d3-8916-a06cfd1767e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://orange.patch.com/groups/sabrina-santoros-blog/p/bp--the-skinny-on-bath-salts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969375 | 455 | 1.953125 | 2 |
With that headline, the Washington Post commences a serious mischaracterization of a study centered on Daily Show viewers. The study’s authors, Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan Morris of East Carolina University, sought to define “The Daily Show Effect” on its audience.
The WP says:
“Two political scientists found that young people who watch Stewart’s faux news program, “The Daily Show,” develop cynical views about politics and politicians that could lead them to just say no to voting.”
The researchers themselves found that:
Daily Show viewers, primarily young adults in their late teens and early 20s, tend to trust their own knowledge of politics. And that, …whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, we don’t know. But that, As “Daily Show” viewers grow more confident in political knowledge…they could become more active voters…”Participation breeds more participation and informed participation” he said. “So that by itself would be a net positive.”
So amongst the conclusions of the researchers was the possibility that the Daily Show may produce a greater likelihood of voting. The Post doesn’t cite that possibility anywhere in its article, while featuring the notion that the program could suppress voting.
I would submit that any program that leads viewers “to be cynical about individual candidates, the electoral process and the media…[and]…to trust their own knowledge of politics,” is performing an essential public service. It proves that the program is producing an enlightened skepticism that is firmly rooted in reality – contrary to the ramblings of the folks at the Washington Post. | <urn:uuid:240b3c0e-5c60-49a3-a100-3cd5dbea9178> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=180 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943494 | 349 | 2.09375 | 2 |
TEHRAN // Millions of Iranians began an anxious countdown yesterday to the announcement of higher, less subsidised prices of fuel, electricity and bread.
The government began transferring the first cash handouts to special bank accounts created by heads of families eligible to receive compensation for the higher prices.
The president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has promised to reveal the new prices and the exact amount of monthly cash compensation next week.
The government is transferring 810,000 rials (Dh285) per person to the special accounts, but it remains unclear how often the payments will be made.
Behrouz Moradi, the managing director of the Subsidy Reform Organisation, said the money being deposited, which cannot be withdrawn before the new prices go into effect, could be intended for only one month, or up to four months.
Analysts said the total sum the government is handing out in the first stage is more than 40,000 billion rials.
Mr Ahmadinejad's government has been preparing for more than three years to implement what the president has called "a major economic surgery". The reform will eventually relieve the government of paying more than $100 billion in annual subsidies to importers or service providers to keep down the prices of many commodities including fuel, electricity, bread and other foodstuffs as well as some services.
The parliament passed legislation requiring the government to cut subsidies by 20 per cent a year over a period of five years starting in March, the beginning of the fiscal year, but the plan's implementation has been delayed until now.
Half of the $20 billion the government will save by slashing subsidies in the next five months must be dispensed as compensation, according to the legislation.
More than 61 million people have signed up to receive the government cash compensation, but bank accounts have been set up for only 80 per cent of them so far, according to government officials. They said the remaining people will be given a chance to set up their accounts later.
Many people are sceptical about the efficiency of the cash handouts in maintaining their purchasing power.
"The government is promising that the cash handouts will cover the new expenses and families with less consumption or wastage will even have a surplus to save. I'm impatient to see if this can really happen," Reza, 49, a civil servant with a family of four, said.
"The prices of some commodities and services have already begun to rise, even before the new prices become effective. I wonder what can stop them from soaring uncontrollably when the new prices come into effect," he said.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a senior cleric who supports the president, has warned the cash handouts and subsidy cuts will fuel inflation, which the government said rose to 8.9 per cent in September, a fraction of what most analysts believe the true figure to be. "The government must not do anything to dissatisfy the nation. There are grounds to expect we will have high prices," he told his Friday prayer congregation in Tehran last week.
Mr Ahmadinejad, however, assured Iranians on Sunday that the government has taken measures to regulate the market if the prices of essential goods increased substantially
"I assure those who have hoarded goods hoping to sell them at higher prices that they will lose because there won't be a considerable change in the market," he said in Ardabil in north-western Iran.
But at least one analyst warned that the subsidy cuts and cash handouts will add to the country's current economic woes.
"Cutting subsidies isn't a good idea in an economy under the strain of domestic shortcomings and of increasing international sanctions.
"Inflation as high as 40 or even 50 per cent is a real danger," an analyst in Tehran said. | <urn:uuid:5a31d434-542a-48cb-b05c-4a189751a1da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/iranians-braced-for-higher-prices-as-subsidies-are-cut | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967734 | 765 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Linux on the Desktop
The expression a Linux Desktop means different things to different people, to the technical community is means reliability, flexibility, speed, ease of use, to everybody else, it means a free alternative to the likes of Microsoft Windows and Mac/OSX.
The most frequent question in this context; is Linux really an alternative?
The most frequent but unhelpful answer; are you seriously still using Windows?
But what is it really?
Well, you know what Windows is, the Linux Desktop does pretty much all the same stuff, it’s the same only different, it’s as good only better, I guess that doesn’t help. If you’re only familiar with one computing environment, anything else will seem quite alien and hence difficult to describe. To get us started, here are a few screen shots of the Linux Desktop in action, please click on a thumbnail to take a look.
It may look completely different to Windows, but you will notice many of the same concepts. We have a mouse with a pointer, we have a file manager, we have a media player, we have windows, we have icons we can embed on the desktop, we have menus, we have different themes / wallpapers – it’s really not so different!
The really important questions …
- Will I be able to keep all my files and use them on Linux? – yes.
- Will I be able to browse the Internet, read my email and MSN chat? – yes.
- Will it be more reliable and faster than my old Windows XP machine? – yes.
- Will it automatically immunize me against viruses killing my machine?- yes.
- Will it talk to other computers (incl. Windows machines) on my network? – yes.
- Will it see my Windows server and be able to share files and printers? – yes.
- Will I be able to work with my Word docs and my Excel spreadsheets? – yes.
- Will I get free security updates on a regular basis, like Windows? – yes.
- Can you confirm that there are no hidden charges, is it really is free? – yes.
- Will I have to run defrag on it regularly to stop it from locking up? – no.
- Will I have to install and suffer anti-virus software? – no.
- Will I have to pay for upgrades? – no.
- Will I typically have to pay for additional programs or tools and utilities? -no.
- Will it make the coffee? -actually, yes, but we’re not going to cover that here.
If this is true, why isn’t everyone using it?
One of the downsides of free community software is that there is no huge multi-national corporate behind it marketing it to death and forcing it into our homes. Indeed the contrary is true, Linux will one day render Windows irrelevant and it’s not something Microsoft are entirely happy about. As it happens they do have lots of money and some of that it seems has gone towards trying to keep Linux in it’s place, i.e. away from you.
Ok, if I’m interested, what should I do next?
Well, you have a number of options.
- You could join the forums for some free advice …
- You could read some more …
- You could give Linux a try…
- You could contact a vendor for some consultancy and a quick start…
Just for a change – the choice is yours!
- SPOF #2 – Clustered Filesystem
- SPOF #1 – Storage Node
- Meet the MintBox
- Groklaw Articles Ending on May 16th
- Death of an OS
11 Responses to “Linux on the Desktop”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment. | <urn:uuid:1d74c18e-f999-46b4-bab0-bbae969b1c77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://linux.co.uk/pages/page1/intro-to-linux-on-the-desktop/3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932428 | 814 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Sylvia Vorhauser-Smith, Contributor
I write about global talent management issues.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the emerging market countries is the emerging part. The BRICs, the ASEAN Tigers, the European Eastern block and Sub-Saharan Africa are all bubbling with possibilities and emerging in different ways and at different rates. Most have large pools of untapped human resources – great percentages of their populations that have hitherto been under-educated, under-employed and therefore under-contributing.
India is a case in point. Almost four times the population of the U.S. (1.2 billion v 313 million) yet only one quarter of the GDP ($15 trillion v $4 trillion). Per capita GDP in the U.S. is $48,100 – in India it is $3,700 (which, incidentally also makes India the lowest performing of the BRIC nations: China $8,400, Brazil $11,600 and Russia $16,700). At this relative rate of under performance, there can only be one way – up.
How does India change its fortunes and take its appropriate place on the world stage? It has to be people power. If India could match the per capita production output even of the Russians, it would be a 20 trillion dollar economy and easily the biggest in the world. Of course, much easier said than done, but it does serve to quantify the hypothetical potential. How does India unleash it?
There is much focus on India’s youth. With a median population age of 26.2 years, India has one of the youngest demographic profiles in the world (U.S. 36.9, Russia 38.7 and Japan 44.8). The biggest challenge for India with its young workforce is grappling with the scale issues of getting it educated and employable. Despite its 1.6 million schools, 500 universities, 25,000 colleges and 7,000 technical institutes, far too few employable Indians are graduating from its education system. A lot of youth talent is being wasted.
Another segment currently underutilized in India is its women. Contrary to global trends, the female labor participation ratio in India has been falling since 2005 when it stood at 37%. Even then it was low by relative standards, but by 2010 it was down to 29%. Most women working in India are employed in junior roles and there is significant ‘pipeline leakage’ from junior to middle management ranks. Women hold less than one in eight management roles in Indian companies and this falls to one in twenty at executive levels. Multinational corporations operating in India have a better gender diversity record, with one in five women in management and one in ten in executive roles, but the balance is still very skewed.
Both economic and cultural causes are attributed to this scenario. Despite India’s buoyant economic growth in the past decade, the rate of job creation and therefore employment opportunities has not been commensurate. Unemployment is relatively high at around 10%. Culturally, India is still a staunch traditional society and the role of women is strongly tied to family responsibilities as a clear priority. Consequently, even though many young Indian women seek employment, their exit rates are high once they marry and have children or care for elderly parents or other relatives.
Like the rest of the emerging world, India is in a state of transition and there is much change already to be absorbed and more to come. Indian government policy and social dynamics will be key to determining the pace and extent of growth of India. Without doubt, the untapped talent in India’s youth and women has the potential to change the face of tomorrow’s India. | <urn:uuid:9167e79b-0676-4559-aa45-b84580446303> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.forbes.com/sites/sylviavorhausersmith/2012/08/20/tapping-the-diversity-of-indias-talent-market/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955224 | 752 | 2.125 | 2 |
The author, a French Catholic who devoted himself largely to scholarly studies of the occult, lived from 1874 to 1929. A few weeks before his sudden death he published the book Musée des Sorcières, Mages, et Alchemistes, now translated for the first time. Containing almost 400 illustrations, with descriptions and commentary woven into a smoothly reading text, this work studies the iconography of mysticism and the occult.
The title enumerates the three major areas of discussion, but the terms are perhaps not too apt. The first section deals largely with the depiction of witches and demons, as well as sorcerers. The second section illustrates and describes certain doctrines which relate the microcosm and macrocosm.
In this area astrology and the minor forms of divination form the principal topics. The Cabbala also receives some attention but without any systematic exposition. The final portion of the book discusses briefly the iconography of | <urn:uuid:edfb7c6f-16dc-447c-80b1-2dd7a35ddb35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=667410 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941854 | 189 | 2.296875 | 2 |
In an age when media consolidation has reached unprecedented levels and many broadcasters have reduced their commitment to high quality news and public affairs coverage, KCLU exists to provide comprehensive local and national public radio programming.
With the support of the University, KCLU seeks to inform, educate and promote dialogue among the citizens of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties on local, regional, national and global issues. As an educational broadcaster, KCLU programming is designed to serve the needs of our community, unencumbered by commercial concerns. In addition, KCLU is bolstered by the resources and high standards of California Lutheran University, a major regional educational institution.
Founded in 1959, California Lutheran University is part of a 500-year-old tradition of Lutheran higher education — a tradition that expects you to ask the big questions — and find your own answers. Encouraging critical inquiry into matters of both faith and reason, CLU is dedicated to excellence at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our intimate size and beautiful location create the perfect setting for lively debate, and a learning environment that values the individual.
CLU offers undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and School of Education. The University offers 36 majors and 31 minors, in addition to professional preparation programs in specified fields of study. Master’s degree programs are offered in education, business administration, public policy and administration, computer science and psychology. Doctoral programs in educational leadership and higher education leadership are offered through the School of Education.
KCLU Programming Philosophy
Founded by CLU in October 1994 with a promise to provide educational, informational and cultural programming, KCLU continues to strive to provide the most consistently informative and engaging broadcast programming in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Objective journalism, productive dialogue and appreciation for the arts form the core of KCLU’s service. As a source of information and cultural enrichment, the station seeks to serve a broad range of citizens in the region. KCLU’s programming reflects the variety of cultures, traditions and interests that make our community vibrant and exciting. | <urn:uuid:412ba094-2bac-458c-b209-a853d12d22e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kclu.org/about/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945483 | 428 | 1.523438 | 2 |
This response is due before class starts on Sept. 17, 2008
In the short story "Through the Tunnel," Jerry makes a treacherous swim through an underwater tunnel. It was not an easy accomplishment, but at the end of the story, Jerry is changed by his experiences. Although he is 11 years old in the story, we all can share in his ordeal.
In what way can you relate to Jerry? How are his experiences like some that you've had? What is it that makes Jerry similar to you or to typical teenagers?
Look to go beyond the purely literal in your answer. Don't just view his swim through the tunnel on a literal level. Think about what it can represent as a part of his growing up process.
photo credit: boy swimming in the big blue ocean by NanakofiAcquah on Flickr | <urn:uuid:3a3d79d0-2265-44e6-87d5-1b489d7c56d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://millersenglish10.blogspot.com/2008/09/jerry-his-swim-through-tunnel-and-us.html?showComment=1221690300000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989213 | 169 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Posted by Donna | Posted in Exploring Color, Fertilizer Friday, Foliage Follow Up, Garden, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, Garden Bloggers Foliage Day, Nature Notes, Spring | Posted on 15-04-2013
“They always say that times changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
— Andy Warhol
I felt my soul stir and my essence spring into life again when I finally began working the soil in my garden. I saw many good friends who were showing up to welcome me back. They gave me a spiritual push giving me much needed renewal and energy. The smell of the soil and grass stirred some new life in me that had been buried under the snow of this long winter.
My garden is my sacred place. It is where I feel happy, serene, curious, contemplative and at home. The wildlife that visit me in my garden inspire me to continue to recreate my garden for them. And then there are the beautiful plants and blooms that pop up more every day albeit slowly due to the cold beginning to April.
Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.
It is truly inspirational right now as I snap picture after picture to try to capture the beauty everywhere. And I actually have more than a few flowers for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day to show you. I am joining Carol@May Dream Gardens who hosts Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day on the 15th.
You may notice that I adore purple flowers and maybe my love of purple is why my front door is also purple. Or maybe it is because they say that purple is the most spiritual color.
Language of Flowers–I Have a Message for You; Good News
See the winter aconite peeking through in the background.
Language of Flowers–Scandal, Calumny
Squill and Chionodoxa
Language of Flowers–Forgive and forget
Puschkinia or Striped Squill
Chionodoxa or Glory of the Snow
Language of Flowers–Usefulness
Language of Flowers–Constancy
Language of Flowers–I desire a return of affection; regard, chivalry
Can you see it….it is starting to emerge. It is almost here. The first daffodil of spring. Daffodils are prefect harbinger for spring because they seem to bring sunshine where there is little in the first days of spring here in the Northeast. We seem to have more gray days, but they are brightened considerably by these yellow flowers. Those that study colors and their meanings say too much yellow can be overstimulating, but when you have little color daffodils will bring so much cheer. I know I feel more energetic and optimistic in the presence of daffodils in my garden. I have so many that continue to naturalize. Perfect for my wildlife garden as the wildlife leave the daffs alone. And this year, I think I will bring some indoors to my home and office to continue to spread the happiness from my garden.
I have some foliage beginning but nothing major as the garden is still slow to emerge, but let’s celebrate what we can find. I will be linking in with Pam@Digging for her Foliage Follow Up on the 16th, and Christina@Creating my own garden of the Hesperides for her Garden Bloggers Foliage Day on the 22nd.
I created a couple of galleries to showcase the many plants sporting spring foliage and new growth.
“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.” ~David Viscott
Those Using Google Reader
You may or may not be aware that Google Reader will no longer exist after July 1st. If you have subscribed to my blog or others using Google Reader, you will need to find a new reader. There have been many folks who have blogged about new readers. I have tried both Bloglovin and Feedly and easily moved my Google Reader blogs to both of these. I have not decided which I like best, but I do have a Bloglovin badge on the sidebar if you want to click and sign up to Gardens Eye View again. Of course you can enter any URL in any of the readers out there and follow your favorite blogs.
I do hope you will continue to follow Gardens Eye View in your new reader. I greatly value your support and readership.
Next up on the blog: Next Monday is Earth Day and I have a special book review. There’s another Wildflower Tale at the end of the month. The garden is a busy place these days and I hope to capture some of the highlights to share. I hope you will join me.
I will be linking in with Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Wednesday.
I hope you will join me for my posts once a month at Beautiful Wildlife Garden. See my most current post now.
As always, I’ll be joining Tootsie Time’s Fertilizer Friday.
Please remember, to comment click on the title of the post and the page will reload with the comments section. | <urn:uuid:1c97e8d5-fcfe-45e9-aef2-6c567e6ae824> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gardenseyeview.com/tag/spiritual/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930933 | 1,100 | 1.6875 | 2 |
SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. – After getting promises from the state on mass transit and financing, the county executives of Westchester, Rockland and Putnam said Thursday that they would endorse the proposal for the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
The promises include dedicated bus lanes on the bridge, as well as the creation of a regional task force to study a mass-transit component for the bridge. Officials also announced that incentives will be created to prevent cost-overruns so that money can be reinvested in regional mass transit or used to reduce tolls on the new bridge.
“We have worked out a five-point plan that we believe is necessary to move forward, that certainly positions this bridge to the future and meets today's needs as well all the future with respect to building a bridge in these financial realities and this kind of economic climate,” Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said during a press conference Thursday.
Astorino, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell gathered at Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow to outline commitments from Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
The state wants to build a $5.2 billion bridge consisting of twin spans just north of the existing bridge. Federal officials have fast-tracked the process and are reviewing a final environmental impact statement before issuing a decision.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council will vote on the project in September, a vote that must be unanimous to allow the project to move forward. Astorino, Vanderhoef and Odell sit on the council and had postponed the vote until they could review the final environmental impact study, which was released this month.
Officials announced the creation of a regional transit task force that will concurrently study options for a regional mass-transit system, such as bus rapid transit or commuter rail between Westchester and Rockland Counties. The task force, Astorino said, would issue recommendations after one year.
“This was not going to be a decade-long task force that sits and does nothing,” he said. “We wanted assurances that the needs of this region were going to be met and that we were going to have a task force with teeth in it.”
Odell said “the devil's in the details,” but she was confident about the proposed bridge and the state's commitments.
In a statement, Cuomo said he was pleased the three county executives supported the plan.
“We will continue to work with local leaders and stakeholders as we move forward with one of the biggest and most critical infrastructure projects in New York,” he said. | <urn:uuid:62216a36-873c-4d3f-bf6d-42427dbdc700> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/politics/astorino-endorses-new-tappan-zee-bridge-plan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963374 | 558 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Additive Content. An alternative to the display:none problem in Responsive design
The Extra Cupcake Mentality
Think of a modern website, not as a cake, but as a collection of cupcakes. Some are tastier than others. Ideally, we'd like to serve them all. Unfortunately, sometimes we can't.
These are what I call your Extra Cupcakes.
- Serve the same content to your desktop visitors as on your mobile or other devices but perhaps change the layout depending on the viewer size.
- This is moving the cupcakes around.
- Hide Extra content from non-desktop users by using the css property display:none.
- The problem with this method is that non-visible content is still being downloaded. Invisible calories. Grrr...!
- Decide to cut non-essential content from the site.
- This is a sort of super-diet "mobile first" attitude. It's hard to let go of the "Extra Cupcakes" though....
I've come up with what might be a fourth way to NOT have your Extra Cupcakes and EAT them too.
Hmmm...what adds things in at runtime or after an event and it's all over the web? Java script!
It turns out you can.
I turned to jQuery, because it's pretty handy and allows me to deploy certain functions without worrying about cross browser compatibility as much.
How is it done? We dynamically progressively enhance the content and its structure.
- Essentially, we sniff for the actual content size by referencing a div that contains everything and determine what the current size is.
- overallWidth = $("#containerWrap").width();
- I suspect this is more flexible than sniffing for the viewport or document size but those work too.
- Then we dynamically add in the the div or divs that will hold the Extra information if the container is large enough.
- Then they're filled with Extra Cupcake goodness via AJAX...mmmmm.
- We also resize or rearrange the other content to accommodate the new content.
What happens if the container isn't large enough?
No Extra Cupcake Content! The visitor sees only the Essential Cupcake Content that was always there and is none the wiser.
Is there a way to give visitors on smaller sizes the Extra Cupcakes too?
Sort of. This is why there's an Extras link in the footer. Although you could place it or more like it pretty much anywhere. Maybe in a plus sign next to the main content?
If visitors click it, they can view the content in a separate page or it could trigger the content to be downloaded and put in after all.
It's only hidden dynamically if people can view the large content.
Give it a shot!
I'm also working on a dynamic php based version that shares variables and uses a css sheet that's made to process php, so we can get those variables in there. I'll post it when it's ready. I'm also looking at pulling the variables into both via JSON.
You could also use this method to add content that would show up on super large HDTV screens as well which would screen the site beyond normal desktop dimensions.
I'm still working on the recipe
Frankly, I may find some gigantic bug that makes this all moot. I'm also not the best programmer in the world so I'll probably get advice from those who are a lot better than I and let them take a crack at it. Maybe someone's already done it. Yay! That would save some work... What I'm describing isn't even a full fledged technique but more of an approach. Use it at your own risk!
Hey, your example page here isn't really responsive/adaptive!
Yes, I know. This is more a test to see if the Additive Content approach can work and if we could add in content on larger viewer sizes and keep it removed on smaller ones.
What about media queries?
I think they'd be very handy to continue to manipulate Extra added elements. The Additive Content approach is geared towards providing an alternative to the display:none problem (see point 7 on the linked page - most of their concerns are actually addressed elsewhere) where non-visible content is still downloaded to the browser. It's not meant to do heavy style lifting.
Is this performance intensive?
Isn't this a gigantic pain to translate into our dynamic site template?
Possibly. I'm just presenting this a starting point and approach to dealing with the Extra downloading problem.
Couldn't you use a mobile template or mobile site sub domain directory to get around the problem?
Sure, but we're trying to go for the Write Once, Publish Anywhere ideal. Creating a separate site or template might be the way to go for many people though.
October 24, 2011 | Share: | <urn:uuid:c485853b-9135-4bac-94f4-7f0eee7b50ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://marionobledesign.com/my-blog/additive-content.-an-alternative-to-the-displaynone-problem-in-r/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932664 | 1,008 | 1.898438 | 2 |
The Warren Tribune Chronicle ran a great story this weekend on open enrollment. The article, Ins & Outs: As students swap districts, big money can change hands, highlights yet another option families have in Ohio. While they quoted one family who attend Austintown schools while still living in Youngtown, the reporter focused on the response of school districts to open enrollment.
The conversation was encouraging: school districts are responding to parental school choice by innovating and being more responsive to parent requests. Districts have shared privately that school choice is the impetus for positive improvements and now they’re talking more about it publicly.
As excerpts from the article show, the bottom-up accountability of school choice is working.
“Last year we were able to lower the number of students we lost by offering other academic options, including our new online school,” Austintown Superintendent Vince Colaluca said.
Colaluca said his staff has had to realize that the school district is not a monopoly and modern education, at least in the Mahoning Valley, is a competitive process.
“We have to meet our customers’ needs,” he said. “We are going to work on the professional development for our staff on customer services. We have to make our customers feel good.”
During a recent visit to the Mahoning Valley Robert Sommers, director of the Ohio Governor’s Office of 21th-Century Education, promoted open enrollment as one more option parents have when it comes to choosing how, and where, their children are educated. The system also serves as a way to foster “healthy competition” among school districts giving them more incentive to step it up academically.
Chad L. Aldis, executive director of School Choice Ohio, agrees.
“With more and more schools opting toward open enrollment every school district has to look at ways to improve, ways to compete with other schools if they want to keep students,” Aldis said. “If they don’t, they will lose out as more and more students leave to go to other, more academically sound schools.”
For parents like Danyel Minotti, it all comes down to having a choice. Although her family lives in Youngstown, Minotti’s four children go to school in Austintown.
“It’s an opportunity to send (the children) to a better school, to a safer school,” she said. “I saw an opportunity to do that, and I took it.”
But Connie Hathorn, Youngstown superintendent, said his district is fighting back by working hard to bring his students home. This year Hathorn restructured the school district by converting one of its high schools into a Visual and Performing Arts Academy in an effort to retain students, bring former ones home and, he hopes, attract new ones.
“It’s not easy when you see your students leaving,” Hathorn said. “But you have to realize parents have the right to choose. We’re working hard here, making some changes, working to give them a reason to choose Youngstown.”
We commend Dr. Sommers for his support of parental choice and the work of district superintendents like Dr. Hathorn and Mr. Colaluca to improve their schools to compete for area students. | <urn:uuid:e6ca37d7-e0ae-4910-9deb-e882cb8b0780> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scohio.org/blog/?p=1082 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974229 | 703 | 1.773438 | 2 |
This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
Hong Kong-based Journalist and entrepreneur Stephen Vines expands on this passion for food in his new book Food Gurus: 20 People Who Have Changed The Way We Eat and Think About Food.
Hong Kong (PRWEB) January 21, 2013
Journalist, entrepreneur, and author Stephen Vines believes food is as ubiquitous a topic as there is. It keeps people of all generations widely engaged: as a producer, supplier, consumer—in an age where cookbooks and culinary shows have a strangely mass appeal. His new book, Food Gurus: 20 People Who Have Changed The Way We Eat and Think About Food, published by PodTribe, provides compelling biographies of 20 renowned personalities who have changed the way we eat.
“The reason I wrote the book was a process of self-education,” Vines, a long-time journalist who operates his own chain of eateries and coffee shops, said. “I was trying to learn more about not just chefs, because chefs obviously have changed the way we eat, but about the people who are most responsible for this enormous evolution of interest in food.” The gurus—or food fanatics, as Vines calls them—were chosen not by the recipes they crafted nor the techniques they devised, but by the unmistakable impact they made on the appreciation of food.
“Henry Heinz,” said Vines, “did not invent canning, but think about the way canning has made it possible to eat vegetables in any season.” Isabella Beeton, who lived in the Victorian era, might have never even cooked, but produced recipe and household management books that sold so well her husband concealed her early death to protect the business. Ray Croc did not create McDonald’s, but is credited with developing the brand and the fast food empire the company has become.
Vines says his book provides a layman's understanding of the culinary arts. For example, he says he invalidates the concept of nouvelle cuisine. “Every generation discovers a new cuisine and what they discover is some sort of development of an existing cuisine,” he said. He also noted how changes in food transportation, storage and freezing, to name just some innovations, have revolutionized eating by maximizing the availability of ingredients.
Food has become a subject in itself, “not just a means of sustenance,” Vines said.
Food has also allowed people, like these food gurus, to become inspirations of determination and ingenuity. Elizabeth David, a strong influencer of British cookery, suffered from a minor stroke at 49, but continued with her work. Heinz started working at the age of six, planting vegetables with his mother, and by 10 he was already a supplier to local restaurants. They “refuse to be defeated,” said Vines. If reading is as good as eating, Food Gurus would be a fine full-course meal.
Food Gurus is available in Kindle edition at just US$6.99. Visit Amazon to purchase a copy.
PodTribe is an eBook publisher, distributor, and retailer delivering high-quality titles in various digital formats for a range of popular eReaders and other devices. PodTribe is committed to creating and distributing a body of engaging, thought-provoking work from respected authors and thinkers.
The Hong Kong-based company is publisher of the “How to be an Icon” series, which features the biographies of historical and contemporary icons in a relevant and entertaining format. Packed with illustrations, quotes, anecdotes about fellow icons and relevant web links, the series aims to bring the biography to life.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebphilippines/gamedevelopment/prweb10333954.htm | <urn:uuid:3f8a5e7a-fc64-44e2-9748-3b3e034169eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wtnzfox43.com/story/20641534/author-stephen-vines-explains-the-idea-behind-his-new-book-food-gurus-and-the-personalities-he-profiles | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965848 | 829 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Introduction To The Third Volume
We are honored to serve as co-editors of this, the Third Volume of Issues in Teaching and Learning, Rhode Island College's electronic journal dedicated to creating and deepening dialog about the educational process.
It is fitting that this volume of the journal developed its own theme of inclusive teaching. We say this because the explorations of inclusive teaching contained in this volume came entirely from the authors , rather than the editors or editorial board. Our call for papers and subsequent call for a dialog on indoctrination resulted in submissions examining how pedagogy can encourage or restrict student participation.
Carol Shelton, a member of the editorial board and coordinator of the College's first faculty seminar on inclusive teaching, sets the stage with an essay about the NECIT (New England Center for Inclusive Teaching) program at RIC. Her historic review and introduction to the fundamental concepts underlying inclusive teaching help the reader strengthen her or his understanding of this movement in higher education.
Karen Paley's ethnography takes us through the journeys experienced by three RIC professors, as they struggled to find pedagogical styles that maximize students' involvement and interaction with course content. The three professors teach in different disciplines but faced similar challenges as they worked to develop effective teaching styles. For all three, the journeys continue but some lessons have been learned. A striking commonality is that the three professors came to appreciate and incorporate in their teaching students' strengths which are traditionally checked at the classroom door.
Dan Weisman facilitated and edited a dialog on indoctrination, currently consisting of two essays but additional submissions are invited. Two events prompted the public discussion: a student raised concerns that required social work courses demanded ideological conformity; a bill was introduced in the R.I. legislature, as well as in 20 other states and the U.S. Congress, that could require legislative oversight of governance roles traditionally performed by faculty. The latter, the so-called "Student Bill of Rights," has benefited from some students' perceptions that there is an unwritten reward structure associated with liberal political views. The two essays, by faculty members Timothy Chambers and Joseph Zornado, begin what we hope will be an ongoing exploration of this topic.
Inclusive teaching is a timely topic, and we are proud that the authors chose this journal as the platform for a beginning foray into its meanings and applications. We look forward to a continued lively exploration of topics related to teaching and learning as we turn our attention to the Fourth Volume, scheduled for publication in the spring, 2006 semester. Submissions may be emailed to either co-editor: Mark Motte (firstname.lastname@example.org)or Dan Weisman (email@example.com). | <urn:uuid:5f89418e-9868-450a-9616-0bf82bfa7b22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.ric.edu/itl/volume_03.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95647 | 547 | 2.21875 | 2 |
CONVICTIONS for hate crimes in the Thames Valley have risen almost six per cent.
A total of 81.4 per cent of prosecutions were successful in the 12 months to March 31, compared with 75.8 per cent in the previous year, a difference of 5.6 per cent.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s second annual hate crime report shows that 425 people were taken to court, compared with 414 last year.
The majority of prosecutions involved disability, religious or race hate crimes but there were also cases of homophobia and transphobia.
Baljit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor for the Thames Valley, said: “This shows how seriously we take all types of hate crimes.
“Being targeted because of your race, religion, sexuality or disability is a profoundly isolating experience and one we will prosecute wherever possible.
“People from all communities have a legitimate right to expect protection from the prejudice and discrimination that are at the root of hate crime.”
Ms Ubhey said she was “heartened” by the increase in the number of prosecutions for disability hate crime with 10 this year, compared with just two last year, and a conviction rate of 80 per cent (100 per cent in 2007/8).
She said: “We know that this crime is massively under- reported to the police because people don’t know that they are a victim of crime and do not have confidence that their problems will be taken seriously. We must get better at supporting the specific needs of disabled victims and witnesses to further increase the numbers of those coming forward and receiving justice.”
The report, published last week, shows 389 people were prosecuted for racist or religious crime, three more than last year, 82 per cent of them successfully (75.6 per cent).
Twenty-six people were prosecuted for homophobic or transphobic crimes, the same number as last year, with a conviction rate of 73.1 per cent (76.9 per cent).....ORIGINAL ARTICLE | <urn:uuid:9bdd9953-c93f-4394-8f71-c640a557ec77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://destrantalk.blogspot.com/2009/12/convictions-for-hate-crimes-up.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969191 | 414 | 1.539063 | 2 |
What Are You So Scared of? Saber-Toothed Cats, Snakes, and Carnivorous Kangaroos.
The evolutionary legacy of having been prey.
Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society/Oak Ridge Nat. Laboratory.
In the developed world, we live in the most peaceful, healthful time in history. The murder and violent crime rate is dropping; we are vaccinated against the most deadly diseases of previous generations; our houses protect us from most storms; relatively few people go hungry. The average lifespan is longer than it has ever been. Then why do we walk around so anxious, so full of fear? The answer is not terrorists, TV, Republicans, or Democrats. The answer is our legacy of ancient fears, the result of having spent millions of years running from predators. Our fear response is more influenced by the ancient species we struggled to escape than any modern challenges. We live in a demon-haunted world.
Until not that many generations ago, Homo sapiens and our primate ancestors found shelter under lean-tos, in caves, and up among branches. Exposed and relatively defenseless, our predecessors stood a good chance of being eaten by bigger, badder, species. For most of our evolutionary history as primates, we were far more likely to play the role of Big Mac than Big Man on Campus. Our ancestors evolved many traits to help them escape that fate—if not forever, at least long enough to reproduce and pass their genes along. These responses still frame how our bodies work today, which would be great if we were still being stalked by large cats. But Vegas performers notwithstanding, most of us are not.
Nor was it just cats. Humans were eaten by giant hyenas, cave bears, cave lions, eagles, snakes, other primates, wolves, saber-toothed cats, false saber-toothed cats, and maybe even—bless their hearts—giant, predatory kangaroos. Amazingly, these are just the predators that consumed our ancestors during relatively recent history, the past 100,000 years or so. Go further back in time, and the diversity of things that ate our kin goes up (particularly given that our earlier, pre-hominin ancestors were progressively smaller). Some predators, such as leopards, ate many of our ancestors. Others, like crocodiles, komodo dragons, or sharks, took their bites, but more opportunistically, savoring the occasional human or proto-human the way one might enjoy some special holiday treat. We were, in other words, their thanksgiving turkey.
In those few places where large predators are still common, primates, especially cute baby ones, are eaten with great frequency and alacrity. When our species evolved, human children were special only in as much as their hairlessness made them slightly easier to digest. Even today, where humans live alongside predators, both children and adults get eaten. Harry Greene, a herpetologist at Cornell University and one of a handful of my colleagues more likely to be eaten by a wild animal than to die of old age, and Thomas Headland, an anthropologist, recently conducted a study of Agta hunter-gatherers in the Philippines. Harry was excited to find that the Agta lived among a high density of pythons. The Agta tend to be not quite so excited; Greene and Headland found that one in four Agta men had been attacked by a reticulated python. Of the 120 men whose stories were considered for the study, six had been killed by a python. That’s a death-by-python rate of 1 in 20. Those are lousy odds, but most of us have escaped such risks by living in houses and cities and living where our ancestors killed off the most dangerous predators, be they tigers, cave bears, or giant, carnivorous kangaroos. We should be grateful for having escaped—and yet we haven’t really escaped, because our bodies are burdened by our long history of trying to get away.
When our hamburger-size ancestors lived in trees, it was extraordinarily valuable to be able to respond immediately to the potential presence of a predator. Many primate species have alarm calls that are specific for different predators. The first primate nouns were almost certainly those embedded in calls that meant, “Oh shit, big cat!” “Oh shit, giant eagle!” or “For the love of god, did you see the size of that snake?” In this way, predators may have had a positive impact on who we are now, having given us the precursors of language, or at the very least, cussing.
In addition to inventing words for these predators, we also responded in other ways. When we saw or heard a sign of danger—a movement in the grass, a strange shadow—hormonal reactions screamed out inside our bodies. These fight-or-flight responses sped up the heart, increased blood flow to muscles, caused hyperventilation (to get more oxygen for quick reaction), and made us more likely to respond quickly to a predator by searching for it, hiding, running away, or for the truly brave, throwing a stick and then running away.
These fight-or-flight signals and associated jumpiness and anxiety are part of the problem in modern urban life, part of our discontent. They are triggered by all sorts of ordinary activities. Thinking of taxes causes our hearts to beat fast. So does being late for a meeting, forgetting your homework, or contemplating how to pay for a home improvement. In none of these cases does our fight-or-flight response serve a purpose. It gets us agitated. It makes our heart beat faster. It prepares us to run, but to where? To what end?
Right now there are anxious people all around you, ready to run from predators that aren’t there. Our misplaced anxiety can seem silly (the other day I just about melted down while trying to find my keys so that I could drive to the gym, where I was planning to run in place). But it is still a serious problem that can cost money and can cost lives. We have resolved this plague in part by medicating. Xanax, Valium. and other drugs help. “There are no more leopards,” the little pills say, and we rest more easily.
Anxiety is just one lingering result of predators’ influence. Another is, well, tingly. When you are spooked by a sound or a testy boss, the hair on your arms stands up. Along with the upright hair come chills. But why does this happen? Once upon a time, when we still had fur, when our hair stood on end it made us look bigger, less like a Big Mac and more like, well, something slightly larger than a Big Mac. But now that we have lost most of our hair, the chills that run through our body and the contraction of the tiny muscles in our skin that pull our hair erect simply make us look ridiculous, more cowardly than bold.
Many traits that influenced our ability to spot predators or flee from them have been under strong natural selection for much of the past 40 million years of primate evolution and even before then. (We have been prey essentially since the beginning.) Researchers are just beginning to explore these possibilities. Lynne Isbell at the University of California-Davis has argued that the range of our color vision evolved in part because those of our ancestors who could see more colors were more likely to spot snakes. A study this year found that children spot snakes more quickly than they do flowers . They also spot snakes when using color vision more quickly than in gray scale. Our interactions with other species (be they snakes, or as some have argued, fruits) shaped our eyesight. Our screams, those preverbal (and universal) utterances, are alarm calls signaling, simultaneously, both a threat and the need for help.
But it wasn’t just predators that influenced our evolution. Parasites and pathogens have also shaped our bodies in ways that are affecting you now. With predators, most of our adaptations relate to avoiding encounters in the first place, for the simple reason that by the time we encounter a predator, it tends to be too late. But once we are attacked by parasites, we often still stand a chance. Among the deadliest parasites in human history are those carried body-to-body by mosquitoes, such as the malaria parasite. Those ancestors who lived in areas where malaria was and is most problematic evolved responses to escape Plasmodium’s deadly wrath. One adaptation puts people at an increased risk of sickle-cell anemia, and another raises the risk of favism, a condition in which consuming fava beans causes anemia. Even the relative prevalence of different blood types has been argued to be a consequence of Plasmodium’s influence; some blood types appear to be more resistant to malaria than others.
Lice and other parasites and the diseases they carry may have played a role in our loss of hair; parasites now have fewer places to hide. Parasites might have played a role in our original sociality, too, having brought us together to pick lice off one another’s backs (and feel the endorphin release and social appeasement that rewards such behavior). Then there are the parasitic worms whose presence may have shaped our immune systems to such an extent that some of us miss their absence; autoimmune disorders—including Crohn’s disease and asthma—have been linked to now-obsolete adaptations to keep these worms in check.
How our bodies work (or fail to work) in modern environments relates not to the species we confront now, but the collective effect of the species we confronted over millions of years. We are left with the bodies that were best able to survive despite the daily threat of being eaten by a predator, sickened by a parasite or pathogen, or otherwise assaulted by Mother Nature’s well-armed hordes. Of course, we are still evolving. In every generation, some genes are favored relative to others, and yet the rate of our evolution is slow relative to how much we have changed. And so we go on getting anxious when our football team loses and letting our hair stand on end, ridiculously, when we are scared. We could bemoan these legacies, but it makes more sense to confront them head on, to consider just how we should live not in light of the bodies we wish we had but instead with the ones we are born with, bodies that evolved in the wild, thanks to ancestors who only just barely got away.
Rob Dunn is the author of The Wild Life of Our Bodies, the story of our changing relationship with predators, parasites, mutualists, commensals, and all the rest. He is a science writer and scientist at North Carolina State University, where he studies the stories of the species that have lived alongside humans as we have spread around the world, be they bacteria in your belly button ants in your backyard or cave crickets in your basement. | <urn:uuid:a0bae476-f563-421c-8787-82098cba79d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_evolution/2012/10/evolution_of_anxiety_humans_were_prey_for_predators_such_as_hyenas_snakes.single.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962979 | 2,292 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Start by collecting your material.
Many spec fic writers like to begin exploring their work's characters by filling out a character sheet, very like the sheets role-playing gamers use to create their gaming character. When you begin writing your bio, you need to construct yourself as if you were the character. (If you think about it, your persona as a writer is a fictional character. You're drawing this persona out of your real life experiences, but you're not selling yourself. You're selling Writer You. It's like an alternate universe self!)
Check out the character sheet I've linked to and think over some of the answers. Answering someone else's questions can really help reinvigorate your sense of perception. When I think about my personal identity, I think of my family, my core values, my favorite activities. But honestly, these are really, really boring. A bio about me would include: "Wendy Wagner is a mom who is constantly riled up about social causes and therefore must restrict her consumption of all news, save for Vogue and Boing Boing. 80% of the time, Wagner is thinking about coffee or eating sweets." Kind of a dud.
But when I look at the character sheet questions, I come up with thoughts like:
I was born in Eastern Washington. Great. Nobody cares.
I grew up in a town so small the Bookmobile came only ever two weeks. Quirky--and life-changing.
Our house sat across the street from the cemetery. Hey, I can use that for horror markets!
I don't have any pets. I better leave that out or no one will believe I'm a writer.
I have practiced using a shotgun in order to better prepare myself for zombie attack. If I rephrase that, that could be perfect for horror markets!
I used to believe the back door of our house opened into Narnia. Hey, I can use that for fantasy markets!
Focus on audience and market.
You'll notice that many of my thoughts about my character material were focused around markets. That's because there are different kinds of bios, and they all their different size and tone, depending on where you'll be sending your work. Here are some examples:
- Basic bio, added to bottom of story or article. This bio usually runs 3-4 lines. It will have a clever opener, a line about your writing credits, a second line that includes any awards or critical praise, and a final line about where you live, where you blog, and/or something witty.
I write a new basic bio for every author spotlight I do for Fantasy Magazine, because I think it's fun and clever. My latest reads:
Wendy N. Wagner grew up in very rural
, where she dreamed her family would abandon her to be raised by wolves. Her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies and the anthologies The Way of the Wizard and Rigor Amortis; her interviews and poetry have run in Lightspeed, Fantasy Magazine, Horror-web.com, and Abyss and Apex. She lives in Oregon with her very understanding husband and daughter, and blogs at www.inkpunks.com. Portland, Oregon
Because the author spotlight is nonfiction, I thought it was worthwhile to include my nonfiction writing credits in that second line. If I was doing a basic bio for a short story, I would leave that out. If I wanted to sound like a blow-hard, I could have said "Her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies (this piece is actually forthcoming, but it will be out before anyone reads the bio) and the anthologies Rigor Amortis and The Way of the Wizard. Publishers Weekly described Wagner's story 'The Secret of Calling Rabbits' as 'melancholy and deeply affecting.'"
I made sure that the hook--the clever first line--of that bio connected to the theme of my article. You don't have to do that, but I think it is a good idea to write a hook that is in the tenor of the market you're writing for. If it's a horror market, I'll usually reference growing up next door to the cemetery. If it's fantasy, I'll mention the Narnia connection. If it's for more general consumption, I'll talk about the summer I read 125 books in two weeks.
- "I am a human" bio. This is the bio you'll use on your blog or webpage to make people like you, and it can short or long. The master of the short human bio is Blake Charlton, whose "About" paragraph on his webpage says it all:
- The really big bio for guest appearances. You probably won't need this one until you win some awards and get invited to be the guest of honor at a convention or workshop. Most of these run 300-500 words, a full page about yourself. You'll want to focus on creating three or four paragraphs, instead of three or four lines. You can include more about your non-writing life, as well, so if you have an interesting day job that you feel okay talking about, this is a great place for that information. If you have a quirky hobby that has helped your writing career, mention it. If you were mentored by a famous author, mention it. If you went to an awesome workshop ... hey, you get it.
Now that you've got a sense of what each kind of bio requires, and you're certain about what flavor and tone your bio will need, it's time to begin crafting your piece. And like all nonfiction works, you'll need to focus on mechanical details. They are your only hope to be interesting.
What do I mean? Well, when we write spec fic, we have the advantage of creating a special, unique world populated by fascinating characters. When you're writing your bio, you are writing about a chump who can never, ever compete with the people you make up. I mean, think about it: who's more interesting, you or Wolverine? Or anybody from Game of Thrones? Even the most caricatured spec fic bad guy is about 95% more interesting than your average writer.* But you are lucky. Unlike that bad guy, you have words on your side. And there are some cheats that will can you sound much, much better those muscle-bound fictional heroes you're writing about right now.
- Use active verbs. It's the same advice you've been struggling with in your prose, but it can make a huge difference. Look at my bio. I've got grew, dreamed, appeared, runs, lives, and blogs. There's not a lot of "she was," "she is" action. And that's good. Those constructions aren't bad, but in a short space, you don't have room for not bad. You're trying to make people share their beds (hey, most folks read in bed!) and hearts with you. Rock them!
- Use a little colorful language. It's okay to sneak in a drop of alliteration or a fun idiom. In a short story, colorful language can be too distracting from the action. But remember, there's nothing going on in your bio. It's not an adventure. A dab of colorful language will not hurt. That's why I shared about being "raised by wolves" or I've talked about "preparing for the zombie apocalypse." These phrases sound fun. In real life, I'm not actually entertaining, but I'd really like my readers to think I am. Maybe I'll sound so fun to be with, my readers will buy me a drink at a con!
- Variate sentence constructions. Easily the most important factor. If you start every line of your bio with "He was xyz. He does abc. He likes def," your bio will be boring. Make sure you have a variety of sentence structures: "A constant thrill-seeker, John Remy finds himself drawn to high risk rock-climbing. His work draws on his adventurous life, and his thrilling short fiction has appeared in Y & W. He lives in Town X, State, and blogs at blah blah." That's variety. That's the spice of life.
It's not hard to write a bio and you shouldn't be frightened of the process. It's a simple matter of doing your research, focusing on your market & audience, and playing your best tricks--which are the three base-points of writing non-fiction. It's actually pretty fun!
* Average writer. People like Blake Charlton and Mary Robinette Kowal are not average. Their regular lives are actually cool. I mean, CNN did a feature on Blake. I totally wish I could write his bio instead of mine. | <urn:uuid:ea72dc3f-259a-4386-a36a-19555f7a80dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://operabuffo.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-write-bio-for-sffh-writers.html?showComment=1304970846485 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973966 | 1,823 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Renowned Chinese-born writer Han Suyin, whose autobiographical novel was turned into the popular American film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, has died. She was 95.
Han, the author of about 40 books on modern China, died on Friday, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, citing her family.
The frail-looking and charismatic Han was branded both as a "Chinese revolutionary" in the West and "bourgeois" in communist China, with her work, often based on her own life straddling the two worlds.
The thrice-married Han's numerous novels and essays, as well as her meetings with Indira Gandhi, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, earned her a worldwide reputation.
The writer's biggest work was a five-volume autobiography, while other writings included biographies of Mao and Zhou, and a study on Tibet.
She had been one of the few foreigners to be able to visit communist China in the early years of the regime. In a 1968 interview with France's Le Figaro newspaper, she said Mao was "the greatest man China has known".
Born Matilda Rosalie Elizabeth Chow in Henan province on September 12, 1917, Han was the daughter of a Chinese railway engineer and his Belgian wife. She studied medicine in China before continuing her studies in Belgium in the 1930s and later in London.
She later changed her name to Rosalie Elizabeth Comber and chose Han Suyin as a pen name. "Suyin" means ordinary voice in Chinese.
She was criticised for supporting Chairman Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward in the 1950s and the later Cultural Revolution.
Han's work as a nurse in China during the war against the Japanese occupation in 1938 stoked her patriotic feelings.
She qualified as a doctor in London in 1948, meantime having a disappointing marriage with her first husband, Dang Baoyang, an anti-communist engineer.
He was killed during China's civil war, after which Han abandoned medicine and started writing, in Chinese, English and French.
She wrote A Many-Splendored Thing in Hong Kong based on her romance with British war correspondent Ian Morrison, who was killed in the Korean War in 1950.
The book was adapted for the silver screen in 1955.
She married a British anti-espionage specialist, Leon Comber, and worked as a doctor in Malaysia and Singapore, during which time she grew increasingly sympathetic with communism.
She returned to China in 1956, when she was greeted with great fanfare by then premier Zhou.
Having divorced Comber, she later married a third time, to Indian engineer named Vincent Ruthnaswany, with whom she had lived in Lausanne.
Han frequently returned to China and in 1984 wrote a historical novel set in China and Switzerland, The Enchantress.
Funeral services for Han are planned for Thursday in Lausanne, the Swiss news agency ATS reported. | <urn:uuid:8a1c3269-1c1d-4aba-8b3c-b103d2805334> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nzherald.co.nz/books/news/article.cfm?c_id=134&objectid=10845213 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985416 | 608 | 1.953125 | 2 |
I have to take some photographs of groups of people in the style of a typical studio and wedding photographer from around the turn of the last century using an 8x10 camera. To get inspiration I found and bought some rather yellowed but wonderful group portraits taken by different photographers of that time (about 1895 to 1910). All the groups are weddings of between 15 to 24 people. The print size is bigger than 8x10 and I presume they are contact prints. Anyway, each photograph show superb technique and in particular I notice they all manage to keep the front row of people almost as sharp in focus as the back row and I think they must have been using front or back tilt or possibly both because I can't imagine they relied only on small apertures for their depth of focus because of the slowness of their film speed and lenses.
Is there anyone out there who has a more intimate knowledge of how these photographers worked? If you have any answers I would be very interested.
Many thanks, Nick. | <urn:uuid:ab3f82ec-8152-45c0-a52c-c359d690d43a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?61968-Early-20th-century-large-format-group-photos | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978666 | 204 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Civil Partnership Giving
Learn About Gift Aid
Any UK tax payer wishing to make a donation to a recognised UK charity, large or small, regular or one-off, can use Gift Aid to increase their donation.
If you give £1 in the normal way, the charity will receive precisely £1. But if you tick a box to say you would like to Gift Aid your £1 during your donation, the charity will receive £1.28 - in other words increasing the value of your gift by 28%.
You just need to give a simple Gift Aid declaration to the charity and pay enough tax to cover the amount reclaimed. The charity then claims back the basic rate income tax you have already paid. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you can claim a personal benefit - worth 23 pence for every £1 donated. You can either claim this as a personal benefit or choose to give it to charity.
Anyone who has paid enough income tax or capital gains tax in the current financial year to cover the amount reclaimed by the charity can use Gift Aid. So, if you give £100 you need to have paid at least £28 in income tax or capital gains tax. You need to complete a simple declaration, giving the charity your name, full address and an acknowledgement that you are aware of the requirement to have paid enough tax. This can be done by giving a simple declaration in writing, over the phone or online. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you can reclaim 18% personal tax relief (the higher rate, 40% minus the basic rate, 22%) on your donation. This works out at 23 pence for every pound you donate. Since April 2003, higher rate taxpayers have been able to claim this in their tax return for the previous year, rather than wait until they complete the return for the year the gift was made.
To learn more about Gift Aid go to: | <urn:uuid:029a0d7f-16db-4d32-8a72-d03a1b1c0f0b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weddinglistgiving.com/giftAid.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953944 | 385 | 1.976563 | 2 |
For Michigan, especially from a public relations standpoint, an emergency manager in Detroit is "sad but necessary" because of the city's inability to solve it's financial problems. That's according to Kelly Rossman-McKinney, the CEO of Truscott Rossman.
"What's important is the state has put into place a way in which cities can be cured of financial instability," said Rossman-McKinney. "When you are in financial ruin, there is no way to fix that problem without taking drastic measures, and those measures were taken."
Detroit's financial issues are being blamed mostly on declining revenues. Over the last 60 years the city has lost 1.1 million of its residents. Those residents all used to pay property taxes. Further compounding the issue, those property values have also dropped.
"Detroit can't wait. We need to solve real issues here today because citizens are not getting the services they really need and we have a financial crisis," said Governor Rick Snyder, as he declared Detroit a financial emergency. "This is the time for us not to argue or to blame, but to come together as Detroit, Michigan, not Detroit verses Michigan and bring all our resources to bare to say let's just solve the problem."
Adding to Detroit and other cities financial problems, in recent years the state has cut back on the amount of money it gives to cities. Cities are left with even less funding to solve their financial issues. This, while state law prohibits cities from increasing revenues by adding a sales tax, or raising property tax more than inflation.
An emergency financial manager does not mean state tax payers pick up the tab for Detroit's woes. No state funds are used to solve the problem although the state can provide more resources such as Michigan State Police officers to help the city.
An emergency manager can save the city money by renegotiating contracts and reducing employee payroll.
"I look at today as both a sad day, a day that I wish would never have happened in the history of the city but also a day of optimism and promise," said Governor Snyder. "This is the time to say there is a financial emergency in Detroit. I want to solve it. I want to help you solve it. Let's just work together to put a solution in place to say we can be on that path to be in a great place again--from midtown, downtown, the river front and the neighborhoods--so people can have a great quality of life."
"I think this is a great sign for businesses across Michigan and especially for those businesses in Detroit because they see a stabilizing force coming into the city," said Rossman-McKinney.
No one argues against the fact that getting Detroit back on its feet is good for the entire state, even if the process to get there is painful.
"Having a strong, vibrant Detroit is obviously critical to having a strong, vibrant Michigan," said Terry Stanton, the Director of Communications at the Michigan Department of Treasury. "The state needs Detroit to be a well-run city without a recurring general fund deficit that drains services."
After March 12, if the governor does appoint an emergency manager he or she will be there for at least 18 months. Under state law, after that the Detroit city council--through a two-thirds majority vote--could have the emergency manager removed. | <urn:uuid:01df10c5-2457-455e-8451-bed5b67859a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/Detroit-Emergency-Financial-Manager--Is-Sad-But-Necessary-194390661.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974831 | 683 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Famous Dutch designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld designed a pavilion for the Sonsbeek sculpture show in 1954. It was torn down after the show closed. However, in 1965 it was rebuilt in the sculpture garden at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo.
The object is on the grounds of the Kröller-Müller Museum. The museum is open Tuesdays - Sundays: 10.00 - 17.00. The sculpture garden closes at 16.30.
How to get there?
Car: from the A1, A50, and A12 motorways, follow the signs for Park Hoge Veluwe/Kröller-Müller Museum.
Public transport: there are bus services from Apeldoorn and Ede/Wageningen train station every day throughout the year. The bus stops immediately adjoining the centre and the museum. | <urn:uuid:f0a59daf-a77f-40e5-bd7c-1bf9c8e11ae7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/Netherlands/Otterlo/Rietveld%20Pavilion | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916515 | 190 | 1.617188 | 2 |
First time accepted submitter uigrad_2000 writes "With all the new exoplanets discovered recently with Kepler, it seemed a sure thing that the first exoplanet in the habitable zone of a star would be found soon. The irony is that Kepler was not involved. GJ 667Cc is at least 4.5 times as massive as Earth, and lies in the habitable region of its host star, reports Scientific American. It was discovered by comparing public data from the ESO to recent observations from Hawaii and Chile. As opposed to the stars Kepler is watching, this is only 22 light-years away, making it even more interesting." | <urn:uuid:0736a160-ec9a-4f30-bd10-d179a1694d60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/02/03/0216251/new-exoplanet-is-best-yet-candidate-for-supporting-life/interesting-comments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977491 | 132 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Eco Brooklyn was recently commissioned to insulate a new development in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. As a specialist in insulation and air sealing we have seen an increase in business from the many new multi unit apartment buildings that have shot up – not during construction, but AFTER construction. As housing demand has continued [...]
Ed from NJ Renewable Energy made a great video about the construction of his passive house that you can view below. It discusses the many benefits of building a Passive House, the amazing energy savings that are possible and the details behind how they built this specific one in New Jersey.
As a NY Passive [...]
As New York green contractors, we’re always interested in emerging innovations, but take special interest in locally-developed technologies because we believe that green solutions should have a local focus. An effective way to build green is to ensure that each building make the best use of the environment in which it’s located.
In New York [...]
At Eco Brooklyn, we do energy-efficiency retrofits that involve huge amounts of air sealing, air barriers, vapor barriers and insulation. We aim for the super stringent Passive House building envelope standard and net-zero energy consumption. This is as radical it gets in energy conservation. Sealing the home in an airtight shell requires a bit [...]
Brooklyn homes were originally built without insulation. We often come across a situation where we are doing a green renovation of a Brooklyn building but not gutting it completely. This creates an insulation problem. We want to add plenty of insulation but that is hard if you are working with existing exterior walls.
In this situation I [...]
This is the season of phone calls from clients needing Eco Brooklyn’s help with their brownstone extensions. The problem is always the same: they are cold.
They call us up because we are Brooklyn brownstone insulation specialists.
Here are my observations having seen and fixed extensions for a while now.
There are two types of [...]
The way Brooklyn brownstones are currently renovated does not work. It does not work for the environment nor for the inhabitants’ comfort and utility bills.
Eco Brooklyn is focused on redefining how a brownstone gets renovated. We use the Brooklyn Green Show House as an example of a renovation template that works for the [...]
A few weeks ago the EPA held a webinar on the safe use of spray foam insulations titled “What You Need to Know About the Safe Use of Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF)”. We at Eco Brooklyn are not crazy about spray foam so we watched what the EPA had to say closely.
Their view in [...]
Here is a great powerpoint on how to blow in cellulose into a wall. There is a real trick to doing this. Your generic blower rented from Home Depot does not have the power needed to dense pack to 3.5 pounds per cubic foot. But there are ways to work around this.
Check out the [...]
Here is a great diagram of all the possible types of insulation, their R value and their environmental impacts. As green builders in Brooklyn we have specific needs. Doing a green renovation in a Brooklyn brownstone requires sound proofing in the walls and ceilings and lots of insulation that takes up little space on the [...]
The book Insulate and Weatherize is published by Taunton and is part of their Build Like a Pro Series – Expert Advice From Start to Finish. It is advanced weatherization and insulation techniques for a residential home in the North and Mid East United States.
This book, like all Build Like a Pro series, [...]
Here is an email from a fellow green builder, Keith Winston, on the cons of spray foam. No matter how great they are for sealing, they have too many drawbacks IMO. The same sealing can be done with good tape, vapor barriers and caulk.
His email: The foaming agents of small cans of foam (i.e. [...]
In my ongoing awakening, this week it was all about fiberglass. It made me realize that I. who considers myself an advanced Brooklyn green builder, have a lot to learn (May I never forget).
So here I am thinking that fiberglass is relatively harmless as long as you get out the Formaldehyde. Sure fiberglass is [...]
All costs based on R30 for one square foot.
Johns Manville Formaldehyde free fiberglass $0.60 Ultra Touch Cotton $1.57 Cocoon Cellulose $0.42 Spay Foam – $6.98
The spay foam is based on one inch thick costing $1.62 and having R7. Thus R30 is the crazy price of almost 7 bucks.
Clearly Cellulose is the winner. [...]
I am having a hard time finding studies for or against the health impact of fiberglass, specifically the little glass fibers in peoples’ lungs.
Here is a little conspiracy theory I am thinking up as I write:
The big companies that made asbestos told everyone it was safe. Then they all claimed bankruptcy when the [...]
When buying insulation for those tired Brooklyn and NY brownstones one of the big considerations is the embodied energy the insulation has.
The May/June issue of Home Energy Magazine has a great article where they discuss the various types of insulation.
In the article they lay out their findings on the embodied energy of the [...]
I went by a house renovation the other day. They were doing all sorts of fancy stuff – especially a super high end radiant floor heating installation. And then they were putting in 3 1/2 inch fiberglass insulation for the exterior walls.
From the perspective of a green brownstone builder that’s like ordering a really [...]
Spray foam insulation is good because it creates very good seals. You don’t have to worry about air leaks.
The one thing it has against it is that it is petroleum based. There is a company that sells itself as a green alternative because it uses soy based oils instead. Biobased is one such company.
We have a floor with a high ceiling which means we can lay the pex tubing on top of the subfloor instead of hanging the tubing beneath. The pex tubing takes up valuable space and you can only lay it on top of the subfloor if you have the ceiling height.
Having the tubing [...]
I had an in depth talk with the lead technician who makes Cel Pac, one of the cellulose insulation manufacturers. I was discussing with him the topic of dense packing cellulose so that it does not settle and leave air pockets in the top of the walls. They suggest packing it to 3.5 pounds per [...]
We are inserting the salvaged poly iso insulation board into the top floor ceiling of the house between the joists. All the joists have been sistered with “new” salvaged joists. You can see the bolts holding them together. We are packing four layers of poly iso board, making it an air tight R 36. The [...]
In the constant quest for a greener insulation I have considered many options. – Cellulose is good but messy and dusty. – Isonyne spray foam or Demilec spray foam is good but not that cheap and quite honestly not as green as they say. It takes huge amounts of energy and petroleum to create the [...]
Here are six things anyone can do to their home to make it greener. A “green home” means a lot of things. But it always includes energy efficiency. These simple things increase the efficiency of the home by attacking the most dramatic energy loss aspects of a house.
They are relatively cheap and simple steps [...] | <urn:uuid:f5ee7701-f5b9-4bab-81cd-98e7bbadcf7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ecobrooklyn.com/category/house/insulation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956055 | 1,572 | 1.671875 | 2 |
An attempt to ban parents in England and Wales from smacking their children as a punishment have been defeated.
Parents could be prosecuted if they cause 'actual bodily harm'
Labour health committee chairman David Hinchliffe had argued the issue was one of the "basic human rights" as he moved his amendment to the Children Bill.
Despite 47 Labour MPs rebelling to back an outright ban, it was defeated by 424 to 75 votes.
A compromise amendment outlawing smacks which leave marks or cause mental harm was backed by 284 votes to 208.
The government-backed compromise amendment, originally tabled by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Lester, allows for a mild form of smacking and retains the notion parents should be allowed to physically chastise children.
Backers of the ban argued the compromise solution was a "fudge", while Tony Blair has described it as a "common sense" solution.
But Children's Minister Margaret Hodge pledged to review the change outlawing all but the mildest smack in two years' time.
Mr Hinchliffe's amendment stated that "battery of a child cannot be justified in any proceedings on the grounds that it constituted reasonable punishment".
But it argued smacks may be used in order to prevent danger to a child, another person, damage to property or a crime.
Moving the motion, Mr Hinchliffe told MPs: "At least one child every week - and over 50 every year dies - at the hands of its parents.
"Smacking is hitting and smacking hurts. It causes not only physical harm it causes harm inside too.
" So, yes, this amendment would criminalise hitting to exactly the same extent as hitting adults is criminalised.
"That is equality and children - far more fragile and vulnerable than us - deserve nothing less."
The children's minister argued that the compromise amendment toughened up the law on physical punishment but did not criminalise parents for administering a "light smack".
"There is a world of difference between a light smack and violence or abuse. We should recognise that the vast majority of parents understand that
difference and would never deliberately harm their children.
"The government simply does not believe that every single instance of parental smacking should be an offence."
Tory Andrew Turner said the compromise caused more confusion, saying it removed the "reasonable chastisement" defence for assault and battery of a child but retained it for actual bodily harm.
Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas pointed out that the common law defence once applied to wives and servants as well.
Liberal Democrat Annette Brooke backed Mr Hinchliffe's motion saying smacking was an "inefficient punishment" which had other consequences such as engendering a physical disrespect of others.
Tory Andrew Robathan described those calling for a ban as arrogant. He said: "I have two small children to whom I'm devoted and I love them more than anything else in the world. Very, very occasionally I smack them - much more often I threaten them with it and funnily enough it works rather well."
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children criticised the government compromise saying it defined an acceptable threshold of violence towards children.
The Children Bill also introduces a Children's Commissioner for England and places a "duty of care" on all services to prevent harm to children.
It also introduces many operational reforms of social services including the creation of a national database of records held on every single child, to improve tracking across different services.
The Bill was given an unopposed third reading and now returns to the Lords. | <urn:uuid:a85b843b-5b66-4f4b-a14f-f0764f16a9b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3972453.stm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962881 | 736 | 1.578125 | 2 |
TEST FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM
Do you really have Hypothyroidism?
That's the question you need to answer before you embark on a course of hypothyroidism treatment.
Getting an accurate test from a physician to diagnose hypothyroidism can be difficult. The truth is, most medical doctors, and conventional medicine as a whole, have really failed to truly help the public with hypothyroidism, which is well supported by testimony from thousands of unhappy patients.
After doing tests your doctor may tell you that you are in the "normal range", even if you still have hypothyroid symptoms and know something is very wrong in your body.
This can be very counter productive, especially if the search for relief goes off at a tangent looking elsewhere, and leaves you with the symptoms
YOU COULD BE BORDERLINE HYPOTHYROID !!
Despite the sensitivity of all the tests the doctors can give a patient today, a mildly hypothyroid person can still appear normal in a test.
Many people have symptoms of hypothyroidism and are clearly hypothyroid, yet they complain that no doctors will help them. Even if their tests come up "normal", they suffer tremendously with symptoms of hypothyroidism daily.
Why is it that so many people who need some thyroid help simply cannot get it from their doctor?
Dr. Richard Shames of "Thyroid Power" believes; "one reason so many people cannot get thyroid therapy is because many physicians are not aware of the excessive prevalence of low thyroid in the population, or of its collective toll on the nation's health". The Mayo Clinic has determined that as much as 10 percent of the population suffer from thyroid problems and it appears to be on the increase.
Thyroid disease can be treated.
First you need to stop stressing your body, and start eating healthy foods. Diet, exercise and reducing your stress level will start your recovery. Some people have stressed their body for too long and require a thyroid hormone. There are synthetic hormones and natural hormones. Natural is always better. In fact, synthetic hormones can cause more problems than they solve.
Without treatment, you are setting yourself up for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a list of other symptoms like Carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, PMS, infertility, dangerously high cholesterol, severe depression (including suicidal thoughts), obesity, heart failure, stroke, and death. This is about the health of every tissue and organ in your body. Every cell in your body is dependent upon your thyroid.
TESTS FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM ARE NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE
TSH tests and blood tests are useful to help diagnose hypothyroidism but should not be used alone. Symptoms are the most important factor. It is rare that a blood chemistry panel shows your true condition because the values measured are only about 30% accurate. It is common for a hypothyroid person to have a completely normal thyroid panel. This is why the Thyroid Panel is considered by many to be inadequate.
It is common for a hypothyroid person to have a low TSH value, which is usually interpreted as hyperthyroidism, not the reverse, despite many symptoms of low thyroid (depression, dry skin, weight problems, chronic infections, female problems, hair loss, low blood sugar, and so on).
TSH tests are not as scientifically accurate as they need to be.
There is a sophisticated test to reveal even mild low thyroid and it is the TRH (Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone) test. This test requires an injection, followed by one or more blood draws at 15, 30 and 45 minute intervals. This test is accurate, but is expensive and inconvenient for both patient and the lab.
HERE IS A SIMPLE AND ACCURATE TEST FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM
THE BODY TEMPERATURE TEST
There is one simple thing almost anyone can do at home to uncover an underactive thyroid:
Take your own temperature.
The "basal body temperature" test was developed by Broda O. Barnes, M.D.,
Because thyroid hormone is so vital to cellular metabolism, reduced thyroid function often manifests as a drop in body temperature to below the normal level of 98.6*F. Barnes recommended the following procedure:
Immediately upon awakening, and with as little movement as possible, place the thermometer under the tongue or in the rectum.
Leave it there for 10 minutes.
Record the readings on three consecutive days
If the average temperature over the three days is less than 97.8*F, then, according to Barnes, you may have hypothyroidism. Even if you have had a blood test and were told your did not have a low thyroid reading, you might go back and look at the test results again. You may find that your blood levels of thyroid hormones are actually low normal. Many people who are within the so-called "normal" range but below the midpoint could benefit enormously from thyroid supplementation.
Your optimum oral temperature should be 98.0 in the morning before arising. Your oral temperature should rise to 98.6 to 99 degrees for about 10 hours a day (from 8 am until 11 am).
A good test time is to take your oral temperature between 11 am and 3 pm. The next time to do this is 20 minutes after lunch which is when your thyroid function should be at its best.
It is so important to work on getting and keeping your temperature at 98.6. The thyroid system is a vicious circle, one thing leads to another until bacteria, parasites, and viruses attack and cause other diseases and symptoms, including the body's wanting to attack itself. When body enzymes are not the correct temperature, 98.6, they don't turn into correct hormones, which then cause illness.
Even if your temperature is normal and you still have symptoms, you may have a low grade infection that is raising your temperature. Symptoms are a really important factor that need to be taken into account. Once the low grade infection is taken care of, you will be able to pick up a low temperature.
Purchase an inexpensive bottle of the brownish-red iodine in the drugstore. Paint a circle about the size of a silver dollar on your stomach, If this color is absorbed in two to six hours there could be an iodine deficiency. And since this nutrient is necessary for the body's production of tyrosine. | <urn:uuid:97e6d61c-c10b-4f2a-b180-0890cd2f3945> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allonhealth.com/hypothyroidism-test.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951209 | 1,339 | 2.28125 | 2 |
IDHS Division of Rehabilitation Services Spreads the Word About Employment Services for People with Disabilities Public Awareness Campaign Features Testimonials from Successful Customers
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) today announced a new public awareness campaign to help people with disabilities enter the workforce. The IDHS Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) has joined forces with TV and radio stations statewide to get the word out about DRS Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services. Last year VR services helped more than 4600 Illinoisans with disabilities find good paying jobs.
DRS has recorded testimonials from several customers who have successfully entered the workforce and employers who have worked with the VR program and hired persons with disabilities. The department partnered with the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA) to produce public service messages that start airing this month on 20 TV and 200 radio stations throughout the state. The theme of the spots is "Could their success be your success?"
"We want to spread the word about the many services we provide through the VR program. We are working to build partnerships with employers to help more people with disabilities find good jobs." said IDHS Acting Secretary Grace Hong Duffin. "We hope that by hearing these amazing stories, people find out about how DRS vocational rehabilitation services have helped others and realize that their success could be your success."
In addition to the public service announcements, DRS is notifying customers and employers of a range of service and benefits including college scholarships for people with disabilities and financial incentives of up to $1,000 for business.
"Hiring a worker with a disability is good for business at a time when employers need to find dependable, qualified and reliable workers" said Robert Kilbury, DRS Director and former recipient of Vocational Rehabilitation services. "It's an opportunity to take advantage of state resources, diversify the workplace and gain a competitive advantage."
Last month, IDHS announced federally-funded programs to create jobs for rehabilitation services workers and college scholarships that will result in competitive employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Interested persons may call toll-free at 877-761-9780, or TTY: 866-264-2149, or video: 866-588-0401. More information is available on the DRS Success web site: drs.illinois.gov/success. | <urn:uuid:ff4fbe91-80b5-46d6-8c45-6c5b24ba0e48> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx/page.aspx?item=52732 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955342 | 482 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Reporting Date: 09.03.2013
The Masai Mara game reserve has a good population of lions. Lion territories can be between15-30 square kilometers depening on the amount of game in the region. A pride of lions can be composed of 5-30 members, young males are kicked out of the pride at the age of two and a half years and can only own a pride when they get to about five years. Due to immense competition male lions form coalitions so as to get a chance to breed and hold the territory for a longer period. Male coalitions can comprise of two to five mature males.
View the table of sighted animals
Game Reports -
MBT - Daily Game Reports
Reporting Date: 07.03.2013
Peter and his two guests were on a full-day game drive and saw many lions as they were driving around the Mara. The highlight of the day was when they came across two lionesses with their eight cubs sitting under a sausage tree. As they say nature is full of suprises, just as Peter and his guests were about to exit the National reserve they saw a young male Leopard lying on a tree. They watched for a while until he decided to jump down and head off towards the nearby bushes.
Male Leopards are solitary and only come in contact with the female during mating period.
Reporting Date: 01.03.2013
On a fullday game drive ranger Japeth and his guests spent the better part of the day around the Sopa region. His guests found it amazing to drive through the never ending grassy plains of the Mara game reserve. Japeth explained to his guests how the predators are having a hard time finding prey due to the long grass. Just before midday they came across two lionesses feeding on a buffalo carcass. As they watched the lionesses feed, they noticed how one of them kept trying to get the little meat that was left on the carcass. Its as though the lions knew the next meal was not anytime soon!
Reporting Date: 20/2/2013
The long grass facilitated by the short rains in the Maasai Mara game Reserve is poising a challange to the predators. Acquiring a meal is difficult but the predators must survive by whatever means.
While on game drive in the reserve charles and his guest encountered an unusual meal sharing between the hyeanas and a lioness. The lioness was skinny and probably not well or recovering from an illness. Lions and hyeanas are rivals but this time round they were dinning together but a limit line was still kept. The meal was part of what a resident pride may have left behind.
Tags: Daily Game Report
Reporting Date: 13.2.2013
A game drive into the Mara Game Reserve never cease to produce something unique everyday. Daniel and charles with their guest while driving through posee plains encountered these elegant,calm and determined cheetahs walking on one of access. The mission seemed to be towards the Talek junction an area teeming with Thompson gazzelles. The two brothers are still strong after losing one of their brother nearly two years ago in the same area. They surprise many visitors by their utter disregard of humans by using vehicles as lookouts.
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Select the desired Camp: Mara Bushtops or Serengeti Bushtops | <urn:uuid:29d2eb1e-595d-4e7e-b1db-f8d445c3706e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.orion-hotels.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=26%3Ambt-daily-game-reports&layout=blog&Itemid=153&lang=en&limitstart=5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976302 | 687 | 1.8125 | 2 |
From 1940 to 1944, France's Vichy government collaborated with Nazi Germany. Marcel Ophüls mixes archival footage with 1969 interviews of a German officer and of collaborators and resistance fighters from Clermont-Ferrand. They comment on the nature, details and reasons for the collaboration, from anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and fear of Bolsheviks, to simple caution. Part one, "The Collapse," includes an extended interview with Pierre Mendès-France, jailed for anti-Vichy action and later France's Prime Minister. At the heart of part two, "The Choice," is an interview with Christian de la Mazière, one of 7,000 French youth to fight on the eastern front wearing German uniforms. Written by
Did You Know?
Sky Hiatt in his book book 'Picture this! - a guide to over 300 environmentally, socially, and politically relevant films and videos ' states that this, Marcel Ophüls
's film, "sorts out the roles of communism, Marxism, fascism, and German nationalism as they crossed paths in France" during the Second World War. See more
Dr. Claude Levy
France is the only government in all Europe whose government collaborated. Others signed an armistice or surrendered, but France was the only country to have collaborated and voted laws which were even more racist than the Nuremberg laws, as the French racist criteria were even more demanding than the German racist criteria. It's not something to be proud of.
Referenced in Ugly Betty: Zero Worship
to 'Triumph over France'"
Written by Grigory Kaputnikov (pseudo-name Siegfried Karl Schlegelmeyer)
(heard in footage when Hitler cames to Paris) See more | <urn:uuid:15d22ff7-01ef-485e-a0cf-8c397323b767> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066904/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928086 | 363 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Many people have trouble being real with themselves and with others because they associate their mistakes and / or faults with guilt and or shame. They may feel that when they admit their mistakes that they are somehow less of a person, that they are inferior and lack worthiness. This could not be farther from the truth, but previous notations from within them may be causing this conflict. For instance, you may have come to feel as if you were not good enough by a parent, a spouse, or perhaps by some demeaning people, and those old negatives still come up and play a part in your life today.
Admitting your mistakes or faults should actually be quite liberating for you. Because when you admit and accept your mistakes, blemishes, shortcomings, and faults you are no longer trying to live up to some unrealistic model of perfection. Whoooo! What a relief it is! The battle of trying to be perfect is one you are going to lose. This does not mean that you lower your standards or that you act with irresponsibility, it simply means that you accept the fact that you are going to make mistakes. When you accept this truth you will stop being so hard on yourself, and by the way, stop having unrealistic expectations of others, (including your spouse). Furthermore, you will learn that by simply realizing your inability to be perfect, that you can forgive yourself for those things that guilt is trying to hold you to in condemnation.
We all miss the boat and end up on the train sometimes, but we keep moving in progression. Life is a constant learning lesson, you know the saying "we learn from our mistakes", right? Well, everyone is going through similar processes in which life often hands us learning curves. It's how we react to those curves that matter. When we stop trying to be perfect and take on humble attitudes our maturity expands. And, with this understanding we begin to look at others differently as well. When we realize and accept that our companions are going through similar processes, we will quit trying to hold them up to some level of perfection in our own eyes.
Your personal strengths are unique unto you, just as your weaknesses are likely to be. Other people in your life, such as your spouse, will be strong in areas that you are not, and weak in areas that you are strong. You are meant to compliment each other, not to pick upon each others weaknesses. This is not to say that there is something wrong with them pointing out those weaknesses, because we all have blind spots in our rear view mirrors that block our insights that we need to know about. It is saying that you point out areas of weakness for growth advancement, and then love those people with their blemishes. It's not to pick on their blemishes as if you do not have any.
Proverbs 17:9 says; He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or haps on a matter separates even close friends. It's pretty clear isn't it? Love overlooks mistakes and faults, we are to overlook those mistakes that others make, why are do we not do the same for ourselves? As I already touched on, it's because we are trying to live up to some illusional model of perfection, even as we are stubbing our toe on the door jam. Take a deep breath, and when you exhale let out all those things that you have been feeling shame or guilt about by way of unintentional mistakes. Ask God for his forgiveness, even for intentional mistakes, and then be willing to receive His grace.
As It is said :
While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. -Henry C. Link
Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it. -Cullen Hightower
Assert your right to make a few mistakes. If people can't accept your imperfections, that's their fault. -Dr. David M. Burns
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. -Elbert Hubbard
Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. -Franklin P. Jones
When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power. -Hugh White
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. -Mahatma Gandhi
Mistakes, obviously, show us what needs improving. Without mistakes, how would we know what we had to work on? -Peter McWilliams | <urn:uuid:9cddc6de-0569-41d2-92d0-c1a4f48fb71d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nehanarang786.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97701 | 976 | 2.03125 | 2 |
A crying, colicky baby might not just be hungry or need a diaper changed. Instead, it might be due to a depressed dad, according to new Dutch research.
The recent study of nearly, 4,430 infants showed that only a small percentage — 2.5 percent — of the infants showed signs of excessive crying at 2 months of age. Excessive crying was defined as crying more than 3 hours a day, and more than 3 days a week. Colicky babies usually get better on their own without any type of intervention before 6 months of age.
In the group of infants who cried excessively, 30% of their parents showed signs of depression.
After taking into account the mother’s depressive symptoms and other factors — such as the child’s gestational age, multiple births and family income — researchers in the new study reported a 1.29 times higher risk of excessive infant crying for fathers who reported being depressed during their wife’s pregnancy.
“Our findings indicate that paternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy might be a risk factor for excessive infant crying,” noted Mijke van den Berg, the lead author and a child psychiatrist at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.
“Although our findings are subject to some limitations and need to be replicated, they emphasize the importance of taking paternal factors into account when studying early infant behavior such as excessive crying.” A father’s depression is important to take into account even during the mother’s pregnancy.
The researchers could not pinpoint why a father’s depression might be linked to a baby’s colic behavior, but suggested it might be related to a lack of quality interactions between the baby and their father, genetics, and stress from work, family or financial issues.
The report is published in the July issue of Pediatrics. | <urn:uuid:4a6acb4c-f2ee-4eba-91aa-98201c343c53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/06/30/depressed-dads-linked-to-babys-crying/6835.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960317 | 375 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The following timely newsletter was written by Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, better known as SARK.
You may think you don’t know her, but if you happen to have one of those lovely “Dogs are Miracles with Paws” posters then you know SARK – that’s HER work.
This newsletter is reprinted with permission from the author.
The holidays are full of pressures to be glad even if you don't feel that way. People talk about "holiday cheer," "finding the silver lining," "looking on the bright side," all of which are fine when we feel those things, but can actually add to feelings of loneliness and depression when we don't. There is also a certain kind of "holiday tyranny" where we are encouraged to hide how we're actually feeling, for the "sake of the holidays."
We are meant to feel what we feel when we feel it, then let it go. Most people don't know how they're feeling, or that it's okay to feel it. We are not taught how to have, or hold multiple feelings simultaneously, so many people choose one and cling to it. That one feeling might be described as happy or sad, but it's not a true reflection of our complexities as humans, and results in our feelings not flowing. Instead they get stuck, or other feelings are left untended.
For example, you might feel happy to see your mom at Christmas, sad that she's physically declining, angry that your sister isn't doing more, and worried about the future. If you fixate on just one of those feelings, it will not be as productive or helpful. Instead, it would be much more effective to feel all that you feel, respond lovingly to yourself, your mother and your sister, and create good systems for your family and self-care practices too.
Practical Gladness means living in the "messy middle" of all of your feelings and finding your "glad ground" underneath. From this glad ground place, you can be aware of and hold all of your feelings, notice ways to respond instead of react, and transform what's possible to transform.
When we find our glad ground in the middle, it is possible to enjoy the holidays truly, authentically, and with grace and wisdom. Here are some practical ways you can experience more gladness this holiday season:
1. Create a new self-care plan -- Think of what you need to feel good during the holidays, and provide it for yourself. Some of these things might be:
*Special foods that you know you will enjoy
*Call a friend to share how you're really feeling-- not how you think you should be
*Practice ways to experience less stress, like going for a walk or attending a yoga class
*Write in a journal or book with lists of things that nourish you, and do the things.
2. Adjust and lower your expectations, or better yet -- have none -- Notice how your expectations bring suffering when they aren't met. For example, if you feel ignored or overworked at holiday times, take yourself out for champagne and ignore some things you "should" be doing. Change your expectations about what you or others "should be" doing or acting like, and practice allowing how it actually IS. Focus on what's good and working
3. Educate others in the best ways to support you--Become clear about what actually feels supportive to you, and ask for others to contribute. For example, if you typically care for others and wish others would or could care for you, figure out what they could contribute to you that would be easy and fun. You might ask a friend to meet you for tea and laughter in the midst of a busy shopping or cleaning day, or sit with you while you wrap gifts or write cards
4. Experiment with new traditions and rituals for the holidays -- Do things differently. We all tend to repeat and become habituated. For example, "we always have our meal at _______." Some of my greatest holiday experiences have taken place at the movies, miniature golfing or serving food at a shelter instead of trying to participate in rituals or traditions that no longer represent who I am now.
5. Allow yourself to experience your holidays imperfectly -- Revise your ideas of perfection and increase your capacity for spontaneous joy. For example, if you get tense and pressured about preparing a meal, buying gifts, sending cards, or trying to do it ALL, try:
*Doing less and feeling good about it-refuse to be a prisoner of others expectations
*Doing parts of things -- fix the dessert, ask others to bring the other things
*Doing tiny amounts -- consider attending a holiday party for 5- 15 minutes with no explanation about why
*Asking others to help and then don't control or manage "how they do it"
6. Practice transforming what hurts into what helps -- Find the places that aren't working and speak up about them. For example, you might ask a group of people in your home to talk about different subjects like what they're loving in this moment, instead of sitting there judging how bored or dissatisfied you are feeling.
*If you're cooking and get crabby, let others know and help you!
*If you hate shopping, ask others to create experiences or adventures for each other instead of buying gifts
*If you keep complaining about the holidays, see if you can put your complaints on paper and resolve to have new experiences
*If you feel ungrateful, find someone to listen to who is facing challenges that you're not.
Being glad no matter what is NOT about feeling glad when you don't- how annoying. It's about practicing with all of your feelings and feeling glad as often as you possibly can- especially during the holidays!
Sending you every gorgeous moment,
SARK's eLetter is published by Planet SARK
Copyright 2010 SARK. All rights reserved.
Be kind to yourself this holiday season! | <urn:uuid:40dc6da9-4ae2-4e9a-8960-4449e6ae982b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lightheartedpress.blogspot.jp/2010/12/feel-what-you-feel-for-holidays-from.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954299 | 1,233 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Nov. 9, 2010 Carotenoid pigments are the source of many of the animal kingdom's most vivid colours; flamingos' pink feathers come from eating carotenoid-containing shrimps and algae, and carotenoid colours can be seen among garden birds in blackbirds' orange beaks and blue tits' yellow breast feathers.
These pigments play a crucial role in sexual signals. According to the study's lead author Dr Tom Pike of the University of Exeter: "Females typically use carotenoid colours to assess the quality of a potential mate, with more colourful males generally being regarded as the most attractive."
This long-held assumption is, however, hard to study because we see colour very differently to fish and previous studies have not taken such differences into account, instead comparing only the colours perceived by humans.
"The major difference between stickleback vision and our own is that they can see ultraviolet light, which is invisible to humans. This may be important because carotenoids reflect ultraviolet light as well as the red, oranges and yellows that we can see," Dr Pike explains.
The model developed by Dr Pike and colleagues from the University of Glasgow and Nofima Marine in Norway mimics the stickleback's visual system, allowing the researchers to determine what 'colours' the fish see. "The model tells us how much of the light reflected from a carotenoid signal is actually detected by a female and how this information might be processed by her brain, and so gives us exciting new insights into how females may use colour to choose the best mates," says Dr Pike.
Male sticklebacks can fine tune the colours they display to females by varying both the overall amount of carotenoids and the relative amount of the two constituent carotenoids, the red-coloured astaxanthin and the yellow tunaxanthin. The model reveals that sticklebacks' visual system and coloration are extremely well co-adapted, and that females are surprisingly good at assessing the quantity of carotenoids a male is able to put in his signal -- which previous studies by the authors have shown is linked to his parenting ability.
The results will help ecologists get a better understanding of why carotenoid-based signals evolved in the first place, and provides insights into why males use the specific carotenoids they do. According to Dr Pike: "There are many carotenoids in the sticklebacks' diet, but males use only two of them for signalling; because the visual system evolved long before male coloration in this species, it suggests that males 'chose' to use those two carotenoids to make the most of what the female fish sees."
The study was funded by the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
- Thomas W. Pike, Bjørn Bjerkeng, Jonathan D. Blount, Jan Lindström, Neil B. Metcalfe. How integument colour reflects its carotenoid content: a stickleback’s perspective. Functional Ecology, 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01781.x
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. | <urn:uuid:8af6f8c8-0283-41f7-b090-2466dbe334aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109191757.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941923 | 686 | 3.734375 | 4 |
What does it mean to ”Jeff it out all the way” ?
(source: Iceberg Slim – Pimp, The story of my life)
The section that contains the sentence:
”For this maniac you gotta be just like a Mississippi N. You gotta pretend he’s a white lynch-mob leader. You gotta con him, but be careful, don’t get cute. Keep your nose square in his ass. ’Jeff it out all the way’.”
(quotation marks as in original)
Slim (the main character) has to meet Sweet Jones, the pimp king of the city for the first time. He knows he has to be very careful communicating with him. He wants to win his sympathy and trust, but Sweet is a very dangerous and brutal person (even a four-times murderer). The quoted part is a monologue of Slim and shows how he runs down for himself the communication strategy he wants to follow in the conversation with Sweet.
So, what does it mean here to 'Jeff it out all the way'?
By angliholic in forum Ask a Teacher
Last Post: 02-Jan-2008, 16:13
By yawu0109 in forum Ask a Teacher
Last Post: 17-Aug-2006, 06:01
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO | <urn:uuid:8dc6bd5c-a993-4a10-9284-55d7aa0ca934> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/english-slang/178995-what-does-mean-jeff-out-all-way.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933503 | 286 | 1.835938 | 2 |
A 6-year-old black child was spit upon by a New Orleans mob because she wanted to go to the same school as white children.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Find what you need in our Weekend Entertainment Guide newsletter.
Blacks could not eat at lunch counters or use whites-only restrooms. There were separate drinking fountains for blacks and whites and black balconies in movie theaters, which also had separate stairways. And in some parts of the South, blacks were ordered to get off the sidewalk and stand in the street if a Caucasian walked by.
But a minister named Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that all Americans could be equal. And he delivered his message through nonviolent action — organizing marches and boycotts and delivering inspirational speeches.
Although thousands of men and women worked hard to bring down institutional racism in the United States, it is impossible to think of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s without King at its helm.
King's assassination in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968 didn't end the work he had undertaken. Instead, he continued to inspire people from all walks of life to work together to solve both local and national problems.
As America celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 21, millions of people will reflect on the life and accomplishments of the late civil rights leader.
But they also will be asked to answer what King called, life's most persistent question: "What are you doing for others?"
That is the basis for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service — an annual national event that encourages Americans to take a day on, not a day off.
In 1994, the U.S. Congress designated the federal holiday as a day of service and charged the Corporation for National Community Service with leading the effort.
According to the corporation, the day is designed to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems and move closer to King's vision of "a beloved community."
As they have in the past, hundreds of volunteers from Washington County will participate in this year's event, hoping to do their part to improve the lives of their neighbors.
Helping to organize this year's local effort is Bernadette Wagner, co-director of Volunteer Washington County, a clearinghouse for all aspects of area volunteerism.
According to Wagner, who is also host of HMTV6's "Reach Out," the day will provide individuals, government agencies, nonprofits and businesses "a chance to share their time, talents and treasure by responding to Dr. King's call to serve."
Among those who will be participating in "Day of Service" are volunteers with the Comunidad Latina de Washington County (Latin Community of Washington County).
Executive Director Gladys Rojas said four individuals from the organization will be painting the conference room at the offices of the American Red Cross of Washington County in Hagerstown.
The volunteers will be in their 20s and 30s, she said —individuals who were not yet born when Martin Luther King Jr. marched for social justice. But that doesn't mean they don't understand the significance of the day.
"The MLK Day of Service is a moment to work together to fulfill Dr. King's dream of a better America — his dream of an interracial and intercultural nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation," Rojas said. "And that is exactly the kind of nation that we want to help build — a nation where we all can live with values of equality, tolerance, hope and love. MLK's dream is very alive for Latinos. His dream for this nation is our dream, too."
Rojas said Comunidad Latina de Washington County, whose office is in downtown Hagerstown, was formed to actively and proactively address the needs of the approximately 5,300 Latinos who live in Washington County.
The group's public assistance office has been open since September of 2007, she noted, and provides such services as information about laws and regulations, referrals to counseling services, information on housing, social services and other available resources in the community, as well as providing individuals with applications for residency, citizenship and Temporary Protected Status renewals through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.
"The mission of CLWC is to improve the quality of life for Latinos in Washington County by providing comprehensive educational, social and economic development services and programs," she said. "We help our members gain the necessary knowledge and skills to fully participate in the larger community by supporting the following values: motivation, assimilation, self-help, safety, security and health, success and prosperity, identity and community."
Rojas said observing Martin Luther King Day through volunteerism is a perfect fit for Comunidad Latina.
"In our more than five years of existence, nobody in CLWC has had a salary," she noted. "The three people who are currently working at our office are volunteers, including myself. Most of our volunteers have done more than 200 hours of translations and interpretation for other organizations like Head Start and Community Action Council. We have participated in many events like the Convoy of Hope, Homeless Resource Day at REACH and Legal Aid Pro Bono Night at the Department of Social Services."
Rojas said Comunidad Latina also has organized public events with bilingual services, including the Cancer Coalition Health Expo in 2008, the 2008 and 2009 Legal Fairs, a vaccination clinic with the Washington County Health Department in 2010 and last year's Latin American Folklore Gala.
Rojas also is involved in giving her time and talents outside of Comunidad Latina.
"I was a member of the Census Committee for 2010 and I have been participating in the Strategic Community Impact Council and on the board of Social Services since 2009," she noted.
Shakira Doleman first became involved with the national and community service program known as AmeriCorps while she was in high school. Today, she remains a part of the program and volunteers at the Washington County Community Mediation Center in Hagerstown.
The mission of the center, Doleman said, is to provide free high-quality mediation and conflict resolution services and training to empower Washington County citizens to peacefully resolve their own conflicts.
Doleman said the WCCMC serves all Washington County residents and several surrounding communities, in addition to its re-entry mediation program at MCI, MCTC and RCI.
Headed by its current executive director, Jack Carpenter, Doleman said WCCMC "is always looking for office volunteers, as well as volunteer mediators. This specific group is led by myself, one of the center's AmeriCorps members."
Doleman said about five to 10 people will be participating in this year's MLK Day of Service. The group will be painting a house that has recently been refurbished and will be available to a family in need. The project was made possible by the Washington County Community Action Council.
But participating in this annual event is not new to Doleman.
"I first learned about MLK Day of Service a couple of years ago during a volunteer opportunity that was made available to me during my sophomore year at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania," she noted. "I was able to join the City Year crew in the revitalization of one of the parks in the Greater Philadelphia area. The best way to describe my participation is that is just felt good. I felt a positive change in my mood. It just feels good to help others."
Doleman said it feels especially rewarding to lend a helping hand as part of the MLK Day of Service.
"It's important to reach out to others in honor of Martin Luther King and his legacy," she said. "People often forget the sacrifices that others have made for them to be where they are today and how important it is to uplift and empower others. I feel that it would almost be selfish of me, with all of the things I have accomplished in my life and all of the sacrifices others have made for me, to not look back and help someone. I kind of feel like if you have too much of something you should share it. Time, money, expertise, whatever it may be — someone in the world could use it."
Doleman said she "loves the idea of MLK Day of Service."
"Whether I will be able to directly witness the fruits of my labor or not, it just feels good," she said. "It's nice to step aside from the demands of school or work and lend a hand where it's needed.
"I like to believe that I was put on this Earth for a purpose and that purpose is to help others," Doleman said. "I hope that my contributions reflect the legacy that was established by Dr. Martin Luther King."
Photos by Joe Crocetta/Staff Photographer
Shakira Doleman became involved with the national and community service program AmeriCorps when she was in high school. Today, she remains a part of the program and volunteers at the Washington County Community Mediation Center in Hagerstown.
Gladys Rojas is executive director of the Comunidad Latina de Washington County. She said observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day through volunteerism is a perfect fit for Comunidad Latina, as all of the organization's workers are volunteers. | <urn:uuid:bf4e85e9-90be-4a35-9214-ecdf35a2c0cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.herald-mail.com/lifestyle/hm-what-are-you-doing-for-others-martin-luther-king-jrs-legacy-lives-during-day-of-service-20130119,0,678112,full.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970277 | 1,927 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Full-Text Search – Stoplists in SQL Server
Full-text search is an interesting subsystem in SQL Server. It allows you to implement searches through a variety of text formats stored in SQL Server. This is a one of a series of posts that looks at different facets of full-text search.
What is a Stoplist?
A stoplist is a list of stopwords that SQL Server should not include in a full-text index. These are words that are seen as not adding any value to the full-text index. We typically see these words as important in language for structure, but not for content. Examples of stopwords are:
In previous versions of SQL Server, these were also known as noise words and a noise word list. You can read about the topic in Books Online.
How are they used?
Stoplists are used when building the index. The words that are contained in the text, and also in the stoplist are ignored and not populated inside the index. This makes for a smaller index, and it also means that the stopwords are not
The position of these words in the text being indexed, however, still do matter. This is to be sure that searches using proximity are still correctly carried out.
Each index can have a specific stoplist associated with it. You can associate a stoplist at index creation time, or alter the index later to add or change the stoplist.
Creating a Stoplist
For each language supported in the full-text system, there is a stoplist installed with SQL Server. These are the commonly used words that should be ignored for each language.
You can, however, create your own stoplist of word with the CREATE FULLTEXT STOPLIST command. The creation can be for a new stoplist, or you can copy an existing stoplist.This includes system stoplists, which you can use as a basis for your custom stoplist. The commands are simple, and they are well documented in BOL.
To add or remove words from a stoplist, the ALTER FULLTEXT STOPLIST command is used with the ADD or DROP parameters. Alterations to a stoplist must be for a specific language, which is specified with the LCID or name of the language.
The stoplists are important for limiting the size of the stoplist and making a more efficient index. Full-text indexes are very efficient and scalable in SQL Server, but the less data that needs to be indexed and searched, the most efficient the system will operate.
System stoplists works well for many natural language searches, but are not necessarily adequate for domain specific searches. For example, if I were indexing all white papers on SQL Server, I might want to ignore extremely common words or phrases that are in all documents. For example, I might consider “SQL” to be so common as to be useless in searches. Rather than bloat the size of the index with this word, I may add this to a stoplist for the full-text index and assume it’s a word like “the”, which I would not use for searches of these documents.
I haven’t necessarily found a reason to use custom stoplists in the past, but if my full-text index were extremely large or I had a large volume of searches, I might consider using stoplists to prune down my indexes.
If you have used these in your system, I’d be interested in knowing the reasons and effects. | <urn:uuid:18115ff6-379f-4ceb-b8a8-b15f7cf105b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://voiceofthedba.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/full-text-search-stoplists-in-sql-server/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942106 | 716 | 3.328125 | 3 |
JAYA, RACHMAN (2009) PERLINDUNGAN HUKUM BAGI PIHAK PEMBELI DALAM TRANSAKSI JUAL-BELI KOMPUTER RAKITAN. Other thesis, University of Muhammadiyah Malang.
Perlindungan_Hukum_Bagi_Pihak_Pembeli.pdf - Published Version
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Law protection for buyer in assembled-computer selling-buying transaction aimed to give protection to consumer so that the consumer would get their rights. The statement of problems in this thesis were: how the law protection for buyer in assembled-computer selling-buying transaction according to Law No.8 / 1999 about Consumer Protection and how the problem solving for consumer in assembled-computer selling-buying transaction according to Law No.8 / 1999 about Consumer Protection. Writing method used in this thesis was juridical-normative, that was describing and analyzing about law protection for buyer in assembled-computer selling-buying transaction according to law No.8 / 1999 about Consumer right, all data existed was analyzed in descriptive qualitative way. According to the discussion, the law protection received by the buyer in assembled-computer selling-buying transaction was law protection based on Civil law, that was while everyone because of his/her fault made a loss, so he/she had obligation to exchange the loss. All people had responsible for their careless, he/she also took responsible of mistakes caused by people under his/her monitoring and law protection according to consumer law, the business subject was prohibited to claimed a clause which caused trouble to consumer whether it about a thing or information fit with protection to the consumer to get advocation, protection, and effort to conclude consumer dispute in proper way. Right to be treated or served right and honest and un-discriminative, also law protection to consumer because of a claim to certain product or service. Problem solving could be done with consumer, Consumer Institution, and alternative dispute resolution, those were conciliation, mediation, and arbitrage Law protection which was given to buyer in selling-buying transaction should be raised since it would create trust to consumer in doing selling-buying transaction, a problem happened should be fulfilled fast by both side, whether using negotiation and mediation. Both sides, whether seller or consumer should repair their performance to avoid further problems.
|Item Type:||Thesis (Other)|
|Subjects:||K Law > K Law (General)|
|Divisions:||Faculty of Law > Department of Law|
|Depositing User:||Anwar Jasin|
|Date Deposited:||08 Jun 2012 08:21|
|Last Modified:||08 Jun 2012 08:21|
Actions (login required) | <urn:uuid:812692cd-787b-4ca4-84c2-6830bd51bf97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eprints.umm.ac.id/6855/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926208 | 584 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Welcome to Sundog, Minnesota! When highly verbal, Norse-myth-obsessed Alexa Stevens moves from New York City, she doesn’t know what to expect. What is a small town like? Explore the new landscape with ten-year-old Alexa in a new book titled The Howling Vowels by Northfield author Leslie Schultz.
Ever wonder how homeschooling can work? Every family approaches it differently. For one fun-filled, heartwarming view, join city girl Alexa as she tastes unfamiliar seasons, comes to know her friends, really sees and accepts herself, and discovers her own way to make her mark on the world. Join Alexa as she observes wolves in the wild, forms a close pack of friends—some homeschooled, some not—and discover new and wonderful things about the life of their town.
Leslie Schultz began homeschooling her daughter in first grade. At first, Schultz found it a daunting prospect, in part because of the dearth of books featuring characters who were homeschooled. Encouraged by her daughter, Schultz spent the past five years writing The Howling Vowels to chronicle the adventures of Alexa and her friends Eduardo, Isabelle, Otto, and Ursula, and celebrate the joys of life in a small Minnesota town. Enlivened with drawings by Maine-based illustrator Heather Newman, The Howling Vowels is available locally at Monkey See Monkey Read (www.monkeyread.com) and also through Amazon.com.
A video clip of Schultz reading an excerpt from the book is available at www.winonamedia.net and on www.homeschoolliterature.com.
Schultz will be reading from the book, answering questions, and signing copies at the Northfield Public Library at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, 2011; copies will be available for purchase.
First-time novelist Leslie Schultz is a writer, photographer, and homeschooling parent in Northfield, Minnesota. Lisa Cottrell-Bentley, publisher and homeschooling parent, established Do Life Right, Inc. to provide a way to publish realistic fiction featuring homeschooled characters. For more information, contact author Leslie Schultz email@example.com (www.winonamedia.net) or publisher Lisa Cottrell-Bentley firstname.lastname@example.org (www.doliferightinc.com). | <urn:uuid:9c2d1e05-8cf7-48ce-86e9-dd1087323b98> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://northfield.patch.com/announcements/northfielder-publishes-first-book | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924792 | 513 | 1.625 | 2 |
JADA PINKETT SMITH AND WILLOW TAKE A TRIP TO D.C.
Willow Smith accompanied her mother on a trip to Capital Hill to talk about human trafficking in the United States on November 14, 2012. Jada delivered an amazing speech that called for more stringent rules in the area of human exploitation while Willow watched with admiration. The 12-year-old was sporting new braces with every smile.
When asked if she was missing school to see her mom speak Willow said, “No, this is school.” The youngest of the Smith clan became concerned about the high rate of human trafficking among women and children a few months ago.
“She did her own research and realized that there were young girls her age in this country being trafficked for sex. She was like, ‘Mommy — you don’t know what’s happening!’ I was like, ‘Hold up, pause right there!’ And, she was like, ‘I’ve got to give my voice to this. These young girls out there need me,” said Pinkett-Smit in an interview recently.
While she is aware of the human trafficking situation in other countries, Jada was surprised to learn that so many children were being exploited in the United States. “I was actually really quite ashamed that I didn’t know about this particular situation in our country, because when you think about human trafficking, you think about it ‘over there.’ Wherever ‘there’ is. When you talk about modern-day slavery, you don’t see chains. It’s all about the mind. … So, it’s a very layered, complex issue that’s going to take some time for us to figure out how to pull apart. … Right now, we just have to get aware,” explained the actress. | <urn:uuid:a92ad62f-51a5-4cff-aa21-e3a39969aa5d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.blackcelebkids.com/2012/11/15/jada-pinkett-smith-and-willow-take-a-trip-to-d-c/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978404 | 400 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Enter the new Fiat 500, the manifesto of the 'new Fiat', a model that represents to all intents and purposes the materialisation of a new approach, of new brand strategies, and a different approach to the car. Exactly 50 years after the launch of the first edition of the model, which was to become an icon of Italian motoring and of an entire period of history, Fiat is accelerating into the future.
Anyone could re-edit the Fiat 500, because its shape is part of our collective memory. Some industrial objects that were the fruit of Italian creativeness in the period after the war, like the Fiat 500 or the Vespa, cannot be judged purely in aesthetic terms, nor do they represent just a good engineering exercise in which form serves a function. On the contrary, they are powerful catalysts, revolutionary in their design and in the concept that defines common reference points and benchmarks. When this happens, the result is a masterpiece that is an essential part of industrial history. The Fiat 500 is one of them.
This is a story that has taken place twice. The first is the story of a very large number of owners, fans and enthusiasts who promoted the car's image as a good, reliable and economical vehicle, which became an expression of a part of their lives, the best part, evoking a carefree spirit and a lack of worries. The Fiat 500 is linked to these memories, to strong friendships and first loves, it evokes images of a positive past which many would like to revive.
Dante Giacosa's Fiat 500 was launched on July 4, 1957, as a cycle of rebirth was closing after the devastation of war, and a period of radical renewal of the company's product range was also coming to an end, opening the way for a cycle of successes in the coming decade, a period that we can consider one of the brightest in the brand's one hundred year history. The parallel with the new Fiat 500 is clear; it concludes the cycle of extraordinary rebirth of recent years, but thanks to its stylistic and technological features, it also represents the spark of a lasting process of expansion. And this is where history starts again.
It would be belittling to 'limit' the phenomenon of the new Fiat 500 to a simple, nostalgic reinterpretation. Fiat's goal has not been to design a car that 'looks like' a 500, but one that 'could be' the Fiat 500 again. The new Fiat 500 opens the way for an innovative process in a number of environments that are very significant for today's customers, clearly outlining where its ambitions lie in relation to the future positioning of the Fiat brand. The Fiat 500 respects the original concept in its shape and function, as you expect in these cases, so that it can evoke all the emotions and memories that make all 'icons' eternal, raising them beyond the limiting dimension of their category.
But first and foremost it is important to underline the innovations that the new model is able to bring to this class of product for the first time.
First of all, the widespread involvement in the development of the model and of the marketing plan, with the participation of over 3,000,000 enthusiasts who have submitted their ideas to the project, through the www.500wantsyou.com website. This initiative is a new cultural approach to relations between manufacturer and client, making Fiat one of the most open organisations, close to the expectations of the public. 'The 500, the car of the people, by the people': this slogan sums up the philosophy behind the development of a project which, in the best Fiat tradition, 'democratises' access to contents and technologies that have never been offered in this segment before.
It is the first time that a car has been launched with the full range of engines (69 bhp 1.2. 75 bhp 1.3 Multijet with DPF and 100 bhp 1.4 16v) ready to meet the emissions limits set by Euro 5 standards, more than two years before the legislative deadline, a tangible sign of Fiat's determination to reaffirm its leadership where the environment is concerned.
It is also the first time that a compact car (3.55 metres) has been built to achieve a 5-star rating in the EuroNCAP impact tests, and it is ready for the 6-star test if and when the new rating is introduced.
Safety at all costs, with no impact on prices, a bold decision, which confirms Fiat's intention of extending its strategy of leadership to vehicle protection, totally consistent with decisions taken in recent years as regards the Panda and the Croma, right through to the Grande Punto and the Bravo.
It is a safe product, not only for its structural sturdiness, but also because of the choices made in the construction of the range of outfits and services: 7 airbags as standard equipment (it is the only compact to offer a kneebag), and an advanced ESP available with all engines (standard on the 100 bhp 1.4 16v), are absolute novelties in this segment.
It is the first 'small' car to offer so much in the way of content: 4 specification levels, 3 engines at the launch, 12 colours, including 6 vintage colours that will bring the 1950s and 1960s to mind, plus tri-coat white produced by a process that is usually only adopted on luxury cars, 15 types of upholstery including luxurious Cordura and Frau Leather, 9 types of wheel rims, and 19 types of stickers, making a total of more than 500,000 variants (549,936 to be precise); the most interesting include the electric fragrance diffuser, with a choice of 3 different fragrances, and coloured key cases, an approach similar to that in the mobile phone market that lets you match the colour of the key to that of the bodywork, or to select another pattern of your own choosing. There has never been such a lavish array of accessories on such an accessible car.
The Fiat 500 is an inclusive not an exclusive concept and Fiat felt that this was the best way to meet the tastes of all its potential customers, without distinction, from the most minimalist to the most eccentric. The idea of creating a product that could adapt to the needs of the individual was also expressed in the decision to surpass all the competition in the process of incorporating electronic technologies into the passenger compartment (Plug In). A second generation Blue&Me is available, and an iPod can be easily incorporated thanks to the socket and the battery charger. A new portable navigator was developed specially for the Fiat 500 with Magneti Marelli, which is fitted directly on the dashboard and connects to other vehicle functions.
The concept of customisation is not limited to the product, but extends to the world of services and forms of payment. For example, with the '500 Cents' and '50to500' formulas from Fiat Group Automobiles Financial Services, the customer will be able to purchase any version of the Fiat 500 including customisation, for ¤ 5 a day, and with no down payment, or to pay 50% of the sum immediately and the remainder after 2 years.
And every time that a customer takes out one of the above loans he will benefit from a 5 year/500,000 km manufacturer's warranty and other services that Fiat is offering for the first time, and which envisage complete 24-hour roadside service. And when it is time for periodical maintenance, the car will be picked up from the customer's home, and his mobility will be guaranteed by the reimbursement of any taxi fares.
Plenty of offers and possibilities, because the Fiat 500 must be the car for everyone: it is the car of the people, made by the people, for the people. The Fiat 500 is the 'New Fiat' and the 'New Fiat' belongs to everyone.
For the company, the birth of the Fiat 500 represents the start of a new chapter, a declaration of the role that Fiat aims to interpret in the future on the market and in society. The stimulus to a new model of conscious consumption. A model for the exploitation of experience in the automotive field that focuses on quality and emotions, on uniqueness rather than on mass-production, where simplification does not mean doing without. The Fiat 500 is the tangible synthesis of these aspirations.
With the 500, Fiat smiles at the future.
source : Fiat Press | <urn:uuid:de1a068c-d7a5-4711-adea-8a1922af9fa2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cars-bikes.info/v/cars/fiat/fiat-500/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956285 | 1,717 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Questions, Answers on Minnesota Marriage Amendment
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – After a long and expensive campaign about the definition of marriage, Minnesotans vote Tuesday on whether the state constitution should be amended to prohibit same-sex couples from legally marrying in the state. No matter how the vote turns out, it’s not likely to end the debate in Minnesota over what kind of couples should have legal access to marriage rights.
National polls have shown a steady climb in public approval of same-sex marriage rights, particularly among young voters. A handful of U.S. states have legalized gay marriage, and a number of challenges to same-sex marriage bans are moving through the federal court system on a likely path to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Amendment 1 as it appears on the ballot: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?”
Here are some common questions about the amendment, with answers:
Q: Is there any way that gay marriage could become legal in Minnesota on Election Day?
A: No. If the amendment passes, Minnesota’s Constitution would deny legal marriage rights to same-sex couples. If it’s defeated, the state’s 1997 “Defense of Marriage” law prohibiting gay marriage would remain on the books.
Q: If gay marriage is still illegal either way, what’s the point of the amendment?
A: Amendment supporters say the law could be overturned, either by a vote of the state Legislature or by a judicial ruling. If the amendment passes, it would take another statewide vote of the people to overturn it before gay marriage could become legal here.
Q: How soon could that possibly happen?
A: If the amendment passes but Democrats retake control of the Legislature, nothing would stop them from putting the issue right back on the 2014 ballot. There’s a recent precedent for a turnaround that fast: In Maine, where voters struck down legal gay marriage in 2009, the issue is back on the ballot again this year. But that’s not likely to happen in Minnesota as long as Republicans control one or both houses of the Legislature.
Q: How many votes does the marriage amendment need to pass?
A: It takes more than a simple majority. Under Minnesota law, for constitutional amendments to pass they must be approved by a majority of the total number of people who voted in that year’s election. That means anyone who skips Amendment 1 is in effect voting against it. With recent statewide polls showing a close race and neither side exceeding 50 percent, that quirk of state law could come into play; the amendment could actually get more votes for it than against it, but still fail.
Q: How many states allow gay marriage?
A: Six, according to the Human Rights Campaign: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. It’s also legal in the District of Columbia. A dozen other states provide some recognition, either civil unions or full or limited domestic partnerships. In three states – Maine, Maryland and Washington – residents are voting Tuesday on whether gay marriages should be recognized. Minnesota provides no legal recognition for same-sex relationships.
Q: How many states prohibit gay marriage?
A: In all, 30 states have amended their constitution to limit marriage rights to heterosexual couples. Another 11 states, including Minnesota, have the ban in state law only. Opponents of gay marriage point out that in every state where the issue has gone to a vote of the people, they have voted down legal recognition of gay marriage. In states where it’s legal, that’s come via the Legislature or by a judicial ruling.
Q: If the amendment passes, could Minnesota still enact civil unions or domestic partnerships?
A: Yes. The amendment does not specifically prohibit future passage of civil unions under state law.
Q: What have been the main arguments for the amendment?
A: Supporters of the amendment view the traditional concept of marriage, between a man and a woman, as a longtime societal building block and also the best environment for raising children. They have also warned that legalizing gay marriage could create religious freedom conflicts for some people whose personal views conflict with government policy. They say that putting it in the constitution would ensure that any future attempt to redefine marriage would have to go back to voters first.
Q: What have been the main arguments against the amendment?
A: Its opponents say it is unfair, and no person should be told they can’t marry the person they love. They also argue that the state constitution is intended to expand individual rights, not limit them; and that putting the ban in the constitution makes it too difficult to change.
Q: Where have amendment supporters drawn their biggest support?
A: Minnesota for Marriage has gotten strong support from the Catholic church, which has donated more than $1 million. Bishops have lent strong rhetorical and organizing support as well. The Minnesota Family Council and the National Organization for Marriage, socially conservative groups that strongly believe in a traditional definition of marriage, have also been major backers, along with hundreds of donations from individuals and churches.
Q: Where have amendment opponents drawn their biggest support?
A: Minnesotans United for All Families has drawn more individual donations, more than 60,000 at last count. They also have gotten major financial support from national gays rights groups as well as prominent Minnesota business leaders including Marilyn Carlson Nelson, executives at General Mills and other Fortune 500 companies who argue that a constitutional gay marriage ban would hurt their ability to recruit and retain a top-quality workforce.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved) | <urn:uuid:90cf92ee-fd38-4dc3-9f18-652090dd0f9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wjon.com/questions-answers-on-minnesota-marriage-amendment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959947 | 1,182 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Summary of the Government's Proposal to Address Maori Interests In Marine Farming
16 June 2004
1. The aquaculture1 sector has expanded rapidly over the last few years and there is potential for further growth. However, issues related to the tools available to regional councils under the Resource Management Act 1991 resulted in marine farm developers engaging in a 'race for space' as they lodged new marine farm applications over significant amounts of the remaining water space in the coastal marine area.
2. In November 2001 the government decided to provide an integrated planning and decision-making framework that can manage the sustainable development of aquaculture, provide certainty for investment, and allow for expansion while addressing conflict with existing fishing and other rights.
3. The changes require regional councils to use new prescriptive planning tools to deal with the growing number of coastal permit applications for new marine farms2. The reforms will streamline the application process by integrating Resource Management Act 1991 considerations and fisheries-related decision-making into the coastal planning process.
4. Soon after the announcement of the aquaculture moratorium in November 2001, Maori lodged claims with the Waitangi Tribunal in December 2001. The basis of the claim was Maori concern over their ongoing access to coastal space to undertake marine farming, and other associated issues concerning ownership of foreshore and seabed.
Was aquaculture included in the 1992 Fisheries Deed of Settlement?
5. There was some discussion about the explicit inclusion of aquaculture in the Crown's Fisheries Settlement with Maori back in 1992. At that time, the government had given some consideration to extending the fisheries Quota Management System to cover aquaculture.
6. The 1992 Maori Fisheries Deed of Settlement does deal with some, but not all aspects of aquaculture. To the extent that aquaculture requires the harvesting of wild stock for the stocking of aquaculture farms, claims by Maori in respect of these aspects of aquaculture are settled under the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992. What the Fisheries Settlement does not address is claims to space - the use of coastal space for marine farming.
7. The Waitangi Tribunal, but not the Courts, have found that Maori do have interests in aquaculture.
Addressing Maori interests in marine farming
8. The government proposes to address Maori interests in marine farming in line with the principles of, and consistent with, the 1992 Fisheries Settlement (the Fisheries Deed of Settlement was signed in September 1992).
9. As a proxy for rights Maori would otherwise have received had the government decided to manage the spatial component of marine farming in the Quota Management System, the Government intends to provide iwi with, where possible, an allocation of an area equivalent to 20% of the total space allocated since 1992 and of the new marine farming space to be allocated in Aquaculture Management Areas for marine farming purposes.
10. Maori marine farming claims post September 1992 would be settled and any historical marine farming claims (pre-September 1992) would be addressed through the historical Treaty claims process.
11. In order to obtain space equivalent to 20% of space allocated since 1992 and depending on the individual circumstances in each region, the Crown would either provide more of the new space in that region or purchase existing space or provide the financial equivalent.
12. Where there is no existing or proposed marine farming, then there is no requirement for any space or equivalent to be provided to iwi.
13. Space in this context is the provision of the authority to apply for resource consent to undertake marine farming in a particular part of an approved Aquaculture Management Area. Any marine farming space provided to iwi would be subject to all general Resource Management Act requirements including the resource consent application process, resource consent expiry, and environmental considerations.
14. The Resource Management Act 1991 only applies out to 12 nautical miles (New Zealand's Territorial Sea). As this proposal is based on providing Maori with a proportion of Aquaculture Management Areas it will therefore only provide space in the coastal marine area out to 12 nautical miles.
15. Councils' ability to amend coastal management over time would not be affected. Fluctuations in marine farming space within a region would not be justification for further allocation to Maori, provided iwi retain 20% of space within that region.
16. Any marine farming space allocated to Maori would be provided to Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Limited to hold until direct allocation to iwi. Iwi would be those same iwi who are entitled to receive an allocation of inshore fisheries quota.
17. It is proposed that provisions similar to those in the Maori Fisheries Bill for iwi mandating, governance arrangements and coastline agreements be used in regard to marine farming.
18. Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Limited could use the space in the interim until iwi governance and mandating requirements are met, but only with the agreement of the relevant iwi.
19. The Aquaculture Reform Bill will provide for Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Limited to develop a process to give effect to this proposed role which must be approved by the Ministers of Fisheries and Maori Affairs.
1. The term "aquaculture" refers to all fish farming (as defined under the Fisheries Act 1996) whether on land or in the coastal marine area. Fish farming does not include enhancement activity, which relates to the artificial enhancement of wild stocks that are not in the exclusive possession or control of any particular entity.
2. The term "marine farm" and "marine farming" refers only to fish farming that occurs in the coastal marine area. | <urn:uuid:dbe0e906-3df0-44e9-a8a8-7bebd25c0e83> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fish.govt.nz/en-nz/Press/Press+Releases+2004/June+2004/Summary+of+the+Governments+Proposal.htm?WBCMODE=P | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931046 | 1,165 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Where Families Go After Foreclosure
It's a question that puzzles housing experts - where do families go when they face foreclosure? Do they become homeless?
Apparently, this is surprisingly difficult to answer. According to the Metrotrends blog writer Mary Cunningham, almost a quarter of families that entered homeless shelters in 2010 came directly from a home they owned or rented. But there's very little data on why these families had to leave their homes. And shelters are often the last stop on the "residential instability road." As Cunningham writes:
Families facing foreclosure may move into a rental unit or double up with friends or family first. If these situations become unsustainable for whatever reason, the next stop may be the shelter ... The answer is that a few families may be trickling into homeless shelters, but probably not immediately after foreclosure, and not on a wide scale.
Here's a chart the illustrates where families lived before they entered a shelter according to HUD:
What can be done to relieve some housing instability? The Urban Institute has some good recommendations here.
Photo credit: Olivier Le Queinec /Shutterstock | <urn:uuid:f43f7329-f32a-4dae-8f70-76ab7d3f1c1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/04/where-families-go-after-foreclosure/1811/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956924 | 226 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Coultrap remembered at Geneva History Center
GENEVA – When the original Coultrap building opened as Geneva Community High School in 1923, it had a principal, nine teachers, one secretary, two or three telephones and room for 300 students.
It cost $205,000 to build and was thought to be among the best facilities in Illinois, said Mary Dolan, educator at the Geneva History Center.
Coultrap also served as a junior high, middle school and elementary school. Now, the school board has voted to raze the 90-year-old building because it has become too expensive to keep or maintain, and those who taught or went to school there shared their recollections. Nearly 50 people packed the meeting room Tuesday at the Geneva History Center for “Memories of Coultrap,” part of the Brown Bag Lunch series.
“The building was a source of pride for Geneva residents,” said Dolan, reading from various articles of the day. “The school boasted a fine gymnasium, an athletic field of nine or 10 acres considered to be one of the best football fields in the Fox River Valley.”
The building was dedicated in 1923 with 1,100 people attending. Local newspapers quoted guests about the dedication.
“With no wood in the outer construction to rot away, it would seem that a building of this type should never really grow old, but mellow with age,” Dolan quoted one observer.
It was converted to a junior high and in the 1960s and named in honor of Harry M. Coultrap, who served as superintendent, teacher and substitute teacher in Geneva from 1912 to 1950.
Kathy Krispen, who was hired to teach language arts at Coultrap Middle School in 1972, recalled the principal taking her to a room with an old wooden desk.
“I taught in nine different rooms,” Krispen said. “There is hardly a space in that building that I am not familiar with.”
She recalled a comment from a former board member, that he would “miss the sound of children playing.”
“Many children walked home through the neighborhoods on an early dismissal day, running downtown to have lunch with their friends,” Krispen said. “That is truly Geneva.”
Maureen Radecki, who attended Coultrap from 1971 to 1974, recalled having a piñata in Spanish class where students were blindfolded and whacked at it with a baseball bat.
Radecki took a swing and it went flying up into the light fixtures, shattering glass all over.
“We had to evacuate the classroom,” Radecki said. “We never did piñatas since, and it was my fault.” | <urn:uuid:cc743329-c55a-4c6b-a041-74de6bd96804> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kcchronicle.com/2013/02/12/coultrap-remembered-at-geneva-history-center/ax6ggjm/?__xsl=/print.xsl | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982041 | 581 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Chips can reduce road deaths and will save more lives in the future. That, along with healthcare and other applications was the chief message from Jean-Christophe Bodet, application engineering director at Freescale.
He showed slides that demonstrated the cost to countries and to families of such death. If there can be a unified approach, worldwide, those deaths don't need to happen.
Thousands of people die on the road every year, particularly in developing countries like India and China, Bodet said. That is costing the countries billions of dollars a year, as well as its cruel toll on human beings.
Even in the UK, road deaths amount to six people per 100,000 but the introduction of smart semiconductors will soon be able to save many of these lives by using a combination of techniques. Cars are now being built that use semiconductors to avoid collisions.
Soon enough people with ginger hair and/or blue eyes will face oblivion. He told the room people with ginger hair and blue eyes or either have a recessive gene. In two centuries time, we humans will all have lovely, liquid brown eyes and brown hair.
This is a reference to a science fiction novel, first published in the 1950s, and with the theme “Jones is not mocked”. In it, 200 years from now, everyone will have ginger hair and blue eyes, and it will be impossible to commit suicide because nets will automatically spring into action – unlike at Foxconn for example – and everyone will be as safe as houses, making for rather a drone like existence.
Bodet is right, it is plain stupid and we need a unified approach.
Go figure. Perhaps we should call in the UN. Or maybe not. | <urn:uuid:2dcd11fd-78a9-415d-903d-28819f09dafe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.techeye.net/chips/semiconductors-can-stop-road-mortalities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957511 | 355 | 2.625 | 3 |
Birch poles sliced into disks and glued to plywood panels create a graphic wall mosaic. Strategically placed longer pieces can be used as hooks for bags and artwork.
Purchase crosscut birch rounds at a garden center, or have poles cut into disks at a lumberyard. Ours range in depth from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches to give the wall some texture. To create hooks for hanging coats or bags, you will also need a few longer pieces (4 to 8 inches). The disks are applied to plywood panels; create several panels (no greater than 4 by 5 feet) rather than a single large one so that the boards don't buckle or pull away from the wall. Before you begin, make sure the disks are dry; otherwise, the construction adhesive will not hold. Because of the weight of the panels, you will need 2 people to install them. Allow 2 to 3 days to complete the wall.
Tools and Materials
Sanding block and sandpaper in medium or fine grade
Precut birch disks or birch poles sliced into 3/4- to 1 1/2-inch disks, plus birch pieces for hooks if desired
Clear matte polyurethane
3/4-inch-thick plywood panels
Screw-in hanger bolts
2 1/2-inch wall screws
Birch Wall Panel How-To
1. Lightly sand one side of each disk. With paintbrush, apply a single coat of polyurethane to the sanded side only. Let dry.
2. Lay the plywood on a flat surface. Arrange the disks, including the longer pieces for hooks, sanded side up, on the plywood. You may need to cut several disks in half to fill the edges of the panel.
3. Remove the pieces that will be used as hooks; you will add these to the panel later.
4. With construction adhesive, secure the disks to the plywood panel, leaving off one at each corner and one midway down each of the long sides (6 spaces total), so you can drill through to the wall to mount the panel. Once the panel has been mounted, you will cover the screws with the remaining disks.
5. Use a pencil to mark the placement of the hooks on the panel. Predrill the panel at these marks. Then predrill a hole in the base of each reserved hook piece. With the pliers, screw a hanger bolt halfway into the base of each. Then screw the piece of wood into the wall panel.
6. To attach the panel to the wall, drill through the corners and at each space on the long sides of the panel, and screw panel into wall studs.
7. With construction adhesive, apply the remaining 6 disks to the panel, covering the screws. | <urn:uuid:1a08f01b-edc7-46ad-8b0d-440a37326d89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marthastewart.com/271916/birch-wall-panel?xsc=eml_org_2012_03_29&om_rid=Dk1yu5&om_mid=_BPdFJIB8d-4sA- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905232 | 578 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Are we at a crossroads in the climate debate? Will the renewed attention being paid to global warming in the wake of Hurricane Sandy be a lasting “teachable moment,” or more of a Groundhog Day-like moment?
What do I mean? Let’s recall the wave of media (and science) coverage that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It served as a preview of the climate change/severe weather meme that has now become an effective frame for climate communicators. Additionally, in 2006, Al Gore’s Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth helped to widely publicize the perils of climate change. That same year, Time magazine warned us:
Yes, there were a lot of teachable moments during the mid-2000s. And people seemed to be paying attention. I bet many thought a corner had been turned.
Alas, public opinion on global warming swings easily (and superficially) between concern and indifference, like “waves in a shallow pan, with a lot of sloshing but not a lot of depth,” Andy Revkin has observed. Thus it was no surprise when the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008 pushed the looming climate crisis off the public radar. In the next few years, the bleak economy and political forces in the United States (such as the rise of the Tea Party and the GOP’s dismissal of climate science) combined to make climate change an increasingly partisan issue that President Obama was eager to avoid during the 2012 election.
Enter Hurricane Sandy. The massive, destructive storm has thrust global warming back into the national conversation these past few weeks. Michael Bloomberg’s 11th-hour endorsement of Obama for reelection made big news in large part because of the Mayor’s emphasis on climate change as a reason. Thought leaders, scientists, and pundits have similarly talked up climate change in a Sandy context. The media has done its part to stoke the conversation.
Most of these efforts, as I discussed here, have sought to reinforce the message that “Frankenstorm” Sandy is a manifestation of greenhouse gas-fueled climate change and symbolic of the “new normal.” However, there are some (who care deeply about communicating the climate threat) that have argued this may not be a wise strategy. Read, for example, George Marshall’s essay at Revkin’s Dot Earth blog. Marshall, if you aren’t familiar with him, heads up the UK-based Climate Outreach and Information Network. Nobody can accuse him of being a crypto climate denialist or Big Oil stooge. His work is singularly focused on getting people engaged with climate change. Here’s an excerpt of his recent essay:
In the wake of extreme heat, droughts, and Hurricane Sandy, many people are assuming that, at last, there may be the critical mass of extreme weather events that will tip public opinion towards action on climate change.
This is based on the long held assumption that extreme climate events will increase awareness and concern ““ and this would seem logical considering that climate change suffers as an issue from distance and a consequent lack of salience.
However this assumption deserves to be challenged. Climate change awareness is complex and strongly mediated by socially constructed attitudes. I suggest that there are some countervailing conditions ““ especially in the early stages of climate impacts. It is important to recognize that many of the social and cultural obstacles to belief are not removed by major impacts and may, indeed, be reinforced.
I encourage people to read the whole piece to grasp his argument. I kinda doubt that President Obama, in the aftermath of his victory, had time to read it. But he seems to understand the complicated cultural dynamics that Marshall discusses. In his recent press conference, the President said this:
So what I’m going to be doing over the next several weeks, next several months, is having a conversation, a wide-ranging conversation with scientists, engineers, and elected officials to find out what can — what more can we do to make a short-term progress in reducing carbons, and then working through an education process that I think is necessary — a discussion, a conversation across the country about what realistically can we do long term to make sure that this is not something we’re passing on to future generations that’s going to be very expensive and very painful to deal with.
Initially, I scoffed at this as an empty gesture. But I wonder if my critical judgement was too hasty. Maybe the way to build long-term, sustainable engagement with climate change is through an educational “listening tour,” the likes of which Revkin and Mathew Nisbet have previously proposed. I realize that such an approach sounds modest compared to Bill McKibben’s “Do the Math” tour and the groundswell of support for climate action he is currently trying to build. But the two goals need not be mutually exclusive.
That said, the headlines continue to paint a narrative that works against the deliberative, consensus-building efforts that President Obama favors. This week, the World Bank issued a report (more a clarion call) that has been picked up widely in the media and accompanied by an op-ed by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim titled, “The Latest Predictions on Climate Change Should Shock Us Into Action.”
This latest alarming bulletin and the sense of urgency expressed by the World Bank feeds into a dominant narrative that, for many people, was epitomized by Hurricane Sandy. What will be interesting to see is if this Wake Up World! narrative diverts attention away from another important conversation that we should be having in a post-Sandy world that needs to be re-engineered with climate change in mind.
Can we have more than one climate conversation at the same time? | <urn:uuid:98dc82fe-455d-45ee-a5a5-3191be0e9e86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2012/11/20/can-we-have-more-than-one-climate-conversation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96538 | 1,208 | 1.992188 | 2 |