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As more people turn to mobile devices to find out where they are going, Microsoft and Nokia are spending precious resources on making sure that they have the easiest and cleanest mobile maps. The two companies — following on their strategic partnership from last year — today announced a unified mapping experience across Nokia and Windows Phone devices.
And what does the future of mobile mapping look like?
The Bing Maps team writes in a blog post that their aim was to “improve contrast and usability” in an effort to “create a more beautiful and functional map.” They continue:
We focused significantly on improving various typography components in order to provide further clarity on maps including font updates, improved readability and contextual labeling. Type size hierarchy further delineates classes of labels. The user watches city names consistently grow and become more transparent through the zoom levels. Small type is demystified from its surroundings with a technique that reduces clutter instead of adding glows or ever-present strokes. The right use of typography helps our customers consume mapping details more quickly.
In a separate blog post, Nokia adds that the new maps are simpler and easier to interpret.
There are fewer intrusive objects, icons and signs that get in the way when you just want to navigate. If you are exploring places in a city you might want to see the local art gallery or eating options but if you are planning a route you just need to know where you are going and the best way to get there.
Take a look at these examples below (with before and after images) and see if Bing, Nokia and Windows Phone hit the target or not. | <urn:uuid:9182514a-efe1-49a2-88fe-68a246d2ed0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geekwire.com/2012/worse-bing-nokia-marry-mobile-maps/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942663 | 329 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Is there a common method of preventing batteries from leaking out and destroying the device? Why does this happen in the first place? I have laid another head lamp to waste because it was sitting in ...
I glued some magnets onto my power drill battery to use for storing drill bits on - but will the magnets affect the battery life?
I've got an Black & Decker electric trimmer that gets used about 2 months out of the year. It uses a NiCd battery pack. For optimum battery life, should I leave it plugged in all year when not in ...
In our new house, we found that a previous owner installed a sump pump battery backup unit, which is nice. The battery in the system is like a car battery, but it's the kind where you initially add ...
I found this project on Make for an automatic ball thrower for your dog, and am in the process of wrapping it up. For power, I'm using a cordless drill battery. (Specifically, a Ryobi lithium one+ ...
I've got a used John Deere LA145. After using it perfectly a few times, it started developing some issues that I am 99% sure has to do with the mower "thinking" the blades are engaged when they ... | <urn:uuid:8db2d898-30b6-4954-a288-d71156b11afe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/battery?sort=votes&pagesize=15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946029 | 257 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Hello, LightRedemption here. The ultimate aim of this blog would be to gather up people and teach them about the things that would benefit them in DotA/Dota 2 in the long run while hoping to educate the general community in a positive way.
~Art by sajin0084 on Deviant Art
Alright, I must admit, I did not expect the views to climb that fast in just a few days, especially considering how I spent most of the last 7 days getting drunk, going to parties and getting drunk again. I haven't had much time to think about preparing these things, but never mind that. I have a schedule to keep after all. So, as I've said before, the last blog entry of mine was supposed to be belonged to a series. So here is the next part that I've promised: Management of resource.
Edit: holy crap it climbed by like 200 views while I was writing.
So, managing resources, does it sound simple to you? I'm not trying to make it any more complicated, but I must say that people sometimes (read: usually) mispercept just exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned this. Most of those misunderstandings come from the misconception of the word "resources" as it applies to the DotA game. Now, it being made on the RTS game Warcraft III has given people a definition for resources: wood, gold and food. However, DotA removes wood and food, only offers Gold as the official income of the game, used for several of transactions. It is true that all resources are connected with gold, one way or another, but gold itself isn't all of the "resources" you'd have to manage in this game. The other resources a player has to worry about include, but not limited to:
*Hero Spells cd
*Inventory slot (many thanks)
*Time (would be discussed later in the series)
*Territory (would be discussed later in the series)
So, what exactly is Resource Management (RM from now on, bonus points to those who get the reference)? In the simplest of explanations, RM is the efficient and effective deployment of a team's/a player's resources when they are needed. For team RM, you can refer to here (I promise to extend that article in the future). This article would concern dealing with resource at an individual's level.
First and foremost, the resource that is the most recognizable is gold. It signifies your income. There is a variation, gpm (gold per minute, available in Dota 2), that is an indication of your "resource gathering" in a way, since gold is the one of the few resources you can actually "gather" rather than "manage", in the strictest sense. Playing the first game would already tell us how to gather our gold. Gold is offered through time, the killing (last hitting) of hostile neutrals, enemies (creeps, heroes, buildings) or the assist in killing of nearby enemy heroes and any tower. You can also "gain" gold by selling your items, but that's a net loss and shouldn't be considered unless under specific conditions. Gold is spent for items; buy backs and nothing much else actually. How you spent your gold should already be covered and known since your introduction into the game, so I won't drag on about something everybody should already know.
These are certain "resources" that cannot be "gathered" (except for experience, with a cap) only "gained" and "managed". These includes the ever changing variable of the hero (not stats, because those are typically much less flexible). What you have left is hp, mp, cd of a hero's spells (sometimes even passives) and his/her/its experience points.
-HP is up as the arguably most important resource of an individual hero. If she/he/it hadn't any hp left, none of the other resources would have mattered until he/she/it does. You can manage hp by increasing its maximum quota (via increase in strength, hp items or spells) or the regeneration of that quota (strength, hp regen items or spells). What some people don't understand (but is apparent in the higher levels of game play) is that hp has to be looked at and monitored, as well as being weighed into considerations in order to deduct the best action to take at any given time. That's why you usually don't keep your hp low in lane if you have regen to back it up (even if you have a Salve, when the missing hp would make the item a bit less effective than it should be) and you a lot of the times decide to go back and heal before charging into a fight. Your decisions should be based on hp and other resources, not the other way around. Since it is health though, something people deal with every time they play, I don't believe I need to say much more.
-MP: Mana points are probably the second most recognizable part of your hero out there. Mp management itself is a limit onto how frequent your mana costing spells can be casted (there a few exceptions that I won't mention). I don't list spells being resources as a whole because I believe mp and cd cover it up nicely already. So comparable to hp, you do not need mp to survive, but a large portion of the time you need it to be useful. The hero's model is only as good as how his/her/its spells make them out to be. You can't do anything if you can't actually touch anyone, can you? You can manage mp by improving/removing items that increases the maximum quota (int increase, items, spells) or the regeneration (int increase. items etc.). If one could classify max hp and % as "survivability" of a hero, I could classify max mp and % as "practicality". You usually need both. However, the more hp you have the better, while there is a lot of time when max mp goes to waste. Thus, it is highly important to keep your mp "just right" rather than preferably always high like hp. This means using your spells if you can and don't need the mana for a specific amount of time. Mp items in general are also easy to get and use, so you shouldn't fret too much when you run out of mp frequently. Well, it's different with hp. Still, the usage of your hard-earned spells is also limited by one more thing:
-Spells cooldown (cd): Most spells have a recharge time after they have been "used" (channeled, casted, whatever) thus limiting you from using the spell again until the cd has expired (there are spells which has more limitations but I would not be covering them). As you might have guessed, the cd of the spells has little to do with anything but the spells themselves. However, they would be largely noticeable when they either have a high cd or must be saved for dire situations, and it is actually quite straight forward that way: don't use a skill if you might need it later (before the skill itself finishes its cd). There's not really much else to that, since it is rather independent.
-Hero Experience (exp): Well you can't actually lose exp (not yet) so you only gain it. Usually you gain exp as you get gold, and usually it just comes naturally. You don't actually manage this so much but gaining it. There is, well, Hand of Midas if you want to excessively level up, but that's kind of detrimental. Why am I ranting on about this? Look, exp comes naturally, and the only way to reliably fish for it is to be in a near parameter of a kill made on enemies, bonus if you're the killer. Otherwise this is just here for the sake of listing mostly.
-Inventory slot: Ah yes, for some reasons I actually forgot about this. Big thanks to zwegat85 for reminding me. So, inventory slot is a set amount of item certain units you control can carry. This number can be customized to your own need, though most people use the slots given to them: hero's 6 slots - directly adding effects and passive bonuses to the hero themselves, courier's 6 slots - usually shared by the team and your Circle of power's 6 slots - stationary "chest" type. That equates to 12 personal slots (expand to 18 if you we have Spirit Bear) and 6 team slots. Spirit Bear aside, remember that there are a lot of limitations on how active abilities of items are limited on courier and the nature of the circle of power, thus most of the times the only use your items would see are on your heroes themselves. You are limited to 6 slots this way. That's why you don't see mass Ironwood Branches mid game, even though it's helluva more cost effective than shitty Ultimate Orbs. That's also why there's a time when you're pushed to buy Boots of Travel instead of relying on tp all the time, because you are hard pressed for that slot. Usually, if you're playing the hero that aims for big items fast you're not going to have a lot of trouble with inventory slots early on (despite what a combination of RoB - MoC - Drum - Wand - Boots - Bottle - TP might convince you otherwise). Remember though, this isn't Skyrim, where you can carry an infinite amount of items and only be slowed down because of it. You literally cannot, so don't try to. Instead, one should always aim for the items they complete, not buying something just because they are cost effective. Also learn to use your extra slots at home if you should desire so, since those are perfect for holding items such as ward, dust and smoke and be extracted out with a courier on use.
That sums up the hero's statistics for now actually, as the entry has already went into a rather excessive length. Wrapping everything up, I'd like to point out that RM as a whole is something that shouldn't be taken too seriously within a game itself (unlike a lot of things I've written about before) since it usually just what you always do, only with a new light and a bit more insight into it. It has been, obviously aiming at newer players who usually go all in and don't really have a clue of what direction they would like the game to turn out and how to solve their own problems. I do believe that this article itself was much less complicated and inevitably helpful to a lot of players, but I simply want to have it said. As always,
Total Comments 7
Posted 06-23-2012 at 12:42 AM by magic101
Posted 06-23-2012 at 10:58 AM by CynthiaCrescent
Posted 06-24-2012 at 06:08 AM by zwegat85
Posted 06-24-2012 at 09:12 AM by CynthiaCrescent
Updated 06-24-2012 at 09:22 AM by CynthiaCrescent
Posted 06-24-2012 at 10:14 PM by InvokerofTime
Posted 06-25-2012 at 12:47 AM by CynthiaCrescent
Posted 07-01-2012 at 03:45 AM by Royal_Naga | <urn:uuid:5c19353b-57b9-43e2-84cb-c4d94eb9b00c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.playdota.com/forums/blog.php?b=147041 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971351 | 2,328 | 1.625 | 2 |
HOUSTON — North Korea has two things to prove to the world when it tries once again to put a satellite into orbit, as announced over the weekend. First, engineers have to prove that they've solved the technical problems that led to an embarrassing launch failure in April. Second, officials have to prove that their intentions are as peaceful as they say they are.
As hard as the first challenge is, the second one may be harder.
Some observers have referred to this month's scheduled launch as a test for a long-range missile capable of hitting the United States, but this weekend's statement from Pyongyang was explicit: The North Koreans say they are simply trying again to put a satellite into orbit.Story: North Korea sets midmonth timeframe for rocket launch
The mission has been portrayed as a do-over for April's launch of the Unha rocket and Kwangmyongsong satellite. The launch will once again take place at the Sohae Satellite Launch Station, where our NBC News team and other foreign journalists were given a pre-launch tour. Once again, the rocket is due to fly almost due south, putting the satellite in a polar orbit, according to warnings posted for fliers and mariners in the projected impact zone.
This time, however, the North Koreans are hoping to avoid premature impact. In April, the first stage of the three-stage Unha rocket disintegrated near the end of its two-minute thrusting phase, with the debris plunging into shallow waters west of the South Korean coastline.
Good news, bad news
From the North Koreans' perspective, the good news is that the first stage worked properly on at least two earlier launches, where upper stages then failed. So the design is probably fixable.
But clues as to the nature of the failure have been scanty. Any debris that was recovered is probably in South Korean (and perhaps U.S.) hands. The available telemetry about the rocket's operating parameters probably was not extensive.
The bad news is that North Korean engineers have had to struggle against a top-down obedience culture that probably led to the previous failures. Over the decades, space workers in the West and in Russia have learned a bitter lesson about spaceflight: that all engineers need to be empowered to say "wait" if they detect something not quite right. But when I met with the North Korean space program's leaders in April, that concept seemed alien to them.
Clues to April's disaster
The flight path might contain one clue, since the disintegration seemed to occur just past the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure on the rocket. Buffeting increases rapidly with speed, but also drops off as air thickness diminishes. There is a point where it is most severe, and a large number of bad things can happen in this phase.
Space news from NBCNews.com
Teen's space mission fueled by social media
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: "Astronaut Abby" is at the controls of a social-media machine that is launching the 15-year-old from Minnesota to Kazakhstan this month for the liftoff of the International Space Station's next crew.
- Buzz Aldrin's vision for journey to Mars
- Giant black hole may be cooking up meals
- Watch a 'ring of fire' solar eclipse online
- Teen's space mission fueled by social media
But there were worse pressures than the aerodynamic ones. The North Korean space team had been ordered to launch on a political schedule, with overtly ideological overtones. In such an environment, small errors can slip by, unflagged, by fearful workers hoping for the best. We can't tell from here the degree to which such a pervasive attitude allowed flaws to remain unfixed. The problem may be that the North Koreans can't, either.
I saw no indications from the interviews and discussions in April that they were even aware of the potential for problems. Everything else in their culture obeys the commands of the Great Leader — so why shouldn't rockets, too?
That attitude explains the absolutely blank astonishment with which our escorts responded to the news, relayed to us by colleagues overseas, that the April 13 launch had occurred, and quickly failed. We might as well have told them that space aliens had taken over all the world's capitals, or that the dead had risen and zombie armies were on the march. They were wide-eyed with the inability to form a rational response.
From the moment the rocket had been launched — in secret, despite a repeated promise that we would be allowed to "observe" the liftoff — none of the North Koreans dealing with us ever mentioned it again. They didn't even acknowledge to us that it had failed.
It was as if somebody had zapped them all with some little flashy thing that erased all memory of us ever being invited to observe the rocket. Rocket? What rocket? Surely we were all here for their centenary celebration of Kim Il Sung's birth!
Can they prove peacefulness?
And that raises the second critical unknown that needs repair. Can the North Koreans really demonstrate what they had invited us in for last April: that the aim of the launch is merely to put a peaceful satellite into orbit, with no military significance.
In April, our hosts showed us a lot of stuff — but nothing really critical to the issue of military versus civilian use. They showed us what they said was a satellite to be carried by the rocket, which they also showed us. But they never showed us the satellite being transported to the launch pad and mounted on the rocket. They never even showed pictures or video of that process, or what really was under the nose cone when the rocket lifted off. When challenged directly, they promised to do so. Then they showed us nothing.
The nose cone was large enough to have carried other small objects besides the satellite, and the most worrisome alternative payload was a "re-entry vehicle," or RV. This is the heat-shielded capsule necessary to let a warhead survive the fiery return into the atmosphere on its way to its target.
The presence of an RV is also the unambiguous signature of a weaponized rocket. So if that actually were the secret purpose of the entire rocket program, disguising it — or even just adequately obscuring it — for as long as possible would be a major diplomatic goal.
The only real evidence for what was under the nose cone last April is indirect. Since the South Koreans and friends scoured the sea bottom where the rocket's fragments fell, surely they would have publicly revealed evidence that such a device had been found — even if only in fragments, assuming that a destruct charge was installed on the spacecraft.
Whom do you trust?
The North Koreans ended up providing no evidence that the satellite had been installed on the rocket, beyond their verbal assertions. But was there any other way to calibrate such assertions?
Some of the technical data we were given was legitimate. I had prepared some calibration tests of my own.
When I asked the Mission Control director how long it would be before the satellite's signals were first picked up in North Korea, he answered "about 11 hours." And because I had calculated that myself before leaving for North Korea, I knew the answer was correct.
Data screens we were shown at the Launch Control Center and the Mission Control Center omitted a lot of the plotted data, clearly for security reasons. But even without the ascent trajectory graph filled in, the display still had its X and Y axes fully labeled with actual numbers, which gave me confirmation of how high the initial launch leg would be. And a ground track plot showed the satellite passing across Antarctica with precise lat/long lines remaining. That provided precise information on the orbital inclination they were aiming for.
Other clues, however, suggested that the North Koreans were well-versed in deception. All of the space officials we met, from the escorts to the center directors, repeated the refrain that their first two satellites had successfully entered orbit. Nobody beyond the border of their own country believes that. Both rockets seem to have failed during the third stage of the ascent. Nothing was ever tracked in orbit, either by any national radar network or by worldwide private associations of visual and radio observers.
Yet when pressed, the officials refused to waver. They would reel off a list of alleged confirmations, that were known in the West as ambiguous clues that were later explained by other factors.
Finally, when pressed again by another journalist, the Mission Control director came up with a new explanation of why nobody else in the world had ever heard any radio signals that the satellites had allegedly been transmitting. To save power, he explained, the radio was turned on only over North Korea.
And then I knew for sure he was lying. Satellite signals aren't directed straight down at the land below, they are broadcast in all directions. Radio amateurs can pick them up via line-of-sight for thousands of kilometers in all directions — and via atmospheric ducting, sporadically all over the world.
The explanation was fiction. It was contrary to 50 years of experience with satellite signals.
So the new launch has a twin set of challenges, one technological and one political.
Can they show they have fixed the original problem that crashed the launch in April? Can they provide unambiguous and credible evidence that there is no secret military test on this flight?
So far, I've seen no indication to give me any confidence that they have the proper attitudes to succeed at either goal.
Dispatches from April's North Korea rocket tour:
- What North Korea's rocket ruckus taught us
- How will North Korea cope with its rocket failure?
- James Oberg answers your questions about the launch
- Clues finally emerge about North Korea's launch center
- North Korea shows off its launch pad and satellite
- Q&A: Rocket is 'not a military missile ... but it's darn close'
- World News: NBC gets a rare peek inside North Korea
- Inside North Korea: Closely watched launch poses risks
NBC News space analyst James Oberg spent 22 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center as a Mission Control operator and an orbital designer. He is the author of several books on space history and space policy, including "Star-Crossed Orbits: Inside the U.S.-Russian Space Alliance." | <urn:uuid:009e62d9-704e-4e26-8bfe-7b6fcb5597a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50049457/ns/technology_and_science-space/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973595 | 2,113 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Behavior changes like confusion, wandering, repetitive questioning and arguing are among the most visible, disruptive and distressing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. These symptoms, which are a challange to physcians, also affect the patient’s quality of life and that of the family caregiver.
Dealing with these symptoms are especially challanging since many medications carry significant risks and have been found to be relatively ineffective.
Two new studies help clarify the role that certain vitamins may play in the onset of cognitive decline, including risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Elderly women whose husbands have dementia have a 400% higher risk of developing dementia while, older men living with wives who have dementia have an almost 1200% increased risk for developing dementia, a new study shows.
Some antipsychotic drugs carry a bigger risk of death than others for dementia patients. The risk varies depending on the drug, according to new research publsihed in the British Medical Journal.
Higher levels of adiponectin, a hormone derived from visceral fat, may indicate a woman's increased risk of both all-cause dementia and Alzheimer'sdisease, according to new research reported in the Jan. 2 issue of the Archives of Neurology.
A decline in memory and cognitive (thinking) function is considered by many authorities to be a normal consequence of aging. While age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) is therefore not considered a disease, authorities differ on whether ARCD is in part related to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia or whether it is a distinct entity.
People with ARCD experience deterioration in memory and learning, attention and concentration, thinking, use of language, and other mental functions.
According to the World Alzheimer Report, an estimated 35.6 million people worldwide will be living with dementia in 2010. This is a 10 per cent increase over previous global dementia prevalence reported in 2005 in The Lancet.
Older men living with wives who have dementia have an almost 1200% increased risk for developing dementia, while elderly women whose husbands have dementia have a 400% higher risk of developing dementia, a new study on dementia shows.
Seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than seniors who retain their hearing according to new research published in the February Archives of Neurology. The findings, the researchers say, could lead to new ways to combat dementia, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide and carries heavy financial and societal burdens.
If one of your parents has Alzheimer’s disease you are four to 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and the chances of inheriting Alzheimer’s disease from your mother is even higher than from your father according to a new Alzheimer’s Disease study published in the March 1, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. | <urn:uuid:123f6af3-e377-41c6-95e9-ce05751a89e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mybesthealthportal.net/health/disease-and-conditions/dementia.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930561 | 592 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Filed underFall Winter Guide
Perhaps one of the best variations of the holiday treat is Germany’s stollen, a similar cake with more milk and butter. Stollen dates back to 15th-century Germany when church regulations did not allow the use of butter and milk due to observance of the holiday fast. The town of Saxony then petitioned Pope Innocent VIII for the use of milk and butter, which he eventually granted.
Chef Keegan Gerhard, most notably of Food Network Challenge and one of both Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines’ top 10 pastry chefs of 2002 and 2004, grew up in Germany and is greatly familiar with the Stollen traditions.
“Since the town got to use milk and butter and no one else was able to, they had the best stollen, and of course the whole town became known for their recipe,” Gerhard said, “I grew up in Germany, so we didn’t have American fruitcake. We had stollen, and I always loved stollen and it has the same kind of tradition (as fruitcake).
“I see the obvious humor in that you’d rather give it away than eat it, but really I think it’s just history and tradition. I think anyone knows that if you made a fruitcake, it took some time and some effort and some care. You didn’t go to the grocery store and buy a cupcake mix and bring that over. If you went to the trouble to make it and present it properly and deliver it. That says time and effort and energy, and that really means something.”
Gerhard also recalls his own mother’s favorite quote about fruitcake.
“My mother blames (fruitcake) on Johnny Carson. He used to make jokes about it, and once he said that there was only one fruitcake ever made and it just kept getting passed around.”
Gerhard shared another great quote about fruitcake from comedian Dave Barry.
“I have long believed that nobody actually makes fruitcakes. I believe that all fruitcakes were formed thousands of years ago by some kind of horrible natural catastrophe involving (1) fruit, (2) cake and (3) a radioactive meteorite.”
But not all fruitcakes are created equal. Gerhard said high-quality ingredients can still result in a delicious fruitcake and even shared his own mother’s delicious fruitcake recipe.
Related: The Best Potato Latkes Recipe Ever
Michelle Gerhard’s Fruitcake
- 1 cup red candied cherries
- 1 cup green candied cherries
- 1 cup red candied pineapple
- 1 cup green candied pineapple
- 2 cups mixed candied fruit
- 4 cups pecans, chopped
- 4 cups flour
- 1 pound butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup Grand Marnier
- 1/2 cup bourbon or rum, plus additional for “soaking”
- Additional fruit, nuts and light corn syrup to decorate, if desired
Line a 10-inch tube pan with aluminum foil or greased wax paper, smoothing out the wrinkles. Reserve 10 green cherries and 10 red cherries for garnish. Cut each remaining cherry in half. In a large bowl place the cherries, pineapple, mixed fruit and pecans. Cover the mixture with Grand Marnier and let stand overnight to macerate.
The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Stir two cups of flour into the mixture until the fruit and nuts are evenly coated. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the remaining two cups of flour with salt and spices. Add this to butter mixture alternately with bourbon or rum, mixing until combined. Stir the batter into the fruit and nut mixture until combined well. Spoon the batter into prepared pan. Pack the batter down evenly to eliminate air pockets. Bake the cake for 2.5 hours or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack.
Remove the cake from the pan and peel off foil or waxed paper. Cool the cake completely on wire rack. Wrap the fruitcake in a cheesecloth that has been soaked in bourbon or rum. Store in an airtight container, continuing to moisten with rum or bourbon periodically, if desired.
For more holiday food ideas, including gifts check out YourHolidayHints.com
Deborah Flomberg is a theater professional, freelance writer and Denver native. Her work can be found at Examiner.com. | <urn:uuid:62af4ab5-0f21-4a92-803a-3fa7c12c5642> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2012/11/28/the-best-fruitcake-recipe-ever/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952203 | 1,030 | 2.28125 | 2 |
One proposed purpose of dreaming, of what dreaming accomplishes (known as the mood regulatory function of dreams theory) is that dreaming modulates disturbances in emotion, regulating those that are troublesome.
Writers are shameless. We plunder our life for creativity, not even our dreams escape.
The above article is fascinating. Do dreams regulate our moods? This struck me: "dreaming diffuses the emotional charge of the event and so prepares the sleeper to wake ready to see things in a more positive light, to make a fresh start." | <urn:uuid:e69bf3ce-b208-4de4-bbdc-1a2ce191d918> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.angelabooth.biz/2012/10/dreams-as-mood-regulators.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913877 | 108 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Student Heliostat Design Team Scores EPA Grant
SOCORRO, N.M. May 28, 2009 – A group of Mechanical Engineering undergraduate students received a National Student Design Competition award from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The heliostat team submitted a report that was scored high enough to earn a competitive research grant of $9,415.
Team leader Kyle Chavez and fellow students Evan Sproul, Walker Sroges, Victoria De Oreo, Ian Luders, Joshua Christian, Derek Lucero and Kendra Valdez will use the grant to continue their research on the “Design and Fabrication of a Reduced Cost Heliostat.”
The grant is from the EPA’s grant program for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet.
This is a second award the mechanical engineering design team has received from the EPA. Two years ago the team (and its previous members) received a $10,000 grant.
The Heliostat Design Team is Kyle Chavez, Evan Sproul, Walker Sroges, Victoria De Oreo, Ian Luders, Joshua Christian, Derek Lucero and Kendra Valdez (not in order).
“We were a little surprised,” Chavez said. “We received a similar grant two years ago, which we used to build the prototype. Last year, we attempted to get the same grant, but we weren’t accepted. So, this year, we re-formatted our report.”
Chavez said the research report submitted for the competitive review was changed to focus on how advances in heliostat design could help make solar energy more efficient and cost-effective, with an eye toward the positive effects of solar energy on American society.
A heliostat is a solar-energy collector that follows the movement of the sun and reflects sunlight off a mirror on to a stationary target or receiver. An array of heliostats is thought to be one of the most efficient manners to collect solar energy and convert it to electricity.
However, the cost of design and operations are prohibitive. The Tech mechanical engineering team is on the hunt to devise a water-ballast system to mount the mirror, coupled with a GPS device to automate movement of each mirror mount. See the team's comprehensive report.
“As far as proven technology, a heliostat has shown the capability to generate a lot of heat that can be turned into electricity,” Sproul said. “If the cost can be reduced, then it could be right up there with some of the most beneficial solar technologies.”
The team must meet strict accuracy and lifetime specifications created by Sandia National Labs and Tech. The team emphasizes hands-on learning experiences and cutting edge research. The team is working with scientists from Tech and Sandia while both getting valuable real-world experience and contributing to the reduction of the world’s reliance on fossil fuels.
A recent prototype of the heliostat designed, fabricated and assembled by the New Mexico Tech senior design team in the mechanical engineering department.
The team has devised a “liquid-ballast” heliostat drive system, which reduces the cost of heliostat drive mechanics, utilizes an inexpensive mirror design, and eliminates an unnecessary support pedestal.
The New Mexico Tech design includes an A-frame housing, with an inner and outer ring. The rings allow the mirror to move in any direction.
Using an algorithm created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the team created a circuit board with GPS support. The circuit board will be able to automate the movement of the mirrors to track the sun across the sky.
By implementing this new design, the team will help to create a more economically viable and clean energy source that will benefit all energy consumers as well as the environment. To successfully complete the project, the team must create a heliostat that reduces the cost of production and operation by 30 percent.
The Heliostat Team is entering its third year as part of the Junior and Senior Design Clinics in the Mechanical Engineering Department.
The first EPA grant was used for development of circuit boards, sensors and the team’s initial prototype mount. With the new grant, Sproul and Chavez want to spend the bulk of the funds to have a professional machine shop build a second prototype mount that will refine and optimize the heliostat design.
“Some of the components need to be upgraded, but it’s almost done,” Chavez said. “So the majority of the grant will be put into continuing to develop a new prototype mount that will improve upon what we’ve already accomplished.”
Chavez and Sproul have successfully completed the Junior and Senior Design Clinic requirements; however, they are continuing to work with the team through the Advanced Design Clinic class. In the fall, they will lead the effort to integrate and test their customized control circuit board.
– NMT – | <urn:uuid:5b776bad-7bd1-40bd-a93a-6874bd602cc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nmt.edu/nmt-news/95-2009/3410-student-heliostat-design-team-scores-epa-grant | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938254 | 1,033 | 2.125 | 2 |
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The first U.S. case of mad cow disease in six years has been found in a dairy cow in central California, before it entered the human food chain and posed any threat to consumers, officials said.
The cow was identified as part of routine testing for the brain-wasting disease, known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, John Clifford, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief veterinarian, told reporters today at a briefing in Washington.
The animal arrived April 18 at a Baker Commodities Inc. facility in Hanford, California, where dead livestock are held before going to a rendering plant, Dennis Luckey, executive vice president of operations at Los Angeles-based Baker, said in a phone interview.
The carcass “was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health,” Clifford said in a statement. Mad cow disease cannot be transmitted through milk from dairy animals, he said. “USDA remains confident in the health of the national herd and the safety of beef and dairy products.”
Cattle futures tumbled the most in 11 months in Chicago, and feeder-cattle prices fell by the exchange limit. The world’s largest beef producer, Brazil’s JBS SA, fell by as much as 5.2 percent before closing 0.3 percent lower in Sao Paulo. Tyson Foods Inc., the second-biggest U.S. beef processor, pared earlier gains to close 1.5 percent higher in New York.
This is the fourth BSE case found in the U.S. herd, and the first since March 2006. Clifford said the age and the source of the animal in the latest case were being investigated. Luckey said the animal was at least 30 months old and the disease was discovered as part of random testing conducted to meet USDA quotas. He said it’s possible that a diseased animal could be processed without being tested.
Scientists say the disease is spread through feed that contains brain or spinal cord tissue from infected animals. People can get it from eating products containing such tissues, such as head cheese. Since 1997, feed made from mammals has been banned from cattle rations, and high-risk materials such as brains have been kept from the human food supply.
Comes from Protein
Much is unknown about how the disease, which comes from a protein that changes form rather than a virus or bacteria, said Michele Jay-Russell, a veterinarian and researcher at the University of California in Davis, in an interview.
State veterinary diagnostic labs do surveillance to identify any cattle in the U.S. showing neurological symptoms that may indicate mad cow, she said. California officials are holding the carcass at the rendering facility, the USDA said without identifying the plant or its location.
The latest BSE case was “atypical,” Clifford said, meaning that its disease form is very rare and not generally associated with an animal consuming infected feed. Such cases can occur spontaneously in older animals, said Guy Loneragan, an epidemiologist and professor of food safety and public health at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Cattle futures for June delivery fell by the exchange limit of 3 cents, or 2.6 percent, to settle at $1.11575 a pound at 1 p.m. on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. That’s the lowest level since July 1 and the biggest percentage drop on a most-active contract since May 23.
Feeder cattle futures for August settlement declined by the 3-cent limit, or 1.9 percent, 1 $1.51225 a pound on the CME. That’s the biggest loss since Sept. 22.
Mad cow disease has been most prevalent in the U.K., which has had 184,000 cases since 1987. Last year only 29 cases were reported worldwide, Clifford said. Canada, the biggest U.S. agricultural trading partner, has had 19 occurrences as of February 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It’s been rare” Jay-Russell said. “We have a fairly robust surveillance system.”
Still, the new case shows a need to boost surveillance, said Michael Hansen, a staff scientist at Consumers Union, a Yonkers, New York advocacy group.
Next page: Taking risks?
“The USDA is playing Russian Roulette with public health,” Hansen said, calling for more cattle to be tested than the sampling the agency currently performs.
Senator Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he needs to know more before coming to a determination on what ought to be done.
“Where’d this cow come from? What’s its feed?” he asked.
Tom Talbot, chairman of the Washington-based National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s cattle health committee, said the discovery poses no risk to human health.
“All U.S. beef is safe,” he said.
U.S. beef exports plunged 82 percent to 460.3 million pounds in the year following the discovery of the country’s first mad cow case in December 2003, as dozens of countries closed their borders to exports, government data show. Losses to livestock producers and meat packers including Tyson Foods Inc. and Cargill Inc. ranged from $2.5 billion to $3.1 billion annually from 2004 through 2007, the International Trade Commission has said.
Nations including Japan and China have maintained some restrictions on U.S. beef imports ever since.
“The systems and safeguards in place to protect animal and human health worked as planned to identify this case quickly, and will ensure that it presents no risk to the food supply or to human health,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement.
“I am going home and I am having beef for dinner, and that is no lie,” Vilsack said in an interview on CNN.
--With assistance from Jeff Plungis, Stephanie Armour and Derek Wallbank in Washington, Jack Kaskey in Houston, Elizabeth Campbell and Shruti Singh in Chicago, Simon Casey in New York, Angela Zimm in Boston and Michael B. Marois in Sacramento. Editors: Daniel Enoch, Jon Morgan | <urn:uuid:fb0b5400-5a24-4b95-8620-89da8b1a83d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.futuresmag.com/2012/04/24/mad-cow-case-confirmed-in-central-california | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958473 | 1,327 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Some have called August 2 “Financial D-Day.” That is the date, according to Treasury Secretary Geithner, by which either Congress raises the debt ceiling or some government disbursements will cease.
Multiple proposals have been floated for budgetary reforms to be made in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. A partial list includes: Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) plan to add $4.4 trillion less to the national debt than current trends project; the GOP “Cut, Cap, and Balance” plan, which aims for $6 trillion of future spending cuts; and the so-called “Gang of Six” Plan that proposes $3.7 trillion less debt than now projected.
Whatever compromise is eventually adopted, you should be aware that the national debt will continue to grow and that the vast majority of promised spending cuts will be scheduled for after the next election, when those promises can easily be forgotten. None of the proposed reforms would reduce debt; they would merely increase it less than now planned.
Also, notice how fishy the numbers seem to be. For example, the press release for the GOP “Cut, Cap, and Balance” stipulated $111 billion of spending cuts in Fiscal Year 2012 and to cut next year’s projected $1.1-trillion deficit in half. This is the best they can do?
Democrats resist spending cuts, but massive cuts are imperative. Last year, the U.S. Treasury incurred $3.3 trillion of new debt to finance the government’s on-budget and off-budget spending. This $3.3-trillion deficit cannot be closed with taxes. The total income of Americans above the $250,000 threshold that President Obama uses to designate “rich Americans” amounts to approximately $1.4 trillion. If the government taxed it all, we would still be around $2 trillion short. There literally is no other way to close the deficit than to slash federal spending drastically.
The Democrats have been particularly irresponsible in their handling of this issue. (For the record: I publicly criticized Republicans for their overspending during the Bush-Hastert years, and I opposed both the Bush stimulus plan and Bush’s Big Bailout.) As other commentators have observed, despite controlling both houses of Congress during President Obama’s first two years in office, the Democrats (in defiance of the law) failed to pass a budget that funded their ambitious spending plans. President Obama himself proposed a budget earlier this year that was so out-of-touch that the Democrat-controlled Senate rejected it 97–0. Since then, the president has not proposed a single specific spending cut. In fact, at his press conference on July 11, President Obama announced, “I’d rather be talking about … new [spending] programs” than deficit reduction.
On July 13, the president angrily told Republicans, “This [his willingness to scuttle any deal] may bring my presidency down, but I won’t yield.”
One would hope that, instead of couching this in terms of re-election prospects, the president of the United States would spare the American people a wrenching economic upheaval.
Obama knows that no president can spend funds that Congress has not raised by taxes or authorized the Treasury to borrow. As president, he should have in place contingency plans with clearly defined priorities (e.g., interest on the national debt so there is no default; Social Security, defense, whatever) for deciding what federal spending would be continued or discontinued if Congress said “Enough!” to runaway spending and refused to raise the debt ceiling. Whenever the debt-ceiling issue is temporarily patched over in the coming days or weeks, Congress should hold hearings to ferret out the truth. Did President Obama have a contingency plan in place? If he didn’t, he was derelict in duty; if he did, his plan could prove useful in identifying what federal spending is nonessential. And was cutting off Social Security payments really near the top of his list, as the president implied when he raised the prospect of those checks not going out on August 3, or was that a cynical attempt to scare senior citizens?
Another unseemly aspect of this ongoing drama is how the administration managed to postpone “Financial D-Day” to August 2, even though the debt ceiling was first reached in May. Secretary Geithner tapped the retirement funds of federal employees. Naturally, those funds (over $100 billion) will have to be repaid. As he did by tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the president’s administration has misused important reserves set aside for future needs for (in my view) political advantage.
Bottom line: Whatever deal is struck now will not solve our long-term fiscal problems. The ongoing political maneuvering has given us glimpses of how sick our political system is. | <urn:uuid:404f3300-3c6f-4be2-be85-bc78a8aa5383> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.visionandvalues.org/2011/07/going-to-the-brink-the-aug-2-debt-ceiling-deadline/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962055 | 1,019 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Do you worry thatevery time you go to the opticiansyou will find out that you need much stronger glasses? Read on!
Myopia is when you have trouble seeing things far away. It happens when light entering your eye is focused before it reaches the back of your eye. It gets worse if your eye gets longer over time.
Glasses can clear your central vision by bending the light so it focuses perfectly on the back of your eye.
However, standard glasses and contact lenses can leave the peripheral image focused behind the eye. This may stimulate the eye to grow longer in an effort to clear the peripheral image, causing you to become more short-sighted.
New lenses and contact lenses are going into production. These can focus the peripheral image on, or in front of, the retina. This can reduce the likelihood of the eye elongating in an effort to clear it, slowing down the progression of your myopia. Watch this space for their availability at the practice.
Dr. James Loughman, Lecturer at the Optometry Department of the DIT is our resident Optometrist in Blanchardstown on Wednesday evenings and Sundays. James is also the Chair of the ” Giving Sight National Committee in Ireland”.
James gets out on the ground delivering eye-care to the poorest in the world. Spectacles were dispensed to 600 people in Nampula in November, bringing to a total of 2,838. Most of these patients were new to spectacles and many of them practically blind. Imagine the different to their quality of life.
Transform lives when you contribute to our repair box for Mozambique.
We do not charge for small repairs which involve our own time only, but we do encourage you to make a contribution to the Mozambique Eye-care project.
Smoking has been linked to various eye conditions. One of the most serious is macular degeneration.
As it progresses, macular degeneration means a loss of central vision, affecting your ability to read, drive and recognize faces. It is a leading cause of blindness in people over 65. There is no known cure.
Research shows that smokers are up to four times more likely to develop macular degeneration than non-smokers.
One study shows that, just one year after giving up smoking your risk of macular degeneration can bereduced by almost 7%.
Your eyesight is precious. It’s never too late to quit! | <urn:uuid:b335ba65-be2f-49f3-9657-d058daf7fbb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.maireadoleary.com/category/technology-research/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947793 | 505 | 2.84375 | 3 |
The OSFA software now flaunts an improved GUI with many new features. The first thing that users will notice after starting OSFA is splash screen and tool icons, as can be seen here:
When starting a new project the user is allowed to input the size of their Canvas to work on.
Once the user inputs the size, OSFA calculates the number of sprinkles and displays the Canvas. In the preferences window, the user can select whether they would like a grid to be displayed. Each square in the grid represents one sprinkle.
The user may then begin drawing their diagram. There are three different tiers that a user has to work with. If a sprinkle is designated as red then it will be the raised to the highest level when the image is converted to 3D, orange is the middle level, yellow the lowest. Therefore, the following 2D drawing:
In the creation of their 2D image, the user has 3 different brush sizes available to them, 1×1, 2×2, and 3×3:
The user can also create 3D shapes: hemispheres, cones, and cylinders, as well as Braille labels. In order to create a 3D shape the user selects the shape’s tool and then drags their mouse across the sprinkles they would like to be included in the shape. The selected pixels will appear gray, like so:
Upon release of the mouse, a 2D circle will appear that encompasses all of the sprinkles that were selected. The color of the circle denotes the 3D shape that will be created: hemispheres are green, cones are blue, cylinders are purple. Here is the 2D circle that was formed after the mouse was released in the above image:
The user can add as many 3D shapes as they would like:
Also available are the eraser and clear all tools. They both do just as their name suggests. The eraser tool may also be used with any of the three brush sizes and, when dragged, rids of any tier colors that have been placed over the selected area. If the eraser tool is selected and then a 3D shape or Braille label is selected then that object is erased. The clear all tool clears the entire canvas.
Also, a user can open an image file. It will then be sprinklized and available for the user to edit with any of the features mentioned above.
Once a user is done they can use a tool bar option to send their image data to the Blender script which will render their 3D image for viewing as well as produce the STL file necessary for printing the object. | <urn:uuid:2af9767d-c541-4a57-88b4-cd83cf35abfd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rockalypse.org/blogs/osfa/2010/08/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95952 | 540 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Published: March 11, 2012
Millions of Americans are still searching for jobs or facing home foreclosures. For them, the Great Recession drags on into its fifth year.
But for others, the U.S. economy is looking up.
Companies in certain sectors are buying equipment again and hiring workers. These pockets of strength — found in energy, technology, manufacturing, autos, agriculture and elsewhere — are helping invigorate the broader economy.
"A virtuous circle may be building where employment, incomes and consumer spending move up together," IHS Global Insight's chief U.S. economist Nigel Gault wrote in a recent assessment of the economy.
The evidence of better times is all around. So far this year, employers have created about a half-million jobs, sending the unemployment rate down to 8.3 percent from a peak of 10 percent in October 2009.
The improving labor market is driving up both personal income and consumer confidence. In February, retail same-store sales posted strong gains, and auto sales ran at the highest annual rate in nearly four years.
And it's not just consumers who are feeling more confident. Business executives are smiling more, too.
Last week, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants released its quarterly Economic Outlook Survey, which polls chief financial officers, controllers and other accountants in senior management. Its "optimism index" shot from 25 points in the third quarter of 2011 to 69 in the first quarter of 2012. On the zero-to-100 scale, anything above 50 is positive.
"Optimists now outnumber pessimists on the U.S. economy by an almost 2-to-1 margin, which is a striking change from six months ago," AICPA Vice President Carol Scott said. "While a substantial number of respondents remain neutral, we're seeing a clear shift toward a more positive outlook for the coming year."
Stock investors have been riding that wave of optimism, as well. The Dow Jones industrial average is up nearly 25 percent since October.
To be sure, the recovery is still wildly uneven. More than 12 million people continue to seek work. U.S. home prices are down 34 percent from their peak, wiping out a decade of appreciation. Rising gasoline and jet fuel prices threaten to derail hopes for profits in the travel industry.
Some industries remain deeply depressed. If you work for a newspaper or a homebuilder, this does not feel like a recovery.
The economy also faces threats from abroad. The confrontation between the West and Iran, and the European debt crisis, could trigger trouble for the U.S. economy.
But despite these reasons for worry, large swaths of the economy are undeniably looking up. To see how the recovery is transforming some lives, NPR sent reporters out to look around the country. They found many people excited about the future.
"Yeah, I feel very lucky, and very glad I chose engineering — and specifically petroleum engineering," Chris Enger told NPR. In May, Enger will graduate from the Colorado School of Mines — and he already has a job lined up with EOG Resources, a Texas-based oil and gas company.
The average starting salary for School of Mines graduates in petroleum engineering jobs today? Nearly $79,000.
Reporters found similar stories about optimism from the farm to the factory to the high-tech office. These stories will be airing Monday through Wednesday on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. [Copyright 2013 NPR] | <urn:uuid:de2d9870-7f6b-4706-91d6-da5e52933376> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wap.npr.org/story/147756672 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954819 | 713 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad praised his country's ability to recruit "hundreds of suicide bombers a day," saying "suicide is an invincible weapon."
Ahmadinejad made the comments during a visit to a site south Iran
used to prepare suicide bombers during the Iraq-Iran war, Iranian state television reported.
He praised Hizbullah fighters for their suicidal spirit during last summer's confrontation with Israel.
Iran recruited thousands of suicide bombers, many of whom were children, and sent them to the frontline to face Saddam Hussein's army.
"Suicide bombers in this land showed us the way, and they enlighten our future," he said.
The Iranian president said the will to commit suicide was "one of the best ways of life." | <urn:uuid:eecc5843-150a-4ff6-96e1-8079b32abdcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3383620,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975124 | 156 | 1.671875 | 2 |
The movement of freight is critical to the economy and the livelihood of Americans who rely on freight transportation for food, clothing, and other essential commodities. Freight shipments move predominantly over vast networks of highways, railroads, and waterways and often are transported by more than one mode before reaching their final destination. System performance is essential for the timely transportation of freight from its sources and manufacturers to the customer. Congress authorized around $43 billion in fiscal year 2010 for Department of Transportation programs that can benefit surface freight transportation. However, the Department of Transportation is just one of many stakeholders that are involved in freight movementall with complex and varied roles, but none are responsible for the entire system. Federal funds in the form of grants, loans, and tax incentives are provided to state and local governments and the private sector, all of whom play major roles in ensuring freight mobility. Specifically, public sector transportation agencies at the federal, state, and local levels have a significant role in developing and managing some modes of the freight transportation systemsuch as highways and waterwayswhile private sector entitiessuch as railroadsfinance and manage their own infrastructure. According to the Department of Transportation, in 2007, the surface freight transportation system, which crosses multiple surface modes, connected an estimated 8 million businesses and 116 million households moving $12 trillion in goods. Federal leadership can help assure that projects that facilitate movement of freight, which can be high-cost and cross jurisdictional lines, are undertaken.
While freight transportation has some issues that are similar to the surface transportation issues that GAO identified in its first annual report to Congress on federal programs with duplicative goals or activities, inefficiencies affecting freight transportation such as poor roads and the lack of intermodal connections can impact the nations economy. Freight volumes are closely linked to the gross domestic productincreases in freight shipments closely coincide with economic growth. However, freight vehicles often compete with non-freight vehicles, such as on the U.S. highway system, which consists of mixed-use facilities where passenger and freight vehicles operate in the same stream of traffic on the same facilities. Systems that cannot adequately accommodate both freight and non-freight vehicles can become congested, leading to delays in freight movements, lost revenues, and increased carbon emissionsall of which can increase transportation costs and, consequently, the price of goods, hurting businesses that rely on freight transportation infrastructure.
An unknown amount of the funding went to projects that benefit freight. These programs have broad eligibility and may be used for a variety of types of projects that benefit freight to greater or lesser degrees.
As GAO previously reported, federal goals in surface transportation are numerous and roles are unclear, and the federal government does not maximize opportunities to promote the efficient movement of freight, despite a clear federal interest, the billions of dollars provided, and the importance of freight transportation to the national economy. There is currently no separate federal freight transportation program, only a loose collection of many freight-related programs that are embedded in a larger surface transportation program aimed at supporting both passenger and freight mobility. This fragmented structure makes it difficult to determine the types of freight projects that are funded and their impact on overall freight mobility. As GAO reported in January 2008, the need for the federal government to reassess its role and strategy in funding, selecting, and evaluating transportation investments, including those for freight transportation.
Department of Transportation administrations that have a role in freight transportation include the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the Maritime Administration (see table below). There also is an Office of Freight Management and Operations within the Federal Highway Administration that administers programs, develops policies, and undertakes research that promotes freight movement across the nation and its borders. However, the office does not coordinate federal actions related to freight mobility, specifically. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Department of Defense is responsible for planning, constructing, operating, and maintaining the nations waterways. Department of Transportation administrations also coordinate freight issues with other federal agencies including the Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, and Environmental Protection Agency. The various federal agencies and modal administrations play key roles in planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and regulating freight transportation. GAO could not determine the total amount spent on freight transportation projects because it is not separately tracked from other transportation investments. According to Federal Highway Administration officials, isolating freight transportation expenditures is not possible at this time because the vast majority of the nations highway system is used by both passenger and freight vehicles, and most highway projects benefit both.
Number of Department of Transportation Programs GAO Identified That Provide Funding for Freight Surface Transportation Infrastructure
Department of Transportation administration
Number of programs identified
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Source: GAO analysis of Department of Transportation information.
These programs structures for funding freight transportation projects include
These programs are administered by different agencies and modal administrations with different missions, oversight, and funding requirements; do not necessarily coordinate with each other; and at times may overlap. As a result, funds have not always been allocated based on need or condition of the infrastructure carrying freight. For instance, highway funds are distributed to states through formulas that are not linked to performance or need. Examples of programs that may overlap include loan programs such as the Federal Railroad Administrations Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program and the Federal Highway Administrations Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program. Both may be used for freight rail facilities and infrastructure. Additionally, certain state and local governments issue tax-exempt bonds for financing infrastructure projects.
Although the current federal structure of loans, tax credits, and grants (including formula grants and congressionally directed funds) is beneficial, opportunities may exist to return greater national public and private benefits. Furthermore, intermodal considerations may not be evaluated in considering beneficial freight solutions for a given corridor, which may result in funding projects across multiple modes without regard for how each works toward meeting a common goal. Current law generally ties transportation funding to a single mode, limiting the ability of state and local transportation planning agencies to use federal funds for intermodal projects. Further, Department of Transportation administrations and state and local transportation agencies are organized by modereflecting the structure of funding programsresulting in an organizational structure that the departments own assessments acknowledge can impede intermodal coordination. In addition, collaboration between the public and private sectors can also be challenging; for example, private-sector interests in airport, rail, and freight (such as freight shippers and carriers) have historically not participated in the regional planning process.
The federal governments fragmented approach also has resulted in a situation where the users of each freight mode are not equally bearing the costs those modes impose on society. When looking at the three categories of social costs borne by freight transportation servicesprivate costs (labor, equipment, and fuel), public costs (paid out of government budgets and can be funded through taxes and fees), and external costs (congestion, accidents, health, and environmental impacts), GAO reported in January 2011 that freight trucking costs that were not passed on to consumers of that service were at least 6 times greater than rail costs, and at least 9 times greater than waterways costs. Therefore, public and private investment choices may be distorted, and there may be misallocation of scarce government resources to one mode over another.
Constrained freight mobility could have negative economic, environmental, and health implications. Because of the growth in freight and passenger demand, there has been an increase in truck and rail congestion that is particularly pronounced in major urban areas that contain important freight hubs such as ports, airports, border crossings, and rail yards. Congestion results in increased delays, carbon emissions, and fuel and labor costs, among other things.
Since the expiration of the last surface transportation authorization in 2009, Congress has funded transportation programs through a series of temporary extensions; the most recent will expire on March 31, 2012. Comprehensive legislative action has not been taken to fundamentally reexamine the nations surface transportation policies; however, several legislative committees have approved bills to reauthorize and reform surface transportation programs. For example, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a bill on November 9, 2011 reauthorizing the highway portion of the surface transportation program. This bill contains measures to increase accountability for results by entities receiving federal funds and consolidate federal programs. In addition, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a bill on February 2, 2012 that includes consolidating or eliminating a number of programs. When we completed our work for this report, floor action was pending in the Senate. GAO is evaluating the extent to which ongoing legislative actions better define federal roles and goals, incorporate accountability for results, emphasize return on federal investment, and ensure fiscal sustainability.
Although there is a clear federal interest in freight transportation, there is no strategy or clearly defined federal role in freight transportation or mechanism to implement the strategy, complete with defined national and regional transportation priorities, to achieve the highest return on federal investments. As noted, federal funding for freight-related infrastructure is based on discrete programs objectives, not on a national freight policy, and it is currently not possible to identify program costs associated with only freight. Further, the Department of Transportation does not have a national freight strategy to guide its different operating administrations freight programs. In addition, oversight and funding requirements by the different modal administrations can make it difficult for planners to develop and implement intermodal freight projects which could result in more efficient freight movement.
In recent years, GAO has recommended or proposed for congressional consideration the following actions. The Department of Transportation has agreed to consider the following recommendations, but they have yet to be implemented, in large part because the authorization for surface transportation programs expired in 2009, and existing programs subsequently have been funded through temporary extensions.
GAO recommended in June 2007 that the Secretary of Transportation
GAO recommended in January 2008 that the Secretary of Transportation
GAO proposed in February 2009 that Congress, in considering the reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs,
Congressional reauthorization of transportation programs presents an opportunity to address GAO recommendations and matters for congressional consideration that have not been implemented. By promoting and coordinating solutions across jurisdictional lines, the federal government could increase the effectiveness of localities, states, and regional governments and planning organizations in overcoming freight-related challenges.
The information contained in this analysis is based on findings from the products listed in the related GAO products section. See pages 341-342 of the PDF version of this report (appendix III) for a list of the programs GAO identified that may have similar or overlapping objectives, provide similar services or be fragmented across government missions. Overlap and fragmentation may not necessarily lead to actual duplication, and some degree of overlap and duplication may be justified.
GAO provided a draft of this report section to the Department of Transportation for review and comment. The Department of Transportation provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate. Department officials informed GAO that the department is working with Congress to address prior GAO recommendations as part of efforts to reauthorize the federal surface transportation programs.
For additional information about this area, contact Phillip Herr at (202) 512-2834 or firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:4c6fd6b6-d637-4ea3-988d-810198a10753> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gao.gov/modules/ereport/handler.php?m=1&p=1&path=/ereport/GAO-12-342SP/data_center/Economic_development/8._Surface_Freight_Transportation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953577 | 2,285 | 3.40625 | 3 |
Gregory II of Constantinople
His All-Holiness Gregory II Cyprus (Greek: Γρηγόριος ο Κύπριος) was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1283 to 1289. He was a staunch opponent of the use of the filioque addition by the Roman Catholic Church to the Nicene creed.
Gregory was born in 1241 into a middle class family that was of noble origin. At birth he was given the name George. The family lived on Cyprus during the time of the Frankish occupation of the island. On Latin occupied Cyprus, Gregory found the level of gaining an education among the Greeks limited, so he became a student in a Latin school. As he had difficulty learning Latin, the knowledge he gained of grammar and Aristotle's Logic was limited. He had to look elsewhere for the education he wanted.
His quest for a good education in rhectorics carried him to the mainland, to Ephesus in Asia Minor, then to Nicea, and finally to Constantinople to study under George Acropolites. In 1261, the Latin forces occupying Constantinople were ejected from the city, and the court then returned. Gregory joined the intellectual life of the city and became a teacher and a participant in the Paleologian renaissance. Among his students was Nikephoros Chumnos.
In 1283, Gregory was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople. Occupying the patriarchal see, he inherited the political and religious problems that had grown through the Latin occupation and the unionist Council of Lyons of 1274. The issues that arose from the aggressive attempts for union with Rome by Emperor Michael VIII and Patr. John XI Beccus became entangled with the controversy over the ‘’filioque’‘.
In the Spring of 1285, Gregory called the Synod of Blachernae to resolve the dispute between the followers of Arsenius and Josephus II concerning their unionists positions and the filioque. During the synod, Gregory presented his position on the filioque in his Tome opposing John XI’s theological innovation. In his Tome, Gregory presented not just a repeat of the formulations of Photius and Athanasius, but a reasoned theological contribution that worked out the implications of writings of the Cappadocian Fathers and John of Damascus on the procession of the Holy Spirit.
Patr. Gregory’s contemporaries did not see the impact of his insightful words. These words became the forerunner of fourteenth century Palamite Theology. While his contemporaries generally accepted his orthodoxy, they pressured him to resign, which he did in 1289. That he did resign and not continue to press the issue is evidence of his pastoral sensitivity to the importance of healing of the political divisions that were tearing the church during his lifetime.
Patr. Gregory II is noted for his many published works and his autobiography. He reposed in 1290.
Gregory II of Constantinople
John XI Bekkos
|Patriarch of Constantinople | <urn:uuid:0be2b2cb-cec0-470b-b7dc-349d1940161f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Gregory_II_of_Constantinople&oldid=109907 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976042 | 624 | 3.15625 | 3 |
|LOVE starts with a SMILE , grows with a KISS and ends with a TEAR.
DON'T cry over anyone who won't cry over you.
Good FRIENDS are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.
You can only go as far as you push.
The HARDEST thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody else.
DON'T let the past hold you back, you're missing the good stuff.
LIFE'S SHORT. If you don't look around once in a while you might miss it.
A BEST FRIEND is like a four leaf clover, HARD TO FIND and LUCKY TO HAVE.
Some people make the world SPECIAL just by being in it.
BEST FRIENDS are the siblings God forgot to give us.
When it HURTS to look back, and you're SCARED to look ahead, you can look beside you and your BEST FRIEND will be there.
TRUE FRIENDSHIP "NEVER" ENDS. Friends are FOREVER.
Good friends are like STARS You don't always see them, but you know they are ALWAYS THERE.
DON'T frown. You never know who is falling in love with your smile.
What do you do when the only person who can make you stop crying is the person who made you cry?
Nobody is perfect until you fall in love with them.
Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.
Most people walk in and out of your life, but only FRIENDS leave footprints in your heart.
Send this on to everyone special in your life, even the people who really make you MAD sometimes and to the people whose lives you want to be in!!!
And send it back to the person who sent it to you if they mean something to you!!
Remember, every minute spent angry is sixty seconds of happiness wasted.
May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. "I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."
Just send this to (4) people and see what happens on the fourth day. | <urn:uuid:49efe211-8f06-45db-a13b-11464b39ec6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yelvertonbrook.com.au/page10036406.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953964 | 484 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Chicago Strike Puts Spotlight on Teacher-Evaluation Reform
While wages and benefits played an important role in the dispute between the Chicago Teachers Union and the city’s school district that led this week to a teachers’ strike, the most divisive issue was teacher evaluation. In that respect, the flare-up in Chicago reflects broader tensions about changes to evaluation policies being rolled out across the country.
Illinois’ Performance Evaluation Reform Act, passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature in January 2010, required districts to make student-achievement data a “significant factor” in teacher evaluations. The driving force behind the law was the federal Race to the Top grant competition, which gave states incentives to incorporate student performance into their accountability systems.
Consequently, the 403,000-student Chicago school district developed a new evaluation system that was to be implemented in the 2012-13 school year. The system, called reach (for Recognizing Educators Advancing Chicago’s Students), includes an observational component based on the teaching framework crafted by Charlotte Danielson, an educational consultant and teacher-quality expert. In addition, under the system, student growth, as determined partly by value-added measures, would eventually account for 40 percent of a teacher’s evaluation score. The rules implementing the state law require a minimum of only 25 percent to 30 percent, depending on the year of implementation.
In a statement on the eve of the strike, CTU President Karen Lewis said that Chicago’s percentage was “too much” and argued there were “too many factors beyond our control which impact how well some students perform on standardized tests, such as poverty, exposure to violence, homelessness, hunger, and other social issues.” In addition, she contended that the system could result in the firing of 6,000 teachers—or 30 percent of the CTU’s members.
“This is unacceptable,” she said.
Proponents of reach, however, point to Chicago’s previous checklist-based evaluation system as being too subjective, not offering clear expectations for teachers, and emphasizing surface-level details, such as teachers’ clothing and bulletin boards.
District officials, according to the Associated Press, have also questioned Ms. Lewis’ estimate of the number of teachers who could be let go as a result of the evaluation system. And Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the new evaluations would not count in the first year of implementation, to provide time for needed adjustments.
As of Sept. 14, the district had not released details on how or whether the evaluation system would be modified under the reported agreement with the union.
A National Issue
In attempting to reorient its evaluation system around measurable student progress, Chicago is by no means alone.
According to Emily Workman, an associate policy analyst at the Education Commission of the States, based in Denver, 18 states and the District of Columbia now have laws that require the use of objective student data to “significantly” inform teacher evaluation. A total of 24 states require the use of student data to some extent, she said—double the number of states with such mandates just three years ago. And 10 states require that student academic growth make up at least half of the evaluation.
Teaching groups nationwide have voiced concern that test scores—even under value-added analysis, which seeks to determine an individual teacher’s impact on student achievement over a school year—fail to account for many aspects of student learning and are not proven to be accurate indicators of teacher effectiveness.
“Unless you completely believe that value-added takes into account at-risk students and all the things that affect student achievement,” Ms. Workman said, “it’s going to be really hard for teachers and teachers’ unions to sign on to evaluation systems where the predominant thing is student performance.”
Kate Walsh, the president of the Washington-based National Council on Teacher Quality, said that teachers have “legitimate concerns about tests, and these concerns shouldn’t be dismissed.” At the same time, she suggested that student test results are critical to improvement of teacher evaluation.
“I don’t think they should count for 100 percent, I don’t think they should count for 50 percent, but I do think tests have value and tell us a lot,” she said.
While the use of value-added scores in evaluation is becoming a national issue, Ms. Walsh believes that the Chicago reaction is not likely to be replicated.
Chicago is “the perfect storm,” she said. “You have a colorful, hard-charging mayor” and “a lot of bad blood” stemming from a fight between Mr. Emanuel and the union over his push to increase the length of the school day.
Ms. Workman of the Education Commission of the States added that strikes elsewhere are unlikely simply because “the majority of states don’t permit teachers to strike anymore.”
As for the outcome on evaluations in Chicago, Ms. Workman said the district could expand the definition of student data to include measures such as student portfolios, internships, and teacher-created assessments. For instance, perhaps 30 percent of an evaluation might consist of student standardized-test scores and 20 percent of other student data. Eight states have done something similar this year already, she said.
Ms. Walsh said that “the union is going to have to allow student achievement to be a factor. It will come down to percentage. ... It’s like a bargaining chip.”
Vol. 32, Issue 04
Access selected articles, e-newsletters and more!
- Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
- Lake Forest School District 67 & 115, Lake Forest, IL
- Elementary Principal
- Forest Grove School District, Forest Grove, OR
- Director of School Support
- The Achievement Network, Multiple Locations
- Perspectives Charter Schools, Chicago, IL
- Princeton Public School District, Princeton, NJ | <urn:uuid:ffc88b26-e77c-4453-ad05-2a151d8c012a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/09/12/04strike-eval.h31.html?tkn=RSQFmwBNwVXF7btojtUVh4jfzpjyv2EfWOdE&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952107 | 1,247 | 1.867188 | 2 |
I don’t think the case stands up, but the argument deserves to be addressed. That’s true especially given the recent surge of interest in the topic and the team’s attempt to dismiss complaints about the name as “ludicrous.”
The strongest argument for keeping the name is that Native Americans themselves aren’t unanimous in objecting to what Indian critics call the “R-word.”
“It doesn’t bother me one bit. There are other issues that we should be concerned about,” said George Blanchard, governor of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, which counts about 3,000 members.
Some members of Blanchard’s tribe send their children to McLoud High School, whose team is also called the Redskins. The Washington team has pointed to the McLoud nickname as evidence that the word was acceptable to Native Americans.
However, other chiefs and national Indian leaders said the number of Native Americans who share Blanchard’s view has declined with time. Most Indians would prefer to see the Redskins name discarded, they said.
“If it went through a vote [of Indians], I think it would be overwhelming to drop it. I’ve always thought the word [Redskins] was very offensive,” said George Tiger, chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, which is also based in Oklahoma and has 75,000 members.
All major Native American organizations have formally called on sports teams to discard Indian names and mascots.
Here in the Washington region, the chief of the Piscataway Indian Nation has been staging protests against the team’s name since 1980.
“If the team had another name related to black folks, that stadium would be on fire,” Billy Redwing Tayac said. “Redskins is a racial slur for North American Indians.”
Piscataways were based at Accokeek, about 20 miles from what is now FedEx Field, when European explorers first sailed up the Potomac. Perhaps Tayac hasn’t had much success because only 108 Piscataways remain.
“We’re lucky we even survived, when you look at the [anti-Indian] policies of the colonial and federal governments,” Tayac said.
The debate over the name reignited this month, mainly because of a first-ever symposium on the topic Feb. 7 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Initially, the team declined to comment. That quickly became impossible, so General Manager Bruce Allen spoke up Thursday and said there was no reason to change the name.
“There’s nothing that we feel is offensive,” Allen said. “It’s ludicrous to think that in any way we’re trying to upset anybody.”
The second half of that quote is fine. Many Indian advocates concede the team is not consciously “trying” to antagonize them.
The wording of the first half is damning, however. Allen doesn’t understand (or won’t acknowledge) that it’s not up to him, a white man, to decide what offends Native Americans.
“They’re saying that it’s an honor. They’re not taking our word for it, Native people’s word for it, that we don’t want this,” said Robert Holden, deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians. It is the largest, oldest and most representative organization of Native American tribes.
The team put up postings on its Web site noting that 70 high school teams, including the one at McLoud, use the name Redskins. However, the team neglected to mention that a larger number of schools at various levels have dropped such names.
In 1970, about 500 team names were in the “red slur” category, such as Redskins, Red Men or Red Raiders, according to the Morning Star Institute, an Indian advocacy group. Now the total is less than 100.
The number is about to shrink again. In New York, Cooperstown High School is preparing to drop its Redskins name after students petitioned the Board of Education to make the switch. The Oneida Indian Nation reached out to the school district to support the change.
“From the board’s perspective, and from students’ perspective, it has an offensive connotation to Native peoples,” Superintendent C.J. Hebert said.
Please heed that point, Dan Snyder. Sometimes being politically correct is just plain correct.
For previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/mccartney. | <urn:uuid:88a71b11-e953-42a3-bd2a-5f73e100b4d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/despite-redskins-claims-concern-over-name-isnt-political-correctness-run-wild/2013/02/16/cee9225a-77d8-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962354 | 984 | 2.234375 | 2 |
It is a known fact that there are more suicides and more people depressed during the holidays than in any other time of the year. Many of these people are just alone in society. Others are so overwhelmed with the sing-songy giddiness around them that it is just pure torture for them. The real irony is is that this is the exact opposite of what the holidays should be. This quandary reminds me of the famous quote by Hugo Von Hofmannsthal, “The weariness of long forgotten peoples hangs heavy on my eyelids”.
Another thing that adds to this loneliness of the holidays is having to face extended family or immediate family members who play judge and jury over an them because they have not lived up to their idea of an ersatz social substratum. This kind of cruelty cuts deep. So, be they literally alone or around others, their gnawing isolation can cause such a mental downward spiral as to end in disaster.
Giving this yearly tragedy, I would like to propose that everyone who reads this to be extra aware of this problem this time of year, and act accordingly. When you see someone sad and disconnected from others, approach them and just talk with them. Spend some time just to listen to them. This suggestion is not some kind of pop psychobabble, but just plain old human compassion. There is no need to give advice, because most people just need to be listened to and to know that they have been listened to. What a difference it makes!
Listening is a powerful creative act. It is an act of healing. Some other ideas are to volunteer at homeless shelters or soup kitchens, or visit a prisoner. You can spend Christmas morning with your friends and/or family and that evening with someone who is alone, and has nothing. In fact, better than that: invite them over for some holiday chow. They will feel loved. And that is the bottom line. In this way you will discover the true meaning of Christmas and the joy it gives by being mindful to those on the extreme margins of our society. People don’t have to experience another Christmas in hell if they know somebody cares about them. If we don’t do it, then who will? If not now, then when?
The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl: Fairytale of New York
Dec 7, 2011 by RhinoUK
Official video for the The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York. Arguably the greatest Christmas song of all time!
Filed under: Music, Musicians - Bands, Dandelion Salad Videos, Dandelion Salad Featured Writers, Dandelion Salad Posts News Politics and-or Videos 2 Tagged: | Christmas, Christmas on Dandelion Salad, Holidays, Kirchner-Rocket, Kirsty MacColl, Music-Musicians-Bands on Dandelion Salad, The Pogues | <urn:uuid:0a651ba8-524b-493f-ab0d-252c8f1ad74b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/christmas-in-hell-the-sadness-of-those-who-feel-alone-during-the-holidays-by-rocket-kirchner/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953576 | 599 | 2.15625 | 2 |
The world's biggest central banks have sprung into action to help shield the eurozone and the entire global system from the debt crisis with extra funds for banks, triggering a surge in stocks and the euro.
The Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, the US Federal Reserve and the Swiss National Bank collectively announced "liquidity support to the global financial system".
The decision represents a massive bid to prevent a global depression and serious social conflict 10 days before an European Union summit meeting.
Many banks are being squeezed by the weight of downgraded government debt bonds in their books, raising pressure on them to reduce lending, particularly on foreign markets.
This is a pivotal route for contagion of the eurozone debt crisis to the global economy.
The central banks, which can create their own money, said they would ensure funds were available, explaining that the "purpose" was to "mitigate the effects of such strains on the supply of credit to households and businesses". | <urn:uuid:989ad91b-2c57-4d92-a42e-2f6d1eb859e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?9044-quot-Full-Fledged-Panic-quot-World-Economic-Crisis-Moving-to-a-New-Stage-UPDATE-Euphoric-Stocks-Bubble-While-Wages-Plummet/page24&p=197668&mode=linear | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95217 | 203 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Latin America: On the Road to Democracy
Point of View by Meg Ruthenberg
Democratic governance has been a central concern of the Latin American Program since its founding 30 years ago. In October, the Program celebrated the 25th anniversary of its groundbreaking project, Transitions from Authoritarian Rule. But the situation in Latin America has changed dramatically since the project was founded. Democratic elections are held regularly and citizens often are actively engaged. Indeed, many of the hard-won transitions to democracy were precipitated by citizens, who often fought for freedom at great personal risk.
Citizens continue to assert their rights, although now they enjoy significantly greater freedom. However, such freedoms are often a double-edged sword. Citizen action has led to election reform in Mexico but also to the ouster of democratically elected governments in Ecuador and Bolivia. But some in the region question the very definition of democracy. Is it more democratic, for example, to support broken institutions or to challenge the institutions of democracy when they are corrupt? When, in 2000, a "people's" coup d'etat led by the country's indigenous population overthrew a democratically elected—though very unpopular—president in Ecuador, one of the leaders of the coup refused to classify it as anti-democratic, arguing instead that it was a civic act.
Protest, however, is not the only form of participation in Latin America.
Citizens are working together with governments in substantial ways. Participatory urban planning and budgeting, for instance, allow citizens to help shape their communities. Governments, particularly at the local level, are increasingly realizing the benefits of including citizens in governance.
I recently co-authored a study with Lisa Hanley of the Comparative Urban Studies Project that examines the role participatory planning has played in the revitalization of Quito, Ecuador's colonial center. The efforts in Quito and elsewhere have been influenced by the successful revitalization of Bogota, Colombia where a series of reform-minded mayors advancing the concept of "citizen culture" have made the citizenry co-creators of the city's noteworthy renaissance.
While the transition from authoritarianism to democracy has been significant, widespread corruption and fragile institutions plague the region's democracies. The Latin American Program seeks to further the rule of law, citizen security, and the exercise of the rights and obligations of citizenship by promoting dialogue, debate, and informed policymaking. We have come a long way, but much work remains for the promise of democracy—envisioned by the "thoughtful wishers" who designed the Transitions project—to be fulfilled. | <urn:uuid:38bfbf80-f294-4efa-ab47-10aebe0295b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/latin-america-the-road-to-democracy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966629 | 523 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Moment of Impact (Part 1 – Hunters & Herds)
Sunday, April 4 at 8:00 p.m. on WPBT2
When animals of astounding ability connect with each other and the world around them, there is a “moment of impact.” The world is filled with these unique moments, like the violent collision of cheetah with gazelle, the blink-of-an-eye strike of a deadly snake and the amazing dexterity of an elephant’s trunk as it feeds, fights or reaches out with affection. But how do these creatures accomplish such extraordinary feats? Live action footage reveals only part of the answer. Using the latest technologies, HD camera lenses and computer graphics, “Moment of Impact” takes the viewer inside the animal to present an innovative and revolutionary look at the bio-engineering of “how animals work.”
Moment of Impact (Part 2 – Jungle)
Sunday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m. on WPBT2
Part 2 looks at the incredible bio-engineering of jungle residents, both on the ground and in the forest canopy. Leaf-cutter ants are capable of carrying materials 10 times their weight. Equally impressive, the jaws of trap-jaw ants can produce a bite force 300 times their own body weight — stronger than that of a shark’s. Cuban crocodiles have the unlikely ability to leap up to six feet straight out of the water to catch their prey, while basilisk lizards walk on water, thanks to their wide-webbed feet and unique gaits. No wonder the basilisk is called the “Jesus lizard.” Among many other animal talents explored, “Jungle” also takes a looks at a how ospreys dive for fish and how a bat “swims” through the air.
Visit the website at www.pbs.org/wnet/nature. | <urn:uuid:6dfe79e1-e70c-497d-8f59-71ada8ffce73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wpbt2.org/guide/2010_04/hl_nature.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935489 | 400 | 2.5 | 2 |
Mercury causes severe health problems for humans and wildlife. Although there has been much public education about the effect of lead and other heavy metals, current information on mercury does not adequately inform the public about the threat people face from mercury pollution. Clean Air Council is concerned about the dangers surrounding mercury and addresses them in its mercury program.
Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is released into the environment from a number of different sources. The largest anthropogenic source of mercury comes from coal-fired electric power plants, accounting for about 40 percent of total U.S. man-made mercury emissions. Mercury in the atmosphere falls in precipitation into the nation's lakes and rivers. Once in the water, bacteria can transform the mercury into the particularly dangerous organic form, methylmercury. Methylmercury is a fat-soluble molecule that is easily absorbed through fish gills, and because it is bioaccumulative it remains in body tissue and builds up along the food chain. The effects of methylmercury can be devastating for humans, especially for fetuses and nursing infants. Mercury is also found in electric switches and relays, medical and measuring devices, dental amalgam (silver fillings), thermostats, lamps and other sources.
The Council works to reduce mercury in the environment by advocating for the removal of mercury in consumer and industrial products. The Council also advocates for limits on the amount of mercury that can be released from coal-fired power plants.
- 1 of 2 | <urn:uuid:739bd97f-cb78-4a3f-9a35-0fd208fd3995> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cleanair.org/program/outdoor_air_pollution/mercury | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945291 | 302 | 3.96875 | 4 |
AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive insect first detected in the Midwest a decade ago, continues to quickly spread throughout the US and Canada. Last week, US forestry officials confirmed the tiny, metallic green beetles had been found in the western Massachusetts town of Dalton.
In Maine, entomologists with the Maine Forest Service are wrapping up a massive surveillance effort, inspecting nearly a thousand purple insect traps they placed strategically throughout the state to attract and capture the insect to see if it is already in the area.
"The purple color is slightly attractive to EAB, and then we have a little lure inside of it that has the scent of a stressed tree," explained Maine Forest Service entomologist, Colleen Teerling. "The idea is that if there is an insect around, they will be attracted by the color purple and by the scent of the lures, fly in and be stuck to the glue on the outside of the trap."
So far, none of the traps have captured an emerald ash borer, but news that they have spread into Massachusetts and Connecticut means that it may only be a matter of time.
"It is probably inevitable that at some point in time it will come to Maine, because it is firmly established in the US and it is spreading. It is just a matter of when. Is it going to be next year, or is it going to be 5 years or 10 years down the road?"
"The longer we can delay it coming to Maine, the more management tools we are going to have for options," stated Teerling.
"It is not an automatic, immediate death sentence for every ash tree in the state if we find it. So we do have hope to slow it down, to keep some ash trees alive longer, to contain the spread or at least manage the spreads so that it spreads very slowly as opposed to spreading like wildfire, which it has in the past." | <urn:uuid:20dd155f-d63e-4f85-9237-9777416cb927> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/214841/314/Invasive-insect-marching-closer-towards-Maine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962857 | 406 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Opinion » Guest Commentary
Miguel Ángel Vásquez de la Rosa points to a black-and-white photograph projected on the wall. The picture shows a masked teenaged boy standing in front of a burning bus and police in their riot gear. He holds a Molotov cocktail in his hand.
“If there is one photo, one image that can make you believe the democratic institutions no longer work,” de la Rosa says to his audience in Spanish, “this is the image.”
During the first week of March, I attended a Witness for Peace delegation in Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s southern states. Witness for Peace is a politically independent grassroots organization committed to nonviolence and positive change of international policies. Since 1983, Witness for Peace has hosted delegations between Latin American communities affected by human rights abuses and concerned U.S. citizens.
During the delegation, we met with teachers, lawyers, activists and community leaders, including de la Rosa. De la Rosa is a founding member of EDUCA, an alternative education program in Mexico that focuses on economic policies and indigenous rights.
While we discussed many different themes connected to human rights, one of the more disturbing things I learned about is the Security and Prosperity Partnership.
The SPP is a broad proposal constructed between the executive branches of the U.S., Canadian and Mexican governments. While development of the SPP has had no congressional involvement — and therefore no democratic accountability — it has seen the influence of an advisory board of CEOs.
The overarching goal of the SPP is to deepen economic and national security within and between the three North American countries.
That, in itself, is not such a bad idea. However, one key aspect of the SPP is the Merida Initiative, set to come to vote in Congress as early as April. If passed, the Merida Initiative would designate $1.4 billion U.S. dollars to Mexico during the course of two to three years.
The stated purpose of this money is to fight drug trafficking and organized crime. The reality is more complex. Sixty percent of the funds in the first year would go directly to individuals and entities in Mexico known for committing grave human rights abuses.
Take the 2006 teachers’ strike in Oaxaca, for example. In May 2006, a branch of the Mexican teachers’ union called Section 22 went on its annual strike for increased educational funding. They gathered in the state capital and set up camp until their demands were met.
At 4:30 a.m. on June 14, 2006, police forcefully drove the teachers out of the center of the city. As more and more people poured out into the streets to support the teachers, the uniformed police and plainclothes officers became increasingly violent.
Eventually, the situation culminated on Nov. 25, 2006, when federal police marched into the city and drove 800,000 protesters out with tear gas, billy clubs and water canons. By then, dozens of people had been arrested and tortured. At least 18 civilians were killed, including U.S. journalist Brad Will. Six people are still being detained to this day, without access to lawyers. Those organizations who seek to defend the victims are subjected to threats and harassment.
“We live in a process of criminalizing organizational activities,” said Almadelia Gomez Soto, a teacher and member of a human rights organization in Oaxaca. “All of us live in a system of constant harassment.”
This is not an anomaly in the Mexican criminal justice system. All of the organizations I met with during the delegation cited similar experiences. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented decades of human rights abuses at the hands of the Mexican government.
Is this where we want our tax dollars to go?
Sara Howard is a senior journalism and politics major. E-mail her at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Also in Guest Commentary
- Arizona immigration bill repeats history
- Post-graduation life calls for hard work and patience
- Students should act on injustices in society
- Inside Look offers fair portrayal of college’s diversity
- Hip-hop lyrics indicate homophobia in industry
- Foreign investments often prove harmful
- Returning soldiers need more than medals
- College should compete with top-ranked teams
- Ethnomusicology adds new dimension to academia
- All Guest Commentary articles » | <urn:uuid:a93c7a27-98f4-4258-9ae0-bf8aca1f6962> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theithacan.org/am/publish/opinioncommentary/200803_Partnership_will_jeopardize_Mexican_rights.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960683 | 914 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Today’s two sections outline very briefly that each diocese support the missions financially. As far as I know, this has always been my experience in every parish I’ve served and lived in: the mission apostolate is supported by a special collection each year.
7. The pontifical mission societies are to be promoted in every diocese and their statutes, particularly those which deal with the transmission of subsidies, should be duly observed. (Ad Gentes 38)
8. Since the voluntary contributions of the faithful for the missions are not at all sufficient, it is recommended that, as soon as possible, there be established a certain fitting contribution to be made annually by the diocese itself and by the parishes and other diocesan groups from their own income and to be distributed by the Holy See, while other contributions made by the faithful remain intact. (Ad Gentes 38)
“Other diocesan groups” too. What do you make of that? Religious communities? Special societies, like the Knights of Columbus? Schools, including universities? How widespread do you think mission support and awareness is at Catholic high schools and colleges? Many parishes have sister communities in the Third World. This has been much more common over the past generation. | <urn:uuid:be656ca3-e36e-4b41-8d37-51f14cbca96c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://catholicsensibility.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/ecclesiae-sanctae-iii-7-8-material-support/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=55bb07b550 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972468 | 257 | 2.125 | 2 |
Thiruvananthapuram: It is bad news for those Malayalis who use smokeless tobacco -- in the form of `gutka` and similar products -- as a research in the US has, for the first time, identified a specific oral cancer-causing chemical in smokeless tobacco products.
Dr. Silvia Balbo of the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, US, found after a study on rats that smokeless tobacco products contain a strong oral carcinogen -- a chemical called (S)-N`-nitrosonornicotine, or (S)-NNN.
Dr. K.R. Thankappan, professor and head, Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies in Thiruvananthapuram, said though this study is yet to be translated on humans, it is a definite pointer to the grave risk that use of smokeless tobacco products poses to health.
"Oral cancer can be extremely debilitating and the use of smokeless tobacco that is fast gaining popularity among Malayali youth should be controlled through strict legislative measures," said Thankappan.
According to a recent study in Kerala, 10.7 percent of adult Malayali users are hooked to smokeless tobacco.
P. Janardhana Iyer, honorary secretary, Regional Cancer Association and a well-known tobacco control activist in Kerala said the sale and use of smokeless tobacco products should be strongly discouraged.
"This (US) study and the example set by Madhya Pradesh which has banned such products indicate the great dangers that these products pose to the society, particularly to the vulnerable young population," said Iyer.
Incidentally, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had last year written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to ban tobacco products in the country through a legislation.
The Kerala government has extended the ban on sale of tobacco products within a radius of 400 metres around educational institutions, thus extending the scope of Section 6(b) of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003.
First Published: 4/27/2012 6:01:40 PM | <urn:uuid:edd3b0d4-ecaa-4148-8f7c-fa669950928e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zeenews.india.com/exclusive/new-carcinogen-in-smokeless-tobacco-identified_5506.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923382 | 454 | 2.609375 | 3 |
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operates the nation's airport security checkpoints. By familiarizing yourself with TSA's policies and procedures, you will clear security with maximum ease and minimum inconvenience.
What you need to know before you go
The 3-1-1- Rule
Passengers are allowed to pack liquids, gels, and aerosols in carry-on bags ONLY when they are in 3 oz. or smaller containers in a 1-quart, clear plastic zip-top bag. One bag per passenger is allowed. Plastic bags must be removed from carry-ons and placed in screening bins for visual inspection and separate screening.
Permitted and prohibited items
Curious about what you can take on board an aircraft in your carry-on bag or checked luggage? Unsure if a particular item is allowed on a plane at all? Those who want or need to travel with medication and medical devices, electronics, sharp objects, sporting goods, guns, tools, self-defense items, explosive and flammable materials, food and drinks, and other items should review this list.
Travelers with disabilities and medical conditions
If you are a traveler with a physical disability (or a caregiver for a disabled passenger), please review the latest TSA information about traveling with medical conditions, medical equipment, and more.
Traveling with children
Do you have questions about traveling with infants, toddlers, or small children? For security rules regarding traveling with infant formula, breast milk, strollers, car seats, and more, please review this information.
Traveling outside the United States
If you are traveling to Mexico, Canada, or any other country, please review the requirements for international travel, including passports and documents required to proof citizenship and identity. Only certain documents are accepted when attempting to reenter the United States. Allow six to eight weeks in advance of your travel date to obtain, replace, or change a passport. U.S. Customs & Border Protection is a good source of information about crossing the U.S. border by air, land, and sea.
Traveling with special items | Traveling with food or gifts
If you'll be transporting large, unusual, or potentially dangerous items, be sure to review these TSA guidelines, which include everything from traveling with wine, camping gear, and crematory containers and remains of the deceased to precious metals and coins, knitting needles, paintball equipment, parachutes, and more. Always check with your airline about their policies and fees for transporting large or oversize items. | <urn:uuid:529a271e-7d0b-464f-be22-e0f1304864e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indianapolisairport.com/travel_preparation/security.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913853 | 510 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Business Enterprise Centres Australia (BECA) represents the country’s national network of Business Enterprise Centres, which provide on-the-ground support for business owners. Its CEO, Jackie Zelinsky, ran us through what she calls the ‘interactive process’ of business planning...
It doesn’t matter what business you are in, it can be hard work creating a business plan.
If you’ve never written a business plan before, it’s hard to know what you don’t know. It’s very easy to sit in front a blank piece of paper, scratch your head and give up.
However, business planning is a fundamental step for a small business, and one that should be seen as an interactive and rewarding process.
I’d consider the process of the planning just as important as the actual plan, because it allows you to track and measure your progress toward set goals. It gives you a better understanding of you business, areas that could be improved and any issues that you may have overlooked.
It’s about getting a clearer picture in your mind about where you want your business to go and how it’s going to get there.
If you don’t have a clear plan it makes it very hard to communicate your ideas to a business advisor, an investor or the bank. It’s important to have a physical plan that you can share with these third parties, as well as your employees.
But it doesn’t mean you have to prepare a billion pages of business planning information. Today, with new technology and a range of free online resources, business planning is about using a combination of different tools that help give a business owner the best chance of success
There are interactive tools that can get you get started, including the free business planning apps from business.gov.au. The Business Building Blocks is another great website, which includes free online learning resources for small business owners and employees, such as the ‘Build a Business Plan’ tool.
It’s easy to get lost in the planning process but, once you’ve started creating your plan, you can take it into your nearest Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) for guidance from one of our business advisors.
Our business advisors can help you through the more complex areas of planning. After all, business planning is an area of specialty and there are people that can help.
The BECs are a trusted source of expert advice and can help make your business plan a valuable resource for your business.
Business planning is no longer about just putting pen to paper—it’s about integrating the resources that are now available. This is where I see the future. Tools like the Business Building Blocks website and business.gov.au’s new business planning apps are definitely a part of this process. In fact, these days, I’m seeing more people with tablets in meetings than with paper notebooks!
Business people are very time-poor, so whatever we can do to make it easier for them is going to be advantageous. And, an intuitive app that provides pop-up information and tips is a very good step in the right direction. | <urn:uuid:863b7cbd-fb23-476b-849a-34302961f546> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.business.gov.au/Expert-insights-and-business-case-studies/Pages/BECA.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951841 | 660 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Book Description: "On his own terms, Brandon more than fulfills his promise to take the reader on the transatlantic journey of the orisha and to explore the complexities of African memory in the diaspora." —American Historical Review"He adeptly addresses broader issues, such as power relations within Caribbean slavery, multiculturalism, and the forms of religious accommodation to cultural change. In addition, he offers a fresh and cogent assessment of the production and reproduction of African beliefs and practices in new contexts. Brandon’s exemplary archival research is supplemented by skillful participant observation." —ChoiceThe Yoruba religious tradition arose in West Africa, but its influence has spread beyond Africa to millions of adherents in the Americas as well. Santeria from Africa to the New World retraces one path taken by this tradition—a path from Africa to Cuba and to New York City. George Brandon examines the religion’s transatlantic route through Cuban Santeria, Puerto Rican Espiritismo, and Black Nationalism. In following the historical and anthropological evolution of the Yoruba religion, Brandon discusses broader questions of power, multiculturalism, cultural change, and the production and reproduction of African retentions. | <urn:uuid:7a5e5904-f96b-4a15-b393-e3b1dc0fb52c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.campusbooks.com/books/religion-spirituality/general/9780253211149_BRANDON-George-Brandon_Santeria-from-Africa-to-the-New-World-The-Dead-Sell-Me.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918837 | 243 | 2.5625 | 3 |
The Care and Cleaning of Kitchen Knives
The best thing you can do to keep your knives sharp and to avoid wear and tear on the blade's edge is to make sure to use it on the proper cutting surface. Using a cutting board made of glass, stone, stainless steel or ceramic will quickly dull your knife. For this reason, it's advisable to avoid using your good kitchen knives to cut food directly on ceramic or porcelain dinnerware or on granite or marble countertops. The better option is using cutting boards made of wood, bamboo, plastic or synthetic because they won't dull your blades.
It's also important to keep your knives clean. Ask any professional chef how to wash a good knife and I would wager that 99 times out of 100 you will get the same answer and a stern one at that: A kitchen knife should always be washed by hand after each use using a mild liquid detergent and then dried thoroughly with a towel. And, then that same chef will tell you, and with great emphasis, that a good knife should NEVER be washed in a dishwasher because the heat and steam will ruin wood handles and the knife can be easily nicked by being tossed around in the dishwasher. | <urn:uuid:59cc252f-0396-459f-b324-015e37c56d82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yourhomedepot.com.au/news/the-care-and-cleaning-of-kitchen-knives.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94572 | 247 | 1.851563 | 2 |
OpenHelix announces an updated free tutorial and training materials for Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM).
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man® (OMIM), authored and edited at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins, has collaborated with OpenHelix to provide an updated, revised and now free tutorial suite on the OMIM resource.
OMIM is a catalog of human genes and genetic conditions that helps researchers and clinicians understand the relationship between genes and genetic disease. OMIM is a foundational resource in genomics, and OMIM links and data are found at sites all around the bioinformatics sphere. Knowledge of the full scope of OMIM’s data and resources provides access to the most comprehensive understanding of human phenotypes and disease. OMIM contains full text summaries of information from the scientific literature, and provides extensive links to the literature resources and other genomic resource tools as well.
The new tutorial reflects the many changes and enhancements to OMIM, including the new face it received during the move from NCBI to omim.org. New search functions enable more precise and relevant searches for different user communities, including clinical geneticists, genetic counselors, and basic researchers. In addition, OMIM now has more links to other relevant genetics and biomedical research resources around the world.
The online narrated tutorial runs in just about any browser and can be navigated in a number of ways. In just under 30 minutes, the tutorial highlights and explains the features and functionality needed to start using OMIM effectively. The tutorial can be used as an introduction to the catalog of human genes and genetic disorders, as a quick way to view new features and functionality, or simply as a reference tool to understand specific features.
In addition to the tutorial, users can also access training and teaching materials, including the animated PowerPoint slides that serve as a basis for the tutorial, suggested script for the slides, slide handouts, and exercises. This can save a tremendous amount of time and effort for teachers and professors when creating classroom content.
Users can view the tutorials and download the free materials at http://www.openhelix.com/omim.
OMIM is a comprehensive, authoritative compendium of human genes and genetic phenotypes that is freely available and updated daily. The free-text, referenced overviews in OMIM contain information on all known mendelian disorders and over 12,000 genes. OMIM focuses on the relationship between phenotype and genotype. OMIM entries contain copious links to other genetics resources.
This database was initiated in the early 1960s by Dr. Victor A. McKusick as a catalog of mendelian traits and disorders, titled Mendelian Inheritance in Man (MIM). Twelve book editions of MIM were published between 1966 and 1998. The online version, OMIM, was created in 1985 by a collaboration between the National Library of Medicine and the William H. Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins. It was made generally available on the internet starting in 1987. In 1995, OMIM was developed for the World Wide Web by NCBI, the National Center for Biotechnology Information. In 2010, Johns Hopkins Medicine created a new website OMIM.org. OMIM is funded by a grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
OpenHelix, LLC, (www.openhelix.com) provides a bioinformatics and genomics search and training portal, giving researchers one place to find and learn how to use resources and databases on the web. Researchers and institutions can save time, budget and staff resources by leveraging a subscription to over 100 online tutorial suites available through the portal. More efficient use of the most relevant resources means quicker and more effective research. | <urn:uuid:cd634a1e-3a97-428d-89f0-aafac929a42e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.openhelix.eu/?p=14864 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921819 | 768 | 2.28125 | 2 |
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On Air Staff and WPM Interns
Fri January 18, 2013
WY Senate to continue debate over energy & natural resource curriculum
The State Senate has given initial approval to a plan to develop an energy and natural resource curriculum for Wyoming schools. The program will be based on a current agriculture curriculum that helps students learn more about that industry. Glenrock Senator Jim Anderson, a retired school teacher, says the curriculum will help students learn more about the biggest industry in the state. But some Senators are uncomfortable with the state dictating an industry curriculum for schools. Anderson pointed out that districts only have to adopt the program if they want to.
“Nothing is being forced on anyone, by this body, at this moment, in this bill.”
$75,000 will be provided to industry officials to help develop the curriculum. The bill will be debated two more times. | <urn:uuid:99a7cad2-fd67-4497-87a8-f4131e86b201> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wyomingpublicradio.net/post/wy-senate-continue-debate-over-energy-natural-resource-curriculum | 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 | 0.925726 | 254 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Whoa, that is a project not so easy to do for a starter...
So, what is your experience in the fields of mechanics, electronics and programming?
If you are a beginner, I sugest to get a Lego Mindstorms kit as it is verry suitable to build any kind of projects. The set has building instructions for a biped robot. You can add the moving mouth and if you study the I2C interface, you can add a voice recognition kit, a CMUcam or AVRcam, an I2C servo controller and much more. The NXT controller has an ARM7 32 bit microcontroller that supports multitasking, a graphic display (you can do the mouth in graphics if you like) and speaker, Bluetooth comunication with the PC or other NXT controllers. Lots of possibilities here.
If you take this route, let me know, I'll give you some links to check out. | <urn:uuid:fede04c5-8fb2-46d1-b999-0f0268e4d6cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=2194.msg16338 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920688 | 190 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Madura Island is part of East Java that needs a better access. Madura that consist of four regencies has a lot to offer.These are Bangkalan, Sampang, Pamekasan and Sumenep. It has excellent quality of agriculture outputs and beautiful tourism objects and more. The presence of the bridge had expected to improve smoother flow of people, goods and service from and into this island. Mayor impacts had expected to emerge from this facility, be it socially and economically. The Suramadu Bridge that connects Surabaya and Madura Island has expected to complete in 2007, extending 5.43 km with 28.10 m width.
The sea crossing from East Java to the small island of Madura takes just half an hour. Measuring about 160 km in length and about 40 across at it s widest point, Madura support a population of close to 3 million inhabitants, most of whom are farmers or fisherman. | <urn:uuid:6abed9c4-7e85-4b0f-b57f-5486a0f74a4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/01261/Madura%20Island.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959396 | 190 | 2.6875 | 3 |
The Government has released guidelines to help government departments develop a communications strategy on Twitter.
The document, developed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), aims to help government staff keen to use the micro-blogging site by setting out a clear set of objectives and metrics, and advising on ways to avoid mistakes and inappropriate use.
Neil Williams, head of corporate digital channels at BIS and the document’s creator, wrote on the Cabinet digital engagement blog, “Micro-blogging [has] a low barrier to entry [and is a] low-risk and low-resource channel relative to other corporate communications overheads like a blog or printed newsletter… I was surprised by just how much there is to say and quite how worth saying it is, especially now the platform is more mature and less forgiving of mistakes.”
The news comes a week after Twitter published its Twitter 101 guide for businesses on how to get the best out of the service (nma.co.uk 24 July 2009).
Meanwhile, to help brands understand how to responsibly market on Twitter, new media age has put together an nma Live half-day conference on the subject. Run on the morning of 21 August, speakers include Dell’s head of digital media communications EMEA Kerry Bridge, Innocent digital manager Ted Hunt and Moonfruit CEO Joe White, who will be revealing the results of its campaign. Register here. | <urn:uuid:7f5e4956-5e4b-41ee-803e-3b5302921127> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://econsultancy.com/uk/nma-archive/32547-government-issues-guidelines-for-staff-using-twitter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944601 | 291 | 1.5625 | 2 |
My first urban garden was a 5x3 foot weed pit behind my rented duplex. With my landlady’s permission, I dug out the weeds and threw the coffee grounds from my french press and some organic compost into the dirt. My mission was simple: salsa ingredients, hopefully enough for a few jars. This was my first attempt at gardening, let alone on the bath mat sized part of the “back yard” which was more driveway than anything. My expectations were low, but as usual I had high ambitions. I sprouted my own tomatoes in egg cartons on the porch, concocted my own bug repellent and pulled a few weeds every morning before I went to work. Before I knew it the garden turned into a snarling forest of food. I couldn’t pick the romas fast enough, jalapenos were turning red and romaine was popping up in places I had not planted any. I sent anyone who visited me home with a bag of food and by October I was tired of pasta sauce and none of my friends could eat any more salsa.
That summer I discovered the power a tiny piece of land held. I greatly underestimated how much food I could produce, as well as what happened behind my house – it became a place I wanted to sit and where animals and insects thrived.
Urban agriculture has taken off as a movement in the last decade. You don’t have to go far to find a rooftop garden or even a class about how to start container gardening. People have begun to see the benefits of gardening in general and the positive impact urban agriculture has on our environment, economy and social systems.
Urban agriculture expands the economic base of a city through production resulting in increased entrepreneurship, job opportunities and the innovation of a new industry. One way urban farms can bring in revenue is through providing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share. Typically, a CSA is a subscription in that the consumer pre-pays for a season’s worth of produce from a farm and receives a box of product weekly, eliminating grocery stores as the middle man. Fresh and healthy foods made available to urban areas that may lie within a food desert zone can impact childhood nutrition and form healthy adult food choice habits.
Urban agriculture also has numerous environmental benefits. From decreasing the distance food is transported from hundreds of miles to possibly blocks, oil use and carbon emissions can be cut down considerably. Vacant urban spaces can be retrofitted into gardens decreasing the amount of heat that is absorbed into pavement. In many cities, policy is being made that would promote the use of gardens on rooftops to combat urban heat island effects.
Besides these benefits are the ones that come from the added exercise of gardening, the community and social benefits of getting to know other people who share an interest in gardening and how much better you feel when you walk down the street and see thriving plants instead of a vacant lots full of dandelions growing in the cracks.
Obviously I think that the positive effects of urban agriculture and gardening outweigh the negative, but in some cases the negatives can be serious barriers to entry into this new market. Especially in dense urban areas space is at a premium, and it may difficult and expensive to obtain. Soil in urban areas may have high levels of arsenic, lead and other heavy metals from years of car exhaust, as well as other contaminants from garbage, factories and lead paint from homes and garages. Many cities and states do offer soil testing in order to determine whether it is safe to grow plants for eating and often the solution is as simple as a raised bed.
Support infrastructure such as access to water may not be available or too costly and even policy may stand in the way. Just recently, the city of Minneapolis reworked its zoning code in order to allow urban farms and gardeners to sell what they grow. Since urban agriculture often starts on a small scale, citizen participation will be extremely important in enlightening city policy makers on what amendments to zoning codes and ordinances are needed in order to make this new industry grow.
So where is urban agriculture happening? Everywhere, but one of the most interesting places is Detroit, Michigan. After huge population losses, including 25% in the last decade, Detroit’s housing and infrastructure has deteriorated significantly. But near the vacant lots and burned out houses non-profit urban agriculture is beginning to thrive. Greening of Detroit is a non-profit “established in 1989 to guide and inspire the reforestation of Detroit. In 2006, a new vision was established, expanding The Greening’s mission to guide and inspire others to create a ‘greener’ Detroit through planting and educational programs environmental leadership, advocacy, and by building community capacity.” A surplus of land is enabling urban agriculture to be applied on a larger scale. Even private enterprise has taken note, with companies moving in to buy land to begin farms.
What will urban agriculture look like in the future? Terreform, an organization devoted to sustainable architecture and urbanism visualizes New York as a self-sustaining city of vertical farms but most likely urban agriculture and gardens(small scale as well as large) will continue to grow and benefit people in their surrounding communities.
Successful urban gardens seem to all have one thing in common: a strong and devoted social organization who believes in what they do and inspires others to participate. In many ways this may be more difficult to hold onto long term than changing policy, so lead by example and show neighbors and community members what you can do. Bring them a jar of your salsa!
Urban Farming In Progress:
Stones Throw Urban Farm (pictured above), Minneapolis
596 Acres, New York
Growing Lots, Minneapolis | <urn:uuid:7dd2a2e8-e337-4c46-8efa-cd3a04074891> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://study-the-city.tumblr.com/post/22279930903/the-importance-of-urban-agriculture | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964098 | 1,164 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Policy and Uses
Policy for Data Use and Requests
Background: Much of climate information requested by the public comes from published records and computerized databases. Published records in print form extend through 2006 and are available at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Many original historical data records for Utah for the nineteenth and early twentieth century have been transferred to and archived in the Utah State University Merrill-Cazier library. The Utah Climate Center serves as an official repository for both (1) published climate data records and (2) official publications from the NCDC, spanning several decades as part of an official agreement with that agency.
The weather and climate data provided by the Utah Climate Center are courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other federal, state and local authorities. The Utah Climate Center strives to provide quality climate data, but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such data - please read our data disclaimer on this.
The dissemination of information from the Utah Climate Center, in the past, has been typically through paper in the mail, fax, or by electronic mail but now, is replaced by a GIS search facility. However, we anticipate that for particularly large data needs or more complex requests the user may have to contact the center directly or be referred to other sources; this is because many types of climate information requested by researchers, private corporations, and state agencies are of a nature that the information is either not published or is in a form that must be put together after considerable manipulation of available data sources. In such a capacity, the Utah Climate Center recommends those with a need for climate information to send their request and we will help to the best of our abilities and available resources.
A final word on the use of climate data is to request that you credit the source of any data that you download from the Utah Climate Center and if possible, please provide the center with the information as to the use of the data you download; you can do this by using the feedback link on sidebar on the right of this page.
The Utah Climate Center gives no warranty, expressed or implied as to the accuracy, reliability, utility or completeness of its data. The user assumes all responsibility and risk for the use of data provided by the Utah Climate Center. The Utah Climate Center disclaims all warranties, representations or endorsements, expressed or implied, with regard to the data provided, including all implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement.
The Utah Climate Center shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of data provided by the Utah Climate Center. Data appearing on the Utah Climate Center's web site are not legal documents and should not be used as such. Climate data needed for legal cases ultimately is best obtained (and verified for courtroom purposes) through NCDC.
- Home Return to the Utah Climate Center homepage.
- Climate Database Server Use a GIS interface to access climate data from COOP, GSOD and AWOS weather stations.
- Visualize Weather & Climate
- Plant Management Tools
- Utah AgWeather Net
- Water Rangers (CoCoRaHS UT)
- Climate Conversions Find tools for temperature, humidity, wind speed and other climate conversions.
- Freeze Dates, & Water Years | <urn:uuid:458ae359-fee2-4d41-a0e2-1dbc7eaee49b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://climate.usurf.usu.edu/policy.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908217 | 673 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Logan Utah Family History Center/Class DescriptionsEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
Revision as of 19:46, 29 August 2011 by Sherilemon
|50 North Main|
|Mon: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm|
Tue-Thurs: 9:30 am – 9 pm
Fri - Sat: 9:30 am – 5 pm
Classes & Handouts
Tours & Group Activities
Online Film Ordering
Descriptions of Classes Offered at Logan Utah Family History Center
- 16th & 17th Century History of England for Genealogists: Learn of the social history of the people and how it affected their lives and where to obtain information pertaining to your research. Learn of the social life of the working class, church involvement in their lives, why did they move, where they went, and immigration and migration. This will prove to be a fast paced class with lots of insight to the lives of your ancestors. Make your ancestors come alive, find out how they lived and where they went.
- 18th & 19th Century History of England for Genealogists: Learn of the social history of the people and how it affected their lives and where to obtain information pertaining to your research. Learn of the social life of the working class, church involvement in their lives, why did they move, where they went, and immigration and migration. This will prove to be a fast paced class with lots of insight to the lives of your ancestors. Make your ancestors come alive, find out how they lived and where they went.
- 20th Century History of England for Genealogists: Learn of the social history of the people and how it affected their lives and where to obtain information pertaining to your research. Learn of the social life of the working class, church involvement in their lives, why did they move, where they went, and immigration and migration. This will prove to be a fast paced class with lots of insight to the lives of your ancestors. Make your ancestors come alive, find out how they lived and where they went.
- Ancestral Quest's Sync with new FamilySearch: Learn how to manage new FamilySearch using Ancestral Quest. Ancestral Quest is a family history database that allows you to interface with new FamilySearch. Learn what it can do and how you can benefit from it. Prerequisite an understanding of Ancestral Quest software. Handout - PowerPoint Presentation
- Ancestry.com: Learn what's available at Ancestry.com and how to search the site more effectively. This is possibly the best research database available. Make it work for you! Handout
- Basic US Research: This class will focus on websites to use, census records, obituaries, cemeteries, newspapers, life histories, books, photos, and how to share your data with others. Handout
- Beginners-Things You Should Know and Do: The What, When, Where, Why and How of getting started in Family History with emphasis on the "How." Handout - PowerPoint Presentation
- Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is defined here as storing your data on the internet. Use the internet to store your data, information, photos, etc. Learn how to make internet sites work for you. Many sites we will be discussing are free and you should be using them, if for no other reason, to back your data up to. Many people only have their family history data on the internet, which they can access from where ever they are. Come learn how to store your important files on the internet. Pay sites and free sites will be discussed. Handout
- Computer Basics: Learn the basics of the Windows operating system. Includes navigation, managing files and folders, customizing the desktop, etc. Includes navigation using Windows Explorer. This class is designed for the beginning computer user. If you don't know how to use your computer this class
is for you! Come to class with questions so I can help you with what you really want to know. Handout
- Computer Skills - Basic: This basic class is for the person who has minimal knowledge about computers. Basic functions such as using the mouse, opening & closing programs, entering and saving data and accessing the internet will be covered. Handout
- Danish Research: Learn how to conduct Danish research. Class is a two hour class in the Baptistry Room & the Classroom as needed. Handout (large, will take a while to download)
- Descendancy Research: If you are looking for relative’s names to take to the temple, then this class is for you. Many of us have our ancestral lines back as far as we are able to find them. We are frustrated because Aunt Mary already did the work for us. Learn how to follow the church’s admonition to find descendants of our ancestors and do their work. Many cousins await their work and someone to find them. Get the skills. This class is not a quick fix, it involves lots of work. Handout
- Descendancy Research Using "Get My Ancestors": The program "Get My Ancestors" will be used in the "get my descendants" mode to download, from new FamilySearch, descendants of a sibling of your 3rd Great Grandparent. Census records on Ancestry.com will be used to extend your Descendancy research and provide cousin' names for Temple Work.
- Descendancy Research -- Take a Cousin to the Temple: In this class you will learn how to “glean” a cousin’s name from new.familysearch.org, print the Family Ordinance Request (FOR) to take to the temple, and do the ordinances for your cousin. Most beginners starting with this approach have been able to find several Cousins’ names in just two or three hours. This is a very exciting way to get started in genealogy.
There will also be a short introduction on how to use Census and other records to extend your Descendancy (Cousin) “end of line” on the new.familysearch family tree. These will almost certainly be new name submissions for whom you can do the temple ordinances. Class handout.
- Discovering Your Female Ancestors: Research methods and resources that can help us identify and get to know our female ancestors. Handout
- Discovering Your Immigrant Ancestor Origins: Research methods and resources that can help us trace our ancestors back to their European origins. Handout
- Facebook for Family History Research: Focusing on registering and maneuvering privacy settings. Connecting and Re Connecting with Family and Friends in your life, past and present! How to share documents, pictures and memories of all kinds. How you can find family information.
- Family History Research - Getting Started: Introduction to family history research. Learn how to start, where to look, where to go for help.
- Family History Consultant Training: Overview of all the skills that are necessary to be a ward family history consultant. Introducing organization, searching compiled records, verifying and updating with today's technology, temple submission and sharing with others. A portion of this class will be used as a workshop for you to bring your questions and then to come up with solutions. Handout
- Family Insight-Synchronization: Use PAF5 with Family Insight to (1) update your records (including LDS Ordinances) from New FamilySearch and, at the same time, (2) transmit new names, dates, places, and notes from your PAF5 file to New FamilySearch. This two-directional movement of data is called Synchronization. Handout
- FamilySearch Wiki Goldmine: Learn how to use the FamilySearch Wiki effectively to determine what records are available and where to find them to jumpstart, extend or verify your family history research. Class Handout
- For "Fee" Web Sites that are "Free" at our Center: Learn Where to access FamilySearch Portal Websites, What each web site contains, and How each web site can help you in your research.
- Genealogy Boy Scout Merit Badge: Exploring your roots--where your family name came from, why your family lives where it does, what your parents and grandparents did for fun when they were your age--can be fascinating. Discovering your ancestors back through history is what genealogy is all about. You will learn basic terminology, some of the available tools, the role of computers, and how to record your information. For a worksheet go to: http://usscouts.org/mb/worksheets/Genealogy.pdf
- Google: Learn how to use the Google.com search engine more effectively to find research records available online. Google is a most effective family history research tool. Find what you're missing from this great web site. Handout - PowerPoint Presentation
- Helping Hispanic Researchers: From this class Family History & Priesthood leaders will be able to assist Hispanic research efforts. Handout
- Hispanic Research: This class will focus on Hispanic research strategies and will individualized to the attendees. It can be taught in English or Spanish. Handout
- How to Write Your Personal History: How to organize, document, and write about the person you know better than anyone else in the world–YOU! Handout 1, Handout 2, Handout 3, Handout 4
- Immigration Research:
- Learning Ancestral Quest: Learn how to use Ancestral Quest. Ancestral Quest is a family history database that allows you to utilize your PAF database but have more advanced features such as interfacing with new FamilySearch. Learn what it can do and how you can benefit from it. Prerequisite a knowledge of PAF.
- Legacy - Getting Started: Learn the basics of the Legacy program to enter, source, print and share your family information. Learn how to sync with New FamilySearch. Learn how to use the publishing center, picture center, search & tag, use events & chronologies, sources, the research guide & to do list. Class Handout
- Let's Learn About Blogging: Learn the basics of Blogging. What is a blog? How do I set one up? What are some benefits and cautions about blogging?
- Microfilm Scanning:*MobileTree on your iPod Touch or iPhone: Download an app called MobileTree (a great gift idea) to an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad. Access and download the Family Tree from new FamilySearch. Teenagers and adults alike love having their family tree on their own handheld device. Add photos, documents, and stories. Handout
- My Precious Family History - Succession: You inherited precious Family History books and mementoes, and you have worked hard collecting and making additional precious family history. Where can it be preserved for future generations? (Who wants it?) The logical or creative approach! Handout
- New FamilySearch: Learning to operate within the framework of new FamilySearch. Learn how to prepare your ancestors for the temple. The rules have changed, you probably do have people qualified to go to the temple. Learn how to clean up the family and submit them. You must have a users name and
password for new FamilySearch before coming to this class. Handout
- Organizing Your Family History Work on the Computer and with Paper: Whether it’s paper copies or computer files it’s very easy to lose track of what you have. This class will discuss methods for filing your papers, computer files and miscellaneous items so that you can easily find what you are looking for.
- Preparing an Acceptable Record & Submitting It: Handout 1, Handout 2
- A look into the Scriptures for our responsibility, and the importance of having our own personal file. PAF is acceptable.
- Understanding the New FamilySearch (NFS) database – Family Tree.
- Adding ordinance data to your PAF from NFS using Family Insight (FI).
- Combining and separating records in NFS using FI.
- Adding names to NFS using FI.
- Reserving names in NFS to be submitted to the Temple using FI.
- Printing a Family Ordinance Request (FOR).
- Reading German Gothic Script: If you have Germany ancestry this class will help you understand how to read Gothic script. This will greatly increase your ability to do research written in German.
- Recording an Oral History: We will look at how to create a video of yourself, friend or loved one to share with family members and future generations. We will look at preparing for the video, listing questions and topics to be explored, some important "do's and don'ts" as well as different types of recordings. We will also look at the recording studio at the Logan Family History Center that is available for your use.
- Recording Source Citations: The importance of citing sources of family history information, what information to include in the citation. Handout
- RootsMagic: Step up to a better way to keep your family history data. Sync with new FamilySearch. This is a great program and you will be happy you switched. PAF is so out of date with today's technology that you need to change. Why not choose the best! This is simply the easiest and most logical program to use. Handout
- Scottish Research Series: In this class, there will be offered up to date web sights to aid you in your search for your Scottish ancestor. Help will be given in the areas of Census, Civil registration, Parish registers, probate records, maps and gazetteers and archives. The Scottish research class will be taught for two consecutive weeks, with hands on computer help. Each week, time will be set aside for you to do some of your own research. Handout
- So You Want to Know Your Ancestors?: Introduction to family history research. Where to start, where to look, where to go for help. Handout - PowerPoint Presentation
- Submitting Temple Names Using "All My Cousins: The Church Certified Affiliate Program "All My Cousins" will be used in conjunction with new FamilySearch to provide hundreds of your cousins' names for temple work. This program finds all cousins' names that have a green arrow/temple icon by
their name. Handout
- Swiss Research: Class covers some Swiss history, reformation and records that were kept. Records that are available today and how to access them.
- Syncing with new FamilySearch: Learn how to use Ancestral Quest, RootsMagic, Legacy and Family Insight to sync with new FamilySearch.
- Taking the Frustration Obstacles Out of Genealogy: Review of obstacles that I have encountered doing my own Family History, (especially using the “New Family Search Site”) as well as other obstacles encountered by Logan Family History Center Patrons. Help solve obstacles by providing direct operation information as well as suggesting other sites available to provide help. A beginning handout will be provided online with the power point presentation. This will change after the 1st class to incorporate any obstacles you may personally have. Handout
- Understanding the Benefit of IGI Batch Numbers: How accurate is the data on the IGI and the New family Search? This question will be answered in this class. Come and learn how to find these batch numbers and feel good about your research.
- Using a Digital Camera In Family History Work: Using a digital camera to take images of source documents (and other artifacts). Why use a digital camera, considerations in taking a picture, how to select a camera. Handout
- Which Genealogy Program is Best for Me?: This class will compare the features of PAF, Family Insight, Ancestral Quest, RootsMagic and Legacy. Please bring a GEDCOM of your database (4-5 generations is plenty). We will import it into each program and complete a set of tasks in each that will help you decide which program fits your needs and skill level best. Class Handout
- Write Your Life History in 1 Hour!: Writing your life history does not have to be a monumental task. A brief, but informative summary of your life can be written in just one hour. Learn how to make writing your history easy and fun. You will complete most of your history in this class.
New to the Research Wiki?
In the FamilySearch Research Wiki, you can learn how to do genealogical research or share your knowledge with others.Learn More | <urn:uuid:a3a14889-c452-43e8-a40c-816b2de39a6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/index.php?title=Logan_Utah_Family_History_Center/Class_Descriptions&oldid=726393 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909243 | 3,381 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Secondary Bullying Poster
Middle and high school students ranging in ages 11 – 16 responded similarly to elementary age students. What is noticeably different is the use of technology in bullying behavior and responses to bullying behavior. Students and youth in this age group are also more likely to make an attempt to address the behavior on their own or with the help of a friend before turning to an adult for help.
Do you know what bullying looks like?
- When a “let’s hate ____” petition is being circulated and your name is at the top
- When most of the kids in the math class got a text to make mooing noises at another kid as she makes her way to her desk
- Putting a book bag in one seat, your feet in another, and a purse in the next empty chair to keep certain, other kids from sitting at your table
- Calling someone a name every time you see them, all day, every day
- Going out of your way to bump or shove the same kid in the hallway, at the lockers, anywhere you can get away with it
- Posting means things on a FB wall
- Tweeting rumors
Do you know what to do if you see a classmate being bullied?
- Tell them to chill
- Walk away
- Tell a teacher
- Stop by the counselor’s office
- Call or text my mom and dad
- Call my brother or sister
Do you know what to do if you are being bullied?
- Tell them to back off
- Keep walking
- Talk to a teacher or my coach
- See the school nurse
- Leave my teacher a note
What can school staff do?
- Listen. Make time to talk to all parties involved.
- Document the incident. Have students print out chat logs or FB postings.
- Be visible. Call the students by name, stand in the hallways between bells, let students know you are willing to listen.
- Share resources and information on where to get help.
- Be consistent when responding to reports. | <urn:uuid:f266673c-732b-4e51-b330-b6b262184c2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aft.org/yourwork/tools4teachers/bullying/secposter.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94645 | 428 | 4.15625 | 4 |
This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
SOURCE: Montgomery Educational Consulting
Immigration is a hot topic these days, and it can be confusing to international students who wish to study in the US. To help out, Montgomery Educational Consulting has been publishing an ongoing series of blog posts that provide a solid foundation in the immigration issues of the day.
Westfield, NJ (PRWEB) February 06, 2013
Andrea Aronson, a college admissions consultant based in Westfield, NJ, recently published the eighth in a series of blog posts on the topic of international immigration issues for foreign students. The blog posts, which have appeared on the Montgomery Educational Consulting website: http://www.greatcollegeadvice.com, have been a joint collaboration between Ms. Aronson, who works as a Senior Associate with Montgomery Educational Consulting, and Laurie Woog, an immigration and naturalization attorney whose Woog Law office is located in Scotch Plains, NJ.
While the most recent blog post is focused on recent immigration proposals that can affect international students, prior posts have dealt with such topics as:
“Laurie Woog’s contributions to the Great College Advice blog are an invaluable addition to our practice,” commented Ms. Aronson. “Montgomery Educational Consulting assists students all over the world in their search for college and graduate study in the United States, and the ability to be able to provide them with expert insight into the unique issues that they will face when coming to and studying in the U.S. is a great asset.”
Each blog post in the international student immigration issue series provides straightforward information, which can help demystify different aspects of the immigration process. Selected posts have also dealt with some of the most current issues in the news today, such as what the educational landscape looks like for undocumented students.
Ms. Woog stated, “More and more international students want to take advantage of the U.S. educational system, but the process can be quite complicated! Having a foundation with which to start is crucial, and that’s what these blog posts provide.”
From offices in Colorado and New Jersey, Montgomery Educational Consulting offers comprehensive, personalized educational counseling services to students locally, around the country, and around the world. These college admissions experts guide students every step of the way as they navigate the university search and application process. Then, they help students get admitted to the college that is right for them.
For more information about Montgomery Educational Consulting, call 720.261.8299, or email info(at)greatcollegeadvice(dot)com. Or visit http://greatcollegeadvice.com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/2/prweb10402051.htm | <urn:uuid:e1f280e0-2c8f-4fe4-b17c-2599389e1ec3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fox2127.com/story/20975720/westfield-nj-educational-consultant-publishes-blog-posts-on-crucial-and-current-immigration-issues-for-international-students | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942089 | 600 | 1.71875 | 2 |
NORTH Fremantle's Carnegie Wave Energy has signed the power produced by its wave power facility over to the Department of Defence.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the energy supply agreement when she visited Carnegie today.
The project will create 25 jobs within Carnegie and 100 more in manufacturing and construction by making use of the powerful swell off the back of Garden Island to help power the biggest naval base in Australia.
She said the carbon price would provide an incentive for businesses to invest in more projects like Carnegie Wave Energy.
Construction of the wave power facility at HMAS Stirling is expected to start later this year, with wave-driven power expected to be supplied before the end of next year.
It will provide HMAS Stirling with up to 1.25 megawatts of power per day, expected to save about 2.6 million kilograms of carbon emissions over five years. | <urn:uuid:7dd2086b-71bf-44b0-bad2-6e1f11d9fecc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://canning.inmycommunity.com.au/going-out/movies/The-Tree-of-Life/7595261/news-and-views/videos/news-and-views/local-news/Energy-supply-agreement-windfall/7627115/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945625 | 176 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Mental health court tries to help break the cycle
Snohomish County diversion program looks for long-term solutions
Sunday, November 25, 2012
EVERETT -- A new mental health court has opened in Snohomish County to help find solutions for people living with mental illness who are caught in the criminal justice system. It is designed to solve issues that can't be easily addressed in a traditional court.
So far, two people have opted into the program. A third is in the early stages. The program could eventually manage 20 cases.
The pilot project is funded from a portion of a sales tax specifically collected to pay for services for those in the community living with a mental illness and those with substance abuse problems.
These cases would have been in some part of the court system, but are diverted to the mental health court to seek long-term solutions.
Participants likely will be someone "who has gone through the system over and over again," said Everett District Court Judge Tam Bui, who presides over the new court.
The goal is to help people get stable and healthy so they can get out of the cycle, proponents say.
Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Hal Hupp will decide whether defendants are legally eligible for the program, by looking at the current charge, as well as any past criminal history. The court generally won't accept anyone charged with a felony and will avoid anyone with a history of violence.
"We don't want the program to fail because we brought in the wrong person," Hupp said.
Participants must be engaged in treatment, meeting with court's mental health liaison and following the recommendations of health care providers. The program also requires regular court visits; the court will maintain jurisdiction over the cases for two years. | <urn:uuid:d2341fb3-9f10-4def-bcfd-cc14fbd3300f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/nov/25/mental-health-court-tries-to-help-break-the-cycle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967134 | 363 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Panelists included Newark Charter School Fund founder and Princeton alumnus Stig Leschly ’92, who discussed mayoral control and school board governance of schools in the United States with fellow panelists Robert Bobb, Daniel McKee, and Kathleen Nugent. The four speakers debated what Leschly called “the near failure of democracies in America” in electing the right leaders to provide school vision and oversight.
Meanwhile, Arthur McKee ’90 of the CityBridge Foundation moderated “Lessons learned from Gates’ investments in teacher effectiveness,” a panel discussing the preliminary results shown by the eight districts funded by the 2009 Gates Foundation donation of $335 million to support components of teacher effectiveness.
Also present at the conference was American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who talked about the national implications of reform efforts in New Haven and collective bargaining in United States’ public education.
“I was very excited that Randi Weingarten made such a big push for cooperation between unions and reformers,” said Princeton SFER President Katelyn Gostic ’13, who hopes to become a teacher immediately after graduation.
Many of the Princeton students who intend to pursue careers in education said that the conference was a good opportunity for meeting future colleagues and leaders in education reform.
“Education is the field I really want to go into, but because it’s not a traditional field [Princeton students] tend to enter, the connections within the field are less obvious than, say, the finance field,” Emily Myerson ’12 said.
For Claire Cole ’12, the conference provided with her access to “new learning and passion that can be found in a group of driven and successful leaders.”
“I came to the realization that no one can give me the answers about education reform, and that we’re all figuring it out at the same time,” she said. | <urn:uuid:44cdbcdd-52aa-4d1a-bc01-c16cab1cadf8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.princeton.edu/paw/2011/03/undergraduates_1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959803 | 405 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Home of the Truly Ergonomic Mouse - the HandShoe Mouse
We are determined to offer you the best ergonomic mouse in the world.
Did you know that one in six workers are suffering from some form of RSI or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, mostly related to intensive use of a traditional computer mouse?
The HandShoe Mouse has been developed by a Dutch medical university and has been tested in large organisations for almost two years. During these tests we saw many people who were suffering from RSI or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, coming back to work again.
The reason is that the unique and patented shape of the HandShoe Mouse fully supports your hand in the best relaxed position and prevents gripping and pinching, what you do when you use a standard mouse.
However excellent the functionality of the standard computer mouse - we all use it with great ease - most of the time it is too small for the hand while its shape forces your hand and fingers in an unnatural gripping position. It lacks comfort and the gripping and pinching, as well as the hovering of your fingers above the mouse buttons are the major sources of complaints which may lead to Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The Research team has also tested a vertical mouse and found that gripping and pinching of a vertical mouse is still a potential source of RSI or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Another medical university found that with a vertical mouse the "interosseous membrane" is extremely taut ("stressed") which also may lead to complaints.
The HandShoe Mouse was developed with all complaints in mind. Support of your hand and fingers prevents gripping and pinching and your arm is supported at the ideal angle of 25-30 degrees which makes sure your forearm is completely relaxed.
Prevent RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Instead of over-using your hand and wrist, your arm will most of the time let the optical HandShoe Mouse float without any effort. The shape allows for the hand to continuously rest on the mouse body in a relaxed fashion, so there is no skin contact between your hand and the desk.
As a result there is no skin irritation as caused by excessive rubbing when moving a conventional mouse. Contrary to conventional computer mice you don't have to continuously lift (hover) the fingers, to prevent accidental switching.
The buttons of this ergonomic mouse are positioned in line with the fingers. Only minor pressure is required to click the buttons. The thumb rest of the HandShoe Mouse allows for a relaxed position and prevents excessive thumb action which can be harmful.
HandShoe = "Glove"
In Dutch the word HandShoe means "Glove".
The HandShoe Mouse "fits like a glove" or, like some people say "feels like a saddle for the hand". The HandShoe Mouse is available in three standard sizes (Small, Medium and Large) which are available in a wireless and a wired version. So size matters and there is a HandShoe Mouse for everyone!
The HandShoe Mouse is developed, based on proper university research and measurements and not on beliefs of individuals.
The user friendly HandShoe Mouse is an ergonomic mouse available in 3 standard sizes: Small, Medium and Large.
The HandShoe Mouse is plug and play; no special software drivers for Mac or PC are needed.
Controls consist of 2 buttons at an ergonomic position and a scroll wheel fitted with a switch mechanism. The large size HandShoe Mouse has a third mouse button. This mouse button is not programmable; it has the same function as the click function underneath the scroll wheel.
- BlueRay Track (BRT) will work on almost every surface
- Has a resolution of 1500 dpi.
- Poll rate (Herz) of the electronics is 113~118Hz and up to 120Hz.
- Wireless range of the receiver is 10 m
- Receiver is smaller and does't have a light.
- The wireless HandShoeMouse uses a lithium ion battery which can only be removed by professional service providers only.
- Battery life is approximately 2 years.
- Operating time for the wireless version is around 4 weeks.
- Charging of the wireless version takes around 3 hours.
- Charging takes place by means of USB cable; The PC or laptop needs to be switched on during charging.
- One can continue working while charging the battery; the micro receiver / dongle must be in place.
|Operating System||Mac, Windows|
|Interface Type||USB, Wireless|
|Integrated Features||Rechargeable, Scroll Wheel| | <urn:uuid:33f8bfb1-adc5-42db-80e1-64eeddab9e7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.officerelief.com/product-catalog/ergonomic-mice/hippus-blueray-track-large-wireless-handshoe-mouse-with-light-click-right-hand.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93524 | 954 | 2.15625 | 2 |
This week, the PBS News Hour offered a moving, two-part series profiling the Bard Prison Initiative. The program was started in 1999 by Max Kenner a student at Bard College in New York State. Kenner sought to restore a college education program for men and women incarcerated in New York State prisons.
Fifteen years ago, state and federal governments stopped supporting college education in prison. Kenner and his team believe that liberal arts education, rather than technical training, has the potential offer a prisoner not only marketable skills, but, more importantly, an opportunity for self-reflection.
Since 1999, 157 degrees have been awarded and there is only a stunning 2 percent recidivism rate among graduates.
Many students credit their philosophy classes as having the deepest impact on their transformation.
You can read more about the Bard Prison Initiative and watch both segments from the PBS News Hour . | <urn:uuid:a371e6d1-fbec-4975-8e3e-df943d765397> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncronline.org/print/blogs/ncr-today/getting-ba-behind-bars | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956654 | 179 | 2.125 | 2 |
Tag Archives: Web Hosting Guide
So you’re looking to learn about web hosting and what to offer, or may not know much about web hosting? There is no shame in not knowing this information. Everyone has to start from scratch at a time. In this case allows you to start learning about web hosting.
First, what is webhosting and how?
Web hosting is a business practice to provide space and bandwidth for high performance server computer that is connected to the Internet at high speeds. Hosting companies maintain large networks of computers with high performance web servers in a physical location known as data center. These servers are connected to fast Internet connections, and generally redundant. Data centers have a primary and backup power, high speed Internet access and security monitoring personnel.
Web hosting companies provide a disc and share the bandwidth available to the client for a monthly fee. Once a customer has signed, they can be placed in their personal space on a web server and information is then visible to all interested parties on the Internet. Monthly fee Free web hosting companies is much lower than what it costs to run a home server or data center. This is why these companies exist. They take care of all hardware, software and other technical means to you.
Types of Web Hosting
There are many different types of web hosting offers, but the three are shared, reseller, and dedicated. Each type of hosting is for another purpose.
Shared Web Hosting
Shared web hosting is the most popular form of hosting. Shared hosting is part of the disk and bandwidth to help with web hosting companies on high-performance servers. There are many other sites hosted on this server and hosting companies are likely to have quite a few of these servers in large data center. Server resources are shared with several web pages that are allocated to this computer.
Shared web hosting is the best form of web hosting, if you are looking for a great price and no more than several thousand visitors a day on your site.
Reseller Web Hosting
Reseller hosting is a popular, low-cost solution to start your own web hosting business. There are two types of reseller hosting, private-label and reseller services.
Private Label is the best type of reseller plan, it allows you to maintain complete control over your client’s site. Private label reseller plan allows you to make a monthly payment hosting client, but the seller must pay a monthly fee for hosting companies largest provider space. Label several private hosting reseller accounts are sold, more profit for them. Private-label hosting allows you to host more sites than if sharing hosting for everyone. This is a great solution for someone who has many facets that need to host one place to save money.
Regular service seller intends to sell more web hosting plans web hosting company, but get a special price offers customer and get a monthly fee for as long as they remain a customer. This plan does not allow control of the website and customers can keep only part of the monthly dangerous.
Dedicated Web Hosting
Dedicated web hosting is the most powerful and cost-effective website hosting busy without resorting to purchase its own equipment and pay hundreds of dollars per month for fast internet connection. Dedicated Hosting is composed of a server that nobody else on this machine. This enables most configuration options. Anyone who has loaded you will find dedicated pages is a necessary choice.
Web Hosting Considerations
Wondering about all the other information in the web hosting plans? In this section I will explain the most important aspects when choosing a good web host.
Price is hosting one of the most important. There are many hosting companies, hosting packages are cheap, but they may lack in other areas. Do not let the price fool package. There are some hosting companies out there that have great prices and other features are as good. Price may be one of the most important decisions a web hosting plan, but is much more to consider when selecting a quality web host.
Disk space / storage
Disk space is the amount of physical storage space hosting gives you to store web files. Hosting companies these days to plan disk space is measured mainly in terms of gigabytes, but some are still offering plans megabytes of storage. Depending on your needs of file storage space, you need more or less. In general, more disk space offered, the better.
Bandwidth / data transfer
The amount of bandwidth available can make a big difference in selecting the plan quality. In general, the more bandwidth a hosting company is available for you, better. This means that you can support more traffic to your site as your business grows. Beware of web hosting companies that offer unlimited or unmetered bandwidth. While many of these are legitimate offers, there are people who are overselling their bandwidth, hoping that the average user will not use too much.
In any business, is very important exceptions to customer service. Web hosting is no exception. Many hosting companies are available throughout the day and night, if you have a problem with your site, but there are people that are currently available at specific hours of the day. If your site goes down Wednesday night, when they are available, it means lost revenue for businesses. You must make sure you select a web host is always available for support.
Money back guarantee
Most web hosting companies offer a thirty day money back guarantee. Some of them will, and even more time, but be wary of those who offer no money back guarantee. I buy hosting services from a company that offers at least a 30 days money back guarantee if proved to be the market leader and have an excellent reputation.
OS is a piece of software that manages the interaction between your computer and the physical hardware device. Most sites on the Internet runs on Linux. Linux is generally more stable than Windows. Stability is essential for operating sites. For this reason, we prefer to host their websites on Linux. Some sites have specific requirements for Windows only meet, but there are alternatives to these requirements.
A good web hosting company will have a regular backup of data on Web servers. Often data are supported, the better. At least have a website hosting company back to daily files.
Control Panel is the focal point of the site manager will be between their machines and host server connected via the Internet. It is very important to have well-organized and easy to use control panel interface. My favorite cPanel control panel, which is one of control panels leading web hosting there today. Plesk is another good, and many companies will create a custom control panel for you to use. Most web hosting companies provide a link to the demo control panel to use their hosting plans. Control Panel is used in a matter of preference, but should be easy to use.
E-mail is an essential part of Internet communication. Most web hosting companies where you have multiple email addresses, and more space to store emails than you’ll ever need. What should you look at companies that have chosen to be a little harder on the e-mail and provide only a small amount or small amount of space news.
During operation, the term used to describe how often the company’s website hosting is available online medium. No company should be expected to provide availability of 100% correct. It is not possible due to things such as hardware, software, and power shortages. Most companies are very good, availability, and I guarantee. It is still better to be aware of companies posted uptimes. If there is at least 99.5%, that’s probably worth hosting with this company.
As a webmaster, nice to know how many visitors you had, they came from, how long it will stay on your site and how much bandwidth you use. This information is collected from a Web server and is located in the log file. Statistics software package can read this data and provide relevant information to the webmaster. Information from these protocols can be very valuable service to site visitors improved.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is a way to quickly upload or download files, and many of the web server. Most web hosting companies provide their clients access to their web hosting account via FTP. FTP is very useful and is a great feature to pay a web hosting account.
The database is a place to store data that can be used in many different directions. Databases are used on the Internet for applications such as shopping carts, message boards, and catalogs. Most databases, web hosting provider allows you to create, most applications can be deployed on web server. Database using advanced web master, but the information is freely available online would be interested. | <urn:uuid:6dbbb54d-e7ce-4cfe-8da9-30446573080c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hostbyweb.com/web/web-hosting-guide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947234 | 1,757 | 2.359375 | 2 |
A ecumenical gathering of around 40,000 young people was attended by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome's St Peter's Square.
The young Christians -- Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox -- came to Rome as part of a European meeting of the Taize community, an ecumenical monastic order in Taize in eastern France.
"To meet 40,000 young people from across Europe is extraordinary," said a 26-year-old participant from the Paris region. "I came for that, not to see the pope."
Attendants were between 16 and 35 years old, many from Poland.
The gathering was part of a six-day meeting in Rome which ends on Wednesday.
Previous gatherings have taken place in the city in 1980, 1982 and 1987. | <urn:uuid:a7e4f6bc-1d71-45ae-ad71-8b961535e8ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medindia.net/news/ecumenical-gathering-of-40000-young-christians-attended-by-the-pope-112257-1.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975622 | 155 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Connect to share and comment
The bombing of a CIA base highlights country's importance to US intelligence gathering.
“The main goal for Jordan’s diplomacy and activity abroad — in the region and around the world — is to protect its economic and security interests,” said Ihmod Abu Salim, a professor of political science at Mu’tah University in Karak, Jordan. “It’s not acting on behalf of the Western countries or the United States. Now, the whole world cooperates with each other in war against terrorism.”
The CIA has a long history of cultivating relationships with local intelligence agencies, as it has with Jordan. In exchange for funding and access to advanced technology, the CIA often gets access to a local agencies’ human resources that it couldn’t cultivate on its own.
“These local agencies have things that they can lend, as far as cultural understanding, language abilities, demographics, that the CIA doesn’t have,” said Scott Stewart, vice president of tactical intelligence at STRATFOR, a global intelligence company.
While the CIA’s funding of foreign intelligence agencies has come under close scrutiny and some attack in recent years, Stewart said there is usually a relatively even exchange with both agencies benefiting from the agreement.
Additionally, as the U.S. works to pursue groups such as Al Qaeda, well-trained local intelligence agencies are playing an increasingly important role in helping the U.S.
“This is not by any stretch of the imagination any symbolic relationship, specifically when you talk about Jordan,” said Richard Russell, a former CIA analyst and professor of national security affairs at the National Defense University. Jordan’s intelligence agency is widely looked upon as one of the most advanced in the region, said Russell, and it is capable of providing the U.S. with indispensable assistance.
Aside from sharing many common enemies with the U.S., Jordan also has an interest in maintaining close ties with the U.S. because it is one of the largest per capita recipients of U.S. aid in the world.
“Jordan isn’t the only close ally of the U.S. in the region and has an obvious interest in trying to demonstrate that it can be a more valuable partner for the U.S. in areas of direct interest to the U.S. than other allies in the region,” said Mouin Rabbani, a contributing editor to Middle East Report who is based in Amman, Jordan. | <urn:uuid:7116ebc6-9cfc-4789-9822-2b9a6af4248f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/jordan/100107/jordan-cia-bomber?page=0,1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946087 | 522 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Fun Uses For Software
May 26, 2008
I just returned from a family vacation where we cruised on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas. The ship had two pool tables that were self-leveling. As the ship rocked, the pool tables' computers updated their positions in real-time to counteract the motion of the ship. I played and observed others, dozens of times, and it was always perfect.
You can see a video of it in action here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oRhfcXxM79U
The sign next to the pool table said it's computer controlled, uses sensors that check the level, and an accelerometer to counteract inertia and momentum (keeping it level isn't enough). It also mentioned that it's based on the same software used on off-shore oil platforms to keep them level in rough seas.
It's interesting to see how even complex real-time software can be used to have fun!
However, I'm sorry to say, it did nothing to improve my game :-( | <urn:uuid:9754a870-c6ce-4639-9b6e-99598c39e5e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drdobbs.com/architecture-and-design/fun-uses-for-software/228701574 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971659 | 219 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Death and Islam
For Muslims, life decides the afterlife
The whole life of a Muslim constitutes of a trial and test by means of which his final destiny is determined. For him, death is the return of the soul to its Creator, God, and the inevitability of death and the Hereafter is never far from his consciousness. This serves to keep all of his life and deeds in perspective as he tries to live in preparedness for what is to come. For Muslims, the concept of death and the afterlife in Islam is derived from the holy Qur'an, the final revealed message from God.
We learn that death is exactly like sleeping; complete with dreams (6:60, 40:46). The period between death and resurrection passes like one night of sleep (the holy Qur'an: 2:259; 6:60; 10:45; 16:21; 18:11, 19, 25; 30:55). At the moment of death, everyone knows his or her destiny; heaven or hell. For the disbelievers, death is a horrible event; the angels beat them on the faces and rear ends as they snatch away their souls (the holy Qur'an:8:50, 47:27, 79:1). Consistently, the holy Qur'an talks about two deaths; the first death took place when we failed to make a stand with God's absolute authority. That first death lasted until we were born into this world. The second death terminates our life in this world (the holy Qur'an 2:28, 22:66, 40:11).
The Qur'an, contains various death themes that add significantly to our insight into the meaning of death, the concept is left undefined and always portrayed in close relationship with the concepts of life, creation, and resurrection.
All that is on earth will perish. (The Holy Qura'n 55:26)
Allah says in the Quran: "Everyone shall taste death. And only on the day of resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to paradise, this person is indeed successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception." (The Holy Qur'an:3:185)
In other words, the holy Qur'an says that it is a person who has to taste death, and his physical existence does not separate from his soul. Death is the termination of an individual comprehensive being, capable of believing and disbelieving, and not simply a living organism. Life does not end with death.
In the same way that a person does not cease to exist in sleep, similarly he does not cease to exist in death. And in the same way that a person comes back to life when waking from sleep, also he will be revived at the great awakening on the Day of Judgement. Hence, Islam views death merely as a stage in human existence. Physical death should not be feared but one should, however, worry about the agonies of spiritual death caused by living a life of moral corruption.
The mystery of life and death is resolved in the holy Qur'an by linking it to the working of human conscience and its ability to maintain a healthy status of human spiritual-moral existence with faith in God. Human efforts should be concerned with the revival of human conscience, which will lead to a meaningful life.
Muslims are always buried, never cremated. It is a religious requirement that the body be ritually washed and draped before burial, which should be as soon as possible after death. The dying person is encouraged to recite and declare his or her faith. When a Muslim dies his or her face should be turned right facing towards Makkah (127 South-east from United Kingdom). The arms and legs should be straightened and the mouth and eyes closed; and the body covered with a sheet. A baby dying at or before birth has to have a name.
Death is divinely willed and when it arrives it should be readily accepted. There should, therefore, be no reasoning by the bereaved as to why they have lost their loved one. Islamic scholars such as the twelfth century theologian, Al Ghazali stress that death is unpredictable and can happen at any time and as such Muslims should always be prepared for the inevitable and for what is about to occur. It is but a gateway from this short but mortal existence to a life of immortality in the afterlife.
Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid is the Chairman of the Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK
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- Eleanor Margolis | <urn:uuid:38bdd73b-2412-4fbd-aa4e-a6a324a1bdc5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-faith-column/0000/00/holy-qur-muslims-life-death | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955234 | 1,049 | 2.6875 | 3 |
LAHAINA - Although a small congregation, Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Lahaina has served our West Side community in a large way.
On Sunday, Nov. 25, it will celebrate the Feast Day of the Holy Sovereigns, King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, and 150 years of ministry in Lahaina.
Rev. William J. Albinger is the rector of the parish.
The original Holy Innocents’ Church was built in 1872.
"There will be a 3 p.m. special service. We have invited the Royal Societies, because we are an historic church. The Episcopal Church is the only church that the kings and queens had invited to Hawaii. We have connections with the royal traditions," he said.
Community leader and retired Lahainaluna High School English teacher Penny Wakida is a devoted Holy Innocents parishioner.
On and off, for over 25 years, she has served on the church vestry.
Founding member of the Lahainaluna High School Archive Committee, Wakida considered it her charge to preserve the church's rich history.
"I did an inventory of the safe, and I organized the filing cabinets. There were written bits and pieces, and I put it all in one place," she explained.
"We have record books in there that go back to 1873, like baptisms. There are historic names in those registries," she added.
"One of the founding lay people of the parish was Henry Dickenson Sr.," Father Bill said. Dickenson was district magistrate in 1869.
"For a short time, there were no priests, and he led the morning services as a lay person," Wakida noted.
"Lani Hanchett was the first Native Hawaiian ordained a priest," Albinger added.
He served as the rector at Holy Innocents from 1952 to 1959 and went on "to become the first bishop when Hawaii became a stand-alone diocese."
The church was not always located at 561 Front St.
The first service in Lahaina was conducted by Right Rev. Thomas Nettleship Staley at Hale Aloha on Dec. 14, 1862.
"From there, we went to a ship chandlery's office on Canal Street; met and had services there. Then they built the church on the corner of Prison and Front. In 1917, they did a land swap," Albinger continued.
"The present building was built in 1927 and expanded in '59."
The strength of the church, however, is not in its structure. It's embodied by its congregation.
"I treasure the history and the spirit of this church... the principles that come with it and the people," Wakida affirmed.
Holy Innocents' has an open door policy.
"Historically, I think it has always been an opening, welcoming congregation to everyone. It has embraced the whole community," Father Bill commented.
"I think we have six 12-step meetings that meet on this property. (We're) the oldest AA meeting in Lahaina - we've been here for years," the parish rector added.
Monthly PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter meetings are held at the parish.
"The Free Church of Tonga, they worship here in the afternoons on Sundays and Wednesday nights," Albinger added.
"I think the biggest sin is that you have a building that is used for only two hours a week," he remarked.
Education is an integral part of the Holy Innocents experience.
In the archives, an unknown author penned: "The premises of Messrs. Bolles and Co. (a ship's chandlery) were leased (on the site of the present King Kamehameha III School) to use as church and boy's school Luaehu School.
"In 1865, the Sisters of the Devonport Society of the Most Holy Trinity came and started a girl's school."
HIPS (Holy Innocents' Preschool) opened its doors in the Parish Hall in 1974.
"We have sponsored that now for 37 years. I do chapel with them once a week - three and four years old - and, to me it is like payday," Father Bill said.
Holy Innocents was one of the founding parishes for FACE (Faith Action for Community Equity) three years ago.
"Father Bill was a real strong mover and shaker in the foundation of this organization," Wakida said.
The congregation is also involved in secular activities.
"We have been effective with Roz Baker, and Angus McKelvey has been very helpful," he said.
"We are able to get through the mortgage foreclosure legislation that saves a lot of homes here," Father Bill added.
Other issues of importance to the Holy Innocents community include immigration reform, affordable housing and better jobs.
"We have investment banker prices and hospitality industry wages. If we want to keep our kids here, we have to have decent jobs for them," he said.
In response to its parishioners, a 5:30 p.m. service was recently added to its Sunday worship schedule.
"They have reached out to us; it was parents that came and said, 'We got soccer, we got football, we got little league. All of this stuff happens on Sunday morning. Everybody is busy, busy, busy,' " he explained.
"We do a service at 5:30 on Sunday afternoon. Because everybody's winding down, I said one-half hour. Keep it short. Make the sermons understandable to the young people. It's a gathering for some prayers, read the lessons, a short sermon One Sunday a month, we do a potluck," Father Bill commented.
Over the years, Father Bill concluded, "The world has changed, and we've changed with it." | <urn:uuid:e115ede3-d3cf-4f97-b04b-df103d49dbb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lahainanews.com/page/content.detail/id/508731/Holy-Innocents-Episcopal-Church-active-in-the-community.html?nav=19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981608 | 1,230 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Tracyton accident is gory reminder of boating dangers
July 7, 2008 · Updated 2:38 PM
Last weekend’s boating accident on Dyes Inlet is a scary reality of just how dangerous boating can be if the proper precautions aren’t taken.
A 45-year-old Seattle woman remains at Harborview Medical Center after her right leg was cut off by her boat’s propeller near the Tracyton boat launch. Her life changed forever in just a few short minutes. But it can happen to anyone and all it takes is one little mistake.
The couple wasn’t under the influence of alcohol and they weren’t driving erratically, they were simply loading items onto their boat. But why the boat wasn’t turned off while the woman was climbing aboard the back steps isn’t exactly clear. Even if the boat isn’t moving, it’s clear from this tragic accident that the boat’s propeller is still just as dangerous when it’s idling. Hopefully other boaters will learn from this tragedy and think twice about this serious danger the next time they are on the water.
These types of horrific boating injuries happen all too often. In an average year in the United States, approximately 200 to 250 non-fatal injuries are reported as a result of a person being struck by the propeller and/or propulsion unit of their boat, according to the United States Coast Guard.
Unfortunately, similar boating accidents are not uncommon. Last summer, tragedy struck a newlywed couple, Ken and Jeanette (McClister) Bayne, who were on their Jet Ski in Port Orchard Bay near Brownsville when they crossed the path of a friend’s 16-foot Sea Ray outboard boat. They both died as a result of the accident.
If you are a boater, take the time to get your Washington State Boater Education Card. This year, those ages 12 to 20 who operate a boat with 15 horsepower or more are required to have the card. Each year will include another age group. Over the next seven years, people 50 and younger will be required to take a boater education course. Even if your age group for the requirement is still a few years away, get the card now. It never expires. To learn more, visit www.parks.wa.gov/boating/boatered.asp. | <urn:uuid:48fdeb8f-9c9d-4c45-af72-fee666e5b57e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.centralkitsapreporter.com/opinion/23183074.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957889 | 503 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Opportunities and Challenges: A new paradigm for maternal and child health
Five countries meet in Tashkent to reaffirm their commitment to health sector reforms and their resolve to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for Improved Maternal and Child Health.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan - 2 November 2006: The 10th AnnualMaternal and Child Health Forum, Central Asian Republics, opened in Tashkent, Uzbekistan today with representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, several international agencies and global experts reaffirming their commitment to strategies that will reduce infant, child and maternal deaths and illnesses and to turn policy and legislation into decisive action.
The objective of this annual forum is to bring together scientists and specialists to exchange knowledge and experience on priority health concerns relating to the survival, development and protection of children and the well-being of women. This tenth forum will review health sector reforms to date, the funding of these reforms and the implementation of integrated maternal and child health care programmes across the region.
“There is an urgent need to develop humane, confidential and caring health services for the youth and women. We must not be complacent and time to act is now.” - Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director
The Honourable Health Minister of Uzbekistan, Mr Feruz Nazirov opened the meeting, welcoming the participants to Tashkent and wishing them effective and fruitful discussions. He said that the recommendations coming out of this forum should guide the future health policies in the Central Asian Republics region.
“I am most impressed by the progress that has taken place in the Commonwealth of Independent States region in the area of Maternal and Child Health,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States, Maria Calivis. “The Multi Indicator Cluster Surveys reflect a reduction in infant, and under-five mortality rates, showing that the reforms are working. But progress is slow and must be speeded up if the Millennium Development Goals are to be attained by 2015. Of the emerging issues that need urgent attention, HIV/AIDS is the most critical. There is an urgent need to develop humane, confidential and caring health services for the youth and women. We must not be complacent and time to act is now.”
Mr. Hussein Aminov, Chief of Tajikistan's Maternal and Child Health Department, presented the recommendations from last year's ninth forum which included: early childhood development, the adaption of international standards for reporting and monitoring, the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders, and health sector reforms. He said that while all countries would not be able to achieve all of the targets, by the time of next year's forum to be held in Turkmenistan, there will have been considerable progress.
Mr. Feruz Nazirov made the opening presentation from Uzbekistan. Quoting His Excellency Islam Karimov, “Caring for the growing generation, striving for the upbringing of healthy, balanced and well-developed individuals – is our national character”, he said that the focus of health reforms in Uzbekistan has been to extend primary health care services to mothers and children in rural areas. Upgrade of the skills of health professionals and increased cooperation with international agencies are among the other recent improvements in the country. Looking to the future he said, “we will expand the introduction of live birth definitions to the entire health care system.”
Representatives from the other four countries also made presentations on the progress they have achieved and raised issues for discussion and common understanding. Keynote speeches by global experts also contributed to the set of issues to be discussed at the meeting.
“If there is one goal which all societies must achieve, it is Health for All,” said Development Economist Dr. A.K. Shiva Kumar speaking on “Children, Health and Society: the role of state and public action.” “The two priorities for countries should be Children First and preventive health care. Lessons from around the world show the importance of having community-based health care and the important role that the state has in financing and administering universal health,” he added.
Nutrition expert Jack Bagriansky presented the linkages between poor nutrition and an economic cost to a country. "Malnutrition is insidious and eats into the economic development of a country. In the case of children it means lower IQ, and reduced school performance. The technologies to overcome this are both simple and cost effective. Vitamin A supplementation programme for children, fortification of foods with micronutrients, and universal iodisation of salt are some of the most effective and well-tested strategies of the world."
Speaking on Child Survival and Development , UNICEF Representative Uzbekistan, Reza Hossaini, said “The introduction of integrated health services addressing neo-natal and childhood illnesses, better immunisation services, growth monitoring as an important tool for early identification of malnutrition, a system of surveillance and monitoring for timely detection of deviances, and several cost effective micronutrient strategies offers us enormous opportunities for making a giant leap towards this new paradigm for children and mothers. Our future generations will not forgive us if we let this moment slip by.”
The regional delegates and international experts will continue to discuss these issues over two days. The final recommendations will be announced at the closing session of the forum on November 3, 2006.
Bobur Turdiev, Communication Officer
Statement to 10th Mother and Child Health Forum, Central Asia Republics | <urn:uuid:ac9abbcf-55bb-4dd8-9847-0c00203b177e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/media_5371.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938589 | 1,141 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Film Review #134: Ten Canoes
Director: Rolf de Heer
Cast: Jamie Gulpilil, David Gulpilil, Crusoe Kurddal
“It’s a good story,” confides the Storyteller to us in one of his asides. “It will help Dayindi live the proper way.” Voiced by the great Australian aboriginal actor David Gulpilil, whose son Jamie plays Dayindi in his debut screen role, this Storyteller’s gentle, humorous, sometimes chiding narration in English is specifically addressed to outsiders – “you other mob” – and it’s what allows us to eavesdrop on a distant, ancient world whose characters speak entirely in indigenous languages.
Set near Australia’s northern coast in Arnhem Land before the first contact with Westerners, Ten Canoes recounts how one man, Minygululu (Peter Minygululu), knowing his younger brother Dayindi is jealous of his three wives and seriously eyeing the youngest, tells Dayindi an ancient story with a similar plot. The two are part of a group of men who set out to collect goose eggs in the Arafura Swamp some ways from their tiny village, an annual undertaking that requires them to build new bark canoes. Thus the older brother’s story – in which the “dream time” characters themselves also tell a story, an origin myth from which their law flows – is wrapped inside the Storyteller’s tale too, like three nested boxes, so we left to consider the ancient purposes of storytelling in communities and families that could include our own.
All this may sound like an anthro classroom. But Ten Canoes is entertaining, funny, dramatic and, thanks to DP Ian Jones’ camera work, swooningly lovely to look at throughout. As well, it won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, given for films that make contributions of special significance to film as an art form. So much does Ten Canoes enlarge and refresh the storytelling function of film that it also was Australia’s official 2007 Oscar entry. Ten Canoes opened theatrically in the US in June, running in limited release until just two weeks ago. Without much fanfare – not even cited in weekly media notices of new DVD releases – it quietly arrived on DVD a few weeks back.
Held together by the Storyteller’s voice, Ten Canoes alternates between the merely long-ago brothers on their goose-egg hunt and the ancient times. By the simple device of filming the present and the ancient times in full color and the middle period’s core story of Dayindi in black and white, we can shuttle between these two plots smoothly, revisiting the swamp trip at key points. Most of the actors have dual roles. So when Dayindi hears about the ancient impatient and jealous younger brother, Yeeralparil, he imagines himself as that young man, just as he imagines Minygululu’s wives as their ancient counterparts, and so forth.
Intriguingly, the exception to this double-casting is the older brother in the ancient tale, Ridjimiraril (Crusoe Kurddal), a younger, more warrior-like figure as Dayindi imagines him. The ancient plot parallels Dayindi’s dilemma, except that in the ancient time the older brother mistakenly kills a stranger he believes stole one of his wives, and has to accept the “payback” ceremony, in which his younger brother stands with him as the neighboring tribe hurl spears at them. Ridjimiraril’s injury and death ensue – not something Dayindi really wishes for Minygululu after all.
Ten Canoes results from David Gulpilil’s persistent invitation to director Rolf de Heer to visit the actor in his home community of Ramingining and make a film with the Yolngu people still living there. Gulpilil’s first screen role at age 15 was in Nicholas Roeg’s classic Walkabout (1970). Since then, if you’ve seen Aussie films like Crocodile Dundee, The Last Wave, and last year’s bracing Outback Western, The Proposition, you’ve seen Gulpilil. In 2002 he appeared in Rabbit Proof Fence and Rolf de Heer’s The Tracker, films that, like The Proposition, took sharply critical views of colonial treatment of indigenous communities. This was just a year after Canada’s Inuit made the first feature-length film wholly in their own language, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, also a re-telling of an ancient story of jealousy, desire and revenge before European contact.
Gulpilil himself suggested the subject of Ten Canoes to de Heer based on 1930s photographs by anthropologist Donald Thomson – in particular one of ten men in canoes in the marshes at Arafura – of which there are some 4,000 archived in the Victoria Museum. The DVD contains excellent bonus features, including a short interview with de Heer, material on Donald Thomson’s work, and a making-of doc for television with extensive material about how Gulpilil’s community participated in filming decisions, chief among these the issue of how to cast the roles – de Heer says he merely was the instrument of their film – and to the great satisfaction of their community re-learned canoe-building and other skills to produce the film. Ten Canoes is exciting further evidence of the global emergence of indigenous cinema and its repairing effects of home communities and outsiders alike.
This review appeared in the 11/1/07 issue of the Syracuse City Eagle weekly, where “Make it Snappy” is a regular column reviewing DVDs of recent movies that did not open theatrically in CNY & older films of enduring worth. | <urn:uuid:b434d06e-9389-45fc-a503-341059233e7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.moviecrossrhodes.blogspot.com/2007/11/film-review-134-ten-canoes-2007.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948178 | 1,241 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Did you receive academic test results for your child that were much lower than you expected?
In some cases parents say they received no scores for certain subjects or were told their child “either scored so low she could not be graded or she was not given the test.”
What can you do? First, focus on three things.
1. What information do you have about your child’s progress or lack of progress?
2. How can you collect this information?
3. Once you have accurate information about your child’s progress, how will you use it?
A group standardized test is not a great way to measure a child’s progress.
How does the IEP say your child’s progress will be objectively measured? This is the testing you need to focus on.
If a group achievement test was what the IEP team planned to use and the group test was not administered, ask the IEP team to use an individually administered educational achievement test to measure your child’s progress. Make sure the test(s) selected will measure key academic skills – reading, writing, spelling, math.
Take another look at your child’s IEP and answer these questions:
- Is the IEP based on complete, current testing?
- Does the IEP include all legally required components?
- Does the IEP follow the recommendations of the evaluators?
- Are the goals and objectives measurable?
- Are the objectives appropriate?
- If your child is not making progress, did the IEP team increase the intensity of instruction?
- Are the instructional methods research-based?
- Are the teachers trained in the research-based instructional methods that your child needs to meet the goals in her IEP?
You need to get a comprehensive evaluation of your child by an independent evaluator in the private sector. A comprehensive evaluation will give you a roadmap for the future. The IEP may need to be changed to meet your child’s needs and more closely follow the evaluators’ recommendations.
Remember, special education is a service, not a place. To reach her goals, your child may need to receive instruction from a teacher who has different certifications and training. | <urn:uuid:bd3bf4ff-9bf3-48ae-8322-271b20133b0a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=899 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95408 | 463 | 3.46875 | 3 |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Those drought-damaged evergreens? Midwest climatologists say to expect more in the years ahead.
And the surreal mounds of snow now hiding shrubs that barely survived summer’s heat in Kansas City? Get used to that, too.
It seems contradictory, this weird weather whiplash. But just consider the last couple of years in the nation’s midsection. Floods unleashed by record inflows into the Missouri River basin in early 2011. Then sudden and prolonged dryness.
Now 20 to 25 inches of snow heaped on Kansas City in the most dramatic, back-to-back smacking delivered by any winter week that many can recall.
Yet to experts who study climate change models, it makes sense.
Like everything else about the 21st century, Midwest weather in the coming age could be set on sensory overload.
Crispier summers. Fewer but heavier snowfalls. Thunderstorms more intense, bursting between slightly longer arid periods. Crop yields that bounce from boom to bust and back.
“The cutting edge in climate research is in understanding these extremes," said Bob Oglesby, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “The (climate) models suggest we’ll be getting more of them ... and now we think we’re beginning to see it in reality."
No weather event or bizarre season or even stubborn two-year drought proves anything about a warming planet. Even a “superstorm," the news media’s term for Hurricane Sandy after it dropped from hurricane status, could wind up being a once-in-a-lifetime affair for the New York City region.
That is the hope, of course.
But 2012 was, for America, the overall warmest year ever recorded. And many scientists see the snows that just buried the Midwest as being consistent with long-term climate models that predict more severe swings, and extended periods of extreme, to come.
The latest thinking is partly based on a study published last year in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. It pins “extreme weather events that result from prolonged conditions" on a jet stream that in recent decades has become slower and wavier, with higher ridges and steeper troughs.
How extreme is extreme?
Researchers Jennifer Francis and Stephen Vavrus determined that polar warmth melting Arctic ice also was altering the pace and course of west-to-east weather systems around the Northern Hemisphere.
Picture a weather pattern in the belly of a python rather than gliding along a smooth-bending highway. As the jet stream gets loopier, dry spells may stick around longer, the research suggests, and cold blasts may linger. (Recall that just two years ago in Kansas City, at least 3 inches of snow covered the ground for about a month, practically unheard of.)
When a storm system bulges up, it’s apt to barge through this jet stream with pent-up abandon.
Francis and Vavrus noted: “As autumn freeze-up begins, the extra solar energy absorbed during summer in these vast new expanses of open water (from melting sea ice) is released to the atmosphere as heat, thus raising the question of not whether the large-scale atmospheric circulation will be affected, but how?"
In the Plains region and the Midwest — where extreme weather comes with the territory — the question becomes: How extreme can extreme get?
Can the Midwest count on more tornado seasons arriving in February rather than March, as the residents of Branson, Mo., and tiny Harveyville, Kan., witnessed last winter? Or will 2013 feel nothing like 2012, which didn’t act much like 2011?
“We could be heading into a period that shows more variability from year to year, or a stretch of a few years being unusual," said University of Missouri climate scientist Tony Lupo.
Over the long run, “maybe abnormal is normal," he said.
The nation’s efforts to measure, monitor and possibly predict “extremes" gathered steam in 1995 when an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration rolled out the U.S. Climate Extremes Index.
Relying upon data going back to 1910, the goal was to chart historical patterns for very high or very low temperatures, long stretches of drought, one-day bursts of precipitation and the frequency of tropical storms.
All weather out of the ordinary, diced and bundled annually to show how much of the country suffered one way or another.
To use a football field analogy, the U.S. Climate Extremes Index disregards the middle 80 yards of weather, said Jake Crouch of the NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center: “The values of the 10-yard lines and less, on both sides of the field, are what we’d take into account as being extreme."
Plotting these extremes through the 20th century, the index reveals a pattern of generally high but jagged activity until the 1940s — when extreme weather appears to take a nap.
It reawakens in the 1950s, then returns to rest until 1980 or thereabouts.
After that, it’s mostly all up. Last year — with fires spreading in the West, drought cracking the heartland and flash floods hitting the Southeastern states — the Climate Extremes Index hit a nationwide record high of 46. That’s 46 percent of the country battling the extremes, more than double the century-long norm.
NOAA furthered its quest to quantify “extreme" and find common causes by commissioning scientists worldwide to analyze disasters of 2011.
They examined intense drought that plagued Texas that year and catastrophic flooding in Thailand. A report last summer determined that the global buildup of greenhouse gases made the Texas drought 20 times as likely to happen as in previous decades, but no link was found between man-made warming and rising Thai waters.
You might consider the data wringing a bit tortured — couldn’t extreme conditions just happen?
Weather, in the end, remains fickle and unpredictable. Plenty of meteorologists and other scientists question the purpose of attributing droughts, blizzards and hurricanes to overarching, universal trends.
The website of the Missouri Climate Center has noted above-normal participation for January and pointed out “numerous occasions, both in temperature and precipitation, where Missouri transitioned from one extreme to another in a short period of time." A dry 1901, for example, became a soggy 1902.
And the link between climate change and hurricanes has been debated since Katrina raged through the Mississippi Delta in 2005.
“If global warming is having any effect on hurricanes, it’s making them less frequent," said James Taylor, a senior fellow for environmental policy for the Heartland Institute.
The conservative think tank links warming to natural, cyclical causes and denounces claims that man-made carbon dioxide emissions are the culprit.
After all, the New England region devastated by Superstorm Sandy has been hit by hurricanes only twice, by NOAA’s count, since the late 1970s — when global temperatures began their rapid climb. By comparison, three hurricanes struck the area in the decade of the 1890s and three more hit between 1954 and 1960.
Climate scientists agree that hurricanes indeed could decrease in number over the long haul — as might Midwestern thunderstorms and snow events, for that matter. But when extreme weather does strike, it is likely to hit with more ferocity due to a basic meteorological truth.
“A warmer atmosphere draws more moisture to fall out of the sky," said University of Kansas researcher Johannes Feddema.
“You can’t say any of these storms are linked to global warming. You can’t. You can only look to a pattern of change over many years.
“Think in terms of a boiling water pot — the bigger the pot, the longer it takes to heat up. We started turning up the stove under a really big pot about 50 years ago, increasing CO2 emissions, and initially we feel little effect."
Only when the pot gets too hot will we be certain of the effects, he said, and then it will be too late.
Oglesby, the climate scientist in Nebraska, also cautioned against anyone jumping to climate change conclusions from a single “superstorm" in the East or a freaky six days of winter here, even in the midst of a freakier drought.
“In our part of the country, the only thing separating warm currents from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air from the Arctic is a barbed wire fence. It’s easy to have clashing air masses" and constantly shifting extremes, he said.
Still, Kansas State University geographer John Harrington said it makes sense to expect a gradual shift toward Kansas City winters bringing heavier snowstorms, if fewer snow events.
Under models of warmer air and swelling seas, “winter storms are juicier," he said.
Yet away from coastal cities, where much of the research on future threats has been focused, any variety of man-made factors can tweak the long-term climate.
In Kansas, for example, “irrigation has a cooling effect, we know that," Harrington said.
Urban sprawl, industrialization and deforestation produce warming effects.
“We’ve learned that local people, particularly growers, want to get all the data," he added. “But they’re hearing mixed messages and they don’t know who to trust."
The regional climatologists agree that Kansas and Missouri on their own can’t do much to crank down the stove beneath a really big pot.
But planners and policymakers might do some good to avoid assuming any season is apt to be normal.
Their focus from here on should be preparing for and mitigating against disasters, not just reacting when the extremes happen to arrive.
Said Oglesby: “Hope for the best, but expect the worst. Yeah, it’s a cliche. But it’s where we are." | <urn:uuid:f146743a-423e-4b29-af9b-1ef9432edee5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130314/NEWS0107/303140332/0/1278 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934607 | 2,096 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Eagle returns home for the holidays
by Alex Haseltine
|Click on the image above to watch an audio slideshow about the eagle’s release.|
The rescue and rehabilitation of the mature bird was a collaborative effort of several agencies, including the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro and the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Warsaw.
The bird was initially rescued May 6 by Frances Murphey of the refuge staff after she received a call from Farnham resident Mark Flessner. Flessner noticed the injured eagle was being taunted by crows in the brush near his home off Laurel Grove Road.
Flessner attempted to keep the circling crows from the eagle while he waited for wildlife personnel to arrive.
“I kept my hands up, like Moses and the Israelites, and it kept the crows away,” he said.
Despite a lack of formal training in biology or veterinary sciences, Murphey rushed to the aid of the bird immediately after receiving the call, according to Pam Hall, who assisted in the rescue effort.
“It is so typical of the Fish and Wildlife Service that an administrative person who is not a biologist will jump in their car and go save an animal. She [Murphey] is really amazing,” said Hall. “By the time we got out here, there were crows after it. It was emaciated and dehydrated.”
After spending the night at the local Wild Bunch Wildlife Rehabilitation refuge, the eagle was transferred to the custody of Dr. David McRuer, director of veterinary services for the Wildlife Center.
The bird underwent a physical exam, blood work and x-rays before being diagnosed with a coracoid fracture, which McRuer compared to a collarbone fracture in humans.
“This bone essentially is responsible for making sure that the bird can gain altitude. The eagles that I have seen before with this kind of fracture have usually been hit by a very large transfer truck or train,” said McRuer.
Coracoid fractures can’t effectively be repaired by surgery, so the bird received “supportive care” which included lots of fluids, food, antibiotics and pain medications. After the bone had healed, the staff began the arduous physical therapy process, re-teaching the bird to fly using its mended wing.
“We actually had to go and exercise the bird on a daily basis to try to build up its strength again, after sitting in a cage for several weeks,” said McRuer. “We have a very large 120-foot flight cage for eagles. We have staff members that essentially go into the cage and sort of push the bird back and forth from perch to perch. We have perches on either end. They go back and forth 15-20 times. At that point, if they are showing really good stamina, then they are ready for release.”
The bird also underwent a process called “imping” in which damaged flight feathers were replaced with donor feathers taken from another injured eagle that died in captivity. Using glue and slivers of bamboo the donor feathers were aligned and attached, eventually enabling the eagle to fly.
Eagles commonly establish a territory and stay in or around that area for their whole lives, according to Ed Clark, president and founder of the Wildlife Center, who made a special trip from Waynsboro to release the eagle where it was originally rescued.
“We are especially happy to send this bird home for the holidays,” said Clark. | <urn:uuid:1a7042ad-fd3a-4e77-80eb-c2de8ffc4947> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ssentinel.com/index.php/news/article/eagle_returns_home_for_the_holidays | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97679 | 747 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Today, December 9 …
A new employee started on this day in 1674 in the Kings Privy Kitchen. Charles II had appointed a “French Cooke for the making of Pottages for our Dyet”.
Too many years of dull Puritan rule had made England yearn for European fun and fashion in all things. Now it had Royal affirmation. There would be no resisting the extravagance of the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, particularly at Versailles. The Frenchification of English food was inevitable, even if it remained controversial and in some quarters, resented. In 1747, Hannah Glasse said “So much is the blind Folly of this Age, that they would rather be impos'd on by a French Booby, than give Encouragement to a good English Cook!”
In the year of the appointment of Charles’ cook, “several approved cooks of London and Westminster” published a book called “The English and French cook … ”, which described “the best and newest ways of ordering and dressing all sorts of flesh, fish and fowl”, which was “full and plain so that from the Maid to the Master Cook, all may reap benefit”. It has a selection of “potages and soops” that would put a modern cookbook to shame, so what to choose for you? Potage made from quails, larks, thrushes, tortoises, or “farced” (stuffed) barnacles? “An excellent Potage to cleanse the blood”? “Potage without the sight of Herbs”?
I was tempted by the recipe for a pottage made from “lamb’s purtenances”, but they seem to be in short supply these days, so a Lenten pottage (from frogs), and a very modern-sounding raspberry soup will have to do.
Potage of Frogs.
Having broken their bones and trust them, blanch them, and drain them very well, then lay them into a Dish till you have made some Pease-broth, fry into it a little minced Parsley with Butter; having boiled a while , put the Frogs into your broth, but take them out presently, then allay a little Saffron, and put it into your Pot, having soaked your Bread, garnish it with the Frogs.
Pottage of Rasberries.
Take the yolks of half a dozen Eggs, and allay them with the juyce of a pint of rasberries, then put over a pottle of Milk, and when it boils, pour in your ingredients aforesaid, stir it very well, season with a little Salt, then dish it and garnish it with Rasberries.
On Monday … First catch your cockatoo | <urn:uuid:71339023-66de-44ea-b9c6-a2897df205bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2005/12/pottages-for-kings-dyet.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965682 | 601 | 2.75 | 3 |
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
There are many methods for predicting the future. For example, you can read horoscopes, tea leaves, tarot cards, or crystal balls. Collectively, these methods are known as "nutty methods." Or you can put well-researched facts into sophisticated computer models, more commonly referred to as "a complete waste of time.
Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems.
Consultants have credibility because they are not dumb enough to work at your company
There's nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot.
Consultants have credibility because they are not dumb enough to work at your company.
The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.
Nothing inspires forgiveness quite like revenge.
If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?
You don't have to be a "person of influence" to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me. | <urn:uuid:676193fa-1ac9-4c3d-926f-3d3b7eb857fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.finestquotes.com/author_quotes-author-Scott%20Adams-page-0.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964026 | 260 | 1.992188 | 2 |
separsons writes "The largest sodium sulfur battery in America, nicknamed 'BOB,' can provide enough electricity to power all of Presidio, Texas. Until now, the small town relied on a single 60-year-old transmission line to connect it to the grid, so the community frequently experienced power outages. BOB, which stands for 'Big-Old Battery,' began charging earlier this week. The house-sized battery can deliver four megawatts of power for up to eight hours. Utilities are looking into similar batteries to store power from solar and wind so that renewables can come online before the country implements a smart grid system." | <urn:uuid:9cd4f66d-a81c-47c6-b691-17a689284a34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/04/07/022250/largest-sodium-sulfur-battery-powers-a-texas-town | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930757 | 130 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Turbochargers are the most usual means of forced aspiration used on motor vehicles. They work as follows: a turbine wheel uses the energy in the exhaust to drive a compressor wheel on the same shaft, (but in the intake air flow). It compresses the intake air and forces it into the cylinders. This supplies the engine with more oxygen for the combustion process. Compared with a naturally aspirated engine with the same displacement, the turbocharger increases power and torque as well as efficiency. Exceptionally high-performance engines in certain Audi models even have two turbochargers (“biturbo”).
In the past, increased power was the main reason for using a turbocharger, but today energy conservation and reduced emissions are the primary reasons, together with good performance. Many modern diesel engines have turbochargers with Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG). The angle of the blades changes according to engine load. | <urn:uuid:2629b757-5241-46bc-81ab-ae2675f129fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.audi.ca/ca/brand/en/tools/advice/glossary/turbocharger.browser.filter_i_t.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94058 | 189 | 3.5 | 4 |
About the Authority
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority was created on January 1, 2003,
as an independent agency to manage the day-to-day operations of San Diego International
Airport and address the region’s long-term air transportation needs.
The legislation that created the Airport Authority mandates three main responsibilities:
- Operate San Diego International Airport
- Plan for the future air transportation needs of the region
- Serve as the region’s Airport Land Use Commission – and ensure the adoption of land
use plans that protect public health and safety surrounding all 16 of the county’s
The Airport Authority is governed by an appointed
board of nine members who represent all areas of San Diego County and three
ex-officio members. Three members serve as the Executive Committee.
Public meetings of the full Airport
Authority Board take place at 9:00 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month on
the Third Floor of the Commuter Terminal at the Airport. Several standing committees
of the Board have been formed to better address key policy areas and develop items
for consideration by the full Board. They also hold regular public meetings and
- Executive Committee
- Executive Personnel and Compensation Committee
- Finance Committee
- Audit Committee
- Capital Improvement Program Oversight Committee
Airport Authority President/CEO Thella F. Bowens is responsible for management oversight
of the Authority, the Authority’s annual budget and a staff of approximately 370
The Airport Authority’s operating revenues for Fiscal Year 2012 were $153.6 million.
In addition, there were $47.6 million in non-operating revenues, net (primarily
Passenger Facility Charges) and $20.8 million in capital grant contributions in
Fiscal Year 2012. Operating expenses for the same period totaled $163.7 million.
The Airport Authority is funded through user fees, not local taxes.
The Airport Authority also serves as San Diego County's Airport Land Use Commission,
responsible for protecting public health and safety surrounding airports. It accomplishes
this by ensuring the orderly development of airports and the adoption of land use
measures that minimize the public's exposure to excessive noise and safety hazards
We will plan for and provide air transportation services to the region with safe,
effective facilities that exceed our customer expectations. We are committed to
operating San Diego's air transportation gateways in a manner that promotes the
region's prosperity and protects its quality of life.
Mastering the Art of Airports
- We recognize the needs of our customers come first
- We pursue excellence in all our business processes
- We conduct our affairs with honesty and integrity
- We provide a safe, secure, quality-oriented, highly efficient environment
- We foster an informed, productive, diverse, enthusiastic work force
- We believe that continuous learning and personal involvement are job responsibilities
- We believe that everyone counts and we count on everyone | <urn:uuid:cf132992-c248-46db-bb6b-581575609158> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.san.org/sdcraa/about_us/default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931468 | 603 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The Top 10 Things You May Not Know About the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
06:00 AM EDT
Here are 10 aspects of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act you may not know about -- the online attention-deficit version.
- Stronger protections for consumers against unfair credit card practices like rate hikes for existing credit card balances.
- Mortgage brokers will be prohibited from making higher commissions by selling mortgages they know consumers can’t afford.
- Free annual credit scores so people can stay on top of their finances. [Clarification: free credit scores are available if you receive worse terms on a loan because of something on your credit report, or if you are rejected.]
- No more taxpayer-funded bailouts. If a company can’t make it, it will have to liquidate.
- Greater input by company shareholders over how much a CEO gets paid. And companies’ compensation boards are now required to be truly independent.
- Brokers who offer investment advice will have to act in the best interests of their customers, not their own financial interests.
- Financial firms won't be allowed to grow so large that if one fails, it will affect the entire financial system.
- There will be one agency whose sole job is to make sure that consumers get the protections they deserve and to set clear rules to hold banks, mortgage companies, payday lenders, and credit card lenders accountable.
- Businesses can't be charged extra fees for debit card “swipe fees” that exceed the cost of processing transactions.
- You can learn plenty more here at WhiteHouse,gov or at financialstability.gov
- Updated: To tack on #11, here's a new animated video we've released to further explain Wall Street Reform.
Jen Psaki is Deputy Communications Director | <urn:uuid:54a0e5d8-db9b-4562-af4f-4df768d27b05> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/20/top-10-things-you-may-not-know-about-wall-street-reform-and-consumer-protection-act | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918631 | 373 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The University of Michigan’s Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies held the finals for its annual all-student business plan competition, the Michigan Business Challenge, over the weekend. From 85 initial applications, a record number for the school, four advanced to the finals, and the winner was Ambiq Micro, which took $27,000 in cash grants.
Formerly known as Cubiq Microchip, the company was founded by Scott Hanson, a research fellow in the University of Michigan’s college of engineering; David Blaauw and Dennis Sylvester, professors from the department of electrical engineering and computer science; and David Landman and Philip O’Niel, two M.B.A. candidates.
Ambiq Micro plans to sell low-power microprocessors that could substantially extend the battery life of a range of tiny wireless devices. The start-up’s technology could be used in smart credit cards, computers, sensors that control temperature or detect motion in smart homes and buildings, and a variety of medical and mobile devices.
There are, Mr. Hanson said, “a lot of compact wireless devices out there, from smoke detectors and light switches, to equipment-tracking systems in hospitals, and some newer electronic price tags that go on shelf displays in grocery stores. These all have some sort of mobile power source on board. Their batteries can get drained in months or a year when they should last for five years or more. The amount of labor it takes to make sure the batteries are charged, or to replace the batteries in say 75,000 shelf-tags, for example, in a single large grocery can be very expensive and problematic. Our microprocessor solves that.”
Ambiq Micro’s technology was in development for six years before the competition. In January, the company produced its first market-ready prototype, Mr. Hanson said. It plans to use the competition money in part to take the prototype to potential customers — before going on to seek venture financing and to compete at Rice University’s Business Plan Competition in April.
Microchip-related and sustainable business concepts were dominant themes at the Michigan competition this year. “We saw a lot more businesses apply for the social-and-sustainability track than we have ever seen before,” said Tim Faley, managing director at the Zell Lurie Institute. “They want to do their own thing and build a successful company, but they also want to change the world.”
Second prize of $10,000 cash, along with an additional $2,000 for outstanding presentation, went to a company named Enertia that is run by Mr. Hanson’s classmates from the college of electrical engineering, Ethem Aktakka, Adam Carver and Tzeno Galchev. Enertia’s microchip-battery recharging technology generates power from vibrations in its environment and is strong enough to run wireless sensors and other devices. Professor Faley said he believed Enertia’s “self-sustaining” power source could be especially useful in a pacemaker.
Another final-four company, Green Silane — founded by Russell Baruffi, Brian Katzman and Matt Schaar — won the school’s $7,500 Erb Award for Sustainability. Green Silane says it produces and distributes, in an environmentally sound way, a gas that figures heavily in the manufacture of semiconductors and solar panels. Green Silane and Enertia previously won a Clean Energy Prize run jointly by DTE Energy, a utility in Michigan, and the school.
The fourth finalist team was Milo, a premium beauty products Web site for black women that was founded by Kimberly Dillon, Oswaldo Maxwell, Johanna Wu and Kelley Washington. Milo won a $1,000 finalists’ cash grant.
In a separate award-track, Colm Fay, Cynthia Koenig and Chris Mueller took a $7,500 Social Impact Award for their business, Hippo Water International. The company is a United States-based nongovernmental organization that makes and distributes a water-transporting tool. The “Hippo” looks like a rugged, plastic barrel turned on its side with a handle that allows it to be wheeled along even by a person of diminutive stature. | <urn:uuid:393d604e-ee8e-4b9e-8993-accf712f3f68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/next-gen-microchip-tech-wins-michigan-business-challenge/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949617 | 900 | 1.648438 | 2 |
For Your Convenience
When you see your doctor
Here are some tips to keep in mind the next time you visit your doctor's office:
1. Be prepared. If you have questions, write them down in advance and ask the doctor or the doctor's nurse. If you're seeing the doctor for the first time, be sure to have your medical records sent to his or her office (or to you) well ahead of your appointment.
2. If you are on any medications, write them down on a list and bring it with you.
3. It's okay to ask what your procedure or treatment will cost. Cost issues are very important and should not be taken lightly by anyone
4. If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask for another explanation. It is your responsibility to understand your medical options and make decisions with your doctor.
5. It's a good idea to have another family member with you when talking with your doctor. Having another listener can relieve stress and help you remember more.
6. If you don't have doctor, it's always a good idea to find one, even if you¹re not sick. You can ask your family and friends for referrals or you can call a physician referral service.
7. Make certain your doctor participates with your health insurance plan. Going to a doctor who does not participate with your plan can be costly.
Your patient rights
The following principles guide us in caring for our patients at Mercy Medical Center. If you are not satisfied that these principles of care are being adequately followed, please contact the Administration Office, extension 3411.
1. You shall be accorded impartial access to treatment or accommodations that are available or medically indicated, regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, disability, religion or source of payment for care.
2. You have the right to considerate, respectful care at all times and under all circumstances.
3. You have the right to be informed of the patient rights in advance of furnishing or discontinuing patient care whenever possible.
4. You have a right to file a grievance and to be informed of the process to review and resolve the grievance.
5. You have the right to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care.
6. You have the right to know who is responsible for authorizing and performing the procedure or treatment.
7. You or your representative have the right to make informed decisions regarding your care, including being informed of your health status, involved in care planning and treatment, and being able to request or refuse treatment. This right must not be construed as a mechanism to demand the provision of treatment or services deemed medically unnecessary or inappropriate.
8. You have the right to formulate advance directives and to have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives.
9. You have the right to have a family member or representative of your choice and your physician notified promptly of your admission to the hospital.
10. You have the right to consult with a specialist at your own request and expense.
11. You have the right to personal privacy.
12. You have the right to receive care in a safe setting.
13. You have the right to be free from all forms of abuse or harassment.
14. You have the right to the confidentiality of your clinical records.
15. You have the right to access information contained in your clinical records within a reasonable time.
16. You have the right to be free from restraints and seclusion of any form that are not medically necessary or are used as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation by staff.
17. You have the right to send and receive unopened mail and to have reasonable access to a telephone to receive and place confidential calls.
18. You have the right to receive visitors at any reasonable hour or times other than established visiting hours, particularly at times of critical illness.
19. You shall be informed if the hospital proposes to engage in or perform human experimentation or other research/educational projects affecting one¹s care or treatment, and shall have the right to refuse to participate in any such activity.
20. You may not be transferred to another facility unless a complete explanation of the need for the transfer and the alternatives to such a transfer are given, and unless the transfer to the other facility is acceptable.
21. Regardless of the source of payment for care, you have the right to request and receive an itemized and detailed explanation for the bill for services rendered in the hospital. You have the right to timely notice prior to termination of eligibility for reimbursement by any third-party payor for the cost of care.
You also have responsibilities as a patient
You have the responsibility to provide, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalization, medications and other health matters. You have the responsibility to report unexpected changes in your condition to your physician or other appropriate hospital staff. You are expected to cooperate with the instructions of nurses and allied health personnel as they carry out their coordinated plan of care and implement your physician¹s orders. You are expected to treat staff with understanding and respect as they enforce the applicable hospital rules and regulations. You are responsible for keeping appointments and, when unable to do so for any reason, notifying the appropriate physician or hospital staff members.
You are responsible for the result should you refuse treatment or fail to follow instructions.
You are responsible for accepting the financial obligations generated from the care provided to you at the hospital and to settle your accounts promptly.
You are responsible for following all hospital rules and regulations that are concerned with patient care and the conduct of patients and visitors.
You are responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and hospital personnel, for assisting in the control of noise, smoking, and the number of visitors you receive while a patient.
You are responsible for respecting the property of other patients and of the hospital as well as the staff you encounter during your stay.
You have a right to formulate advance directives and to have hospital staff and practitioners who provide care in the hospital comply with these directives.
Questions about medical care at the end of life are of great concern today. The growing ability of medical technology to prolong life and highly publicized legal cases involving comatose patients whose families wanted to withdraw treatment have brought attention to this issue. Many people want to avoid extending personal and family suffering through artificial prolongation of life for those in a vegetative state with no hope of recovery. The best way for you to retain control in such a situation is to record your preferences for medical care in advance.
The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 requires hospitals to inform patients about advance directives. Advance directives are documents written in advance of serious illness that state your choices for health care, or name someone to make those choices, if you become unable to make decisions. Through advance directives such as living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care, you can make legally valid decisions about your future medical treatment.
For more information or to request living-will and health-care-power-of-attorney forms, contact our social services department at extension 3436.
Business and Professional Behavior
Mercy Medical Center is committed to providing healthcare services to the community in an environment that is based on fair and ethical principles of service. Policies and procedures addressing the hospital¹s code of ethical business and professional behavior are available upon request. You may request those by calling extension 3411.
Mercy Medical Center¹s mission urges us to emphasize human dignity and social justice as we move toward the creation of a healthier community. Respect for human dignity includes respecting your rights as a patient in our hospital.
If you have any questions or concerns about your care at Mercy, please mention them to your physician or nurse.
You have received a list of patient rights. If you feel that any of your rights may have been violated, you may initiate a formal grievance or complaint. You may notify the President of the hospital in writing at Mercy Medical Center, One St. Joseph¹s Dr., Centerville, IA 52544. You may also notify the Vice President of Community and Staff Relations at 515-437-3434.
The Vice President will contact you upon receipt of the grievance, and will investigate the complaint. The Grievance committee will provide a written response to you within 60 days of receipt of your grievance detailing the steps taken on your behalf to investigate the grievance, and the results of the process. The letter will also have the name of the contact person for any further correspondence.
You also have the right to file a complaint with the State survey agency, regardless of whether you choose to first use the Mercy grievance process. The State survey agency¹s address and phone number:
Health Facilities Division
Lucas State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0083 | <urn:uuid:fb72df86-ff9a-4796-a5e4-725520f30b8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mercycenterville.org/fycon.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946571 | 1,827 | 2 | 2 |
Chapter 3-Remediation Techniques
Pages: 8 Published: Jan 2003
THE TERM FUEL SYSTEM REMEDIATION describes the various processes used to return contaminated fuel and fuel systems to an acceptable condition. This chapter provides guidance on the basic processes for decontaminating fuels and fuel systems. Contaminants included in this discussion are water, organic and inorganic particulates, sludge slime, and biomass. After completing this chapter, readers should have a general understanding of each of the remediation processes; fuel polishing, tank cleaning, disposal, and chemical treatment. Fuel polishing involves filtration processes to clean the fuel. Physical tank cleaning is the best way to ensure that a system has been cleaned thoroughly. Tank cleaning is most effective when combined with fuel polishing. Typically, preventive measures are more cost effective than corrective measures. This chapter concludes with recommendations for reducing the rate of contaminant accumulation. ‘Fuel polishing’ is designed to remove water and particulates from fuel in order to reduce water and sediment loads below applicable product specification criteria such as ASTM fuel specifications. Where sludge and sediment have accumulated on tank bottoms, slime has built up on tank shell surfaces, or a combination of both phenomena has occurred, fuel polishing is insufficient. Tanks thus contaminated need to be cleaned. Microbicide treatment may be needed to disrupt and kill biofilm populations (see Chapter 1).
Paper ID: MNL10445M
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef. | <urn:uuid:a55da890-7396-4c9d-8b9d-789d5c6597be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.astm.org/DIGITAL_LIBRARY/MNL/PAGES/MNL10445M.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913807 | 305 | 3.578125 | 4 |
The mission captured by the twin probes' cameras documents the final journey of the Grail spacecraft, which had aimed to map the moon's gravity field. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
NASA's Grail mission bit the moondust last month — but images captured by the twin probes' cameras bring the yearlong lunar mission back to life in a two-minute video documenting one of Grail's final go-arounds.
Grail's main aim was to map the moon's gravity field, as reflected in the acronym behind the mission title (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory). There was an educational angle as well, pioneered by Sally Ride, America's first woman in space. As the founder of Sally Ride Science, the late astronaut was in charge of Grail's MoonKam educational project, which let students pick out targets for the black-and-white cameras mounted on the two probes (nicknamed Ebb and Flow).
Three days before the Grail probes made their crash landing on Dec. 17, mission controllers activated the cameras on one of the probes to take some parting shots of the lunar surface from a height of about 6 miles (10 kilometers). The picture-taking session was part of the equipment checkout conducted in preparation for the planned mission-ending impact into a mountain near the moon's north pole.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory assembled almost 2,500 of those images into the video released Thursday, which shows a stretch of the northern hemisphere on the moon's far side in the vicinity of Jackson Crater.
The first part of the clip, comprising 931 images, shows the terrain as seen by the Ebb spacecraft's forward-facing camera. The scene immediately shifts to the view from Ebb's backward-facing camera head for another 1,498 images. The video runs six times faster than the real-time voyage took.
Doug Ellison, a visualization producer at JPL, worked on the Grail video and said on Twitter that it was "one of my favorite projects to be involved with."
Three days prior to its planned impact on a lunar mountain, mission controllers activated the camera aboard one of NASA's GRAIL twins to take some final photos from lunar orbit.
He acknowledged that the picture quality might not come up to the standards of, say, NASA's $720 million Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. But after all, the cost of the cameras accounted for just a small portion of Grail's $500 million mission cost.
"The cameras were an education and outreach addition, purely for the use of the MoonKam project," Ellison pointed out on YouTube. "Middle school students scheduled observations with these cameras — more than 100,000 images in all. Yes, they are small, crumby pictures. They are also infinitely more inspiring to the middle school students that commanded them than not having images at all."
The MoonKam images prove that even low-cost, low-tech cameras can heighten interest in space science. "Their shortfalls in terms of fidelity and quality speak to the engineering of the mission itself," Ellison said. "I like that."
More about the Grail mission:
- Grail impact site named after Sally Ride
- Gravity map reveals our battered moon
- Kids get their very own 'Earthrise'
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds. | <urn:uuid:f8613a18-501f-4bb1-9849-a4f2ad480751> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/11/16467567-video-shows-final-shots-from-moon-camera-pioneered-by-sally-ride?lite | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950313 | 774 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Polyglot's comment
For a few years now I have been chewing on this collection of tables:
It represents a table structure to be used in PostgreSQL (since that supports inheritance). I also have a design where all the tables are relational, so it can be used in MySQL. I prefer PostgreSQL because it allows the use of stored procedures, but that's not relevant in this discussion.
I hope I can save people some time when creating a database schema for a multilingual dictionary.
I'm sure it can be improved upon, but quite a lot of thought has already gone into it. Polyglot 20:28, 6 Sep 2004 (UTC)
Here comes an explanation of how data would be stored into these tables:
Words go into the Wordlist table. Each spelling is only stored once. The WordDescriptions table is used to describe what kind of word it is in a given language and what its properties are. A word like are would be described several times for English (we are, they are, you are (twice once singular and once plural) and it's also a measurement in Dutch (acre), maybe in other languages as well.
There is also a field where the Validity is stored. This is a score for how many times this entry was verified.
Now we have to start from the other side to the concepts table. I see a concept as an idea. It can be illustrated by means of graphics from the images table or sounds (sound of a bird or a musical instrument). An example would be the combination father/papa. They stand for the same idea, but the meaning is different and it wouldn't be right to substitute/translate padre (es,it) as daddy. Another example would be words that stand for the same concept, but that are different in style. spoken/written; street language/common language/uptown language. Or layman's language and specialist's language. In the meanings table they are divided and it is possible to indicate the usage, the context and the actual number and gender they stand for. Consider Mädchen (girl), grammatically this is a neutral noun, but in actuality it stands for a female person.
Then we get to the dictionary table. Sometimes a meaning becomes several words in another language. I like to use the example of bathroom which becomes salle de bain in French. salle, de and bain are all words that are described separately. They are put together in the ExpressionParts table to be used as one of the translations of bathroom.
I was talking through Skype yesterday with Gerard and his opinion was that things could be simplified. I have been normalising to the extreme. It would be possible to, instead of having a WordList table, to have a table containing Expressions or even entire phrases, then describe those, if applicable. On the other side, maybe the difference between Concepts and meanings doesn't necessarily need to be made. All that needs to be discussed.
On the bottom left is a collection of lookup tables for languages, parts of speech, cases and verb tenses. I see all of these as concepts and that's how it becomes possible to retrieve their names in a given language (this can even be used for the interface to this dictionary).
On the top right are tables for the phonetic transcriptions. A transcription can be reused and it is possible to enter more than one transcription for a given word or expression.
In the relatedwords table it is possible to indicate which words are a conjugation or a declination of each other. Synonyms, antonyms and translations can be entered in the Dictionary table, or they can be deduced from the relations between Meanings and Dictionary.
In the context table it is possible to indicate which words often appear together in the same sentence. And also which concepts are related. This is to help choose the right WordDescription in case of ambiguity. The idea is to be able to use this dictionary for machine translation or as a translation memory. It is very well possible to enter entire sentences and their translations.
Gerard remarked I don't have any way of entering etymologies yet. This could be implemented as a free text field of the WordDescriptions table, where links to other words/terms can be made the Wiki way. The database doesn't know about those relations, but I don't think that's a big problem.
Another thing that is lacking is a way to keep track of the changes that people make. This is a though one. I tried to make up for it with those Validity fields. It would be possible to encode all the changes in an xml-format and keep track of them in a separate table. More or less the way the wiki works. With an intelligent xml-system it should be possible to selectively undo inappropriate changes to the database.
Polyglot 08:35, 7 Sep 2004 (UTC)
About etymologies: it would be nice to be able to find easily words with the same etymon in different languages. It can be interesting to learn that English /cheese/, Spanish /queso/ and German /Käse/ all derive from Latin /caseus/ which is also the source of the international scientific word /caseine/. | <urn:uuid:8c52b726-3f48-4c41-9db7-e0cce9da72c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Vortaro_tables | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951886 | 1,089 | 2.609375 | 3 |
IHop, you hop…
Dear Word Detective: I love your column and having just discovered you have written a book, I am literally on my way out the door to buy it. I hope you can explain to me the origin of the phrase, “selling like hotcakes.” My only guess is that hotcakes somewhere at sometime were very popular, enough to create this particular expression. — Sarama Teague.
Well, it’s been a while since I received your question, but how did running out the door to buy my book work out? I’ve actually written four books (five, if you count a complete revision of the first one). Unfortunately, you’re not likely to find any of them in those big chain bookstores, although they’re all still in print. But online booksellers will be happy to sell you The Word Detective (a collection of these columns), From Altoids to Zima (the origins of popular product names), or Making Whoopee (words associated with love and romance). I also wrote two editions of something called The Book Lover’s Guide to the Internet back in the mid-1990s, which Random House is still selling even though it is fifteen years out of date and thus about as useful as Stagecoaches for Dummies.
Hotcakes (aka “pancakes” or “griddlecakes”) are still popular in my family, enough so that there was a minor revolt last year when a certain restaurant chain (we call it “Barrel of Crack”) switched from serving genuine 100% maple syrup on their pancakes to a watery corn-syrup blend. Incidentally, if you’ve ever been to a Cracker Barrel, you’ve seen the rocking chairs lined up for sale out front. I noticed last month that they now have an Extra Large model available with beefed-up legs and rockers. They must be selling a lot of pancakes.
The term “hotcake” is an American invention, dating back to the late 17th century (“pancake,” meaning the same food, is older, first appearing in England around 1400). To “sell like hotcakes” has meant “to be in great demand” since about 1839, and there doesn’t seem to have been any particular “hotcake fad” leading to the origin of the phrase. But hotcakes have always been popular at fairs and church socials, etc., often selling as fast as they can be cooked, so they make a good metaphor for a very popular product that sells quickly and in great numbers.
Of course, pancakes are, when properly made, quite flat, and “flat as a pancake” has meant “perfectly flat” since the 16th century. A building that collapses straight down floor by floor is said to “pancake,” and when an aircraft drops jarringly onto the runway it is called a “pancake landing.” In Britain, Canada and Australia pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Christian calendar, and the day itself is called “Pancake Day” or “Pancake Tuesday” in many places. This day, also known as “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras,” has traditionally been the occasion for using up all the fat, butter, and other rich ingredients in one’s house in preparation for the fasting and self-denial of Lent. | <urn:uuid:32faa830-aabb-4559-ab28-e0da113a36c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://word-detective.com/2010/01/selling-like-hotcakes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968441 | 755 | 1.695313 | 2 |
How to Make Lined Balloon Valances
A fully lined balloon valance on a curtain rod is a nonmoving treatment that looks complicated and fancy (when made with an ornate fabric, it harkens back to Victorian style), but it’s simple to create. This project resembles its name: It consists of three puffy balloon shapes side by side, separated by two vertically shirred areas that create the balloon effect.
Try a lightweight cotton, a beautiful chintz or taffeta, or even lace. However, stay away from fabric that’s too heavy because you won’t be able to create the balloon effect, and too-soft fabric with too much drape won’t retain the balloon shape.
Balloon valances also employ a fabric lining. When deciding on a fabric for the lining, consider a contrasting decorator fabric in a weight similar to the front fabric. You can pick up the small part of the lining that peeks out into your room in your room design, and this treatment looks equally lovely from the outside of the house. If you don’t want to match two prints, you can use a classic lining fabric, such as ivory sateen.
This project calls for shirring, which is a way of getting a scrunched-up effect by manipulating the fabric into rough-formed gathers. You move the fabric into a smaller area by weaving a safety pin in and out of the fabric (think of the way a worm would eat through a tasty green leaf!) to keep it held in place. In this instance, you shirr the fabric and hold it fast with a safety pin to create tiny pleats.
Start by determining your fabric needs:
Measure across your window to where you intend to mount your hardware for your width, and double it.
Determine how long you want your valance to be.
When determining length, consider your window’s proportion. If it’s a very large and/or long window, go for a full one-third measurement for your length and add 7 or 8 inches, to allow for the 2 inches of fabric that turns over to the back to create the rod sleeve, and for the 5 or 6 inches fabric that will be shirred upward into the safety pins.
Place your fabric and lining face-to-face on your worktable, and then stitch them together 1/2 inch in from the edges, all the way around the fabric, leaving a 4-inch opening at the center top of the valance.
After you’re done sewing, pull the fabric out through the hole so the fabric is right side out; iron flat.
No need to close up the 4-inch opening now; you stitch it shut later in this project when you create the rod sleeve.
Using your straight pins, pin your lined fabric into pleats.
Keep your three sections of equal dimension.
Fold under the fabric at each side 2-1/2 inches to create a hem, and pin.
Press the pleats from top to bottom with your iron and, at each side hem and on each side of each pleat, stitch 4 inches down from the top.
You can do this step on your machine or by hand.
Now fold the top of your pleated panel over and down 2 inches, so the fabric is folded toward the back, and stitch across, which will create your rod sleeve.
Prepare to shirr the fabric by flipping over the valance so that you’re working on the back.
Locate the center of each pleat by checking on the front of the valance.
Starting an inch from the bottom, measure 5 or 6 inches up — this spot is where you shirr.
Gather 5 or 6 inches of fabric into the safety pin, pushing the pin in and out through the fabric. If you like the effect, shirr through the outside side hems, as well.
Your fabric now fits into the 2-inch safety pin, which creates the scrunchy gathers.
Insert your curtain rod through the rod sleeve of your choice and hang your valance. | <urn:uuid:e1822a9f-5c41-467d-b25d-0df5e3be060d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-make-lined-balloon-valances.navId-323645.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917046 | 863 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Britain To Become Nation Of Sponge Eaters
BRITAIN is set to become a nation of sponge eaters after reading the first two paragraphs of a story about cancer.
The story may have mentioned how cancer could be cured using a bath or kitchen sponge and so now Britain is planning to eat sponges at least six times day.
As scientists warned there was a bit more to it than that, Britain insisted that they had said sponges and couldn’t just go changing their minds whenever they felt like it.
Emma Bradford, from Stevenage, said: “I read you had to swallow a sponge on a piece of string. I’ve always thought sponges looked quite tasty, but I don’t know if I want to eat the string.
“The first two paragraphs didn’t say whether or not I could use garden twine coated in salad cream instead, so I’m going to give it a try.”
Roy Hobbs, from Durham added; “The second paragraph said it collects cancer from your stomach. So I assume sponge-eating will also work on the lungs, the kidneys and my horribly misshapen balls.”
And Martin Bishop, from Peterborough, said: “I only read half of the first sentence but I knew they didn’t mean Victoria sponges because I’d already seen an article in the Daily Mail about how Victoria sponges give you cancer.
“Then again it might have been Victoria Wood. I didn’t read the whole thing.” | <urn:uuid:957a5660-3554-4a10-9a98-0909a8028f7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/health/britain-to-become-nation-of-sponge-eaters-201009103080 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963316 | 331 | 2.203125 | 2 |
A widely propagated myth contends that raising top tax rates doesn’t hurt small businesses because only a small percentage of them pay rates at that level. But the number of businesses that pay top rates is economically meaningless.
By this more accurate measure it is obvious that raising top income tax rates would have an enormous negative impact on the most successful small businesses and the many workers they employ.
According the Treasury Department and as shown in the chart below, 8 percent of small businesses pay the highest two tax rates. But those businesses earn 72 percent of all small business income and pay 82 percent of all income taxes paid by small businesses.
The small businesses hit by a tax increase earn an overwhelming majority of small business income. It is these businesses that the economy desperately needs to create new jobs to pull it out of the current severe recession. Unfortunately, higher tax rates will make it harder for them to add new workers.
Raising rates on these successful businesses would damage the economy at any time, but doing so now will not only slow economic recovery, it will also cost more people their jobs.
Instead, President Obama and Congress should drop their plans to increase top tax rates and permanently extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for all taxpayers. This will encourage small businesses to expand and add new jobs and would be the best stimulus for the economy to date. | <urn:uuid:ad942e1f-2927-4ddc-8c4d-2d1ebbdda160> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.heritage.org/2009/09/09/raising-top-marginal-tax-rates-punishes-small-businesses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970364 | 272 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Date of this Version
My art is based on the argument that visual culture has a profound effect on society, and in turn, on our environment. The radical changes that will be necessary to produce a sustainable society and avoid a future of social inequality and climate catastrophe must be mirrored by equally radical changes in visual culture. These changes involve shifting the sociological sites for art to put culture back into service for the local, participatory communities that are our brightest promise in achieving a sustainable society. In an age beset by unprecedented economic, social, and ecological challenges no problem can be more vital. As plutocracies like the US and India militarize borders to keep out those dangerously tired, hungry and poor from the ravages of climate change, it is our responsibility, as citizens, to do anything we can to prevent these global apartheids.[i]
The Anthropocene is a geologic term that describes the current epoch as one in which human activity has encompassing and massively cascading effects on the environment.[ii] The unintended warming of the planet by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is the most salient manifestation of the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene is only defined as such because of the sheer scale of human undertakings. The destructive consequences of the Anthropocene are simultaneously no one’s fault and everyone’s fault. Each of us is a participant in the cumulative effect. In contrast to the seemingly modest mechanisms of climate change, the impacts are already, and will continue to be, huge. It is estimated that 350,000 people die from climate change related deaths each year. Over the next ten years, it is expected that 5 million will die from the impacts of climate change.[iii]
Analogously, the impact of visual culture on human behavior is magnified by the ubiquity of visual media. In art, no one is responsible for the predominant messages of visual culture, which are escapism and diversion.[iv] But when we choose to produce or consume media that do not confront the pressing issues of our day, we are complicit to the process of diversion. The systems of escapism we choose to engage with might seem trivial or lofty, but they produce, when aggregated, a society that can ignore the rampant injustices perpetrated in our name.
The destructiveness that characterizes the Anthropocene, like ocean acidification and mass species extinctions, is the result of a structured alienation between the rhythms and cycles of ecosystems and the constructed habits and desires of human processes.[v] This dissonance requires us to constantly intervene into the earth’s metabolism to synthetically revitalize the land on which we depend. Industrially scaled monocultures are only maintained through ecologically damaging synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified crops. Our interruptions into the organic processes in which the earth replenishes itself is known as the metabolic rift.[vi] The metabolic rift designates both the primary decoupling between ourselves and our environment and the long-range consequences of that originary fission. Soil depletion, caused by monocultures and a lack of crop rotation, are an example of the initial split. The use of synthetic fertilizers, which create dead zones in marine ecosystems and directly damage human health, are a second order consequence of the metabolic rift. And finally, the rising obesity and failing health of a population raised on the processed fruits of GMO monocultures may be seen as a third order consequence of the metabolic rift.[vii]
The rift between the needs of the environment and our use of it also has a corollary in art. Western art, like agriculture, has become isolated from metabolic lifecycles. Like the genetically modified corn that covers swaths of the Midwest, art has to be heavily processed before it can be consumed. Anyone can make visual stuff but that raw material is not valued as art until it has thoroughly travailed art’s institutions. To be considered palatable, our society’s art must be encouraged by teachers, accepted into galleries by curators and gallerists, and deemed valid by critics and collectors. The processing of visual works into officiated art strips away intention and value in favor of trends, in the first order, and encourages self-censorship and commodification in the second and third order.
It is reflexive to state that visual culture, as an endogenous element of society, has an effect on that society. It can also be conclusively posited that society has consequences on the environment that sustains it. From these premises, we can say that there is a causal link between culture and the environment, via society. From the perspectives of the Anthropocene and the metabolic rift, it is also arguable that the degradation of visual culture is analogous to environmental decimation. If the problems facing art both look like and produce ecological disruptions, it follows that a radical art practice can produce environmental solutions by mimicking those solutions. There are three key elements of viable remedies to the planetary crisis that can easily be applied to art. First, all actions must be taken from a position that is scientifically informed on the consequences of those actions. Secondly, sustainable societies and cultures necessitate a greater level of participation from the public. Finally, we need to suture the metabolic rift by strengthening our local communities.
The first step towards sustainability is knowledge. The concept map that forms the foundation of this exhibition is a graphically organized representation of the factors and mechanisms of climate change as described in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s authoritative Fourth Assessment Report and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. The sprawling and inclusive network is intended to provide a tool for the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the problem of climate change. The allegorical characters that act out the concept map are playful visual aids. They emphasize that scientific understanding must be made accessible to the general public to be efficacious.
The process of enlightenment must also be accompanied by grassroots participation and organization. This installation is a loose collage of the spaces, events, and goals of a variety of local activist groups. It is arranged as a community center would be, to suggest the potential role activist art can play within local movements. Many of the elements in the installation are participatory (eat some food, take some seedlings, browse the books, or become a propagandist) in order to encourage participation in the activities that inspired the installation. If you agree with the intention of this exhibition, think about joining one (or several) of the local organizations highlighted in it. Many of these organizations directly reduce carbon footprints through lifestyle changes. More importantly, they are working to build the robust movements that can demand climate justice and neutrality.
A more informed and active public will naturally repair the metabolic rifts between art and society and society and the environment. My involvement with community groups here in Lincoln is productively and self-sustainingly intertwined with my artistic practice. Many of the objects I produce, such as the ideological plates, propaganda rack, and cycling hats, have been built with a specific organization in mind. Once these objects have been used as art objects, they can be recycled back into functional objects and used to further the goals of the organizations that grew them. These interactive sculptures can then fertilize those grassroots environments and inspire more action.
The socio-environmental challenges that we confront, and the urgency with which we face them, are without precedence or comparison. The need to do something, almost anything, to mitigate this headlong disaster has given me an appreciation for the frustrations, imperfections, and humble rewards of grassroots activism, human-powered transportation, and growing one’s own food. In the same fashion, by putting art in service of the ideal of a humane humanity, I have learned to appreciate the simple, ham-handed, and imperfect visual media that characterize movement-building communities. These blemished aesthetics, which have informed my own work, resonate with the local, participatory, and informed communities that are our best hope for the future.
[i] Matthew Rothschild, “Interview with Gwynne Dyer,” The Progressive, http://www.progressive.org/radiodyer10.html (accessed March 12, 2011).
[ii] Jeffrey Sachs, “Bursting at the Seams,” BBC Radio 4,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2007/lecture1.shtml (accessed January 15, 2010).
[iii] DARA, “State of the Climate Report: Inaction to Kill 5 million – Mostly Children – by 2020,” Climate Vulnerability Monitor State of the Climate Crisis (2010) 1-2. http://daraint.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Global-Press-Release.pdf (accessed March 15, 2011).
[iv] Noam Chomsky, Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda, (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2003), 26.
[v] R.K. Pachauri and A. Reisinger, eds., “Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report,” IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007 AR4 (2007): 8-12 http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_ipcc_fourth_assessment_report_synthesis_report.htm (accessed September 4, 2010).
[vi] Fred Magdoff, “Ecological Civilization,” Monthly Review 62, no.8 (2010), http://monthlyreview.org/110101magdoff.php (accessed January 4, 2011).
[vii] Chris Williams, Ecology and Socialism, (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2010), 170-180. | <urn:uuid:4dec4ecb-af29-4653-87df-763ce9065556> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/artstudents/13/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927091 | 2,025 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Acids, enzymes, finings, fruits, flowers, grains, nutrients and yeasts
for wine making at home.
Fruits, Flowers & GrainsMore Info
Acids & Deacidifiers
Well balanced acidity in wine is good.
An under acidic (alkaline) wine will taste bland whilst an over acidic wine will taste sharp, like juice.
Attaining the correct acidity is key to great wine.
Do not forget the measuring tool here: pH strips.
Here is a comprehensive range of the acids & deacidifiers used in winemaking.
Grape Concentrate adds body, flavour and vinosity when included as an ingredient in country wines.
It can also be used to make highly palatable wine in it's own right with the addition of sugar, pectolase, tannin, nutrient & the appropriate yeast.
The key is a good recipe (see the recommended book) & to target an original gravity of 1090.
Yeasts ferment sugars to produce alcohol but to do this they need some trace minerals which are present in grapes but not in most other ingredients.
In order to enable them to work effectively is important that these minerals are added in the form of a yeast nutrient.
Wine Yeast - Connoisseur's Choice
There are literally tens of thousands of different yeast strains in existence, about 70 of these strains account for most of the world's commercial wine production.
After years of research and experimenting, the Connoisseur's Choice range is the result of 3,000 individual fermentations, to find which strains worked best with which style of wine.
Wine Yeast - Gervin
Gervin yeasts - one of the best.
They have been selected from the active dried yeasts currently available to commercial winemakers, and exhaustively tested to ensure that they will perform well under the conditions used by amateur winemakers.
The use of the best yeast will bring out the best from the ingredients.
These branded yeasts are amongst the best in the World & are reliable to ensure your efforts are suitably rewarded.
Wine Yeast - Lalvin
Lallemand began producing oenological yeast for the wine industry in the early 1970's.
Since then, top-rated research institutes have collaborated with them to isolate and settle yeast strains naturally found in the best wine areas around the world.
A selection of the most successfull strains actually used in the industry are available here.
Wine Yeast - OthersMore Info
Wine AdditivesMore Info
Wine FiningsMore Info | <urn:uuid:6247a6c5-c662-4d95-824e-7d6b9f2ac643> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hopshopuk.com/categories/view/502/wine-making/ingredients | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923107 | 538 | 2.640625 | 3 |
A Scholarly New Deal
Extraordinary accomplishments of FDR's presidency inspire students at Hunter College's Public Policy Institute, TT just opened in newly renovated Roosevelt House.
The stately Manhattan townhouse that incubated Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal -- the home that also witnessed the tragedy of his paralyzing bout with polio and the triumph of his election as president -- is being reborn this fall as Hunter College's new Public Policy Institute. With high-powered visiting scholars teaming up with an interdisciplinary faculty, graduate students and undergraduates, the institute intends to deepen scholarship about how government, nongovernmental organizations and individuals can shape governmental policies. The first public policy students begin studying there this fall, while those pursuing human rights will start in the spring. They can choose either an undergraduate minor or a certificate program in each field.
The institute enhances the various strands of public policy initiatives, including master's-level programs, at a number of colleges within the University.
This is the third incarnation for the brick-and-limestone townhouse on East 65th Street. From 1908 until 1942, it was the New York City residence of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, arguably the most influential couple to lead the nation. And from 1942 until 1992, it was Hunter College's interfaith center for students -- the nation's first collegiate meeting place for students of different religions, ethnicities and interests.
As New York City's landmarks commissioner before becoming Hunter's president in 2001, Jennifer Raab knew about "this amazing house with an incredible legacy as home of one of the most important presidents and first ladies. It had been closed and was in dilapidated, rundown condition." Restoring the home and using it to study the "public issues that were part of the Roosevelt legacy" was one of her top priorities and Chancellor Matthew Goldstein gave his full support.
Raab sought public and private funds both to enhance the building and to devise a scholarly program for it. As part of that effort, CUNY secured a state allocation. As Iris Weinshall, the University's vice chancellor for facilities planning, construction and management, put it, "We spent every nickel." She added that renowned architect James Polshek "grasped the essence of the historic nature of the building, but added in the modern elements and amenities that make this a building that can be used in the 21st century."
The thought of locating a public policy institute in the building grew naturally from the interests of its original residents.
No president save Lincoln faced a greater challenge than Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Elected four times, he experimented with policies that transformed government as he battled the Great Depression and World War II. His lasting innovations are as diverse as Social Security, federal bank-deposit insurance and electrification of rural areas.
No first lady has been as influential as Eleanor Roosevelt. She traveled the country and the world, serving as Franklin's eyes and ears, wrote a daily newspaper column read by millions from 1935 to 1962 and chaired the panel that in 1948 drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the nascent United Nations. Its early sessions -- with her as a U.S. delegate -- took place at Hunter's Bronx campus (now Lehman College).
No president's mother did more for civil rights than Sara Delano Roosevelt, who in 1924 -- when racial separation was widespread -- hosted a luncheon at the house that Eleanor had organized for the National Council of Women. There Sara befriended Mary McLeod Bethune, daughter of slaves; she later raised funds for the traditionally black school that Bethune founded, Bethune-Cookman College.
Sara built the six-story townhouse as a gift to her only child, Franklin, and his bride and distant cousin, Eleanor, in 1908, three years after their marriage.
Actually, Sara gave them half the townhouse, for she lived in the other half -- and felt free to walk through connections on several floors. She had easy access to her grandchildren, but, Eleanor wrote, "You were never quite sure when she would appear, day or night."
The living arrangements strained relations between mother- and daughter-in-law. Eleanor recalled telling Franklin that she "did not like to live in a house which was not in any way mine, one that I had done nothing about and which did not represent the way I wanted to live." The houses at 47 (Sara) and 49 (Franklin and Eleanor) E. 65th St., between Madison and Park Avenues, share a stately facade and a single entrance. Inside, steps lead to separate doors of the mirror-image houses.
This was Franklin's New York City base, birthplace of some of their six children and scene of illness, defeat and victory.
In 1912, Franklin, then a state senator from Dutchess County, and Eleanor recovered from typhoid fever in the house. Franklin returned after his failed 1920 run for vice president. In 1921, in a third-floor room overlooking the rear garden, he recuperated from polio, which paralyzed his legs.
But at 49 he also engineered his return to public life, starting with a riveting speech nominating Al Smith for president at the 1924 Democratic convention at Madison Square Garden. He won two terms as New York governor, in 1928 and 1930. And early in the morning of Nov. 9, 1932, he accepted President Herbert Hoover's concession telegram after crushing him in an electoral landslide.
Later that day in his drawing room, Roosevelt thanked a national radio audience for "this great vote of confidence and their approval of a well conceived and actively directed plan for economic recovery." Until he took office in March, the townhouse incubated his brain trust's plans for economic recovery, the public policy initiatives known as the New Deal.
Franklin and Eleanor returned only sporadically during the more than 12 years they lived in the White House. Eleanor took a small apartment in Greenwich Village as a get-away until 1941, when she returned to 49 E. 65th St. to care for her ailing mother-in-law. Sara died at their Hyde Park estate two weeks before her 87th birthday and three months before the United States entered World War II.
Fall Events at Roosevelt House
Following is a sampling of upcoming events scheduled at Roosevelt House. For details, and for others, go to www.roosevelthouse.hunter.cuny.edu
By the following spring, Eleanor had emptied the townhouses and moved into a new apartment at 29 Washington Square West. The building went on the market for $60,000.
Four months later, Hunter president George N. Shuster asked FDR if he would sell the building for what became the Sara Delano Roosevelt Interfaith House, the nation's first collegiate interreligious center. Roosevelt was so excited that he lowered the price to $50,000 (about $669,000 in today's money) and kicked in $1,000 himself. Shuster raised the rest through Catholic, Jewish and Protestant individuals and groups.
The Roosevelts had early ties to Hunter. The New Deal helped finance construction of Hunter's Bronx campus in the 1930s and the North Building on Park Avenue, which Franklin dedicated in 1940. (Roosevelt's programs also built Brooklyn College.) For more than 40 years, Eleanor often visited Hunter, then a women's college, usually informally, and invited students into her home. At the dedication of Interfaith House in November 1943, Eleanor said that Franklin saw it as "the finest memorial" to his mother.
Interfaith House became home to some 120 extracurricular organizations, including religious groups like Hillel and the Newman Club, as well as sororities and clubs like the Toussaint L'Ouverture Society for the Study of African-American History and Culture. (Hunter College admitted its first black students in 1873, just a few years after it opened.) The house remained popular, but by 1992 disrepair forced Hunter to close it.
Hunter College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History published a rich history of the house, Roosevelt House at Hunter College by Deborah S. Gardner.
Restoring Roosevelt House was complicated because its exterior and parts of the interior were landmarked. "Elements could be cleaned, but had to go back into the house," which was gutted, vice chancellor Weinshall said.
Another reason was that it was landlocked, hemmed in by other buildings and backyards, making it impossible to use heavy construction equipment. And because the house fronts on a through street that doesn't allow parking, the University could not store material or a dumpster on the roadway. So shovelful by shovelful, workers carried dirt and debris out the front door and around the corner, where trucks could briefly park on high-traffic Park Avenue. There was a great deal of dirt, for architect James Polshek had designed a ground-floor, 115-seat auditorium that extends into what had been the backyard.
With the graceful banisters now once again agleam, Hunter's Public Policy Institute began its work in mid-2010, when two visiting scholars took up residence in apartments carved out of former servants' quarters on the sixth floor.
John McDonough, the inaugural Joan H. Tisch Distinguished Fellow in Public Health, played a key role in shaping health-care reform both in Massachusetts and nationally as Sen. Ted Kennedy's senior health care adviser. At Roosevelt House, he has taught a health policy class to 40 master's students in public health and nursing and conducted an interdisciplinary seminar for faculty from nursing, public health and social work programs, as well as the CUNY Graduate Center.
"We're also organizing public engagement that connects the legacy of FDR with health reform, and we're thinking about the new federal law and the opportunities it presents," he said. Jonathan Fanton, the inaugural Franklin Delano Roosevelt Visiting Fellow, was president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and is a board member of Human Rights Watch. Besides helping to develop Hunter's human rights program, he has invited speakers to meet with faculty and students, including two U.N. war crimes prosecutors, a presidential special envoy to Sudan, the co-chair of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, a U.N. assistant secretary-general focusing on the emerging concept of a "responsibility to protect" communities from genocide and war crimes, and the U.N.'s special advisor for the prevention of genocide.
Fanton said his guests invariably want to tour Roosevelt House, for "every room has a piece of history that's inspiring, which I hope will call forth all who work here to think about the high ideals that the Roosevelts set for us and for the world." | <urn:uuid:c4ea8584-0316-4b79-b2ea-82d60ed52b3c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cuny.edu/news/publications/salute-to-scholars/winter2011/newdeal.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972802 | 2,209 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Can we start really thinking about what we’re saying when we use the term “processed food”, and when we reject or moralize about foods based on that phrase? This phenomenon has become central to anti-vegan discourse.
Just because it’s a vegetarian “meat-substitute” (although it might behoove us to just see it as good plant-based protein that exists in its own right, apart from the existence of meat) doesn’t mean it’s processed, folks– at least, not processed in the evil way neocarnist discourse always refers to. You know the conversation: processed = bad, not processed = good. I can’t really offer a definition of “processed” beyond that, as it’s currently used, because there doesn’t seem to be one.
Let’s break down some examples of foods that are currently trendy to preach against based on their “processed-ness”:
-Tofu. Let’s clear this up, folks: Tofu is made with a blender and cheesecloth from three to four ingredients including water, an emulsifier (a big word, but something that is used in countless simple foods, both vegan and non), and a bean. You can buy that bean GMO-free very easily; many, if not most, explicitly vegetarian products like tofu which involve soy are GMO-free now. What’s non-GMO as far as soy goes are a) those soy fillers in all kinds of other food products, including many animals products, and b) the unbelievable amount of soy that’s fed to farmed animals.
You can even get soy from sustainable farms like Vermont Soy and Eden Soy. Those farms might even be local (gasp!!!) depending on where you live.
Actually, you can make this kind of tofu product with many different beans, as I learned while living with Burmese folks, who often make and eat tofu from lentils.
Right in your own kitchen. Right next to those vegetables you process by… cutting and cooking them.
-Similarly fallacious is all the moralizing about the “process” that goes into making wheat gluten or tempeh. These are products that actually have very few simple, healthy ingredients and can be made easily. You don’t need a Bunsen burner or a mask.
-And to make an alternative “milk” such as soy or almond, the idea is similar. Two or three ingredients plus a blender. Same with any “cheese” alternative that’s made with these things. All of these products are less processed than even the most organic and “happy” cheese.
I’m not sure why so many neocarnists take a moral stance against these plant foods, but most likely it has something to do with things like unblinking Michael Pollan-ism and the Weston A. Price Foundation’s government lobbying, reactive anti-science, and fear-mongering (particularly in regards to soy). Some well-meaning folks, I think, often lump in foods made from Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) with simpler foods made from tofu, nuts, or wheat gluten. TVP is made from soy flour and a significant number of steps are involved in its creation. Some TVP makers use hexane, which is controversial. But whatever one’s ideas about TVP, the current dialogue about it being an evil “processed” food cannot be removed from the influence of Michael Pollan’s hyperbolic, pseudo-scientific diatribe against TVP in The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Additionally, hexane is used in multitudes of animal foods. As always, do your own research and use your critical thinking skills.
From the minute you rip a vegetable out of the ground, to the minute you collect rice grains from a stalk, to the minute you bring them home and clean, peel, cook, cut, ferment, freeze, marinate, combine, and flavor them, you are processing foods. You process them in your mouth, too, as saliva breaks them down, and then in your gut, where they are dissolved into their component parts. Life is a process and so is the food that enables it.
If you want to talk about foods with ingredients that are made in labs, talk about that. If you want to talk about GMOs, environmentally unfriendly packaging, huge industries, awful companies, and how complicated that all is across huge realms of both plant and animal foods, please do. But don’t conveniently muddle those concepts with the mere existence of vegetarian foods for the sake of a political agenda or a romantic, lazy paleofantasty about what’s “natural” and what’s not. In short, it is incoherent to consider these veg foods processed yet not consider foods processed that require creating, artificially inseminating, squeezing, prodding, torturing, then slaughtering an entire animal. If you want to talk about excessive food processing–by which I mean the actual time, physical and psychological energy, and other resources that go into the creation of a food–and how it might have moral implications, talk about this: We literally destroy huge pieces of the planet to actually raise entire huge, individual, sentient, ambulatory beasts!!! We artificially inseminate them by putting sperm into their vaginas with poles or our gloved arms, cut off their inconvenient body parts such as penises, testicles, tails, and beaks while they’re still alive, kill them with complicated weapons and machines, drain their blood and cut off all their skin, cut off and throw away their heads, cut out and throw away their organs, pull their reproductive secretions out of them (often after starving and blinding them into laying), squeeze and prod them with hands or machines til the insides of their bodies finally give you inevitably puss-and-blood laced milk which is then turned into convoluted dairy products like cheese, butter, yogurt, and ice cream. Yet, incredibly, it’s a loaf made of beans and water–no cutting off and throwing away a head involved–that’s called Frankenfood! While plant foods and agriculture are indeed complicated, there is absolutely no plant-food processing comparable–ethically, practically, environmentally, physically, psychologically–to the necessary extremities that must be visited while “processing” individual sentient animals for food. If they’re not the most processed food of all, I don’t know what is. | <urn:uuid:2afbc55c-7021-4a7d-b509-2922682d5c82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://vegetarianmythmyth.wordpress.com/tag/michael-pollan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952001 | 1,387 | 2.34375 | 2 |
In its continuing campaign to match the ingenuity of drug traffickers, the Department of Homeland Security has awarded a contract worth almost $100 million for a specialized system intended to detect ultralight aircraft used to secretly transport drugs.
Customs and Border Protection officials first began seeking such technology more than two years ago. Slow-moving aircraft flying at low altitudes, sometimes used by drug cartels for carrying narcotics, are difficult to identify by radar. The agency called them "an immediate, high-priority threat" and asked contractors for an existing sensor technology that could enable authorities to identify and monitor low-profile aircraft attempting to cross the nation's borders.
Federal aviation regulators classify ultralights as any aircraft containing one seat, weighing up to 254 pounds and carrying 5 gallons of fuel.
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a New York state company, SRCTec Inc., a $99.9 million contract to produce the system. The firm describes itself as having a "long history of developing air surveillance radar systems," according to its website.
"In recent years, we have developed and have applied smart technology to monitor the airspace between countries' borders, which now includes protection against non-traditional threats, such as remote-controlled aircraft," the website says. "This type of threat is not easily detected by current air surveillance infrastructures."
Plans called for transmitting data from the system to the Air and Marine Operations Center in Riverside, Calif., created during the 1980s to counter airborne drug smuggling. Officials want the new system to track as many as 25 "items of interest" at any time, be capable of operating during extreme weather and be easily transportable for deployment in remote locations.
The Department of Homeland Security pursued the technology as part of its Secure Border Initiative, first conceived during the Bush administration and continued under President Barack Obama to use 21st-century technology to help officers more readily identify illegal border crossers and expand the area of land they could secure effectively.
The initiative in the past suffered major setbacks when a planned high-tech "virtual fence" of radars, sensors and surveillance cameras didn't meet expectations. Defense giant Boeing earned hundreds of millions of dollars from the program before Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano concluded that the virtual fence, known as SBInet, was "plagued with cost overruns and missed deadlines."
The name was dropped, but Washington has continuedfunding border surveillance technology, despite years of costly attempts that have fallen short and date back to the administration of President Bill Clinton. SBInet was envisioned to be a network of surveillance towers installed along the nation's southwest border with Mexico that would feed data about potential threats to analysts in a command center-like setting. It covered only a small area of Arizona in the end.
Authorities meanwhile have plugged security gaps on the border with pricey drones costing between $18 million and $20 million each and thermal-imaging devices in truck beds that help Border Patrol officers spot smugglers and illegal crossers at night.
Lawmakers and the president earlier this year approved the last piece of legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., that targeted ultralights before she was seriously injured in a mass shooting in Tucson in 2011. The Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012 sought to close a legal loophole by stiffening penalties for smugglers who use the aircraft for drug trafficking.
"The use of ultralight vehicles is yet another example of the extreme measures drug smugglers will use to get drugs into the United States," U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a November announcement supporting the measure. "In just a six-month period, there were close to 200 reported incidents of use of these ultralight vehicles, and on relatively calm wind nights, Imperial County has experienced as much as four incidents per day."
View this story on California Watch | <urn:uuid:71344783-bee7-4dc1-b22a-4bb7b2c28616> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/14/4726868/feds-seek-detection-of-ultralight.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961998 | 795 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Hi Gang. Do keep reading Jonathan Hsy's great post below on animal language, and also join Jeffrey in this lovely making of memory. As for me, I'm concocting classes, one an undergraduate medieval comparative literature course, and the other as yet unproposed, on what we can call the literature of collapse (typically called postapocalyptic, not quite to my satisfaction). I'd love to hear your suggestions for each.
The first, the comp lit course, will be a version of one I'm sure many of you have taught: focused on Companion Animals and Other Lives. It's happening next semester as a once-a-week 3-hour evening class. As you might guess from the title, I'm going to be de-emphasizing anxiety and paranoia in my approach to the material; I'll be more interested in affect, community (and immunity), mourning and mourning that goes awry. It'll be best to put a few canonical texts on, and best to do everything in translation, with the originals available for those who want them, and for me to demonstrate some close reading. Here's what I'm thinking for our primary texts:
- Liber monstrorum / Ratramnus of Corbie, "Letter on the Cynocephali"
- Voyage of Brendan
- Marie de France/Tyolet/Biclarel/Arthur and Gorlagon (possibly over two weeks)
- Gerald of Wales History and Topography of Ireland
- Stephen of Bourbon on Guinefort, and as many versions of the Canis Legend I can find
- Beroul, Tristan
- Song of Roland (?)
- Patience / Letaldus of Micy on the whale
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
We have space for a few more, or for stretching some things out over several classes. But if there's something obvious I'm missing that you think would teach like a charm to students with little or no knowledge of medieval literature, let me know, particularly if it's available for free on line or in a cheap edition. I'm considering including the Life of Christina the Astonishing as a kind of lark on saintly inhumanity. The Little Flowers of St. Francis might also be something worth swapping in (maybe instead of the "Canis" material). If anyone knows one in translation, I'd also love to have us do one of the wild-man John Chrysostom legends.
The other class, on the Literature of Collapse, is one I'm sure has been taught hundreds of times before. A quick google gets me this for example, and there's a good course on Post-Apocalyptic Fiction and Feminist Theory here. No surprise, Hurricane Sandy sent my mind rushing this direction, and while the election, and (for example) Germany's increasing use of solar power have given me some hope, I'm basically expecting collapse in the next few decades. Blame Reagan and MAD, Nuclear War: What's in it for You?, Threads, and The Day After. Blame my fundamentalist, Rapture-expecting upbringing, where I often crept to the church library to read our authorized science fiction, viz., Salem Kirban's 666 and Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth. I even owned a copy of Spire Christian Comics's There's a New World Coming (warning, pdf, but well worth it).
Some obvious texts include the medieval Fifteen Signs of the Apocalypse, The Road, Oryx and Crake (and/or Year of the Flood), and Blindness; zombies would have to be represented by Zone One: A Novel. Less obvious material would be inspired by the class's companion volume, Eugene Thacker's superb In the Dust of this Planet, namely, The Purple Cloud (a mind blowing, orientalist early last man novel, with much to say about the frozen north: read it!), short works like Lovecraft's "Nyarlathotep," and also Maureen F. McHugh's After the Apocalypse, which will definitely be on my grad lit theory course next semester as a text for us to practice on. Vin Nardizzi's essay in the forthcoming Prismatic Ecologies focuses on a lawn-collapse novel, Greener than You Think: this too maybe needs a place on my imagined, increasingly gigantic syllabus. Likewise P. K. Dick's "Second Variety" (which you might have met for the first time, as did I, as Screamers). Do not suggest The Dog Stars: I read it during the hurricane, and found it a boys'-own-adventure, macho and military, tangled in daddy issues. Unrecommended.
What else would you want on this? | <urn:uuid:c02eaaa2-5a0e-4e60-8ab6-1e427d5d23b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inthemedievalmiddle.com/2012/11/two-reading-lists-companion-animals-and.html?showComment=1352419156864 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946379 | 970 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Coral reefs, the most biodiverse ecosystems in the ocean, have been facing local and global pressures for some time. In an updated report titled, Reefs at Risk Revisited by the World Resources Institute (WRI), this pressure has reached the point that 75% percent of the world’s reefs are threatened, and 30% of endangered reefs identified in the initial report of 1996 have seen their threat level increase.
Local pressures include overfishing, destructive fishing practices such as using dynamite, coastal development, and pollution from both land and sea. Globally, coral reefs are harmed by greenhouse gas emissions, coral bleaching from rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification due to higher carbon dioxide levels.
While these threats are on the rise, and our current response mechanism have been inadequate, there is hope for better management. According to the report 6% of the world’s coral reefs are in marine protected areas (MPAs) that are considered well-managed. MPAs are a local response that can be replicated and improved. However, to save coral reefs, cutting emissions, particularly carbon dioxide which is causing ocean acidification, need to be addressed.
You can view an interactive map of endangered reefs worldwide, indexed by their threat level, here. | <urn:uuid:91d02184-bccb-4a0a-9c4b-efe8fd2f7496> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sensysmag.com/spatialsustain/mapping-threatened-coral-reefs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950655 | 256 | 4.09375 | 4 |
Synonyms of Pertussis
- Whooping Cough
- No subdivisions found.
Pertussis is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. This disease has 3 stages: catarrhal, paroxysmal, and convalescent. The symptoms of the catarrhal stage are mild and may go unnoticed. The paroxysmal stage of Pertussis is characterized by episodes of coughing with a distinctive "whooping" sound when breathing in (inspiration). This characteristic cough gives the disease its common name, Whooping Cough. During the convalescent stage, episodes of coughing are less frequent and symptoms improve. The incidence of Pertussis has diminished greatly with widespread use of the DPT vaccine (Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus), but in certain areas of the United States outbreaks have occurred periodically in recent years.
Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that typically lasts for approximately 6 to 10 weeks. The symptoms are more severe in infants or in individuals who have never been immunized against the disease. There are three recognized stages of the disease: catarrhal, paroxysmal, and convalescent.
The incubation period for Pertussis is 7 to 10 days. During the first or catarrhal stage of the disease, the symptoms are mild and may go unnoticed or be confused with the common cold or influenza. Symptoms may include a general feeling of ill health (malaise), a runny nose (rhinorrhea), sneezing, and/or tearing of the eyes (lacrimation). Some affected people may experience a slight elevation in temperature (low-grade fever). Toward the end of this phase, a cough develops that becomes increasingly more persistent, especially at night.
The paroxysmal stage of Pertussis is characterized by recurring intense episodes of coughing. An episode or "paroxysm" consists of a series of coughs in rapid succession with increasing intensity. The last cough in the series is followed by a large inspiration that produces a characteristic "whoop" sound. During these coughing episodes, affected individuals find it difficult to draw air into the lungs (inspiration) between coughs. Typically, people with Pertussis cough up (expectorate) large amounts of thick mucus, which may cause vomiting (post-pertussis emesis). Other symptoms during an attack may include bulging eyes, prominent veins in the neck, protrusion of the tongue, and/or excessive salivation. Aspiration of mucous into the lungs may cause bacterial pneumonia. Infections of the middle ear (otitis media) may also occur during this stage of the disease.
The convalescent stage of Pertussis begins approximately 4 weeks after onset of the disease. Episodes of coughing become less frequent and not as severe. Slow recovery begins during this phase of the disease. Occasionally episodes of coughing may recur for months.
The coughing associated with Pertussis may cause a sudden increase in the pressure within the blood vessels of the nose and/or eyes. This may lead to nosebleeds (epistaxis) and the appearance of red blood vessels in the white of the eyes (scleral hemorrhage). Other more severe complications may include seizures, a collapsed lung (atelectasis), abnormal enlargement and destruction of the bronchi and bronchial tubes (bronchiectasis), the escape of air from the lungs into the surrounding soft tissues (subcutaneous emphysema), and/or a hernia in the area of the groin (inguinal hernia). Bacterial superinfection and, in rare cases, acute inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) may also occur.
Pertussis is an infectious disease caused by the gram-negative coccobacillus, Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease via droplets in the air from the respiratory tract of infected individuals. Transmission occurs during the catarrhal stage and during the first 2 to 3 weeks of the paroxysmal phase.
Pertussis occurs most frequently and severely in young children. Adolescents and adults tend to experience much less severe symptoms, and sometimes the disease may not even be recognized as Pertussis. For reasons that are not fully understood, slightly more females than males are affected.
Pertussis occurs in all geographic locations throughout the world. There is no seasonal pattern to outbreaks of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 60 million cases of Pertussis occur worldwide each year. Approximately 500,000 to 1,000,000 individuals develop life-threatening complications because of Pertussis.
The Pertussis vaccine (DPT vaccination) has been in widespread use since the late 1940s. Since that time, the incidence of Pertussis has fallen dramatically from 250,000 cases per year in the United States. Recently, the CDC reported that pertussis affected about 1,900 infants per year between 1994 and 1996. However, the Pertussis vaccine is not 100 percent effective in preventing the disease. In widespread outbreaks of Pertussis, individuals' susceptibility to this infection increases with the amount of time that has elapsed since their last immunization. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, GA suggest that the small risk of severe reactions associated with the DPT vaccine is negligible when compared to the possible severity of the disease itself. The risk of serious complications is estimated to be 1 in 100,000 to 300,000 for the vaccine as opposed to 1 in 9,500 for the disease itself. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported near epidemic local outbreaks of Pertussis in at least 10 geographic areas in the United States during recent years. In most of these areas, parents have not permitted immunization of their children against Pertussis because of the possible complications of vaccine.
Symptoms of the following disorders can be similar to those of Pertussis. Comparisons may be useful for a differential diagnosis:
Acute Bronchitis is a common respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the bronchi and bronchial tubes. Symptoms may include a persistent cough accompanied by abundant mucous discharge (sputum), fever, and/or back pain. Bronchitis is caused by the spread of an upper respiratory infection into the bronchi and may occur along with other diseases such as measles, pertussis, and/or diphtheria.
Influenza is a highly contagious common infectious disease of the respiratory tract caused by a virus and transmitted by airborne droplet infection. The symptoms of Influenza are often similar to those of the catarrhal stage of Pertussis including sore throat, excessive mucous, cough, fever, general weakness, and/or muscle pains.
Other bacteria that are related to the Bordetella pertussis may cause symptoms that are very similar to those of Pertussis. These bacteria include Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica.
The diagnosis of Pertussis may be confirmed by isolating the organism Bordetella pertussis from the sputum of an affected individual. These sputum samples are best obtained using a cotton swab that is placed through the nose into the rear portion of the throat (posterior pharynx). The paroxysmal phase of Pertussis is associated with very high levels of white cells in the blood (i.e., lymphocytosis).
The most important treatment for Pertussis is prevention. The DPT vaccine is provided to infants and although there may be some discomfort from the injection, it is generally safe and effective. There may be extremely rare but serious adverse reactions in some children. These should be immediately brought to the attention of a physician when they begin to appear.
An acellular vaccine, which is made with part of the bacterium that causes Pertussis rather than the whole bacterium, is available for vaccination of infants. Known as Tripedia, the vaccine is manufactured by Connaught Laboratories. It is hoped that this acellular vaccine will produce fewer side effects (e.g., fever, seizures, etc.) than cellular vaccines.
Adverse reactions have been associated with the Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus (DPT) vaccination and the risk for these reactions increases with age. In most circumstances, vaccination is not recommended for children over the age of seven years. Adverse reactions may be local or systemic. Local reactions may include pain, skin redness (erythema), and/or swelling. Elevated temperature is a common systemic reaction to the pertussis vaccine. In some rare cases, a fever of over 104.9F degrees has been reported. Other very rare complications have included seizures, shock, and severe hypersensitivity reactions (anaphylaxis). The most severe complication of the DPT vaccination is the very rare occurrence of brain inflammation (encephalopathy). (For more information on these allergic reactions, choose "Anaphylaxis" as your search term in the Rare Disease Database.)
A new combined vaccine, known as Certiva, for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a preventative measure against these illnesses. For more information, contact:
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
9000 Rockville Pike
Building 31 Rm 2a32, Msc 2425
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: (301) 496-5133
Fax: (301) 496-7101
The treatment of Pertussis involves the administration of antibiotic drugs that help to clear the bacteria from the throat of affected individuals, usually within three to four days. By the fourth day of treatment, the disease is no longer contagious. Erythromycin is the antibiotic drug of choice and is routinely given because it halts transmission of the disease to others. A course of antibiotic therapy may also be prescribed to those individuals who have been in close contact with affected individuals, especially children. The combination of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is an alternative antibiotic therapy that is given to those who cannot tolerate erythromycin.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that erythromycin may cause pyloric stenosis, a severe stomach disorder, in some babies. Pyloric stenosis blocks digestion and causes projectile vomiting. However, while CDC urges physicians and parents to be aware of this potentially serious side-effect, it does not recommend that physicians stop prescribing erythromycin for Pertussis.
Seriously ill infants with Pertussis should be kept in a dark and quiet room. They should be disturbed as little as possible to help prevent frequent episodes of severe coughing. Close attention should be paid to the nutritional needs of the infant, since poor nutrition can contribute significantly to complications. Small meals should be given as frequently as possible. Expectorant cough mixtures, cough suppressants, and sedatives are of little value and should be used cautiously or not at all.
Hospitalization may be recommended for seriously ill infants with Pertussis. Parenteral fluid (IV) therapy may be required to replace salt and water loss if vomiting is severe. Careful suctioning of the throat may become necessary to clear excessive mucous secretions. When suctioning is not able to clear the airway, a surgical procedure may be performed to create a temporary opening into the throat (tracheostomy). A tube is then inserted into this opening, through which oxygen is supplied to the lungs. Oxygen may also be administered to affected infants if their skin and mucous membranes have a bluish discoloration (cyanotic) after the removal of secretions from the throat. This type of intensive supportive care may be lifesaving in very severe cases of Pertussis.
Information on current clinical trials is posted on the Internet at www.clinicaltrials.gov. All studies receiving U.S. government funding, and some supported by private industry, are posted on this government web site.
For information about clinical trials being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, contact the NIH Patient Recruitment Office:
Tollfree: (800) 411-1222
TTY: (866) 411-1010
For information about clinical trials sponsored by private sources, contact:
Organizations related to Pertussis
Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 19th Ed.: James B. Wyngaarden and Lloyd H. Smith, Jr., Editors; W.B. Saunders Co., 1992. Pp. 1674-76.
The Merck Manual, 16th Ed.: Robert Berkow, Editor; Merck Research Laboratories, 1992. P. 2151.
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 12th Ed.: Jean D. Wilson, et al., Editors; McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991. Pp. 620-22.
Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 14th Ed.: Richard E. Behrman, Editor; W.B. Saunders Co., 1992. Pp. 724-25.
Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 2nd Ed.: Alfred P. Fishman, Editor; McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1988. Pp. 1497-98.
Infectious Diseases: Sherwood L. Gorbach, Editor; W.B. Saunders Company, 1992. Pp. 1538-43.
Answers to Questions About the Acellular Pertussis Vaccine. S.R. Kimmel, et al.; Am Fam Physician (Jun 1993; 47(8)). Pp. 1825-32.
Pertussis in Adults. T. Aoyama, et al.; Am J Dis Child (Feb 1992; 146(2)). Pp. 163-66.
Epidemiological Features of Pertussis in the United States, 1980-1989. K.M. Farizo, et al.; Clin Infect Dis (Mar 1992; 14(3)). Pp. 708-19.
Immunizations in Children. A. Nicoll, et al.; Curr Opin Pediatr (Feb 1993; 5(1)). Pp. 60-67.
Epidemiology of Pertussis and Reactions to Pertussis Vaccine. S.L. Hodder, et al.; Epidemiol Rev (1992; 14). Pp. 243-67.
Vaccine-Preventable Respiratory Infections in Childhood. K.K. Connelly, et al.; Semin Respir Infect (Dec 1991; 6(4)). Pp. 204-16.
Progress Towards the Development of New Vaccines Against Whooping Cough. R. Rappuoli, et al.; Vaccine (1992; 10(14)). Pp. 1027-32.
Control of Pertussis in the World. A. Galazka; World Health Stat Q (1992; 45(2-3)). Pp. 238-47.
The 1993 Epidemic of Pertussis in Cincinnati - Resurgence of Disease in a Highly Immunized Population of Children. C.D.C. Christie, et al.; New Eng J Med (July 1994; 331(1)). Pp. 16-21.
A Controlled Trial of Two Acellular Vaccines and One Whole-Cell Vaccine Against Pertussis. Donato Greco, M.D. et al.; New Eng J Med (Feb 1996; 334(6)). Pp. 341-48.
The information in NORD’s Rare Disease Database is for educational purposes only. It should never be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes. If you have questions regarding a medical condition, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. NORD’s reports provide a brief overview of rare diseases. For more specific information, we encourage you to contact your personal physician or the agencies listed as “Resources” on this report.
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) web site, its databases, and the contents thereof are copyrighted by NORD. No part of the NORD web site, databases, or the contents may be copied in any way, including but not limited to the following: electronically downloading, storing in a retrieval system, or redistributing for any commercial purposes without the express written permission of NORD. Permission is hereby granted to print one hard copy of the information on an individual disease for your personal use, provided that such content is in no way modified, and the credit for the source (NORD) and NORD’s copyright notice are included on the printed copy. Any other electronic reproduction or other printed versions is strictly prohibited.
Copyright ©1986, 1988, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009
Report last updated: 2009/04/10 00:00:00 GMT+0
NORD's Rare Disease Information Database is copyrighted and may not be published without the written consent of NORD. | <urn:uuid:27c162e4-28b1-42e6-a919-9bfb9d8f88f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/191/viewFullReport | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905766 | 3,588 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Professor connects Tolkien, Homer
While J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy may be dear to fans young and old, philosophy professor David O’Connor said Tuesday he believes the trilogy is meant to reflect on a darker side of nostalgia at the core of human nature.
In the second installment of Tolkien 2012, the Center for Ethics and Culture’s 10th annual Catholic Literature Series, O’Connor offered a talk titled “Tolkien and Nostalgia,” in which he framed his approach to Tolkien’s great work as a re-imagining of some of the themes of Homer’s “Odyssey.”
To read this fascinating article, see here. | <urn:uuid:a8b77de6-911f-4731-9c8d-962564544875> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.councilofelrond.com/2012/09/professor-connects-tolkien-homer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924434 | 157 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Rabeprazole Sodium 10/20mg
Rabeprazole Sodium tablet
What is this medicine?
RABEPRAZOLE prevents the production of acid in the stomach. It is used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), certain ulcers, certain bacteria in the stomach, inflammation of the esophagus, and Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome.
What should my health care professional know before I take this medicine?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
How should I take this medicine?
Take this medicine by mouth. Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Do not crush, break, or chew. You may take this medicine with or without food. Take your medicine at regular intervals. Do not take more often than directed.
Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care may be needed.
Overdosage: If you think you have taken too much of this medicine contact a poison control center or emergency room at once.
NOTE: This medicine is only for you. Do not share this medicine with others.
What if I miss a dose?
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only that dose. Do not take double or extra doses.
What may interact with this medicine?
Tell your prescriber or health care professional about all other medicines you are taking, including non-prescription medicines, nutritional supplements, or herbal products. Also tell your prescriber or health care professional if you are a frequent user of drinks with caffeine or alcohol, if you smoke, or if you use illegal drugs. These may affect the way your medicine works. Check with your health care professional before stopping or starting any of your medicines.
What should I watch for while taking this medicine?
It can take several days before your stomach pain gets better. Check with your doctor or health care professional if your condition does not start to get better or if it gets worse.
What side effects may I notice from this medicine?
Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible:
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
This list may not describe all possible side effects.
Where can I keep my medicine?
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F). Protect from light and moisture. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.
LIVE SUPPORT Click here
I received my order this week. Thank you very much. Trust me, I will be ordering again!!!!! My wife was more than suprised with the results and for me.... I felt 18 years old again. Thank you so much. You will be hearing from me again:) - David
What are Generics?
A generic drug is made with the same active ingredients and is available in thesame strength and dosage form as the equivalent brand-name product. Generic drugs produce the same effects in the body as the brand-name drugs, because both contain the identical active ingredients... | <urn:uuid:eb7b03db-378e-4d65-a18d-a07f93de85dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://popular-pill.com/buy-aciphex-usa.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91462 | 678 | 1.703125 | 2 |
What does it mean to speak American? With all our social and regional diversity, "American" comprises many linguistic varieties and social identities. We will work on developing your writing skills while interrogating the relationship between language and society through readings, writing assignments, and discussions that focus on American dialects and their speakers. While much of the course content addresses spoken language, the course focuses on your writing, and will help train you to produce clear, convincing, and sophisticated prose. You will develop your voice as a writer through a series of formal and informal writing assignments and workshops. | <urn:uuid:645bcd31-29c5-4733-aafa-c438db09eab8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lsa.umich.edu/cg/cg_detail.aspx?content=1670ENGLISH125003&termArray=w_08_1670 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965184 | 114 | 2.96875 | 3 |
0418 329 309
We use concrete (or steel for higher houses) to replace the stumps of Weatherboard or Timber Clad houses, which are almost always made of timber.
These types of houses are double brick for both external walls and internal walls, and the brick goes down to a concrete or bluestone foundation.
These houses have a timber frame and a single brick veneer on the outside and brick piers around the perimeter to support the perimeter frame, internal walls and floors are supported by stumps.
Some old houses have been sitting on the ground for so long that most of the floor frame timbers are rotten or have been attacked by fungus or termites.
In many houses, particularly inner city homes, the houses are built very close to the ground and have no access to the sub-floor, so in this case we need to remove the floorboards to access the stumps.
Able Reblocking is based in Melbourne, Victoria. We have been operating since 1995, providing re-stumping services to home owners throughout Melbourne.
I am so happy with the work you have done, and I appreciate you taking the time to keep me informed throughout this process. I would be very happy to recommend you!
Thank you also for recommendations i.e. chippy, plumber, electrician, plasterer - this has been a enormous help.
All my best, | <urn:uuid:1aa377e6-89fd-4bd0-b0ac-e1d5e76666ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ablereblocking.com.au/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958879 | 287 | 1.5625 | 2 |
A fun and creative Halloween alternative for grades
1. Bible Activity: It's War! -- (Supplies:
ball, strobe light, newsprint, markers, tape, and Bible.) Form two
teams. Have each team come up with a war cry, such as "Whoop!" or
"Hyah!" Have teams line up at opposite ends of the room. Set a ball
in the center of the room. Then tell kids that on "go," they're to
race to the ball, grab it, toss it in the air, and keep it away
from people on the other team.
Yell "go" at the same time that you turn off the lights
and turn on a strobe light. Encourage teams to call their war cries
as they play. Play this game for three to five minutes.
Afterward, ask: How easy or difficult was it to play this game?
What effect did the strobe light have on your senses?
Read aloud 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Ask: How is this activity
like or unlike the way Satan tries to blind unbelievers from seeing
Say: The Bible tells us that a war is going on right
now between the kingdoms and powers of God and Satan. Christians
are part of this war. Thankfully, we know that the side of God will
win the victory forever. Let's think about ways you see the forces
of darkness at work, especially at Halloween.
Write "darkness" on one sheet of newsprint and "light" on
another sheet. Hang them on the wall. Give kids markers and have
them list ideas on the newsprint sheets.
2. Craft: Stained Glass Lanterns -- (Supplies:
a glass jar for each child, glue, water, paintbrushes, tissue
paper, and scissors.) Mix glue and water until it looks like milk.
Have kids tear or cut small pieces of tissue paper, brush their
jars with the glue mix, and attach the tissue pieces to their jars.
Then have them brush the glue mix over the tissue pieces. Let the
tissue paper dry.
3. Closing Prayer -- (Supplies: votive
candles.) Give each child a votive candle. Encourage kids to put
their candles in their lanterns and give their lanterns to friends
who haven't seen Jesus' light yet. Have the children pray for these
Allergy Alert: Some children have food allergies that can be
dangerous. Know your children, and consult with parents about
allergies their children may have.
4. Snack: Food For Thought-You'll need: Dried
pumpkin seeds, cheese spread, crackers, and plastic knives.
kids to: Spread the cheese on your cracker. Use the seeds to create
designs on your cracker that'll remind you of Jesus and his light,
such as a smiley face, a light, or a cross.
Mark von Ehrenkrook is a children's and family pastor in
Puyallup, Washington. Please keep in mind that phone numbers,
addresses, and prices are subject to change. | <urn:uuid:a10b692d-0ad0-4c93-9c1c-78a6507c295d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://childrensministry.com/articles/shine-your-light-on-halloween-grades-4-to-6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936988 | 665 | 3.21875 | 3 |
As a parent you may realize the crucial importance education has in our lives, however, your child is reluctant to listen to any of your arguments, thoughts and ideas. A student disinterested in education will miss college lectures and perform extremely poorly in assessments tests. In the worst cases, students may stop attending the school or college and sit at home without any concern for career, education and life. In order to motivate the students back to their college life and career, parents should first find out the root causes of the lack of motivation in students.
Lack of Motivation in Students: Causes
Some of the causes of lack of motivation in students have been mentioned below.
Low self-esteem in students forces them to quit challenges and accept the path of least resistance. Even if these students try and complete some tasks, they are clouded by many negative thinking patterns that block the flow of confidence in their personalities. You may read more on low self-esteem in children and low self-esteem signs.
Lack of Love at Home
Home is the first school for a kid and every student expects a lot of support and love from parents. The environment of a home shapes a child’s attitude in the initial years of life. A home where curiosity and education is given importance will definitely motivate the students to pursue academic challenges. If the parents are away from the kids or students and they are unaware of what their kid is doing in then school, then even the child feels neglected and steps back from taking responsibilities and challenges. After all, parents are the biggest motivators. You may read more on how to make your home a learning environment for kids.
It is a fact that every student is not of the same aptitude and mental ability as another. Every one takes time to learn and perform. While many students are able to tackle the tough challenges of academic pressures and perform well in the exams, others are unable to handle the pressure. Constant poor performance lowers the self-confidence of the student and the student will feel lost in the crowd of brilliant students. Parents and teachers should ensure that every student takes a career in the field that motivates him/her to give total dedication. Besides academics, sports and other disciplines must also be encouraged.
Early adolescence is a phase between elementary school and high school. In this phase, there is a heightened awareness among the adolescent about his studies and responsibilities. Besides these, behavioral changes in this phase lead to the formation of new relationships with parents, friends and teachers. The period between 10 to 14 years is marked by all-round growth and an entry into puberty. The students become highly sensitive and form new ideas about their values of individualism and identity. If a student is demotivated in this phase, he/she may fall in the trap of negativity for the coming years of life.
Often, teachers are unable to convey their expectations to the students and this leads to a communication gap between them. Also, many teachers have the habit of constantly dominating the thought process of students instead of encouraging curiosity and giving students the freedom to express their thoughts and feelings to the teachers. Such attitudes from teachers can cause lack of motivation in students.
Increase Student Motivation: Motivation Tips for Students
Nothing can be a better motivation for college students than their teachers and parents. Depression symptoms and other problems must not be ignored and the matter must be discussed with the student with full care and love. If the student feels secure sharing his/her views with elders, then the problem can be resolved easily. Schools should organize motivation activities for students, like games, sports and competitions, which are essential for the holistic personality development of the student.
It is a fact that a student who is not performing good in studies may perform really well in some sports. Let the students explore their hidden talents. The teachers can also put motivation quotes for students on notice boards, school magazines and even give the students a project in which they are expected to collect various motivational quotes. Words have power and they can transform a student and make him eager to learn.
You may read more on
Activities for Self-esteem
There are some other motivation techniques for students, like involving them in some activities like dancing, music etc. that they are interested in, so that they can learn new hobbies and increase their confidence. It is possible for every parent to boost their students motivation. Stop ignoring your child’s studies and do understand his need to be heard. Just supporting your child’s education monetarily isn’t enough for a parent. Lack of motivation in students can be completely eliminated if the parent and teachers understand the kid and support him/her to break any of his negative patterns of thought. | <urn:uuid:80269460-8cf6-4df7-b027-bd513dd3b28d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ace-screen-capture.com/lack-of-motivation-in-students.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965699 | 952 | 2.890625 | 3 |
There are a plethora of programs that can rip audio CDs on Linux, but very few are as simple as Sound Juicer. Sound Juicer is a GUI front-end for the command line only tool cdparanoia, but it adds quite features that make it worth a look.
Install Sound Juicer
Sound Juicer is not installed by default in a lot of distributions so it may need to be installed from the distribution’s software repository. Start by opening up the software manager that comes with your distribution.
Note: The screenshots show mintInstall that comes with Linux Mint 9.
Search for “sound-juicer” in the software manager. For some reason searching for “juicer” and “sound juicer” did not bring up any results so make sure you include the dash when searching.
Once you find the right program simply click install to download and install the latest version available in your repositories.
Launch Sound Juicer
Once the software is installed go back to the menu to open the program. In Linux Mint and Ubuntu, Sound Juicer shows up as “Audio CD Extractor”. Search for it in the mintMenu or in Ubuntu find it under Applications -> Sound & Video.
If there is no CD in the drive the program won’t have much to look at.
Once an audio CD is inserted Sound Juicer should automatically detect your CD and fill in the information for title, artist, year, and track information.
Sound Juicer connects to MusicBrainz to determine the CD information. If the CD cannot be found in the MusicBrainz database you will have the option to fill in the CD information manually and submit the album for future users.
Customizing CD Rips
If you want to use a different CD drive, change the music folder or naming of your ripped music, or change what format the music is ripped in, click on Edit -> Preferences.
Click on “Edit Profiles” to change advanced settings about how music is ripped. There are some ripping profiles installed by default and the profiles can easily be added or removed.
In Ubuntu, to enable the MP3 and AAC ripping you will need to install the restricted-extras package from the Synaptic Package Manager or it can be installed directly from FireFox using the Ubuntu community documentation.
Highlight one of the profiles and click “Edit” to change the name, description, and GStreamer command that runs to rip the music.
Once everything is set up, click “Extract” to begin ripping the CD. Depending on the settings, the CD will rip and eject as soon as it is done. Put in the next CD and the computer do all the work!
If you would like to keep up with Sound Juicer development or make a donation to the developer you can find the website here.
Justin is a Linux and HTPC enthusiast who loves to try new projects. He isn't scared of bricking a cell phone in the name of freedom.
- Published 06/23/10 | <urn:uuid:d1ac548b-be63-4942-a5f1-d129dc0863d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/20126/rip-audio-cds-with-sound-juicer/?showcomments=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904602 | 628 | 1.5 | 2 |
The Top 10 Stretching Exercises for Overall Flexibility
Flexibility training remains the most-neglected aspect of fitness. This is unfortunate because just a few minutes of stretching can result in a whole slew of benefits, including reduced muscle tension, soreness and risk of injury. Topping off a workout with some flexibility exercises also readies your body for your next workout.
The following exercises-provided courtesy of the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and Club Industry magazine-can be done anytime. It's always a good idea to warm up your muscles and stretch before doing aerobic exercise. Stretches are especially effective immediately following an aerobic workout when your muscles are warm and therefore more receptive to stretching. Begin each stretch slowly, exhaling as you gently elongate the muscle. Try to hold each stretch for at least 15 to 30 seconds, but don't bounce, strain or try to push a muscle too far. If it hurts, ease up.
1. Neck/cervical spine stretch: With your left arm at your side and your shoulder down, place your right hand on your head and slowly bend the chin to your chest and turn toward your right shoulder. Using only the weight of the hand, stretch away from the left shoulder. Repeat on the left side.
2. Anterior shoulder stretch: Stand and place your right palm against a wall and rotate the torso away from the hand until a stretch is felt across the chest and shoulder. Repeat on the left side. (To stretch the posterior shoulder, bring your arm across the chest, parallel to floor, and use your other arm to gently apply pressure toward the body.)
3. Tricep stretch: Place your right palm between your shoulder blades with your right elbow pointing upward. Grasp your right elbow with your left hand to bring the bent elbow up and behind the head until a stretch is felt on the back of the upper arm. Repeat on the left side.
4. Low back stretch: On your back with your knees bent, gently pull both knees toward your chest, lifting the feet off the floor; hold and relax. This exercise may also be done using one leg.
5. Outer hip stretch: On your back, flex your right knee across the body and pull toward your left shoulder. Repeat on the left side.
6. Cat stretch: On your hands and knees, sag your back (be careful not to overarch), lifting head up. Then curve your back up toward the ceiling and lower your head down. Repeat.
7. Hip flexor stretch: Assume a lunge position, making sure your front knee is directly over the foot and ankle. Press your hips toward the floor. Repeat to opposite side.
8. Quadriceps stretch: Using a wall or chair as support, bend your right knee and reach back with your right hand and grasp your right ankle, pulling your right heel in toward your rear. Be sure your hips are forward and your knees are adjacent to each other. Repeat on the left side.
9. Hamstring stretch: Stand in front of a low step or bench and place your left heel on it. Place your hands on your right leg for support, and lower and lean forward from the hips until a stretch is felt in the back of the leg. Repeat on the right side.
10. Calf stretch: Using the wall or a chair as support, place one foot behind the other. With your front knee slightly bent, your back knee straight and your heel down, lean your hips forward. Repeat on the opposite side. | <urn:uuid:248c48e8-4b30-4bda-9a33-1b0d3c02f5b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://clubindustry.com/print/mag/top-10-25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917646 | 726 | 2.140625 | 2 |
- The following is an article by an INHS member. Note that INHS does not endorse veganism (100% plant based diet) because of its longterm health dangers - but regards up to 98% plant-based diet as acceptable. Read more about the diet concept in INHS here. INHS also warns that a diet overabundant in fruit can be dangerous - see the article "Fruit - friend or foe?" - |
AVIAR INFLUENZA - AVIAN FLU
by Alois Kolar, Practitioner and Consultant of Natural Health - Hygiene, Nutritionist, INHS member
Natural Health – Natural Hygiene is the one true science which is based on laws of nature and biology and this is the reason why natural hygienists understand and take this big media pomp which is produced by the art of medicine with its spreading fear of so called "new virus" which according to the art of medicine causes new disease with intimidating consequences, as just another attempt of academic heads to mystify once more their "mission" with causing new massive hysteria of the population, like they once succeeded with inventing AIDS and HIV virus in the 1981. They are tempted by the financial success they achieved with launching the invented disease AIDS which is supposedly caused by HIV virus (this was never proven, but yet it was incontestability proven that it does not!), they gain a huge financial funds of taxpayers money all over the world which improved their economic status, got them new jobs, possibilities for new researches, improved hospital interests and made the pharmaceutical industry with its production of drugs, serums and treatments to treat and "cure" people, richer and stronger, so that they can manipulate and control people with intensifying the fear of new diseases every day. Recent attempt of launching potentially new economic success was the attempt with SARS but people did not buy it, so they tried again, this time with Aviar influenza or a H5N1 virus, as the eminent experts of WHO named it.
Natural Health – Natural Hygiene is teaching us that viruses and bacteria never cause disease (virus H5N1 does not cause Aviar Influenza, just like HIV does not cause AIDS!). Hygienists see clearly that disease is not contagious, like health as well. Even for this disease of fowls (birds which are fed in outdoor farms) people are to be blamed with their pervert manipulation and commercial breeding animals, which are squeezed in a small space and eating chemical processed and toxic food and this is the reason they get sick and ill, not because the H5N1 virus. And if we consume food we are not biologically, physically and anatomically adapted for – normally – we get sick. Especially if we consume commercially breed dead bodies, which were fed with toxic food. We can not blame viruses but we can only blame the art and science called medicine, because they can not and will not understand this simple fact. Not even in the year 2005. They are hiding themselves in their 40.000 diagnoses (and creating new ones all the time with the help of pharmaceutical industry, which is developing new drugs) and fictive healing with drugs and poisons and vaccines, electro-chemo therapies (sadly this is still something spectacular in the eyes of the people) most definitely it is well paid, even though this branch of business is creating new diseases because of this.
Drugs – medicines never cure, vaccines never protect us from diseases. Our body is a beautiful self healing system and it always heals itself, only if we enable this with proper, implementation of simple laws of Nature and optimal nutrition, which are the best possible ways captured in Natural Health and Hygiene.
People who feed themselves with food they were biologically adapted and who live according to Natural Health and Natural Hygiene do not get sick and ill with any kind of disease.
Feeding with professionally dissected parts of animal bodies (in this case especially ill ones), which were bred and brutally slaughtered in commercial interests, so that they gain weight as quick as possible and are ready to be slaughtered.
Eating thermal processed food causes toxication which is the main cause for developing some new form of disease and is developed in 7 stages (you can read more on this in AIDS JE OZDRAVLJIV in party paper of Club of Natural Health).
The devastating citizen-like way of living and eating, eating with animal flesh, consuming social drugs and life (like the art of medicine recommends it with nutritious branch roped up with pharmaceutical industry) unavoidably leads in developing diseases with final stage of cancer which is fatal in most cases.
Only a sick person is a profitable person, and is then cured undercover of humanity.
The lifestyle of Natural Health – Natural Hygiene gives you optimal and highest stage of health. The basic rule of Natural Hygiene is optimal nutrition.
You alone have the chance to choose, this means freedom, the highest stage of Health without the fear of any kind of viruses, bacteria. Not even the H5N1 virus.
Choose … it is your health, your body, your life at stake.
Alois Kolar, Praktik & Svetovalec Naravnega zdravja -
Practioner & Consultant of Natural Health
Klub Naravnega zdravja - Club of Natural Health:
Gsm: ++386 (0)51 350 086
E-mail & msn: email@example.com | <urn:uuid:ae3db33d-c6fc-4a69-9636-060c9206faef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://naturalhygienesociety.org/articles/aviarflu.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954553 | 1,132 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Dostoevsky was the second of seven children born to Mikhail and Maria Dostoevsky. (Origins from Polish Szlachta family Dostojewski CoA Radwan). Shortly after his mother died of tuberculosis in 1837, he and his brother Mikhail were sent to the Military Engineering Academy at St. Petersburg. In 1839 they lost their father, a retired military surgeon and a violent alcoholic, who served as a doctor at the Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor in Moscow. While not known for certain, it is believed that Mikhail Dostoevsky was murdered by his own serfs, who reportedly became enraged during one of Mikhail's drunken fits of violence, restrained him, and poured vodka into his mouth until he drowned. Another story was that Mikhail died of natural causes, and a neighboring landowner invented this story of a peasant rebellion so he could buy the estate inexpensively.
Dostoevsky was sent to the St. Petersburg Academy of Military Engineering and since he was not very good at mathematics, a subject he despised, he did not do very well. Instead, he focused on literature. His literary idol was Honoré de Balzac and in 1843 even translated one of Balzac's greatest works, Eugenie Grandet, into Russian. Dostoevsky started to write his own fiction around this time and in 1846, his first work, the epistolary short novel, Poor Folk, was met with great acclaim especially by the liberal critic Vissarion Belinsky with his famous exclamation, "A new Nikolai Gogol has arisen!"
Dostoevsky was arrested and imprisoned on April 23, 1849, for engaging in revolutionary activity against Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. On November 16 that year he was sentenced to death for anti-government activities linked to a liberal intellectual group, the Petrashevsky Circle. After a mock execution in which he and other members of the group stood outside in freezing weather waiting to be shot by a firing squad, Dostoevsky's sentence was commuted to four years of exile performing hard labor at a katorga prison camp in Omsk, Siberia. His first recorded epileptic seizure happened in 1850 at the prison camp. It is said that he suffered from a rare form of temporal lobe epilepsy, sometimes referred to as "ecstatic epilepsy." It is also said that upon learning of his father's death before the elder could reply to a letter of criticism from Fydor, the younger Dostoevsky experienced his first seizure. Seizures then recurred sporadically throughout his life, and Dostoevsky's experiences are thought to form the basis for his description of Prince Myshkin's epilepsy in The Idiot. He was released from prison in 1854, and was required to serve in the Siberian Regiment. Dostoevsky spent the following five years as a private (and later lieutenant) in the Regiment's Seventh Line Battalion stationed at the fortress of Semipalatinsk, now in Kazakhstan. While there, he began a relationship with Maria Dmitrievna Isaeva, the wife of an acquaintance in Siberia; they married in February 1857, after her husband's death.
Dostoevsky's experiences in prison and the army resulted in major changes in his political and religious convictions. He became disillusioned with 'Western' ideas, and began to pay greater tribute to traditional Russian values. Perhaps most significantly, he had what his biographer Joseph Frank describes as a conversion experience in prison, which greatly strengthened his Christian, and specifically Orthodox, faith (the experience is depicted by Dostoevsky in The Peasant Marey (1876)). In line with his new beliefs, Dostoevsky became a sharp critic of the Nihilist and Socialist movements of his day, and he dedicated his book The Possessed and his The Diary of a Writer to espousing conservatism and criticizing socialist ideas . He later formed a peculiar friendship with the conservative statesman Konstantin Pobedonostsev.
In December 1859, he returned to St. Petersburg, where he ran a series of unsuccessful literary journals with his older brother Mikhail. Dostoevsky was devastated by his wife's death in 1864, followed shortly thereafter by his brother's death. He was financially crippled by business debts and the need to provide for his brother's widow and children. Dostoevsky sank into a deep depression, frequenting gambling parlors and accumulating massive losses at the tables.
Dostoevsky suffered from an acute gambling compulsion as well as from its consequences. By one account Crime and Punishment, possibly his best known novel, was completed in a mad hurry because Dostoevsky was in urgent need of an advance from his publisher. He had been left practically penniless after a gambling spree. Dostoevsky wrote The Gambler simultaneously in order to satisfy an agreement with his publisher Stellovsky who, if he did not receive a new work, would have claimed the copyrights to all of Dostoevsky's writing.
Motivated by the dual wish to escape his creditors at home and to visit the casinos abroad, Dostoevsky traveled to Western Europe. There, he attempted to rekindle a love affair with Apollinaria (Polina) Suslova, a young university student with whom he had had an affair several years prior, but she refused his marriage proposal. Dostoevsky was heartbroken, but soon met Anna Grigorevna, a twenty-year-old stenographer whom he married in 1867. This period resulted in the writing of his greatest books. From 1873 to 1881 he vindicated his earlier journalistic failures by publishing a monthly journal full of short stories, sketches, and articles on current events — the Writer's Diary. The journal was an enormous success. Dostoevsky is also known to have influenced and been influenced by famous Russian Philosopher Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov. Solovyov is noted as the inspiration for the character Alyosha Karamazov.
In 1877 Dostoevsky gave the keynote eulogy at the funeral of his friend, the poet Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, to much controversy. In 1880, shortly before he died, he gave his famous Aleksandr Pushkin speech at the unveiling of the Pushkin monument in Moscow.
In his later years, Fyodor Dostoevsky lived for a long time at the resort of Staraya Russa which was closer to St Petersburg and less expensive than German resorts. He died on January 28 (O.S.), 1881 of a lung hemorrhage associated with emphysema and an epileptic seizure and was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, St. Petersburg, Russia. Forty thousand mourning Russians attended his funeral.1 His tombstone reads "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." from John 12:24, which is also the epigraph of his final novel, The Brothers Karamazov.
Works and influence
Dostoevsky's influence cannot be overemphasized. From Herman Hesse to Marcel Proust, William Faulkner, Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, Friedrich Nietzsche, Henry Miller, Yukio Mishima, Gabriel García Márquez, Jack Kerouac and Joseph Heller, virtually no great twentieth century writer escaped his long shadow (rare dissenting voices include[Vladimir Nabokov, Henry James, Joseph Conrad and, more ambiguously, D.H. Lawrence). American novelist Ernest Hemingway, in his autobiographic books, also cited Dostoevsky as a major influence on his work.
Essentially a writer of myth (and in this respect sometimes compared to Herman Melville), Dostoevsky displayed a nuanced understanding of human psychology evident in his major works. He created an opus of immense vitality and almost hypnotic power, characterized by the following traits: feverishly dramatized scenes (conclaves) where his characters are, frequently in scandalous and explosive atmosphere, passionately engaged in Socratic dialogues à la Russe; the quest for God, the problem of Evil and suffering of the innocents haunt the majority of his novels; characters fall into a few distinct categories: humble and self-effacing Christians (prince Myshkin, Sonya Marmeladova, Alyosha Karamazov), self-destructive nihilists (Svidrigailov, Smerdyakov, Stavrogin, the underground man), cynical debauchers (Fyodor Karamazov), rebellious intellectuals (Raskolnikov, Ivan Karamazov); also, his characters are driven by ideas rather than by ordinary biological or social imperatives.
Dostoevsky's novels are compressed in time (many cover only a few days) and this enables the author to get rid of one of the dominant traits of realist prose, the corrosion of human life in the process of the time flux — his characters primarily embody spiritual values, and these are, by definition, timeless. Other obsessive themes include suicide, wounded pride, collapsed family values, spiritual regeneration through suffering (the most important motif), rejection of the West and affirmation of Russian Orthodoxy and Tsarism. Literary scholars such as Bakhtin have characterized his work as 'polyphonic': unlike other novelists, Dostoevsky does not appear to aim for a 'single vision', and beyond simply describing situations from various angles, Dostoevsky engendered fully dramatic novels of ideas where conflicting views and characters are left to develop unevenly into unbearable crescendo.
By common critical consensus one among the handful of universal world authors, along with Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Miguel de Cervantes, Victor Hugo and a few others, Dostoevsky has decisively influenced twentieth century literature, existentialism and expressionism in particular.
1 Dostoevsky, Fyodor; Introduction - The Idiot, Wordsworth Ed. Ltd, 1996.
Refer to Full text versions at OrthodoxSource.
Many Orthodox readers prefer the translations of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky because of their attention to Orthodox liturgical terminology. These replace the translations of an earlier generation by Constance Garnett.
- Бедные люди (Poor Folk) (1846)
- Двойник. Петербургская поэма (The Double: A Petersburg Poem) (1846)
- Неточка Незванова (Netochka Nezvanova) (1849)
- Село Степанчиково и его обитатели (The Village of Stepanchikovo or The Friend of the Family) (1859)
- Униженные и оскорбленные (The Insulted and Humiliated) (1861)
- Записки из мертвого дома (The House of the Dead (novel)) (1860)
- Скверный анекдот (A Nasty Story) (1862)
- Записки из подполья (1864) Translated as Notes from Underground by Pevear and and Volokhonsky (ISBN 978-0679734529) and by some as Letters from the Underworld.
- Преступление и наказание (1866) Translated as Crime and Punishment by Pevear and Volokhonsky (ISBN 978-0679734505) and by Garnett (ISBN 978-1905432516).
- Игрок (The Gambler (novella)) (1867)
- Идиот (novel) (1868) Translated as The Idiot by Pevear and Volokhonsky (ISBN 978-0375702242) and Garnett (ISBN 978-0679642428).
- Бесы (1872) Translated as Demons by Pevear and Volokhonsky (ISBN 978-0679734512), as The Possessed by Garnett (ISBN 978-1593082505), and as Devils by Michael Katz (ISBN 978-0199540495).
- Подросток (The Raw Youth or The Adolescent) (1875)
- Братья Карамазовы (1880) Translated as The Brothers Karamazov by Pevear and Volokhonsky (ISBN 978-0374528379) and Garnett (ISBN 978-0486437910).
- Белые ночи (White Nights (short story)) (1848)
- Елка и свадьба (A Christmas Tree and a Wedding) (1848)
- Честный вор (An Honest Thief) (1848)
- The Peasant Marey (1876)
- Сон смешного человека (The Dream of a Ridiculous Man) (1877)
- A Gentle Creature, sometimes translated as The Meek Girl (1876)
- A Weak Heart
- The Eternal Husband
From The Brothers Karamazov (1879-1880)
- It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born of a furnace of doubt.
- If they drive God from the earth, we shall shelter Him underground.
- So long as man remains free he strives for nothing so incessantly and so painfully as to find some one to worship.
- The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fathers and teachers, I ponder, "What is hell?" I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.
- People talk sometimes of a bestial cruelty, but that's a great injustice and insult to the beasts; a beast can never be so cruel as a man, so artistically cruel. The tiger only tears and gnaws, that's all he can do. He would never think of nailing people by the ears, even if he were able to do it.
- I think if the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness.
- If you were to destroy in mankind the belief in immortality, not only love but every living force maintaining the life of the world would at once be dried up.
- Beauty is a terrible and awful thing! It is terrible because it has not been fathomed, for God sets us nothing but riddles. Here the boundaries meet and all contradictions exist side by side.
From Crime and Punishment (1866)
- "Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery."
- Full text editions from Wikisource
- FyodorDostoevsky.com - The Definitive Dostoevsky fan site
- Fyodor Dostoevsky's brief biography and works
- Selected Dostoevsky e-texts from Penn Librarys digital library project
- Free audiobook of Notes from Underground from LibriVox
- Full texts of some Dostoevsky's works in the original Russian
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Biography, ebooks, quotations, and other resources
- Some photos of places and statues that are reminiscent of Dostoevsky and his work
- Dostoevsky Research Station
- ALEXANDER II AND HIS TIMES: A Narrative History of Russia in the Age of Alexander II, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky
- Dostoevsky, Joseph Frank. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1979-2003 (5 volumes).
- ↑ Zouboff, Peter, Solovyov on Godmanhood: Solovyov’s Lectures on Godmanhood Harmon Printing House: Poughkeepsie, New York, 1944; see Czeslaw Milosz’s introduction to Solovyov’s War, Progress and the End of History. Lindisfarne Press: Hudson, New York 1990.
Articles and Books on Dostoevsky and Orthodox Christianity
- Dostoevsky and Memory Eternal: An Eastern Orthodox Approach to the Brothers Karamazov by Donald Sheehan
- Steven Cassedy, Dostoevsky's Religion ISBN 0804751374
- Malcolm Jones, Dostoevsky and the Dynamics of Religious Experience ISBN 0804751374
- P. Travis Kroeker, Bruce Ward, and Travis Kroeker, Remembering the End: Dostoevsky as Prophet to Modernity ISBN 0813366089
- George Pattison and Diane Oenning Thompson, Dostoevsky and the Christian Tradition ISBN 0521782783
- Rowan Williams, Dostoevsky: Language, Faith, and Fiction ISBN 978-1602581456 | <urn:uuid:6b7e51ff-b3ca-4e62-aff3-870ef57f69fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Fyodor_Dostoevsky&oldid=74520 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942858 | 3,812 | 3.078125 | 3 |
10 Years After 9/11
10 Years After 9/11, Australians Are More Concerned About Identity Theft and Environmental Disasters than Terrorist Attacks, According to Unisys Security Index
Immediate security risks to the individual outweigh concern about terrorism
SYDNEY, 3 May 2011 – Ahead of the tenth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, new research released by Unisys reveals that Australians today are more concerned about the risks related to identity theft, financial fraud and environmental disasters than the threat of terrorist attacks such as airline hijackings or suicide bombs.
The latest Unisys Security Index™, a bi-annual study that provides insights into consumers’ sense of security, asked Australians if they were more or less concerned about key security issues than they were 10 years ago. The national survey of 1,200 adults was conducted by Newspoll in February 2011.
When asked how their level of security concern compared to 10 years ago, three in four (an estimated 76 percent) Australians said they were more concerned today about credit card data being stolen, and two in three (an estimated 66 percent) were more concerned today about the risk of an environmental disaster. Conversely, only an estimated 51 percent of Australians said they were more concerned today than 10 years ago about the threat of a suicide bomb in Australia.
“The results reflect that today’s security environment has evolved significantly since the 2001 terror attacks, which dominated the media and social psyche at the time,” explained John Kendall, Security Program Director, Unisys Asia Pacific. “While traditional national security issues clearly remain in the background, more contemporary issues such as identity theft and environmental concerns today have a greater potential immediacy for larger numbers of Australians. This may be due to the fact that these issues are more visible in the media today, or that larger numbers of Australians are being directly impacted them, or a combination of both.”
Australians slightly less concerned than six months ago
The overall Unisys Security Index for the first half of 2011 found that Australians are slightly less concerned than they were at the end of 2010, with the Index falling four points to 111 out of 300 since the Unisys survey was taken in November.
The greatest decline occurred in the area of internet security, where the index score fell by eight points to 103 out of 300, largely driven by a 5 percentage point fall in concern about computer security in relation to viruses and unsolicited emails.
Level of concern 2001 vs. 2011 – financial fraud and environmental risks top the agenda now
When asked if they were more or less concerned today about key security issues than they were in 2001, Australians responded that financial fraud and environmental disasters concern them more in 2011. Compared to 10 years ago, an estimated:
76 percent of Australians are more concerned about credit card data being stolen
66 percent are more concerned about the risk of an environmental disaster
59 percent are more concerned about companies losing their personal or financial details
56 percent are more concerned about cyber attacks on important national computer networks
51 percent are more concerned about the risk of suicide bombs in Australia
42 percent are more concerned about the risk of airline hijackings
38 percent are more concerned about the risk to their personal safety
“These results point to security risks encountered as part of daily life, such as credit card security, as being of increased concern to Australians,” said Mr Kendall.
Only a minority of those surveyed reported that their level of concern about security issues had fallen in the decade since 2001. An estimated:
3 percent are less concerned about credit card data being stolen
3 percent are less concerned about the risk of an environmental disaster
5 percent are less concerned about companies losing personal or financial details
5 percent are less concerned about cyber attacks on important national computer networks
7 percent are less concerned about the risk of suicide bombs in Australia
8 percent are less concerned about their own personal safety
10 percent are less concerned about airline hijackings
“As we approach the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, this national snapshot of concern shows that while national security issues such as terrorism remain on the agenda, Aussies have become more concerned about issues they feel likely to experience as an individual in Australia – namely financial fraud, identity theft and environmental disaster,” said Mr Kendall.
About the Unisys Security Index
The Unisys Security Index is a bi-annual global study that provides insights into the attitudes of consumers on a wide range of security related issues. Conducted in Australia by market research firm Newspoll, the Unisys Security Index provides a regular, statistically robust measure gauging levels of concern about various aspects of security. The current Australian Unisys Security Index survey was conducted nationally between 25-27 February 2011 by Newspoll using a nationally representative sample of 1,200 respondents aged 18 years and over. All results have been post-weighted to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. The study measures consumer perceptions on a scale of zero to 300, with 300 representing the highest level of perceived concern. For more information on the Unisys Security Index including additional resource material visit: www.unisyssecurityindex.com.au.
Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients. We specialise in helping clients secure their operations, increase the efficiency and utilisation of their data centres, enhance support to their end users and constituents, and modernise their enterprise applications. To provide these services and solutions, we bring together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 23,000 employees, Unisys serves commercial organisations and government agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.
About UnisysAsia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, Unisys delivers services and solutions through subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan and through distributors or resellers in other countries in the region. For more information visit www.unisys.com.au. Follow us on www.twitter.com/UnisysAPAC.
Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. All other brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. | <urn:uuid:4fb941cb-86a6-4d8d-91e4-e2d020d845c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://prwire.com.au/pr/22858/10-years-after-9-11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951901 | 1,319 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Arts Center with natural lighting and ventilation
This is our entry into the competition to design the West Cork Art Center. The intention is to build a low energy environmentally responsible building. The gallery, work spaces and dance studios are to be naturally lit. The center will take advantage of the sun to heat the building by passive solar gain. This will be achieved through the inclined glazed funnels at roof level, the polycarbonate skin at first floor level and large glazed screens at ground floor level. The dance studios are elevated to announce the arts programme of the building to the public. A new bridge creates a new pedestrian route though the site and helps to link the Art Center with the town.
View All Projects | <urn:uuid:b1e1386b-a9c7-459c-8033-e7cd5bfb5d81> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aof.ie/projects/specific/skibbereen | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935008 | 144 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Senegal food crisis: Farmers speak out
Photographs from the far eastern region of Senegal, where farmers struggle to eat, and get ready to plant crops.May 7th, 2012 | by Chris Hufstader
I recently visited the far eastern Kedougou region of Senegal, where inconsistent rains last summer led to a poor harvest in the fall. Since then food prices have shot up, and many there are struggling to find the food they need to survive each day, all the while worrying about how they will procure the seeds and other agricultural inputs they need to plant when the rains come, with any luck, in May or June. The farmers I met spoke about the struggle to feed their families and the concerns they have about the upcoming rainy season. They described the creative ways they have earned food money to make up for their poor harvest last fall, and what they need to be able to plant when the rains come. I was impressed with how resourceful the people are, how hard they work, and most of all by their determination to plant crops this year. However, all the farmers I spoke with were worried about finding the resources they need to plant– and eat– during the upcoming rainy season.
Please share this with others and contribute to our West Africa Food Crisis Fund. Oxfam is putting in place programs to help farmers in Kedougou and other areas of West Africa with seeds and other agricultural support, so they can plant this spring. We are also planning work that will help keep their drinking water clean and safe, and to provide food or short-term work for cash wages, so farmers will have food over the summer while they work their fields. With your help, we can expand this work to include as many people as possible and head off a major disaster.
Oxfam is aiming to help 1.2 million people across seven countries with programs that include cash transfers and cash-for-work initiatives, veterinary care for the livestock on which many families depend, and access to clean water and sanitation. We are also campaigning to change the root causes of this crisis. Find out how you can support our efforts. | <urn:uuid:77d25a79-d441-4124-9181-74847228a3f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://firstperson.oxfamamerica.org/2012/05/07/senegal-food-crisis-farmers-speak-out/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977771 | 432 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Back to the Future
In an explanatory note from the Office for Papal Liturgical Celebrations picked up by the Italian wires, the papal MC Msgr Guido Marini announced that the Mass, to be conducted according to the post-Conciliar "Ordinary Use" approved by Paul VI, would employ the main altar of the Sistina. As a result, the note said, "at certain moments the Pope will have his shoulders [back] to the faithful and his gaze toward the Cross."
As the chapel's original altar is not freestanding, versus populum celebrations there have required the construction of a temporary altar and platform. While John Paul II celebrated his first Mass after his 1978 election using the permanent altar and no freestanding altar exists in the Pope's private chapel, a public papal liturgy has not been celebrated using the "common orientation" in recent memory.
"The celebration at the old altar is being restored so as not to alter the beauty and harmony of this architectural jewel," the note said, "preserving its structure from the celebratory point of view and using an option contemplated by the liturgical norms." The change of orientation, Marini's statement said, would seek to enhance "the attitude and disposition of the whole assembly."
The annual liturgy features the baptism of several infants by the pontiff. The contemporary baptismal font designed by Lello Scorzelli -- also the designer of the pastorali, the cross-topped liturgical staffs used by Paul VI and his successors -- will likewise be maintained.
A two-decade veteran of the diplomatic corps who's served until now as second-in-command at the papal mission to the UK, Marino is the first native Southerner named a bishop in the direct service of the Holy See. Ordained for the diocese of Birmingham in 1979, the archbishop-elect turns 55 later this month.
The appointment returns the number of US-born mission-chiefs to six. The others are Archbishops Edward Adams (Philadelphia) in the Philippines, Thomas Gullickson (Sioux Falls) in the Caribbean, Charles Balvo (New York) in New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa, Michael Blume SVD (Fort Wayne) in Benin and Togo, and James Green (Philadelphia) in South Africa.
A native of Cleveland, Archbishop Timothy Broglio was serving as nuncio in the Dominican Republic until his November appointment as archbishop for the Military Services USA. The former chief of staff to the Secretary of State, Broglio returns from Santo Domingo next week, days before his 25 January installation in Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. | <urn:uuid:49a907ec-d708-47a8-adc5-d5eafb4a363e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2008/01/back-to-future.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95269 | 559 | 1.914063 | 2 |
May 5th, 2012
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 WindForce 3X OC Pictured
It seems that this model is based on non-reference PCB, which is much longer than default one. It is equipped with large WindForce 3X cooling solution, which is made of aluminum radiator, three copper-plated heatpipes and three 92mm fans. Because this card is featuring factory-overclocked clocks, Gigabyte decided to equip this model with both 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors.
It offers reference 2GB of GDDR5 memory on 256-bit interface. Base clock was set to 980 MHz and memory to 1500 MHz. As reported earlier it features 1344 CUDA cores with a performance better than Radeon HD 7950.
Card is offered for RM1499, which is $491 (including taxes). | <urn:uuid:bd291024-936a-42bd-bcaa-e356055ec61a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://videocardz.com/32720/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-670-windforce-3x-oc-pictured | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966166 | 171 | 1.515625 | 2 |
216 Life and Letters of Francis Galton
as showing the approach to Livingstone's ground that Galton made in his journey to 'Tounobis. The Geographical Society's Journal gives also his astronomical observations for six longitudes and the latitudes of 53 stations. The map was based chiefly on triangulation with an azimuth compass. The positions thus obtained were tested with the longitudes and latitudes taken astronomically. The agreement was on the whole, fair, the longitudes (by lunars with a small circle) being least satisfactory; a result which will not surprise those who have used this method and remember that Galton's experience was chiefly, if not wholly, gained on board ship after sailing for the Cape. Galton's diaries, sketchbooks and observation books are now in the Galton Laboratory',
1 Among the books in the Galton Laboratory are (i) a small note-book with MS. native grammar, abstracts of Vardon's and Oswell's travels, lists of right ascensions and declinations of stars, a small table of logarithms, etc. It records that Professor Owen wanted the heads of wart-hogs of various ages to study their teeth, also dried heads of ostriches, especially young ones. Receipt for preserving skins and note for making experiments why a water bird's plumage gets immediately wet after being shot, etc. (ii) A quarto book of triangulations, also latitudes and longitudes. It is started by a pen and ink sketch of a saddled ox, "Ceylon-the best hack in Africa." (iii) A folio book containing route distances, bearings, itineraries, sketches. History of the Namaqua atrocities before arrival of Galton; letters to or from Jonker, Swartboy, Amiral, Cornelius and other Hottentot and some Damara leaders. Jonker's signature to his "Apology," and the laws laid down for him, both in Dutch; fragments of diaries and other notes. A good deal might be of service to a future historian of German Southwest Africa. There is a fairly extensive vocabulary. (iv) Ten small pocket note and sketch books. Sketches of native women and utensils, rough bearings and itinerary notes, journals, notes of necessaries, of talks, further vocabularies, rough drafts for Galton's law-code for the Namaquas, etc., etc. (v) A tracing of a map of which the original was said to have been left at the Cape " 7 years before," by the Rev. Mr Hahn of New Barmen, missionary. It shows a big lake, the "Demboa Sea," in Lat. 18° S. and about Long. 18° E. This is the lake to which Galton's letters several times refer but which he never really identified. If we were to trust, the missionary's map, it would be as large as Lake Ngami itself ! In a letter to Lord Campbell he supposes it Omanbonde, which is too far south. It might represent the Elosha saltpan in the wet season, then "a rather pretty lake," much displaced and immensely exaggerated in area, but it was probably Onondova.
In (iii) is a loose pencil sketch -of a small lake with steep cliff-like banks surmounted by trees, and entitled: Omutchikoto, June 25, 1851. This must be, I think, the Otchikoto, of Galton's map, reached at that date on the return journey. It is noted on the map as a small pond 400 ft. in diameter and 180 ft. deep. Galton writes: "There we took a day's rest, and amused ourselves in bathing. I made some fishhooks out of needles,-and caught about a hundred small fish, which we eat" (Tropical South Africa, 1st edn. p. 238). Otchikoto was reached. on May 26, 1851, on the | <urn:uuid:214d3198-c429-40d6-880c-2c71f583702e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://galton.org/cgi-bin/searchImages/galton/search/pearson/vol1/pages/vol1_0297.htm | 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 | 0.967116 | 838 | 2.90625 | 3 |
I'm living proof that Lyme disease is a common problem here in Loudoun County Virginia. I've been infected with it twice.
Both times, I was lucky, detected the infection early and was successfully treated with antibiotics. Because I make my living in the outdoors and spend a great deal of my free time outside too, I'm always on the lookout for they tiny blacklegged deer ticks that carry Lyme disease. So when I came down with symptoms, I knew where the tick bites were and knew I'd better get tested and treated.
But many people overlook these ticks, and some suffer from Lyme for years before they even know what's wrong with them.
With the warm winter we've had, 2012 could be a big year for deer ticks, especially here in Loudoun County, where some have already called Lyme disease an "epidemic." For more on what the weather means for this year's tick season, please read my post on the Blake Landscapes Horticulture Blog at www.blakelandscapes.net. . . | <urn:uuid:52e7cf0e-22a5-427f-aefc-e5e4e0251624> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mattcoughlin.typepad.com/matt_coughlins_weblog/2012/02/a-rough-tick-season-could-be-on-the-horizon.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975277 | 212 | 2.125 | 2 |
I'm in the process of learning PHP and it's going pretty well. I already have experience with languages like C so I find the transition fairly natural.
However, for a project I have to do over this year I am unable to use a MySQL database to create a website. I've been restricted to Access which is a kick in the teeth for me because I've heard nothing but bad things when working with PHP and Access. I'm hoping to get it changed to Oracle.
For a relative PHP newbie, how hard do you think it'll be to get into using PHP and Access or PHP and Oracle, considering next to every help I can find on the Internet is centred on PHP and MySQL? | <urn:uuid:ca27379a-6048-4666-90b8-d9d9b2888134> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?440057-Learning-PHP-with-other-database-(Access-Oracle-etc)&p=3175698 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964248 | 144 | 1.609375 | 2 |