text stringlengths 213 24.6k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 1 value | url stringlengths 14 499 | file_path stringlengths 138 138 | language stringclasses 1 value | language_score float64 0.9 1 | token_count int64 51 4.1k | score float64 1.5 5.06 | int_score int64 2 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ask The Expert
October 12, 2012
You are young to have gray hair, but it happens. And usually, thereís not much you can do about it.
Hair turns gray when cells (called melanocytes) in hair follicles stop producing melanin. This is the pigment that gives hair its color. A gray hair has reduced melanin. A white hair grows out when these cells stop producing melanin altogether.
For most, this begins after age 35. But the age at which hair starts to turn gray varies widely. Perfectly healthy people can start to turn gray well before age 35. Others make into advanced age without turning gray at all.
In addition to age, there are a number of factors that contribute to the age at which hair becomes gray. These include:
A common misconception is that stress turns hair gray. There are rare examples of people suddenly losing pigmented (darker) hair, which makes their gray hair more noticeable. But everyday stress or worry does not change hair color.
Researchers are looking for ways to restore the capacity of melanocytes to produce melanin after hair turns gray. Until then, there are only a few ways to handle the situation: color your hair, shave your head or do nothing.
I recommend a checkup with your doctor to make sure you are in good health and to look for reversible causes of premature graying. Most of the time there is no disease, condition or other identifiable reason for premature graying. And unfortunately, no way to stop the process. | <urn:uuid:e191d10c-c2f5-47f6-bba8-73d572cec45a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/WSRNM000/331/4581/1458792.html?hide=t&k=basePrint | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951699 | 311 | 2.765625 | 3 |
NASA Team Demonstrates Robot Technology For Moon Exploration
CLEVELAND - During the 3rd Space Exploration Conference Feb. 26-28 in Denver, NASA will exhibit a robot rover equipped with a drill designed to find water and oxygen-rich soil on the moon.
"Resources are the key to sustainable outposts on the moon and Mars," said Bill Larson, deputy manager of the In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) project. "It's too expensive to bring everything from Earth. This is the first step toward understanding the potential for lunar resources and developing the knowledge needed to extract them economically."
The engineering challenge was daunting. A robot rover designed for prospecting within lunar craters has to operate in continual darkness at extremely cold temperatures with little power. The moon has one-sixth the gravity of Earth, so a lightweight rover will have a difficult job resisting drilling forces and remaining stable. Lunar soil, known as regolith, is abrasive and compact, so if a drill strikes ice, it likely will have the consistency of concrete.
Meeting these challenges in one system took ingenuity and teamwork. Engineers demonstrated a drill capable of digging samples of regolith in Pittsburgh last December. The demonstration used a laser light camera to select a site for drilling then commanded the four-wheeled rover to lower the drill and collect three-foot samples of soil and rock.
"These are tasks that have never been done and are really difficult to do on the moon," said John Caruso, demonstration integration lead for ISRU and Human Robotics Systems at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
In 2008, the team plans to equip the rover with ISRU's Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction experiment, known as RESOLVE. Led by engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the RESOLVE experiment package will add the ability to crush a regolith sample into small, uniform pieces and heat them.
The process will release gases deposited on the moon's surface during billions of years of exposure to the solar wind and bombardment by asteroids and comets. Hydrogen is used to draw oxygen out of iron oxides in the regolith to form water. The water then can be electrolyzed to split it back into pure hydrogen and oxygen, a process tested earlier this year by engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"We're taking hardware from two different technology programs within NASA and combining them to demonstrate a capability that might be used on the moon," said Gerald Sanders, manager of the ISRU project. "And even if the exact technologies are not used on the moon, the lessons learned and the relationships formed will influence the next generation of hardware."
Engineers participated in the ground-based rover concept demonstration from four NASA centers, the Canadian Space Agency, the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology in Sudbury, Ontario, and Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh.
Carnegie Mellon was responsible for the robot's design and testing, and the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology built the drilling system. Glenn contributed the rover's power management system. NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., built a system that navigates the rover in the dark. The Canadian Space Agency funded a Neptec camera that builds three-dimensional images of terrain using laser light.
All the elements together represent a collaboration of the Human Robotic Systems and ISRU projects at Johnson. These projects are part of the Exploration Technology Development Program, which is managed by NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.
To view images of the rover in development, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/lunar_truck.html
For more information about NASA's exploration plans to the moon and beyond, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
- end -
text-only version of this release
NASA press releases and other information are available automatically by sending a blank e-mail message to
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a blank e-mail message to
Back to NASA Newsroom |
Back to NASA Homepage | <urn:uuid:f0b750c8-a150-47e7-9f26-069417409be4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www1.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/feb/HQ_08067_lunar_robot.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90555 | 852 | 3.484375 | 3 |
General and Impact on Wildlife
The controversy over the bird started brewing during township meetings months earlier. Some residents disputed eagles are anywhere near the township. Other residents debated wind farms and whether the turbines would harm eagles or other birds.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is wondering the same thing. The commission is set to hire a new employee who would investigate mortality rates in birds and bats caused by wind turbines.
Wind turbines in some areas have caused bat mortality rates to increase, said Tim Conway, the commission's Northeast Region information and education director.
An open house Wednesday by Spanish energy producer Gamesa USA is not exactly the kind of forum Tyrone's mayor had in mind when he asked the company to hold a public meeting on its proposed Ice Mountain wind farm. ...
As it is set up now, with Gamesa representatives talking to people one-on-one, there's a missed opportunity for more people to hear how the company is addressing its critics.
THE number of golden eagles in Scotland has been kept down by new developments that have encroached on their territories.
Forestry plantations have had a much bigger effect on Scotland's iconic bird of prey than previously thought, reducing its food supply by covering open ground and lowering its ability to produce offspring, researchers say.
They now warn that similar effects can be expected from new wind farms if they are allowed to proceed in golden eagle ranges.
Game commission wants to make sure birds won’t be harmed by new energy-producing windmills on the Appalachian ridge.
Looking through 10-power binoculars from the south lookout at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary years ago, I watched a golden eagle soaring past a red-tailed hawk and a red-shouldered hawk.
“Wow,” I wrote in my journal, “golden eagles are BIG.”
Since then I have harbored a long-distance, at least a quarter- mile to a half-mile away, love for golden eagles. Unrequited or not, golden eagles deserve our protection, if not our love.
Eastern golden eagles are a distinct geographic and genetic population, allowing the Pennsylvania Game Commission to list them as “Pennsylvania vulnerable” for conservation purposes.
Their population is remaining stable or rising slightly, with partial evidence being the fall 2006 migration numbers recorded at hawk-watch sites along Appalachian ridges, going from north to south: Bake Oven Knob, 130; Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, 170; Second Mountain, 127; Waggoner’s Gap, 275; Allegheny Front, 222. (For more on the counts, see www.hawkcount.org.)
Golden eagles have ridden the winds that whip across Pennsylvania’s Appalachian ridgetops for centuries, soaring northward to breeding grounds each spring and southward to hunting grounds each fall.
Up until now, the eagles have encountered relatively few obstructions during their migrations across the state. But with energy companies scrambling to erect 400-foot windmills that convert those ridgetop winds into electricity, conservationists fear hundreds of eagles could be killed by a technology widely regarded as environmentally friendly.
‘Pennsylvania’s ridge and valley province plays an important role in the development of wind power and as a migratory corridor for eastern golden eagles,'’ said Dan Brauning, supervisor of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s wildlife diversity section. ‘’That could mean the future of this small population of eagles hinges on our ability to make responsible and informed decisions concerning the development of wind farms.'’
Wind power is the world’s fastest-growing source of electricity. And with 153 megawatts of wind generation already in place — enough to power about 70,000 homes — Pennsylvania is the top wind power state east of the Mississippi. By 2020, state projections say Pennsylvania could be home to 3,000 megawatts of wind generation, which would require about 2,000 windmills statewide.
The expected onslaught of wind farm development has state wildlife and environmental officials scrambling to develop regulations that ensure damage to birds and other wildlife is kept to a minimum. Currently, wind power developers are not required to conduct any wildlife-related studies, leaving regulation of the fast-growing industry largely to local zoning officials.
The western wind that whips across Pittsburgh into the mountain ridges of central Pennsylvania has the power to send thousands of migrating eagles soaring for miles and to keep 115-foot-long windmill blades spinning.
But if birds and blades interact, the results could be fatal.
The National Aviary on the North Side and Powdermill Avian Research Center in Westmoreland County are partners in a project to track the biannual migration of eastern golden eagles through the Appalachian Mountains. They plan to share what they learn with agencies that permit wind farms.
They were once a common sight on the west Highland estate of Beinn an Tuirc, but as the landscape has changed over the past 40 years, there is now a greater chance of spotting a mountain hare at a tea party than on the moorland.
Now, a project by an energy company aims to establish a thriving community of the creatures by next Easter.
Scottish Power Renewables is offering £30 to rangers for every hare they hand over. The animals will be reintroduced to draw a pair of golden eagles, which feed on the hares, away from the wind turbines.
The company is offering cash after a call to estates for help failed to elicit a strong response.
Environmental groups are divided regarding rules adopted this week by Alameda County designed to reduce the number of golden eagles, raptors and other birds killed in the spinning blades of Altamont Pass wind turbines.
Under new permitting rules accepted after a 4-1 vote by county supervisors Wednesday, up to 4,800 privately operated turbines will be shut down during winter and turbine blades will be painted to make them easier for birds to see. The turbines will be shut down for two months or longer this winter and next, and for a quarter of the year or more beginning at the end of 2008.
Other restrictions might be adopted if bird deaths don’t drop by a half within three years.
The wide open spaces and natural terrain and wildlife of Southeastern Washington are fading, and some residents would like the encroaching effects of urbanization toned down, such as a proposed project that would place 35 to 50 turbines on Rattlesnake Mountain.
More than 30 people showed up Saturday at the Richland Community Center for a meeting to oppose a proposed windmill farm at the base of the mountain. ...Rick Leaumont, chairman of the Audubon Society's conservation committee, agreed that urgency in protesting the project is necessary because about 238 bird species have been documented in the area, and would be effected by the windmills.
"Wildlife needs some kind of solitude, a place that is theirs," Leaumont said. "Any location on the mountain would be a problem."
Concerned citizens of the Deerfield Valley, and as far away as the Berkshires, have come together to form "Save Vermont Ridgelines."
The current proposal before the public service board, to allow or deny construction of an industrial wind power plant on 80 acres of highly visible United States Forest Service- controlled ridgelines, has brought us together to consider the scope and consequences of these 17 410-feet tall machines, with flashing lights stretched across one of the area's most prominent ridgelines. ...The goal of our group is to inform the public of the full intent and consequences of this proposed wind experiment.
Alliance members said they had hoped to obtain intervenor status so they could request an environmental study be conducted, assessing the wind farms’ possible impact on migrating birds and habitat. The alliance earlier this week announced the preliminary results of an assessment it commissioned, which suggested the wind farms could prove harmful to migrating birds. ...“By refusing the participation of experts who have come to the table to offer their experience and assistance, the PUC is denying itself and our state the benefit of their knowledge and insight,” said Jim Blackburn, an Austin attorney and the alliance’s founder, in a statement.
Although wind energy production is increasing in the Mountain State, two groups argue that it might ultimately be detrimental.
Every energy source has its critics ranging from the oil and gas industry to the wind industry and although these sources have their benefits, there is a downside to the equation.
Eleven citizen and environmental groups in West Virginia and Maryland have filed a 60-day notice about their intent to sue a wind power project.
They say the huge turbines from the NedPower Mount Storm project would kill endangered bats and squirrels near the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area.
The groups also will sue corporate owners Dominion Resources and Shell Wind Energy for violating the Endangered Species Act, according to Judy Rodd, director of Friends of Blackwater Canyon, based in Charleston. ...Landowners who live near the project also have filed a nuisance suit against NedPower citing concerns about their health and safety, as well as reductions in their property values.
TWO RIVERS – A guest speaker will outline his research results on bird and bat mortality at wind farms in Kewaunee County at a meeting of the Aegolius Bird Club at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Woodland Dunes Nature Center. | <urn:uuid:eba25185-64c6-48f8-9bd2-00d742415ff6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.windaction.org/news/c38+112/?sort=title&letter=G | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949851 | 1,936 | 2.6875 | 3 |
The potato plant (Solanum tuberosum) may not be your favourite as far as flowers are concerned but, there is no denying that the plant’s blossom has an enchanting beauty. Flowers can be white in colour or violet. The plant flowers at the end of spring and during the summer. Pleasing as the flower may be to the eye, it contains the poisonous Glycoalkaloid solanine, and so does the potato fruit. Not to worry though as solanine decomposes when boiled. The plant is not indigenous to Mallorca. It came to Spain from South America.
The photo was taken near Sa Pobla, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 14th, 2011. The time was 11:49:16. | <urn:uuid:4d2c3f0e-01ee-4c62-94b5-2124028e7c49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mallorcaphotoblog.com/2011/05/21/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968398 | 164 | 2.984375 | 3 |
1 This publication presents estimates from the 2009-10 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). It contains detailed statistics at the national and state/territory levels, on the major agricultural activities undertaken, land use, and key land management practices. Additional datacubes at national, state/territory and NRM region levels provide a more detailed picture of land management and farming in Australia. These datacubes can be accessed via the Downloads tab of Land Management and Farming in Australia, 2009-10 (cat. no. 4627.0).
2 A reduced range of commodity items was collected from the 2009-10 ARMS in comparison to surveys and censuses of previous years. As a result, care must be taken when comparing estimates over time for Australia, state/territory and regional levels. More information is available upon request.
3 Where figures for individual states/territories have been suppressed for reasons of confidentiality, they have been included in relevant national totals. In addition, some categories have been combined, for example, combining Australian Capital Territory data with New South Wales data.
4 Where figures have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.
5 For some items, multiple responses are possible and thus totals are not necessarily the sum of the component items. For example, a respondent could perform more than one land management practice on their holding.
SCOPE AND COVERAGE
6 The scope of the 2009-10 ARMS was all agricultural businesses recorded on the ABS' Business Register (ABSBR) above a minimum size cut-off. The ABSBR is based on the Australian Business Register (ABR) which is administered and maintained by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
7 A minimum cut-off of $5,000 was applied to determine whether a business was in-scope for the 2009-10 ARMS. The measure of size was based on the ABS' Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations (EVAO) or a derived value based on Business Activity Statement (BAS) turnover.
8 While the ABSBR does not include all agricultural businesses in Australia, it provides improved coverage from the former ABS-maintained Agricultural Survey frame as most businesses and organisations in Australia need to obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN) from the ATO for their business operations. The ABR-based register is also more up-to-date as it excludes agricultural businesses with cancelled ABNs and incorporates regularly updated information on agricultural businesses from the ATO.
9 For the 2009-10 ARMS, a response rate of 87% was achieved from a sample of approximately 38,000 agricultural businesses. This sample was selected from an in-scope population of approximately 171,000 agricultural businesses.
RELIABILITY OF DATA
10 The estimates in this publication are subject to sampling and non-sampling errors.
11 The estimates in this publication are based on information obtained from respondents to the ARMS for the year ended 30 June 2010 and are subject to sampling variability. That is, estimates may differ from figures that would be produced if all agricultural businesses had been included in the survey. One measure of the likely difference is given by the standard error (SE), which indicates the extent to which an estimate might vary by chance when not all units have responded, i.e. when a 'sample' of responses only is obtained. There are about two chances in three that a 'sample' estimate will differ by less than one SE from the figure that would have been obtained if all units had responded, and about nineteen chances in twenty that the difference will be less than two SEs.
12 In this publication, 'sampling' variability of the estimates is measured by the relative standard error (RSE) which is obtained by expressing the RSE as a percentage of the estimates to which it refers.
13 Most published estimates have RSEs less than 5%. Where the RSE of an estimate included in this publication falls in the range of 10% to less than 25%, it has been annotated with the symbol '^' indicating that the estimate should be used with caution as it is subject to sampling variability too high for some purposes. Where the RSE of an estimate is 25% to 50%, it has been annotated with the symbol '*', indicating that the estimate should be used with caution as it is subject to sampling variability too high for most practical purposes. Where the RSE of an estimate exceeds 50%, it has been annotated with the symbol '**', indicating that the sampling variability causes the estimate to be considered too unreliable for general use. Separate indication of the RSEs of all estimates is available on request.
14 The following table contains estimates of RSEs for a selection of the statistics presented in this publication:
RELATIVE STANDARD ERRORS OF SELECTED ESTIMATES, by State - 2009-10
|Reporting fertiliser use (no. of businesses) |
|Land used for grazing (no. of businesses) |
|Monitoring ground cover on pastures (no. of businesses) |
|Ground cover target set for cropping land (no. of businesses) |
|Native vegetation on holding (no. of businesses) |
|Wetlands on holding (no. of businesses) |
|Rivers or creeks on holding (no. of businesses) |
|Stubble left intact (no cultivation) ('000 ha) |
|Stubble removed by baling or heavy grazing ('000 ha) |
|(a) Includes ACT. |
Errors other than those due to sampling may occur because of deficiencies in the list of units from which the sample was selected, non-response, and errors in reporting by providers. Inaccuracies of this kind are referred to as non-sampling error, which may occur in any collection, whether it be a census or a sample. Every effort has been made to reduce non-sampling error to a minimum by careful design and testing of questionnaires, operating procedures and systems used to compile the statistics.
A range of environmental and agricultural publications are produced by the ABS, including:
For more information please refer to the ABS web site <http://www.abs.gov.au
>. The ABS also issues a daily Release Advice on the web site which details products to be released in the week ahead. All ABS publications are available free of charge from the ABS website.
ABS DATA AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
As well as the statistics included in this and related publications, the ABS may have other relevant data available on request. Inquiries should be made to the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.
ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated. Without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence, as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905
This page last updated 29 June 2011 | <urn:uuid:75714ac0-0723-4b06-babb-338aa29d4741> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4627.0Explanatory%20Notes12009-10?OpenDocument | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940273 | 1,443 | 2 | 2 |
*And this asshole is still not in jail.
I had forgotten. Asleep at the switch. It's the four-year anniversary of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.
- 9/15/2008: Bank of America announced its intent to purchase Merrill Lynch for $50 billion
- 9/15/2008: Lehman Brothers Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
- 9/16/2008: The Federal Reserve Board authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to lend up to $85 billion to AIG under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act
- 9/16/2008: The net asset value of shares in the Reserve Primary Money Fund fell below $1, primarily due to losses on Lehman Brothers commercial paper and medium-term notes
- 9/19/2008: The Treasury Department announced that it would insure up to $50 billion in money-market fund investments at companies that pay a fee to participate in the program. The year-long initiative guaranteed that the funds' value will not fall below the $1 a share
- 9/20/2008: The Treasury Department submitted draft legislation to Congress for authority to purchase troubled assets
- 9/21/2008: The Federal Reserve Board approved applications of investment banking companies Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to become bank holding companies
Tempus Fugit! — Time flies, especially when you're having fun!
Sept. 15, 2012 (Bloomberg) — Defunct brokerage Lehman Brothers Inc., which hasn’t paid institutional creditors a dime of its $25 billion hoard after four years in liquidation, is facing louder demands to settle fights with affiliates and pay up.
The brokerage’s parent, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. made its first payment of $22.5 billion to creditors last April, about 3 1/2 years after filing the biggest U.S. bankruptcy in history four years ago today on Sept. 15, 2008. The brokerage went into liquidation four days later.
And so on... Same shit, different day.
What is there to say today, four years after the financial crisis which brought down the phony American economy?
Here's a thought.
Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made
— Immanuel Kant
Men would no longer be victims of nature or of their own largely irrational societies: reason would triumph; universal harmonious cooperation, true history, would at last begin.
For if this was not so, do the ideas of progress, of history, have any meaning? Is there not a movement, however tortuous, from ignorance to knowledge, from mythical thought and childish fantasies to perception of reality face to face, to knowledge of true goals, true values as well as truths of fact? Can history be a mere purposeless succession of events, caused by a mixture of material factors and the play of random selection, a tale full of sound and fury signifying nothing?
This was unthinkable. The day would dawn when men and women would take their lives in their own hands and not be self-seeking beings or the playthings of blind forces that they did not understand. It was, at the very least, not impossible to conceive that such an earthly paradise could be; and if conceivable we could, at any rate, try to march towards it.
That has been at the centre of ethical thought from the Greeks to the Christian visionaries of the Middle Ages, from the Renaissance to progressive thought in the last century; and indeed, is believed by many to this day.
— Isaiah Berlin | <urn:uuid:d28634b5-60eb-477a-9a62-1169add1b297> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.declineoftheempire.com/2012/09/its-the-four-year-anniversary-of-the-lehman-crisis.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94525 | 724 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Construction of Columbia University’s 17-acre Manhattanville campus is now underway in northern Manhattan. The Wall Street Journal reported that work has already started on the foundation of the Jerome L. Greene Science Center that will house the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. This 450,000-square-foot glass building, designed by Renzo Piano, is the first of 15 new buildings to be built on the campus and is slated to open in 2016.
Future plans for Columbia’s expansion include new homes for the Columbia Business School and the Lenfest Center for the Arts. Developer and Boston Properties CEO Mortimer Zuckerman has pledged $200 million to the endowment of the institute. The tab for the entire campus should run up to $6.8 billion.
Post new comment | <urn:uuid:31fe9a9e-fb59-42b0-a0e2-7464ba1e4478> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/53830 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906577 | 164 | 1.648438 | 2 |
|Advertising|Jobs 転職|Shukan ST|JT Weekly|Book Club|JT Women|Study in Japan|Times Coupon|Subscribe 新聞購読申込|
|Home > Life in Japan > Environment|
Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012
OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Our woods may be home to a 'new ' spider species
By C.W. NICOL
An apparently new species of spider has been found in our woods, even though the creature has probably been around since long before humans came to Japan.
To be specific, our spider researcher, Koji Arai, has found an arachnid on our Afan Woodland Trust property in Nagano Prefecture that he believes has never been documented before.
It is a very small spider, about 4 mm long, and it is clearly of the genus Cybaeus — a free-hunter type of small spiders that live on the ground in forests. Both male (smaller abdomen) and female specimens have been found and are now undergoing peer assessment to confirm whether or not this is indeed a new species.
This kind of spider lives in leaf litter and under fallen logs. The young do not set off on long aerial journeys, blown in the breeze on silken lifelines, as many other spiders do. They tend to stick around in their own neighborhood, true "locals" who develop their own characteristics. (I know a lot of people like that, even if they don't have eight legs.)
The fact that there are still undiscovered species in such a highly populated country as Japan is of great significance. Over the past few decades, the planet has lost so many already-documented species. However, here in Japan we can only suspect the extent to which undocumented species have become extinct due to the destruction of old-growth forests, wetlands, natural (unconcreted and undammed) rivers and natural shorelines.
Therefore, I am very grateful that there are people like Arai. He is totally dedicated to his spider research, and although he's generally a quiet, shy, unassuming guy, if you get him started he can tell fascinating spider stories that keep children and adults like me enthralled for hours.
Arai is a graduate of the Tokyo College of the Environment, which I helped to set up in 1994, and of which I am now vice principal. The college has a two-year course and emphasizes fieldwork. First-year students do their basic fieldwork here in Kurohime, where they use our woods for their studies. In the second year, they mostly go to Yakushima Island, south of Kagoshima in Kyushu. Otherwise, they scatter throughout Japan, and when politics and funds permit they study in the Philippines and Africa.
Nowadays, many of our graduates not only work all over Japan, but all over the world in environmental fields: national parks, forestry, wildlife research, education, ecotourism and making television and film documentaries.
Arai became keen on spiders when he was 9, but then gave up his hobby for a long time. However, his interest was fired up again when he entered our college and came on his first long fieldwork trip to Kurohime.
I was 17 when I first took part in scientific fieldwork on spiders. In the early spring, I sailed from Britain to Montreal, Canada, to join Peter Driver, my former biology teacher at school in England. By then, though, he had left his teaching job to become a graduate student at McGill University — and fortunately for me, he needed an assistant to help him with his research into the behavior of eider ducks in the Canadian Arctic.
We spent a month in Montreal getting ready for this expedition, during which time I also babysat his infant son, Alastair, and helped Peter out at the lab. One of my jobs was to feed his tarantula spiders, which he kept in a big glass aquarium. He'd got the tarantulas from Montreal stevedores who found the big black hairy things in the bananas coming in by ship. (Remember Harry Belafonte's 1956 classic, "Day-O [The Banana Boat Song]," which includes the lines: "A beautiful bunch a' ripe banana / Daylight come and me wan' go home / Hide the deadly black tarantula / Daylight come and me wan' go home ... Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana ... ")
Peter's spider tank was made homey with sand, rocks, bits of woody branches and so on. The tarantulas were mostly fed on newly born laboratory mice. I had to go and collect the mice, remove the glass top, and drop the poor little things in. I felt more of a monster than the tarantulas — fast, efficient and fascinating though they were.
Later that summer, when we made our base camp in tundra by Ungava Bay in the Nunavik region of Quebec Province's far north across Hudson Strait from Baffin Island, we had a clear swift river as our water source and a rocky bluff beyond. When the huge snow banks beneath the bluff eventually melted, we were astonished to find a colony of orb-web spiders.
Those amazing creatures, which spent nine months a year buried in snow, made their webs under a big rocky overhang. We named this place "Spider Cliff," and Peter directed me to go to study the spiders and their webs whenever he wanted peace and quiet and I had spare time. There were hundreds of webs, and though they were different sizes they were all made to the same pattern. And, to quote Peter: "As in the Royal Academy, suitable hanging space was definitely at a premium, and there were webs in front of webs in front of webs."
In their short active season, these tundra spiders had plenty of food in the form of mosquitoes, which were there in such incredible numbers they almost drove us mad. Peter and I were definitely rooting for the spiders and enjoyed watching them get big and fat despite having to constantly repair their webs. Over the weeks we noticed that each spider was an individual, and we (mostly me) made sketches of them and their webs and gave them names such as Fred, Charlie, Marmalade and so on.
Without spiders, we would be overrun with other harmful insects, as modern farmers have found out when they use too much pesticide and kill off all the spiders together with the pests. Then, when the more resilient insect pests come back, they come back with a vengeance — and with no predators such as spiders to control their numbers.
Spiders, like dragonflies, are an indicator species, meaning that their presence tells us about the health or state of the environment. Being predators, if there is something harmful in their food, they will be the most affected. Spiders in turn are eaten by birds, shrews, frogs, lizards and more besides, and a big fat spider would surely make a better meal than a whole swarm of mosquitoes — not that I've tried either. I just think they're cute when they gaze up at me with those four pairs of gleaming eyes.
Peter Driver's "Royal Academy" quote in this story comes from his book "In Search of the Eider," published in 1974 by The Saturn Press. | <urn:uuid:06a0e9a5-b262-4bd0-abf4-39eadb31e9b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://info.japantimes.co.jp/text/fe20120205cw.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978384 | 1,521 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Barbara Hancock* has been involved in foster care for more than a decade. She has fostered more than 25 children, adopted three and worked as an Adoption Specialist and Foster Parent Trainer for KidsPeace Foster Care for two years. She and her husband have one biological son who is in his teens and very involved, organizing a walk every year to raise awareness of the need for foster and adoptive families. The family has also started a ministry at their church to promote foster care and adoption and collect and assemble backpacks that are filled with personal items and age appropriate toys and activities and given to each child entering foster care through one of the KidsPeace foster care offices.
The dynamics that must exist between the husband and wife who foster or adopt are not definable, according to Barbara. “They have to be on the same page or it can tear the family apart,” she said. “It is truly a journey, but, when it works, it is an experience that will bring couples closer together and become a path they walk together throughout their marriage.”
Working in a Foster Care/Adoption Setting
Barbara is a former teacher. While at KidsPeace, she conducted home studies and child profiles for potential adoptive parents, “doing the prep work to enable a family to adopt a child,” she said. Foster parents have the first opportunity to adopt the child in their home if parental rights are terminated. She also conducted foster family recruiting, helped families through the approval process and provided many of the mandatory training hours each family must have. In addition, she started a KidsPeace Foster Care Support Group for the families in the area.
She was passionate about making the whole process easier for the foster/adoptive parents. “It is hard to move kids, and it sometimes takes a few tries to find the home that meets the child’s needs, but the child deserves it,” according to Barbara. She stressed that case workers do not hold it against foster families who give notice that a child is not working out in their homes. “Kids are challenging, and there must be a connection with the foster family for the placement to work,” she explained. She also feels that families who take in teenagers “are saints” because it is often harder to develop connections with
Taking Children into Your Home
Barbara began foster parenting because she and her husband wanted to adopt siblings for their son. She has always taken children younger than her son because she believes it is important to keep the birth order and keep him in the role of “big brother” to all children who come into their home. She has primarily done regular rather than treatment foster care, although she did have one child who suffered from shaken baby syndrome. The Hancocks took the child to several specialists and came to mentor the mother who had also been abused by the baby’s father, having her spend weekends at their home as she learned how to parent her son. Barbara considers this a real success story because the mother now has custody, and the child, despite some delays, is doing well.
Barbara is adamant about improving the image of foster parents. She wants the public to see them as average families living in average neighborhoods who are not expecting to make any money from fostering. They are not out to save the world, but they want to provide nurturing environments for children who have no place to go.
When asked what it takes to be a good foster or adoptive parent, Barbara said, “You have to have a big heart and want to help children.” She went on to explain that flexibility is very important because a home full of children can be chaotic at times. There is a great need for a support system of family members, friends, church groups and other foster families who can drop off a meal, for instance, when there is no time to cook because a new child is arriving in an hour. She emphasized that no one expects super parents; just open hearts and welcoming homes.
*Name changed to protect privacy | <urn:uuid:b277b768-f853-4cc3-9c35-b691cde7ff4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kidspeace.org/blog.aspx?id=3427&blogid=104 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980775 | 826 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Engage or Die 1. Our opportunity with social media is to do something more meaningful than just marketing. 2. Social media is not here to save you.
I counted at least 12 of these 35 tips about storytelling or story elements in the quick scan I did. There are probably even more if I studied them closely.
So here is another reality check this week :). Read these 35 insights and see how you rank.
All are important. Som eof the onese about stories/story elements are : co-creation (#34), context (#31), bridging (#24), people (#18), and community (#9).
How many more can you find? Are there more than the 12 I found? Let me know!
Have fun. Get better :)
Read the full article here: http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/06/social-business-smarts-brian-solis/
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it | <urn:uuid:650cb1b4-9583-4d4d-b14e-31d75231b29b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it/p/1974802912/35-smart-social-media-business-consumer-insights-from-briansolis?tag=visualstorytelling | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935532 | 222 | 1.648438 | 2 |
“Natural gas” is mostly methane (CH4), a relatively potent greenhouse gas. The concentration of methane in the Earth’s atmosphere is expressed as a mole fraction, nmol/mol (parts per billion, ppb). It was about 700 ppb in 1750; in 1998, it was 1745; it stayed flat for awhile but then began rising, to over 1850 ppb by 2010.
Methane is being released into the atmosphere by natural processes, it is a strong positive feedback to GW as the protective ice cover retreats and methane is released from permafrost and methane clathrates in the ocean.
But it is also being released by commercial fuel production at an increasing rate in the name of reducing CO2 release (from coal burning e.g.). In the production process and finally in combustion it combines with oxygen to produce water and CO2. Methane stays in the atmosphere about a decade with thirty times the GHG effect of CO2. It then converts to CO2 which stays around for centuries. One way of “controlling” methane release is to burn it off, producing the less potent CO2.
Recently our commercial production of shale gas has doubled by using the process of hydraulic fracturing the shale rock to produce shale gas. In the process, the leakage of the methane to the atmosphere is about 10%. So we are increasing methane release (along with toxic metals, hydrocarbons and radioactive material in the shale) from this gas production. Again we are plunging ahead without having carefully studied the environmental repercussions.
Once the climate modelers get methane feedback into their models, with the new sources of methane, expect to see new, more dire predictions of global warming. Already predictions from those who study the processes say there is a possibility of catastrophic warming if the net GH gases get above a “tipping point” (which some say has already been passed, some say in 15-35 years).
Of course we can all hope that the scientists are all wrong. | <urn:uuid:3d5ac160-87cf-4387-b948-db08584805a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.seattlepi.com/robertbrown/2012/03/29/it%E2%80%99s-the-methane-s-intellectually-challenged/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948298 | 413 | 3.75 | 4 |
British National Identity
Robert Colls asks what British identity is - and what it is not.
What it is not
1. National identity is not something governments can invent. It is more a feeling than an opinion and not a policy statement. Like all identities it is not unduly hampered by being difficult to put into words.
2. National identity should not be confused with national values. The values which politicians have tried to lay on Britons are no different from the claims of other states, even nasty ones. If these values bind us, why do they need setting out? If they don’t bind us, in what sense are they ours?
3. Nor is national identity an aggregate of all the diverse values that may exist in a society at any one time. Indeed, a society with high levels of diversity may have to face the fact that it has no identity to speak of. Such a society may equate diversity with tolerance, but tolerance needs the nation there in the first place to do the tolerating.
4. Much recent scholarship stresses the exclusivity of nations but misses the emergent quality of national identity, particularly the process of inviting people to become more equal and alike. In the British case national identity was built on the edging together of state and nation over a long history of political compromise and on a series of modern wars in which the Anglo-British state was remarkably successful. So closely did the British peoples appear to identify with aspects of this settlement, the political class has long been able to claim that it does not need to be regulated by a written constitution.
5. British national identity was not born of a deplorable past. It is true that British dominion was not built according to the principles of the Equal Opportunities Commission and we have to accept, too, that it was interwoven with imperialism and what we now call racism. In this it was not alone among other imperialisms – including republican and socialist imperialisms. At the same time we have to accept that British national identity survived because it was a broadly acceptable expression of the British people, to the British people, if not by the British people. Ireland was the great failure in this regard. Even so, most Irish were late in finding union with Great Britain an unacceptable representation of who they were.
6. British national identity has not always been called that. We have to be ready to deal with different names and concepts. E.P. Thompson and G.A. Williams, for instance, demonstrated that it was through their myths of national origin that the English and Welsh working poor became class conscious. It was clear to them, for example, that being ethnically Welsh or English was incompatible with being a factory slave or a dispossessed debtor.
7. National identity can be expressed in images and representations. But in order to be meaningful it has to fit experience and think of itself as a long-term arrangement. Although there has been much talk in recent years of ‘invented’ nations, all working nation states seek to underwrite the long-term obligations upon which all national relationships depend.
8. National identity is not just that which it is not. Sometimes called a theory of otherness, ‘alterity’ stems from the psycholinguistic disciplines and is ubiquitous in contemporary university teaching. Whole continents and epochs of human experience are being taught to undergraduates in terms of a ‘we’ that relates to an ‘other’. So ‘we’ becomes a very unstable pronoun where all identities are rendered provisional, multiple, situational and relative. There is not even room for the ‘we’ of human nature.
But in an individual any notion of reacting to the other without a prior sense of self would be seen as a pathological condition. In the nation that sense derives from a living relationship with the past. Most people, like most nations, are capable of thinking of themselves as a precondition to thinking for themselves.
9. If you want a national identity, people have got to want to identify and have a reason for doing so.
What has happened to it?
Our current predicament is that the main channels of national identity as mapped, for example, by Linda Colley in Britons (1992) have almost run out. In the 1960s relationships that for over 200 years had sustained the British people began to erode: their relationship with Parliament and the belief that it was sovereign and essentially belonged to them as key component of a free society; their relationship with the armed forces and the idea of a superior British imperial world; their relationship with Protestantism and the idea of a free heritage; their relationship with manufacturing and their reputation as the world’s oldest industrial nation; and finally their relationship with themselves as British and alike and growing more alike in fundamental ways. When the Millennium Dome was erected its organisers didn’t know what to put in it. They certainly didn’t put any of this stuff in it. In other words in 2001 there was no ‘manifest doctrine’ of Britishness as there had been in 1851 or even in 1951. It was not so much that the British people had ceased believing in themselves; it was more that over a very short period the conditions of that belief had evaporated. Between the Festival of Britain and the Millennium Dome, say, British national identity was no more.
In recent times the British state’s thinking has been federal, multicultural, and free market – a soft Thatcherite mix which, according to the last five prime ministers at least, was more befitting the minimum process known as ‘Europe’ and the maximum process known as globalisation. Our current predicament is that none of this thinking has been sympathetic to the principle and the practice of British national identity.
Robert Colls is the author of Identity of England (OUP, 2002). He will take up the Chair of Cultural History at De Montfort University in October.
- Middle East
- North America
- South America
- Central America
- Early Modern
- 20th Century
- 21st Century
- Economic History
- Environmental History
- Historical Memory
- Science & Technology | <urn:uuid:b959d530-d17d-4a51-a499-2c8b8506e599> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.historytoday.com/robert-colls/british-national-identity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968148 | 1,260 | 2.875 | 3 |
With the general election kicking off yesterday, we will have seven more months of the kind of “I know you are but what am I” politics we saw on display yesterday. It’s almost too depressing to even contemplate.
Mr. Romney fought back on his preferred turf, jobs and the economy, making the case that women had faced heavy job losses since President Obama took office [...]
“There’s been some talk about the war on women,” he said, referring to claims by Democratic leaders that the Republican Party is hostile toward women with its positions on issues like abortion and health care. “The real war on women has been waged by the Obama administration’s failure on the economy.”
He repeatedly cited the figure of 92.3 percent, which he said was women’s share of all the jobs lost since the president’s inauguration in January 2009.
“The president is so out of touch, I don’t think he knew that number,’’ Mr. Romney said here, at R.C. Fabricators, a company that makes steel girders for heavy construction, and whose chief executive is a woman, Becky Suppe.
Resolved: in a large country with dozens of interlocking economic and social factors, you can find numbers to prove or disprove just about any point you want to make about a subset of the population. The truth is that drawing the line at the beginning of the recession finds that women accounted for 39.7% of all job loss. Indeed, every so often you hear about the “mancession” that we’ve seen the past few years; men’s job loss in areas like construction almost always hits quickly, with women’s job loss being less cyclical. So this really depends on when you start the clock, and it’s an artifact of history.
There’s the other point that this has nothing to do with the “war on women” as typically described. That would be the tendency for the right to create legislation that bans women from making their own medical choices, cuts off funding for the most crucial women’s health priorities and organizations, and basically humiliates a large sector of the population with their public policy decisions.
Of course, yesterday you had the President returning to the discussion of taxes he likes to make every tax season and just before elections, only to have the same issues he touts linger. There were about 50 opportunities to end the carried interest loophole, or change the tax treatment of hedge fund managers so they pay an income tax rate on their income rather than a capital gains tax rate, or to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, or roll back the Bush tax cuts over $250,000. In fact, even that construction, “the Bush tax cuts over $250,000,” shows how much Democrats have conceded in the tax fight. They have basically accepted the idea that the Clinton tax rates were too high, despite the prosperity that presided over the country during that time period, which the allegedly “high” tax rates did not alter.
The big policy prescription for the first day of the general election was the Buffett rule, which I generally support but which doesn’t kick in until the $1 million income level, and which actually phases in to avoid a cliff effect, which means its full impact doesn’t start until $2 million in income. And even then, the effective minimum tax rate it sets is 30%, well under the current 35% top tax rate and the 39.6% tax rate Democrats claim to want to levy. The idea that this only impacts 0.2% of the population isn’t a reason not to do it, but it is the reason why it doesn’t raise very much money or why it doesn’t represent a return to the principles of progressive taxation.
So that’s the terrain we’re seeing the fight waged on, with over 200 more days like this to go until November. Try to keep sharp objects away from your wrists during this period. Silly season is upon us. | <urn:uuid:069461b9-c768-473a-a379-dfffc1eda9cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/04/11/its-going-to-be-a-long-seven-months-until-the-general-election/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976656 | 860 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Guidelines recommend screening for cervical cancer among women 30 years or older 3 years after a normal Papanicolaou test (hereinafter referred to as Pap test) result or a combined normal screening result (normal Pap/negative human papillomavirus [HPV] test results). We assessed reported recommendations by US primary care physicians (PCPs) on screening intervals that incorporate HPV cotesting compared with Pap testing alone.
From September 1, 2006, through May 31, 2007, we conducted a mailed survey of a representative sample of 1212 PCPs, of whom 950 performed Pap tests and recommended the HPV test for screening or management. The main outcome measure included self-reported data on timing of screening intervals for women with normal results using clinical vignettes.
Among Pap test providers who recommend HPV testing, 31.8% reported that they would conduct the next Pap test in 3 years for a 35-year-old woman with 3 normal Pap test results. For a 35-year-old woman with a normal Pap test result and a negative HPV test finding, only 19.0% would conduct the next Pap test in 3 years. Most remaining physicians would conduct the Pap test more frequently. Most PCPs did not recommend a second HPV test or recommended the next HPV test at the same frequency as the Pap test. Physician specialty was strongly associated with guideline-consistent recommendations for the next Pap or HPV test.
A lower proportion of PCPs recommend extending screening intervals to 3 years with an HPV cotest than those screening with the Pap test alone. Implementation of effective interventions and strategies that improve physician adherence to recommendations will be important for efficient screening practices. | <urn:uuid:8f6a9d39-4913-40c4-9a28-1fbe369a4beb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=416033 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935297 | 338 | 1.90625 | 2 |
CONVERSATION BETWEEN SOVIET AMBASSADOR TO THE PRC, S. V. CHERVONENKO AND CHINESE PRIME MINISTER, ZHOU ENLAI (FRAGMENT)CITATION SHARE DOWNLOAD
get citationZhou Enlai, in a conversation with Soviet Ambassador to the PRC, S. V. Chervonenko, draws parallels between the Algerian War for independence and the struggle of the Vietnamese people. Zhou Enlai recounts his conversation with Algerian leader Ben Bella about the Vietnam War."Conversation between Soviet Ambassador to the PRC, S. V. Chervonenko and Chinese Prime Minister, Zhou Enlai (fragment)" April 20, 1965, History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive, AVPRF: opis 0100, fond 58, papka 516, delo 5, listy 101-127. Obtained and translated by Sergey Radchenko http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/112454
VIEW DOCUMENT IN
Embassy of the USSR Secret
in the PRC Copy No. 2
20 April 1965
Outgoing No. 212
RECORD OF CONVERSATION
of Ambassador of the USSR in the PRC Chervonenko S.V.
with the Premier of the State Council of the PRC, Zhou Enlai
On 13 April 1965 Premier of the State Council of the PRC Zhou Enlai invited Ambassador of the USSR in the PRC c[omrade] Chervonenko S.V. to a dinner in connection with the forthcoming departure of the Ambassador for the motherland. Zhou Enlai, on his own initiative, started a conversation, which continued for over two hours. [& ]
In some countries, where I visited, the intensity of struggle in Vietnam, the heroism and decisiveness of the Vietnamese people in the struggle, are not clearly appreciated. Therefore we consider it useful to make visits, which offer an opportunity to talk about these events, to tell about events.
Let's take Algiers, for example. After all, the Algerians themselves came to a victory as a result of a prolonged struggle against the French aggressors. Algerians are also concerned about the struggle of the Vietnamese people against American imperialism, they allow the thought that the Americans could suppress the struggle of the Vietnamese people. The Algerians' concern is also caused by the fact that they allow the thought that the [North] Vietnamese could opt for talks in the face of bombardment. When we were in Algiers we told the Algerians that the situation in South Vietnam now is the same as it once was in Algiers. After all, the Algerians also fought against an 800,000 strong army of the French colonialists, but were not intimidated by them. But in Vietnam the population is higher than in Algiers. In South Vietnam alone the population is 14 million, and in North Vietnam 17 million. Thus, Vietnam's population on the whole exceeds 30 million people. To this one must add that the Vietnamese are fully determined to struggle against the aggression. After our explanation the Algerians began to understand more clearly the situation in Vietnam.
We also informed the Algerians, he continued, that now in South Vietnam the numbers of regular and semi-regular armies on the whole do not exceed 500,000 people. And there are about 30 thousand American soldiers there now. When I spoke to Ben Bella I told him that their number is only slightly higher than 20 thousand. The South Vietnamese hold the American aggressors in disdain, they will continue the struggle, even if new [U.S.] forces arrive in South Vietnam.
Recently President Ho Chi Minh said that even if there were several tens [[ hundreds ?? sic]] of thousands of American soldiers in South Vietnam, the struggle would have to be continued, and the war brought to the end.
We also gave another example. During the war in Algiers, some members of the provisional government stood for compromise, for negotiations, but the majority in the leadership spoke for resistance, for taking the struggle to the end. And then, as a result of that part of the leadership prevailing, after 7 years of war Algerians entered into negotiations and won a victory. If during the first period of the war, those would prevail in Algiers, who stood for agreement-making [soglashatelstvo], for compromise, then the victory would not have been achieved. The victory in Algiers was achieved precisely thanks to the present Algerian leadership. This question is absolutely clear.
When I was in Algiers last time, Ben Bella himself talked about this. This time I told him that South Vietnam is at the stage of struggle, in which the Algerian people were several years ago. I suggested than Ben Bella think about the following question: before, they were under the yoke of the French aggressors; the Vietnamese people were also under the yoke of the French aggressors, and now they are under the yoke of American aggressors. How can the Vietnamese people not take the struggle against American aggressors to a victorious end? We also told the Algerians that, as the Vietnamese comrades think, if one is to opt for a compromise now, this would result in more victims than if one were to continue the struggle to the end. Once Ben Bella heard my explanations, he understood the situation in Vietnam and came to a conclusion that if the Vietnamese seized ceased fire and entered into negotiations, this would result in more victims in South Vietnam and South Vietnam would not achieve its independence.
Then Ben Bella said that he feels the error of his participation in the [September 1961] Belgrade conference of non-aligned countries. In connection with this, when the appeal of the 17 non-aligned countries reached President Ben Bella, he did not put his signature under it. | <urn:uuid:78565007-8e97-40c9-8164-11d4fb9fb65a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/112454 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962073 | 1,207 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Beware the donut and shun the french fry.
They pack more potential trouble than even the amount of calories they contain.
Although that is advice that we should follow in most circumstances, students at the University of Toledo no longer have to worry about fries as a source of trans fats a manufactured form of fat that is proving more dangerous than even heart-unhealthy saturated fats.
AVI Foodsystems Inc. of Warren, the company that provides some 4,800 meals daily to UT students, eliminated trans fat-containing oils in frying and in salad dressings, said Rosalyn Emerson, AVI district marketing manager.
We re not completely trans-fat free, she admitted. It s still showing up in some baked goods.
AVI isn t alone in its trans fat clampdown.
Canada voted to phase-in a ban of trans fats. New York City barred them from city restaurants.
And the nation of Denmark eliminated them completely. Reynald Debroas, director of child nutrition for Toledo Public Schools, says trans-fat-free meals are the rule in the district s lunchrooms.
In the meantime, McDonald s still uses trans fats, although it promised to eliminate them four years ago, and Bob Evans newest menu items, the stacked and stuffed hotcakes, post trans fat levels some six times higher than recent recommendations by the American Heart Association.
So what s the fuss? We know fats are bad. Why are trans fats attracting special notice?
The American Heart Association report on cardiovascular disease in women issued earlier this month, recommends trans fat be limited to less than 1 percent of our daily diet or about 2 grams of trans fat in a 2,000 calorie diet.
Last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring food manufacturers to list trans fats on labels.
But, the FDA allows products with less than a half-gram of trans fat to show zero trans fat on its nutrition label. Considering how unsafe trans fat consumption is, most health advocates advise shoppers to also check ingredient lists for mention of partially hydrogenated oils, which are trans fats, and avoid them.
The allure of manufactured trans fats to commercial food manufacturers is great.
Trans fats have a longer shelf life than other fats, and can be solid at room temperature think margarine, most of which contains trans fats.
But evidence shows that trans fats are even worse than saturated fats.
They are more potent than saturated fats, said Frank Repka, associate professor emeritus at the University of Toledo Medical Center the former Medical College of Ohio.
The PhD nutritionist said trans fats contribute to higher cholesterol levels by reducing the number of places where your body can pull cholesterol from the blood stream.
This happens at special receptors in your liver for the so-called bad cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein or LDL.
Saturated fat inhibits production of those receptors, but trans fats are even more potent, six to seven times more potent than saturated fat, Mr. Repka said.
So while cholesterol-lowering drugs work by increasing the number of receptors in your liver for LDL cholesterol, saturated fats inhibit production of receptors, and trans fats shut down receptors at a six to seven times greater rate.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine last April reviewed much of the research on trans fats, and concluded that trans fats appear to increase the risk of coronary heart disease more than other macronutrients, conferring substantially increased risk at low levels of consumption.
Those bad effects start when trans fats make up no more than 1 to 3 percent of the daily diet, the article says.
The New England Journal article said the relation between the intake of trans fats and the incidence of [heart disease] reported has been greater than predicted by changes in [cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream] alone, suggesting that trans fatty acids may also influence other risk factors for [heart disease.]
People should avoid foods with trans fats as a matter of personal responsibility, said Dr. David Grossman, Toledo-Lucas County health commissioner.
We can t ban it, as we learned; we can t ban smoking either. Even though it s bad for you, we aren t allowed to.
Could municipalities and cities? They have the ability. Would they want to?
That would be up to them, Dr. Grossman said.
Contact Jenni Laidman at: firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:7a5fd60b-7674-4fec-ab21-9323631bbac5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.toledoblade.com/Medical/2007/03/19/University-of-Toledo-food-supplier-invokes-partial-ban-of-trans-fats.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933966 | 907 | 2.703125 | 3 |
More 60-Second Tech
Touch screens are so 2012. We’ll control tomorrow’s smartphones and tablets with little more than a glance. That’s the vision, if you will, that Samsung is expected to present later this month when the company introduces its latest handset—featuring a display that scrolls in response to eye movement.
The company hasn’t confirmed the debut of its “eye scroll” technology. But in February Samsung filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for software that senses eye movement, and can scroll displays according to that motion.
Eye control itself isn’t new—Sweden’s Tobii Technology has developed this capability for Windows 8 tablets and PCs. The real questions are how well it works and whether it is a technology in search of an audience.
Eye scrolling may turn out to be as popular as Apple’s Siri or it could bomb. It’s obviously not going to solve the problem of gadgets distracting us behind the wheel—please don’t scroll and drive.
Either way, eye scrolling is another sign that Samsung is pushing smartphone technology in new directions. And stealing Apple’s thunder in the process.
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.] | <urn:uuid:fdd7d971-62df-4c2a-b2f4-da4aab96910a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-eyes-have-it-scrolling-13-03-07 | 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 | 0.909887 | 263 | 1.90625 | 2 |
The clinics feature the special vaccination rate of $12 for dogs and cats.
Local veterinarians will also be at the following locations on the specified dates and times:
- Tuesday, April 26, 6 to 7 p.m.
Bellefounte Baptist Church
Blue Springs School
Candies Creek Baptist Church
- Thursday, April 28, 6 to 7 p.m.
Valley View School
McDonald Post Office
Charleston Fire Hall
Oak Grove School
- Tuesday, May 3, 6 to 7 p.m.
Michigan Avenue School
Black Fox School
- Thursday, May 5, 6 to 7 p.m.
E.L. Ross School
- Saturday, May 7, 2 to 3 p.m.
Cleveland Animal Shelter
Charleston Fire Hall
All pets should be on a leash or in a carrier. Çats should be left in a vehicle for their safety.
Rabies is a deadly virus that is transmitted by bites from an infected animal. Rabies can be prevented if treated promptly before symptoms develop.
Left untreated, rabies is nearly always fatal. Although rabies in humans is rare in the United States today, up to 40,000 people each year receive preventive treatment following an exposure.
In Tennessee and elsewhere in the U.S., the number of rabies cases in domestic animals has declined dramatically due to mandatory vaccination laws for dogs and cats. However, rabies among wildlife (especially skunks, bats, and raccoons) has become more prevalent.
The higher the incidence of rabies in wildlife, the greater the risk to domestic animals who act as a buffer zone between wildlife and humans.
According to Eric L. Coffey, field office manager for the Southeast Regional office of the General Environmental Health, Tennessee Department of Health, there were 75 cases of rabies in Tennessee in 2010, including, three dogs, one cat, one horse, 54 skunks, five raccoons, nine bats, one fox and one swine.
The Bradley County Health Department, along with Animal Control, investigated 149 animal bites in the county in 2010, an increase from the 124 bite investigations performed in 2009.
Tennessee law requires that all dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies and their shots kept up-to-date. Pets should be kept confined to a controlled area to limit their exposure to wild animals. | <urn:uuid:33125136-58ed-42b4-acb3-eb3e40e888b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/12878425/article-Rabies-clinics-launch-Monday | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934054 | 490 | 2.328125 | 2 |
This cross-sectional study evaluated the prevalence of pain and psychiatric symptoms in perinatally HIV-infected children at entry into P1055, a multicenter investigation of the prevalence and severity of psychiatric symptoms in HIV-infected children. Subjects 6-17 years of age and their primary caregivers were recruited from 29 International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials sites in the USA and Puerto Rico. A total of 576 children (320 HIV and 256 HIV- children) were enrolled from June 2005 to September 2006. Subject self-reports of pain were measured by the Wong-Baker visual analog scale and Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Symptomatology for anxiety, depression, and dysthymia was assessed through Symptom Inventory instruments. Caregiver's assessment of their child's pain and psychiatric symptomatology was similarly measured. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate predictors of pain. We found that a higher proportion of HIV-infected than uninfected subjects reported pain in the last two months (41% vs 32%, p=0.04), last two weeks (28% vs 19%, p=0.02), and lasting more than one week (20% vs 11%, p=0.03). Among HIV-infected youth, females (OR=1.53, p=0.09), White race (OR=2.15, p=0.04), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Class C (OR=1.83, p=0.04) were significantly more likely to report pain. For all subjects, only 52% of caregivers recognized their child's pain and just 22% were aware that pain affected their child's daily activities. The odds of reported pain in HIV increased with higher symptom severity for generalized anxiety (OR=1.14, p=0.03), major depression (OR=1.15, p=0.03), and dysthymia (OR=1.18, p=0.01). This study underscores the importance of queries concerning pain and emotional stressors in the care of HIV and uninfected children exposed to HIV individuals. The discordance between patient and caregiver reports of pain and its impact on activities of daily living highlights that pain in children is under-recognized and therefore potentially under-treated. | <urn:uuid:89a0cb2a-4f4e-4b63-800c-b546844e84f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reach.suny.edu/display/a20401767 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953121 | 477 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Ministry of the Environment (Israel)
Found in: Government of Israel
The Ministry of the Environment in the State of Israel is one of government offices that is in charge of protecting the cleanliness of all public areas and preventing contamination of water resources, among other things. Its political head is the Environmental Protection Minister.
A basic volunteer for the ministry is called a "Ne'eman Nikayon", translated literally as a "clean trustee" but more accurately described as a volunteer cleanliness protection officer. They are certified under the "Cleanliness protection law of 1984". A volunteer must pass a one-day course where they learn the basic laws involved in their ability to report violations of Israeli littering laws. Once certified, a volunteer can write out tickets against violators and submit them directly to the ministry of the environment for processing. In almost all cases a simple fine is issued (ranging from 250 - 8000 Israeli new sheqel), but under some circumstances the case may be sent automatically to a judge (especially in the case of a repeat offender) to determine special punishment.
The ministry of the environment has paid inspectors (Pakachim) who serve in a similar capacity as a basic volunteer, as well as holding additional powers according to Israeli law.
The ministry of the environment is also in charge of animal rights issues under a separate division under the "Cruelty to Animals Law of 1994".
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ministry of the Environment (Israel) | <urn:uuid:1a96f251-d9a5-4c7a-991c-8a5cf876a20b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.middleeastexplorer.com/Israel/Ministry-of-the-Environment-Israel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948185 | 309 | 2.734375 | 3 |
A Case Study of the University Admissions Index As a Predictor of University Performance among Science Students in Australia
Most universities in Australia use the University Admissions Index (UAI) as their main entrance requirement for prospective students. UAI is a score that ranges between 0 and 100. It provides a ranking of overall academic performance during the last two years of secondary school. It is synonymous with the statistical concept of percentiles and allows comparison of academic ability across different disciplines and subjects. UAI cutoff scores for university entrance can vary considerably between institutions and courses. In most cases, the cutoff value reflects the popularity of a course rather than its degree of difficulty. For example, at Macquarie University in 2008, a B. Science with B. Laws had a UAI cutoff of 95.00 compared with 72.00 for B. Science with a Diploma of Education; whereas B. Science in Astronomy and Astrophysics required an entry score of only 75.00. Students wishing to receive offers into popular courses are thus under enormous pressure to perform at high academic levels during their final years of school and many chose to postpone further study because they are burnt out. This paper investigates the assumption that UAI is an appropriate index by which to admit students to university to study in the sciences. We used data from the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of Canberra, which utilises a broad range of UAI entry scores from as low as 60.00. We compared student performance in several first year units with UAI and with a variety of factors such as gender, age, schooling, and assessment type. The results show that UAI is not related to overall performance for a variety of units covering biology, chemistry and statistics and is therefore a poor indicator of the academic ability of potential university students. This result generally holds for both genders and across assessment types.
Keywords: University Admissions Index, UAI, Factors Influencing Performance in Tertiary Science
Dr. Margi Böhm
Senior Lecturer, Director of the Science Resource Center, Faculty of Applied Science, University of Canberra
Deputy Director of the Science Resource Centre, Faculty of Applied Science, University of Canberra | <urn:uuid:6b789e15-834e-416f-81af-a41c596d34c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://l09.cgpublisher.com/proposals/1501/index_html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946916 | 440 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Did you have a question?
x and y are the co-ordinates of upper left corner and height and width are given as above. It suppose to return perimeter of the rectangle. I could n't find where to start? I know the formula to get Perimeter = 2(height + width) but what do I do with it's coordinate x and y? It should be done with methods so I layout the code structure as you see above. Please give me some ideas on this.
--- Update ---
Yes, I was typing it. It should be up by now.
The x,y are the location of the rectangle. They are not used in computing the perimeter.Quote:
what do I do with it's coordinate x and y
I think this is what you're looking for
********* Code removed Please don't spoonfeed
I got ' r can't be resolved error'; how should I construct Rectangle r?
The formula in your post#3 should work. | <urn:uuid:dd881ec5-4eb8-426e-8193-dc96c69bf887> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.javaprogrammingforums.com/%20whats-wrong-my-code/24290-getperimeter-rectangle-printingthethread.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966832 | 204 | 3.625 | 4 |
Carbon Pollution Update: Zombie Power Plants and Zombie Lawsuits Stagger On
As we sweat through this roaring-hot, extreme-weather summer, nearly 3 million Americans have raised their voices in public comments supporting EPA’s proposed standards to curb carbon pollution from new power plants and calling for action on the nation’s dirty existing power plants too.
Meanwhile, a handful of power companies and red states stagger on with zombie lawsuits to block EPA from doing its job, and with zombie plans for coal-fired projects with little prospect of getting financed or built. Here’s an update on some of their shenanigans.
Zombie Litigation: In June, a coalition of coal and oil industry groups, climate science-deniers, and conservative politicians lost “the big one,” their combined challenge to EPA’s initial carbon pollution curbs – the endangerment finding, clean car standards, and permit requirements for big industrial sources. In Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA, the Court of Appeals in Washington unanimously rejected every attack. EPA’s reading of the Clean Air Act was “unambiguously correct” and EPA had ample support for its scientific assessment that carbon pollution is causing dangerous warming. The unanimous ruling, by judges spanning the court’s ideological spectrum, is widely regarded as bullet-proof. While the challengers can still appeal to the Supreme Court, no one expects that to succeed.
But other cases stagger on. In a case called Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, Texas and a few others are still challenging the steps EPA took to make sure that builders of new power plants and other big new carbon polluters would be able to get needed construction permits come the beginning of 2011, when CO2 became a regulated pollutant. I’ve written before (here and here) about Texas’s refusal to cooperate. Texas said it wouldn’t issue those permits, claimed plants didn’t need them unless and until the state so decided, and told EPA to bug off. But EPA knew, as the court confirmed this June, that new plants could not legally build without those permits, and that industry in Texas would be left high and dry if the state refused to issue them. So EPA took the last-resort step of issuing those carbon permits itself where states could not or would not do so.
Texas is still harrumphing about the supposed affront to its sovereignty, and recently filed papers claiming support from the Supreme Court’s health care decision, NFIB v. Sebelius, in June. Misapplying Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion, Texas claimed EPA put “a gun to the head” of the states. NRDC joined with other environmental and state intervenors in response. NFIB, we explained, “does not undercut the constitutionality of statutes that, like Clean Air Act Section 110, allow states to administer a federal program but provide for direct federal administration if states do not.” Rather, NFIB reaffirms the constitutionality of laws that call for states to act but provide a federally-administered “backup scheme” if they do not. “States,” we said, “have no constitutional right to administer a federal statute so as to nullify one of its requirements.”
Bottom line: Far from putting a gun to Texas's head, EPA kept the state from shooting itself in the foot.
Zombie Coal Plants. With abundant supplies of low-priced natural gas, and huge opportunities for cost-saving energy efficiency, it’s no surprise that analysts from government, the power industry, and Wall Street forecast construction of no new conventional coal-fired power plants for as far as the eye can see. But a handful of project developers soldier on trying to build the last of the old breed. Rather than acknowledge the free market forces they usually celebrate, these frustrated project developers prefer to scapegoat EPA for their woes. They’ve launched a truly odd lawsuit, under the name Las Brisas Energy Center v. EPA, to block EPA’s carbon pollution standard for new power plants.
But here’s the rub. The EPA standard is just a proposal. It’s black letter law that no one can sue EPA over a proposal. You have to wait for a final decision. Just like the proposal’s nearly 3 million supporters, the project developers and other coal interests have filed their comments and objections. EPA has to sort through them, respond, and produce a final decision. Only then is something binding, and only then can they go to court. Expect this case to be dismissed.
Zombie Senators. Meanwhile, coal’s political allies keep up a drumbeat of criticism on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. House and Senate Republicans thunder on about the Obama administration’s supposed “war on coal,” while they conduct a war on our public health and environmental safeguards. The latest example is a letter today from Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), demanding the “withdrawal” of EPA’s proposed standards for power plant carbon pollution, and claiming it’s “widely acknowledged” that they “would eliminate the use of coal as a fuel source in generating electricity.” Inhofe is dead wrong to claim that the standards would block even new coal plants, because as I’ve already noted, government, industry, and financial analysts all agree that new plants aren't being built even without these standards. And the standards don’t even apply to the existing coal fleet. Like the industry, Inhofe scapegoats EPA and the Clean Air Act for coal’s market woes.
I’ve noted before that court cases have a way of exposing hyperbole and fiction. Texas, the project developers, and Senator Inhofe can say anything they want in press releases and congressional speeches. But when you go to court, you have to be able to prove your case. So far, EPA’s initial steps to curb dangerous carbon pollution have been sustained and its zombie opponents have struck out. | <urn:uuid:ebb8b29e-50bc-4446-b87e-3e36907b8610> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ddoniger/carbon_pollution_update_zombie.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+switchboard_all+%28Switchboard%3A+Blogs+from+NRDC%27s+Environmental+Experts%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946733 | 1,259 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Why Doesn't the World Care?
A well-written, pertinent 'argument' by Mosharraf Zaidi about the immediate response to the devastating floods in Pakistan, and their long-lasting impact on the country.
The 2010 floods, however, are a game-changer. The country will not and cannot ever be the same. The loss of life, disease, poverty, and human misery themselves are going to take years to overcome. But the costs of desilting, cleaning up, and reconstructing Pakistan's most fertile and potent highways, canals, and waterworks will be exhausting just to calculate. The actual task of building back this critical infrastructure is a challenge of unprecedented proportions.
Last week, I visited a relatively well-to-do village called Pashtun Ghari in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pashtun Ghari is right off the historic Grand Trunk Road, and less than two miles from the river. Flood victims there did not feel abandoned by authorities, indeed they were quite satisfied with how they had been taken care of. Still, there was inconsolable despair among residents. Why? The town's entire livestock population, some 2,300 cows, had perished beneath waters that stood more than 10 feet high in the first wave of flooding.
Most Recommended Comment
New York, United States | <urn:uuid:aa4bc07b-a48e-41db-a447-3aba4e4ac723> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nowpublic.com/world/why-doesnt-world-care | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960244 | 276 | 2.171875 | 2 |
In the raging national debate about how to combat America’s obesity epidemic, one of the touchiest topics is whether taxpayer-funded food stamps should be used to provide junk food for the poor.
During the last state legislative session, Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon, was attacked by both liberals and conservatives when she proposed that food stamps shouldn’t pay for such items as sodas, candy bars and chips. “I got it from both sides of the aisle,” she laments about Republican and Democratic opposition.
Democrats attacked her for trying to tell poor people how to behave. Republicans said she was advocating that big government should order people to eat their broccoli.
Even so, Storms and many in the national anti-obesity fight are not going to let the matter die. Americans’ fat now costs more in healthcare than the effects of cigarettes, and some are urging a crusade against obesity similar to that mounted by anti-smoking forces.
“It took 50 years of anti-tobacco campaigns to lower the smoking rate from 50 percent to 20 percent” of the population, notes John Peters, chief strategy officer for the University of Colorado Center for Health and Wellness. And he says it could take that long to reverse the epidemic of obesity, which now afflicts 35.7 percent of American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can lead to lifelong chronic health problems like diabetes and hypertension.
Like the anti-tobacco campaigns in the past, the anti-obesity drive is becoming highly politicized. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a ban on supersized soft drinks, and the talk of a national tax on soft drinks has grown so intense that American Medical Association’s House of Delegates last week decided that the proceeds of such a tax, if enacted, should be dedicated to improving consumer healthcare education.
In the food stamp debate, it galls leaders like Storms that taxpayer funds can be used to exacerbate the problem since obesity rates among the poor tend to be higher than among the affluent. “It just makes no sense to me. They can’t purchase Fred Flintstone vitamins with food stamps, but a Mountain Dew is fine,” Storms says.
Plenty of people disagree with her. During the last legislative session, her bill was opposed by big-business lobbyists from the beverage industry, convenience stores and Corn Refiners of America, producers of the high-fructose corn syrup that adds so many calories to foods.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Florida Partnership to End Childhood Hunger said Storms’ proposal “creates new hurdles for families already struggling to meet their most basic daily needs.”
Since food stamps are a federal program, any local proposal to alter the provisions must be approved by Washington. The most publicized effort so far came two years ago when Bloomberg asked the federal government for a two-year pilot program banning the use of food stamps for sugary drinks. The Obama administration said no, because the prohibition would be too hard to administer.
“It’s an incredibly contentious issue,” says Candace Young of the Philadelphia-based Food Trust, which is working with Miami-Dade health officials in trying to bring healthier foods to poor areas. “We don’t have a stance on that issue. Half the people feel passionately one way, the other half feel passionately the other way.”
When The Miami Herald asked a White House spokeswoman how first lady Michelle Obama, the administration’s leader in combating obesity, stood on the issue, the official response came quickly: “No comment.”
To at least some food stamp recipients, however, it makes sense to prohibit junk foods. “I can agree with that,” says Gertrude Sturrup, 36, a North Miami-Dade mother of four. “Better to spend the money on fruits and vegetables.”
One major problem: Coming up with a definition of junk food. Should it be done by a calorie measure? A sweetness measure? Sen. Storms’ proposal would have banned “foods containing trans fats; sweetened beverages, including sodas; sweets, such as Jell-O, candy, ice cream, pudding, popsicles, muffins, sweet rolls, cakes, cupcakes, pies, cobblers, pastries, and doughnuts; and salty snack foods, such as corn-based salty snacks, pretzels, party mix, popcorn, and potato chips.”
But nutritionists consider popcorn (varieties not laden with butter and salt) a healthy whole grain that’s high in fiber and low in calories, and some frozen pops are made with artificial sweeteners and are low-calorie.
John Diaz, who owns the Diaz Supermarket in Opa-locka, where 30 percent of his gross receipts come from food stamps, says a junk food prohibition makes sense to taxpayers, but he wonders how he would enforce it. A cashier would need to memorize huge numbers of items that would have to be rejected for food stamp payments.
Tony Jorges, a district manager for Winn-Dixie, says that for a large supermarket chain it would be easy to program the cashiers’ scanners to recognize what qualified for food stamps and what didn’t, but he could imagine outbursts from customers when they learned that they would have to pay out-of-pocket for many items. Such a situation could be a “nightmare,” Jorges says.
Just as adamant is Ronnie Othman, who runs Monar Market, a convenience store in Liberty City, where most of his clientele opt for the foods that Storms wants to prohibit. “They want to shut us down,” Othman says of Storms and her supporters.
Storms points out that the present food stamp act already prohibits a long list of items, including alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, pet foods, soaps, vitamins and cosmetics. She doesn’t see why it would be so hard to add some junk foods to that list.
“I just think it’s an irresponsible use of taxpayers’ money,” she says. | <urn:uuid:49d373ad-453a-4f53-82b4-b170b380ebcc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/23/v-print/2865209/hot-national-debate-should-food.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96179 | 1,299 | 2.28125 | 2 |
General News of Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Maxwell Awumah, GNA Special Correspondent, Durban, South Africa (Courtesy Siemens Africa)
Durban, Dec. 6, GNA- Accra city has a strong position on good governance and environmental performance as well as structures to work with the national government in implementing policies.
This makes it the only sub-Saharan city that placed above-average in the category of the African Green Cities Index.
This was the conclusion of the African Green City Index, a unique study commissioned by Siemens and conducted by the independent research organization, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Siemens is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and health care sectors.
Cities from the North and the South of Africa deliver the best environmental performance of all major African cities.
During the past months, the EIU analysed the aims and achievements of 15 major cities in 11 African countries with respect to environmental performance and policies.
Accra, Ghana, as well as Casablanca and Tunis from the North and Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg from the South ranked above average in the overall city index results.
Those in the average band are Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Cairo, Lagos and Pretoria.
Luanda and Nairobi fell in the below average category with Dar es Salaam and Maputo making it into the well below average group.
The goal of the African Green City Index is to provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each city and start a dialogue about best practices in the area of green policies and infrastructures.
“With the Environmental Portfolio and the new Sector 'Infrastructure & Cities', Siemens is in the best position to support urban areas in Africa with green infrastructures," said SiegmarProebstl, Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Africa.
Delia Meth-Cohn, Editorial Director in-charge of continental Europe, Middle East and Africa noted that no city made the “well above average” indicating more work in the environmental and urbanisation footprints.
Edna Molewa, South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs said grassroots participation in the local governance structure by the people would engender innovation, inclusiveness towards saving tomorrow today.
The African Green City Index examines, for the first time, the environmental performance of African cities in eight categories: energy and CO2, land use, transport, waste, water, sanitation, air quality and environmental governance.
Whereas North African cities are strong in connecting residents to basic infrastructures like water and electricity Southern African cities scored high on governance and implementing policies.
In contrast, all sub-Saharan cities, except South African cities and Accra, struggled in the Index.
Their immediate focus on providing basic services tends to prevent a focal point on long-term sustainability.
However, experts agree that sustainable development policies at city level are far from being a 'nice-to-have option', but must go hand-in-hand with solutions to the continent's social and economic problems.
Africa is the fifth region to be analysed for Siemens by the EIU, which began in 2009 and identified Copenhagen (Denmark) as the greenest metropolis in European Green City Index, followed by Curitiba (Brazil) coming tops in 2010 for Latin American Index with Singapore as well as San Francisco being published as Asian and the United States and Canada Green City index for this year. | <urn:uuid:041448ca-ede1-4b49-bcaf-61e26f474ae0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=225089 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922744 | 719 | 1.953125 | 2 |
(a) In general. Persons who were interned during any period of time from December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946, by the United States Government at a place operated by the Government within the United States for the internment of United States citizens of Japanese ancestry are deemed to have been paid wages (in addition to wages actually paid) as provided in paragraph (c) of this section during any period after attaining age 18 while interned. This provision is effective for determining entitlement to, and the amount of, any monthly benefit for months after December 1972, for determining entitlement to, and the amount of, any lump-sum death payment in the case of a death after December 1972, and for establishing a period of disability.
(b) Information needed to process deemed wages. Unless we have already made a determination on deemed wages for a period of internment of an individual, any person applying for a monthly benefit, a recalculation of benefits by reason of this section, or a lump-sum death payment, must submit certain information before the benefit or payment may be computed on the basis of deemed wages. This information is—
(i) The highest actual hourly rate of pay received for any employment before internment, multiplied by 40 for each full week during the period of internment; or
(ii) The Federal minimum hourly rate in effect for the period of internment, multiplied by 40 for each full week during that period.
(2) Self-employed or not employed prior to internment. If the individual was self-employed or was not employed before the period of internment, the deemed wages are the Federal minimum hourly rate in effect for that period, multiplied by 40 for each full week during the period.
(3) If a benefit based in whole or in part upon internment is determined by any agency of the United States to be payable under any other law of the United States or under a system set up by that agency. However, this exception does not apply in cases where the failure to receive deemed wages reduces the primary insurance amount by 50 cents or less.
(e) Certification of internment. The certification concerning the internment is made by the Archivist of the United States or his or her representative. After the internment has been verified, wages are deemed to have been paid to the internee.
[45 FR 20075, Mar. 27, 1980, as amended at 52 FR 29662, Aug. 11, 1987. Redesignated at 55 FR 7310, Mar. 1, 1990] | <urn:uuid:d9016f25-c4d6-4083-a3cc-912a35f20aae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stuartashcraft@ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-1059.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963319 | 519 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Brett starts off the talk by asking everyone in the crowd to introduce themselves to three new people. What a great way to launch into some early morning networking!
Now, diving right into the keynote speaker. Somehow I managed to get front row, dead center seats to the Kickoff Keynote with Robert Cialdini, President of Influence at Work.
Dr. Cialdini begins by explaining the psychology of persuasion, which means the ability to move people in our direction, to increase the likelihood that they will say yes – without changing the merits what we have to offer, one bit. Only changing the way we present the merits of what we have to offer. He says he can’t tell you what you should put into your offer, you know that. But he can tell you how to best deliver the merits of your case, that’s what his topic will be today.
The Psychology of Influence
If you include one of these six universal principles of influence, you will increase the likelihood of success.
- Commitment and Consistency
- Social Proof
Let’s take a quick tour of the principles:
Reciprocation - a rule that exists within all human societies, that obligates me to give back to you the form of behavior that you’ve first given to me. For example, if you invite me to a party, I’m obligated to invite you to my party. If you do me a favor, I owe you a favor. In the context of obligation, people say yes to those they owe. It means you need to go first with your customers, clients, prospects – invest in them, give something to them first, and they will stand ready and eager to give back in return. There is a rule that was installed in them since childhood, you don’t have to do it, it’s already in there. It says you must not take without giving in return.
If you give a smile, you get a smile, but only if you go first.
We should be giving information, samples and features to people. Is there anything you could do in a restaurant, at the end of the meal, to significantly increase your tips? Something associated with giving first. For example, a mint! If there is a mint on the tray for each diner, tips go up 3.3%. It’s not what was give, it’s that something was given. I like this study because the researchers didn’t stop there. Instead of going to each table with a mint, in this case there were two mints on the tray – something unexpected. Tips went up 14.1%. The more that you give that’s unexpected, the more people stand eager to give back to you.
People want to give back, to those who have given to them.
In the case of reciprocity, you go first. What you give first should be unexpected.
The principle of liking. People say yes to those they know and like. By giving us one simple thing we can do to significantly increase the extent to which people like and want to corroborate with us: to uncover and unsurface similarities that truly exist between us and the people we’re dealing with.
People like those who are like them.
You can tell them who you are, so they can see similarities between whoever they are, and you. There was a study done of negotiators, and they found that in a certain negotiating environment, there were 30% where both parties walked away with no deal. They changed that drastically from 30% deadlock to 6% deadlock (over email) by simply having the two parties exchange info about themselves before they began the negotiation. Tell us what hobbies, interests, schooling you’ve had. Here is the implication: get across features of who you are, professional, but personally. You can do this in the “about us” section on your website.
The About Us section is invariably solely professional information, we’re advising people to put personal information.
III. Commitment and Consistency
Commitment and consistency – there is a tendency to want to be consistent with what we have already said and done, especially in public. Back to the restaurant – solving the problem of no shows. People who say they’re going to do something, and don’t. In order to reduce this, one manager had the receptionist change two words when they take reservations. Previously “please call if you have to change or cancel your reservation,” changed to, “will you please call to change or cancel your reservations” (and to pause). The no shows, dropped from 32% to 10% for two words – that’s the public commitment! Change the language that you use, that harnesses the power of psychological influence.
Don’t let people get away without making active, public commitments to you.
They should be clicking even on preliminary choices with you, in a way that is public and visible.
The power of persuasion, under conditions of uncertainty. There are so many options, people are much less confident with who they should engage in business with. It makes people unsettled. In e commerce that’s especially common, because there are so many new actors.Here’s what happens as a consequence, there are three psychological consequences:
- Tendency to freeze when you’re unsure, and are not confident in what you should be doing next, or best in that situation.What you see is a lot of people sitting on the fence, unwilling to take a step in your direction, even if you have the best offering. If they’re unsure, they just freeze.
- Loss aversion – the reason they freeze is because they don’t want to lose. There is a tendency to be reluctant to take any step that might cost you something.
- Uncertainty eventually causes an impulsive choice, when you’re finally pushed by some deadline to get off that fence. You don’t do it by looking at the whole array of factors, but you just pick one.
In the final three principles, those single things that if you put them in your message, will cause people to jump – to get into the game:
- Principle of Scarcity: people want more, of those things they can have less of. It spurs them into action if they think this is something that is rare, or dwindling in availability to them. Think Groupon – it’s limited in time and in numbers – it’s saying you better move, you can’t afford to stay on the fence or it will be gone – it spurs people into action. Scarcity confirms value. Isolate what is unique, and scarce about what you have to offer. What is it about your product or service, that is scarce or rare?
- When you do present the unique or uncommon benefits, it’s not enough to tell people what they will gain if they move in your direction. Especially under conditions of uncertainty, people are more mobilized to act, by losing those unique benefits and features, than gaining them. You will be able to save by insulating your home. Instead, they said, you will lose a dollar a day if you don’t insulate your home. Same merits – $1/day, but psychologically it was not the same. Losing versus gaining. There were 150% more people who insulated their homes under loss language than gain language. Another thing we have to change is the word at the top: new. Marketers think “new” is the power word for moving the audience in the right direction, and their wrong. What new does is creates uncertainty – it tells your market there is no history of this product, no track record, none of your friends who can tell you about it. Only a certain (small) percent of the population is first movers. Two things you should be saying: “new and improved” which satisfies all of your needs, you’re familiar with it, and it’s better than ever. Use the power of your opponent, or the problem in your situation, to your behalf. Another great campaign is, “Hear what you’ve been missing” by The Bose Wave. The key here is: when people are uncertain, they are reluctant to lose. If you tell them honestly what they will forgo, if they fail to move in your direction, you will significantly increase the likelihood of success.
- Exclusivity of Information – information is that exclusive, is more persuasive than the very same information that has already been distributed across the market. You need to move immediately with that information, and tell them, “I just learned this,” “I just got this today, and it’s not even published yet.” People will lean in to hear the merits of your case. But, you have to preface this with its exclusivity.
Another principle that impacts uncertainty is the Principle of Authority, which says, people defer to those individuals who are experts on the topic. “If an expert says it, it must be true.” You can leverage this by having testimonials by acknowledged experts in the industry. Pointing to the comments of legitimate authorities that align with your position, produces a significant jump of movement in your direction. There is one kind of authority communicator that is the most effective communicator we have uncovered in over a century, it is: the credible communicator, who has to elements of knowledge and trustworthiness.
If you are an authority, you are entitled to raise those principles of authority to the surface, before they encounter the rest of your message.
For proving the knowledge portion of a credible communicator, you can’t be a self promoting, bragger. If you have a third party deliver that information, to testify for your credentials, that’s how you can break this stigma. If this third party doesn’t exist, you need to send that person a letter of introduction, that precedes the meeting by several days, saying, “I’m looking forward to our interaction on Thursday on topic xyz, my background and experience on xyz are as follows.”
For proving trustworthiness, you need to provide the information in an unbiased way, that you’re not trying to serve your own interest. If you’re a straight shooter, what will evolve is a perception of you as a trustworthy source of information. If you don’t have that time, there is a strategy that produces instant trustworthiness. What is wrong, is to front load your message with the strengths and most powerful arguments, the most compelling features of your case. Before you mention the most powerful arguments in your case, mention a weakness in your case, a drawback to what it is that you’re offering, and then, you pivot on the word “but, however, at the same time,” and bridge into the strength of your case. Now, people are open to hearing the strengths, after being shown the weakness.
The top five advertising cases of all time around the globe, the first one was Avis, “We’re #2, but we try harder.” Another one was from L’Oreal, “We’re expensive, but you’re worth it.”
In both of these cases, they mention a weakness, they pivot on the word but, and nullify the weakness with an advantage.
It enriches you with the power of credibility when you present your weakness first. Because “but” says, take the information I just gave you and put it away, and focus your attention on the next thing I’m going to say. That is why you want your strengths after the word but, and your weaknesses before.
VI. Social Proof
One last principle that solves the problem of uncertainty, the principle of consensus. People look to peers, comparable others, “what have they done, or said?” If you can provide information about a consensus, you reduce their uncertainty. For example, 98% of online purchasers, read the reviews of prior customers. We want to follow the lead of many others, and similar others.
The consensus principle is at the core of the social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) revolution. Potential buyers are now able to access the consumer responses.
It’s easy for marketers to use economic factors when seeking to motivate customers toward their products.Yet, there are other methods you can use that don’t cost anything – you just have to know what the behavioral sciences.
That’s a wrap on the kickoff keynote with Robert Cialdini! If you want to learn more about behavioral science, check out his website Influence at Work. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more. | <urn:uuid:2457eb4a-1672-4ef5-8a6f-f502c7ada8e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kelseylibert.com/pubcon/keynote/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959957 | 2,691 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Firefighters were busy last weekend as three fires, including one that burned seven acres in a rural part of Boulder Creek, struck the town last week.
Marijuana, illegal construction found at site of wildland fire
A rubbish pile on an illegal marijuana grow site was the origin of a seven-acre fire in northeast Boulder Creek on Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire Division Chief Rich Sampson.
The Aug. 4 wildland blaze, nicknamed the Las Cumbres Fire after the nearby Los Gatos community, was reported at 7:15 a.m. It was contained by 6 p.m. with support from air crews while more than 100 firefighters battled the rural blaze for hours down below.
“It was somebody’s debris pile — burning trash,” Sampson said. “It was on a vacant marijuana garden.”
No one was in sight when firefighters arrived at the supposedly vacant lot off Deer Creek and Lost Valley roads in Boulder Creek. They found an illegal marijuana garden and a house that was being constructed on the property without a permit, Sampson said.
The partially built structure was untouched by the fire, he said, but it appeared that as many as six people had recently left.
“The property owner said he doesn’t know anything,” Sampson said, noting that an investigation was ongoing to determine who lit the fire.
A strike team from local departments in the San Lorenzo Valley helped Cal Fire in its efforts to contain the flames. A water tender from Boulder Creek Fire carried water to the scene.
“It was initially called in as 10 acres, with the potential of 100 acres or so,” Sampson said.
Little wind and cool conditions kept the fire from spreading quickly, despite much undergrowth and brush.
Crews from Boulder Creek Fire Protection District provided water, and a strike team and crews from Zayante, Scotts Valley, Felton, Santa Clara County, Aptos-La Selva, Las Cumbres and Marin County fire departments helped contain the fire.
Logan Creek fire extinguished
A separate half-acre fire on Logan Creek Road near Kings Creek Road in Boulder Creek was reported at 4:25 p.m. Saturday and quickly contained by firefighters who were already working on the nearby Las Cumbres Fire. No structures were threatened.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Sampson said.
“We really lucked out that day,” said Chief Kevin McClish of Boulder Creek Fire. “Those fires would have taken off.”
House fire causes damage
A small fire burned a section of an unoccupied home on Brook Lane in Boulder Creek at 9:27 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3.
The fire started outside the house, either with faulty electrical wiring or a cigarette, McClish said, but crews worked quickly to save the house from fully burning. A section about 10 feet by 10 feet burned.
The owner lives next door and escaped without any injuries.
McClish noted that residents should be extra careful with fire of any kind. Open burning season for brush and debris is suspended during the summer months, and barbecues and fire pits should be watched carefully.
To comment, email email@example.com, call 438-2500 or post a comment at www.pressbanner.com. | <urn:uuid:7e7797cf-ab9f-46bf-9a5b-1355270534ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pressbanner.com/view/full_story/19750442/article-Three-weekend-fires-threaten-Boulder-Creek?instance=home_news_bullets | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965732 | 698 | 1.625 | 2 |
- Special Sections
- Public Notices
Mr. Honeycutt, as an elected official of Lancaster County, you are considered a politician.
The definition of a politician, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is a person actively engaged in party politics, frequently used in a derogatory sense, with implications of seeking personal or partisan gain, scheming and opportunism.
Remember when things were booming in Indian Land several years ago? You were our very best friend – you came to every grand opening, picked up a shovel at every ground breaking, even wore a hard hat on occasions, the whole nine yards.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Lancaster News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning Lancaster News and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account. | <urn:uuid:5d5e3831-b9ad-47b8-bf69-a2c8e1ad9152> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thelancasternews.com/content/open-letter-councilman-larry-honeycutt?mini=calendar-date%2F2013-03 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938506 | 212 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Published: Mar. 19, 2009
Updated: Mar. 19, 2009
Reporters & producers can visit Duke Medicine News and Communications for contact information.
By Duke Medicine News and Communications
A novel stimulation method, the first potential therapy to target the spinal cord instead of the brain, may offer an effective and less invasive approach for Parkinson's disease treatment, according to pre-clinical data published in the journal Science by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
Researchers developed a prosthetic device that applies electrical stimulation to the dorsal column in the spinal cord, which is a main sensory pathway carrying tactile information from the body to the brain.
The device was attached to the surface of the spinal cord in mice and rats with depleted levels of the chemical dopamine -- mimicking the biologic characteristics of someone with Parkinson's disease along with the impaired motor skills seen in advanced stages of the disease.
When the device was turned on, the dopamine-depleted animals' slow, stiff movements were replaced with the active behaviors of healthy mice and rats. Improved movement was typically observed within 3.35 seconds after stimulation.
"We see an almost immediate and dramatic change in the animal's ability to function when the device stimulates the spinal cord," says senior study investigator Miguel Nicolelis, MD, PhD, the Anne W. Deane Professor of Neuroscience at Duke.
"Moreover, it is easy to use, significantly less invasive than other alternatives to medication, such as deep brain stimulation, and has the potential for widespread use in conjunction with medications typically used to treat Parkinson's disease."
Researchers tested mice and rats with acute and chronic dopamine deficit using varying levels of electrical stimulation and in combination with different doses of dopamine replacement therapy, also known as 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine or L-DOPA, to determine the most effective pairing.
When the device was used without additional medication, Parkinsonian animals were 26 times more active. When stimulation was coupled with medication, only two L-DOPA doses were needed to produce movement compared to five doses when the medication was used by itself.
"This work addresses an important need because people living with Parkinson's disease face a difficult reality -- L-Dopa will eventually stop managing the symptoms," explains Romulo Fuentes, a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University and lead author of the study.
"Patients are left with few options for treatment, including electrical stimulation of the brain, which is appropriate for only a subset of patients."
While deep brain stimulation (DBS) and other experimental treatments attack the disease at its origin -- in the brain -- Nicolelis and team took a different approach. The concept for the device began when researchers made a surprising connection with another neurological condition.
"It was a moment of sudden insight," explains Nicolelis. "We were analyzing the brain activity of mice with Parkinson's disease and suddenly it reminded me of some research I'd done in the epilepsy field a decade earlier. The ideas began to flow from there."
The rhythmic brain activity in the animals with Parkinson's disease resembled the mild, continuous, low-frequency seizures that are seen in those with epilepsy.
One effective therapy for treating epilepsy involves stimulating the peripheral nerves, which facilitate communication between the spinal cord and the body. Researchers took that concept and developed a modified approach for a Parkinson's disease model.
Nicolelis says that the low frequency seizures, or oscillations, seen in the animal model of Parkinson's disease have been observed in humans with the condition. Stimulating the dorsal column of the spinal cord reduces these oscillations, which researchers believe creates the ability to produce motor function.
In a healthy body, neurons fire at varying rates as information is transmitted between the brain and the body to initiate normal movement. This process breaks down in someone with Parkinson's disease.
"Our device works as an interface with the brain to produce a neural state permissive for locomotion, facilitating immediate and dramatic recovery of movement," says Per Petersson, co-author of the study.
"Following stimulation, the neurons desynchronize, similar to the firing pattern that you would see when a healthy mouse is continuously moving."
Nicolelis says that if the device is proven safe and effective through further research, he imagines it mirroring similar spinal cord stimulator technology currently used to treat chronic pain.
Small leads are implanted over the spinal cord and then connected to a portable generator, a small device capable of producing mild electrical currents. During the trial period, the generator is external, while for permanent treatment it would be implanted below the skin.
"If we can demonstrate that the device is safe and effective over the long term in primates and then humans, virtually every patient could be eligible for this treatment in the near future," Nicolelis said.
The Duke team is collaborating with neuroscientists at the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience in Natal, Brazil, to test the new procedure in primate models of Parkinson's disease prior to initiating clinical studies.
Neuroscientists from the Brain and Mind Institute at the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL), in Lausanne, Switzerland, will also participate in this international research effort to translate these new findings into clinical practice.
Study co-authors include William Siesser and Marc Caron.
Funding for this research was provided by grants from the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), International Neuroscience Network Foundation (INNF) and the Anne W. Deane Endowed Chair. | <urn:uuid:12b28fbf-a3bd-4255-a934-01a71f114c74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/novel_spinal_cord_stimulator_sparks_hope_for_parkinson_s_disease_treatment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945277 | 1,124 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Boston University School of Medicine Outcomes Assessment Methodology
Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) employs a number of techniques to assess the outcomes of our educational activities. The type of technique we use will depend on the educational format of a continuing medical education (CME) activity and the level of outcome that we are aiming to assess.
Boston University School of Medicine espouses the model described by Donald Moore, Jr., PhD, Joseph Green, PhD, and Harry Gallis, MD[i],[ii] in developing our outcomes-based evaluations. We work closely with our partners to determine which techniques will yield the best results.
The Moore, Green, and Gallis model describes 7 outcome levels as follows:
- Level 1 Participation
- Level 2 Satisfaction
- Level 3A Learning: Declarative Knowledge (Knows)
- Level 3B Learning: Procedural Knowledge (Knows How)
- Level 4 Learning: Competence (Shows How)
- Level 5 Performance (Does)
- Level 6 Patient Health
- Level 7 Community Health
All of our activities are assessed for Levels 1, 2 and 3 by our registration data (Level 1) and our standard activity evaluation which asks participants to rate their level of satisfaction with the activity (Level 2) and the degree to which they believe the learning objectives were met (Level 3A).
Measurement of objectives achieved
Activity participants are tested based on the behavioral learning objectives established for a CME activity. For example, one of the objectives might be – “At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to list three of the currently approved statin drugs.” As part of the evaluation form, participants would be asked to actually list three of the currently approved statin drugs. In the absence of a pre-test, there is no guarantee that the learning occurred as a result of the activity. Yet, this process demonstrates whether or not the objectives were achieved – important information for the faculty and CME staff. This method can be employed with live meetings, enduring and Internet-based CME activities.
Boston University School of Medicine currently uses the following types of outcomes assessments to measure Level 3B, Level 4, and Level 5 outcomes, ie. procedural learning, competence, and performance based changes.
Pre- and post-tests
Activity participants complete multiple choice questions concerning activity content before and immediately after a CME activity. This method measures learning that occurred as a result of the activity. The benefit of this type of measurement is that the participants, the faculty and the CME staff have immediate feedback regarding what learning has occurred (Level 3B measurement). This method may not necessarily predict retention of the learning or change in performance. Pre- and post-tests can be used in conjunction with live meetings, printed enduring materials and Internet-based CME activities.
Commitment to Change
Participants of live and enduring material activities are asked to write one to three changes that they plan to make a change as a result of our activities (Level 4 measurement). Jocelyn Lockyer and her associates have found that a commitment to change (CTC) predicts actual change in practice[iii]. According to Lockyer, et. al., “Three quarters of CTCs were fully or partially implemented” in her study (p. 76). A summary of these reveals the immediate impact of the CME activity, providing useful needs assessment data for planning future activities.
Post activity surveys (“fax-back” surveys)
Post activity surveys go further in measuring change by venturing into performance based change – the Level 5 outcome. Participants are asked, at the conclusion of a CME activity, to list three changes that they intend to make as a result of the activity.
Within one to three months of the CME activity, the BUSM staff will fax or email our CME activity participants and ask them if they have fully implemented, partially implemented or were unable to implement the changes they intended to make.
The limitation of this data is that it is self-reported. However, in the absence of actual observation of a physician’s performance in practice, this information serves as a surrogate marker that, according to Lockyer’s research, is indicative of actual change.
Case based assessment
In a comparison of chart audits, standardized patients (where actors take on the role of patients and physicians are evaluated on their interactions with the “patients”), and case vignettes, case vignettes were found to be as effective as the other two methods in determining outcomes[iv]. Aimed at measuring Level 3B and Level 4 outcomes, we have asked physicians in live meetings to answer key multiple choice questions in response to a case presentation. The cases and questions are presented before and after the CME activity to measure learning. Case vignettes can also be administered to a control group, ie. a group of physicians who share a professional profile with the activity participants but who did not participate in the activity.
Performance Improvement Initiatives – Live
Following the AMA’s guidelines on awarding AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for performance improvement, Boston University School of Medicine CME staff will work with physicians to undertake customized practice-based performance improvement initiatives, facilitating the measurement of change through chart reviews. Participants audit a set of charts using a data collection survey created by BUSM faculty. The data from the charts are reviewed by BUSM faculty and a live educational intervention is developed based gaps in care revealed through the chart reviews. As a part of the educational intervention, the participants are asked to submit Performance Improvement Plans based on the results of the chart reviews. Members of BUSM will review and approve proposed plans, offering suggestions whenever necessary. Three months after the participants implement their Performance Improvement Plans, they are asked to audit a different set of charts to see if the intervention has had a positive effect on their practices and in turn on the health of their patients. 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are awarded to participants for completing the initiative. Performance improvement activities will lead to Level 5 outcomes assessment data. Level 6 data can be attained through longitudinal studies, if resources allow.
Performance Improvement Initiatives – Virtual
Through a unique design, Boston University School of Medicine develops Virtual Communities of Practice working with physicians and allied health practitioners from varied locations to implement practice improvement initiatives. Activities are supported through a custom designed website, email and teleconferences.
Boston University School of Medicine will continue to seek new ways to obtain outcomes assessment data for our CME activities. In keeping with the charge set forth by Moore, Green, and Gallis, we will strive, in particular, to incorporate formative assessment processes into our activities that provide participants with opportunities for practice and feedback.
[i] Barnes, B, Davis, D, Fox, R. Continuing Professional Development of Physicians: From Research to Practice. Chicago. AMA Press, 2003: 249 – 274.
[ii] Moore, D, Green, J., Gallis, H. Achieving Desired Results and Improved Outcomes: Integrating Planning and Assessment Throughout Learning Activities. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions. Winter 2009; 29: 1 – 15.
[iii] Lockyer, J, Fidler, H, Hogan, D, Pereles, L, Wright, B, Lebus, C, Gerritsen, C. Assessing Outcomes Through Congruence of Course Objectives in Reflective Work. JCHEP 2005; 25: 76-86.
[iv] Peabody, J, Luck, J, Glassman, P, Dresselhaus, T, Lee, M. Comparison of Vignettes, Standardized Patients, and Chart Abstraction: A Prospective Validation Study of 3 Methods for Measuring Quality. JAMA 2000; 283: 1715 – 1722. | <urn:uuid:a33c70ee-5b27-4783-9ed6-1d8d5439d7ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bumc.bu.edu/cme/activity-planning/outcomes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92932 | 1,608 | 2.078125 | 2 |
- 18 July 1893
Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
- 20 March 1939
- Alternative Names
- Gardiner, May (married name)
May Holman was the first Labor Party woman parliamentarian in Australia. Representing the Legislative Assembly seat of Forrest, she was also the first Labor woman MP to serve more than ten years in parliament. | <urn:uuid:d5054c17-cb63-4980-8ab9-a280fff6d183> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE3701b.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947552 | 74 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Balance Your Body
Most of us can locate a few tight muscles in our body, but nobody can explain to us why they're tight. Stretching is a temporary solution, but understanding the underlying cause of muscle tightness will help you see a more holistic remedy.
The body loves balance. If there's weakness in one muscle group, its opposing muscle group will often become tight as an adaptation and result of muscle weakness. Muscles like to balance each other. If one muscle is not doing enough, the other will actually do more on its own, without any intervention by you, in an attempt to maintain stability around the joint. Simply stretching the tight muscle is only half of the remedy. You need to identify the corresponding muscle weakness.
Here are a couple common examples of this:
1. Tightness across the front of the thigh or quadriceps muscle is often associated with hamstring weakness on the backside of the thigh. Reduced flexibility in the quadriceps and decreased strength in the hamstring is one of the leading causes of knee problems in young athletes. You can easily remedy this muscle imbalance with a flexibility program, core training, and a little focus on movements using the hamstrings.
2. Many active adults experience tightness in the low back and are always looking for things that stretch the low back, not realizing that there is a corresponding weakness throughout the entire anterior abdominal wall. Immediately following back stretches, abdominal strengthening will reinforce muscle balance and reduce the need for those back muscles to tighten down now that the muscle strength of the front and the back of the torso are equally balanced.
The next time that you are stretching or thinking about tight muscles, just remember that there is a lot more going on than just the muscle that feels tight. You may have an underlying weakness that's contributing to pain and could be setting you up for injury.
Gray Cook is a practicing physical therapist and creator of the Functional Movement Screen. Learn more at GrayCook.com. | <urn:uuid:c7e4a9fd-2acb-4754-9042-4ba0bf51745e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coreperformance.com/daily/recovery/balance-your-body.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953145 | 397 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Geron Corp. Licensee TA Sciences Announces Proven Anti-Aging Benefits of TA-65, Their Telomerase Activator: Improved Immune Function, Vision, Skin, Male Sexual Function, Well-Being & Energy are Strongest Claims
NEW YORK, May 15, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Telomerase Activation Sciences, Inc. (T.A. Sciences) today announced the results of the Pivotal 2005 Anti-Aging Trial of TA-65, the first human trial ever to show demonstrated, measurable and positive anti-aging benefits from a Telomerase Activator. Statistically significant results were found in those taking TA-65 across several key conditions of aging:
* Improvement in immune system function * Improvement in vision * Enhancement of male sexual function * Improvement in the condition of the skin * Increased level of energy and sense of overall wellbeing
The Pivotal 2005 Anti-Aging Trial was a double blind, placebo-controlled, 24 week study conducted in the USA involving 36 male subjects aged 60-85.
The most compelling result of the Trial was the profound and positive impact of TA-65 on the immune system, which normally declines with age, leading to many negative conditions commonly associated with aging. Improvement in the immune function of subjects taking TA-65 as compared to Placebo was statistically significant across two vital measures:
-- Lymphocyte Proliferation: TA-65 improves the proliferative response of the immune system to foreign agents. T lymphocytes are responsible for the cellular immune response in the body against foreign invaders and are critical to mounting a strong immune response against foreign material to which the body has been exposed. The Trial data provide the first demonstration that a small molecule natural product which activates telomerase can improve the immunological response of T cells.
-- Natural Killer (NK) Cells: NK cells are specialized white blood cells which can immediately mount a killing response against certain tumor cells, foreign cells from infections, or cells infected with a foreign agent such as a virus. It is known that NK cell function declines with age and is associated with increased morbidity and a loss in life satisfaction. However, in this study, the treatment group had an average increase in NK cell numbers of about 14% at 12 weeks
Additionally the Trial showed improvements in: Vision, Condition of the Skin, Male Sexual Function, and Increased Energy and Sense of Wellbeing:
Vision declines with age for a variety of reasons related to deterioration in structure and function of multiple components within the eye, including the lens, retina, and, importantly, the blood vessels (vasculature) supporting the eye tissues. Overall the data suggest that TA-65 has an effect on structure/function which causes improved vision in the elderly.
There has been significant research on the role of cellular aging and telomere attrition in several types of Skin cells, including keratinocytes, fibroblasts, microvascular endothelial cells, and melanocytes. The results of this study suggest that TA-65 improves the structure and/or function of skin in the elderly.
Sexual Function was self-assessed at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 weeks by the male subjects using a standard questionnaire. In two categories ("ability to have intercourse" and "satisfaction") there were consistent improvements reported in the Product group over baseline compared to changes reported in the Placebo group. Overall the results suggest that TA-65 improves sexual function in elderly men.
Increased Energy and Sense of Wellbeing
Subjects were also asked to comment on their perceived well-being, energy level, and state of health. Their comments demonstrated clearly that: Improvement of well-being, energy, and performance is a clear benefit of TA- 65.
Commenting on this ground-breaking human trial, Noel Thomas Patton, Founder and Chairman of TA Sciences said: "Taken together, the results of the Pivotal 2005 Anti-Aging Trial of TA-65 provide the first proof ever recorded of the vast, powerful, and tangible benefits of a Telomerase Activator in human aging. This trial has been invaluable to our establishment of the "PATTON PROTOCOL."
About TA Sciences:
The TA Sciences Center is located at 24 E. 64th Street in New York. The company offers its telomerase-activating molecule, TA-65, as part of the exclusive 12 month "PATTON PROTOCOL." TA-65 is sold under exclusive license from the Geron Corporation, the recognized worldwide leader in Telomere Biology.
For more information on TA Sciences visit http://www.TASciences.com or contact Greta Blackburn at 1-212-588-8805.
CONTACT: Greta Blackburn of T.A. Sciences, +1-212-588-8805
Web site: http://www.tasciences.com/
Terms and conditions of use apply
Copyright © 2007 PR Newswire Association LLC. All rights reserved.
A United Business Media Company
Posted: May 2007 | <urn:uuid:f8ace3b3-62e9-4a17-a9da-ead60b8a2f6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drugs.com/clinical_trials/geron-corp-licensee-ta-sciences-announces-proven-anti-aging-benefits-ta-65-their-telomerase-866.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940173 | 1,033 | 1.507813 | 2 |
LAVC Writing Center
NON NATIVE SPEAKERS:
These websites offer specialized assistance with grammar, usage, vocabulary, spelling, etc for individuals who have learned English as a second language.
This site is called Activities for ESL Students, and it can be very useful from beginning to high-level ESL students. It includes vocabulary, grammar, crossword puzzles, and more interactive exercises. It includes activities with homonyms, synonyms, and idioms as well as graphics to help students comprehend language.This site is definitely recommended.
This is a very large website focusing on ESL learning and writing. It includes an ESL directory of many sites.
- This link provides listening exercises intended to help students practice their pronunciation and comprehension of the English language.
- This website has a comprehensive overview of verb tenses. | <urn:uuid:43fa5f4e-5cc1-4a6c-8335-d8d4b13440dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lavc.cc.ca.us/writingcenter/nonnative.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931745 | 168 | 2.84375 | 3 |
By NATHAN KOPPEL and DOUGLAS BELKIN
For sale: a college education for $10,000 or less.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is renewing his call for such lower-cost undergraduate degrees, in what he hopes will be the state's signature response to the national problem of rising college tuition and student debt.
"A $10,000 degree provides an opportunity for students to earn a low-cost, high-quality degree that will get them where they want to go in their careers and their lives," the Republican governor said in a statement last week. The governor has repeatedly urged schools to find ways to teach students more efficiently.
Ten Texas colleges have responded to the governor's challenge, first made a year ago. Angelo State University, a 7,000-student school in west Texas, announced Wednesday it will offer a $10,000 degree starting next fall. The 10 schools educate more than 50,000 students, or roughly 10% of the undergraduates at public universities in the state, but don't include the state's flagship public universities, such as the University of Texas at Austin.
As details of the colleges' plans have emerged, so have skeptics who question the financial and academic viability of pricing college at a fraction of the roughly $30,000 that students at Texas public universities pay on average over four years. They say reaching the $10,000 goal in some cases involves big scholarships for select students rather than real reductions in the cost of providing an education, and thus the path to a low-cost degree still isn't open to large numbers of students.
Taylor Ball, a graduate student in education at Angelo State, said the school's reduced-rate degree doesn't cover many significant costs, including campus housing, meal plans and textbooks. "It's those other fees that really get you," she said.
Mr. Perry's plan comes at a time when tuition is soaring; undergraduate costs at public four-year universities climbed 139% between 1990 and 2010, according to the nonprofit College Board.
For the 2011-12 academic year, average tuition and fees across the nation were $8,244 at a four-year public university and $28,500 at a private institution, the College Board said.
Driving recent price increases are cuts in appropriations for higher education by states as they struggle to balance their budgets. Between 2006 and 2011 state governments appropriated 12.5% less per student, according to a March report by the State Higher Education Officers.
One result is that students are taking on increasing amounts of education-related debt. Americans owed $904 billion in student loans at the end of March, nearly 8% more than a year ago, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That compares with the $679 billion they owed on credit cards at the end of the first quarter.
A handful of public and private schools have experimented with ways to reduce costs. The University of the South in Tennessee cut tuition by 10% two years ago. That same year, Seton Hall University, a private school in New Jersey, cut tuition 68% for certain top students to match the in-state rate for Rutgers University, a nearby public school.
In Texas, the University of Texas at Arlington introduced a $10,000-degree track that will credit classes students take in high school and at a local community college, and incorporate a $10,000 scholarship to qualifying students.
Texas A&M University-Commerce, near Dallas, will offer a $10,000 degree in "organizational leadership" that will award some course credits to students as soon as they have demonstrated competency in a subject, such as accounting, by passing an exam—a potentially quicker route to a degree than the usual method of awarding credits only after students have spent a certain amount of time in class.
To offer its new $9,974 degree, starting next year, Angelo State will increase class sizes, offer courses online and will incorporate a $5,000 annual scholarship for participating students. To qualify, students must have relatively high standardized test scores and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or better.
The program is designed for mature students, such as those with work experience who are prepared to be focused in their pursuit of a degree, said Angelo State President Joseph Rallo, who notes that younger students often take relatively light course loads and struggle to complete their degrees in four years.
The push for lower-cost degrees has generated widespread concern among Texas professors, who say they fear schools are sacrificing quality by seeking savings, for instance by increasing the use of adjunct professors.
Adjunct faculty often are paid on a per-class basis and have to teach heavy loads just to earn a modest living, leaving them little time to advise and guide student outside the classroom, said Ann McGlashan, a Baylor University professor who heads the Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Thomas Lindsay, an education expert at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank in Austin, said critiques of low-cost degrees miss the broader significance—that colleges, for the first time, are broadly thinking of ways to lower their costs.
"The governor has incentivized the sort of creativity on the part of schools that it is going to take to address the college affordability problem," he said. | <urn:uuid:f6074b62-4a21-4eaa-bb2b-c69438a51d5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://topics.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443493304578039040237714224.html?mod=WSJ_hp_editorsPicks_2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970115 | 1,090 | 1.945313 | 2 |
the chain reactionFollow @Abyooda
the chain reaction
Before you read this article you should know that I am the one behind the 200 articles written in stronger students that aim to make students stronger mentally and in the personal skills phase.
What is The chain reaction?
Have you ever done something and find others repeating it? Why do they do so? Have you ever feared from others copying your way of thinking? or you are confident enough that you know you have the skills that are required for any hard task? can you get what I am talking about?, and you feel you are the ignition that sparks the fire, is this an honer you feel, yes it is an honer, keep the good work up and read this story...
Tracy was one of a kind, he do things from his own head, things doesn't go genuine 100% but he takes the ideas from different areas and books and modify it to fit his way of thinking with some way of smartness. (Read more about Over Confidence)
He was once in the art class at school drawing a picture that was way appealing to others that one of his colleges copy it exactly the same, he felt bad for that school college that repeated his work but he knew deeply that he was one of a kind and that his work may be liked by a variety of styles.
The Chain Reaction
The chain reaction is when someone do something and others follow his lead for such thing, some become leaders also and some keep on following as life is about leaders and followers. (Read more about leadership skills and how to be a good leader at work)
Sometimes you yourself fall in such chain reaction either you know or you don't and you start repeating what others says but the good thing is to modify these says to suite your own way of thinking and this way you made the idea yours.
You can't avoid the chain reaction but you can be a leader in your career.
Stronger Students is your only way for success, there are many sites on the web that talks about university life some are useful and others aren't, but to have it all (knowledge and skills) this is what Stronger Students gives you more than just a website for university students, it is a long term relationship, for university life and beyond. | <urn:uuid:f8fdd1ee-5771-433a-a56f-844d73a13d58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.strongerstudents.com/the-chain-Reaction | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981588 | 467 | 2.125 | 2 |
Two recent research reports may point the way to developing more effective, personalized therapies for two deadly women’s cancers for which their are currently few treatment options–triple-negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The approach followed in both reports is to use gene expression analysis to stratify each of the two diseases into subtypes. Researchers can then use gene expression and order aspects of the biology of each subtype to design subtype-specific targeted therapies, whether single drugs or drug combinations. If the drugs (whether approved or experimental) already exist, they can be tested in clinical trials, stratified by subtype. If no appropriate drugs exist, researchers can discover the drugs based on subtype-appropriate drug targets.
Triple-negative (TN) breast cancer refers to breast cancers that are negative for expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2. [HER2 is the target of trastuzumab (Roche/Genentech's Herceptin) and lapatinib (GlaxoSmithKline's Tykerb/Tyverb)]. Lacking all three receptors, it cannot be treated with standard receptor-targeting breast cancer therapeutics (e.g., tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, trastuzumab) but must be treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy. TN breast cancer is generally more aggressive than other types of breast cancer, and even treatment with aggressive chemotherapy regimens typically results in early relapse and metastasis.
TN breast cancers constitute approximately 25 percent of breast cancers. They are diagnosed most often in younger women, those who have recently given birth, women with BRCA1 mutations, and African-American and Hispanic women.
There is a Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, which was founded in 2006 in honor of a mother in her mid-thirties who died of the disease.
Ovarian cancer, the ninth most common cancer in women, caused nearly 14,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2010. In its earliest stages, its symptoms are usually very subtle and mimic other, less serious diseases. As a result, it is usually detected at later stages in which treatment is more difficult and gives poorer outcomes. The 2001 five-year survival rate was 47%, up from 38% in the mid-1970s. This compared to an overall survival rate for cancer of 68% in 2001, up from 50% in the mid-1970s.
Treatment usually involves surgery and chemotherapy, and sometimes radiotherapy. Surgery (preferably by a gynecological oncologist) may be sufficient for earlier-stage tumors that are well-differentiated and confined to the ovary. In this early-stage disease (which represents about 19% of women presenting with ovarian cancer), the five-year survival rate is 92.7%. However, about 75% of women presenting with ovarian cancer already have stage III or stage IV disease, in which the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries. Then the prognosis is much poorer, and the vast majority of patients will have a recurrence.
The triple-negative breast cancer study
The TN breast cancer study was carried out by researchers at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN), and published in the 1 July 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In this study, the researchers analyzed gene expression profiles from 21 publicly available breast cancer data sets, and identified 587 cases of TN breast cancer (by non-expression of mRNAs that encode ER, PR, and HER2). Using cluster analysis, they identified six TN breast cancer subtypes:
- two basal-like subtypes (BL1 and BL2),
- an immunomodulatory (IM) subtype (i.e., expressing genes involved in immune cell processes)
- a mesenchymal (M) subtype
- a mesenchymal stem–like (MSL) subtype
- a luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtype.
Using gene expression analysis, the researchers identified TN breast cancer model cell lines that were representative of each of these subtypes. On the basis of their analysis, the researchers predicted “driver” signaling pathways, and targeted them pharmacologically as a proof-of-principle that analysis of gene expression signatures of cancer subtypes can inform selection of therapies.
BL1 and BL2 subtypes had higher expression of genes involved in the cell cycle and response to DNA damage, and model cell lines preferentially responded to cisplatin. M and MSL subtypes were enriched for expression of genes involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and growth factor-related pathways in model cell lines responded to the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 (Novartis, now in Phase 1 and 2 for solid tumors) and to the ABL/SRC inhibitor dasatinib [Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sprycel, currently approved for treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and under investigation for treatment of solid tumors). The LAR subtype was characterized by androgen receptor (AR) signaling, and included patients with decreased progression-free survival. LAR model cell lines were uniquely sensitive to the AR antagonist bicalutamide (AstraZeneca's Casodex/Cosudex, currently approved for the treatment of prostate cancer and hirsutism, and under investigation for treatment of androgen receptor-positive, ER negative, PR negative breast cancer).
The researchers plan to use the TN breast cancer subtype-specific model cell lines for further molecular characterization, to identify new components of the “driver” signaling pathways for each subtype. These pathways can be targeted in further drug discovery efforts. The subtype-specific cell lines can also be used in preclinical studies with targeted agents, and in identification of subtype-specific biomarkers that can potentially be used in stratifying TN breast cancer patients so that they might be treated with the best agents for their disease.
The ovarian cancer study
The ovarian cancer study was carried out by the Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network [a consortium of academic researchers jointly funded and managed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)], and published in the 30 June 2011 issue of Nature. In this study, the researchers analyzed mRNA expression, microRNA expression, promoter methylation and DNA copy number in 489 high-grade serous ovarian adenocarcinomas, as well as the DNA sequences of exons from coding genes in 316 of these tumors. Serous adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent form of ovarian cancer, accounting for about 85 percent of all ovarian cancer deaths.
The researchers found that nearly all of the high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGS-OvCa) studied had mutations in the TP53 gene, which encodes the p53 tumor suppressor protein. On the basis of their gene expression (mRNA) signatures, the researchers divided the population of HGS-OvCa into four subtypes:
- an immunoreactive subtype (i.e., expressing genes involved in immune cell processes)
- a differentiated subtype (high expression of markers of differentiated female reproductive tract epithelia)
- a proliferative subtype (high expression of markers of cell proliferation)
- a mesenchymal subtype (high expression of HOX genes and of markers of mesenchymal-derived cells)
The researchers also determined subtypes on the basis of microRNA expression and promoter methylation. microRNA subtype 1 overlapped the mRNA proliferative subtype and miRNA subtype 2 overlapped the mRNA mesenchymal subtype. Patients with miRNA subtype 1 tumors survived significantly longer that those with tumors of other microRNA subtypes.
Although the researchers found no significant difference in survival between the four transcriptional subtypes, they did identify a 193-gene expression signature that was predictive of overall survival. 108 genes were correlated with poor survival and 85 were correlated with good survival.
The researchers identified cancer-associated pathways in the HGS-OvCA population; this is equivalent to the prediction of “driver” signaling pathways in the TN breast cancer study. They found that 20% of the HGS-OvCA samples had germline or somatic mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, and that 11% lost BRCA1 expression through DNA hypermethylation. As we discussed in an earlier article on this blog, BRCA1- or BRCA2-negative tumor cells cannot repair their DNA via homologous recombination. They are dependent on an alternative pathway of DNA repair, which involves the enzyme poly(ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP). These tumors are thus sensitive to a class of drugs known as PARP inhibitors, such as KuDOS/AstraZenaca’s olaparib. There are now six PARP inhibitors, including olaparib, in clinical development.
The researchers found genetic alterations in several other genes involved in homologous recombination. Altogether, defects in homologous recombination may be present in approximately half of HGS-OvCa cases, and these tumors may be sensitive to PARP inhibitors. This provides a rationale for clinical trials of PARP inhibitors in women with ovarian cancers with defects in homologous recombination-related genes.
Olaparib and other PARP inhibitors are in clinical trials in women with advanced with BRCA-1 or -2 mutations and with other defects in homologous recombination. As discussed in the 2011 ASCO meeting, early Phase 2 results indicate that olaparib gives dramatic improvements in progression-free survival in these women. (See this article and this video.) In these studies, in addition to tumors with genetic defects in homologous recombination, olaparib or another PARP inhibitor, Abbott’s ABT-888, appears to give improved progression-free survival in women who have previously been treated with chemotherapy drugs that result in DNA damage. This suggests that oncologists may be able to use a “one-two punch”, consisting of a DNA-damaging drug [such as the alkylating agent temozolomide [Merck's Temodar]) followed by a PARP inhibitor, to treat advanced ovarian cancer.
In addition to BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 mutations and other genetic alterations that result in defects in homologous recombination, the HGS-OvCa population exhibited genetic changes that would result in deregulation of several other cancer related pathways. These pathways included the RB1 (67% of cases), RAS/PI3K (45% of cases), and NOTCH (22% of cases) pathways, as well as the FOXM1 transcription factor network (87% of cases). All of these pathways represent opportunities for target identification and drug discovery. FOXM1 (Forkhead box protein M1) was named the Molecule of the Year for 2010 by the International Society for Molecular and Cell Biology and Biotechnology Protocols and Research (ISMCBBPR) because of “its growing potential as a target for cancer therapies.” FOXM1 overexpression results in destabilization of the cell cycle, which can lead to a malignant phenotype.
The researchers also identified 22 genes that were frequently amplified or overexpressed in HGS-OvCA tumors (other than genes that are involved in homologous recombination). Inhibitors (including approved and experimental compounds) already exist for the products of these genes, and researchers might assess these compounds in HGS-OvCa cases in which target genes are amplified.
Can Verastem develop new therapeutics for triple negative breast cancer?
The private biotechnology company Verastem (Cambridge, MA) focuses on discovery and development of drugs to target cancer stem cells. The company was founded in 2010, and is based on a strategy for screening for compounds that specifically target cancer stem cells. This strategy, published in the journal Cell in 2009, was developed by Drs. Robert Weinberg (MIT Whtehead Institute), Eric Lander (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University), and Piyush Gupta (MIT and Broad Institute) and their colleagues. Drs. Weinberg, Lander, and Gupta are on the Scientific Advisory Board of Verastem.
On July 14, 2011, Verstem announced that it had raised $32 million in a Series B financing. Verastem had previously raised $16 million from a group led by former Christoph Westphal’s Longwood Founders Fund. Dr. Westphal (formerly of Sirtris) is now Chairman of Verastem.
Cancer stem cells are best known in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but their existence in other cancers (especially solid tumors) is controversial. The cancer stem cell hypothesis asserts that a small subpopulations of cells in a leukemia or solid tumor have characteristics that resemble normal adult stem cells, such as self renewal, the ability to give rise to all the cell types found in the leukemia or cancer, and stem cell markers. The hypothesis further asserts that most cancer treatments fail to knock out cancer stem cells, which can repopulate a tumor cell population, resulting in treatment relapses. Cancer stem cell researchers therefore propose developing cancer stem-cell specific therapeutics that can be used to eliminate these cells, which can block these relapses.
Whether cancer stem cells are involved in the pathobiology of solid tumors or not, the biology of the putative cancer stem cell phenotype can be important in certain subtypes of cancer. Cancer stem cells are characterized by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and in the Cell paper the researchers screened for compounds that specifically targeted breast cancer cells that had been experimentally induced into an EMT, and which as a result exhibited an increased resistance to standard chemotherapy drugs. They identified the compound salinomycin as a drug that specifically targeted these cells, as well as putative cancer stem cells from patients.
As discussed earlier in this article, TN breast cancer includes two subtypes that have gene expression signatures related to the EMT: the mesenchymal (M) subtype and the mesenchymal stem–like (MSL) subtype. One or both of these subtypes might be sensitive to compounds that specifically target putative breast cancer stem cells. This may be true whether the cancer stem cell hypothesis applies to TN breast cancer or not. Verastem recognizes this, and is thus focusing on TN breast cancer as its first therapeutic target. The Vanderbilt TN breast cancer study suggests that trials of any “cancer stem cell-specific” therapeutics for TN breast cancer should be guided by subtype-specific biomarkers.
Hope for treatment of TN breast cancer and advanced ovarian cancer
Researchers and oncologists have made great strides in increasing the percentage of breast cancers that are treatable or even curable in recent years. For example, prior to the FDA approval of trastuzumab in 1998, HER2 positive breast cancer carried a grim prognosis. But the advent of trastuzumab (and later, lapatinib) has had a major impact on treatment of this once uniformly deadly type of breast cancer.
We hope that the new, personalized medicine-based approach to TN breast cancer and advanced serous ovarian adenocarcinoma will also result in successful new therapeutic strategies for these deadly women’s cancers.
As the producers of this blog, and as consultants to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, Haberman Associates would like to hear from you. If you are in a biotech or pharmaceutical company, and would like a 15-20-minute, no-obligation telephone discussion of issues raised by this or other blog articles, or of other issues that are important to your company, please click here. We also welcome your comments on this or any other article on this blog. | <urn:uuid:6cb54c79-0872-4e32-a9c9-6e9f8ea2ca0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://biopharmconsortium.com/blog/2011/08/02/development-of-personalized-therapies-for-deadly-womens-cancers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938239 | 3,331 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Manufacturers of moderate-risk test kits or components must comply with the same controls but also generally must submit a
notice to the FDA before marketing, called a 510(k) clearance, to show that the new test (or component) has the same intended
use and technological characteristics as some established test kit or component, or that any differences do not raise significant
issues of safety or effectiveness (which may require support from studies, including clinical studies).
The highest-risk test kits or components require approval of a premarket approval application (PMA) before commercial use,
which involves conducting clinical trials to show that the test is accurate and reliable. Major modifications to these highest-risk
tests, such as modifying labeling for a new intended use, also will require new clinical trials for approval of the modification.
In contrast, diagnostic tests that are developed as LDTs have historically been regulated by CLIA and state law and do not
follow an FDA pathway. The CLIA pathway requires establishing the performance specifications of the test. This includes the
analytical validity of the assay—how well the test measures what the laboratory says it measures—and may include clinical
performance characteristics, such as sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. Compliance with CLIA requirements also
involves maintaining quality systems aimed at ensuring the laboratory results are accurate and reliable. Laboratories offering
LDTs must make available a clinical consultant to help the treating physician in ordering appropriate tests, to ensure that
test reports include pertinent information for specific patient interpretation, and to provide consultation on matters related
to the quality of the test results reported and their interpretation concerning specific patient conditions.
IN VITRO DIAGNOSTIC MULTIVARIATE INDEX ASSAYS
For many years, the FDA maintained it had the authority to regulate LDTs as medical devices but would use enforcement discretion
not to require laboratories to obtain clearance or approval for LDTs as long as certain requirements were met (including a
prescribed disclaimer to be included in reports of tests developed using FDA-cleared or approved analyte specific reagents).
In 2006, however, the FDA announced its intention to regulate, as medical devices, one segment of LDTs, which the Agency described
as in vitro diagnostic multivariate index assays (IVDMIAs). IVDMIAs had never been described before the draft guidance was published
in September 2006, and the definition was revised in a subsequent draft guidance released in July 2007, so the precise definition
remains unclear. The focus of the draft IVDMIA guidance appears to be diagnostic tests comprising two or more underlying variables
that are combined using an interpretation function, such as a mathematical algorithm, to produce a patient-specific result.
In its draft guidance, the FDA identifies the following examples as fitting under its definition of IVDMIA:
- a gene expression profiling assay for breast cancer prognosis
- a test integrating quantitative results from multiple immuno-assays to obtain a qualitative score that predicts a person's
risk of developing a disease or condition
- a test integrating a patient's age, sex, and genotype of multiple genes to predict risk of or to diagnose a disease or condition.
The release of the draft IVDMIA guidance generated substantial confusion and controversy because many in the laboratory community
believed this represented an important reversal of long-standing FDA policy of not requiring clearance or approval of LDTs
as medical devices. Concerns were also raised that FDA was imposing new regulatory requirements on clinical laboratories that
are regulated under CLIA and state laboratory licensure laws through a guidance process, which is inconsistent with the nonbinding
status of guidance documents. At the same time, most stakeholders agree that these advanced technology assays may require
more oversight than is provided under the existing framework under CLIA and state laws.
The Secretary's Advisory Committee for Genetics, Health, and Society (SACGHS) issued a report this spring identifying gaps
in the regulatory oversight framework for genetic tests, including the kinds of biomarker tests discussed here. Among many
recommendations, SACGHS has called for creating a registry to allow for the collection of information about these tests, which
can help promote transparency and accountability for the truthfulness of claims about biomarker clinical laboratory tests.
In addition, a registry could allow for data collection to inform appropriate regulatory pathways for new tests. In addition,
a few legislative proposals have been introduced in Congress that also may lead to the development of a new oversight framework
for these tests.
Discussions continue among laboratories, medical device manufacturers, other stakeholders, and regulatory authorities at the
FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services. Principal issues that remain to be worked out include: (1) which agencies
are best equipped to oversee the development and performance of these tests, (2) what standard of evidence should apply to
support intended use claims that are meaningful to physicians and patients, (3) how a new oversight framework can be developed
and implemented without stifling innovation and delaying the introduction of useful biomarker diagnostics, and (4) how these
tests will be reimbursed. Developing answers to these questions will not be an easy task, but the stakes are too high not
to meet the challenge.
Paul Radensky, MD, JD, is a partner at McDermott, Will & Emery, Washington, DC, 202.756.8794, email@example.com | <urn:uuid:4498072d-b1c0-44e9-916e-d4cbe61230b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biopharminternational.com/biopharm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=568932&sk=&date=&pageID=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932874 | 1,120 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Most Popular in:
Packaging—More Than Aesthetics
By: Elizabeth Abrams
Posted: November 9, 2009, from the November 2009 issue of GCI Magazine.
page 4 of 5
Find someone who understands the beauty industry. These products must remain fresh to retain quality and consumer confidence, so a provider with an efficient stock rotation program is essential. Also look for Web-based visibility programs that allow manufacturers to monitor inventory levels and “best buy” dates. What about value-added services such as kitting, cross-docking and repackaging for seasonal sales?
In regard to transportation costs and as evident with volatile fuel prices, products must travel the least miles possible to be cost-efficient. For smaller brands, utilizing consolidation programs is the most efficient way to level the playing field. These programs—offered by companies such as CaseStack, Hanson Logistics and Millard—combine various products headed to the same retailer on one purchase order, shortening delivery times and reducing costs and damages. Consolidation programs are sustainable by design; they reduce the frequency of less-than-truckload (LTL) orders and that reduces carbon emissions.
For suppliers, the conservation is most evident in transportation costs. These programs turn the rule “reducing logistics costs requires reducing service” upside down. And by throwing old paradigms out the window and working directly with retailers, there are methods to reduce costs by 20–40%—while also increasing on-time deliveries and taking millions of pounds of greenhouse gasses out of the equations. This can all add up to improved sales, as well.
ABS, which participates in a consolidation program to Wal-Mart, has been able to keep costs down because orders that once went LTL are now delivered on full trucks. The savings translates into more than one cent per unit, or 34 cents per case. The company’s shipping costs dropped by 42% as part of the program, and in 2008, ABS expanded with European demand. Their on-times have improved by 20% and their participation has resulted in the elimination of 1.2 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
The reduction of gases, alone, is often worth the change in shipping. Consider, green beauty products are preferred by 50% of consumers, but 76% of those consider it unacceptable to pay more for sustainable goods, according to the 2009 Global Green Consumer Survey. It is more important than ever to back up sustainability claims with reduced waste, and hence, reduce cost. Sustainable inherently implies cost-neutral, and one of the easiest ways to both improve a product’s appeal to the eco-conscious consumer and reduce its price is by reformulating packaging. | <urn:uuid:12e3b8f5-e0ca-4154-bd51-9551b8d9a68a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gcimagazine.com/business/manufacturing/supplychain/69588742.html?page=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950808 | 553 | 1.835938 | 2 |
It was reported on the news this morning that a local facility was unable to revive a sea turtle that was brought into them. The turtle had a fishing line and hook inside of its mouth. After taking an x-ray, it was discovered the turtle had another line and hook inside of its stomach. The group decided to perform surgery and...
In this section:
No actions found.
This diver has not uploaded any photos yet.
This diver has not added any videos... yet!
The views, actions and activities posted by participants on My Ocean are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Project AWARE Foundation. | <urn:uuid:9881943f-f493-4f8a-982e-b0f1b07287ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.projectaware.org/actions/trydiving | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972022 | 127 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Enjoy a scenic drive along Maffra's tree-lined 19th century main street and stay a while to explore a town steeped in history.
Named after the town of Maffra in Portugal due to the fact that some early settlers had reportedly fought in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsula War. Maffra started to grow in 1862, when a punt conveyed hopeful miners along the Macalister River to the goldfields. During the 1890s a sugar beet industry started and operated until the weather and competition for labour from the dairying industry ended it after World War II.
Visit the Beet Museum, which chronicles the early industry, as well as the cattle and dairying heritage of the district. Experience motoring history at the Gippsland Vehicle Collection, or take a stroll to see the town's original shop verandahs and grand homesteads such as the Duart.
Fish for seasonal trout along the Macalister and Thomson rivers, or travel north from Heyfield to Lake Glenmaggie for boating, waterskiing and camping. Visit Stratford Village on the Avon River for art and craft shops, antiques and bric a brac. | <urn:uuid:9003af23-4fb7-4652-80a2-1088cbd99890> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Gippsland/Destinations/Maffra.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953245 | 244 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Department of Nursing Mission, Vision and Philosophy
As an integral part of its parent institution, the Department of Nursing is committed to serving as the principle academic center for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education for a multi-state region. Our mission is to be a student-centered, learning community dedicated to developing professional and academic leaders in nursing, and to serve our constituents through educational programs that engage students, provide high quality nursing services, demonstrate evidence-based nursing practice, and produce nursing scholarship.
The West Texas A&M University Department of Nursing envisions a health care system in which all persons receive quality care in an atmosphere of respect for human dignity. Scholarly nursing practice will be integral to such system. The undergraduate and graduate programs will promote the many ways of knowing that contribute to the Art of Nursing.
The faculty of the Department of Nursing believes humans are unique, holistic, and multidimensional beings who are valued in their uniqueness and are deserving of respect and dignity. Human beings have a right to self-determination and to make informed choices. They also have a right to competent advocacy when their abilities for self-determination and choice are impaired.
We believe that health is the dynamic state of interactions among mind, body, and spirit. Health is uniquely experienced by each person and exists in any of many conditions.
We believe that nursing is a practice discipline requiring the scholarly use of scientific, ethical, aesthetic, and personal ways of knowing (the Art of Nursing). Nurses use the many ways of knowing to enable persons to bring body, mind, and spirit into harmonious relationship.
We believe that the environment is the biological, physiological, personal, spiritual, social, cultural, and political context in which persons experience health. The environment is not a separate entity, but an integral component of the human experience.
We believe caring, commitment, honesty, integrity, dependability, respect, responsibility, accountability, and initiative are values, which are central to nursing scholarship. We believe that the teaching and learning of nursing is both an individual and community enterprise. Learners and teachers have role responsibilities, which foster informed participation, open communication, critical thinking, and community building. | <urn:uuid:dc6f9b2a-eadf-4d39-b643-a3d79b103a23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://smaldonado@wtamu.edu/academics/nursing-mission-vision-philosophy.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95244 | 440 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Charles Carroll Gray (1838 to 1884) was an assistant surgeon with the 2nd US Cavalry at Bull Run. Documentation of The Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill notes that the diary from which this passage is taken covers the period from July 16, 1861 to July 28, 1862. Biographical information from the same source notes that:
Gray was born on March 28, 1838, that he probably lived in New York State, that he studied medcine in Geneva, New Yok (probably at Hobart College) and at Bellevue Hospital in New Yok City. He took the army medical examination in May 1861, and was appointed first lieutenant and assistant surgeon. He was captured at First Manassas and imprisoned in the South for over a year, returning to duty upon his release, and remaining in the army until his retirement in 1879. He was promoted by brevet in 1865, and in 1866 was promoted to the regular grade of captian and in the same year to major and surgeon. He died November 22, 1884.
The diary consists of two sections of small notebooks, the first without a cover and inserted inside the cove rof the second. The second is a small leather bound notebook which Gray managed to buy while a prisoner in Charleston. When the space in the second section gave out, he reversed the book and wrote between the lines..
Note that Asst. Surgeon Charles Gray of the 2nd US Cavalry is not Asst. Surgeon Charles Gray of the 11th NY, mentioned in Gray 2nd US Cav’s diary and also, coincidentally, captured at Bull Run. | <urn:uuid:33660e7d-f9c6-42c5-9392-127d3de0551f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/notes-to-surgeon-charles-carroll-gray-2nd-us-cavalry-diary-entry-on-the-battle/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=fb311db3f8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986682 | 340 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Four well-preserved residences in an ancient village, probably submerged by a flood, have been unearthed in central China, providing an insight into rural life about 2,000 years ago, archaeologists said. The village in Neihuang county, Henan province, belongs to the late western Han dynasty (206 BC - AD25), director of the Henan provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology, Sun Xinmin said. "With the excavation, archaeologists are able to map out the layout of the ancient village and the architecture of village residences in the western Han dynasty for the first time," Sun said. Every residence, surrounded by farmland, has tile roofs, a courtyard and its own well and consists of a gatehouse, wing-rooms, porches and washrooms, Xinhua news agency reported. Archaeologists believe there used to be mulberries, elms, crops and alleyways outside the courtyards. The roofs, which are well-preserved in their original state, are considered extremely precious by archaeologists. The village is near the ancient Yellow River and was probably submerged by a flood. After that the village lay silently in the river course for many years, archaeologists said. | <urn:uuid:401ccb74-1289-4177-ae9f-225a428ffe23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archaeonews.blogspot.com/2006/02/ancient-village-found-in-china.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976851 | 238 | 3.15625 | 3 |
From the Richmond Dispatch, 8/25/1862
Fatal Accident. - About one o'clock, yesterday
afternoon, a soldier named James Cary, belonging to Company C, Wheat's
battalion, jumped out of a third story window in ear of the Columbian Hotel,
intending to alight upon an adjacent shed, but missed his object, and fell to
the ground, a distance of about forty feet. From what could be ascertained
relative to the affair, it seems that he had been engaged in a fight with some
of his room-mates, and in order to escape arrest by the police, who had been
sent for, sought to make his exit from the hotel by the above-mentioned route.
He was picked up in a dying condition and was taken to the Baskerville Hospital,
on Cary street. He survived only about half an hour.
last updated on | <urn:uuid:57410ea8-901d-4edb-843a-a50f70275e49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mdgorman.com/Written_Accounts/Dispatch/1862/richmond_dispatch_8251862.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977565 | 191 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Health Benefits of Chlorella
Usually taken in a capsule or put in smoothies and other recipes as a powder, this green algae is being credited with all sorts of health benefits. From reducing body fat to helping ward off metabolic syndrome, this little green algae is powerful far beyond its unassuming appearance.
It's tiny - about three to eight micrometers in diameter. After being harvested from fresh water ponds it has to be dried and crushed, and right now there are many supplement and natural foods companies getting in on the chlorella action.
So, what's so great about it? It's hard to know where to start since there are so many health benefits of chlorella, but this healthful algae is said to have twice as much protein as spinach and nine essential amino acids. It has 38 times more protein than soybeans and 55 times more than rice. In addition to this - it's packed with vitamins and minerals like Vitamin K1 and Magnesium.
In people with cancer, there has been promising research to show that chlorella fights infections. In a study of brain tumors and chlorella, Prof. Randall Merchant of the Neurosurgery and Anatomy at Virginia Commonwealth University said,
"It didn't make brain tumors go away or shrink, so it didn't cure the cancer, but it did help the patients by boosting their immune system so that they resisted opportunistic infections."The health benefits of chlorella also include the boosting of the digestive system - improving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome - among other things. It increases the body's production of good bacteria in the gut, and that it works to absorb toxins in the intestines. It also encourages more regular bowel movements, moving food through the digestive system and clearing out the intestines to prevent the re-absorption of toxins.
As for hypertension - chlorella lowered blood pressure in about 50% of cases and also lowered serum cholesterol - making a great addition to the many home remedies for high blood pressure.
Chlorella also reduces the symptoms of diseases like fibromyalgia, colitis, and metabolic syndrome.
In other words - it definitely earns the designation as a "super food".
So what can you do with it?
You can take it as a supplement or eat it whole. Different brand names of chlorella capsules and tablets can be found online through numerous health stores and through your local health food grocers. You can also buy it in a powder form to add to smoothies and other recipes for quick digestion.
Telegraph - Chlorella: the superfood that helps fight disease | <urn:uuid:32858e63-8443-4a8d-af2b-da823b440328> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sott.net/article/247920-Health-Benefits-of-Chlorella-The-Disease-Fighting-Powers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957532 | 531 | 2.21875 | 2 |
When one team propels the whole of the ball out of bounds over the sideline (touch line), whether on the ground or in the air, the other team puts the ball back into play by means of a “throw-in.” Like in American basketball, the player uses his hands to throw the ball back into play from the spot where it went out. Unlike basketball, however, it must be done with both hands simultaneously, according to a very strict set of rules.
At one time, long ago, throwing the ball back into play with one hand was tried, but this (or kicking the ball) resulted in a far greater advantage to the receiving team than was justified by the ball simply having gone out of bounds. Accordingly, the two-hand thrown-in was adopted and a set of requirements was imposed which limited the benefits to be gained from obtaining possession of the ball from a touch line out.
The rule (Law 15) governing the throw-in reads, in part:
“…at the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower faces the field of play; has part of each foot on the touch line or on the ground outside the touch line; holds the ball with both hands; delivers the ball from behind and over his head; (and) delivers the ball from the point where it left the field of play…”
The best way to teach beginning players to perform a legal throw-in is to introduce the Standing Throw-In. The skill of the standing throw-in may be broken down into the following component parts:
1. Placement of the Feet
2. Gripping the Ball
3. Preparing to Throw
4. Throwing the Ball
Each part may be demonstrated and practiced separately and then combined to complete the skill. Demonstration and practice should be performed at an actual touch line of a properly marked field. Before starting, young players must be shown what it means for the whole of the ball to go all the way over the touch line to be truly out of bounds. There is a great temptation by beginners to assume that the ball is going out and to pick it up before it actually does. (Parents, siblings, and spectators standing on the sidelines have been known to helpfully do the same!)
PLACEMENT OF THE FEET – The entire sole of the shoes of both feet should be firmly planted on the ground, completely outside of the field of play, with the toes pointed at the field of play. The feet may be placed beside each other, however, it is recommended that, for a right-handed player, the left foot be placed slightly ahead of the right or, for a left-handed player, the right foot be placed slightly ahead of the left. Although the rules allow the feet to be placed on the sideline (touch line) marking, it is strongly recommended that beginning players be taught to keep their feet completely outside of the line in order to improve their chances of making a legal throw in. Players must be constantly reminded that they must not pick their feet up off the ground at any time until after the ball is thrown.
GRIPPING THE BALL – At waist level in front of the player, the fingers should be spread apart and the hands placed symmetrically (“equally”) on the left and right sides of the ball relative to an imaginary line running from top to bottom through the middle of the ball. Players with large-enough hands may be told to touch their thumbs together at the imaginary line. This is similar to the “Goalkeeper’s ‘W’” as described in the Introduction to Goalkeeping feature article.
PREPARING TO THROW – Players should take the ball backward over the head equally with both arms. They should then touch their thumbs to the base of the neck at the shoulders. These actions reinforce that both arms must be used equally and that the ball must be delivered starting from behind the head.
THROWING THE BALL – To deliver the ball into the field of play, both arms should be used simultaneously to “catapult” or “slingshot” the ball. The ball should be released above the area of the forehead. The ball may not be dropped, it must be thrown. The ball may not be thrown down at the thrower’s own feet, it must be released from “over” the head. (It may seem obvious to the coach, but beginning players need to be reminded at this point that the ball is to be thrown to a teammate!) In general, a properly thrown ball will not have side spin or curve while in flight. Players should be instructed to try to be conscious of the ball leaving both sets of fingertips at the same time when the ball is thrown. If this is done, the ball will generally have underspin in flight or no spin at all.
FOLLOW-THROUGH – To get a maximum throw, players should continue their arm motion after releasing the ball. This is exactly the same concept as a batter continuing his swing in American baseball. Many beginning players tend to stop their arms in mid-air right at the point they let go of the ball. In order to promote a proper follow-through, players may be taught to slap their thighs with both hands after the release. It must be clearly demonstrated, however, that this is done at the end of one continuous motion of the arms. Otherwise, beginners will stop their motion with the release of the ball and then begin again to happily slap their thighs!
All players should practice the standing throw-in until it becomes second nature. This can start with youth throwing to the feet of their parents, standing approximately 10-yards into the field perpendicular to the sideline. Teammates can then be substituted for the parents.
After completing a proper throw-in, players must then be instructed to immediately re-enter the field of play in order to resume playing their position. Some beginners will try to re-enter too fast, thereby not completing a legal throw-in. Others will unconsciously stand and watch to see what happens next.
Coaches may also demonstrate common errors to their players, or “what not to do,” when making throw-ins. These include:
- Don’t step over the sideline
- Don’t slam the ball down directly in front
- Don’t drop the ball, instead of throwing it
- Don’t lift the feet off the ground (especially the “back” foot)
- Don’t throw with one hand (baseball- or American football-style)
- Don’t push the ball (basketball-style)
- Don’t jump
- Don’t be the first to play the ball after re-entering the field
The most common error, lifting a foot off the ground, is usually a result of trying to throw the ball too hard. Coaches should tell their beginning players that it is more important to perform a proper throw-in than to try to get power or distance on the throw.
TO TEACH THE NEXT SKILLS IN THIS PROGRESSION, SEE: Intermediate Throw-Ins
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013 CoachingAmericanSoccer.com
John Harves, All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:3cf2fa11-585d-4104-acd6-b8b284df3144> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://coachingamericansoccer.com/introductions-to-skills/soccer-throw-in/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959604 | 1,501 | 3.625 | 4 |
Red Foxes – Vulpes vulpes. Foxes are found throughout the United States where they feed on live prey such as mice, squirrels, chipmunks and birds as well as other food items such as fruits, berries, insects, lizards and snakes. They vary in size from 10 to 15 pounds as adults. The red fox is the most common fox in North America. They are found in rural and urban areas. They may form small family groups of less than half a dozen adult individuals. Most are solitary. Foxes can be a serious vector of the rabies virus and only qualified individuals should handle or trap foxes when necessary. Click here for a FREE wildlife control consultation or call 1-855-PEACHTREE (732-2487). | <urn:uuid:3a76d106-03c0-4539-bf3f-3109abcd03b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.peachtreepestcontrol.com/foxes | 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 | 0.95123 | 156 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Now for the first time this book brings together all the threads of excellent clinical practice in hypnotherapy. Written and presented in a concise and readable format, it offers an authoritative guide to all of the recognized disorders in the DSM-IV and ICD-10.
The editors address each of DSM-IV's main groups of psychological disorder and for each presents the symptoms, differential diagnosis, possible causes, contributing factors and suggested modes of treatment appropriate to each case. When hypnosis is clearly called for, scripts have been provided in many instances to assist in the delivery of the appropriate therapy, along with detailed explanations of a variety of hypnotic inductions. When hypnosis is not a recommended protocol, that is indicated as well.
This single-volume reference resource for the experienced practitioner or student wishing for an up-to-date survey of hypnotherapy will become the classic reference manual of the future. --- from the publisher
“The Handbook of Hypnotic Interventions is one of the most comprehensive books in the field of hypnotherapy. By incorporating ICD-10 and DSM-IV classifications, the diagnosis of each disorder becomes objective, based on internationally accepted criteria. Clinicians can diagnose and communicate at a professional and scientific level, rather than being purely subjective views. The editors have also gone to great lengths in discussing differential diagnosis and all the currently available interventions, including pharmacotherapy, which makes this book more elegant. I am confident that this book will be a very valuable addition to each and every therapist’s consulting room.--Professor V M Mathew, MBBS, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director
“I have seldom had the pleasure of reading such an approachable and comprehensive work on hypnotherapy. The book takes the reader – whether student or experienced professional - through the various types of disorder they are likely to encounter, dealing with causes, symptoms, treatment and expected results. It also contains an excellent selection of scripts and techniques for trance inductions and the establishment of ideomotor response which will be bound to add to any reader¹s existing portfolio. This is a book I would happily recommend to any hypnotherapist, whether experienced or newly qualified.”--Ursula Markham, D.Hyp., MHF.,Founder of The Hypnothink Foundation. | <urn:uuid:6305c680-47c0-431d-aa05-52a6a9916796> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cavershambooksellers.com/search/1904424228 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931086 | 470 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Email as a medium of communication has become an almost indispensable tool for business, educational, social and personal purposes. Its importance in the future will, in all likelihood, continue to grow at an almost exponential rate, despite the plague of spam that is choking the internet.
Email has the advantage of regular postal mail in that it is delivered into the recipient's mailbox for them to read and reply to at their convenience, but without the lengthy time delay involved with 'snail mail'. Email also has the advantage of being quick and easy. It doesn't oblige the sender to engage in small-talk with the recipient, as telephones do. Using the phone to convey a simple message to a friend might involve a 10-15 minute conversation because no-one wants to appear rude by hanging up too soon. In an increasingly busy world, email allows the same message to be conveyed in a minute or two without implied rudeness.
Email is an electronic version of a written Memorandum. Remnants of the Memo can be seen in the header where the To: Cc: and Subject: fields closely emulate that of the traditional Memo. The term 'Cc' is retained because it still somehow makes sense to people even though the days of making an actual 'carbon copy' are long gone. Many people under the age of 40 will have never seen a sheet of carbon paper, such as was used in offices to make a copy in a typewriter of the original memo.
No Official rules
If all this seems too prescriptive, feel free to ignore any or all of it. It makes no gaurantees, it is simply a guide to writing email that if applied sensibly will enable you to have constructive relations with people via the medium of email.
Even though some people may ignore emails from people who inflict poor email manners on them, its a good idea not to irritate or offend the recipient unless you deliberately intend to do just that.
There are no 'official' rules governing electronic communication, though there have been attempts to establish one standard or another as the default, there is no common agreement. So beware people telling you there is one right way, they are assuming too much. As a general rule though, netiquette involves the same principles as plain old etiquette -- basic courtesy, respect and ethics.
By following the principles outlined below, the recipient of your email will be more likely to read and act, if not be favourably impressed by your message:
Subject line to summarise the message. Make the Subject line summarise the body of the e-mail. Ask yourself, 'will the recipient(s) know what this e-mail is about'. For example, Instead of Subject: Exam, say Subject: Location of 1508INT Exam, 23 July 05.
Don't assume the recipient knows the background. Include enough contextual information at the beginning of the e-mail for the recipient to know what the matter is about. If in doubt, put background information in. For example, don't say can I have an extension for my assignment, instead say I refer to the CIT3622 assignment 1 that I handed in late. I was ill and have a doctor's certificate. May I ask for an extension on the basis that I was too ill to do it on time.
Keep it concise. Keep messages brief and to the point, but not so brief that it causes the problem outlined in the previous point. This includes deleting any irrelevant text when an email has been back and forth several times. No-one wants to scroll down through pages of text in order to reach the message they want to read. If the sense of the email will be lost by deleting that text, however, leave it in.
Use the BCC field when sending bulk email. If you're sending email to a whole list of people, put their email addresses in the BCC field. That way, spammers cannot harvest the email addresses for their dastardly purposes, and other reciepients will not complain about you handing their email address out to people they do not want to have thier address.
Don't shout at people. Don't use all capital letters, (UPPERCASE) or overdo punctuation!!!!!!. See the example below. This common practice is the on-line equivalent of shouting. Its considered by many to be very rude. If you must use UPPERCASE, use it very sparingly and only to emphasise a particularly important point. Ask yourself, 'if I was talking to the recipient face to face, would I be raising my voice to them?'
Avoid angry outbursts. Don't send or reply to email when you are angry. Wait until you have calmed down, then compose the email. Once written and sent, it can't be recalled. Angry or intemperate email has a way of rebounding on the sender. As a guide, ask yourself, 'would I say this to the person's face?'
Correct punctuate and grammar. Use punctuation in a normal manner. One exclamation point is just as effective as five !!!!! Use correct grammar as with any written message.
Layout message for readability. Use spaces and breaks between paragraphs and long sentences to make it easier on the reader.
Keep the thread. When replying to an e-mail, use the reply option on the sidebar in your mail. This will keep the message in the "thread", and make it easier for the recipient to follow.
Allow time for a reply. E-mail messages are not usually required to be answered immediately. Before sending a reminder, allow some time for a response, some times even a few days. Not everyone is online 24 hours a day.
Spelling. Check your spelling! If you don't know how to spell something, look it up.
Edit the superfluous text out of emails. When you are sending email that has 'been around' in the sense that it has been relpied to or forwarded many times, take the time to remove the angle brackets '>' from the message. Its irritating for many people to see text in such disarray. The easiest way is to copy and paste the text into a word processor, and use the seach and replace function to remove any unwanted characters. The example below breaks both this rule and the one about shouting at people by using UPPERCASE:
>> >>> >THE FOLLOWING IS TAKEN FROM A NEPALESE GOOD LUCK MANTRA. YOU'LL
>> > >>> >FIND IT TO BE WORTH READING AND WORTH SHARING:
>> > >>> >Do not keep this message. The mantra must leave your hands
>> within 96
>> > >>> >hours or you will suffer harm.
Chain Letters. Its becoming more common, as more people use email for more varied purposes for it to be used for multilevel marketing, chain letters, pyramid schemes and other dubious purposes. The example above is one of the more benign examples of an implied threat as a way to motivate the recipient to take action. Another example is the chain letter that claims to be for the benefit of a dying child or promises to make you rich overnight if only you send it to five more people, and send $10 to the person who sent it to you. Most people, find these email practices particularly annoying.
Jokes. Everyone loves a good joke. But how many is too many? One can be if the person does not want torecieve them in the first place. If you are going to distribute jokes, make sure everyone on your list wants them. And if in doubt, ask first. We all remember that to ASSUME....
Don't be over-familiar with the recipient. Many people, myself included are offended by strangers being over-familiar. As a rule, use the title or form of address that you would use in verbal communication.
Keep download size to a minimum. Big graphics can make e-mails take a long time to load. If you have an attached file, the recipient will often have to wait for your full message to load before they can retrieve it. Its irritating to wait many minutes for a message to load only to find out the attached page was not worth the wait.
Illegal Activities. These include libel (defamatory statements), discrimination (racial, sexual, religious, ageist etc), some adult material (child or violent erotica), illegal information (how to kill or injure people, incitement to violence, racial hatred etc), This advice does not apply to the vast majority of email users, who would never indulge in the aforementioned practices. But for those so inclined, not only are these likely to offend the recipient, people found engaging in illegal activities involving email are likely to have strong sanctions brought against them by the university and by the civil authorities.
Email is not confidential. Its almost laughably easy for the contents of your email to be read by others without your knowledge. So its wise to avoid saying anything you wouldn't write on the back of a postcard. Also, if you work within an organisation, rather than directly connected to an ISP (internet service provider) its becoming more likely that every email you send and receive is scanned for certain words that are 'deemed unacceptable'. Email with 'unacceptable' content is quaranteened, and record is kept. People can be disciplined or fired if they send or recieve too much such email. The organisation has every user sign an 'acceptable use' contract as a condition of their having an email account. That way, the employee can be deemed to have broken the contract, justifying disciplining him or her.
Correct priority. Avoid marking an email 'high priority' when it is really 'normal' priority.
Acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons are OK within reason. As long as you don't overdo it, and the recipients can reasonably be expected to know what they mean, acronyms and abbreviations are OK to use in e-mail. Emoticons (for example ;-) a winking smiley face) are good when used in context. As a general rule, you probably shouldn't use them when talking to someone in authority unless you're sure .
These are a popular and useful way of expressing emotion in email. There is a growing number, but these are the basic ones that people use:
2L8 -- too late
AAMOF -- as a matter of fact
AFAIK -- as far as I know
B4N -- bye for know
BTW -- by the way
CMIIW -- correct me if I'm wrong
CUL -- see you later
FWIW -- for what its worth
FYI -- for your information
IKWUM -- I know what you mean
IMHO -- in my humble opinion
KWIM -- Know what I mean?
LOL -- laughing out loud
ROTFL -- rolling on the floor laughing
TIA -- thanks in advance
TTYL -- talk to you later
:o very surprised
8) person with glasses smiling | <urn:uuid:58750a24-f441-43d8-9da0-ad94a157fb33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.planningresults.com/informatics/45-general/94-email-etiquette.html?fontstyle=f-larger | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948487 | 2,279 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Hardwick, undated.
It isn't often a poet appears on the cover of Time magazine. Robert Lowell (1917-1977), did just that in the summer of 1967, as the foremost American poet of the middle decades of the twentieth century. Two recent major acquisitions by the Ransom Center offer fascinating new insights into the poet's private thoughts and working habits.
Lowell began writing and publishing his poetry as a young man. By thirty, he had won the Pulitzer Prize for the collection Lord Weary's Castle (1947), which was influenced by the prose of Hawthorne and Melville. A decade later, his work had become more autobiographical. Lowell received the 1960 National Book Award for his collection Life Studies (1959), which dealt directly with everything from his father's death to his own sense of isolation and anxiety. By the 1960s, Lowell had evolved yet again, focusing on the theme of American history. Perhaps his most famous poem, For the Union Dead, was published as part of an eponymous collection in 1964.
Lowell had been jailed as a conscientious objector during World War II, so his stance in firm opposition to the Vietnam War was hardly surprising. His political views dovetailed with those of a college-educated, younger generation that discovered his poetry in the late 1960s.
During the last years of his life, Lowell wrote many biographical poems about his family, as well as historical figures such as Ché Guevera and Martin Luther King. His final collections merged private concerns with the greater tide of world history.
Of all Lowell's work, that of the 1970s has received the least amount of critical attention. For this reason, the Ransom Center is especially pleased to add to its Lowell collection dozens of pages of hand-corrected typescripts from this period, including material first published in History (1973) and The Dolphin (1973). This acquisition strengthens the Center's current Lowell holdings, which are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world.
A true highlight of the Center's Lowell acquisitions is a remarkable new gift from Joanna Clark, widow of Blair Clark, a friend and correspondent of Lowell's for nearly fifty years. The Clark/Lowell letters span the years 1938-1976. Clark also corresponded with Lowell's first two wives, Jean Stafford and Elizabeth Hardwick, giving potential Lowell scholars tremendous insight into his life at home. Included in the Clark gift are a typescript for Lowell's National Book Award acceptance speech from 1960, holographs to two poems from 1953, as well as numerous reviews, photographs, and biographical notes on Lowell taken by Clark himself.
The Ransom Center's acquisition of this fascinating new material will be welcome news to those studying the life and work of Robert Lowell, one of the greatest American poets of the twentieth century.
- Stephen Smith
An Excerpt From Robert Lowell
Somewhere on the West Side with its too many
cleared lots ill-occupied with rusting cars,
I meet this innumerable acquaintance
masked in faces, though forward and familiar,
equipped for encounter like cops or Caesar's legions;
all seem to enjoy at least six men at once,
amateurs building up clienteles of love,
always one on the doorbell, another fleeing—
the Just-Forties, girls (Why is no man just forty?)
born too late for enriching memories:
President Harding, Prohibition, the boom market—
too experienced to be surprised,
and too young to know satiety,
the difficulty of giving up everything. | <urn:uuid:c674d120-0652-40a4-a511-8fa5590527de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/ransomedition/2001/summer/lowell.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968923 | 736 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Steve Seidel, vice president for policy analysis, co-wrote this post.
With the failure of the Senate to act on climate change legislation, the focus of attention now shifts to possible regulatory actions by EPA. The Supreme Court in 2007 made it clear that greenhouse gases (GHGs) are pollutants under the existing Clean Air Act (CAA), and the overwhelming scientific evidence (spelled out in great detail in the endangerment finding ) demonstrates that such pollutants represent possible harm to public health and welfare.
Opposition to EPA action rests in part on concerns that any regulations will be excessively costly and burdensome to households and U.S. manufacturers. While it is certainly true that regulating GHGs will result in costs, it is also important to look at whether the economic benefits from those regulations will be greater than the costs they impose. In other words, will societal costs of allowing global GHG emissions to continue unabated (costs that will come in the form of impacts from rising sea levels, increased extreme weather including heat waves and droughts, among others) be greater than the costs of regulating those emissions responsibly?
This basic regulatory framework – that regulatory costs should be less than the resulting benefits – is codified in OMB review of all major federal regulations by both Republican and Democratic Administrations, has historically been applied to all EPA regulations, and would certainly be applied to any future regulations of GHGs.
So what have been the costs and benefits of past EPA regulations under the CAA historically? Congress required EPA to undertake a retrospective assessment of the costs and benefits of regulations under this statute. The conclusion of this retrospective review is that the CAA resulted in total benefits that are around $37 trillion, while total costs were $0.874 trillion (in 2010 dollars) – an astounding 40 to 1 benefit to cost ratio!
EPA has also produced a prospective assessment of the costs and benefits of the CAA – this time for the time period of 1990 through 2010. In this review, EPA estimated that the most likely benefit to cost ratio of the CAA for this period is 4 to 1. While a very strong and positive value, the ratio is substantially lower than the estimated benefits for the first 20 years of the CAA.
This is not unexpected – early gains are usually greater, and more cost effective, because simple or cheap remedies are the first to be applied in response to regulatory requirements. As those requirements become more stringent, creating additional benefits becomes more costly (from an economics perspective this is described as moving up the marginal cost curve).
How credible is EPA’s assessment of its regulations? Alan Krupnick, formerly of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, has testified before Congress about the credibility of EPA’s analyses: “Under the auspices of the agency’s Science Advisory Board, both studies were scrutinized throughout the decade-long preparation by at least three expert committees of outside economists, air quality modelers, epidemiologists, and other health experts.”
In addition to these EPA assessments, there have been a handful of quality external analyses of the costs and benefits of the CAA. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) found that the “major rules” from EPA’s Office of Air resulted in total benefits between $145 and $218 billion annually, for the years between 1992 and 2002. This is compared to costs of between $22 and $25 billion over that same period. A study by researchers at MIT found total annual benefits rising from $50 billion in 1975 to $400 billion in 2000. This report accounts for the monetary benefits of avoided premature death differently than the EPA studies, and as a result reports lower values for the total benefits. A sum of the total discounted benefits yields a total benefit of $6.85 trillion from 1975 through 2000 – a figure still substantially greater than the EPA estimate for the costs of the regulations.
So how might this play out in terms of future regulations of GHGs? EPA’s first GHG regulations were standards set for light duty vehicles (which it coordinated with the efficiency standards set by NHTSA ). These standards are expected to lead to net benefits of between $0.5 and 1.2 billion dollars (discounted back to present values using 7 percent and 3 percent discount rates, respectively) without even including a social cost of carbon. If a value is assigned to the avoided GHG emissions associated with this regulation, the net present benefits are even greater!
If there is a lesson that can be drawn from these previous regulatory efforts it is that while regulations do impose real costs, EPA’s actions under the CAA have consistently led to positive environmental and economic outcomes. By not regulating, we would have foregone these positive net benefits and incurred the social costs imposed by unabated pollution.
So the next time someone tells you that the costs of reducing air pollution are too high, ask them what would be the costs to society of not reducing those emissions.
Russell Meyer is the Senior Fellow for Economics and Policy. Steve Seidel is Vice President for Policy Analysis. | <urn:uuid:ec588b0f-1af7-4e6e-9c84-7cff9e9c0eea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.c2es.org/print/blog/meyerr/regulations-do-impose-costs-but-so-does-not-regulating | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960399 | 1,047 | 2.859375 | 3 |
While Ray Kurzweil pursues the Nanotech Revolution, robotics researchers in Maine are chasing their own futuristic outcomes. Here’s what’s new on the local robot scene (didn’t know we had one of those, didja?):
The University of Maine Orono is on the cutting edge of robotics research, thanks to dedicated students (who provide the energy), the Maine Technology Institute (which provides some of the cash), technology firms around Maine (which execute some of the ideas), and mechanical engineering professor Mohsen Shahinpoor (who provides the vision). Shahinpoor and his team are working on a variety of bionic and robotic projects, including robots that assist with surgical procedures by providing surgeons with a remote sense of touch, and robotic muscles that mimic the real thing. Don’t believe it? Try arm-wrestling a robot. No joke — the power of Shahinpoor’s ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES (his Artificial Muscle Research Institute moved with him from New Mexico to Maine last year) was demonstrated in a human-robot arm-wrestling competition in 2005. Driven by electroactive polymers that respond to electrical or chemical stimulation (Shahinpoor’s specifically respond to charged ions), these muscles could have military, medical, and industrial applications. Check out videos of robotic wings, fingers, and fish at Shahinpoor’s site: artificialmuscles.org.
Maine Republican Olympia Snowe recently co-sponsored a bill in the US Senate to encourage education and innovation in nanotechnology, which is considered one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), foreign students earned 63 percent of the engineering doctorates awarded in the United States in 2007. We need to catch up, Snowe and her co-sponsor, Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), say. THE PROMOTE NANOTECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS ACT (S. 3117), which was referred on March 15 to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, would direct the NSF to award $400,000 in grants to high schools, community colleges, and higher-ed institutions to better prepare US students for careers in nanotech. Grants (which need to be 25-percent matched) could be used to purchase equipment or train teachers.
Earlier this year, the University of Maine established a ROBOTICS MINOR. Students can choose to specialize in special-vision or walking robots, or those that perform surgical tasks or help in hazardous environments.
A couple of weeks after the June 11 World Cup kick-off in South Africa, the RoboCup kick-off will happen in Singapore. A team of six humans from Bowdoin College will be present with their Northern Bites — the second-best team of SOCCER-PLAYING ROBOTS in the world — hoping to maintain their dominance in an international field. After working out some bugs at this month’s “US Open” (for example, the robots were having a hard time regrouping after falling over), the team is ready to rock the RoboCup. Team members (including some newbies) did some quick and calm reprogramming, and on the second day of the tournament, the Bites were in better shape. “We, more than any other team in RoboCup, are able to make [in-tournament] adjustments in a positive way,” says faculty advisor Eric Chown. Working off student-written code, the Northern Bites compete autonomously without human intervention on the field. “Players” are programmed to scan the field and recognize colors, opponents, the ball, the goal posts, and other field markers, and then move, communicate, and act accordingly. The RoboCup’s ultimate goal is to create “a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that is capable of defeating the human world-champion soccer team.” | <urn:uuid:d4e29689-cf0f-4ad9-be6e-4cfcdd23a66d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/101465-way-robots-should-be/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947171 | 820 | 2.5625 | 3 |
The Effects of Some Transmission Errors on Alternative Stereo Audio Distribution Systems
The paper discusses some aspects of the L+R/L-R stereo audio matrix system used in North America and the consequences of errors in the stereo transmission channels on the decoding process as observed by the listener. The discussion focuses on differences between discrete and matrix alternative methods of program distribution and transmission. The impact of commonly encountered transmission errors are illustrated by graphics derived from computer-generated circuit models is examined. Results are summarized and compared.
Click to purchase paper or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the E-Library then switch to the institutional version. If you are not an AES member and would like to subscribe to the E-Library then Join the AES!
This paper costs $20 for non-members, $5 for AES members and is free for E-Library subscribers. | <urn:uuid:7fd64833-5376-4ed0-ae37-d2cc1568a2dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=4698 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932885 | 178 | 1.945313 | 2 |
The State of Pecan Pie in Texas: It Ain't That Good
Texas Pecan trees have taken a punch. The USDA predicts our state's trees will collectively produce 40 millions pounds of pecans this year, which is 30 million pounds less than the 2010 crop.
The Sunnyvale Pecan orchard east of Dallas is closed for the season. And today I spoke with Red Graham at the Dallas Farmer's Market, who told me: "Some growers were able to produce some, those that irrigated and have trees near rivers. But otherwise, it's hard to find a Texas pecan."
Fear not, though. That's why we joined the union. Most distributors are bringing them in from other states across the southwest. Of course, when things are harder to find, they usually cost more.
"Last year pecans were about $10 a pound," said Graham. "This year they're closer to $14 and $15 a pound, but that isn't really slowing any one down from buying them."
The heart of the issue is pie. Will we be able to make or buy pecan pie? Yes. Will it always be a Texas pecan pie? Maybe not. But Executive Chef Jim Dunleavy of Eatzie's told me they will have "literally tons of pecan pie."
Odie Dollins runs Durham Ellis Pecan, a sheller and processor in Comanche, Texas. In speaking about the shortage of pecans, he told me that another factor in the market is China. Word got out that the nutritional benefits of pecans exceed those of almonds and walnuts (another reason for more pie), and for the past five years China has been importing millions of pounds. According to the Texas Pecan Growers Association, between 80 and 100 million pounds of U.S. pecans were shipped to China in 2009, which was 25 percent of the entire U.S. and Mexico pecan production.
So: Drought or China, Texas pecans are harder to find and will cost a bit more, but again, we reiterate. There will be pie.
There will be pie. | <urn:uuid:9648b556-63bb-40a8-a106-0d380da4766c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2011/11/the_state_of_pecan_pie.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968286 | 445 | 1.875 | 2 |
What is abstinence-only sex education?
Abstinence-only sex education usually refers to educational curriculum developed for use in schools and other organizations that work with youth and teens, which encourages youth to abstain from sex until they are married. Abstinence-only sex education offers a single message, that the only way to be sexually healthy is to not have sex until you are married.
Does abstinence-only sex education work?There is no evidence to suggest that abstinence-only sex education works, and there is much evidence to cause for serious concern regarding abstinence-only sex education.
In 2006 the American Academy of Pediatrics updated their position on teen pregnancy, and in an interview with ABC news, Dr. Jonathan Klein, chairman of the academy committee that wrote the new recommendations, was quoted as saying:
"Even though there is great enthusiasm in some circles for abstinence-only interventions, the evidence does not support abstinence-only interventions as the best way to keep young people from unintended pregnancy."
A 2005 study of youth who were involved in an abstinence-only program that required them to sign a pledge of abstinence found that STD infection rates among youth who took the pledge were not different than those youth who did not take a pledge of abstinence. These programs may succeed in getting youth to slightly delay their first intercourse experience, but because they do not provide information about protection, youth in these programs may be less likely to use condoms or other forms of protection from unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.
In 2004 Rep. Henry Waxman of California released a report that found that 11 of the 13 most commonly used abstinence-only programs contain significant factual errors. One example was a curriculum that told students you could get pregnant simply by touching another person’s genitals.
Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Should we teach only abstinence in sexuality education?
Brückner, H. & Bearman, P. "After the Promise: The STD Consequences of Adolescent Virginity Pledges" Journal of Adolescent Health Vol. 36 (2005).
Kirby D. No Easy Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy; 1997.
New Report Finds that Abstinence-Only Curricula Contain False and Misleading Information. Congressman Henry A. Waxman. | <urn:uuid:cd9975b3-9753-4007-9468-3240b016c54d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sexuality.about.com/od/saferse1/a/abstinenceonly.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9361 | 478 | 2.734375 | 3 |
How Facebook May Be Violating Your First Amendment Rights (Part 2)
Note: The following article was originally posted to the 49th Parallel Forum Blog under the title “Are there entities even more powerful than the government that should be held accountable for violating First Amendment Rights? (Part 2).”
The First Amendment applies to the government — to protect individuals from government censorship. While the text of the First Amendment says “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech,” it means that no federal, state or local government official can infringe on your free-speech rights. A private company is not a government or state and therefore generally is not subject to the requirements of the First Amendment.
Source: 1 Amendment For All Blog
This past week I posted a question on LinkedIn in which I asked the question “Do social networks either by accident or design violate our First Amendment Rights?”
Of course I very well understood the true nature of the Amendment and that it only applies to a government suppression of free speech and did not extend to include private companies or individuals.
That said I wanted to test the proverbial waters as to what kind of response would be forthcoming with the suggestion that there are perhaps entities whose freedom to suppress and censure have far reaching and negative consequences on society that go beyond even that of a government’s oppression.
After all isn’t the media and communication channels the first and primary target in a coup relative to a hostile government’s effort to gain control over what the populace does or does not hear?
In short, and if the First Amendment is designed to prevent an all-powerful government from squashing our rights as citizens, should the same rules apply to those whose influence is no less imposing? Or to put it another way, is protecting our rights any less important if the greatest threat comes from someone other than the government?
If you think about the above in the context of the growing influence of social networks and social media such as a Facebook or for that matter even a Twitter, who is responsible for ensuring that the communication channels in which we have an increasing reliance are kept clear of self-serving rules and/or restrictions?
This is perhaps one of the reasons why the recent controversy surrounding Twitter’s revelation that they would censure Tweets was so disconcerting.
In fact, the following exchange I had with Jillian C. York, who is the Director of International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation regarding her criticism of Mark Gibbs’ Forbes article on the Twitter announcement, speaks to this very issue:
You say: “wouldn’t you think that what Twitter writes in its own official blog would be what they mean and not require spin clarification”
In fact, as someone who’s been closely following the press on this issue, I can say that Twitter’s post was abundantly clear to most journalists – you seem to be the only one who failed to check with Twitter or other experts on the subject, instead making wild fear-mongering claims.
Furthermore, if you had followed the link from Twitter’s original blog post (https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169222), you would have seen this:
“…if we receive a valid and properly scoped request from an authorized entity…”
“we will promptly notify affected users, unless we are legally prohibited from doing so”
Your piece is, frankly, just sloppy “journalism.”
The question I have Jillian is who determines if it is valid and properly scoped?
Also, and citing the Iranian election and resulting riots . . . what happens if under a similar circumstance that government sees the sharing of information and yes even opinion as being seditious and seeks to block tweets. Is this not a valid and properly scoped situation from their perspective?
After all, law or policy is not equitable unless it is evenly applied across the board, and the issue I have is that there is a subjective element to what Twitter is presenting that is disconcerting in that some unknown person or entity can and perhaps will intercede with regard to the free flow of information.
Agree that Twitter–and other companies that operate internationally–need a better set of guidelines to follow than simply asking us to trust them to make the right decision. At this current moment, no such guidelines exist.
That said, I highly doubt Twitter–at least under its current management–will abuse their abilities. These new policies seem mostly geared toward European countries in which they have–or plan to open–offices.
While at this point I do not share your same level of confidence in terms of Twitter’s management making the right decisions Jillian – and I am not suggesting any nefarious or hidden agenda on Twitter’s part, international affairs are extremely complex as you well know and often times in the absence of clearly defined guidelines even the most experienced in the field can become an unwilling dupe to a government’s innate instincts for self-preservation or achieving its self-serving aims. Hence the reference to Chamberlain.
Even on this side of the pond there is a history that clearly supports the “constitution is not a suicide pact” mindset such as with the FLQ crisis in Canada when the War Measures Act was enacted, or going even further back to your Civil War when Lincoln suspended habeas corpus.
As Richard Posner pointed out in his 2006 book titled Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency, “the scope of constitutional rights must be adjusted in a pragmatic but rational manner.”
With Twitter’s role to this point in time being that of a neutral player, and in much the same way that justice is supposed to be blind, they are forfeiting the objective high ground of free and unencumbered access for all to assume a role and responsibility for which they are ill equipped to handle.
One of the real questions for me behind the press release and interviews is why do this now?
So here is a variation of the same question I asked this past week but, with the added knowledge that social networks are not merely a public gathering place (virtually speaking), but are instead a venue in which their scope of influence can and likely will impact societal interests in a very real and meaningful way . . . if as indicated above a Twitter can in fact censure based on factors such as government influence, business interests etc. then is it reasonable to view them in the same light as a government and therefore recognize that our First Amendment Rights can in fact be violated? | <urn:uuid:df2d11a4-aae6-4f03-9a50-fb78d3041ecc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://piwindowonbusiness.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/how-facebook-may-be-violating-your-first-amendment-rights-part-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957323 | 1,362 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Graduate Study in Geological Engineering
Thank you for your interest in graduate studies in Geological Engineering. The Geological Engineering graduate program is an interdisciplinary program between engineering and geology. Graduate students pursuing a geotechnical engineering degree within Civil & Environmental Engineering are also part of the Geological Engineering graduate program. Students in the Geological Engineering graduate program include a broad range of engineers and geoscientists pursuing all facets of geological engineering.
We have a dynamic graduate research program with engineering and geoscience professors, visiting professors, academic staff members, and a cadre of graduate students. Our research topics cover a broad range of topics including geoenvironmental engineering, water resources, hydrogeology, hydroecology, rock mechanics, structural geology, geosynthetic engineering, and sensor technology, to foundation engineering, site characterization, slope stability, soil dynamics, non-destructive evaluation, engineering geophysics, sustainability, and alternative energy systems.
The graduate program accepts students throughout the year and offers research and teaching assistantships on a competitive basis. Students wishing to be admitted to the Graduate Program in Geological Engineering must satisfy the admission requirements of the UW-Madison Graduate School and the College of Engineering. Information on the requirements for the graduate program is provided in the GLE Graduate Student Handbook.
Graduate study in Geological Engineering is more than classes and research. Madison is a wonderful place to live with a variety of opportunities for recreation, entertainment, and socializing. The graduate student community has a strong social program with many group activities. Learn more about some of these activities at our section on Student Life.
Graduate Student and Research Assistant Directory | <urn:uuid:e6a9138c-fbd1-4fea-9e75-6be7b2ab6f5f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gle.wisc.edu/graduate-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918125 | 331 | 1.992188 | 2 |
[Knut Karlsen] put together a prototype set of solar rechargeable batteries. He always seemed to have batteries laying around on his worktable and figured they might as well be charging. The flexible solar cells were given to him by researchers at the IFE and are rated at 1.8V. He used superglue to secure them to the C cells. A silver conductive pen plus flat wires from a Canon lens connect the solar cells to the battery terminals. The batteries just trickle charge for now, but he’s going to try to build cells with built in charge controllers in the future. | <urn:uuid:30f8e50b-21cf-4099-8e2f-c4d869b28bed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hackaday.com/2009/02/16/solar-batteries/comment-page-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980843 | 123 | 2.703125 | 3 |
New UA Mobile Web Site Optimizes Content for Smartphones
November 16th, 2009 - Filed under: Cover Story
As devotees of iPhones, BlackBerrys and other mobile devices can attest, attempting to navigate a Web site using a smartphone is often a much different experience than navigating it using a traditional browser. To continue ongoing efforts to refine and optimize the University’s Web presence for any user, anywhere, the Office of Web Communications has rolled out the new UA Mobile Web site, a custom site and suite of applications that deliver content, services and features to mobile users. Lead developer Matthew Muro and colleagues worked to configure UA’s top-level Web services and content — such as news, events, directories, campus maps, video and more — specifically for smartphones.
“Mobile users are one of the fastest-growing percentages of users of our Web sites. UA Mobile Web is part of a continual effort to make sure that our content is optimized for all users, regardless of the technology they use,” says Andy Rainey, director of Web Communications. According to market research firm ComScore, smartphone usage grew by 63 percent between August 2008 and August 2009 — from 20.7 million mobile subscribers to 33.7 million. The upward trend, Rainey says, holds true for UA’s Web audience as well. “Our approach is always to focus on accessibility and usability, and we feel this removes another barrier to accessing important University resources,” he says. “We’re working to maximize the ways technology can deliver our content to users.”
As the capabilities of mobile devices have expanded, the popularity of mobile Web sites and applications has grown rapidly. UA Mobile Web is accessible to any mobile device with Internet access, and does not require users to download any software. “It’s a Web site that is optimized for the mobile experience for all audiences,” Rainey says.
UA Mobile Web is accessible via a link from the UA home page, www.ua.edu, or directly at http://m.ua.edu. However, visitors who navigate to the home page from a smartphone don’t even need to take those extra steps — they’re automatically redirected to the appropriate mobile version for their device. The Web Communications team has developed separate versions tailored for the iPhone and for other platforms such as the BlackBerry, Android and Windows Mobile. If they choose, users can also link to the full UA home page, as it appears in a Web browser, through the mobile site.
Although some elements work better with certain devices — video, for example, is compatible with an iPhone and newer smartphones, but not well supported on older models — mobile users will have a quick, streamlined avenue for locating the types of content they’re most likely to need on the go (contact information, maps and so forth). “We prioritized the first wave of mobile-optimized features based on some of the most popular and useful content on our Web site,” Rainey says. Ultimately, users still can drill down into UA Mobile Web to access all content that appears on the University’s home page and family of sites.
Currently, the mobile site is in its beta (or initial release) version, but the Web Communications team plans to expand its functionality, deepen its reach and diversify its content as the site becomes more established. Because the Office of Web Communications manages only UA’s institutional Web pages, Rainey encourages interested colleges, departments and divisions to create mobile sites of their own that will complement UA Mobile Web. “We anticipate that other areas of campus will have interest in building their own mobile sites, and we will certainly work with them to integrate those into UA Mobile Web,” he says.
News & Media
- UA News
- Research Magazine
- Video Newsroom
- UA in the News
- UA Student News
- UA Events Calendar
- Experts Directory | <urn:uuid:a8d47d85-a955-4ce9-834e-08eee91e34f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dialog.ua.edu/2009/11/new-ua-mobile-web-site-optimizes-content-for-smartphones/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91723 | 810 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Readers of this site are familiar with various efforts by UCAR and UCAR personnel to discredit us, ranging from the April 6, 2005 presentation in Washington by Ammann, Bradley and Crowley discussed here , the long-standing effort by Ammann and Wahl to discredit us leading to the UCAR press release of May 11, 2005, announcing the submission of two papers (and their subsequent failure to report the GRL rejection), the use of UCAR’s press release by Mann, Houghton and others in evidence to Congress, the outrageous remarks to ES&T by UCAR scientists Trenberth and Mahlman, etc. etc.
It has obviously not escaped my attention that two of the proposed NAS panelists are from UCAR – something which I’m uneasy about To make matters worse, it turns out that one of the two panelists, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Deputy Section Head, Climate Change Research, is actually Caspar Ammann’s boss, shown (left) in a pastoral photo below and has co-authored many presentations with Ammann. The other, Doug Nychka, has co-authored with Ammann and is listed on one of Ammann’s webpages as a current collaborator not only with Ammann, but with Mann.
Paleoclimate Modeling Group, Climate Change Research Section, National Center for Atmospheric Research
They all look like nice people, but that’s not the question. It turns out that NAS has some quite nuanced policies about panel composition and balance and it seems inconceivable to me that these Ammann collaborators meet either the letter or spirit of NAS policies. There are 14 days left for feedback to NAS on these appointments and I hope that some of you will avail yourselves of this opportunity – feedback form here.
The 1997 Act of Congress
If you can imagine, in 1997, Congress actually passed a law setting out explicit requirements for committees empanelled by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Public Administration. I don’t know what the back story is for this particular legislation, but somebody must have got cross-eyed with the academies. The relevant section is shown below:
Section 15. Requirements Relating to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Public Administration
(a) An agency may not use any advice or recommendations provided by the National Academy of Sciences or National Academy of Public Administration that was developed by use of a committee created by that academy under an agreement with the agency, unless –
(2) in the case of a committee created after the date of the enactment of the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 1997, the membership of the committee was appointed in accordance with the requirements described in subsection (b)(1); and
(b) The requirements referred to in subsection (a) are as follows:
(1) The Academy shall determine and provide public notice of the names and brief biographies of individuals that the Academy appoints or intends to appoint to serve on the committee. The Academy shall determine and provide a reasonable opportunity for the public to comment on such appointments before they are made or, if the Academy determines such prior comment is not practicable, in the period immediately following the appointments. The Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that
(A) no individual appointed to serve on the committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable,
(B) the committee membership is fairly balanced as determined by the Academy to be appropriate for the functions to be performed,..
Pursuant to this legislation, NAS adopted a detailed policy on Committee Composition and Balance, here (of which I provide an excerpt). (Update: This policy is also described in a NAS brochure here)
They sensibly recognize that, in intellectual matters, problems are as likely to arise from "lack of objectivity" and "bias", which they define in intellectual terms and distinguish from "conflict of interest" defined in economic terms.
They make the following sensible observations about appointing panels:
Yet, if a report is to be not only sound but also effective as measured by its acceptance in quarters where it should be influential, the report must be, and must be perceived to be, not only highly competent but also the result of a process that is fairly balanced in terms of the knowledge, experience, and perspectives utilized to produce it and free of any significant conflict of interest. Conclusions by fully competent committees can be undermined by allegations of conflict of interest or lack of balance and objectivity….
Here’s the entire section on Committee Composition and Balance:
Questions of Committee Composition and Balance
All individuals selected to serve on committees to be used by the institution in the development of reports must be highly qualified in terms of knowledge, training, and experience — often highly specialized and particularized — to properly address the tasks assigned to the committee. The institution identifies such individuals by drawing upon a vast network of national and international contacts and resources, including in particular the distinguished memberships of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, as well as thousands of other highly qualified scientists, engineers, public health professionals, and others who have contributed their talents and services to the national interest through the National Research Council.
Suggestions of potential committee members may also come from sponsors, from groups that have an interest in the underlying subject matter of a particular study, from professionals with knowledge and expertise in relevant disciplines who have an interest in the scientific and technical questions to be addressed, and from members of the general public who may have a special interest or concern regarding a particular study or the underlying issues involved in the study. In every case, the assessment of the qualifications of potential candidates for committee membership and the final determination of the individuals to be selected for membership on a committee rest solely with the institution.
Individual qualifications are not the only determinant in this process. Having a committee of highly qualified and capable individuals is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. It is also essential that the knowledge, experience, and perspectives of potential committee members be thoughtfully and carefully assessed and balanced in terms of the subtleties and complexities of the particular scientific, technical, and other issues to be addressed and the functions to be performed by the committee. For example, if a particular study requires the expertise of microbiologists, epidemiologists, statistical experts, and others with broader public health expertise, the significant omission of any required discipline from the committee might seriously compromise the quality of the committee’s analysis and judgments, even though it is clear to all that the committee is composed of highly qualified and distinguished individuals. Even within a particular discipline, there may be very important differences and distinctions within the field, or regarding the particular subject matter to be addressed, that require careful consideration in the committee composition and appointment process.
The assessment of the necessary perspectives required for a particular study committee may also involve considerations that go beyond specific disciplinary scientific or technical concerns. For some studies, for example, it may be important to have an "industrial" perspective or an "environmental" perspective. This is not because such individuals are "representatives" of industrial or environmental interests, because no one is appointed by the institution to a study committee to represent a particular point of view or special interest.
Rather it is because such individuals, through their particular knowledge and experience, are often vital to achieving an informed, comprehensive, and authoritative understanding and analysis of the specific problems and potential solutions to be considered by the committee.Finally, it is essential that the work of committees that are used by the institution in the development of reports not be compromised by issues of bias and lack of objectivity. (Questions of conflict of interest are separately addressed below.) Questions of lack of objectivity and bias ordinarily relate to views stated or positions taken that are largely intellectually motivated or that arise from the close identification or association of an individual with a particular point of view or the positions or perspectives of a particular group.
Potential sources of bias are not necessarily disqualifying for purposes of committee service.
Indeed, it is often necessary, in order to ensure that a committee is fully competent, to appoint members in such a way as to represent a balance of potentially biasing backgrounds or professional or organizational perspectives. For example, an individual may be selected to serve on a committee conducting a broad study of proposed new scientific missions in space, although the individual is a consultant or an employee of an aerospace company that has a general business interest in such matters. Or an individual may be selected to serve on a committee conducting a general study of research alternatives and funding priorities and opportunities in a particular scientific field, although the individual is a faculty member or research scientist at an institution that conducts research in that field. In either case, while the factual circumstances might suggest the existence of a possible bias, this would not ordinarily disqualify an individual from service but would be a factor to be taken into account by the institution in the overall composition of the committee. Some potential sources of bias, however, may be so substantial that they preclude committee service (e.g., where one is totally committed to a particular point of view and unwilling, or reasonably perceived to be unwilling, to consider other perspectives or relevant evidence to the contrary).
The policy on Composition and Balance has a nuanced discussion of conflicts and biases, recognizing that conflicts and bias may be unavoidable in some circumstances. But Ammann’s boss and collaborator? Please. I was also interested in the very nuanced discussion of balance in the policy. I talked to the secretary of the panel last Friday about the seeming under-representation of expertise in topics like spurious regression and replication, suggesting that cross-expertise from the economics area would be relevant. The secretary was very nice, but his main position was that the panelists were all distinguished people and that I should direct them to any literature that I thought would be relevant. I’m not sure what I expected in this type of exchange; you’re always going to get Sir Humphrey-ed (and that’s not a knock on the secretary, it’s the nature of the job).
On the other hand, it does seem that NAS does have a pretty good policy on Committee Composition and Balance. It is hard to see how Nychka and Otto-Bliesner meet either the spirit or the letter of the policy. Anyway, the policy seems to at least provide a wedge for protesting their appointment.
With its report, NAS has to certify that they have complied with section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act:
In accordance with Section 15 of FACA, the Academy shall submit to the government sponsor(s) following delivery of each applicable report a certification that the policies and procedures of the Academy that implement Section 15 of FACA have been substantially complied with in the performance of the grant with respect to the applicable report.
Might as well make them think a little about it. There’s 14 days left for feedback – so anyone wishing to comment on these appointments, please do so at NAS here.
Ammann, C., J.T. Kiehl, Zender, C.S., B.L. Otto-Bliesner, and R.S. Bradley, in revision: Coupled Climate Simulations of the 20th-Century including External Forcing. J. Climate. http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/ccr/ammann/CSENT/publications.html
Ammann webpage http://www.assessment.ucar.edu/paleo/past_stationarity.html: Team/Collaborators: E. Wahl, C. Ammann (NCAR), N. Graham (Scripps and HRC), D. Nychka (NCAR), M.E. Mann (University of Virginia)
Oh, H.-S., C.M. Ammann, P. Naveau, D. Nychka, and B.L. Otto-Bliesner, 2003: Multi-resolution time series analysis applied to solar irradiance and climate reconstructions. J. Atmosph. Sol-Terr. Phys. 65, 191-201.
Ammann, C.M., P. Naveau, H.-S. Oh, F. Joos, S. Gerber, D.S. Schimel, and B.L. Otto-Bliesner, 2003: Multi-resolution methods for extracting fingerprints of external forcing during the last Millennium from model and proxy data. IUGG, Sapporo, Japan, Session MC14 invited presentation.
Ammann, C.M., and B.L. Otto-Bliesner, 2003: Climate impact from explosive volcanism during the late Maunder Minimum, 1675-1704 AD: Volcanic punches for Europe? IUGG, Sapporo, Japan, Session JSV02.
Otto-Bliesner B.L., E.C. Brady, C.M. Ammann, 2003: Tropical Pacific mean climate and ENSO variability over the last glacial-interglacial cycle. International Conference on Earth System Modelling, Hamburg.
Ammann C.M., B.L. Otto-Bliesner, J.T. Kiehl, W.M. Washington, 2002: Long-term Influence of Explosive Volcanism. A Model – Data Intercomparison. Poster at Chapman Conference on "Volcanos and the Earth’s Atmosphere, Santorini, Greece. http://www.agu.org/meetings/cc02babstracts/Amman-p.pdf
Ammann C.M., B.L. Otto-Bliesner, J.T. Kiehl, R.S. Bradley, 2002: Krakatau: Problems with the Reference Eruption. Poster at Chapman Conference on "Volcanos and the Earth’s Atmosphere, Santorini, Greece.
Otto-Bliesner and Ammann, together with Bradley, are on the Paleoenvironmental Arctic Sciences (PARCS) Steering Committee. http://siempre.arcus.org/4DACTION/wi_survey_authorResponse/736ARCSS Program NCAR | <urn:uuid:d8d4ac2d-650e-4418-ab5e-53b781439cf9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://climateaudit.org/2006/02/14/ucar-and-the-nas-panel/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=e5382928c8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936856 | 2,950 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Now the Arab Spring has entered a different stage. Dictators have been ousted. They have been replaced with governments that represent the majority of the people. But problems linger and they have even multiplied and become exacerbated. The worsening performance of the Tunisian and Egyptian economies is the most important indicator of aggravating problems. The opposition is not satisfied and new alliances and groupings are being formed. Muslim societies are searching for ways to live in harmony with democracy, to which they are not accustomed. Profound social discontent and complaints from social groups represented in the government produce a harsh opposition. Direct democracy itself is facing big tremors.
Commentators have already started to talk about the long winter awaiting the Arab Spring in its young age. That democratically elected governments are accused of being “dictatorships of the majority” and that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has come to be referred to as “pharaoh,” “dictators” and even “Hitler” is proof that there is an ongoing disagreement as to the basic principles of democracy.
Neither ruling governments nor opposition parties have been able to internalize democracy. The opposition is raising objections to the mandate the public gave to the ruling party and is proceeding to render the administration dysfunctional. The ruling governments, on the other hand, assume their mandate is unrestricted in introducing new rules. The contention is essentially about how the new rules of the political system will be set. Tunisia and Egypt are drafting their constitutions. The first round of the referendum on the new constitution has been concluded. In Tunisia, the debate on the new constitutions is under way. Unlike them, the Islamists of Turkey, who have been in power for 10 years, do not appear to be in any hurry. The reason why the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) of Egypt is in a hurry compared to the languor of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) of Turkey gives us hints about the main reason for the contention.
With its effort to draft a new constitution, Egypt is actually seeing a power struggle. The constitution is one of the main weapons in this struggle. By drafting a new constitution, the Morsi administration is trying to inhibit the old regime, which is watching for an opportunity to stage a comeback. Tunisia, too, seems to be in a hurry in this regard. But in Turkey, such a threat has already been averted completely, and therefore Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is resting his oars before proceeding with the constitution. The difference between making a constitution and waging a political struggle explains the difference between the conditions of Egypt and Tunisia, and Turkey. Yet the ruling governments in these three countries face the same aspersion from the opposition: establishing a dictatorship of the majority.
“A dictatorship of the majority” is one of the oldest criticisms frequently voiced against democracy. Democracy does not consist only of majority rule. It is essential that the powers and authorities of the government be restricted with rules with respect to the minority. This is called a constitutional democracy. The only way to inhibit dictatorship and arbitrariness is to restrict the administrative powers and authorities of the governments that are elected to office in the Arab lands via constitutional rules. And the whole contention is about what these restrictive rules should be. As they attempt to set these new rules, the MB and Tunisia’s Ennahda fear the risk of the resurrection of the old regime and losing their power.
The rule by majority is in effect rule by the poor. The religious/conservative majority gives Islamists the governmental mandate in order to get rid of poverty. The opposition, on the other hand, still maintains its power over the economy and, therefore, tries to preserve its wealth. The Arab Spring is proceeding with the tough quarrels between the Islamists, who have secured the political power thanks to majority support, and the opposition, which obtained economic power during the dictatorship era and is now trying to preserve it. | <urn:uuid:62f59e0e-83ba-4d88-b4f7-a4aca0d515d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.todayszaman.com/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=301420&columnistId=57 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965468 | 791 | 2.25 | 2 |
Thanksgiving Day marked an abrupt change of season from fall to winter in northern Minnesota. Thanksgiving morning was beautiful and sunny with temperatures reaching 50 °F (10 °C) by early afternoon. As the day progressed, a cold front with gusty winds and snow moved in, dropping the temperatures overnight by 30 °F.
I used a photo from Thanksgiving weekend to respond to the recent “Thankful” theme and found myself returning to photos from that weekend for the “Changing Seasons” theme, as well. While walking along the lakeshore near our cabin, I came across this scene in the crevice of an old cedar tree. A single, crispy leaf tucked away as a remnant of autumn, next to an old beetle shell from summer, mixed with the fresh snow of the impending formal change to winter – nature’s display box of the three seasons. This cedar tree had no room for a symbol of spring — in Minnesota, that is the start of road construction season!
To read how you can participate in the Daily Post’s “Weekly Photo Challenge” and to see other responses to this week’s theme of “Changing Seasons,” click here.
Ciao! ~ Kat | <urn:uuid:8e97bc6e-f8a2-4263-8f64-fbceac724db5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://travelgardeneat.com/2012/12/07/weekly-photo-challenge-changing-seasons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940357 | 255 | 1.84375 | 2 |
By Jules Pieri (Founder & CEO, Daily Grommet)
I spent Friday in a classroom at Harvard Business School, speaking at three sections of a “Founders’ Dilemmas” class. I was on a panel that included two other entrepreneurs and a founder-turned-venture capitalist. We spent the day energetically answering pre-submitted student questions.
About a third of the queries related to personal stuff and work-life balance as an entrepreneur. A small subset of these questions were directed at me as a female CEO. About 40% of the students in the room were women.
I dread these questions.
If I complain, I look like a whiner. And I might discourage other women from trying.
If I don’t complain, I am a liar.
Here’s an example of being between a rock and a hard place. I told one class that the hardest part of being a female entrepreneur is raising capital. Only 4-9% of venture capital goes to women-led ventures. Under 10% of venture capitalists are women. There is an obvious correlation. (In my own travels I have only met four senior women at venture capital firms, versus dozens of men.)
But the venture capitalist next to me strongly objected saying “That does not square with my experience. We always fund the best teams, with no bias.” He’s a consumer-focused investor, so I have to assume he gets pitched by a lot of women. When I got home and looked at his company website, I saw that his entire investing team was male, as was the vast, vast majority of his funded executive teams. But he genuinely believes he is gender neutral. How can this be?
More importantly, why is this the case?
In my own career, I did not perceive significant gender bias in any of the giant technology and consumer products companies where I worked. Well, there was one exception, but it is ancient history. The board room and C-suites were still behind the times, but I was treated fairly and perceived that my employers were genuinely trying to create equal opportunity.
I had a strong female mentor (Meg Whitman). I climbed fast and got where I needed to go in three of the four companies. (I left the “bad” one pretty quickly–my first employer. It was bigger than me, and even as a fresh grad I could see that it would be a losing battle for any woman to succeed there. Among its 60,000 employees, there was literally only one senior woman and she cut a very lonely and unenviable picture in her drab grey wool suits and floppy bow tie shirts.) Bottom line, it’s slow progress, but I generally experienced a meritocracy in my corporate career and I have no axe to grind about my experiences.
Fast forward to today, and my startup life. While the entrepreneurs I meet are vibrant, open-minded and diverse, it often feels like a 1969 office scene when you visit a venture capitalist in their native environment. The offices are swish and modern, but the workforce looks like the cast from Mad Men, diversity-wise. The only women you see moving along the corridors are serving admin roles (ie. coffee), or they are 26-year-old associates who are just passing through.
One venture capitalist I visited made me seriously question my ambition to fund a startup. He was friendly enough. But the office walls were covered with endless pictures of all-male startup teams, and after hearing my pitch he asked, with a vapid grin, “So do you work out of your home?” I had 15 employees. I had impressive angel investors backing me. This was my third startup experience. Seriously? Did I work out of my HOME? And this is a relatively young venture caitalist, so he gets no free pass for being over the hill.
Women admittedly are not fully represented among the teams pitching for funding. That is not the fault of the venture capital industry. But they are certainly showing up far more than 4% of the time. What gives?
I think it is really simple. Startups are hand-to-hand combat. As a venture capitalist, you are fighting against very tough odds. You are not thinking of the niceties, like discrimination policies or beefing up your recruiting efforts to get women. Your limbic instincts kick in and studies have shown that gender bias is really deeply seated, far more than racial bias. It originates from pre-historic days when, for men, only other men were your obvious competition for food, mates, territory. Women were no threat on any of those fronts. Being a threat means being taken seriously, for better or worse.
So for a man, who is worried about a startup’s fierce fight for survival, who is worried about losing his partners’ money and his reputation as an investor, and is aware of all the massive hurdles in front of the entrepreneur, he can’t help but have some of those deep instincts kick in. He’s not investing to be “fair” or change society, or advance women—nor should he. Rather, he is there to use his best judgment while investing to win. He has to work on his keenly-honed instincts and pattern recognition.
When he decides to sponsor a potential investment, he has to defend this startup CEO to a room full of other men. The vast majority of successful CEO’s those venture capitalist partners know are men. All things being equal, they like to invest in people who already made them money. Second best are entrepreneurs who LOOK like previous winners. That is, men.
It’s a vicious cycle. That doesn’t make venture capitalist’s evil. It makes them human, flawed, and normal (even when they throw their math skills out the window and claim that having a portfolio in which women-led companies make-up a tiny percentage is “gender-neutral.”)
We just need more human, flawed, normal women at the venture capitalist partner table. That’s the problem that needs to be solved. Yesterday.
This post was originally posted at Jules Pieri’s blog.
Women 2.0 readers: How can we improve the funding situation for women seeking venture capital? Let us know in the comments!
About the guest blogger: Jules Pieri is the Founder and CEO of Daily Grommet. The birthplace of citizen commerce, Daily Grommet launches undiscovered consumer products and help them succeed. She is also an industrial designer and a mother based in Boston. Daily Grommet is Jules’ third startup. She is the first industrial designer to get a Harvard MBA, where she will be an Entrepreneur in Residence for the 2012-2013 academic year. Follow her on Twitter at @julespieri. | <urn:uuid:d3f2c938-0a56-48cf-9847-47297bddb12f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.women2.com/visit-a-vc-and-party-like-its-1969/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975324 | 1,426 | 1.507813 | 2 |
To Obama, however, as for President George W. Bush, such concerns are a distraction at best. Last year the Education Department’s civil rights division announced that it would investigate local school policies that have a “disparate impact” on poor or minority students — signaling a willingness to go to court if department officials think that school systems have too few of such children in gifted programs or Advanced Placement courses. This bit of social engineering ignores the unseemly reality that advantaged children are statistically more likely to be ready to succeed in tough classes than are low-income children raised in households with fewer books and more television.
The result is a well-intended but misguided crusade to solve via administrative fiat the United States’ long-standing achievement gap: the dramatic differences in test scores between white and minority students and between middle-class and poor youngsters. The message to schools was unmistakable: Get more poor and minority children into your advanced courses or risk legal action by Uncle Sam.
Then, in September, the president offered states and school districts flexibility around onerous provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act — linked to certain conditions. Among these: States must explain how they are going to move more students into “challenging” courses. The effect will be yet another push to dilute high-level classes.
The goal of helping more young people succeed in challenging coursework is laudable. But pushing ill-prepared students into tougher classes without adequate preparation isn’t doing anyone any favors.
Indeed, the administration’s strategy has been tried. Nationally, the number of graduates who had taken Advanced Placement exams rose from 1 million students in 2003 to 1.6 million in 2008. In a 2009 study of AP teachers, just 14 percent of educators said that the growth stemmed from an increase in the pool of qualified students. Half of the AP teachers in high-poverty schools said that their African American and Hispanic students were not prepared for AP instruction. Fifty-six percent said that too many students were in over their heads, with adverse consequences for those students and their better-prepared classmates.
Our single-minded focus on closing achievement gaps has almost certainly hurt our top students. In 1996, Rand Corp. scholars determined that low-achieving pupils benefit when placed in mixed-ability classrooms, faring about five percentage points better than those placed in lower-track classes, but that high-achievers score six percentage points worse in such general classes.
In 2008, six years after No Child Left Behind became law, a survey of teachers found 60 percent saying that struggling students were a “top priority” at their schools, while just 23 percent said the same of “academically advanced” students. Eighty percent said that struggling students were most likely to get one-on-one attention from teachers; only 5 percent said the same of advanced students.
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the Northwest Evaluation Association released a study in September that tracked more than 100,000 high-achieving pupils over time and found that more than one-third lost steam as they progressed through school. The Brookings Institution’s Tom Loveless has reported that, while the nation’s lowest-achieving students made significant gains in reading and math between 2000 and 2007, top students’ gains were “anemic.”
There are trade-offs here. But the possibility that what’s best for our worst-off students is bad for high achievers is blithely ignored by the Obama team and many other school reformers. (To be fair, it was ignored by the Bush team, too.) Advocates with a single-minded focus on closing achievement gaps have insisted that what’s good for the neediest kids is best for all kids. Those who question this mantra risk being labeled racist.
It’s not like we can afford to coast. Just 6 percent of U.S. eighth-graders scored “advanced” on the 2007 international Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessment, while many nations fared at least twice that well.
Implemented thoughtfully, a commitment to getting more students into advanced classes is an objective worthy of a great nation. But it’s not going to happen overnight — not without defining “excellence” down.
At this very moment, millions of high-achievers are waiting to be challenged. Meeting their needs is another objective worthy of a great nation. They deserve our encouragement, not our indifference.
Michael J. Petrilli is executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and author of “Our Achievement-Gap Mania,” an article published in the journal National Affairs’ Fall 2011 edition. | <urn:uuid:8bc5a0e1-b813-45f0-a7db-8ead9edbc3b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/closing-the-achievement-gap-but-at-gifted-students-expense/2011/11/21/gIQAe76ywO_story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963675 | 999 | 2.984375 | 3 |
With all the problems Jimmy Carter faced that year, it's hardly surprising that he was soundly beaten by Republican challenger Ronald Reagan in the presidential election of 1980. What is remarkable is that just a week before Election Day, the contest was a dead heat. "People think of the 1980 election as this huge landslide for Reagan, which in terms of the numbers, it was," remembers journalist Elizabeth Drew. "But I saw the numbers on the Friday before the election -- and both sides will tell you this -- it was a tie."
The Incumbent's Problems
That fact is hard to believe, given Reagan's strengths and all the problems Carter was facing. The economy was in bad shape, with inflation and interest rates climbing at alarming rates. Tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were high in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which had forced Carter to table one of his hardest-won achievements, the SALT II arms control agreement.
The president had even been forced to fight for control of his own party. A bitter primary battle in the winter and spring against Senator Ted Kennedy, the candidate of the strong liberal wing of the Democratic party, left the party divided and Carter without a strong base going into the general election. "It was a bloodbath," recounts Carter pollster Patrick Caddell. "We have had a civil war in the party, and civil wars do not mend nicely. And that's what we had. A civil war between the northern and the southern wings of the Democratic Party."
A Formidable Opponent
Carter would need all the help he could get against Ronald Reagan, who seemed as if he had been sent from Central Casting to highlight the incumbent's weaknesses. If Carter seemed mired in details, Reagan stuck to the big picture; where Carter emphasized a more humble approach to foreign policy, Reagan was bellicose; Carter preached fiscal discipline, while the Republican promised magic through "trickle-down" economics; and while Carter talked about an age of limits, Reagan preached a gospel of unlimited optimism. "People, myself included, underestimated Reagan, " admits longtime Democrat and civil rights activist Roger Wilkins. "Those of us who were not Californians had not really seen him develop his political skills in Sacramento. Reagan was, for all his limitations, a very formidable fellow, [and he was] the combination of his beliefs, which were not numerous but they were clear, and his acting skills really made people sit up and say, 'This guy means and believes what he's saying.'"
The Political Impact of the Hostage Crisis
Perhaps the most damaging problem of all for Carter was the situation in Iran, where 53 Americans had been held hostage by Islamic militants loyal to the Ayatollah Khomeini since the previous November. Though Carter continued to search every conceivable avenue for a negotiated resolution, Americans had grown increasingly frustrated with the president after a failed rescue attempt in April. "Fairly or not, [the hostage crisis] came to symbolize the question of whether Carter was a leader, whether he was competent, whether he was strong," says Elizabeth Drew. "In some ways this was unfair. It happened. Things happen on presidential watches. In the end, though, it undid him."
Carter also fell victim to his own "Rose Garden" strategy, formulated in the early months of the crisis, which kept him from actively campaigning while the hostages were being held. "Dad could not be the Jimmy Carter that's so good in a small audience," Chip Carter remembers, "the one that really looks you in the eye and brings you on his side, just by his body language and knowing that he really cares about you. It was very difficult to project that from the White House."
Without a strong record to run on, the Carter team decided its only chance was to go after Ronald Reagan, painting him as a wild-eyed conservative ideologue who could not be trusted to maintain the peace. With the help of several gaffes from Reagan, the strategy worked, and by October the race was too close to call. Why, then, the landslide for Reagan? What happened in those final days?
The Candidates Debate
First, there was the one and only televised debate between the two candidates on October 28 in Cleveland, Ohio. Ironically, the Carter campaign had pursued a debate with Reagan because they thought it would give the president a chance to display his great command of complex issues, and that Reagan might stumble or look confused. Only when the Reagan camp saw how tight the race was did they agree to debate at all.
They were glad they did. Rather than sounding dangerous or overwhelmed, Reagan calmly brushed aside Carter's attacks, shaking his head and saying, "There you go again." As Carter speechwriter and journalist Hendrik Hertzberg put it, "When people realized that they could get rid of Carter and still not destroy the world, they went ahead and did it." And in his closing statement, Reagan brilliantly framed the election in his favor: "It might be well if you ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago?" If so, he said, vote for four more years of Carter; if not, "I could suggest another choice that you have."
The "October Surprise" That Wasn't
A second likely factor in the dramatic shift was that voters realized that there would be no "October Surprise," as the Republicans feared, in which Carter managed to free the hostages and ride a wave of relief and goodwill to a second term. Instead, in a cruel accident of fate, the election coincided with the one year anniversary of the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran. As Hertzberg explains, "I think what happened was that people finally realized that it really wasn't going to get any better, that the hostages probably weren't going to get released, and if they were released, it would be so close to the election that it would look like some kind of suspicious political something-or-other."
In the end, Ronald Reagan won the electoral vote 489 to 49, and enjoyed a 10 percent bulge in the popular vote. Though many call the election the dawn of the "Reagan Revolution," it's clear that the tectonic shift in American politics was well underway during the Carter presidency. "We had an underlying conservative electorate to begin with," remembers Carter's chief domestic policy advisor, Stuart Eizenstat. "The events that occurred over the four-year Carter presidency had reinforced that. Inflation that seemed out of control, a foreign policy that seemed weak because of the hostage crisis... the whole ambience reinforced the conservatism that was already present."
My American Experience
Who was your favorite 20th-century American president? Was it FDR? Kennedy? Reagan? Or one of the other 14 men who helped usher the United Sates through the 1900s? Who do you think was the most influential? | <urn:uuid:4bab6ca2-f38f-4076-95ff-0b3248e118a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/carter-election1980/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985662 | 1,406 | 2.34375 | 2 |
It's looking more and more like the Republicans may take the House of Representatives when the 2010 midterm elections roll around in November. There is even a chance that they could take over the U.S. Senate. Bottom line: It seems certain that they'll hold more seats in Congress.
What could that mean for education policy and spending? Well, for starters, if the GOP takes the House, Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, would likely become chairman of the panel.
Rep. Kline is one of the Big 8 lawmakers the Obama administration is courting in its push to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. He will be a major player on ESEA reauthorization no matter what happens in the November election.
I interviewed Kline this week about his priorities and where his caucus stands. Kline declined to answer any questions based on the premise that he could be leading the education committee come January. He told me that would be putting the cart before the horse, since the election is nearly two months away. He was, however, willing to discuss some top education policy issues.
Kline casts a wary eye on the federal role in championing the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The effort, which resulted in the creation of reading and mathematics standards that so far have been adopted by nearly 40 states, was state-led, through the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association. Kline said he has no problem with, say, Minnesota and Wisconsin, getting together and coming up with their own set of more rigorous standards. But the federal incentives for adopting the standards make him—and many of his fellow House Republicans—uneasy.
What exactly were those? States that competed for a slice of the federal Race to the Top Fund got extra points for their participation in the common standards effort. And U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has proposed tying the Title I grants given to districts to help disadvantaged students to states' adoption of either the common core standards, or to college- and career-ready standards developed with state institutions of higher education.
"We're watching this very closely," Rep. Kline said. "If we are, in fact, putting in a de facto national curriculum, my caucus will rebel. I'm very leery when [the action] shifts over to the U.S. Department of Education providing either rewards or punishment" for adopting certain standards. "That's dangerous," he said.
He's equally skeptical of the administration's $350 million program aimed at helping states develop common, richer assessments. He wants to ensure that it doesn't become a situation in which the Education Department is involved in creating the tests.
"That's not our job," he said. "If you're starting to put the federal government in charge of assessments, standards you're moving in a way that I don't think Americans want."
The Obama administration also asked for $1.35 billion in the fiscal 2011 budget to continue the Race to the Top program for an additional year and extend it to districts, but Kline wouldn't support that. He thinks the program was too rigid and imposed federal policy preferences on states.
"If you look at Race to the Top, there were over 100 boxes" states had to consider, Kline said. "That's not exactly more flexibility. ... This is the U.S. Department of Education, putting [out its] view of what needs to be done. ... It's not the states deciding. It's not local control." Instead of more money for Race to the Top, he said, "what we need is a good reauthorization" of ESEA.
He also said the process for determining who got the funding in the Race to the Top competition "included some subjectivity." And he's not pleased that the grading scale "gave more weight to teacher union buy-in than a good charter school law."
Over the summer, Kline's staff has been working with staff members from the office of Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, on ESEA renewal, although he pointed out that the legislative calendar leaves very little time to move a bill.
In the meantime, Kline—who wasn't in Congress when the current version of the ESEA, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, was passed—has been talking to superintendents and administrators in his district to get their views on ESEA. So far, he hasn't heard a giant groundswell of support for the administration's blueprint for renewing the law, released back in March, he said.
"They're frankly not real thrilled with the blueprint," Kline said. Although educators in his district want to see a fix for NCLB, there are "objections to anything ... that comes in and tells them how to do their job. ... One of the things that we've been insisting on is that we have to make it simpler, easier to comply with and more flexible, therefore putting some meaning back into local control."
Kline, who voted against both the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the recent edujobs bill, doesn't think more fiscal stabilization funding for states is the right way to go. But there is an area he'd like to see the feds target for increases: special education.
"I would not expect that there would be more bailouts and more stimulus. Look at the economic mess that we're in" despite the spending, he said. But he said that increasing federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would give school districts some stability in what is often a costly area.
Kline also thinks Congress should be doing more oversight of the administration, including over how the federal stimulus money was spent.
Still, Kline said there are areas on which he and Secretary Duncan agree, including the need to expand the number of high-quality charter schools and the need to "break the tenure stranglehold that the teachers unions have had all across the country. ... We both agree that we need some way to remove the bad teachers and reward the good teachers."
I asked about his working relationships with Secretary Duncan and Rep. Miller. Kline gave Duncan high marks for ensuring that initial talks on ESEA renewal have been bipartisan.
"I think it's been a good relationship" with Secretary Duncan, Kline said. "I have said repeatedly that I'm very appreciative of Secretary Duncan's approach ... He was the one who pushed for the first, second, and third Big 8 meetings ... I am appreciative of that."
And he said that Rep. Miller "forthright and forthcoming" on ESEA. "We both understand that we're going to have work together on this." | <urn:uuid:bd096a49-f528-435e-ad5a-6a1c67c6d739> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2010/09/top_education_repubican_in_us.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979948 | 1,389 | 1.84375 | 2 |
most of us want to realize the dream of having a nice skin by means of
some practices and some of us have it naturally. And when our these
practices leads to negative results rather then giving us the expected
ones then the question arises now what happened with our skin. What
wrong thing we have used for our skin? And the answer to this very much
obvious question is the artificial beauty products that we all use to
get an attractive and charming skin.
skin can also become red and blotchy if the cosmetics and beauty
products that are being used by us are not of good quality and even
sometimes the regular use of high quality products also become a
cause of problem as they all are made up of chemicals. So to
avoid the negative effects caused by these products, it is always
advisable to choose natural skin care over the cosmetics etc to get
There are various methods and products which can be easily prepared at
home to take a good care of the sensitive skin.
One should go for almond and jojoba oil to cleanse the face. One can
also use fruits in making the homemade facial mask. Mixture of oatmeal
and grapes helps as exfoliating cream. To prevent the skin from allergy
or from any kind of skin reaction one can directly use aloe-Vera for the
skin. While going for
any sensitive skin care product available
in the market, it should be checked that it does not contain any kind of
chemical. A healthy natural organic product will contain oils mostly
like sandalwood, lavender, olive and tea tree oil and should lack
artificial colors and fragrances.
know that to get healthy we should eat healthy first. So the first
thing we should keep in our minds is that only vegetables, fruits
and obviously a lot of water if included in our diet, can give us a
youthful skin from inside and outside too.
Eating habits affect our skin very much and itís true for all types
of skin. So itís better to avoid oily and spicy foodstuff which can
cause negative effects on sensitive skin specially. And better to
use natural products rather than using the artificial ones to
protect your skin from some negative effects. The best season
of the year is considered to be summer as the weather is quite warm
and the days are really long. However, summertime could also give
rise to oily skin, breakouts and blackheads.
making some alteration in the routine of your skin care, you could
maintain your skin quiet well and it will appear to be fresh and
look great all through the summer. | <urn:uuid:be8b911a-4f29-4d0d-badc-3686a3bec8f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://saygeneral.com/beauty/Skin-Care.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943281 | 548 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Here Comes the Sun
3HO Winter Solstice Sadhana - A Dedicated Email
The Ancient Sumerians, Gnostic Christians, and many other spiritual communities share a common relationship in their understanding of the importance of Winter Solstice. At this time of year, when the days are shortest, these peoples came together to pray and celebrate the coming of the sun (or Son) for the next year, providing all with warmth, light and a bountiful harvest.
Renowned Master of Kundalini Yoga, Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, known to all as Yogi Bhajan,
also recognized the transformative power of this catalytic time in the
earth's calendar. For the last 40 years those seeking healing and
spiritual community have come together to partake in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®, a cleansing
diet, selfless service, uplifting music, as well as participation in 3
days of White Tantric Yoga®,
perhaps the most powerful and life-changing meditative practice on
earth. In doing so, thousands have nurtured their higher selves,
bringing peace with them to share with their families during the
holidays and beyond.
Join us in Lake Wales, Florida for Winter Solstice Sadhana and meet a bounty of bright and beautiful souls. You'll make connections that last a lifetime and start the next year relaxed, refreshed and remarkable.
Sign up for your free Yogamint email, a wealth of healthy tips and treats. | <urn:uuid:5e13ade0-5146-4940-9f01-3342dcbf4065> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yogamint.com/mints-1/here-comes-the-sun?A=WebApp&CCID=5211&Page=27&Items=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935559 | 310 | 1.90625 | 2 |
I still think the original iMac in 1998 was one of the most innovative inventions of our time. There are probably so many people out there whose first time on the internet was on one of these iMacs.
I remember how shocking it was at the time that this computer didn’t have a floppy drive installed in it, and critics blasted Apple for it1. I can see why Apple left them out, in retrospect. I mean, do we really remember how much fit on a floppy disk? Not much, maybe what … four Word documents? Half a PowerPoint presentation? Six .jpg’s? They always screwed up, broke easily, and were damaged easily. Critics complained that people would have to spend extra money for a USB floppy disc drive. Now, thirteen years later, we’re just used to spending a little bit of extra money to store our documents on it, whether it be on a flash drive, or an external hard drive. Or, the very least we have Gmail now, which I used to save my senior thesis on two years ago.
Steve Jobs named the computer “iMac” because, “The ‘i’ in ‘iMac’ signifies, in part, Internet, because Apple is targeting the computer for users who want to get on the Internet simply and fast.2” It seems in the late 90s, following the iMac’s retail debut in August of 1998, any tv show that had a character using the internet, they were using an iMac. I remember the Drew Carey Show always had iMacs on prominent display at both Winfred-Louder, and at his home:
Mimi was the first person on the show to use an iMac.
Also, we can’t forget all the the products that tried to mimic the original Bondi Blue iMac scheme, to the “flavors” that came out in 1999 (orange, strawberry, grape, lime, and blueberry).
Even Rowena Irons had the color scheme:3
Also, there were the hilarious PC knockoffs, such as the eOne from eMachines4 :
Here is an interesting article about the ins and outs of the original iMac. | <urn:uuid:37477d0b-c11f-481b-9197-447e57540d92> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://saleintothe90s.tumblr.com/tagged/apple-computers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974222 | 464 | 2.0625 | 2 |
The following HTML text is provided to enhance online
readability. Many aspects of typography translate only awkwardly to HTML.
Please use the page image
as the authoritative form to ensure accuracy.
Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises
FIGURE 2.2 The accumulation rate of ice in Greenland was low during the Younger Dryas, and both the start and end of the period show as abrupt changes. Modified from Alley et al. (1993).
Ice cores from other sites, including Baffin Island, Canada (Fisher et al., 1995), Huascaran, Peru (Thompson et al., 1995), and Sajama, Bolivia (Thompson et al., 1998), show evidence of a late-glacial reversal that is probably the Younger Dryas, although the age control for these cores is not as accurate as for cores from the large ice sheets. The Byrd Station, Antarctica, ice core and possibly other southern cores (Bender et al., 1994; Blunier and Brook, 2001) indicate a broadly antiphased behavior between the high southern latitudes and much of the rest of the world, with southern warmth during the Younger Dryas interval (see Plate 2). The record from Taylor Dome, Antarctica, a near-coastal site, appears to show a slight cooling during the Younger Dryas, although details of the synchronization with other ice cores remain under discussion (Steig et al., 1998). The Southern Hemisphere records are not comparable with those from central Greenland in time resolution; further coring is planned.
The ice-core records demonstrate that much of the earth was affected simultaneously by the Younger Dryas, typically with cold, dry, windy con- | <urn:uuid:688779c5-e9fb-4902-8d1b-2cef5093f89e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10136&page=28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927714 | 344 | 3.375 | 3 |
(Portland, Ore.) January 12, 2012 – The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Portland State University $3.5 million for research and education on sustainable transportation topics, the department announced today. The Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), the university transportation center based at PSU, will administer the grant.
OTREC, a partnership between PSU, the University of Oregon and the Oregon Institute of Technology, will join with the University of Utah to carry out the grant. This award reaffirms OTREC’s evolution into one of the nation’s leading transportation livability research centers and provides the resources to address national problems strategically.
Research and educational programs under the grant will focus on the following topics:
• Improving health and safety for all users
• Increasing the efficiency and understanding of cycling, walking and transit
• Making the best use of data, performance measures and analytical tools
• Integrating multimodal transportation with land use
• Taking long-term action on transportation emissions and climate change.
PSU was one of 63 applicants for 22 grants. The grant competition challenged university transportation center leaders to demonstrate the ability and experience to produce the country’s best transportation research and educational programs. “In five years, OTREC has advanced the state of research on topics such as the connections between transportation and land use; intelligent transportation systems; and bicycle, pedestrian and transit infrastructure,” said OTREC Director Jennifer Dill. “This award recognizes that work while allowing us to focus deeper on pressing national problems.”
“The U.S. Department of Transportation has recognized the incredible work being done by this University Transportation Center,” said U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio. “In 2005, I designated funds in SAFETEA-LU, a federal surface transportation bill, to create this UTC. Since then, this UTC has been on the cutting edge of transportation innovation and advanced research. This grant will continue the UTC’s work to improve the transportation infrastructure which is vital to our economic competitiveness here in Oregon and across the country.”
The grant ensures that Oregon research will continue to guide national transportation decisions, said U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. “OTREC is an organization that is doing great work around regional planning and creating a vision for our transportation infrastructure’s future,” Merkley said. “This grant will help OTREC continue their important work around livability, environmental sustainability, and safety. I am excited to see the research put forth by the consortium.”
In addition, the grant affirms PSU’s national reputation for integrating livability and sustainability into transportation research and education, university President Wim Wiewel said. “Since its founding in 2006, OTREC has helped solidify Portland State’s status as an elite transportation research institution and boosted our international reputation for leadership in sustainability. I’m thrilled with the new opportunities this grant represents.”
As with current OTREC research, each project under the new grant will require a one-to-one match, doubling the effect of each federal dollar awarded. In recent years, OTREC has worked with nearly 70 partners on projects, including transportation departments, transit districts, metropolitan planning organizations, foundations and private businesses.
Projects under the grant will be awarded competitively and will begin this coming fall. For the first time in this consortium, researchers from the University of Utah can lead projects. “This partnership brings together the best researchers from Oregon and Utah to address the problems that affect us all,” said Associate Professor Keith Bartholomew, UU’s campus leader in the new partnership. “Our expertise in areas such as transit-oriented development and carbon emissions reduction, along with our history of successful and creative public engagement in planning processes, makes our respective states natural partners.”
Information on the USDOT University Transportation Centers program is at http://utc.dot.gov/
More on the grant competition is at http://utc.dot.gov/about/grants_competitions/2011/ | <urn:uuid:e96b4cba-54aa-40da-b3ce-1247c4fe6369> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pdx.edu/news/usdot-awards-psu-35-million-continue-otrec-sustainable-transportation-research-and-programs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933347 | 848 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Many environmentally beneficial technologies require significant up-front investment. This investment will be typically offset, over time, by the environmental benefits, out-of-pocket cost savings, or financial revenues associated with the new technology. There are, however, many circumstances where users are unable to purchase equipment that is financially viable to them or beneficial to the society, simply because they do not have access to the private or government investment funds necessary to install the equipment. To the extent that private entities are not willing to provide funds to implement investments that are financially viable and in addition reduce GHG emissions, they constitute failures of capital and financial markets that must be overcome to reach the level of economic potential. In contrast to private financiers, who are primarily concerned about the risk-adjusted financial return, governments are expected to evaluate desirability of investments in a wider context of the well-being of the whole society, including harms and benefits that some entities impose on others. To the extent that governments are not willing to finance investments that are socially desirable thanks to climate and other environmental benefits, they constitute policy failures that prevents achievement of socioeconomic potential. All these market and policy failures are aggravated in developing countries and low income transition economies, where they interact with poverty and capital constraints.
Notwithstanding the significant potential as a supplier of investment capital for climate-friendly technology transfer, commercial banks thus far have not developed large portfolios of environmental loans (Delphi Int. Ltd. and Ecologic GMBH, 1997). Banks face high up-front cost of developing new, green financial products (e.g., energy-efficiency loans). To bear these costs is often perceived risky by the bankers, given uncertain and policy-dependent future market conditions. Relatively low capital requirements and the long-term cash-flow profile of many climate friendly investments, as well as high transaction costs of servicing large numbers of small and medium-sized projects, further reduce comparative attractiveness of this sector to the commercial banks (Berry, 1995). Technologies such as energy efficiency or public transport often have low collateral value compared to their traditional alternatives, making it difficult for the banks to use some financing instruments such as project finance.
Even if the size of the loan for manufacturing or distributing climate friendly technologies would justify the attention of bankers, the debt carrying capacity of such projects hinges upon the availability of financing for the end users, e.g., households to enable them to purchase those technologies. These down-stream projects most often require completely different financial products, which commercial banks are often not able to offer (e.g., micro-credits or grants to low income households with no assets).
Different energy producers and consumers have varying access to capital in financial markets, and at different rates of interest. In general, energy suppliers can obtain capital at lower interest rates than can energy consumers thus, an interest rate gap. Differences in these borrowing rates may reflect differences in the knowledge base of lenders about the likely performance of investments, as well as the financial risk of the potential borrower. At one extreme, electric and gas utilities are able to borrow money at low interest rates. At the other extreme, low-income households may have essentially no ability to borrow funds, resulting in an essentially infinite discount rate for valuing improvements in energy efficiency. The broader market for energy efficiency (including residential, commercial, and industrial consumers) faces interest rates available for efficiency purchases that are also much higher than the utility cost of capital (Hauseman, 1979; Ruderman et al., 1987; Ross, 1990).
Green Financial Institutions
In response to the difficulties faced by the emerging environmental business sector in accessing traditional financing institutions, such as banks (Asad, 1997), a number of innovative approaches and specialized financial institutions have developed. These include environmental project finance (Stewart, 1993; Shaughnessy, 1995; Davis, 1996), green investment funds, leasing (Carter, 1996), environmental and ethical banks, environmental funds (OECD, 1999b), and energy service companies (ESCOs). Not clearly defined property rights to GHG emitting assets create obstacles to ESCOs and other similar institutions, that invest in the assets of third parties and rely on a contracts with owners to recuperate the return (WB and IFC, 1996). The growth of new green financial institutions hinges upon the long-term market growth prospects for the environmental business sector, which in turn depends fundamentally on the consistent and clear commitment by governments to climate policies (Delphi Int. Ltd. and Ecologic GMBH, 1997). Specific incentives, such as tax allowances, have been shown to stimulate the market penetration by green investment funds in some developed countries (e.g., The Netherlands).
In the last years of the decade sustainable forestry has started to attract private finance. Some new green financial institutions have worked towards capturing values of standing forests through innovative financial mechanisms. Sustainable forestry has provided attractive returns relative to stock markets. Forestry investment funds have typically achieved annualized returns in excess of 14% over the last decade. This was in excess of the returns on the S&P 500 index for the equivalent period (Ecosecurities, 1999). Forestry investments had lower volatility than stock markets, and could provide solid long-term returns. However, to the extent that these involve wood plantation where logging is an important part, the climate benefits are negligible. Managing forests and harvesting their products and services efficiently significantly improves financial return to the standing forests versus logging. The marketable goods and services of forests include pharmaceuticals (Simpson et al., 1996), genetic resources (Rosenthal, 1997), and ecotourism (Panayotou, 1997). An important factor stimulating financial viability of sustainable forestry is the move of government, world business, and consumer demand towards confining wood procurement to environmentally sustainable sources.
Individual and institutional investors send important signals to companies in the pricing of new capital raised by the companies and in on-going valuation of quoted companies. They can also exert direct influence by using their rights as shareholders and owners. The key concern for investors is the relationship between environmental performance and investment performance. Many investors remain unconvinced that the present value of their portfolios may be affected by the future consequences of climate change. They also are not convinced that environmental performance contributes to good financial performance.
There is some empirical evidence, however, that investors do value environmental performance of firms. Dasgupta et al. (1998) showed that capital markets in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and the Philippines reacted positively (increasing the firms market value) to the announcement of rewards and explicit recognition of superior environmental performance. They found capital markets to react negatively (decreasing the firms value) to citizens complaints and to news of adverse environmental incidents (such as spills or violations of permits). Environmental regulators could harness market forces by introducing structured programmes to release firm-specific information about environmental performance, and empower communities and stakeholders through environmental education programmes. Lanoie et al. (1997) arrived at similar conclusions, drawing on evidence from American and Canadian studies.
The potential of the insurance sector lies in its ability to diversify its investment portfolio and to have its premium structure reflect environmental risks (Delphi Int. Ltd and Ecologic GMBH, 1997). The insurance industry may provide project finance and insurance for preventive infrastructure projects, thereby enhancing their access to finance. The insurance industry also provides strong financial incentives for loss prevention and mitigation to their clients and the public, e.g., by means of deductibles (UNEP, 1999). Some insurance companies have launched the Insurance Industry Initiative for the Environment, in association with UNEP.
Generation of revenues from the users of public infrastructure can be an important source of funds for financing GHG emissions reduction in the power and district heating sector and other types of GHG emission-intensive infrastructure. Covering the costs of operation, maintenance, depreciation calculated according to the international accounting standards, and eventually debt service for investments is essential for the sustainability of infrastructure systems and important for attracting multilateral development banks (MDBs) and private finance (UNIDO, 1996; EBRD, 1999). In low-income countries this needs to take full account of affordability constraints. However, concern about the social impacts too often makes the governments reluctant to adopt higher tariff levels, even though evidence suggests consumers in many countries could afford and would be willing to pay more for improved service (Lovei, 1995; Gentry, 1997; AFDB, 1999).
Government-created Disincentives to Private Investment
Government policies may themselves be a source of risk to private investments, creating detrimental framework conditions for all, not only environmental, investments through unstable fiscal policy and a macroeconomic environment. This leads to high interest rates, elevated inflationary expectations, and fluctuating exchange rates. The traditional response to these problems through fiscal consolidation and tight monetary policies usually induces low liquidity in the enterprise and banking sector (EBRD, 1999). This liquidity constraint may be sharpened by obstacles to trade and bank credit, barriers to entry, especially for SMEs and foreign firms, barriers to foreign direct investments (FDIs) and to long-term foreign capital investments, all of which could otherwise relieve capital shortages (EBRD, 1997b; EBRD, 1998; EBRD, 1999). Weak governance, typically manifested by the lack of the rule of law, soft budget constraints, absence of competition in government procurement, and corruption, may foster a perverse microeconomic incentive structure that rewards private sector entities not for being competitive and efficient in using resources, but rather for seeking rents through friendly and not transparent relations with politicians (Gady and Ickes, 1998).
Governments sometimes introduce distortions directly to financial markets, constraining the private lending to investments. Imprudent government borrowing can raise interest rates and crowd out bank loans from the real sector of the economy (OECD, 1998b). Also, excessive subsidies to environmental investments may crowd out private sector financing (Peszko and Zylicz, 1998). The risk of lending for investments may additionally be increased by inadequate protection of creditors. This occurs when an underdeveloped legal and institutional system does not make it easy for creditors to seize collateral or initiate a turnover of management in the event of default.
Government-created Disincentives to Public Investments
Ill-designed taxation, as well as failures in budget planning and expenditure control may cause fiscal imbalances and high budget deficits, which contribute to high country sovereign risk, constrained access to foreign capital, and high cost of borrowing by the government. Increased nominal interest rates and related discount rates applied by the governments inhibit financing for most public environmental investments. Budget expenditure cuts usually involve ceilings for investment expenditures, while financing is made available for operation of existing technologies or infrastructure. This often leads to continuing operation of inefficient and polluting assets, even if their replacement through investment would bring a high rate of return.
A barrier to efficient use of government funds is poor management of public investment programmes and government budgets (OECD, 1998b). This is sometimes a result of an underdeveloped civil society, and absence of government accountability and transparency in budget preparation and implementation. Under these circumstances budgetary spending on environmental infrastructure and biodiversity tends to be neglected (OECD, 1999a; Partridge, 1996). An important opportunity to enhance government spending on climate friendly investments is through revising public sector expenditure choices (de Moor, 1997; Pieters, 1997). Many developing countries and the countries of the former Soviet Union could help both climate and economic development by phasing out ongoing subsidies to loss-making state owned, or even private enterprises.
Central and local governments have ample opportunities to create new mechanisms and new sources of finance for climate-related environmental investment (Tlaie and Biller, 1994; Pearce et al., 1997). Budgetary resources can be used more cost-effectively (Lovei, 1995) and more creatively (Clements et al., 1995) to leverage private capitalization of public environmental investments (World Bank, 1994; Partridge, 1996; UNIDO, 1996; Gentry, 1997; Peszko and Zylicz, 1998). Central governments can foster the use of economic instruments (tariffs, taxes, fees, etc.) to achieve environmental goals while generating budgetary revenues (Herber, 1997; Schlegelmilch, 1999). In the area of biodiversity pricing, instruments can result in a double dividend. They can prevent the tragedy of the commons by limiting otherwise open access to vulnerable natural reserves. Prices also generate revenue to pay for the sustainable use of biodiversity resources and for afforestation. Successful examples of these government initiatives could be found in Latin America (Umana, 1996; Lopez, 1997), OECD countries (OECD, 1996) and Central and Eastern Europe .
Official Development Assistance
There is a mixed experience with donor aid programmes (Killick, 1997). Choice of beneficiary countries, sectors, and types of projects by the donor governments has often been driven by the geopolitical interests of donors rather than environmental or global priorities in the recipient countries. Bilateral aid is often a tool to support friendly regimes or strengthen the spheres of influence (Alesina and Dollar, 1998). Tied aid still dominates bilateral programmes, whereby the contracts are available only to firms from the donor country (Michaelowa, 1996).
Because of restrained competition tied aid may increase the costs of purchasing capital or providing services anywhere from 10% to 50%, and host governments are usually required to co-finance these projects. Some host governments have found themselves locked in the expensive, capital intensive, and inappropriate technologies that additionally created dependency for maintenance and spare parts. Tied aid may distort the efficiency of technology choice, and crowd out good technologies and viable business models (Graham and Hanlon, 1997). Tied aid has also had an impact on GHG emission reduction projects in the context of the Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) pilot phase (Michaelowa et al., 1998).
Multilateral Development Banks
Sovereign guarantees required with most MDB lending involve host governments in making budgetary commitments that may be difficult to attain in many low income countries. Furthermore, strict adherence to sound banking principles (of not lower standards than in the highest-rated private banks) poses very high requirements for the internal financial viability of projects. It is not, clear, however that the MDBs can do otherwise. They can provide low cost lending only as a consequence of their high credit ratings. Maintenance of these high ratings requires very low exposure to default risk, which in turn depends on sovereign guarantees and sound financial parameters of a project.
Another problem with MDB loans is a longer time for and higher transaction costs of project preparation relative to the typical GHG emissions reduction project size. It usually takes 1.5-2 years and several hundred thousand US dollars to develop a project for financing. This can only be justified if the size of a project is minimum US$10-15 million. MDBs are trying to develop financial products that could reach small and medium-sized environmental projects (ADB, 1999). Trust funds and donor grants are used to lower project preparation costs. Smaller businesses are targeted trough intermediaries (local banks, leasing, ESCOs, or even NGOs) which on-lend MDB loans as a package of smaller financial products. Structural lending is used to finance multi-project programmes.
Most of the financing difficulties discussed above are most severe in developing countries, where they interact with poverty to severely constrain investment in GHG-efficient technology. Less developed capital and financial markets call for innovative financing to enable low-income households to afford GHG-mitigating technologies. This offers an important opportunity to integrate the broader objectives of development, equity, and sustainability (DES).
Other reports in this collection | <urn:uuid:9ede744b-51de-4617-aeb5-bbd0acd8067d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg3/190.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929622 | 3,184 | 2.625 | 3 |
Lives transformed: Maseabane and the people of Lesotho
April 26, 2011
Maseabane, a grandmother in the small African country of Lesotho, is a prolific planter of seeds.
She sows seeds in the earth so she can feed her three grandchildren whose parents were victims of the AIDS pandemic and drug abuse. She also sows seeds of hope across her country through her work as an advocate for small farmers.
The seeds she sows for sustenance come from a seed bank supported by Kopano Ke Matla (KKM), which in the Se Sotho language means “with unity in strength we fight hunger.”
In Lesotho, as in other developing nations, small farmers struggle as agribusiness gains a larger foothold. Thanks to the efforts of KKM’s community grain banks, a growing number of small farmers are able to save, store and share seeds and maintain their livelihoods, says Bridgette Hector, a Presbyterian mission worker who facilitates Joining Hands networks in Lesotho and neighboring South Africa.
The seed banks decrease dependence on genetically modified and hybrid seeds that must be purchased every year. Through seed banks, farmers have a sustainable seed supply that depends solely on the cooperation of local farmers. The KKM farmers store seeds that produce maize, sorghum, wheat and beans.
Meseabane, one of about 75 female farmers in the 300-member KKM, serves on the group’s core team. “She lives very deep in the mountains, but she comes to every meeting, is involved in every project, and she speaks up,” Hector says. “That’s a rarity for women in the patriarchal society of Lesotho.”
KKM benefits all its members, but Hector says it has given its female members a voice in society and “a quality of life they never would have experienced.”
Joining Hands Lesotho is partnered with the Los Ranchos Presbytery in California, and Hector helps build bridges between KKM and the presbytery. Presbyteries in the Joining Hands program stand with their international partners through relationship-building, prayer and advocacy.
Four times a year the members of KKM come together in the capital city of Maseru. “They stay in a church, hear speakers from around the world, and join in praise and worship,” Hector says.
They also are equipped to be better farmers and more effective advocates, Hector adds. “It’s practical education that empowers people.”
Around Lesotho, KKM is promoting locally produced seeds and farming methods that do not require chemical fertilizer.
“Foreign seeds (both hybrid and genetically modified seeds) and chemical fertilizer are becoming more expensive and unaffordable to poor farmers,” Hector explains. “As a result, many fields are lying fallow. The more fields that lie fallow, the more risk of forfeiting the fields to wealthier people, including foreigners.”
Hector says KKM’s goal is for Lesotho to produce enough food to feed its people year-round without relying on imported seeds, fertilizers and food.
While she sees lives transformed around her, Hector says her own life has changed because of her work among people who have deep faith but few material resources. “I’m not as concerned as I was years ago about being in control,” she says. “The reality that I can have nothing and still have God’s love is transforming me a lot.” | <urn:uuid:f8b2a32b-5f07-41ad-9d5c-2f7900556c03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/4/26/lives-transformed-maseabane-and-people-lesotho/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963863 | 755 | 2.296875 | 2 |
The healthcare industry is exploding with opportunities for skilled IT professionals as our Nation’s healthcare
system is brought up to speed. In the past, Healthcare has been a slow follower in IT adoption, but today it is being
driven by federal regulations requiring it to implement electronic health records and best practices in streamlining
management systems. Training Camp has developed the following authorized Healthcare courses to provide our students
with the knowledge and skills needed to take part in this critical and momentous union of the healthcare and IT
CompTIA Specialty Series - Healthcare
The following CompTIA certification courses cover the business and technical knowledge needed for specific
vertical or niche markets.
CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician (3 Days)
Covers the knowledge needed to implement, deploy, and support healthcare IT systems in various clinical settings. | <urn:uuid:0be0dded-fce3-4f5d-b668-195bbf3a48f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trainingcamp.com/global/itandmanagement/healthcare/default.aspx?refer=HITCweb1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932111 | 167 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
Girls as young as 6 years old show self-sexualizing attitudes that suggest they identify themselves in terms of “sexiness,” a new study published in the journal Sex Roles has found. From MSNBC.com:
Psychologists at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., used paper dolls to assess self-sexualization in 6- to 9-year-old girls. Sixty girls were shown two dolls, one dressed in tight and revealing “sexy” clothes and the other wearing a trendy but covered-up, loose outfit.
Using a different set of dolls for each question, the researchers then asked each girl to choose the doll that: looked like herself, looked how she wanted to look, was the popular girl in school, she wanted to play with.
Across-the-board, girls chose the “sexy” doll most often. The results were significant in two categories: 68 percent of the girls said the doll looked how she wanted to look, and 72 percent said she was more popular than the non-sexy doll.
“It’s very possible that girls wanted to look like the sexy doll because they believe sexiness leads to popularity, which comes with many social advantages,” explained lead researcher Christy Starr, who was particularly surprised at how many 6- to 7-year-old girls chose the sexualized doll as their ideal self.
Image: Girl playing dress-up, via Shutterstock.
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William of England, has been carefully watched for signs of a baby bump since she and the future king married last spring. Now, as The Huffington Post reports, a toy company that manufactures a Kate Middleton doll is being pressed by customers to create a version with a pregnant belly:
Chelsea-based company Arklu is the toymaker behind the doll. They’ve been inundated with requests to create a pregnant version of their already best-selling Duchess of Cambridge.
Despite the potential volume of requests, the company may want to consider that pregnant dolls haven’t gone over well. In 2002, Mattell released a pregnant version of Barbie’s friend Midge (at the time, her bio included a marriage to a man named Alan and a firstborn son named Ryan). But Wal-Mart pulled the doll after customers complained that it was too real for their little girls (Midge had a magnetic removable stomach with a baby in fetal position inside. TMI, said parents.)
The company told The Huffington Post that there are no current plans to create such a doll, despite customer demand.
(Image via: http://www.amazon.com/) | <urn:uuid:6edd12c6-fe55-4697-b68d-89dd60976f42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.parents.com/blogs/parents-news-now/tag/dolls/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968153 | 567 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The boyfriend of a 16-year-old, pregnant Texas girl who says her parents tried to force her to have an abortion told CNN on Monday that the couple never considered terminating the pregnancy.
"We were always determined to have the baby," Evan Madison told CNN's Piers Morgan.
The parents of the girl -- who is 10 weeks pregnant -- agreed Monday in a state court not to coerce her to have an abortion, an anti-abortion group representing the girl said.
"We just achieved an agreed order," Stephen Casey, a lawyer and founder of The Texas Center for Defense of Life, told CNN in a telephone interview Monday afternoon.
Casey had argued that Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 Supreme Court decision that guaranteed women the right to have an abortion, works both ways.
"Roe was about the right to choose," Casey told CNN prior to the order being signed. "This young woman has the right to choose to have her child."
Legal experts said that no one can force anyone -- minor or not -- to undergo an abortion. Monday's legal action was intended, the girl's lawyer said, to stop the parents from trying to influence their daughter to undergo the procedure.
Madison, 16, said he and the girl plan to get married. The legal age to marry in Texas is 16 with parental consent.
Both teens were in the courtroom on Monday. They sat separately from the girl's parents, who are divorced. The girl lives with her mother.
The parents have denied the allegations in the lawsuit and called the case baseless. Their attorney did not respond to requests from CNN for comment.
The center, which is active in Republican politics nationwide, says it is dedicated to "aggressively defending the sanctity of human life."
The lawyers were first contacted by the boy's mother, who said that the girl's parents were threatening both teens, according to Casey, who said the center then contacted the girl and offered their services gratis.
The lawsuit alleged that the girl's mother threatened to "slip (the teen) an abortion pill," took her daughter's phone and car, and kept her home from school to punish her for choosing not to abort her fetus. The mother told the teen that she was "making the biggest mistake of her life" by choosing to have the child and that the mother herself had undergone numerous abortions, so her daughter should, too, the lawsuit said.
It added that the pregnant girl's father told her he "was going to look into canceling" her health insurance. He texted his daughter that she "needs an ass whoopin'," the document said.
The parents told their daughter she could "continue to live in misery" in their home or she could "have the abortion and tell everyone it was a miscarriage," the lawsuit added.
The girl's parents denied in court records all allegations and asked to have the cost of retaining an attorney reimbursed. That request was not granted.
In the interest of protecting the girl's privacy, CNN is not identifying her or her parents. However, the restraining order includes the parents' names.
"Under Texas procedure when it's a case involving and alleging abuse of a minor, the minor's identity should be protected, and the girl's attorneys might have violated that," said Susan Hays, an attorney and legal adviser to Jane's Due Process, an Austin-based nonprofit organization that represents pregnant minors in the state.
Jane's Due Process, which supports the right to legal abortion, is not involved in this case.
"There's an understanding that we will not make law on the back of a 16-year-old girl, and that's what her attorneys are doing," said Hays. "I'm appalled that they've done this to this girl. Putting the girl's parents' names in court documents ... her attorneys have done a lousy job protecting her confidentiality."
Hays said the lawyers could have used the parents' initials or included less detail about the family.
Casey responded that the courts had notified child protective services about the abuse allegations.
He added that the goal of the Texas Center for Defense of Life was not to disrupt the girl's family, but to protect the girl.
"We feel like when the parents see their grandbaby, they'll say 'Oh!' and they'll have a change of heart," Casey said. "They usually do that."
Madison also said that he thought the parents would be loving grandparents. | <urn:uuid:496fd3e8-48cd-4ecc-b0e7-f36672d83105> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ktvz.com/news/Texas-teen-sues-parents-over-abortion/-/413192/18594146/-/gqbmll/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986548 | 912 | 1.53125 | 2 |
'The Worcester performances are near ideal ... vividly atmospheric recording' (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)
O salutaris hostia I [2'05]
Other recommended albums
Elgar’s church music is firmly rooted in his Roman Catholicism and in his early years as an organist. Yet, paradoxically, it is also inseparably associated with the great Anglican Cathedral of his native city of Worcester. There he played among the tombs as a child, there he listened awestruck to the anthems and motets, there he played the violin in the orchestra at concerts of the Three Choirs Festival and there he conducted his own mighty choral and orchestral works. Today his statue faces the cathedral and the street where his family lived before they moved out to the village of Broadheath and the cottage in which Elgar was born in 1857. Behind him is the High Street, where his father’s music shop once stood and where you would have found Elgar serving behind the counter, perhaps the day after he had conducted one of his own works somewhere in the city. He was ecumenical long before the word was fashionable, at home in the Anglican and Roman Catholic worlds, but not at ease. This recording contains two of the ceremonial settings of psalms he wrote for first performance in two of the nation’s shrines, Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral. But before they are mentioned more fully, we should turn to the acorns from which they grew, the smaller, devout works composed for the choir of St George’s Roman Catholic Church, Sansome Place, Worcester, where Elgar’s father William was organist from 1846 to 1884. Elgar himself was assistant organist from the mid-1870s and succeeded his father in 1885. The religious tensions which are a feature of Elgar’s complex personality may have begun with his father, who was not a Roman Catholic and detested any organized religion. Elgar’s mother was converted to the Catholic faith four years after her marriage and William was never fully reconciled to the idea—he threatened (jocularly, one presumes) to shoot his daughters if he caught them going to confession. Ironically, it was because of the Catholic church’s broadmindedness in employing him as organist at St George’s that all this occurred.
Before he started work in his father’s shop, Elgar at the age of fifteen worked for a year in the office of a solicitor, William Allen, a member of the congregation at George’s and a friend of the Elgar family, often visiting them at the Broadheath cottage where he would sing operatic arias to William Elgar’s accompaniment. When Allen died in 1887, Elgar composed a Pie Iesu to be sung by St George’s choir at the funeral, basing part of the melody on a Kyrie he had sketched the year before. In 1902 he rearranged it as Ave verum corpus and Novello’s published it as his Op 2 No 1. The flowing melody in G major is sung by the trebles, each verse being repeated like a litany by the full choir. There is a short coda, with antiphonal effects between trebles and tenors and altos and basses. In its devotional simplicity, it is characteristic of the young Elgar and has kept its place in the choral repertory. Already it shows how he could compose a melody that wraps itself round one’s heart. Typical, too, are the Ave Maria and Ave maris stella which constitute Nos 2 and 3 of Op 2. They were put together from fragments of anthems written for St George’s in 1887. In 1907 Elgar sent them to Novello’s with the admonition: ‘They are tender little plants, so treat them kindly whatever is their fate.’ The Ave Maria in particular has the direct intensity that one finds in Elgar’s larger choral works.
On 9 October 1888, the Archbishop of Birmingham visited St George’s to bless a statue. For such an occasion something special was required, so the young organist was asked if he would provide a new work. The result was Ecce sacerdos magnus, virtually the first of Elgar’s ceremonial set-pieces, the forerunner of the music that celebrated great national occasions. Its grand main theme—based on the Benedictus melody in Haydn’s Harmoniemesse—imposing four-part writing and meditative coda point the way forward.
Elgar’s three settings of O salutaris hostia are recorded here for the first time. Each has been discreetly edited by Dr Donald Hunt. The first, unaccompanied, was reconstructed by Timothy Hooke from an undated manuscript, possibly as early as 1872, in the British Library’s Elgar collection. The second was published in Tozer’s Complete Benediction Manual in 1898 (but composed some time earlier) and is gentle and devout. The third, published in 1888 in Cary’s Modern Church Music for Catholic Choirs, is more ambitious and recognizably Elgarian, though it dates from 1880.
In 1897 the Elgars sent out as their Christmas card Elgar’s part-song Grete Malverne on a Rock, with words by Shapcott Wensley, librettist of The Banner of St George. This was published in 1908 as the carol Lo! Christ the Lord is born. Wensley revised the words. The setting is simple and enchanting. The impetus for its publication came from A J Jaeger (‘Nimrod’) who wrote to his old firm about it from his sickbed.
Elgar spent the spring of 1909 at a villa at Careggi, near Florence. He was pondering an opera at the time, though nothing came of it, and jotting down melodies and phrases that were to he put to use in the second symphony and Falstaff. While there he composed his finest part-song, Go, Song of Mine, and another, Angelus, which had words ‘from Tuscan dialect’, a safe clue to Elgar’s own authorship. If not church music in the full sense, this is certainly a religious work, its falling second lending it the authentic Elgarian melancholy. He dedicated it to his close friend Alice Stuart-Wortley who knew the Florence area intimately. ‘I was afraid the simple words might be too papistical for you—or for your family!’, he wrote to her, adding that the words ‘are of the place and not far from your own monastery on the Fiesole road … it would give me the greatest pleasure to put your beloved name on it if you both allow it.’
The provincial organist who in 1888 composed an anthem for a bishop’s visit was in 1911 the nation’s musical laureate, at work on two contributions to the Coronation of King George V. One of these was a short anthem, O hearken thou, with words taken from Psalm 5, sung as the Offertory. There are echoes of the falling cadences of the second symphony (first performed in May 1911) in its gentle pages. Elgar heard it rehearsed in Westminster Abbey on 20 June, the day it was announced that he had been appointed to the Order of Merit. This was the pinnacle of success, yet he suddenly decided he would not go to the Coronation itself and forbade his wife to go alone, to her intense chagrin.
Echoes of another of his big works composed in 1910, the Violin Concerto, may be heard in the setting of Psalm 48, Great is the Lord which he began in August of that year. Two of its themes are virtually quotations from the concerto’s first movement and finale. He completed it in March 1912 in the version for choir and organ recorded here and it was performed in Westminister Abbey in July at a service to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Society. A year later Elgar provided an orchestral accompaniment. It is a large-scale setting, with a straightforward response to the words, including a realistic response to the line about women in labour. The assembly of the kings takes place to a staccato accompaniment. The tonic is D major and it is a surprise when the baritone solo ‘We have thought on thy loving-kindness’ is in the remote key of A flat. The daughters of Judah rejoice in an ingratiating 6/4 before the opening theme returns for the ceremonial conclusion.
Two anthems followed in 1914. Give unto the Lord (Psalm 29) was commissioned by Sir George Martin, organist of St Paul’s Cathedral, for the 200th anniversary service of the Festival of the Sons of the Clergy. This was scored for orchestra and organ and its rich Elgarian sequences aptly reflect the psalmist’s rolling periods. At the same time he composed a vigorous harvest anthem, Fear not, O land, for a Novello series for church choirs.
I sing the birth was published in 1928, though we have no means of knowing when Elgar composed this setting of Ben Jonson. It has an austere modality, nearer to the Anglican style than any of his early works, and uses three soloists. As always, Elgar found the right tone of voice to convey the sentiments of the text.
Michael Kennedy © 1988 | <urn:uuid:7e6e52e0-cc48-4bd5-a87d-b7580d5d7472> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDH55147&vw=dc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978571 | 2,021 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The founders of New World Energy have been investigating geothermal energy in Australia since 2006. These investigations confirmed that geothermal energy is a potentially significant source of energy for Australia, and led to the establishment of New World Energy for the purpose of acquiring and developing geothermal tenure.
After a detailed assessment of the geothermal prospectivity, land access and legislative issues across Australia, New World Energy identified Western Australia as the State with the greatest potential for the large-scale delivery of geothermal energy.
In October 2007 New World Energy applied for two geothermal exploration licences in South Australia over prospective areas in the Cooper Basin and Renmark region. These licences were subsequently granted in August 2008.
In February 2008 the first geothermal release over the highly prospective Perth Basin in Western Australia was opened for applications via a competitive tender process. New World Energy submitted 13 applications over what it considered to be the most prospective areas for viable geothermal resources. In August 2008 New World Energy was successful in 12 of its 13 tenders and subsequently accepted nine of these for granting.
In February 2009 tenders closed for a Geothermal release covering the Pilbara region of Western Australia. New World Energy submitted applications over the areas with the best potential to host viable geothermal resources. In September 2009 New World Energy subsequently accepted seven geothermal permits, giving it the dominant position in the region.
In November 2009, New World Energy completed its first geothermal resource estimate at its Jurien-Woodada project in the Mid West region. Renowned geothermal consultants Hot Dry Rocks Pty Ltd estimated Hot Sedimentary Aquifer Inferred Geothermal Resources totaling 120,000 PJth, making this project the most advanced geothermal project for electricity production in Western Australia. | <urn:uuid:70ea505b-b809-4356-9289-445ce7c118bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newworldenergy.com.au/index.php/about/history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930633 | 346 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Learn something new every day More Info... by email
A combination of schooling and experience is necessary to become a senior systems analyst. Some employers may require a college degree, while other companies stress and encourage many years of experience. It is possible for a computer enthusiast to find that their favorite hobby has turned into a lucrative career path.
Senior systems analyst positions concentrate on maintaining company databases and software modules; many analysts work with colleagues from around the world to integrate software packages for a more cohesive company database. As a result, many employers look for a person with a four year college degree in a related field. Typical majors can include business or computer science. As a college graduate, companies view you as a well-rounded individual; in addition to knowledge gained, graduates will usually be articulate and able to communicate effectively with different types of people.
Most college graduates cannot secure an analyst position without several years of experience. Many start in a lower position, such as a basic computer analyst, before they become a senior systems analyst. During these first years of employment, you will normally work with an experienced analyst who will cover all the proprietary information necessary regarding the company's database and software needs. In fact, employers normally look for at least five to seven years of experience before considering a candidate for a senior position.
Applicants who do not have a college degree can become a senior systems analyst; however, experience at a related job must be extensive. In essence, you will need to prove to the employer that you can perform the job duties specified. Some applicants rely on networking within their current company, as well as with friends and colleagues at other businesses. Networking helps you find job openings that may not be posted to the public yet. As a result, you can become a senior systems analyst without a college degree.
Many computer enthusiasts work with software modules for personal interest; these hobbyists tend to have an in-depth knowledge of both hardware and software since they need to work with both portions to build or repair a computer. Sometimes, a hobbyist can interview to become a senior systems analyst. He or she should bring in an example of a software and hardware configuration to showcase his or her skills. The example chosen should demonstrate the applicant's skills, increasing the chances that he or she will be hired for this position. | <urn:uuid:8d6df306-d696-4948-9d2d-a7f01a11b2bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-become-a-senior-systems-analyst.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961656 | 464 | 1.9375 | 2 |
The American Soybean Association (ASA) has been alerted to a confirmed case of Asian soybean rust about five degrees north of the equator in South America. Earlier this week, the Agricultural Research Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of USDA confirmed a report of soybean rust being identified north of Cali, Colombia.
"Confirmation of soybean rust above the equator signals the advancement of spores in the direction of the continental United States," says ASA Chairman Ron Heck, a soybean producer from Perry, IA.
Asian soybean rust has been present throughout Asia and Australia for decades. In 1996, the disease moved from Asia into Uganda, and by 2001, it had spread throughout much of Africa. In 2001, soybean rust was found in South America, and it has spread throughout the soybean growing areas of Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. By 2003, rust had also spread to a northern, non-soybean growing area of Argentina.
"Prevailing wind patterns around the equator served as a temporary barrier to a natural transmission of soybean rust spores," Heck says. "If soybean rust becomes established on host plants in Colombia, South America, it would, at least theoretically, be easier for airborne spores to be carried directly to the U.S. across the Caribbean Sea, or by way of the land bridge formed by Central America."
Based on weather models and past experience with other diseases, the experts predict a natural introduction of soybean rust spores would most likely enter the U.S. through the southern tier of states along the Gulf of Mexico. Soybean rust spores are easily transported in air currents and spread rapidly over wide distances. Limited data are available on how long spores can survive, but studies have shown that under the right circumstances, spores can be viable for more than 50 days. It is also possible that the soybean rust spores discovered in Colombia were the result of commercial trade in soybeans from an infected growing area.
"The discovery of soybean rust north of the equator underscores the need for USDA to continue development of a national strategy for controlling and mitigating the potential for an Asian soybean rust infestation in the continental United States," Heck says. "Rust is a devastating disease with the potential to cause enormous losses in annual U.S. soybean production, resulting in serious consequences for domestic industry, including the livestock sector. We must do everything possible to be prepared to minimize the economic impact of soybean rust on the U.S. crop."
ASA has also been working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency to obtain approval of fungicide products to control soybean rust. Fungicide treatments currently represent the only option for containing soybean rust by lessening the spread of spores. Fungicide use in other countries has been effective in keeping soybean rust below the economic threshold of yield loss.
Early detection of soybean rust will be critical to minimizing the spread of the disease. To educate producers about soybean rust, ASA will continue its efforts to host seminars, distribute news releases and publish articles. In July, ASA completed a series of Soybean Rust Education Meetings in seven cities across the country.
"Because no one knows for sure when soybean rust will be introduced in the United States, we must work with the current knowledge that it could be a few months to perhaps five years or longer," Heck says. "During that time it will be important to maintain an on-going awareness campaign with ASA members to keep a response action in the forefront of their minds at whatever time they might suspect soybean rust has infected their crop." | <urn:uuid:3e141bb7-23d9-423f-9f2a-62484cafeb62> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/print/soybean-rust-discovered-north-equator | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955565 | 732 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Mon December 10, 2012
Many Apps For Children Still Raise Privacy Concerns, FTC Says
Originally published on Mon December 10, 2012 7:44 pm
Developers of smartphone and tablet apps aimed at children have done little in the past year to give parents "the information they need to determine what data is being collected from their children, how it is being shared, or who will have access to it," the Federal Trade Commission reports.
"Our study shows that kids' apps siphon an alarming amount of information from mobile devices without disclosing this fact to parents," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz says in a statement released by the commission. "All of the companies in the mobile app space, especially the gatekeepers of the app stores, need to do a better job. We'll do another survey in the future and we will expect to see improvement."
The FTC's report is posted here. In it, the commission's staff:
"Strongly urges the mobile app industry to develop and implement 'best practices' to protect privacy, including those recommended in the recent FTC Privacy Report: (1) incorporating privacy protections into the design of mobile products and services ('privacy by design'); (2) offering parents easy-to-understand choices about the data collection and sharing through kids' apps; and (3) providing greater transparency about how data is collected, used, and shared through kids' apps. These standards should be developed expeditiously to ensure that consumers have confidence in the growing mobile apps marketplace."
According to the FTC, among its more troubling findings is that many children's apps "shared certain information with third parties — such as device ID, geolocation, or phone number — without disclosing that fact to parents. Further, a number of apps contained interactive features — such as advertising, the ability to make in-app purchases, and links to social media – without disclosing these features to parents prior to download."
NPR's Martin Kaste is due to have more about the report later on All Things Considered. Click here to find an NPR station that broadcasts or streams the show. Later, we'll add his report to the top of this post.
(Note: This post was published at 12:26 p.m. ET, not 3 p.m. ET as it says above. We've got a bug in our system that messes up the time stamps on some posts when we attach the audio from shows such as All Things Considered. We're working on a fix.)
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
And I'm Audie Cornish. Today, the Federal Trade Commission released a damning report on the way mobile apps handle children's privacy. Federal law prohibits the collection of children's personal information online without parental consent. But as NPR's Martin Kaste reports, the FTC says most apps for kids are collecting that data anyway.
MARTIN KASTE, BYLINE: The FTC is definitely on the industry's case about this. This is the second report of the year and the tone is not improving.
JESSICA RICH: What we found is cause for concern.
KASTE: Jessica Rich is with the FTC's division of financial practices. In the new survey of 400 popular kids apps, 59 percent were collecting some kind of information, usually the unique ID number for the kid's mobile devices, which is then passed on to just a few big data companies.
RICH: This means that companies receiving the data could potentially develop detailed profiles of the children based on the behavior across many different apps.
KASTE: A smaller percentage of the apps was also found to be collecting the phone number on the device and a few also collected location information, such as Mabbles(ph). It's a game that has kids search their real neighborhoods for virtual monsters. The monsters can be captured...
ANGELA CAMPBELL: Then you vacuum it up and then you put it into a room.
KASTE: Angela Campbell is a Georgetown law professor who's preparing an FTC complaint about the app. She says the problem is it's constantly using kid's physical location in the real world. It even gets the kid's home address.
CAMPBELL: The model of all of these apps is to collect as much information as they can about you so they can then target you more effectively for ads.
KASTE: But the app's makers says they don't store location information. The FTC is also quick to say that it's not making allegations about what apps are doing with data. It just thinks there should be more transparency. The president of the App Developers Alliance, Jon Potter, says he agrees with the report's basic findings.
But he also points out that people keep rushing to get the newest apps.
JON POTTER: You don't download an app onto your phone, if you will, you don't invite somebody into your house, unless you trust them. And we think that's a good sign.
KASTE: Potter says the industry is working on better ways for apps to signal what information they collect. For its part, the FTC says it's doing, quote, "non-public investigations" of some apps for potential violations of federal law. Martin Kaste, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio. | <urn:uuid:e052b202-1602-4934-bae2-a9cd5739e58d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kasu.org/post/many-apps-children-still-raise-privacy-concerns-ftc-says | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958477 | 1,122 | 2.265625 | 2 |
The practice of first cousin marriages or marriage between close-blood relations in the Muslim community across the globe and the low-IQ children such marriages produce is a major cause of the Muslim backwardness globally. Since some 70% of the world 1.5 billion Muslims are conceived of inbreeding, and therefore likely to have low IQ, its impact on the well-being of the Muslim community is undoubtedly huge.
After the 2nd part of this article appeared in faithfreedom.org and islam-watch.org, reader "Muslim and Proud" termed my observations wrong by citing the findings of 30-year-long research of Professor Alan Bittles at the Centre for Comparative Genomics at Murdoch University marriage of first cousins. According to him, most babies born to first-cousins are healthy. Opposed to Professor Bittles’ finding, numerous other researchers have found definite and positive correlation between close-blood marriages, such as between first cousins, and the inheritance of genetic diseases. Not only that, the whole mechanism of genetics that is understood by scientists today – which enables us to produce all kinds of genetic foods to clone animals including humans – will turn out wrong, if Professor Bittles’ findings were to reflect reality. One would wonder if Professor Bittles is another of those Western scientists, like Maurice Bucaille and Keith Moore, who find all the treasure-trove of sciences in the Quran.
After the second part of the article, against my calling Prophet Muhammad a child-molester pedophile, some Muslim readers have cited a few references from Hindu scriptures that sanction child-marriage and sex with underage children.
- Verse 9,94 of the Manu Samhita says that a man, aged thirty years, shall marry a maiden of twelve who pleases him, or a man of twenty-four should marry an 8-year-old girl.
- He also pointed out that the verse III,10 of the Vishnu Purana says that a man must marry a girl whose age is one third of his own age.
- Mahabharata prescribes a man of 30 to marry a girl of 10.
- Baudhayana and Arya Gautama advise a man to give his daughter in marriage before she attains puberty.
- Some others say that a girl should be given in marriage before she wears clothes, and so on.
What one must comprehend is that the Hindu scriptures were written by men, called Rishis; they were not revealed from heaven by the almighty creator, unlike the holy scripture of Islam and other Abrahamic faiths. Men can change or ignore what is written by men (Rishis) as new reality arises. So, the current Hindu Marriage Act in India forbids the marriage of a girl below the age of 18. All Hindus accept this. But difficulty for Muslims is that, their holy scriptures are God’s words. Changing or instituting laws contrary to what Allah commanded and prescribed in the Quran is the most horrible and sinful things to do, which will land Muslims in hellfire for eternity.
Crippling impact of the tradition of first cousin marriages amongst Muslims
I previously thought that marriages between close blood relations in the Muslim community were stray incidents and it has no perceptible adverse impact on the Muslim community. But when I started investigating the practice of cousin-marriages in the Muslim community, I was astonished to find how widespread and deep-rooted was the practice of cousin-marriages in the Muslim community.
Muslims care little about its harmful effects. They are indifferent to the fact that consanguineous marriage produces low IQ progeny. The tradition has lasted 1,400 years or 50 generations; and in today’s world, about 50% of the total Muslim population are likely to be of low IQ due to inbreeding. The impact of this in the Muslim community will be huge, which is reflected in their poor achievements in our world today. And they are aspiring to conquer and rule the entire world. How dreadful will be the impact on humanity should they succeed!
While talking about the harmful effects of first cousin marriages it is important to distinguish between certain stray incident of such a marriage and the tradition where it is repeated again and again throughout the history. This second kind is very dangerous as it produces offspring with physical deformities. Nearly 6,000 serious ailments, including deficiency of IQ, are linked to genetic disorders. To highlight this aspect, I have attached nearly 11 Youtube video clips to the 2nd part of this article. Research on this field revealed that a child born out of incestuous marriage is more likely suffer from the diseases arising from genetic disorder.
Are diseases linked to genetic disorders inheritable? Genetic defects are always inheritable, but it may not always result in genetic disease or disorder. For example, when one parent – say father – has a genetic disorder, but the mother does not have the same genetic disorder or defect, the children born out of them may not have the father’s genetic disorder/disease, because the mothers good of the gene repairs the defect. Of course, not all genetic disorders are inherited. Many of them are acquired by a person during his/her lifetime due to new mutations. For example, excessive sun-bathing exposes one to UV radiation, which can cause damage/mutations in genes of the skin-cells. Some of those mutations hit cancer-related genes, they cause skin cancers.
Microcephaly (also called microcephalus) is a disease that prevents normal growth of the brain of the affected person. The circumference of the head remains much smaller than normal, because the brain does not grow at the expected rate. In this condition, the brain's small size will result in a head circumference that is less than 2 standard deviations below the average size for a child of that age.
“Microcephalus is of two types. Primary microcephalus occurs with no identifiable cause as an inherited trait in families where many members are born with small head sizes. Secondary microcephalus occurs when the brain's growth is decreased because of conditions that can be identified: chromosomal anomaly such as Down syndrome, congenital infections with organisms such as the virus rubella, metabolic disorders, bacterial meningitis, or lack of oxygen early in life (called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy). A mother who uses drugs or alcohol during pregnancy can also have a child with microcephalus. Exposure to radiation or chemicals can also produce a small head size (and thus, small brain). This is especially the result of conditions that occur in the first two years of a child's life when the brain growth is most rapid”, says Wikipedia.
But most of the investigators have found a direct link between microcephalus and genetic disorder arising out of consanguineous marriages. “Primary microcephaly is a genetic disorder in which an affected individual has a head circumference >3 SDs below the age- and sex-related mean”, says an investigating team. “Microcephaly or microcephalus is a neuro-developmental disorder in which the circumference of the head is smaller than average for the person's age and sex. Microcephaly may be congenital or it may develop in the first few years of life”, says Linda Lindeke, an Associate Professor University of Minnesota, School of Nursing & Department of Pediatrics.
“The prevalence of consanguineous marriages was studied in 940 families belonging to four different socio-economic groups in and around Lahore, Pakistan. The births occurring in these families from September 1984 to March 1987 were also investigated for birth defects. …Although, the frequency of both consanguinity and birth defects were related with the socio-economic levels of the study groups, there was no association between inbreeding and birth defects. Perhaps, deleterious recessive genes for birth defects have been “bred out”, because of continuous inbreeding over generations in this population”, says a study team in Lahore, Pakistan.
A group of Dutch scientists found a direct link between microcephaly and consanguineous marriage and says, “Data were collected on the incidence, geographical distribution, and genetic aspects of 113 cases of microcephaly in the Netherlands: thirty-nine cases, or about 34 %, appeared to be of special genetic origin. …Consanguinity among the parents of the ‘genetic’ propositi was found in 54 % of the cases. In 23% the parents were first cousins. In 24% no genetic arguments could be shown to exist for the diagnosis ‘special genetic type’. In 24 % the only confirmation on genetical grounds was the existence of more cases in sibs hip and/or family.”
A team of Japanese scientists also found that the most cases of microcephaly originate from incestuous marriages. “Microcephaly is one of the most severe congenital abnormalities found in man. Its main characteristics are a distinctively small skull and brain, extreme idiocy, underdeveloped body and some neuropathic symptoms. Although it is rare, it may be found in both Caucasian and Mongolian races and possibly in other races as well. The cases occurring in the different races have many similar features. Great interest attaches to the genetic study of this abnormality, because of its severity, its conspicuousness and its rarity. Most of the microcephalics are undoubtedly of genetic origin, but there are cases apparently due to non-genetic. The Japanese investigators of this problem seem to have an advantage over the European or American workers is that microcephaly of genetic is apparently more common among Japanese than among occidental people. These greater incidents are based upon these facts: (1) the higher rate of consanguineous marriages among the Japanese and (2) the almost total lack of pelvic irradiation in the pregnant mother”, says the study.
Rat people in Pakistan
In Pakistan, where nearly 70% of the marriages occur between first cousin marriages, produces many offspring afflicted with microcephalus, with deformation of the brain and skull. People with this deformity are called rat (Chuha, Urdu for Rat) people. Most probably the term "rat man" was coined by the German psychologist Sigmund Freud. These rat people are unfit to do any job, except begging and there are mafia gangs, who utilize them for begging on the streets.
A rat man begging on the street Gujarat,
About such people in Pakistan, Mikel Joshua writes, "Hundreds of microcephalics – people born with small skulls and protruding noses and ears because of a genetic mutation – can be found on the streets of Gujrat, in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Called the “rat children”, they are sold by their families to begging mafias, who exploit a tradition that they are sacred offerings to Shah Daula, the shrine's 17th century Sufi saint."
A Twitter news, on August 2, 2008, says Outside a Muslim shrine in Gujarat, Nadia, a 25 'rat woman" with a tiny head sits on a filthy mattress and takes money from worshippers who cling to an ancient fertility rite. Many of these people have been sold off by their families to begging mafias, who exploit a tradition that the “rat children” are sacred offerings to Shah Daula, the shrine’s 17th century Sufi saint. “These are God’s children. We are proud to look after her,” said Ijaz Hussain, the shrine’s government-employed custodian, as Nadia shrieked unintelligibly and put coins in a battered wooden box at her side.
According to a local legend, an infertile woman who prays at Shah Daula’s shrine, at Gujrat, she will be blessed with children, but at a terrible cost. The first child will be born microcephalic and must be offered to the shrine. Otherwise, all the children born thereafter would be microcephalics or rat children. This legend serves two purposes: (1) help concealing the real cause of microcsphalus and (2) provides an opportunity for dumpling the microcephalic baby usually in the darkness of night. The staffs of the shrine, in most cases, sell those babies to begging mafias at a lucrative price.
“Nadia was just a young child when she was dumped at the shrine 20 years ago in the dead of the night. Her parents were never traced. Since that day we have taken care of her, she is like family to us. People come here for prayers and seek fulfillment of their desires but they are respectful towards her,” says Hussain (56), a staff of the shrine…
Rat people work for the mafia gang as
beggars in Pakistan
Many believe that the beggar mafias produce rat children by arresting the normal growth of the brain of the victims by clamping the children’s heads in infancy. Pakistan’s government says it has tried to crack down exploitation of the “chuhas” and planned to set up a shelter in Gujarat to rehabilitate them.
The root cause of Muslims’ backwardness
In previous articles, such as Muslims: A Shackled People Enslaved by the Koran and Sachar Committee Report Uncovers the Backwardness of India’s Muslims etc., I have discussed backwardness of the Muslim community in India and beyond. I was then convinced that the Muslim backwardness stems from suppression of freedom of thought, freedom of expression and suppression of their women. In addition, brainwashing of them by Muslim clerics and religious leaders with archaic and backward thinking contributes to their backwardness.
After the present study on the extent of cousin marriages amongst Muslims, and the genetic disorders, especially low IQ, that it may cause to them, I am now convinced that consanguineous marriages also play havoc on the intellectual capabilities of Muslims. According to Nicolai Sennels, the Danish psychologist, the rate of first cousin marriages is high amongst Muslim immigrants in Denmark and the children born out of such marriages are incapable of coping with Denmark's high standard education, due to inadequate intelligence, thus, swelling the rank of school-dropouts.
So, the practice of first cousin marriages or marriage between close-blood relations in the Muslim community across the globe and the low-IQ children such marriages produce is a major cause of the Muslim backwardness globally. Since some 70% of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims are conceived of inbreeding, and therefore with high chances of low IQ, its impact on the well-being of the Muslim community is undoubtedly huge. | <urn:uuid:66559711-28b3-48ea-9f6e-bf1a0a797ae8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.islam-watch.org/http:/ww?~/index.php/authors/Library/LeavingIslam/AbulKasem/WomenInIslam/IW/MAsghar/StoriesNotTold/IW/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=996:inbreeding-and-resulting-genetic-disorders-in-muslim-community-part-3&catid=73:brahmachari&Itemid=58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958448 | 3,036 | 2.21875 | 2 |
We have already seen the brilliant resiliency and generosity of New Yorkers in the past 48 hours. Below are ways that you can continue to help your neighbors, communities, and city. This is not a comprehensive list of all organized ways to help, but it is a good starting point to lend a hand.
1. Our partners at CAAAV need your help in Chinatown. From 10am to 5pm every day (until we hear otherwise), they will be organizing volunteers and receiving supplies at 46 Hester Street. They need: flashlights, batteries, food (perishable and non-perishable), and bottled water. More information can be found on the CAAAV Facebook page.
2. Council Member Brad Lander's Hurricane Response Site
Get updates on volunteer needs in Brooklyn's 39th District
4. Occupy Sandy Relief NYC
Visit this site developed by Occupy activists to respond to needs neighborhood-by-neighborhood.
5. NYC Hurricane Zones
Enter your address here to find the closest shelter to you and reach out to see if they are in need of volunteers.
Also, please consider visiting nursing homes in your area, elderly residents on your block, and other spaces where people might just need some company after the storm. Let's counter isolation wherever we can.
Thank you for all the inspiring ways you support those around you. Our movements are built in many ways, and your care for your community members is a crucial part.
Marjorie Dove Kent
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice | <urn:uuid:d058ae84-599c-43f8-8a97-dd515a1b55ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jfrej.org/2012-10-30/responding-together | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941473 | 311 | 1.632813 | 2 |
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released year-end data for 2011 on Monday showing the average Floyd County resident earned $33,159 last year, a gain of $1,256 from 2010.
Catoosa County was No. 2 in the Northwest Georgia region with a per capita income figure of $29,685 while Chattooga County was the lowest with $23,576.
Georgia Highlands College economics professor Bruce Jones said the first thing the numbers tell him is that a large number of jobs that have been lost during the last several years have been low-paying jobs.
Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce President Al Hodge was pleased with the new financial figures. “That is positive based upon our medical and education assets in the community,” Hodge said. “Businesses that are recruited here are incentivized to come here and grow so those policies are working.”
“Here in Floyd County we really do have a higher percentage of professional positions, physicians, because we’re such a big medical hub. That really does bring up our averages,” said Rome Mayor Evie McNiece.
“Some of the new manufacturing we’ve brought in over the last 8-10 years has been more technical positions. Those positions
obviously bring a higher salary with them,” McNiece said.
Floyd County Commission Chairman Irwin Bagwell said the criteria used by the Chamber of Commerce in recruiting new industries over the last decade and a half really has a positive impact on wages.
Jones said he also suspects that the community has been doing a better job of enhancing the education level of the workforce.
“That’s going to lead to higher income jobs as well,” Jones said. “If you’re looking for an educational opportunity, I don’t know where you’d go that you would have a better variety. There’s virtually nothing you can’t get here which isn’t the case in many places our size.”
The same BEA Report also indicated that Floyd County’s population had declined by less than 1 percent between 2010 and 2011.
The BEA report lists Floyd’s population at the end of 2011 at 95,989, down from 96,287 at the end of 2010.
Chattooga, Polk and Walker counties also registered population drops. While the remaining counties showed increases, all were well under 1 percent.
Hodge said the decrease in population was something of concern. “We need to continue efforts to grow the community with quality, not growth at any price,” Hodge said.
Bagwell said he suspects the slight decline in population may have something to do with people leaving to find a better job situation. | <urn:uuid:669fe96e-e761-4e92-ae27-881eeddcd278> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://romenews-tribune.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Per+capita+income+in+Floyd+leads+Northwest+Georgia+region-%20&id=20945930&instance=home_news | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968645 | 576 | 1.726563 | 2 |
All the readers hear would agree to the importance of clean laundry. No one would agree that his or her children should walk around in dingy and smelly clothes. The cleanliness is a part of faith and all the human beings are conscious about keeping toxic elements away from their skin. The skin acts as central entry point and gatekeeper in human body and largest organ in our body. In ordinary laundry detergents which we use every day for washing, there is high involvement of artificial fragrances, phenols and napthas.
There are several flammable hydrocarbon liquid mixtures in napthas and phenols and in broad definition; they cover all the liquid hydrocarbons which are found in petroleum. These detergents add too much to our expenses and natural alternatives are more appealing if we use them for our wallet saving or our health. Prime thing which we note down when we are looking for natural alternatives is addition of natural line in famous brands description. Being green is an added value!!!
Detergents contain different value of surfactants and they break the water surface tension to remove dirt away from clothes. Same surfactants will find their way to water and cause big aquatic life damage they are mixed with marine water, where millions of marine livings would die. These surfactants affect the outer membrane of fishes and other marine living organisms, exposing their skin to parasites and different bacteria. The marine life is also affected when these surfactants make them absorb the pollutants.
In manufacturing process of detergents, there are kept no safety and monitoring standards and huge amount of harmful ingredients are mixed to leaching and pills in all around us. Detergents have also the problem of carbon emission during their manufacturing process and packing that is made from non-recyclable materials. But there is also laundry alternative washing organic solution available and they will not affect the environment in negatively through ingredients, because they are natural and eco-friendly.
Wooden washing machine
Wooden washing machine is not more an idea; it has become a practical available product from MakeProjects.com. Wooden washing machine is a zero-emission washing machine and it uses the human power for its functioning and leverage. MakeProjects.com have also provided with full detail of how a wooden washing machine will be used, features and advantages.
Traditional Tumble drying should be skipped
If you have an open space available in your home or apartment, get the old fashioned and zero emission drying instead of electric dryers. If there is not enough space available in your home, you can use a rack for drying clothes near a window.
Make use of Energy efficient washing methods
For eco-washing, it is important to check the washing machines and prefer a front loading machine instead of top loading machine, because a front loading machine is more efficient one. Use of homemade laundry detergents is also an effective way to save more and keep the environment fragrance.
Now many companies have focused on this point and have highlighted their new detergents as eco-friendly, but most of them have not mentioned about use of ex. Phosphate, which is mixed with several other chemicals and needs explanation. Homemade detergents are easy to make and they are more eco-friendly for solution of all these environmental issues. For an individual, it will take only 5 to 10 minutes to prepare homemade washing detergent.
When only George Marvelous Medicine worked for you and mixing of ingredients didn’t, prefer the concentrated liquid detergents. These types of detergents save the packing and transport trips and most of them have been traveling around the internet too. Let’s start our first try to prepare our homemade laundry detergent. The main ingredients you need are;
- 1 bar of Dr. Bonners Pure castile soap,
- 1 cup borax
- 1 cup washing soda
Put all these ingredients in a food processor together and place in an air tight container. If you have a front load, just put one tablespoon of the mix. We have been well-known to fabrics softeners and really now people do searching for them. However softeners use scent and softness on the clothes which are not removed even after their cleaning. These toxic ingredients are inhaled and also absorbed by our skin, causing a big damage to our skin.
The natural softness of fabric is also taken away when you allow coating something on the fabric. Similar absorption you will find in your towels which are scratchy because they are not good absorbent of fabric softeners. We have found that homemade or natural laundry detergents don’t remain once they have been washed. However when softeners have been used for fabrics, there is an ingredient fix which don’t remove easily. The greener washing detergents are more active to take part for green environment and saving the marine world instead of their unproductive counter parts.
Most of the homemade laundry introducing man made materials and if you are looking for an alternative to chemical detergents, then soap nuts are best thing to be selected. Soap nuts are the berry-like fruit of the Sapindus Mukorrosi tree, found mainly in the Himalayas. The berries are gathered, their seeds are removed and they’re dried in the sun.
Because they’re grown organically and then dried, they really are 100% natural.
These are low sudsing, antimicrobial, biodegradable gentle, making them safe for high efficiency washers. The wools and silks can also be done using mild soap. A gentler way to wrinkle instead of ironing is to spray the dried cloth with a vinegar and water solution. There are many alternative ideas like cleaning the actual iron with white vinegar filled reservoir, because ironing red marks can be removed by use of white vinegar. Now switch the iron and let it steam for 5 mints and use with the water.
The natural alternatives are highly recommended because of their low PH value and when you add them for fabrics cleaning, the dark lint of the clothes will be reduced. Such organic detergents are as much powerful as our chemical detergents and friendly to the environment. | <urn:uuid:625cfdcf-b588-4c5f-9db1-7544f7c7141c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.envirogadget.com/eco-washing/the-natural-alternatives-to-laundry-detergents/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944387 | 1,271 | 2.375 | 2 |
A New Development
For 25 years, Douglas Foy ' 73 served as head of the Conservation Law Foundation, a New England-based environmental advocacy group whose frequent lawsuits changed the landscape of the region, literally. But now Foy has jumped from the courthouse to the State House, named by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ' 75 as the first chief of Commonwealth Development.
The move has required Foy to change his thinking and his strategies. At CLF he pushed for the "pure"; now he seeks to implement the "possible." And for that reason, he suspects the organization will soon come after him. In fact, Foy says he is confident CLF has offered a bounty to the first staffer that names him in a lawsuit.
"If they do not end up challenging something we're doing here, they're probably not doing their job," said Foy of the organization that he grew from a staff of fewer than 10 employees to a group of more than 50, with offices in five states. The lawsuits CLF initiated and the deals Foy struck have, among other things, forced the cleanup of Boston Harbor, halted plans for the Seabrook 2 nuclear reactor in New Hampshire and eliminated the possibility of oil drilling in Georges Bank.
Though some called his work at CLF obstructionist and extreme, Foy has no doubt that the results have vindicated his efforts. "There were all sorts of bad things that CLF stopped and a bunch of really interesting good things that CLF has forced to happen," he said. "I never walk along Boston Harbor without thinking about the fact that 20 years ago it was cesspool, and now . . . it has become this enormous economic engine for the city of Boston."
When Romney, the career businessperson, named Foy, the area's most visible environmental activist, to guide the state's development program, many were surprised. But Foy believes it was a perfect match: "Governor Romney had campaigned on a platform of smart growth, sustainable development, environmental protection, wiser transportation investments, transit-oriented development. . . . We worked on these issues [at CLF]."
Though he occasionally uses the phrase "smart growth," he favors a more simple maxim: Stop doing stupid things.
In the past, Foy argues, the commonwealth tended to drive development in the wrong places and encouraged constructing new buildings and roads before fixing old ones. In addition, state agencies often operated independently of each other, without any coordination or regional planning. One of Romney's primary goals in appointing a head of Commonwealth Development was to create a position where the actions of four of the state's principal development agencies--the departments of transportation, housing, environment and energy--could be coordinated.
Even with control of these agencies, Foy can be hindered by the occasionally divergent agendas of 351 cities and towns, a long history of home rule and well-organized community groups. But he does have some tools to help his regional planning efforts. First among these are the large budgets that he controls.
"The state is not going to come in and order each of the towns to develop New England villages," said Foy. "But we can certainly say to them, 'If you don't want to build housing near transit stations, don't count on us building you a new transit station. ... If you don't want to rehab schools in the center of your town so they remain a part of the central civic fabric of the community, don't count on our money.'"
Of course, with Massachusetts facing austere budget times, the money is not nearly as abundant as in the past. Likening himself to the British general who told his troops, "Men, we have run out of money; now we must learn to think," Foy believes the financial problems will make it harder to do the "stupid things" that lead to irresponsible growth: "Being fiscally conservative and fiscally restrained will in the long run force us into a more sustainable development pattern."
back to Class Notables | <urn:uuid:2630b033-2343-48eb-b3c3-93ff468ed1de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/2004/spring/feature_5-4.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976022 | 822 | 1.609375 | 2 |
First of all, you have to have a source for vocabulary Spanish websites, newspapers and magazines can give you tons of new words and phrases to use, so that's a great start, and you'll get even more. I also suggest getting a dictionary; this will obviously help when you need to translate an idea from your language, or have heard a new word in Spanish that you don't know, and want to look it up. If you have already found a good dictionary and are using it, that is great. Keep it up.
Now, the next step is to consider getting your hands on a Spanish-Spanish dictionary, rather than a translation one. You have enough of a base vocabulary now that you can start to use the same dictionary that a Spanish speaker would use. Don't go get a big doorstop of a dictionary at first; try to get a student one, and remember that a Spanish picture dictionary is an easy way to start. You will probably want to hang on to your translation one for a while, but try using a Spanish-Spanish one now too. Es mas autentico, and is a great way to challenge yourself to increase your vocabulary.
So, there you have it; awesome resources to find much of the vocabulary that you will need to speak Spanish like a native (with a nice little accent). But, what techniques should you use to learn quickly and effectively? Well, your best learning styles, of course:
Are you a visual learner? Flash cards are an excellent way to learn and remember your vocabulary words. Challenge yourself to read a Spanish newspaper in your free time, or keep it in your bag or car to take out and read when you have time. This type of constant, repeated input is great for visual learners.
Are you an audio learner? No problema; try getting hold of some Spanish music onto your MP3 player and listen to it as you work, work out, or drive along in your car.
Are you more of a kin aesthetic learner? Well, your teachers probably knew what was best for you; writing lines! This means writing vocabulary lists, with translations, perhaps putting down each word three times. The movement involved in reading and writing, and repeating this action, is a very good way for learners like you to remember information.
And a fabuloso way to learn vocabulary for all types of learners, in a first or second language? Read! Seeing the vocabulary being used within a context and it in its different forms is a very real way to approach it and you will learn even more by doing this.
Of course, you can also find Spanish articles, books and information written about topics you enjoy, too, and this is a great way to use your own motivation to help you practice. As I mentioned before, children's books are also excelente, because they are simple, and often are stories that you know. So many possibilities!
And lastly, of course the very best way to learn vocabulary is to combine all of your senses, use every learning style, and use your Spanish. Use it to speak to others, listen to others, sing along with others or write to others. Using Spanish in real situations will naturally increase your word power, and enjoyment. And that is what it's all about!
Tip: Have you tried watching television yet, to help you improve your listening, vocabulary and general understanding of Spanish? Try telenovas. These are Spanish soap operas, and are very popular throughout the Spanish speaking world. The language is usually pretty simple, and it's a fun way to increase understanding. You can find some on most cable networks. | <urn:uuid:61eca772-cd78-48dc-ac23-a5058d83b51b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eyeonspain.com/spain-magazine/memory-tips.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969862 | 743 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Pots and containers are a great way to ring the changes in the garden each season. In fact you could plant a new pot for every month of the year. They also give gardeners the opportunity to grow plants that may not thrive in their particular type of soil, for example ericaceous plants or alpines.
Use your pots and containers to add stunning effects in your garden. Hanging baskets and window boxes will help you to add colour at a higher level. Grouping containers in a range of sizes can create a sea of colour in any area, or grow a interestingly shaped container shrub or tree to create a focal point.
Plants in pots are extremely versatile, small pots can be moved about allowing you to show off decorative flowers such as dahlias or tulips when they are at their best and then hide them away in a less obvious spot when flowering is over.
Spring containers full of wonderful bulbs and fabulous evergreens are a great way to celebrate the arrival of the warmer weather and can be replanted with summer plants as the season progresses.
For fantastic pots and containers in summer choose Dahlias. These flowers are very easy to grow and bloom from summer to the first frosts. Although they are frost tender they can be started into growth as early as February in a greenhouse. Remember plants in containers should be fed to achieve their full potential.
You can create some winter cheer with some winter flowering bedding plants. Hardy cyclamen make a bright and colourful addition to the patio or even a windowsill. Plant them with an evergreen ivy to soften the edges. | <urn:uuid:03a0f3a1-2559-45cf-bf50-6a1629b7c7a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gardenhealth.com/plant-care-and-propagation/hints-and-tips/container-planting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938344 | 325 | 2.171875 | 2 |
A recent poll conducted by YouGov asked respondents across the Arab world what type of political system would be best suited for Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya—countries where the governments had been overthrown during the Arab uprisings. The results are startling.
Some three-fourths of the Arab respondents reportedly believe the Turkish political system would be “a right model” for the “new Arab states” to emulate. The “Saudi model” barely polled in the double digits, though it is still ahead of the U.S. model.
The pollsters did not define their terms, so it is not clear what exactly people believe they are supporting when they refer to the Turkish model. The best insight into that comes with the respondents’ explanations for their preferences. The three top reasons cited were: 1) cultural affiliation: respondents cited Turkey as very close to the Arab world in terms of culture, religion, and traditions; 2) international respect: those who favored the Turkish model argued that its political system has earned the Eurasian republic international respect; and 3) the role of religion, suggesting that the Turkish model involves Islam in politics. Somewhat surprisingly, less than a quarter of Turkey’s Arab fans cited its democracy as reason for wanting its system to be adopted in the Arab world.
Interestingly, even though the majority of those polled cited cultural affinities between Arabs and Turks, very few saw similarities between the Ankara regime and most Arab regimes. That is, the Arab respondents saw a suitability of the Turkish model, even though they see it as rather different from the regimes in the Arab world. That does not indicate a very high degree of satisfaction with the available models in the Arab world.
What can we conclude from these findings? First, the poll suggests that time has indeed moved on in the Arab world. A century after the hostile breakup of the Ottoman order, the Arab world has apparently shed its longstanding grudge against its former occupier. Attitudes have evolved. The Arab nationalism that led the backlash against Ottoman rule has run its course.
Second, the findings rebut determinist views of the Arab world as forever destined to harbor certain resentments. Attitudes can and do change over time in the Arab world, as they do elsewhere. The success of attractiveness, and the attractiveness of success, both seem to be at play when it comes to Arab attitudes toward Turkey.
Third, and as the Arab uprisings have suggested, many Arab peoples do not, generally speaking, see attractive models of governance within their midst. That Arabs are more attracted to the so-called Turkish model reflects displeasure with existing Arab forms of government. It should serve as a sobering wake-up call to today’s Arab rulers, if any such call is needed more than one year since the outbreak of the region-wide Arab uprisings.
To be sure, this is but one poll, and over-extrapolation is dangerous. Yet it is noteworthy that with the turmoil sweeping the Arab world now in its second year, Arabs are looking outward, not just inward, for ideas and role models, contrary to what so many commentators about the region have been suggesting. | <urn:uuid:1278e65d-994d-404d-bd58-838c56c6233a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.cfr.org/danin/2012/03/21/surprising-arab-views-of-the-turkish-model/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967396 | 650 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The biannual Brewery Art Walk offers the opportunity to tour the studios in the Brewery Arts Complex. The tour features resident artists displaying works including paintings, ceramics, video, and performance art.
Rare Bloom is the opening reception for a collection of works by Los Angeles-based artist Liza Ryan. Ryan's photographs, videos and mixed media works explore themes including the American South, psychology, feminism, and nature.
We Americans have become so sensitive, so wimpy, that we are in danger of ending up with art that avoids controversy at all costs. The name for such "neutered" art? Irrelevant art. Or, simply, bad art.
Since joining the Getty Museum in 2008 as assistant director for education, Toby Tannenbaum has expanded its efforts to get contemporary artists involved in education projects. The most recent, Open Studio, is a set of free, online art lesson plans | <urn:uuid:a63254c5-ee89-4b61-bbf3-484f8d323665> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/getty | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943958 | 186 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Kent State Speak
Academic Adviser - Faculty member or staff person who provides students with information concerning courses, programs of study, degree requirements, academic support services, policies and procedures defining academic progress, and other aspects of academic life.
Black squirrels (The unofficial university mascot) - Ten rare black squirrels were imported from Canada in February 1961 by Larry Woodell, superintendent of grounds, and M. W. Staples, a retired executive of the Davey Tree Expert Company. When first released, the large, black-spiked squirrels were frequently mistaken for skunks. Today they own the campus, and they can sometimes be aggressive, so be careful! The Black Squirrel Festival started in 1981 as a day-long event held on the Student Center Plaza to introduce new students to campus and community organizations. Now it features barbeques, live bands and local artisans.
Bursar's Office - The office you hand your money over to in order to be a KSU student! The office is responsible for the billing and collection of student fees as well as the disbursement of financial aid refunds. Located in room 131 Schwartz Center.
Campus Loop - To help students and visitors navigate the Kent campus and surrounding communities, Kent State works with the area Portage Area Regional Transit Authority (PARTA). PARTA provides transit services on campus and in the local community. One of those services is a bus route that provides pick-up/drop-off service to students at stops that loop around campus. The campus loop route runs approximately every 5-7 minutes Monday through Friday, for the majority of the day, during the academic year. The campus loop helps to virtually eliminate all through traffic within the campus. The heavily used service is available at no charge to Kent State students.
Capstone classes - Classes, typically taken in a student's junior or senior year, that integrate an academic major's fundamental components into a unified and comprehensive whole.
CSI (The Center for Student Involvement) - This office houses over 250 student organizations, many of which are responsible for planning and implementing some of the major programming that goes on on campus, oversees the Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities, as well as student government, and also conducts student leadership programs. Located in room 226 Kent Student Center.
Destination Kent State - An umbrella term used to describe a number of programs/services aimed at orienting and welcoming incoming students to the university.
- Advising & Registration: A day-and-a-half-long program in which incoming students -- and their families -- are informed about the various offices/departments on campus, students meet with an academic advisor to schedule their fall classes, and students also are able to enjoy a number of fun/social activities that are typical of the college experience.
- Welcome Weekend: Beginning the Thursday before the first day of fall classes, this weekend is intended to welcome the student to the university through both fun and educational activities.
- First Year Experience class: A required 1-credit course for all new first-year students (and transfers with less than 25 credits). The course serves an essential role in advising students concerning course selection and focusing on academic, personal and social issues relevant to college life.
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) - This is the application for federal and state grants, federal loans, and federal work-study.
Flash - The Official Kent State University mascot.
FLASHcard - The FLASHcard is a student's Kent State University Campus ID; there is no need to have any other ID anywhere on the campus. The FLASHcard serves as their ID, meal ticket, and a debit card (through Huntington Bank).
Flash Fest - An annual program hosted by the All Campus Programming Board in April. Past Flash Fest events have included performers, basketball tournaments, "Pie your Professor", battle of the bands, video game tournaments, prizes and more!
GPS (Graduation Planning System) - An advising system that provides a "roadmap" for students to plan, schedule, and track their academic progress from their first semester through graduation.
Kent Core Guidelines-The Kent Core is the foundation of the university's mission to prepare students to live in today's complex, global society. It broadens intellectual perspectives, fosters ethical and humanitarian values and prepares students for responsible citizenship and productive careers. Through this learning experience, students develop the intellectual flexibility they need to adapt to an ever-changing world.
May 4th - Four Kent State University students were killed and nine wounded on May 4, 1970, during a demonstration protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia. The Center for Peaceful Change, now the Center for Applied Conflict Management, was established one year later as a living memorial to these students. Permanent memorials are interspersed around campus, and in commemoration, a vigil and accompanying ceremonies are held yearly on this date.
Painting the Rock - The infamous rock in front campus is painted by a myriad of individuals and/or student groups, most often the various fraternities and sororities. The rock is sometimes painted several times in a 24-hour period.
Provost - Second only to the university's President, the Provost is the chief academic officer and is responsible for the university's academic strength and robustness, and also oversees programs that enhance students' academic success. Located in the Executive Offices, 2nd floor Library.
Registrar's Office - This office is responsible for a host of university-related processes from determining in-state residency, to producing the master schedule of classes for each semester/year, to posting grades, to facilitating student's official name changes, etc. Located in 108 Schwartz Center.
Seven (7) Ideas - Physics 11030, otherwise known as Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, is the most popular course at Kent State for satisfying a Liberal Education Requirement (Kent Core) in the Basic Sciences. Each year, more than 3,600 students take 7 Ideas on the Kent Campus. Indeed, in a campus-wide survey reported in the Daily Kent Stater a few years ago, the top three "most interesting courses" were Human Sexuality, 7 Ideas and another physics offering: Frontiers in Astronomy.
Student Ombuds - The "go-to" person that students can access if they have any issues (university-related) they are not able to resolve on their own. The Ombuds will work with a student to develop both informal and formal strategies that will assist in resolving university-related concerns. Located in room 250 Kent Student Center.
TA (Teaching Assistant) - A graduate student who assists a professor in teaching a class.
The Stater - The award-winning Daily Kent Stater is a student-run, independent voice on campus providing a dynamic, up-to-date package of news, information and advertising.
The Brain - A sculpture on campus, designed by Brinsely Tyrrell, emeritus professor of art, located outside of Merrill Hall, on Terrace Drive.
The Esplanade - The brick and concrete walkway that stretches from Terrace Drive (near Van Deusen) to the library; eventually, it will stretch the entire width of campus.
The Fountain - One fountain is located outside, in the Student Center Plaza. The second fountain is located just inside the first floor of the Kent Student Center, behind and underneath the central staircase. Both fountains serve as a meeting location when connecting with friends and class groups.
Front Campus - While the center of campus has shifted eastward, Front Campus is still appreciated for the stateliness of its buildings as well as the calm, shady atmosphere it provides KSU students. Front Campus buildings are also appreciated for their classic architectural features. These buildings include: Cartwright Hall [CWH], Franklin Hall [FRH], Kent Hall [KTH and KTA], Lowry Hall [LRH], McGilvrey Hall [MCG], Merrill Hall [MLH], Moulton Hall [MOU], Rockwell Hall [ROC].
The Hub - The Hub is located on the first floor of the Student Center, and offers a variety of dining options to Kent State students.
The MAC Center - (The Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center) MAC Center was originally constructed in 1950, when it was known simply as Memorial Gym. The building underwent major renovation in 1992, when its name was modified. It was named in honor of the Americans who died in World War II. Kent State's Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center) is home to the men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling teams.
Manchester Field - An outdoor location—at the intersection of the Student Center, the library, and Eastway residence hall complex—where many on-campus and residence halls events are held.
Risman Plaza - At the center of KSU's campus is the large, modern Kent Student Center and the university's 12 story research library. A circular brick plaza featuring a large fountain and fragrant perennial gardens links the two buildings together and provides a welcoming outdoor space. The Plaza is a place where students, faculty, and staff gather to catch some sun, share a conversation or some lunch, and enjoy outdoor musical programs or events.
The Ratt (The Rathskeller) - Located on the lower level of the Kent Student Center, next to Jazzman's Café. This is the only on-campus, full-service bar. The Rathskeller is a place where anyone can find something to do every night of the week, including such events as Krazy Karaoke and WWE Wrestling telecasts. There are also multiple televisions to watch your favorite sporting events.
The Rec - The Student Recreation and Wellness Center provides a state of-the-art facility featuring a 35-foot indoor rock climbing wall, a sports arena, 1/7-mile indoor jogging/walking track, a modern fitness floor with cardiovascular and free-weight equipment, an indoor natatorium, four glass-enclosed racquetball courts and a multipurpose gymnasium catering to indoor soccer or floor hockey.
The Rock - Located on Front Campus (north/northwest part), this fairly large rock is very often painted by individuals and/or various student groups, most often the various fraternities and sororities. The rock is sometimes painted several times in a 24 hour period.
Rosie's - Located in Tri-Towers, off the Rotunda; Rosie's is the only 24-hour dining facility on campus. It offers convenience store items, as well as short-order food requests.
ARHD (Assistant Residence Hall Director) - The ARHD is a graduate student currently pursuing a degree while maintaining responsibility within the hall. The ARHD assists the RHD with daily operations of the hall and Hall Council Government. Assistant Residence Hall Directors are placed in larger halls.
The Desk - Each residential (e.g. residence halls) grouping of campus is divided into geographic areas utilizing an area desk. The desk's main function is to provide information, lock-out temporary keys (free of charge), etc. The Tri-Area Desk is open 24-hours.
KIC (Kent Interhall Council) - KIC is the residence hall association at Kent State University. KIC's constituency is comprised of all students living on the Kent State campus and their funding comes from an activity fee only for residence hall students. KIC provides a number of services to students such as programming, administration, advocacy, committees and great leadership opportunities. They have a number of traditional programs such as the Etiquette Dinner, Festival of Diversity, and Little Sibs Weekend. It also provide services such as a Food Committee in cooperation with University Dining Services and also an Advocacy Committee to be sure the students' voices are being heard. KIC offers unbelievable leadership opportunities for all students! Check them out!
Learning Communities - These are groups -- communities -- of students who specifically choose to live in certain residence hall buildings or floors, and who share similar academic or special interests.
RA (Resident Assistant) - The RA is a student-staff member, selected and trained on the basis of his/her experience, leadership, human relation skills and willingness to help. They assist all students in developing and accepting responsibility for their own decisions. They are prepared to assist you with all concerns (personal, social, academic and environmental). It is important that you become acquainted with the entire residence hall staff.
Rapid Track - The Rapid Track system is an on-line website where on-campus residents can go when they need to request a repair to their room.
RCR (Room condition report) - The RCR is a document your RA completes prior to your arrival on campus that explains in detail the condition of your room. Your RA will approach you within the first two weeks of the semester requesting that you review the document for accuracy, suggest any additions and sign it.
RHD (Residence Hall Director) - The RHD is a full-time professional staff member, who lives on-site and is responsible for the educational development of students in his/her building and serves as the supervisor to the resident assistants in a hall.
Roommate Agreement - The Roommate Agreement is a document that presents an opportunity for residents to talk to their respective roommates about each others' habits, interests, needs and expectations. Making plans about living together and planning for change will help avoid conflict and will assist in residents becoming successful roommates. By completing the Roommate Agreement, residents may find that they are in agreement about many items, but may also discover that they are in conflict on others. The goal is to collaborate and work together in building an agreement that all roommates can live with. Students are members of a residence hall or apartment community and are expected to act responsibly and not interfere with the rights, comfort, or safety of their roommate(s) and other students. Many issues of importance are included in the agreement form. Residence hall staff encourage residents to: (1) take turns responding to each category on the form and make an agreement before moving on to the next one; (2) listen closely to your roommate(s) so you will understand the ideas or needs expressed; (3) summarize what you thought was said. This agreement represents residents' promise to their roommate(s) and their roommate(s)' promise to them. Residents may find that their interests, ideas and habits change as they settle into life in the residence hall. These changes may require some consideration for change in the roommate agreement. Hall staff strongly encourage residents to talk to their roommate(s) if they are interested in making a change; the RA would be interested in providing assistance.
Security - Most visibly identified by their bright yellow shirts/jackets, the student-staff who comprise the Security program offer escorts to/from buildings on campus, from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., conduct rounds in the residence halls to ensure safety, and often assist with residence hall emergencies that arise. | <urn:uuid:d5abd8dd-663f-4939-8756-b9b73c434fb0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kent.edu/destination/welcome/kent-state-speak.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95373 | 3,092 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Writing for real: Round Lake seniors apply skills to businessesROUND LAKE — It isn’t every high school English teacher who can get her students excited about writing.
By: Jane Turpin Moore, Worthington Daily Globe
ROUND LAKE — It isn’t every high school English teacher who can get her students excited about writing.
But with 41 years of teaching experience to her credit — 36 of them in the Round Lake school system — Shari Nelson manages to keep incorporating fresh approaches that invigorate her classes and make her gush like a teenager herself.
“It’s so much fun to work with them,” expressed the veteran teacher recently as she described how the seven Round Lake-Brewster High School seniors in her technical writing class created “businesses” during the third quarter, and all the necessary written materials those businesses required.
“I had the students decide what small business they would like to start, and then they went through as much of the process toward that goal as possible,” explained Nelson. “They designed business cards and logos, created a number of forms they would need — fax forms, billing invoices and more — wrote mission statements and developed return address labels, envelopes — lots of fun things.”
Nelson’s enthusiasm must be inspirational to her students, for whom she provides a class that is educational but also practical and relevant to many of the students’ immediate futures.
“Basically, if the students follow their own interests, they come up with some wonderful things,” said Nelson. “One guy ‘started’ a construction company for home building and remodeling while another had a welding company, and another young man looked at a small engine repair business — and these are areas they are thinking of pursuing careers in after high school.”
In the preceding quarter, Nelson had assigned her students a career-focused research paper that had the teens considering the type of tasks they would be doing in a certain position, taking into account the job’s pay scale and employment opportunities.
“A couple of the students tried something different from what they had discussed in the research paper, but they need that exploration,” approved Nelson, who also coaches speech, directs dramatic productions and serves as a mentor for newer teachers at Round Lake-Brewster.
Another real-world lesson Nelson helped teach during her technical writing class is driven home with the help of Ned Jones, a Farmers Insurance agent based in Round Lake.
“Ned came in to talk to them about insurance and the kind they would need for their businesses,” noted Nelson. “Would their businesses be sole proprietorships or limited liability corporations? How much does it cost annually?
“Ned is a Vietnam War veteran and has talked to Round Lake history classes in the past about the war,” she continued. “He does a super job as a presenter.”
Indeed, Jones made an impression on senior Mariah Brandt, who explored what it takes to open a cosmetology business; she dubbed it “Mariah’s Beauty Parlor.”
“It was helpful when Ned Jones came to the class,” Brandt confirmed, “because I learned I wouldn’t just need building insurance but also workman’s compensation. The insurance wasn’t as expensive as some other things I would need for the business, but it helped me be more realistic about the costs involved, and I feel better informed.”
Brandt, who plans to attend cosmetology school in Jackson after graduating, discovered that it was the cost of equipment that will likely keep her from her dream of opening her own business for several years.
“You need hair products, curling irons, straighteners, blow dryers, but also massage tables and tanning beds, depending on what you choose to offer, and I want to touch on a little bit of every category,” listed Brandt. “When I started doing the purchase orders, I thought, wow, it’s a lot.
“I’ll probably work over the years for someone and save up money, but then will still have to take out a big loan.”
Brandt’s classmate, Cody Dean, dreamed up “Dean’s Construction,” building on his goal of becoming a self-employed carpenter.
“I’ve worked the past two years for Sowles Construction in Brewster, pouring concrete, and after working on this [school] project, I realize how much work it is to start your own business and how much money it takes,” Dean admitted. “Maybe I can do it in the future, but in the meantime I’ll try to get a job with another local construction company.”
Dean, whose dad also benefited from Nelson’s guidance while a student, is looking forward to attending the carpentry program at Northwest Iowa Community College following his May 18 graduation.
“Mrs. Nelson made this a fun class, and it might give me an advantage in the future if I do start my own business,” Dean said.
Nelson also encouraged senior Amber Brickson as she developed “The Caring Bridge,” which she described as a “big home where parents and kids can come and stay if they need a place to go, or if kids are taken away from their parents, like a safe house,” Brickson detailed. “My goal is to become a social worker who helps little kids who are in bad situations.”
As part of her non-profit business development, Brickson wrote purchase orders for household supplies, toys, cars, beds and more.
“It was a lot of money,” she said. “It made me realize that people might really want to do something but can’t necessarily afford it.”
Brickson, too, is grateful that Nelson helped the students see the need to “cover all your steps, and over-thinking is not a bad thing in this case,” Brickson related.
“I like Nelson because she makes you see the real deal,” said this young woman who expressed a desire to attend college after working two jobs during high school to help support herself. “She is very dedicated, and it was a good experience to have done this, to have some type of business planning, because it was an eye-opener for what to actually look out for.
“We definitely learned some practical skills for writing in the real world.” | <urn:uuid:b4234212-e08c-47f7-bfd3-6ff9b95e2dbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/56345/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97799 | 1,397 | 2.078125 | 2 |
BYOD Warrior? Have Contingency Plans For Disaster
Category: Tablets, Smartphones, Social Networking, Freeware, Notebooks
Employees who use their own devices for work also should have a contingency plan for when things fail. The more personal devices and services an employee uses for work, the more detailed that plan should be.
A BYOD contingency plan is not so different from one that is used in the enterprise. For example, IT departments maintain redundant ISPs, regularly schedule fail-overs to a co-location, and randomly restore backups to make sure the data is recorded properly. Knowing that backup plan works brings peace-of-mind.
The IT department's contingency plans can get very specific: What if employees can't get in the building because a steam pipe burst nearby? Or what if both ISPs fail? More businesses are hiring ethical hacking teams to discover and close vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
You probably don't need to hire an ethical hacker, but there are simple steps all BYOD warrior can take to prevent problems from becoming nightmares.
For instance, a laptop can store a small business's entire data. If it were snatched during a break at a conference would you know what was lost? With any luck your wouldn't be stolen, because you had encrypted the drive--all laptops should use encrypted drives and strong passwords. But if the data wasn't backed up to another location, then it's gone. Ideally your IT department has a mechanism to save data to a server either through a VPN or remote session. If not, set up an automated method for your data to a secure cloud service. Remember, backups to a Time Machine volume or something similar on the computer itself won't help you if the computer is gone or the hard drive is physically damaged.
But what if you lose your password to your cloud storage service? What if you lose all your passwords because you kept them in a file on the laptop? Your network admin can change your password in a few seconds, but to have to hunt down the rest of your passwords puts you at the mercy of each provider, and that's assuming you remember your usernames. You'll eventually restore them but a backup would have saved hours of calls and e-mails with banks and other services.
You can call the bank if your cell phone wasn't lost, stolen, or dropped. The phone is the single most important device to keep safe because it has tentacles into all aspects of your business. Not far back, when you lost the company-issued Blackberry, you'd get a new one that day and IT would take care of the paperwork. Lose your phone today and you're on your own. The right insurance plan will replace it overnight. Plans start at about $100 annually. If your company is already paying for the cellular service, see if it can also cover the insurance. Covering it is in their interest.
Along with the contacts list in your lost phone, you've lost immediate access to your email, texts, and calendars. You also might have lost your RSA Secure ID token for authentication and with it remote access to your network. Where would you be without your phone right now? Using a leash will prevent drops and snatches. QuicKlip sells one for $20.
Another option, if you have lost your phone but still have Internet access, is to keep some money in a Skype account so that you can make outside calls using your computer. A USB headset like this one can come in handy. For a small regular fee you can also have a Skype phone number so people can reach you.
Keep all your devices fully charged in case of a power failure. A fully charged laptop could connect to a Verizon Jetpack for hours. The Jetpack or AT&T's Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G or NetZero's 4G Mobile Broadband each are necessary redundancies to your home ISP.
If you haven't taken these steps yet, it's time to get to work on your contingency plan, before you need it. Get that cell phone insurance and a secure redundant set of passwords. Keep a hard copy of critical data, such as contacts and phone numbers, especially the number of your phone insurer. Find out McDonald's and Starbucks' hours of operation.
Businesses create contingency plans and the better ones regularly test those plans. Employees who are using their own devices and services should do the same. | <urn:uuid:4e04a7b8-177a-4644-8009-940f26b2ce5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.informationweek.com/byte/personal-tech/smart-phones/byod-warrior-have-contingency-plans-for/240003956 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956001 | 895 | 2 | 2 |
Date: May 1971
Creator: Snyder, Henry W.
Description: This booklet gives an overview of winds aloft, as they relate to aviation. According to the scope notes on the title page, it includes information about "Winds aloft, modes of observation, forecasts and charts." The text also has self-evaluation questions printed throughout, with the answers printed on the last page.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library | <urn:uuid:f4f850dd-e393-4da5-819b-945d59a8e248> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/partners/BDPL/browse/?sort=default&fq=untl_decade%3A1970-1979&fq=untl_collection%3APHFW | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907506 | 92 | 2.46875 | 2 |
#6 – The Who are more than the sum of their parts — and their parts are amazing.
As made blatantly obvious (some would say too obvious) with the release of their double album Quadrophenia (1973), the idea of The Who as a “quartnity” of four persons in one “body” held significant power for guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend.
Ultimately, this unified field theory of the band was too quirky, personal and unwieldy to make it into the finished album intact. Perhaps Townshend was overthinking the obvious, and working too hard to express something that fans already understood:
That his band was comprised of four people who, combined, produced music that was “4 to the nth power.”
Townshend’s focus on The Who as a quartet of distinctive individuals is almost as old as the band itself. In the short video below, Pete Townshend shares his proto-punk thoughts about his band mates, circa 1966:
I’m not about to claim that Pete Townshend was the greatest rock guitarist of all time (he placed only #50 in the Rolling Stone Top 100), or that Keith Moon was the greatest drummer.
Yet no one can make a similar claim about any of The Beatles, either, and they are regularly referred to as most successful band in history. (Ringo isn’t called “The Luckiest Man Alive” for nothing.)
What I can do is present the bios that make up part of the sensational documentary about The Who, Amazing Journey, in which other big name musicians explain and demonstrate what makes every member — to use an over/mis-used word — unique: | <urn:uuid:0c8bc0b6-45c0-4561-8fa6-771ec89f703d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2012/04/25/6-reasons-the-who-is-better-than-that-stupid-band-you-like/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975783 | 356 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Just heard of a 31 year old healthy man who developed DVTs while flying to Hawaii, what can I do to protect myself?
DVTs can be caused from sitting too long in the same position. Can it happen during a flight? Absolutely! What can you do to prevent this.
1. Get up and walk every hour of a flight.
2. Do isometric exercises while seated in the plane.
3. Our travel consultants frequently recommend an aspirin a day starting a week before travel. Check with your Travel Consultant or family physician before starting this therapy.
4. Wear pressure socks during your flight. Bowmont Travel Sells them in our Travel Store.
For more information visit: http://www.travelhealth.co.uk/advice/dvt.htm | <urn:uuid:04f61df5-6cc5-4d3b-b530-8e0cf75f58a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bowmonttravel.ca/Blog/?p=45 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916055 | 162 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Way back when I was redecorating my little girls room I had a lot of emails asking for instructions on how we did the decorative trim and built-in bookshelf. We actually added those details years previously (before I took 50 pictures of everything :))and that is why you see them in the before pictures. It was the perfect solution to an awkward corner, and added a little character and charm to the room. I never put up the Diy, and just emailed people with what I could to help them out. Well, while cleaning out my pictures I realized I had a enough random shots of the trim and bookshelf that I could write up a basic how-to. Wahoo! It was pretty easy and very inexpensive to do – catch me after the jump for all the details!
Diy Built In Bookshelf And Trim
Before we get into the how-to, let me explain how it came about. We had originally added the trim and bookshelf for my first baby’s nursery. We painted a solid color on the bottom and then added stripes above the trim – so the trim acted as divider of the two. We repainted the room when we moved and rented the home. Then we moved back, and that is when I redecorated it for my little girl. I forgot how much I loved the little built in shelf, and actually when we sold the home that was a favorite feature in showing it. The best part is that it was safe. Littles like to climb, and this built-in was solid. Second best – it was off the floor for easy vacuuming. Okay now the how-to:
Trim and Moulding Used:
- Quarter round moulding
- Chair Rail Casing
- Trim Molding
- Inside and outside corner blocks (similar, just not for baseboards)
- MDF shelving board – or any size you want
We wanted a white built-in so we bought primed mdf materials. All except the quarter round – and I wished I would have. You can also make this out of all wood and stain, just make sure you choose boards that are nice and straight.
- Table saw
- Hammer and nails (I can’t remember the specific nails, but you can ask for assistance at the hardware store. I do know we used finishing nails for the trim parts)
- Wood glue
- Tape measure and pencil
I am sure if you do any type of woodwork you have more handy tools than we did – use what you’ve got.
Now this is the part where I’ll wish I had pictures – you will have to excuse my lack of proper wood working lingo :).
Built-In Shelving Steps
You can see the parts of the shelf in this photo – quarter round trim, shelving on top, decorative trim added to the front. This should help you visualize what I’m attempting to explain.
- first cut the wood shelving to fit the corner you will be using it in – check as you go, most corners do not have perfect angles
- cut the quarter round trim to length – they will run underneath the back of the shelves against the wall acting as a brace. You will cut the inside corners with a 45 degree miter cut
- using a level, pencil, and tape measure mark where you want the shelves – we had 12 inches in between the bottom three, and then the top we left a little more room for a larger item. The first shelf was about 1½ feet off the floor, with the top about 2 feet from the ceiling to match where we had added the chair rail.
- nail the quarter round in place, run a thin strip of wood glue on top, then place the shelf on top of that. It was easiest to work from the bottom up
- next we nailed the shelves in place on the ends of the face straight into the wall
- once we had all the shelves in place, we added the decorative trim to the sides, cut to length accounting for the top moulding.
- then we added the trim to the front of the shelves. You can see in the photo how we cut the ends at an angle to overlap the side trim.
For the top, you can see how we incorporated it with the chair rail we took around the room. We just took that side trim up to it, and then added the chair rail to the front of the top shelf using the corner blocks on the sides. If you are not adding the trim around the room, I would just miter the corners to match the wall.
Here is a side view, you can see how it all lined up.
To finish it off, I just used painters calk to fill in all the gaps along the trim, at the back of the shelves where they met the wall, and anywhere else I saw one. Then I painted it all the same color as the trim throughout the room, including the wall inside the built-in.
Now for the trim around the room. I remember this being pretty easy, although my husband might tell you a different story. What made it easy was using the block corners. They made it so no mitered corners were necessary.
You just nail the blocks in place on the outside and inside corners of the room (we even used them on the window corners), and then cut the chair rail to length and nail in place. Then I used a little painters calk to cover the nail holes.
Just a little tip: paint first, and then add the trim. Then all you have to do is a little touch up.
So there you have it! I am sure someone else could have made that clearer, but you get the general idea right? If I ever have a room with an awkward little corner again, this will be the first project on my list – so fun with the perfect amount of charm.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I will answer them there! | <urn:uuid:be13fe46-85c6-4ff8-8de5-9a3e7c92cd3d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.themotherhuddle.com/diy-built-in-shelves-with-decorative-trim/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968281 | 1,247 | 1.546875 | 2 |